Fellow thieves and robbers would cry foul only when the other clan did the job either without regards to their profit sharing or the groups were actually at war with each other. The latter was a more likely reason here if an engine of a jet fighter that went missing. The Malaysian Insider said it was a laughable matter if it was not a serious one. I am not surprised at all and it certainly is not a laughing matter.
The gang that smuggled out must be from the other camp that the Crime Minister did not mind a full investigation to bring the perpetrators to “justice”, of their kind at so to speak. He himself made the police report, the chief of looters proudly proclaimed. The story reminds me of the time I was working with a company in Malaysia more than two decades ago. The head of HR of the company stopped culturally positive recreational activities that were going on in the plant simply because what they termed as pilferage. The HR head was raging mad when I reminded him that the English Oxford Dictionary defined pilferage as “petty theft” and I pointed out that since items stolen were huge items that required a bunch of burly men with the help of specialised equipment to move them the incident was a “daylight robbery”.
Daylight robbery indeed this fighter jet’s engine’s disappearance!
In a country governed by robbers, we have to expect frequent lootings and major robberies. A day will not go by without “crimes”. If one’s profession is a robber, he is not expected to do policing work anyway! You have to be idiots to expect that!
There is a theory called the “Broken Windows Theory” that goes to say that “if a broken window is left untended, it will encourage others to be broken and eventually the whole house is in ruin”. In Malaysia, when everything wrong is left untended and unattended to far too long, the ruin is simply widespread and gives rise to a far reaching consequences. The rot begins at the head and now it has reached the bottom. The Crime Minister’s remarks that the incident involves lower down officers is testimony that the cycle is complete.
Now the Crime Minister lamented that he did not intent to cover up the story did not mean that the case would be fully investigated. If a father steals how can he teaches his kids to abide by the rule! Of course he could not cover this anymore since the whole world knew of this misdeed! Also, this was also a perfect excuse to get the masses to forget the bigger sin the he committed. When people focussed on another new fire being lit, the bigger fire blazing the sky is just a flicker in the distance.
So to all Malaysian citizens the world over, do not just let this event goes by and be just another irrelevant incident in our lives. Vote these bastards out for good! Cheers and God bless you, as David Coverdale used to say out loud.
Monday, 21 December 2009
Sunday, 20 December 2009
myriad of observations with very little contribution and simply full of hot air
One is indeed appalled by the sheer ignorance of pundits on understanding Malaysian people when commenting on the Pakatan Rakyat Convention. These experts as we come to regard them as chose the aftermath to put forward comments merely to demonstrate their intelligence and their keen observatory expertise on minute issues or shortcomings rather than focussing on the larger agenda. This bid of trying to show off one’s intellect and aptitude with no regards whatsoever to the crux of the matter leaves one to wonder as to their commitment to seeing this nation comes back from disastrous state it is in. The larger issue here is contribution towards bringing in the much needed change for the better. We are not on the brink of disaster but we are smack at the centre of a major catastrophe.
People want change and a speedy one it must be. It is a question of each and everyone who possesses at least a wee bit of conscience must do to contribute towards achieving this change. Bloggers must come out from being a mere reporter of events. They must write with passion and commitment. If everyone lifts a finger to help, arduous tasks would be easily surmountable. We are not here to demonstrate our ability to spot the smallest of mistakes or hiccups. Do not lose the bigger picture. We are here to bring about change.
It is true that many acknowledge that the positives simply outweigh the negatives on issues addressed at the PR Convention but many amongst them also continue to harp on the infinitesimally tiny and insignificant issues. Where’s the beef? It is there right before your eyes. The cake is beautiful and savoury and you are harping on the lack of icing on it! Let’s face it men! Comparing with the BN/UMNO agenda, we are witnessing an improvement by leaps and bounds if not a leap of a quantum one.
Back on the role of the informed middle class who choose to write, our task is to write with the intention to influence and bring about change and not just for the hell of it! If you are writing just to feel good about it you might as well go fly kites or do bungee jumping. You may get at least something out of these kinds of past time.
People need guidance, motivation and inspiration. They do not need to be confused and bewildered. If they see a sea of naysayers in a possible alternative to corrupt regime of BN/UMNO, how are they going to vote for change, let alone help in propagating further change! They will vote these goons into power again and again and again! Many dread that this should happen and we certainly do not want to see our children and their children and their children’s children continue to live under oppression and distorted justice. The corrupt regime simply has to be brought down. One cannot put it in any simpler term than this!
The good doctor Abdul Aziz Bari has spoken at last. Coming from a calm, composed and thoughtful intellect like him on the state of the reigning regime, one has to be “dumb, blind and ignorant” to not being able to comprehend his reasoning and reckoning. Be that as it may, it is incumbent upon us to put forward our best effort to contribute to bringing about the downfall of the BN/UMNO regime for playing the role of a bystander is tantamount to treason and treachery of the highest order. One has only one chance of living a life on this earth and to throw it to the blowing wind is real waste of time, yours and mine.
Troubadour’s epilogue
God says “My land is expansive and one must never choose to live under oppression”. Maybe I should look up the migration consultant my wife was recommending to me! She said Canada, Australia and Thailand are favourite destinations and here I am in Thailand hunting for food like gazelles on the African plain. Maybe I should remain here for good and only go back home to die and be the dust that irritates the regime’s eyes.
People want change and a speedy one it must be. It is a question of each and everyone who possesses at least a wee bit of conscience must do to contribute towards achieving this change. Bloggers must come out from being a mere reporter of events. They must write with passion and commitment. If everyone lifts a finger to help, arduous tasks would be easily surmountable. We are not here to demonstrate our ability to spot the smallest of mistakes or hiccups. Do not lose the bigger picture. We are here to bring about change.
It is true that many acknowledge that the positives simply outweigh the negatives on issues addressed at the PR Convention but many amongst them also continue to harp on the infinitesimally tiny and insignificant issues. Where’s the beef? It is there right before your eyes. The cake is beautiful and savoury and you are harping on the lack of icing on it! Let’s face it men! Comparing with the BN/UMNO agenda, we are witnessing an improvement by leaps and bounds if not a leap of a quantum one.
Back on the role of the informed middle class who choose to write, our task is to write with the intention to influence and bring about change and not just for the hell of it! If you are writing just to feel good about it you might as well go fly kites or do bungee jumping. You may get at least something out of these kinds of past time.
People need guidance, motivation and inspiration. They do not need to be confused and bewildered. If they see a sea of naysayers in a possible alternative to corrupt regime of BN/UMNO, how are they going to vote for change, let alone help in propagating further change! They will vote these goons into power again and again and again! Many dread that this should happen and we certainly do not want to see our children and their children and their children’s children continue to live under oppression and distorted justice. The corrupt regime simply has to be brought down. One cannot put it in any simpler term than this!
The good doctor Abdul Aziz Bari has spoken at last. Coming from a calm, composed and thoughtful intellect like him on the state of the reigning regime, one has to be “dumb, blind and ignorant” to not being able to comprehend his reasoning and reckoning. Be that as it may, it is incumbent upon us to put forward our best effort to contribute to bringing about the downfall of the BN/UMNO regime for playing the role of a bystander is tantamount to treason and treachery of the highest order. One has only one chance of living a life on this earth and to throw it to the blowing wind is real waste of time, yours and mine.
Troubadour’s epilogue
God says “My land is expansive and one must never choose to live under oppression”. Maybe I should look up the migration consultant my wife was recommending to me! She said Canada, Australia and Thailand are favourite destinations and here I am in Thailand hunting for food like gazelles on the African plain. Maybe I should remain here for good and only go back home to die and be the dust that irritates the regime’s eyes.
Sunday, 13 December 2009
the new mass media
RPK came out strong in demanding an action from Pakatan rakyat State Governments (Selangor, Kedah, Kelantan and Penang) to come up with free access to internet in all the states that they govern. I too am singing the same tune as I see a golden opportunity to fight the mighty UMNO/BN media. Time is the essence and to delay the implementation would prove suicidal and detrimental to PR.
The ground has shifted so much with the advent of the internet here in Malaysia. But, APCO employed by the PM to quell and subdue voices of dissent seems to be able to bombard counter intelligence work in the form of articles from various “alternative news sites” that project positive images and perceived effective works of the federal government and implant images and beliefs of opposition in colossal disarray.
While the cost of providing free internet service expounded by the Malaysian government is immense, everyone knows that this is not so and the fact that it becomes huge is a result of leakages all along the business process and value chain. The cost is definitely within the budget of states the like of Selangor and Penang. Kedah and Kelantan perhaps would be able to tag along to make up the economies of scale.
For a year’s subscription of an access to internet TV comprising of more than 3,000 channels I had to pay only RM500. It is readily available to users in Malaysia and elsewhere. (I may connect you to the promoter but that is not the point here). If you compare this with our bills from Astro, it is definitely a lot cheaper. The only thing one has to worry is adult channels are also readily accessed but responsible parents can always block from being accessed by under-aged children.
The cost of setting up TV channels the likes of that being provided by the Ministry of Education (www.eduwebtv.com) is meagre considering the state government’s reasonable big budget allocation for “communication”. Having a free internet service and backing it up with channels that counter propaganda that national TVs put forward on a daily basis would be taking the whole media matters to a new and much more level playing field and for all you know, it could even tip the scale towards the opposition and fallacies and lies propagated by BN/UMNO would no longer be swallowed by the general public.
And there is again the notion that the speed of the net is extremely slow to process massive graphics files! Leave it to the experts! For a scanty sum again the same friend supplies a solution he called “broadband viagra” that connects users to huge servers around the globe that make the speed super fast. Trust the Chinese programmers amongst the 1.3 Billion China population! Nothing is impossible! Both products come from the mainland!
These technologies are already here and not seizing the opportunity to “control” the new media would prove to be a disaster for the incoming government, if it comes at all. And if PR gets to rule Malaysia, it would not be a one term affair the like of Terengganu PAS Government circa December 1999 to March 2004.
Restaurants and other social gathering premises can join the fray. I am sure people are sick of those propaganda channels the likes of TV3 and RTM blaring from idiot boxes at these premises and our homes. I would vomit listening to any of their misinformation without even watching and would tune to respectable channels during peak hours for doses of truth and civil displays.
Internet broadcasting is the medium of communication of the future and is already here within our cyberspace. It is something that proponents of civil society should grab to fight corrupt regimes worldwide and UMNO/BN is no exception. In this age of excess of information, only those with credibility would survive and sinister government of the day like UMNO/BN will perish. But then again, like RPK put it, “Ignore this message at your own peril”. Goodnight Malaysia, wherever you are!
The ground has shifted so much with the advent of the internet here in Malaysia. But, APCO employed by the PM to quell and subdue voices of dissent seems to be able to bombard counter intelligence work in the form of articles from various “alternative news sites” that project positive images and perceived effective works of the federal government and implant images and beliefs of opposition in colossal disarray.
While the cost of providing free internet service expounded by the Malaysian government is immense, everyone knows that this is not so and the fact that it becomes huge is a result of leakages all along the business process and value chain. The cost is definitely within the budget of states the like of Selangor and Penang. Kedah and Kelantan perhaps would be able to tag along to make up the economies of scale.
For a year’s subscription of an access to internet TV comprising of more than 3,000 channels I had to pay only RM500. It is readily available to users in Malaysia and elsewhere. (I may connect you to the promoter but that is not the point here). If you compare this with our bills from Astro, it is definitely a lot cheaper. The only thing one has to worry is adult channels are also readily accessed but responsible parents can always block from being accessed by under-aged children.
The cost of setting up TV channels the likes of that being provided by the Ministry of Education (www.eduwebtv.com) is meagre considering the state government’s reasonable big budget allocation for “communication”. Having a free internet service and backing it up with channels that counter propaganda that national TVs put forward on a daily basis would be taking the whole media matters to a new and much more level playing field and for all you know, it could even tip the scale towards the opposition and fallacies and lies propagated by BN/UMNO would no longer be swallowed by the general public.
And there is again the notion that the speed of the net is extremely slow to process massive graphics files! Leave it to the experts! For a scanty sum again the same friend supplies a solution he called “broadband viagra” that connects users to huge servers around the globe that make the speed super fast. Trust the Chinese programmers amongst the 1.3 Billion China population! Nothing is impossible! Both products come from the mainland!
These technologies are already here and not seizing the opportunity to “control” the new media would prove to be a disaster for the incoming government, if it comes at all. And if PR gets to rule Malaysia, it would not be a one term affair the like of Terengganu PAS Government circa December 1999 to March 2004.
Restaurants and other social gathering premises can join the fray. I am sure people are sick of those propaganda channels the likes of TV3 and RTM blaring from idiot boxes at these premises and our homes. I would vomit listening to any of their misinformation without even watching and would tune to respectable channels during peak hours for doses of truth and civil displays.
Internet broadcasting is the medium of communication of the future and is already here within our cyberspace. It is something that proponents of civil society should grab to fight corrupt regimes worldwide and UMNO/BN is no exception. In this age of excess of information, only those with credibility would survive and sinister government of the day like UMNO/BN will perish. But then again, like RPK put it, “Ignore this message at your own peril”. Goodnight Malaysia, wherever you are!
Saturday, 14 November 2009
stupid mavericks?
No wonder it is a lot easier to run UMNO. The party is full of morons and the handful that has small bits of grey matter inside their craniums rule with great ease.
Pakatan Rakyat on the other hand is blessed with far too many mavericks and true to the meaning of the word, these mavericks kind of undisciplined lot. Just look at what Dato’ Dr Hassan Ali is doing! When cold water was poured over the raging fire he went on to set the stage ablaze again. Now the whole place where we are residing is smouldering. Looks like it is going to be a busy year ahead!
It just baffles us. Don’t they know that it is UMNO that is doing all the subversive work? It is a fact that even in PAS, Muslims are greatly divided as to the way they practice their beliefs. All this while the Wahabis, Shiah and Sunnah-Wal-Jamaah and a host of other sects or mini sects seem to live in real harmony. And all it takes is just a small spark by UMNO to get everyone scrambling to defend his or her faith. Now we are at each others’ throats. Hey you idiots! Wake up! The enemies are out there and not in here!
