Exploring Each Others' Cultures

Malaysia is a land of confusion.

We cannot decide if we want to tikam some dude on the street with a keris for supposedly infringing on special rights or if we want to explore his culture further.

Evidently, the folks I bumped into yesterday preferred the amicably docile celebration of each others' cultures.

It was an odissi dance performed by 3 men - Ramli Ibrahim, Ajit Das and Rahul Varshney. Odissi originated around 200BC in India.

The cultural scions of Malaysian society will probably know that Ramli Ibrahim is no Indian. He doesn't remotely look like one. But he puts up a mean display of Indian dance.

I looked around at my fellow audience. It was then that it occured to me - the Chinese, Malays and Caucasians outnumbered the Indians by 4 to 1.

All the female volunteers, regardless of race (and there was quite a mixed bunch), were dressed in a saree.

I didn't know whether to be stunned or pleased. Or confused.

But I finally decided on contentment. Malaysia is coming of age.

Bandar Mahkota Cheras Access Road Usable!

My drive to the office takes me about an hour. This morning was like any other.

The traffic report came on and I was idly listening, feeling smug that I had been able to bypass the traffic jams.

I was negotiating a particularly sharp bend when the announcer took that very moment to report that the access road at Bandar Mahkota Cheras was available for public use.

That was certainly unexpected.

I swerved involuntarily. Nearly hit the road barrier. Cursed in 3 different languages.

And then brightened up.

Hell, that was good news. Those folks had been fighting for justice for ages!

And it wasn't an easy battle.

It even involved bloodshed. This dude got beaten up by our esteemed members of the police force.

Chang Jiun Haur had no business trying to run over policemen, but they had no business beating the hell out of him either.

He is now in intensive care.

For their role in this entire fiasco, Grand Saga board of directors should be safely put away behind bars. For a long time.

If The Star is to be believed in its report, End to Cheras saga today?:

Grand Saga has in the past few weeks tried to re-erect a barricade to prevent residents from by-passing the toll booth, claiming that the access road was illegal.

However, a statement from Bandar Mahkota Cheras developer Narajaya Sdn Bhd reiterated that it had been granted approval for the access road.

“We wish to place on record that when we launched the BMC housing project, we were granted approval by the relevant authorities to build an access road connecting to the then Cheras-Kajang Highway.

“That approval was obtained before the Government granted Grand Saga the concession over the highway.

“Therefore, in building the access road to connect to the highway, we were merely fulfilling our obligation as required by the authorities,” the statement said.

The developer had legitimate permission to build the access road for the residents of Bandar Mahkota Cheras.

But these hooligans called Grand Saga who are masquerading as highway concessionaires were illegally trying to redirect traffic into paying toll unnecessarily.

Like I said, put them behind bars.

When the barricades were removed by residents, this company, Grand Saga hired thugs to beat them up. In Malaysia, violence pays.

Heck, why should we be surprised that big corporations engage in such criminal methods when our own law enforcement, the policemen excel at it themselves?

Polygamy And Dress Codes

I thought this was a spectacularly hysterical opinion in Malay Mail! :)

It addresses 2 main courses of discussion I was planning on bringing up and serves them up in 1 page with a side order of dripping sarcasm.

Speakeasy > Ibrahim and the pleasures of polygamy
by S. Jayasankaran

THE Member of Parliament for Kelantan’s Pasir Mas, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, was a rational thinker who worried deeply about things like marital problems and divorce. So he proposed to Parliament that Muslim women be taught to accept polygamy in order to avoid these evils.

Men, he explained in dulcet tones, “just want to have fun”.

It was a deeply insightful remark which warmed the hearts of Mormons the world over but left Marina Mahathir cold because she thought that Ibrahim was descending to new lows even by his own standards.

Actually, Ibrahim was a humble man with much to be humble about and he knew that to succeed in politics it was often necessary to rise above one’s principles. That was why he generally got a rise out of people by switching political parties so often that it left them bewildered. It was simple: if you could not convince people, you confused them.

The politician was an independent lawmaker who was dependent on Parti Islam SeMalaysia, or Pas, to make it into Parliament but independent enough to bite the hand that fed him.

Still, he was a conscientious parliamentarian who always missed a chance to keep quiet but never underestimated the power of less-than-intelligent people in large groups, urging them to unite because they had nothing to lose “but their IQs.”

“By Ibrahim,” whistled the Zimbabwean president admiringly. He was moved to tears by the eloquence of Ibrahim and felt compelled to offer the canny politician Zimbabwean citizenship, the highest honour ever bestowed on canny politicians the world over.

“Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin,” replied Ibrahim for, firstly, he had three chins and, secondly, because he was a self-effacing man with much to be self-effacing about.

Munirah Bahari, the vice president of the National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia, didn’t agree with that sort of transparency because she thought there was too much of it in schools already.

