Indifference, Anticipation, Frustration....

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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."
- Frank Herbert

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What is it that I speak of here? Nothing new, really - just a rehash of among the first things I wrote about Malaysian society in general. Nothing more than rephrasing what I wrote a long time back, when I wrote A Malaysian Disease of Fear and Apathy so, so long ago.

There is a sense of "despair" too - seeing how the Umno government uses all the dirty tricks in the book to sabotage the proper functioning of a democracy. Not just that - the imbecility of the so-called "opposition" politicians, and NGOs who seem to exhibit some weird form of "political masochism" - they just relish the opportunity to flog themselves and each other to death, when the people have given them a mandate to talk to each other and rule with accountability.
RPK on his part, has confessed that he is for once speechless, watching the antics of the clowns in Pakatan Rakyat who aspire to be leaders - and we thought, only BN/Umno was bad ....

The following phrases might seem quite familiar to all of us:-
"I don't like Politics", "Politicians are crooks", "Politics is not for me", "I just wanna go on with my life", "it's useless", "You not afraid, ah?", "It is so sick....",
"I've got a family/business/job to think of ...", "I've got loans ....", "Let them do it..."
"I don't know anything about politics, and don't want to know anything about politics"

Yes- these are the excuses they'll use to avoid making a stand for their dignity or the future of their children. They'd rather sacrifice it all at the "altar of prosperity", for the little pleasures they can enjoy today, at the expense of Rule of Law and good governance. They don't mind it the least bit if they are the very ones who feed the cancer that rots the fabric of the nation. These are the cowards who will cry the most when they or their children go hungry or die of the consequences of the corruption prevalent in our society.
These are the people who cling to the cause of the disease in society, and hope to wish the results away. It is precisely what makes UMNO tick and smile - that sense of helplessness.

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We do not err because truth is difficult to see.
It is visible at a glance.
We err because this is more comfortable.

--Alexander Solzhenitsyn

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

And that reminds me of a conversation I had with a "Facebook friend", wherein he actually implied that he doesn't give a damn about the "Rape of Perak" or the "stealing of elections" as in most despotic regimes. The reason for this was just that the "government has to function".
He went on to say that, "Legal or illegal. Just stop it. Perak must not become the platform to examine the essence of the Constitutional Law or Parliamentary Democracy. Enough is enough....Do you know that economy must function? Daily activities must continue." (He was however quite quick to claim that he was no fan of BN, though!!!)
It is the language of despair and powerlessness that speaks out from this friend of ours - not that he doesn't care. It doesn't matter to him that the country has been robbed, and he'd rather work with the devil who holds his balls and plays with it, than have his rice bowl threatened. It is what Frank Herbert described in the above quote - but such people rather not see that ..... as ignorance is indeed bliss.

R. Shan (aka "Human Being"), had a letter published (on MT) in which he appeared to deplore this "Malaysia Boleh" spirit of malaise, which he saw on MT. He thought it was possibly "escapism" among readers/commenter. Well, to that, I can only say- Yes and No. And he probably suffers from a little frustration, due to the pace of what little changes that are taking place. Although I believe that there are "other reasons" for this creeping malaise that has set in in MT (despite the plethora of news overload) where "expression" is concerned, much of what he said is quite true - and I thought I was the only one who felt it, until I started getting calls asking me "what's with MT, these days?".
He concluded his article by saying, "I am not preaching, but fail to understand why every action that we do or embark in is for ourselves rather that for the community that we live in....What ever the theory it can be, nothing happens if you can only think of yourself."

True, what Shan said- the reason being, for many it was like a "hard-on" which withers after the heat of action. They are too comfortable in their comfort zones, expect quick-fix results, and do not have the stomach for a "struggle". They'd rather live a life that is "drugged into a stupor", and enjoy the delusional matrix created for them by their ruling elite.
What matters to them is that they can make their money, have their fun, and go about without thinking about the ramifications of their fear and apathy. That's life, and being Malaysian is all about, for them. It does not matter to them if they are actually feeding the "cancer" that's eating into the system that will destroy the future for their children. What matters is that they have their fill of the scraps that fall of the table of the pirates who rape the nation.

