Tuesday 31 August 2010

Malay Rights And A Malay Woman

Update: 
Not only no gumption...he has no balls to face a "small fry" who also happens to be a woman.

The fact of the matter is that the true Ibrahim/Mahathir Perkasa agenda will be laid bare in the debate. This is how Perkasa responded to Nurul Izzah's challenge:

Perkasa declares Malay rights not for debate

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Malaysia's future first woman PM, Nurul Izzah will be disappointed because Ibrahim Ali will not risk his Perkasa all in a single debate with a woman, of all creatures! Mind you this is not ONLY about Malay Rights. It is as much about the Malay Muslim Woman in Malaysia.

Come on Ibrahim! It is obvious you have the gall...let's see if you have the gumption.

This was in the Malaysian Insider:



Nurul Izzah wants clarification from Perkasa on where they are going with their agenda.



Nurul Izzah wants Malay rights debate with Perkasa By Yow Hong Chieh August 31, 2010


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar today invited Perkasa to a public debate on Malay rights, contending that the question of Malay special rights should be put to the King and the people of Malaysia.

Her invitation to the Malay rights group appeared to be an attempt to contain Datuk Ibrahim Ali’s growing influence on policy by locating his discourse squarely within the democratic process.

Referencing Article 153 of the Federal Constitution - which Perkasa says grants “Malays rights” in perpetuity — Nurul pointed out that the article only specified that Malays be given a special position and should, in fact, to be interpreted in light of Articles 8(1) and 8(2) by the King or a body appointed by him.

Article 8(1) states: “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law”; and Article 8(2): “Except as expressly authorised by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment.”

“It would be ideal to have a mandated entity such as a Constitutional Court or at least a Constitutional Council appointed by the King to act as the final interpreter of any constitutional issues,” Nurul said, adding that the judiciary, which already deals with constitutional matters, would also have a role to play.

Alternatively, she proposed a possible solution in the form of a legally binding referendum, while simultaneously challenging Perkasa to both a dialogue through open letters as well as a televised debate.

Nurul argued that “Malay rights”, as envisioned by Perkasa, were an ideological and philosophical construct that was not rooted in either the constitution or law.

“My question to Perkasa is, has the concept of ‘Malay rights’ now become a permanent convention that supersedes even the written constitution in policy and practice that has to be accepted by all non-Malay citizens?” she asked.

“My question to Perkasa is, spiritually and intellectually, does a Malay accepts injustices, power abuse, corruption, racism, anti-democratic laws, state institutional degradation to ensure that the Malays are a Supreme Race in Malaysia, with first class citizenship privileges not to be shared with other non-Malay citizens?”

She added that it was important to note that the Reid Commission, which drafted the constitution, had seen Article 153 as temporary measure, subject to review after 15 years by Parliament, before it was institutionalised into the NEP following the 1969 race riots.

Arguing that Malaysia was at a “monumental cross-road”, Nurul hammered home the point that it ultimately came down to the people to decide if Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) or Ketuanan Rakyat (people’s supremacy) was going to define Malaysia.

“Once the next general election outcome is determined, and if ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ is victorious, then some may choose to vote with their feet (emigrate with massive brain drain and a diminishing tax base), and some will choose to vote with their wallet (domestic capital flight compounded with decreasing FDI that further stunts our economic growth), which in turn will indicate the makings of a potential failed state with irreversible consequences,” she warned.

“What is left will be a shell of a former Malaysia that could have been a great example of a democratic and pluralistic nation to the world.”

Infamy Or Esteem?

If Mandela and Mahathir (I am comparing the two only because of apartheid) were to die today, how would each be mourned. How will each be remembered?

Although the senile would not recognize senility, it is still not too late for you, Che Det...

Hussein Hamid has this to say:


Mahathir : Relevant Again?

Mahathir is indeed a master of all things politics. He transcends UMNO, Barisan Nasional and possible everything political in Malaysia. Mahathir’s shameless political pragmatism is only trumped by the audacity of his use of issues, whether racial, religious or economic to further his own agenda.

But perhaps in the twilight of his years he has become frail of mind and unable to be the clever manipulator of the public as he once was. He predicted that there will be an escalation in racial tension and division should NEP-style policies be removed. This judicious use of racial and wealth division to conjure up an Armageddon that will destroy our country has only inadvertently exposed Mahathir to the public as the master manipulator that he really is. Perhaps, this time irrevocably! Let me explain why I say this!

Even at 84 Mahathir wants himself to be relevant. Consistently from the time he left government that has been his holy grail. The appointment of Pak Lah as his deputy was a decision made by Mahathir and Mahathir alone. At its simplest level this decision was his prerogative as Prime Minister then. At its worse it was a decision Mahathir took to have someone to succeed him whom he thought he could control and do his bidding when asked.