My father in-law said to me that with the kind of knowledge that we have regarding Islam, we can only classify ourselves as subscribing to ‘the masses’ sect. Even Dr Asri and Hassan Ali belong to this ‘masses’ sect as their Islamic knowledge is insufficient for them to claim they belong to Wahabi and Sunnah-Wal-Jamaah respectively. One simply has to know in great detail of one’s sect to be able to claim to be subscribing or belong to one. My father in-law should know. He is one hell of a religious, pious, and knowledgeable human being. I am sure tons of negative comments would be thrown at me for talking about religion by self-proclaimed ‘guardians’ of the religion.
For me to witness the goings-on on this latest fiasco is simply depressing. I heard Fuad Al-Maliki Friday’s sermon in Ampang that touched a great length on the need to maintain the ‘tauliah’ or accreditation of Selangor religious speakers. His assertion that Rasul Allah s.a.w. was ‘accredited’ by Allah s.w.t. to be the messenger is a bit of a spin I think. To me I believe the prophet was ordained to be the messenger and not given ‘accreditation’ as what the learned Ustaz was insinuating. His argument and his attempt to legitimise the bid by JAIS to continue to use this accreditation approach are too shallow if not down-right moronic.
Then I read a Malaysiakini report of a ruckus in the state legislative assembly on the arrest of Dr Asri again! This time around was between Shaari Sungip and Hassan Ali, both from the same side of the political ideology! What a shame! UMNO indeed succeeded in putting wedges between PAS representatives. Now they are clobbering each other on the heads! Will you guys look at the forest and not the bloody trees!
Just when I thought that these are isolated events, I stumbled upon a report of a bunch of PAS Youth Executive Committee Members bludgeoning the good professor Aziz Bari for coming out strongly in criticising PAS for a number of misadventures after a successful 2008 elections! Their quick 180 degrees turn to call on the good professor later on to make amends was perhaps a little bit too late. It shows the kind of people we have in our own backyards. How on earth do you expect us to continue to back you up? Wake up and get your act together. Does the word teamwork exist in your dictionary or is it just another word that gets repeated without much understanding?
A person’s strength is indeed his weakness. These PAS representatives are men of intelligence and some are real great scholars. But if they continue to behave like goons, I will personally crucify them come next election. That you better bloody count on!
Monday, 12 October 2009
umnobtuses tyrannosaurus
As with a host of other issues, disgust over ascension of a corrupt leader to helm a constituent and eventually the nine southern “undang” districts and reign supreme as political ruler of the state will come to pass. Short memory indeed belongs to population of this god forsaken country of ours! When selfishness rules, it is of no surprise that every things civil takes a back seat.
Two major public’s institutions were compelled and coerced to do the bidding of BN/UMNO regime. Both the (Royal) Malaysian Police (RMP) Force and Malaysian Anti Corruption commission (MACC) were (and still are) at the behest of the corrupt BN/UMNO establishment.
Teoh Beng Hock issue that was a climax to a host of equally devastating subjects centring on the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) had been long forgotten. Investigation on Selangor’s MB’s purportedly corrupt practice of distributing cows for Muslim’s act of sacrifice in their holy month of Zulhijjah was only less than a year ago.
Investigation and eventual conversion of two Perak’s state assemblymen that was pivotal to annexation of Perak state by BN/UMNO from Pakatan Rakyat was a major account but has also been forgotten.
This was followed by “cow-head” protest engineered by UMNO that was shushed by the police from becoming a political campaign material in Bagan Pinang by-election and quickly disappear from people’s mind and thrown into oblivion. A brilliant move indeed on the part of RMP to be such an effective instrument of an incumbent government to terrorise and incriminate opposition!
Then UMNO instigated a number of farmers that lost “their” (illegally) occupied and (legal) temporarily occupied land to herd their cattle to Selangor state’s building to push for compensation and forced the state to find alternative sites for their livestock. This also comes to pass. Few remembers positive aspect of the issue as a success on the part of the state government to resolve public’s issue and fewer still recollect that BN/UMNO was behind the whole fiasco.
These two willing slaves of BN/UMNO regime are quiet now with muffled by a deafening cry of triumph in Bagan Pinang but when they are silent that they prove to be brutal and ready to strike anytime anywhere to propagate discord amongst the opposition parties. Do not let yourself be off guard!
What does it take for the people to come to their senses? Has more than half a decade of reign under a corrupt regime conditioned the people to the extent that they condone corrupt practices and oppressive rule? One thing for sure the people have been subdued to the point of submissiveness and they become senseless like zombies that roam the nights aimlessly. Such is the power of dictatorship in destroying a nation’s well being.
What options are we left with and how on earth are we going to make the difference?
Reformation almost always is spearheaded by the intellectuals with conscience and a deep sense of responsibilities. History shows that middle class intellectuals in particular can mobilise masses to revolt against oppressive rulers. In a society where access to information is curtailed and censored, alternative sources of information flourish. This internet age is an era where information is obtained instantaneously at the push of a button reformers have only to be patient and consistent in their approach and effort to see success at overthrowing a repressive tyrant.
Unprecedented in our modern history, we will see in our lifetime the demise of BN/UMNO in not too distant a future. This incident will make Malaysian people’s struggle a history of how the internet plays pivotal role in toppling a seemingly indestructible tyrannical government.
UMNO is indeed obtuse and lives in prehistoric time and thus inherently dinosaur-like. It will be fossilised soon enough lie buried for a long time for generations to come to unearth and discover this unique creature dubbed umnobtuses tyrannosaurus who once roam the earth with great domination and tyranny.
Two major public’s institutions were compelled and coerced to do the bidding of BN/UMNO regime. Both the (Royal) Malaysian Police (RMP) Force and Malaysian Anti Corruption commission (MACC) were (and still are) at the behest of the corrupt BN/UMNO establishment.
Teoh Beng Hock issue that was a climax to a host of equally devastating subjects centring on the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) had been long forgotten. Investigation on Selangor’s MB’s purportedly corrupt practice of distributing cows for Muslim’s act of sacrifice in their holy month of Zulhijjah was only less than a year ago.
Investigation and eventual conversion of two Perak’s state assemblymen that was pivotal to annexation of Perak state by BN/UMNO from Pakatan Rakyat was a major account but has also been forgotten.
This was followed by “cow-head” protest engineered by UMNO that was shushed by the police from becoming a political campaign material in Bagan Pinang by-election and quickly disappear from people’s mind and thrown into oblivion. A brilliant move indeed on the part of RMP to be such an effective instrument of an incumbent government to terrorise and incriminate opposition!
Then UMNO instigated a number of farmers that lost “their” (illegally) occupied and (legal) temporarily occupied land to herd their cattle to Selangor state’s building to push for compensation and forced the state to find alternative sites for their livestock. This also comes to pass. Few remembers positive aspect of the issue as a success on the part of the state government to resolve public’s issue and fewer still recollect that BN/UMNO was behind the whole fiasco.
These two willing slaves of BN/UMNO regime are quiet now with muffled by a deafening cry of triumph in Bagan Pinang but when they are silent that they prove to be brutal and ready to strike anytime anywhere to propagate discord amongst the opposition parties. Do not let yourself be off guard!
What does it take for the people to come to their senses? Has more than half a decade of reign under a corrupt regime conditioned the people to the extent that they condone corrupt practices and oppressive rule? One thing for sure the people have been subdued to the point of submissiveness and they become senseless like zombies that roam the nights aimlessly. Such is the power of dictatorship in destroying a nation’s well being.
What options are we left with and how on earth are we going to make the difference?
Reformation almost always is spearheaded by the intellectuals with conscience and a deep sense of responsibilities. History shows that middle class intellectuals in particular can mobilise masses to revolt against oppressive rulers. In a society where access to information is curtailed and censored, alternative sources of information flourish. This internet age is an era where information is obtained instantaneously at the push of a button reformers have only to be patient and consistent in their approach and effort to see success at overthrowing a repressive tyrant.
Unprecedented in our modern history, we will see in our lifetime the demise of BN/UMNO in not too distant a future. This incident will make Malaysian people’s struggle a history of how the internet plays pivotal role in toppling a seemingly indestructible tyrannical government.
UMNO is indeed obtuse and lives in prehistoric time and thus inherently dinosaur-like. It will be fossilised soon enough lie buried for a long time for generations to come to unearth and discover this unique creature dubbed umnobtuses tyrannosaurus who once roam the earth with great domination and tyranny.
Sunday, 11 October 2009
the aftermath
UMNO/BN is still parading around town in great jubilation with the Bagan Pinang trophy. Heaps of praises are showered upon the party by great many apple polishers. Let them indulge in this madness for a little bit longer. After all they have had a very long dry spell that they almost choke to death.
Everything seems okay or so it seems? At the press conference announcing their much coveted win, the incumbent Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan could not even fake a wry smile. He knows that days ahead are pretty rough, the road long and winding and simply full of booby traps.
In UMNO, to forgive is certainly not divine. The hunter knows that one fine day he will be hunted. That day has come and it is so soon it seems. KJ Alliance in NS is bracing for war. Many would fall prey and sent marching to the slaughter house with their pants down and their balls shrink the size of peanuts. ISA will reign supreme, with balls the size of coconuts and ego as big as Bukit Putus and Bukit Tangga.
Tengku Razali said it. Many take him for granted. UMNO would be best losing the by-election rather than winning it, for winning makes one arrogant and a decisive win throws one fully off guard and causes him to be greatly vulnerable. It is poignantly clear to UMNO stalwarts that their end is near but for the enemy, they will ultimately be jubilant.
Transformation in UMNO will be sluggish indeed now that they strongly believe that they are okay. Reformers in UMNO will whimper in disgust. Reformation is either an uphill battle or down-right impossible. They would be best to let their souls run free and join opposition in droves or retire gracefully from active politics. To push forward for reform is a futile exercise.
Is PAS really bruised and battered? To the antagonist, do not be too cocksure. That is what the strategists in PAS would like UMNO to believe. Strategists in PAS would also go to town proclaiming the need to put the house in order and use the opportunity to cleanse itself of excess baggage. Between UMNO and PAS, the latter is more apt to change judging by their past track records. PAS members are disciplined enough to weather this problem. As for PAS supporters, do not be greatly alarmed. Just sit back and enjoy the journey henceforth!
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as a whole is another story. It is definitely in need of a review in terms of its unity, cohesiveness and unity of command.
Three years is a long time in term of political epoch. With UMNO in intense denial and deep slumber, PAS and PR as a whole only needs to quietly thrust forward and move for the kill. Time for the killing is already certain, enemy clearly visible and visibly pompous and the intensity of the strike will send the enemy asunder.
In the mean time, PAS will have to avert the storm brewing in their tea cup.
Everything seems okay or so it seems? At the press conference announcing their much coveted win, the incumbent Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan could not even fake a wry smile. He knows that days ahead are pretty rough, the road long and winding and simply full of booby traps.
In UMNO, to forgive is certainly not divine. The hunter knows that one fine day he will be hunted. That day has come and it is so soon it seems. KJ Alliance in NS is bracing for war. Many would fall prey and sent marching to the slaughter house with their pants down and their balls shrink the size of peanuts. ISA will reign supreme, with balls the size of coconuts and ego as big as Bukit Putus and Bukit Tangga.
Tengku Razali said it. Many take him for granted. UMNO would be best losing the by-election rather than winning it, for winning makes one arrogant and a decisive win throws one fully off guard and causes him to be greatly vulnerable. It is poignantly clear to UMNO stalwarts that their end is near but for the enemy, they will ultimately be jubilant.
Transformation in UMNO will be sluggish indeed now that they strongly believe that they are okay. Reformers in UMNO will whimper in disgust. Reformation is either an uphill battle or down-right impossible. They would be best to let their souls run free and join opposition in droves or retire gracefully from active politics. To push forward for reform is a futile exercise.
Is PAS really bruised and battered? To the antagonist, do not be too cocksure. That is what the strategists in PAS would like UMNO to believe. Strategists in PAS would also go to town proclaiming the need to put the house in order and use the opportunity to cleanse itself of excess baggage. Between UMNO and PAS, the latter is more apt to change judging by their past track records. PAS members are disciplined enough to weather this problem. As for PAS supporters, do not be greatly alarmed. Just sit back and enjoy the journey henceforth!
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as a whole is another story. It is definitely in need of a review in terms of its unity, cohesiveness and unity of command.
Three years is a long time in term of political epoch. With UMNO in intense denial and deep slumber, PAS and PR as a whole only needs to quietly thrust forward and move for the kill. Time for the killing is already certain, enemy clearly visible and visibly pompous and the intensity of the strike will send the enemy asunder.
In the mean time, PAS will have to avert the storm brewing in their tea cup.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
the other side of the story
Armchair warriors that wrote comments on Manik Urai by-election sitting comfortably from their study rooms based on information that they skimmed through the internet at best hit the outer ring of the target if not missed hitting the board at all! It is interesting to note that many did simply just that. Write from afar basing opinions on those that make a living on writing news.
I was there smack in the middle of the war, espionages and counter-strikes. BN has never been dirtier.
The amount of money that changed hands with voters was simply unbelievably high that almost every household can have a one month holiday to savour their fortune. Only the Almighty knows the extent of their guilt and no mortal soul can claim that what they did was immoral as nobody knows who votes for whom, at least for most of us that is.
It is amazing what money can buy. Maybe RM50 per voter did not work anymore but RM500 hooked even the very hearts that loathe corruption. They reason in their heads that it was a gift and hence free from any sin whatsoever associated with it. It was a meagre sum to the haves but a windfall to the haves not. For a household with three voters, they took home a month’s equivalent of a wage.
But in a climate of distrust alternative plans were laid in abundance. Coming from multiple sources, voters were spoilt for bounties. Some walked away with three sets of gifts each giving a person’s take-home present of RM1500. All one had to do was to wait for the go-between to approach him or her. It was a case of supply outstripping demand.
Keeping people (read voters) at poverty level and on the brink of starvation almost always pays in the end. They can easily be bought. After all it is not often such a by-election comes their way. Opportunity comes-a-knocking, it is a gift from above.
RM500 per voter was at most RM5Million. Considering three sources each armed with RM10Million, a total of RM30Million were spent with RM15Million went directly to voters and the rest as usual fall off the gravy trains into the hands of local warlords.