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

Anyways - there definitely is a growing malaise and frustration that is setting in with the people - with all the "injustice, incompetence, news, dirt and controversy overload" in the media (MSM or Online), created by those with vested interests. Then we have the gullible Pakatan Rakyat Aduns & MPs who out of sheer inferiority complex, megalomania or disillusionment at their own failures, are taking to controversy and squabbles like ducks to water .... like big, hot, dickheads - instead of talking and planning a future for Malaysia together..... while on the sidelines, we have the BN/Umno wringing their hands in glee - hoping for PR to self destruct.
Despite all the opportunities that we may have at our doorstep to renew our faith in the political system, we and the politicians still, unwittingly support pirates (or at least their ways), and prefer to point fingers and despair at the sideshows.
So despite all the facts thrown at and spat at our faces, by the ruling elite from BN/Umno, still -
many among us choose to, cling to the cause of our malaise, and hope to wish the results away .....

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

"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
************************************

P.S.
It is my opinion that MT should publish articles that help the people learn to think & discern. There has been too many updates- unlike no other website, and as such has lost its "soul". They need to be more selective in their publishing, and slow down their updates so as to allow the readers time to digest and understand the messages in many articles, and debate them rationally.
There was a time when reading comments on MT was a delight.....
On another note - someone came up with the theory that DSAI is probably creating bushfires (through the PAS-Umno talks/ Kedah issue) to distract BN's agenda to destroy PR -I don't buy that, though.

Related
Cry my beloved Malay soul [From MalaysiaKini (Opinions)]
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"?

Shadowboxing & Black Holy Water ...

Shadowboxing is an exercise used in the training for combat sports, especially, as its name implies, in boxing. It is used mainly to prepare the muscles before the person training engages in stronger physical activity. In shadowboxing, only one person is required to participate; the participant throws punches at no one in particular.

In the Malaysian political environment though, there exists another form of shadowboxing - the indoctrination of various communities with feelings of mutual suspicion and hatred. Each community is made to see imaginary bogeymen on all fronts- economic, political, racial and religious- so as to feel threatened and "under siege", and indulge in this "shadowboxing" which blinds them to the plunder perpetrated by the high and mighty. They willingly give up their god-given freedom and dignity to the political elite, so as to "protect and defend" their perceived interests. If this does not happen, then allegiances are bought from those willing to sell their souls, on the premise of their narrow sectarian interests.

To those indulging in these mind-bending activities, social awareness/consciousness, critical thinking/pedagogy, political enlightenment, politics of trust and nationhood, are their main enemy. They indulge in the old politics of ignorance, racism, religious bigotry and fascistic ideas of "Ketuanan"/ supremacy- so that the people adopt a siege mindset.

The racist government policies, religiosity of political parties, subtle persecutions, increasing crime, social ills among the youth, the poor discipline in the National service program, deaths in Police custody, the impotent and mindless Judiciary, the corrupt civil service, the income disparity etc etc etc, are but symptoms of a nation descending into chaos and anarchy as a result of the above, perpetuated by the powers that be. With all these around them and the ingrained delusion of powerlessness among chauvinists, it will in turn have them beg thoughtlessly for a despot in power, to restore "control and order".

Today, I received a chain-email alleging that there is a virulent campaign by a "Christian" Church at "Christianizing" the Malay/Muslim population of Malaysia. Apparently they had a "Paderi Agung" who is a Malay, and have a church in Jalan Gasing meant solely for Muslim/ Malay converts. Apparently confessions were made after they had met the Mufti of Perak and made reports and Bukit Aman, repented. Apparently also, the number of converts ran into the thousands!!! Just to sex it up, a laughable story of "Black Holy Water" that turns the tongue black & renders the convert deaf to the Azan was also mentioned in the mail.

