Who does MCA and MIC represent?

Takaful has done it. The Perak Government has done it. Yet the Government ignores it.

Well, although technically what Takaful and the Perak Government has done is not the same thing, it is similar.

Firstly, Takaful says, you cannot wish the Hindus Happy Deepavali/Pooja because the festival is one of worshipping their Gods, therefore by uttering "SELAMAT DEEPAVALI!" you have committed a sin worthy of condemnation in Islam. However, Takaful has explained that this was not meant for the public. It was an internal mail which only sets out the "OPINION" of the Syariah Department of Takaful to their Muslim employees. So,in their words, there is nothing wrong with it. Creating an ethnic divide?THEM? NEVER! Takaful is for ALL MALAYSIANS! Of course the Government has been silent on this. The fact that all school children HAVE to subscribe to Takaful while they are in school is of no importance eventhough there is the possibility that the rights of the Muslims under Takaful will supercede other races. If their Syariah Department has such a narrow interpretation of Islam, who knows how the rest of the company interprets everything else? And why is it that Takaful is compulsory for all school children? Why is Takaful so special?

As for the Perak Government, there is a circular that says you can only order stationery from Bumiputra companies. What is the justification on that? CAN it be justified at all? Are Bumiputra companies' products superior to other races?(Actually all companies must have 30% Bumi equity, so what is the difference?) What is the Government's take on this? The silence of the Government is deafening. Obviously if it were the other way round, say a circular has been issued that all uniforms for government servants MUST be obtained from Non Bumi companies, all hell would have broke loose. OH!RACIAL TENSIONS!MARGINALISING THE MALAYS!ETHNIC DIVIDE! But if the circular is for the Bumiputras...biasalah. The Bumiputra's are struggling you know? It must be like that. Give the Malays a chance lah!

I watched the PM on CNN the other day and the fact that he said "Our country is for everybody" and that the Chinese are doing very well, given opportunities and deprived of nothing is laughable. Those statements were definitely not the view of the minorities here in Malaysia. What about the Indians? Lim Kit Siang has summed it up effectively- "The Malays feel they do not have enough, the Chinese feel they are sacrificing too much and the Indians have nothing."

Statistics reflect the Malays have MORE than enough. Facts and figures show that the Chinese ARE sacrificing too much and the Indians truly have been the race which has always been marginalised. Have you seen Tamil schools? The state that they are in is heart wrenching and yet spanking new schools are built every other day and no money is channeled to the existing Tamil schools to improve them. It is disheartening to know our MCA and MIC members are deaf to the plights of their people. That only the Opposition are standing up for their rights and ours too. MCA and MIC have forgotten whom they are supposed to represent. Perhaps the "NATIONAL UNITY" banner has blinded them. Perhaps the comforts of privilege and money has maimed them. Who Knows?

At least now I have an idea where I will place my cross come election time.

Every road leads to Ipoh so says the gwailo...

So, the Government says 18.9%, and then ASLI says, no,no...45%. While the rest of the country is wondering which of the two percentages published is the right one, the Government has come out full force to say that "sensitive" discussions which may touch on "racial issues" should not be held in order to avoid "racial tensions".

Sigh.

Racial tensions. That word never leaves us as it is a blanket term that everytime there is a discussion which may show that the Malays are unfairly favoured over the other races, everyone is hushed and stopped from saying anything about it. So when ASLI published its report that Bumiputra equity have in effect EXCEEDED the 30% target and have reached a record high of 45%, the Government panicked. UH-OH...NOW how do we justify handing out "freebies" and favouring the Malays under the NEP if the public believes the percentage given by ASLI?

Given that the rationale behind the NEP is EQUAL distribution of wealth in the country, the fact that the Malays are still given priority and obtaining tenders (without even having to submit anything, they are THAT good!) and given ample opportunities in order to better themselves, really defeats the whole purpose. Perhaps it is just meant for equal distribution of wealth among the Malays only. After all, the percentage of poor Malay folks are high in Terrenganu and Kelantan (gee, I wonder why). So one does wonder whether the NEP, the Budget or anything coined "for Malaysians" actually do benefit any other race other than the dominant ones.

It is easy for the Government to rubbish the ASLI report and to tell everyone not to question the report produced by the Government. After all, this is in tandem with their transparent and openness policy. Oh wait, it isnt. But oh you know, every other policy has its small print which says something entirely different. So on the issue of transparency which our beloved PM advocates, it is more like, every year, some has been politician will be "prosecuted" for "corruption". And then the nation will rise and give a thunderous applause to the Government for a job well done in fighting corruption and sticking to its promise of transparency and openness.
Then they come up with ideas such as sticking "SAYA ANTI RASUAH" badges on police and then say, look at us! We are weeding out corruption!

But when it comes to the important issues, such as revealing the methodology of the reports and how the facts and figures came about and whether it something which is justified especially when there are contradictory evidence, all the transparency and openness must give way to avoid the Almighty "RACIAL TENSIONS". Its reminds me of what my friend told me the other day, "My gwailo friend says, ALL roads in KL lead to Ipoh.." As in this case, ALL issues lead to racial tensions.

Double sigh.

If indeed the Bumiputra equity has exceeded the 30% as targetted, it is time to stop all these giving culture and start creating a competitive economy. Where there are genuine forces, where there is fair play in business. Where when a company obtains a job, people dont huddle around and say, "Oh, you knowlah, he is Bumiputra what. Sure he is going to get it. Why bother fighting for the job at all?" and instead they KNOW that the company obtained it fair and square because he was the best.

If only the Government can change its mindset. If only the PM starts to be the PM of all Malaysians (other races included) and start noticing that if these giving culture does not stop, it will be hard to stop the rot once it has gone too far. Everyone should be given a fair chance. No race is superior and no race should be made superior.

After all, not ALL roads lead to Ipoh....

Saudara Indon....

Great, they've run out of funds.
Now we all have to further suffer their stupid haze and die because of their inconsiderate and selfish nature.

If Indonesia were to be WHOLL swallowed by a giant wave, 3/4 of our country's problems will be eradicated.
Mean statement?I have made this statement so many times and have received so many disapproving glances and murmurs, but you know what, I do not care, because I know I am right. I challenge those who say I am wrong to give me reasons as to why Indonesia is nothing but a trouble maker of a neighbour. (While we are so busy labelling Singapore a BAD NEIGHBOUR! BAAADD NEEIGGHHBBOOUURR! we have closed one eye to the real cause of most troubles, Indonesia)

Okay, now where do I start.

Firstly, every year without fail, they give us the haze. Its like their "gift" to us. (oh, we are so honoured) They say, oh you know what?Its inevitable, there are forest fires. We cannot help it, the country is hot. Erm, sure. Like, arent ALL South East Asian countries hot? We all know its the open burning done by farmers, loggers and etc etc that they do not curb over there thats causing this horrendous haze. Look, we dont care if you wanna burn your OWN country down, but dont bring all of us down with you!

