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.)

Friday, May 31, 2013

Stone Age weather forecasting... basic and reliable

Link

Come to think of it, using our basic instincts can see through much of today's complex problems.

How our msm paint a picture...

Praying for peace... is like talking to a wall

A female CNN journalist heard about a very elderly Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day, every day, for a long, long time.

So she went to check it out. She went to the Western Wall and there he was, walking slowly up to the holy site.

She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him for an interview.

"Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. What's your name?

"Morris Feinberg," he replied.

"Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?"

"For about 60 years."

"60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?"

"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims."

"I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop."

"I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults and to love their fellow man."

"I pray that politicians tell us the truth and put the interests of the people ahead of their own interests."

The journalist then asked, "How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?"

"Like I'm talking to a wall."

Link

Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Star's less than stellar performance and at the receiving end of reporting

A friend forwarded to me this report (no mention of source):

THE STAR'S 2013 AGM ON MAY 22

Wong Chun Wai (WCW)
Fong Chan Onn (FCO)
Vincent Lee (VL)
Koh Beng Huat (KBH)

There was a big turnout for the AGM. The venue (room next to auditorium) was crammed and overflowed and this was pointed out by two shareholders. "It is too small, you are not performing your social responsibility and it looks bad."
A lot of shareholders expressed concern about the falling share price saying if revenue, circulation and readership is going up as claimed why the dip?
One shareholder noted that even Star directors were selling their shares to which one director said he is still buying.
FCO said Star is an investment stock, not a betting stock and still pays good dividends.
A visibly upset shareholder criticised the paper for telling lies and inaccurate reporting and said she represents many other readers with similar sentiments. "If you don't report correctly, who will buy your paper?"
WCW responded by describing the shift in the sentiments of urban voters/readers of Star as being anti-establishment /angry with anything associated with BNasional. He said that Star was generally accurate in its coverage and online portals like TMI and Malaysiakini were sometimes wrong.
For example, he said Star never said Barisan would win in Penang. He added they report what politicians say. The comment, "Don't talk rubbish" was overheard while he was talking. He asked for shareholders' patience in hearing him out WCW said he has to work in a difficult situation as he has to answer to KDN (Home Ministry), shareholders, owners, and readers. "I am praised and bashed by both sides. We put Anwar on the page one with Najib and I got a shelling,"

An ex-employee said he would support a management buyout (MBO) provided the buyers are those with a good reputation as he said it is better if Star is out of the Barisan/MCA mode which comes with tight controls and obligations.
He also criticised the partisan advertisements in the run-up to GE13 ie "A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS" saying it had angered readers and that they were ill-conceived and not thought out properly. The directors reiterated there will be no MBO and MCA has no intention of selling off Star.
Other shareholders asked what rates were charged for the political advertisements but the BoD said it was given on a "group buying basis" but did not reveal the actual rates. They said it was according to "professional market pricing" and there was "no special treatment for anybody."
Another shareholder said the Star should lead the way in offering unbiased and objective writing. Star writers should be professional although she acknowledged that specialist writers/columnists have a right to have their say.
A shareholder also questioned how the recommendations for the re-election of directors are done. "The next AGM, when we elect a director, please let us know what their contributions are."
Finally, after all the resolutions were passed by a show of hands, the former general manager of Star, Koh Beng Huat, got up to speak. He pointed out that he had given the secretary a list of written questions and asked that the answers be read out. Most pertained to the welfare of Star employees. He also asked about the progress of the book which was to be published in conjunction with Star's 40th anniversary. The answer was the editorial team was busy because of GE13 and they are now editing and "verifying interviews."
KBH: This is the first time I have stepped forward since I left. The humble workers laid the foundation for the company. The employees are the most valuable asset but the impression given is otherwise.  I hear a lot of negative remarks about the paper and the company - from both current and former employees. Why couldn't Star retain Ho Kay Tat? He was a true professional. Did he leave because of politicking among the top management? I sold 30 lots of shares. The price has gone down from 3.20 to 2.60 after Ho Kay Tat left.
The performance bonus should be scrapped. I've seen how the system was abused more than 30 years ago in NST, resulting in victimization and favouritism. I don't want Star employees to feel the same. I know you reward your favourites, those you don't like you minimise and cut off. The ex-gratia bonus had been successfully implemented for many years. It was a motivator to employees.
Star is not performing the way it should be performing. It used to be among the top 100 companies by market capitalization. Something is seriously wrong. We are told circulation and revenue is going up but the share price is dropping. What are the directors doing?
I'm not protecting WCW, I'm sad for him. He is a professional. He should concentrate full time on editorial matters. Don't get involved with the BoD. There is too much politicking - they will make use of you. He loves the paper, so do I. WCW don't spend time designing T-shirts and accepting mock cheques. Don't spend time on the BoD. They will grill you and politicians want to make use of you. Get out of the Board.
I am a lifetime member of MCA. MCA owns 40% - they act like they own the paper. And whack each other like mad. Star should not get involved in internal party politicking. You can't run Star like an advertising agency. (VL interjected and said that Naga had been second largest contributor to Star revenue. )
Advertising is a dog eat dog. A newspaper is very different. Don't bully the staff, don't' take them for granted. Don't ignore them. Treat them with respect. Take care of the employees - they are our greatest asset. Star cares for its workers. Why is it until now they have not been given their increment and performance bonus? Don't give out titles as you like. Don't bully the employees and transfer and redesignate them. This is not your father's company. David Yeoh is a wonderful newspaperman. What is he doing in Penang?
The Star has achieved great success over the years but this year is not going to be a good year. I heard a lot of negative comments about the top management and BoD. The rate they are carrying on Star is going downhill.
When I and Steven Tan went to see the chairman, FCO, when he was Minister of Human Resources he brushed us off and said he was too busy. The chairman and directors come and go. I hope FCO will not brush us off this time and give a firm commitment. Make sure the company is run properly. Don't disappoint Tunku Abdul Rahman. Don't ignore his contribution.

