Role Model For Unity

I shouldn't do this to myself. I really shouldn't.

But I have this streak of masochism and against my better judgement, every now and then I click on a link that I know is going to lead me to a Bernama site.

This one made me cough a biscuit up my nose.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) -- European countries see Malaysia as a melting pot of many cultures and a role model for unity and diversity, said Malaysian Ambassador to Belgium Datuk Hussein Hanif.

These qualities were much needed in the world today and in the years to come, he told Bernama in an interview in Putrajaya recently.

"They (European countries) and the world see Malaysia very positively, because we do not discriminate our citizens and people with different religious beliefs live in relative harmony and unity," he said.

Absolutely. No discrimination at all - no political and economic privileges to any particular group - no sir!

In fact, no one in Malaysia would dream of body-snatching dead Punjabis or Hindus and giving them Muslim burials.

Why, perish the thought!! We live and breath religious harmony and unity!

Hussein, who strongly supports the 1Malaysia concept espoused by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, said despite some "new media" trying to discredit Malaysia, once foreigners travel to this country, they would know how safe and amazing Malaysia was.

No shit, sherlock. It's a really safe place - especially in police lock-ups. You know you can sleep safe and expect to wake up bright and chirpy when the Malaysian police are there to protect you.

It's even safer in the streets, more so if you're in your car and you stop by to observe some policemen near a public protest.

You'd never have your car door kicked, the passenger door window screen hit or get forcibly dragged out of your car. No way.

This would spur them to appreciate Malaysia even more, he added, indicating that Malaysia had "dotted the world map with lots of outstanding achievements."

Outstanding, I'm sure. Like making roti-canai and teh-tarik in space? Or a world record for the most number of citizens tear-gassed and sprayed with chemical-laced water?

I sincerely wonder what this dude is smoking.

Because I'd really like a huge dose of denial and escapism once in a while to keep me going.

Body-Snatching And Illegal Burials

I've lost count. This country has elevated body-snatching into an artform.

I remember documenting one case of body snatching by the authorities but I know there are plenty more out there.

Now there's yet another one:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Sikh family lost a court battle Monday in Muslim-majority Malaysia for the right to cremate one of their relatives after officials said the man had converted to Islam years before his death.

The family of Mohan Singh has been fighting Islamic authorities for custody of his body after Mohan, 41, died of a heart attack on May 25.

Officials from the Islamic government department of central Selangor state insisted Mohan converted to Islam in 1992, but the family said he practiced the Sikh religion until his death.

God have mercy on us all.

NYT On Affirmative Action

Malaysia Dilutes Its System of Ethnic Preferences

BANGKOK — Najib Razak, Malaysia’s prime minister, announced Tuesday a major rollback in the system of ethnic preferences that has defined the country’s political system for almost four decades.

The new policy would severely weaken a requirement that companies reserve 30 percent of their shares for ethnic Malays, the country’s dominant ethnic group.

The 30-percent rule was once considered politically untouchable, and Mr. Najib described the change in policy as a “tricky balancing act.”

Malaysia has long given ethnic Malays and members of other indigenous ethnic groups — known as bumiputra, or sons of the soil — political and economic privileges. But that system has come under strain amid growing resentment by minority groups and poorer Malays.

The government offers bumiputra discounts on houses, scholarships and other perks. But some benefits, like government contracts and stock-market allocations, have been beyond the reach of working-class Malays.

Anger among Chinese and Indians, the country’s main minority groups, over the ethnic preferences was perhaps the main reason that the opposition made large gains in elections last year that nearly dismantled the governing coalition led by Mr. Najib’s party, the United Malays National Organization.

“We want to be fair to all communities,” Mr. Najib said in a speech in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital. “No one must feel marginalized.”

Mr. Najib’s success in rolling back the ethnic preferences will depend in large part on his ability to hold together his coalition and fend off a resurgent opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim, a former finance minister.