The majority of the people were veiled by beauty of dough and sweet smell of the ringgit and simply cast aside wafer thin belief in favour of worldly reward. Greed and selfishness are traits of human beings that will inevitably surface when income is scarce and food is hard to come by. BN knows this very well since their very existence and struggle is about nothing but money.
Analysts are coming out with a host of reasons for PAS’s dismal performance or BN’s success in gaining more territories. Some attributed BN’s “success” to Najib’s 11 points reward to people for allowing him to remain up to 100 days in power and also his “contributions” to economic excitement. I want to simply say “Bollocks”. This is what the BN think tank would like us the public to believe but if they themselves believe the spin as well, it spells disaster for them comes the 13th general election. We wait patiently for the day to arrive!
PAS and PR as a whole must not buy the argument that BN is gaining ground as a whole but opposition cannot simply brush it aside. BN has the “Money” part or access to it with little effort. But in the long run, tycoons’ and “taipans’” patience are running thin and coffers are running dry. If the economy that is very much in need of tending to is left to roam in the wilderness; comes 13th GE, BN rats will scuttle to hide in their holes.
The best part of this whole episode is that BN still lost despite all these brilliant manoeuvrings. Chinese people say luck is not on BN side. The British may call it lady luck chooses an opposing side. But Muslims say that it is an intervention from above, divine and oft-punishing.
BN simply cannot afford to continue this method in a general election or even a state election. Perak will prove to be a situation best kept as it is. By not seeking a fresh mandate BN can sit pretty at least for a little while until the 13th general election. It will bring little harm but it will not remove the bigger problem of impending defeat. A defeat it will be albeit a delayed one.
BN desperately needs a reverse of fortune. It is however proven to be very elusive. When BN refuses to accept that their way is the wrong way, their struggle is not a genuine struggle and that the people can no longer be hoodwinked; what choice do they have but to go back to the old drawing board. Again they have to lay another plan. They plan and Allah also plans; and He is the Best of Planner!
I was there smack in the middle of the war, espionages and counter-strikes. BN has never been dirtier.
The amount of money that changed hands with voters was simply unbelievably high that almost every household can have a one month holiday to savour their fortune. Only the Almighty knows the extent of their guilt and no mortal soul can claim that what they did was immoral as nobody knows who votes for whom, at least for most of us that is.
It is amazing what money can buy. Maybe RM50 per voter did not work anymore but RM500 hooked even the very hearts that loathe corruption. They reason in their heads that it was a gift and hence free from any sin whatsoever associated with it. It was a meagre sum to the haves but a windfall to the haves not. For a household with three voters, they took home a month’s equivalent of a wage.
But in a climate of distrust alternative plans were laid in abundance. Coming from multiple sources, voters were spoilt for bounties. Some walked away with three sets of gifts each giving a person’s take-home present of RM1500. All one had to do was to wait for the go-between to approach him or her. It was a case of supply outstripping demand.
Keeping people (read voters) at poverty level and on the brink of starvation almost always pays in the end. They can easily be bought. After all it is not often such a by-election comes their way. Opportunity comes-a-knocking, it is a gift from above.
RM500 per voter was at most RM5Million. Considering three sources each armed with RM10Million, a total of RM30Million were spent with RM15Million went directly to voters and the rest as usual fall off the gravy trains into the hands of local warlords.
The majority of the people were veiled by beauty of dough and sweet smell of the ringgit and simply cast aside wafer thin belief in favour of worldly reward. Greed and selfishness are traits of human beings that will inevitably surface when income is scarce and food is hard to come by. BN knows this very well since their very existence and struggle is about nothing but money.
Analysts are coming out with a host of reasons for PAS’s dismal performance or BN’s success in gaining more territories. Some attributed BN’s “success” to Najib’s 11 points reward to people for allowing him to remain up to 100 days in power and also his “contributions” to economic excitement. I want to simply say “Bollocks”. This is what the BN think tank would like us the public to believe but if they themselves believe the spin as well, it spells disaster for them comes the 13th general election. We wait patiently for the day to arrive!
PAS and PR as a whole must not buy the argument that BN is gaining ground as a whole but opposition cannot simply brush it aside. BN has the “Money” part or access to it with little effort. But in the long run, tycoons’ and “taipans’” patience are running thin and coffers are running dry. If the economy that is very much in need of tending to is left to roam in the wilderness; comes 13th GE, BN rats will scuttle to hide in their holes.
The best part of this whole episode is that BN still lost despite all these brilliant manoeuvrings. Chinese people say luck is not on BN side. The British may call it lady luck chooses an opposing side. But Muslims say that it is an intervention from above, divine and oft-punishing.
BN simply cannot afford to continue this method in a general election or even a state election. Perak will prove to be a situation best kept as it is. By not seeking a fresh mandate BN can sit pretty at least for a little while until the 13th general election. It will bring little harm but it will not remove the bigger problem of impending defeat. A defeat it will be albeit a delayed one.
BN desperately needs a reverse of fortune. It is however proven to be very elusive. When BN refuses to accept that their way is the wrong way, their struggle is not a genuine struggle and that the people can no longer be hoodwinked; what choice do they have but to go back to the old drawing board. Again they have to lay another plan. They plan and Allah also plans; and He is the Best of Planner!
Friday, 5 June 2009
a bystander’s observation on PAS annual general meeting and election of office bearers
Just before PAS Annual Conference began, I spoke with a long time friend of the former president Dato’ Fadhil Noor on Husam Musa’s decision to go for number two position and his chances of ousting incumbent Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Isa. Without any hesitation this friend of mine confidently said the grassroots would go for Ustaz Nasharuddin. I fully concurred with him the moment he went on to explain two main points that PAS members held dearly; one, in that in Islam a position of power bestowed upon a person was a responsibility and not an honour; and two, those who sought power glaringly in the open or silently through unarticulated manner would never get elected.
A friend who is a keen observer in the run-up to the PAS election of office bearers also believed majority opinions in blog-sphere that Husam was the better candidate and would definitely get elected. I cautioned him against such a confidence and told him that he did not understand PAS and be prepared for a surprise. I simply quipped that Husam was a man in a hurry and that he was not a good listener. The fact that I said he was in a hurry was that he was not meticulous enough in his stride as what everyone could see and read in blog-sphere and the news and secondly, I had a chance of meeting the man and we sat over a meal and we were talking and yet he did not listen. He might have heard what I was saying but he certainly did not listen and looked at me as if I was not there. He was in town to give a talk and I was a reluctant host as I owned a property that was perfect for a sizeable crowd to congregate. After the incident I concluded that he had a long way to go despite his reassuring presence and his warmth.
In the run-up to the election, Husam was simply shouting aloud to be elected on board and quietly articulating that he wanted to get elected! Thus he met his Waterloo! This he must learn quickly and move on. The friendly neighbourhood Spiderman could tell Husam a thing or two about power. With great power comes great responsibility.
UMNO/BN propaganda machines were blaring support, so it seemed, for Ustaz Nasharuddin. Husam was said to be a candidate not favoured by UMNO/BN. Were things really that simple? Why all of a sudden UMNO/BN cared so much as to who would hold the number two post? There were actually more than meets the eyes!
UMNO/BN will never bet on one candidate. They would like to but they know that it would be futile. Even betting on both is pointless, a fact they will discover later on, that PAS members go through a different kind of initiation and training. Many fail to understand PAS. Ask any PAS member about what is PAS all about and they will literally sing to you PAS song.
God Is Our Destiny
(Allah Matlamat Kami)
The Prophet Is Our Leader
(Rasul Pemimpin Kami)
Al-Quran Is Our Commandment
(Al-Quran Perundangan Kami)
Jihad Is Our Way¹
(Jihad Jalan Kami)
Syahid Is Our Ambition²
(Mati Syahid Cita-Cita Kami)
These Are Our Struggle
(Inilah Perjuangan Kami)
¹Sacrifice. ²To die in the course of the religion.
How many political parties in Malaysia can have their members cite the gist of their struggle with such clarity? This is just the tip of the iceberg. You will learn more if you serious enough in trying to understand them. This was what the SB learnt upon infiltrating the PAS movement.
So did UMNO/BN bet on both of the candidates then? Well, it is a yes and a no. Either one would meet their objective as they would tune their strategy to suit the situation. In this case both have their strengths and more often than not, their strengths are their weaknesses. UMNO/BN will now gloat that “their” candidate won and drive a wedge deeper into a micro crack they managed to nudge in PAS wall of solidarity.
Almost all news portals rang out that the so called pro-peoples’ coalition lost to hardliners in an apparent agreement with the UMNO/BN propaganda machines. If this goes on, these emerging alternative news media will lag behind mainstream media and the law of self fulfilling prophesies will come full circle.
And on PAS situation after the much-publicised affair a hardcore member I spoke to, sighed a relief! PAS is far too mature and cultured enough to be simply lured into sullied political game and buried under a heap of casualties of political war. The party would survive to rule justly and earnestly in Malaysia with its current partners in the coalition. As for UMNO/BN, brace for a bitter feud and an eventual shameful defeat in the hands of the people. Revenge can never be sweeter than this!
troubadour has left the stadium.
A friend who is a keen observer in the run-up to the PAS election of office bearers also believed majority opinions in blog-sphere that Husam was the better candidate and would definitely get elected. I cautioned him against such a confidence and told him that he did not understand PAS and be prepared for a surprise. I simply quipped that Husam was a man in a hurry and that he was not a good listener. The fact that I said he was in a hurry was that he was not meticulous enough in his stride as what everyone could see and read in blog-sphere and the news and secondly, I had a chance of meeting the man and we sat over a meal and we were talking and yet he did not listen. He might have heard what I was saying but he certainly did not listen and looked at me as if I was not there. He was in town to give a talk and I was a reluctant host as I owned a property that was perfect for a sizeable crowd to congregate. After the incident I concluded that he had a long way to go despite his reassuring presence and his warmth.
In the run-up to the election, Husam was simply shouting aloud to be elected on board and quietly articulating that he wanted to get elected! Thus he met his Waterloo! This he must learn quickly and move on. The friendly neighbourhood Spiderman could tell Husam a thing or two about power. With great power comes great responsibility.
UMNO/BN propaganda machines were blaring support, so it seemed, for Ustaz Nasharuddin. Husam was said to be a candidate not favoured by UMNO/BN. Were things really that simple? Why all of a sudden UMNO/BN cared so much as to who would hold the number two post? There were actually more than meets the eyes!
UMNO/BN will never bet on one candidate. They would like to but they know that it would be futile. Even betting on both is pointless, a fact they will discover later on, that PAS members go through a different kind of initiation and training. Many fail to understand PAS. Ask any PAS member about what is PAS all about and they will literally sing to you PAS song.
God Is Our Destiny
(Allah Matlamat Kami)
The Prophet Is Our Leader
(Rasul Pemimpin Kami)
Al-Quran Is Our Commandment
(Al-Quran Perundangan Kami)
Jihad Is Our Way¹
(Jihad Jalan Kami)
Syahid Is Our Ambition²
(Mati Syahid Cita-Cita Kami)
These Are Our Struggle
(Inilah Perjuangan Kami)
¹Sacrifice. ²To die in the course of the religion.
How many political parties in Malaysia can have their members cite the gist of their struggle with such clarity? This is just the tip of the iceberg. You will learn more if you serious enough in trying to understand them. This was what the SB learnt upon infiltrating the PAS movement.
So did UMNO/BN bet on both of the candidates then? Well, it is a yes and a no. Either one would meet their objective as they would tune their strategy to suit the situation. In this case both have their strengths and more often than not, their strengths are their weaknesses. UMNO/BN will now gloat that “their” candidate won and drive a wedge deeper into a micro crack they managed to nudge in PAS wall of solidarity.
Almost all news portals rang out that the so called pro-peoples’ coalition lost to hardliners in an apparent agreement with the UMNO/BN propaganda machines. If this goes on, these emerging alternative news media will lag behind mainstream media and the law of self fulfilling prophesies will come full circle.
And on PAS situation after the much-publicised affair a hardcore member I spoke to, sighed a relief! PAS is far too mature and cultured enough to be simply lured into sullied political game and buried under a heap of casualties of political war. The party would survive to rule justly and earnestly in Malaysia with its current partners in the coalition. As for UMNO/BN, brace for a bitter feud and an eventual shameful defeat in the hands of the people. Revenge can never be sweeter than this!
troubadour has left the stadium.
oh malaysia, you are the hero, you are the villain. your every move is on display!
Just how effective are idiot boxes in our homes that keep blaring all day and night in brainwashing us to accept UMNO/BN world view? I often wonder whether or not they really make the difference, especially in this cyber information era. However, on the surface I can see that average people tend to be quite affected by them. When I say average, I am referring to the not-so-educated lot, whether formal or informal because even the ones that graduate from the University of “Hard-Knocks” have proven to be resilient to propaganda mainly because they are naturally intelligent i.e. they have the capacity to think and the power to reason.
Eighty-Twenty rule always prevail. Maybe intelligent ones make up the top twenty percent but majority of the people are generally average. These people are not exactly docile and gullible but most likely in my opinion, they simply refuse to think and what more to reason. They are afraid that their skull will explode if they start thinking! These kinds of people are banal down to the point of boringly prosaic. But mind you, they make up eighty percent of a much needed voices that can help change our political landscape. So, to be able to reach them effectively is a key to garnering their support.
How do you reckon then the idiot boxes can be made mesmerising enough? Fox News USA, the right wing and Republican unofficial station for Bush junior lined-up a select few newscasters that were expert in using body language to influence viewers to vote for him. Likewise here in this third world country with fourth world mentality (to borrow LKS line) we are seeing a similar approach but unfortunately these novice newscasters “speak of disasters with gleams in their eyes”. This is a dead giveaway. They are either lying through their teeth or down-right sinister in their reporting. They must take us the viewers, intelligent ones or average, as idiots then. But when a government is so desperate to get their official version be taken as gospel truth, they are clumsy and stumble and fall miserably.
