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.)

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Witchhunts and jealousies...

The new Pakatan state governments, especially Penang and Selangor, have often been accused of being obsessed with ‘witch hunt’ whenever they pointed out mismanagement by the previous governments.

I would like to use an analogy of moving into a house occupied by a previous occupant who left behind a mess of rubbish, or more seriously, a ransacked house. Before the new occupant can start living in the house, isn’t it necessary to clear the rubbish first and put things in their proper places?

In the case of financial records, to use a simple example of incomplete records, isn’t it necessary to find the opening balances to start off and then try and find the missing information from other sources to fit the puzzle? In the process, any dubious dealings are likely to be found and necessary to be highlighted.

I have just read The New Sunday Times, CBT (Cars. Bikes. Trucks not Criminal Breach of Trust)section, where Yamin Vong mentioned that independent auditors, Price Waterhouse, found 70 out of 97 AP holders were mere brokers and someone commented, ‘Not only they didn’t have showrooms or fixed assets, some of them didn’t even have the pretense of having documentation or bumiputera signatories.’

In the current Air Asia’s quest for LCCT in Labu, someone commented that some commentators are clearly opposing out of jealousy. If I were someone who missed out on being a crony, then I might be one of those guilty of it. But there are many people who are just interested in ensuring the right people are in charge and any major policies are transparent and accountable.

In the latest development, Tony Fernandes is using the reason of ensuring survival of the company and maintaining the employment of its staff. There is also the urgency in finding parking space for the new Airbus planes to be delivered soon. I don’t know about others, but I find this reflects poorly on its corporate planning. It is like having bought a Rolls Royce and realised the car porch is not big enough to park it.

If there is a requirement that only those with the necessary CEO experience in similar big companies are qualified to criticise, then most MPs do not have it, let alone ordinary laymen. But sometimes, someone else not directly involved may have a better perspective and can see certain aspects, which a biased person cannot. Just imagine, judges need to be criminals before they can judge criminals?

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