She firmly believed that schoolgirls wore alluring outfits that “were a distraction to men” which, if left unchecked “could lead to babies born out of wedlock and, to an extent, even prostitution”.

It was staggering logic that floored Marina Mahathir but Ms Munirah knew that Malaysian men were a serial-raping, handbag snatching bunch of miscreants who vacillated between the English Premier League and ‘keris’- waving in fits and starts, which only proved that they had to be protected from themselves and their penchant for hanging around schools to ogle children.

Ibrahim sympathised and thought that the answer lay in teaching women to appreciate the pleasures of polygamy. He was a self-taught, well-read man who rued the fact that his library had recently burned down, which meant that he’d lost both books, one of which he hadn’t finished colouring.

Ibrahim told Parliament that marital problems came about because women could not accept polygamy, so, “from a preventive point of view”, what was needed was “a big campaign” to educate them. It was a bold and far-reaching statement that gladdened the hearts of Ogilvy & Mather staffers who thought that Ibrahim was, indeed, worthy of Zimbabwean citizenship.

Ms Marina agreed because she realised that Ibrahim was unique, just like everyone else, and that he was a meek fellow with much to be meek about. She didn’t blame him one bit either because she realised that… he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.

Grand Saga Still Extorts Bandar Mahkota Cheras

Now these are the moments when you need your supply of contraband C4 explosives.

Because those hot little blasters could easily remove those nasty barricades in a jiffy. Crying shame that someone evidently thought it was better utilised for exterminating young Mongolian women.

This is the typical story of Malaysian highway bullies and their hallowed toll booths. These blood-suckers can never relinquish their urge to extort money from normal, peace-loving citizens.

Helming the heights of gangsterism (in what the corporate world calls 'Board of Directors') are:

• Ahmad Ishak Haron
• Chee Lean Thong
• Zainal Abidin Ali (former Dang Wangi police chief)
• Datin Lee Li-May
• Dato' Wan Puteh Wan Mohd Saman
• Minhat Mion (Europlex Consortium Sdn Bhd and Emzed Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd)
• Lim Yew Boon (Amalgamated Industrial Steel Berhad, Southern Waste Management Sdn Bhd, Teknologi Tenaga Perlis Consortium Sdn Bhd, LGB Group of Companies)

Be ashamed. Be very ashamed of your asinine names and selves.

These gigolos have repeatedly erected barricades preventing the usage of an access road leading to Kuala Lumpur city.

Instead, the traffic is unnecessarily redirected to another road 6km longer and led smack into a toll booth, requiring them to pay 90 sen everyday just to get to work.

Fed up with being bullied, the residents have taken it upon themselves to demolish the barricade.

But every time it was destroyed, the wall was rebuilt by Grand Saga. The barricade has since been erected and torn down no fewer than three times.

There is no solution in sight. This has been happening since 2005.

Will the people be forced to use violence eventually?

Why We Lost Pedra Branca

I'm not done with the issue of Pedra Branca yet.

In fact, I'm livid with rage at the moment.

Do you know why we freaking lost our white rock with the lighthouse on it??

Because the moron representing the nation over the sovereignity of this rock was a BLOOMING FRESH GRADUATE!!!

And of all universities, from UiTM!!! I mean, come on, this is the university you apply for if you really couldn't get a spot anywhere else. The most inferior, bumiputera-only university in the country.

You don't believe me? Read the judgement here and compare the names.


Which bunch of deranged, demented imbeciles would send a kid who graduated from UiTM in September 2005 out to save our rock??!!!

Those who're trying to kiss his father's ass, that's who. You know who his father is?? Our one and only Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.

The same twit who considers the Hindraf people as more of a menace and threat than those who blew up Altantuya with contraband C4 explosives.

The dingbat who charges 26 people with the attempted murder of one scrawny little policeman who received a few stitches to the head.

If the father is so stupid, can you imagine what his budak hingusan of a son must be like?? His resume must have had pandai main internet as top priority to garner his coveted spot, representing the nation.

Yep. And the internet must have brought forward the blogger's plagiarised photo of Pedra Branca against the mainland of Johor. Our biggest bit of evidence was a plagiarised photo.

Dear Lord. How much more asinine could they get?

So was this putting our best foot forward in order to win our rock (and more importantly, the waters around it) back?? My ass it was!!!

Now you know why this country is so screwed. The nepotism displayed goes beyond the lowest levels of mediocrity.

Banning Foreigners From Buying Fuel

I have wondered more than once; can they really do that?


What if a Malaysian drove a foreign-registered vehicle? Not fair.

Anyway, methinks folks at the border will merely improve their practical knowledge of physics and master the various methods of siphoning.

Freedom Of Expression And Ownership Of Land

I apologise for my absence.

I left in a hurry and have been out of the office til now - and without internet access at that. Things have been busy in the political scene though.

It appears that Tun Dr Mahathir has been given short shrift of his juvenile attempts to stir up racial dissent.

