My comments as per an article (see below) by anil netto
Serious dilemma though; but the recent reasonably fair and 'non-violent' elections is good news for global business/investors. The election voting patterns reveal citizenry maturity and understanding of policy and economic needs/issues.
I think pragmatic investors would view positively of the so called 'GOV-IN-WAIT' led by DSAI; at least in the long term. The challenges noted by John Hilly are reasonable views but fails to highlight the strong two party system emerging in Malaysia. The capital flight probably is temporary, and may be good if its bad capital in the first place.
The MEA is not abandoning NEP, but merges with some of NEP's core principles of helping the poor and uneducated (I believe)
The unique nature of malaysia, being a majority muslim country with secular traditions provides a great oportunity geopolitically in building bridges between nations; post 911 era of exremism and extreme action.
It appears DSAI has the political will and moral courage in undertaking those challenges.
LP 4/29/08
The following text is part of what was reported in an srticle by anilnetto in http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/6848/84/
So will the end of the NEP lead to radical changes towards a people-led economy? Not necessarily, warns political scientist John Hilley, author of the book 'Mahathirism, Hegemony and the New Opposition'.
For one thing, the international private sector would view the removal of the racially-divisive NEP as another 'necessary step' on the road to a more open free-market, deregulated economy, he said. ''And this begs the bigger question, and problem, for the opposition (PR) of how to advance policy ideas that don't just abandon 'outdated' social instruments for more market 'solutions'.''
This he said was a serious dilemma for any socially ambitious 'government-in-waiting', fearful of anxious marketeers and capital flight. ''The blackmail threats and constraints of the global neoliberal (dis)order cannot be easily dismissed,'' he told IPS in e-mailed comments. ''Yet, until there are imaginative efforts to craft and pursue people-led economics, the same social divisions, inequalities and business-first agenda will prevail.''
Policies that would promote social investment and poverty-focused spending would thus probably be welcomed by the public. What is lacking though is the political will and radical creativity to realise such policies, pointed out Hilley, adding that the post-election phase ought to be used to explore and build credible alternatives to those proclaimed by corporate interests and the 'market evangelists'.
He stressed that the key impetus for meaningful economic change would have to come from civil society itself -- active NGOs, reformist lobbies, community groups, academic activists and others -- rather than ''a hopeful reliance on politicians whose idea of 'economic delivery' becomes mediated by political office and tamed by the 'realistic' demands of big business''.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Poll: Latest > Clinton-Obama-McCain
As per the AP & IPS poll >
Clinton Has Better Chance Than Obama Of Beating McCain
See http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com/
Clinton Has Better Chance Than Obama Of Beating McCain
See http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com/
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Polls and Changing Views
Polls often don't lie (as it is a mathematical improbability for polls to be wrong; if it takes into account random and representative samples); eXcept during the Florida 2000 hanging chads elections when 'the error rate' was not predicted accurately. Who would have thought the error rate for invalid ballots would have been that high.
Someone somewhere really thought through this process and knowingly did not ;clean' the ballot machines since the last elections (perhaps since 1996). Do you how many chads were clogging the machines? The error rate also includes some voting incorrectly for Buchanan instead of Gore due to ballot format changes (butterfly ballot).
All one needed was increase the error rate by 1% or 2 %. By the way there is many differing views if the error rates were higher than normal.
Anyway who is leading; Hilary/Obama or Mccain? I think getting an opinion now is misleading as one views the contest between 2 individuals or parties. When one party is still deciding who represents them in the contest, polling views tend to premature.
For example if I am an undecided independent, and like both Obama and Maccain; when asked now whom I would vote, then Maccain would most probably be my answer. Now if Obama is confirmed winner on the DNC party now, then Obama would be my answer. This is indeed a complex yet simple decision making behaviour.
Someone somewhere really thought through this process and knowingly did not ;clean' the ballot machines since the last elections (perhaps since 1996). Do you how many chads were clogging the machines? The error rate also includes some voting incorrectly for Buchanan instead of Gore due to ballot format changes (butterfly ballot).
All one needed was increase the error rate by 1% or 2 %. By the way there is many differing views if the error rates were higher than normal.
Anyway who is leading; Hilary/Obama or Mccain? I think getting an opinion now is misleading as one views the contest between 2 individuals or parties. When one party is still deciding who represents them in the contest, polling views tend to premature.
For example if I am an undecided independent, and like both Obama and Maccain; when asked now whom I would vote, then Maccain would most probably be my answer. Now if Obama is confirmed winner on the DNC party now, then Obama would be my answer. This is indeed a complex yet simple decision making behaviour.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Sentul Soul-Brother - ADOI
Thursday, December 6, 2007 By Kit Leee - The digital reincarnation of a national bestseller by KIT LEEE (now known as ANTARES). {176 pages, published in 1989}
An·tar·es Audio Help (ān-târ'ēz, -tār'-) Pronunciation Key
n. A giant red binary star, the brightest in the constellation Scorpio, about 424 light-years from Earth. - see http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ANTARES
ADOI > a story titled The Sentul Soul-Brother.ADOI A great site.
Sentul is one of those rambling, run-down districts of Kuala Lumpur that sprang up like riverbank moss along the railway line and just kept growing - even when the trains stopped running. Named after a fruit tree (Sandoricum indicum), the area teems with life and has a tenacious vitality of its own, tinged with a nostalgic sense of lawlessness. Sentul, after all, was Sherwood Forest to a Robin-style hood named Jimmy Nelson (a dark Eurasian, some say) whose criminal heyday was the 1940s. All the cops had a healthy respect for him, I'm told.
If KL were New York then Sentul would be Harlem - yeh, dis is da place where all da Soul-Brothers hang out. It's one of the few places left in the city, at any rate, where one might expect to see dancing in the streets. Only last Thaipusam, in fact, I witnessed an eruption of spontaneous dancing as the spectacular neon-lit juggernaut of Murugan was escorted to its ceremonial sanctum in the Mariamman temple. It was invigorating to see such exuberance and festivity. That's what SOUL is all about, when it comes down to it.
And if the young men of Sentul find it easier to identify with Bob Marley and Eddie Murphy and Prince rather than Samy Vellu, the reasons are quite obvious. For the Sentul Soul-Brother that whole estate-mandur routine holds little appeal. Being treated like a nigger is a definite drag - but being mistaken for a baaaaad-ass nigger is cool.
Some might think it's not such a good thing that these modern youth should forget their roots. Well, if you were a Brahmin, Ksattriya or Vaeshya (Scholar-Priest, Warrior, or Farmer-Merchant caste) there may be valid reasons to hang on to your cultural roots - but if you were descended from a debt-slave tradition of estate and railway labourers you'd understandably prefer Prince Rogers Nelson as an icon. Or even Alex Peters (the celebrated pub musician). I'm not sure if Alex himself hails from Sentul but I know he has a massive following there. A few years ago there was even a Sentul-based group of Soul-Brothers (and Sisters) who called themselves the Gravediggers. When they weren't following Alex Peters around as his unofficial entourage the Gravediggers would perform frenetic dance feats at parties or on the pavements. I wonder where they are now. A few, I'm sure, have become DJs. Disc Jockeys seem to have a fun deal - plenty of booze and broads, a dash of glamour. And you get paid to rap.
Others, perhaps, have got into disco party catering - you know, throw in some edibles with the decibels. And a whole bunch of Soul-Brothers are probably saving up to buy themselves some musical instruments - dreaming of the day they can quit their jobs at A&W and do a slot on Muzik Muzik. Why not? The Alley Cats have made it - and they aren't even from Sentul.
GLOSSARY
Thaipusam - annual Hindu celebration of Lord Murugan's birthday which attracts at least half a million devotees (and tourists) to Batu Caves; Murugan is also known as Subramaniam.
Samy Vellu - the most durable politician in Malaysia, cabinet minister since 1979, who worked his way to the top from very humble rubber estate origins; often called 'Semi Value' or The Highwayman because of all the toll roads he introduced.
mandur - Malay term for estate overseer, probably derived from 'commander.'
Muzik Muzik - popular TV programme of the late 1980s showcasing up-and-coming Malaysian musical talents.