Then they continously have immigrants SWIMMING across the oceans to our country. The amount of illegal Indonesians swarming the country is amazing. Ok, I have no problems with those who are here legally cos at least you went through proper channels, but then again, whether legal or illegal, they always find the need to be involved in some sort of mischief or other. You wanna hold a demonstration? People involved in demonstration-Indonesians?CHECK! Robbed and murdered by an Indonesian? CHECK!
Okay, some of you will recoil in horror and disgust that I make such generalised comments and think they are uncalled for. Just check the statistics provided by the police. Its proven. The crime rate involving foreigners (that of which 3/4 are Indonesians) have increased from 97 a year to 300+ a year from last year.Not only are these people ungrateful for the fact that they are given a chance to make a better living here for themselves, they even find fault with our country and cause problems here!

Some of you will ask the inevitable question, "then what about the Indonesian maids we Malaysians cannot live without?" Let me share an experience with you, my friend's family hired an Indonesian woman who was deaf and mute. They sympathised with her because she needed the money to take care of her family back at home. They treated her with nothing but kindness and in turn she opened up their house when the were away and let people cart EVERYTHING out of the house and then ran away never to be seen again. So, you say, that does not mean that ONE bad apple makes all of them rotten right? Wrong. That is merely ONE of the experiences I have shared with you, newspaper reports will tell you more of child abduction, bringing men into their employer's home and endangering their kids, robbing, threatening, getting pregnant...the list is endless! Sure, there must be a demand for it right? But that is because we have no other choices available. If given a choice, we would prefer a Filipino or Myanmar maid to work for us. (AT least the chances of them speaking English is much higher)

So, why is is that the Government has not taken a stand when it comes to the influx of Indonesians (and all their troubles) into Malaysia? Cheap labour they say and perhaps it helps that Indonesia is an Islamic country. MAH BRUDDER!

Cambodians and Vietnamese people are willing to work here too. They pick up languages faster and they do not come with a host of problems. I think it is time we stop all this nonsense.

Indonesia, Take your damn haze and your damn troublemakers back. You have NO ONE to blame for the state of your country but yourselves!!!

Special Privileges afforded to MALAYsians

The kongsi raya season is here again! (Okay, no one tell the Perak Mufti we are celebrating an unIslamic thingy ok?)

So, in the spirit of kongsi raya, the Government has come up with ingenious ideas to benefit the rakyat!

No.1: Reducing the speed limit on federal roads.
See? This is exactly what I mean by Government not looking beneath the surface of the problem. Okay, its obvious that the reason why there are so many road accidents during festive seasons is because the volume of cars increase triplefold and therefore when u have more of one thing, naturally you have more of another, right? How does the speed limit actually cause more accidents? Does it mean that just because you are driving at 90kmph instead of 45kmph, you're more likely to get involved in an accident? Doesnt it depend on your driving skills(or lack of)? My father's theory is that when festive season comes along, all kampung folks decide to hit the highways and federal roads and make their balik kampung or lawat bandar trips. These people have not the skills to drive on these roads, hence they drive much too slow and make very sudden turns thereby causing other roadusers to have to jam on their brakes to avoid hitting them THEREBY causing an accident.

So you see? If only the Government have tried to determine how accidents occur, they would have come up with a better idea. Such as placing more policemen on duty (not to take bribes but to actually work to ensure smooth traffic flow) at federal roads and highways to ensure that there are no unecessary jams and unauthorised parkings at the side of the roads. Actually come to think of it, the root cause of the problem is, eliminate corruption in the driving schools and driving examinations and we will produce better and more competent drives hence reducing reckless driving and thereby reducing traffic accidents. There simple logical solution.

No.2 Declaring it a public holiday on the 23rd. ONLY for government servants.
Okay, its not a PUBLIC holiday if only the government servants are given the holiday OK?
The PUBLIC consists of both public and private sectors, like hello? If you are going to declare it a holiday, why discriminate? Obviously there are more Bumiputras than non Bumiputras in the Government, so now we know why it only applies to the Government servants only. I wonder if they will make it a public holiday on Monday if CNY falls on a Tues. Probably not. And why is it that Deepavali is only given ONE day as a holiday? And Christmas? When asked why, they say oh, you know, we cant have so many holidays, its bad for business,yada yada. But when Hari Raya arrives, HOLIDAY is declared for the government servants!ALRITE! Oh wait, I do not benefit. Oh well, its normal.

Okay, moving on from kongsi raya ideas, I always wondered to myself...why is it that Muslims who go for prayers on Fridays are allowed to park indiscriminately near the mosque? Why are they not given summons? IS it okay to park wherever you like if it is for prayer sessions? So does that mean that if the Christians have mass, they too can park everywhere as they like? Or that if the Buddhist want to go to the temple, they too can park at every nook and corner as their heart pleases? What is the rationale of this parking everywhere you like system? Why cant these people park in the parking lots or paid parkings like everyone else? Ahh, therein lies the mystery....

And why is it that just because the Muslims puasa, they can go back early without being required to come in early to work?(okay some have to come in earlier, but most do not) They still come in the same time as Non- Muslims but yet they go back much earlier to allow them to make it back in time to buka puasa. The whole point of doing the puasa thing is to learn to "suffer" hunger and thirst like those who are worse off, right? Then why are they given the priviliges of coming in the usual time and going back earlier? Doesnt that mean technically, they are working less but getting paid the same amount as those who work more? They work less on Fridays too right? Cos my lunch hour is still only one hour. Not 12-2.45 like the others. Hmm...

Anyways, in the spirit of being Malaysian (but not Malay), I shall not grumble and make racist statements and cause racial tensions, I shall stick to ignoring the obvious and keeping my fingers crossed that one day, Maybe, things will be different.

Missing the woods for the trees...

I read with interest what the PM had to say the other day about the comment Lee Kuan Yew made about the Chinese being marginalised in Malaysia. I was indeed surprised the PM made any comment at all. You know, it was not in line with his "HUH?Who/What/Where that" stance since he took over the PM post from Tun M.

Anyways, while I had a hard time reading the comments he made (due to the tears from the incessant laughing, blurring my vision) I managed to glean the essential words of his comments. The important words worth noting would be "racial tension". That what Lee Kuan Yew had said would cause the Malaysian Chinese to go "Oh, dear. That indeed IS true. We are marginalised. Let us stand up and rebel!" Thereafter we hold demonstrations with full headgear and posters and ask for fair treatment in this country we call "Malaysiaku, Negaraku."

So, was it right for the PM to ask Lee Kuan Yew to apologise for his comment?

If I remember correctly, his very own beloved son in law had made a similar, if not the same, comment a few months back-delete and replace "Chinese" to "Malays"-and instead of being asked to apologise for playing racial politics, the Chief Minister was asked to defend himself in light of the accusations that were hurled at him. I watched the poor man defending himself with all his might. While many stood behind Koh and supported him, just as many rallied behind Khairy and his racial politics. And where was the PM in this fiasco? Sticking to his "he said that? Its up to him to explain to the people the reason for his comments."

HUH?

So, whats up with asking Lee Kuan Yew to apologise for his comments when Khairy was given free hand to make all sorts of accusations(perhaps even with a pat on his back for a job well done) which if were to be investigated further would reveal nothing but lies and malicious intentions.

It is indeed rib tickling to hear that the Malays are being marginalised in Penang. The truth is that the non Malays are being marginalised everywhere else in Malaysia. Yet, the non Malay politicians do not stand up and make comments on that. And they sure as hell do not hide behind their father in law's cloak and whisper malicious words. However, when one man is indeed brave enough to well, stand up and state the obvious, he is met with an iron fist. A demand for apology as this will cause racial tensions.

