Wednesday, April 30, 2008

love for a reason, a season... or a lifetime?

I love you more today than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow. The ability to fall in love over and over, with the same person is the secret of a lasting and strong relationship. Happiness is a thing to be practiced, like a violin.
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON. . . It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend, and they are!

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

Then when people come into your life for a SEASON.

Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done.They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it! It is real! But, it’s only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life.

ketuanan melayu.. ketuanan melayu..

Why the need to make a fuss out of ketuanan melayu? As far as my knowledge carries me, there have never been any problem with non- melayu in helping melayu in improving their status so that they wont be left out in accordance to the Constitution. Not until the moment Umnoputra start to abuse this special position and turn it into their political agenda.

After years of propagandizing this cause, it turns out every bit of this cry is just a farce.. True that we can see melayu been pushed up to holding top position all sectors, but it is also true that what we see today is just an eye wash to hoodwink the majority of the melayu for umnoputras' selfish interest. Only umnoputras get to be supreme.

In what way does it makes a melayu more supreme than the non-melayu? Driving big cars? Or rather holding on to top position in most organisation? The true fact is none of the melayu in the top circle has made it on their own which is, without the help of the government and the dreaded NEP.

And now we have Shahrir coming out to defend ketuanan melayu by bringing in the monarchy. The power of monarchy was never questioned in the first place. If everyone can remember, it was the umnoputras under Mahathir helm that had show disrespect to the monarchy. So who are they to bring monarchy to defend ketuanan melayu now.

All in all, i can say that it was Umno that played up this ketuanan melayu cause which resulted in their downfall. To the extent that they start flexing their power indiscriminately by oppressing the non-melayu. Our PM may give his subtle version of ketuanan melayu but what was done practically has already did the damage infinitely.

I hold more respect for my melayu friends who worked hard in running their warongs to make ends meet. And to all those who made it through the help of NEP, you all are nothing to me. Just a bunch of lazy, brainless scumbags.

Pakatan Rakyat was right in coming out with Ketuanan Rakyat as part of their manifesto and i don't really give a damn how they are going to get it work. One thing i know for sure is that it wont be as bad as what umnoputras preached. Malays being marginalised wont be an issue in Ketuanan Rakyat as the non-malays are still keen work with the malays on a win-win situation. Definitely not by those oppressive manner the non-malays have been receiving from umnoputras.

Pakatan Rakyat is the way to a prosper Malaysia.

traitor mahathir's letter to malaysiakini..

The recent decision of a senior Gerakan leader to take a job under the DAP government of Penang should not be taken lightly by the Barisan Nasional if it wishes to survive and regain support of its members and supporters.

The Gerakan leader may be motivated by a genuine desire to work for the good of Penang and Malaysia. But it may also be because loyalty to BN is now based on personal gains or fear of punishment of some kind.

This is especially so among the leaders. There is no genuine love for the objectives said to be the raison d'etre for the party's existence. They are all fighting to get a piece of the cake that the party would be able to distribute when it wins elections. They could become ministers or menteri besars or deputy ministers or speakers. They could get contracts or licenses, APs (approved permits), etc.

When the party loses these will not be forthcoming. The reason for supporting the party would disappear.

The rank-and-file on the other hand stands to gain nothing, win or lose. The party is not any longer for the general good of the country but only for lining the pockets of the leaders. So why should the ordinary members help the leaders to line their pockets.

The party can keep on making promises but the members know that these promises are empty.

Supposing the opposition are smart enough to provide good government, to look after the interests of the ordinary people, to lead a spartan life like not flying in chartered planes when going to Kuala Lumpur or taking excos and divisional heads on jaunts to foreign countries, then those people who voted for the opposition out of anger against the BN in 2008, would transfer their loyalty permanently to the opposition.

When that happens BN, Umno and other component parties can forget about recapturing the states lost to the opposition. Their turncoat members (saboteurs as they are classified by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) will remain turncoats and will actively work against the BN at the next election. To lose once is bad but to lose a second time in Malaysian election is an unmitigated disaster.

The window of opportunity will close pretty soon. Unless drastic actions are taken now, there would be no time to rehabilitate BN and Umno, and indeed all the other BN component parties, for the next election. When this happens and BN is totally defeated, the leaders who mismanaged the BN will go down in history as betrayers of the parties which had so successfully defeated the Malayan Union, gained independence for the country and developed it to what it is today.

The leaders still have a choice. Continue supporting a person under whom the BN and its component parties were defeated or stop being self-serving and return to the true national struggle. You may gain something for yourself personally today but your children and grand children will pay a terrible price.

The choice is yours.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad
The whole context of his letter sounded like money politics to me. That was how he bribed his way with the country's wealth to stay in power during his tenure. Perhaps he has also forgotten the fact that he is solely the one responsible for rooting this cancerous cell deeply into Umno and BN.
During his tenure, only the obedients and dumb fools are chosen to the cabinet leaving out all those who are better qualified. Smarts ones were shelved and put out of limelight so that he can looked good and smart to the rakyat. Just take a good look at Umno now. I cant find anyone who has the quality to take over the rein of this country. I only see criminal in each and everyone of them.
Taking down Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won't solve Umno's and BN's problem. It is the type of bad governance culture that Mahathir preached that need to be overhauled.
Open up your eyes and look around you.. You can see all his rotten legacies everywhere in form of rotten people he created to rule this country and wastage of public funds through non-viable white elephants projects for the purpose of corruptions and distribution to stay in power.
We must thank him for his honesty through his letter in admiting all his wrongdoings by directing it to his successor.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

what is there to worry....

'We cannot afford mess up in Penang'
Posted in MalaysiaKini

I refer to the above interview and here are some excerpts from YB Jeff Ooi:

