Malaysia's flailing enterprise.

In December 0f 2007, Boston Consulting Group published 2008 BCG Global 100 Challengers
Malaysia has 2 entries Petronas and MISC. As Bloomberg states "both are stateowned companies. Take them away and Malaysia - a former "Asian Tiger" - has little to show by way of genuine non-government entrepreneurship that's also competitive"


Read the full report by Bloomberg here

I point out the obvious

"History shows that while many countries have been able to make it from low
income to middle income, relatively few have carried on to high income," the
Bank's researchers said.
"A lot of complex challenges have to be met, from raising the skills and innovativeness of the labour force, to creating sophisticated financial systems, to maintaining social cohesion, to greatly reducing corruption.''
These are also the prerequisites for fostering the spirit of enterprise, without which the biggest economies of Southeast Asia may just remain stuck where they are."

Yes it is indeed complex, and quite frankly Malaysia is now a middle-class nation. Our next economic quantum leap will have to coupled with a vibrant innovative and entrepreneurial community. Which are then supported by sound governmental policies and administration and financial systems. Reducing wastage and utilising human and financial resources to it's maximum capacity.

What we see today, are not only the wanton wastage of government funds, but outright corruption and vested agendas by Cabinet Ministers to line their own pockets.

Prime example, the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) is now a gleaming 4.6 Billion white elephant (read MalaysianUnplug). It was an construction exercise merely to line the coffers of powers-to-be, notably MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) Cabinet members.

The Malaysian Constitution was lately amended to allow one man the present Election Commision Chairman to serve an extra year all the way to 2008, so he can continue his gerrymandering of the upcoming general election.

Amending the Constitution for a single man ! Only in Malaysia - he must be the most powerful man in history. Read Parliamentary Hansard December 11, 2007 (only available in Malay)

As Malaysians, as a people, as a nation, we are accountable to one another. Yet, we are not only hoodwinked but betrayed everyday by the ruling party.

Yes, we will remain stuck in this rut for some time to come.

I lament the sorry fate that befalls LaSallian Education in Malaysia

I had to write something after the outburst in Parliament regarding Mission Schools and how it was controlled by the Vatican, that children were forced to sing "church songs". The one phrase to use to this uneducated and dishohourable Member of Parliament - "slander and ungrateful sloth"

I have followed rather closely this topic, and, nostalgically I reflect over how our education system has changed, deteriorated and have been politicised. I disclose I am a La Sallian, so was my father.

The Education Ministry in Malaysia, is wholely a political machinery, stocked with administrators who derive personal gains in the large financial allocation that has always been alloted to the Ministry.

The current climate, both political and socially will not allow any resurrection of a school system even vaguely resembling the old La Sallian heritage.

In addition, much has been talked about private instituitions. In essence, if this was the stance and the motivations were noble enough, private LaSallians instituitions would have been set up a long time ago.

In addition, I would assume existing mission schools can easily be converted to private instituitions, as land and property may still have belonged to the Mission.

My opinion is that the Christian Brothers have long deserted Malaysia. The Brothers serve the community, especially the poor and unfortunate, they are selfless and dedicated educators. They do not relish being soaked in politics, administrative overheads and operating in an environment that is unappreciative and hostile.

Malaysia's economic progress and wealth could largely be attributed to the Mission schools. These Schools have produced generations of Malaysians who are proficient in English, properly gounded in academics and universal values.However, this economic progress will be the bane of the La Sallian Mission, in which an order such as the La Sallian Order does not operate too well in such a materialistic and non-appreciative society.

The final nail in the coffin has long been nailed, La Sallians will have nothing much but memories of their shared heritage. Unless we move in a concerted fashion, both financially and to garner political support for any return of the Brothers (either privately or publicly), the La Sallian mission will die a natural death.

Education by Mission schools, not even a word of thanks

In 1967, the official Yearbook of the Federation of Malaysia states;
when reporting the quality of education in schools run by the Christian bodies expressed:

“..... the Mission schools, particular those under the direction of the Roman Catholic Christian Brothers and the Americam Methodist Church were chiefly responsible for the rapid advancement in English education.And by 1914, some three fourths of the boys receiving education were in those schools ..... It is a striking tribute to the selflessness of these men and women that they should have gained the ready confidence and affection of both parents and teachersdespite differences in religion and culture ......”

Available school records before world war II , in fact showed that 74% of the boys and almost all the girls were in Mission schools.

Today, we have the following statement from Parliament.

Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros [Parit Sulong]: Bukan sahaja patung, tetapi Ahli-ahli Yang Berhormat pergilah, tengoklah salib Kristian diletakkan di depan-depan sekolah. Saya tidak faham Kementerian Pelajaran, adakah pegawai-pegawai tidak nampak atau memang dasar kita membenarkan perkara ini. Walau bagaimanapun, saya sebagai orang yang bertanggungjawab kepada diri saya, agama, bangsa dan tanah air ini, saya menyatakan pendirian saya bahawa patung-patung ini hendaklah dirobohkan, salib-salib ini hendaklah dimusnahkan dan pengaruhpengaruh gereja di sekolah-sekolah ini hendaklah dihentikan. Begitu juga dana yang dikumpulkan di sekolah-sekolah ini. Adakah kita mendapat laporan? Kalau boleh kementerian mendedahkan dana sekolah-sekolah ini. Saya difahamkan ada sekolah-sekolah ini juga ditaja oleh pihak-pihak gereja. Dana-dananya datang daripada gereja-gereja dan adakah pihak kementerian pantau sumber-sumbernya? Adakah audit-audit dilaksanakan?

Member of Parliament (Malay of course) has called for the removal of Christian symbols from these schools. so what of tradition, never mind even a word of thanks to these schools for producing and providing generations after generations of Malaysians with quality education and English as a first language.





Picture of St. George's from taipingtalk.com

A few words to all

An old friend of mine dropped me a note this morning.
We were on the topic of the state of Malaysia and migration for the sake of our families.
An excerpt of the email.

which is what I think that your plan or the exit
> strategy is exactly what I
> should hv done years ago..... But again, there will
> always be the other side
> of the coin. the struggle of being alone in a
> foreign land and all..... Its
> something that we will have to do in the face of
> adversity of living
> abroad.......

My reply to him and to everyone who has ever thought of migrating for the sake of the children and future generations. References to names have been replaced.

It's actually not that bad overseas. What you hear are
usually emotional and clouded perspectives. There is
no adversity, none whatsoever.

The social support structure is set up well overseas
due to the fact that everyone here lives the way it
is. Extended families are a luxury, therefore people
depend on these support mechanism.

- i.e. daycare are regulated by the government with
CPR specialists, food are regulated by qualified
dietician, this is because lots of parents leave kids
with daycare.

- Schools are required to present a daily report
online on homework and teacher's comments.

- Hospitals are well equipped with natal care, post
and pre-natal. Counseling sessions and free lessons
Nurses actually called (*wife name*) daily to check on her blood
sugar level during pregnancy. They gave her a blood
sugar test kit for free, taught her how to use it.

- In California, instead of raising energy prices at
every whim and fancy, the electricity company actually
comes to your house and plant trees for FREE to
provide shade so as to reduce energy consumption.
(financial accountability and participative democracy
at work)

- In Singapore, HDB community centres have taichi
sessions for the elderly, dialysis centres, subsidised
daycare etc for kids and elderly (again, smaller
families and parents have to go to work).

Like I said, people are mentally clouded by the factor
of being alone and are overwhelmed by the this fact.
We longed for familiarity - we look for our teh tarik,
when we can either make it ourselves or go to
starbucks for a Chai Latte.

However, if you live in a social system which is
predominantly based on nuclear/small families, these
structures are provided by the very society.

Hence, to summarise, it WILL work out well for you and
(*wife name here*) should you make a move. Simply because in
Australia/UK/USA/Singapore family structures are
smaller and a participative democracy ensures that the
needs of the individual is taken into account.