Posted by Antares at 3:58 PM 0 comments
Labels: Batu Caves, debt-slavery in Malaya, ethnic Indians in Malaysia, Jimmy Nelson, Lord Murugan, Samy Vellu, Sentul, Thaipusam
An·tar·es Audio Help (ān-târ'ēz, -tār'-) Pronunciation Key
n. A giant red binary star, the brightest in the constellation Scorpio, about 424 light-years from Earth. - see http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ANTARES
ADOI > a story titled The Sentul Soul-Brother.ADOI A great site.
Sentul is one of those rambling, run-down districts of Kuala Lumpur that sprang up like riverbank moss along the railway line and just kept growing - even when the trains stopped running. Named after a fruit tree (Sandoricum indicum), the area teems with life and has a tenacious vitality of its own, tinged with a nostalgic sense of lawlessness. Sentul, after all, was Sherwood Forest to a Robin-style hood named Jimmy Nelson (a dark Eurasian, some say) whose criminal heyday was the 1940s. All the cops had a healthy respect for him, I'm told.
If KL were New York then Sentul would be Harlem - yeh, dis is da place where all da Soul-Brothers hang out. It's one of the few places left in the city, at any rate, where one might expect to see dancing in the streets. Only last Thaipusam, in fact, I witnessed an eruption of spontaneous dancing as the spectacular neon-lit juggernaut of Murugan was escorted to its ceremonial sanctum in the Mariamman temple. It was invigorating to see such exuberance and festivity. That's what SOUL is all about, when it comes down to it.
And if the young men of Sentul find it easier to identify with Bob Marley and Eddie Murphy and Prince rather than Samy Vellu, the reasons are quite obvious. For the Sentul Soul-Brother that whole estate-mandur routine holds little appeal. Being treated like a nigger is a definite drag - but being mistaken for a baaaaad-ass nigger is cool.
Some might think it's not such a good thing that these modern youth should forget their roots. Well, if you were a Brahmin, Ksattriya or Vaeshya (Scholar-Priest, Warrior, or Farmer-Merchant caste) there may be valid reasons to hang on to your cultural roots - but if you were descended from a debt-slave tradition of estate and railway labourers you'd understandably prefer Prince Rogers Nelson as an icon. Or even Alex Peters (the celebrated pub musician). I'm not sure if Alex himself hails from Sentul but I know he has a massive following there. A few years ago there was even a Sentul-based group of Soul-Brothers (and Sisters) who called themselves the Gravediggers. When they weren't following Alex Peters around as his unofficial entourage the Gravediggers would perform frenetic dance feats at parties or on the pavements. I wonder where they are now. A few, I'm sure, have become DJs. Disc Jockeys seem to have a fun deal - plenty of booze and broads, a dash of glamour. And you get paid to rap.
Others, perhaps, have got into disco party catering - you know, throw in some edibles with the decibels. And a whole bunch of Soul-Brothers are probably saving up to buy themselves some musical instruments - dreaming of the day they can quit their jobs at A&W and do a slot on Muzik Muzik. Why not? The Alley Cats have made it - and they aren't even from Sentul.
GLOSSARY
Thaipusam - annual Hindu celebration of Lord Murugan's birthday which attracts at least half a million devotees (and tourists) to Batu Caves; Murugan is also known as Subramaniam.
Samy Vellu - the most durable politician in Malaysia, cabinet minister since 1979, who worked his way to the top from very humble rubber estate origins; often called 'Semi Value' or The Highwayman because of all the toll roads he introduced.
mandur - Malay term for estate overseer, probably derived from 'commander.'
Muzik Muzik - popular TV programme of the late 1980s showcasing up-and-coming Malaysian musical talents.
Posted by Antares at 3:58 PM 0 comments
Labels: Batu Caves, debt-slavery in Malaya, ethnic Indians in Malaysia, Jimmy Nelson, Lord Murugan, Samy Vellu, Sentul, Thaipusam
Thursday, April 24, 2008
DAP's true color
This my comments to RPK's article
DAP's true colors are in harmony with PKR & PAS. No party is perfect and DAP needs to understand what RPK is trying to imply. How often do you see DAP calling for certain Muslim 'extremist' detainees to be freed. Do we know whether these guys are 'bad' and is ISA the method to solve this type of criminal problem.
As per RPK there are hundreds (even thousands) of ISA victims and we dont even know who or why. There were even times we would remain in quite approval when a PAS guy was ISA-ed.
Politician better start admitting that there are humans and prone to mistakes. We cannot change our race-relations if we dont see our true color.
Anyway, I have a sudden urge to hear this Marley song.......
Until the philosophy which hold one race
Superior and another inferior
Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned
Everywhere is war, me say war
That until there are no longer first class
And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than
the colour of his eyes
Me say war
That until the basic human rights are equally
Guaranteed to all, without regard to race
Dis a war
That until that day
The dream of lasting peace, world citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion
To be persued, but never attained
Now everywhere is war, war
And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique & Kamunting
South Africa sub-human bondage
Have been toppled, utterly destroyed
Well, everywhere is war, me say war
War in the east, war in the west
War up north, war down south
War, war, rumours of war
And until that day, the Asian continent
Will not know peace, we Malaysians will fight
We find it necessary and we know we shall win
As we are confident in the victory
Of good over evil, good over evil, good over evil
Good over evil, good over evil, good over evil
DAP's true colors are in harmony with PKR & PAS. No party is perfect and DAP needs to understand what RPK is trying to imply. How often do you see DAP calling for certain Muslim 'extremist' detainees to be freed. Do we know whether these guys are 'bad' and is ISA the method to solve this type of criminal problem.
As per RPK there are hundreds (even thousands) of ISA victims and we dont even know who or why. There were even times we would remain in quite approval when a PAS guy was ISA-ed.
Politician better start admitting that there are humans and prone to mistakes. We cannot change our race-relations if we dont see our true color.
Anyway, I have a sudden urge to hear this Marley song.......
Until the philosophy which hold one race
Superior and another inferior
Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned
Everywhere is war, me say war
That until there are no longer first class
And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than
the colour of his eyes
Me say war
That until the basic human rights are equally
Guaranteed to all, without regard to race
Dis a war
That until that day
The dream of lasting peace, world citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion
To be persued, but never attained
Now everywhere is war, war
And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique & Kamunting
South Africa sub-human bondage
Have been toppled, utterly destroyed
Well, everywhere is war, me say war
War in the east, war in the west
War up north, war down south
War, war, rumours of war
And until that day, the Asian continent
Will not know peace, we Malaysians will fight
We find it necessary and we know we shall win
As we are confident in the victory
Of good over evil, good over evil, good over evil
Good over evil, good over evil, good over evil
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Unsolicited support of Dr Mahathir
Does the non-BN parties need the unsolicited support of Dr Mahathir? DAP Chairman Karpal Singh does not think so.
Guess KS believes that the opposition's recent victories validates the people support of them; and this has nothing to do with Dr M's oppostion to the PM.
Karpal pointed out that Dr Mahathir's abuse of power when he was prime minister was conceded by Umno leaders, including Abdullah."He had publicly stated that Dr Mahathir was responsible for Operasi Lallang.
For full story and comments see http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5885/84/
I think Dr M had no choice to provide unsolicited support,because no one else was listening to him. UMNO had distanced itself.
Just hope Dr M learns to apologize for his mistakes. By the way there was some degree of postive effect in the 08 election due to Dr M's oppostion to AAB.
Anyway, I think RPK played a significant role in this revolutinary elections.Here's why
Guess KS believes that the opposition's recent victories validates the people support of them; and this has nothing to do with Dr M's oppostion to the PM.
Karpal pointed out that Dr Mahathir's abuse of power when he was prime minister was conceded by Umno leaders, including Abdullah."He had publicly stated that Dr Mahathir was responsible for Operasi Lallang.
For full story and comments see http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5885/84/
I think Dr M had no choice to provide unsolicited support,because no one else was listening to him. UMNO had distanced itself.
Just hope Dr M learns to apologize for his mistakes. By the way there was some degree of postive effect in the 08 election due to Dr M's oppostion to AAB.
Anyway, I think RPK played a significant role in this revolutinary elections.Here's why
Monday, April 21, 2008
HINDRAF, OVERDRAFT & BANKDRAFT
RPK was making a joke on one of his rallies B4 the election. See Youtube. He said;
The Indian have HINDRAF
The Chinese want BANKDRAFT
The Malay want OVERDRAFT
See HERE. for his comments on april 21. Parts of it read as follows;
Hey, let’s cut this racial crap. Let’s get rid of all this bullshit. We will fight for the release of the HINDRAF 5 because they are innocent victims, not because they are Indians. What’s with this FREE THE HINDRAF 5 campaign? Hey, I too support the HINDRAF 5. I too want them freed. But I do not agree to a FREE THE HINDRAF 5 AND ONLY THE HINDRAF 5 campaign. I want to see a FREE ALL ISA DETAINEES AND ABOLISH THE ISA campaign. Is that too much to ask for?