This sort of "subversive" activity also goes on, on other fronts - one which is well known, is the civil service & education communities through the process of indoctrination through "courses". This issue has been brought up in Parliament on Numerous occasions by YB Lim Kit Siang (UMNO’s Latest Psy-War Materials Exposed). However, no action has yet to be taken on BTN for their allegedly subversive activity. Till today, it remains at the forefront of the Government's propaganda and indoctrination programs.

NST Online (surprisingly) came up with this article on BTN's activities some time back - for which no explanation has been forthcoming ... except assurances from Nazri that the modules would be "tweaked" to represent the "1-Malaysia" rhetoric. The desire to have BTN investigated and charged for socially disruptive ideas that they have propagated has never been considered. Neither has the idea to dismantle this virulent organism

We often jump at Umno for this phenomenon, while at the very same time, neglecting the role of the race-based/ sectarian political parties/groups that masquerade as "NGO"s, which dot our Malaysian social landscape. From a tender age, Malaysians from all walks of life (except those who are fortunate enough to grow up in societies/education systems that lie outside the government control) fall victim to this thinking which encourages "shadowboxing".

Many are also quick to blame the Umno/Malay/Muslim communities for this phenomenon - however it has to be borne in mind that the those from other communities are also to blame for adding fuel to the fire of this hatred.
One good example is "Hindraf's" confrontational stance in the recent Kg. Buah Pala incident is a case in point. Anger has been vented on the Lim Guan Eng administration due to its inability to solve the "pickle" that was dumped on it, as a result of actions taken by the former BN under suspicious circumstances. In a case of "rule of law" has been framed by Hindraf as a "racial" issue. One commenter even went so far as to say,”Tamilans like lions stand together...win the world...at least the village”, although it had nothing to do with residents being "Tamil".

On other fronts, we have those defending the act of using religion (namely Islam) to deny rights of individuals to determine their own lives or that of their children. Men seeking the easy way out of their marriage vows and responsibilities - and Islam is used as an instrument of deceit, thus giving it an ugly face. The dead are also not spared - especially when "glory" or money is involved.

Considering the cancer of sectarianism promoted by political parties and their "allied forces", it is surprising that a government which promotes the concept of "1-Malaysia" gives little regard to the damage that it does to society. In fact, it appears to encourage this sectarianism and religious bigotry, by making ever more laws and "NGO's" that promote the siege-mentality and a ghetto mindset.

Despite all the superstructures that dot our Malaysian landscape which leaves simpletons gawking, and blinds us to the realities that lie in the rural areas - we as a society today, are a sad reflection of the hopes of true nationhood which our founding fathers had upon achieving self rule.
Mahathir's Vision 2020, Pak Lah's "Islam Hadhari, Najib's "1-Malaysia" or whatever else slogan that would come up next- it remains that, to "educate the people into imbecility", remains their forte - for it is how they hold on to power. Only time will tell how far Umno and its allies would go to purge themselves of this evil modus operandi, which is setting the country back by decades in time, and destroying this nation.

Going on to provoke and educate them into adopting a paradigm shift and embracing a new pragmatism in their statecraft, would only prove to be futile if the majority (i.e. the Malay/Muslim populace) continue to withdraw into their cocoons and demand their "special rights" while espousing chauvinism and politicized religiosity, devoid of the spirituality stressed upon in the theological foundations of Islam (as I have come to appreciate it).

Hey There - Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman Raus!

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"Yes Boss - We can Dance..."

PUTRAJAYA, June 26 (Bernama) -- Sultan Azlan Shah was right in not dissolving the Perak State Legislative Assembly in February because it was barely one year old, Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Md Raus Sharif said.