Quite frankly, I realised our needs are not very
different - whatever culture or background you come
from.

If you think Malaysia gives you the trappings of a good life, think again. Good is relative and the human perception is again relative.
Fearing the unknown is natural, however do not allow unfamiliarity to cloud your decisions. Understand unfamiliarity is part of change as you move from your comfort zone to a new social framework. However, just bear in mind that you are just as human as the next Australian, Singaporean, American and quite frankly your needs and perception of happiness, social justice and fairness is usually not very far off.

More abuse of NEP and Little Napoleons at work again

I cannot vouch how accurate this is, nevertheless, it does not surprise me.

Read it and imagine the arrogant and high-handed policies of Malaysian (i.e Malay) policy implementors.

Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 4:58 AM
Subject: Fwd: Fw: NEP - BN POLICY TO BUMI HOUSING DISCOUNT


I am going to relate actually what happen at a meeting Klang Valley housing developers had with Kuala Lumpur City Hall DBKL) on July 31 on the matter of Bumi reserved lots.

All the developers who attended the meeting had already complied with the condition of publishing in the major newspapers the bumiputera units for sale and in addition
we were told to book a space at a designated place for a further campaign to sell the bumi units.

The above exercise does not come cheap. Advertising space in the major papers and rental of space at a major shopping complex can cost us close to RM20,000. Can you imagine our frustration when we were told to repeat the whole exercise when we could not sell the bumi units ?

In exasperation, I told the DBKL officials that even if we were to give a 20 percent discount to the bumis, they would not buy our houses because they were located in Salak South, Sungai Besi, a middle-class enclave of the urban Chinese. Nearby there is a market selling pork and a Chinese school.

The official just said, 'You have to advertise in the papers again and do the campaign at Mid-Valley Megamall again," without any compromise.

We are a small housing developer and the total units built was 40 with the bumi allocation at 12. We had complied with all the stipulated conditions and now after more than a year of waiting, DBKL still does not want to release the bumi units to be sold to the non-bumis.

At the meeting, DBKL dropped a bombshell. If we could not sell the bumi's units, then we would now have to now pay the bumi discount quantum direct to DBKL. In our case, since we gave a 7 percent discount, the quantum for each unit was RM29,400. For the 12 unsold bumi lots, we would have to pay RM352,800 to DBKL. All the developers who attended the meeting protested vehemently at this atrocious policy and refused to pay and the meeting ended without any resolution.

We would like to ask DBKL what rationale is there to give a discount to Bumis who could afford to buy a RM420,000 house? This is clearly an abuse of the NEP. Why should developers and the other races need to bear the cost of implementing their bumiputera ownership policy. It is thoroughly unfair to expect developers to bear the cost of advertising and conducting roadshows in order that Malays buy the houses. The Bumis have millions of ringgit to pay as compensation to divorce first wives, marry 2nd wives in very grand manner.

But no money to buy houses ???

Boleh land

It is exactly these policies that drives business under in Malaysia. No value is added to the chain, instead policy makers constantly have policies that deplete the economy of any value that have been created.
Sound housing developers, profit making enterprises are forced into losses by imposing required freebies which must be dished out to Bumiputras.

It is exactly these Bumiputra policies that are driving business under and acclerating capital flight from Malaysia

Michael Backman again

Michael Backman is not only an eloquent writer. His views would usually shine a light right through the thickest fog, especially on Malaysia.

Of course the truth hurts and Malaysia is not exactly utopia. Far from it.
This is his latest article, extremely very pertinent points and some very basic question raised.

Michael Backman
www.michaelbackman.com

Ethnic rivalry in Malaysia usually is portrayed as rivalry between the majority Malay population and the large Chinese minority. But sandwiched between the two are Malaysia's Indians. They make up about 2 million or 8% of the population but according to some estimates they account for around 2% of the nation's corporate wealth. This disparity is leading to rising tensions from a group that the authorities normally take for granted.

The Indian community is split into Muslims and Hindus. The Muslims, known locally as the 'Mamak', tend to blend more easily with the dominant Malays - both being Muslim means that intermarriage is not uncommon. (Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is the product of such a union.) The Hindus on the other hand are far more marginalised. Politically weak and disorganised, they tend to be largely ignored by the government.

Original post here and here

Simply atrocious, Res ipsa loquitur

Res ipsa loquitor - the thing speaks for itself. It signifies that further details are unnecessary; the proof of the case is self-evident.

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin cannot string a sentence in proper English to save his life.

On the topic of democracy and freedom of expression, the Minister continuosly cuts and buts in on the interviewer. In no way was she allowed to string a coherent sentence.
Res ipsa loquitor - it speaks for itself, if there's no freedom of expression in Malaysia, it definitely is. Even interviews cannot be conducted in a civilised manner, the Minister lacks any substance nothing except constantly butting, shutting up the interviewer and drowning every other question in unintelligent rhetoric.

Yes, this is the Information Minister of Malaysia, and why are the opposition crying out for avenues for expression, minority voices to be heard and better democratic processes ?
res ipsa loquitor.

Bersih Rally Police Brutality

The March and Rally by The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) to present a memorandum to His Majesty was a clear cut success on all grounds.

Malaysians have endured the tyranny, suppression and total disregard of their demoractic rights long enough.

On November 10, almost as a last salvo, close to 100,000 marched from City Centre to present a memorandum to HM.

Barisan Nasional and UMNO controlled media have literally stranggled to death any avenues for democratic reforms, checks and balances and or press freedom in this country.
On November 10th, my fellow brave Malaysians has decided that this is their country, and they have had enough of UMNO and their plundering cohorts.

I present to you real life accounts as Police fired tear gas on their fellow Malaysians. No unruly behaviour, violence or any semblance of a riot happened (as opposed to what the official press will want you to believe). It all began when the police fired.

Account 1

Her eyes reddened by tear gas and her clothes soaking wet from a heavy
downpour, Hamidah Ibrahim, a 23-year-old undergraduate from the northern city of
Ipoh, huddled against a shop wall in Tun Perak Road, a main thoroughfare in
Kuala Lumpur that is usually clogged with vehicles but on Saturday was crowded
with thousands of protestors. Across the street, red-helmeted officers of
Malaysia's Federal Reserve Unit fired several rounds of tear gas at the crowds
before a baton charge that sent protesters running helter-skelter. Hamidah wiped
her eyes and adjusted her tudung, the Malay headscarf that is obligatory for
Muslim women. "This is like being in hell," she says amid the thud of smoke
grenade launchers.

Account 2

There are two indisputable facts about the rally on Saturday. The first is
that all the chaos on that day was caused by the police. It was the police who
set up the road blocks disrupting the movement of traffic all over KL. It was
the police who adopted an aggressive stance towards the crowd of demonstrators.
It was the police who precipitated all the acts of violence and without any
provocation. It was the police who sprayed the extremely well-behaved crowd with
chemical laced water cannon and tear gas and it was the police who cannoned
sections of the crowd standing inside the gate of Masjid Jamek. I know because I
was standing inside the gates of the mosque and got saturated and was left
standing in a pool of foaming water.Sure, the crowd made plenty of noise and
there were many fists being shaken at the police but whenever threatened the
crowd backed off and took alternative routes to seek their destination. I
witnessed no attempt by the police to warn off the crowd using loud hailers even
though I was at the front line of the crowd.In Jalan Tuanku Rahman, it was the
police who again used tear gas and cannon and resorted to baton charges, beating
their batons on their shields to further break up an already dispersed crowd.
And it was the police who were seen to violently manhandle members of the crowd.
It was the police who closed off access to the LRT stations within the city area
thus causing disruption to many non-participating citizens

