Azmi Sharom- The Man with the Tochang and His Ideas ....

(He once mentioned at an anti-ISA gathering at MBPJ (at the height of the "Free RPK" movement, that he hopes that the new complex being built in Kamunting for "Hotel Kamunting" will have a gym ......)

Azmi Sharom, human being
Written by straits-mongrel

Dr Azmi Sharom will speak this evening (Sat, Oct 30) at this month's SABM Dinner Lecture, an event that is sold out. A couple of months earlier, we met the man in his office at Universiti Malaya in the hope of uncovering what makes this soul tick

Candid: A scowl begins to escape when Azmi talks about racism.

YOU know him as the law academic with the semi-tochang hairstyle, those piercing eyes framed in black plastic; eyes that can burn a bigot in a flash. You probably remember his bold pieces in Brave New World, his fortnightly column in The Star (The Real Social Contract, We must never allow the mob to rule, Under Threat? What Threat?).

One of academia's few good men, many say. He's a brave one, echo others.

The man rolls his eyes. "What's so extreme about what I do anyway? Look, the stuff that matter to me - human rights, equality, fundamental liberties - these are values of a human being. I'm just being human. Being human! I don't carry a bomb, I'm not plotting a coup, I don't come anywhere near being a threat to national security."

Welcome to the world of Azmi Sharom, where in crisp humour-laced lines, it's a given that a spade is called a spade. The main question is what are you going to do about it.

"All too often we hear racists stepping up to make announcements - tuntutan ni, tuntutan tu - and we get all flustered," he observes in a frown. "We can't let these types dictate how we feel. If some bigot says 'Go back to where you belong', a whole bunch of us end up moping in one corner and feel all hurt.

"But why should we care?" he asks incredulously, his head slightly cocked.

"It should be 'We're born here. We belong here, equally as much as you. Equal, geddit?' That's how it oughta be. There's just not enough of standing up to these people. Take charge of your lives, folks.

"Sure it's not easy - there're two tiers where racism is perpetuated. One, it's in the institutions - it's embedded in government policies; you've read all about them especially in the alternative news. I needn't elaborate on that; it's boring. Two, personal attitude. This one's insidious. It lurks inside so many of us. The very same people who cry out against racism bear racist tendencies themselves. You just need to listen to conversations to know what I mean.

"We can fight both, and we should. We need to take possession of our lives again. And mean what we say, for crying out loud."

Inspiration for a good fight: Bruce Lee memorabilia tells quite a bit about the man:).

Azmi's office in the Law Faculty of University Malaya reveals an organised person - books and folders have their place yet they sit in spontaneous fashion, not ordered like soldiers. Looking about, you also catch the man's sense of humour and his life's pace - there's a South Park 60's-style alarm clock that shows 11:36 and 46 sec. It's stopped. On the wall above the door hangs another clock. It's stopped too. And Azmi doesn't wear a watch. Time has ceased being a linear arrow, it seems; what's to hurriedly measure about time anyway?

"These changes we seek, they're not going to happen overnight. But as more and more citizens get informed about human rights and equality, we will see that ethnicity doesn't matter any more.

"In my own case, it took me years to burn that away," says the Environmental Law specialist. "Today I don't give a hoot about it anymore. But it took time. I grew up in Penang. My parents are apolitical - there was no politics on the dinner table - but, you know, ethnicity is everywhere. It's always at the back of the mind, a bothersome bug.

"Of course, the good thing about growing up in Penang is you cannot date if you're a racist. I mean, Chinese girls were everywhere," his mischievous side shows.

Just souvenirs: "Hey, they are wrongful only if I use them. Nothing wrong in owning them. You got to know your rights."

The dare-to-think side of Azmi we know today was forged on foreign soil.

"My dad sent me to the UK to do my 6th Form - his personal funds by the way. Two key lessons I learned. I remember the teachers being openly critical of government policies. We were in Economics class, and the teacher was rationally ripping apart Thatcher's tax policies. I learned that there was nothing wrong with being critical. When rational it is, in fact, constructive.

"The second was getting engaged in honest conversations with other Malaysians of different background. A friend, half-Indian ethnicity, basically told me this: 'We just want to be equal'."

Sheffield University, where Azmi would go on to read Law, was also a plough to the young man's newly-tilled mind. "Sheffield was left-wing. There was a lot of discussion about fundamental justice and human rights issues. I was very exposed to different 'right' views with regards to the law. Generally, the premise was there has to be a strong sense of Justice. This I try to apply in my own teaching."

More than an education, Azmi also borrowed other aspects of Sheffield U's bohemian lifestyle. ("Guys, you got to have a life.") He jams in a band.

Loyal buddy: The guitar sits close by his desk, and there's no dust on it too.

"Please, to begin with, I don't have a band. Rather, my friends tolerate me in the group. But yes, music is a good outlet. I still play futsal too," says the man who tried one year of law practice and hated it. "I make space for recreation. Maybe it's easier for me as an academician to find the time, but hey, the lawyers have faster cars. They can get to places faster."

And as an academic in a public institution, might there be boundaries where he's prevented from venturing? "Honestly, I haven't been in a situation where I have to hold back. Of course, you need to know your rights. And your parameters. You need to stay informed."

And a parting advice for the concerned citizen: "Internalise. Really internalise the good stuff. All those questions about equality, they can only be answered by someone who truly lives by it. It's as simple as this, 'If I am a human being, how can I be treated otherwise? Equally so, how can I treat others otherwise?'."

And you realise there's really nothing extreme in what Azmi Sharom is saying. It's all fundamental.

Human being stuff.

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The Bahasa Melayu Dilemma

"Today, Malay racists held a massive rally to oppose UMNO's language policy and critics government's for belittling the status of Bahasa Malaysia. How should Hishammuddin respond to it?" -A Dubious Political Issue, By TAY TIAN YAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily

=============================================

This is in response to the above article from Sin Chew.

When Dong Zhong demands teaching in Mandarin - they aren't racists. But when Malay Literary laureates demand the same out of concern for the future relevance of our National Language, they are "racists"!! That's so convenient isn't it?
It is my opinion that those who demonstrated weren't racists - not by a long shot, for they had very valid arguments to their case, against the proponents of English only science & Maths (S & M ) education.

Someone in the online discussions said they/we are preparing the future generation to compete "globally" - that's plain hogwash - especially when our standard of English is so bad, and you cannot learn English from Science and Maths.
Let's get real here - just how many percent of our students will actually be competing globally? 5-10% max? And so the 90% have to be faced with a learning (and teaching) impediment, due to their poor command of English?

English can only be learnt through increased utilization - yes - but you learn it through listening, reading, writing and speaking the "English" of Queen's English, and not the "English" of S&M (more so, when these teachers can hardly string a proper English sentence).
And once your language is proficient, you can easily transcend the linguistic barrier, when necessary, so as to acquire further knowledge in these subjects - that too, only should the need arise.

Firstly, nobody said that English cannot be used to teach S&M - but there is no reason why teaching of these subjects in Malay or Mandarin should be abolished. The option to learn in vernacular languages should be kept open. Meanwhile efforts should have been made to train sufficient manpower to teach S&M in English to willing students. this could have been expanded gradually over time, without really imposing it upon the "unwilling" students.
It is fine to be teaching in English to all those will be exposed to English in their daily activities or in their society - but to the man who may be "academically challenged" and doesn't plan to go beyond the confines of his "comfort zone", is this "linguistic punishment" warranted? I certainly don't think so.