When the man he chose to succeed him did not (for whatever reason) meet his expectations Mahathir set out to make himself relevant to the process of removing Pak Lah from the office of Prime Minister. How did he do this?

He knew where to look and understood what had to be done and did it. In the name of saving UMNO and Malaysia he worked tirelessly to remove Pak Lah from office. There is no need to go into the intensity of his efforts – suffice for us to reprise his personal attacks on Pak Lah and Pak Lah’s family, on KJ and his ability to even harm UMNO in the process by leaving the party he was once President of – not forever but only until such time as Pak Lah was removed – then he returned as the prodigal son. What can be observed is the single mindedness of this evil man to have his own way no matter what. He had something he wanted to do (remove Pak Lah from office) and how he chose to do it did not matter as long as the end justifies the means.

And now he is at it again. He judges that the racial divide and the unequal division of wealth are issue the public wants resolve. Yes he is right in this assumption! But the words and phrases he uses to frame these issues are chosen not to resolve or manage these issue in a responsible manner but more to incite the people to take sides and formed rigid division amongst the races - at precisely the time when we have no need for these divisions.

Mahathir is not bound by any of these sensibilities. He sees an opportunity to use race and distribution of wealth as a means of making him relevant again - if not to all Malaysians – to enough Malaysian as to create unease within our country. And so Mahathir emerges as the new prophet who skillfully frames the question of race and wealth distribution as the question that must be addressed NOW – over and above anything else. Recklessly he has issued the clarion call – and so he is relevant again.

An UMNO and Barisan Nasional with its back against the wall is torn between trying to decide if what Mahathir is trumpeting is indeed the most important issue of the day.

Of course it is not. Corruption is. Nepotism is. Racial divide is. Politicians who abuse their power is. You eliminate these issues and all will fall into place. That these issues are the problem is already known to all and Mahathir cannot gain enough traction from these issues to establish his relevance in the political arena where Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat are doing battle.

And so he comes up with this :

Dr M warns NEP removal could lead to revolution.

And he now has the attention of the Malays, the non-Malays, UMNO, Barisan Nasional and almost everybody else because we all want to know who is this idiot talking about Ketuanan Melayu and keeping the non-Malays as second-class citizens? Who is waving the specter of revolution and a May 13th over the whole country if these issues are not addressed immediately? Who would do this? Mahathir of course in order to be relevant!

So don’t you all think that it is time we just ignore this man who wants to be relevant in a time when he is no longer relevant? Mahathir has cried wolf too many times in the past to be believed. This man manipulates friends and eliminates enemies. He is not a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is the wolf through and through. Be wary of this wolf called Mahathir.

The wolf was sick, he vowed a monk to be - But when he got well, a wolf once more was he...
Walter Bower

Friday 27 August 2010

Mahathir According To Seth Godin

This is from Seth Godin:

Senior management

A newly-retired executive takes a job as an adjunct professor and really shakes things up. Both the school and the students are blown away by her fresh thinking and new approaches.

A forty-year old internet executive who has been running his company for decades misses one new trend after another, because he's still living in 1998.

One thing that happens to management when they get senior is that they get stuck. (As we saw with the new professor, senior isn't about old, it's about how long you've been there).

If you've been doing it forever, you discover (but may not realize) that the things that got you this power are no longer dependable.

Reliance on the tried and true can backfire (Rupert keeps missing one opportunity after another, and keeps misunderstanding the medium he works in) or it can (rarely) pay off (Steve Jobs keeps repeating the same business model again and again--it's not an accident that Apple has no real online or social media footprint. Steve believes in beautifully designed objects, closed systems and evangelizing to developers and creatives).

Worth quoting--one of Arthur C. Clarke's lesser known three laws: "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong."

The paradox is that by the time you get to be senior, the decisions that matter the most are the ones that would be best made made by people who are junior...

As they say, if the shoe fits...wear it!

Thursday 26 August 2010

The Man From La La Mancha; Don "Mahathir" Quixote And His Squire, Sancho "Ib Ali" Panza

It must not be fun being Tun Mamakhathir these days.

Unlike Najib who is said to have too much baggage when he became PM, old Tun retired as PM in 2003 with too much baggage. He had possibly hoped that his "Vision 2020" would be enough to set the nation on its way and cement his name in history as the greatest PM ever and ever will be.

Now it appears history will not be too kind to him and being quixotic in his twilight years reduces him to a farce. His latest outburst says it all; labelling those who advocate meritocracy racists is enough said. Tun, just be history ok? You're pathetic.