I think its only fair what RPK is asking
The Indian have HINDRAF
The Chinese want BANKDRAFT
The Malay want OVERDRAFT
See HERE. for his comments on april 21. Parts of it read as follows;
Hey, let’s cut this racial crap. Let’s get rid of all this bullshit. We will fight for the release of the HINDRAF 5 because they are innocent victims, not because they are Indians. What’s with this FREE THE HINDRAF 5 campaign? Hey, I too support the HINDRAF 5. I too want them freed. But I do not agree to a FREE THE HINDRAF 5 AND ONLY THE HINDRAF 5 campaign. I want to see a FREE ALL ISA DETAINEES AND ABOLISH THE ISA campaign. Is that too much to ask for?
I think its only fair what RPK is asking
Zorro has a stiff neck?
My comments on Zorro blog read as follows;
Zorro,
I think the stiff neck is due to looking up in one direction for a long time and singing out loud at the party; @ "20,000 SAY WHY NOT: YOU READY? WE READY!" . The pain must have been worth it. God bless for raising awareness and for being the disciplined master at la-salle sentul. I like you better now than b4. lol. April 17, 2008 5:28 AM
Zorro's response
Loganpal, thanks for visiting and appreciate your insights. It was sure worth it, the discomfort. Come over to the Press Club any Friday and share a few pints for old times sake. April 17, 2008 9:38 AM
I think Zorro's stiff neck picture { See article here }is a metaphor, perhaps due to the following event he blogged on April 14 rally;
Since we were below the grandstand we helped the media up onto the grandstand. However, the RTM and TV3 crew were not allowed into the press conference. I thought that was not nice.Those boys were just doing their job and we have a choice not to tune in. Whatever, just my dua sen.
I think Zorro is reasonable and we should not witch hunt or stiff anyone, if & when PKK-PAS-DAP rule
Zorro,
I think the stiff neck is due to looking up in one direction for a long time and singing out loud at the party; @ "20,000 SAY WHY NOT: YOU READY? WE READY!" . The pain must have been worth it. God bless for raising awareness and for being the disciplined master at la-salle sentul. I like you better now than b4. lol. April 17, 2008 5:28 AM
Zorro's response
Loganpal, thanks for visiting and appreciate your insights. It was sure worth it, the discomfort. Come over to the Press Club any Friday and share a few pints for old times sake. April 17, 2008 9:38 AM
I think Zorro's stiff neck picture { See article here }is a metaphor, perhaps due to the following event he blogged on April 14 rally;
Since we were below the grandstand we helped the media up onto the grandstand. However, the RTM and TV3 crew were not allowed into the press conference. I thought that was not nice.Those boys were just doing their job and we have a choice not to tune in. Whatever, just my dua sen.
I think Zorro is reasonable and we should not witch hunt or stiff anyone, if & when PKK-PAS-DAP rule
MIGRANT EXPRESS
As per http://www.nst.com.my/ on April 21st
So this is how illegal workers go on vacation. Appears funny, but its rather sad, isn't it?
So this is how illegal workers go on vacation. Appears funny, but its rather sad, isn't it?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
An Unholy Alliance of Politics and Logging
Friday, April 18, 2008 -
The article was initially published at sarawakheadhunter.blogspot.com site on June 1992. Dont worry this is not a cult org. Some highlights of the article are as follows.
>> The last remains of the ancient Borneo rainforest are being permanently extinguished at a rate three times faster than the Amazon rainforest
>>Among the indigenous people, the Penan ethnic group, an ancient huntergatherer society, has been particularly active in blockading timber roads. Their name has become somewhat interchangeable with the movement as a whole.
>>The logging industry is virtually exempt from adhering to the environmentally-sound guidelines set forth by the federal government, because it generates wealth for potential dissident voices in the state governments and thus keeps them loyal to the Malaysian federation. Political bullying and scare techniques enable both the legal and the black market timber companies to engage in logging without restraint.
>> Through it all, the planet’s oldest rainforest, as well as the myriad plant and animal species unique to it are being annihilated, and the fragile human cultures that depend on it are on the brink of extinction
http://sarawakheadhunter.blogspot.com/2008/04/malaysia-unholy-alliance-of-politics.html
The article was initially published at sarawakheadhunter.blogspot.com site on June 1992. Dont worry this is not a cult org. Some highlights of the article are as follows.
>> The last remains of the ancient Borneo rainforest are being permanently extinguished at a rate three times faster than the Amazon rainforest
>>Among the indigenous people, the Penan ethnic group, an ancient huntergatherer society, has been particularly active in blockading timber roads. Their name has become somewhat interchangeable with the movement as a whole.
>>The logging industry is virtually exempt from adhering to the environmentally-sound guidelines set forth by the federal government, because it generates wealth for potential dissident voices in the state governments and thus keeps them loyal to the Malaysian federation. Political bullying and scare techniques enable both the legal and the black market timber companies to engage in logging without restraint.
>> Through it all, the planet’s oldest rainforest, as well as the myriad plant and animal species unique to it are being annihilated, and the fragile human cultures that depend on it are on the brink of extinction
http://sarawakheadhunter.blogspot.com/2008/04/malaysia-unholy-alliance-of-politics.html
Malaysia’s Democratic Revolution & RPK - 2008
The one person who played a significant role in Malaysia’s BN ruling party’s loss of 2/3rd majority is RPK. Others like Jeff Ooi, Rocky Bru and friends lead the cyber revolution. It’s perhaps the first time in Malaysian history that we have a truly revolutionary figure, in Raja Petra Kamurudin, Raja or Peter for some, RPK for others or whatever the fish some call him.
He has managed to intrigue fair minded people of his views and the manner of his arguments. Don’t expect him to apologize for being blunt or crude but he has remained morally sound and fair in his writings. His blog exposes the corrupt and extremist in the corridors of power, as well as educating the everyday Malaysian of their own inhibitions in race-religion relations.
Hearing him scream Makkal Skathi and saying he has more right to carry a Keris than UMNO right wingers; and that Malays will shed blood to protect the Chinese and Indians, was exhilarating; because it was never heard of. MIC & MCA were not spared by his scorn. His passion and love of Malaysia is evident in his voice and body language. His writings behold to no one politician and calls out anyone without regard to race or religion.
He has promised to keep track of the performance records of the BN, PKR, PAS & DAP; our elected officials via http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/ It is very interesting to see what he says about non-BN parties in the coming months and years. Well, he has already started eavesdropping at the corridor of power. First 100 days?
Hope the new local Pakatan Rakyat (PR) local governments works and take reasonable action against past illegalities and not witch hunt.
Like I hoped, RPK did not join a political party; but many wished he did. Guess he is a one man party of revolution of kinds.
April 1 2008
He has managed to intrigue fair minded people of his views and the manner of his arguments. Don’t expect him to apologize for being blunt or crude but he has remained morally sound and fair in his writings. His blog exposes the corrupt and extremist in the corridors of power, as well as educating the everyday Malaysian of their own inhibitions in race-religion relations.
Hearing him scream Makkal Skathi and saying he has more right to carry a Keris than UMNO right wingers; and that Malays will shed blood to protect the Chinese and Indians, was exhilarating; because it was never heard of. MIC & MCA were not spared by his scorn. His passion and love of Malaysia is evident in his voice and body language. His writings behold to no one politician and calls out anyone without regard to race or religion.
He has promised to keep track of the performance records of the BN, PKR, PAS & DAP; our elected officials via http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/ It is very interesting to see what he says about non-BN parties in the coming months and years. Well, he has already started eavesdropping at the corridor of power. First 100 days?
Hope the new local Pakatan Rakyat (PR) local governments works and take reasonable action against past illegalities and not witch hunt.
Like I hoped, RPK did not join a political party; but many wished he did. Guess he is a one man party of revolution of kinds.