Account 3

Once we exited the station at Masjid Jamek, we were greeted by
the ever heart-warming sight of riot police. Here they call them the Federal
Reserve Unit, but they are nothing more than mercenaries in uniform. Zealots
armed with batons and gas launchers, completely apathetic to the growing crowd,
swollen by passer-bys and passionate Malaysians. The police sprayed preliminary
water-cannon fire on the crowd, which I wasn't to concerned about. It was only
upon reaching home that I found out they were contaminated with chemicals.Now
there is something of great importance that I need to stress; in no way,
absolutely none, did the demonstrators aim to incite the police. There was lots
of chanting, of slogan shouting, of crowd rallying, but there was no hatred or
contempt hurled against those in power. In short, we did not merit the treatment
we received. One may say, "But it was an illegal gathering anyway." How can the
executive issue a decree banning the people in a democracy from voicing their
opinion? We are not looking for a riot. We're not looking for impeachment. We're
not looking for a revolution. We want clean elections. After all, if the
government did its job efficiently, without corruption,racism and wanton
aggression, why would we want to vote for the opposition? The demonstration
today was truly a model demonstration. A peaceful, passionate crowd standing
defiant, in a completely passive manner. It was a moment to remember, the
solidarity on the f aces of others as we stared down the threats in the hope of
a better tomorrow. All until the police became violent.

Fellow Malaysians, firing on their countrymen. It wasn't so much as the
actual shooting which was horrendous, but seeing them take their line of sight
made my stomach turn. These uncompassionate robots, protectors of the society
shooting against the people they swear to protect. Here they are, ladies and
gentlemen, "dispersing crowds", while paedophiles run riot, pun very much
intended. When they fired, they shot directly infront of the crowd. Shaz and I
happened to be caught in between a mass of bodies and a drain barrier. Just like
some bad war movie, everything seemed to happen in slow motion, as the cannister
rolled to a stop barely 10 feet away. Time sped back to normal as the people
around me started scrambling into the nearby station. Shaz and I were stuck
outside, but fortunately, my brother was pulled in by a fairy-tale hero. "Give
Me Liberty or Give Me Death", but don't give me tear gas. The following account
is in no way dramatisation, it is, as it is. Maybe it was my severe
underestimation of the pain, both physical and psychological, that caused my
hesitation. If not for the rain, I shudder to think of the potential pain. Had I
known... Completely immobile and covering our faces with wet cloths, we were
powerless for a good 45 seconds to the gas. Initially, you feel a sting in your
nose. As the pain increases, it ignites your eyeballs into blindness. As the
pain mounts unbearable, tears streaming uncontrollably out of your eyes, the gas
enters the pores on your face, the sensation acid to the pH. As you try and
escape the gas, running literally blindly, with your skin aflame, the gas enters
your lungs, constricting respiration to almost nil. Every inhalation you take is
void of oxygen, and soon you will not be able to breathe. More than once the
thought of death surfaced in my mind, as I moved with, not fought against the
crowd to clear the area. Shazee later told me she thought she was as good as
gone as well. Tear gas brings you to the edge of death, only for you to be
resuscitated back into Hell.

Little known fact

If I had any semblance of authority in the world I live in, I would nominate the following writer who goes by the name Colin Nathan an award. His letter here to Malaysikini so aptly and succinctly summarised to paint a picture of patriotic desparation. Some may brand him otherwise, but he could have written about Zimbabwe, Uganda, Indonesia or whatever basket-case of a country in this world we live in. But he chose Malaysia, the country he has called home, that his father has called home and I think a country he would like his children to inherit and to grow up in.

Read it here in it's original form
This is a small snippet from his original letter..

In 2004, global financial services firm Morgan Stanley issued a report that
estimated that over US$100 billion (RM360 billion) had been lost to Malay
patronage in the 20 years preceding 2003 (from 1984 to 2003). One economist
estimates that in the 36 years of its existence, the New Economic Policy has
been used to channel over one trillion ringgit to the Malay community through
ASN (Amanah Saham Malaysia), ASB (Amanah Saham Bumiputera) and other related
government schemes. Since 1970, the government has used the NEP to divert
education, employment and every other conceivable benefit to the Malay
Malaysians. These measures have largely been successful with all the top posts
in government-linked companies (GLCs), the government, universities,
public-listed companies and practically every single area that the government
has any control over being reserved for one race.

Asian Strategic and Leadership Institute’s estimate of 45% for bumi share of the
nation’s equity is opposed to the government's 18.9%, firstly, because the
equity value is calculated at par value. For example, if you hold 1,000 Maxis
shares of RM5 market value each, the government says that it is only worth RM250
as these shares have a par value of 25 sen each. If you owned a company with a
paid-up value of RM2 but conducted business worth millions of ringgit worth of
transactions, the government values that company at RM2.

Will this stupidity never end ?

WTF

You all have to see this and I say WTF ?

I am tired, it's like cleaning an overflowing toilet

Trying to write and blog about Malaysia, is like trying to clean an overflowing toilet.
Where do you even start ? Before one has a chance to digest an issue, another one comes up. Every single one, stankier and a few rungs below common morality than the previous one.

Before I had a chance to digest the ramifications of the V.K. Lingam video which has rocked the Malaysian Judiaciary system up to the point, that the Malaysian BAR may now consider boycotting the Judiciary, we now have the RM 27 Million police officer.

V.K. Lingam was caught on tape, bargaining with a senior member of a Judiaciary for key appointments (this member has since been promoted to be the Chief Justice of Malaya). The Government does not call this a crisis, the Government first set up a 3-man toothless committee to determined the authenticity of the video. The first act of the committee was to call up the source of the video and for him to turn over the original footage.

Firstly, we all know, this is Malaysia and whistleblowers will be dispensed with. Secondly, the committee is bent on protecting those in public office, should it not be to protect the public from those in office ?

They have threatened to jail Anwar Ibrahim if he does not turn up his source.
If the can send a man to space for needless reasons, they can, determine the authenticity of the digital footage. That is a technological issue. But no, they must have the whistleblower's name.

More has been written on this notably on Malaysia-today, Lim Kit Siang, who am I, but a mere mortal looking pathetically at the system, I have nothing more to add.

Read : CJ say bye, bye,

Then the most interesting read is this man, Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Ramli Yusoff. HE is presently charged or to be charged to be in possession of RM 27 million in assets. He was charged by the Anti-Corruption Agency.
However, to those uninitiated, it seems this charge happened after he and his men made a move on major Malaysian underground triad/mafia bosses.

The Malaysian police is divided and played out like pawns by the underworld kingpins and by their political masters. Again, who protects the public ?

Read more here : The land of Walt Disney






In the end, it's an overflowing toilet, one piece of excrement after another trying to better itself that the previous one. We all will bear the stench.

Malaysia at crossroads

Malaysia at crossroads

"I urge all of you today to be very, very worried", Malik Imtiaz.


Watch it here if you have time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9zmRMoDt58

I took a breather

I took a 1-month breather from the insanity of all that is Malaysia. In fact I was back in Malaysia in September of 2007. It was slightly close to 1 week after the 50th anniversary of Merdeka (Independence)

Flags were flying everywhere, one primary school I visited had close to 50 flags planted between it's school gates and the actual entrance to the school building complex.

Everywhere I went it was flags and faces, faces, faces of Abdullah BAdawi and his cohorts.


It looked to me like I was transported to some Eastern Bloc nation or East Germany after the war. Instead of Stalin's mennacing moustache and the a tide of red flags, it's Abdullah Badawi staring down on you.

And those flags were ugly, almost choking everything insight

For a better perspective on Malaysia, read this :
http://bright-i.blogspot.com/2007/10/unbelievable-but-its-happening-in.html

Again this is Malaysia and the country runs on autopilot without any sense of decency or common sense anymore. Might as well be living in Zimbabwe.

Original pic here

Would you like RM 10 Million ?

This is the same Parliamentary sitting.
Every man, woman and child and 2 additional generations of Malaysians has just sent 10 Million Ringgit each down the proverbial monsoon drain.