Mr. Anwar, who leads a diverse group of opposition parties, has promised to undo the system of ethnic preferences.

By positioning himself as a reformer, Mr. Najib, who came to power in April, appears to be calculating that he can stave off opposition advances and be seen as an agent of change.

“The world is changing quickly, and we must be ready to change with it or risk being left behind,” he said Tuesday.

The change would leave some ethnic preferences intact and come with caveats. But it would dilute one of the most important components of what is known as the New Economic Policy, introduced in 1971: the requirement that companies listing on the stock exchange sell 30 percent of their shares to ethnic Malays.

That requirement was scrapped for companies already listed on the stock exchange and reduced to 12.5 percent for initial public offerings. The requirement will remain in place for “strategic industries” like telecommunications, water, ports and energy.

Mr. Najib also said he would lower barriers for foreign investors. The government would eliminate a special vetting process for foreign companies wanting to invest in, merge or take over a Malaysian company, he said.

“The global economic crisis is amplifying the need to be a preferred investment destination,” he added.

Malaysia’s trade-dependent economy is expected to contract by 5 percent this year.

They Were Tear-Gassed Too...

When it comes to elections, what do Malaysia and Iran have in common?

"We want all the countries in the world not to recognise Ahmadinejad as Iranian president. The election was fraud. The actual winner is (Mir Hossein) Mousavi," Ali Bozrgmer, a 28-year-old student told AFP.

No wonder the Malaysian anti-riot squad were in a hurry to fire tear gas on the protestors.

Awang Selamat Broaches The Subject Of Betrayal

There is a trash bag in town and he goes by the monicker of Awang Selamat.

Now I've heard people whinge, but no one comes close to this rabid mouthpiece of UMNO who regularly churns out a staple diet of racism, self-pity and a sense of entitlement.

If you're wondering "who?", he's a columnist for our favourite Malaysian daily, Utusan Melayu. If you're wondering "what?", here's the piece.

If you're a foreigner who doesn't speak or read Malay, it looks like I'll have to translate - though what a despicable task it is to dissect such drivel.

But here goes the melodrama-punctuated snivelling:

Awang's heart is perpetually being gouged by the overly racist demands of the non-Malays post GE12 (on March '08). The reason can be interpreted. But Awang will not go into length on that, merely to bring up an excerpt from Tun Tan Siew Sin, an MCA leader, on 30th April 1969 for our consideration.

"The Malays, through UMNO, generously loosened the requirements within the law to the extent that in the 12 months after independence, 90% of non-Malays were granted citizenship. In contrast, pre-independence, 90% of them were not recognised as citizens even though they lived for over a hundred years under the imperialists. To repay the Malay generosity, MCA and MIC agreed to protect and respect the special rights of the Malays while defending the basic rights of other races."

It's almost amusing to observe how shamelessly he glorifies UMNO when every other Malaysian with half a brain knows that it was a coalition of people - not only UMNO - who had a say in national policy.

The British really didn't care who was a native or a foreigner. The Malays, Chinese and Indians were all equal in their eyes, which is why the whole concept of citizenship never mattered in the first place.

Galadriel rightfully takes offence at the insinuation that her life here is at the behest of the kind people of Umno.

There is some irrelevant reference to Tun Sambanthan, but after that, there's more rabble rousing in the next paragraph:

What did they decide about citizenship? If we look at Asia and East Asia, we will find that Indians were not accepted in Ceylon and Burma. Similarly, the Chinese were not accepted in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries. What assistance in relation to citizenship did they receive in those regions?

My 2 Cents slaps Awang The Moron right in the face with his response to this ridiculous comparison. "I could point out a country, that not only gave foreigners CITIZENSHIP, they even elected a dual-citizenship 'foreigner' as President," he says.

My resolve to translate the entire piece has weakened. Like any other piece with no merit, the writer chooses to repeat himself. But he ends with this:

The question is, has the Malays' sacrifice been betrayed by the other races?

