We must now all be very familiar with the Zakaria Deros scandal, we all now about his now infamous 4 storied and 17 room mansion. Its apparently worth a breathtaking RM8 million. Then comes his resignation a few hoohahs here and there and it all seems quiet again now. Malaysians must be a very forgiving lot indeed.
The question many of us have failed to ask is.. where the hell he got such sums of money from?..After all he is a municipal councillor and a state assemblyman. With his salary he can ill afford a RM8 million mansion, and the most interesting bit is the fact that the mansion is built on land designated for low cost housing and sold to his wife at way below the market value for RM180,000!
With the Prime Minister's promises of weeding out the evils of corruption from society, its astonishing that no investigation is being carried out by the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA). Here is a case of blatant wrongdoing and all that is done is a slap on the wrist and ordering the culprit to resign. If the government is indeed serious about rooting out corruption as it says it is,
it now has the golden oppurtunity to prove critics wrong. Launch an investigation on Zakaria Deros, and if there is a case to pursue charge him in court. In my humble opinion the goverment has nothing to lose by taking such a stand, and a lot to lose by letting the matter to fade away.
I'm pretty sure Zakaria's case is just the tip of the iceberg, there are lots of other powerful figures who have just not been exposed yet. The government's stand on this issue is an utter disgrace, all the covering up and reluctance to take action will only affect its credibility. But then what does it have to worry about? Malaysians are a forgiving lot as I earlier said and just continue voting the BN back into power come the next general election.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
UMNO vs Lee Kuan Yew
Recently Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said the Chinese in Malaysia and Indonesia were being "systematically marginalised", needless to say Lee's comments irked the UMNO led Malaysian government. The Prime Minister demanded an apology, and as usual the entire UMNO leadership were up in arms against this "inciteful and racist remarks". In the ensuing drama they have so conveniantly forgotten the Prime Minister's son in law Khairy Jamaludin's remarks in august agaisnt the Chinese community. In case you have forgotten yourself, he said the Chinese here would take advantage of the Malays in the event of a weaker UMNO.
Khairy has of course refused to apologise saying he was merely "defending his race". Sadly Khairy is not the first UMNO politician to utter such inciteful remarks. Lets take Badruddin Amiruldin the MP for Jerai for example, he has used racial slurs in Parliament and in one UMNO general assembly he threatened ethnic minorities against questioning Malay special priveleges saying that doing so is a kin to stirring up a hornets nest and the hornets will destroy the country..clearly threatening those who disagree with him with violence. He of course got away with it, and when he refered to Indian Malaysians as Kelings he refused to apologise.
The point I am trying to make is, UMNO as an organisation has consistently failed to reprimand its members who utter such remarks, And now with Lee Kuan Yew's comments, who are they to take the moral high ground? If anything this statement has once again touched UMNO at a very raw nerve...UMNO uses racial politics to stay in power. They go on talking about the Chinese bogeyman, creating a climate of insecurity for Malays, who in turn vote for them. Their affirmative action policies has [roven to be a failure with only the elite and well connected benefiting from it. Lee may be right to a certain extent, but he had forgoten to mention the fact that Indians, the Orang Asli and other minorities are also being severely marginalised. But nonetheless these comments should be viewed positively, it has opened up debate unnofficialy while UMNO continues to live in denial. Should Lee Kuan Yew aplogise? I really don't think so...he after all just spoke up his mind which is the truth. Why are UMNO leaders furious about this comment? Theres this Malay saying "siapa yang makan chili, dialah yang merasa pedas"...enough said.
Khairy has of course refused to apologise saying he was merely "defending his race". Sadly Khairy is not the first UMNO politician to utter such inciteful remarks. Lets take Badruddin Amiruldin the MP for Jerai for example, he has used racial slurs in Parliament and in one UMNO general assembly he threatened ethnic minorities against questioning Malay special priveleges saying that doing so is a kin to stirring up a hornets nest and the hornets will destroy the country..clearly threatening those who disagree with him with violence. He of course got away with it, and when he refered to Indian Malaysians as Kelings he refused to apologise.
