How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Malaysia as I see it

When is the right time to forgive and forget?

‘For those who seek revenge, as Mahatma Gandhi said, an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.'
When watching kungfu films about old China, seeking revenge for the death of a family member was the top priority. Then someone wise would advise that the enmity should stop, otherwise there would be no end to the dispute.
The death of ex-Secretary General of MCP, Chin Peng (real name Ong Boon Hua) on Malaysia Day (surely a date to be remembered!) had created a storm in a teacup over whether his body or even his ashes could be brought back to Malaysia.
Malaysiakini: 'Barring Chin Peng's ashes makes us laughing stock'
Ex-IGP Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor says the refusal to allow Chin Peng into the country made a mockery of the 1989 Hatyai Peace Treaty.
We should rightly be called Petty Malaysia?

Should we be eternally grateful?

IDEAS's CEO, Wan Saiful was vilified for suggesting the removal of S.153 which provided for the Special Position of Malays in the Constitution. It was indeed too radically ahead of time. Ask any non-Malays and they would be grateful if only the government just stick to the provisions instead of increasing its coverage and making the NEP to seem like a Never Ending Policy. Najib's new proposal to further empower the Malays (for his own self-preservation in view of the forthcoming Umno elections) has caused someone to suggest our country should be renamed 'Malaysahaja'!
Wan Saiful's background was checked and his 16 years in UK, at least initially funded by our government, was made out to be a case of 'kacang lupakan kulit'. Rocky Bru and others have commented that those who oppose the continuation of NEP and its improved versions are the ones who benefited from them, like Wan Saiful and Zaid Ibrahim.
But if we were to leave our prejudices aside, are we not expecting to be educated, especially when overseas, to be more open-minded and acceptable of universal values? Unless, universal values are considered Western and therefore those who advocate them are deemed brain-washed.
Dr. Mahathir had repeatedly criticised such Malays as ungrateful because they were beneficiaries of the NEP. But are they to be eternally grateful for that despite knowing that the government had been unfair to the other races?
A true philantropist would not expect anything in return when helping the needy, least of all, having to support anything and everything that he advocates. Koon Yew Yin comes to mind, and his advice to those who obtained his scholarships is to help others when they are in a position to do so.

DAP is multi-racial in name only?

That the Chairman is Karpal Singh and there are many Indian MPs and ADUNs make no difference?
Malaysia Chronicle:
'Former DAP national vice-chairman Zulkifli Mohd Noor intends to find out whether the party's "Malaysian Malaysia" concept still had any relevance by contesting in the Sept 29 re-elections for the central executive committee (CEC).
Zulkifli said he wanted to know whether the troubled elections of December 2012, in which no Malay leader won, reflected an actual lack of support for Malay leaders in the party.
"I want to see whether the Malay candidates have gained the attention of the delegates who will then choose them to sit in the highest decision-making body of the DAP," he said at a press conference today.
The party has been attacked as being multi-racial in name only, with current Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari being "elected" into the body only after a tabulation error in the previous polls was discovered.'

I think Zulkifli is expecting too much if he is expecting members of DAP to support a Malay candidate without first being able to bring in enough of his own supporters. I would say DAP leaders like Lim Guan Eng had been trying so hard to encourage more Malay members but without success, mainly because of the stigma of being 'traitorous to Malay race' for those who joined DAP. Otherwise, the Malay leader has to be someone of enough stature to command support from even non-Malay members in DAP. MP of Raub, Dato Mohd Ariff Sabri comes to mind as such a person who could win at DAP CEC election if he were to contest.

DAP has to ensure that everything is beyond reproach at the coming CEC election, by having an audit firm to verify the process. They are having trial runs of the computer system to be used too. I would suggest they invite ROS to send a representative too!

I wonder if ROS is also watching over the Umno elections. There is so much speculation on possible deals to influence the election. I would not be surprised if eventually, the top 2 positions would not be challenged. If so, then the change in rules to involve more than 146,000 members (instead of only 191 division leaders) in choosing them would be meaningless. If Umno is really keen on transformation, then someone like Tengku Razaleigh should stand and be voted in as President! He is probably the only leader within Umno who has the support of the people outside Umno.

Nazri, everything in life will be gone in time to come.

Malaysia Chronicle:
'Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz says the facilities of SJK(C) Chin Woo Kuala Lumpur which are built on government land will definitely be demolished.
Nazri said as owner of the encroached land, the ministry has the right to take it back and will not make any compromise.
"You want to have a sit-down protest or go to court, go ahead. The law must be abided by. Part of Chin Woo's facilities must be removed. It is just a matter of time," he said on Wednesday.
"We want the school to know that demolition will be carried out on the school facilities (which include a perimeter wall, car park and two basketball courts) that have encroached on government land," he was quoted as saying in a Sin Chew Daily report today.'
I am surprised at his focus on this particular property so soon after assuming his post. That it involves a Chinese school which like many others, were least supported by the government makes it more sensitive. If we were to stick strictly to law, believe me, many buildings and especially house extensions would have to be demolished.

I see a trend in Malaysia: the government failed in its agenda to help the majority race. But with political power it is able to do many things. Like using national fund agencies or even Umno-controlled companies to take over mainly strategic Chinese properties. So we have successful companies like Sunrise (taken over by UEM) and SP Setia being sold by Liew Kee Sin. With the sales proceeds, the sellers are able to set up new entities and continue with their successful formula. There are also companies which are controlled by non-Malays, but because of their strategic values, many people believe they are being held as nominees for powerful politicians (past and present).

Our 56th National Day and 50th Malaysia Day had come and gone. What we see is still more of the same. Our PM is being foisted on us by Umno, the ruling party in a coalition with subservient parties.  To safeguard his position as President of powerful Umno, he had no choice but to continue with its main agenda of Malay race and religion. If the dictatorial Dr Mahathir could not change things during his 22 years of rule, we do not see anyone who could, unless Umno loses power. GE 13 had seen how it was so near yet so far. Theoretically, BN needed only 17% of votes to gain the minimum simple majority of 112 seats (assuming all from the small constituencies). There was no doubt that BN made full use of the mainstream media which it has full control of, to influence the rural Malays. But analyses of the voting patterns have also shown that even Malays themselves are disillusioned by the government policies which used their race in name but benefited only a few in power. Even within Umno, it is impossible to distribute goodies fairly. What about those who are not members of Umno?

Update: Clarification by Wan Saiful in Rocky Bru...
http://www.rockybru.com.my/2013/09/wan-saiful-i-did-not-call-for-article.html

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