There is a line in a song that goes “There are three sides to every story; yours, mine and the cold hard truth”. But when there is only one side that is being blasted on air daily, we begin to wonder whether there is any truth at all. For an “ancient” figure like me, twenty five years of gibberish is making me cranky already. Even my teenage sons are going bonkers listening to blatant lies on the screens of the idiot boxes daily. This is interesting indeed given that they are only politically and socially aware round about less than five years!
Al Ries and Jack Trout, two prominent marketing gurus came out with a “Law of Hype” that says that “Everything is always the opposite of what appears in the paper”. The law I believe equally applies to electronics media as well (We can talk about the papers some other time!). When there is so much propaganda being shoved down our ears, eyes, noses and throats, it is little wonder that the ENT specialists and optometrists are having a swell time. Not to mention myriad kind of ulcers that we are getting.
There is however a positive side to this intense hype by UMNO/BN propaganda machines! I have become inert to the news but I begin to think. Yes, an average man like me who is lazy to think is now awaken and start to reason out. The news and the newscasters are so repulsive and revolting that they are having a reverse effect on me. The more intense the lies being propagated, the more inconceivable they become. The funny thing is that those propagandists behind all these hypes truly believe that their slanders are being swallowed unconditionally. We pray that they continue and it will not be long before the whole nation rebel and we will have our own “Mutiny on the Bounty”.
Oh Malaysia, you’re the hero, you’re the villain. Your every move is on display!
Eighty-Twenty rule always prevail. Maybe intelligent ones make up the top twenty percent but majority of the people are generally average. These people are not exactly docile and gullible but most likely in my opinion, they simply refuse to think and what more to reason. They are afraid that their skull will explode if they start thinking! These kinds of people are banal down to the point of boringly prosaic. But mind you, they make up eighty percent of a much needed voices that can help change our political landscape. So, to be able to reach them effectively is a key to garnering their support.
How do you reckon then the idiot boxes can be made mesmerising enough? Fox News USA, the right wing and Republican unofficial station for Bush junior lined-up a select few newscasters that were expert in using body language to influence viewers to vote for him. Likewise here in this third world country with fourth world mentality (to borrow LKS line) we are seeing a similar approach but unfortunately these novice newscasters “speak of disasters with gleams in their eyes”. This is a dead giveaway. They are either lying through their teeth or down-right sinister in their reporting. They must take us the viewers, intelligent ones or average, as idiots then. But when a government is so desperate to get their official version be taken as gospel truth, they are clumsy and stumble and fall miserably.
There is a line in a song that goes “There are three sides to every story; yours, mine and the cold hard truth”. But when there is only one side that is being blasted on air daily, we begin to wonder whether there is any truth at all. For an “ancient” figure like me, twenty five years of gibberish is making me cranky already. Even my teenage sons are going bonkers listening to blatant lies on the screens of the idiot boxes daily. This is interesting indeed given that they are only politically and socially aware round about less than five years!
Al Ries and Jack Trout, two prominent marketing gurus came out with a “Law of Hype” that says that “Everything is always the opposite of what appears in the paper”. The law I believe equally applies to electronics media as well (We can talk about the papers some other time!). When there is so much propaganda being shoved down our ears, eyes, noses and throats, it is little wonder that the ENT specialists and optometrists are having a swell time. Not to mention myriad kind of ulcers that we are getting.
There is however a positive side to this intense hype by UMNO/BN propaganda machines! I have become inert to the news but I begin to think. Yes, an average man like me who is lazy to think is now awaken and start to reason out. The news and the newscasters are so repulsive and revolting that they are having a reverse effect on me. The more intense the lies being propagated, the more inconceivable they become. The funny thing is that those propagandists behind all these hypes truly believe that their slanders are being swallowed unconditionally. We pray that they continue and it will not be long before the whole nation rebel and we will have our own “Mutiny on the Bounty”.
Oh Malaysia, you’re the hero, you’re the villain. Your every move is on display!
Thursday, 4 June 2009
deer crossing
Darwin wrote and I quote, “Survival goes not necessarily to the strongest or most intelligent, but to the species that adapts and adjusts most rapidly to changing circumstances”, unquote. Going by this statement, I think UMNO will definitely head for doom. Darwin’s “Origin of the Species” may be a hypothesis as the “missing link” has still not been found but his study on survival of various species on earth can shed some light on survival.
“Change is the only thing that remains constant”. My management lecturer, one Dr. DM Love told me so. I guess he was right as I have since seen a number of management gurus mentioned the same thing. That was more than twenty years ago. Now, a company I work for is on the brink of extinction because of excesses and world class stupidity and I suddenly find myself indulging in the subject of “Transformation” or “Change” and greatly admire the work of JP Kotter. His work became my source of reference in my bid to transform an ailing subsidiary company. Today, after a long three years’ struggle, I am heading a strong and profitable outfit, thanks to a step by step guide from Kotter.
In the aftermath of eleventh general election in 2004, I spoke with Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad, the director of PAS Research Centre. Being apolitical, I quipped that the party perhaps need rebranding now that it lost badly. He was quick to retort the brand was right and that all the party needed was “repackaging”. And then after the twelfth general election and the party was immensely successful, I was told that Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad now talk incessantly about “managing change” which is essentially a form of “transformation”. With these events as backdrops, I can’t help but feel rather pleased that the good doctor is right in his stride. PAS has shown a great deal of maturity over the years and embracing change is perhaps what is keeping the party relevant. PAS adapts rather well to changing circumstances and true to the words of Charles Darwin it will survive these turbulent times.
The father of Social Science, Ibnu Khaldun theorised that civilization reaches maturity after forty years and then will rapidly decline due to mainly excesses and internal conflicts. We are already seeing this happening with UMNO. It has to change to remain a viable party but change is exactly what it is fighting to avoid. Going by Ibnu Khaldun’s Theory of Social Science, we will witness the demise of UMNO in our lifetime, God willing. While PAS has managed to continually reinventing itself, UMNO chooses to ignore changing circumstances and remain a parochial party beseeching Malay supremacy and racists’ policy. It is little wonder that its members are leaving the party in droves and choose to remain apolitical leaning towards opposition if not openly embracing oppositions’ ideology.
Crossing over boundaries that divide distinct ideologies or set of beliefs, is analogous to migrating from one normally miserable state to a far superior form. It has to begin with an acceptance that current condition is dreadful and followed by a desire to move to a situation that is universally acceptable the very least or a far better one. The process of transformation ends with a successful acceptance and eventual embrace of a new form. The term embrace that is normally applied to acceptance of religion is used here signifying that one has to wholeheartedly accept it first and then go about understanding virtues of the new way of life. The new set of practices or behaviours is then anchored to the culture of the society or organisation. Understanding this transformation process clearly allows us to evaluate events before our eyes concerning UMNO and ascertain whether or not they will be successful. So far chain of events point towards disaster, for them that is, and a welcome sight to proponents of a birth of a civil society.
Thirteenth general election may be a long three years’ away but opposition alliance is bracing for a long struggle and look set to be able to keep the momentum going. Many bystanders are watching with keen eyes and secretly wish and pray for a swift change of power. When the day comes, UMNO will be like a deer caught on headlights while attempting a late crossover where it freezes, stunt by the headlights and get knocked down dead and left to rot along a wretched tolled highway that they helped design, build and milk the population dry. That day will come, as sure as the sun rises tomorrow morning, God willing.
“Change is the only thing that remains constant”. My management lecturer, one Dr. DM Love told me so. I guess he was right as I have since seen a number of management gurus mentioned the same thing. That was more than twenty years ago. Now, a company I work for is on the brink of extinction because of excesses and world class stupidity and I suddenly find myself indulging in the subject of “Transformation” or “Change” and greatly admire the work of JP Kotter. His work became my source of reference in my bid to transform an ailing subsidiary company. Today, after a long three years’ struggle, I am heading a strong and profitable outfit, thanks to a step by step guide from Kotter.
In the aftermath of eleventh general election in 2004, I spoke with Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad, the director of PAS Research Centre. Being apolitical, I quipped that the party perhaps need rebranding now that it lost badly. He was quick to retort the brand was right and that all the party needed was “repackaging”. And then after the twelfth general election and the party was immensely successful, I was told that Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad now talk incessantly about “managing change” which is essentially a form of “transformation”. With these events as backdrops, I can’t help but feel rather pleased that the good doctor is right in his stride. PAS has shown a great deal of maturity over the years and embracing change is perhaps what is keeping the party relevant. PAS adapts rather well to changing circumstances and true to the words of Charles Darwin it will survive these turbulent times.
The father of Social Science, Ibnu Khaldun theorised that civilization reaches maturity after forty years and then will rapidly decline due to mainly excesses and internal conflicts. We are already seeing this happening with UMNO. It has to change to remain a viable party but change is exactly what it is fighting to avoid. Going by Ibnu Khaldun’s Theory of Social Science, we will witness the demise of UMNO in our lifetime, God willing. While PAS has managed to continually reinventing itself, UMNO chooses to ignore changing circumstances and remain a parochial party beseeching Malay supremacy and racists’ policy. It is little wonder that its members are leaving the party in droves and choose to remain apolitical leaning towards opposition if not openly embracing oppositions’ ideology.
Crossing over boundaries that divide distinct ideologies or set of beliefs, is analogous to migrating from one normally miserable state to a far superior form. It has to begin with an acceptance that current condition is dreadful and followed by a desire to move to a situation that is universally acceptable the very least or a far better one. The process of transformation ends with a successful acceptance and eventual embrace of a new form. The term embrace that is normally applied to acceptance of religion is used here signifying that one has to wholeheartedly accept it first and then go about understanding virtues of the new way of life. The new set of practices or behaviours is then anchored to the culture of the society or organisation. Understanding this transformation process clearly allows us to evaluate events before our eyes concerning UMNO and ascertain whether or not they will be successful. So far chain of events point towards disaster, for them that is, and a welcome sight to proponents of a birth of a civil society.
Thirteenth general election may be a long three years’ away but opposition alliance is bracing for a long struggle and look set to be able to keep the momentum going. Many bystanders are watching with keen eyes and secretly wish and pray for a swift change of power. When the day comes, UMNO will be like a deer caught on headlights while attempting a late crossover where it freezes, stunt by the headlights and get knocked down dead and left to rot along a wretched tolled highway that they helped design, build and milk the population dry. That day will come, as sure as the sun rises tomorrow morning, God willing.
Monday, 1 June 2009
orang melayu = orang pelarian
Debates on immigrants to this land called Malaysia are still raging on with the latest DAP anger towards one of the Malay dailies for calling non-Malays immigrants. I want to have my say as well on this subject even though it will only be limited to the cyberspace.
What is actually the origin of this race called Malays or more correctly “Melayu”? I myself am an offspring of a Bugis father and a Patani mother and I am being called a Malay man. I want to put forward this hypothesis or if at the end of my argument it is convincing enough, maybe it will become a theory. Professor Khoo Kay Khim may perhaps land his expertise on history to validate my accidental finding.
I was in a car on my way to a dinner with two friends who were both happened to be of Javanese descent. One hailed from Olak Lempit and that makes him a Jawa Banting and the other from Sungai Besar that qualifies him as a Jawa Sabak Bernam. Here we were in Pattaya calling ourselves Malays and Muslims and were heading for a Secret Recipe outlet for some halal food.
The Jawa Sabak Bernam joked about how Melayu and Jawa got into a quarrel, a tale told frequently amongst the Javanese community in Malaysia. The story was about a bunch of Melayu and Jawa boys sitting in a clearing just beside some bushes. Out of nowhere a pig jolted in front of them and ran across the clearing, apparently an escapee from a farm perhaps and was scared of something. The Jawa boys spotted it first and in unison shouted the words “Babi Melayu, Babi Melayu, Babi Melayu!”. On hearing this scuffle broke out between the Jawa and Melayu boys. The pig’s commotion was met met with a spontaneous remark from the Jawa boys and hence in their mother tongues. What they meant was “a pig running” or literally “babi lari”. In Javanese, the word “melayu” means “lari” in Malay or simply run in English!
Could this be the origin of the term Melayu to refer to those descendants from lands and islands around the Malay archipelagos that landed in the Malay Peninsula escaping from various kinds of persecutions and natural disasters like volcano’s eruption and tsunami? Perhaps the words “orang melayu” were referring to “orang lari” or in modern Malay “orang pelarian” or “refugees” from the islands of Sumatra, Jawa, Sulawesi and so on and so forth?
Before this enlightening event, I was wondering as to the origin of tge word “melayu”. If we consider the root word of “melayu” as “layu” (wither in English), then “melayu” means to “wither” which does not make sense. Or is it referring to an ethnic group that easily succumbs to onslaught of various ideologies? Very unlikely and therefore the hypothesis about “Melayu” as “Pendatang” or “Refugees” make more sense!
Very interesting indeed! I hope those ultra Malay NGOs that make so much noise can instead do some serious research to debunk my hypothesis. If I am a Bugis-Patani descent and am proud of it but not to the point that I wage war at others simply because my descendents are malays/refugee! I am Muslim first and a Malay second and hence my behaviour is dictated by my belief.
What is actually the origin of this race called Malays or more correctly “Melayu”? I myself am an offspring of a Bugis father and a Patani mother and I am being called a Malay man. I want to put forward this hypothesis or if at the end of my argument it is convincing enough, maybe it will become a theory. Professor Khoo Kay Khim may perhaps land his expertise on history to validate my accidental finding.
I was in a car on my way to a dinner with two friends who were both happened to be of Javanese descent. One hailed from Olak Lempit and that makes him a Jawa Banting and the other from Sungai Besar that qualifies him as a Jawa Sabak Bernam. Here we were in Pattaya calling ourselves Malays and Muslims and were heading for a Secret Recipe outlet for some halal food.
The Jawa Sabak Bernam joked about how Melayu and Jawa got into a quarrel, a tale told frequently amongst the Javanese community in Malaysia. The story was about a bunch of Melayu and Jawa boys sitting in a clearing just beside some bushes. Out of nowhere a pig jolted in front of them and ran across the clearing, apparently an escapee from a farm perhaps and was scared of something. The Jawa boys spotted it first and in unison shouted the words “Babi Melayu, Babi Melayu, Babi Melayu!”. On hearing this scuffle broke out between the Jawa and Melayu boys. The pig’s commotion was met met with a spontaneous remark from the Jawa boys and hence in their mother tongues. What they meant was “a pig running” or literally “babi lari”. In Javanese, the word “melayu” means “lari” in Malay or simply run in English!
