Showing posts with label Socio-Political. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Socio-Political. Show all posts

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Deuteronomy 6:4 O Israel

So much in the news about Israel again recently. Civilians die, crimes against humanity, animals, genocide, and all the usual stuff. 

I have always tried to take an impartial macro view about the situation in the middle east but I dare say, what little I know is definitely more than the average Malaysian joe. 

By the way, Malaysian demographics has the average Malaysian joe being Malay and Muslim. He is brought up on anti-semitic fodder and hates Jews with a kind of passion that makes one wonder what evil the Jews have done to him personally or what Jews have done to their Arab brethren that the Arabs have not done worse to their own kind. It also boggles the mind that the average Malaysian joe has never even met a Jew in person and would not recognize a Jew even if a Jew walked up and kicked him in the ass!

The internet is the great enabler and it is so easy to do a quick study on any topic one fancies. But with socio politics and so much data, information, misinformation, disinformation, interpretations, arguments, propaganda, etc. it is not easy to obtain an impartial view on anything. The trick is to have empathy and recognize preaching to the choir content. 

Nevertheless, the internet is a wonderful tool and as far as Israel is concerned more people should do their own research. That the Israeli jews make Arab leaders look bad is a given. What the former has done with arid desert land and harsh natural resource scarcity will benefit the Arabs in a "prosper thy neighbor" concept if only the Arab people can wake up. Here are some interesting videos:



What is the Israel v Palestine Conflict?


Wall Of Lies Or Truth? So easy to determine.


Jimmy Carter On Gaza


Israeli Technological Development


Agricultural Marvel


Israeli Water Tech


An Israeli Speaking For Palestinians


6 Day War; Pre-Emptive Strike


Yom Kippur War 1973 Part I


Yom Kippur War 1973 Part II


Yom Kippur War 1973 Part III

*************************************************************************
A Heads Up From Mike Naser:

Dr.David Liepert Become a fan
Canadian Muslim Leader, Spokesperson, Author and 07/25/2014 9:19 am Educator

When Israel Remembers Their Covenant, They Will Change The World

Up here in Canada, I'm a pretty popular Muslim, even though I've been defending Israel's right to live safely and securely in God's Holy Land for as long as I've been a Muslim. More important than that though -- by far -- is the fact that no Muslim has ever been able to gainsay me even when I've addressed thousands of them at one time, because the Qur'an says (In Al-Maeda 5:20-21)

Remember Moses said to his people; "O my People! Call in remembrance the favor of Allah unto you, when he produced prophets among you, made you great, and gave you what he had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown to your own ruin." because the word translated as "assigned" --Katab Allahu-- really means ordained or entrusted.

Because of that, one of the first things Muslims did when we took over the Holy Land in our very beginning was force the Christians to let the Jews back in, and whatever else you say about us, Muslims take our religion seriously. So despite politics, despite recent world history, and despite incurring the anger of much of the Muslim world, according to the Qur'an, governing God's Holy Land is your destiny.

But Israel, I'm afraid you're doing it wrong.

I know you sometimes like to think otherwise, but He didn't give you the land unconditionally. In fact, the conditions have clear from the beginning, literally, because the book they're recorded in in the Torah is titled Bereshit, which means "In The Beginning". (I hope you don't mind a little "in" joke, just to let you know I study the Torah in Hebrew: I think that's important.)

The thing is, even in English God's conditions are clear. He says (in Bereshit 18: 17-19)

Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do, since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

But here's the thing.

Everything Hashem promised to Abraham is contingent on the actions of his children and his household after him. Read through it carefully and you'll see. He says "to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

So for everything He's said about Abraham to come to pass, you have to step up and do the right thing first. And the "right thing" is clearly linked to the well-being of the Palestinians, because of Deuteronomy 29: 10-11:

All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God -- your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water. You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Leviticus 19:33-34:
When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 24:22:
"You are to have the same law for the alien and the native born. I am the Lord your God."

and Ezekiel 47:21-23:
"You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign Lord.