The national Identity depends a great deal on Language and the Arts. The progress & complexity of a language and the arts also define "culture"and "sophistication" or "simplicity" of a people.
In the long run, the viability of a language is determined by by it's commercial viability - how would one feel for one's country, should somebody say that "Your National Language is nothing but Redundant!"?
So now - what exactly does the Ministry of Education under Hishamuddin hope to achieve by abolishing Malay/ Mandarin as mediums of instruction?

It doesn't augur well for the morale & image of the nation, and for national cohesion/ identity, if no effort is made toward the preservation and progress of the National Language (in this case - Malay), as a viable commercial language.
For this reason alone, all those who held the demonstration the other day have my moral support.

Having said all these, it is my opinion that the Govt has made no serious effort at promoting real knowledge through the Malay language or any other - it has simply been used as a political instrument to hoodwink the masses thru the mind-numbing "Ketuanan Melayu" rhetoric. Thanks to them, the academic/literary achievements of our many "NEP products" linguists from our "universities" is a testament to this fact.

This hasty decision to IMPOSE English upon the masses, stinks of a cheap political gimmick in the name of "progress", to preserve one man's legacy. One that belongs to a megalomaniac with ulterior motives. Incidentally, he thought we learn English in Science and Maths classes, and that linguists and academicians (and everybody else, actually) are nutcases.

This half-baked and divisive idea was his, and a great many unthinking Malaysians who would demand a "Bangsa Malaysia" without a doubt, have bought it!

Cry my beloved Malay soul

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
... ...

$$$$$$$$$$$$
“It took me six months to be nice, to bribe each and every individuals to get back into their good books before our files were attended to”
-Allegedly "misinterpreted" words CJ Zaki, now head of the JAC.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

From MalaysiaKini (Opinions)

Cry my beloved Malay soul

AB Sulaiman | Feb 6, 09 10:51am

When Alan Paton wrote ‘Cry The Beloved Country’ he was lamenting over the inhumanity of man over man, of how the whites can devise, construct and implement race- and colour-based social and economic injustices over the blacks in apartheid-era South Africa.

The whole world had condemned this practice; we were among the loudest screaming against it.

South Africa has moved on since then, and today it is one shining example of an emancipated, open and progressive country, enjoying a respectable place in the community of nations. It has thrown apartheid into the bins of its history.

Here in Malaysia, yes we condemn apartheid, and quite rightly so. But in the same breath we were and are still its major proponent our version of apartheid.

We do not call it apartheid; of course not. We call it instead ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ under the guise of ‘championing Malay rights,’ and implementing it under the New Economic Policy. It’s smart, right? In none of them does the word ‘apartheid’ appear!

Yes, we are smart. We do not blatantly call it apartheid, we merely perfected the process of social separation. First of all we ensure the great majority of civil servants, the police, and the military are manned by Malays (the target benefactors). We give them good salaries, good perks and assured employment. We then devise rules and regulations, and even laws, to ensure the NEP’s easy implementation.

We then brainwash our Malay brethren with the notion ‘untuk agama bangsa dan negara’ that there is a higher ideal beyond performing a duty with professionalism and dedication, and that is doing things in the name of religion and race.

We devise rules and regulations, and even laws, to ensure the NEP’s easy implementation.

Then we design and implement social and economic policies like channeling lucrative government contracts, separate education streams, housing rebates, banking and financial support, in favour of, you guessed it, the Malays.

It does not stop there. We devise measures to prevent the people from raising too much objections to all these by introducing or continuing legislation and religiously implementing them.

The Sedition Act for example stops people from talking too much about language and religion. The Official Secrets Act prevents people from gaining access to government files.

Students and lecturers are not allowed to discuss and make public any subject that would appear to be critical to government (yes, government, not political) policies and philosophies.

All publications must, first of all, get operating licences. Newspapers must not only get a licence before publishing but it must be renewed every year.

Sacrifices conveniently forgotten

The king of all of the suppressive and oppressive laws is the Internal Security Act, when a citizen can be put under detention without the benefit of any charge!

All said and done, we sacrifice the rule of law in favour of rule by private individuals. To show that we are really smart, we pooh pooh the loyalty and patriotism of the non-Malay segment of the population.

We call them pendatang or immigrants bearing the stigma that they are social discard from their original country, similar to rogues, rascals, refugees, mercenaries and scoundrels. We just ignore their proven talent and ability in wealth creation and economic productivity, as well as to their demonstrated loyalty and patriotism.

Many of such pendatangs have made the ultimate sacrifices as military personnel defending its security, during the Emergency, the Confrontation period with Indonesia and as policemen while policing the social environment.

They have contributed and are continuing to, in sport and the arts. Their record as loyal and patriotic Malaysians is quite impeccable. But we do not really care.

The perplexing thing is that despite these attributes and positive records of the non-Malays, we are still going about championing and implement apartheid principles. In this new year, perhaps we can do with a little reflection: why are we doing all this?

We do this apparently to recover our lost soul. We perceive that we have been victims of colonisation when the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonisers all but butchered the Malay entity, psychology and culture. In the process we perceive that we have lost our Malay identity.

With independence, we thought we could recapture the lost glory of Malay suzerainty by

becoming masters of all facets of a nation, especially its commerce, and economy. We found out that the Chinese community had beaten us to it.

We felt the Chinese had capitalised on our weakness and captured the economic initiatives (and wealth) as well as the social characteristics of the country. We lost ‘face’.

Now we want to regain the mertabat or dignity and pride of the Malay race!

Yes, we feel that we have to recover our soul and it is here that we are reminded of Paton’s book title, but in this case suitably paraphrased to – cry my beloved Malay soul.

Our Malay soul needs to cry for doing the right thing for the wrong reason or the wrong thing for the right reason; even for the wrong thing for the wrong reason, but not for the right thing for the right reason.

To start with colonisation is really not an excuse for our psychological malaise and ineptitude.

Colonisation has been a feature of human history and felt all over the world. There are very few countries that have not been colonised in the world.

It is thus a neutral concept in human social and economic development. It is certainly not an impediment to social or economic progress as we are wont to portray it. We should dump this notion that we hold dear into the bin of history.

Rethinking our way of thinking

Just look at the records. The Koreans were once colonised by the Japanese, but today Korea is an industrial power house. Singapore was once colonised by the British and was indeed a part of us, and today we see this tiny country being a solid financial, trading and industrial entity.

Most pointedly of all, the US was once a British colony and today it is the mightiest nation in the world. Our second grouse - that the Chinese have cornered the economic sector of the country also needs re-looking into, on two counts.

First, the Chinese did not become successful based on any conscious and concerted economic programme to economically marginalise us.

We did this self-inflicted wound ourselves. As proof, we have to note that most of the Chinese came to our shores with only their feet, hands, guts and brains and perhaps a bundle of clothes, nothing more.

They become successful for their hard work, both physically and mentally and for the sacrifices they were prepared to make and had undertaken. They were successful for having the mental fortitude to seek opportunities, grab those that come along and worked extra hard to realise the potentials of these opportunities.

Secondly, we have been given a chance to be equal with them, both under numerous 'special privileges' enshrined in the Constitution, as well as under its NEP implementation programme.

The special privileges have always been in the constitution while the latter began in 1970. In short, we have been given the chance - the opportunity - many times over, to better our Malay polity.