PUBLISHED MAY 24, 2013
Poll results a hot issue at Star AGM
A few shareholders accuse publication of supporting BN
BY S JAYASANKARAN
According to people present, one man told Wong Chun Wai, the firm's editor and executive director, that though he remained a shareholder, he had stopped buying the newspaper because of what he felt was the publication's one-sided coverage that seemed to favour the ruling Barisan Nasional .
Another accused Tony Fernandes, who was seeking re-election as the firm's independent director, of using chartered flights to ferry Bangladeshi "phantom" voters - a widely believed rumour spread by the opposition - to cast ballots in the May 5 general election. Mr Fernandes, the controlling shareholder of budget carrier Air Asia, agreed that there had been chartered flights but said they had been used to ferry Sabahans working in Johor home to vote.
The general tone of many of the shareholders was hostile. "It was as if the elections weren't ended," one shareholder who was present told The Business Times. "Instead of talking about business or profit, they just wanted the paper to bash the government."
Link

1Malaysia? KL MP Nurul Izzah is 'Persona non grata' in Sabah

Link

It defies logic and makes a mockery of PM Najib's 1Malaysia.

Physically, we cannot help it because West and East Malaysia are separated by South China Sea. Despite being part of Malaysia for 48 years, Sabah and Sarawak continue to control West Malaysians arriving into their jealously guarded territories. That a West Malaysian needs an international passport to travel to either Sabah or Sarawak is already bordering on ludicrousness. Yet, recently a group of foreign terrorists from The Philippines managed to slip into Sabah without hindrance and continued to be there for at least a couple of weeks before action was taken by joint Police and military forces. We seem better at controlling our own citizens unnecessarily.

Malaysia is well known for its affirmative action favouring Malays and Bumiputeras. Yet, Nurul, as a recently elected MP for the second time, who is a Malay and Muslim, is now denied entry into Sabah. Does that make sense to anyone?

On second thought, it does make sense in the light of recent statements by BN leaders which include, 'for those who are unhappy with the election rules, should migrate' or 'live in the jungle'. But one thing for sure, they are not solving problems but ignoring and avoiding them by all means.

Update (The Malaysian Insider):

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman refused to comment today on PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar’s deportation from the east Malaysian state yesterday.

Musa rushed to his car instead when approached by reporters at Umno’s headquarters in the Putra World Trade Centre here today.

Nurul Izzah was barred from entering Sabah yesterday upon arriving in Kota Kinabalu to celebrate Pesta Kaamatan, or the Harvest Festival, in her personal capacity.

Although the Sabah government has the statutory right to decide who enters the state, the country’s three professional bodies for lawyers - the Sabah Law Association, the Advocates’ Association of Sarawak and the Malaysian Bar - reminded the state government to “cease and desist” its ambiguous blacklisting of Malaysians without good reason.

“By deploying this drastic measure, the Sabah state government is flouting the guarantee of freedom of movement that is enshrined in Article 9 of the Federal Constitution, which provides that ‘every citizen has the right to move freely throughout the Federation’,” they said in a joint statement earlier today.

Full list of Selangor Exco members and their Portfolios

Senarai penuh Exco dan Portfolio:
Menteri Besar: Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
Portfolio: Kewangan, Pembangunan Tanah, Pengurusan Sumber Alam, Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Negeri (MTEN), Penerangan, serta Jawatankuasa Adat Melayu.
Speaker: Hannah Yeoh (DAP- Subang Jaya)
Timbalan Speaker: Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR – Seri Setia)
1) Iskandar Samad (PAS – Chempaka)
Portfolio: Perumahan, Pengurusan Bangunan dan Peneroka Bandar
2) Dr Halimah Ali (PAS – Selat Klang)
Portfolio: Pendidikan dan Pendidikan Tinggi, Pembangunan Modal Insan
3) Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi (PAS – Sijangkang)
Portfolio: Belia dan Sukan, Infrastruktur dan Kemudahan Awam
4) Sallehen Mukhyi (PAS – Sabak)
Portfolio: Hal Ehwal Islam, Pemodenan Pertanian, Pembangunan Desa
5) Datuk Teng Chang Khim (DAP – Sungai Pinang)
Portfolio: Kerajaan Tempatan, Kajian dan Penyelidikan
6) Ean Yong Hian Wah (DAP – Seri Kembangan)
Portfolio: Pelaburan, Perindustrian dan Perdagangan, Pembangunan Kampung Baharu dan Pemutihan Kilang Haram
7) V Ganabatirau (DAP – Kota Alam Shah)
Portfolio: Pekerja Ladang, Kemiskinan dan Kerajaan Prihatin
8) Rodziah Ismail (PKR – Batu Tiga)
Portfolio: Kebajikan, Hal Ehwal Wanita
9) Elizabeth Wong Keat Ping (PKR – Bukit Lanjan)
Portfolio: Pelancongan, Hal Ehwal Pengguna dan Alam Sekitar
10) Dr Daroyah Alwi (PKR – Sementa)
Portfolio: Kesihatan, Pembangunan Usahawan, Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi
More:
Link

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Raub MP demystifies the majority popular votes



Party Votes No. of seats Voters/seat
UMNO 3,241,286              88 36,831
PAS         1,633,389              21 77,780
PKR         2,254,328              30 75,144
DAP         1,736,267              38 45,691



'We have been told that UMNO has 3.2 million members. So how come it got only 3.2 million votes? Assuming all its members voted, then UMNO’s votes came from its own members. It can’t speak on behalf of the Malaysian people. It can’t even speak on behalf of the 7.8 million Malays who voted on the 5th May 2013 election...'