Could this be the origin of the term Melayu to refer to those descendants from lands and islands around the Malay archipelagos that landed in the Malay Peninsula escaping from various kinds of persecutions and natural disasters like volcano’s eruption and tsunami? Perhaps the words “orang melayu” were referring to “orang lari” or in modern Malay “orang pelarian” or “refugees” from the islands of Sumatra, Jawa, Sulawesi and so on and so forth?
Before this enlightening event, I was wondering as to the origin of tge word “melayu”. If we consider the root word of “melayu” as “layu” (wither in English), then “melayu” means to “wither” which does not make sense. Or is it referring to an ethnic group that easily succumbs to onslaught of various ideologies? Very unlikely and therefore the hypothesis about “Melayu” as “Pendatang” or “Refugees” make more sense!
Very interesting indeed! I hope those ultra Malay NGOs that make so much noise can instead do some serious research to debunk my hypothesis. If I am a Bugis-Patani descent and am proud of it but not to the point that I wage war at others simply because my descendents are malays/refugee! I am Muslim first and a Malay second and hence my behaviour is dictated by my belief.
angels and demons
If you think Dan Brown is the only one fascinated with the above subject, then you can very wrong. In Malaysia, the subject is very much a household item. In fact, there are so many of these angels and demons here in Malaysia appearing in many other really misleading forms.
Let us talk about the angels some other time. Today we are going to talk about demons.
There are real demons that antagonize the nation daily. These demons have no qualms about the kind of injustices they inflict upon innocent citizens.
Favourite targets for these demons to be demonised are of course the opposition figures and parties. These figures are selectively taken to task for issues being created to strategically position them on par with these real demons.
There are however those mortal souls that are continuously being “demonized”, despite their earthly and humane behaviour. Those who continue to taunt these human souls justify their actions claiming that they wage war at Malays. Little that these ultra Malays realise that their tempers flare because of the racist tendencies that they possess or inherent in them. These UMNO goons, from the least educated bunch in remote villages and urban slumps to the sleek politicians in corridors of power including the prime minister himself, are guilty of racial slurs and hatred being propagated within the society.
Look at issues that continuously make headlines in UMNO-controlled mainstream media! You will note that they continue to claim to inadvertently pick these issues as headlines, whereas in fact these racially sensitive issues are exactly what they wish to fan. They have lost all avenues that can provide platform for disagreement within Malaysian society and continue to cling this single issue that they truly believe will be straw that will break the camel’s back.
Sad to say that they were not wrong in making this racial issue as the key issue! Time and again we, the general public, continued to buy their argument. But time has changed. Pre-independence citizens are getting older and post-independence citizens have woken up to a tune of a new kind of society that are civil, free of hatred and prejudices and abhor all kinds of injustices and pagan behaviours. They simply refuse to follow the demons or be demons themselves and detest bids to demonise others to justify causes of those real demons to colonise the nation.
I welcome the advent of internet age with great awe. The dark ages have gone past us. Only demons continue to live in the dark ages because of their dark nature. As these creatures are only drawn to darkness, they will continue to remain in the shadow and will never see daylight. These nocturnal beasts will never see the bright side, however hard one tries to make them see the light. It is best that they remain in the dark and one fine day the darkness that shrouds them will engulf them.
Let us talk about the angels some other time. Today we are going to talk about demons.
There are real demons that antagonize the nation daily. These demons have no qualms about the kind of injustices they inflict upon innocent citizens.
Favourite targets for these demons to be demonised are of course the opposition figures and parties. These figures are selectively taken to task for issues being created to strategically position them on par with these real demons.
There are however those mortal souls that are continuously being “demonized”, despite their earthly and humane behaviour. Those who continue to taunt these human souls justify their actions claiming that they wage war at Malays. Little that these ultra Malays realise that their tempers flare because of the racist tendencies that they possess or inherent in them. These UMNO goons, from the least educated bunch in remote villages and urban slumps to the sleek politicians in corridors of power including the prime minister himself, are guilty of racial slurs and hatred being propagated within the society.
Look at issues that continuously make headlines in UMNO-controlled mainstream media! You will note that they continue to claim to inadvertently pick these issues as headlines, whereas in fact these racially sensitive issues are exactly what they wish to fan. They have lost all avenues that can provide platform for disagreement within Malaysian society and continue to cling this single issue that they truly believe will be straw that will break the camel’s back.
Sad to say that they were not wrong in making this racial issue as the key issue! Time and again we, the general public, continued to buy their argument. But time has changed. Pre-independence citizens are getting older and post-independence citizens have woken up to a tune of a new kind of society that are civil, free of hatred and prejudices and abhor all kinds of injustices and pagan behaviours. They simply refuse to follow the demons or be demons themselves and detest bids to demonise others to justify causes of those real demons to colonise the nation.
I welcome the advent of internet age with great awe. The dark ages have gone past us. Only demons continue to live in the dark ages because of their dark nature. As these creatures are only drawn to darkness, they will continue to remain in the shadow and will never see daylight. These nocturnal beasts will never see the bright side, however hard one tries to make them see the light. It is best that they remain in the dark and one fine day the darkness that shrouds them will engulf them.
racists and civil society
What determines whether a person grow up to be a racist or not? Upbringing I presume. Second would be the experience that one goes through outside his home.
I have a number of friends that I admire. One particular friend comes to mind whenever I think of an exemplary person that I look up to. He was older than I am but somehow his respect for a person goes beyond age and wisdom. He was a person in my study group. We studied a “way of life”, a wide subject indeed. His reference has always been the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
In my years of knowing him, he never uttered words that I can classify as a racist remark. He worked in the government and still does but he is the opposite of what I see amongst the UMNO men.
On the contrary, I came across a particular individual in my yahoo-group that is very racist. I went to the same school as he did and was taught by mostly Chinese teachers. The teachers were excellent educationists and were serious in their work to teach us the village boys to become model citizens, educated and cultured.
I guess not everyone came out minted and cultured. Some I believe grow old but never grow up. They become more stupid as days go by and eventually become racists and take swipe at others. Most if not all the time, their outlook is so short-sighted and myopic that they are not able to see beyond certain skin colours and ethnic group.
This particular creature that taunts people daily on behalf of another creature simply because they have this belief that this “Malay” reigns supreme in Malaysia and others deserve to be banished to Siberia! How could we have these kinds of people continue to be borne out of our society?
This brings us back to the friend that I admire a great deal. I would say that his transformation to a polished and exemplary individual is a result of his lifetime education, both formal and informal, that shaped him as an excellent human being. Can we replicate this phenomenon and breed generations that are devoid of hatred and without racist tendencies? I sincerely believe that we can do that and this requires a complete overhaul of our education system and other systems that continue to divide us. And looking at the damage done and the state in which we are in today in Malaysia, this transformation is impossible without a change of leadership, a leadership with the right kind of ideology and determination to see a civil society emerging from this heap of dung we created. It is time we throw out this UMNO/BN government and replace them with those that are serious enough to build a civil government and nurture a civil society.
I have a number of friends that I admire. One particular friend comes to mind whenever I think of an exemplary person that I look up to. He was older than I am but somehow his respect for a person goes beyond age and wisdom. He was a person in my study group. We studied a “way of life”, a wide subject indeed. His reference has always been the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
In my years of knowing him, he never uttered words that I can classify as a racist remark. He worked in the government and still does but he is the opposite of what I see amongst the UMNO men.
On the contrary, I came across a particular individual in my yahoo-group that is very racist. I went to the same school as he did and was taught by mostly Chinese teachers. The teachers were excellent educationists and were serious in their work to teach us the village boys to become model citizens, educated and cultured.
I guess not everyone came out minted and cultured. Some I believe grow old but never grow up. They become more stupid as days go by and eventually become racists and take swipe at others. Most if not all the time, their outlook is so short-sighted and myopic that they are not able to see beyond certain skin colours and ethnic group.
This particular creature that taunts people daily on behalf of another creature simply because they have this belief that this “Malay” reigns supreme in Malaysia and others deserve to be banished to Siberia! How could we have these kinds of people continue to be borne out of our society?
This brings us back to the friend that I admire a great deal. I would say that his transformation to a polished and exemplary individual is a result of his lifetime education, both formal and informal, that shaped him as an excellent human being. Can we replicate this phenomenon and breed generations that are devoid of hatred and without racist tendencies? I sincerely believe that we can do that and this requires a complete overhaul of our education system and other systems that continue to divide us. And looking at the damage done and the state in which we are in today in Malaysia, this transformation is impossible without a change of leadership, a leadership with the right kind of ideology and determination to see a civil society emerging from this heap of dung we created. It is time we throw out this UMNO/BN government and replace them with those that are serious enough to build a civil government and nurture a civil society.
Saturday, 16 May 2009
contrasting view
Gone are the days when official words of government-owned media are the only ones that reach the public at large and other voices are only cries in the wilderness. It is very interesting to see that the government is still pursuing strategy to curb or silence these alternative voices rather than accepting the fact that the world has changed a great deal and people are free to express their opinions elsewhere and get their views heard. It is then up to the public to judge credibility of their thoughts. If their outlooks meet universally accepted norms and values, they are then readily accepted.
Hoodwinking people may be the government’s custom and practice given their over half a decade rule over Malaysia. In this information era and internet media they cannot pull wools over peoples’ eyes anymore.
Najib made a statement in the Indonesia that was a clear contempt of the court in a bid to legitimise his government’s unconstitutional and brutal act of gaining control of the Perak state from opposition. It was also a way by which he was sending a signal to the court of appeal to deliver judgement on their favour. This gives us a sense of Deja-vu. We have heard it before, haven’t we? Rewind a few years back and you will see a similar approach by the then Mahathir’s administration.
Najib is clearly out of touch. Even Mahathir failed miserably as seen at the end of his administration that eventually saw him relinquishing his post as it was utterly impossible to fight the tide against injustices propagated by his regime. The fact that now he is back in control of the country having gone through process of reinventing himself and repackaging his approach to make it palatable is another topic worth analysing but that will be done later perhaps. Walking through the same path of Mahathir will only get Najib into trouble, which is good indeed. Time has changed. What was effective then is no longer practical now. Now we have alternative views being aired for the whole world to see and read almost instantaneously.
How about Anifah Aman’s, the new defender and chief worshipper of Najib, statement accusing Anwar of bribing him with a DPM post in a bid to buy his support openly at a joint press conference with Rodham Hillary Clinton? The respond by Anwar through his lawyer threatened him with sedition suit almost instantly (in legal time frame mode of course) is a demonstration of speed of information travels in this internet age. Whether or not the court drags its feet or not is immaterial. In fact if it drags its judicial feet, the better it will be in this game of perceptions.
What the BN administration should do is to clear their acts and serve the people but when they are lost as to the reason for their existence, it spells trouble clear and obvious. No doubt about it at all. Their very existence is to serve the public and since they forget that and use their positions to amass wealth, they incur public’s wrath. The worst part is that they are still perplexed as to why the whole nation wants to give them the boots! This stupid behaviour we pray will continue and the public will be further enraged hopefully and will send them packing earlier than anticipated.
We are now living in a cyber age and everyone is free to air their views. If they make sense, it will get peoples’ sympathy and support. If they contradict universally acceptable views, they will just be voices in the wilderness or just mere shouts in cyberspace that do not even get an echo.
Hoodwinking people may be the government’s custom and practice given their over half a decade rule over Malaysia. In this information era and internet media they cannot pull wools over peoples’ eyes anymore.
Najib made a statement in the Indonesia that was a clear contempt of the court in a bid to legitimise his government’s unconstitutional and brutal act of gaining control of the Perak state from opposition. It was also a way by which he was sending a signal to the court of appeal to deliver judgement on their favour. This gives us a sense of Deja-vu. We have heard it before, haven’t we? Rewind a few years back and you will see a similar approach by the then Mahathir’s administration.
Najib is clearly out of touch. Even Mahathir failed miserably as seen at the end of his administration that eventually saw him relinquishing his post as it was utterly impossible to fight the tide against injustices propagated by his regime. The fact that now he is back in control of the country having gone through process of reinventing himself and repackaging his approach to make it palatable is another topic worth analysing but that will be done later perhaps. Walking through the same path of Mahathir will only get Najib into trouble, which is good indeed. Time has changed. What was effective then is no longer practical now. Now we have alternative views being aired for the whole world to see and read almost instantaneously.
How about Anifah Aman’s, the new defender and chief worshipper of Najib, statement accusing Anwar of bribing him with a DPM post in a bid to buy his support openly at a joint press conference with Rodham Hillary Clinton? The respond by Anwar through his lawyer threatened him with sedition suit almost instantly (in legal time frame mode of course) is a demonstration of speed of information travels in this internet age. Whether or not the court drags its feet or not is immaterial. In fact if it drags its judicial feet, the better it will be in this game of perceptions.
What the BN administration should do is to clear their acts and serve the people but when they are lost as to the reason for their existence, it spells trouble clear and obvious. No doubt about it at all. Their very existence is to serve the public and since they forget that and use their positions to amass wealth, they incur public’s wrath. The worst part is that they are still perplexed as to why the whole nation wants to give them the boots! This stupid behaviour we pray will continue and the public will be further enraged hopefully and will send them packing earlier than anticipated.
We are now living in a cyber age and everyone is free to air their views. If they make sense, it will get peoples’ sympathy and support. If they contradict universally acceptable views, they will just be voices in the wilderness or just mere shouts in cyberspace that do not even get an echo.
king and kingmakers
Still on the subject of political impasse in Perak, I came across a posting by Kenny Gan in the Malaysiakini. He opined that final judgement will have a very significant impact to the future of politics in
I would love to see the above scenario happening in future but I know this is not right. If we are seriously considering moving towards civil society, we must uphold rule of law and separation of powers. We cannot make short term gain but lose long term objective of creating a civil society. But then again why don’t we get the king to send these bastards to hell and set about correcting what is wrong later on? Tempting indeed!
A short posting today but read the piece below extracted from “Return of the Kings” in Malaysiakini!
