Malaysia LAH

Malaysia's loss, as usual, is Singapore's gain....

2012-04-30T21:53:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XEu68H5uWlU

Yale World Fellow Huzir Sulaiman (formerly of Malaysia and now Singapore) works across different media, art forms, and genres, telling stories that allow people to access complex ideas in simple, personal, human ways. He is the Creative Director of Studio Wong Huzir, a brand communications consultancy, and a Joint Artistic Director of Checkpoint Theatre, which the Financial Times (UK) called "a repository of much of [Singapore's] best stage talent."

A celebrated playwright, his plays include the internationally acclaimed satire Atomic Jaya (1998), which asks what would happen if Malaysia decided to build an atomic bomb, and the forthcoming The Weight of Silk on Skin (August 2011), a meditation on women, beauty, love and loss.

Sulaiman also writes for film, television and newspapers, and teaches playwriting at the National University of Singapore. As a brand communications consultant, he has worked as the Creative Director of the observation deck on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, and recently completed a book on the history of Temasek Holdings, the USD147billion investment firm owned by the Singapore government.

hat follows is a book review I wrote for kakiseni.com in December 2002...

8 BRILLIANT PLAYS IN 4 TUMULTUOUS YEARS

Antares accords Eight Plays by Huzir Sulaiman a vertical ovation

Huzir Sulaiman must be sick and tired of being called precocious, an enfant terrible, a veritable prodigy. But that’s only because people believe him when he says he was born in 1973. After reading his recently published Eight Plays, I’m convinced that Huzir must be at least several years my senior and ready to withdraw his EPF money.

Either that or he’s suffering from progeria - a wasting disease that grossly accelerates the aging process - because I distinctly recall acting with Huzir Sulaiman in a 1981 production called Struggles of the Naga Tribe when he claimed to be only seven. Well, even then, he seemed rather precocious - and a whole lot more approachable than the image of the enigmatic and disdainful savant he sports today.

But I’ll say this: few people I know deserve to be called “creative genius” as much as Huzir Sulaiman does, regardless of mental age or attitude towards his audiences. I have no idea what his formative years were like. I know his parents are incredibly smart (his dad was one-time president of the Bar Council, and featured prominently as a senior member of Anwar Ibrahim’s defence team) - but what books did he read, was he good at sports, did he like girls? I’m told he was a top student at Princeton, though I haven’t a clue what his major was. All I know is that Huzir returned to KL in the mid-1990s looking like a tweedy middle-aged Ivy League professor.

But, boy, could he act! He was superb in every rôle he played, even when cast as a Malaysian “Mr Bean” in a silly TV sitcom series. Then he tried his hand at directing - and the results were outstanding. Next thing I knew, this prodigious enfant terrible had churned out a slew of plays - all of them excellent, damn him!

And now Silverfishbooks have published eight of them in an affordable paperback edition. Unfortunately the laminated covers curl as soon as you begin to read. Well, one either lives with this or holds out for a hardcover edition. And this collection undoubtedly deserves a permanent place in any library. Not everyone thinks plays are good reading but in this case I found the text extremely engaging as literature, and the exercise actually forced me to change my mind about some Huzir productions I’d seen (but more about that later).

It’s true Huzir’s first play, a one-man show called Lazy Hazy Crazy, was pretty much an Instant Café Theatre revue - but without the rest of the famous cast, of which he had been a member for a season or two. It was nonetheless hilarious and wackily inspired, and established his Straits Theatre Company as a cutting edge force. The playwright decided to omit this early effort from the collection - either because he prefers the numeral 8 to 9, or perhaps he felt it didn’t quite match the elegance and sophistication of his subsequent works.

A strategic move: because his second play, Atomic Jaya, was simply explosive. No, it didn’t bomb. On the contrary, it was arguably the most scathing, timely, and intelligent satire ever seen in these parts. The first version had the incredible Jo Kukathas playing all 14 parts. It was revised and restaged three years later in Singapore with the phenomenal Claire Wong as the entire cast.

Who can resist quoting a brief exchange between Dr Mary Yuen (nuclear physicist) and General Zulkifli (who commissions her to build the first Malaysian atom bomb)?

General Zulkifli welcomes Dr Mary Yuen to the research laboratory of Syarikat Perniagaan Atomic Jaya Sdn. Bhd.

YUEN: Yes, I was confused about the sign. You mean this is a private company?

GENERAL: It’s not my decision. Everything they must privatize now. But it’s okay.

The directors of the company include seven generals and one Prime Minister’s son.

You must have Prime Minister’s son. Keep them busy. Otherwise if unemployed they will start the NGO.

Exquisite precision. Atomic Jaya had the same electrifying intensity as Stanley Kubrick’s classic Dr Strangelove or Terry Gilliam’s hyperrealistic Brazil. It was delightful to be able to read the script and be mesmerized all over again by the sparkling wit and sheer inventiveness of this brilliantly mad exposé of the psychopathology of Bolehland.

The Smell of Language - an involuted and priapic experiment in verbal synesthesia (no doubt inspired by the fractal semantic constructs of Jorge Luis Borges) struck me as one huge wank when I saw Huzir perform it - albeit a highly erudite one with serious political undertones. But as a printed text, it holds enormous appeal for anyone who takes pleasure in cunning linguistics and the ruthlessness of intellectual virtuosity.

It’s easy to see why Hip-Hopera - Huzir’s shot at writing and directing a feel-good rap musical - proved such a box-office hit, playing to packed houses for a full month. The characters are breezy and instantly likeable, the tunes lively, funky (and forgettable), but the lyrics… the lyrics are something else, check this out:

I’m a soap-box preacher, a lyrical teacher

And if you come into my theatre there’s an usher who will seat ya

And if you come into my parlour I’m sure I’m pleased to meet ya

And if you come into my bed you can see the main feature

Got a lot of philosophy that just might reach ya

Cause I dig Heidegger and Friedrich Nietszche

I need ya, I’ll feed ya, I’m never going to cheat ya

But if you lie like the President I am going to impeach ya

Genuinely capable and inventive individuals like Huzir Sulaiman are the only cure for Terminal Malaysiabolehitis. Their creative contributions rescue us from chronic cultural embarrassment or, worse, premature self-congratulations.

I regret missing Zahim Albakri’s performance of Notes on Life & Love & Painting, which received critical accolades. Reading it was truly an aesthetic experience and

further reinforced my admiration for the way Huzir Sulaiman has integrated his Ivy League education with an intrinsically Malaysian sensibility. His diatribe on the myth of artistic originality is worth framing as a poster and I feel compelled to quote a portion of it, truncated for brevity:

We have rubber trees because rubber trees were brought here from Brazil by the British. Chilli is not indigenous. Chilli was imported from South America 500 years ago. What comes from Malaysia? We buy our rice from Thailand now and our sarongs from Indonesia. Was the novel invented in Malaysia? No. Did we invent films and television? Is painting indigenous to Malaysia? No. Is abstract art an outgrowth of weaving mengkuang? Like fuck it is. So why should anybody expect me to be original? It angers me when after hundreds of years of importing aspects of other people’s culture some politician in a 4,000-ringgit Italian suit complains about Western values and such-and-such a thing is not from our culture. Our culture is everybody else’s culture. We’ve never had our own. Deal with it and grow up. Would you like some coffee? No? It’s Colombian.

He even succeeds in ending the monologue on a positive, life-affirming note. Awesome! It’s one of those wonderfully self-contained masterpieces one wishes one had written.

The neo-existentialist mood of Election Day annoyed and depressed me when I caught the play, staged as it was nine days after a bitterly disappointing election that saw business-as-usual triumph over ethical and environmental considerations. But in the ensuing years, I have come to accept that Huzir was right - the male ego’s desire to screw something terribly sexy, like an exotic woman or an entire country, transcends belief systems and underlies all acts of betrayal. However, I’m still unhappy with the way Huzir disposes of two of his characters, getting them hauled off by the cops for assaulting a police officer. Surely he could have found some way to invoke the dreaded ISA?

Those Four Sisters Fernandez represents the playwright’s exploration of his own Malayalee roots. There are many scintillating moments and memorable lines, yet the play leaves a great deal unresolved - but I suppose life’s a lot like that. As an attempt to document the collective psyche of a fascinating subculture and how it responds to change, the play carries considerable value. Nonetheless, it isn’t my favorite in the collection.