'...4.6 million Malays chose not to vote for UMNO. Unless 4.6million is smaller than 3.2million.'

'BN has more than 7 million members. It got only 5.24 million votes. 2 million BN members did not vote for BN. BN can’t even speak for the Malaysian people.

It is clear PR got more popular votes but that success is negated by gerrymandering and the uneven distribution of voters per seat. PR has to contest in bigger populated areas which could accommodate more parliamentary and state seats. UMNO and BN represent seats which have less voice than the seats represented by PR. 1 seat contested by PR is equivalent to 2 seats won by BN...'

More:




Link

When a lie served a need


A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand.   The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lightedward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength.  Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.  
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his
son just wasn't here.  When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."  
I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey.  
His son was killed in Iraq today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this gentleman's name?
The nurse with tears in her eyes answered,  'Mr. William Grey...'


Link

Google's Schmidt: Teens' mistakes will never go away


'Speaking at a festival in the U.K., Google's executive chairman offers that the things teens do now will stay with them forever, by way of the Web. He also suggested some people are sharing too much online.'

'When you search "teens do stupid things" on YouTube, you get a treasure trove.'

'It must be peculiar for children of the Internet age.
They are the first to have a complete record of their whole lives. They are the first who'll be able to offer concrete proof of every one of their days, friends, and actions.
Eric Schmidt worries, however, that they'll be the first who'll never be allowed to forget their mistakes...'

More:

Link

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Nurul Izzah, our future PM in the making




Watching this video clip, one cannot but feel Nurul has all it takes to lead our country: popular among all races and creeds of Malaysia; proven as MP for all in her constituency; has the intellectual capacity and coolness to deal with problems as they arise; and much more which cannot be described, and best put simply as having the 'X' factor.

People say politics has a lot to do with perception, and Nurul is perceived to have the looks of someone pure and simple, yet tough when put to the test. Her enforced political 'internship' started at the tender age of 17, when her father, Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as DPM, detained and nearly killed by then IGP. Just imagine the trauma she experienced from the drastic change: privileged and very comfortable lifestyle as daughter of DPM turned into ordinary eldest daughter having to help mother to look after several younger siblings. Suddenly, not only all the privileges were gone, some friends were reluctant to be associated with them for fear of being implicated. This was the time when she knew who her real friends were, those who stood by her through thick and thin.

As the saying goes, 'When the going gets tough, the tough gets going'. She was put to test when she was a PKR candidate in 2008, contesting against an incumbent minister, Shahrizat. I can still remember, some corporate leaders were seen, notably Tony Fernandez of Air Asia, in Shahrizat's campaign, but Nurul defeated her.

Five years later, in GE13, she had to face a 'stronger' opponent in Raja Nong Chik, who made full use of his position as Federal Territories Minister to provide all kinds of public development projects in his intended constituency, Lembah Pantai, to win himself popularity at public expense. I was glad to be correct in predicting her victory over RNC despite all his unfair advantages.

Over the years as an MP, and in her campaigning for her mother, then for her father, then for herself, she has matured and gained much popularity for herself, as 'Puteri Reformasi'. I find in politics, some people have it while others don't. It is not like some professions where you study for a relevant degree and gain some experience and you become a politician. You need to be genuinely service-oriented and have the natural charm to gain popularity. The real test would be the election to test whether the voters accept you as their representative. Then it is acceptance among party members to climb higher and entrusted with more responsibilities.

Within a political party, there are rules and regulations to follow and hierarchy to respect. Yet, based on popularity, some will shine brighter than others for one reason or other. To say that Nurul Izzah depends on her father's name would be overstating the connection and understating her own ability and popularity.

At the rate Nurul's popularity soars, soon she will be asked to take on higher position within the party. Some people have even suggested that she stand for President's post, against Deputy President, Azmin Ali. With due respect to the latter, I am afraid when put to the test, she might triumph, against all rules or party traditions on taking one step at a time

The way I look at it, if Anwar is unsuccessful in reversing the overall GE13 result via legal means, the next GE might see Nurul succeed where Anwar failed, just like what happened in Penang, where Lim Guan Eng was victorious, instead of his father's earlier unsuccessful attempts.

While some people claimed Anwar has too many baggages, Nurul has none but only bouquets instead.



Link

Rafizi: Facts supporting our victory in GE13

Monday, May 27, 2013

Red Bean Army? Never heard of it...


Utusan seems to take spinning to an incredible level, the latest being the existence of a Red Bean Army allegedly sponsored by DAP since 2008. Are they trying to prove that by spinning something often and long enough, people will believe?

The best way to prove its existence is to ask any Chinese (since DAP has been painted as a Chinese party, despite having Karpal Singh as Chairman and having a fair number of Indian MPs and ADUNs, and even a couple of Malay MPs and ADUNs), to see if they have heard of such a term, let alone its existence.

Next, is to find out from Utusan, who are the 200 or so cybertroopers who are being employed at Rm3,000 a month for several years! I am just as curious as anyone to know the webmasters or bloggers who should be known easily by their site names and not necessarily their real names. It is rather unfair for Utusan to claim the existence of such a cyber army without naming at least some of them. People need to know exactly who they are referring to because some might be wrongly accused without even knowing it. Mention the names so that the people can judge for themselves whether what Utusan claimed makes any sense that they are paid cybertroopers.

As far as DAP as a party is concerned, those who know can relate how they managed on shoestring budgets before, and only recently, backed by more generous donations from more supporters. DAP's MPs and ADUNs are used to 'hands-on' work like laying out chairs and collecting and stacking them after use. Recently, for GE13, party supporters were seen in a picture, helping in writing out words and Chinese characters on white cloth for campaign purposes. They were volunteers who offered to help. Pakatan parties relied much on volunteerism, a term alien to BN's 'what's in it for me' supporters. They were able to do much with minimal costs.