-'Sultan Was Right Not To Dissolve Perak Assembly'

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

There have been numerous apologists for the rape of Perak by Mr. 1-Malaysia, in February - from Mr. Shad Saleem Faruqi (who initially claimed that by virtue of the Interpretations Act, the power to "hire" includes the power to "fire"), to the various spin doctors in the MSM and among the intellectually bankrupt BN politicos.
Just when we thought that "spinning" was the forte of propagandists in the media and "legal education" industry, the Judiciary has now stepped in to challenge that monopoly, by "legalizing" a travesty of justice. In effect, they have rendered themselves, nothing more than glorified postmen of the pirates who launched the coup d'etat in Perak.
It appears to me as a layman (where the Law is concerned), that the "judges" seem to be a highly twisted bunch of despatch clerks bent on doing the bidding of their political masters. It almost seems that they have redefined the word "judgement" in legal-speak, to mean " to appease those who wield power".

Pardon my ignorance should there be any in the following, wherein I might have erred - but I intend to attempt to dissect what was given by Bernama, before I read the full text of the 49-page spin doctoring by Rauf (or was it just Bernama shaming him??).

In his 49-page judgement dated June 2 released Friday, Justice Raus said that in order for a dissolution of the assembly to take effect under Article 36(2) of the Perak State Constitution as requested by the then Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, the assembly must be in the conclusion of the five-year term when a general election was contemplated.

It certainly beats me, how Rauf (bending over backwards) had come to this conclusion that "that in order for a dissolution of the assembly to take effect... as requested, the assembly must be in the conclusion of the five-year term", when the very next sentence, in article 36(3), it is "screaming out" that :
"The Legislative Assembly unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date of its first sitting, and shall then stand dissolved."

I wonder if this Rauf knows anything about how a parliament is supposed to work ......
Although the following aren't exactly in the order of the press release, the message within really takes the cake - Rauf has explicitly denied the role of the Legislative Assembly in determining the majority, and unwittingly approved of a coup d'etat!!
What he has effectively said is, that the parliament is irrelevant, and that all that is required to prove the majority is a piece of paper, with signatures - without any consideration for the manner in which these signatures were obtained, and so rendering a vote of confidence unnecessary/insignificant!!!

He also said Article 16(6) did not express mandatory requirement that there must be a motion of no confidence passed by the assembly against a mentri besar before he ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members.
"The circumstances in the present case clearly shows that on Feb 5, Nizar no longer had the confidence of the majority of members of the assembly. There were signed letters from 31 members pledging support to Barisan Nasional which were presented to the Sultan,"
"The fact that a mentri besar ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the assembly can be established by other means. It cannot solely be confined to the vote taken in the assembly,"

Never mind that it is not mentioned anywhere that the majority may be determined through any other means other than a vote of confidence - what Rauf says here is that, theoretically, anyone with the support of the "security forces" bent on grabbing power, may abduct the members of legislative assembly, get the signatures from them at gunpoint, show it to the head of state - to "clearly show that they have confidence of the majority" and be considered legitimate in a parliamentary democracy!!

Moving on to the issue of the appointment of the Mentri Besar ....
Bernama published the following "judgement" made by Rauf:

"The Sultan of Perak in exercise of his royal prerogative under Article 16(2) of the Perak State Constitution is at liberty to appoint another mentri besar to replace Nizar," he said.
"His refusal to tender his resignation and the resignation of the Executive Council was not merely a breach of convention and undemocratic but more importantly, it contravened the clear mandatory constitutional command under Article 16(6) of the Perak Constitution and, therefore, unconstitutional.
Raus also said that the question of Perak having two mentri besar did not arise because Article 16(6) demands that once the mentri besar was made to know that he had lost the confidence of the majority of the members of the assembly, he should take the honourable way out by tendering his resignation.

Article 16(6) states that :
If the Mentri Besar ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Legislative Assembly, then, unless at the request of His Royal Highness dissolves the Legislative Assembly, he shall tender the resignation of the Executive Council.