Read: Vision 2020

Che Det: "Is Meritocracy Racist"?

And Art Harun: "Eh, Tun Dah Lupa?"

Also: Zaid Ibrahim, "Malay By Heritage"

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Fcuk You Tiger-Putera Ling Liong Sik!!!

Tiger-Putera LLS better pray BN remains in power.

Tangkap!!!

No need for too many words. Just watch the Saifuddin Nasution video first:




Disruption of Batu Pahat PR ceramah.







Disruption of peaceful anti-ISA candlelight vigil at Amcorp Mall.











What public gathering will they next declare illegal? These?



Monday 16 August 2010

Stating The Obvious, But There Are None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See...

Bold article in the Malaysia Chronicle. Ibrahim Ali's expectedly vaunted reply to Nazir Razak's "bastardization" remark on the NEP does not even deserve a "cut and paste" here, so if you want to read, just click on the link (read the subsequent readers' comments; they tell the real truth) after the following article:


SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010
The NEP and the rich Chinaman - time for the Malays to wise up
Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

If one good thing results from the Chinese Economic Congress held a day ago and attended by the country’s top political and economic leaders, it would be that the open discourse that took place will force the Malays to confront the fact that the New Economic Policy does not protect or benefit them.

From the speeches made by top Chinese captains of industries on Saturday, especially those with a hot-line to the Umno elite, it is clear they are not bothered if the NEP stays. Although, of course, they were also quick to hedge their bets by pointing out that the New Economic Model, if it comes, may also bring along new opportunities.

But the bottom-line is just like the rich Umnoputras, they stand to gain enormous wealth – beyond the imagination of the ordinary Malaysian – if business continues to be conducted behind closed doors along the corridors of powers in Putrajaya.

It is the ordinary people, the Chinese, Indian, Kadazan-Dusun-Murut and especially the Malays – because they form the bulk of the population – who will suffer the most if the covers built through the years in the name of the NEP to hide corruption are not dismantled soon.

This is what the phrase the rich get richer and the poor get poorer means.

“Have we fared badly? One Chinaman want to build a bungalow of RM40 million!” Malaysian Insider quoted Liew Kee Sin, president of SP Setia, as saying. His property firm is among the main beneficiaries of the huge development in the Putrajaya and Cyberjaya corridors.

What Perkasa and Mahathir do not say

And this is the point that has been glaringly lacking or perhaps intentionally ignored by ultra-Malay rights groups like Perkasa and MPM.

That while the NEP was originally meant to help the poor regardless of ethnicity, it is the rich especially amongst the Malays and the Chinese who have benefited the most by far.

Yet the NEP's original benchmark was simple – to qualify for government aid, all you needed was to be poor. The poorer the easier. But now to secure big government contracts, you have to be Malay or have a Malay front-man, and the richer and more powerful you are, the easier it is to get the deal!

Is Ibrahim Ali, the Perkasa president poor? What about Perkasa patron Mahathir Mohamad? And Mahathir’s well-known friends Halim Saad, Tajudin Ramli, Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhari, Vincent Tan, Francis Yeoh, Ananda Krishna, etc – are they poor?

If most of the rich prefer the NEP to stay - even when the son of its founder has called the current shape of the policy a bastardized version of the original - then who wants to see it go?

Well, the Pakatan Rakyat would. So too would foreign investors, Malaysians who have not been brainwashed by Umno, Perkasa or Mahathir, and also those in the BN government who would prefer to see the NEM implemented for reasons of their own.

"I have strong opinions about how the NEP has been bastardised over the years. At that time, no one knew what the outcome would be. It was a social engineering experiment that no one had ever done before in any country,” said Nazir Razak, whose father Abdul Razak Hussein had introduced the NEP in 1971.

“So they gave it 20 years. And they felt that after 1969, they had to give it a try. But now it is so embedded in everything that we do - in every part of the government, in every part of businesses that it has become a problem.”

This is what the CIMB CEO said during a question-and-answer seesion at the Chinese Economic Congress.

But sadly, pundits may be right in believing that despite Nazir's openness, the fact that his brother is Prime Minister Najib Razak and that both men think the time has come for the NEM to be implemented, at the end of the day the brothers are out-powered by Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali and his patron Mahathir Mohamad.

All eyes are now on what outrageous reply Ibrahim Ali will make to Nazir. Tragically for Malaysia, its national and economic future may now be in Ibrahim's hands or rather in Mahathir's - not Nazir's or Najib's, going by the way the PM has chosen to talk his talk but not walk it.