There are also disparate bloggers who feel obliged to provide alternative news which are not covered by mainstream media. They feel it necessary to voice out opinions, hoping that if more are voicing out, then it would become a chorus and be heard. They are really pissed off by the shameless propaganda in newspapers and tv channels treated as news.

Even DAP's veteran and party advisor, Lim Kit Siang, never heard of it:
Claims that DAP spends RM108 million in past six years to employ a 200-strong Red Bean Army of cybertroopers a total figment of imagination of Utusan Malaysia and failed UMNO/BN propagandists
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/05/26/claims-that-dap-spends-rm108-million-in-past-six-years-to-employ-a-200-strong-red-bean-army-of-cybertroopers-a-total-figment-of-imagination-of-utusan-malaysia-and-failed-umnobn-propagandists/

Link

Saturday, May 25, 2013

English only for the rich?


It looks like it in Malaysia (according to this news report), ... and if we continue to allow our political leaders to mess up with our children's education...

'A group of American manufacturers in Malaysia told Putrajaya today to keep the teaching of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) as a way of strengthening the nation’s talent pool.
This comes as over two-thirds of its members surveyed found it difficult to recruit local workforce in the design and development sector, in an annual survey released by the Malaysian American Electronics Industry (MAEI) today.

“If you want to go up the higher chain ... We need more children to become future engineers and technologists,” MAEI chairman Datuk Wong Siew Hai said here after presenting the survey’s results.
MAEI, which is a committee under the American Malaysian Chambers of Commerce (AMCHAM), outlined the use of English in a series of recommendation to strengthen the “talent pipeline through education”.
This comes as PPSMI is gradually being phased out from the national education system with no plans to revive it in the newly-launched Malaysian Education Blueprint (MEB), resulting in brickbats from disgruntled parents.

“We will continue to advocate on this. We think it’s the right thing ... We hope the government will listen,” Wong said, responding to PPSMI’s abolishment.

Amid an export sales growth of six per cent at RM46.6 billion last year, exports of electrical and electronics (E&E) and semiconductor have dropped at 1.8 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.

Last week, it was reported that exports in Malaysia have dropped by 0.9 per cent in the 12-month period leading to March this year, with exports of machinery and transport equipment dropping by 2.1 per cent in the same period.

Despite a rosy outlook in the second half of this year, MAEI admitted of a global talent shortage which also includes Malaysia, as the country moves up the chain into a knowledge-based economy and value-added goods.

According to education minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last year, Putrajaya had been against bringing back PPSMI as well as English medium schools, as these would appear that it was backtracking and flip-flopping.

Language in education is often contested on political rather than academic grounds in Malaysia, with both Malay and Mandarin advocate groups in the past threatening backlashes if their language demands were not met.

Malaysia currently offers public education in three languages ― Malay, Mandarin and Tamil ― while English language education remains the preserve of those wealthy enough to send their children to private schools.
Malaysia converted its English language medium schools to Malay medium schools in the 1970’s but reintroduced English as a medium of instruction for mathematics and science in 2003. This was again overturned in 2009 in what many perceived to be an effort to placate both Malay and Mandarin hardline groups.'


Link

A beginner's guide to Android

Truth be told, I do not have an Android phone yet, but having browsed through the article, I think it is worth a read if you own such a phone to make better use of it ...


'So you’ve just picked up your first Android phone, or perhaps you have an Android phone that you don’t take full advantage of because that’s the only type of low-end phone your carrier is offering these days. This guide will help you understand and adapt to life with an Android.

Note that some parts of your phone will probably look different from the screenshots we took here, which were taken on a Nexus 4 running Google’s default stock Android environment. Devices like the Samsung Galaxy S series have a variety of interface changes made by the phone’s manufacturer...'

More:

http://www.howtogeek.com/163624/welcome-to-android-a-beginners-guide-to-getting-started-with-android/
Link

Friday, May 24, 2013

Atheist till the end


An atheist was  walking through the woods.

 'What majestic trees!' 'What powerful  rivers!' 'What beautiful animals!' He said to himself.

 As  he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling  in the bushes behind him.
 He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot  grizzly bear charge towards  him.

He ran as fast as  he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder again  and the bear was even  closer. He tripped and fell on the ground.
He rolled  over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike  him...


At that  instant the Atheist cried out,  'Oh my God!'

Time  Stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent.

As a  bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky.

'You  deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help  you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a  believer?'

The atheist looked directly into the light. 'It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but  perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?'

 'Very well', said  the voice.

The light went out. The sounds of the forest  resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head and spoke:


'For what I am about to receive, may the Lord  make me truly thankful, Amen.'


Link

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Limited options available to Umno

It is a fact that Umno-led BN lost to PR in terms of popular votes, despite all kinds of unfair advantages of incumbency and alleged irregularities.

To win back the support of the people, the options available include cleaning up the electoral roll and ensuring fairness in the next delineation exercise; setting up IPCMC; legislate to have MACC accountable to Parliament; improve on the selection of judges; ensuring fair coverage by mainstream media; and so on. But would they dare to do so? I am afraid not, simply because BN relied too much on an unfair sytem of administration and election process.

From recent statements by newly minted ministers, it is clear BN has decided on taking a hardline approach reminiscent of Dr Mahathir and his infamous Operation Lallang.

If ministers were to be given a free hand, the options available seem to be:

1. Strip opposition leaders of their citizenship 'for being traitors to the nation' (up to them to define);
2. Emigrate if you do not like the present election system (Defence Minister, Zahid Hamidi);
3. Live in the jungle if you do not like the system (Noh Omar);
4. Arrest all those who take part in peaceful rallies; and so on.