Right now, the world is full of Christians and Muslims who'd like nothing more than to see God's promises come to pass. But honestly? I'm afraid more and more of us are giving up, and starting to wonder if you're really ever going to be the Israel God intends.

Please make no mistake: most of the support that you -- Israel -- are receiving from the U.S. and Canada and the rest of the so-called "Christian" world, much of the support that you could be receiving from the rest of the so-called "Muslim" world and ALL of the support you have been promised from God-Most-High is predicated on your becoming the Israel God meant you to be.

· When you prevent Palestinians from fishing in their own waters, and destroy their boats when they try: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you build your security perimeters on Palestinian land, and prevent Palestinian farmers from growing crops on 35 percent of their small remaining share of our world's arable land -- by shooting them when they try: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you prevent Palestinians from traveling, to study, to see our world's wonders, to visit family, to visit their own spouses: are you the Israel God intends?

· When your internal check-points force pregnant women to deliver babies on the road-side, and cause medically ill Palestinians to die without care: are you the Israel God intends?

· When your armies destroy Palestinian homes, hospitals, schools, Mosques, farms and fruit-trees in order to maintain "no-go" zones: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you restrict Palestinians to half the electricity, and a quarter of the water that an Israeli receives: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you hold onto all the land you claimed from active warfare since 1967, a crime according to International Law -- the same International Law that made you a State in the first place: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you maintain a belligerent 47-year long occupation, at the cost of tens of thousands of innocent lives lost and millions of lives lived under oppression: are you the Israel God intends?

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE: Please become the Israel God intends. 

Amen
Follow Dr. David Liepert on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDavidLiepert

Tuesday, 15 July 2014

One Side Wants The Other Side Dead...As Simple As That

Is there no middle ground from the so-called religion of Peace? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict explained:

Friday, 2 May 2014

May Day Anti-GST Rally. YNWA

5,000? 10,000? 20,000, 30,000, or 50,000? More? Will it matter?

Have attended so many such rallies protesting this and that, in the past few years. Did they stop the government from doing anything? NOT EVEN ONE THING! Certainly there must be more effecting means of protest when even the ballot box failed.





Wednesday, 26 March 2014

MH370

MH370. Watching things pan out since the plane went missing on 8th March, one thing stands out; prayer. Every Tom, Dick and Harry seems to be praying. Started with praying for the safety of crew/passengers lah (the pilot and co-pilot were excluded for a while), for their families lah, then for the souls of the crew/passengers lah, now for the safety of the Search & Rescue guys lah, and maybe later for the journalists lah, blah, blah, blah. There is so much outpouring of compassion and commiseration it seems almost unreal; even got some atheists praying.

Mind you, Tom, Dick and Harry on a normal day will not spare a thought even for worse on-going human tragedies globally of which the list is long and well known. Now, because of social media and a sensational occurrence involving a couple of hundred victims, Tom, Dick and Harry are falling over themselves to publicly show how much each cares. I wonder if most are motivated more by personal gratification or for grandstanding rather than genuine caring. I wonder if we put a price to the show in say, Facebook by imposing just RM20 per MH370 prayer message, we would get the kind of numbers?

For one who knows what it is like to grieve, my comment is made not in schadenfreude for MH370 victims and their families but for the stench of hypocrisy that pervades.


Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Tun Abdul Razak (11th March 1922 - 14th January 1976)

Nazir Razak's message is clear; "Sesat di Hujung Jalan, Balik ke-Pangkal Jalan." I wonder who will take heed and look back. 

This was in the Malaysian Insider:

Remembering my father, Tun Razak
BY NAZIR RAZAK
JANUARY 14, 2014


Thirty-eight years ago today, on January 14, 1976, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein passed away in London from complications wreaked by leukemia.

Malaysia lost its prime minister. I lost my father. Malaysia was 19. I was nine.

The days immediately after were shrouded in personal sorrow and national mourning.

My four brothers and I sought to comfort our mother, while the public and heartfelt outpouring of grief throughout the country served as a resounding reminder that we were not alone in our time of tragedy.

I must confess that given my age and my father's hectic schedule, I sometimes lament the fact that he gave so much to the country, leaving too little for his family.