The last two plays - Occupation and Whatever That Is - have only ever been staged in Singapore. The former was commissioned by the 2002 Singapore Arts Festival while the latter was presented as part of an evening of 10-minute plays entitled Squeeze and Squeezability. Occupation is a masterful and disciplined exploration of internal puns and rhymes, and the nebulous nature of historical reconstruction. I found it a tad clinical yet strangely heartwarming. What impressed me most was Huzir’s knack of capturing the inflections of his characters’ speech in print.

If one must draw comparisons, it’s Salman Rushdie who comes to mind: I regard Rushdie as one of the most engaging contemporary writers in English, a happy and unexpected by-product of the late great British Empire, whose “native” soul fuses ecstatically with his “colonized” mind. Well, we don’t want a fatwa on Huzir’s head - but it definitely does me proud to claim dat young fler as an old friend (no pun intended). And to think he used to call me “Uncle.” This is ridiculously mature work for someone who just turned 29.

Whatever That Is reads like a miniature gem in the chic and cerebral style of Yasmina Reza (whose award-winning play, Art, was staged by Huzir’s Straits Theatre Company in June 2001). Huzir certainly knows how to play with pregnant pauses, making silence speak louder than his wonderfully crafted words.

An extremely hearty slap on the back to Silverfishbooks for making Huzir Sulaiman’s Eight Plays available in print. What an excellent public service. May it reach far and wide and redeem our pygmified intellectual self-esteem. I hope we don’t lose one of our finest creative minds to a neighboring country for lack of appreciation.

[A year after I wrote this review, Huzir Sulaiman decided to settle in Singapore, where he married Claire Wong, another former Malaysian and an absolutely superb actress.]

http://www.magickriver.org/2012/04/malaysias-loss-as-usual-is-singapores.html

Malaysia POLICE GERAKAN numbers for Klang Valley area

2012-04-29T23:24:00.004-07:00

POLICE GERAKAN SHAH ALAM TEL: 5520 2022

POLICE GERAKAN PETALING JAYA TEL: 7966 2222

POLICE GERAKAN DAMANSARA TEL: 7728 4379

POLICE GERAKAN SUBANG JAYA TEL: 5633 2222

POLICE GERAKAN PUCHONG TEL: 8076 2222

POLICE GERAKAN DANG WANGI TEL: 2600 2222

POLICE GERAKAN BRICKFIELDS TEL: 2274 2222

POLICE GERAKAN CHERAS TEL: 9284 2222

Bersih 3.0 - Police Attack Peaceful Protesters at Leboh Pasar Besar

2012-04-29T20:50:00.001-07:00

Bersih 3.0 - Police Attack Peaceful Protesters at Leboh Pasar Besar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5TdgbJRN4Y&feature=related

Malaysian police brutality during peace rally

2012-04-29T20:49:00.001-07:00

Malaysian police brutality during peace rally http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b8jAzDqXgg&feature=related

Take these 8 Immediate Actions This Year to Pay Less Income Tax Next Year

2012-04-17T21:07:00.001-07:00

Take these 8 Immediate Actions This Year to Pay Less Income Tax Next Year

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 04:52 PM PDT

Paying taxes is hardly a pleasant experience but here it is again – the tax filing season. If you are like me, I lamented on what I should have done last year which would entitle me for more personal income tax relief. But what’s done is done, as a Malay proverb goes – “nasi sudah jadi bubur” which literally translates to “rice has turned into porridge already”.

If you had thrown away all your receipts, there’s no way you can get them back. And if you didn’t sign any Housing Sales and Purchase agreement between 10 March 2009 to 31st December 2010, there is really nothing you can do now to qualify for the RM 10,000 relief on home mortgage loan interest.

The late Steve Jobs once said: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards” Under certain circumstances, I disagree. There are certain things that we can anticipate; it all depends on us to lay down the dots now, looking forward so that looking backwards in the future, everything connects the way we want them to.

The critical date for tax planning is 31 Dec, not 30 April. Here’s my self reminder and practical action plan for the rest of the year so that I don’t get that same “Darn!-I-should-have-done-this” feeling for YA 2012 tax filing season next year. And I would like to share it with you.

#1 Keep your broadband subscription receipts intact Let’s start with the easiest – your broadband service. If you are reading this, I bet you are on a broadband plan. Anyone still on TMNET Dial Up 1515? Seriously… Subscribing to a broadband service is the easy part; the hard part for most people is keeping your receipts for the next 7 years. But Just Do It. It’s your money at stake here. Don’t forget, the broadband account needs to be registered under your name, the taxpayer. Another point to note is that data service plan for smart phone is also subject to tax relief under this category. Told you this is easy peasy, yes?

#2 Get some (and more) reading material now Set a target of RM 83 per month for books and magazines purchase. How about Personal Money to improve your financial literacy? That’s RM 9 (retail price) per month. For books, consider KC Lau’s Top 93 Personal Finance FAQS in Malaysia, and for the more advanced reader, you should consider Millionaire Teacher, the 9 Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School by Andrew Hallam, whom I recently interviewed in a podcast series. In short, any hardcopy or electronic forms of books, magazines and journals (excluding newspaper) purchased locally or overseas are relievable. Reminder – the onus of proof of purchase lies on you. Even if you don’t have time to read now, buy something which you would find useful down the road, not only for yourself, but for your kids as well. You can even purchase e-books from site like ebooks.com.

#3 Get an iPad Right Now No, this is not a sales pitch. It used to be the conventional desktop or laptop personal computer, but now, iPad is also entitled for this. There’s an argument saying other tablets such as Samsung Galaxy Tab or Kindle Fire is not claimable but here’s some info from a finance blog I followed – Kris from knowthymoney.com. In one blog post, he obtained info from Inland Revenue Board which states only anything with traditional calling or short messaging service hardware capability is not categorized as a computer. As such, any smart phones such as iPhone are out, but any kinds of tablets should be categorized as computers. But we are all smart and know a workaround for this, aye? – With the help of Voice over IP (VoIP) software such as Skype, we can easily make call or send text messages. By the way, you cannot claim this for receipts under your spouse name.

#4 Do medical checkup regularly Set a target to undergo a comprehensive medical checkup twice a year. RM 500 should be more than sufficient to cover this cost. Incidentally, this is How I Define Wealth, but a fellow personal finance blogger, Champdog from Journey to become Financially Independent, has this alternative equation: Wealth = Money + Health + Relationship Money is usually a yardstick on how far you are from financial independence in a time span. That’s only one third correct. Health and relationship are the integral elements because it affects our overall personal well being. I don’t think there much meaning to life if your family’s broken and you are confined to a wheel chair. By the way, this is also applicable for your spouse or child.

#5 Exercise more! This is a paragraph I need to quote directly from financetwitter.com. If you don’t find it amusing, leave a comment below and explain why D11 – Purchase of sports equipment for any sports activity, restricted to RM300. Sports equipment includes equipment with short lifespan such as golf balls and even shuttlecocks but excluding sports attire such as swimsuits and sports shoes. You may scream till foam at mouth – how the heck do you expect a person to swim without swimsuits or run without a pair of sports shoe. I supposed the government thought it would be fun if you swim naked or run around barefoot like a chicken (*grin*).

#6 Save extra for your retirement Keep your eyes open for further details on the newly Securities Commission-approved Private Retirement Scheme (PRS) to supplement your EPF contributions. If you are risk adverse and are really passive in investing your own money, PRS is offered by the following 8 intermediaries below. The total premiums paid for PRS is eligible for tax relief up to RM 3,000. •AmInvestment Management Sdn Bhd •American International Assurance Bhd •CIMB-Principal Asset Management Bhd •Hwang Investment Management Bhd •ING Funds Bhd •Manulife Unit Trust Bhd •Public Mutual Bhd •RHB Investment Management Sdn Bhd.

#7 Extra insurance (Education endowment policy ) premiums for child or medical insurance I have a mixed feeling about endowment policy because a real property investment might provide better returns if managed correctly. Therefore, increasing your medical insurance coverage for yourself or your spouse to fill the RM 3,000 quota seems to be a better choice. And do you know that 60 percent of your medical/life insurance policy or riders such as the 36 critical illnesses are claimable under medical insurance premiums tax relief? I recently realized that I, too, have been underutilizing this portion because for most of us, RM 6,000 tax relief for combined EPF and life insurance policy has been maxed out already. I previously blogged on how to do this – Pay less income tax with this one simple tip.

