Of course, I'm not very pleased that the Indians say even Malaysia puts women on warships - as if Malaysia is the lowest standard possible.
But yes, at least in the military, there are no (or little) glass ceilings for women.
From The Times Of India:
PORT BLAIR: At first glance, Lieutenant Farah al Habshi presents a demure picture, with a hijab around her head, even though she dons the white and blue Royal Malaysian Navy uniform. But appearances, as one learns, can be extremely deceptive.
An engineer by training, a naval officer by profession, young Farah is the deputy weapons and electrical officer on the spanking new Malaysian warship KD Perak. And she is quite articulate to boot, not at all deterred by journalistic questions, some quite personal. "I have no problems serving on a warship with men," says Farah, in her early-20s.
Her presence, and of some other women officers on board foreign warships during the ongoing multilateral Milan exercise here, is a stark reminder that Indian armed forces are still to shatter the glass ceiling for women. Indian women, after all, are not allowed on seafaring warships, cannot fly fighters or serve in combat arms like infantry, armoured corps and artillery.
A predominantly Muslim country, Malaysia has left India far behind in this regard. "We even have a woman fighter pilot, who flies F/A-18s, apart from helicopter pilots," says Farah.
Does it feel claustrophobic to be part of the 91-member crew of KD Perak since there are only two women on board? "No. I have been in the Navy for over two years now. There is no problem. The other women officer and I share a cabin, with an attached bathroom," says the religious Farah, who wears the hijab "by her personal choice".
"Its a good experience just as long as there is no physical contact and bad language. When someone talks funny, I just walk away," she says. Her commanding officer, Captain Ismail Bin Othman, adds, "Our new warships are designed keeping the future in mind to give privacy to women. From deploying them in supporting roles in warships around five years ago, we are moving towards women in purely combat roles."
Recently, five women were commissioned as seamen lady officers.
Some other of the 13 navies taking part in the Milan conclave, like Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also allow women on warships. "Three-quarters of our warship crew have women on board. They serve in all roles, right from being cooks to commanding warships. A woman at sea can do exactly the same as a man can do," says Lt-Commander Shane Doolin, the captain of Australian warship HMAS Glenelg.
This completely destroys the argument of the top Indian military brass, which holds that there are "operational, practical and cultural" problems in having women officers with permanent commission or deploying them in combat roles.
While women officers have been inducted into armed forces since the early 1990s, the government only last year approved permanent commission for them and that too in only the legal and education branches.
Those in other wings like ordnance, engineering, air traffic control, logistics and the like can even now serve a maximum of only 14 years in uniform. Women, of course, constitute a minority in the predominantly-male environs of the over 13-lakh strong armed forces.
There are just about 1,100 women officers in the over 35,000-strong officer cadre in Army. Similarly, there are 750 women among the 10,500 officers in IAF, with Navy having 180 out of 7,000 officers.
While there are over 60 women pilots in IAF, they fly only transport aircraft and helicopters as of now. IAF top brass believes that in order to have women fighter pilots there will have to be certain pre-conditions like not allowing them to have children till a specified age since it takes Rs 11 crore to train a pilot and tight flying schedules cannot be disrupted. Even if one buys this argument, what about allowing women on warships?
Monday, 8 February 2010
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Q&A With Azmi Sharom
"Asking the Syariah court to have jurisdiction on the Lina Joy case is wrong because she is not a Muslim," Azmi Sharom postulates.
"It would be like asking me to resolve a personal dispute I may have with Jaya (sitting next to him on the panel) in a military court. Impossible! Because we're not in the military - he's too old and I'm a hippie!"
Azmi had us in stitches but nodding with feeling at his logic.
"It would be like asking me to resolve a personal dispute I may have with Jaya (sitting next to him on the panel) in a military court. Impossible! Because we're not in the military - he's too old and I'm a hippie!"
Azmi had us in stitches but nodding with feeling at his logic.
Azmi Sharom At The Ipoh Roadshow
Now this guy is a hoot.
But behind all the humour, he knows his stuff. He is, after all, a law professor.
He took us through Article 8 of the Constitution which provides that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to its equal protection.
An often quoted (or rather, misinterpreted) bit is Article 153 that safeguards the special position of the Malays and other indigenous peoples of Malaysia.
Proponents of the Ketuanan Melayu ideology claim that this gives the Malays the right to special privileges like housing and positions within the civil service.
The Malay supremacists have forgotten Article 136 which states that it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone in the government service because of their race.
Our civil service today is not reflective of our nation.
But behind all the humour, he knows his stuff. He is, after all, a law professor.
He took us through Article 8 of the Constitution which provides that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to its equal protection.
An often quoted (or rather, misinterpreted) bit is Article 153 that safeguards the special position of the Malays and other indigenous peoples of Malaysia.
Proponents of the Ketuanan Melayu ideology claim that this gives the Malays the right to special privileges like housing and positions within the civil service.
The Malay supremacists have forgotten Article 136 which states that it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone in the government service because of their race.
Our civil service today is not reflective of our nation.
Jahaberdeen Yunoos At The Ipoh Roadshow
I didn't attend the KL roadshow, so this is the first time I'm hearing Jahaberdeen.