The point I am trying to make is, UMNO as an organisation has consistently failed to reprimand its members who utter such remarks, And now with Lee Kuan Yew's comments, who are they to take the moral high ground? If anything this statement has once again touched UMNO at a very raw nerve...UMNO uses racial politics to stay in power. They go on talking about the Chinese bogeyman, creating a climate of insecurity for Malays, who in turn vote for them. Their affirmative action policies has [roven to be a failure with only the elite and well connected benefiting from it. Lee may be right to a certain extent, but he had forgoten to mention the fact that Indians, the Orang Asli and other minorities are also being severely marginalised. But nonetheless these comments should be viewed positively, it has opened up debate unnofficialy while UMNO continues to live in denial. Should Lee Kuan Yew aplogise? I really don't think so...he after all just spoke up his mind which is the truth. Why are UMNO leaders furious about this comment? Theres this Malay saying "siapa yang makan chili, dialah yang merasa pedas"...enough said.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Die Gedanken sind frei
Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich denke was ich will und was mich beglücket,
doch alles in der Still', und wie es sich schicket.
Mein Wunsch, mein Begehren kann niemand verwehren,
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei, die Gedanken sind frei!
Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen entsagen
und will mich auch nimmer mit Willen verklagen.
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
und denken dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich liebe den Wein, mein Mädchen vor allen,
sie tut mir allein am besten gefallen.
Ich bin nicht alleine bei meinem Glas Weine,
mein Mädchen dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Die Gedanken sind frei ( The thoughts are free) lyricist and composer unknown.
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich denke was ich will und was mich beglücket,
doch alles in der Still', und wie es sich schicket.
Mein Wunsch, mein Begehren kann niemand verwehren,
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei, die Gedanken sind frei!
Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen entsagen
und will mich auch nimmer mit Willen verklagen.
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
und denken dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich liebe den Wein, mein Mädchen vor allen,
sie tut mir allein am besten gefallen.
Ich bin nicht alleine bei meinem Glas Weine,
mein Mädchen dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Die Gedanken sind frei ( The thoughts are free) lyricist and composer unknown.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
49 years on...
This month Malaysians will be marking 49 years of nationhood, there will be the usual Merdeka Day parade in KL, fireworks and the whole works. But have we ever sat down and wondered what have we achieved as a nation in the past 49 years? Yeah we are one of the better off developing countries and the envy of the third world with a hi tech manufacturing and industrial based economy along with all those K-Economy and MSC hoohah thrown in. We have among the tallest buildings in the world in KL, we have a Formula 1 circuit and a brand new national capital.
Is that all you use to judge a country? As a people have we socially progressed in the past 49 years?..the other day i read somewhere we have only very marginally eradicated poverty despite the implementation of the New Economic Policy since 1970. This only proves affirmative action only works when it is applied based on need and not based on race. Only a select few have gotten rich beyond anyones wildest dreams through political patronage, while the rest are stuck in the rut struggling to survive in an increasingly expensive world.
We have constantly used our multiculturalism to stiffle any form of debate or dissent, you stick your head out it gets chopped off in the name of national security. We are one of the few countries left who still has detention without trials, now that the communists have gone...its opposition activist that are locked up instead. After 49 years its sad to see our politics are still race based, with the bulk of mainstream political parties being representative of a single ethnic group, we have clearly not seen beyond the colour of our skin. At the same time we are more polarized by the day, we see it in schools and universities. To fix it the government comes up with National Service, make these buggers live with each other for 3 months. Yet another quick fix scheme without actually acknowledging or accepting the root cause of the problem. Are we pathologically racially prejudiced? I think we're not ...in my fathers day i heard kids mixed in school freely without taking into account ones race. We have clearly and horribly gone wrong in the course of our existence as a nation.