Ibrahim Ali's reply to Nazir Razak: Here

Sunday 15 August 2010

I Love This. From My Favorite Running Dog

This is self-explanatory. I can already imagine some of my Malay friends shaking their heads in disgust.

Utusan columnist tells critics to ‘go home’
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — Controversial Mingguan Malaysia columnist Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah continued his weekly diatribe against non-Malays, saying today that minorities who cannot respect the special position of Islam and the Malays should return to their homeland.

The Muslim convert also sneered that Malaysia should be renamed “Cinasia” or “Indiasia” if every demand by non-Muslims was accommodated when commenting on Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) columnist Helen Ang’s recent piece “Enforcing NEP on minority religions.”

“Will the practice of prayer (doa) cause the heart of the non-Muslims to melt and embrace Islam? She really (Helen Ang) hates Islam. Prayer (doa) is part of the Malay Muslim culture.

“Why would we want to delete all of our identity for merely wanting to accommodate others. If that’s the case, just change the name of Malaysia to Cinasia or Indiasia. How strange it is this species, never cease trying to challenge the position of Islam and Malays,” he wrote in his Sunday column headlined “Jangan terlalu berani mencabar” (Don’t be so brave to challenge).

In her piece, Ang questioned why non-Muslim religious societies were banned in national schools.

Ang added that the restriction on non-Muslim fellowship in schools has stopped many Chinese parents from sending their children to national schools.

“If I were a mother, I would never wish to subject my vulnerable child to a bellicose environment where my race, and the traditions and faith beliefs I’ve imparted to my son or daughter are disparaged,” she said.

In response, Tee said that the country does not want Ang’s children, whether legal or illegitimate, a favourite line he continually implies about the Chinese.

“She does not need to send her ‘children’ (if any were legitimate) to national school, if she is not confident with the national school or she is scared that her ‘children’ will become Malays. Her ‘children’ are not needed here.

“Just send her ‘children’ to schools in her homeland or overseas. The presence of ‘children’ are not needed here,” he said in a personal attack on Ang, who has also had two police reports lodged against her over her article.

Tee also said that Ang should migrate to the West if she is obsessed with their culture.

“I suggest that she migrate to another country, if this country does not provide her with any freedom. She should go to her country of origin or to the West because there is more ‘freedom’ there to build the biggest church and the highest statue in the world and have vernacular schools as well as having free sex.

“I do not think that she is proud of her ancestors because she prefers to use a white man’s name even though her eyes are sepet,” he said.

Tee stressed that non-Muslims should be grateful because the Malays have been very tolerant.

“Let us compare how the situation of Muslims living in countries where non-Muslims are the majority. Tolerance is very high. Muslims do not pose a problem for non-Muslims, except when their rights taken and exploited like in southern Thailand, Philippines and Palestine. Malay Muslims in Singapore do not make any noise when their land was stolen. They just sat quietly even though their Islamic and Malay rights are slowly taken away by the Chinese community.

“See our tolerance here. For me because the Malays embraced Islam 600 years ago, non-Muslims can live comfortably in this blessed land. The Islamic values have taught the Malays to protect the rights of non-Muslims and to not oppress them,” he added.

On Monday, Malay right-wing group Perkasa today lodged a police report against Ang for allegedly questioning the rights of the Malays and the position of Islam in the country.



COMMENTS
Comments (9) at at 1.30 pm 15th August 2010

btg kali · 58 minutes ago

Doesn't mean you are a convert you can treat others like dirt. You are a traitor to your race and now your words run foul of every human tribe in the word! Ridhuan Tee Abdullah!

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Dan · 53 minutes ago

You had pushed us into a corner. You had threatened us, ISAed us, sent us live bullets, even pushed us down to death. This piece of yours is nothing compare what we had gone through like 513. We are also prepared that you will not give up power even you lose GE13. Keep barking and hope elder Tee hears it. You are getting too personal meaning you are losing!

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GenuineMalaysian · 53 minutes ago

Ok, try to do an experiment. Ask all the chinese and indians to leave the country. I can guarantee in 3 months time, the country's economy will be in a meltdown and will be bankrupt.

See you guys dare or now?

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Old Malaysian · 52 minutes ago

Wow! How much more right does he have to remain in Malaysia then the other non-Malay? This is the kind of running-dog that most people execute during the wars.

This guy is shameless!

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seberang · 48 minutes ago

We are going home or to places we are welcome. We do send our kids to independent schools so that our kids will be able to go overseas for future studies and hopefully stay at places that appreciate them,. Brain drain will worsened but that is not my problem because we are going home. Our tax money is just a rental payment to feed the natives.

