Vilifying The Chinese

I am incensed.

Not because some ultra-religious wannabe has identity issues.

Not because this sanctimonious fool tries to push his brand of religion down everyone else's throat.

Not even because he is insensitive enough to rub salt in the wounds of a grieving family.

I am furious because this sick son-of-a-b!tch attempts to vilify the entire Chinese race by cementing what the PM's aide Nasir Safar first claimed - that the Chinese are merely drunkards, gamblers and prostitutes.

Now, as every self-respecting Malaysian knows, there are heaps of derogatory Chinese jokes out there.

And the Indians and Malays do complain about the Chinese drive and ambition - some valid and some misplaced. I personally have complained that the Chinese in DAP are too sinocentric.

But I have a friend who is a journalist for the mainstream media. She has been involved in a lot of donation drives.

She tells me that some of the most generous people out there are the Chinese, a huge faction of which have donated requesting anonymity.

These Chinese are not doing it for publicity or political mileage. They are genuinely nice individuals concerned about the welfare of others.

So if anyone else tries to make the Chinese look like immoral people, may the fleas of a thousand Afghan camels infest his crotch and may his arms grow too short to scratch it.

What's With The Caning?

If you're anything like me, you must have wondered why the UMNO government is overzealously portraying itself as one that upholds Islamic values.

After all, UMNO is rife with corruption and debauchery and is notoriously avaricious and profligate (yes, I really couldn't resist all those big words that so aptly describe UMNO).

Yet, UMNO falls over itself to cane those who fall short of Islamic rules.

Interestingly, the victims of their suddenly acquired religious zeal have all been women, and they have been and will be caned for having extramarital sex and drinking beer, respectively.

Now I am aware that most religions frown on these less-than-immaculate activities.

But to be caned for these is a bit extreme, methinks. For one, I believe that these are personal issues to be resolved by the individual, and neither the business of any religious body nor the State.

It is even more shocking perhaps, that it is not PAS (the Islamic party of Malaysia) who is calling for these punishments to be meted out, but UMNO, the organisation that has gained a reputation for elevating those two aforementioned activities into an artform.

Did UMNO suddenly turn religious?

That is about as possible as a zebra losing its stripes. Or Rosmah becoming a submissive wife. But I digress.

I think this whole matter is about Anwar Ibrahim. These shenanigans have been orchestrated since they were hankering to put him behind bars again.

It's a wild shot, but I think UMNO is willing to risk a reputation for being religious fanatics in order to frame Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy, which is probably the worst crime any Muslim can think of.

Not for the first time, it makes me wonder how low they could stoop.

It's already so low that I've lost my bearings.

Do You Care?

This is my home. I care. I want to make it better.

Representing The Rakyat

Recently, I stated my dissatisfaction with DAP and PKR in a blog.

I felt that for the most part, DAP has the interests of the Chinese in mind.

The response I got was:

which non Indian-based party has so many Indian leaders, and not just now but since its inception - starting with founder Devan Nair to Patto to Peter Dason to Karpal Singh (chairperson) to his sons Gobind Deo & ?, Perak speaker Siva, Kula, Dr Rama (Penang DCM), Dr Xavier, Sivanesam, Manogaran, Charles Santiago, John Fernandez, Gunasegaran etc etc

I do not deny that DAP has many politicians of ethnic Indian origin, and some of them are the country's best.

But it is not about ethnicity. Merely having an Indian in a position of authority within a political party does not automatically mean he/she has an Indian's best interests at heart.

Heck, look at the multitudes of parties, falling over themselves to represent the Indians as described in Who speaks for Indians?

Indeed, Malaysian Indians are the smallest minority with the largest number of political parties (groups) representing them.

Given the state of a huge number of Malaysians of Indian descent, obviously someone isn't doing a good job.

Now on the surface, DAP appears to be very fair and equal in its treatment of all races.

The DAP logo, for instance, has all the 4 main languages embellished on it - supposedly to be all-inclusive. Of course, what it does is exclude those who don't come under the category of Malay, Chinese of Tamil.

While Mandarin is representative of all Chinese, Tamil is what the majority of Indians speak. The rest speak Malayalam, Telegu, Hindi, Punjabi etc.

The move to be inclusive fell flat on its face.

Theoretically, it's noble, but in practice, this sort of symbolism does not mean anything.

The Rakyat need people who can cater to their basic needs. In many cases, it is the need for education, jobs and even basic human rights.

Sometimes, it is forgotten in light of reaching to the majority of voters - a fine line, a tricky balance, but an important one nevertheless.

Water Conservation Initiative

Water is precious, yet it is being wasted or poorly managed. You can help promote water conservation by sending on this meme. If you do, simply follow these rules:

1. Create a blog entry entitled "Water Conservation Initiative".
2. Post the Water Initiative Network's Water Facts in your post.
3. List 3 things YOU will do to save water.
4. Add in the photo above, or any photo you have taken of a waterfall, river or lake.
5. End with the line: "Find out more about water conservation and good governance by joining the Water Initiative Network on Facebook!

Tag 5 or more blog/FB friends. Be sure to copy the rules, okay?