However, I have never wavered from being enormously proud of his selfless dedication to our young nation.


Together, on his last Hari Raya.
– Pic courtesy of Datuk Seri Mohd Nazir Razak.

























I did not get the time to know him. But imprinted in me are the values he imparted, the integrity that he insisted upon, above all. Yes, above all, including his family.

I recall the time when my brothers and I approached him one evening and asked that a swimming pool be built at Seri Taman, the prime minister's residence where we lived.

The lawyer that he was, he insisted that we make our case with logical and rational arguments. We did so, and thought we had presented the argument pretty well, until we noticed his face had started to darken, and the eyes flashed with annoyance.

My father made it abundantly clear that while Seri Taman may be our home, the house belonged to the government and, hence, to the people.

Anything spent on it would have to come from public funds, and there was no way he was going to allow the state coffers to be depleted on something as frivolous as a swimming pool.

"What will the people think?" he thundered.

In my years of growing up, I actively sought to hear from people who knew my father well, including those who had worked with him in government, politics, the Merdeka movement and so on as well as his personal friends.

It was my only way of getting to know him. What stood out for me was that in almost every conversation I had about him, the qualities they always referenced were his values.

As the custodian of the nation's coffers, his frugality was legendary.

"You had to account for every cent, or he would be on your back," one former minister told me.

Well, I knew that already. Not just from the swimming pool episode, but many anecdotes.

My elder brothers often talk about one of the rare opportunities they had to accompany him on an official trip to Switzerland.

He made sure he paid their expenses himself, he was so careful with the cost of the trip to the government that he moved his whole entourage to a cheaper hotel than originally booked, and they dined over and over again at the cheapest restaurant in the vicinity of the hotel.

And then there was his final trip to Europe in October 1975 for medical treatment. He must have known that it could well be his last trip, yet he did not allow my mother to accompany him to save his own money; probably concerned about her financial situation after his passing.

She only managed to join him weeks later on the insistence of the cabinet and with a specially approved government budget for her travel.

His integrity was another trait that came up often in conversations. He was guided by what now seems a somewhat quaint and old-fashioned concept of public service; that a public servant is first and foremost a servant of the people whose trust must never be betrayed.

The other point that kept being repeated was his stamina.

Many were later astonished to learn he had been suffering from leukemia, given that when in office, he was constantly on the move, attending to official duties, immersing himself in the minutiae of policy and, of course, his famous surprise visits to constituencies around the country that allowed him to hear directly from the people about what was happening on the ground.

Of course, few people forget to recount Tun Razak's dedication to rural development. He was "People First", long before the sound bite.

But above all, what they unanimously emphasized was Tun Razak's commitment to national unity – towards building a nation where every single one of its citizens could find a place under the Malaysian sun.

That vision was encapsulated in the two initiatives that my father spearheaded in the wake of the May 13, 1969 tragedy – the formulation of the Rukunegara in 1970 and the New Economic Policy in 1971.

The Rukunegara reconciled indigenous cultural traditions and heritage with the demands of a modern, secular state.

The NEP's goal, as outlined in the policy announcement, was the promotion of national unity to be undertaken via a massive experiment in socio-economic engineering through the twin thrusts of eradication of poverty irrespective of race and economic restructuring to eliminate identification of economic function with ethnicity.

The debate on the NEP rages on today. I myself have publicly remarked that something has gone awry in its implementation.

The fixation on quotas and the seemingly easy route to unimaginable wealth for a select few have created an intra-ethnic divide in class and status, while fuelling inter-ethnic tensions. Both these developments serve to undermine, if not completely negate, the overarching goal of Tun Razak's NEP, strengthening national unity.

What went wrong? Some have argued that the fault was affirmative action itself. For me, it was because its implementation was skewed by the focus on the tactical approach rather than the commitment to the strategic goal.

The NEP has certainly helped eradicate poverty and reduced economic imbalances by spawning a Malay middle class.

However, in terms of the larger vision, the best that can be said about the NEP is that it initially helped blunt the edges of racial conflict in the aftermath of May 13.