#8 Get additional academic credentials This is especially important if you are in the education industry. If an additional paper qualification would propel your career advancement, it could be justifiable in terms of cost spent. Any Masters or Doctorate level of any course of study qualifies for up to RM 5,000 tax relief. Apart from that, other skills or courses on technical, vocational, industrial, scientific, ICT, accountancy, Islamic finance and law are also eligible. I do wonder why Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification is not included though. How long you need to keep those receipts for tax purposes?

IRB requirement is 7 years. The calculation of the 7 year period begins from the end of the year in which the Income Tax Return Form is filed. Effectively, you need to keep it for 9 years. You incurred relief expense in Year 1, submit the Income Tax Return Form by 30 April in Year 2, and then keep the receipts pursuant to tax rules for 7 years. You can print this out now. You are welcome. Share this if you find it entertainingly useful. Interesting points from Personal Money April 2012 issue Never spend unnecessarily – think of tax deductions as subsidy. Say your personal tax rate is at 26 percent, for everything tax deductable item or service of RM 100, you only pay RM 74.

Failure to submit tax return within the stipulated dateline will result in a penalty of 20 percent of total tax payable. Property investors with properties registered under their children’s name, who is still a minor (below 21 years old, unmarried), will NOT transfer away the taxable rental income from your total taxable income. IRB can assume the income from property belonging to a minor is the income earned by his or her guardian/parents, because a minor is still dependant on you, by law.

Datelines to know E-filing, BE form – May 15 E-filing, B form – July 15, Hard copy filing by post, BE form – May 3 Hard copy filing by post, B form – July 3 Hard copy filing by self submission, BE form – 30 April Hard copy filing by self submission, B form – 30 June LCF blogs about simplified personal finance issues and practical how-to money tips at howtofinancemoney.com

This article is posted at: KCLau's Money Tips http://kclau.com/

PM, don't say we didn't warn you about Taib

2012-04-05T22:57:00.001-07:00

PM, don't say we didn't warn you about Taib
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/159177

Sarawak Report does a WikiLeaks on 'land grabs'

One Fair: There is little wonder that Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud is filthy rich along with his cronies given that large portions of the Native Customary Rights lands have been alienated. Why must Sarawakians wait any longer? Take this great opportunity to kick the CM out.

Is there any reason for PM Najib Abdul Razak not to ask the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate Taib? I can only imagine that the PM is indebted to him, which explains his unwillingness to take action.

Lim Chong Leong: MACC, no action. Police, no action. BN, no action. We should not forget also those who have opposed him or his likes have disappeared like activist Bruno Manser and that sub-contractor guy who sued his brother.

Meantime, Sarawakians suffer extreme poverty and they need Selangor and Penang governments to help provide transportation for Penan school children.

Loyal Malaysian: Thank you to the brave and diligent folks of the Sarawak Report for uncovering and posting the details of these 'land grabs' by Pek Moh (white hair), his family members and cronies.

If the rakyat of Sarawak do not hold him accountable for these excesses in the coming elections, then we might as well crown Pek Moh the eternal White Rajah of Sarawak.

C4: Macam ni terang-terang punya statement keluar pun kerajaan Malaysia tak boleh ambil tindakan and buat siasatan ke atas Taib Mahmud dan seluruh keluarganya. Kemungkinan sebab semua satu gang, kot?

Leo Antony: What more does the MACC need to act? What is Najib, DPM Muhyiddin Yassin and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein afraid of? Why are MACC, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP, etc, all so quiet when such wealth is being pilfered and the poor of Sarawak cheated of their lands by the very person they voted to look after them?

Najib, your statement that BN is not perfect is notoriously short of the truth and you know that very well. Surely you have access to these land records? The land office knew about it all this while. The only people in Sarawak who did not know are the landowners themselves.

It hurts that the very people that the poor voted to look after their interest are robbing their land. It's shocking. And the BN government permits this without batting an eyelid.

Ghkok: This is daylight robbery. I don't remember anyone from BN bringing this up for the last 30 years. Even with the details streaming out over the last few months, there is no statement whatsoever from Umno, MCA, MIC, SUPP, Gerakan, PBS, LDP and all the other BN accomplices in Sabah and Sarawak.

Observer: My advice to the PM - you have to take the 'bulls by the horns'. Taib is certainly not a ‘winnable candidate' in the state election. He brings along a huge amount of baggage that will bring down BN.

Tell him politely that he has served Sarawak long enough and it is now time for him to go. Nobody is indispensable. Don't say later that the rakyat did not warn you.

Anonymous_3e33: In West Malaysia, we have voted in some PKR state governments. Although the controlled media always mentioned that they lack experience in government, it is alright as they do not plunder the wealth of the rakyat.

Sarawakians, I hope you know what to do with an over-experienced state government that has been in power for too long.

Justice Seeker: It's just too bad that most people in Sarawak are illiterate. Their lifestyle is akin to "kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang". This latest expose means nothing to them, they won't understand the fraud caused by this timber robber. They are like the Felda Malays and the estate Indians.

As long as they are given some tit bits, they will happily vote for these band of robbers. These robbers lead extravagant lifestyle at the expense of the poor rakyat of Sarawak. They live in palaces and drive extremely posh cars, whereas most of the rakyat live in rickety longhouses.

Is this not a mockery of the highest order? As for action to be instituted by MACC, it's a foregone conclusion that no action will be taken despite clear-cut evidence. They close an eye on all the billions stolen by the BN politicians.

And ironically, if there are opposition members accused of wrongdoing over a peanut sum of money, MACC will immediately spring into action.

Atan-Toyol: How to get the information to the voters? The BN will try everything to block any effort to get them out to the voters, like blocking peninsular opposition leaders from going to campaign in Sarawak. The voters in the urban areas pose no problem; it is those who live in the interior. They count more now.

Alan Goh: MACC, apa tunggu lagi? The late Teoh Beng Hock alleged fraud was for a paltry sum of RM2,400, yet the commission launched the largest operation ever against Selangor Pakatan Rakyat.

Wong Jiang Fung: Spread the words, people. Sarawak natives in villages have no access to Internet. Newspapers and radio are - or will soon be - controlled and gagged, so they won't publish these. We can only count on words of mouth to bring the news to all the people in Sarawak.

Anonymous_3e4b: If the Catholic Church of Malaysia stays ‘neutral' in the Sarawak state election, it merely confirms my suspicions that the church will always put the well-being of its organisation before truth and justice.

Remember what the Vatican did in World War Two? It betrayed the Jews with regards to Nazi Germany in order to protect its wealth and well-being. Up until now, the Vatican has never truly begged for forgiveness for that heinous act. Don't let history repeat itself in Sarawak. And yes, I am Catholic.

Pemerhati: Najib, Taib, Mahathir and many other BN leaders are essentially a bunch of robber barons. They have stayed in power by winning elections by using several crooked methods such as gerrymandering, racism, vote-buying and fraudulent postal voting.

They have then stolen billions of the people's money through various crooked strategies such as fraudulent land deals, getting kickbacks from overpriced negotiated contracts (e.g. IPPs, roads, ports, LRT, MRT) and government procurements, and the purchase of unnecessary and overpriced armaments (e.g. submarines).

To ensure that the plunder could be carried out without any hindrance Mahathir and BN destroyed the judiciary, enforcement agencies and the civil service by filling key positions with incompetent and unprincipled boot lickers, who were grateful to be promoted, and hence did whatever they were told, even if it was wrong and illegal.

Pakatan must go all out to inform the rural voters this truth if it is to win the coming elections

Singa Pura Pura: If the Czar of Sarawak had wanted to go on his own volition, he would have gone. If he could have been made to go (by Umno, who else?), he would have been gone. Umno/PBB would have been able to benefit from declaring: you people wanted him to go, he is now gone, vote BN.

But the empire of the inimical is too vast and the roots too deeply entrenched. We have allowed it to be so, and BN has made it so for us. Now, the Czar says he will only go if he wins again. That he will only favour the people - with his absence - if the people will lay prostrate in his continued and prolonged presence.

Such is the twist of trade that the Czar seeks with his people. Soon, the people of Sarawak will have their tryst with destiny. And when destiny has come and gone, only one will be left dancing and twisting - the Czar or the people of Sarawak.

Paul Warren: Botak Chin was an angel compared to Taib Mahmud based on these revelations. Yet Umno's BN hung Botak Chin and celebrated Taib Mahmud.

The most hated man in Malaysia!

2012-04-02T20:47:00.001-07:00

The most hated man in Malaysia!

By Harris Ibrahim.

