Month: December 2011

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As 2012 Approaches

The sun has just set over Kuala Lumpur for the year 2011, and as usual at the end of every year, here I am to summarise the year in a few dozen words.  It won’t be as carefree as it used to be as this blog is now under scrutiny, and I don’t think I can write as much personal stuff as I used to do pre-August 2011.  However, this is still my personal blog, where I write my personal views and I’d like to reiterate that again – my personal blog, not a blog belonging to some political cybertrooper out to influence the thinking of others. I write what I feel about things and I couldn’t care less who’s in the firing line, or what your political inclination may be.

Work-wise: it has been a good year. No one has died offshore, touchwood, under my watch, although a sister company lost a diver last September which I blame the deceased’s surface supervisor. I am wearing two hats, one for the subsidiary I work for, the other being at corporate level. The Group has also given the go-ahead to merge with another giant to form the 5th largest service provider in the world, making us a very serious contender for projects worldwide. This merger has enabled us to have our reach as far as the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil. I am happy where I am, earning my Ringgit. Enough to feed the family and go for cheap vacations.

I also plan to do my Masters in the field I am now involved in. It won’t be easy, but it would satisfy my hunger for knowledge.  I am just looking for the appropriate place to do the course.

My health:  health has been good.  I did not lose much weight as compared to the same time last year.  I lost one kilo as compared to this time last year, but I gained a kilo more than I did during the fasting month.  I need to discipline myself more in terms of the things I eat, but at least apart from water, I drink at least 600ml of fresh fruit juice daily at work. I was 95.8 kilos on 31st Deecember last year, and this morning I weighed at 94.0 kilos. Well, that’s almost 2 kilos off.

On the personal side: life’s been good but work has been taking its toll too. I admit I have not been giving my wife and kids as much attention as I used to, but what I love about my wife is she will keep things in check and would get me to let things off my chest, admit my mistakes where it’s been made, and work out on how to improve or what needs a review. That is the thing about us, not wanting to get into that “me husband, you wife” routine, but regard each other as the best friends we were before we got married. And for that I value her understanding where I falter and get too deeply engrossed in my own world. There has been times where I do not play much role at home, getting on the PC and back at work when I am back at home, and end up either on the social network or playing games to get my mind off work so I could sleep. But an understanding wife is what forgetful husbands like I need…and I appreciate those hugs at night even if I never say much. From now on I will go home to a good long hug first no matter how crappy the day at the office had been. My wife has always been my best friend, that is how she will remain first as, before she is my wife.

I would love to have seen a better race-relations in Malaysia: we are still racially-polarised here in Malaysia, no matter what we say, no thanks especially to selfish politicians who are determined to keep Malaysians divided politically and racially. There have been instances where politicians introduced steps or other methods to split the unity of the people, for example, the attempt to introduce mosque-committee elections which would definitely split the unity of the Malays. That was a blatant attempt to dilute the voting power of the Malays, while keeping the support of the Chinese in particular, intact.

I would also like to see the quota system for public university intakes for Bumiputras to be removed.  I am in the opinion that Malay students think it is their birthright to have that quota, but they don’t do much studying.  The recent demonstration for “Academic Freedom” by undergrads jockeyed by a certain political party underscores this fact.  Give deserving students the university seats as well as financial aid so that we would have better quality Director-Generals, Departmental Heads in the civil service.

On that score, I would also like to see more non-Malays join the civil service and uniformed services, where they are given equal rights to promotion based on merit rather than quota. I remember how good the police and Air Force were right up until the mid-1990s. There were more non-Malay senior officers than there are now.

I would also like to see Ministers, politicians on both sides of the fence, senior government officials involved in graft cases to face the full force of the law. They must be made to remember that they have been put there to serve the people, not their self-interest. They have been given the responsibility to serve the people (rakyat) and manage the department, ministry, state, country on behalf of the people. If they breach that trust given by the people, they don’t belong in their posts.

The NFC issue is also a thorn in every one’s backside. In my opinion, the Prime Minister should have asked the Minister in question (whose family members benefited from the government loan and project) to step down and go on leave pending investigation. That would have been the best method instead of keeping quiet about it.  Now, whatever action that is taken against the Minister would be construed as “an election ploy.” it is far too late, and BN and UMNO in particular will have to live with this thorny issue during the next General Elections. This is one issue that will drag whatever effort Najib Razak has been doing to transform Malaysia, down.  It would take a huge effort for BN canvassers to answer this issue on the said Minister’s behalf.

For PR, it is plain and simple for Malays to see that their DAP partners have been jockeying Malay (and even Indian) interests for their own interest.  Selangor, in particular, is being administered in the background by Little Napoleons that even sensitive issues like the JAIS report on the DUMC issue has yet to be released to the public in full.  Maybe, the Menteri Besar has a leash in the form of a political noose around his neck, held by political “partners” from both DAP and within PKR. We will see what the future holds for Khalid Ibrahim.

Whatever it is, 2012 will be an interesting year for us all, be it in a positive manner or otherwise.  Let us just wait and see.