Yes, he who repeatedly used various draconian laws to silence his detractors into submission.

I'll never understand that man. He claims to champion the cause of the Malays, but his legacy has only been that of suppression. You know this huge inferiority complex that the average Malay has? Well, you can give the man the credit for it - he engineered that for years.

But yet, everyday I still get surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

Malaysians might have actually shrugged off their jackets of racism and put on the cloak of unity.

Hahaha. That sounded artsy-fartsy, didn't it? :)

But you know what I mean.

And seriously, it's great to be a "race" of our own. To all proudly speak the same language, especially when we meet abroad. To end our sentences with the obligatory 'lah'.

To say "wah piang!" when expressing astonishment. To say "porah!" when telling someone to get lost.

To have specks of dust lodge themselves in our eyes - requiring us to wipe those pesky tears which inevitably follow - when we hear the national anthem being played to celebrate a champion or inaugurate an international function.

Yes. Of late, it has happened to me more times than I'd like to admit.

Oh, and to get collectively pissed when another country gets a piece of rock which is rightfully ours. Who died and let Pedra Branca go freely into Singaporean hands?

Someone slap our stupid government!!

It is so senile and incompetent we may have to slap on some incontinence diapers on these fools to keep them from embarrassing us further in the eyes of the world.

Yes, I'm in a slapping mood today.

One tends to get irritated when one's government spends more time trying to invoke the Sedition and Internal Security acts on its citizens than protecting land which belongs to the nation.

So He Ditched UMNO

Tun Dr Mahathir makes the news again.

This time he's given UMNO the finger and even encouraged a few others to follow in his footsteps.

Frustration or just plain sandiwara?

There was once when the old bugger had the entire nation under his thumb. The economy was good, the country was prosperous and it was a good place to live.

Even with Mahathir's occasional remarks and tiffs with the foreign media and even other leaders, we sort of had a regional presence.

But that ended.

He grew old. We matured as a nation. We went through some rough times with the economy. And then Abdullah took over.

Promised us the end of corruption, more free speech, and a whole lot more which we may or may not have believed.

But he reneged on some of his promises. Or rather promises made by Mahathir on behalf of him. And that angered Mahathir.

A man, who for 22 years had his own way.

He openly went against Abdullah, condemning, criticising and asking him to step down.

This act of resigning is one of them.

Will it still work now?

I don't know.

But Malaysian politics has never been this interesting.

Crying Foul Over Indelible Ink Fiasco

Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman cries foul.

He is not happy for having to take the rap for the cabinet.


The cabinet, the majority of whom belonged to Barisan Nasional and knew that without some manipulation on their part, would never be able to win the elections on their own merit.

The same cabinet who ordered that the indelible ink not be used on dodgy, unverifiable pretexts, after allegedly making orders worth a few millions!

And the very cabinet that extended the age of the Election Commission chairman from 55 to 56, merely so he could assist them with their shenanigans during that crucial election period.

As for the EC Chairman, all I can say is: STOP THAT SNIVELLING!!!

He was the imbecile who publicly declared his support for Barisan Nasional, claiming they have the mandate to rule this nation. Them, and only them.

In his position, he should have been impartial.

But he wasn't, and while he claims that the recent elections were the best run with no incongruencies - in his words: conducted smoothly and very transparent - I know better.

Did we vote in a Barisan Nasional government? Hell no. It should be the Opposition ruling our nation right now.

But yet, the fact that Pakatan Rakyat won with such overwhelming support must mean the people desperately want change, not the bunch of clowns who can't even be bothered to lie properly to save their asses.

Dr Mahathir On BBC HardTalk

This is really bizarre.

He was the architect of the racial system that has plagued Malaysia and he believes that the ideology for the past 50 years has worked very well because:

1) It always won elections
2) People always supported Barisan Nasional
3) The country has done very well during that 50 years

It is common knowledge that the remaining politicians in Barisan Nasional - UMNO is particular - are still in denial, judging by the way they're attempting to run the country.

But now I know why.

It's the legacy of Tun Dr Mahathir, the lack of understanding of how this country has changed so much within the past 5 years.

The elections were an indication of the people's desire for change.

It had nothing to do with the like or dislike of the party leadership.







There was a time when he was almost immortal. He could twist and bend his words to suit his purpose.

This time, he valiantly tries claw his way out but his past words and actions have already implicated him.

There's a transcript of the entire conversation here.

Charge Me, Baby!

Big talk from a big boy!

But we all know good ole Dr M is guilty of a lot of things, judicial manipulation being the least of them.

He's got presence. He's got moxy. Even one hell of a sense of humour. And when the need arises, selective memory.

If it comes to a match between Abdullah and Mahathir, you can expect a whole lot of mud-slinging.

Detention Under ISA

With the inflation rate skyrocketing, it appears that our government must have decided to give us free entertainment by flaunting and parading their stupidity in full view of all and sundry.