Thanks in part to the NEP, Malaysia did not follow Sri Lanka, which became embroiled in decades of strife between the immigrant Tamils and the indigenous Sinhalese.

That is no small achievement. But the NEP promise of strengthening national unity has not been realised.

In fact, there are signs that inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic tensions are once again approaching worrying levels.

What can be done? There is a Malay proverb: "Sesat di Hujung Jalan, Balik ke-Pangkal Jalan." Loosely translated, it means "When one has lost one's way, one should return to the beginning."

And "the beginning" here, in my view, is the values, commitment, vision and inclusiveness demonstrated and embodied by Tun Razak.

I have mentioned earlier the remarks about his integrity, commitment to the concept of public service and his vision of a progressive, prosperous and united Malaysia. But let me close here by emphasising two other highlights of his legacy.

One, he was a true democrat. Two years after running the country as head of the National Operations Council, he disbanded the committee and restored democratic rule.

He held virtually dictatorial power as the NOC chief, but his worldview and values rested on a foundation of democratic rule, not dictatorship. His decision-making style exemplified this as well: he brought in all who needed to be involved and engaged in a consultative discussion before any major decision was adopted.

He never excluded those with contrarian views, he encouraged multiplicity of opinions in order to have the best chance of making a right final decision.

Two, while he was committed to helping improve the material quality of life for the majority Bumiputeras to avert another "May 13", he viewed this as a national prerogative rather than a racial one. That, to me, explains his determination to involve Malaysia's best and brightest in this quest, regardless of their racial or ethnic origin.

Just check out those who served him and his administration back then. They were and are, Malaysians all, united in their determination to rebuild this nation from the ashes of May 13.

That was Tun Razak's legacy to Malaysia. We can best honour it by returning to "Pangkal Jalan". – January 14, 2014.

* Datuk Seri Mohd Nazir Razak is the son of the second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak, and a brother of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. He is managing director and chief executive of the CIMB group.

Wednesday, 6 November 2013

The Pathan Wars?


This article in today's Malaysian Insider is interesting as it may seem that things are boiling to the surface in the very convoluted and complicated world of seedy Malaysian politics. If it is agreed that there is no smoke without a fire, then this MI article is not mere smoke but the first flames that are appearing on the surface of what is covering a conflagration raging below. It has been smoking for some time now. Though not mentioned in the MI article as yet, it probably will impact Sabah UMNO politics with the pathan at the helm. It appears "The Land Beneath The Wind" holds much history and many conspiracies. Please read: 

Attorney General’s position under threat? Reportedly in Dr M camp’s sights

BY ZULKIFLI SULONG AND V. ANBALAGAN

NOVEMBER 06, 2013
LATEST UPDATE: NOVEMBER 06, 2013 04:01 PM




Abdul Gani Patail's alleged misconducts were reportedly discussed in the meeting attended by Dr Mahathir, Mat Zain and Shafee. - The Malaysian Insider pic, November 6, 2013.Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail's position as the Attorney General appears under threat as reports and sources say former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has met several people to discuss the top government lawyer's misdeeds.

The speculation is based on a meeting attended by Dr Mahathir, former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigations Department director Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim and prominent lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

News portal Malaysiakini reported that three months ago, Mat Zain received a surprise phone call from Shafee to attend the meeting.

The report revealed that Mat Zain met Shafee at the lawyer's office-cum-residence in Bukit Tunku on August 10, three days after Hari Raya.

The two was said to have discussed Gani's alleged “misconducts”, as well as the highly-publicised case on Pulau Batu Puteh - the island off Johor which the International Court of Justice awarded to Singapore following a legal dispute in 2008.

The news portal said Mat Zain and Shafee later met Dr Mahathir at his residence in Country Heights, Kajang, on the same day.

Present at the meeting were Dr Mahathir's former political secretary Matthias Chang and former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director, Datuk Ramli Yusoff, who briefed the former premier over his run-ins with Gani.

Their discussion also touched on other alleged wrongdoings by the AG, including fabrication of evidence in the famous "black eye" case of 1998 involving former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Mat Zain, who was the investigating officer in that case, had informed Dr Mahathir of fabrication of evidence allegedly committed by Gani, then a senior deputy public prosecutor handling Anwar's first sodomy and power abuse case, following his dismissal from the government.