The Challenge
“The state ministers - the excos - some of them have not even had the experience of running a company, let alone running a state portfolio. So that is what we are worried about, the lack of experience, and this could be a target of attack by the opponents.”
The Sabotage
One of the key things that we saw was the dissolution of the Penang Tourism Action Council. I think Penang is one of the four (states) where the tourism action council MOU (memorandum of understanding) is being withdrawn and the fund is going to be channeled through federal agencies.
Number 2, there was a wildcat decision by RapidPenang - the Khazanah-owned bus company - to withdraw their regular schedule of making stopovers at Komtar - a hub for commuters - without pre-informing the state government.
Number 3 was basically the Labour Office releasing information about the retrenchment without pre-informing the government as well. So these are the type of the rough edges, which if not managed properly, could be interpreted as the new government having no capacity or capability to run (the state).
Dear YB Jeff Ooi,
The Rakyat had made their choice for a sweeping reform and entrusted all their hopes onto you and your fellow Pakatan Rakyat colleagues to bring about changes that are beneficial to the rakyat and country itself.
We have gone through decades of bad governance where our rich resources have been continuously raped and wasted through corruption. Needless for me to elaborate further as the rakyat has awakened to the fact that our country have been ruled by people who only know how to play politics and mislead the rakyat for their own selfish needs.
So your concern pertaining to lacking of experience at exco level need not arise. Furthermore, to rectify this setback, the state government has already move in a positive manner by organising in-house training to improve the quality of its staff.
All those actions taken by the federal government against the Penang state government are issues beyond your control. CM Lim Guan Eng had on numerous occassions extended his intention to work hand in hand with the federal government but his good intentions was met with further sabotage.
So, what is beyond our control we just let go of it and work within our means. Let the rakyat be the eyes to judge. As long as Pakatan Rakyat runs the state government in good faith that is, for the interest of the rakyat and country, BN is doomed for sure.
Pakatan Rakyat rule can never go any worse than what we had for the past 4 decades.
Drawing of salary is acceptable to the rakyat. And if the performance warrants a bonus, it is also acceptable to the rakyat.
Meanwhile, just concentrate on your responsibilties to your family and the country.
ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA

Monday, April 28, 2008

maya angelou's best poem ever...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she's content to leave behind....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill,
and a black lace bra...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
one friend who always makes her laugh...
and one who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a feeling of control over her destiny....
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. ..
whom she can trust,whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...when her soul needs soothing...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish
in a day... a month...and a year...

what is becoming of this world... please read on...

WARNING!! "PLEASE BE ALERT AND BE MORE VIGILANT LIVING IN THIS UNBECOMING WORLD WHERE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING ANYMORE"
Dear All,
A few weeks ago, in a cinema, a person felt something poking from her seat. When she got up to see what it was, she found a needle sticking out of the seat with a note attached saying 'You have just been infected by HIV (AIDS)'.

The Disease Control Center (in Paris ) reports many similar events in many other cities recently. All tested needles were HIV Positive. The Center also reports that needles have been found in cash dispensers (ATM) at public banking machines. We ask everyone to use extreme caution when faced with this kind of situation. All public chairs/seats should be inspected with vigilance and caution before use. A careful visual inspection should be enough. In addition, they ask that each of you pass this message along to all members of your family and your friends of the potential danger.

Recently, one doctor has narrated a somewhat similar instance that happened to one of his patients at the Praia Cinema in Delhi . A young girl engaged and about to be married in a couple of months, was pricked while the movie was going on. The tag with the needle had the message : 'Welcome to the World of HIV family'. Though the doctors told her family that it takes about 6 months before the virus grows strong enough to start damaging the system and a healthy victim could survive about 5-6 years, the girl died in 4 months, perhaps more because of the 'Shock thought'. We all have to be careful at public places, rest God help! Just think about saving a life by forwarding this message. Please, take a few seconds of your time to pass along.

sufiah story made many fools.. haha!!

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 - Malaysian ministers, deputy ministers, and other bureaucrats are making a beeline to London to help maths-genius-turned-hooker, Sufiah, with her high sex drive.

The former and current Ministers of Health have released a joint statement saying, 'We believe that we can understand Sufiah's positions better and, maybe, let her know our positions as well by having a face-to-face meeting with her. We understand that sex is essential to good health and as the current and former health ministers; we believe that no one can provide Sufiah with better health education. Anyway, a high sex drive is not uncommon and we look forward to helping Sufiah with her problem, together, if necessary.

'The Education Minister and his cousin, the DPM, are also traveling to London to meet Sufiah.

'We actually tried to make an appointment with her for Saturday night but it seems that our boss has got in ahead of us. She'll only be free on Monday, so we'll be looking to spend some quality time in Soho until then - all expenses paid by our ministries, of course,' said the Education Minister with a smirk on his face.

'We intend to get to her bottom, I mean, the bottom of her situation, and convince her to work in Malaysia. We feel that she has many of the right attributes that can ease the pressure on hard things,' he added while moving his hands around in his pockets.

The Rural and Regional Development ministry is also sending its minister, Muhd. Muhd. Taib to meet with Sufiah.

'She's a smart person. We think that she can contribute some ideas to the rising decadence in the rural areas of Malaysia. I hope to see her back in some rural area in Malaysia. I also hope to see her front. I believe we can come to some natural position that is best for both of us,' said the Minister with a big grin on his face. 'Besides, she can help me with my maths as I'm always confused about the amount of zeroes behind the 1 I can carry overseas.'

The Tourism Minister is also one of those who are looking forward to getting some know how from Sufiah.

'Have you seen the state of Malaysian bushes? I've seen my fair share of bushes and I can say that they are a disgrace? How can we attract tourists with bushes like this? She keeps her bush nice and trim and we need to know how to do that to get more tourists for Malaysia. I'm going there to gain some first hand experience in bush trimming from her. I'm sure that once I get my fingers wet in her bush, she'll even volunteer to come to Malaysia to help in our bush trimming efforts.'

When asked if the Agriculture Minister was not a more suitable person, she said, 'Trust me. I know bushes better than him.'

It is believed that some of the Malaysian politicians who had lost in the last General Elections had already met up with Sufiah to get her expertise.

'She is really an act of God! I used to have plumbing problems but she just orally taught me how to solve my problems,' said one former minister who requested anonymity.

A MAS spokesman said that flights to London are all fully booked for the next 2 weeks.

new scandal - halal certificates...

NEW CURI DUIT STORIES: HALAL CERTIFICATES
By Little Bird posted by Raja Petra

Kawan-kawan, last week there was a news report showing the new Minister for Agama, Zahid Hamidi, presiding over some meeting at the Pusat Islam. The Director of the Pusat Islam Dato' Wan Mohamad Bin Dato' Sheikh Abdul Aziz, a strong PAS supporter, was also present and looked very uncomfortable.

There was something going on at that meeting. Money was changing hands – tens of millions of Ringgit was being siphoned off. Here is the story. Jakim is a totally tiu nia mah, f**ked up Gomen organization run by muther f***ers of the lowest grade. These are the so-called religious bastards. You will guess by now that I really, really do not like these turds.

Jakim steals money from people from the sale of its tiu nia mah Halal Certificate. If you are an instant noodle manufacturer, if you are a coffee shop owner serving Muslims, if you are bakery, etc., then you will know what is this Halal Cetification is all about. It costs money. You need a Halal Certificate if you want to sell food products to Muslims. And where do you get this Halal Certificate? From these same bastards lah! It costs you money, you can bribe them, you can kau tim, etc.