And the UMNO/BN Morons in Parliament are still talking about a stupid youtube video made by a lonely teenager. Wake up people

Where's the money coming from

- China
- India
- Brazil
- Eastern Europe
- Developing economies within South East Asia - Vietnam, Cambodia

Malaysia - history of unaccountable and scandalous mega projects
- Politically motivated projects
- Enshrined discrimination and preferential treatment to sections of the population. Market forces and economic efficiencies are manipulated and skewed due to rampant discrimination and corruption.

Article rings true, who's stupid enough to pump in more money ?

What else is new

Every 2-3 years we come full circle again


What else is new ?
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=7459

The Youtube Ministry

The Malaysian Government has started policing youtube and will from now onwards will determine what any Malaysian can sing and talk about. This includes any written works of academia, digital images and digital video transmission over the Internet (aka youtube)

The Malaysian Government will also be the absolute authority in your opinion, thoughts and how you express it

Your opinion and manner of expression must be in agreement and must not differ nor deviate with the views and opinion of any UMNO politician or Cabinet Minister

The Malaysian Government and/or UMNO politician reserves the right to review and change their opinion.

Malaysian Government will continue to expand this new regulation to metacafe.

As a law abiding citizen of Malaysia. I must express my admiration to your absolute conscientious attention to namewee's video on Youtube. Out of the millions of videos, you are able to single one out. Your administration must be lauded, as you have resolved issues of poverty, corruption, economic competitiveness, healthcare and education. Inasmuch that your attention must now be focused on Youtube.

I present to you Youtube videos which you may have missed out.
- Pigs Dancing in UPM
- Adnan Yaacob Go to Hell
- Who Let the Dogs Out
- Melayu Mabuk
- Does Samy Vellu have to pay toll
- What happened to Malaysia

Your attention is greatly appreciated.

Can't see the light of Day

UMNO now has a vendetta against Raja Petra Kamaruddin. He exposed extreme levels of corruption within the echelons of the Royal Malaysian Police and Government (including Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister)

Activities that can't see the light of day.

EU Trade Envoy to Malaysia was unilaterally slammed for his comments on Malaysia's discriminatory trade practices.
He was told to shut-up, all because Malaysia's discriminatory policies cannot see the light of day nor stand up to any intellectual nor academic scrutiny.

Read here and here

Rommel said it was discriminatory and amounted to protectionism. Malays form just over half of Malaysia's 26 million people, with ethnic Chinese and Indians forming sizeable minorities.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak hit back at Rommel, saying he had overstepped diplomatic boundaries.

Malaysian police and immigration helping themselves to girls sold to sex slavery in Penang, as exposed by Dateline NBC

According to Anna, some of the Malaysian police and immigration officials were clients of the clubs where she worked and helped themselves to the girls.

OF course it will be brushed off, that too cannot see the light of day.

Chinese Malaysian rapper with his own rap rendition of Negaraku on youtube
HE rapped about the trials and tribulations of being a non-Malay, non-Muslim in Malaysia. Though he has a point, he's a wanted man now by UMNO.
Yes, this amatuer rapper is insignificant and his youtube video is not even important in anyway. Yet, the UMNO mafia has too much guilty conscience to let an insignificant youtube video go unnoticed. Yes, it can't see the light of day.

Malaysia, will forever be hiding in it's own shadows. Anything and everything that runs slightly foul of the establishment's stand will not be given a stamp of approval and whistleblowers will be severly dealt with.
This is the only way, UMNO, ruling elites and cronies of the political elites will have a free reign of the country and continue to be corrupt.

PoliceWatchMalaysia.

PoliceWatchMalaysia

Original post here

Racial profiling ? this is Malaysia, and it's official policy.

US Navy Officer.
Desert Storm Veteran.
Fearful of his life when he was detained by Malaysian immigration in broad daylight.
Suffered Unimaginable trauma - this coming from a Veteran. (I assumed mere mortals like the rest of us, would have had a heart attack and died)

This is Malaysia, where Racial profiling is official policy.
Bumiputra's are always poor. Hence must be given free money. Free equity in companies, Free access to higher education. Guaranteed employment
Non-Bumi's are rich, hence must pay more tax, pay more for homes, and must be deprived of higher education, they don't need to be employed.

Muslims are always right, hence are allowed to raid Ms. Malaysia pageant.
Allowed to raid entertainment outlets and detain singers.
Barge into rooms of tourist, invading personal privacy, demanding marriage certificates. No need to be accountable, no need due process of the law. Muslims are right.

It's payback time when African American US Navy Officer exposes his treatment at Malaysian Immigration camps.
This is after all Malaysia, if you are not Muslim and a non-Malay you are less than human.
Picture from Malaysiakini



Want to hear his story, click here.

I told them in plain English ‘I am a US citizen, escort me to my hotel and I will proof this’. I was ignored as I walked
about 20 feet with these men.
The firm grip on my arm became firmer and at this time both men were holding each arm and when I started to resist I noticed one of the men reaching for some handcuffs on his waist. I said in a loud outburst I am an American citizen before I go anywhere I want see some identification or a badge or something to proof that I was being escorted/carried off against my will by an official of the government.
At this time, a crowd had formed around me and the men. I thought finally someone has heard my cry. My eyes were almost in tears. I asked again, ‘please let me see some identification’.

That was when I thought this was it. Death was surely at the next stop.
We were transferred to another caged truck. I still felt like this was all too strange and we were not being held by any government officials. No rights had been explained to me and at least five hours had passed.
By this time it was 1.30am. We were given sodas and bread was thrown into the cage. It was like trying to feed a freshly captured monkey expecting him to eat while passing him food through the little holes in the cage. I thought if this was a government agency and whether it was complying with
the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
Okay, after another long, cold and bumpy ride with about 25 other men, we arrived at a place that looked as if it was a third world concentration camp. We waited at the gate for about 30 minutes because it looked like no one had the key to get in, like no one knew we were coming.

Wither Copernican revolution

Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543) was an astronomer who espoused the theory that the Earth is not at the centre of the universe. He theorised that the Earth orbited around the sun and so do the other planets.

His theory was groundbreaking. Unfortunately in the middle ages, where church bishops and religious heretics were in control. His views were considered heretic and blasphemous.
The present view at that timeperiod was that the Earth is the centre of the universe and the heliocentric model was totally unacceptable to the church.
Galileo supported the heliocentric model of the universe. In 1632 he was ordered to appear before the Holy Office in Rome
I quote from Wikipedia.

Galileo is perhaps the first to clearly state that the laws of nature are mathematical, writing that "the language of God is mathematics". His mathematical analyses are a further development of a tradition employed by late scholastic natural philosophers, which Galileo learned when he studied philosophy

This is today evident in the Divine Ratio (phi)
That the language of creation, the language of God and the universe is indeed mathematics.

In 1633, Galileo was asked to recant (renounce) his ideas that, and the church upheld the views that "The proposition that the sun is in the center of the world and immovable from its place is absurd, philosophically false, and formally heretical; because it is expressly contrary to Holy Scriptures"

Galileo was imprisoned and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.
Went blind and died of natural causes on January 8, 1642.

On October 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for how the Galileo affair was handled.

History has shown us time and time again, suppressed, dogmatic points of view devoid of any intellectual discourse or analysis is not the way to resolve our problems. They merely provide a stopgap measure. Deep seated issues will remain unresolved and eventually the truth will prevail.

In Malaysia, academics have to sign a legally binding agreement entitled "Akujanji" in which they have to pledge loyalty to the Government. Failing to toe the official line, Academics can be charged under a wide-range of Acts which ultimately allows for indefinite detention without trial.

Wither Academic discourse in Malaysia. How many Galileos have the executives (ruling elite and regime) thumbed down ?