And then theres our education system, over the years the standards just keep coming down. After 11 years of basic schooling most students are not able to think out of the box or string a proper sentence in English. Thousands of graduates from our local universities are unemployed or worse still unemployable. The task of getting an A in SPM is musch more easier now, in the good old days for you to get an A in any particular subject you had to be above average and excellent but now they seem to be wholesaling the A's. For university entrance race is as much a factor as your results are, we do not have a clear cut " the best guy gets it" system. Ultimately we tend to loose our best brains to countries like Singapore and the West who are more than willing to take them in. At the rate things are going we are churning out a bunch of dungus.
After 49 years of nationhood we are denied a sense of security and absolute justice, we had an excellent judiciary..independant and unbiased. Now with meddling by certain parties and persons to suit their ends, the term "excellent" no longer applies. You go against the powers to be ..you are screwed . Its tragic to see justice being able to be traded and manipulated with, and we're doing nothing about it. Some senior judge comes up with very damaging revelations, instead of an investigation they hush it up and make him resign. And then theres the police, you call them and they turn up an hour later. With widespread corruption, incompetence and brutality to boot how can you feel safe in your own country? Whats the point of living in an independant and sovereign nation , when people live in fear... the people who are supposed to protect us and enforce our laws are not doing a proper job. When an independent police watchdog is proposed, to impose some accountability into the force...they go all out against it.
Whatever decision the goverment makes, we just accept. They can step on our toes all they like and we never fight back. We are all led to believe that patriotism is the love for ones rulers. Its about time we realised that this is not how things are supposed to be, we must realise that we are the bosses and the govenrment is merely and employee employed on our behalf to help things to work. If their service is unsatisfactory we can always get someone else better to get the job done. These whole culture of blind loyalty has made us into a meek and subdued society, spineless, unable and unwilling to stand up. Its a very sorry state of affairs.
49 years have passed us by, we have a very long way to go to be on par with the developed world. To begin with we have to take note of the happenings in this country and stop being so ignorant. We have to realize that what we now have is not the best and we certainly deserve better, we must learn how to question and not just accept whatever has been decided. In the end a country is what it is because of its people, and if the people decide that they deserve better and do something about it, they might just make it work.
Is that all you use to judge a country? As a people have we socially progressed in the past 49 years?..the other day i read somewhere we have only very marginally eradicated poverty despite the implementation of the New Economic Policy since 1970. This only proves affirmative action only works when it is applied based on need and not based on race. Only a select few have gotten rich beyond anyones wildest dreams through political patronage, while the rest are stuck in the rut struggling to survive in an increasingly expensive world.
We have constantly used our multiculturalism to stiffle any form of debate or dissent, you stick your head out it gets chopped off in the name of national security. We are one of the few countries left who still has detention without trials, now that the communists have gone...its opposition activist that are locked up instead. After 49 years its sad to see our politics are still race based, with the bulk of mainstream political parties being representative of a single ethnic group, we have clearly not seen beyond the colour of our skin. At the same time we are more polarized by the day, we see it in schools and universities. To fix it the government comes up with National Service, make these buggers live with each other for 3 months. Yet another quick fix scheme without actually acknowledging or accepting the root cause of the problem. Are we pathologically racially prejudiced? I think we're not ...in my fathers day i heard kids mixed in school freely without taking into account ones race. We have clearly and horribly gone wrong in the course of our existence as a nation.
And then theres our education system, over the years the standards just keep coming down. After 11 years of basic schooling most students are not able to think out of the box or string a proper sentence in English. Thousands of graduates from our local universities are unemployed or worse still unemployable. The task of getting an A in SPM is musch more easier now, in the good old days for you to get an A in any particular subject you had to be above average and excellent but now they seem to be wholesaling the A's. For university entrance race is as much a factor as your results are, we do not have a clear cut " the best guy gets it" system. Ultimately we tend to loose our best brains to countries like Singapore and the West who are more than willing to take them in. At the rate things are going we are churning out a bunch of dungus.