Just so that our Muslim brethren can eat stuff a Halal Certification is required. It is not a law or a legal requirement but this is Malaysia. The law of the jungle applies here. This Halal Certification brings big bucks to JAKIM. No one knows the exact millions that comes into JAKIM's (and the Gomen's) coffers but it runs into the tens of millions. Lately the Prme Minister has been pushing to give the JAKIM bastards the sole franchise to issue these Halal Certificates. Here is an old news report:

Pemberian logo halal diselaras Semua negeri setuju arahan PM guna logo dikeluar Jakim. PUTRAJAYA: Hanya Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) boleh mengeluarkan logo halal di negara ini dan penggunaannya berkuat kuasa serta-merta.PM Arah Semua Negeri Guna Logo Halal Jakim Sahaja.

MELAKA, 7 Mac (Bernama) -- Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hari Selasa mengarahkan semua negeri supaya menyeragamkan penggunaan tanda halal dengan menggunakan hanya logo halal yang dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim).

So the Idiot wants everyone to pay JAKIM for the Halal Logo. So JAKIM gets all the money. Was there are other ulterior motive? Well, just last week Zahid Hamidi who is now Minister-in-charge of JAKIM announced that from now onwards the issuance of the Halal Logo or Halal Certification will be handed to an animal known as the Halal Industry Development Corporation or HDC. Who is this HDC?

It was a company spearheaded by the SIL to develop the Halal Hub on Pulau Indah. However, the Hub never took off. It became another landscam. Some land was bought cheaply under the camouflage of the HDC and then sold off to others at a huge profit. A person by the name of Gnanalingam who runs the West Port on Pulau Indah may know more about this matter. Westport borders the Halal Hub. It always involves land.

It is known that the SIL, his porpoise-look-alike wife and the Idiot are involved in this HDC. (Kawan-kawan a porpoise is a close cousin of the dolphin). Folks say that the SIL, his porpoise-look-alike wife and the Idiot are frequent guests of honour at HDC events. Hmm…

Here is an old news story about the HDC's plans: HDC to Take Lead in Halal International Certification(14/9/2007) By Nor Baizura Basri. BANGKOK, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- Several multinational companies have asked the Halal Industry Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (HDC) to take the lead in establishing an international Halal certification scheme to pave the way for worldwide acceptance of Halal products. At dialogues with HDC, they said Malaysia should take the lead in the area of certification, "to basically provide the certification process for all the companies involved in the industry, especially in Thailand and Indonesia," HDC managing director cum chief executive officer Dato' Jamil Bidin told Bernama.

The shareholders of HDC include the Matrade people from MITI plus interests related to SIL. So now the HDC will issue the Halal Logos and Certificates and HDC will make all the money. But the logo will still bear the certification of the JAKIM which is a Gomen institution. So JAKIM's name will be used but the HDC will make all the money. Lembu halal punya susu, sapi haram punya nama.

Despite losing six states the monkeys just don't learn anything. Maybe we should just kick them all out, altogether.

university malaya racist cry...

The context of the memorandum (translated)

"Therefore, I as the Head of Graduates of University of Malaya would like to advice all our fellow graduates of University of Malaya to combine forces and prepare ourselves together with all the necessary knowledge and preparation before we continue our fight in the actual battle field. This advice implies mainly to our Malay Graduates. We must treasure the sacrifices made by our ancestors which tried so hard to ensure that Tanah Melayu (Malay Land) is free from the intrusion of alien races. We must not fall into the category of those who forgets their roots until they will be taken over by other races. Graduates must prove themselves that we are capable and the best choice to take over the throne of governing the country in the future. This implies with the theme of MPMUM Progressive, Dynamic, Professional. There is nothing more important that can compared to our always-sensitive and improving Graduates. I also would like to advice all Malay Graduates to prepare ourselves in facing all sorts of unpredicted challenges that may occur in near future, relating to the rise of our fellow citizens, in particular to the non-Malay races. Don't let ourselves slack and allow our "enemies under the blankets to attack us" (direct translation from the Malay idiom). Don't allow our Malaysia to fall into the hands of those who are irrelevant".
Apparently, the person (with indon name), who wrote this denied responsibilty for this letter. Like i always said, they only have f**king balls when they are in groups, but when they are alone, their balls disappear totally and they start to whim like a faggot. Whoever wrote this, do you have the balls to own up? Show yourself to the rakyat. Show yourself to me. We can settle this one to one. I guess so.. you f**king chicken shit!! Just like Kerismuddin!!
It is also very obvious that this asshole is abusing his position and try to use MPMUM platform to enter into political foray. The whole thing backfired as majority of its members have matured and refused to be drawn into his plot.
Guess who have the last laugh?
One thing for sure, this asshole will be kick out at the next MPMUM election.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

something for conservation....Urgent!!







for a living planet
Marine Turtles
The struggle for their future continues..........
Marine turtles are among our oceans' most magnificent creatures. They have graced our seas since the age of dinosaurs, but the last twenty years has seen a dramatic decline in their numbers that the day could come soon when they won't return to their ancestral nesting beaches anymore. And situation does not help that these beaches are being polluted by human activities.
Like humans, marine turtles take many years to become reproductively mature - it may take up to 30 years for some species before a female is able to lay eggs. the long time to reach maturity and the dangers faced by marine turtles at all stages of their life cycle mean that as few as 1 in 1000 hatchlings may survive to adulthood.
It is a race against time that everyone need to act now before these magnificent creatures are consigned to History. Please contact WWF-Malaysia to find out how each and every one of us can contribute to protect the marine turtles.
WWF-Malaysia
49 Jalan SS23/15
Taman SEA
47000 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Malaysia
Tel: 603-7803 3772
Fax: 603- 7803 5157
Only after the last tree has been cut,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that your money cannot be eaten
Turtles are worth more Alive than Dead
Marine turtle conservation activities will benefit not only turtles, but will also help to make fisheries sustainable, ensure good governance of marine resources, and secure access to benefits from, marine resources for local communities.
There is much to be learned about the condition of the planet's environment by looking at marine turtles. A creature that has existed for more than 100 million years is now struggling to survive.. largely due to the things we did to our planet. What does this mean for the human species?
Please let us all ACT NOW before it is too late.

Friday, April 25, 2008

must read... pure unadulterated truth..

Under threat? What threat?

BRAVE NEW WORLD
By AZMI SHAROM

Since the recent general election, voices have risen up in a shrill warning cry that the Malays are now ‘under threat’. But perhaps the real threat is the threat to Umno hegemony.

AND so it begins. Race-based rhetoric has raised its ugly little head in response to a democratic process. Over 49% of the people of Malaysia have voted for parties that have rejected race-based affirmative action in favour of a needs-based platform.

It did not take very long for voices, both common and royal, to rise up in a shrill warning cry that the Malays are now “under threat”.

“Under threat” from what, may I ask? Let’s take a bit of time to look at this so-called “threat”. Firstly, Malays are given special protection under Article 153 of the Constitution.