Whereas the Chinese had to struggle just to find and identify the opportunities, in our case they were handed to us on a silver platter!

Thus far we have failed to capitalise adequately on them. It rather shameful we missing out on these chances specially created for us in the first place.

Either way the root cause of our weaknesses and the strength of the Chinese lies in two words - positive thinking. Our thinking is mired with so many dos and don’ts, so many musts and musn’ts, so many cans and cannots, may and may nots, plenty enough to created and internalise doubts and fears in our minds.

So much so that we have doubt over what we can and what we can’t do, what is allowed and what is not. We spend a lifetime looking for these highly complex cans and cannots, musts and must nots, that we have hardly any mental energy left to develop and self-confidence to get on and face the realities of life.

Let’s refer to this case as the ‘can’t don’t and won’t syndrome’. The Chinese by the way are not encumbered by such syndromes.

What appears to have happened is that this syndrome has affected our mental ability to conceptualise. We see things on the straight and narrow. We accept wisdoms handed down to us by our elders as the gospel truth.

Blinded by sentiment

We do not see that things can be seen and interpreted in many alternative ways. We feel we have the monopoly on truth; we therefore think that we are right all the time and other people are wrong all the time. Witness the way we see religion for example.

We think that we as Muslims are right and other people who profess other religions are wrong, all the time.

We need to cry for thinking that we can and have doctored the way the people think and do things. We have been intimidating the people with what they can read or write or think and do.

We seem to be saying "you can think anything, do anything, write anything so long as it does not criticise or condemn the government".

Soul-searching and resuscitating is not or should not be about pointing accusing fingers at some bogeys. That would be a most negative thing to do. It would be better for us to be open-minded and be able to identify our own strengths and weaknesses.

We improve upon our strengths and dump our weaknesses. Mainly we must be able to develop the awareness that we have both the strengths and weaknesses in the first place.

To illustrate, the NEP has proved many time over as a failed strategy for our socio-economic advancement. Let us be aware of this in the first place and move on seeking other ways with better chance of success.

How about secularising the Malay mind? It might make for a good start for we can see many of the don’ts, can’ts, musn’ts dissipating into the wind.

In the meantime, here we are in the early days of a new year. We should begin by realising that whatever 'smart’ moves we had undertaken all this while have not really been that smart after all.

The joke is on us. Everybody says so – the liberated Malays, the non-Malays, our neighbours and the rest of the international community. Only those of us basking in our closed mind and benefiting from the profits of the status quo say it’s alright.

Happy New Year all the same and here’s hoping this year we can get a good perspective as to what propagating a good mertabat really means. It’s long overdue.

In the meantime, cry my beloved Malay soul.

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Related
Where is the Spirit of Merdeka?
Some Umno myths young Malaysians should know.
A Malaysian Disease of Fear and Apathy
Clinging to the Cause .... Wishing the Results Away.
The "Social Contract" - A Malaysian "Cold War"?

Clinging to the Cause .... Wishing the Results Away

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"O liberty! how they have played with you."
- Mme. Jeanne Roland de la Platiere, before death at the guillotine
***************************

For a nation to come crumbling down, there are but three kinds of people in leadership, with three different characteristics that is required, namely -

• the untamed passions in a gifted man,
• the wanton power in a weak man, and
  
• the unteachable temperament in a privileged man.

How "lucky" we are, that we have all three in just one man, who I shall leave unnamed.

C.S. Lewis said, "When a ship goes out to sea, there are three things that it has to know -
First is, why it is there in the first place.
Then she has to how to keep from sinking,
and third, how to keep from bumping into other ships".

In life, the answer to the above three lies in ethics.
For us, Malaysia is that ship - sailing around in the high seas rudderless, and changing course as and when it pleases, without an idea as to where it's headed or why it is there doing what it is doing.

In "debating" the issues, we appear to have all our priorities and answers all wrong, or simply mixed up.
Karpal calls for DSAI's resignation after the Perak fiasco despite the fact that it was a DAP MLA's defection that triggered this crisis. Mahathir laughs at Anwar's apparent double standards at Nasarudin's re-hopping, Hamid Albar and Khairy screams "treason", and Shad Faruqi says that anti-hopping laws should solve the problem.
Of course there are many peasants among us who feel let down by the decision of a certain high office - having put them on a pedestal, after their lip service to "justice" in their high-flung speeches.

Shad Faruqi the Pakistani "constitutional expert", in his Reflecting On The Law column in The Star said, "What is worrying is that the fall-out of this crisis is sullying the reputation and credibility of many legal and constitutional institutions while the root cause – the despicable phenomenon of party hopping – remains unaddressed." (like as if they have any worthwhile reputation in the first place!)

Shad, after earlier proposing that it is the Sultan's prerogative to "Hire" and hence, by virtue of the Interpretation Act, is entitled to "fire", now makes a U-turn to suggest otherwise by saying that, "This implies that an MB cannot be dismissed except by a vote of no confidence in the assembly. If an MB who has lost confidence, and is refused dissolution, is shameless enough not to walk away, then the Sultan would be justified in dismissing him ......
The question of losing confidence was not constitutionally investigated."

He then spins to justify the extra-constitutional actions of the EC in undermining the constitutional right of the Speaker of the Assembly, by saying that - "In the light of this decision and the denial by the two defectors, the Election Commission had some basis to make up its own mind and to declare that the seats had not fallen vacant..... ".
Has he forgotten the prerogatives of the Speaker and the duties of the EC?
So much for "constitutional experts", I suppose.

Anyway, he is once again, grossly mistaken on the matter of party-hopping - it isn't in the least bit, "the root cause", as he claims it to be.
The fact remains that party hopping is legal, and justifiable, should the reasons for it be morally valid, and it reflects the people's mandate - hence not an "issue". It is the premise upon which such an action is taken, that needs scrutiny - not the act of "hopping" in itself.
It would be wrong to ban it completely - and I maintain that it is wrong for Karpal and gang to demand an anti-hopping law, or reprimand DSAI for it.
I would rather suggest that certain criteria be fulfilled and procedures be adopted - so as to reflect the people's mandate, and also to restrict the exploitation that it may be subjected to by those who wield power and money.

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"He that is conscious of guilt cannot bear the innocence of others:
So they will try to reduce all others to their own level. "
-Fox, Charles James
**********************************

The issue here is the fact that the Nizar Government is the Constitutional Government!
The political coup d'etat which was perpetrated by the DPM, to install a Government in the State of Perak was simply through purchase of "commodity" (or so it seems), is unconstitutional and illegal - whether the Sultan swore them in or not!
The DPM mocks the very Constitution which Shad speaks of. This makes all documents, agreements and contracts drawn out by this government, "illegal"- and those who partake in their activities would be rendered criminals.
The perpetrators of this crime are however, lauded as "heroes" in a certain party which happens to rule the Nation!!! One can only speculate the level of respect these goons have, for the Federal Constitution or the rule of law .....

The question however remains -
Just what is the malady that afflicts the Malaysian leadership and the electorate, that it is so difficult for us to bring about the change we desire?

The way I look at it, it is simply a crisis of faith in our Federal Constitution (and of course, that of the states), which stems from the 600+ amendments made to it by the lawmakers of BN, starting from Tun Razak - to perpetuate the evil called the NEP.
Anything done toward this end- criminal or not- is "fair game"!
To make matters worse, we have "legal eagles" in high academic/ professional office, who try to play the apologist for these "criminals" in office, through various subtle spins in the MSM and brutal enforcement on the streets.