Except no one is laughing because the situation is getting critical. And those in power are outdoing themselves by trying to explain away their demented actions that serve their selfish goals.

Take this village idiot, for example. He goes by the monicker Musa Hassan, but it makes you wonder who died and appointed him as the Inspector General of Police?!

Because for the love of God, he is nothing but an utter embarrassment to anyone who identifies himself as Malaysian!!


This man is the reason why our police force, the law enforcement of our nation is in such a pathetic state.

When our forefathers drew up the Constitution, they stipulated that the Executive, Legislative and Judicial bodies be independent of each other - to protect democracy and prevent abuse of power.

It is common knowledge that in Malaysia, this part of the Constitution (among others) has been completely disregarded, with tyranny reigning supreme within the government.

To make matters worse, instead of remaining independent to protect the rights of the citizens, Law Enforcement is in bed with the government. They are having a massive orgy to ensure that they collectively remain in power until kingdom come.

The easiest way to do that is to remove potential threats. Now these are not potential threats to the country. These are threats to the individuals in power, whose lofty position is destabilised by the presence of those threats.

So what do they do? They detain anyone who poses a threat (not to national security but for personal gain), under the draconian Internal Security Act which is frankly a barbaric law with no purpose anymore, in this day and age.

This is how arrogant the current ruling coalition has become, to repeatedly ignore the calls for change. These imbeciles have become so fixated on remaining in power that they have shown their tragic lack of wisdom when it comes to ruling our country.

Both the government and police blatantly deny that detaining without giving fair trial is cruel.

In the case of the latest ISA detainees (HINDRAF 5) who were arrested merely because they spoke of the discrimination against themselves, there was insufficient investigation carried out beforehand.

This makes their arrest ILLEGAL.

The government is not holding these men for the nation's security; it is keeping them behind bars to scare the hell out of people and to serve as a warning that anyone who goes against the government will receive due punishment.

Our government is criminal.

One of the HINDRAF 5, Uthayakumar is in very critical condition. He is a diabetic, one with very high blood sugar levels. He has also developed a disturbing skin allergy and is experiencing heart problems.

If there are insufficient doctors available even for the National Service trainees, would you expect that a detention centre for individuals who have fallen short of the government's good graces would dispense of sufficient medical treatment and attention??

You must be out of your mind if you think so.

The newspapers claim that Uthayakumar's condition is reportedly stable after being treated by doctors, but I highly doubt it.

Detainees of the Internal Security Act are in Kamunting because it is illegal for the government to exterminate them, though if given the opportunity, I'm certain more C4 explosives would be utilised.

Of course, the government hasn't disposed of them because it is illegal to do so. It is merely because they have become public figures and someone would certainly question their sudden disappearance.

Otherwise, I am sure the government and its concubine, the police force, would certainly eliminate its threats in blissful silence.

Paco Peña

Paco Peña has the most amazing fingers.

You'd know if you listened to him play flamenco music on the guitar.

The Spanish are incredibly passionate and sensual.

And it exudes from their language, their dance, their music - heck, even their food.

I miss España.

Sex Education For National Service Trainees

If sex education was really that important, why should only a select few receive it?

Not all school leavers are selected for National Service.

Or is this just an excuse to continue with the obviously flawed concept of National Service that we have?

Malaysia considers sex education in national service for high school graduates

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's government may institute sex education for some high school graduates, a turnaround in this conservative Muslim-majority nation.

Authorities are considering teaching sex education to teenagers when they undergo national service after leaving school, Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil, director general of the National Service Department, said Wednesday.

Ng Yen Yen, the minister who announced the proposal, was quoted by the national news agency, Bernama, as saying that sex education, including lectures about preventing AIDS, could shield youngsters from unhealthy activities. Ng's aide confirmed the minister made the comments Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of boys and girls who are typically 17 or 18 years old are selected at random each year to participate in the government's national service training.

The three-month mandatory program aims to instill discipline and patriotism through community service, military-style physical training in jungle camps and other activities.

Sex is often a sensitive subject in Malaysia, where unmarried couples can be fined for kissing and hugging in public.

The Cabinet approved guidelines to teach sex education in schools two years ago, but activists say it has not been implemented. Officials had suggested teaching students how to protect themselves from sexual predators, reckless behavior and sexually transmitted diseases.

Adeeba Kamarulzaman, president of the Malaysian AIDS Council, said Wednesday that students receive inadequate information about sex in public schools, which generally only teach basic facts about reproduction during science courses.

Sex education classes in national service could prove useful because many school teachers are too embarrassed to expound on sex-related topics, she said.

"Better late than never," Adeeba told The Associated Press. "It's a good opportunity. They are at the right age to be receiving this kind of education."

Bear in mind that no village idiot should be teaching sex education. Least of all, trainers at the camps who have molested and sexually assaulted trainees before.

But if there aren't even qualified doctors on board, would it be reasonable to expect qualified teachers?