Article 153 is titled “Reservation of quotas in respect of services, permits, etc, for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak”. Article 152 states that Malay is the National Language. The Supreme Head of the Federation, according to Article 32, is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Malay ruler.

This is the foundation of Malay “special privileges”.

None of the Pakatan Rakyat component parties, including the DAP, have said anything about removing Articles 153, 152 and 32. They remain safe and secure with no sign whatsoever of any sort of threat.

Besides, in order to change it, you would need a two-thirds majority in the lower and upper houses of Parliament plus the support of the Conference of Rulers. The last time I checked, no one has a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Secondly, due to simple demographics, it is unlikely that a totally non-Malay party is ever going to win absolute control of the government. Of the five state governments in the hands of the Pakatan, four are led by a Malay Mentri Besar.

Penang is an exception, but Penang has been led by non-Malays since the 60s. Why was there was no outcry before this?

Thirdly, the proposed doing-away with the NEP (or whatever it is called nowadays), I suppose, can be seen as a threat to the Malays.

But how it can be a threat is beyond me, because the replacement suggested by the Pakatan is not some sort of laissez-faire capitalist economy. Instead, it is an economic system with affirmative action promised to those in need.

If the Malays are the largest group of people in Malaysia who are in the most need, then they will get the most help. If they are not in the most need, then why on earth do they need help then?

This is the point where I will get angry letters about how the NEP is needed; because in the business world – the real world which I know nothing about because I am just a lowly-academic trapped in my ivory tower – Malays are discriminated against by the Chinese. So we need a policy like the NEP to provide some balance.

I disagree.

If there are racist business policies being conducted against the Malays, then you face it head on with anti-discrimination laws. If some person feels he is being discriminated against, no matter what his race, then let there be a law to help him, and let us punish the racists with a hefty fine or jail term.

You do not meet racism with racism; you challenge it by destroying all traces of it.

The problem with the NEP, as I see it, is that it breeds a mentality of entitlement based on race and not merit. This mentality seeps into governance, and it creates an atmosphere of mediocrity. One example of this is how the Constitution has been disregarded in relation to employment issues.

The Federal Constitution states that you can set quotas at the entry points of government services, for example, the civil service and public universities. However, this is counter-balanced by Article 136 that says all federal employees must be treated fairly regardless of race.

This means that once inside a service, everyone is to be treated equally based on merit. In such a situation, only the cream will rise to the top.

However, since the introduction of the NEP, the practice in government services has been to promote Malays mainly. This has in turn led to a drop in the number of non-Malay actors in the service of the public.

Taking my profession for example, the closeted unrealistic world of academia, I look down south and I see that 30% of the staff in the National University of Singapore Law School are Malaysians.

How come these clever fellows who are good enough to teach in a university that is among the top 20 in the world are not here in the land of their birth? Why are the blinking Singaporeans enjoying our talent? Is it because that talent is all non-Malay and they feel they have better opportunities there than here?

This is a complete waste, and in the end this loss of talent means a loss for the university, the country and the people of this country, including the Malay students who miss out on the best possible teachers.

Perhaps the real threat is the threat to Umno hegemony, in which case my answer to that is this: clean up your act, live up to your promises and listen to what the people are saying.

Make yourself electable by proving that you can create good government.

That is called democracy.

bbc hardtalk with world's greatest liar...

Stephen Sackur Introduction: Last month marked a watershed in the politics of Malaysia. The ruling national front recorded its worst election results in five decades. It's still in power but seriously weakened. My guest today personifies the power of the ruling party for 22 years. He was Malaysia's PM and one of the most outspoken leaders in the Muslim world. His critics called him a racist and a dictator. Has retirement mellowed Mahathir Mohamed?