Happy New Year all and have a good year ahead.

 

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The Road To Merdeka – Article 153

I shall not waste my time dwelling into what Article 153 of the Federal Constitution stands for. If any of you are Internet-savvy enough to reach this page would mean that you would be savvy enough to Google it up.

I am writing this with alarm because a self-professed Constitutional Lawyer by the name of Edmund Bon tweeted that the Reid Commission had recommended for the said Article to be removed 15 years after Independence had been achieved. While that point is true, Mr Bon probably did not and does not understand the whole history and spirit behind both the Reid Commission and the Federal Constitution itself.

On the road to Merdeeka, the Reid Commission did offer a draft Malayan Constitution to the Malay Rukers, the British Government, and the leaders of the Alliance Party. The Commission also recommended dual or multiple citizenship.  This, like its recommendation that Malay special privileges should be for only 15 years, the dual or multiple citizenship recommendation was also rejected.

Some naive people speak about the departures above from the Reid Commission draft as being a departure from an original constitution.  The likes of Mr Bon should learn history properly, that the Reid Commission was not a party to the Merdeka talks. The parties were strictly the Malay Rulers in whom resided the states’ sovereignty, the British Government, which was in treaty with the Malay Rulers as protector and administrator, and the Alliance which had a resounding victory to represent the people of Malaya – 51 out of 52 seats, the only opposing seats being won by the Pan-Malaya Islamic Party.

So please, people. Check your historical facts and spirit behind the Federal Constitution before you make a fool of yourselves.

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Anwar Ibrahim: Malaysia’s Dark Cloud

These are excerpts from Chapter 7, Pages 77-88 of Michael Backman’s book “Inside Knowledge – Streetwise In Asia” that I find interesting and would like to share with all. For the benefit of those who do not understand English, I have included the Bahasa Malaysia translation as well.

Berikut adalah cabutan dari Bab 7, Mukasurat 77-88 buku Michael Backman berjudul “Inside Knowledge – Streetwise In Asia” yang menarik minat saya untuk berkongsi dengan semua.  Untuk manafaat mereka yang tidak berbahasa Inggeris, saya telah juga menyertakan terjemahan dalam Bahasa Malaysia.

Anwar Ibrahim: Malaysia’s Dark Cloud

A dark cloud hangs over Malaysia in the form of Former Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar was fired from these positions in September 1998.  He was then charged with sodomy and abuse of power and jailed nine and six years respectively.  The sodomy charges were overturned on appeal in 2004 and Anwar was released.

What is Anwar planning to do now that he has been released from jail?  Will he become a divisive opposition figure?  How much trouble will he cause?  Planning for business needs to take these unknown into account.  They will impact upon Malaysia’s future political stability.

Anwar Ibrahim: Awan Hitam Malaysia

Malaysia masih lagi dibayangi oleh awan hitam bekas Menteri Kewangan dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim.  Anwar telah dipecat dari jawatan-jawatan berkenaan pada September 1998.  Kemudian, beliau telah didakwa atas tuduhan meliwat dan salahguna kuasa dan didapati bersalah di atas kedua-dua pertuduhan.  Bagi kesalahan meliwat beliau dijatuhi hukuman sembilan tahun penjara manakala bagi kesalahan salahguna kuasa beliau dijatuhi hukuman penjara enam tahun.  Pertuduhan kesalahan meliwat telah ditarik balik pada tahun 2004 selepas rayuan beliau diterima.

Selepas dibebaskan, apakah perancangan Anwar?  Adakah beliau akan menjadi Ketua Pembangkang yang akan memecahbelahkan negara?  Sejauh mana masalah yang akan ditimbulkannya?  Perancangan untuk berniaga di Malaysia perlu mengambil kira persoalan-persoalan yang akan memberi kesan kepada kestabilan politik Malaysia masa hadapan.

What Anwar’s Release Really Means

The decision in 2004 by Malaysia’s Federal Court to overturn Anwar’s conviction for sodomy might have got him out of jail but did not get him off the hook.  Many commentators and journalists who reported on the decision did not appear to have read the detail of the 36-page majority judgment.  The initial conviction rested on a confession by Anwar’s co-accused, his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan, and statements by the only witness, Anwar’s wife’s driver who claimed to have been sodomized by both men.  The charges against the two men related to the acts of sodomy between the given dates, dates that famously had to be changed three times on the charge sheet as Anwar came up with credible alibis.

The Federal Court majority judgment ruled Sukma’s confession as inadmissible.  The judges found that it had been obtained under duress.  There is little doubt as to Sukma’s sexual orientation.  But what the court had to prove beyond reasonable doubt was that the incidents occured within the dates specified by the charges.  The Federal Court judges found that the dates had not been proven, and it was on this basis that they allowed Anwar’s appeal.