After 49 years of nationhood we are denied a sense of security and absolute justice, we had an excellent judiciary..independant and unbiased. Now with meddling by certain parties and persons to suit their ends, the term "excellent" no longer applies. You go against the powers to be ..you are screwed . Its tragic to see justice being able to be traded and manipulated with, and we're doing nothing about it. Some senior judge comes up with very damaging revelations, instead of an investigation they hush it up and make him resign. And then theres the police, you call them and they turn up an hour later. With widespread corruption, incompetence and brutality to boot how can you feel safe in your own country? Whats the point of living in an independant and sovereign nation , when people live in fear... the people who are supposed to protect us and enforce our laws are not doing a proper job. When an independent police watchdog is proposed, to impose some accountability into the force...they go all out against it.
Whatever decision the goverment makes, we just accept. They can step on our toes all they like and we never fight back. We are all led to believe that patriotism is the love for ones rulers. Its about time we realised that this is not how things are supposed to be, we must realise that we are the bosses and the govenrment is merely and employee employed on our behalf to help things to work. If their service is unsatisfactory we can always get someone else better to get the job done. These whole culture of blind loyalty has made us into a meek and subdued society, spineless, unable and unwilling to stand up. Its a very sorry state of affairs.
49 years have passed us by, we have a very long way to go to be on par with the developed world. To begin with we have to take note of the happenings in this country and stop being so ignorant. We have to realize that what we now have is not the best and we certainly deserve better, we must learn how to question and not just accept whatever has been decided. In the end a country is what it is because of its people, and if the people decide that they deserve better and do something about it, they might just make it work.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
The Bloodied Boy
The child huddles against his mother by the fire,
the sounds of gunfire get louder and louder,
the mother now carries the child .... she trips over a wire,
the child hears his mother's painful scream before she falls over.
his face now bloody his whole world falling apart,
his mother limp body he shakes to try get her awake,
in silence he makes a vow... all those murderers he will tear apart,
to him there's nothing more than revenge at stake.
the child grows up to be a man feared by friend and foe,
inseparable from his best mate the kalashnikov,
he has a habit of chopping of the heads of foes with a hoe,
the chain smoking has taken a toll with his chest ravaged by bloody cough.
day after day he strikes fear into the heart of many,
at night he sleeps with the gun he now considers his comrade,
dreaming of the day he ultimately defeats tyranny,
its either him or them who will end up dead.
day after day his foes hunt him down,
he evades them from place to place,
its him dead or they go down,
against time and for their very survival they race.
a lethal enemy he has proved to be,
as he takes out his boyhood tormentors one by one,
they must take him out at once or its their bodies he will bury,
because he will spare but none.
at long last they cornered him as he slept in some bunker,
by some comrade he was betrayed,
as he grabbed his trusty rifle ..."I will never surrender",
and that was the last thing he ever said.
the sounds of gunfire get louder and louder,
the mother now carries the child .... she trips over a wire,
the child hears his mother's painful scream before she falls over.
his face now bloody his whole world falling apart,
his mother limp body he shakes to try get her awake,
in silence he makes a vow... all those murderers he will tear apart,
to him there's nothing more than revenge at stake.
the child grows up to be a man feared by friend and foe,
inseparable from his best mate the kalashnikov,
he has a habit of chopping of the heads of foes with a hoe,
the chain smoking has taken a toll with his chest ravaged by bloody cough.
day after day he strikes fear into the heart of many,
at night he sleeps with the gun he now considers his comrade,
dreaming of the day he ultimately defeats tyranny,
its either him or them who will end up dead.
day after day his foes hunt him down,
he evades them from place to place,
its him dead or they go down,
against time and for their very survival they race.
a lethal enemy he has proved to be,
as he takes out his boyhood tormentors one by one,
they must take him out at once or its their bodies he will bury,
because he will spare but none.
at long last they cornered him as he slept in some bunker,
by some comrade he was betrayed,
as he grabbed his trusty rifle ..."I will never surrender",
and that was the last thing he ever said.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Carnage in Bombay
Its extremely saddening to hear about the multiple bomb blasts in India's financial hub yesterday evening. Plainly put this is an utterly disgusting act of barbarity which only brings grief and suffering to all the victims and their families. Most victims were apolitical people, their only concern was making a livelihood so that they and their families can have food on the table, they certainly did not deserve this.