The alleged fabrication took place when Gani was said to have brought in pathologist Dr Abdul Rahman Yusoff to accuse Anwar in court of self-inflicting his injuries, contradicting medical reports.

As a result, a Royal Commission of Inquiry was set up to investigate the black-eye incident, resulting in the admission by former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor that he had beaten Anwar hours after his arrest on September 20, 1998.

In 2008, Anwar filed a police report against Gani and former police chief Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who was involved in the first sodomy case thrown at Anwar.

The accusations of fabrication and misconduct on the part of Gani and Musa were however dismissed by a three-member committee comprising retired judges formed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).


It was reported that in the meeting with Mahathir, Shafee (pic, right) agreed that the appointment of the MACC committee to clear Gani and Musa was illegal.

Two months after the meeting, Mat Zain on October 7 made a statutory declaration on the matter, with copies sent to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, solicitor-general Datuk Idris Harun and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

In August, Gani appointed Shafee to lead the prosecution team in its appeal against Anwar's acquittal in the Sodomy II charge.

Gani, 58, joined the Attorney General's Chambers in 1980 and was appointed AG in 2002.

He had come under heavy criticism from the opposition and non-governmental organisations over his handling of several high profile cases, including the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder and the cheating case involving former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.

Dr Mahathir is also said to have pressured Gani and called Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for a discussion. During the meeting, Dr Mahathir claimed that the AG's Chambers employed two CIA agents. Ahmad Zahid had agreed to probe into the claim. - November 6, 2013.

Sunday, 22 September 2013

Better To Have Tried And Failed Than Never To Have Tried At All...

The man has passed on and the hullabaloo about his ashes, a subject of heated political and social debate. The question is simply whether to allow his ashes to be brought back to Malaysia; yes or no? For me, the many who shout their views label themselves into only two categories. Magnanimous or otherwise. Their opinion on the matter profiles them. Forget about legal issues; there are none. 

I have blogged at length about Chin Peng at least thrice ("I Remember...", "They Remember..." and "He Remembered...") before. History belongs to the victor and no matter how big or small a mark we leave behind, in the end we are each just making our own journey in this world as individual mortal beings. Chin Peng was the same and it is evidenced by his farewell message below. He took comfort in his children and his parting words were, "... I wish to be remembered simply as a good man who could tell the world that he had dared to spend his entire life in pursuit of his own ideals...".


Chin Peng's Farewell Letter:

“My dear Comrades, my dear Compatriots,

When you read this letter, I am no more in this world.

It was my original intention to pass away quietly and let my relatives handle the funeral matters in private. However, the repercussions of erroneous media reports of me in critical condition during October 2011, had persuaded me that leaving behind such a letter is desirable.

Ever since I joined the Communist Party of Malaya and eventually became its secretary-general, I have given both my spiritual and physical self in the service of the cause that my party represented, that is, to fight for a fairer and better society based on socialist ideals. Now with my passing away, it is time that my body be returned to my family.

I draw immense comfort in the fact that my two children are willing to take care of me, a father who could not give them family love, warmth and protection ever since their birth. I could only return my love to them after I had relinquished my political and public duties, ironically only at a time when I have no more life left to give to them as a father.

It was regrettable that I had to be introduced to them well advanced in their adulthood as a stranger. I have no right to ask them to understand, nor to forgive. They have no choice but to face this harsh reality. Like families of many martyrs and comrades, they too have to endure hardship and suffering not out of their own doing, but out of a consequence of our decision to challenge the cruel forces in the society which we sought to change.

It is most unfortunate that I couldn't, after all, pay my last respects to my parents buried in hometown of Sitiawan (in Perak), nor could I set foot on the beloved motherland that my comrades and I had fought so hard for against the aggressors and colonialists.

My comrades and I had dedicated our lives to a political cause that we believed in and had to pay whatever price there was as a result. Whatever consequences on ourselves, our family and the society, we would accept with serenity.