So far, police has arrested student activist, Adam Adli who will be charged under Sedition Act; interrogated 87-year old grand old man of DAP, Dr Chen Man Hin for mere mention of 'Malaysian Spring' that he would love to take part (re Bersih 3)!; arrested Haris Ibrahim and Tian Chua for organising peaceful rallies; and many more are expected to be arrested or interrogated in connection with the rallies held throughout the country.

I am sure many members of the public would prefer the police to concentrate on tackling the alarming state of public security. Each of us was either a victim of a serious crime, or at least had a relative or friend who was. Recently, ADUN Elizabeth Wong mentioned her brother was attacked by parang-wielding robbers; even a relative of DPM and a relative of IGP were robbed in their homes.

Precious police personnel were tasked to arrest unarmed citizens, eg. 10 policemen to arrest Adam Adli! Even Zahid had publicly announced that he would personally scrutinise every Malaysiakini report to ensure they did not twist facts! If only he took the trouble to look after the infamous Utusan Malaysia owned by his party, Umno! The fact that they lost almost every slander case and ordered to pay compensations is proof of their evil agenda.
Link

Clearing some confusion

Unless you know them personally, people often confuse Dr Michael Jeyakumar with Dr Xavier Jayakumar because both are doctors and politicians who contested in GE13.

Dr Michael Jeyakumar was well known for his feat in defeating MIC President in his then stronghold in Sungai Siput in GE12. He stood under PKR banner then and recently after an arrangement and understanding with PKR, though he is with PSM.

P62 Sungai Siput, Perak
Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (PKR; PSM) 21,593
Datuk SK Devamany (BN-MIC) 18,800

N49 Seri Andalas, Selangor
Dr Xavier Jayakumar Arulanandam (PKR) 31,491
Mohan Thangarasu (BN-MIC) 15,858
Kottappan Suppaiah (Ind) 41
Hanafiah Husin (Ind) 871
Uthuyakumar Ponnusamy (Ind) 614

Some people are confused with the largest constituency (Kapar, Selangor) which has 144,159 voters, and the largest majority (Seputeh, FT Kuala Lumpur) which was won by DAP's Teresa Kok, who maintained her top position (in terms of majority) with a new record at 51,552.

P109 Kapar (144,159)
G Manivannan Gowindasamy (PKR) 69,849
Sakthivel Alagappan (BN-MIC) 46,059
Mohd Pathan Hussin (Berjasa) 6,289
Norhamzah Suratman (Ind) 1,067
Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (Ind) 835
Palaya Rengaiah (Ind) 231
Majority 23,790; Spoilt 2,379; Turnout 126,709

P122 Seputeh (85,976)
Teresa Kok (DAP) 61,500
Nicole Wong Siaw Ting (BN-MCA) 9,948
Majority 51,552; Spoilt 302; Turnout 71,859

Teresa Kok analyses Seputeh's voting result to show how the increased majority was due to increase in number of voters, increase in turn-out and increase in support for DAP:

More:

Link

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Tunku Aziz being patriotic or just spiteful?


The more Tunku Aziz speaks against DAP, the more he appears small-minded and spiteful. There were many people's representatives (MPs and ADUNs) who left a political party and criticised it, only to become unpopular as politicians. But Tunku Aziz never really became a politician, though he held a high position, as Vice President of DAP soon after joining it. However, since he left the party in a huff, his vitriol seems unbecoming of someone who used to be admired for his fair statements against corruption and  for greater transparency and good governance.

Tunku Aziz was most well known for his many years of involvement in Transparency International Malaysia, and almost synonymous with it, and people admired him for his balanced opinions on corruption in the country. It was most surprising to many when he decided to join DAP (most unlikely of a Malay and especially with his credentials), amid much fanfare, and was a coup of sorts for the party leaders. What a catch it turned out to be!

For reasons which ranged from not having been selected to stand for election and being insulted for having been offered a post in a think tank junior to a young man like Sharil Khir Johari, he left DAP and went on a series of attack on the party and its leaders. What a dramatic U-turn in loyalty! Encouraged by the widespread exposure in the mainstream newspapers and national television channels, Tunku Aziz continued his attacks unabated, sometimes for no good reasons.

I find his latest most amusing (as reported in Malaysia Chronicle):

'In a statement today, Karpal said he was "taken aback" by the Tunku Abdul Aziz's declaration that he is duty-bound to reveal DAP secrets if they threaten national security.
"He (Tunku Abdul Aziz) is alluding to an e-mail dated April 26, 2012, to all DAP CEC members from the party headquarters asking DAP leaders whether they would be attending the Bersih 3.0 Dataran Merdeka sit-in on April 28, 2012.
"Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser, had responded at that time that he would be delighted to participate in the sit-in as it may be a beginning of a Malaysia(n) spring.
"Tunku Aziz is certainly off the mark to compare Dr Chen's reference to the 'Malaysian spring' to an 'Arab spring' – as in the form of a revolutionary wave of violent demonstrations – like in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen," Karpal said.'

I am also surprised that he defended wholeheartedly our institutions like Judiciary, Police and the Election Commission, ignoring all the recent mass protests of unfair elections; and past complaints about the judiciary and the police, as if those were figments of people's imagination. Surely, when he joined DAP, there must have been some agreement with the party's ideals and activities, unless it was all a ploy to get into the inner circles of DAP leaders (as a trojan horse), for the purpose of discrediting them later, like what he had been doing recently.

I am sure he is also feeling bitter that he is not as lucky as the outgoing President of TIM, Paul Low, who had just been appointed a minister in the PM's department.