The Animal Farm

You don't know how much you're missing if you don't read Harakah Daily.

This latest bit of action from our esteemed Members of Parliament is hysterical.

Parlimen riuh dengan ungkapan "Babi Negara"
Abdul Halim Mohd Rashid
Mon | May 12, 08 | 2:26:18 pm MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Mei (Hrkh) - Dewan Rakyat hari ini riuh dengan ungkapan "babi negara" apabila Ketua Penerangan PAS, Haji Mahfuz Omar menolak akronim yang diberikan oleh Ahli Parlimen Rembau, Khairy Jamaluddin bahawa PKR itu adalah singkatan kepada "projek khinzir raksasa".

"Bukan projek khinzir raksasa (PKR) tetapi projek 'babi negara' (BN)," Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena itu meningkah.

Selepas itu dewan riuh dengan perkataan "BN, babi negara" sehingga menyebabkan timbul cabaran siapa yang menyebut perkataan itu termasuk dari Khairy sendiri yang kedengaran marah dengan perkataan "babi negara" itu.

Selepas keriuhan agak berkurangan, Mahfuz bangun lagi dan menjelaskan bahawa "bukan 'projek khinzir raksasa' (PKR) tetapi projek 'babi negara' (BN)".

Mahfuz juga meminta Khairy berucap di hadapan kanak-kanak tadika dan bukan di dalam Dewan Rakyat.

What is hilarious is not so much that they were casually flinging around the insults that are generally dreaded most by Muslims.

Nor that the Pakatan Rakyat man was witty enough to return Kera Jantan's insult with a better one of his own.

It's just that when one is hurling brickbats, one should consider one's unguarded territory. In this case, the initial 'B'.

If The Kera had only given due consideration to the potential implications, he might have saved himself a remarkable amount of embarrassment.

In other words, he should have thought first before calling someone else a "Giant Pig Project".

I suppose it's also lost on him that there is no point in getting angry at the newly-coined and rather catchy "Babi Negara" aka "National Pigs" when he was the one who started the pissing contest.

Golf Course Or Padi Field?

So we evidently have a food crisis.

One we were taking lightly in the beginning as if there was never a problem to start with.

From Reuters:

Malaysia has bought 200,000 tonnes of Thai rice, paying 10 percent more than it had offered in a failed tender on Monday as it moves to lock in supplies of the food staple.

It is in talks to secure another 300,000 tonnes, a Thai official said, part of a deal announced last week and which follows on plans announced on Monday to cap domestic prices and offer Malaysian farmers more for the crop.

Of course, this isn't entirely unexpected.

At the rate we were converting padi fields into golf courses, it's a wonder that we do have any rice in the country at all.


But back then padi fields did not generate much income beyond the crop that the average Malaysian consumed. And it didn't matter that we always had to import some from our cousins up north.

Rich people paid more to utilise the golf courses and they didn't eat rice, anyway. Kobe beef, escargot, foie gras and calamari washed down with Cabernet Sauvignon were more down their alley.

(I presume. I don't do fancy dining, being the kampung, nasi-lemak-eating chick that I am.)

Now you're going to say I'm being mean.

Perhaps I am. But this crisis affects me. And because it was not managed properly, we are in trouble.

Because someone cared more about lining his pockets than making sure the country was a good place to live in.

Who Stole The British Open?

I don't know how she does it.

But she manages to stay consistent and thrash her much larger opponents before storming on to grab to title.

She makes me proud to be Malaysian.

And for that, I dedicate this post to her. Here's to more victory in your future endeavours, woman!

Terminate The National Service Programme

I first read about the death of the 18 year old trainee on Stevie's blog.

And like he says, it's pretty obvious they were administering copious amounts of Minyak Cap Kapak as a cure-all. It's highly unlikely there was even a qualified doctor present there.

Previously, my primary gripe with the National Service was the awfully crappy radio commercials exhorting the virtues of attending the programme, of which the English was so deplorable it made you cringe visibly.

But that's because I ain't nobody's mama. I don't know what it's like to raise a kid only to lose him or her to "National Service".

Like everything else in this blooming country the National Service is another way for politicians to make money. And so the safety and well-being of the participants are neglected.

And then what happens?

They die.

There are 15 children dead since the inception of this programme that supposedly "fosters better relations between the races".

Racial harmony should have been cultivated in school, you morons, not engineered among a small group of unlucky children who may experience fatal consequences before they graduate from the programme.

Najib's Blow-Up Shot

He's really outdoing himself.


Who on earth is his public relations consultant/advisor???

Charging Karpal With Sedition...

... for merely wondering aloud if it was within the Sultan's jurisdiction to revoke the transfer of a state civil servant?

They must be trying to distract us from some serious issues here. Like Altantuya's murder, potential hike in prices, inflation, sagging economy, minimum wages... you name it.