WATER FACTS
1. Of every 100 drops of water on earth, 97 are too salty to drink, 2 are locked in ice and snow, and 1 is fresh water.
2. The daily requirement for sanitation, bathing, and cooking needs, as well as for assuring survival, is about 50 litres per person.
3. Reducing shower time from 20 mins to 8 mins saves up to 360 litres of water per shower.
4. A small drip from a faucet can waste as much as 75 litres of water a day.
5. Two thirds of the water used in a home is used in the bathroom. To flush a toilet, we use up to 9 litres of water.
6. Water-efficient toilets and washing machines are good ways to save water.
7. A low-tech way to save water is to form the habit of turning on the tap to low flow and turning it off when the water is not needed.
8. Non-revenue water (i.e. stolen or wasted water) constitutes 36% of water 'used' in Selangor, Malaysia, and this raises the cost of water for everyone.
9. Water supply infrastructure cost billions of ringgit. This money could be spent in more useful ways.
10. Large areas of forests are cleared to make way for water supply dams to accommodate our soaring demand for water. These forests and their wildlife represent our natural heritage.

THREE THINGS I WILL DO TO SAVE WATER

1. I will fix the faulty taps that leak drops of water.

2. I will not let the shower run while I lather myself.

3. I will recycle the water used for washing to water the plants.

I AM TAGGING:

1. Think & Create
2. The English Cottage
3. I Am Malaysian
4. As Zewt As It Gets
5. O.B.E

Find out more about water conservation and good governance by joining the Water Initiative Network on Facebook! Visit us AT THIS LINK.

Malaysia Suffers More Bad Press

I did wonder how much more damage the ruling coalition could possibly inflict on our nation.

Our ratings are down, and our once stellar reputation is steadily going down the drain.

From The Malaysian Insider:

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — Events since New Year’s Day have given the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) the impression that the situation in Malaysia is becoming increasingly unstable.

In a blistering report on Malaysia released at the end of January, PERC also asserted that a group of elite minorities were dominating the national agenda to the extent that it was hurting Malaysia’s attractiveness to investors.

The consultancy, which also publishes reports on the risk ratings of other Asian countries, said it is “probable” that no other Asian country is suffering from as much bad press as Malaysia.

You'd think the government would know when to slink away quietly and lick its wounds in silence.

But no.

They issue a feeble response (albeit with plenty of posturing) that only serves to reiterate what PERC claims, what investors have long suspected and what we, unfortunately, already know.

On my drive back home from work yesterday, the newsreader almost sounded apologetic as she announced the government claims that someone out there has a "hidden agenda", which according to Muhyiddin Yassin is the reason behind this report.

"I think they must be talking through their nose," he said.

Yes, someone is talking through their nose indeed, but it certainly isn't PERC.

The Caution Series

I stumbled across Loyar Burok a while ago.

Most of the contributors are members of the legal profession who, rest assured, do not take themselves too seriously.

Some of the postings are informative in a lawyerly way, some entertaining and some thought-provoking.

I've always liked the thought-provoking ones - they fulfil a need in me for discourse and disagreement.

The Caution trilogy appears to be a singular effort by one Aston Paiva, who promptly manages to offend me in his 3rd line of introduction by patronisingly encouraging readers "to keep an open mind".

As if everyone else walks around with a closed mind to amuse himself.

But I consoled myself with the notion that I had every right to be offended as had he every right to offend me. And proceeded to read on.

I discovered that all three of them are astoundingly articulate and spectacularly brilliant. You would do well to read them in their entirety:

Caution: Easily Offended!
Caution: Easily Shocked!
Caution: Easily Disturbed!

Do not expect to agree with everything he says.

For one, I anticipate the Christians and Muslims frowning at the verses he has - in some cases - taken out of context.

Interestingly, the Christian verses that he finds offensive are in fact, the very ones that have once prompted me to question the veracity of the Christian faith.

Like him, I believe nothing is above and beyond question.

And being humans, the least we can do is to conceed that not everyone shares our beliefs and values.

..being offended is a good thing. It encourages you to assess yourself. To ask yourself why you feel offended? To inquire into the root of your distraught. To locate the source of your distress. You are forced to think..

-Aston Paiva

In light of the Asian mentality of not wanting to offend, particularly the Malaysian brand of refraining from broaching "sensitive" issues, I can agree with feeling.

Malaysia, Not Anwar, Is In The Dock

The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial beginning of this month.

Guess who responded today? Check this link to find out: Malaysia Upholds the Rule of Law

Like someone once said, if you shine a beam of light through this imbecile’s left ear, it travels unimpeded and exits through the right.

The Outcome Of The Trial

I am always impressed when the big time journos like the Washington Post sit up and pay attention to Malaysian politics.

This is no exception: Why the prosecution of Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim matters to the West


I think this would be something you might like to read for yourself - it is probably Malaysia's most famous trial.

Sorry About That, Perak!

I'm not a lawyer, but my sister is. I know what a tremendous embarrassment it must be to have such low-down scum in one's industry.

It has been suspected that the judiciary was tainted since ages past. Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy I, VK Lingam's judge-fixing and now the Perak MB's "rightful" appointment merely serve to confirm that.

But it's not just the concern of the lawyers. This sham of a judiciary is our personal problem as well!

How could we sit calmly and read the news, make some suitably disapproving noises with our respective tongues and go on with our lives??!!

Is it because we think we are too insignificant to ever undergo recourse to the courts of justice?

Will our lives be blissfully unaffected by the putrid stench of a tainted judiciary?

This issue should never have made its way to the judiciary in the first place.

If BN had just a remote drop of courage in itself, it would have called for elections so that the people could rightfully determine who they want in office.

Of course, you and I know that it would have flown into the hands of the Pakatan Rakyat, which is why they did not attempt it.

It saddens me (not for the first time) to note that people in high office could so easily be bought out by those who are obviously pure evil.