It isn't enough that there is content in the Federal Constitution, and one more amendment as Shad Faruqi/Karpal/Guan Eng recommends isn't going to make a difference. Nor would the resignation of DSAI, Hadi or Kit Siang cut it.
What matters more than the content, is the conviction in its purpose, which should translate into faith in the Federal Constitution - that which is absent among politicians who disregard it. It is today nothing more than a taxi - a vehicle for the elite to ride on for a fee (or free), only for convenience - beyond which, it is simply, "toilet paper".

Until and unless we are willing to admit our faults/mistakes, we are doomed to sail rudderless - while pirates help themselves, until the day we are blasted to smithereens by that one pirate who cannot find anything to rob from us.
Thus far, this is being avoided by "refilling the empty decks", so that newer pirates can still have their fill - thus the myth that we are still a prosperous ship.
But we have warlord-leaders in denial like Muhyiddin who claim that the NEP "is perfect", and it is only the delivery system that is flawed. (That's like saying that Proton is a good car, and it is only the owners/customers/drivers who don't maintain them ....)

How can we cling to the cause - namely the NEP, which perpetuates wholesale piracy and daylight robbery, and wish the results away?
It is a system that thrives on the evils it cultivates - the immoralities of corruption, greed, undeserved rewards, intellectual bankruptcy, idolatry, sloth, envy, covetousness and hatred - albeit, under cover of the veil of religiosity or blatant racist bigotry.
Therefore, the lives of many Malaysians today is ruled by a dichotomy in which, they do what they hate, so that they can wash away their sins through repeated "acts of penance", or simply indulge in their pleasures to forget their evil deeds.

It all springs from our lack of ethics in our politics & education system - we have forgotten where ethics comes from, and hence, have unwittingly subverted our Federal Constitution in the process. As a matter of fact most of our lawmakers who scream "treason", have no idea what the word means, as they trample on the Federal Constitution.
We then have an electorate with paralyzed thinking faculties, and made to believe in their powerlessness. They are given to emotional upheavals and religiosity - they'd rather scream themselves hoarse and bang their heads on the roads for an unknown Palestine, while they squander away their own rights for pittance or nothing, by subverting their own Constitution.
To top it all, we have a CJ who confessed to indulging in corruption (at least that's what the media reported), and is now appointed as the head of the JAC!!

The Federal Constitution which is supposed to be the supreme entity, is no longer the living document upon which we build our nation - it is simply the toilet paper with with we wipe away the dirt we leave behind. It is simply an instrument which "modified" and "enforced" at will by politicians, to perpetuate their agenda of greed.
It has been replaced by corrupt & vainglorious men who wield power (and not real leaders), who seek to rule - and they can only do so essentially, by bribing the electorate and their representatives.

This is a system which can only survive through the deprivation of civil liberties and the emasculation of thought - and hence in has to be enforced by an enslaved "security apparatus" and civil service of the state, through the primitive laws and bigotry that we are famed for. What we have is a dictatorship of oligarchs.

No wonder Frank Herbert (Dune) said, "If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual."

And yet, we still, cling to the cause, vote for pirates
and prefer to point fingers at the sideshows, so as to wish the results away .....

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"There is a kind of dictatorship that can come about
through a creeping paralysis of thought,
readiness to accept paternalistic measures by government,
and along with those measures
comes a surrender of our own responsibilities
and therefore a surrender of our own thought
over our own lives and our own right to exercise the vote."
- Dwight Eisenhower
************************************

Education - Malaysia Style ...

Maybe they should be renamed Ministry of Persecution or something like that.
... any better idea would be welcome.
I was "tickled" to read a comment on MalaysiaKini (Vox Populi - below), describing the capacity of today's teachers' thinking faculties - needless to say, trained by the Ministry of "Education".
It looks like they "train" teachers to be stoopid!

Can you imagine your child being arrested for "illegal assembly" at a coffee shop in school compound!!??
My God! This is mind boggling - How pathetic can our Ministry of "Education" get!
With teachers-training like this, who needs schools?

Is it any surprise that the Home Ministry bans usage of BM by the Catholic Herald,
while we get kids becoming Rempits, drug addicts, or saying the things as reported Star/Metro in "Tudung-clad teens who are hooked on sex"??!!

So much for the "sexy"-Uniform/ "dress code" controversy, huh?

About time, some people realize that religious dogma indoctrination and outward religiosity doesn't translate into sound spiritualitycharacter or ethics.

The very 'macho' but braindead Malaysian defenders of Race/Religion

Is this the "Jaminan untuk anak-anak kita" which the keris-waving Hishamudin promises (I just heard that on the TV3 news - in KT, was it?)? Who needs a "Ministry" that peddles immorality, mediocrity, idiocy, and preaches bigotry/ hypocrisy to the kids under the guise of "education"?
Words such as these (mentioned in the article linked above) coming out from kids, would never even be dreamt of in the pre-Mahathirism days!

More & more, The Ministry/ Goverment appears to be prostituting education in schools, under their "Ketuanan" policies. I wonder what role BTN plays, in inculcating such "noble " values in the current crop of imbeciles who masquerade as teachers/ principals.
Whatever said and done, much "credit" has to go to the "Ministers of Education" since the inception of the NEP - especially during the time of Mahathirism vs. PAS ("Islamisation" period).

As much as I'd like to agree with Mahathir Jr. who proposed a single education system, (and disagree with DJZ on Mandarin "vernacular" education system), given the scenario in the comment below (and of course the abusive teacher - remember?), anything is better than the Sekolah Kebangsaan.
No thank you Mukhriz - your dad's "education" policies belong to the gutters, and stink to the high heavens. It highlights the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of the Mahathirism/Umno/BN policies!

The kids would probably be better off left to their devices .....

On Malay-language edition of Catholic paper banned: editor

Mr Yest: My friend's daughter who attends a national school organised meetings with fellow Christians in her school to understand their religion better. The principal came to know of it and made it impossible for them to continue. So they met at a coffee shop.

The principal then reported them to the police for illegal assembly! I don't know how many brownie points he gained with masters at the education ministry but this is the reality. So it is not surprising that the home ministry acted in the way it did.

I suppose if the officials had been more fair-minded, their masters may have felt that they were giving ground to their own religion's ‘enemy' and may face the wrath of God.

We all know it took nearly 30 years for a church to be approved to be built in Shah Alam and the designated place was at the edge of the forest. We all know the restrictions placed on the height of the steeple of a church.

As long as people in government do not feel confident of their own religion, such repression will persist. Compared with the US, a country the Malaysian government has never ceased to preach about religious tolerance and other high-minded matters, Malaysia is still in the Dark Ages.

Hishamudin, Mukhriz & DJZ - a Reply to Comment on MT

[Today's post is in BM, as it involves the issue of language in education - I don't want ignorance of Either English or Malay to be an excuse for being unable to articulate arguments. The following are my comments in MT pertaining to the articles given as links.
Comments in Malay are welcome]

*********************************

written by MalaysianUnited, December 13, 2008 11:01:05
(on Malaysia Today's "Chinese schools in the crosshairs" discussion)
"Pada saya, keunikan sesebuah negara adalah kerana bahasa mereka.....
Ia berbalik kepada soal pokok..keinginan sesebuah negara untuk mencapai tahap intelektual yang tinggi dan ketamadunan yang agung."