Dear Mahathir, Malaysian insider reports that you had "defended the social contract, the so-called unwritten agreement between the Malays and the non-Malays during independence, by affirming that without the agreement, Malaysia would not have been formed".

They quoted you :
"If there was no social contract, the terms and conditions of allowing citizenship to non-Malays would have not taken place.One million outsiders were given citizenships at the time."

Now, this quote from you got me curious.
Let me tell you why.

I conferred with my aunt, who confirmed that my maternal great grandfather, Eliathamby, of whom I've written previously in a posting entitled "The land that my forefathers helped build", would have left Ceylon and arrived in what is now West Malaysia, around 1870.
He died well before the conclusion of that social contract that you spoke of, so my great grandfather would not have come within those 'one million outsiders' who acquired citizenship at the time of independence in 1957.

My maternal grandfather, Vellupillay T. Williams, never lived to see the formation of Malaya so he, too, did not make up the'one million outsiders'.

Enough of my family tree. Let's look at yours.
I got this from a blog, Malaysiana:
Perhaps, the most famous Malayalee to land in George Town was Iskandar Kutty, a merchant who married a Johor-Riau wife Siti Hawa Iskandar. They became the proud parents of Alor Star's top public school Sultan Abdul Hamid College 's founder-principal and Kedah's royal educator Datuk Mohamad Iskandar.

Mohamad was the school teacher of Tunku Abdul Rahman.
He and his wife Datin Wan Tempawan Wan Hanafi from the Kedah Bendahara's (Prime Minister's) clan, were the proud parents of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's Father of Modernisation and fourth Prime Minister.

And this from Malaysia Today:
Born in December 20, 1925, Dr Mahathir hailed from the state of Kedah, at the capital of Alor Star, whose father was a school teacher.
His father was Indian who migrated from Kerala, who married a malay lady and sold banana fritters during the second world war. His early education was through vernacular school and at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in the city.

My question, then, Doc, firstly is whether your father was amongst the'one million outsiders'?

And when did you become 'Malay', Doc?

When did you move from being a son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala to a Malay? Not that I care, but when?

Speaking of Malay, do you remember your "Malay Dilemma", Doc? Do you remember what you said about the problem of inbreeding amongst the Malay community, and that whole business of genes? Back then, who had heard of this thing called DNA?

Who had ever imagined that science would one day make it possible for all of us to trace our genealogy?

Guess what, Doc?
It seems, based on all this new DNA scientific knowledge, that there's no such thing as a Malay race. It would seem that you've gone from being a son of anIndian who migrated from Keralato a 'does not exist'.

Just like that!
My cyber buddy, Michael Chick, has written extensively on this matter, in a three-parter in Malaysiakini. HERE,HERE, and HERE. See what Michael writes in his final part :

"The people Malaysians call 'Malay', are actually only a tiny sub-component of the much larger Austronesian group. And all Austronesians are the end-product of extensive inter-breeding between the Taiwanese and Dravidic Indians. All this has finally been irrefutably proven by independent DNA testings from world-class faculties".

I've never been very good at all these sciences, Doc, but if you're any better, and you think Michael's cocked-up big time in his conclusions, why don't you take him on?

Damn, I digress.

So when and how did you become Malay?
Because of the definition of 'Malay' in the Federal Constitution, Doc? Article 160 (2)? That right?

So, right up until the last moments before Tunku's declaration of independence, you were the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and moments later you were magically transformed into a Malay?

And is not the definition of Malay in Article 160(2) stated to be for the limited purpose where the word 'Malay' appears in the Constitution?

But really, Doc, I don't give a toss whether you hold yourself out as Malay or the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala.Whatever turns you on.

What pisses me off is this Bumi-non Bumi crap.
November 19th, last year, The Star reported on Najib's balik kampung to Makassar in South Sulawesi . You can read the report HERE.

Courtesy of The Star, Najib is reported to have said : "I feel like I am returning to my roots,"

and, when asked to comment on the possibility that some people might view the fact that he had roots here in a negative light, Najib said:

"I am not apologetic about it. This is my family history and I am proud of it."

According to the report, Najib said he was the direct descendant of Bugis royalty who migrated to Pahang in the 18th century. Well, at least this Malaysian is not ashamed of his roots!

Now, you know that aunt I mentioned earlier? You know her. Aunty Rasammah.

I googled her name yesterday and this is what is written of her in Wikipedia.

"Rasammah Bhupalan, also known as Rasammah Naomi Navarednamor Mrs F.R. Bhupalan is a renowned Malaysian freedom fighter and social activist.
Born in 1927, she has championed causes such as the anti-drug abuse movement, women's rights, education and social justice causes.

Rasammah was one of the earliest women involved in the fight for Malaysian (then Malaya ) independence.
She joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women's wing of the Indian National Army, to fight the British. She served in Burma during World War II.
As founder president of the Women Teacher's Union , she fought for equal pay for women teachers and tried to bring disparate teachers' unions under an umbrella.

The former school principal was the first Asian representative of the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profess ion for two successive terms.
She was also very active in the National Council of Women's Organisation (NCWO) and Pemadam.
She was a teacher in the Methodist Boys' School, Kuala Lumpur from 1959 to 1964 and was the principal of the Methodist Girls School , Kuala Lumpur for 13 years from 1970 until she retired in 1982.
On 11th November 2007, Mrs.Bhupalan was one of the few veteran teachers who were invited to attend MBSSKL's 110th Anniversary Celebration Dinner. The dinner was specially organized to honour all the former and current teachers of the school".

Quite frankly, I think the write-up in Wikipedia does little justice to all that Aunty Rasammah has done for this country. But that is another matter.

More importantly, Doc, why are you, the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and Najib, the descendant of Bugis who migrated from Sulawesi ,are bumiputra, whilst Aunty Rasammah is not?

IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT MAHATHIR IS A RACIST. READ HIS BLOG AND YOU WOULD BE REAFFIRMED.

WHILE RETIRED FORMER US PRESIDENT CLINTON IS DOING NOBLE SERVICES AROUND THE GLOBE, MAHATHIR IS BUSY INFUSING IN HIS BLOG WITH WORDS OF ANGER, RACISM (HE IS AN AVID PROPONENT OF "MALAY SUPREMACY" WHICH HE COINED, I BELIEVE) AND NEGATIVE VIBES.

NOTHING IN HIS BLOG CONTAINS WISDOM NOR NOBLE IDEOLOGY THAT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO HELPING THE POOR; NOR IN HELPING TO FOSTER A STRONGER BOND AMONG THE RACES IN MALAYSIA.

IS HE A GREAT LEADER? YOUR VERDICT IS AS GOOD AS MINE.

From the desk of Raja Sundram

Malaysia Boleh lah

2012-02-28T21:53:00.004-08:00

Nigerian Fraudsters Caught in Malaysia

2012-02-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

Nigerian Fraudsters Caught in Malaysia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7MqCL5XPdc

Blogger apologises to former NSTP top execs

2012-01-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

Published: Tuesday January 31, 2012 MYT 9:40:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday January 31, 2012 MYT 11:19:32 AM
Blogger apologises to former NSTP top execs
By M. MAGESWARI

KUALA LUMPUR: Blogger Datuk Ahirudin Attan has apologised to former top executives of publisher New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd (NSTP) as part of an out-of-the-court settlement in a defamation suit.

The statement of apology was recorded by High Court judge Justice Asmabi Mohamad in chambers Tuesday.

Under the terms of agreement, Ahirudin, also known as Rocky, will publish a statement of apology on his weblog, Rocky's Bru.

"Rocky recognises, acknowledges and empathises with the considerable distress, embarrasment and inconvenience caused to the plaintiffs resulting from the publication of the defamatory statements.

"He was present in court today to express his sincere and utmost regret for the consequences caused to the plaintiffs," said NSTP lawyer Rishwant Singh.

"In the spirit of an amicable settlement between the parties, both parties have agreed that there will be no order as to costs or damages," he added.

Ahirudin was represented by lawyer Datuk Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos in the court proceedings.

Last week, the court gave Ahirudin until Tuesday to appoint a defence lawyer.

In the lawsuit filed in 2007, then NSTP deputy chairman Datuk Seri Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan, its then group editor-in-chief Datuk Hishamuddin Aun, its then director and chief-executive-officer Datuk Syed Faisal Syed AR Albar and then group editor Brenden John Pereira were named as plaintiffs.