Of mixed parentage (he is part Malay, Indian and Burmese), he exposes the racial injustices practised by the UMNO government.
Jahaberdeen led us through how UMNO claims to be Islamic and yet shamelessly practises cronyism, tribalism, elitism, nepotism, landlordism and racism without batting an eyelid.
Of mixed parentage (he is part Malay, Indian and Burmese), he exposes the racial injustices practised by the UMNO government.
Jahaberdeen led us through how UMNO claims to be Islamic and yet shamelessly practises cronyism, tribalism, elitism, nepotism, landlordism and racism without batting an eyelid.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
SABM Roadshow At Ipoh
Hi folks! We're already in Ipoh!
I'll be uploading stuff as they come on, so stay tuned to CRANKSHAFT if you want the latest updates.
The event starts at 2pm and I'll be uploading videos around then.
I'll be uploading stuff as they come on, so stay tuned to CRANKSHAFT if you want the latest updates.
The event starts at 2pm and I'll be uploading videos around then.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Sawmill Worker Becomes Latest Death In Custody
Grief usually overwhelms.
It does not give advance notice.
It does not ask for permission.
It hits you right in the solar plexus and watches with casual disinterest as you crumple to your knees.
The loss of a loved one, the aftermath of a natural disaster, the end of a relationship - they all usually leave you grieving.
So it is with a heavy heart that I wonder - does anyone grieve over the death of the orphaned, 28 year old sawmill worker who was found dead in the police lock-up in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan?
P Babu was under remand since Jan 24 after he surrendered himself to the police over a robbery case.
Today, they say he committed suicide.
Like many others before him, he is now a statistic in the long list of deaths in police custody.
And no prizes for guessing that he was of Indian descent. We have almost come to expect it of the authorities.
Perhaps a few politicians from the Opposition raise hell.
But not enough to impact anyone - not you, not the government and certainly not the police.
From Francis Udayappan to Kugan Ananthan, over a thousand deaths have occured, but every single incident has been brushed aside to make way for "more important" news.
Which makes me wonder again who grieves for these men who die needlessly because they were not important people, and their lives mattered so little to the rest of the world.
It does not give advance notice.
It does not ask for permission.
It hits you right in the solar plexus and watches with casual disinterest as you crumple to your knees.
The loss of a loved one, the aftermath of a natural disaster, the end of a relationship - they all usually leave you grieving.
So it is with a heavy heart that I wonder - does anyone grieve over the death of the orphaned, 28 year old sawmill worker who was found dead in the police lock-up in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan?
P Babu was under remand since Jan 24 after he surrendered himself to the police over a robbery case.
Today, they say he committed suicide.
Like many others before him, he is now a statistic in the long list of deaths in police custody.
And no prizes for guessing that he was of Indian descent. We have almost come to expect it of the authorities.
Perhaps a few politicians from the Opposition raise hell.
I hope the police Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan would investigate how custodial deaths happen and why it is more prevalent among the Indian suspects. He has to explain.
- PKR Negeri Sembilan deputy chief M Ravi
But not enough to impact anyone - not you, not the government and certainly not the police.
From Francis Udayappan to Kugan Ananthan, over a thousand deaths have occured, but every single incident has been brushed aside to make way for "more important" news.
Which makes me wonder again who grieves for these men who die needlessly because they were not important people, and their lives mattered so little to the rest of the world.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Project Irrelevant
Now this project is closer to home, because it requires active participation from you.
You won't get tear-gassed or sprayed with chemicals for this, I can assure you. But making a stand - walking the talk - can be a little intimidating, especially if it involves bureaucratic government servants.
It's about those pesky little forms we've been filling out since the dreaded UPSR exam. I presume it started prior to that, but my parents did the dirty deed for me back then.
You know the questions that those forms ask? The questions that really don't need to be asked? About sex, race and religion?
They've irked me for so long. Evidently, they irritate my friend Pat, as well. Pat is quite a character and if we had more people like her, we could really get this ball rolling.
Now Haris Ibrahim of The People's Parliament has a suggestion on how to end this sort of racial profiling - by putting into action Project Irrelevant.
Refuse to answer those questions, folks. Don't let the government intimidate you into doing what we have done for over 52 years.
You won't get tear-gassed or sprayed with chemicals for this, I can assure you. But making a stand - walking the talk - can be a little intimidating, especially if it involves bureaucratic government servants.
It's about those pesky little forms we've been filling out since the dreaded UPSR exam. I presume it started prior to that, but my parents did the dirty deed for me back then.
You know the questions that those forms ask? The questions that really don't need to be asked? About sex, race and religion?
They've irked me for so long. Evidently, they irritate my friend Pat, as well. Pat is quite a character and if we had more people like her, we could really get this ball rolling.
Now Haris Ibrahim of The People's Parliament has a suggestion on how to end this sort of racial profiling - by putting into action Project Irrelevant.
Refuse to answer those questions, folks. Don't let the government intimidate you into doing what we have done for over 52 years.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Snippets Of The Klang Valley Roadshow
Some of you may have missed the SABM Klang Valley Roadshow. I did. A close friend had her wedding dinner in Johor, and I was forced to choose.
After seeing this, I know I don't want to miss the Ipoh one.
After seeing this, I know I don't want to miss the Ipoh one.
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