Middle ages election

It's bad enough Malaysia has a non-independent Election Commisions.
It's bad enough that election results are frequently tampered with.
It's bad enough that Malaysia has phantom voters all over their electoral rolls.
Babies, children and the deceased are frequently listed as eligible voters.

We had to take 2 steps back to where only the poorest, underdeveloped and war-torn nations have done - the use of indelible ink.

Now the Election Commision has to defer the decision to use indelible ink to the Islamic Fatwa Council !

Reproduce here in it's entire form from Malaysia-today

MALAYSIA'S Election Commission (EC) has referred its plan to use indelible ink for general elections to the Islamic fatwa council, citing Muslim reservations about cleanliness.

The EC wants the Muslim scholars on the council to rule on the issue of introducing the use of ink, said the commission's deputy chairman, Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

The idea to use the ink to mark the fingers of voters is being pushed by opposition parties as a safeguard against multiple voting - a charge that often surfaces in Malaysian elections.

The EC - the government agency that organises general elections and by-elections - said last month that it was agreeable to the idea.

It said the ink could be in use by the next general election, which must be held by March 2009 but which many speculate could be held within the next six months.

Datuk Wan Ahmad said the fatwa council must first decide whether using the ink is allowed in Islam as it could affect ablutions carried out by Muslims before their daily prayers.

The ink cannot be wiped off for two to three days.

The opposition has said that the use of the ink had not posed a problem in Muslim countries such as Iraq.

The vice-president of conservative opposition party Parti Islam SeMalaysia, Datuk Husam Musa, said this month that the use of the ink has no bearing on Muslim cleanliness.

He claimed that the government was merely looking for an excuse not to implement the ink's use.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

So now, Muslims cannot be treated with Iodine, Potassium Permanganate to name a few, for wounds, because they leave a tiny stain. What next, antiseptic cream cannot be applied on open sores ?
Excuse, Stupidity or an increasingly dogmatic civil administration bound to a 14th century texts describing how life should be led Arabia.

You decide.

The State of Human rights in Malaysia

Revathi a video documentary.

For those who's interested
As per closing statement of the video, "the debate continues". But a family is torn apart, a mother and child are separated and a father is deprived from seeing his family for 6 months. If this is religion, then this religion has no compassion and do not subscribe to a higher power nor in my opinion is of an unearthly origin. It is nothing more than a set of man-made dogmas harped and drummed into the minds of zealots, passed down through the generations.

God in whatever name we call it is All Mighty and All Knowing, He is not an insecure brat who needs to see a poor family torn apart and a child and mother separated, just to assert himself. Sadly, in Malaysia, everyone who can spew a few words of Arabic and sport a goatie is playing God.

This is NEP, this is Malaysia

Forget lofty ideals, this is what it boils down to

For every Revathi 100 more cry in silence

The People's Parliament put forth his thoughts regarding Revathi elegantly in this his post here, aptly entitled "Revathi are you really free"

I share his deepfelt sympathy to Revathi and Suresh. May they find courage, compassion and strength to lead their lives as a family. As human beings. As dignified individuals without fear and intimidation.

Scroll down the page of the People's Parliament and read another reply by a "prometheus_bound".

I reproduce the reply here in full.

About a year ago, I represented a woman who had his adopted son detained by JAIS at a detention centre in Ulu Yam. My client was a Christian who converted to a Muslim. She had an adopted son, who is a Muslim. The boy lived with her and her family.

Initially my client financially contributed to the religious school, however when she found out some irregularities, she stopped funding the school.

Her problem thereafter started. The head of the religious school lodged a report to the local authorities claiming that she was trying to “convert” her adopted son to Christianity. Obviously that was a blatant lie.

The religious authority together with the police raided her house in the middle of the night, it was a party of about 20-30 people. They couldnt find a Bible, yet they insist that she was trying to convert the boy as a Christian. The boy was detained at a detention centre in Ulu Yam.

My client threatened legal action against the religious authority. A deal was brokered. The religious authority allowed me to visit the boy at the detention centre. The religious authority wanted to show that the boy wanted to stay at the detention centre voluntarily for an indefinate period of time.

It was heartbreaking. The boy was in fear. After reading Revathi’s story I remember vividly the look on the boy’s face.

The religious authorities need to be reined in.

What we have here is nothing less than legalised Mafias.
Mafias that are unaccountable for their actions. Which operates outside the boundaries of the legal framework.

What recourse does a civilised nation, or a civilised populace have against these groups. In the very first place, they operate outside the legal framework. To top it all off, they are State sanctioned. One just needs to cry Allah-u-akbar in a mob frantic frenzy and any Federal Court Judge, politician and police officer will stand back and look away. This is Malaysia

For every Revathi, 100 more Revathis cry in silence. We all pray for them, may they find courage and compassion, someday.

What a shame

Shame on you ISLAMIC ZEALOTS of MALAYSIA

Original post here

"It was a prison. They placed me in a solitary confinement," Massosai Revathi, an ethnic Indian, said a day after she was freed from a state-run Islamic counselling centre. "Although I served 180 days, I still cannot convert out of Islam," said Revathi, 29. "I wasted my time"

So, to all who said it was an "administrative procedure". What do you have to say now ?

Not only was it torture, denial of human rights and now they tell her she's still a Muslim and cannot lead a life the way she wants.


SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE ! RELIGIOUS BIGOTS

Let me ask a simple question

A truly unfortunate turn of events.
Massosai Revathi, a Malaysian citizen whose parents had converted to Islam but who was brought up by her Hindu grandmother and who had lived most of her life as a Hindu. Revathi is therefore one of the unfortunate cases of Malaysian citizens whose complex identity was bound to get her into trouble with the religious authorities in Malaysia, and it finally did. Following her marriage to her Hindu husband according to Hindu rites, they had a child who was also brought up a Hindu. Revathi was later called in by the religious authorities and told in no uncertain terms that she was legally a Muslim and had therefore committed a crime in the eyes of Islamic law and Muslim jurists. She was then sent to one of the country’s ‘Faith Rehabilitation Centers’ so that she could be ‘persuaded’ to return to Islam.

This is the associated press reports, her 100-day extension has been extended to another 80-days

Malaysia’s Islamic officials seize baby from mother who sought a Hindu life
The Associated Press

Published: April 6, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Islamic authorities took away the baby of a Muslim woman who is living as a Hindu in defiance of the law in the latest case of religious conflict straining ties in multiethnic Malaysia, officials said Friday.

Revathi Masoosai’s 15-month-old daughter was taken by the Islamic Religious Department in southern Malacca state on March 26 and handed to Revathi’s Muslim mother, said department enforcement officer Mohamad Imran Ahmad.

“The baby’s grandmother has custody of her for now,” Mohamad Imran told The Associated Press.

Revathi, an ethnic Indian, is being held in a rehabilitation center run by Islamic authorities for her religious transgression. The baby was with Revathi’s husband when she was seized. He has filed a police complaint, but it was not clear if he plans to take the case to court.

Meanwhile, the baby will stay with her grandmother. “When the baby’s mother is released, she can try to regain custody if she wants to,” said Mohamad Imran without elaborating.

The case, which was made public by the opposition Democratic Action Party on Thursday, highlights an increasing number of spats affecting the religious and family rights of the ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities.

Indians, who form about 8 percent of Malaysia’s 26 million people, are mostly Hindus while some are Christians, Muslims and Sikhs.

Activists say a string of recent disputes have ended in favor of Muslims — who comprise nearly 60 percent of the population — and strained ethnic relations in this multicultural nation, which has enjoyed racial peace for nearly four decades.

Revathi, 29, was born to Indian Muslim parents who gave her a Muslim name, Siti Fatimah. However, Revathi claims she was raised as a Hindu by her grandmother and changed her name in 2001, said Chong Eng, an opposition member of Parliament.