Apparently the 500 million citizens of Malaysia ("including those from Umno and also the non-Malays" - note the inference that all Malays are from UMNO) are incensed and outraged with Karpal's statements.

Oh wait, Malaysia doesn't have 500 million citizens? My bad. It just sounds like there are that many...

The 'Damai' gang, the ones representing the 'silent Malaysians' must be out again then. Do they have their piles of petitions on behalf of you and me?

Because I'm not sure there are that many angry people out there.

I know there are angry mosquitoes though. Last night one was buzzing loudly in my ear. I turned on the lights and waited for him to make an appearance but under the glare of my bedroom light, he was too shy.

Until I turned off the lights and went back to bed, of course. Then he came back to voice his opinions in my ear. I presume he was upset with Karpal's "seditious" remarks, blooming UMNO member that he probably is.

But I doubt he's a legitimate citizen of Malaysia (even if he resides here), so I will have to regretfully inform him that his opinions don't count before I whack him into oblivion if I run into him again.

Raja Petra Bailed Out

Just as well no one took me up on my offer of betting for high stakes as to when Raja Petra Kamarudin would walk out of jail after being bailed out.

I'd be significantly poorer.

And I probably owe that ole coot an apology. Because it takes guts to walk into a Malaysian jail under the "watchful" eye of the humane policemen who come under the payroll of Barisan Nasional.

I remember what Anwar Ibrahim looked like. And Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and the rest who suffered in the hands of our police. Including Nathaniel Tan.

I'm glad he's okay.

And it was good to hear from him though no apologies necessary - he has not let us down one bit and we're utterly proud of him for his courage and moral stand.

Speaking Of Irresponsibility...

Another UMNO baboon attempts to jump on the PKR-failed-to-deliver-promises bandwagon.


I'm bewildered that they don't see the irony of making statements like this:

Muhammad said it was irresponsible to make a promise and then retract it.

Just like it is irresponsible to be covertly smuggling a huge amount of money out of the country, failing to declare it at the Australian customs and then feigning an inability to understand English?

"Some might even construe it as a breach of trust, an abuse of goodwill, because a lot of people might have voted for the opposition based on that promise," he said, adding that Barisan Nasional always made promises based on its ability to deliver them.

"Breach of trust"? Highly amusing, coming from this turnip.

Now I agree with him that Barisan Nasional always made promises based on its ability to deliver them.

Better transportation, less corruption, lower inflation etc..

Unfortunately, those promises were rarely delivered. They were merely substituted with assurances that everything was spiffy in Bolehland.

Charge PM, IGP & EC Chairman For Sedition!

I think someone needs to lodge a police report against the Election Commission for their withdrawal of the indelible ink during the recent elections.

Scrap that.

The Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, along with the Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan and of course, Election Commission Chairman Abdul Rashid Rahman should be charged under the Sedition Act for their role in that fiasco.

Under Section 3(1) Sedition Act those acts defined as having a seditious tendency are acts with a tendency:

(a) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government;

(b) to excite the subjects of the Ruler or the inhabitants of any territory governed by any government to attempt to procure in the territory of the Ruler or governed by the Government, the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of any matter as by law established;

(c) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State;

(d) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the subjects of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or of the Ruler of any State or amongst the inhabitants of Malaysia or of any State;

(e) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Malaysia; or

(f) to question any matter, right, status, position, privilege, sovereignty or prerogative established or protected by the provisions of part III of the Federal constitution or Article 152, 153 or 181 of the Federal Constitution.

Let me explain point-by-point:

(a) Upon hearing that the indelible ink was not going to be used in the elections, half my colleagues and many of my friends swore violently, kicked some tables and spewed profanity against the ruling government, namely Barisan Nasional. There was plenty of anger, contempt and hatred felt and displayed.

(b) The acts mentioned above are evidence of excitation of subjects and inhabitants, many of whom vowed to return to their kampung to vote for the Opposition. Thus, the Opposition were unwittingly assisted in the procurement of their respective territories.

(c) N/A

(d) Currently, there are a great number of people very outraged that the indelible ink had been purchased at the price of RM2.4 million and simply gone to utter waste based on hearsay, unfounded rumours and inconclusive evidence. The objects of our distaste are members of UMNO and BN, who are also subjects of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or of the Ruler of any State or amongst the inhabitants of Malaysia or of any State. Thus, the PM and Election Commission who were in favour of revoking usage of the indelible ink should be held responsible for this situation.

(e) The above-mentioned parties are also responsible for feelings of ill-will against all BN component parties to the extent of delivering a severe blow during the elections.

(f) N/A. What kind of stupid shit is that?

Therefore, I would strongly recommend investigation of the parties mentioned and consequently the maximum sentence imposed.

Triggering Trouble...

You'd think he'd know better than to pose like this..


It's a Bernama pic, taken during the Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference.