I wonder whether the PM is aware of the racial tensions that are boiling underneath the questionable 9MP and the new Budget, and all the clampdown on discussions of religion, the racial fights in the universities, the scholarships awarded which are unfair and the quota system in the public universities, which are right beneath his nose. He is indeed making it his business to send troops to Lebanon, having discussions with Clinton about how harmonious and peaceful Malaysia as an Islamic country is and asking for apologies from Lee Kuan Yew, yet he does not make it his business to control his own family member and diffusing tensions in his own country by providing solutions.

Mr. PM, we have problems in our own country. Listen to the problems. Solve them. Not shelve them and ask everyone not to talk about it. It will come to a point where there can be no more tolerance, and there will be rebellion. There will come a time where there will be a DEMAND for what is due and owing and as promised when the Country achieved independence.

What indeed is 31st August to many non Malays but an empty independence?

Sadly, to me, August 31 just means I dont have to wake up at 6am to go to work.

Eh, Hello, I have a degree ok?

The call for higher pay for the policemen in the country have hogged the limelight for two days. They featured two policemen who hold degrees being paid only a measly RM650 (more or less) and the big brouhaha that they were so underpaid. One has a law degree and the other, erm, I forget. But anyway, I wondered to myself. If in fact you are being underpaid and you hold a degree, then why dont you just switch jobs? But more importantly, I thought to myself, NO WONDER they feel compelled to take bribes. Those poor sods are so severely underpaid its not even funny!(but then again, they get free housing rite?Still, RM650 is just sad)

Of course I also know that any ah chi and ah kau can apply to be a policeman. Just as long as you are not overweight when you apply to join the force(being overweight after you have joined is not only optional, but quite a requirement) There is no requirement that you genuinely want to uphold the law and protect citizens or that you want to fight crime. Nothing of that sort, just you know, dont be overweight and hopefully, not stupid as well. (though that is highly questionable also)

The question is does a degree guarantee you a higher position in the force? Should it? Just because you got a degree, does that make you a better policeman than the kampung boy who grew up wanting to fight crime but did not have the money to pursue a degree? I am sure it does not. A degree should not be an indicative of how good a policeman you are. It should be based on your experience and of course your work. I believe everyone should work their way up when it comes to the police force. I mean, if its an IT company, a degree holder and a non degree holder will be quite different because one would have the training in university and the other possibly not. But how can a law degree holder be a better police man than say a young constable who has worked in the force for 5 years and with experience of daily interactions with offenders?

So, after all the initial ramblings, this is what I have boiled it down to.
1) The police DO indeed need a raise though it is no excuse to say "we took bribes because we are underpaid." One should join the force for the love of the job, not the money. (The yuppies can say that. Not police officers.)
2) A degree should not matter in the police force. Experience should.
3) Policeman should remain fit no matter how long they have been in the force. Like how do they expect to run after offenders if they cant even bend and touch their toes as their expanding waistline is in the way?
4) The police should be given more credit eventhough at times they might look incompetent but I have indeed met some police officers who are really in the force and truly want to do good. One bad apple shouldnt spoil the whole lot of them.

We have a new IGP now. And after the emotional farewell that he gave the outgoing IGP, we hope he has the same level of emotion and dedication to lead the police force into being better and more efficient. And hopefully all the promises of "I shall fight crime!" is not more than a I-just-got-appointed-I-must-give-canggih-promises gimmick.

We'll just have to see what he is capable of.

Understanding the true Malaysia Boleh spirit

What are slogans but meaningless words strung together to sound good and hopefully rhyme and sound poetic? I often wonder what is in the slogan "MALAYSIA BOLEH!" which can be heard in/from all corners of the globe. Such as when we made the biggest yau char kuay-Malaysia Boleh! Scaled Everest- Malaysia Boleh! Siti Nurhaliza held a concert in Albert Hall-MALAYSIA BOLEH SIUT!

We concentrate so hard and intense on making an impression to the world that we forget the troubles we have brewing within the nation. We are SO proud of our national car because we are the only south east asian nation to have a national car, but we forget the cars that are churned out in bulk lacks quality(the "power" window loses whatever "power" it has within a few months-like NOW we know why taxi drivers always open their doors to pay toll), and are much too pricey for the materials with which it is made with. We are SO proud of our MAS which wins the Best Cabin Crew every year( I still wonder why), but we forget that it is one of the most expensive airline to fly(even compared to SIA) and it is spiralling into further debt due to bad management. And as cheap as Air Asia's flight tickets are, the sheer bad service and frequent if not unavoidable delays in their flights just screams "Lets make it LOOK cheap and tempting but once they buy the tickets, lets screw them over!" (Air Asia and MAS bad experience(S) to be explained another day).

So, what is in Malaysia Boleh that makes us beam with pride? Search as hard as I may, I cannot find anything to be proud about. Our own politicians have since descended into the arena of racial politics- pointing fingers at certain races and accusing them of keeping another race backward in order for themselves to succeed. We have electoral promises not kept after 3 years but are being promised it will be done and it will be done "my way"(hopefully if and when it is done, I am still alive to see it). MPs in the Parliament indulging in name calling and speed reading of speeches to avoid any questions he is reluctant to answer and we have Ministers being ticked off for commenting on another Department indicating there might be corruption involved. Also, students attacking another group in a University being reprimanded and let off because "they were only exchanging harsh words and rehabilitation is better than punishment" when it is obvious through the clip that they shoved, screamed and abused them- the race of the group being so obvious, only the blind can deny. And brainwashing being done in Public Universities so that the students are aware of who rules the country and who should sit back and take whatever is being fed to them.

WHY?
Because that is just not the way we Malaysians(Boleh) do it. MPs of the majority party cannot support a backbencher, Ministers from one Department cannot comment on another department, members of the Coalition party cannot question anything for fear of causing unnecessary tensions. And if u screw the rakyat over, its ok. Chances are the PM does not mind because he if he doesnt even know whats going on within his own family, chances are he has no idea whats going on outside. And if u are of a particular race and you do something to another, there is always a good reason or an alternative view to what you are doing which can be justified.

While I have been part of the booing and jeering party of those who disagree with graduates who decide to not to come back and serve the country, I cannot help but also agree(enforced even more as time progresses) with the reasons why they do not return to their homeland. It hurts to know that we will remain an outsider in the land which we call our Home. It pains me to learn that when they say "Malaysia is a multi cultural country living harmoniously", it is nothing but a tourist gimmick and actually means the minorities have been told to shut up and sit back while the majority rule as they like and "tolerate" the minorites. It sickens me to hear Ministers telling minorities who are unhappy with the Country to pack up and leave because nothing is stopping them.

So, really, what is Malaysia Boleh all about?

I can do without the national car, Siti Nurhaliza's concert, longest whatever and scaling wherever. I would rather just be appreciated and integrated into a community who truly accepts and understands instead of being discriminated and dominated. Until that happens, I cannot call myself a Malaysian. I am merely born and bred here. But the Malaysian spirit has long evaporated and disappeared in the haze of racial discrimination.