Stephen Sackur: Dr Mohamad welcome to Hardtalk. Let's start with that election result last month, has it marked the beginning of the end for Malaysia's ruling party?
Mahathir Mohamad: Not necessarily, unless no action is taken, of course it may result in that. But if proper action is taken, including of course the present Prime Minister leaving his seat of power, it may be possible to bring back the Barisan Nasional Front in order to become again a very strong ruling party.
Stephen Sackur: You're saying that PM Abdullah Badawi has to be kicked out for the ruling party to recover?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well not so strong as that. He can step down. I stepped down in my time. It's about time that he steps down because the result of the election shows clearly that many of the former followers, supporters of the Nasional Front had decided that they would work, vote for the Opposition even if they didn't like the Opposition. They voted for the Opposition to send a message to the present government.
Stephen Sackur: Prime Minister Abdullah says that you have been one of the curses that have brought him down, because you've been sniping from the sidelines for the last two or three years.
Mahathir Mohamad: That may be so. I don't see why I should not criticise wrongdoings by him.
Stephen Sackur: What wrongdoings?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well in the first place, the government promises to remove corruption and things like that, but the government is found to be corrupt.
Stephen Sackur: You are tearing your own party apart though, that is the problem. And that is what many people inside your party believe.
Mahathir Mohamad: Well sometimes it may be necessary. I told people that I'm a doctor. If I find one leg becoming gangrenous I remove it.
Stephen Sackur: Now he has said Prime Minister Abdullah, that he will go eventually, but is your message to him that he has no time, he must go now?
Mahathir Mohamad: He must go now, because he will take time to revive the party for the next election.
Stephen Sackur: Isn't the truth of what we see in Malaysia today that the real discontent isn't so much with Prime Minister Abdullah, it is with the system and the ideology that you bequeathed to your country?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well the system and the ideology have been there for the last 50 years. It's worked very well we had always won elections, people always supported us and the country has done very well during that 50 years with that system.
Stephen Sackur : But the indications are and the opposition succeeded by saying to the public, we no longer want this racially defined system inside Malaysia. And it was the racial defined system that was the platform upon which you succeeded in running Malaysia for 22 years.
Mahathir Mohamad: I think that's wishful thinking on the part of foreign critics. But the fact is that this election result was due to disaffection on the part of the ruling party's supporters, with the present leadership.
Stephen Sackur : Well let me just quote you the words of the new head of Penang State and let's not forget that these results saw five very big and wealthy states go to the Opposition. The new head of Penang State Mr Lim Guan Eng, he says 'we want a new state administration that is free from corruption and cronyism, we are here to build a Penang State for all.' You didn't build a Malaysia for all did you?
Mahathir Mohamad: I did. If you look at Malaysia today. Everybody is enjoying, has enjoyed, a very good life. They have become very prosperous. Malaysia was one of the fastest growing countries in the world. If you look at the different races, you can find that they all benefited from that government. So it is of course, necessary for Opposition parties to make remarks like that.
Stephen Sackur : But they are not making it up are they? Let's look at your new economic policy which you pursued for so long. It favours ethnic Malays, in so many different ways, from public sector appointments to university places, to advantageous acquisition of stocks, discounts on housing, I don't know where to stop. There are so many different ways in which you ran an unequal system.
Mahathir Mohamad: No this was a policy which was initiated by my predecessors, it was necessary to...
Stephen Sackur : But you ran it for 22 years, you had ample opportunity to change it.
Mahathir Mohamad: Yes I had ample opportunity to implement in a way that will correct imbalances that existed in Malaysia since the British days. And unless these imbalances are corrected there's bound to be another race riot, as happened in 1969.
Stephen Sackur : But the point is that 80 thousand Indians for example, were on the streets protesting long and loud last November, because they are no longer prepared to live with the racial division that you set in the stone.
Mahathir Mohamad: Why now? Why not during my time? They were quite free to demonstrate. Many of the people who disagreed with me demonstrated...
Stephen Sackur : But many of the people who disagreed with you, I'm afraid ended up in prison.
Mahathir Mohamad: Who?
Stephen Sackur : Hundreds of them, read every Amnesty international and human rights watch report for the years in which you were in power..
Mahathir Mohamad: The western press, the problem is that you make up these stories and then you take this as the truth, it's not the truth. Tell me who are the hundreds of people who ended up in prison.
Stephen Sackur: I'll discuss human rights a little bit later. I just want before we get distracted from this question of racism in Malaysia, I just want to put to you this final point: Anwar Ibrahim says that he is going to push and of course he your long time friend who became, your political enemy, he is going to push for a colour blind Malaysia where affirmative action is open to all who need help.
Mahathir Mohamad: Well this opportunism for him, now that he is out of the government, he was in the government for a long time, he never made any complaints, he never did anything to.
Stephen Sackur : He certainly made a complaint when you locked him up.
Mahathir Mohamad: Well that was not the reason why he was locked up, he was accused of sodomy, he was accused of abuse of power, he was tried in court, nine months and he was defended by nine lawyers and he was found guilty...
Stephen Sackur : Trumped up charges.. trumped up charges.. says not just Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International but I've been looking through the record, the Canadian government, the White House, the International Commission of Jurists, all of them expressed grave and deep concern with the way in which your judicial system treated Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahathir Mohamad: Yes you're free to say so but...
Stephen Sackur : I'm not saying it, I'm just quoting to you all the people who did say it.
Mahathir Mohamad: But what is the record of these countries? These people, these same countries arrested people without the law, and detained them in Guantanamo Bay and even in Britain here, you arrest people and detain them without any sanction by law.
Stephen Sackur : So does that make it okay that you did it for 22 years?
Mahathir Mohamad: We did it under the laws of the country, but it is not the way...
Stephen Sackur : You used the laws which went back to colonial times, the internal security act, emergency procedures, you feel satisfied to tell me that that was entirely legitimate?
Mahathir Mohamad: No we find that the situation in the country is very very fluid and it is very likely that there will be racial riots, unless we prevent precise people who are promoting racial hatred from talking about it.
Stephen Sackur : Put it this way, Dr Mahathir, you've had several years out of power now to consider your record and what you did, I wonder whether you are now ready to say that you regret what you did to Anwar Ibrahim?
Mahathir Mohamad: Why should I regret? He was arrested under the laws of the country, he was tried in the courts of the country and he was sentenced by the court. If he was not wrong, I don't think, no matter what you think about our judiciary, I don't think he would have been sentenced to prison.
Stephen Sackur : It damaged your reputation though didn't it?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well that's something I have to accept.
Stephen Sackur : You may also find it comes back to haunt you? Anwar Ibrahim is now leading the opposition coalition. We are led to believe that there are certain MPs in the ruling party who may defect to him, in which case he could very soon be running the government. And he's made it plain that he wants to have you answer for all of the things you do while you were in power.
Mahathir Mohamad: Well he's welcome to do that if he becomes the Prime Minister of Malaysia, but if he wins over members of the ruling party to his side, it is the prime minister, the present leader who should be blamed, because he couldn't even get the loyalty of his own members.
Stephen Sackur : It wasn't the current prime minister who was in power when Anwar Ibrahim was savagely beaten during his time in detention?
Mahathir Mohamad: Savagely beaten? I know he was slapped and he had a black eye which was very useful for election purpose...
Stephen Sackur : Why you think he hit himself maybe?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well I don't know what happened..but the police the IGP admitted that he assaulted Anwar, but that wasn't me that was the IGP.
Stephen Sackur : But how do you respond, if Anwar comes to power and he as he said on this programme and elsewhere, that he wants a full and thorough public inquiry into all of your, Dr Mahathir's misdeeds, how will you respond to that?
Mahathir Mohamad: He is welcome to do so, but I hope that he finds people who are neutral, who are impartial, probably foreigners, because I don't trust the people that they put after people they don't like.
Stephen Sackur : Interesting that you say you don't trust people who are currently or maybe in charge of any inquiry, do you trust the integrity of the Malaysian judiciary?
Mahathir Mohamad: I do, at times I do but...
Stephen Sackur : is that because you appointed the judges?
Mahathir Mohamad: I didn't appoint the judges, the judges were recommended by the Chief Justice and my duty is to check whether he has any records or not and after that he is presented to the king who will then appoint the judge...