Ultimately terrorism achieves nothing, killing innocent civilians just piles up more misery on existing human misery. Some will say its a war out there, " its THEM against US". But then if you scrutinize every religion closely, you will realise that the first rule of war is that killing civilians are strictly a big NO! . For example the insurgency in Iraq, what do the insurgents achieve by blowing up children on the way to school? yeah the invasion and occupation of Iraq is wrong and done under dubious reasons, but still I'm sure the insurgents are bringing upon more misery to the general population ( whom they claim to fight for) than the Americans themselves.
There is plenty of misery in our world today, we certainly need no more.
Ultimately terrorism achieves nothing, killing innocent civilians just piles up more misery on existing human misery. Some will say its a war out there, " its THEM against US". But then if you scrutinize every religion closely, you will realise that the first rule of war is that killing civilians are strictly a big NO! . For example the insurgency in Iraq, what do the insurgents achieve by blowing up children on the way to school? yeah the invasion and occupation of Iraq is wrong and done under dubious reasons, but still I'm sure the insurgents are bringing upon more misery to the general population ( whom they claim to fight for) than the Americans themselves.
There is plenty of misery in our world today, we certainly need no more.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Football,Freedom and Forgiveness
Couple of weeks back I saw this documentary on BBC called Football and Freedom, which chronicles two South African teenagers who aspire to one day become pro footballers. The documentart which covered the boys for a soan of five years ,featured Seth ( white, from financially well off family,lives in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb) and Phuso (black, lives with his single mother and three sisters in his granny's kitchen in Soweto). Both are talented young men looking for their big break. Seth comes from a very well off family with connections while Phuso's mother struggles to put him through private school. Seth gets noticed by Ajax Amsterdam talent scouts and lands a much coveted spot in Cape Town's Ajax Amsterdam Academy,Phuso is spotted by his hero Lucas Radebe and ends up with a local premiership side.
What amazes me though is not the different standard of living the two boys experiance, the economic inequalities brought on by apartheid will take decades to bridge...it is the racial prejudice shown by Seth from his early teens, voiced through his comments throughout the course of the documentary. He even broke his contract with the Ajax Academy as he could not get along and stay with his black team mates. He regrets his choice later on, as he struggles to find his ticket to stardom. Ultimately both boys go pro with Seth landing a contract in the United States and Phuso playing for a Premiership side. It amazes me a fourteen year old gives up his big break just because he can't get along and live with his black teammates. After twelve years of freedom racial integration is still very minimal, even with the younger set. With the opening up of schools to all races, it was hoped that young people will at least get to know one another, but sadly people of different races lead very different and separate lives. Racism is not only rampant among the whites but also among the blacks. One scene in the documentary shows a group of black boys who are singing an old apartheid era anti-white song.
I also got the chance to watch the film Forgiveness,starring Arnold Vosloo and directed by Ian Gabriel, which tells the story of an ex policeman from the apartheid era security forces who seeks forgiveness from the family of an activist he tortured and killed in prison. It was an emotional and moving tale about revenge, remorse and ultimately closure. The movie brilliantly portrays the hardships and emotional trauma suffered by the family, and the remorse and guilt suffered by the ex cop. The mother of the activist killed towards the end says " if you belive in God, you will believe in forgiveness., ultimately forgiveness brings about closure and enables people to move on with their lives while hate is a just a tool of self destruction.
As for prejudice, a man I consider wise once told me " no child is born with prejudice, they just acquire it through their surroundings".