Someone by the name of Ruyom has given a very good response to that particular question:

When Awang Selamat writes the malays have been betrayed, then he is keeping very good company indeed. Adolf Hitler repeatedly wrote the Germans have been betrayed by the minority Jews. Karadzan Milosevic repeatedly said the Serbians have been betrayed by the minority Bosnians.

Robert Mugabe repeatedly said the Zimbabweans have been betrayed by the foreign West. The BJP regularly say that the Hindus have been betrayed by the minority Muslims.

All the while their leaders shouted – traitor this and traitor that – as if the louder they shouted the more easily their lies could be believed.

Luckily there are a lot of Malay-Muslims in Malaysia who think for themselves, and not swallow everything Utusan tells them to. How stupid do Umno spin doctors think the rakyat have become?

It's really good stuff. Go and read it here.

Arrest Me - I Am Wearing Black!

I was wondering why Haris Ibrahim was keeping a low profile. I should have known better - he was busy hatching out a new plan.

And heck, this is quite a statement to be making!


This initiative (as far as I know) was started by Wong Chin Huat, who subsequently got arrested for urging people to wear black on a designated day.

Since then, the colour black has become synonymous with political protest - at least in Malaysia. And yes, our nation can rightfully be termed as 1BLACKMalaysia, unless we stand up and make a difference.

Of course, this begs the question: Are we inviting to be arrested?

Even I, the rabid political activist wannabe, stopped short as seeing this t-shirt. It's bold and daring. And I can imagine it might be just a tad intimidating to see crowds of people walking about in it.

Just like Old Town White Coffee might be feeling just a bit of trepidation at involuntarily "hosting" the gathering of activists.

According to Lulu, two of its (Old Town) outlets have closed ostensibly for ‘upgrading’. It's the easiest way of avoiding a sticky situation - by closing down.

Because frankly, I can imagine the government coming down quite hard on Old Town for what will be seen as their "association" with political activists against the ruling coalition.

Of course, Old Town White Coffee can't turn away patrons for no reason beyond their choice of dress, but as an establishment with franchises throughout the country, it will be a difficult situation, nevertheless.

No matter. They will one day be hailed for being part of the change that is soon to come.

NST Attempts To Increase Sales By Offering Discount Coupons

They say wonders never cease. I'm beginning to believe them - whoever they are.

For finally, my parents have seen the light. Finally, they have realised that the mainstream media are nothing but a bunch of snivelling liars.

And believe it or not, my father has actually cancelled the daily newspaper subscription. I am very curious to hear of how he will deal with the withdrawal symptoms of not being able to read the comics and obituaries.

But according to my mother, he apparently was quite firm in his decision. I'm shocked because he was brought up to never question the government or authority, and by his book, the newspapers are the authority ... at least on news that happens in this country.

So for him to spurn the NST, there must have been more than just a ray of enlightenment.

I'm delighted. I hope that my father is not alone in his decision. I hope that all those others out there who read the mainstream media will consider cancelling their subscription as well.

But I think it has already happened. Which is why the NST is in collaboration with major hypermarkets to increase sales of their worthless scraps of newsprint by offering cut-out coupons with discounts:

PETALING JAYA: Carrefour Malaysia has teamed up with the New Straits Times to launch its week-long "Cut and Save Campaign" beginning today.

The campaign, which ends on Sunday, is aimed at ensuring that Carrefour customers enjoy the best deals, given current times when budgets are understandably tight.

Carrefour Malaysia and Singapore managing director Shafie Shamsuddin said three coupons offering savings of between RM15 and RM50 for selected items would be available daily in the NST during the campaign.

It is important to note that the flailing economy and "customer satisfaction" has been cited as the reason for this discount coupon offering.

If that was the case, they should have put it on the internet so people could print out the coupons and redeem them at the nearest outlet.

Oh no. This is definitely about increasing NST sales.