While it is true that the Sultan may appoint A Mentri Besar, I fail to see where it is mentioned that the sultan may appoint "another Mentri Besar", while the current has not been proven to have lost the confidence of the majority in sitting.

As "unconventional" as it may be for the Mentri Besar to refuse to resign may be, it must be kept in mind that Article 16(7) states that
"Subject to Clause (6) a member of the Executive Council other than the Mentri Besar shall hold office at His Royal Highness' pleasure, but any member of the Council may at any time resign his office.

So, unlike the Executive Councillors, it has to be taken into consideration that the Mentri Besar DOES NOT SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF His Royal Highness
Take Note that there is no "clear mandatory constitutional command under Article 16(6)" as mentioned by Rauf in his attempt to indulge in spinning the Constitution.
(This is probably, as N.H Chan calls it - plain and simple legal "gobbledygook").
Therefore, what Nizar did was perfectly Constitutional and democratic, as it was in accordance to the principle of the holding the Parliament supreme, and the Monarchy subject to Constitution.
As to how Rauf has come to the conclusion that it is "undemocratic" is indeed mind-boggling.

After all the spinning, he then indulges in "masturbation" to flatter himself and the powers that be, that what he delivered was actually a "judgement"-
"In my judgment, the situation confronting His Royal Highness in the state of Perak was one such situation, and His Royal Highness had, in that critical situation rightly exercised his constitutional powers provided under the State Constitution, which exercise was without any doubt, solely for the best interest of the people of Perak,"

All these, Rauf as a dutiful postman has said in his so-called "judgement", while neglecting to take into consideration Article 18 (1) which states (subject to Clause 2,3 & 4) that:
"In the exercise of his functions under the Constitution of this State or any law or as a member of the Conference of Rulers, His Royal Highness SHALL ACT IN ACCORDANCE with the advice of the executive Council or of a member thereof acting under the general authority of the Council except as otherwise provided by the Federal Constitution or the State Constitution; but shall be entitled at his request, to any information concerning the Government of the State which is available to the Executive Council".
(1A) Where in the exercise of His functions under the Constitutionof this State or any Law or as a member of the the Conference of Rulers, His Highness is to act IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADVICE or on the advice of any person or body of persons, His Royal Highness SHALL ACCEPT AND ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH ADVICE.

Considering the circumstances, one cannot be blamed if he were to suspect that this verdict/ judgement was written by the likes of Shafee Abdullah (who got to sit in the DUN in the May fiasco) or even V.K. Lingam .....

Next in line of Constitutional spinning by these dispatch-boys, would be the legalization of a speaker who was appointed while the Legislative Assembly had yet to commence its sitting. It would be interesting to see how they would spin that story.

The long and short of it, those responsible for this "judgement" have taken liberties, to read the State Constitution literally and piecemeal - simply as sentences which are totally unrelated to the big picture, the message and spirit within.
This is also how the Umno media and politicians (like Mahathir) - in keeping with their culture of deceit - choose to twist and interpret the Federal Constitution, so as to justify their much hyped, non-existent "social contract", religious bigotry, racism, the NEP and corruption - while totally disregarding the long term consequences of doing so. This also means that they do not mind rendering Malaysia a failed state (while publicly deploring it) - so long as they can hold on to power to facilitate their plunder and rape of the resources we have.

What a pity that our Courts of the land no longer serve the the Law, but pervert it for usurping pirates bent on grabbing power, and are reduced to being dispatch-boys delivering letters for their masters in the corridors of power.

Nurturing the "1-Malaysia" Malay Ghetto ....

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

First we had one Merican shooting doctors for the failure of the preventive measures of the Ministry of Health, in curtailing the Dengue epidemic. Then, we have another Merican, shooting the Chinese media for "straying from the national agenda"!!
[We shall not mention anything about another Merican at the head of a Petroleum conglomerate whose accounts are like - "take what we give - and you better bloddy well, believe it!"!!]