Apa Sebenarnya Makna Pembebasan Anwar

Keputusan Mahkamah Persekutuan pada 2004 menggugurkan sabitan kesalahan Anwar mungkin membolehkan Anwar bebas dari penjara, namun ianya tidak membersihkan beliau.  Kebanyakan komentar dan wartawan yang mengulas keputusan berkenaan tidak membaca sepenuhnya keputusan 36-mukasurat yang dibuat secara majoriti oleh Mahkamah Persekutuan.  Sabitan awal Anwar berasaskan pengakuan Sukma Darmawan, adik angkat Anwar, dan kenyataan satu-satunya saksi iaitu pemandu kepada isteri Anwar yang mendakwa beliau telah diliwat oleh kedua-dua Anwar dan Sukma.  Tuduhan ke atas kedua-duanya bersangkutan dengan aksi meliwat yang berlaku di dalam satu tempoh masa yang telah ditukar sebanyak tiga kali oleh pihak pendakwa kerana alibi Anwar yang kukuh.

Mahkamah Persekutuan dengan secara majoriti memutuskan bahawa pengakuan Sukma tidak boleh diterima sebab telah dibuat dalam keadaan paksaan.  Walau bagaimanapun, tidak terdapat kesangsian tentang amalan homoseksual Sukma.  Apa yang perlu dibuktikan di mahkamah adalah perlakuan liwat oleh Anwar dan Sukma berlaku pada tarikh sepertimana yang dikemukakan oleh pihak pendakwaraya.  Mahkamah Persekutuan mendapati tarikh berkenaan gagal dibuktikan yang mana merupakan alasan utama mereka membenarkan rayuan Anwar.

To be continued/Bersambung

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The Mole Breached

The Mole website under repair
The Mole website under repair

So what is a Mole?  For most it is that furry burrowing animal that is regarded by some as pest.  For others, it could mean an insider giving out information.

For me, being someone with the sea close to heart, a mole is a solid structure on a shore that serves as a pier, breakwater or causeway.  A bridge jutting out towards the horizon, if you must.

That is what the website The Mole means to me.

This blog of mine has been contributing to The Mole since the Malaysia Day promise of legal reforms by the Prime Minister.  I was roped in probably because of the crazy stuff that I wrote in conjunction with BERSIH 2.0 and when people think they know history when they really don’t.

The Mole allows people like me, who are not from the other side of the coin, no matter which side of the coin you represent, to air our views, most importantly to lash out at lies dished out.  Occasionally, people like me lash out at people representing the ruling Government too, as we are not paid by anyone, to write.  I write what I feel about things, and if my readers feel they cannot agree with my points, then they can choose not to read – or leave a comment.  The Mole picks up news from bloggers like me (although I do not think anything that I write is newsworthy if at all) and publishes them like normal newspapers would.  The only difference between The Mole and, say Malaysiakini, is that those behind it are true political journos; not people from sports desk, or entertainment desk who were mustered to form the latter.  And The Mole is more objective in its presentation, not permanently leaning on one side of the political fence.

This blog of mine, the blog of an insignificant person, has been subjected to several attacks in the form of written abuses.  Well. I am no Rocky Bru, or Kickdefella, or Big Dog – but for people to feel threatened by what I have written means I must be saying something right somewhere.  It is probably for this reason that The Mole was attacked by people who cannot handle the truth.

Rocky Bru asked a few bloggers and I on Twitter this afternoon: “Any major difference, Cyber Troopers and Terrorists?”

The similarity I would say is that Cyber Troopers are Terrorists when they start sabotaging other cyber sites.  The only difference is terrorists terrorize.  These cyber troopers don’t.  Therefore, they are nothing more than petty criminals who get cheap thrill from doing stupid things, like those Mat Rempits of Setiawangsa who are fond of repositioning traffic signal lights.  No difference there.

Anyway, if you want some fun in knowing what is the truth about who has been lying to the rakyat, enjoy this clip:

The Stammering Liar Caught With His Pants Fully Down

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Discrimination

I find it ironic that Suara Keadilan tweeted the fact that Russian astronauts are allowed to vote from space but overseas Malaysians are not. In almost the same foul-breath, DAP says members of the police and armed forces should not be allowed to vote in Sarawak because they were not born there.  If this isn’t discrimination bordering racism, then I do not know what is. Furthermore, DAP reps are known to have made racist remarks every now and then?

I would agree with this move as several lawmakers from thenPR side were not even born in Malaysia, like Saifuddin Nasution and several others whose IC number came out in an expose a few months ago when the issue of illegal immigrants was hotly debated. Maybe they should be disqualified from office for not being natural-born Malaysians.

DAP should not forget that members of the police and armed forces serving in Sarawak serve the people of Sarawak, too, and come under the crap of the MP/ADUN where they serve, and therefore have every right to vote for or against the party the MP/ADUN represent.  Maybe DAP lacks the confidence in winning bigger number of votersthere and is seeking a scapegoat to cover its weaknesses; and what better scapegoats than the police and armed forces?

Wake up, DAP! If you spend lesser time politicking and more time serving the rakyat, then you should not worry.

And remember, the term “RAKYAT” does not belong to your supporters only as majority of us were born in Malaysia, unlike your PR MPs who are also PR of other countries.

Tsk! Tsk!