Revathi married Suresh Veerappan in 2004 according to Hindu rites. The marriage has not been legally registered because Suresh would have had to convert to Islam first.

Revathi’s official identification documents state she is Muslim because Malaysians who are born as Muslims cannot legally convert.

The Islamic Religious Department apparently learned of Revathi’s case after she gave birth. Revathi was detained in January and taken to a rehabilitation center in central Malaysia where she is expected to be held until at least mid-April to undergo religious counseling, Chong said.

“Separating mother and child … is inhuman,” Chong said in a statement.

A custody battle would be complicated because Islamic officials and Revathi’s mother would likely seek to try the case in Islamic Shariah court, which handles religious, family and personal law disputes involving Muslims.

Non-Muslims turn to civil courts to settle these issues. But the secular courts have generally avoided taking a position in such disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims, leaving it to the Shariah system, where verdicts have often favored Muslims.

- Breaking up a marriage.
- Separating a mother from her 15-month old daughter for 3 months
- Taking away a baby from her father.
All for the sake of what ?
If religion is all about coercion, wrecking marriages, separating families.
Then I make my stand here loud and clear

ISLAM, at least the Malaysian version of it is the NOT WORTH IT's DAY in HELL.

IT'S a bureaucracy run my zealots, who derive wicked fetish and satisfaction, on the suffering of others. They have no compassion, no intention to assist fellow human beings.

ISLAM in MALAYSIA and all it's proponents and administrators - if I had my way, you will be buried alive in nothing less than pig's excrement.

Taliban strikes again

This country is in a state of crisis. It's tearing apart from within. A secular government and an increasingly rampant, overzealous group of Islamic enforcement officers, which to a certain thinks they are not accountable nor do they need to adhere to any rules or regulations.

To them they are answerable to their version of God's divine laws, they are despicable, disrespectful and have no sense of human dignity. They interpret laws and rules to their whim and fancy, often citing words of scripture.

This is almost Medieval Europe

I reproduce here a report from
a local newspaper.

IPOH: The Perak Religious Department (JAIP) has
ordered a singer to appear before the Syariah Court for “exposing her body”
during a performance and “encouraging immoral activities”.
However, an indignant Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin, 22, said she was wearing a sleeveless top and long pants when JAIP officers raided an entertainment outlet in Sunway City where she was performing on Tuesday.
Our band had just finished and it was a little past midnight when they came
in and rounded up all the Muslims. “They asked to see our MyKad but
one officer refused to touch the cards, referring to them as najis (unclean),”
she said.
Siti Noor Idayu said the JAIP officers later detained seven
people, including four employees of the outlet, and brought them to the
department office.
“They put us in a tiny room and turned up the air-conditioner. I heard one officer tell the other: Bekulah dia orang (Let them freeze),” she said.
Siti Noor Idayu also said the male officers kept taking photographs of her, adding that she was made to stay overnight in that room until 10am.
She said the officer who finally came to record her statement at 8am, accused her of consuming alcohol and drugs, being involved in immoral activities, and that her MyKad was a fake.
“I took the breathalyser test twice and when the reading remained at zero, the officers looked frustrated.
“I heard one tell the other: Tapi dia tak minum lah (But she did not drink),” she said.
Siti Noor Idayu said an officer even told her that the money she earned working in the outlet was duit haram (illicit money) and that her parents, children and future generations would all be tainted for using such money.
“They finally wrote me a notice accusing me of dressing sexily and encouraging immorality just because I sang there,” she said.
The notice ordered her to appear before the Syariah Court here on Aug 6.
When contacted, JAIP director Datuk Jamry Sury said he was confident that his officers had not acted outside of their jurisdiction in issuing the notice.
“According to Islamic laws, a Muslim woman is not allowed to serve or entertain a man who is not her husband in a place where immoral activities usually take place,” he said.

I am not a lawyer, hence I will not go further, but are we a secular nation or an Islamic nation, in which Islamic law reigns supreme ?
Doesn't the Federal Constiuition has a list of areas that falls within the purview of the Syariah Court. Did it say anything about "a Muslim woman is not allowed to serve or entertain a man who is not her husband in a place where immoral activities usually take place”

Who defines what is immoral ? Which set of laws defines morality ?

Today, Muslim women in Malaysian will never represent Malaysia in any beauty pageant (e.g. Miss Universe, Miss World) - due to to infamous storming of a Miss Malaysia/World pageant a few years back.

What next, will they storm the next Asean Games rhythmic gymnastic event when a Muslim woman were to compete ? After all, she is entertaining a crowd of people, men included and they are all definitely not her husband.

Which set of laws will these Strom Troopers be governed under ?

Aren't there laws for lawful/unlawful and unruly behaviour in public places ? Who detained these Storm Troopers when they disrupted the Miss Malaysia Pageant ?

Like Shamans, Wizards and Witches of pagan tribes, these individuals wield blind, lawless authority over the people and nobody questions them. Mortals cuddle in fear as they walk pass, logic does not prevail and all decorum of a civil society are broken by these people.

Forget everything you've seen or read in the media - about Malaysia being truly Asia.
It is not and it is surely being sucked into the Middle Ages, quickly.

Why didn't Lina Joy turned to the Islamic courts ?

The dust has settled, and we've heard both sides of the argument.
Most neutral yet falsely optimistic argument I've heard so far is :
"it's a mere administrative procedure, she needs to apply to the Shariah Courts"

This is why people don't go to the Shariah Courts.
From MalaysiaToday here

Please allow me to reproduce in full.

Gua Musang (Malaysia), SVM News - Malaysian Government authorities Demolished a Christian Church Building in an Orang Asli settlement in Gua Musang in Ulu Kelantan on June 4.

Just few months ago, the Orang Asli community in Kampung Jias converted into Christianity as a result of the ministries of Pastor Moses Soo. And they were in need of a church to worship. So they consulted the Village Development and Security Committee and the Department of Orang Asli Affairs to erect a church to mark their faith.

It was sanctioned and they proceeded constructing the church with the help of volunteers and certain donations.

But on April 11, the Gua Musang district land office issued a stop work order, stated that the construction was being carried out on state land without permission from the authorities.

The following day, Rev. Wong Kim Kong, the Secretary General of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship of Malaysia (NECF) sent a letter to the land office, said the land belonged to the Orang Asli villagers under Section 2 6(1) and 7(1) of the Orang Asli Act of 1954. And copied to the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail.

And construction of the church continued.

Again the Land Office issued another notice on May 24 informing the village headman Pedik Busu that the "illegal" structure would be demolished.

Despite various efforts to block the demolishment, the church was finally torn down by bulldozers on Monday, 4th of June

Pastor Moses Soo said to Rev. Paul Ciniraj, the Director of the Salem Voice Ministries and the SVM News Service that police tortured him several times.

Also Pastor Soo said the district land office do not have any right to reduce the church to rubble, because the land belonged to the headman of Kampung Jias but was donated to the Orang Asli community for the purpose of building the church.

After demolishing the church, a report was made on June 6 at the Gua Musang Police Station by the headman Pg. Pedik bin Busu of Kg. Jias and he was accompanied by the lawyer Mr. Lum C. S.

"We are not sure who was responsible for demolishing the Orang Asli church in Gua Musang, the Federal Islamic authorities (UMNO) or the Kelantan State religious authorities (PAS). I think Malaysiakini carried a report recently that the Kelantan govt is going to compensate them for the demolition of the church," a believer of the church said. "In Malaysia where Muslims destroy churches, temples, etc. the govt keeps quiet and pretends it does not know" he added.

So you think Lina Joy will come out alive as soon as she walks into the Shariah court office ?
Easy for one to talk about "administrative procedures". People are not stupid, though we all have our radars tuned at different frequencies. As for Lina Joy she has her radar tuned on her physical survival, and what do you do when these things are the norm in Bolehland.

Arabic script hoo hah

This Post on Malaysiakini has generated some unfounded furore.


