padzac wrote: I am picking on the Catholic Church as an institution. =============================== okay, so you wanna pick on the Vatican. fine. friend, the catholic church is far more than just a religious institution- it is also a political entity/ symbol, without which civilisation as we know it wouldn't have come be (despite the fact that they were solely to blame for many atrocities). You can deny it all you want, hurl all the abuses you want but the world knows that the Vatican is the symbol of christian civilisation. It was partly due to their influence through their good and bad, that gave rise to political giants like Martin Luther, who transformed Europe, the Vatican and christianity forever. its finance, political power and influence surpasses that of any of the other denominations, most governments and nations. with its long and colorful history, it become a very convenient target for many wannabe godmen. the theology, is far more complicated than you and i could possibly fathom. the vatican has made a statement to say that it does not have a monopoly of "truth", knowing very well that human interpretations of god's word cannot be absolute - they should know the truth in that, as the bible as we know it in its many forms was first edited by them. as in most theocracies and religious institutions, godmen do abuse the powers vested in them, and coruption would set in. Friend, it is impossible for you to understand christian theology, and to know heresy, unless you first you first study the position of orthodoxy. Christian churches today formulate their own theologies, with insufficient debate – they do not allow their theologies to formulate the churches, leading to confusion. Orthodox churches on the other hand fear change as they do not wish for corruption of values that they hold dear – hence the impatience of the “progressives”. This is the problem with christianity today – unbridled freedom – so much so, everyone believes that he is right for the sake of convenience. Those who break away organise their own churches that formulate their own theology. And guess what – you too are free to think and do what you like – based on the books that were agreed upon. Peace.
Dear Dr.Azly, You asked: What will it take for us to prevent another May 13 from happening? Will a brand new regime be the answer? Will a truly multiethnic, social-democratic, nationalistic government help us through the next 50 years of "Independence"? Will replacing the NEP and redefining the meaning of "Bumiputera" to include ALL ethnic groups to be given similar special rights and privileges be the ultimate solution for peace and justice? ==================================== Permit me to ramble a little. As we all know, the "two races that count" are the malays and chinese. Whatever happenned on 5.13, happened because the powers that be, used the chauvinism of the chinese against them. It was rather foolish of them to imagine that they could grab power from the Malays, and belittle them in the process. The Malays used their trump card (right or wrong), and the rest is history. The question remains - are the Malays secure in their grip on political power? I guess not.
That is because, it can never happen as long as there remains Chinese or Indians who cannot assimilate. There was a time when one could assimilate into Malay society quite easily, by adopting the Malay lifestyle. Not any more. Assimilation is made difficult with current policies entrenched in the NEP. The “religion factor” is added on to make things doubly difficult and worse, with the adoption of the "arabisation" of Malay culture. The quest for uniformity, intolerance of difference in opinion (ala the wahhabis) is very much prevalent today. With further absorption of Indonesian and Filipino Muslims, the Malay culture and race has been altered artificially. This has led to the dilution and emasculation of the true Malay identity, hence further insecurity among the Malays. With these alterations in the demographics, the politicians now have a new "bogeyman" - the Islamic fundamentalist. Now, why would any politician in his right mind want to give up absolute power? The Malay politician in power at present has it all at his disposal. Now the only thing that he may lack partially is economic power - that the chinese still hold. Of course, he instils this "desire" for financial reward into the people - and voila! and the chinese bogeyman makes his presence felt. There are now two bogeymen at the disposal of Mr. Politician to conveniently use. Getting to the point, You asked: What will it take for us to prevent another May 13 from happening? The answer to to that is – education and trust. I do not for a minute believe that building trust among the various ethnic groups is as firmly on the agenda,( as compared to wealth acquisition with sectarian interests), among the various leaders. They give a façade of cooperation while they go on cheating each other. Govt sponsored education cannot be used as a platform for indoctrination, as is currently practised in many third-world nations. Healthy debates need to be encouraged, so that the fear of new ideas is dispelled. Will a brand new regime be the answer? Not if the current concept of nationhood persists, or the people don't have a viable option. However, As long as there exists a significant Malay political vacuum in the opposition, this insecurity among the Malays would remain. Will a truly multiethnic, social-democratic, nationalistic government help us through the next 50 years of "Independence"? Yes. But first, there needs to be abolition of race based political parties/ alliances. Non- Malays need to acknowledge the fact that it was the Malays (whatever their origins may be) who had the earliest kingdoms/ governments of the modern era in this land. It would need a secular constitution, based on universal values. It has to be led by a Malay majority. They need to have proper concepts of nationhood (akin to that of USA) guided by politicians who are able to freely articulate their thoughts without resorting to politics of fear. It has to be secular in nature. There has to be separation of religion and state. Will replacing the NEP and redefining the meaning of "Bumiputera" to include ALL ethnic groups to be given similar special rights and privileges be the ultimate solution for peace and justice? There needs to be a redefining of both NEP (not to be abolished entirely) and “bumiputera”, but it cannot happen unless the Malays themselves realise the need for it. They need to realise that they can prosper together, should they build trust and welcome challenges and work without the crutch of the NEP.