April 1 2008
Top Five Political Blogs in Malaysia - April 2008
Update 2013...many other blogs have come...limited time to read...peruse #1, 3,4, 6-12.
n my biased view, the TOP FIVE Political Blogs in Malaysia - April 2008 are;
Updated March 2009..the list has not changed much. RPK still tops my list. Marina can sometimes be the most inspiring. Rocky writes short often linking diverse perspectives. Zorro writes like the La-salle sentul discipline master but has soul..lol Anil has been providing some exciting real time blog content.
1) www.malaysia-today.net - raja petra kamarudin .
RPK has no time for niceties; so be prepared to be informed & offended. see here why I think RPK was revolutionary
2) www.othermalaysia.org - farish noor .
Farish is probably the smartest malaysian blogger online. Well researched articles. He is also the most well mannered.
3) anilnetto.com - anil netto
Anil writes well on issues in Penang and noted for raising human rights and societal issues.
4) rockybru.blogspot.com - Ahirudin Attan
Ahirudin is a simple direct blogger. Short and no frills. Some of the best links to other blogger.
5) www.jeffooi - jeff ooi
Jeff blogs on a myriad on issues. Raises a lot of interesting issues. First Malaysian bloger in Parliment. not blogged much 1/12
others
6) http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/ - Bernard Khoo -
7) http://niamah.blogspot.com/ - patrick teoh
8) http://mariasamad.blogspot.com/ - maria samad
9) http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/ - marina mahatir
10)As per rocky bru's site with links to many other good blogs
11)http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com
12) http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/
13) http://www.malaysiakini.com/
There are many others like aliran.com, malaysiakini(not really a blog when one has to pay for news, but good work); just google and learn if you want to.
For US News see the following
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
http://www.cnn.com/
http://www.cspan.org/ (listen from the horse's mouth)
n my biased view, the TOP FIVE Political Blogs in Malaysia - April 2008 are;
Updated March 2009..the list has not changed much. RPK still tops my list. Marina can sometimes be the most inspiring. Rocky writes short often linking diverse perspectives. Zorro writes like the La-salle sentul discipline master but has soul..lol Anil has been providing some exciting real time blog content.
1) www.malaysia-today.net - raja petra kamarudin .
RPK has no time for niceties; so be prepared to be informed & offended. see here why I think RPK was revolutionary
2) www.othermalaysia.org - farish noor .
Farish is probably the smartest malaysian blogger online. Well researched articles. He is also the most well mannered.
3) anilnetto.com - anil netto
Anil writes well on issues in Penang and noted for raising human rights and societal issues.
4) rockybru.blogspot.com - Ahirudin Attan
Ahirudin is a simple direct blogger. Short and no frills. Some of the best links to other blogger.
5) www.jeffooi - jeff ooi
Jeff blogs on a myriad on issues. Raises a lot of interesting issues. First Malaysian bloger in Parliment. not blogged much 1/12
others
6) http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/ - Bernard Khoo -
7) http://niamah.blogspot.com/ - patrick teoh
8) http://mariasamad.blogspot.com/ - maria samad
9) http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/ - marina mahatir
10)As per rocky bru's site with links to many other good blogs
11)http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com
12) http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/
13) http://www.malaysiakini.com/
There are many others like aliran.com, malaysiakini(not really a blog when one has to pay for news, but good work); just google and learn if you want to.
For US News see the following
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
http://www.cnn.com/
http://www.cspan.org/ (listen from the horse's mouth)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Update - random news.
This was a comment from a reader on feb 08 in malaysia-today.net/2008/ which bugged me, weeks b4 the election.
8 % ethnic minority Indians in Malaysia who have been marginalized and permanently colonized by the racist Malay supremacist and Islamic fundamentalist UMNO controlled Malaysian Government”
This was my comment.
What about the “racist, Indian supremacist and Hindu fundamentalist MIC co-government.; who by proxy were given the power to govern the Indian in Malaysia.
Updated on April'08.
HINDRAF was revolutionary, like BERSIH, RPK & other cyber citizenry voters. Racial and religious differences were 'minimized' in PKR, PAS & DAP groups. PAS leaders were noted to be so much more ethical & non-corrupt, and treat non-muslims' place of worships better.
I think Hindraf's memo was extreme on some parts; but ISA is not the solution. Maybe a month jail, doing community service in poor Malay and Chinese locations.
Malaysia's form of Islam is unique, rooted in its Malay-ness. Capitalism requires a separation (or a balance) between state and church/mosque/temple, at least in the long term. How PKR, PAS & DAP manage these interesting questions is critical!
The ball is in BN's hand, at least for the moment. DSAI is ready. Can BN change, radically.
>KJ now agrees the keris waving was wrong.
>The lawyers gave the PM a standing ovations?
>Some MP forget to send questions in?
>??????????????????????/
Pls see ; why i think RPK was revolutionary. HERE
8 % ethnic minority Indians in Malaysia who have been marginalized and permanently colonized by the racist Malay supremacist and Islamic fundamentalist UMNO controlled Malaysian Government”
This was my comment.
What about the “racist, Indian supremacist and Hindu fundamentalist MIC co-government.; who by proxy were given the power to govern the Indian in Malaysia.
Updated on April'08.
HINDRAF was revolutionary, like BERSIH, RPK & other cyber citizenry voters. Racial and religious differences were 'minimized' in PKR, PAS & DAP groups. PAS leaders were noted to be so much more ethical & non-corrupt, and treat non-muslims' place of worships better.
I think Hindraf's memo was extreme on some parts; but ISA is not the solution. Maybe a month jail, doing community service in poor Malay and Chinese locations.
Malaysia's form of Islam is unique, rooted in its Malay-ness. Capitalism requires a separation (or a balance) between state and church/mosque/temple, at least in the long term. How PKR, PAS & DAP manage these interesting questions is critical!
The ball is in BN's hand, at least for the moment. DSAI is ready. Can BN change, radically.
>KJ now agrees the keris waving was wrong.
>The lawyers gave the PM a standing ovations?
>Some MP forget to send questions in?
>??????????????????????/
Pls see ; why i think RPK was revolutionary. HERE
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
TRAMS?
Anil Netto's article on TRAMS; that could replace monorail in Penang is interesting. Some of its highlights are as follows;
>“Trams are pollution-free and are being used in cities with narrow roads
> Estimated that less than RM3.8mil (US$1mil) was needed to get an electrical tram system up and running in George Town.
>Old tramlines such as from Prangin Mall to Weld Quay still exists underneath the bitumen road and can be restored for use,” he said. A 50m tramline was unearthed at the Chulia Street-Penang Road junction in 2004 during road works and was preserved by the Penang Municipal Council.
>There are many second- hand trams in other countries that are for purchase.”
>Existing street poles could be used to support the one-cable electrical wiring for trams, he added
See http://anilnetto.com/ for details
>“Trams are pollution-free and are being used in cities with narrow roads
> Estimated that less than RM3.8mil (US$1mil) was needed to get an electrical tram system up and running in George Town.
>Old tramlines such as from Prangin Mall to Weld Quay still exists underneath the bitumen road and can be restored for use,” he said. A 50m tramline was unearthed at the Chulia Street-Penang Road junction in 2004 during road works and was preserved by the Penang Municipal Council.
>There are many second- hand trams in other countries that are for purchase.”
>Existing street poles could be used to support the one-cable electrical wiring for trams, he added
See http://anilnetto.com/ for details
Anwar - Malaysia's political messiah?
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER - Raja Petra Kamarudin
Anwar may not be Malaysia's political messiah
Helen Ting, April 15, 2008 - see http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/6165/84/
Helen is way off in her views. Many believe Anwar is Malaysia's political messiah. He may not be able to radically change policy, specifically on religious issue, but he appears a non-corrupt ethical politician, and his public policy views are more reasomable. He must be given an opportunity to educate Malays and others about unity with diversity. There are many challenges that we have in race relations and DSAI is perhaps best positioned to unite us as Malaysians.
Anyway, democratic governments at some point need to separate Mosque/Church/Temple from State.
Helen said >Yet, rather than considering the merits of the candidates, Anwar simply objected to having a non-Malay as the Chief Minister, citing the need to protect the Malay position politically and economically>
Well why does she not find out if the Malay, Mandarin, Temple and English speaking PAS MB of Perak meets her standards of merit?