We forget, therefore we have to pay

Whenever you have an argument, and you tell someone off about something and that person says " Oh, its not like YOU havent done it before!"
Have you ever then find yourself thinking," SO? Just because I was stupid enough to do it before does not make what you are doing right or fair!"

Those who have had this experience would know what I am saying. I thought of this when I read an article in the Sun today whereby the Pope was reminded that the Christians were also guilty of violence in the past. They have also run people out of their own countries and killed those whom they termed "unbelievers". Does it then make it right for the Muslim world to follow suit? Is it only fair for them to have their time to retaliate or to commit similar atrocities just because the Christians have done it before? Does it make it right? Does it mean all Christians should not speak out against the violence? So, theorethically speaking, the Buddhists and Hindus should have free reign in speaking out against the violence right? Cos they didnt commit any atrocities or indulge in violence in the name of their faith.(As far as I know)

I admire Zaid Ibrahim and Malik Imtiaz's courage to speak out and say that Islam is not under attack and that we should always remember that every religion advocates that there is only ONE God. Therefore if you insult another religion, you're indirectly insulting your own. If one were to understand that, I believe there will be less violence and more understanding.

Sometimes I sit around and wonder, with all the violence that the Muslims are practising now, its hard for Non-Muslims (those who did not experience the Christians equally violent practice) to understand and see how the religion advocates peace. Our minds are unfortunately clouded by the numerous bombings and deaths that have happened everywhere. How does the recent bombings in Haatyai be termed something that is done in the name of Islam. How does it further the cause of Islam? How does driving a plane into the towers causing numerous deaths be termed furthering the cause of Islam?

What religion advocates the death of innocent people something that is right? No religion does that as far as I know.

Men have forgotten that religion is something which is between him and God. Noone can make you any less a Christian or Muslim if they insult your religion. No one can make your religion something to be scorned at if he or she does not believe in your God. If indeed you believe in God, you will remember that you are answerable only to God. If you believe in the religion and all that it advocates, why do you find a need to force everyone to see it the way you see it? Or practice it the way you practice it?

Does killing another person who is an unbeliever make us anymore religious? Will God say to us " Well done!You have eliminated an unbeliever and you are therefore a more faithful follower that the other man who has not killed anyone but merely prayed to me!"

We humans have corrupted religion and the beauty of it. We have misinterpreted religion in order to pursue our selfish desires and needs. We have twisted the words and phrases to suit our World today. And it sickens me to think that one can declare him or herself a messenger of God while having a mind filled with intentions of taking another's life.

Isnt God the ONLY one who can determine life and death?

We forget. That is why the World is how it is today.

I didn't remember it like that...

Back when I was still in school, donkey years ago, my friend Yoke(my staple table mate throughout secondary school except for that one year when we were 15) and I were always sitting in front of or behind girls who were not the same "bangsa" as us. We made fun of each other constantly. She will say "Amacam Macbeth awak?" (in reference to our English Literature subject) and we in turn will ask them "eh, pokok kelapa you masih sana ke?"( in reference to their Kesusasteraan dalam BM subject). And eventhough after PJ (Pendidikan Jasmani for those who are not in the know) she and her table mate will not openly change their T-shirts in the classroom like us, that did not stop us from "pakating" with each other to run out of the class before it was time for recess, or to have a prefect line up to buy laksa for us so that we dont have to jostle with the masses.

Back then I do not remember thinking to myself that she was not the same race as me and therefore she was very different and should be treated differently. We spoke the same language, we laughed at the same silly jokes, we were all bad in either chemistry or physics, we compared our add maths scores and hope it would add up and make two digits and we all made fun of the teachers. And eventhough she wore a tudung, I never once thought of making a snide remark or stereotyping her. She was just my classmate whom I had lots of fun and enjoyed being able to spend my secondary school days with.

Today, the disparity between the races are being emphasised and taught in schools and Universities. The fact that UPM has not taken action against the students who harassed fellow students (it was quite obvious they were of different races) smacks of biasness. And that they actually produced a book which emphasis on the wrongs the Chinese have done to cause racial riots amazes me. And that our very own PM's son in law made racists comments and was not disciplined shocks me to the very core. (How can the PM not know what his son in law said in the media?) The fact that Hang Tuah is no longer in our history books because they realised that he may have been Chinese (in line with HANG Li Po) and therefore not the national warrior that he was is quite alarming.

Why is it that the country has taken such a sharp turn in the wrong direction? While many people recognise the need to avoid the racial riots of 1969, nothing much has been done to make the country more muhibbah and to encourage better understanding,acceptance and recognisition of each other. We are suppose to recognise and accept each other, not tolerate. I hate that word in this context. To tolerate is to say "Oh, I dont like you very much but to avoid unnecessary conflicts, I shall "tolerate" you."

Damn.

We all have a right to be in this country. No one race is more superior or inferior to another. We all fought for the independence of Malaysia. We all worked hard to make the country what it is today.

How I wish life were just like how it was when I was in school. Those carefree, happy days where we were all happy and we enjoyed each other's company. We were too busy having fun to sit down and think about "tolerating" each other.

Problem Solving Tactics

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that there is a war between Israel and Lebanon. Of course by now there is a ceasefire in place though for how long it will last, its anyone's guess. While everyone has been busy scrambling to take sides in this war, we in Malaysia have been busy thinking of ways to show our displeasure with Israel, America and Britain(the major 3)

So of course there was the infamous Khairy Jamaluddin protest and demonstration. Then there was the University Student wear-a-hand-bracelet-condeming-Israel demonstration, and of course the many politicians who voice their opinions on the cruelty of Israel and the supply arms to Lebanon stand taken by Tun Dr. M, and oh so many more.

But my FAVOURITE one has to be the recently approved flag burning exercise!
I mean, who can resist burning the major 3's flags? Oh, it will be so much fun!After all, by burning the flags and while its on fire, trampling on it( kids, do not try this at home unless supervised by equally enthusiastic flag burning parents) it will definitely SHOW the world what Malaysians think of the war, oh forgive me,not the war but of the major 3s!
Come to think of it, there really isnt a more effective way of showing our displeasure. While some other countries might pooh-pooh our flag burning exercise, as long as we Malaysians do it with passion and vigour and hatred, it will send along a strong message. Wouldnt it?

The whole idea of flag burning to show the country's displeasure of the war is so downright silly it borders on damn right stupid. What good does it do to burn the flags? Why is it that we Malaysians place so much value on a flag anyway? Just because we dont display a plastic flag (which by the way sticks to your car and doesnt come off without leaving an ugly glue mark) on our car makes us unpatriotic? Does it make us love our country less? Apparently it does according to the Ministers.

Ok, I digress. Back to flag burning. So, what good comes out of it again? Doesnt it just put into focus our lack of skills in problem solving? While we host and chair ASEAN and OIC meetings, and we discuss political and economic problems and ways to overcome them, it amazes me that we still can come out with a silly idea like burning flags!
Oh good gawd.

Who comes up with these ideas anyways? For example, how does THIS

help at all?

I do not mean any disrespect to the religion but one has to wonder how effective these people are when it comes to problem solving!Thought admitedly, there are many out there who can think rationally. All religions advocate peace and forgiveness. Yet we humans have decided to misinterpret and lay down rules to distort the teachings of the religion. If only one day we realise that if we stop using religion as a weapon for our selfish needs, the world might just be a better place.