What amazes me though is not the different standard of living the two boys experiance, the economic inequalities brought on by apartheid will take decades to bridge...it is the racial prejudice shown by Seth from his early teens, voiced through his comments throughout the course of the documentary. He even broke his contract with the Ajax Academy as he could not get along and stay with his black team mates. He regrets his choice later on, as he struggles to find his ticket to stardom. Ultimately both boys go pro with Seth landing a contract in the United States and Phuso playing for a Premiership side. It amazes me a fourteen year old gives up his big break just because he can't get along and live with his black teammates. After twelve years of freedom racial integration is still very minimal, even with the younger set. With the opening up of schools to all races, it was hoped that young people will at least get to know one another, but sadly people of different races lead very different and separate lives. Racism is not only rampant among the whites but also among the blacks. One scene in the documentary shows a group of black boys who are singing an old apartheid era anti-white song.
I also got the chance to watch the film Forgiveness,starring Arnold Vosloo and directed by Ian Gabriel, which tells the story of an ex policeman from the apartheid era security forces who seeks forgiveness from the family of an activist he tortured and killed in prison. It was an emotional and moving tale about revenge, remorse and ultimately closure. The movie brilliantly portrays the hardships and emotional trauma suffered by the family, and the remorse and guilt suffered by the ex cop. The mother of the activist killed towards the end says " if you belive in God, you will believe in forgiveness., ultimately forgiveness brings about closure and enables people to move on with their lives while hate is a just a tool of self destruction.
As for prejudice, a man I consider wise once told me " no child is born with prejudice, they just acquire it through their surroundings".
Monday, May 22, 2006
Sarawakians fight back.....sort of
Last weekends just concluded state elections was indeed a a bombshell for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).. yeah they got the two thirds majority and 62 of the 71 seats contested, but the opposition suprisingly did very well with DAP taking 7 seats, Keadilan taking 1 seat and an independent taking one. All in all the opposition held seats increased from 2 in the previous assembly to 9 for the new assembly. By normal standards this isn't much, but here in Bolehland it is a significant development. For starters the opposition swept up the the urban constituencies in Kuching and Sibu, and these are predominantly Chinese areas. The Chinese electorate is clearly not happy wit the goverment, non bumiputras suffer from institutionalised discrimination in education and business oppurtunities, on top of that Sarawak has been ruled by the same chief minister for the past 25 years who has treated the state as a personal fiefdom.
The latest developments in Sarawak are very encouraging, it implies that people are starting to think and realise that the current state of affairs are just not right and plain wrong and that they deserve better. Its amazing the opposition did well when pitted against the financial might of BN and also one sided media coverage by the mainstream press, and also Keadilan seen as many as a predominantly Malay perty (they are in fact non race based) won a seat in a Chinese majority area against the traditionally Chinese SUPP a component party of BN. But then of course BN being BN, they would never admit any of their shortcomings and would never acknowledge the real issues that ultimately made them pay dearly. Chief Minister publicly dismissed the real issues by commenting the electorate was "influenced by their propaganda" or ammusingly "perhaps because of betting". Issues such as corruption,cronyism, hike of petrol prices etc are ignored, as acknowledging them would just open a whole can of worms and expose their shortcomings.
Can there be ever a democratic change of government in this country? I believe so, its not easy but possible. For starters the opposition themselves must fashion themselves in a manner that leaves no doubt that they are representing the rights of all Malaysians regardless of race or religious beliefs. We certainly can't afford opposition politicians who make silly statements about divorcees and pretty women etc,these people are simply just a liability. Come up with credible policies on issues that effects people of all races and ages such as the economy, inflation, healthcare, education, cost of living, civil liberties, affirmative action based on needs not race etc. If you just keep on harping on issues such as an Islamic state ( i.e. PAS), you will not get anywhere. The opposition should also realise the younger Bolehlanders these days are generally ignorant and indifferent to the current state of affairs. Target these people, convince them you can give them a better deal . None of these are easy we all have to admit, but it can be done. With stringent media controls in these country, spreading the gospel is indeed a hurdle, come up with ways to sidestep these hurdles...aggresively use the internet, come up with independent underground press which appeal to the younger set. I believe it can make a difference in the long term. Sooner or latter with BN in power, the culture of cronyism, corruption and of course blatant stupidity will not be able to sustain the system.