See http://www.mysinchew.com/node/8654 and some read as follows;
>Perak Menteri Besar-designate Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of PAS turned up at the ”What's Coming Next” political forum held in Ipoh Sunday (16 Mar) and immediately stunned the Chinese crowd by speaking in Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Tamil, then in English and Malay>
I think at some point the MB would be chosen without regard to race or religion.
Anwar may not be Malaysia's political messiah
Helen Ting, April 15, 2008 - see http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/6165/84/
Helen is way off in her views. Many believe Anwar is Malaysia's political messiah. He may not be able to radically change policy, specifically on religious issue, but he appears a non-corrupt ethical politician, and his public policy views are more reasomable. He must be given an opportunity to educate Malays and others about unity with diversity. There are many challenges that we have in race relations and DSAI is perhaps best positioned to unite us as Malaysians.
Anyway, democratic governments at some point need to separate Mosque/Church/Temple from State.
Helen said >Yet, rather than considering the merits of the candidates, Anwar simply objected to having a non-Malay as the Chief Minister, citing the need to protect the Malay position politically and economically>
Well why does she not find out if the Malay, Mandarin, Temple and English speaking PAS MB of Perak meets her standards of merit?
See http://www.mysinchew.com/node/8654 and some read as follows;
>Perak Menteri Besar-designate Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of PAS turned up at the ”What's Coming Next” political forum held in Ipoh Sunday (16 Mar) and immediately stunned the Chinese crowd by speaking in Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Tamil, then in English and Malay>
I think at some point the MB would be chosen without regard to race or religion.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Urgent Train & 'Take care of the basics first'
Guess the Blogger Jeff Ooi is starting (as a newly elected public servant) to do serious work in raising awareness in public policies. His 'Urgent train' piece and highlighting Citizen Nades on 'Take care of the basics first' piece is noted. Hope this story gets more traction
See
http://www.jeffooi.com/
http://sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=21458
by Nadeswaran
THE train ride from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore can be long and boring. It takes six, sometimes seven, hours from KL Sentral to Tanjung Pagar. A good book usually comes in handy on such trips. But then, there’s a quicker way – by luxury coach which takes about four hours. It’s now my favourite mode of travel down South. It’s even faster than flying if you include time to travel to and from the airports and the waiting time before boarding. But if Tan Sri Francis Yeoh of YTL Corp had his way, we would be there in a jiffy – 90 minutes in a bullet train which he wants to build.
Well done, but it’s going to cost us – the taxpayers – an arm, a leg and even parts of our torso! It’s going to cost RM8 billion (and that’s what they say) and with cost-overruns and variation orders, add another RM2 billion.
What is the use of having a bullet-train ride to Singapore when we can’t even contain the floods in Kuala Lumpur? My heart bleeds each time the media report of ordinary citizens, children included, appealing for funds to undergo medical treatment. Why spend RM10 billion to reach Singapore in 90 minutes when we can’t even meet basic health needs of our people?
See
http://www.jeffooi.com/
http://sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=21458
by Nadeswaran
THE train ride from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore can be long and boring. It takes six, sometimes seven, hours from KL Sentral to Tanjung Pagar. A good book usually comes in handy on such trips. But then, there’s a quicker way – by luxury coach which takes about four hours. It’s now my favourite mode of travel down South. It’s even faster than flying if you include time to travel to and from the airports and the waiting time before boarding. But if Tan Sri Francis Yeoh of YTL Corp had his way, we would be there in a jiffy – 90 minutes in a bullet train which he wants to build.
Well done, but it’s going to cost us – the taxpayers – an arm, a leg and even parts of our torso! It’s going to cost RM8 billion (and that’s what they say) and with cost-overruns and variation orders, add another RM2 billion.
What is the use of having a bullet-train ride to Singapore when we can’t even contain the floods in Kuala Lumpur? My heart bleeds each time the media report of ordinary citizens, children included, appealing for funds to undergo medical treatment. Why spend RM10 billion to reach Singapore in 90 minutes when we can’t even meet basic health needs of our people?
Party? to Celebrate April 14th at Club Sultan Sulaiman.
It was a big relief to find out the party at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman went well.
Zoro's blog was moving as he said <<" Malaysians stood at attention and sang the National Anthem. I choked and stifled a sob.....I seem to be doing this of late whenever the Negara Ku is sung. He (DSAI) said many things else but to me "KETUANAN RAKYAT" was a welcome refrain from the maniacal chilling "Ketuanan Melayu " bandied about by a desperate UMNO: >>
I dont for a moment think RPK is going to go easy on DSAI's government, if he becomes the PM. So much more work to do and its only starting to be interesting!!
Reference
>http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/6136/84/
>http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/ ---20,000 SAY WHY NOT: YOU READY? WE READY!
Zoro's blog was moving as he said <<" Malaysians stood at attention and sang the National Anthem. I choked and stifled a sob.....I seem to be doing this of late whenever the Negara Ku is sung. He (DSAI) said many things else but to me "KETUANAN RAKYAT" was a welcome refrain from the maniacal chilling "Ketuanan Melayu " bandied about by a desperate UMNO: >>
I dont for a moment think RPK is going to go easy on DSAI's government, if he becomes the PM. So much more work to do and its only starting to be interesting!!
Reference
>http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/6136/84/
>http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/ ---20,000 SAY WHY NOT: YOU READY? WE READY!
Karpal Singh said "a rose would smell as sweet by any other name"
After all, a rose would smell as sweet by any other name," Karpal said after attending Baisakhi prayers at a gurudwara Monday
KS was refering to the following report;
Perak state's Mentri Besar (chief executive) Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, had referred to Sikhs as Bengalis "in ignorance". Khalsa Dharmic Jatha Gurdwara vice-president Baljit Singh said: "That very utterance has made the Sikhs a laughing stock of other communities. How can we expect society to know the difference between the two communities when the leaders themselves cannot?"
This newly elected PAS Malay leader speaks Mandarin & Tamil and was noted by bloggers for being 'in touch' with the lay person. I think many non Malays have also made the same mistake? Guess we thought Bengali/Punjabi/Ceylon are Indians; a Freudian slip. Its appear trivial but glad we are talking about it.
Reference
>http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/Sikh_Bengali_row_called_a_trivial_matter/articleshow/2954911.cms
>http://in.news.yahoo.com/ani/20080415/r_t_ani_wl_asia/twl-malay-sikhs-refuse-to-back-down-on-b-774093f.html
KS was refering to the following report;
Perak state's Mentri Besar (chief executive) Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, had referred to Sikhs as Bengalis "in ignorance". Khalsa Dharmic Jatha Gurdwara vice-president Baljit Singh said: "That very utterance has made the Sikhs a laughing stock of other communities. How can we expect society to know the difference between the two communities when the leaders themselves cannot?"
This newly elected PAS Malay leader speaks Mandarin & Tamil and was noted by bloggers for being 'in touch' with the lay person. I think many non Malays have also made the same mistake? Guess we thought Bengali/Punjabi/Ceylon are Indians; a Freudian slip. Its appear trivial but glad we are talking about it.
Reference
>http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/Sikh_Bengali_row_called_a_trivial_matter/articleshow/2954911.cms
>http://in.news.yahoo.com/ani/20080415/r_t_ani_wl_asia/twl-malay-sikhs-refuse-to-back-down-on-b-774093f.html
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Update on 2008 Malaysia Election - Blog World
See http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5601/84/ - rpk said on april 2008
UMNO is not the enemy. Abuse of power and corruption is. PAS is not the enemy. Imposing your religious beliefs on others and denying them their right to their own religion is. And so on and so forth. So don’t oppose them for their ideology. Oppose them when they violate your fundamental human rights and civil liberties. Oppose them when they ruin this country. Oppose them when they persecute and discriminate. And so on and so forth.
No, our mission should not be to see the destruction of Barisan Nasional. Our mission should be to see the strengthening of Pakatan Rakyat and the emergence of a two-party system in Malaysia. Let these two parties be matching in strength. We do not want to remove one dictator just to replace it with another. We want to see two equally capable parties so that we can rotate the government between one and the other every two terms or so.
>>theothermalaysia.org - farrish Noor said on April 3rd 2008.