He once opined (NST Online : Perspective: The PhD — is it overrated?) that :
"Suffice it to say that a professor need not necessarily be a scholar and a scholar need not necessarily be an academician and an academician may be far removed from being an intellectual."
Maybe so - but was/is he trying to imply that as a professor, you don't have to be any of the above? Neither scholar, academician nor intellectual? Could it be that he was justifying political appointments to "academic" posts?
With ones like these holding professorship in our universities, is it any wonder why we have such an admirable education system? Little wonder, we had some people started who started the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English - and that is to improve English (and not S&M)mind you - and believe that otherwise, Malaysians will be doomed to be stupid!

Truly amazing, this "professor" fella (picture below)- he is reminding the Chinese dailies to be grateful and advises them "not to stray from the national agenda". (Silly me - and here I was thinking all along, that the agenda was to improve the nation through accountability!)
He then wants the Malay to learn about the Chinese, and the Malay media to publish in Chinese- not because he wants them to truly learn, but because he wants "Malays" to impose their values in the Chinese in order to "determine the direction of Chinese journalism"!!!
In other words, he wants to learn from/ about the Chinese, so as to control them! Is it any wonder why (even MCA/MIC or any other variety) people, racists or not, don't trust these UMNO guys?
This guy definitely has some thinking skills, I'd say ....

Just read what he had to say here:
Akan tetapi, para wartawan dan surat khabar Cina nampaknya terasing daripada aliran perdana negara. Sebagai bekas wartawan dan sekian lama mengkaji kewartawanan dan persuratkhabaran di Malaysia, saya dapati masyarakat kewartawanan Cina wujud dalam dunia mereka tersendiri, seolah-olah enggan berganding sebagai satu fraterniti kewartawanan di Malaysia.....
Ketiga, memandangkan kepada pengaruh kewartawanan Cina kepada masyarakat Cina di negara ini sehinggakan ia menjadi satu arus aliran yang bertentangan dengan saluran maklumat berkepentingan negara, ada baiknya pemilik surat khabar/media Melayu, dan para wartawan dan editor Melayu menerbitkan surat khabar berbahasa Cina.
Tidak kiralah sama ada ini strategi terbuka atau tidak. Apa yang penting, Melayu juga ada hak untuk menentukan arah aliran kewartawanan berbahasa Cina.
-Melayu Mesti Kaji Cina, Malaysian Insider.

Not realizing that the pathetic Malay print media is ignored by the educated Malaysian (and Malays themselves too, mind you), this Merican guy accuses the Chinese media of being in their own world!
He seems to believe in the idea that people aren't entitled to their own opinions - he actually feels that Malays should run Chinese enterprises. Not that there anything wrong with that - but the very fact that he thinks it has to be the way for (Umno)Malays to "control", says much about this politician, masquerading as an "educationist".
There is nothing wrong with a Malay heading the Chinese establishment - but the problem is that he refuses to think of anything else beyond remaining in his comfort zone of "being and thinking Umno-Malay", while firing salvos against those who don't think like him. In other words, he actually wants to force the Chinese (media & people)to think like the Umno-Malay! It doesn't matter to this clown if it loses its Chinese character, or doesn't reflect the thinking of the community it is meant to serve.
What matters to this "professor", is that it caters to the needs/ opinions of the Umno-Malay community, although they don't read it!!!
You never know- Maybe this is the prelude to putting Melayu-Umno guys as Editors in all MSM.
It's anybody's guess if this is in line with the much fabled "1-Malaysia, People First, Performance Now" Policy..... to "regain the trust of Malaysians".

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

I hope my work will contribute to the study of Malay society, says Ahmad Murad Merican
Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Murad Merican holds a PhD (history and philosophy of science) from the University of Malaya. He has two bachelor’s degrees (journalism and political science). He has immersed himself in the College of Liberal Arts and made the Dean’s List at the University of Minnesota.