A "Lesson" To Voters

I don't usually stray into rabid sites like the NST, but since I was looking for more info on RPK (mistakenly thinking MSM might have more than I did), I decided to make an exception this time.

But I did stumble upon a priceless jewel. I don't know how this fool has the temerity to say this with a straight face. I'd have doubled over and cracked up.


You'd think that with the dumb stunts he's pulled of late, he'd be trying to lay low and hope no one has any memory of him.

But no.

Read the entire article:

Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the failure of Selangor would be an "eye-opener and a lesson" to voters.

He said the Federal government had long predicted that opposition parties would have difficulty fulfilling their promises made in the general election.

Najib was referring to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's announcement on Monday that the state government was not in a position to reduce quit rent by 20 per cent as promised in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat election manifesto.

The state government will, instead, be giving incentives so that people settle their arrears.

Khalid had also said that a study was being carried out to determine whether it would be apt to reduce the quit rent since the state's economy was not growing at the desired rate, land prices were high and housing projects were ongoing.

Najib said people were often taken in by promises of lower taxes.

"During the elections, anyone can make promises," he said, adding that he hoped that people would realise that what was important was not the promises but how likely they were to be kept.

"We must have the maturity and the wisdom to decide for ourselves."

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin also criticised the Selangor government for making promises it could not keep.

He said this was the obvious difference between the Pakatan Rakyat, which took a populist approach to gain popular support, and the ruling Barisan Nasional, which had experience in government and only made responsible promises.

Khaled was speaking after officiating the opening of the International Conference On Educational Innovation, jointly organised by Universiti Malaya and the Malaysian National Commission for Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in Kuala Lumpur.

"If they bring down the rates, how can they ensure that quality standards within the jurisdiction of the various local authorities are maintained?" Khaled asked, adding that the opposition's promise of free education for all was unrealistic.

"If funds are channelled towards financing free education, and not enough is allocated to develop the economy, graduates won't be able to get jobs."

I'm not sure how many of you out there have read The Onion.

It claims to be America's Finest News Source (probably is, too) and revolves around the most bizarre of satire. It's often irreverent, sometimes provocative and occasionally profane.

Now I keep getting the feeling that aliens have abducted the original editors of our mainstream media and replaced them with foam-in-the-mouth satirists which could make Onionists pale in comparison.

Because there's no way in hell that NORMAL Malaysians could take the NST seriously.

Najib must be in serious denial about the situation of Barisan Nasional.

As for the Opposition, I did glance through their manifesto briefly. But I don't really care about free education. Nor am I seriously worried about the amount of tax I pay since Malaysia ranks rather low when it comes to taxation.

But I care about what my children are being taught. I don't want the likes of the keris-wielder involved in my child's education. And I'd like my tax money to be spent wisely.

For instance, I'm not too fond of C4 explosives being authorised to eliminate random Mongolian models. C4 explosives are not cheap.

He said this was the obvious difference between the Pakatan Rakyat, which took a populist approach to gain popular support, and the ruling Barisan Nasional, which had experience in government and only made responsible promises.

I'm sick of being lied to by the ruling coalition that the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy is going to fund the improvement of road transportation.

Or that we're forced to pay higher toll prices for better road maintenance.

Or that the price of cooking oil, sugar, flour and now rice have gone up significantly but we should tighten our budget and adjust our lifestyle.

Or that we should adapt to rock bottom minimum wages.

Those are cheap words and empty promises. We have too much maturity and wisdom to put up with it.

Raja Petra Goes To Jail

RPK's arrest has got to be the best advertisement for Malaysia Today, not that it needs any. Most Malaysians pay more heed to it than the local dailies, anyway.

Our silly government doesn't realise that even the apolitical are all agog to find out what the fuss is about the now infamous article, "Let's Send the Altantuya Murderers to Hell".


But Raja Petra Kamarudin (or better known to the rest of us bloggers as RPK) is in his element. He knows he has his following.

There's nothing to stop him from show-boating. And that he certainly is. :)

You think he can't pay the measly RM5000 bail? His refusal is merely to send a message to the government about how much support he has garnered down at the grassroots.

And his day in jail will make a hero out of him. Heck, I'm the eternal cynic and even I am impressed.

But I am willing to bet high stakes that RPK will not spend more than a day in jail. Bloggers and blog readers will be falling over themselves to collect bail.

The fact is, all of us Malaysians (at least those that utilise their brain cells) know that Najib and Rosmah are connected with the murder of this Mongolian model. It's coffee table news.

Heck, it's occasionally even dinner table news. We Malaysians have no qualms about discussing grisly details over a meal, bless our perverted souls.

RPK didn't say anything that the rest of us haven't blurted out at one time or another. But he has credibility, more so than our entire government, and the influence.

Someone out there is scared enough to try silence him and subsequently silence the rest of the blogosphere into submission.

I'm not alone in my opinion. The Tikus, being much smarter than me, has a very succinct and informed post on why a sedition charge for RPK is dodgy.