Update from Facebook:


Similarly, the police, under the new Home Minister, will be charging Adam Adli tomorrow to showcase his new tough stance against dissidents. I am sure most people would prefer the police to focus more on public security instead of wasting time harassing opposition politicians and youths who voiced out their frustration.
Link

SakmongkolAK47 is now easily accessible

For the past few weeks, I could not access Ariff Sabri's blogsite. Just now, I tried and was successful. In case you have difficulty, he advises:


'There are several ways to access this blog. Readers may type sakmongkol.blogspot.ru. sakmongkol.blogspot.de. replace the dot com with any dot.xyz. Experiment and you will get to my blog easily. tq'

Excerpt from his latest post, Ungrateful Government, Greedy Oligarchs:

'Let’s get to the linchpin of UMNO support- the Malays. How many Malay votes did UMNO get? UMNO candidates got 3.2 million votes. Now- from that, how many were Malay votes?

While UMNO candidate were all Malays/Bumiputeras, its voters are not 100% Malays. Indians and Chinese still voted for UMNO candidates in multi-ethnic constituencies. Assume that 90% of the 3.2 million voters were Malays, this will mean that UMNO candidates got 2.88 million votes.

This time around, what was the number of Malay voters? Of the 11.22 million, 75% were Malays voters. Malays made up 8.42 million voters. How many did UMNO get? UMNO got 2.88 million Malay votes. How many Malays rejected UMNO? 5.54million.'



Link

Voters tend to choose party over individual candidates


N22 Teratai (40,862), Selangor, is one of two state seats under P100 Pandan (83,857), the other being N21 Chempaka (42,995). DAP's Tiew Way Keng polled 23,578; BN-Gerakan's Ben Liew Pok Boon polled 9,932; Jenice Lee Ying Ha (Ind) 1,832; Chin Kok Keong (Ind) 115; and Lim Ah Chai (Ind) 61.

Jenice Lee could not accept the fact that she was dropped as a candidate, especially being the incumbent state assemblywoman of Teratai. She went public and was given wide coverage in the mainstream press and television channels (as was typical of anything unfavourable to an opposition party). She even challenged the legality of her being sacked by the party for being an independent candidate in GE13, claiming that the legality of the CEC members themselves is questionable, being subject to ROS investigation on validity of CEC election. But it is pointless to challenge party's sacking of oneself because even if successful, the strained relationship would make it awkward in future. Similarly, her offer to rejoin the party if successfully re-elected went against party procedures and could hardly be considered under any circumstances.

Despite wide publicity in our mainstream media on her grievances, she managed to gather only 1,832 votes as an independent candidate, compared with DAP's chosen candidate's 23,578. This clearly shows the power of a party's symbol during election, if sentiments were in favour of the party.

DAP's veteran, Sim Tong Him got himself into trouble when he allowed himself to be nominated as independent candidate for N20 Kota Laksamana (19,732), even though he was selected as party candidate for P138 Kota Melaka (92,322). He faced the sack even though he explained he did it because he thought the party candidate for N20 was lesser known and likely to lose. After meeting party advisor, Lim Kit Siang, he withdrew from N20, but his name remained according to EC rule. Party candidate, Lai Keun Ban won (11,969) with majority of 8,507! Sim as independent candidate obtained 1,242 votes despite having withdrawn, though too late.  He won Kota Melaka with 49,521 votes and majority of 20,746.

P17 Padang Serai (74,095) was won by PKR's N. Surendran with 34,151 votes; Datuk Heng Seai Kie (BN-MCA) 25,714; Hamidi Abu Hassan (Berjasa) 2,630; N. Gobalakrishnan (Ind) 390; and Othman Wawi (Ind) 279.

N. Gobalakrishnan was the incumbent MP who won on a PKR ticket, but left to be BN-friendly. He was most impressive during GE12 when he challenged police over a busload of dubious voters and was in high profile most of the time. But again, since leaving PKR, he went on a series of attack on his former party and Anwar. He was not selected as a BN candidate, and he stood as independent candidate and lost dismally with only 390 votes.

P22 Pasir Mas (71,965) was won by Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz (PAS) who obtained 33,431 votes, while incumbent MP, Ibrahim Ali (who won as a PAS candidate in GE12, but left to become BN-friendly) stood as independent candidate (25,384 votes). He was not selected by BN, but had the honour of being the first independent candidate who caused the withdrawal of a BN candidate! Most people believed, it was because of Perkasa's patron, Tun Dr Mahathir's endorsement of Ibrahim Ali as their President. But the voters preferred Tok Guru's son instead of someone well known as King of Frogs. Voters generally, do not take kindly to those who betrayed his or her party after being elected.

Similarly, Perkasa's Deputy President, Zulkifli Nordin lost in P108 Shah Alam (99,957), even though he polled a sizeable 38,070 votes, to Khalid Abd Samad (PAS) who obtained 49,009 votes. Zulkifli was selected and stood as BN-Umno candidate. He was incumbent MP of P 18 Kulim-Bandar Baru, Kedah, but left PKR to become BN-friendly, and indulged in a series of attack on PKR and Anwar Ibrahim. He was also infamous for insulting the Hindus and many people condemned Najib for having selected him as BN candidate. Probably, he had the honour of causing BN's greater loss in Selangor to Pakatan, in GE13!


Link

Sunday, May 19, 2013

What could happen when a Malay boycotts Chinese products and services


Unless he lives in town where there are 24/7 24-hour convenience shops like 7-11, KFC and so on, he might find his local Malay shop closed on Friday afternoon; or during puasa month, he might find some shops closed for the month!

Thanks to Petronas, Malay owned or operated petrol stations are all over the place. But if he thinks the Chinese-operated Esso/Mobil stations should be boycotted, think again, they are slowly being renovated to show Petron, the name of the new owners, San Miguel, owned by Tun Dr Mahathir's son Mirzan. Similarly, Chinese-operated BHP stations are actually owned by Boustead which is controlled by LTAT.