While I agree we should strive for peace, respect for all religions and a disaster free world, I do not agree with the methods which some have come up to solve these problems. And the worrying thing is that here in Malaysia, those with these ingenious ideas are in the Government.
How did they get there in the first place? Those with similar ideas put them there of course.

Damn. If only I had registered to vote. Then maybe I can try to make a difference. When is the next election again?

Making the choice to be ignorant

I think while I am writing this, I have successfully managed to make a few more enemies from a mass email fiasco.(Sigh. I guess only my family will come to my funeral!) Firstly, I have to apologise to my good friend who was caught in the fiasco and had some people writing to her complaining about the contents of what I discussed or pointed out in the email. (I subscribe to the lawyer's egroup discussion and in there, it is common for us to discuss issues and voice our opinions.)

My friend pointed out (correctly) that not everybody in a forum shares the same opinion as me. And sometimes, eventhough some people agree to the discrepancies or errors in something, they do not necessarily want to discuss it publicly. In fact, they do not want to participate in any discussion but would prefer to let it be. Does it not make you wonder why some people are so afraid to voice their opinions? Or offer their take on a subject? Or tell people what they truly do think? It is because of our upbringing? Or it is just that some people are born like that?

Many articles have been published to criticise the youth today for being ignorant of politics and government. It has been said that we do not care about anything which does not directly affect us or our ability to pursue our career and wealth. We were only antsy and upset when the Government increased the petrol prices, because obviously that affected our pockets. However when it comes to the enactment of say, unjust laws or issues of racial discrimination and stereotyping, most of us retreat into our "tidak apa" shell and could not be bothered.

While I do not advocate having mass demonstration (as the youths in the Universities plan to do in their yellow Anti War-STOP ISRAEL!FREE LEBANON!FREE PALESTINE!" wrist band), I do however advocate speaking up on issues which affect us. We must stand up for what is unjust. We cannot ignore all these things which are happening in the world.

Ignorance is the cause of problems which we face in the world today. Ignorance of one's religion and beliefs, culture and upbringing, government and politics, will lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation which in turn will lead to hate and in turn, will lead to war.

What is sad is that youths today CHOOSE to be ignorant. They choose to be such as it is an easy alternative. It is easy not to have an opinion and remain neutral. So this way, if anyone asks, you say "I have no opinions on this" and hope the person who leave it as that. But when it comes to having opinions about why Tom Cruise is not married to Katie Holmes, we can offer not one but a variety of alternative opinions!

If only we would stand up for what we believe in. If only we knew the power which we have in our hands to effect a ripple of change. If only we realise that the world needs change and it needs for humankind to find its path again. If only we understand that we have youth on our side and we can make a change if we want to.

If only.

Fighting Fire with Fire

As much as I respect Tun Dr. M, the suggestion that the OIC arm Hizbollah to fight Israel makes me recoil in horror and disgust.

Why fight fire with fire?

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, BLAME!

While everyone is still reeling from the shock murder of the bright young boy in Setapak the other day, we are told of the death of another young girl, both due to snatch thefts/robbery.

As soon as we were informed of these deaths, we kicked into the typical Malaysian mode. We looked around for someone, something to blame. Of course the police bore the brunt of the blame. Oh, how come you do not patrol the area often enough? Did you not know of the high crime rate in Setapak? Oh, blame blame blame. (Actually, if we sit down and think about it, every damn place in KL has a high crime rate.)

Then we blame the Government. Oh, there should be bus services to take these students from the LRT to their homes. Why isnt there public transport for the commuters? It isnt safe for the students!Why why WHY?

Then, the doctor who refused to treat the dying boy was next in the line of fire. Oh!Why did you not treat him? Why did you turn him away? We will sue!Why isnt the Ministry doing anything to punish him for refusing to treat the boy? Sue Sue SUE!

Well, before we point fingers at this doctor for not treating him, I wondered if anyone bothered asking him why he didnt treat the boy. Was it because he didnt have the facilities or even the expertise to treat him? Or did he rely on his experience to judge that nothing he could do in his clinic would have saved the boy and the best option would have been to rush him to the hospital where the ER doctors can help him? If the doctor had tried to treat the boy, say, by attempting to stop the bleeding and the boy still dies due to excessive bleeding and delayed ER medical help, are we going to blame the doctor for being negligent? That he should have known that the boy needs immediate professional medical help?

Not all doctors are trained for ER work. That is why some doctors are surgeons and some are GPs and well, some are specialists. Obviously they each know what they can and cannot do.

Why is it that we tend to rush severely wounded persons to the nearest clinic and expect the GP there to perform miracles? It is a clinic. Chances are, the doctors there are not certified surgeons or ER trained. Would it not make more sense to,oh, I dont know, rush them to the nearest Hospital? Yes, I do realise that sometimes the "nearest" Hospital is quite far and the clinic is the nearest alternative. But it is still a clinic. Nothing much can be done to help the wounded person. Nothing substantial anyway. I think it would make better sense to use the time "wasted" at the clinic to rush the person to the Hospital.

Of course it would be blameworthy if a hospital declined to treat a person due to the fact that they had no insurance. That I agree is abhorrent.

Then we turn to blame the management of the building. Why is it that you do not ask your guards to patrol the building? Why is it that you allow glue sniffers in the shopping mall? Mat Motors and China Ah Bengs allowed to sit around and harrass us patrons and harm us as well?Tsk tsk tsk!

Ok, firstly, I think it is hard to control WHO hangs around the shopping mall. Sure, if there were glue sniffers hanging around and a complaint was made to the management, their failure to chase these people away would be to a certain extent, negligent. But how can you control who hangs around OUTSIDE the shopping complex? Do we blame the management for failure to control the people who choose to hang around outside? If lets say I were to step out of MidValley and while walking over to the Boulevard Hotel someone rushes at me and stabs me in the stomach, do I say, "Oh the Management did not do their jobs? They should have chased that mad man away!?If they did he would not have attacked me!"

Yes, I do agree the Management must take some responsiblity in creating a safe environment for their patrons, such as maintaining their CCTVs and ensuring the parking lots are safe but everything has its boundaries and limits. It would make sense to assume they will keep the inside of a shopping mall safe but it would be harder for us to assume they would keep the outside safe as well. Maybe within certain parameters, but not too much of it.

Let us not be quick to blame and threaten to sue. Let us not run to the press and point fingers at everybody whom we think is blameworthy. Firstly, there must be an investigation and the result of the investigation will prove whether there was in fact negligence. And IF negligence is established, then we consider whether there should be legal action.

Lest it be misunderstood, I sympathise with the families of the victims and I am sorry to know that Malaysia has reached such a state of crime that it is impossible to feel safe anywhere,anymore.

But still, I wish that at least if the Press were to ask victims of crimes(or their families), so what is the next course of action? They will not always start with "Its (fill in the blank) fault!" And follow it with "WE WILL SUE!"

It such a game of eeny,meeny,miny BLAME!

What are the boundaries of Parental Responsibilities?

A friend of mine was very, and I mean, VERY pissed off when someone else's mother told her that her parents were not doing a good job as parents as they allowed her to take a loan to fund her own studies. According to the self proclaimed supermum she would never allow her golden boy to have to be burdened with loans to fund his own studies. (its obvious he is pampered as he is now constantly whining about his job eventhough he is paid more than any of us fresh graduates are.Whiner.)