"The results of the recent general elections have shown that the Malaysian public has reached a level of political awareness and maturity that is unprecedented in our history"
". It also points to an increasingly urbanised, well-connected, better-informed and more politically-conscious electorate that will not be satisfied with empty slogans of a more ‘moderate’ Islam and theme parks with crystal mosques. Why, even in the ranks of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) there are more and more progressive voices who are calling for real economic and structural reform, and contemplating the possibility of creating a new social contract based on a welfare state model for all Malaysians"
>> http://anilnetto.com/2008/03/19/the-woman-who-masterminded-samys-defeat/ anil netto said on march 2008
While everyone knows Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj as the guy who finally toppled Samy Vellu in his Sg Siput bastion, few are aware that his victory owes a lot to his wife and campaign manager, Rani Rasiah, a PSM central committee member, who played an instrumental role in the campaign. Of course, they couldn’t have done it without the help of a multi-ethnic team of dedicated volunteers from all around the country. A tale of sheer grit and perseverance
>> An interesting job offer from Screenshots Jeff Ooi (http://www.jeffooi.com/)on april 6 2008.
WANTED: Research Assistant
I am looking for ( 1 ) Little Birds and ( 2 ) a Research Assistant to help me in my duty as a Member of Parliament.
For the post of Research Assistant, the candidate could be a financial analyst or a journalist at the business desk, strong in English and have a penchant for poring volumes of documents and outputting concise executive summaries. It is a job on flexi-hours, working from remote stations using the Internet, and the candidate will be salaried using part of my MP allowance.
UMNO is not the enemy. Abuse of power and corruption is. PAS is not the enemy. Imposing your religious beliefs on others and denying them their right to their own religion is. And so on and so forth. So don’t oppose them for their ideology. Oppose them when they violate your fundamental human rights and civil liberties. Oppose them when they ruin this country. Oppose them when they persecute and discriminate. And so on and so forth.
No, our mission should not be to see the destruction of Barisan Nasional. Our mission should be to see the strengthening of Pakatan Rakyat and the emergence of a two-party system in Malaysia. Let these two parties be matching in strength. We do not want to remove one dictator just to replace it with another. We want to see two equally capable parties so that we can rotate the government between one and the other every two terms or so.
>>theothermalaysia.org - farrish Noor said on April 3rd 2008.
"The results of the recent general elections have shown that the Malaysian public has reached a level of political awareness and maturity that is unprecedented in our history"
". It also points to an increasingly urbanised, well-connected, better-informed and more politically-conscious electorate that will not be satisfied with empty slogans of a more ‘moderate’ Islam and theme parks with crystal mosques. Why, even in the ranks of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) there are more and more progressive voices who are calling for real economic and structural reform, and contemplating the possibility of creating a new social contract based on a welfare state model for all Malaysians"
>> http://anilnetto.com/2008/03/19/the-woman-who-masterminded-samys-defeat/ anil netto said on march 2008
While everyone knows Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj as the guy who finally toppled Samy Vellu in his Sg Siput bastion, few are aware that his victory owes a lot to his wife and campaign manager, Rani Rasiah, a PSM central committee member, who played an instrumental role in the campaign. Of course, they couldn’t have done it without the help of a multi-ethnic team of dedicated volunteers from all around the country. A tale of sheer grit and perseverance
>> An interesting job offer from Screenshots Jeff Ooi (http://www.jeffooi.com/)on april 6 2008.
WANTED: Research Assistant
I am looking for ( 1 ) Little Birds and ( 2 ) a Research Assistant to help me in my duty as a Member of Parliament.
For the post of Research Assistant, the candidate could be a financial analyst or a journalist at the business desk, strong in English and have a penchant for poring volumes of documents and outputting concise executive summaries. It is a job on flexi-hours, working from remote stations using the Internet, and the candidate will be salaried using part of my MP allowance.
The Lions of Jelutong & Malaysia Today on PAS & Islamic State.
I am unsure where in Karpal's statments one could imply that he 'slammed' PAS!
April 5th NST- KUALA LUMPUR: DAP chairman Karpal Singh yesterday slammed Pas Youth for suggesting that the Islamist party use the Pakatan Rakyat as a springboard to an Islamic state.
Reiterating his stand, Karpal said Pas should accept the provision in the Federal Constitution and judicial pronouncement by the Supreme Court in 1988 that Malaysia was a secular state and not an Islamic one.He was responding to Kelantan Pas Youth's support for Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakub's proposal that Pas become the backbone of the new opposition coalition to realise the objective of establishing an Islamic state.Yesterday, the Kedah and Terengganu Pas Youth echoed Kelantan's position, with national Youth vice-head Azman Shapawi Abdul Rani saying the party should anchor the coalition as it had been in existence for much longer than Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the DAP.
"Pas should be realistic and practical to ensure that the Pakatan Rakyat is not derailed by public statements in the nature of wanting to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state," Karpal said. "In any event, Pas has only 23 seats to the DAP's 28 and PKR's 31. I cannot see how Pas can make such a claim," he said
RPK said on April 12th via http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5944/84/
"PAS needs to keep talking about Islam to their own supporters to rebut what Umno is saying about them: that PAS has ‘betrayed’ Islam. So let them talk to their own supporters or else Umno will be ‘proven’ right and PAS’ relevance will be questioned. But MCA should not raise this as if an Islamic State equates to a Pariah State, which they very well know will rub the Malays the wrong way."
..........
"The Chinese should tell MCA that they trust PAS and are confident that PAS will not betray this trust. The Chinese should scream at MCA and tell that party that fights for Chinese rights that with a mere 23 seats in Parliament there is no way PAS can turn this country into an Islamic State when even Umno can’t with almost 80 seats.
"
April 5th NST- KUALA LUMPUR: DAP chairman Karpal Singh yesterday slammed Pas Youth for suggesting that the Islamist party use the Pakatan Rakyat as a springboard to an Islamic state.
Reiterating his stand, Karpal said Pas should accept the provision in the Federal Constitution and judicial pronouncement by the Supreme Court in 1988 that Malaysia was a secular state and not an Islamic one.He was responding to Kelantan Pas Youth's support for Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakub's proposal that Pas become the backbone of the new opposition coalition to realise the objective of establishing an Islamic state.Yesterday, the Kedah and Terengganu Pas Youth echoed Kelantan's position, with national Youth vice-head Azman Shapawi Abdul Rani saying the party should anchor the coalition as it had been in existence for much longer than Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the DAP.
"Pas should be realistic and practical to ensure that the Pakatan Rakyat is not derailed by public statements in the nature of wanting to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state," Karpal said. "In any event, Pas has only 23 seats to the DAP's 28 and PKR's 31. I cannot see how Pas can make such a claim," he said
RPK said on April 12th via http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5944/84/
"PAS needs to keep talking about Islam to their own supporters to rebut what Umno is saying about them: that PAS has ‘betrayed’ Islam. So let them talk to their own supporters or else Umno will be ‘proven’ right and PAS’ relevance will be questioned. But MCA should not raise this as if an Islamic State equates to a Pariah State, which they very well know will rub the Malays the wrong way."
..........
"The Chinese should tell MCA that they trust PAS and are confident that PAS will not betray this trust. The Chinese should scream at MCA and tell that party that fights for Chinese rights that with a mere 23 seats in Parliament there is no way PAS can turn this country into an Islamic State when even Umno can’t with almost 80 seats.
"
Thursday, April 10, 2008
No Party Line Voting - Anwar Ibrahim
It appears that the Pakatan Rakyat would not have a party line voting system like BN's 'SAYA SETUJU', "SEMUA SETUJU".
Remember when Samy Vellu would jump up wanting to be first to express his support even B4 completion of reading of the bill; that is if it was Dr M's proposal. Or was it a LAT's cartoon
Parti Keadilan Rakyat Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said as per http://thestaronline.tv/default.aspx?vid=1196
Like RPK said, if PKR, PAS or DAP don't do the right thing thing vote them out too. Is there a better side to BN; aka the system.
I think you should vote for the person not necessarily the party. Be informed.
Remember when Samy Vellu would jump up wanting to be first to express his support even B4 completion of reading of the bill; that is if it was Dr M's proposal. Or was it a LAT's cartoon
Parti Keadilan Rakyat Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said as per http://thestaronline.tv/default.aspx?vid=1196
Like RPK said, if PKR, PAS or DAP don't do the right thing thing vote them out too. Is there a better side to BN; aka the system.
I think you should vote for the person not necessarily the party. Be informed.
Sarbox Requirements Useless in Non-Profit Health Care?
I believe the article below is flawed as it only applied one aspect of SOX in its study. Was SOX 404 internal controls applied on key processess; for e.g how its non-profit funds are managed, Is operational cost optimized? , Is there dual control in its purchasing policies?, etc.
