Farish A Noor's take on Bukit Kepong controversy

Excerpt:

"And so, for reasons that are both complex and irritating, the past is being dragged into the present yet again; while we Malaysians bury our heads in the sand and neglect the future. By now most of us will be familiar with yet another controversy-in-a-teacup that has grabbed the headlines: namely the question of whether the events that took place during the attack on the police outpost in Bukit Kepong ought to be remembered as a historic event in the Malayan struggle for independence.

Unfortunately for all parties concerned it seems that the issue has been hijacked by politics and politicians yet again, as is wont to happen in Malaysia on a daily basis almost. More worrying still is how the manifold aspects of this event have been taken up selectively by different parties and actors to further their own arguments, while neglecting to look at the wider context against which the event took place. It is almost impossible to be truly objective when it comes to the writing and reading of history, and perhaps we can do away with that pretense. But for now perhaps some marginal notes on the matter might come in useful to clear the air a bit."...

"At the root of the present impasse in Malaysia seems to be the question of who writes our national history and who interprets/defines it. Perhaps one of the reasons why we keep returning to these debates time and again is the worry that our history has not been as inclusive as it ought to be. We cannot deny that in the end it was the UMNO/MCA alliance that won the terms of Malaya’s first independence in 1957. But we also cannot, and should not, deny the historical role played by other groups including the trade unions movements, the workers movements, the nascent vernacular press, the native intelligentsia, the cultural groups, the Islamists and the Leftists as well. ALL of them were part of this collective drama that we call our national history. And our national history has to be precisely that: a National History that mirrors the complexity and diversity of this complex thing called ‘Malaysia’. My lament, as an academic by default, is that objectivity and balance have long since left the stage and gone flying through the window. Yet we should not forget that a lopsided, skewered and biased history is not simply an incorrect or incomplete record of our past; it would also be a broken legacy that sadly will be passed on to the generations to come. And that is not a singular loss to any one of us, but to all."

Rest of the article: Historical reconstruction again?
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2011/09/05/historical-reconstruction-again/

Kim Quek's take in CPI is also relevant:
http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2238:umno-pray-tell-how-mat-sabu-was-supposed-to-have-erred&catid=178:yong-thye-chong&Itemid=193
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This is not politicizing but objective views from a retired soldier

From Steadyaku47:

DEATH OF BERNAMA CAMERAMAN by a retired soldier

Excerpt:

"I write with two emotions – one of sadness and the other of anger. I was just watching the news and am taken aback at this sad episode. One life – a father, a husband, a son an employee and a citizen just gone……….like that.

Now, allow me to point out a few things. I am well aware of being in an environment of civil war, or a state of anarchy. I served at the UNPF HQ during the Balkan War. I have a few questions:

1. Why were our media people travelling with a Somali government military vehicle? The Somali government military is one party to the warring factions and is surely subject to military attacks by the rebels.
2. Were they wearing bullet proof vests and clearly identifiable as media representatives?
3. Were our media people adequately briefed, trained and deployed with safety and security as uppermost principles?"...

"I am not accusing this poor victim of stray bullets in a firefight of anything. I am accusing the organizers, the government and any other agency that contributed to this sad episode. If the Putra fellows went in with the Somali government, then they did it wrong as a humanitarian agency. You simply tie yourself to other “INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED AGENCIES” who are experienced, logistically well supported and have the legitimacy to exist in the war zone for example, UNHCR, MSF, ICRC etc.

Our politicians are a bunch of fools!!!!!!!!. I was watching on TV how this Azeeeeeez fellow demanded from a Somali (official I suppose) that the President of Somalia should initiate a thorough investigation and report to our Prime Minister. Helloooooo Azeeeeez! Firefights and sniper forces are a norm in war zones and the Somali military is subject to attack by rebel forces. What arrogance and lack of understanding of international protocols! These goons are responsible, and now I want to watch the drama of “situating the appreciation” and how these UMNO boys will absolve themselves of responsibilities by spinning stories of how the poor cameraman died for “Bangsa, Agama dan Negara”. What a pathetic lot.

Finally, my heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased; may God bless his soul."

Rest of article:
http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/
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I cannot even sell Batu Gajah

No, I don't mean BG is mine to sell, just getting visitors from out of town or even overseas to patronize our kopitiams, restaurants or clubs.