====================================================

Dear MU,
Betul cakap you pasal bahasa tu .....
Walaupun saya tidak menyokong pendirian DJZ, mereka memang ada sebab2 yg manasabah. Saya juga setuju sedikit pendapat Mukhriz, walaupun cadangannya "tak bertempat".
Saya rasa masing2 kurang telus dlm pendirian mereka. Masing2 membuat kenyataan demi kepentingan mereka yang tersendiri.

Hal DJZ .....
Kalaulah latihan guru2 adalah utk mengajar dlm bahasa Mandarin ke, Melayu ke, Jepun ke - mereka lebih senang mengajar dlm bahasa itu. Tak bolehlah ahli politik suka2 nak tukar bahasa. Kalau ya pun kena lah beransur2 dgn mengadakan aliran bahasa Inggeris, sambil malatih guru2 dlm bahasa pengantar itu betul2. Ini tidak, dia buat style Kangkung - hantar cikgu tu utk latihan "crash course"!! Dia org ni (macam Mahathir/ Hishamudin)tak paham ke ... kalau nak mengajar, seseorg itu hendaklah boleh "berfikir" dlm satu2 bahasa pengantar tu?

Skrg hal Mukhriz pulak ....
Dgn adanya unsur2 apartheid, rasisme dan keugamaan yang melampau di sekolah2 kebangsaan, sudah tentu mereka yg skg memilih sekolah2 Cina/Tamil akan memberi seribu satu alasan untuk mengelakkan sekolah2 kebangsaan yg mengamalkan sistem pendidikan yg sempit dan berkualiti rendah.
Tengoklah apa yg jadi pada seorg guru yg menghina anak muridnya yg berketurunan Tamil baru2 ni - nothing!! Tengok apa tindakan yg diambil pada guru2 yg menghina agama lain - nothing!! Macam mana pula dgn guru2 yg memecah-belahkan kanak2 dan menyuruh mereka supya jgn berkawan dgn org "kufr" - nothing!!!
You pikir DJZ nak anak murid mereka pergi ke sekolah2 sebegini?
Sorry, brader - no can do!
Ramai diantara org bukan melayu lebih rela menghadapi apa saja "on their own terms", daripada dipaksa menerima penindasan yg mungkin mereka hadapi di sekolah2 sebegini.

Pihak BN sebenarnya lebih suka dgn adanya sekolah2 aliran bahasa lain. Apa yg dikatakan oleh Mukhriz itu cuma bermain politik, dan bukannya ikhlas.
Bukan sahaja itu, pihak BN juga tahu bahawa ini adalah satu isu yg sensitif yg boleh diapi2kan, supaya dapat menggugat keamanan negara - dgn itu mereka bolehlah mengunakan undang2 darurat "demi menjaga keamanan". Dgn membenarkan sekolah2 sebegini semakin popular, mereka boleh mendabik dada dan berkata bahawa mereka mengamalkan "keadilan" sambil menambah nilai2 negative di SK dgn alasan Ketuanan Melayu.

Mereka sendiri tahu bahawa tahap kualiti di SK telah jauh merosot sehingga mereka tak sanggup hantar anak2 mereka keSK - tetapi mereka tidak mahu mengubah sistemnya sebab mereka nak bermain politik dan menipu raykat jelata.

Kalau betul lah Mukhriz hendak menyatukan sistem pendidikan kita, dia seharusnya menegur Kementerian Pendidikan yg diketuai oleh Menteri kesayangan kita yg suka menghunus kris, dan juga bakal PM kita yg dulu kononnya hendak memandikan keris dgn darah Cina tu. Sepatutnya, mereka mengamalkan meritokrasi utk miniggikan tahap pendidikan, sambil mengutuk "penindasan" dan masalah disiplin yg sering berlaku disekolah2 kebangsaan.

Isu pokok sebenarnya bukanlah bahasa, walaupun itulah yg dilaung2kan. Kalaulah Sekolah2 Kebangsaan boleh bersaing tanpa mengira bangsa, agama, warna atau budaya, sambil mengamalkan sekularime & meritokrasi (dgn sedikit "affimative action" utk golongan miskin), masalah ini tidak akan wujud sama sekali. Tiada sebab kenapa rakyat tidak akan memilih SK jika kualiti pendidikan mereka lebih baik dari yg lain. Sekolah2 aliran Mandarin & Tamil akan pupus dgn sendiri kalau mereka tidak boleh bersaing dgn "market forces" dan SK2 menjadi pilihan rakyat.

Isu akar, pokok, cabang dan daun disini adalah keadilan, peluang dan kualiti pendidikan yang diberi oleh sistem sekolah2 kebangsaan.

Lagi satu - ramai org masih tak paham (Pemimpin Melayu & bukan Melayu) kepentingan BM dlm memupuk semangat "kenegaraan"/ "nationhood", dan juga cara menggunakan bahasa utk perpaduan (dan bukan utk chauvinisme)- sebab tu ramai tak boleh bertutur dlm BM dgn betul lepas berpuluh tahun duduk kat sini - mcm2 alasan dia org .....

Addendum:
Jadi tak payahlah nak mimpi/ angan2 Mat Jenin "untuk mencapai tahap intelektual yang tinggi dan ketamadunan yang agung", gemilang, cemerlang, terbilang, temberang dll, kalau rumah sendiri tak terjaga, ya .....
Kalau nak bertamaddun, hapuskan DEB dan BTN dulu - lepas tu, kita boleh cerita lagi .....
Si budak mentah Mukhriz tu, suruh dia jgn melopeh tak bertempat - tapi memang betul kata org tua2, kalau bapak kencing berdiri, masakan anak tak kencing berlari, kan?

--------------------------------------------------------

The following comment was addressed to Mansor Puteh, the druggie looking kangkung & pseudo-intellectual who wrote Vernacular schools are biased

written by cruzeiro, December 13, 2008 17:38:18
"My shoes were removed and they thought I had concealed drugs in the soles."
- Mansur Puteh, (the Steinbeck wannabe)
=============================

Padan muko kau, Jang!
Tu lah. kan abah kau dah cakap - Bilo ekau keluar jalan, biar komeh sikit. Mandi dulu, sikat rambut. Ini tidak - suko bonar gayo kaki fid.

Dah lah tu. perasan mak dato, nak merepek - kononnya penulis, pengkritik seni, pengkritik politik, pembuat filem. Sodarlah diri kau tu jang oi- awak ni muko tak tau malu. Kulit Kobau. Hampeh! Paham tak?

Jgn pandai2 nak melopeh kek sini. Nak kutuk sistem pengajaran dlm bahasa pengantar lain konon- sodarlah sikit kenapo org lain menyampah kat SK tu.
Sebelum engkau kutuk sistem lain, betulkan sistem SK tu dulu. Paling penting, suruh si penghunus keris (seorang lagi - yg dulu nak mandikan keris dgn darah Cina) tu mintak ampun maaf. Kemudian, ambik tindakan tegas keatas cikgu2 rasis dan fanatik al-kangkung yg dilatih oleh Biro Tata Negara dan Kementerian Pendidikan. Paling penting - hentikan apatheid dlm sistem pendidikan kebangsaan. Lepastu nak melopeh, lantak kaulah. tapi den dongar, ekau ni tak payah melopeh - bau badan pun dah cukup hebat.

Padanlah kono tahan kek Belando - nasib baik tak kono sondol. Baik kau bersyukur, jang.
Kalau nak dongar lagi cerito den jemputlah ke blog den.