In case he had a tyre puncture, chances are the nearest tyre shops which are likely to be open are run by Chinese. Of course, his car if under warranty might include a towing service provided by an authorised list of car service centres. He might have to inform the call-centre, that only a Malay serviceman is welcome to attend to him, definitely not a Chinese.

In case he is feeling ill, he has to go to the local government clinic or hospital. Again, with his deep-seated 'boycott Chinese' instilled in him, he might ask to be attend to by a Malay doctor. After treatment, he should insist on drugs manufactured by Malay pharmaceutical companies or more expensive imported drugs from the West.

In case he needs blood transfusion, he must insist on non-Chinese blood, with proper verification that this is so. Need anti-biotics? I am afraid those drugs are likely to be invented and/or manufactured by Jews, another group of people seriously boycotted by Malays.

The moral of my story which came to mind this Sunday afternoon is that life is already stressful, why make it more difficult? If we are more open, chances are much better in getting goods and services conveniently, and in certain critical situations, even lives could be saved by timely treatment.

Update:
At a shop, sometimes, we don't have a choice...


Link

If Obama's tax returns can be viewed even by us, why can't our Malaysian politicians declare their assets?


Dr Azly Rahman:

"DECLARE YOUR ASSETS, Malaysian politicians! Here's why ...please share widely
WHY MALAYSIAN ELECTED OFFICIALS MUST DECLARE ASSETS ...

 because Barack Obama and Joe Biden did for all Americans to view.

Please share this with all Malaysians: http://www.barackobama.com/tax-returns  "

Security was mentioned as to why BN government refused to reveal Malaysian ministers' assets to the public, especially relating to family members. I am sure the real problem is that this would reveal all their ill-gotten gains from corruption, or at least under-declarations of past incomes based on those assets.

We used to have investigations of ministers and other public officials who live beyond their means, but Dr Mahathir put a stop to that during his time. Since then no other PM had the guts to undo this, so what can we expect from Paul Low within the PM's department? If not for show, then what?

Update:
From The New Straight Times Malaysia:


What a start for Paul Low, allowing himself to be compromised in this illegal appointment, can we expect him to eradicate corruption from within?
Link

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Janji yang pertama ditepati oleh Najib

Link

This picture puts it best, the effects of the new GST (Goods and Services Tax), when compared with the old GST (Government Service Tax).

When we were being educated on GST, the rate used in examples was 4%. Even before introduction, it has been increased to 7% (to test the reaction of the people?), a whopping 75% increase in rate. Even when it was mentioned at 4%, many people like myself, had warned about the possible change in rate at will by the government, once it has been introduced. Well, BN can now claim they have the mandate to introduce GST, long delayed because of their worry over its effects on GE13, and increase the rate if and when necessary (to reduce high deficits).

BN's hollow victory because of FPTP system and gerrymandering... and naturally they are not complaining

Link

Don't let BN and EC hijack redelineation process

'According to former Perak MB Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (PAS), Pakatan polled 625,710 votes or 54.79 percent in Perak while BN only received 506,947 or 44.3 percent of ballots and yet it formed the state government with a three-seat majority.

This is a perfect example of the political gerrymandering used by UMNO to win elections and remain in power for 56 years. This is a blatant election fraud that the opposition and all Malaysians must wake up to.

If we continue to do nothing, UMNO will rule forever. And the re-delineation exercise so earnestly being forced through for the end of this year is exactly intended to do just that. To keep UMNO entrenched in its survival game.'

According to chartered accountant DATO RAMESH RAJARATNAM,

"The greatest disservice of this FPTP system was shown clearly in Malaysia in GE13 when 915,560 voters in East Malaysia sent 48 BN candidates to our Parliament, or simply put, the average vote cost per BN lawmaker was 19,074.

Because of the severe skewering (aka gerrymandering) of the constituency delineations, it cost an average of 84,053 votes to get one Pakatan Rakyat MP in East Malaysia, or 4.4 times more expensive.

On the national average, it cost BN 39,381 votes per MP as opposed to Pakatan's 63,191 votes. Quite frankly, Pakatan had to work 60 percent harder than the BN had to.

What this means is that unless the present delineation boundaries are redrawn to fix this severe misrepresentation of societal voice, any opposition will need about 60 percent of the national votes to be on par with BN come election time, forever."

In other words, "915,560 people, who are basically very removed from urban and national politicking, more or less sealed the fate of 11,054,577 voters or about 29 million people in Malaysia - thanks to the FPTP system."


More:



Someone did some number-crunching and came out with a theoretical situation where either coalition could in fact win with a simple majority in Parliament with just over 17% of the total votes! 

In theory, this could be done by any one side, winning with a simple majority of 1, starting from the smallest constituency Putrajaya (15,791; Turnout 14,465;) polling 7233 votes; then the next smallest constituency; and then the next, until 112 seats were obtained.

Update: 112 seats, from smallest constituency (Putrajaya), and their registered number of voters:

P125 15791
P207 17771
P222 18845
P206 19215
P203 19303
P210 19433
P200 19839
P216 21686
P209 22522
P221 24278
P166 24474
P183 24688
P187 24748
P181 25304
P214 25461
P192 25771
P182 26194
P215 26195
P204 26322
P213 26477
P176 26628
P201 27360
P205 27562
P55 27950
P78 27980
P218 28315
P61 28518
P178 29177
P220 29385
P202 29789
P177 30097
P185 30199
P79 32324
P54 32725
P69 33503
P67 33540
P199 33713
P208 36550
P193 37017
P186 37058
P92 37318
P173 37490
P4 37536
P142 37714
P157 37999
P197 38158
P86 38436
P175 38771
P179 39053
P155 39694
P184 39772
P75 39924
P151 40143
P32 40176
P189 41549
P153 41588
P156 41894
P7 41960
P1 41974
P168 42197
P95 42333
P93 42837
P148 42913
P87 43003
P141 43066
P30 43224
P198 43344
P180 43691
P3 43876
P174 44323
P154 44497
P149 44816
P126 44937
P72 45485
P134 45952
P56 46577
P13 46786
P143 46793
P191 46793
P140 47009
P167 47249
P129 47671
P84 48067
P146 48208
P170 48276
P68 49205
P164 49633
P53 49641
P194 49750
P172 50516
P90 50997
P2 51207
P57 51422
P169 51467
P49 51487
P73 51498
P190 51538
P62 51596
P188 51662
P41 51743
P165 51875
P5 52383
P23 52903
P195 53336
P171 53374
P91 53596
P42 54042
P80 54214
P58 54792
P119 55282
P120 55721
P83 56280
112 seats 4409939