In the final analysis, I wish to be remembered simply as a good man who could tell the world that he had dared to spend his entire life in pursuit of his own ideals to create a better world for his people.

It is irrelevant whether I succeeded or failed, at least I did what I did. Hopefully the path I had walked on would be followed and improved upon by the young after me. It is my conviction that the flames of social justice and humanity will never die.

Farewell, my dear Comrades!

Farewell, my dear Compatriots!

Farewell, my dear Motherland!”

Thursday, 18 April 2013

Manifesting The Manifestos.

This is a "must watch". More so because of Rafizi than Anwar. Who needs one-sided mainstream media when we have You Tube. Spread this around; there is only one side to vote for. We deserve the government we get so GE13 is all about deciding what we deserve.

Monday, 4 February 2013

Petronas 2013 CNY Advertisement

Election year Petronas CNY Advertisement. Soft like the tau fu fah and sweet like the tau cheong soi.

 

Compared to post-2008 General Election Media Prima TV8 advertisement to underscore Ketuanan Melayu, and so-call "unite" Malays and Muslims?

Sunday, 5 August 2012

Lee Chong Wei Apology

Following the previous post on Deepak Chopra's apology comes an apology from Lee Chong Wei for having failed to win the 2012 Olympics Men's Singles Badminton Gold medal for Malaysia. Try as Chong Wei did, Lin Dan was and still is the better player of the two; apologies not needed for having given his all. The stats between the two are obvious enough.

The pressure on Chong Wei to even qualify for the final must have been immense let alone win against Lin Dan. The whole nation was united behind him as we followed his progress through each round but I think our FLOM should have been there from the start instead of rushing to London for the final game. Her intentions may be honorable but I think most Malaysians would have preferred that she stayed home. A BBM or SMS would have been more effective.



Many would have noticed Lin Dan drew inspiration from someone among the spectators. Every time he pulled off a difficult point, he gazed in the same direction. Some of us are fortunate enough to be able to recognize that look he gave the person. Fortunately, the Games cameras were kind enough to show us who it was; his wife. Xie Xingfang was a former badminton World Champion herself.

Don't know about others but I noticed Chong Wei too had a certain gaze at someone in the crowd but it was a gaze of despair every time he lost a difficult rally. The games cameras did not show anything.

However, the cameras did show on one occasion Lin Dan's coach Li Yongbo spur his player on with words that include, "zhong guo ren". I wonder what his complete sentence was, but I am sure this will not be last time we in Malaysia hear reference to Yongbo's words.

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Irshad Manji on PopTeeVee

Irshad Manji calls out moderate muslims..."in times of moral crisis, moderation is an excuse to do nothing"

Thursday, 26 April 2012

Haris Ibrahim On MobTV

Click Here

Haris Ibrahim Sharing His Thoughts




Khairi vs Ambiga; More Obfuscation...

The UMNO Poster boy wannabe really eloquent with sweet nothings. Started with claim of special bond for being teargassed by the same police (he and only 150 so-called UMNO Youth Patriots; many recruited in situ) as Bersih 2.0 and followed by stating numerous "commitments" of BN Government to have the most free and fair GE in history, free and fair access to national media, stop dirty politics and corruption, have code of conduct for government, and other crap that is just figment of imagination in today's BN reality.

But who is this guy Khairi anyway? He is not even in the Cabinet nor wanted by UMNO. Don't be fooled by the command of language and delivery. Shit is shit no matter how wrapped or delivered.

Ambiga wasted her time with this debate.

Monday, 9 April 2012

Insidious...

Where and what will this lead to?



Check out the Luton Town online newspaper here for a comparative view. A case of barbarians within the gates? 

Producing Illiterates & Worthless Pompous Asses

If this grading scale is real no wonder we have so many so-called educated students who appear unschooled and so-called top students who seem suspiciously inept. So much for the so-called K-Economy. Syiok Sendiri!!!
Click on photo to enlarge.


But this is what our Education Minister/DPM has to say about our education system. I wonder how his own KPI is graded.