Stephen Sackur : Dr Mahathir, you know as well as I do, that the hottest political topic in Malaysia today, is the state of the judiciary, the integrity of the judiciary and that a video has been playing in Malaysia for a long time now which shows a top lawyer talking to a top judge going back to 2001, in which the lawyer says to the judge 'believe me in the end all of the positions going all the way to the supreme court are fixed by the politicians', i.e. by you who were the prime minister at the time Dr Mahathir?
Mahathir Mohamad: Did he say that? Did he mention my name?
Stephen Sackur : He didn't mention your name he said this will be fixed, this goes through the political system. You ran the political system.
Mahathir Mohamad: I'm not so sure about that. But the fact is that this man had his video taken because they intended to blackmail him. He happens to be my lawyer, defending me at this moment for libel against Anwar and this tape came from Anwar. Anwar had these things recorded in order to blackmail the lawyer.
Stephen Sackur : But the point is the current government led by Prime Minister Abdullah who is nominally or despite what you have said on this programme, is of your party. Prime Minister Abdullah has now essentially apologised, he said both to the supreme court justice that you removed and to other judges that were suspended or removed during your time in power, he's said sorry to them. He's said that he wants to offer them monetary compensation.
Mahathir Mohamad: Fine but it's a political move. Something a man who is very unpopular at the moment, wanting to show that he's going to do something right.
Stephen Sackur: And that Dr Mahathir is my point. The Malaysian people no longer want to live with the system you created. That's why Prime Minister Abdullah is essentially dismantling the system that you created.
Mahathir Mohamad: No no no he's not dismantling the system, he is making use of the system in a worse way. Nobody can say anything against him, he has newspapers which only reports about him and how great he is. And he was mislead by his own supporters, into believing that if he holds the election now, this is one and half years before the end of the term, he would win, he would have a clean sweep. If you look at the records, he made statements that he would win the election, with zero for the Opposition.
Stephen Sackur: The more I listen to you talking about Prime Minister Abdullah, the more I wonder why did you choose him to be your successor?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well these people are very smart in hiding their true character. He was known as Mr Clean and I thought I would appoint a clean person to succeed me. Although he was not the one with the highest votes in my party. But I thought that he was older and I appointed him thinking that he's not going to do anything very wrong. But this man gives priority to his family rather than to the country.
Stephen Sackur: So it was a fundamental lack of judgement on your part?
Mahathir Mohamad: Yes I'll admit that. But we all make mistakes. The British people voted in people like Blair, who told lies, so did the Americans. Lots of people make mistakes.
Stephen Sackur: We all make mistakes you say, was it also a mistake for you to define yourself so clearly, as anti-western and anti-democratic, in the sense that the West understands democracy?
Mahathir Mohamad: No that's the problem, I am not anti-Western, I am against the bad things that were done by the Western countries.
Stephen Sackur: You're not anti-western and yet in June 2003 before you left office, you said anglo-Saxon Europeans are essentially proponents and I'm quoting here: 'proponents of war, sodomy and genocide.'
Mahathir Mohamad: Which is true, you must admit.
Stephen Sackur: But you're not anti-western?
Mahathir Mohamad: I'm stating the fact. This is their character and I will continue to say so.
Stephen Sackur: So when you come here, you sit in the Hardtalk studio, in the heart of London, you regard yourself do you, as in one of the Headquarters of war, sodomy and genocide?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well I come here of course expecting to be lambasted by you, because that is the way you work.
Stephen Sackur: Well I'm not lambasting you at all. I'm trying to tease out whether you believe it was a mistake for you to use this sort of language. Because you clearly cut yourself off, from any sort of meaningful dialogue with the West when you use these words.
Mahathir Mohamad: Well the Europeans used to call us the lazy Malays, incompetent Malays, untrustworthy Malays, we couldn't say a thing about you. So when I was in a position to say what we think about you, and I did and you don't like it. When you said it to us you expect us to like it. We didn't like it, but we had no way of making our voices heard.
Stephen Sackur: I am just wondering how you feel about democracy. Of course in the world since 9/11, the United States and the coalition of partners led by the United Kingdom, have talked a lot about spreading democracy, do you believe in democracy?
Mahathir Mohamad: If you look at the history of the west, they come up with all kinds of ideologies, they use it for sometime and then they found it defective and they dropped it and start on another. One day they are going to forget about democracy because in some countries democracy actually ended up with anarchy. And there were practically no governments. It's not a system that can feed everybody. You must have a certain understanding of the limitations of democracy, in order to make it work.
Stephen Sackur: Is that why you were not a democrat, why you in the end did behave like a dictator?
Mahathir Mohamad: Well that is something that the West would like to say about me, I am a dictator.
Stephen Sackur: Well I'm just quoting your own words from 2002. You said it's good governance people need, you said, feudal kings even dictators have provided and can provide good governments.
Mahathir Mohamad: Well that's very true, that is very true. The great civilisations of the past did not have democracies. And yet they became great. It's not necessary that the system will work for everybody. But if we have a bad leader, even the democratic system will fail. We must remember that it is a democratic country which dropped atomic bombs, killing 200 thousand people.
Stephen Sackur: How do you think the Malaysian public will respond to you saying, look you know what democracy isn't the best system and in fact dictatorship can often work better.
Mahathir Mohamad: I went through five elections and I won all the elections with a majority...
Stephen Sackur: Without a free press, locking up many of your opponents
Mahathir Mohamad: There you go again about locking up many of my opponents, who are they?
Stephen Sackur: I don't know how many times I have to tell you, that I've studied the human rights watch reports, the Amnesty International reports, studies from the state department, from the Canadian government.
Mahathir Mohamad: These are biased reports, the first thing I did on becoming the prime minister in 1981, was to release political prisoners who were detained by my predecessors, 22 or them, including many members of the Opposition.
Stephen Sackur: Under the 1984 Press law which required newspapers to get a new licence every single year. It made it very easy for you to quieten them down, didn't it?
Mahathir Mohamad: No it has always been there, the press law has been there...I didn't do that...but the fact is that we have a multi-racial country and if we are not careful, there will be racial flare-ups. And you look at most of the countries with multi-racial population, they are never peaceful, even Northern Ireland, it took you such a long to stop the war in Northern Ireland.
Stephen Sackur: Talking of peace, you did worry about the stability of your country, didn't you? That's why you were very strong, very tough with Islamist extremism inside Malaysia.
Mahathir Mohamad: Yes it is necessary.
Stephen Sackur: Well I just wonder in that case then why just before you left office, in October 2003, why did you tell the Islamic Summit Conference that and I'm quoting again a very famous speech, it's a little bit long but "1.3 billion Muslims cannot be defeated by a few million Jews," you said. "We're actually very strong. The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million but today Jews rule this world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them." You went on to say: "But the Jews have become arrogant. And arrogant people like angry people will make mistakes and there may be a window of opportunity for us."
Mahathir Mohamad: I'm stating facts, I am willing to say that again and again that this is what has happened.
Stephen Sackur: Anti-Semitic and racist that was called by many governments and people around the world.
Mahathir Mohamad: Anti-Semitism is created by the Jews themselves. We cannot say anything. In fact journalists have been arrested for saying something against the holocaust and jailed for three years. Where is the freedom of press?
Stephen Sackur: So those words I quoted in your view, are not anti-Semitic?
Mahathir Mohamad: No they are not anti-Semitic? I am just quoting facts. The fact is that the United States obeys what Israel wants it to do.
Stephen Sackur: You call them facts, let's leave that aside for the moment. I am trying to understand your logic. Here you are a man who says that your own country is potentially destabilised by Islamic extremism and then you go out in an Islamic Conference and you use words which could have been used by Osama bin Laden.
Mahathir Mohamad: There's no contradiction, no contradiction at all. I don't want Islamic terrorism any more than I want Jewish attacks against Israel, or American bombs on Baghdad. It is not incompatible.
Stephen Sackur: Do you feel confident that people still listen to your message?
Mahathir Mohamad: I wouldn't be able to say. Why should people worry about me?
Stephen Sackur: In Malaysia people say, and I'm talking about the Prime Minister, the leader of the Opposition: it's time for you to be quiet.
Mahathir Mohamad: Why should I be quiet? You mean to say when they are doing something wrong, to my country and I should not say anything? I would be irresponsible if I were to do that.
Stephen Sackur: Dr Mahathir Mohamad thank you very much for being on Hardtalk.
Mahathir Mohamad: You're welcome.
This mother f**king bastard is so full of himself. He can deny everything as if everybody in the world are fools. Disillusioned by his own sense of greatness . Still in self denial. He is right about one thing though. We are all enjoying his destruction. He definitely is one of God's greatest mistake.