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old malaysian · 48 minutes ago

Lets hope he is not representative of the muslims in this country? If so, don't blame Islam for getting a bad name. He has failed Islam as well as his race...... or is he what Islam is really all about?.

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Eric · 42 minutes ago

This is the reason why Malaysia still remains as it is today. It is not about the religion but the people's mindset that will shape our country today and here we have people barking up the wrong tree. Grow up and learn english before you even try to understand implication if any.

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TheOrion · 40 minutes ago

Is this the way to understanding, transparency and meritocracy? Is this the proper way of dialogue? No substance at all, useless piece of dead wood!

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cleeman · 39 minutes ago

Coming from him? What else to say!

We are talking about Malaysia as one progressive country where all races are respected and he is taking on narrow racial politics which I believe he is trying very hard to emploit for his selfish personal gain.

I don't think any real Muslim will even consider him as a brother with all his radical and unjust views. Converting to one is easy, practise as one, not him! One thing for sure, he should try getting rid of the Tee in his name, if he ever could, before he talks anything along racial line and put on a racial skin.

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Wednesday 11 August 2010

Another Weekend At Sham's Sanctuary

Last weekend was spent in Ulu Langat at Sham's Sanctuary and the last time we were there was in February 2010.

Apart from the usual suspects Major Sham, Colonels Mike Naser, Shaik and Shafique, and General Dato' Amin, we had Colonel Sheikh "Bill" Tawfiq and Tigers KC Heah, Chris Cheng, Hamdan Azmir and Kamarul Shahrin. Tiger Capt Harjit was greatly missed as he had been called to Kerteh on Saturday.

It was another weekend of great company, food and drink (in that order) and this time around it was a rather sober occasion (we must all be getting old). Only about 12 bottles of wine, a bottle of whiskey and two cases of beer for the whole weekend (Friday evening till Sunday morning).

Food was again exceptional but with Annie (Mrs Sham) indisposed, variety and quantity were unlike last February. Nevertheless, Friday dinner was steamboat with two kinds (hot and sour tom yam and savory dragon fruit) of soup. There were also the customary Thai Miang Kham and cheese platter. It is fruit season and we had lovely durians, bananas, rambutans and dukong langsat from Sham's orchard.

Saturday morning breakfast was kampung nasi lemak and apart from the nicely cooked nasi and sambal accompaniment we had deepfried catfish slices cooked in chilli. Sheikh "Bill" Tawfiq arrived in time with one of the best sambal sotong in town (prepared with love by his better half; as he puts it).




Chris Cheng arrived with her son (and a delightful orange cake) in time for lunch and tuna sandwich snack prepared by Mike.

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon with some trying to catch up on sleep lost the previous night. Shafique was the main hero.

This time around we had the irrepressible Sheikh Tawfiq whose non-stop supply of jokes and anecdotes for every occasion kept everyone in stiches. That was before he took out his Yamaha keyboard and began belting out songs of yesteryear for the rest of the day and night! Not bad for a guy who plays by ear. When he finally went to sleep at 3.00 am even the crikets were intimidated into silence; late night at Sham's Sanctuary probably has never been so quiet...apart from the droning orchestra of muffled snores of course.

BBQ on Saturday was again Colonel Mike's show and it was as usual, excellent. This time around he served grilled chicken drumsticks wrapped in beef bacon, mashed potato topped with caviar, relish wrapped boneless NZ lamb, lemon sorbet, grilled Portobello mushrooms, peaches and ice-cream...and more! The lamb was simply scrumptious! Again, Mike was the chef and I was the cook.

Annie returned home that Saturday night with a pot of mutton curry with murungakai and it was not only the first time I had seen mutton curry cooked with "drumsticks", it has to be right up there among the best I have tasted!




Sunday lunch was catered from the Thai restaurant located just outside Sham's Sanctuary and included rebung (bamboo shoots) that Tawfiq brought which became a masak lemak with beef tripe. There were two green vegetables, crispy fried small salted fish, Annie's special mutton curry, fish masak lemak, and the pièce de résistance of the meal was the chilli brinjal.


Apart from being an analyst with TMB, Tiger Kamarul Shahrin is a talented photographer. He had brought his arsenal of expensive, high-end photographic equipment and I thought we were going to be treated to numerous professionally taken records of the weekend's proceedings. I was right with "professionally taken" but totally wrong with "numerous"! The bugger only took a handful of shots! He says an artist deals in rarity! Shit!!! So if this time around this blogpost contains fewer photos (low quality from the phonecam) it should be compensated by some breath-taking shots by Shahrin (you will know which ones they are by just looking).

Hopefully, more pictures can be posted up later if I receive them from the other camera owners present.