Excerpt here :

Therefore, I was very, very disappointed to see that even the national language
is not used by the Malaysian Embassy and instead that another language that I
was not taught back in school is being used. I wasn't aware that this language
superceded our national language in importance.

Of course like everything that's in Malaysia every minor chasm has been blown into the likes of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is an equally passionate reply on Malaysiakini, from a Malay/Muslim of course

Excerpt here :

If the non-Malays could even take offence with the use of Jawi and call it
Arabic, then it is doomsday for the future of integration as it only exemplifies
the unspoken (or not, as the case may be) aversion they may have towards
anything `Malay' and `Islamic'. Jawi is part of the history of BM. After the
Romanised form was used fully post-1972, we witnessed a decline in the
understanding of BM in its original form ie. with Jawi characters. If one were
to study the language, there are a lot of BM words which could have been better
`pronounced' had the Jawi characters been used.

Please let me highlight the National Language Act 1963. (Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan)
I am pleasantly surprise the AG Chambers actually has a pdf copy of it.
http://www.agc.gov.my/agc/oth/Akta/Vol.%201/Akta%2032.pdf


Section 9 states :

Tulisan bagi bahasa kebangsaan
9. Tulisan bagi bahasa kebangsaan ialah tulisan Rumi: dengan syarat bahawa ini tidak melarang penggunaan tulisan Melayu, yang lebih dikenali dengan nama tulisan Jawi, bagi bahasa kebangsaan.

Nevertheless, please allow logic to prevail, and stop the "Islamic chest-thumping, non-Muslims bashing"

• The largest Malay newspapers in circulation is Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia and both are the Rumi script.
• Public Road signs are all in the Rumi script
• Government Forms and every single official signage is in the Rumi script
• Heck, even the AGC Chambers National Language Act 1963 publication is in the Rumi script
• Parliamentary proceedings, Hansard are recorded in the Rumi script
• Universities use the Rumi script for all courses

Enough said...

I admit the original writer may have been harsh in his choice of words, but Jawi is not an official script. So the question to the Malaysian embassy, why use an unofficial script ?

Lina Joy

For all the wrong reasons Malaysia made the headlines again. For 10 years she fought the state and Little Napoleons to have Islam removed from her identity card. She was even baptized.

Today it was denied. Denied by the Federal Court, the highest appeals court in Malaysia.

Read the Constituition of Malaysia here

Article 8, Clause 2 states

Except as expressly authorized by this Constitution, there shall be no
discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent or
place of birth in any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of
property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession,
vocation or employment

Article 11, states :

(1) Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject
to Clause (4), to propagate it.

(4) State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam

Picked up from IHT, Cathnews, Guardian

The Chief Justice of Malaya, Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim, who read out his
majority opinion in the packed but respectfully hushed courtroom, said the
government agency responsible for identity cards had acted reasonably when it
refused to change Joy's religious status.
"She cannot at her own whim simply enter or leave her religion," Ahmad said. "She must follow rules."

OK. I am definitely not a lawyer nor do I have any legal training, but does "whim" equals a free will or freedom ?

And what does "Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion" sound to you ?

To cut a long argument short, Lina Joy did not "enter" into Islam, she was forced into it by the State, at birth. She was not given a choice.

More outpourings from the diaspora

molisa said,
on March 18th, 2007 at 8:20 pm

I am a female Chinese Malaysian, living in the Washington DC area in the United
States. I have read many of the letters that often talk about foreign countries
when the writers have no real knowledge of actually living in those countries.
Many draw conclusions about what those countries are like after hearing it
from someone else or by reading and hearing about them in the media or after
four years in a college town in those countries.

I finished STPM with outstanding results from the prestigious St George’s Girls School in Penang. Did I get a university place from the Malaysian government? Nothing. With near perfect scores, I had nothing, while my malay friends were getting offers to go overseas.

Even those with 2As got into university. I was so depressed. I was
my parents last hope for getting the family out of poverty and at 18, I thought
I had failed my parents. Today, I understand it was the Malaysian government
that had failed me and my family because of its discriminatory policies.
Fortunately, I did not give up and immediately did research at the Malaysian
American Commission on Education Exchange (MACEE) to find a university in the US that would accept me and provide all the finances. My family and friends thought
I was crazy, being the youngest of nine children of a very poor carpenter.
Anything that required a fee was out of our reach.

Based on merit and my extracurricular activities of community service in secondary school, I received full tuition scholarship, work study, and grants to cover the four years at a highly competitive US university.

Often, I took 21 credits each semester, 15 credits each term while working 20 hours each week and maintaining a 3.5 CGPA. A couple of semesters, I also received division scholarships and worked as a TA (teaching assistant) on top of everything else. For the work study, I worked as a custodian (yes, cleaning toilets), carpet layer, computer lab assistant, grounds keeping, librarian, painter, tour guide, etc. If you understand the US credit system, you will understand this is a heavy load.

Why did I do it?

This is because I learnt as a young child from my parents that hard work is an
opportunity, to give my best in everything, and to take pride in the work I do.
I walked away with a double major and a minor with honours but most of all a
great lesson in humility and a great respect for those who are forced to labour
in so-called ‘blue collar’ positions.

Those of you who think you know all about Australia, US, or the West, think again. Unless you have really lived in these countries, i.e. paid a mortgage, paid taxes, taken part in elections, you do not understand the level of commitment and hard work it takes to be successful in these countries, not just for immigrants but for people who have lived here for generations.

These people are where they are today because of hard work. (Of course, I am not saying everyone in the US is hardworking. There is always the lazy lot which lives off of someone else’s hard work. Fortunately, they are the minority.)
Every single person, anywhere, should have the opportunity to succeed if they want to put in the effort and be accountable for their own actions. In the end, they should be able to reap what they sow.

It is bearable that opportunities are limited depending on how well-off financially
one’s family is but when higher education opportunities are race-based, like it
is in Malaysia; it is downright cruel for those who see education as the only
way out of poverty.

If you want to say discrimination is here in the US, yes, of course it is. Can you name a country where it doesn’t happen? But let me tell you one thing - if you go looking for it, you will find it. But in Malaysia, you don’t have to go look for it because it seeks you out, slaps you in your face every which way you turn, and is sanctioned by law!

Here in the US, my children have the same opportunity to go to school and learn just like their black, white, and immigrant friends. At school, they eat the same food,
play the same games, are taught the same classes and when they are 18, they will
still have the same opportunities.

Why would I want to bring my children back to Malaysia? So they can suffer the state-sanctioned discrimination as the non-malays have for over 30 years? As for being a slave in the foreign country, I am a happy ’slave’ earning a good income as an IT project manager. I work five days a week; can talk bad about the president when I want to; argue about politics, race and religion openly; gather with more than 50 friends and family when I want (no permit needed) and I don’t worry about the police pulling me over because they say I ran the light when I didn’t. How about you………….?

Customs series Part I

Emotional outpouring on the sorry state of Malaysian Customs.

Since so many of you sharing the story, I also share mine.

About 10 years ago I went to Singapore to drive back a van full load of used computer for a school. Many are 486 and the highest is Pentium (not even MX). Some printers and tables. Well, we helped cleaning the rubbish for Singaporean for free or else they have to pay someone to get rid of it! For school, it was my charity.

Ok, it was quite smooth to pass thru Singapore. The custome asked for purpose and let us pass thru.

When reaching Johor custom, those bastards were excited because, man LOTS of stuffs! I told them this is old computers, rubbish, for school and computer has no tax. But they gave me problem. They said I need to declare. OK, let's declare.

So I drove one of the bastard to the declaration office (he sat in the van to show me the way). On the way, I noticed that I already passed the cusom gate and ready to go into Johor! That bastard actually asked me if I wish to go by giving him RM50!!! Along with me is my friend, who is a teacher. He said, no, we are teacher, we don't do that thing...
OK fine... the bastard brought us to the declaration station. His superiors came out and said, "man, what a work! Any document?" Of course no. They asked us to leave the van to them and wait. We waited a straight 6 hours, from early morning 9am to 3pm!