political vendetta against penang dap's rule..

Since the fall of Party Gerakan in Penang, MCA have been taking advantage of Gerakan weakness by launching a political vendetta against DAP rule in Penang with the help of their controlled MSM. Apparently, every moves that CM Lim Guan Eng make is subjected to heavy criticism by our MSM. And thanks to the MSM, they have succeeded in creating certain rifts within DAP and Pakatan Rakyat itself.

First, we have the Indians uproar claiming that DAP is not representing the Indians community. Much as i recognised the important role of HINDRAF that started the call for reforms, but i cant bring myself to understand the uproar by certain Indian quarters. Clearly, someone somewhere is creating this rift for their personal interest. And to the educated Indians, please take a good look at the present situation and ask yourself whether was there any changes for the betterment of the Indians community barely 60 days after the 12th general election as compared to what you all had during the 40 years of BN rule? This is not Bollywood so don't get so dramatic by making non issues into issues like making accusations and demands.

Secondly, we have our own dinosaur politicians within DAP and PAS who were still stuck in their era refusing to let go of their ideology to adapt themselves to the present technology age. Why cant they just shut their mouth up so that they don't give MSM any chance to create and exaggerate non issues at every slightest opportunity. Aren't Pakatan Rakyat coalition suppose to work hand in hand and stay united for the same cause?

Then we have BN realising the collapsed of their coalition with their so-called chinese and indians representation being butchered to pieces at the 12th general election, Thus BN will go out at all length to make life miserable for all the Pakatan Rakyat ruled states. So far, Penang DAP ruled state have been subjected to never ending vendettas. Projects being delayed and some being cancelled due to rising costs. Whether it is a legitimate reason is every one guess.

The cancellation of the PORR project is welcome by most Penangites as the project is seen as non beneficial to Penangites. PORR was original seen as another project to line the pockets of certain cronies and its viability remain questionable. Penang should be left the way it is now. There have been enough development over the past decades. Any further development will further caused Penang to lose its charm as Pearl of the Orient. Tourists travel to Penang for its natural sandy beaches, food varieties and the warmth of Penangites. Putting up mega structures will only turn tourists away for tourists already have better and more mega structures in their own countries. Same argument can be make for the plan Duty Free Port Dickson.

Regardless of what the MSM have been portraying and what our federal government did to destabilise, Pakatan Rakyat ruling state government should held their head high up for they have created a high standard of governance which is difficult enough for BN ruling idiots to catch up. The more BN and their MSM try, the more the rakyat get fed up.

Time for a change in government. Enough is enough. They definitely don't have the country interest in mind.

CM Lim Guan Eng has done Penang proud.

Syabas CM Lim, Syabas Penangites.

salute to Justice Hishamudin Mohd Yunus...

30 May 2001 will be remembered in Malaysian history as a day when the people's long suppressed hopes for justice were rekindled by a learned, honest and courageous judge whose refusal to accept the Internal Security Act (ISA) struck at the very heart of repressive law and oppressive rule in this country.
On 30 May 2001, Justice Dato' Mohd Hishamuddin Mohd Yunus, in the Shah Alam High Court, ruled that the detention of two Parti Keadilan Nasional leaders, N Gobalakrishnan and Abdul Ghani Haroon, under ISA was unlawful. Justice Mohd Hishamuddin ordered the Police to release them immediately.
In making his ruling, Justice Mohd Hishamuddin added that the detentions had been carried out in bad faith, violated the detainees' constitutional rights, and ignored their procedural rights.
Justice Mohd Hishamuddin also ordered the Police not to re-arrest Gobalakrishnan and Abdul Ghani for at least twenty-four hours. This was an unprecedented order given past Police practice of immediately re-arresting the rare ISA victim who was freed by the Courts.
Justice Mohd Hishamuddin even told Parliament that `it is high time' to reconsider the relevance of ISA so as to prevent and minimize abuses of law by the authorities.
The Malaysian people will see in Justice Mohd Hishamuddin's ruling the beginning of the end to an unfortunate tradition of judicial reluctance to challenge the use of draconian legislation and brutal force by a regime that has increasingly set aside the rule of law.
Together with all Malaysians who are concerned with Justice, Freedom and the Rule of Law in this country, Aliran salutes both Judge and Judgment for this historic defence of the Constitution, civil liberties and human rights.
Until the full written judgment is available, Aliran reproduces, below, excerpts from the oral judgment delivered by Justice Mohd Hishamuddin to permit Malaysian citizens to appreciate some of the legal and political issues involved.
On why the further incarceration of the detainees was in breach of the Constitution: `The affidavits by the respondents are vague in nature and inadequate. The grounds for arrest must be clearly stated in the affidavit and it cannot simply parrot the provisions in the Constitution. There must be some reasonable amount of particulars (on the grounds of arrest) to be fair to the detainee who believes he is innocent.'
On how the Police ignored procedures:`The Inspector General of Police and director of Special Branch have prematurely made up their minds to detain them for the 30 days well beyond that stated in the ISA. The IGP and director of SB have ignored procedural rights.'
On the Police's denial of visits by families or legal counsel: `Not allowing access to one another is cruel, inhuman and oppressive, not only to the detainees but also to their family members. What harm would the visits of the family members bring? The visits can be closely monitored. This court does not understand such reasoning. It is a blatant and gross violation of the detainees' constitutional rights. It is unlawful to deny them (their rights).'
On habeas corpus: `There were no affidavits filed by applicants because for 40 days they were denied access to their lawyers. If applicants truly believe that they were framed and their detention was unjust, it is their right to file habeas corpus as guaranteed under Section 5(2) (of the Constitution).'
Aliran calls upon all Malaysians concerned with Justice, Freedom and the Rule of Law to take inspiration from Justice Mohd Hishamuddin's ruling to continue the struggle to protect civil liberties and human rights – and particularly to erase the dark shadow of ISA upon our society.
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On 10-11 April 2001, just days before public protests planned to mark the second anniversary of the sentencing of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the authorities detained seven opposition leaders under the ISA, then three other people in the following days. Most of the ten, who were all held incommunicado until May 4, were members of Keadilan. The authorities alleged that they were plotting to overthrow the government but produced no evidence to substantiate this.