Go read it.

UPDATE:
Like I'd predicted, the RM5000 was collected even before the dude got charged. Rumours abound that at 7.30pm, the amount collected in Malaysia alone was RM24,500 - almost 5 times more than what was needed.

And if everyone donated RM1 like they were instructed to, it means there are at least 24,500 Malaysians standing behind RPK and his article.

That speaks volumes enough.

Travel Curb On Women

I swear we still need to make some pressing changes in the government as there is a surplus of village idiots still taking up residence within the ministries.

Take this prime fool Rais Yatim, for instance, who has suggested requiring letters from women travelling on their own:

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian women travelling abroad on their own may need letters from their parents or employers in a bid to stop them becoming "mules" for international drug syndicates, reports said Sunday.

The proposal comes as 119 Malaysians, 90 per cent of whom are women, have been imprisoned worldwide on drug-related charges with the majority believed to have been duped into transporting drugs, the New Sunday Times reported.

Duped? Somehow I don't think so. You've gotta be a special kind of stupid not to suspect that favour you're doing has a scent of 'illegality' to it.

And when in doubt, refuse.

"I have submitted this proposal to the Cabinet and both the Foreign and Home Ministries feel this is necessary," foreign minister Rais Yatim told the paper.

"Many of these women (who travel alone) leave the country on the pretext of work or attending courses and seminars," he added.

"With this declaration, we will know for sure where and for what she is travelling overseas."

Oh yeah! And while you're at it, strap a chastity belt on her for good measure..

Malaysians have become prime targets for syndicates wanting to smuggle drugs into the European Union, the paper said, because they do not require visas for short stays of up to 90 days or to transit in those countries.

It said the offences were also committed in various other nations including China, Singapore, India, Spain and Portugal.

Let me tell you something.


I just came back from Spain after a long business trip. I don't appreciate having to carry a letter from my employer stating why exactly I have packed my bags and am clutching on to an air-ticket.

Most of us Malaysian women are smart enough to handle ourselves properly when abroad and not get into trouble.

Unfortunately, we have our dumb sisters who don't use all their grey matter. But I don't see why we should be punished for their actions.

Besides, like many women's groups have already protested, letters like that can be easily forged.

For Professional Journalism...

... and not the rabid spin-doctoring we have come to be accustomed to in Malaysia.


The official launch of BENAR will take place immediately following the CIJ forum on Press Freedom.

Time: 2:00pm

Date: 4th May, 2008

Venue: Central Market Annexe

Both the local and foreign media will attend the launch and the civil action initiative to promote truth in reporting will be elaborated on.

I heard they will also announce the Minggu BENAR from 1st to 7th June, 2008 during which week, everyone will be invited to do what they can to persuade those in control to remove the existing restrictions and allow our journalist community to report without fear or favour.

Don't miss this, folks.

Supporters Of The Opposition

This is how far politics goes in determining who develops the nation.

It's not about competence.

Not experience.

Not even credibility or reputation as a company or individual contractor.

It's about political affiliation.


And with this village idiot mentality, you wonder why we aren't world famous?

UMNO has the nerve to insist the government blacklist them.

So I'm back...

... just like I promised.

And heck, it's really good to be back. :) I've missed blogging and interacting with like-minded people on the internet, and most of all, the political activism.

It's interesting to note that not much has changed since I've been away.

Raja Petra Kamarudin is still being hauled to Bukit Aman for charges of sedition.

Newspapers are still spinning pro-BN news, though I must admit it is of reasonable proportions now, not as bizarrely slanted.

Bad behaviour is also evidently rampant, judging from our politicians' antics in the august house of parliament. I think BN is suffering from shock to see that the larger number of Opposition members are not going to take abuse lying down.

But all is good. I am happy to see that people are taking an active interest in politics. The progress of a nation depends very much on its people, and the desires of the people can only be voiced out by the representatives.

It is Syed Hamid Albar that the world sees on BBC Hardtalk. It is Zainuddin Maidin that the world sees on al-Jazeera. They do not know you and me.

We've got to change that. When I was in Europe, I made Malaysia sound like that best place on the planet! My European colleagues were under the impression all Malaysians speak at least 4 languages fluently, live in harmony with each other, are articulate, smart and friendly.

Many of them went back home and located Malaysia on the world map and came back to me excitedly the next day stating proudly that they now know where Malaysia is.

When I related this to my colleagues in Malaysia when I got back, they were dumbfounded. "You mean they've never heard of Malaysia?" they asked.

Sad but true.

If we have Syed Hamid and Zainuddin as the faces of Malaysian people, why would the rest of the world be bothered about us?

I'm bloody proud to be Malaysian. We have potential, we just never harness it the right way, thinking that subservient behaviour is our culture.

I have not mellowed.

I will not stop hurling brickbats and digging dirt until Malaysia is shaped into something remotely world-class.

Ciao.