Its obvious that 'Audit Committee requirements' alone would not make any difference; at least in the short term.
Posted by Lora Bentley on April 2, 2008 at 2:16 pm - http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/ssg/?p=292#comment-2798
It’s no surprise to most that the majority of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act only applies to publicly traded companies. But we’ve also noted before that many non-profit organizations and private companies have applied Sarbox-like internal controls or independent audit committee requirements to their organizations voluntarily — because doing so is just good business.
One of the first non-profits to demonstrate Sarbanes-Oxley compliance was the University of Pittsburg Medical Center. In 2006, UPMC representatives said they decided to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley voluntarily as a means of maintaining accountability with the hospital’s contributors.
More recently, non-profits have also imposed requirements on their boards of directors — from minimum donations to term limits. However, a new study has revealed that making such requirements — at least where health care organizations are concerned — doesn’t do much to improve financial management or patient care.
Miller-McCune reports:
University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Alexander led a team searching for a correlation between the structure of a board and the community benefits of the hospital it advises….What they found might make would-be regulators cringe: There was only a weak correlation between the boards’ structures and how well their respective hospitals functioned for most benefits they measured.
Most of the evidence that board structure changes and the like affect the way hospitals operate are anecdotal, the story says.
Its obvious that 'Audit Committee requirements' alone would not make any difference; at least in the short term.
Posted by Lora Bentley on April 2, 2008 at 2:16 pm - http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/ssg/?p=292#comment-2798
It’s no surprise to most that the majority of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act only applies to publicly traded companies. But we’ve also noted before that many non-profit organizations and private companies have applied Sarbox-like internal controls or independent audit committee requirements to their organizations voluntarily — because doing so is just good business.
One of the first non-profits to demonstrate Sarbanes-Oxley compliance was the University of Pittsburg Medical Center. In 2006, UPMC representatives said they decided to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley voluntarily as a means of maintaining accountability with the hospital’s contributors.
More recently, non-profits have also imposed requirements on their boards of directors — from minimum donations to term limits. However, a new study has revealed that making such requirements — at least where health care organizations are concerned — doesn’t do much to improve financial management or patient care.
Miller-McCune reports:
University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Alexander led a team searching for a correlation between the structure of a board and the community benefits of the hospital it advises….What they found might make would-be regulators cringe: There was only a weak correlation between the boards’ structures and how well their respective hospitals functioned for most benefits they measured.
Most of the evidence that board structure changes and the like affect the way hospitals operate are anecdotal, the story says.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
To my horror, I turn out to be a racist.
See below for part of an article in the NYT. We are fundamentally racist and should not be be afraid of saying so. So we learn.
Our Racist, Sexist Selves
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: April 6, 2008 - NYT
To my horror, I turn out to be a racist.
The University of Chicago offers an on-line psychological test in which you encounter a series of 100 black or white men, holding either guns or cell phones. You’re supposed to shoot the gunmen and holster your gun for the others.
I shot armed blacks in an average of 0.679 seconds, while I waited slightly longer — .694 seconds — to shoot armed whites. Conversely, I holstered my gun more quickly when encountering unarmed whites than unarmed blacks.
Take the test yourself and you’ll probably find that you show bias as well. Most whites and many blacks are more quick to shoot blacks, no matter how egalitarian they profess to be.
Harvard has a similar battery of psychological tests online (I have links to all of these from my blog, nytimes.com/ontheground, and my Facebook page, facebook.com/kristof). These “implicit attitude tests” very cleverly show that a stunningly large proportion of people who honestly believe themselves to be egalitarian unconsciously associate good with white and bad with black.
The unconscious is playing a political role this year, for the evidence is overwhelming that most Americans have unconscious biases both against blacks and against women in executive roles.
Our Racist, Sexist Selves
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: April 6, 2008 - NYT
To my horror, I turn out to be a racist.
The University of Chicago offers an on-line psychological test in which you encounter a series of 100 black or white men, holding either guns or cell phones. You’re supposed to shoot the gunmen and holster your gun for the others.
I shot armed blacks in an average of 0.679 seconds, while I waited slightly longer — .694 seconds — to shoot armed whites. Conversely, I holstered my gun more quickly when encountering unarmed whites than unarmed blacks.
Take the test yourself and you’ll probably find that you show bias as well. Most whites and many blacks are more quick to shoot blacks, no matter how egalitarian they profess to be.
Harvard has a similar battery of psychological tests online (I have links to all of these from my blog, nytimes.com/ontheground, and my Facebook page, facebook.com/kristof). These “implicit attitude tests” very cleverly show that a stunningly large proportion of people who honestly believe themselves to be egalitarian unconsciously associate good with white and bad with black.
The unconscious is playing a political role this year, for the evidence is overwhelming that most Americans have unconscious biases both against blacks and against women in executive roles.
The Malay Mail - Adults Only
http://www.amirhafizi.blogspot.com/
This guy is weirdly funny and seemingly rational...
A section of his recent post read as follows...(btw the language here is for Adults. Parents are advised to monitor access of their kids).
>> A friend of mine told me recently that his friend, a woman, was beaten up by her husband. Big fucking deal, right? I mean, divorce is the best medicine for the disease we all call marriage. So this woman, right, she lodged a police report. You know what happened? The police laughed in her face. I suggest that all abused women start poisoning their husbands. I mean, if the police won't do anything except laugh their heads off, and our politicians are too busy fighting for part posts, just go and poison the fuckers.
>>>
This one is sad, ironic and puts one in a moral dilemma. Wednesday, April 9, 2008 The MALAY MAIL SAID....
Tales from the Drunk Side: Pinot Noir Aftermath
Tonight, I met a friend who will be migrating next month.
Weird. I was the one who wanted to migrate but he is the first to go. See, I got me two interview with the UN a few weeks back.
I said no to the second interview, cause my father had his third stroke. I don't expect him to understand what I let go in order to be here. I mean, Malay parents always expect sacrifice from their children. Like they're entitled to it or some shit.
Well, I never asked to be born, and my life is my own. I am doing this simply because I decided to. Not because I want to be Malay or some shit.
See, the thing I hate most with Malays is the sense of community, this need to belong with a bunch of people. With a history or whatever shit. It's not just the Malays, but almost every race anyway.
I have no faith in people, but I believe in the individual. Alone, the individual is smart, interesting, simple and elegant. Together with other people, they're stupid. Like a herd of cows. Fucking cattle.
I mean, if there was a fire, ONE person in a building can get out safely, but 4,000 will trample each other to death.
People are stupid. Individuals are smart.
All my life, I have never wanted to be part of something that will follow me even when I am shitting.
I'm all for teamwork, but this need, this insecurity to have to belong with some shitty race is fucking stupid.
I hate traditions. Why do people do it? Because some assholes did it in the past? Fuck you, you fucking sons of bitches.
I work with other people, but I walk alone. I'm not a fucking Liverpool fan.
This guy is weirdly funny and seemingly rational...
A section of his recent post read as follows...(btw the language here is for Adults. Parents are advised to monitor access of their kids).
>> A friend of mine told me recently that his friend, a woman, was beaten up by her husband. Big fucking deal, right? I mean, divorce is the best medicine for the disease we all call marriage. So this woman, right, she lodged a police report. You know what happened? The police laughed in her face. I suggest that all abused women start poisoning their husbands. I mean, if the police won't do anything except laugh their heads off, and our politicians are too busy fighting for part posts, just go and poison the fuckers.
>>>
This one is sad, ironic and puts one in a moral dilemma. Wednesday, April 9, 2008 The MALAY MAIL SAID....
Tales from the Drunk Side: Pinot Noir Aftermath
Tonight, I met a friend who will be migrating next month.
Weird. I was the one who wanted to migrate but he is the first to go. See, I got me two interview with the UN a few weeks back.
I said no to the second interview, cause my father had his third stroke. I don't expect him to understand what I let go in order to be here. I mean, Malay parents always expect sacrifice from their children. Like they're entitled to it or some shit.
Well, I never asked to be born, and my life is my own. I am doing this simply because I decided to. Not because I want to be Malay or some shit.
See, the thing I hate most with Malays is the sense of community, this need to belong with a bunch of people. With a history or whatever shit. It's not just the Malays, but almost every race anyway.