They said Ahirudin had set up or caused to set up an online weblog-cum-website under the title Rocky's Bru, and that between June 8, 2006 and Dec 2, 2006, he had published, caused to be published and continued to publish defamatory postings against them on Rocky's Bru.

They added that Ahirudin had published 38 defamatory postings concerning Kalimullah, 21 postings against Hishamuddin, nine against Syed Faisal and 30 against Pereira.

The four plaintiffs said the publication of the defamatory articles demonstrated a pattern of consistancy and continuing conduct to defame and injure them.

In the statement of defence filed on May 3, 2007, Ahirudin said he would rely on the defence of fair comment on a matter of public interest and public information as well as justification in substance and fact.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/31/nation/20120131095439&sec=nation

Stolen cars being moved fast — and even to Africa and Greece

2012-01-30T22:27:00.000-08:00

Tuesday January 31, 2012
Stolen cars being moved fast — and even to Africa and Greece

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian car-theft syndicates have extended their tentacles to Europe and Africa while continuing to feed the insatiable demand in South-East Asia and they are doing it in double-quick time.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said cars stolen in Malaysia are being quickly put into containers and shipped off. They have been found in such countries as South Africa and Greece, besides traditional locations like Vietnam and Laos.

Car theft has also been made easier for the syndicates, thanks to a high-tech device that can be bought at flea markets and online for about RM10,000.

The device, which connects remotely with a vehicle's system, is not a controlled item because it is a diagnostic tool meant for mechanics and for police use.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/31/nation/10580733&sec=nation

Never say die until the final serve: BAM Director

2012-01-28T23:24:00.001-08:00

Never say die until the final serve: BAM Director

Published on: Sunday, January 29, 2012

Kuala Lumpur: Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) High Performance Director Datuk James Selvaraj wants players to adopt a 'never say die' attitude although the Thomas Cup squad is labelled as a 'weak team' due to the presence of young players.

Apart from being labelled as a weak team, the Thomas Cup squad led by world number one men's singles player Datuk Lee Chong Wei, has also been receiving negative reports in the media.

James Selvaraj believes, the team comprising Chong Wei, former All England winner Muhammad Hafiz Hashim and former world number one men's doubles pair Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong still has a chance of making it to the final, if the players go into the battle with a positive attitude, determination and fighting spirit.

Speaking of his own experience in the Thomas Cup competition back in 1976 when he represented the country together with legendary Datuk Punch Gunalan, the former Thomas Cupper said the Malaysian team at that time was called the "Punch Babies" by the media since all the players were young and deemed to have little or no chance of making it to the next stage, let alone the final.

"But we made them eat their words by not only making it to the next stage but walking into the final to face mighty Indonesia.

Though we lost in the final, the team had performed beyond expectations," he told Bernama.

"So I hope this team will also not give up and will fight till the end for the country," was Selvaraj's advice to the players.

The Thomas Cup squad that will head to Macau for the Thomas/Uber Cup Qualifiers from Feb 13-19, will feature a number of youngsters like Liew Daren, Mohd Arif Abdul Latiff in the singles, Goh V. Shem/Lim Khim Wah and Hoon Thien How/Teo Kok Siang in the men's doubles.

The squad will start centralised training in Bukit Kiara on Monday before heading to Sabah for the final phase of training from Feb 6 to 10.

James Selvaraj said the main objective of the centralised training was to inculcate a sense of belonging, team spirit, fighting spirit and the will to fight for the country.

"In other tournaments, they played for themselves but for the Thomas Cup it will be a team effort and strategy. So must brainstorm and motivate them to shoulder the dream of the entire nation," he said.

In the Macau Qualifiers, Malaysia will come up against tough resistance provided by the top four main superpowers according to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, namely China, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia while Malaysia are in fifth place.

China, though have already qualified for the Thomas Cup final in Wuhan, China from May 20-27 on merit, will be sending a team to play in the Qualifiers, minus their world number two Lin Dan.

Malaysia who won the Thomas Cup in 1992, have since made it to three finals but lost to Indonesia on all three occasions; 1994 lost 0-3 to Indonesia; 1998 lost 2-3 to Indonesia; 2002 lost 2-3 to Indonesia.

Indonesia have won the Thomas Cup a record 13 times since 1949 while China who joined the Thomas Cup family in 1982 have eight wins under their belt and Malaysia have five titles to their credit.

No other country has won the Thomas Cup although South Korea and Denmark have come close a number of times. - Bernama

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=80489

3 family members murdered

2012-01-28T23:22:00.000-08:00

3 family members murdered

Published on: Thursday, January 26, 2012

Kota Kinabalu: Three members of a family were attacked and killed by a group of men, armed with parang, at an oil palm estate workers' quarters in Kalumpang, Semporna, on Sunday.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said the three who were killed in the attack were Jaafar, 70, his son Ismail, 50 and his wife Salmiah Iran, 46 while four other family members managed to escape.

Hamza said during the 5.30pm incident, a group of men who arrived at the quarters in a lorry, used sharp objects during the attack, including parang.

He added that one of the assailants was also killed during the scuffle with the victims.

Police found the bodies of Jaafar and Ismail in the house but Salmiah's body was found at about 3.40am, not far from the scene of the attack, while the assailants body was found in Kampung Tagasan, Semporna.

Hamza said police who found five parangs, believed to have been used in the attack, also detained three suspects aged between 20 and 40.

Police were looking for nine other suspects believed to have been involved in the attack.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=80455

Cyber gambler has child in tow

2012-01-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday January 29, 2012
Cyber gambler has child in tow

GEORGE TOWN: A man who brought his three-year-old son to a gambling den was among 36 people detained during a police blitz on nine cyber cafes providing online gambling.

A team of policemen stormed one of the premises in Sungai Nibong and found the father, an odd job worker in his 30s, busy placing bets in front of a computer screen with his son sitting next to him.

Upon interrogation, the police learnt that his wife was ill and was warded in hospital.

It is learnt that the man said he had to bring his son along as nobody was at home to look after him.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said the father has been released on police bail.

He said police would continue with their efforts to flush out such activities but at the same time the people must play their part by not frequenting such places.

He said the 36 arrests, which included 13 caretakers, were picked up at nine premises in Sungai Nibong, Jelutong, Batu Ferringhi, Datuk Keramat and Jalan Patani.

The suspects were between the ages of 20 and 50. Police also seized RM2,444 and 111 computers.

ACP Gan said more than 100 policemen were involved in the operation which lasted four hours until 3am yesterday.

He added that police would inform the Penang Municipal Council to cut off electricity and water supply to the premises.

“At the same time, we will also ask the Inland Revenue Board to conduct checks on the financial status of these operators.

“They have been raking in millions of ringgit from these illegal activities,” he said.

George Town deputy OCPD Supt Ahmad Bakhtiar Kassim also carried out raids on three entertainment outlets here.

A total of 79 people, aged between 20 and 50, were picked up from two outlets in George Town and another outlet in Relau. They included Chinese and Indonesian nationals.

Four of them tested positive for drugs during the four-hour operation which lasted until 4am yesterday.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/29/nation/10561458&sec=nation

CHOGM - PM NAJIB 'HUMILIATED' October 2011

2011-12-26T19:26:00.000-08:00

PICTURES SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS
CHOGM - PM NAJIB 'HUMILIATED' AGAIN IN PERTH, AUSTRALIA (with PICTURES)

26 October, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak left for Perth, Australia on Wednesday to lead the Malaysian delegation to the Meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government(CHOGM).

Prime Minister who was accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, departing from the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subangnear here at 5 pm.

Among those who attended to say goodbye was the Deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Culture Minister Senator Datuk MaglinDennis D'Cruz, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department DatukDr Mashitah Ibrahim and President of the People's Progressive Party(PPP) Datuk M. Kayveas.

That is to say goodbye to Najib but Najib's arrival in Perth has been greeted with'arousing welcome' also by Malaysians who reside in Australia.

Dressed in a yellow T-Shirt (sign of BERSIH) they welcomed Najib and his party who willattend the CHOGM conference.

See the pictures, how humiliating a welcome he received in Australia ..