So the soalan cepu emas is, for how long do our parents need to support us?

The Star today featured an article by an 18 year old who said that her father who left home a few years back, has applied to court to be relieved of his responsiblities to support her as she has turned 18. She said that there was a lacuna (a gap) in the law which allows for her father to abuse the law. The law meaning the Law Reform(Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 . The apex Court had decided amongst others, that once a child has turned 18, the parents no longer need to support them.

The first thought that popped in my mind was that this girl must be from a middle class or upper middle class family. For she assumes she is entitled to higher education as her father can afford it. She assumes he has to pay for it as it is her right to be educated to the degree level in order for her to succed in life. But I think she forgets she is priviliged to be able to actually think she is deprived of these things. There are so many children from poor and broken homes who at an even younger age than she is, have to come out and work to support themselves. To have to make their own money to fund their own studies. And there are some whom with grit and determination have worked their way up the ladder of success with nothing much but SPM qualifications .

So why do we constantly think that our parents "owe" it to us to educate us? I believe that we have been pampered too much. We assume that it is their duty as a parent to provide us with all that we want. But i think their duty, first and foremost, is to love us unconditionally and provide for us. By providing I mean to have a roof over our head and to make sure we do not go hungry, that is while we are still unable to fend for ourselves. However, when we turn 18, we can play our role and help out, can we not?

If that 18 year old girl says her father does not want to pay for her education, then all she has to do is to apply to do her form 6(hopefully she was smart enough to work hard and get good grades in high school), and when she finishes that, apply to enter a public university and if she gets in and needs some funding, she can apply to PTPN for a loan. It is not IMpossible for her to obtain her degree. It is just a matter of perseverance and exploring all options open to her.
Instead she chose the easy way out.

She whined and wrote to the newspaper. She says the law is flawed. She says her father has abused the law. Perhaps she forgets that her father may have another family to support as well. Sure, he must be made to continue giving monthly allowances to help her mother feed the family, but perhaps that should be all that he is required by law to do. Is it our legal right to be educated to a degree level? I doubt it.

There are so many out there with sadder stories that you girl. There are so many out there who are not even educated enough to read or write, yet they survive because they have the determination and the grit. While you are pursuing wealth and success, many out there are fighting just to live.

So to her, I say be independent and fight your own battles. Fend for yourself. You are no longer young and helpless. Quit expecting things to be given to you.

Stupids need not apply

When my friend read yesterday's Star headlines, the first person that came to her mind was probably me. She expressed her concern for the contents of my blog and the fact that some people might misunderstand me or misrepresent my ideas and twist it into anti-Government or malicious rumours which will land me into heck of a lot of trouble.

I pondered about it and I realised that I should be ok. Well firstly, I have to clarify my position.

Firstly,
I am not anti-Government. I may not agree to all the Government policies which are or will be implemented but that does not make me an Anti-Government, BN flag burning activist. You definitely will not find me chanting anti Government slogans anytime soon. I think its futile to be anti-Government. The Government as a whole functions very well. The country is up and running. We have a stable economy (though it CAN be better) and the country is peaceful. What is there to be anti about?

The only thing I am anti is stupid. That has always been my stand. I am anti-stupid. And if I could, I would post a notice stating "Stupids need not apply".

For example, does anyone know this:
When you take the Monorail and when u get to thewhatchamacallit to exit the station, and u use your T n G card to get out, you will obviously have to touch the T n G sensor thing to get out. If the machine does not register and the bar does not go up, do not touch it again. Why? Simply because, you get charged according to how many times u touch the sensor thing. If you did it twice, they charge you twice.
Clearly, if the bloody bar doesnt go up and I cannot exit the station, common sense tells me to try again correct?

Wrong.

The stupids in Monorail thought it fit to charge us according to how many times attempts we make to try to exit.

So if you approach the people stationed at the counter and ask them why, they stick your card in the machine reader and tell you that they do not know why you have been charged a penalty but if you are truly interested to know, you can find out from the staff at T n G. The only two counters that have T n G services are found at Kelana Jaya and Masjid Jamek. So you would have to haul your ass to the nearest station and ask the people there.
Once you get there, they will tell you exactly what I said previously. You touch it twice, they charge you twice. Three times?Three times it is.
Of course they follow it up with this soundly advice " Lain kali, kalau sudah cuba satu kali tak buka, janganlah cuba lagi. Dapatkan bantuan."

If you follow up with a curious question as to why the system is wired that way they will say " Tak tahulah. System itu memang macam tu. Tak sama macam Putra. Putraline you cuba beberapa kali pun kita charge satu kali saja."

And then there is the check in two hours before policy at KL sentral MAS counter. If you make it to the counter exactly two hours before, you're already too late. This is because the system shuts down right on the dot, two hours before the flight. So clearly, the common sensical thing to do would be to tell passengers that one would have to check in THREE hours before or 2 1/2 hours before. But NO, that would be too much for MAS to handle. So they tell you two hours before and when you get there two hours as told to you, they say SORRY, you're too late.

So you see?
It is stupid people and stupid systems like these that I abhor. Unfortunately for mankind, many of these people roam freely around us. If we are unfortunate enough to meet them, we're screwed.

I am somehow very idiot cum stupid prone. I think I should go and mandi bunga sometime to be rid of that.

Secondly,
I do not spread malicious rumours. Simply because by the time I know anything about it, they cease to be rumours and have already happened or proven not to have happened. As much as I would like to consider myself being oh-so-in-the-know, I think I am probably not. My sister all the way in Italy knows more about what is going on in my house then I, who live under that roof, know.

So for those who think I am going to be in trouble for saying the things I say, I hope you are able to understand that the bottom line is not that I am a rebel in the making. Or that I am a trouble maker and I am stirring up anti whatever sentiments which may cause national disunity, I am just simply, one who is very much, anti stupid.

Chanting Slogans Together-gether!

While I was watching the star world news the other day, I chance upon the news of our beloved PM's son in law heading a public demonstration cum protest in front of the KLCC while the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting was goin on.

At first the name Khaery Jamaluddin did not register.. but when they interviewed him and I had a glimpse of his face, I realised that it was our very own UMNO youth president! Taking a stand! Having his headband on!And of course, shouting like a blabbering idiot.

"We did not invite her(referring to Ms. Rice herself), She has no right to be here!"

Or words to that effect. Oh you know, nothing much, just chanting anti America and anti Israel slogans.

Of course in the course of his public protests and perhaps due to the tightness of the headband around his head, he forgot that a) he is the PM's son-in-law and maybe it would have been more appropriate to leave the embarassment of your father in law to someone else, b) that the last time I checked, Malaysia is in NAM.

So, I am quite surprised that this huge protest did not raise so much as an eyebrow. Perhaps because it was done by UMNO? I believe if the PAS supporters or even KEADILAN supporters had been on the streets that day chanting these silly anti-whatever slogans, hell would have broke loose. But because it was headed by Mr. Kheary himself, no one seems to have their panties in a bunch.