Kenny Gan: The importance of the Nizar vs Zambry court case goes far beyond Perak and Umno's bid to hold on to its power grab in the state.
The matter of contention here is whether Nizar was rightfully deprived of his post by the sultan and Zambry legally appointed.
No doubt this case will be appealed up to the Federal Court. If the final judgment favours Zambry then
It means that the Agong and the sultans are given the power to dismiss the prime minister or chief ministers without going through parliament or assembly proceedings but by merely professing their opinion that the incumbent has lost the confidence of the majority.
As this alleged loss of confidence is not put to the test in the House, there is no way to dispute the opinion of His Majesty.
Hence by implication, the PM and chief ministers hold their office at the pleasure of the royalty or state governors.
Will we then cross the line between constitutional monarchy and absolute monarchy? This court case must be allowed to proceed without interference from the executive.
Trying to influence a favourable decision got Zambry for the sake of holding on to power in Perak is shortsighted as such power accorded to the royalty may be used against Umno in the future.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
lunatics running asylums
I spoke about written judgement to a friend. Now I read that there is also such thing as a “written grounds of judgement” specifically in cases where they were shuffled from one court to another. I am not a lawyer and I interpret these “written judgement” and “written grounds of judgement as two sides of the same coin.
This subject came up when I was debating with a friend on the grounds on which judgement was based on. We were trying to understand the whole legal issue. In the absence of a written judgement, it is difficult to ascertain whether the ground upon which the judgement made is sound or not. In other words, does the judgement is based on solid argument and sound interpretation of the law. Sadly enough based on the report below some judges either delay in releasing their written judgement or simply ignore requirement for written judgement to the dismay of interested parties.
Lately in
Back to the subject of written judgement, I believe it is mandatory for a judge to do so and do it swiftly. How can a disgruntled party interpret a ruling by a judge to be fair, sound or without flaws? To simply pass a judgement without any sound reasons and in reference to a written law is easy and a “loyar buruk” or perhaps better described as “engineered lawyer” like I am can do the job and do it with greater ease, excellence and speed.
On the other hand, if “written judgement” complete with grounds upon which judgement is made; and “grounds of judgement” are two different things, I need a lawyer then to shed some light.
On the relevance of today’s topic in this rather political blogsphere, of course it does! I want to see whether these judges that pass erratic decisions are a bunch of lunatics or men of honour that we can rely on. Perak debacle is a subject very much at the back of my mind. Who the hell is fit to rule this silver state? Since I spend my childhood days in the state, I qualify as an interested party to the whole mayhem.
When courtrooms are turning into asylums, we definitely have lunatics running wild.
troubadour
On a gloomy day in Pattaya city! Have a go at an article below:
http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/21898/84/
UPDATE: PLEASE REFER TO A NEW ARTICLE BY HANIPA MAIDIN ON THIS ISSUE -Very Enlightening indeed.
Refer to: http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/22012/84/
an old man and his addiction
He was famous for his double speak. Now he is even more famous with his double speak. We can read him like a book. If you want to read the next political move, just give him a platform, he will not fail you. Since the PM Najib is a puppet on a string, the one holding it and pulling it all over the place is this evil man who lost his power once and bounced back with great vigour and vengeance.
Che Det’s grip on the power to manipulate Malaysians is getting stronger by the day. One can no longer ignore noises coming out of him or a whimper or simply his stark silence. To me his silence is deafening. I would detect hidden messages and his next few moves almost instantly. But I am not alone. Millions of netizens in
This old man is addicted to power. He is a first class junkie. But as far as being a strategist, he is no longer apt or even come close to the label “strategist”. He is now but a novice in the world where information travels instantaneously and reaches millions of people across the globe, amongst them are a hundred times better than him. They not only read his move with much clarity but able to pre-empt his next agenda.
Today Malaysiakini reported that he admitted PR ability to win Perak hands down if snap polls are held but revealed his true bluer than blue colour when he scorned and was against giving power back to the people to decide who should rule the silver state. He was peoples’ man when he was out of power and now he is back holding strings attached to his minions in the BN cabinet, from the CEO to front-liners and soothsayers.
I love these war games. They bring out the best in me. The old man and his merry men are my biggest enemies. Reading their moves is my daily routine and my predictions are spot on. It is no longer intriguing but becoming mundane. Maybe I should choose a different enemy before I drop dead with boredom engaging novices in these sordid war games.
troubadour
Sun Tzu says; “To lift an autumn leaf is not an act of great strength, to see the sun and moon is not an act of sharp sight, to hear a thunderclap is not an act of good listening”
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
of appaling looks, vile creatures and the creepy crawly tale
Today I am in a mood for some bashing. Of course I have a bunch of idiots that I consider world class morons that I want to poke fun at. This will really make my day.
“If looks could kill, they probably will”. This line is from a song by Peter Gabriel (who was the original front man for the band Genesis). I could not quite remember the title of the song. Maybe it is “Games without Frontiers” since I remember vividly the full line chorus that goes “If looks could kill, they probably will, in games without frontiers, walls without tears”.
The phrase of course refers to a beautiful person but for today’s writing I am going to take the literal meaning of the line. Funny it seems that some people’s look can be down right offensive and one cannot help but rile at the sight of the person. The fake chief minister of Perak, a one Dr Zambry is one such figure. A mere glimpse of his face sends my stomach churning and I have to rush to the toilet for fear of vomiting in full public view.
We are not talking about ugliness. Beauty, by the way is in the eye of a beholder. But these sorts of people make you cringe every time you lay eyes on them or see their photographs. They seem to have this sinister look and level of cockiness that you cannot help but cower upon seeing them. This Perak dud chief minister has to be the top of the list amongst other contenders such as Najib Razak, Khir Toyo and Ibrahim Ali. Yes, I consider king of the frogs as one with a look that kills your appetite to live through the day. The botox-faced ex-chief minister of Selangor is equally vile and Malaysia’s CEO and Crime Minister that came to town pretending to sympathise sufferings of citizens resulting largely from his mismanagement of the country and its administration.
When he was running riot robbing the state’s coffer, this botoxed but claimed “TEMPE-treated” faced moron’s faces were plastered all over large billboards across the Selangor state. I had to wear blinkers for fear of accidentally shut my eyes to avoid my stomach turning around.
What about the king of the hopping kind? Yes, this guy’s look really kills you, to borrow JD Salinger’s line describing a guy that taunts the lead character Maxwell Caulfield almost daily in the novel The Catcher in the Rye. This amphibious creature is now considering hopping into the BN melting pot after securing parliamentary seat on an opposition ticket. He is truly the king of the frogs and toads and his look is of course amongst the most loathsome creature I have laid my eyes on.
And the Malaysia’s CEO and game master! He has to be one of the most pretentious looking creatures around in Malaysia. Does he not realised that sticking his posters all over the country will only make people despise him more. What more with ghosts of the deceased (and blown to bits) Mongolian beauty lurking all over the country in search of their murderer to make matters worse. The mere sight of this creature bearing 1Malaysia slogan sends you to your deathbed.
There goes my beautiful serene morning being marred by vivid pictures of these morons in my mind but the most evil one for now has to be the “Nasi Kandar” man, Zambry Kadir aka “Mamak Tongkang”.
Troubadour on a serene Thursday morning in the “Sin City”.
“If looks could kill, they probably will”. This line is from a song by Peter Gabriel (who was the original front man for the band Genesis). I could not quite remember the title of the song. Maybe it is “Games without Frontiers” since I remember vividly the full line chorus that goes “If looks could kill, they probably will, in games without frontiers, walls without tears”.
The phrase of course refers to a beautiful person but for today’s writing I am going to take the literal meaning of the line. Funny it seems that some people’s look can be down right offensive and one cannot help but rile at the sight of the person. The fake chief minister of Perak, a one Dr Zambry is one such figure. A mere glimpse of his face sends my stomach churning and I have to rush to the toilet for fear of vomiting in full public view.
We are not talking about ugliness. Beauty, by the way is in the eye of a beholder. But these sorts of people make you cringe every time you lay eyes on them or see their photographs. They seem to have this sinister look and level of cockiness that you cannot help but cower upon seeing them. This Perak dud chief minister has to be the top of the list amongst other contenders such as Najib Razak, Khir Toyo and Ibrahim Ali. Yes, I consider king of the frogs as one with a look that kills your appetite to live through the day. The botox-faced ex-chief minister of Selangor is equally vile and Malaysia’s CEO and Crime Minister that came to town pretending to sympathise sufferings of citizens resulting largely from his mismanagement of the country and its administration.
When he was running riot robbing the state’s coffer, this botoxed but claimed “TEMPE-treated” faced moron’s faces were plastered all over large billboards across the Selangor state. I had to wear blinkers for fear of accidentally shut my eyes to avoid my stomach turning around.
What about the king of the hopping kind? Yes, this guy’s look really kills you, to borrow JD Salinger’s line describing a guy that taunts the lead character Maxwell Caulfield almost daily in the novel The Catcher in the Rye. This amphibious creature is now considering hopping into the BN melting pot after securing parliamentary seat on an opposition ticket. He is truly the king of the frogs and toads and his look is of course amongst the most loathsome creature I have laid my eyes on.
And the Malaysia’s CEO and game master! He has to be one of the most pretentious looking creatures around in Malaysia. Does he not realised that sticking his posters all over the country will only make people despise him more. What more with ghosts of the deceased (and blown to bits) Mongolian beauty lurking all over the country in search of their murderer to make matters worse. The mere sight of this creature bearing 1Malaysia slogan sends you to your deathbed.
There goes my beautiful serene morning being marred by vivid pictures of these morons in my mind but the most evil one for now has to be the “Nasi Kandar” man, Zambry Kadir aka “Mamak Tongkang”.
Troubadour on a serene Thursday morning in the “Sin City”.
policing the police
I wrote about the authority’s bid to flush underground dissent in the form of bloggers to the surface through formation of bloggers union. Many surfaced from of underground, formed the union only to be blown apart. There were those brave seasoned bloggers that could not care less of the impending implication and obliteration. There were also however those that sincerely thought that the government of the day was serious about recognising rights of these bloggers to continue to air their opinions in cyberspace. This behaviour is down right naïve if not plain stupid. Do they really expect a corrupt institution that rule over half a century with clasp iron fists to transform into a wimp overnight? Just accept it that transform they will not and change they will never do!
It is easy for one to let off his or her guards especially when one is tired physically and mentally having to struggle for more than ten years assuming one was awaken in 1998. Those who were children (below the age of 12) in 1998 are now voters in their own right. These adults are now making up a big portion of the population and a glaring fact is that they cannot comprehend the struggle that we are putting up. To them, some fragment of the society is doing things that make no sense to them at all. Those that can think for themselves and have the intelligence to do so will naturally assume the struggle.
Those with this so called intelligence or a “capacity to reason” are few in numbers. The 80-20 rule prevails. Only 20% has the capacity to think. The rest are the ones that need to be convinced of the sanctity of this struggle to free ourselves from clutches of tyrants that abuse powers at will and subject citizens to unending hardship and tyranny.
I was a student in London when Tory rules and the miners were on strikes. From Newcastle to London there were strikes almost daily. Police were storming the “scabs” as these miners were referred to. The whole UK was like war zones. I could not understand why these miners were throwing tantrums. I did not bother to read their plight. I was at the end of my teenage age and about to become an adult. I understood little. To me, filling concert halls night after night and week after week was far more interesting. How could I appreciate sufferings of miners losing their jobs and an ability to earn a living!
How about police brutality? I was acquainted with a one time Malaysian student that failed her studies and continued living in the UK having married an Irish chap in the Midlands. She was screaming police brutality almost daily and she referred to these men-in-arms as “bastards”. I understood little and ridiculed her every action. I was indeed mistaken. These police are actually real bastards after all. As I arrived in the UK when events than turn men-in-arms to bastards had long gone, I could not understand peoples’ resentment. Police institution has become tool for Tories to silent dissent and the fact that the police chose to do so willingly was testimony of the dire state to which the nation has been reduced to.
Fast forward twenty years and I am witnessing a similar pattern right inside my backyard. Police stoop too low to be passed on simply as a coincidence. The whole institution is corrupted to the core. The mistake that Badawi regime did was to maintain the chief of police all in the name of avoiding a witch hunt in the wake of leadership change or avoiding victimisation and being humane. Likewise, institution that safeguards the law was equally tainted and left to operate in that sorry state as well.
Fracas in the Perak state assembly was testimony of police stooping far too low by conspiring with BN to wrest control state legislative assembly through vile, immoral and unlawful manner. Meteoric rise in crime rates and lawlessness seems to grip the nation so much so that citizens no longer feel safe. Even the OCPD was not spared. One OCPD was reported robbed in his own house where he was tied and gagged! Rapes increased and snatch thieves killed their victims in the process of practicing their professions. What sort of police institution is safeguarding our rights as citizens of this blessed land of ours?
It is not only a small segment of the police force is used by BN to promulgate their course but the whole institution allowed itself to be intimidated into doing its bidding. Again my favourite subject of the central part of the police force the intelligence unit aka the special branch (SB)! Intelligence is central and crucial to the smooth and efficient running of the police force. When this particular unit spends almost its entire time on spying on and diffusing and sabotaging the opposition, this explains failures in other crucial aspects of safety of citizens and the nation as a whole.
Policing is in itself a specialised profession. If we can get the police force to do their job of policing, there are numerous examples and role models that we can emulate. Whenever we speak on the subject of transformation or change management inevitably we will come across a famous character by the name of Bill Bratton will surface. His turnarounds of the New York and Boston police forces were subject of great interests to proponents of transformation exercise. Again I wish to stress on the word “IF” here. If our Malaysian police force is serious enough about doing their job instead of being tool of BN, we will see a safe Malaysia for all to enjoy. Is it much to ask for a mere citizen like me?
troubadour
For those who want to read a bit more on Bill Bratton, please go here: http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=119&subid=156&contentid=251223
It is easy for one to let off his or her guards especially when one is tired physically and mentally having to struggle for more than ten years assuming one was awaken in 1998. Those who were children (below the age of 12) in 1998 are now voters in their own right. These adults are now making up a big portion of the population and a glaring fact is that they cannot comprehend the struggle that we are putting up. To them, some fragment of the society is doing things that make no sense to them at all. Those that can think for themselves and have the intelligence to do so will naturally assume the struggle.