PROFESSOR Ahmad Murad Merican
from Universiti Teknologi Petronas' Department of Management and Humanities
was recently appointed as Perdana Leadership Foundation's (PLF) first Resident Fellow
under the foundation's Honorary President Fellowship Award.
As the foundation's first Resident Fellow, Ahmad Murad will receive
a grant of RM100,000 from Yayasan Al-Bukhary to conduct his research on
"Malay Attitudes Towards the West: Engaging Malay Thought on European Civilisation
and Modernity in Constructing Self, Nation and Identity".

-NST
=========================

Maybe this Murad Merican fella should be given another RM100,000 grant to do some research on "Attitudes Towards Malaysia: Primitive Malay Thought on Civilisation and in Constructing Self, Nation and Identity" , instead of the one of the above- which is bound to be toilet paper anyways ...

Lastly, I leave you with a very "interesting" comment from an Umno reader of the article linked above (needless to say, it was "lowly rated"). Even if it was someone pulling your leg, it describes how these guys think quite well (unlike what Jed Yoong might have you believe - that Umno is learning real fast).
So here it goes:-
...
written by Kasim Amat, June 22, 2009

"As a Umno member, it is very firm that we are all united behind the concept of 1 Malaysia. In order to achieve this concept, it is important that the Chinese and Indian acknowledge the dominance position of the Malay and accept the special rights accorded to us. The world has changed and the Malay is now a dominant force in the business and economy of Malaysia. It is important that all other races to realise this change to give up their self-clinging identity if they are to support the 1 Malaysia concept. In order to realise this concept, it is imperative that all Chinese and Indian Independence schools must be closed. All Chinese and Indian Business Chambers, associations, clans and communities should also recruit Malay members so the the concept of 1 Malaysia can be realised."

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

Move over, Dengue Epidemic - We Have A "Pandemic" ...

KUALA LUMPUR (June 22, 2009) : A second school was ordered closed for a week yesterday after an 11-year-old pupil was tested positive for influenza A(H1N1, while three other schools were told to stop a class each, rousing fears whether enough was being done to contain the disease.
He (Mr. Liow Tiong Lai) also said individuals placed under home-quarantine need to be responsible. Those found not obeying the home-quarantine order may be fined up to RM10,000, jailed for two years, or both, under the Disease Control Act 1998.

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

Aaah .... Now I understand - That must have been the agenda when they sent in a battalion of FRU & disrupted the Father's Day dinner by last minute withdrawal of their permit, after initially approving it.
What concern for national security! What compassion!
That's what I call People First, Performance Now ...... for a 1-Malaysia!

Incidently, this flu "pandemic" that's "threatening to annihilate" the human race has an incubation period of about 4-7 days, wherein the patients could a-ok while they could be walking around sneezing like they have an allergy in the later days.
Maybe the private doctors should be blamed for not refering these sneezers for some canggih investigation like RT-PCR (reverse-trancriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction - yeah .... quite a mouthful!!) at our canggih paperless hospitals.

The media has given plenty of coverage for the "swine flu" influenza A H1N1. Don't worry about the change in the name .... the Pig Pork industry lobby has forced the Govt to be decided politically correct. I wonder why the didn't do anything for those in the Chicken industry during the Avian Influenza ... everyone spoke of "Bird Flu"/ "Selsema Burung" back then. I wonder why the Chicken-Lobby didn't object before the SARS word became the norm.
Other than the economic interests of the pork industry, maybe the word Babi/Swine is so offensive to those who suffer from "kosherophilia" or "haramophobia", that it had to be done. Maybe it was "halal/kosher" animal - so that's fairgame, I suppose.