Why the anti America and anti Israel slogans? Why the need for "WE SUPPORT HAMAS!" banners? Clearly it was a Muslim/Islam motivated protest. All they see is a Islamic country being attacked by a non Islamic one, hence the "we support Hamas" stand. We are in NAM, we do not take a stand for or against any country. We take a stand against violence, senseless killings, genocide...etc etc. But we as a nation do not and should not be supporting any one country against another or any one political party against the other.Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt that what being in NAM is all about? To remain neutral. To just stick with our own beliefs and our religion(s) and our democracy and government but to keep neutral when it comes to taking sides in the international front.

In the first place,I do not see the point of a public demonstration whether it be against the fuel hike or the war in Iraq because really, what does it achieve?Seriously. What do we get from a public demonstration or protest?
The police have to waste their manpower controlling the crowd, they have to use their tear gas and water guns or what not to disperse the crowd and then they get shit for it.I mean if the crowd DOES go out of control, what do u expect the police to do? Okay, of course we are not saying that they should resort to violence but they are trained to contain a crowd and so they use the only way they are taught.

So the question is why the need for a public demonstration?(of course the othermore relevant question is of course, how do you get leave to go take part in a demonstration?) Has the Government stopped the fuel hike? Did President Bush all the way in America stop the war in Iraq because Malaysians were staging a big protest? Do you think the Malaysian Government will bend to our dissatisfaction and grouses just because there was a massive protest?

Seriously.

The last time I checked, it was to hell with what the rakyat thinks, we in the government do what we want! Like build a massive sports complex in another country and burden us all! Do you actually need more reasons for not wasting your time with public protests? They want to fine and imprison us for losing out MyKads for godssakes. Do you think they care what the rakyat wants?

Sheesh. Be real.

Milking the Cash Cow

Do you remember the whole nude ear squat fiasco? Remember how upset and shocked everyone was? How the police were under scrutiny and how they set up a Commission to investigate into the matter?



I think most of us barely remember it. And some of us didn't care much about it then and really couldnt give a rat's ass about it now. After all, Malaysia is known to practice the knee jerk reaction. We get all upset, angry and we say this and that and once everything blows over, we forget. And only remember when it happens again.

So, considering the fact that some of us barely remember the nude ear squat fiasco, it amuses me to think that the infamous Malay woman who was "filmed" doing the nude ear squat now wants to sue the Government for RM10m due the negligence (kecuaian) of the Police Force and the embarassment caused to her. Now RM10m is heck of a lot of moolah.

She says that the whole video clip of her doing the naked ear squat has been widely circulated and this has caused her much embarassment. She cannot go out of the house without people staring at her or whispering behind her back. Her whole family has suffered considerable embarassment and as much as she wants to move away, she cannot afford to as both she and her husband do not have a job.

Ahhh..you see? THAT is why she wants to sue the Government for the RM10m! It makes sense now. She has a 4 month old daughter. Her husband is too lazy to move his ass to get a job, and apparently she is much to embarassed to go out and get one as well. So what else is left to be done? MILK the government and cite negligence and embarassment! Tell the nation how much she has suffered, how she is still suffering and how she will continue to suffer!

I think it is important to note that this announcement of her filing her claim was done publicly and there was a press conference.
Ok, WTF is up with that?

If you are so damn embarassed, why would you go in front of a camera and expose your face? 98% of Malaysia(maybe even 99.8%) have not seen her face before as her face was not published in the newspaper(maybe glimpses of it only). Only a few of those present at the hearing had a glimpse of her. And she was well covered in her tudung and shades and ran from the press like a cat with its tail on fire. So how many of us can actually recognise her on the streets? I for one cannot. In fact, now that she has exposed her face on TV I think I still cant recognise her on the streets.

Like hello? You are NOT a celebrity. Even celebrities can go unnoticed in public sometimes. Unless of course we're talking about Siti Nurhaliza or Mawi. So, what reputation of hers has been tarnished to require RM10 m to make up for it? Who is she? To me she is just another woman who somehow got caught by the police for allegedly taking drugs and was unfortunate enough to be caught on video doing the naked ear squat.

Sure, the procedure was wrong,though it has been held that the Police do have the right to make arrested persons do the ear squat to dislodge whatever they might keep hidden in places where the sun dont shine, but to sue the Government for it?

Doesnt it make more sense to sue the man who filmed you? After all, its not like all ear squats procedures are caught on tape and distributed to the public. Only she was unfortunate enough to be filmed. Oh wait, he wouldnt have the RM10m to give to her. That is why she is going to the cash cow to milk her worth.


Oh well, I guess since she has decided to make her face public, we might as well stare hard at her face now and remember it and give her a dirty look if you see her. If she wins the RM10m, we as taxpayers end up paying for it, so we might as well make it worth it.

You see, this is what the rakyat wants....

Notice how the government justifies whatever aborted projects or embarking on super expensive useless projects as what the rakyat wants? In the first place, why must it be rakyat? There IS an english word for it, its called citizens?

However, in order for people to understand me, I must speak in the Government lingo.
Rakyat (notice how it has to be italicised to show that it is a malay word?What is up with that?)

And secondly, how does the Government know what the rakyat wants? As far as I know, the rakyat didnt ask for the Singapore crooked bridge to be scrapped because half the rakyat had no idea it was even being mooted or it was in progress or that it would cost billions to build. And the other quarter of the rakyat was in the know but most didnt have much of an opinion as whether it should or should not be built. And the remaining rakyat consist of Johoreans and the government officials. And here's a question, how can the opinions of Johoreans make up the collective opinion of the rakyat as a whole? Apparently the bridge was scrapped because that was what the rakyat wanted. I dont remember being asked. I dont remember a public opinion poll held by the government. All because the Johoreans allegedly said they want to scrap the bridge, that consist of the rakyat's opinions?

Same goes for the sport complex that they are planning to build in the UK. How in the world does that benefit the rakyat? If it is built in Malaysia, then it makes sense. At least then MAYBE the Malaysians, oh, I'm sorry, the rakyat can utilise it (if it is not exclusive for the national athletes only) If it is all the way in the UK and it costs RM490m, why would we agree to that? Not only does it not make sense, it's just plain stupid. Why do you need a MALAYSIAN sports facility to train our athletes overseas? We have Malaysian sand in it? The seats in the facility is made from teak wood from the Malaysian forest? The water there has been declared holy by the religious leaders in Malaysia? There is a sense of MALAYSIA BOLEH spirit in there?What? What makes the Government want to build a Malaysian sports complex? And what is up with all the secrecy? It is OUR money, it is apparently to train sebilangan of our rakyat,( I am getting the hang of peppering Malay in my English!) so why is there such a thing as there are somethings they can and cannot say? Just SAYLAH!

If you think about it, the sports facilities existing in the UK now is obviously good enough for the British people. They excel in sports. I am sure if we use those facilities, at least we can tumpang glamour and pretend that our national athletes are actually doing well in sports and not just wasting, again, OUR money monthly, and stumbling in every major competition. (Our national football team is actually below Iraq, which is a war torn country. This is just sad.)

So, I think the Government should stop with the fake what-the-rakyat-wants justifications and be transparent in their dealings with our money. I thought the PM advocated transparency? What is the PM doing now with all the brouhaha? Why is he always keeping quiet? What type of transparency are we talking about here?