The latest developments in Sarawak are very encouraging, it implies that people are starting to think and realise that the current state of affairs are just not right and plain wrong and that they deserve better. Its amazing the opposition did well when pitted against the financial might of BN and also one sided media coverage by the mainstream press, and also Keadilan seen as many as a predominantly Malay perty (they are in fact non race based) won a seat in a Chinese majority area against the traditionally Chinese SUPP a component party of BN. But then of course BN being BN, they would never admit any of their shortcomings and would never acknowledge the real issues that ultimately made them pay dearly. Chief Minister publicly dismissed the real issues by commenting the electorate was "influenced by their propaganda" or ammusingly "perhaps because of betting". Issues such as corruption,cronyism, hike of petrol prices etc are ignored, as acknowledging them would just open a whole can of worms and expose their shortcomings.
Can there be ever a democratic change of government in this country? I believe so, its not easy but possible. For starters the opposition themselves must fashion themselves in a manner that leaves no doubt that they are representing the rights of all Malaysians regardless of race or religious beliefs. We certainly can't afford opposition politicians who make silly statements about divorcees and pretty women etc,these people are simply just a liability. Come up with credible policies on issues that effects people of all races and ages such as the economy, inflation, healthcare, education, cost of living, civil liberties, affirmative action based on needs not race etc. If you just keep on harping on issues such as an Islamic state ( i.e. PAS), you will not get anywhere. The opposition should also realise the younger Bolehlanders these days are generally ignorant and indifferent to the current state of affairs. Target these people, convince them you can give them a better deal . None of these are easy we all have to admit, but it can be done. With stringent media controls in these country, spreading the gospel is indeed a hurdle, come up with ways to sidestep these hurdles...aggresively use the internet, come up with independent underground press which appeal to the younger set. I believe it can make a difference in the long term. Sooner or latter with BN in power, the culture of cronyism, corruption and of course blatant stupidity will not be able to sustain the system.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The Last Communist-- how stupid can they get?
The banning of Amir Muhammad's musical documentary The Last Communist or Lelaki Komunis Terakhir is certainly suprising but nonetheless a sad development for local cinema. Grounds given were that the movie was glorifying leaders of the Communist Party of Malaya(CPM), "protecting the best interest and feelings of Malaysians"-the lies these buggers come up with, since when did they ever do that?- and of course this year UMNO celebrates its 60th annivesary-wouldn't want a bunch of Commies spoiling the party would we?- However the reality is that CPM leader Chin Peng was only mentioned once, he was not shown in person save a carricature satirising the Baling Peace Talks. Interviews conducted were mainly with locals talking about present realities, their experiences etc, whats so provovative about that?
The sad truth is that the movie was judged based on hearsay, prejudice and plain ignorance. The entertainment editor of Berita Harian even had the audacity to claim that the Jan Vrijman Fund,the organisation that funded this production was actually an organisation that propagates and promotes communism worldwide!-total bollocks, truly the mind of an ignoramus and an intelectual bancrupt we're dealing with here-and then theres the Informatin Minister Zainuddin Maidin who says the younger generation does not appreciate ths struggles of the older generation in the fight against communism. He said "... it was we who fought the communist", I would just like to ask him this: what about the thousands of Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, Gurkhas and Rhodesians? will they be offended? Its a known fact that they fought against the Communist too in the jungles of Malaya and suffered heavy casualties..have we even acknowledged their contributions? nah,i don't think so.
Germany is a country haunted by its Nazi past, the current generation is horrified of the atrocities commited by their countrymen during the second World War. Yet they come up with movies portraying war time Germany i.e Das Boot and Die Untergang- the latter portraying Hitler as a mere human with emotions and showing the softer side of him- to great acclaim from abroad. Didn't the English and other suffer in the hands of the Germans? They were not offended,in fact Das Boot was widely acclaimed to be one of the greatest submarine movies of all time. UMNO politicians and certain journalist have a lot of catching up to do in terms of intelectual ability, the ability to see first and then judge and stop blurting out absolute rubbish based on ignorance,hearsay and prejudice. In the end to the layman on the street, its they that look like total idiots. Finally to Amir Muhammad --keep up the good work mate, don't let stupidity to get in your way,its just how Bolehland is these days and it will be for a long time to come.