We got back the van, nothing was removed from the van. And they charge us something like RM200. We asked why? (because we knew computers no tax) They said "cable" is not tax free.

What cable? Oh, those Printer Cable!!! We have about 20 printer cables... Then we asked, why we have to wait so long? They said, "because you make us work! we have to find something to tax you!". Bastard...

To the teacher who posted the article above, I concur, Bastards !

Blatant corruption, Malaysia-Singapore Link

This was highlighted on a prominent local Malaysian blog, reproduced here in it's entire form.

Dr. Muhammad Ghazie Ismail was the former Senior Vice President of the Multimedia Development Corporation

Dear Jeff,

I think I would like to highlight an incident that made me feel ashamed to be a Malaysian about corrupt Malaysia Customs Officers at the Johore end of the Second Link to Singapore.

I came back from Singapore today for some business and, for the first time, I decided to take the AeroLine Bus Services out of One Utama to Singapore and back. I have no complaints about Aeroline and I must say that the journey was very enjoyable with very polite crew members who made our journey memorable.

I stayed in Singapore for two nights and during that time I decided to buy the Sony PSP for my son's birthday next week. Upon our return, we had to undergo the normal passport clearance from the Singapore side and the Malaysian Side.

However, since we were entering Malaysia, we had to also clear customs with our bags opened. However, I was singled out but the customs officer who wanted to know what I had bought and I told her that I bought a PSP for my son's birthday. She said that I should be brought to the Customs Head in his office, accompanied by a male customs officer to meet this person by the name of Zainal (stated on his nametag) and that I was to pay duties for the PSP.

I explained to the Customs Head that I bought the PSP from Singapore and it was meant as a birthday present for my son and he said that I need to pay duties on it amounting 30% of the purchase price. He told me that I should pay RM50 and I wanted a receipt but he then said that for a receipt to be issued I need to pay RM100 or 50% of the RM244 (30% of the purchase price). I told him to please waiver the duties as it is meant to be a present. He then asked his officer to make the decision, and he decided that the duties should be RM50 without receipt. Of course, I left in disgust.

I am appalled that these officers and Head of Customs at the entrance into Malaysia can be so blatant and this is not an isolated incident.

I was told by the Aeroline crew that this is their normal modus operandi and that innocent victims including Japanese and Indonesian visitors coming into Malaysia via the Second Line by bus have been had by these unscrupulous customs officers and I think they should be exposed as they are doing a great disservice to our Visit Malaysia 2007. It has also left me with a very bad taste in my mouth.

I hope you could print this e-mail and that such corrupt customs officers at the entrance into Malaysia should be dealth with by the higher authorities.

Best regards

Dr Ghazie Ismail

Westminster legacy ? What a shame !

British Parliamentary Debate

The Malaysian Parliamentary Debate


It is unfortunate that I am bilingual, and it is unfortunate that I am disgusted with the level of intellect of my honourable elected MPs.

The Human Evolution across the Straits

The Singapore Parliament.

And now I present to you the Malaysian Parliament

First World and Third World

Mr. Minister, You are of the lowest class

Our honourable Minister is the lowest class of all human beings

Doesn't he look like a Neanderthal

Originally posted on Crankshafted, I reproduce it here in it's entire form

Sheena Moorthy
3400 Poly Vista,
PO.BOX#1087,
CALPOLY, Pomona,
91768, CA
U.S.A

2nd May 2007

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister Of
Malaysia
Prime Minister Department,
Malaysia

I, Sheena Moorthy, a 3rd year Biotech Malaysian student in CALPOLY would like to submit a formal complaint against our Minister of Science & Technology, YAB Jamaluddin Narjis. I would like to bring to your attention the following incident which was totally uncalled for from the minister.

Date: 30th April 2007
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Belacan Grill Malaysian Restaurant, Redondo Beach, Ca


Minister of Science, Dato Jamaluddin Jarjis was here on an official visit. He wanted to meet some of the Malaysian students studying in California especially the ones from TPM Academy twinning programme. During the 3 ½ hour session, he passed a few racial remarks on me, being one of the two Indians present there.

Incident 1 - Each student had to briefly introduce themselves. When it came to my turn, while speaking he interrupted me and asked if I knew Samy Velu, because he knows him. I don’t see any relevance in that and he mentioned it a few times for no apparent reason.

Incident 2 – He gave a speech regarding how agriculture started in Malaysia. He mentioned how the British invested in Malaysia and made farmers work. Due to the lack of work force, “buruh India” was brought in. While mentioning this, he looked at me saying that’s how we get Indians in Malaysia.

Incident 3 – After saying he is going to get MARA to help the Bumiputra students, he looked at me and asked “How many Indians are here?, I don’t have and don’t keep track of number of Indian students here so I mentioned that “In this room, there are two (pointing to my another Malaysian Indian friend, who is fair skinned) and J.Jarjis looked at him and asked “Oh. You are an Indian”, which means you are an upper class Indian and she is the lower class one (pointing at me). He went on to say that, “Oh, I am not going to help upper class Indians, I only help to lower class ones. They are the ones that need it’. I left the room feeling very insulted.

Basically he judged me based on my skin color.

Being a Minister and respectable figure, these statements that he mentioned was unethical and biased. This happened in front of a crowd about 100 people. Being a true Malaysian at heart, and being taught not to discriminate among races especially in Malaysia, I feel humiliated as well as insulted by these racial remarks.

I demand a public apology from him because he does not have a right to judge me nor pass any remarks to me.

Also, I would greatly appreciate if you could kindly review his performance and take appropriate action to mitigate another unwanted racial remark, insults and shame to our country from this minister.


Thanking you in advance.


Sincerely,
Sheena Moorthy

Try this out

Try this little experiment as a yardstick of bureaucracy, or maybe stupidity
On the Land Transport Authority of Singapore's website, the postal/contact us address is :

• No. 1 Hampshire Road, Singapore 219428

On the Transport Canada, the contact us/postal address is :

• Transport Canada, 330 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0N5

On the New South Wales (Australia) Road and Traffic Authority, the contact us/postal address is

• Centennial Plaza, 260 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills 2010 (P.O. Box K198, Haymarket 1240), DX13 Sydney.
  

Road Transport for Victoria (Australia), the contact us/postal address for the Head office is

• VicRoads Information Services, PO Box 1644, Melbourne, VIC 3001

Lastly, the Department of Motor Vehicles, State of California, the most commonly address used for general inquiries

• Driver License Inquires, Department of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 942890 Sacramento, CA 94290-0001

Now check out our very own - Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan, Head Office postal address

• I could not even locate a Contact us link. The entire address is located on the top banner.
• If I am writing a letter, there is no way for me to cut-paste the entire address,
• Hence I had to type the entire address here

Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan, Aras 1-5, Blok D4, Kompleks D, Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62620 WP Putrajaya.

Let me translate it for those who don't read Malay :
Road Transport Department,
Level 1-5, Block D4,
Complex D,
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62620 WP Putrajaya.

Okay, morons in Putrajaya, that high-tech. smart-city, heart of the MSC, gift to the world crap

1. How about a contact us link so people can really have a correct postal address
2. How about a simple postal address, there's a distinct difference between a full physical address and a postal address. Do you even have a postal service ?
3. Do you think someone will ever read your letters, if you send to that address ?

Service ? JPJ ? Who's talking about service at this point, we're not even past the phase of thinking about the consumers ! Of course, the website as an official JPJ Song. Do your customers give a pig's ass ? I rest my case. Of course we must have a picture of the head-honcho on the website, after all this is Malaysia where you need to kiss-ass and don't really need to get the work done.