Those with this so called intelligence or a “capacity to reason” are few in numbers. The 80-20 rule prevails. Only 20% has the capacity to think. The rest are the ones that need to be convinced of the sanctity of this struggle to free ourselves from clutches of tyrants that abuse powers at will and subject citizens to unending hardship and tyranny.
I was a student in London when Tory rules and the miners were on strikes. From Newcastle to London there were strikes almost daily. Police were storming the “scabs” as these miners were referred to. The whole UK was like war zones. I could not understand why these miners were throwing tantrums. I did not bother to read their plight. I was at the end of my teenage age and about to become an adult. I understood little. To me, filling concert halls night after night and week after week was far more interesting. How could I appreciate sufferings of miners losing their jobs and an ability to earn a living!
How about police brutality? I was acquainted with a one time Malaysian student that failed her studies and continued living in the UK having married an Irish chap in the Midlands. She was screaming police brutality almost daily and she referred to these men-in-arms as “bastards”. I understood little and ridiculed her every action. I was indeed mistaken. These police are actually real bastards after all. As I arrived in the UK when events than turn men-in-arms to bastards had long gone, I could not understand peoples’ resentment. Police institution has become tool for Tories to silent dissent and the fact that the police chose to do so willingly was testimony of the dire state to which the nation has been reduced to.
Fast forward twenty years and I am witnessing a similar pattern right inside my backyard. Police stoop too low to be passed on simply as a coincidence. The whole institution is corrupted to the core. The mistake that Badawi regime did was to maintain the chief of police all in the name of avoiding a witch hunt in the wake of leadership change or avoiding victimisation and being humane. Likewise, institution that safeguards the law was equally tainted and left to operate in that sorry state as well.
Fracas in the Perak state assembly was testimony of police stooping far too low by conspiring with BN to wrest control state legislative assembly through vile, immoral and unlawful manner. Meteoric rise in crime rates and lawlessness seems to grip the nation so much so that citizens no longer feel safe. Even the OCPD was not spared. One OCPD was reported robbed in his own house where he was tied and gagged! Rapes increased and snatch thieves killed their victims in the process of practicing their professions. What sort of police institution is safeguarding our rights as citizens of this blessed land of ours?
It is not only a small segment of the police force is used by BN to promulgate their course but the whole institution allowed itself to be intimidated into doing its bidding. Again my favourite subject of the central part of the police force the intelligence unit aka the special branch (SB)! Intelligence is central and crucial to the smooth and efficient running of the police force. When this particular unit spends almost its entire time on spying on and diffusing and sabotaging the opposition, this explains failures in other crucial aspects of safety of citizens and the nation as a whole.
Policing is in itself a specialised profession. If we can get the police force to do their job of policing, there are numerous examples and role models that we can emulate. Whenever we speak on the subject of transformation or change management inevitably we will come across a famous character by the name of Bill Bratton will surface. His turnarounds of the New York and Boston police forces were subject of great interests to proponents of transformation exercise. Again I wish to stress on the word “IF” here. If our Malaysian police force is serious enough about doing their job instead of being tool of BN, we will see a safe Malaysia for all to enjoy. Is it much to ask for a mere citizen like me?
troubadour
For those who want to read a bit more on Bill Bratton, please go here: http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=119&subid=156&contentid=251223
Sunday, 19 April 2009
resurrecting an old age tactic
Inevitably it will come to this. We are seeing signs of desperation on the part of the ruling government to garner support by means other than legitimate ones. The corpse has been summoned from the dead.
The May 13 Riot that saw the birth of “positive discrimination” policy, the infamous New Economic Policy (NEP) and when politics matures a great deal over the years, we are seeing UMNO and BN warlords running hither thither to salvage whatever is left. With economy sliding deeper into a recession, there is little to rob. Whatever available is too meagre to be shared with the masses!
Enter universal panacea prescribed to avert depression! Go to war! That is precisely what the new PM will administer. He is looking at every possible avenue to create disorder and the Perak fiasco is going to provide him with a golden opportunity. When the bogus set of Perak peoples’ representatives convene the bogus call for a house seating and people trounce the streets of Ipoh in Perak, the police will open fire at will at people who act violently in response to aggravation by agent provocateurs. This is not a threat to the general public but rather a situation that we must avoid.
In this age of information, will such a provocation bear fruits? It will! We have countless occasions whenever chaos reign these agent provocateurs easily play their roles in ensuring confusion ensues. Some people will be sacrificed to enable these goons to hang onto powers. Crude it may seem but this is the reality of existing politics in Malaysia.
With Mahathir as the government advisor, we can only pray that he may answer his Maker’s call before he can do a lot more damage to this country. Events during his direct rule of 22 years are testimony of his brute ideology and monstrous conduct. We only have to go down the memory lane to foretell what lies ahead of us. We dread to think of another ten years or so if he lives beyond a decade old.
We witnessed recent clashes in Thailand and the powers that be in Malaysia are looking at similar method as an option. For those not so familiar with Thailand’s politics, please be aware that recent riot in Thailand was a real abuse of democratic rights by the pro-Thaksin movement. There were daily broadcasts by Thaksin on national television in Thailand. He was given equal slot on national television, a phenomenon unheard in Malaysia but his politics of amassing immense wealth and feeding crumbs to the poor in Thailand heartland that was a carbon copy of a successful method by BN government in Malaysia is no longer acceptable to the informed electorate there. When countless calls for a peaceful uprising fall on deaf ears, Thaksin opted for a violent way. It was unbelievable that he could incite such a crowd to rise against a democratically elected government. But given Thaksin’s immense wealth funding his campaign, we can only watch in awe at events unfolding before our eyes. Western democracy and money are inseparable but the ways by which funds are gathered and spent remain a major item that differentiates between true and false democratic parties.
With Thailand as the backdrop, Malaysia is hoping that international community will simply ignore chaos and disorder that they intend to propagate. We can only hope that we have the will to fight this. We are but a small nation clamouring for change and very insignificant in the eyes of the world. Furthermore in the name of sovereignty of a nation, action of the BN government to feint disorder will not be noticed by an international community.
So much for a hope to be saved by the international community! We are but left alone to fight this corrupt regime. We can only depend on unity within opposition ranks to ensure we do not fall into traps set by agents of the corrupt regime. Let us move on. Record every event and happenings on a camera and video and keep them in safe places for us to produce evidence in the aftermaths of the bloodbath. Do not get yourself caught in the crossfire.
The May 13 Riot that saw the birth of “positive discrimination” policy, the infamous New Economic Policy (NEP) and when politics matures a great deal over the years, we are seeing UMNO and BN warlords running hither thither to salvage whatever is left. With economy sliding deeper into a recession, there is little to rob. Whatever available is too meagre to be shared with the masses!
Enter universal panacea prescribed to avert depression! Go to war! That is precisely what the new PM will administer. He is looking at every possible avenue to create disorder and the Perak fiasco is going to provide him with a golden opportunity. When the bogus set of Perak peoples’ representatives convene the bogus call for a house seating and people trounce the streets of Ipoh in Perak, the police will open fire at will at people who act violently in response to aggravation by agent provocateurs. This is not a threat to the general public but rather a situation that we must avoid.
In this age of information, will such a provocation bear fruits? It will! We have countless occasions whenever chaos reign these agent provocateurs easily play their roles in ensuring confusion ensues. Some people will be sacrificed to enable these goons to hang onto powers. Crude it may seem but this is the reality of existing politics in Malaysia.
With Mahathir as the government advisor, we can only pray that he may answer his Maker’s call before he can do a lot more damage to this country. Events during his direct rule of 22 years are testimony of his brute ideology and monstrous conduct. We only have to go down the memory lane to foretell what lies ahead of us. We dread to think of another ten years or so if he lives beyond a decade old.
We witnessed recent clashes in Thailand and the powers that be in Malaysia are looking at similar method as an option. For those not so familiar with Thailand’s politics, please be aware that recent riot in Thailand was a real abuse of democratic rights by the pro-Thaksin movement. There were daily broadcasts by Thaksin on national television in Thailand. He was given equal slot on national television, a phenomenon unheard in Malaysia but his politics of amassing immense wealth and feeding crumbs to the poor in Thailand heartland that was a carbon copy of a successful method by BN government in Malaysia is no longer acceptable to the informed electorate there. When countless calls for a peaceful uprising fall on deaf ears, Thaksin opted for a violent way. It was unbelievable that he could incite such a crowd to rise against a democratically elected government. But given Thaksin’s immense wealth funding his campaign, we can only watch in awe at events unfolding before our eyes. Western democracy and money are inseparable but the ways by which funds are gathered and spent remain a major item that differentiates between true and false democratic parties.
With Thailand as the backdrop, Malaysia is hoping that international community will simply ignore chaos and disorder that they intend to propagate. We can only hope that we have the will to fight this. We are but a small nation clamouring for change and very insignificant in the eyes of the world. Furthermore in the name of sovereignty of a nation, action of the BN government to feint disorder will not be noticed by an international community.
So much for a hope to be saved by the international community! We are but left alone to fight this corrupt regime. We can only depend on unity within opposition ranks to ensure we do not fall into traps set by agents of the corrupt regime. Let us move on. Record every event and happenings on a camera and video and keep them in safe places for us to produce evidence in the aftermaths of the bloodbath. Do not get yourself caught in the crossfire.
Thursday, 2 April 2009
impending disaster
This has to be the most depressing day in my entire life on this earth. How could a man full of controversy be allowed to ascend to the highest level in the country? I know there are millions others like me out there who are utterly dismayed at this occasion.
All my years of struggling to feed the family and instilling discipline in my children’s conduct and striving to do my bits for the society, I have never been at my lowest of spirit as I am feeling now. How could those who call themselves Muslims in UMNO can simply cast aside their beliefs and condone injustices happening right in front of their own eyes? Are they blind, eyes and heart to not see this travesty of justice? May the Almighty protect all of us from calamity!
Najib Razak is an inch away from becoming the prime minister. Already there are informed citizens calling him by a different pseudonym, be it “Pembunuh Monggolia” (PM) and another, Crime Minister for he has been dodging this accusation of his involvement in the brutal murder of a Mongolian lady translator. His evasiveness in facing a slightest mention of the name and authority’s warning against mentioning the Monggolian lady’s name is casting shadows over his innocence.
An all out attempt by those around him that are at his disposal to shield him from this issue is having a reverse effect of drawing him closer to the murder. A person is innocent until proven guilty but misusing every available instrument at one’s disposal to prevent being called to testify in court is a sign of guilt, or at least perceived so. Never have Malaysians be subjected to such a charade before in 52 years of her independence.
There is an adage that goes “never expect a good sapling from a bad seed”. Revelation of the late Tun Razak’s involvement in May 13, 1969 race riot is surfacing. History was fabricated to hide this fact. Now, thank you to the UMNO morons, we have his prodigal son ruling with iron fists and in cohort with an ex-Prime Minister known coldly as Malaysian Modern Pharaoh (Mahafiraun) hounding Malaysian public and bringing us closer to insanity.
News of this debacle appeared in newspaper all around the world. It makes me ashamed of being Malaysian and continues to be subjected to horrendous questionings by foreigners whenever I come across them in conversations be it on the street or in plane en-route the many destinations I frequent. What have we innocent Malaysians done to deserve this ignominy? We just pray that wrath of the Almighty will not befall us for not lifting our finger to avert injustices.
Oh dear God! Give us the strength to fight this cold war and bring about peace, harmony and much prosperity to our fellow countrymen and let tyrants be forever banished from this fertile and sacred land of yours. Amen! By the grace of the Almighty, let our prayer be fulfilled and become reality!
All my years of struggling to feed the family and instilling discipline in my children’s conduct and striving to do my bits for the society, I have never been at my lowest of spirit as I am feeling now. How could those who call themselves Muslims in UMNO can simply cast aside their beliefs and condone injustices happening right in front of their own eyes? Are they blind, eyes and heart to not see this travesty of justice? May the Almighty protect all of us from calamity!
Najib Razak is an inch away from becoming the prime minister. Already there are informed citizens calling him by a different pseudonym, be it “Pembunuh Monggolia” (PM) and another, Crime Minister for he has been dodging this accusation of his involvement in the brutal murder of a Mongolian lady translator. His evasiveness in facing a slightest mention of the name and authority’s warning against mentioning the Monggolian lady’s name is casting shadows over his innocence.
An all out attempt by those around him that are at his disposal to shield him from this issue is having a reverse effect of drawing him closer to the murder. A person is innocent until proven guilty but misusing every available instrument at one’s disposal to prevent being called to testify in court is a sign of guilt, or at least perceived so. Never have Malaysians be subjected to such a charade before in 52 years of her independence.
There is an adage that goes “never expect a good sapling from a bad seed”. Revelation of the late Tun Razak’s involvement in May 13, 1969 race riot is surfacing. History was fabricated to hide this fact. Now, thank you to the UMNO morons, we have his prodigal son ruling with iron fists and in cohort with an ex-Prime Minister known coldly as Malaysian Modern Pharaoh (Mahafiraun) hounding Malaysian public and bringing us closer to insanity.
News of this debacle appeared in newspaper all around the world. It makes me ashamed of being Malaysian and continues to be subjected to horrendous questionings by foreigners whenever I come across them in conversations be it on the street or in plane en-route the many destinations I frequent. What have we innocent Malaysians done to deserve this ignominy? We just pray that wrath of the Almighty will not befall us for not lifting our finger to avert injustices.
Oh dear God! Give us the strength to fight this cold war and bring about peace, harmony and much prosperity to our fellow countrymen and let tyrants be forever banished from this fertile and sacred land of yours. Amen! By the grace of the Almighty, let our prayer be fulfilled and become reality!
great mind of a man
Politicians thrive on chaos. I could not help having that kind of feeling. I was watching Anwar Ibrahim giving his speech titled “Global Economic Crisis and The Future of ASEAN” at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
The talk was organised by the Political Science Department of the University. This talk was a maiden speech as far a foreign speaker was concerned. The department decided to invite Anwar Ibrahim as a foreign debut.