Your rules of acquisition looks threatening too in this world;
1. Once you have their money, you never give it back.[1][2] 2. The best deal is the one that brings the most profit.[3] 3. Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to.[4] 4. A woman wearing clothes is like a man in the kitchen.[3] 6. Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.[1] or Never allow family to stand in the way of profit.[5] 7. Keep your ears open.[6] 8. Small print leads to large risk.[7] 9. Opportunity plus instinct equals profit.[8] 10. Greed is eternal.[9][10] 11. Even if it's free, you can always buy it cheaper.[3] 12. Anything worth selling is worth selling twice.[3] 13. Anything worth doing is worth doing for money.[7] 16. A deal is a deal.[11] 17. A contract is a contract is a contract. But only between Ferengi.[12] 18. A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all.[2] 19. Satisfaction is not guaranteed.[7] 21. Never place friendship above profit.[13] 22. A wise man can hear profit in the wind.[13] 23. Nothing is more important than your health. Except for your money.[5] 27. There is nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman.[7] 31. Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother[14]...Insult something he cares about instead[7]. 33. It never hurts to suck up to the boss.[13][15] 34. War is good for business.[16][17] 35. Peace is good for business.[16][18] 40. She can touch your lobes, but never your latinum.[7] 41. Profit is its own reward.[7] 44. Never confuse wisdom with luck.[7] 45. Expand or die.[5] The 95th rule is also given as "Expand or die" on one occasion[10]. 47. Never trust a man wearing a better suit than your own.[19] 48. The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.[13] 52. Never ask when you can take.[7] 57. Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them.[20] 58. There is no substitute for success.[7] 59. Free advice is seldom cheap.[13]
60. Keep your lies consistent.[7] 62. The riskier the road, the greater the profit.[13] 65. Win or lose, there's always Hupyrian beetle snuff.[7] 74. Knowledge equals profit.[21] 75. Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum.[22] 76. Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies![23] 79. Beware of the Vulcan greed for knowledge.[7] 82. The flimsier the product, the higher the price.[7] 85. Never let the competition know what you're thinking.[7] 89. Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profits.[7] 94. Females and finances don't mix.[24] 95. Expand or die.[10]. The 45th rule was also given as "expand or die" on one occasion[5] 97. Enough... is never enough.[7] 98. Every man has his price.[25] 99. Trust is the biggest liability of all.[7] 102. Nature decays, but latinum is forever.[26] 103. Sleep can interfere with... [cut off]. (The rest of the 103rd rule was never stated onscreen as Pel was interrupted before finishing.)[13] 104. Faith moves mountains... of inventory.[7] 106. There is no honor in poverty.[7] 109. Dignity and an empty sack is worth a sack.[19] 111. Treat people in your debt like family. Exploit them.[27][28] 112. Never have sex with the boss's sister.[29] 113. Always have sex with the boss.[7] 121. Everything is for sale, even friendship.[7] 123. Even a blind man can recognize the glow of latinum.[7] 125. You can't make a deal if you're dead.[17] 139. Wives serve, brothers inherit.[30] 141. Only fools pay retail.[7] 144. There's nothing wrong with charity... as long as it winds up in your pocket.[7] 162. Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit.[7] 168. Whisper your way to success.[31] 177. Know your enemies... but do business with them always.[7] 181. Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit.[7] 189. Let others keep their reputation. You keep their money.[7] 190. Hear all; trust nothing.[32] 192. Never cheat a Klingon... unless you're sure you can get away with it.[7] 194. It's always good business to know about your customers before they walk in your door.[33] 202. The justification of profit is profit.[7] 203. New customers are like razor-toothed Greeworms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back.[34] 208. Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than the question is an answer.[24] 211. Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them.[35] 214. Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach.[36] 217. You can't free a fish from water.[27] 218. Always know what you're buying.[7] 223. Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox.[7] 229. Latinum lasts longer than lust.[24] 236. You can't buy fate.[7] 239. Never be afraid to mislabel a product.[12] 242. More is good... all is better.[7] 255. A wife is a luxury... a smart accountant, a necessity.[7] 261. A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience.[7] 263. Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for latinum.[35] 266. When in doubt, lie.[7] 284. Deep down, everyone's a Ferengi.[7] 285. No good deed ever goes unpunished.