Hidden camera in changing rooms

2011-12-17T23:23:00.000-08:00

> Dear All,
>
> Please read and pass to your friend.
>
> How to detect a HIDDEN CAMERA in changing rooms in garment shops & boutiques........ In front of the changing room,
> take your mobile phone and make sure that your mobile can make calls.
>
> Then enter into the changing room, and make a call.
> If u can't make a call, there is a hidden camera.
> This is due to the interference of fiber optic during the signal transfer
> Please forward this to your friends to educate the public of this menace.
>
> To prevent our innocent sisters and ladies from HIDDEN CAMERAS AND UNSOLICITED STARRING ROLES IN PASAR MALAM VIDEOS
> .
>
>
>
> HONG SUIK KING
> BAHAGIAN TEKNOLOGI MAKLUMAT
> IBU PEJABAT POLIS BUKIT AMAN
>

Integriti Dalam Politik

2011-12-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 07 December 2011 10:09
Integriti Dalam Politik
by Ruhanie Ahmad

Selasa, 22 November 2011 yang lalu, saya diundang menjadi panel forum anjuran pelajar Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) di Tanjung Malim, Perak bagi menghuraikan tajuk Integriti Dalam Politik. Berikut adalah antara butiran idea yang saya bentang dalam forum tersebut.

Integriti adalah fenomena abstrak dan subjektif yang lazimnya digandingkan dengan persepsi manusia terhadap kredibaliti, ketulusan, keikhlasan, kejujuran, etika, prinsip moral, hati-budi, perilaku dan tahap dedikasi serta komitmen manusia lain, terutamanya mereka yang berjawatan, paling khusus sekali dalam arena siasah, iaitu para Menteri serta Ahli Parlimen.

Secara negatifnya, fenomena ini dikaitkan dengan perilaku songsang penjawat politik terbabit – sama ada mereka rasuah, bermoral rendah, berperilaku bajingan, bersikap oportunis, hanya mementingkan diri sendiri, dan tidak mempedulikan mandat yang diterimanya daripada rakyat jelata menerusi pilihan raya umum. Intrepretasi ini dikonseptualisasikan daripada pengalaman peribadi saya sendiri sebagai Ahli Parlimen Parit Sulong, Johor, selama 14 tahun (1990-2004).

Namun Pelan Integriti Negara (PIN) mengkonseptualisasi integriti di Malaysia sebagai satu falsafah hidup yang berasaskan kepada semangat dan prinsip Perlembagaan Persekutuan, falsafah dan prinsip Rukun Negara, serta falsafah dan cabaran Wawasan 2020. Ini bermaksud bahawa integriti dalam konteks ini adalah satu tatacara dan etika kehidupan yang berpaksikan kepada matlamat memelihara nilai-nilai teras negara – perpaduan, keadilan, demokrasi, sikap liberal dan tindakan progresif – bagi mencapai matlamat menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara maju mengikut acuan sendiri menjelang tahun 2020.

Lantaran itulah objektif umum integriti di Malaysia adalah merealisasikan hasrat Wawasan 2020 dan membentuk masyarakat yang kukuh ciri-ciri moral dan etikanya supaya rakyat jelata mempunyai nilai keagamaan dan kerohanian yang utuh berpaksikan kepada budi pekerti yang luhur (PIN Julai 2011).

Namun jika Konsep 1Malaysia gagasan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, dirangkumkan ke dalam penghujahan ini, integriti Malaysia adalah dikonseptualisasikan sebagai satu tatacara dan etika kehidupan yang berpaksikan kepada matlamat memelihara nilai-nilai teras negara – perpaduan, keadilan, demokrasi, sikap liberal dan tindakan progresif – bagi mencapai matlamat mentransformasikan Malaysia sebagai negara majmuk yang maju mengikut acuan sendiri pada tahun 2020, dengan emfasis nasional bahawa rakyat didahulukan, prestasi diutamakan.

Mengambil kira huraian di atas, maka apakah sebenarnya yang dimaksudkan sebagai integriti dalam politik di Malaysia? Pada waktu yang sama, apabila membicarakan soal integriti politik di Malaysia, adakah ianya merangkumi seluruh warga politik pemerintah dan pembangkang atau hanya difokuskan kepada integriti di kalangan politik Barisan Nasional sahaja.

Persoalan ini penting diambilkira oleh kerana pada ketika ini nampaknya hanya integriti politik pemerintah sahaja yang diteropong dan dipolemikkan secara besar-besaran, sementera integriti kalangan parti-parti politik alternatif, termasuk yang membabitkan segelintir kepimpinan tertingginya, seakan-akan dimaafkan oleh rakyat jelata.

Selanjutnya, siapa pula yang menetapkan benchmark atau pengukur integriti politik di Malaysia. Untuk menjawab persoalan ini, saya bahagikan penghujahan saya kepada tiga perspektif khusus – konseptualisasi integriti politik; integriti politik di Malaysia; dan ciri-ciri integriti politik Malaysia.

Selaras dengan konseptualisasi integriti pemerintah Malaysia seperti diartikulasikan oleh PIN dan MAMPU, berpaksikan kepada kepentingan nasional serta kesejahteraan rakyat jelata, dan juga berasaskan kepada pengalaman peribadi saya selaku Ahli Parlimen selama 14 tahun, penghujahan ini mengkonseptualisasikan integriti politik di Malaysia adalah seperti berikut:

Integriti politik di Malaysia adalah merngkumi sifat, sikap dan nilai yang membabitkan kredibaliti, ketelusan, kebertanggungjawaban, ketulusan, keikhlasan, kejujuran, etika, prinsip moral, hati-budi, perilaku, tahap dedikasi dan komitmen serta patriotism yang selaras dengan semangat dan falsafah Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Rukun Negara, Wawasan 2020 dan Konsep 1Malaysia, dengan matlamat mengukuhkan perpaduan nasional, melindungi kedaulatan dan kemerdekaan, memelihara keselamatan masyarakat dan keselamatan nasional, serta menjamin kelangsungan atau survival negara daripada apa jua ancaman luaran dan dalaman dalam konteks negara yang majmuk dan juga dunia yang global.

Konseptualisasi ini menunjukkan bahawa konsep integriti politik di Malaysia adalah lebih luas, dalam dan berat daripada konsep integriti umum atau konsep integriti perkhidmatan awam. Ini kerana warga politik Malaysia, terutama sekali warga politik parti pemerintah, adalah kumpulan pembuat dasar mengenai perpaduan, kemajuan, dasar luar, perdagangan antarabangsa, keselamatan dan kelangsungan nasional.

Selain itu, warga politik parti pemerintah Malaysia adalah pihak yang sering berinteraksi dengan komuniti siasah sejagat. Oleh sebab itu, persepsi nasional dan internasional terhadap integriti politik pemerintah adalah indikator penting dan menjadi salah satu elemen kemajuan negara.

Lantaran itu, pra-syarat utama kepada kewujudan integriti politik di Malaysia bukan sahaja yang terkandung dalam konseptualisasi di atas, malahan lebih utama lagi adalah kemampuan serta penguasaan warga politik Malaysia ini terhadap pelbagai ilmu dan pengetahuan yang relevan kepada hal ehwal ketatanegaraan dan juga hal ehwal antarabangsa.

Ini bermaksud bahawa warga politik siasah Malaysia perlu melalui proses pembelajaran sepanjang hayat supaya dasar-dasar negara yang mereka gubal adalah selaras dengan tuntutan mutakhir di dalam negara dan serasi pula dengan citarasa masyarakat antarabangsa.

Saya berpendapat sebegini oleh kerana kini masih wujud segolongan warga politik Malaysia yang dangkal ilmu pengetahuan dan mengamalkan proses politisasi gaya 50-an. Pada waktu yang sama, juga wujud segelintir warga politik yang sukar untuk aktif dalam arena antarabangsa oleh kerana kekangan ilmu pengetahuan semasa dan juga konstrain penguasaan bahasa internasional.

Dengan ini, mereka gagal berinteraksi secara berkesan dengan komuniti siasah di luar negara dan gagal menimba peluang memaparkan imej dan kredibaliti Malaysia di pelantaran sejagat.

Selain itu, wujud pula warga politik Malaysia yang hanya terbelenggu dengan sesuatu konsep, prinsip dan doktrin antarabangsa – terutamanya yang American-centric – secara melulu.

Contohnya adalah dalam konteks demokrasi, kesamarataan dan hak asasi manusia, sehingga mereka terbabit mengagung-agungkan prinsip, konsep dan doktrin ini secara total, walaupun tindakan ini bertentangan dengan semangat dan falsafah Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan status Malaysia sebagai negara yang majmuk.