**********************************************
Get smart and get real...the reality; a LGE response in Malaysiakini:

'Get real, Muhyiddin, fix education system'
 11:02AM Apr 9, 2012

Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is “out of touch” with the country's education system in claiming that it is better than that of the US, UK and Germany.


DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who levelled the charge, said this is evident when no Malaysian has been admitted to the prestigious Harvard University for two years in a row.

"The quality of Malaysian applicants to Harvard University has deteriorated so alarmingly that none was even good enough to make it to the interview rounds," he claimed in a statement.

Muhyiddin had cited the World Economic Report’s Global Competitiveness Index 2011-2012 which surveyed 87 business executives on how well the Malaysian education system has met the needs of a competitive economy.

Lim said that at least one Malaysian has always been admitted into the Ivy League institution since 1985 and up to 2010.

At present, he said, Singapore has the highest number of Harvard undergraduates with 18, followed by Thailand (seven), Vietnam (six), Malaysia (five) and Indonesia (two).

"Instead of boasting that Malaysia’s education system is better than (that of the) US, UK or Germany, Muhyiddin should be worrying about being overtaken by Thailand and Vietnam," said Lim.

Read report closely'

Lim also said that Muhyiddin is in a state of denial about the crisis of mediocrity engulfing the education system, as a closer reading of the survey report indicates the system has deteriorated.

He said the report also notes that ‘as it moves toward becoming more innovation driven, Malaysia will need to improve its performance in education and technological readiness’.


"The result is the same for other indices such as in the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment involving 75 countries,” said Lim.

“Malaysia was ranked 56th in reading ability, 55th in Mathematics ability and 53 in Science.

"The country's performance in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study has also seen a steady decrease from 1999 to 2007.”

Lim said Muhyiddin needs a reality check and should immediately move to address the deteriorating education system.

Saturday, 21 January 2012

Awesome: Protest Against New Internet Laws Shows Quick Results

Stop Online Piracy Act and/or Protect Intellectual Property Act (SOPA and/or PIPA). I can only imagine what some imagination can do to drive Bersih 3.0 and ABU in Malaysia. Thanks Lita for this Rachel Maddow Show heads up.



CNN: SOPA and PIPA postponed indefinitely after protests

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- When the entire Internet gets angry, Congress takes notice. Both the House and the Senate on Friday backed away from a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills, tossing them into limbo and throwing doubt on their future viability.

The Senate had been scheduled to hold a proceedural vote next week on whether to take up the Protect IP Act (PIPA) -- a bill that once had widespread, bipartisan support. But on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was postponing the vote "in light of recent events."

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives said it is putting on hold its version of the bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The House will "postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith said in a written statement.

The moves came after several lawmakers flipped their position on the bills in the wake of widespread online and offline protests against them.

Tech companies, who largely oppose the bills, mobilized their users this week to contact representatives and speak out against the legislation. Sites including Wikipedia and Reddit launched site blackouts on January 18, while protesters hit the streets in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) drew more than 7 million signatures for an anti-SOPA and PIPA petition that it linked on its highly trafficked homepage.

The tide turned soon after the protest, and both bills lost some of their Congressional backers.

"I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns," Smith said Friday in a prepared statement. "It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves."

PIPA and SOPA aim to crack down on copyright infringement by restricting access and services to sites that host or facilitate the trading of pirated content.




Backed by media companies, including CNNMoney parent Time Warner, the bills initially seemed on the fast track to passage. PIPA was approved unanimously by a Senate committee in May.

But when the House took up its own version of the bill, SOPA, tech companies began lobbying heavily in opposition -- an effort that culminated in this week's demonstrations.

Reid hinted that PIPA may not be dead yet, saying: "There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved."

Meanwhile, alternative legislation has also been proposed. A bipartisan group of senators introduced the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) on January 18 -- the same day as the Wikipedia site blackout.

Among other differences, OPEN offers more protection than SOPA would to sites accused of hosting pirated content. It also beefs up the enforcement process. It would allow digital rights holders to bring cases before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), an independent agency that handles trademark infringement and other trade disputes.