50.1% of 4,409,939 = 2,209,379, which is 16.65% of 13,268,002 (total registered number of voters).
This is based on 100% turnout, but I believe, if based on average turnout rate, the percentage remains the same. After all, this is only in theory, to show how ridiculous a disproportional representation could be.

Friday, May 17, 2013

BN seems to be continually losing credibility

Recently, we learned about Najib's fake followers in Twitter.

Now, when it comes to Anwar, even the Edge's poll was hijacked to suit BN's agenda...


'The recent one-week (May 6-13) poll conducted by The Edge’s online business portal (theedgemalaysia.com) on the political future of Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was hijacked by parties believed to be cyber-troopers.'

'The poll asked the question: “Should Anwar Ibrahim step down as leader after Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has failed to conquer Putrajaya in GE13?”

The two responses for people to vote on were:

1) No, he should continue to lead PR to the next GE as PR has won more seats than previous elections.

2) Yes, he should call it quits as he has made this pledge.'

'Upon checking, the Edge IT department found that 6,354 of the responses came from one IP address, and about 1,700 came from several IP addresses within the same building. Another 2,000 responses came from seven different IP addresses.

From this, it was obvious that the poll had been compromised and the results could not be treated as reliable or objective.'

More:
Edge poll on Anwar hijacked
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/05/17/edge-poll-on-anwar-hijacked/


Link

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Are you comfortable with our new Home Minister?

Link

I wish he had acted as tough when dealing with those foreign terrorists in Sabah.

After the brain drain, comes the opposition drain... soon only Umnoputras left... selamanya. It is so easy to be Home Minister... after getting rid of all those who oppose.

Update:

'It appears that Khairy has been completely discredited because the Prime Minister has himself remained completely silent over the issue. Zahid has on the other hand come out with all guns blazing defending his “leave Malaysia” statement, while ignoring the “personal view” issued by Khairy.

Unfortunately Zahid’s only defence for his statement was that he wasn’t making a racist statement. Zahid obviously doesn’t take the criticisms by Malaysians seriously as we never accused him of making a racist statement here.  We are accusing him of being arrogant and contemptous of the rights of Malaysians to a freer and fairer electoral system.'

More:

Was that how Zahid defended his Ph D thesis? I wonder.

Btw, in GE 13, Zahid's constituency P75 Bagan Datok had 39,924 voters; he obtained 17,176; majority 2,108. He won 5th time (since 1995) in same safe seat. He should migrate to another constituency to test his national popularity.

When we talk about popularity, Teresa Kok (P122 Seputeh with 85,976 registered voters) is still holding the record of the MP who won with the biggest majority: 51,552!

DAP will be complaining to MCMC over blocked sites, and personally, I have yet to be able to visit SakmongkolAK47 (blogsite of new DAP MP of Raub, Dato Ariff Sabri) for the past several weeks. Seems like, 'If you can't beat them, block them... after all we have all the powers to do anything we like.'

Since taking over the Home Ministry, Zahid had arrested student activist, Adam Adli and had warned to arrest Anwar Ibrahim. We shall see to what extent he is capable of doing in going after oppositionists, instead of looking after public security which needs more urgent attention.





If and when we can raise the standards in national schools...

then the Chinese and Tamil schools will lose their appeal.

It is a fact that generally, Chinese schools now have more than 10% non-Chinese students but national schools have less than 10% non-Malay students. Yet, private schools using English as medium of instruction are gaining popularity despite their astronomical fees, which in a way, proves that parents (if they can afford) choose higher educational standards rather than their love for Chinese or Tamil schools.

Young parents, if they can afford, set aside funds for their children's education. They are paying more than Rm1,000 per month to playschools or kindergartens and school fees high enough for overseas education, just to ensure their children are well educated to have a good start at institutions of higher learning.

As a parent who had three children who attended national schools up to 2002, I think religion rather than race seems to be the biggest divide. Many people looked back fondly to the days when they could mix freely without having to worry about halal food. Now, having a party at home means using paper plates and cups and preferably using halal caterers. Fresh fruits like water melons and papayas are welcome provided they are not cut in Chinese homes (Indian seems ok). Canteens are now almost halal in most national schools.

Malay teachers put pressure on colleagues and students to use tudungs (despite medical reasons) and slowly but surely, national schools are being Islamized. Besides, if teachers themselves cannot speak or write good English, the standard of the language can only drop despite all the efforts by education ministry. Most students in urban areas can speak better than their teachers. The question is whether we are serious about raising standards to meet the demands of the parents who are likely to be influenced by demands in the job market. I have even heard of a ludicrous reason why there are now more private educational institutions: the ministry are generously giving out licences because it is easier than trying to improve the national schools!

Malaysiakini has a good selection of letters of people's experiences and the reasons why national schools should improve first before calling for the closure of Chinese or Tamil schools...

Parents want the best education for their children
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/230162
Link

New cabinet with familiar faces

Link

Pic courtesy of New Straight Times Malaysia... oops! sorry, The Malaysian Insider