Berdasarkan konseptualisasi integriti politik seperti di atas, ciri-ciri utamanya di Malaysia adalah sikap, sifat dan nilai-nilai mengenai kredibaliti, ketelusan, kepertanggungjawaban, ketulusan, keikhlasan, kejujuran, etika, prinsip moral, hati-budi, perilaku, tahap dedikasi dan komitmen serta patriotisme yang selaras dengan semangat dan falsafah Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Rukun Negara, Wawasan 2020 dan Konsep 1Malaysia.

Ciri-ciri ini boleh disemai, dipupuk dan ditanamkan menerusi pelbagai pendekatan, sama ada menerusi bengkel, seminar dan kursus yang formal, konsisten dan komprehensif, serta proses pembelajaran sepanjang hayat.

Namun seluruh pendekatan ini wajar merangkumi pelbagai aspek ilmu pengetahuan mengenai hal ehwal antarabangsa, globalisasi, ketatanegaraan, perpaduan, prinsip moral, akal-budi, rasuah, patriotisme, politik dan pembangunan, keselamatan masyarakat, keselamatan nasional, dan kelangsungan negara.

Ringkasnya, pengetahuan ini perlu mencakupi aspek antarabangsa dan nasional dengan matlamat membentuk warga siasah Malaysia yang rounded-up serta berintegriti tinggi di hari muka.

Kaedah ini adalah untuk mengelakkan petembungan pesepsi mengenai integriti antara rakyat jelata, perkhidmatan awam, sektor swasta dan juga sektor siasah. Ia juga bertujuan memelihara keselamatan rejim atau untuk membolehkan rakyat membuat pilihan warga politik manakah yang diputuskan sebagai berintegiti tinggi untuk diberikan mandat menerintah negara menerusi pilihan raya.

Sebagai kesimpulannya, integriti di kalangan warga politik di Malaysia adalah satu konsep yang luas, dalam dan berat. Ia perlu disemai dan dipupuk menerusi kaedah pembelajaran sepanjang hayat dan kursus serta seminar merangkumi pelbagai aspek nasional dan internasional dengan matlamat supaya kelompok ini memahami falsafah dan semangat Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Rukun Negara, Wawasan 2020, Konsep 1Malaysia serta hal ehwal antarabangsa, dan seterusnya mampu pula menterjemahkan semangat dan falsafah ini ke dalam perjuangan politik tanah air demi kepentingan negara dan kesejahteraan rakyat jelata.

Nota: Semoga buah fikiran di atas menjadi renungan kepada para perwakilan UMNO yang akan membahaskan ucapan dasar Presiden serta pelbagai usul berkaitan dengannya di Perhimpunan Agung UMNO mulai 29 November 2011 ini. Mudah-mudahan ia juga menjadi renungan kepada pemilihan winnable candidates atau calon yang mampu menjanjikan kemenangan dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 kelak.

Dipetik dari kuda-kepang.blogspot.com.

http://www.malaysiandigest.com/bahasa-melayu/36679-integriti-dalam-politik.html

Why r u not growing

2011-12-01T23:51:00.001-08:00

Why r u not growing

Malaysia’s Most Haunted Places

2011-12-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

Aeroplane Bungalow (Mona Fendy’s house), Behind Leisure Point, Cheras
For those who don’t know, Mona Fandey was a popular bomoh back in the 90′s, and reportedly used black arts to help many politicians achieve power. She was executed in 2001 for murdering politician Mazlan Idris in 1993 while conducting a ceremony to invest him with power. It’s reported that Mona, along with her husband, had Mazlan lie down while they conducted a ceremony, before dismembering and partially skinning Mazlan. At her execution, she claimed “I will never die,” and her house is supposedly haunted due to the black arts she practices there

Villa Nabila, Johor Bahru
Situated on a hillside facing Johor’s popular Danga Bay, Villa Nabila is prime property, which may lend credence to the stories that it’s haunted, as a prime property house like that isn’t commonly abandoned. Apparently the family home to a rich family, the house was robbed and the occupants killed, leading to it’s current haunting at the hands of the restless souls within. Some intrepid ghost hunters have reportedly gotten ‘lost’ in the villa, only to escape at dawn, and no sooner.

Lady Templer Hospital, Cheras
Apparently haunted by a ghost of an old lady, the Cheras Policlinic (as it’s also known) may be inhospitable for the intrepid ghost hunter- some eyewitness accounts place the ghost as unwelcoming to ‘cari pasal’ ghosthunters.

Karak Highway
The Karak Highway is home to numerous freak accidents and paranormal activity, with drivers reporting the invisible presence of ‘another person’ with them, whether it be a car or motorcycle. Beyond that, there’s an urban legend of a yellow Volkswagen that may chase you on the highway- carrying a ghostly passenger.

St. Michael’s Institution, Ipoh
A school built in 1912 by Catholic missionaries, St. Michael’s Institution was used as a base for the Japanese in WWII, and was also reported a torture chamber. Till this day, it’s said a monk can be seen praying in the fourth floor chapel, headless. Yeah, seriously.

Kellies Castle, Perak
While there’s never been a sighting at Kellies Castle, there are reports of doors opening and closing on their own, as well as piercing screams in the middle of the night. Creepy enough!

Abandoned Bungalows, Bangsar
This location couldn’t be pinpointed by the source over at a local online forum, but reportedly has djinn, pontianak, and other spirits haunting these Bungalows. There’s a slew of the other stories around the abandoned bungalows, notably a story about a guard going crazy and murdering some children

Highland Towers,Ampang
The famous Highland Towers. In 1993, a whole block collapsed, leading to 48 deaths and from then on, multiple reports of haunting and things that go bump in the night. Now, especially since that the apartment isn’t exactly in the best shape and is surrounded by overgrown jungle, Highland Towers might just give you one heck of a shock the next time you’re there.

Malaysia’s Most Haunted Places
Posted 30th October 11 at 7:20 pm by Scott

Gold medals for Malaysia

2011-11-20T20:23:00.001-08:00

The national bowlers were in sizzling form in Jakarta yesterday. - Picture by HAIRUL ANUAR ABD RAHIM

Read more: SEA GAMES: Golden day at the lanes - Other - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/sea-games-golden-day-at-the-lanes-1.7183#ixzz1eJMEDdOY

Adrian Ang's fourth gold medal in this Sea Games.

Read more: SEA GAMES: Every bit the master - Other - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/sea-games-every-bit-the-master-1.8847#ixzz1eJLxQnMI

Malaysians who won the Free Routine Team event with their gold medals.

Read more: SEA GAMES: How Mandarin helped Katrina become a winner - Other - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/sea-games-how-mandarin-helped-katrina-become-a-winner-1.8844#ixzz1eJLFyFR1

Wushu exponent Kevan Cheah

Synchronised swimmers Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi (right) and Shareen Png Hui Chuen starting off their routine in the technical duet event.

Read more: SEA GAMES: Party at the pool - Other - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/sea-games-party-at-the-pool-1.8391#ixzz1eJKd8UTO

Kevan Cheah and Tai Cheau Xuen delivered an early morning double Sea Games cheer in wushu after winning gold in the men's and women's nandao-nangun combined event respectively. Kevan was a surprise winner, scoring 19.41 points while cheau xuen upset national teammate diana bong ton win with 19.31 points.

Read more: More gold medals for Malaysia - Top News - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/top-news/more-gold-medals-for-malaysia-1.8481#ixzz1eJJojEBI

‘Umno forced Koh to bow out’

2011-11-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

‘Umno forced Koh to bow out’
As party president and minister, he should be given another chance to contest polls, says Lim

by T.K. LETCHUMY TAMBOO

Friday, November 18th, 2011 10:53:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon’s decision not to contest the next general election (GE) was forced upon him by Barisan National and Umno.

This is the opinion of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who said he sympathises with Dr Koh because the latter was “forced out”.

“I feel this is not his wish. It is an orchestrated campaign to remove him. BN and Umno have succeeded,” he told a Press conference at Parliament lobby yesterday.

Lim, said Umno campaigned against Dr Koh through Utusan Malaysia.

“Because they don’t want him, they carried out a campaign over the last few months to push him out. They have succeeded in forcing him to say he won’t contest the next GE.

“Look at the last four years, he was Gerakan president, he was a minister. Surely he wants to contest. If he doesn’t want to contest, then why does he remain as minister and president?” asked the Bagan MP.

Lim said he empathised with Koh because he received the same “treatment” from Umno before, through allegations in Utusan Malaysia.

Lim opined Dr Koh should have been given another chance to contest the upcoming polls as winning and losing election battles are a normal thing.