Di mana bumi ku pijak

MalaysiaKini

(My apologies to Malaysiakini for "stealing" the post -

I just thought that that it was a fantastic article. It will be removed if required.

Thanks.)

Helen Ang | Dec 4, 08 10:57am

1. Mukhriz Mahathir is not retracting his statement on vernacular schools

He should visit the national schools during recess and see how pupils sit in their own racial groups while eating in the canteen. He should drop by after school hours and see the kids play within their own racial groups when waiting for the bus or to be fetched home. He should meet with the PTAs or read in the news, or in blogs how teachers in national schools bully and victimise Indian children.

Racism and religious supremacy is becoming endemic in national schools. Therefore putting all the kids under one roof will not solve what’s in essence a problem of communal politics.

(I hope that the Malaysiakini editors will excuse me for writing in point form as I’m time-constrained by other deadlines this week.)

2. Mukhriz may be guilty of posturing but he is nonetheless echoing a genuine sentiment and outlook of the Malay grassroots.

3. Chinese on the other hand will ‘riot’ if ever mother tongue instruction was to be withdrawn. An integrated system of education could have been implemented at an earlier point in time but this is water under the bridge; the boat has left the harbour and sailed too far to turn back now.

4. Behind the talk about our segregated education streams is the issue of primacy of language. To look at it negatively, the Malays are suspicious when the minority polyglots are one-up in language command. They feel threatened when they do not understand the ‘code’, or in other words, Chinese dialects. It gives rise to a fear the Chinese will plot among ourselves, colluding to cheat and take advantage of them.

5. To look at it positively, proponents of ‘Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa’ see the national language as a unifying factor and the axis of nation-building. They want and expect every citizen of this country to be able to speak passable Malay. I think it’s a reasonable demand. English may be the international language, Chinese a useful commercial language, but for Bangsa Malaysia to happen, it has to be Malay first in the public domain, just as Thai and Bahasa Indonesia are to our neighbours.

6. How is it foreign workers, like Bangladeshis, speak Malay better than some Malaysian Chinese? They’ve learned the language from necessity and in the spirit of accommodation.

That the Chinese do not speak Malay as a lingua franca, I can only attribute to lack of acceptance and there being no pressing need; allow me specify the aspect ‘speak’ because any Chinese sitting the PMR or SPM exams submits his answer script in the national language though still unable to converse with ease in Malay.

7. If the minorities find that they can get by in their daily living without much requirement to speak Malay, it goes to show the separate lives led by our different communities.

8. And let’s be honest. If you’re Chinese and your friend’s daughter or son knows Japanese or French, you’d be impressed. If you’re Malay, and you cringe at your fellow citizens’ lack of fluency in the national language, what would you be thinking? That the minorities, though their forebears were granted the right of abode here, look up to foreign languages but look down on your language.

9. Malay is a mature and refined language. There is no reason why it cannot and should not be given its due respect as the medium of communication and learning.

10. What rubbish is the teaching Maths and Science in English? On this, I’m behind the Malay and Chinese educationists who have vehemently objected to the language switch, and I endorse the rationale they’ve put forward.

Sikit-sikit ‘sedition’

11. To me, DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) has gone overboard in making a police report on Mukhriz. If we do not want Umno to make police reports at the drop of a hat, why is the federal opposition following the same modus operandi? Malaysiakini said that yesterday the Dapsy delegation was refused entry to the Penang Patani Road police station – which is rather rib-tickling. Given the police attitude, I wouldn’t be surprised if the clerk folded a paper plane out of Dapsy’s complaint.

12. And what’s with the screaming of ‘sedition’? Mukhriz, like Ahmad Ismail, voiced his opinion. Others share their views. So? Deal with it. Don’t throw the book at them.

If this cannot say, that cannot say, and the Chinese political parties fuss about Mukhriz and Ahmad, the Malay political parties fuss over Karpal Singh and Teresa Kok, then the grievances instead of ironed out will be merely swept under the carpet. Our carpet has gathered so much dust that to lift a corner would surely give folks from Gong Badak to Pasir Salak a collective big sneeze. The much hoped for reform deriving from March 8 should also mean liberalising constructive dialogue. Yes?

13. In this Mukhriz episode, I can only roll my eyes at the antics of DAP, MCA and PKR. Why are they so predictable in getting all agitated? Can’t they see where their responses and rhetoric are unacceptable to Malays?

14. Perhaps those who have not ventured beyond Ipoh, Johor Baru or George Town cannot fathom why this land was called Tanah Melayu. But when I sit on a log outside a cattle pen surrounded by coconut trees under a starry sky in Terengganu, I can. The flora and fauna here have had Malay names for centuries; rivers and mountains too. Whenever I drive in the East Coast, I do feel like I’m in Tanah Melayu and it is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful land.

15. Naming is an act of claiming. We have had Malay civilisation – thus rendering the Malays indigenous although there are other influences; the place name Taiping, for instance, has a Chinese root.

16. About Malay Sovereignty: Unless there are some who mistake Malaysia for a republic, accept that we live in a constitutional monarchy. Therefore, we are subjects of the Malay Sultans, and in states without the sultanate, the Yang Di Pertuan Agong is our king (and king to every Malaysian). The (note emphasis) ‘Malay’ monarchs are the sovereigns we have pledged loyalty to by virtue of our citizenship.

17. The national language is Malay. The religion of the federation is Islam – the faith adhered to by the Malay. The national flag bears the crescent which symbolises Islam. The basis of custom in this country is Malay; for the globalised generation, maybe add budaya baru McDonalds. Yet it seems to me some of the non-Malay politicians – who had previously been concubines to Malay Supremacy and presently Umno’s querulous, unwanted mistresses – fail to acknowledge this concept of Malay Sovereignty.

18. It particularly irks me to hear MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong respond to Mukhriz, claiming “language alone cannot be deemed as a main factor for national unity”. My dear sir, since minorities are not of the religion of the Federation nor practise much of the majoritarian customs, then language is indeed the central pillar though not ‘alone’ it (as you point out). What other commonality to hold us together, pray tell? Teh tarik?

19. And if some Umno politicians appear willing to reinterpret Malay Supremacy as Malay Sovereignty, then consider that we’ve moved a step forward. Anwar Ibrahim introducing ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ into the political lexicon is two steps forward. However, Mukhriz’s suggestion, especially coupled with retaining his father’s bad idea of Maths and Science in English, is no pragmatic solution to the polarisation of society.

20. Country first, di sini langit ku junjung.

Letters on the Tamil Schools issue

[NOTE: I have been having plenty of problems with my PC - it keeps rebooting fo no reason. That to, after restoring it to original configs.
Two posts of mine have been deleted while writing .... until it is reformatted, there may be a delay in future posts - at least till mid-next week.
My apologies ...]
=====================================
Here are two letters from the author of the letter which was published on MT.
Despite "temenggong" finding my article on the matter 'hilarious' (actually without being able to articulate his thoughts on it), these email responses from the author of that letter is quite reassuring - in that among netizens, the likes of temenggong are in the minority ......

Dear Victor,

Tamil School: Pride and Prejudice is an excellent article. Both of us are having the same intention and that is to think and move positively. Unfortunately as I mentioned in my article there are a group of people who don't want the changes to take place because of their personal "hidden" agenda. There is another sour grape group and as for them, they will oppose blindly without seeing the logic and what actually the problem is. They will talk just base on their personal satisfaction.