I have no faith in people, but I believe in the individual. Alone, the individual is smart, interesting, simple and elegant. Together with other people, they're stupid. Like a herd of cows. Fucking cattle.
I mean, if there was a fire, ONE person in a building can get out safely, but 4,000 will trample each other to death.
People are stupid. Individuals are smart.
All my life, I have never wanted to be part of something that will follow me even when I am shitting.
I'm all for teamwork, but this need, this insecurity to have to belong with some shitty race is fucking stupid.
I hate traditions. Why do people do it? Because some assholes did it in the past? Fuck you, you fucking sons of bitches.
I work with other people, but I walk alone. I'm not a fucking Liverpool fan.
Did Samy Vellu cry with the Indians?
They must see the tears in the eyes of the Indian community? I have seen it and cried with them...Samy Vellu said as per video below
Take responsibility, Mr Samy Vellu. Based on performance, MIC deserved to lose. The Indian represent only 8% but have 50% crime rates. MIC has not tried hard or smart in this vital community problem. Perhaps MIC has been the biggest burden for the Indians. MIC/BN seem to say the Indian's problem is not the nation's problem but MIC's only.
What SV coud (did) not do all these years; was done by HINDRAF; which liberated the Indians and excited others; despite mistakes in memo language.
Malaysian Indians especially the majority poor Tamilian should seriously re-examine who they should support and vote for. Your survival lies with the opposition; even PAS as they have treated Hindus/Buddhists better then BN. Look at PAS; its leaders are ethical & non corrupt.
Like RPK said, if PKR, PAS or DAP don't do the right thing thing vote them out too. Is there a better side to BN; aka the system.
I think you should vote for the person not necessarily the party. Be informed.
Take responsibility, Mr Samy Vellu. Based on performance, MIC deserved to lose. The Indian represent only 8% but have 50% crime rates. MIC has not tried hard or smart in this vital community problem. Perhaps MIC has been the biggest burden for the Indians. MIC/BN seem to say the Indian's problem is not the nation's problem but MIC's only.
What SV coud (did) not do all these years; was done by HINDRAF; which liberated the Indians and excited others; despite mistakes in memo language.
Malaysian Indians especially the majority poor Tamilian should seriously re-examine who they should support and vote for. Your survival lies with the opposition; even PAS as they have treated Hindus/Buddhists better then BN. Look at PAS; its leaders are ethical & non corrupt.
Like RPK said, if PKR, PAS or DAP don't do the right thing thing vote them out too. Is there a better side to BN; aka the system.
I think you should vote for the person not necessarily the party. Be informed.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Three social news that is sad and shocking.
By LIM MUN FAH
Pls see http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5557/84/
Amidst the spate of hot political news in the country, three social news items appeared that is sad and shocking.
Case 1: Mathematics prodigy Sufiah Yusof, who won a place at Oxford University at the age of 12, becomes a prostitute in the United Kingdom.
Case 2: In Waycross, Georgia, nine third-grade special education students intended to kill their teacher because the teachers had scolded one of them. They brought to school a broken steak knife, a roll of duct tape, handcuffs, ribbons and a crystal paperweight.
Case 3: Four Indian primary schools girls attempted to commit suicide, allegedly after being scolded by their teacher because of their poor results.
"Slutting, violence attack and suicide may caused by psychological problems."These three different incidents happened in different places for different reasons. However, their outcome is tragic.
The first incident is an endless story of gifted children.
The second incident highlights that special children may have extreme violent tendency.
The third incident is the tragedy out of extreme behaviour by spoon-feeding education system.
Pls see http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/5557/84/
Amidst the spate of hot political news in the country, three social news items appeared that is sad and shocking.
Case 1: Mathematics prodigy Sufiah Yusof, who won a place at Oxford University at the age of 12, becomes a prostitute in the United Kingdom.
Case 2: In Waycross, Georgia, nine third-grade special education students intended to kill their teacher because the teachers had scolded one of them. They brought to school a broken steak knife, a roll of duct tape, handcuffs, ribbons and a crystal paperweight.
Case 3: Four Indian primary schools girls attempted to commit suicide, allegedly after being scolded by their teacher because of their poor results.
"Slutting, violence attack and suicide may caused by psychological problems."These three different incidents happened in different places for different reasons. However, their outcome is tragic.
The first incident is an endless story of gifted children.
The second incident highlights that special children may have extreme violent tendency.
The third incident is the tragedy out of extreme behaviour by spoon-feeding education system.
Friday, April 04, 2008
The Discipline Master - Bernard Khoo
LA-SALLE Sentul School's Discipline Master - none other than Bernard Khoo. Every kid at school woud be scared shit of him. If you are late to school and unlucky to see him waiting near the school hall and football field; detention or caning is the punishment. I was never by caned BK; but of course was caned by other 'crazy' teachers for minor stuff. (think i will write on some of the teachers)
I remember once when BK 'pissed' me and RG, as he gave us detention for being late. What he did not know was my home was flooded, and I think we did not have an opportunity to tell him.
In hindsight, he was good for us as kids, and more so as adults now (maybe his best..lol) via....http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/
I remember once when BK 'pissed' me and RG, as he gave us detention for being late. What he did not know was my home was flooded, and I think we did not have an opportunity to tell him.
In hindsight, he was good for us as kids, and more so as adults now (maybe his best..lol) via....http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Maureen Dowd - Finally has something nice to say about Hilary
She has never (?) written anything on Hilary's policy views in comparison to the other democratic or republican presidential candidates. It has always been on semantics; until now, which is not really on policy differences. At least its a compliment for the Hilary camp in defeat to the inspiring Obama.
Its interesting how race and gender is openly debated in US politics. Lessons learnt for fledging democracies.
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: April 2, 2008 - NYT
>> Whether or not she wins, Hillary has already given noble service as a sophisticated political tutor for Obama, providing her younger colleague with much-needed seasoning. Who else was going to toughen him up? Howard Dean? John Edwards? Dennis Kucinich?
>>Obama had not been hit hard until this campaign; he sailed through his Senate race. Without Hillary, he never would have learned to be a good debater. He never would have understood how to robustly answer distorted and personal attacks. He never would have been warned about how harmful an unplugged spouse can be. He never would have realized how a luminous speech can be effective damage control.
>>Besides coaching Obama, Hillary is also shielding him. If she had not fibbed about the Tuzla airport landing, and then fibbed to get out of a fib, the press would have stayed focused on Wright. She has been an invaluable lightning rod.
>>Hillary has clearly raised Obama’s consciousness about the importance of courting the ladies. Touring a manufacturing plant in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, he was flirtatious, winking and grinning at the women working there, calling one “Sweetie,” telling another she was “beautiful,” and imitating his daughters’ dance moves by twirling around.
>>But the ultimate favor Hillary can do for the Illinois freshman is to fight him full-out until the finale and then gracefully release him so he can find happiness with another.
>>Hillary’s work is done only when she is done, because the best way for Obama to prove he’s ready to stare down Ahmadinejad is by putting away someone even tougher.
Its interesting how race and gender is openly debated in US politics. Lessons learnt for fledging democracies.
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: April 2, 2008 - NYT
>> Whether or not she wins, Hillary has already given noble service as a sophisticated political tutor for Obama, providing her younger colleague with much-needed seasoning. Who else was going to toughen him up? Howard Dean? John Edwards? Dennis Kucinich?
>>Obama had not been hit hard until this campaign; he sailed through his Senate race. Without Hillary, he never would have learned to be a good debater. He never would have understood how to robustly answer distorted and personal attacks. He never would have been warned about how harmful an unplugged spouse can be. He never would have realized how a luminous speech can be effective damage control.
>>Besides coaching Obama, Hillary is also shielding him. If she had not fibbed about the Tuzla airport landing, and then fibbed to get out of a fib, the press would have stayed focused on Wright. She has been an invaluable lightning rod.
>>Hillary has clearly raised Obama’s consciousness about the importance of courting the ladies. Touring a manufacturing plant in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, he was flirtatious, winking and grinning at the women working there, calling one “Sweetie,” telling another she was “beautiful,” and imitating his daughters’ dance moves by twirling around.
>>But the ultimate favor Hillary can do for the Illinois freshman is to fight him full-out until the finale and then gracefully release him so he can find happiness with another.
>>Hillary’s work is done only when she is done, because the best way for Obama to prove he’s ready to stare down Ahmadinejad is by putting away someone even tougher.