On May 30, in an unusual and courageous ruling, Judge Hishamuddin Yunus ordered the release of two ISA detainees on a writ of habeas corpus, and suggested that Parliament should review and either scrap or amend the ISA to reduce its potential for abuse. By mid-November, authorities had released three more detainees, but five had been served with two-year detention orders and were being held at the Kamunting Detention Centre. The six are: Tian Chua, Ezam Mohamed Noor, Badrul Amin Bahron, Hishammuddin Rais, Saari Sungib, and Lokman Nor Adam.
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1996 was to prove a busy year for Lingam, as lawyer or litigant in a number of notable court cases. About the same time, Lingam represented Berjaya group tycoon Tan in a defamation suit against veteran journalist MGG Pillai which the High Court found in Tan’s favour and awarded RM10 million in damages - a record sum. Pillai’s appeal to the Federal Court was heard by a three-member panel led by Eusoff, who upheld the finding but reduced the quantum of damages to RM2 million.
Still in 1996, Lingam filed three defamation suits for a total of RM190 million against lawyers, journalists and several others over an article in the International Commercial Litigation (ICL) magazine. The article ‘Malaysian Justice on Trial’ published in the November issue of the British-based magazine had suggested that Lingam and Tan had connections with judges, namely in the controversial Ayer Molek case and Tan’s suit against Pillai.
It was only last year that High Court judge Hishamudin Yunus dismissed the suit filed against the magazine and said it was Lingam’s wrongful conduct in the Ayer Molek case that had led to the publication of the article. Hishamudin said Lingam was guilty of “abusing and manipulating the process of court” in filing the action in the appellate and special powers division of the High Court instead of the commercial division.
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Justice Hishamudin, who holds a Bachelor's degree and a Master's of Law from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science, caused a stir in his 28-page judgment when he said it was high time that Parliament examined the relevance of the ISA which was originally meant to counter terrorism. He called for a review of the ISA and its provisions to prevent or minimise abuses.
While lawyers applauded him, this, however, did not go down well with the Government. Datuk Rais Yatim, who was then a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said it was not up to a judge to decide which laws should be amended. But the Asean Law Association was quoted as saying that judges could comment on the relevance of laws and had a duty to inform Parliament when a law became outdated or was inappropriate.
The Negri Sembilan-born Hishamudin, who became a High Court judge in October 1995, has also presided over other interesting political cases. In August 2005, he awarded RM4.5mil to Anwar in his libel suit against Datuk Abdul Khalid @ Khalid Jafri Bakar Shah, the author of 50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar tidak boleh jadi PM (50 reasons why Anwar cannot be PM). Explaining the decision to award such a large figure, Hishamudin said the facts and circumstances of the case were unique and hence, the damages awarded must be reflective of the peculiarity of the case.
In another case heard in August 2005, where Anwar had sued the Government, the Home Minister and the then IGP Tan Sri Rahim Noor over the assault and infamous black eye incident while he (Anwar) was detained and held under police custody in September 1998, Hishamudin presided over the case. He struck out the suit when all parties came to an out-of-court settlement in which the sacked deputy prime minister was paid an undisclosed amount, and Rahim made an open court apology to Anwar for the assault.
Another riveting political case Hishamudin heard involved former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik who sued Parti Keadilan Nasional (now Parti Keadilan Rakyat) former information chief Ruslan Kassim RM15mil for slander. But Justice Hishamudin again did not have to rule on the case because in January 2004, he announced that the two parties had agreed to settle the case out of court and Ruslan made an open court apology to Rahim for damaging his reputation.
He also heard a case that gripped the nation in October 2000 where express bus driver Hanafi Mat Hassan was accused of raping and murdering computer engineer Noor Suzaily Mukhtar, a passenger in the bus. Suzaily sustained 44 injuries and fractured a neck bone. She died from strangulation. Justice Hishamudin found Hanafi guilty and sent him to the gallows.
Last year, Justice Hishamudin also made a decision which sparked fresh debate when he ruled on the controversial Ayer Molek case. He ruled that the Federal Court panel that heard the case involving a dispute of shares was illegal and unconstitutional because only two of three judges – former Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Eusoff Chin and Datuk Dr Zakaria Mohamed Yatim – were competent to sit at the apex court.
He said the third judge, Datuk Pajan Singh, should not have heard the case because he was only a High Court judge back then. As such, he said, he was not bound by the Federal Court decision of that case handed down 11 years ago and chose to follow the Court of Appeal ruling instead.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

another wastage beyond rakyat's interests..

Malaysia's Philharmonic Orchestra

Much as we like to encourage appreciation of Western Music in Malaysia why is it that Petronas sees it fit to finance the 'Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra' which is a misnomer because 95% of its 105 musicians are foreign and mainly European.

Each musician is paid between Rm 16,000- RM28,000 per month. They are given 2 months paid holiday and working conditions which are second to none in the world. They have not one but 3 European conductors. The Chief Conductor is paid RM130,000 per month and the Associate Conductor gets paid RM50,000 per month. The total monthly budget for this orchestra is RM 3.5 million.

The Malaysian Conductor Ooi Chean See resigned because it was widely known she was being undermined and not allowed to develop in her career. During her time with the orchestra, her concert scehdule decreased gradually to the point she was doing only a couple 'Children's Concerts' per year.

The orchestra has been in existence for 10 years now and the total amount spent on this orchestra has been a staggering RM 500 million.

Yes, Petronas does not have money for bridges for Malaysians but it has money to splash on foreign musicians. Petronas does not appear to have real desire to train or give opportunity to locals musicians. They promised to set up an Academy of Music to train local musicians with the tutors drawn from the orchestra but this sadly has not materialised.

Since its inception, the Malaysian Philharmonic orchestra has not increased its Malaysian participation which still stands at a shameful 4%. They have cosmetic programs like 'outreach' to supposedly encourage the love of western classical music to local Malaysians but these are essentially self serving publicity stunts.

Even the newly formed 'Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra' is a publicity stunt with no serious commitment to develop Malaysian talent. It is poorly organised and its musicians meet about twice a year only!

The previous founding CEO of the orchestra Mr Hamid Abu Bakar was clueless about music and left the artistic decisions to IMG, an international music agency who have successfully milked Petronas for tens of millions of dollars yearly.

The current CEO Juniwati Hussin is a chemist by training and is a slight improvement because she does actually attend the concerts and is not averse to learning to appreciate western classical music. But the overall artisitc planning and direction in controlled by the Europeans who have a vested interest telling Petronas that there is no talent in Malaysia and the ignorant management of Petronas are happy to maintain the status quo. It would appear that they prefer foreign participation in this 'Malaysian Orchestra' then to have Malaysians. What a pathetic mindset.

I hope issues like this will be brought up in parliament. Why can't Petronas train local musicians, provide scholarships for locals to study abroad if need be, and then employ them in the orchestra. In a matter of a few years we can have an orchestra consisting of Malaysians true to the name Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and good enough to rival the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

There is an abundance of talent in Malaysia. The sad fact is, Malaysian talent is usually recognised overseas.