So in order to make the job of the Government a tad easier, I have made a list of what the rakyat wants:

1) Lower petrol prices and stop lying to us about hikes being the ONLY one this year only to have it hiked up again within the next 2 months.
2) Better public transport system- using the money the government allegedly saved from not subsidising the rakyat's petrol anymore?
3) PRACTISING transparency in the government. Not just saying you want to do it but then never doing it.
4) Better service at government departments. Would a smile really kill them and can they actually move any faster?
5) Not punishing people who lose their MyKard with max fines of RM20K.( If I cannot afford it and I do not pay it will you declare me a bankrupt if it reaches RM30K accumulated from interests?)
6) Making imported cars cheaper because the national cars are still expensive and it is still crap.

The list can go on.

But if the Government implements at least HALF of this list, I will be one heck of a happy rakyat!

Who determines our right to live?

After having a heated discussion with my dad and sis the other day about euthanasia, abortion and the death penalty, I thought to myself why is it that we cannot determine our own life and what we want to do with it? Of course to a certain extent we can decide on our lives but when it comes to the important questions of taking our own life or giving life to another person, why does the State control all that?

Do we not have the right to determine our own death or whether we want a baby or not?

What is the reason behind religion condemning suicide and abortion?
Only God can determine who lives and who dies.

This is the same reason given by those who are anti-euthanasia and abortion. Because only God can determine who lives and who dies, so we cannot have laws which allows another person to decide on life and death.

However, let us look at it rationally and as a society as a whole.

Euthanasia:
Let us think of a situation whereby a man is involved in a horrific accident. He barely survives, he is a vegetable, brain dead and unable to function. Before this happened, he has written in his will that should he ever be in this condition, he will not want to burden anybody with medical bills and that he would choose to die, peacefully, knowing that he no longer becomes a burden to his family.
Do we grant his wish?

The law says No. Nobody has the right to determine his death. Not his parents. Not the doctors. Nobody. He should die when its time for him to die naturally.

Technically, if we think about it, if he is brain dead, isnt he already dead? He is merely kept alive by a machine. If we liken this situation to say, where a person dies and his parents decide to harvest his organs and donate them, is it similar? To allow his parents to decide after his death? So why not allow a person's parents to decide whether to pull the plug once he has been declared brain dead?

How is it wrong? The person is brain dead. He serves no function in society. He no longer responds to anything or anybody. In fact he is a prisoner in his own body. Isnt the more humane thing to do is to allow him to die as he intimated in his will?

Abortion: The number of babies being dumped daily is astounding. If they are found, they are lucky. But most of the time, they are already dead by the time anybody discovers them. After all, that is the whole point of the mother who left them there. To die.

Does this not make us think of whether the abortion laws are correct?
Is it more humane to terminate the pregnancy when the foetus has no life(scientifically proven) than to push unwed mothers to dump their babies for fear of being ostracised and leaving the babies to die?

Why are we not allowed to decide whether we want or can raise a baby? Society today is not tolerant or understanding of unwed mothers. We have MPs calling them 'gatal' in Parliament. Who can survive being shunned by society? Why not give these women a choice. If they think they are strong enough to raise a child and love the child then they can have the baby. But if they KNOW they are not ready for one or that they know they will be shunned, give them the choice of terminating the pregnancy while it is merely a foetus with no signs of life. Do not push them to the brink of desperation and have to dump their babies after 9 months of pregnancy and going through labour.

Perhaps we should be more open in our understanding of what is termed "right" and "wrong". While we may stick to our religious beliefs, sometimes it is good to be less politically correct or religiously right but search deep within ourselves and try to be humane.

Perhaps then life for some, wouldnt be so hard.

Let's talk about sex, baby

Lets talk about sex baby, Let's talk about you and me..

So, lets get down to the business of sex. Sex at the workplace. Is it common? I think it is more common that we would like to think. What about sex with the boss? Does that actually happen here in Malaysia or its just one of those things we watch on American tv?

Apparently it happens often enough for the new Rape laws being debated in Parliament to consider consensual sex between a boss and a subordinate which was obtained through a boss's influence or authority over the subordinate to be classified as rape.

Let us go behind the whole definition of rape. The determining factor is that there is NO CONSENT given by the victim. That is how we differentiate consensual sex and rape. Consent being the determining factor, if a subordinate has consented to sex, albeit reluctantly, the sexual act cannot then be classified as rape.

While women around the world are fighting for equality at the workplace, demanding salaries equal to that of their qualifications, we here in Malaysia have somehow regressed a good 50, maybe a 100 years with the new rape laws. (Of course there are good points to be noted in the amendments proposed- recognising rape in a marriage is a step forward)

For centuries women were treated as the weaker sex. Women would not be good leaders compared to men because we are more emotional. We were not as educated as men because our calling in life would be to stay at home and serve our husbands. Women have of course fought hard to dispel that notion. First fighting for the right to vote through the suffragettes movement, the right to work and etc, and once all of that were obtained, the right to be treated equally as men.

Why do women fight for these rights? Because we say we are equal if not better than men in terms of running a business or even running a country. (We applaud our Asian counterparts who are more inclined to choosing a female leader than Western countries)

So, why the brouhaha about the Bar Council opposing the amendments to the rape laws that classify consensual sex between a boss and a subordinate which was obtained through his authority over his subordinate as rape?

The Bar Council objects to these amendments based on the simple notion that it would be easy for a woman who had slept with her boss to cry rape once things have gone awry in order to "get back" at the boss. The NGOs retaliated by saying that the Bar Council were not sensitive to the victims of rape and that there is no known formal statistics to prove that women often make false allegations of rape.

While it is recognised that rape is a heinous crime and that victims of rape are often subjected to embarassment due to the nature of having to go through interrogations and medical examinations and having to testify in court in a public gallery, this I believe does not justify making the laws easier for women to cry rape. Of course the NGOs declare that women will not make rape allegations and subject themselves to the torture of having to go through the vigorous process of the law and procedures. But have they not heard of the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"?

Women today are well capable of doing a lot to move up and forward. Just like men, many women are willing to kill and lie to move up the ladder.

Besides, now that there are many women who are bosses, perhaps the NGOs should recognise that women might also use their authority to get their male subordinates to have sex with them. If they fought for the laws to have equal protection of both male and female, then I might agree with the stance taken by them. If they only fight for the women because we are the weaker sex, then I disagree wholeheartedly. Australia now recognises male rape. Perhaps it is time we here in Malaysia do too.

So, for all the steps women have taken in dispelling the notion that we are the weaker sex, these laws that the NGOs are pushing for is taking leaps and bounds backwards. Declaring to the world that women ARE indeed the weaker sex and for the law to recognise that. Like I said before, the law already does actually because rape only applies to women, not men.

I would like to think that women today are educated, sophisticated and intelligent enough to know that it is wrong to sleep with the boss to move forward in a company. I would also like to think that we have the courage to say "No, thanks!" to a sexual proposition and pack our bags and move on to another company. And I would also like to think that if one were to agree to sex with her boss in order to climb up the ladder to success, one would have to suffer the consequences herself if things go awry and there is no promotion in sight.

If you thought it was the best stance to take, then you have to take the risk that comes with it. Dont go crying to the authorities and take advantage of the law to cry rape and ruin another person just because you did not get what you want.

Stop thinking we are the weaker sex. If you want to fight for equality, fight fair. Do not play dirty.