If you observe my article, most of the situations which I've quoted are something genuinely happened and keep on happening. In today's Harian Metro Newspaper, there was one news where PDRM caught a group of 11 people in JB for robbing and raping and the sad news is.. all of them are Indians. So this is what I'm trying to highlight to those "stubborn" people out there.

Victor, I know it's not an easy task to change their old mentality but that doesn't mean that I will stop talking about it. As an ordinary person I think I have to do something positive within my capability and that is by talking and keep on talking this subject to as many as Indians that I will meet.

Victor, thanks again and good luck

regards,

Muthaiah

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Victor,

Exactly, you got it rite. Actually there are few groups of human being
a) When something happen there will be a group where they won't do anything but always put the blame on others or always find fault.
b) There is a group where when somebody are trying help or do something good, this group will put their full effort to mass the thing.
c) There is another groups who totally don't want to get involve asspecially when they don't gain anything personally from that subject.

Victor, I think by now you will be able to know what I'm trying to say. Anyway I have one good news to share with you. For the past 24 hours, I already received many e-mails and 80% fully agree with my article and happy that I wrote the situation exactly like how it's happening. 20% of them were disagreed but I know this people's mentality is same like the temenggong's mentality (Mental Blocked). They don't want to change and don't want others also to change.

Victor, there's one more thing that I want to share with you. Originally I only sent my article to few PR MPs and asked their favour to share this topic among all the Indian MP's from DAP, PKR and PSM. Suddenly one of the MP posted this article in his blog and Malaysia Today picked that topic and posted in its blog.

Victor, please do me a favour, I will send the article to you and if possible please forward it through e-mail to as many Indians that you know. Let it spark some awareness among them. Whether they're ready to change or not, that's not an issue but I'm happy as long they started to think.....

That's all for now and have a nice day and keep in touch.

regards,

Muthaiah

Umno Revivalism - Reinforcing the "Seige Mentality".

Islamic councils say courts have no right to decide on ‘Allah’
By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — The ongoing lawsuit filed by the Catholic Church in Malaysia seeking a judicial review of the government decision to ban it from using the word “Allah” is not a matter that can be decided by the courts, says lawyer Mubashir Mansor.

“We are making an application under Section 84 of the Courts of Judicature Act for the High Court to stay the effect of the proceedings in order to state a case to be determined by the Federal Court on the effect of relevant provisions of the Federal Constitution,” he said.

“The effect is whether or not the present issue is justiciable, something that should be decided by a court of law.

“We are saying that this issue is not,” he added.

Mubashir is acting on behalf of three state Islamic councils, namely Malacca, Penang and Terengganu, which are seeking to intervene in the case.

He told reporters at the High Court here that he would be filing his application to the Federal Court in Putrajaya in the next two weeks.

A total of eight Muslim organisations today joined the Home Minister and the federal government as respondents in the suit filed by the church on the right to use the word in its publication and practices.

The other five are the Federal Territory Religious Council, Selangor Religious Council, Kedah Religious Council, Johor Religious Council and the Malaysian Chinese-Muslim Association.

The Malaysian Gurdwaras Association, representing the Sikh community, had also sought to be included in the court case for the right to use "Allah" in their religious practices.

Justice Lau Bee Lan, of the KL High Court of Appellate and Special Powers Division, fixed Feb 27 for mention to enable the various Muslim organisations time to file their affidavits.

The Catholic Church's official publication, The Herald, had in May this year won the right to challenge the Home Minister's decision to ban it from using the word "Allah" as a synonym for God in its Malay-language section.

The counsel for the church, Porres Royan, said that the church had previously objected to the inclusion of these parties seeking to intervene in their case, but had changed its mind.

Asked to comment on Mubashir's claims, Porres replied that he did not understand what they wanted.

He affirmed that the church merely wanted the Home Minister's decision overturned.

"The Home Minister decided that we cannot use the word 'Allah'," he said.

"We are saying that decision is wrong," he concluded.

Offensive "Spin Doctors" ......

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The intended title to this post was supposed to be "Spin Doctors on the Offensive", but it turned out as above - and I thought I'd let it be. It shouldn't have sounded the way it does - after reading the "spinterview" man of Malaysia Today, it was a spontaneous thing- if you know what I mean ....
There were two very interesting articles on Malaysia Today, today!
Both came for the man who contributes oneliners and a few questions in the Face to Face column on Malaysia Today - the one and only IMRAN Imtiaz - don't mistake him for Malik Imtiaz of Disquiet who defended RPK recently.
The most "enlightening" of his "spinterviews" was with Rocky of Rocky's Bru
(the link to the blog has since been removed from Cruzinthots)
I tell you, Guys - This is just a new "Mathias Chang" in the making ....

The two articles are
1. Stephen Doss Strenuously Protects Khairy Jamaluddin-A Rejoinder
2. Every Man A King

Here's a comment from one reader in the first article:
I myself have my own disagreements over some of Stephen Doss's writings, but he does have his points, which begs the question - What is yours ?
As Mr.Doss puts it succintly when he refers to you " a young man not well versed in political happenings"

I tell you what Mr.Imtiaz, just put on a pretty suite and stick to what you do well- as the "The Interviever " in " face to face" series of articles.

because it seems that you are out of your depth, and political analysis does not seem to be your forte.

Vijay Kumar Murugavell

and another ....
written by SCM, November 13, 2008 10:24:47
Hey Imran, you seem to be doing exactly what Steven Doss is doing for Khairy, but for Mukhriz. How are you different from Doss? Did you actually say that Mukhriz had to "beg for his rice bowl to be returned to him"? Rice bowl? Wouldn't it be more accurate to use the term "gold inggots" or "diamond mines" to be returned to him? This Mukhriz guy and his family raped us for 22 years and have become one of the richest families in the WORLD. And you refer to this billionaire as an underdog?

Well, as far as I am concerned, they are both dogs. One is a mutt while the other is a mutt with a fake Oxford degree and parades around like a slimy worm.

The latter article was a diarrhoea of words that ran 1800 words - and I couldn't bring myself to go far ....
Among the words (written in bullet-form as "you-know-who") were these:
1. The problem with this country is that we have nominal and displaced persons on the fringes of mainstream society that try to make a name for themselves by taking pot shots at upright citizens. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar is one such person who hopes to gain some selective notoriety by not only displaying his bias for all to see but has also resorted to personal attacks against Mukhriz Mahathir.
5. Our judicial system in its trials and tribulations throughout the years has met up with various "incidences" which has created unhappiness, particularly in respect of the 1988 judicial crisis- which the bar council and disgruntled lawyers have unilaterally spun as a crisis. It was actually a wind of change for the better under the prevailing circumstances during the premiership of Tun Dr. Mahathir whom had the unpleasant task and had to accept the unpopularity of disciplining the rebellious judges who had abused their positions thinking that they are all supreme– over and above the law- believing that no action can be taken against them.
15. The writer also seems to rely on Zaid Ibrahim (former de facto law minister) to strengthen his arguments. For the record Zaid Ibrahim is hardly a maverick but a total political failure. ..... Nobody knows really what reforms he intended to carry out in the first place. In this regard, the writer needs to be reminded that the outgoing PM and Zaid together with the bar council held a dinner in honour of the rebellious judges with the sole purpose to hit back at Tun Dr Mahathir and attempted to humiliate this great statesman. The act of paying compensation to the rebellious judges is an ultra vires act and it involves public money which was paid by the government not only for the dinner but also for the said compensation. No country in the world particularly a Commonwealth member country will resort to such an ultra vires and unlawful act.
(Bold Italics, mine)

Now for some interesting comments to the above ....
...
written by Jit Dharma, November 13, 2008 12:38:38
Mr. Imran, anyone who calls Mahathir a great statesman must be retarded.I think
that you fancy yourself as a kind of intellectual/ hired gun/mercenary. I don't
listen to the hot air expelled by our so called 'intellectuals', because like you, they are mostly airy fairy wimps lost in the high of listening to their own voices. Give me an indication that you and your 'observations' are unbiased and rooted in the real world, as for now you come across like a blind idiot.
Mukhriz Mahathir? Are you trying to sell this clown to us? Please lah, even the
security guard in my area is more of an intellectual than you. Get a real job!!