Even my little music studio at home, I had to ask if any of our visitors are musicians, and usually the answer is likely to be negative. In Penang, the last Sunday of the month Little Penang Street Market is popular with its flea market and live music performance by those interested. They have many excellent musicians, some of very tender age, ever willing to perform with full encouragement from their parents. In Ipoh, at the weekly Sunday market along Jalan Horley and Jalan Lim Bo Seng, there is an electronic equipment dealer who offers his drums kit, guitar, mic and amplifier which are used regularly by a group of Malay musicians. I wish there is one in BG and the question is where? There are a few spots owned by the Majlis, like the under-used car park which was once earmarked for a multi-storey building, or even Plaza BG, if only the MPBG would allow.

Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort is one of the best designed golf clubs in Malaysia, yet my wife would not recommend it as a 'to do' on the list of places to visit. I had recommended it once to a phone shop girl for her wedding photo shoot. My son's wedding photographer took him to Taiping instead! The few times I recommended it to my relatives and friends and they enjoyed themselves, especially the fishing place where it is quiet and nice for a chat. But my wife's fondness for travelling means where it is too near, there is no fun for her!

We would go all the way to Kuala Sepetang or Kuala Gula for seafood; to Tg. Tualang for fresh water prawns and fish; or even to Kg. Baru Lumut (formerly Ayer Tawar) for something marginally better, if any. For white coffee, it has to be Sin Yoon Loong or Nam Heong in Ipoh, and to stop in BG for a cuppa is only when we happened to be near one, since home is also near.



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In California, you cannot bite a snake...

Spotted this in Malaysia Chronicle:

An unfortunate python underwent emergency surgery after a man in California allegedly bit it twice.

Animal control officers had to sew up a two-inch hole in the snakes belly.

"You could see the poor snake's liver, all the way down the side," said one of them.

A few of its ribs were missing.

David Senk, who allegedly bit the snake, was arrested for animal cruelty.

From jail, he told FOX40 he has no memory of biting the snake, and admits he has a drinking problem.

“I did what?”, asked Senk when questioned by FOX40’s Lonnie Wong.

"If you find the owner, tell him I'm real sorry. I'm glad the snake will be all right. I'm willing to help pay for medica expenses," said Senk.

Senk was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully maiming or mutilating a reptile. He was booked on $10,000 (RM30,000) bail.

The recuperating python could not be reached for comment.

Seems like a joke because if you were bitten by the snake instead, would it be ok?
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Boycott anything Jewish? Think again...

Iran's Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali urged the Muslim World to boycott anything and everything that originates with the Jewish people.

In response, Meyer M. Treinkman, a pharmacist, out of the kindness of his heart, offered to assist them in their boycott as follows:

"Any Muslim who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew. If a Muslim suspects that he has Gonorrhea, he must not seek diagnosis, because he will be using the method of a Jew named Neissner. "

A Muslim who has heart disease must not use Digitalis, a discovery by a Jew, Ludwig Traube. Should he suffer with a toothache, he must not use Novocaine, a discovery of the Jews, Widal and Weil. If a Muslim has Diabetes, he must not use Insulin, the result of research by Minkowsky, a Jew. If one has a headache, he must shun Pyramidon and Antypyrin, due to the Jews, Spiro and Ellege.

Muslims with convulsions must put up with them because it was a Jew, Oscar Leibreich, who proposed the use of Chloral Hydrate.

Arabs must do likewise with their psychic ailments because Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew. Should a Muslim child get Diphtheria, he must refrain from the "Schick" reaction which was invented by the Jew, Bella Schick.

"Muslims should be ready to die in great numbers and must not permit treatment of ear and brain damage, work of Nobel Prize winner, Robert Baram. They should continue to die or remain crippled by Infantile Paralysis because the discoverer of the anti-polio vaccine is a Jew, Jonas Salk.

"Muslims must refuse to use Streptomycin and continue to die of Tuberculosis because a Jew, Zalman Waxman, invented the wonder drug against this killing disease.

Muslim doctors must discard all discoveries and improvements by dermatologist Judas Sehn Benedict, or the lung specialist, Frawnkel, and of many other world renowned Jewish scientists and medical experts.

Wouldn't it be better if we just treat everyone as of one race... the human race?
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