I had never seen him speaking before an audience before. Nor had I had a chance of meeting this respected figure before. His reputation definitely preceded him. I sent an e-mail afterwards to YM RPK, a friend I knew way back when I was struggling as an entrepreneur, saying that I could not help but being impressed.
His delivery may lack a bit of punch because the way he chose to deliver it, i.e. by referring to his written text, but his bid to elaborate the points was very good. I thought that he might have had a brilliant think-thank working on his speech or perhaps the man himself was a man of substance. Judging by massive followers that he has in Malaysia and the region, the latter could be the case.
Immediately the day after the event I read the full text again on the internet right down to each finer point. The speech merits further deliberation indeed. For those who wish to get yourselves enlightened on current turmoil, do visit this site: http://anwaribrahimblog.com/2009/03/31/the-global-economic-crisis-and-the-future-of-asean/#more-6547.
In Pursuit of the American Dreams
I had been trying to explain to my fellow staffs the reason behind current economic crisis and cited greed as key to the whole issue coupled with flawed financial system where usury being the main culprit. I am glad that I did not run far away from what was said by the said speaker. I referred to this excessive greed on the part of the population to pursue material wealth at all costs and casting aside social responsibility. This madness is often referred to as an “American Dream”, a dream to pursue not so much “freedom and independence” as what was then synonymous to but rather a blind pursuit of material wealth. Younger generations often associated freedom and independence to ability to amass, accumulate and indulge in immense wealth and engage in activities without any limit, be it social, religious or cultural.
The world economy is bloated with goods and services that have superficial value. This superficial value stems from creative manipulation of human behaviours. People are being bombarded with (dis)information that conditioned their mind to believe and accept that some useless products or services possess extremely great values. These superficial values attached to these products and services are very much apparent if one studies value engineering where “aesthetic” value aspects are given greater emphasis as opposed to “primary” value. Primary value (or often referred to as “function”) is the key value. Aesthetic or other attached values are values that make one wants to own a particular product or wanting a certain kind of services.
In a world where brand building has reached a stage where it makes products or services command values far surpassing their actual value, we will be procuring pathetic values at exorbitant prices. Profit then flows into the hands of minority few that get richer at the expense of uninformed consumer. Again greed is central to the whole issue. We formed this popular opinion that happiness equates material wealth.
Next in our pursuit to satisfy our greed, we borrow when we have insufficient fund to finance it. We indulge in excesses thinking that we are embracing fully this capitalistic behaviour.
The key thing is how long can this practice continue. Definitely not very long at all! This madness comes to an end with the credit crunch. Now we have to scramble to stay afloat, to pay our credit cards and mortgages. On the behest of this new revelation, we are now awake and become a bit sober. There is this social responsibility part that we have forgotten in our lunacy to pursue material wealth.
Looking at a macro level reveals another flaw. Economy is always spoken about without fail with reference to government spending. Economy will grow when government spend. Governance and transparency on the part of government in its spending is of paramount importance. Government’s irresponsibility in dishing out “contracts” to cronies at costs far higher than actual costs is causing a leakage in the economy. We are again paying higher price for a meagre service or product. Similar to commercial goods, this practice lead to excessive profits ending up in coffers of select few.
Economic Connoisseurs
Interesting to note that Mr Anwar brought up that it was the failure on the part of economists to predict the impending crash that made the impact more devastating. Everyone was caught with their pants down. Further, the effect is very far reaching and pundits are still debating as to viable prescriptions to get us out of this doldrums. Whichever way the argument goes, one cannot ignore that government’s role is central to solving this predicament. “Bailouts” did not go down well during the Asian Financial Crisis. Now in Malaysia we are being introduced to “Stimulus Package, perhaps a positive way of looking at bailouts as means of pouring in much needed cash into the economy. However, if economists failed to predict this catastrophe in the first place, they therefore may not be qualified to offer prescriptions. Can one trust their recommendation, advice or suggestion? Doubtful indeed! Already there is accusation that these specialists grossly underestimate intensity of the problem and depth of the “black hole”. How much capital does it take to spur growth? Cash poured in seems to disappear without any noticeable impact to the economy and in Malaysia’s case leakage is the main worry. It is like throwing dust to the wind!
Structural Defects
Whatever measures that we are going to take, we must not run away from first addressing structural defects prevalent in our system. If we do not do this, we can guarantee that whatever we do will not be any good. These defects are mainly poor governance and opaque practice that suck the very life out of the economy. People in the end suffer.
Besides defects in the delivery process there are also defects in the financial system itself. With excessive profiteering and magnanimous payment on loan interests, monies flow only to the haves and the haves-not are reduced to extreme poverty level. No wonder it did not take long for demand of goods and services to dwindle.
Widespread Pessimism
When news of collapse of lending institutions reaches the masses, they can only react by tightening further their spending in anticipation of further disintegration of the already fragile economy. Property price plummets and mortgages defaulted. People only buy basic necessities. There is then widespread belief that things are going from bad to worse and people wait for the illusive bottom of the ravine that is slow in coming to the surface. We refrain from making any unwarranted spending. The economy is reduced to a standstill.
Impact of this psychological behaviour of the masses to the economy is devastating and there is little that one can do. Only time will be able to mend this effect and time is exactly what we do not have since we are suffering a great deal with this economic downturn.
This brings us back to the talk at Chulalongkorn University and the title of this piece by troubadour today.
The chaotic state in which Malaysia is in today seems to provide an excellent platform for astute politicians to justify their existence. Much like murky and troubled waters, there are those that fish rather skilfully in them. Elaborating on questions fielded by Suthichai Yun of the Nation Group, the Larry King of Thailand, Malaysian opposition figure could not be more at ease. Audience had a field day with his answers from crafty one as to when he would become the prime minister to solutions for the upheaval in the South of Thailand. He tackled them rather professionally.
The press conference at the end of the talk was equally exciting. The perceptive leader was a darling to journalists from Thailand and other foreign presses. He listened intently before answering the questions with great perception, intelligence and sense of conviction. As this was my first encounter with him, I chose to observe more than testing his knowledge of regional politics, which is partly the subject he spoke about earlier on.
Mr Anwar was resolute in his pursuit to change the government it seems. He was bent on doing it to bring Malaysia out of its misery. At least that is what he claimed and I kind of believe that he can do it. It was not this encounter that I had that influenced me but rather the sorry state the country is in today that sealed my heart that he is the leader that can do it.
The Governor of Bangkok, Sukhumphan Boripat spoke highly of this particular leader. His descriptive words and the soft manner by which he chose to describe Mr Anwar led us to believe that he was being very sincere and forthright. One could not help but felt very proud that a fellow country man was being accorded such a respect. Our only regret is that the country is about to change from a slight more democratic leader to a tyrant disguised as a potential leader that is a saviour to the nation by the name of Najib Razak. His manipulation of the government, its machineries, civil servants, judiciary, police and the army in the days of the PM’s “sabbatical leave” can only be a reflection of more oppression to come.
Troubadour on the eve of Najib Razak’s ascension to the premiership of Malaysia!
Pattaya, 2nd April 2009
The talk was organised by the Political Science Department of the University. This talk was a maiden speech as far a foreign speaker was concerned. The department decided to invite Anwar Ibrahim as a foreign debut.
I had never seen him speaking before an audience before. Nor had I had a chance of meeting this respected figure before. His reputation definitely preceded him. I sent an e-mail afterwards to YM RPK, a friend I knew way back when I was struggling as an entrepreneur, saying that I could not help but being impressed.
His delivery may lack a bit of punch because the way he chose to deliver it, i.e. by referring to his written text, but his bid to elaborate the points was very good. I thought that he might have had a brilliant think-thank working on his speech or perhaps the man himself was a man of substance. Judging by massive followers that he has in Malaysia and the region, the latter could be the case.
Immediately the day after the event I read the full text again on the internet right down to each finer point. The speech merits further deliberation indeed. For those who wish to get yourselves enlightened on current turmoil, do visit this site: http://anwaribrahimblog.com/2009/03/31/the-global-economic-crisis-and-the-future-of-asean/#more-6547.
In Pursuit of the American Dreams
I had been trying to explain to my fellow staffs the reason behind current economic crisis and cited greed as key to the whole issue coupled with flawed financial system where usury being the main culprit. I am glad that I did not run far away from what was said by the said speaker. I referred to this excessive greed on the part of the population to pursue material wealth at all costs and casting aside social responsibility. This madness is often referred to as an “American Dream”, a dream to pursue not so much “freedom and independence” as what was then synonymous to but rather a blind pursuit of material wealth. Younger generations often associated freedom and independence to ability to amass, accumulate and indulge in immense wealth and engage in activities without any limit, be it social, religious or cultural.
The world economy is bloated with goods and services that have superficial value. This superficial value stems from creative manipulation of human behaviours. People are being bombarded with (dis)information that conditioned their mind to believe and accept that some useless products or services possess extremely great values. These superficial values attached to these products and services are very much apparent if one studies value engineering where “aesthetic” value aspects are given greater emphasis as opposed to “primary” value. Primary value (or often referred to as “function”) is the key value. Aesthetic or other attached values are values that make one wants to own a particular product or wanting a certain kind of services.
In a world where brand building has reached a stage where it makes products or services command values far surpassing their actual value, we will be procuring pathetic values at exorbitant prices. Profit then flows into the hands of minority few that get richer at the expense of uninformed consumer. Again greed is central to the whole issue. We formed this popular opinion that happiness equates material wealth.
Next in our pursuit to satisfy our greed, we borrow when we have insufficient fund to finance it. We indulge in excesses thinking that we are embracing fully this capitalistic behaviour.
The key thing is how long can this practice continue. Definitely not very long at all! This madness comes to an end with the credit crunch. Now we have to scramble to stay afloat, to pay our credit cards and mortgages. On the behest of this new revelation, we are now awake and become a bit sober. There is this social responsibility part that we have forgotten in our lunacy to pursue material wealth.
Looking at a macro level reveals another flaw. Economy is always spoken about without fail with reference to government spending. Economy will grow when government spend. Governance and transparency on the part of government in its spending is of paramount importance. Government’s irresponsibility in dishing out “contracts” to cronies at costs far higher than actual costs is causing a leakage in the economy. We are again paying higher price for a meagre service or product. Similar to commercial goods, this practice lead to excessive profits ending up in coffers of select few.
Economic Connoisseurs
Interesting to note that Mr Anwar brought up that it was the failure on the part of economists to predict the impending crash that made the impact more devastating. Everyone was caught with their pants down. Further, the effect is very far reaching and pundits are still debating as to viable prescriptions to get us out of this doldrums. Whichever way the argument goes, one cannot ignore that government’s role is central to solving this predicament. “Bailouts” did not go down well during the Asian Financial Crisis. Now in Malaysia we are being introduced to “Stimulus Package, perhaps a positive way of looking at bailouts as means of pouring in much needed cash into the economy. However, if economists failed to predict this catastrophe in the first place, they therefore may not be qualified to offer prescriptions. Can one trust their recommendation, advice or suggestion? Doubtful indeed! Already there is accusation that these specialists grossly underestimate intensity of the problem and depth of the “black hole”. How much capital does it take to spur growth? Cash poured in seems to disappear without any noticeable impact to the economy and in Malaysia’s case leakage is the main worry. It is like throwing dust to the wind!
Structural Defects
Whatever measures that we are going to take, we must not run away from first addressing structural defects prevalent in our system. If we do not do this, we can guarantee that whatever we do will not be any good. These defects are mainly poor governance and opaque practice that suck the very life out of the economy. People in the end suffer.
Besides defects in the delivery process there are also defects in the financial system itself. With excessive profiteering and magnanimous payment on loan interests, monies flow only to the haves and the haves-not are reduced to extreme poverty level. No wonder it did not take long for demand of goods and services to dwindle.
Widespread Pessimism
When news of collapse of lending institutions reaches the masses, they can only react by tightening further their spending in anticipation of further disintegration of the already fragile economy. Property price plummets and mortgages defaulted. People only buy basic necessities. There is then widespread belief that things are going from bad to worse and people wait for the illusive bottom of the ravine that is slow in coming to the surface. We refrain from making any unwarranted spending. The economy is reduced to a standstill.
Impact of this psychological behaviour of the masses to the economy is devastating and there is little that one can do. Only time will be able to mend this effect and time is exactly what we do not have since we are suffering a great deal with this economic downturn.
This brings us back to the talk at Chulalongkorn University and the title of this piece by troubadour today.
The chaotic state in which Malaysia is in today seems to provide an excellent platform for astute politicians to justify their existence. Much like murky and troubled waters, there are those that fish rather skilfully in them. Elaborating on questions fielded by Suthichai Yun of the Nation Group, the Larry King of Thailand, Malaysian opposition figure could not be more at ease. Audience had a field day with his answers from crafty one as to when he would become the prime minister to solutions for the upheaval in the South of Thailand. He tackled them rather professionally.
The press conference at the end of the talk was equally exciting. The perceptive leader was a darling to journalists from Thailand and other foreign presses. He listened intently before answering the questions with great perception, intelligence and sense of conviction. As this was my first encounter with him, I chose to observe more than testing his knowledge of regional politics, which is partly the subject he spoke about earlier on.
Mr Anwar was resolute in his pursuit to change the government it seems. He was bent on doing it to bring Malaysia out of its misery. At least that is what he claimed and I kind of believe that he can do it. It was not this encounter that I had that influenced me but rather the sorry state the country is in today that sealed my heart that he is the leader that can do it.
The Governor of Bangkok, Sukhumphan Boripat spoke highly of this particular leader. His descriptive words and the soft manner by which he chose to describe Mr Anwar led us to believe that he was being very sincere and forthright. One could not help but felt very proud that a fellow country man was being accorded such a respect. Our only regret is that the country is about to change from a slight more democratic leader to a tyrant disguised as a potential leader that is a saviour to the nation by the name of Najib Razak. His manipulation of the government, its machineries, civil servants, judiciary, police and the army in the days of the PM’s “sabbatical leave” can only be a reflection of more oppression to come.
Troubadour on the eve of Najib Razak’s ascension to the premiership of Malaysia!
Pattaya, 2nd April 2009
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