“There must always be a winner and loser. You have no choice. There is no third option. But since he was president and minister, he should be given another chance.

“Look, Lim Kit Siang lost before, Karpal Singh lost before. But they came back. Why is he not even given the chance to come back and try for one more time?

“Every election is tough. We respect every opponent, whether it’s Koh Tsu Koon or not,” he said.

Yesterday, Dr Koh, in making the announcement he would not contest the next GE, said he will, however, retain the posts of party president, Penang BN chairman and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, adding he will decide whether to give up the party presidency after the GE.

Dr Koh had also said the decision to retain him in his ministerial post rested with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Dr Koh, who had said the decision was a personal one, also said it was the first step towards driving transformation and renewal in the party.

Lim succeeded Dr Koh as chief minister after defeating the latter in the 2008 GE.

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/86304-%E2%80%98umno-forced-koh-bow-out%E2%80%99

No tax rebate for Nasi Lemak 2.0

2011-10-20T01:45:00.000-07:00

No tax rebate for Nasi Lemak 2.0
By NOORSILA ABD MAJID
nam@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Film Development Corporation (Finas) has declared that the movie Nasi Lemak 2.0 is not entitled to a 20% tax rebate under its new incentive for local films because it did not qualify for mandatory screening status.

“The film Nasi Lemak 2.0 has been viewed with prejudice because the producer (Namewee) had sparked a controversy before,” Finas director-general Mohd Naguib Razak said in a press statement.

Appealing against the Finas ruling, the film's executive producer Fred Chong told The Daily Chilli: “Namewee is not the producer. He's the script writer and director. I'm the producer and I'm not controversial.”

Chong, who is gathering all supporting documents from the Prime Minister's Department, added: “We're coming up with more justifications and explanations. Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (the minister in the Prime Minister's Department) has given us his endorsement, saying Nasi Lemak 2.0 is a 1Malaysia film.”

If box office collection is anything to go by, the feel-good comedy raked in RM4.5mil just two weeks after it was released in September.

Chong said he had yet to get the exact box office figures for Nasi Lemak 2.0 after its five-week run at the Malaysian cinemas.

“But 20% tax out of it is a lot of money for us. We're just a small player in the local film industry.”

On Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) pulling the movie from its theatres after Astro First (paid movie TV channel) bought over the screening rights, Chong said: “We're not trying to stop people from going to the cinemas. Astro First is a good platform to showcase Malaysian films on TV weeks after the cinemas have shown them.

“We have had families who wrote in, saying they couldn't go to the cinemas because they've got young children.”

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/10/10/nation/9665958&sec=nation

Hundreds of cats starved to skin and bones in ‘pet hotel’

2011-10-12T22:51:00.001-07:00

Hundreds of cats starved to skin and bones in ‘pet hotel’
Posted on September 5, 2011 by Leven Woon

16 cats were found dead and hundreds were dehydrated when a group of animal rescuers broke into a cat boarding center in Season Square Plaza, Damansara Damai yesterday.

Suspicion of foul play arose when pet owners went straight to the premise to claim their pets after several attempts to do so was turned down by the shop operator.

They had previously sent their pets to the center for the week-long Hari Raya holiday, but became worried after seeing a Facebook message asking customers of the shop to check on their pets.

Upon entering the shop, they found many cats were starved, sickly and soaked in their own urine in small confined cages.

Founder of NGO AnimalCare, Chan Kah Yein described six of the rescued cats as worst of the lot and was “totally skin and bones” when she saw it at the vet.

She said an emaciated cat can only start mewing softly after being treated on drip for five minutes.

“Before that, she had no energy to even mew. She only made a strange-sounding noise. This is so pitiful and tragic,” she said in her blog posting.

Pet owner Azmi Othman is glad that they have broken into the premise.

“If we hadn’t, God knows how many more pets would have died of dehydration as they had been left without water and food for more than five days,” he told New Straits Times.

He said upon his arrival at the premise at 11am, he could smell the strong stench from the ground floor despite the shop being situated on the first floor.

The cats were undergoing treatment in Gasing Hopsital yesterday. By last night, 16 cats have died, which were mostly kittens and young cats.

Animal rescue volunteer Bazillah Bahrin now called on the pet owners to liaise with the group to claim their pets.

On another note, it was revealed that the shop is only allowed to sell cat food as its pet license expired in 2009.

The two operators were summoned by the police for interrogation last night, but were later released.

Several sources say that Petaling Jaya deputy police chief Supt Meor Hamdan confirmed that nine police reports were lodged, which led to the police’s decision to cut the locks and enter the premise.

http://www.komunitikini.com/kl-selangor/damansara/hundreds-of-cats-starved-to-skin-and-bones-in-pet-hotel

Umno is Palanivel’s lord and master

2011-10-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

Umno is Palanivel’s lord and master
Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | August 1, 2011

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's cabinet is looking more and more like a Zimbabwean government.

MIC president G Palanivel has been made a minister on account that he will do Umno’s bidding. Palanivel will be Uncle-Tom-ming or in this case Uncle-Jibbing all the way.
What has Palanivel offered? Nothing!
He didn’t win any parliamentary seat. His contribution to Hulu Selangor when he was MP there nearly cost Barisan Nasional its the seat last by-election.
Palanivel was made a senator, deputy minister and now full minister on account of what?
He will do Umno’s biddings.
Palanivel lacks the the merit and people’s mandate. How can he speak with conviction about Indians?
The just released Dr Micheal D Jeyakumar of Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) is held in higher esteem than Palanivel.
Frankly if Palanivel is the deeply religious person everyone seems to think he is and has any moral compunction, he will decline the offer of a cabinet post.
What will Palanivel do as a minister? Which job in the Prime Minister’s Department is not already being done by someone else now?
PKR has more Indian MPs than MIC. In the next round, MIC will probably be decimated.
Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) claims to also represent the Indians. MIC which won only three seats last time, now it has two full ministers. That’s quite an achievement. In addition it two deputy minister’s post as well.
Largest cabinet ever
I know cabinet appointments are the prerogative of the PM Najib as head of the cabinet. But I think cabinet appointment must also reflect a moral stand
What Palanivel has done is to just add to the notoriety of the Najib cabinet being the largest in our history.
Tengku Abdul Rahman had a cabinet of some 16 people I think. Pak Lah had 33 and Najib now has 39.
That’s one short of the fabled number of a group of 40 people who made a living by relieving others off their wealth and property. The Najib cabinet is eerily becoming a Zimbabwean cabinet.
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe in an effort to demonstrate substance keeps on increasing the number of cabinet members.
People seemed to think that the seriousness of governance is measured by the increase in the number of cabinet positions.
Which reminds me of my late economics professor at University Malaya, Harcharan Singh, who used to say that in Russia there’s no unemployment of any kind because one cow is looked after by 40 people.
In which case we will have a zero unemployment cabinet then. But then we know that MIC Indians are a priviledged lot.
Threaten the PM and he will succumb to threats. The PM should have taken up the dare by the MIC Indians that they will not support the BN. See if the MIC leaders can talk big without any positions in the government.

The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman and an FMT columnist. This is an excerpt from his sakmongkolak47 blog.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/08/01/umno-is-palanivels-lord-and-master/

Malaysian Police Nab Four Taiwanese in Banking Scam

2011-09-29T23:03:00.000-07:00

Malaysian Police Nab Four Taiwanese in Banking Scam
September 28, 2011

Kuala Lumpur. Police have arrested four Taiwanese in northern Malaysia on suspicion of running a phone scam into China, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 31, allegedly recruited around 80 Chinese nationals to impersonate bank or police officials, said Syed Ismail Syed Azizan, director of commercial crime at the national Bukit Aman police headquarters.

The accomplices would then call potential victims in China to try to obtain personal information, or get them to transfer funds into bogus accounts.

The syndicate had rented four shops in the north--eastern town of Penang which were used as a training and call centres.

The suspects were detained at an apartment in Penang on Tuesday and were being held for questioning, Syed Ismail was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

In June, a coordinated crime-fighting operation across Asia, almost 600 mainly Chinese and Taiwanese nationals have been arrested over an Internet and phone fraud ring, with 177 of the arrests in Jakarta alone.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said that those arrested here on Thursday were believed to have duped their victims into transferring money to them on a variety of pretexts. Police located the perpetrators by tracing their IP addresses.

DPA, JG

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/seasia/malaysian-police-nab-four-taiwanese-in-banking-scam/468280

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Umno is Palanivel’s lord and master

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