California Republican Darrell Issa introduced OPEN in the House, and Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden introduced the Senate version. OPEN's backers had posted the draft legislation online and invited the Web community to comment on and revise the proposal.

Soon after SOPA and PIPA were tabled, Issa released a statement cheering "supporters of the Internet" for their protest efforts.

He wrote: "Over the last two months, the intense popular effort to stop SOPA and PIPA has defeated an effort that once looked unstoppable but lacked a fundamental understanding of how Internet technologies work."


Anonymous strikes back after feds shut down piracy hub Megaupload

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- In one of the U.S. government's largest anti-piracy crackdowns ever, federal agents on Thursday arrested the leaders of and shut down Megaupload.com, a popular hub for illegal media downloads.

Hours later, Megaupload's fans turned the table on the feds. "Hacktivist" collective Anonymous said it set its sights on the U.S. Department of Justice and apparently knocked the agency's website offline.

"We are having website problems, but we're not sure what it's from," a DOJ spokeswoman told CNNMoney.

The DOJ website glitches came soon after various Twitter accounts associated with Anonymous took aim at the agency.

Anonymous's favorite weapon for these attacks is what's called a "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) attack, which directs a flood of traffic to a website and temporarily crashes it by overwhelming its servers. It doesn't actually involve any hacking or security breaches.

"One thing is certain: EXPECT US! #Megaupload" read one tweet from AnonOps that went out mid-afternoon.

One hour later, the same account tweeted a victory message: "Tango down! http://universalmusic.com & http://www.justice.gov// #Megaupload"

It was the largest attack ever by Anonymous, according to an Anonymous representative, with 5,635 people using a networking tool called a "low orbit ion cannon." A LOIC is software tool that aims a massive flood of traffic at a targeted site.

Universal Music's website also went down Thursday afternoon. The music company had been locked in a legal battle with Megaupload over a YouTube video that featured many of Universal Music's signed artists promoting Megaupload's site.

The websites of the Recording Industry Association of America and Motion Picture Association of America went down Thursday afternoon as well. On Twitter, AnonOps -- one of the main communications channels for the leaderless Anonymous collective -- took credit for the crashes.

An RIAA spokesman confirmed that the organization's website was intermittently offline. But he cast the attack as a minor hiccup.

"The fact that a couple of sites might have been taken down is really ancillary to the significant news today that the Justice Department brought down one of the world's most notorious file sharing hubs," he said.

By Friday morning, all but one of the subjects of Anonymous' attack were back online -- including the FBI's website, Warner Music Group and the U.S. Copyright Office. Only Universal Music remained unavailable, as the company took the site down for "maintenance."

A piracy crackdown: The Anonymous attack came soon after the DOJ announced the indictment of seven individuals connected to Megaupload for allegedly operating an "international organized criminal enterprise responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of copyrighted works."

Authorities said the operation had generated more than $175 million in illegal profits through advertising revenue and the sale of premium memberships.

According to the indictment, Megaupload, which launched in 2005, was once the 13th most visited website on the Internet, serving as a hub for distribution of copyrighted television shows, images, computer software and video games.

The site's popular MegaVideo subsidiary was widely known in tech circles for its copious selection of pirated content, including recent movies and episodes of hit TV shows.

Four of those indicted were arrested Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand, at the request of the U.S. Three others remain at large.

The individuals indicted are citizens of New Zealand, Germany, Slovakia and the Netherlands. No U.S. citizens were named. However, Megaupload has servers in Ashburn, Va., and Washington D.C., which prompted the Virginia-based investigation.

To shut down Megaupload, federal authorities executed 20 search warrants in eight countries, seizing 18 domain names and $50 million worth of assets, including servers located in Virginia, Washington, the Netherlands and Canada.

The news comes as lawmakers have turned their attention to anti-piracy legislation. Protests erupted both online and offline this week against two bills currently under consideration in Congress: the House's Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate's Protect IP Act (PIPA).

The bills are aimed at cracking down on copyright infringement by restricting access to sites that host or facilitate the trading of pirated content. But the legislation has created a divide between tech giants, who say the language is too broad, and large media companies, who say they are losing millions each year to rampant online piracy.