...
written by temenggong, November 13, 2008 12:49:27
Imran, I read the piece on 'all the king's men' and did not find anything you describe. It is a call to put judicial reform upfront! What's wrong with that?

I think you are barking up the wrong tree, or perhaps a stooge for the Mahathir clan.
"The Rakyat of all races, class and creed have thrown their support behind him (Mukhriz)."

You are a joker, Imram! Even my arse is laughing! smilies/grin.gif" border="0">

...
written by SocratesI, November 13, 2008 16:42:59

What a Crock of SH*T !! It is amazing what lengths these Barisan Najis and UMNO minions will go to, to ampu their masters' B@LLS and tripod them to ever dizzying heights !! IISY takes the cake in this respect, and has earned my undying ODIUM for all his warped and perverted reasoning, his rose-tinted skewed vision, and the stink of his verbal diarrhoea !!!

He must qualify as THE master "Bodek-er" of Maha-Shithead and his dynasty !!Is there a spitoon in the house ... can't rush fast enough to the bathroom to throw up ... aaaaarrrggh ...


There you have it Guys
- this guy knows the problem with this country, and it is personified by Malaik Imtiaz Sarwar!!! At least that's what the "beneficiaries" of this write-up and the political masters of the writer thinks ...
Wanna know why this guy writes this "crock of sh1t" (as socrates calls it)?
Fazda commented on the former "crock of sh1t" to give us a clue as follows...
...
written by fazda, November 13, 2008 17:47:04
Wanna know why this Imran guy sucking up to Mahathir and his baby son?

Read here:
http://stephendoss.blogspot.co...html#links
(If the link doesn't work, click the following - Living In Glass Houses )

Sad that we have one of these twisted specimens, with a practically defunct "spinterview" Face to Face column in Malaysia Today ...
We await for more "crocks of sh1t" from this guy - on Face To Face/ Malaysia Today ....
Yoohooo - Mathias .... where are you?
You've been upstaged!
You're no more the "King of Spin" .....

Facing the Music - Education Malaysia

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It will not do to cling to the cause and wish the result away.
Reality does not play mind games.
What is more, to anesthetize the mind in order to abort what comes to birth
when wrong ideas are conceived and borne in the womb of culture,
will only kill the very life-giving force of the nation that nurtures the idea."
- Ravi Zacharias

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It is surprising that NST should come out with something deemed as "controversial" or "sensitive" as "Malaysian Education: Revert to Old School Set-up"!
Truly impressive in its honesty - but we need more truth like this, for us to start trusting NST once again.

A whole generation of people have been deprived of a decent education, despite all their schooling. In this interesting article, Mr. Hassan Talib has rightly said, "After completing school, these children would envy those who are articulate in English".
To quote G.K Chesterton, "What we need is a Leadership that is not only right where we are right, but right where we are wrong". But no - what we have is a leadership that is bent on perpetuating their rule at whatever cost - even if it means that they have to corrupt & destroy the minds of the people via the propaganda machinery that masquerade as "MSM".

In "Where is the Spirit of Merdeka?", I had written -
"The spirit of Merdeka has been subverted by racists and the religious zealots over the years, and has been replaced by chauvinism – racial and religious..... Unfortunately, we are a society so paralyzed by symptomatic solutions one has to wonder whether we will learn anything from this mindless atrocity.......

Having failed in its shortcut to an economic miracle, the advocates of the system (clamouring for issues and a new agenda to perpetuate their greed and envy) the now choose to preach intolerance, “arabisation”, and religiosity in the name of God, to further isolate, and “drug into a stupor” a beautiful people that was once open to change.

Even if we aren't too accurate in our assessment, much of what has been passed off as Islamisation by the govt was nothing more than frothy God-talk - mindless, thoughtless;
and in its exploitation of people, heartless.
The “one upmanship” practised by the various institutions that espouse religious chauvinism, is in fact a pathetic display of their failures and insecurities......
Malaysia today is a nation that has lost its conscience. "

The writer has rightly said that our education system bred "envy", despite all the trumpeting of Mr. Hishamuddin or his predecessors under Umno - Najib, Anwar and Mahathir - who set the stage for the destruction of an excellent education system (which was the envy of other nations) using NEP as an excuse.
The outcome of these "smart & modern" systems has been the production of "educated" but unthinking automatons -youngsters/politicians who suck up to primitive godmen or politicians, and get upset by the prospect of meritocracy, a different creed or skin color.

"Revisionist" history and ideas were used to reinforce and justify the idea of the "indispensibility of ignorance", which made 'envy' produce its offspring - the six other deadly sins.
What we had was the teaching of the seven deadly sins in school.
Envy is the root of all the evils perpetrated by pirates who pretend to be wise leaders in Malaysia.
It is this very envy that was and is increasingly used to manipulate the NEP into a racist concept. Envy is the root of the fascistic Ketuanan Melayu concept, which breeds hatred, racism, narrow religiosity, xenophobia, etc ,etc, etc.

To make matters worse, the narrow religious ideas are touted as the panacea for all the ills of the prevalent system, and infused into young unsuspecting minds. Evidence of this can be seen all around us today - in the urban/ rural, mental/ physical "ghettos" nationwide, with a mindless adoration of a morally and intellectually bankrupt leadership.

For all this, we can thank the great grand-daddy of this ideology of hate - an old man in the political sidelines itching for his salvation, so as to perpetuate his legacy of an ignorant and apathetic citizenry.
Only then will the pirates be able to plunder the nation with scant regard for accountability.
This has-been may well rise again to provide a political platform for his progeny, by using ISA on those suspected of "money politics" in Umno, after his political demise (and soon to be, physical too).

The salvation of the rakyat and the nation lies in the dismantling of the racist ideas driven into the minds of our young ones at school through a certain "Biro", and quasi-political institutions masquerading as religious police.

A liberal education is what the people need, so as to do away with feudal mindset, to herald a mature and open society. A more mature society with the ability to adapt and accept progressive ideas, would understand why the so-called socio-economic crutches deemed necessary (when they are actually given pittance and held at ransom to facilitate the plunder by the elite) should be done away with.
It can help inculcate the virtues and positive values which are sorely lacking, in the corrupt and politicised system prevalent in our educational institutions, which promote the "ghetto" psyche in our children.

Yes - bring back English education, Bring back the La Salle/missionary school system!!
But we cannot do this at the expense of the National Language. We need to have this education, which can complement, preserve and enrich Bahasa Malaysia for a more progressive nation!!

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"Where is the life we have lost in the living?

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ?
The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries
bring us farther from God and nearer to dust."
- T.S. Elliot
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