The sad truth is that the movie was judged based on hearsay, prejudice and plain ignorance. The entertainment editor of Berita Harian even had the audacity to claim that the Jan Vrijman Fund,the organisation that funded this production was actually an organisation that propagates and promotes communism worldwide!-total bollocks, truly the mind of an ignoramus and an intelectual bancrupt we're dealing with here-and then theres the Informatin Minister Zainuddin Maidin who says the younger generation does not appreciate ths struggles of the older generation in the fight against communism. He said "... it was we who fought the communist", I would just like to ask him this: what about the thousands of Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, Gurkhas and Rhodesians? will they be offended? Its a known fact that they fought against the Communist too in the jungles of Malaya and suffered heavy casualties..have we even acknowledged their contributions? nah,i don't think so.
Germany is a country haunted by its Nazi past, the current generation is horrified of the atrocities commited by their countrymen during the second World War. Yet they come up with movies portraying war time Germany i.e Das Boot and Die Untergang- the latter portraying Hitler as a mere human with emotions and showing the softer side of him- to great acclaim from abroad. Didn't the English and other suffer in the hands of the Germans? They were not offended,in fact Das Boot was widely acclaimed to be one of the greatest submarine movies of all time. UMNO politicians and certain journalist have a lot of catching up to do in terms of intelectual ability, the ability to see first and then judge and stop blurting out absolute rubbish based on ignorance,hearsay and prejudice. In the end to the layman on the street, its they that look like total idiots. Finally to Amir Muhammad --keep up the good work mate, don't let stupidity to get in your way,its just how Bolehland is these days and it will be for a long time to come.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
The dodgy state of todays Parliament,the Monster we have unleashed
I've been closely following reports on the "close one eye" scandal involving the MP for Jasin , its interesting to note he first says he was "helping" a constiuent,and then it was helping a Bumiputra company and then the cat gets out of the bag....the company in question was his all along and has the cheek to ask " whats wrong with that?". It strikes me that a man who has come up with 3 versions of a story which involves himself clearly has something to hide, and is blatantly beng untruthful. At the same time Shahrir Samad MP, who is also the chief backbencher is ostracized by the top echelon of the ruling party for breaking rank from the party by supporting an opposition motion...which is a big NO NO in the ruling coalition. Here's a man who voted on principle for parliamentary integrity (an issue which I"m sure surpasses party and ideological lines) being dumped a side by top echelons fr being not a Yes man, and another MP with a dodgy scandal and an even dodgier excuse getting away with it.
The problem here is just a subset to a bigger problem as a whole,when an MP can make a racial slur in Parliament and get away with it with no reprimand and no retraction of the offending word its indeed worrying. With a parliamentary majority of 92% the rulling coalition can just do as they like in parliament with impunity, this is parliament where name calling and mud slinging rules the day where motions are voted along party lines not based on merit and where integrity is non existent among the ruling MP's. At the end of the day its up to the people to decide wheter to put an end to this , or just let it continue at the expense of the electorate. We all ultimately get what we choose, we have unleashed a monster but we can also leash it back and reduce its bite.Its all up to the voter himself.
The problem here is just a subset to a bigger problem as a whole,when an MP can make a racial slur in Parliament and get away with it with no reprimand and no retraction of the offending word its indeed worrying. With a parliamentary majority of 92% the rulling coalition can just do as they like in parliament with impunity, this is parliament where name calling and mud slinging rules the day where motions are voted along party lines not based on merit and where integrity is non existent among the ruling MP's. At the end of the day its up to the people to decide wheter to put an end to this , or just let it continue at the expense of the electorate. We all ultimately get what we choose, we have unleashed a monster but we can also leash it back and reduce its bite.Its all up to the voter himself.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud,
Under the bludgeonings of chance,
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears,
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years,
Finds, and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud,
Under the bludgeonings of chance,
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears,
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years,
Finds, and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
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