Anyways, this swine flu thingie is no different from the common flu - as far as I know- and there are more fatalities arising from the inefficiency of the pseudo-intellectual flunkies, who handle prevention of the perpetual dengue epidemic that plagues our country. Meanwhile we hear of "mosquito farms" being permitted to multiply by those who need some hard cash for some expensive "Kopi-O", to overcome the global economic downturn.
But hey - those responsible for prevention are cool! Of course- in keeping with our noble traditions.... in our true to Bolehsian style of looking for "orang minyak"/ bogeyman, the private practitioners have to be whacked to kingdom come, while these flunkies sit pretty.

So, some big shot says you can still party or and move around fearlessly for shopping where there may be travelers .... just don't go to school. Dang - how I wish he was there as a minister when I was in school .....
Just for the sake of general knowledge, you could go to the CDC website for more info ... or if you're just too lazy, and could do with some pointers, read the excerpts below.

P.S.
One funny thing though - back then when there was this SARS, we had some big guns going around on a chicken eating photoshoot. How come we don't have a "Babi eating" campaign photoshoot these days - it's truly a valid case for initiating an Anti-Discrimination Law instead of the suggested "Race Relations Act". The Chickens and Pigs don't "relate", right?
(who cares about homo sapiens are discriminated anyways- as long as those at the top of the Bolehsian food chain "relate" to pendatangs and kafirs lower down, it's cool - the animals' supremacy and the "Ketuanan Binatang" ideology needs to be upheld for national security).

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

What is novel H1N1 (swine flu)?
Novel H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. Other countries, including Mexico and Canada, have reported people sick with this new virus. This virus is spreading from person-to-person, probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread.

How does novel H1N1 flu compare to seasonal flu in terms of its severity and infection rates?
CDC is still learning about the severity of novel H1N1 flu virus. At this time, there is not enough information to predict how severe novel H1N1 flu outbreak will be in terms of illness and death or how it will compare with seasonal influenza.

What are the signs and symptoms of this virus in people?
The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Also, like seasonal flu, severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.

Case definitions —

Definitions are changing as we learn more about this virus and the syndromes it causes. Cases in the United States are confirmed by diagnostic testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [1,26,46]. (See "Diagnosis" above).

Influenza-like illness (ILI) is defined as fever (temperature of 100ºF [37.8ºC] or greater) with cough or sore throat in the absence of a known cause other than influenza [46].

The following case definitions have been provided by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [46]:

• A confirmed case of H1N1 influenza A is defined as an individual with an ILI with laboratory-confirmed H1N1 influenza A virus detection by real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR or culture.

• A probable case of H1N1 influenza A is defined as an individual with an ILI who is positive for influenza A, but negative for H1 and H3 by RT-PCR

H1N1 influenza A may be suspected in an individual who does not meet the definitions of confirmed or probable H1N1 influenza A, but has an ILI and an epidemiologic link (eg, likely exposure to a confirmed or probable case within the past seven days). Full case definitions can be found at the CDC's website (http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/).

Antiviral Drugs

Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) with activity against influenza viruses, including swine influenza viruses.
Antiviral drugs can be used to treat swine flu or to prevent infection with swine flu viruses. These medications must be prescribed by a health care professional.
Influenza antiviral drugs only work against influenza viruses -- they will not help treat or prevent symptoms caused by infection from other viruses that can cause symptoms similar to the flu.
There are four influenza antiviral drugs approved for use in the United States (oseltamivir, zanamivir, amantadine and rimantadine). The swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses that have been detected in humans in the United States and Mexico are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine so these drugs will not work against these swine influenza viruses.
Laboratory testing on these swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses so far indicate that they are susceptible (sensitive) to oseltamivir and zanamivir.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

• Stay informed. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

• Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick.
• CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.

• 
  

Holy Mother of Mongolia!!!

Just check out this poll, guys!!!
Somebody in high office sure is twiddling with his jewels - ermmm ..... come to think of it, maybe his other half is doing the twiddling....
The sad part is there are still guys who go around spinning yarns about the virtues of his 1Mongolia 1Malaysia policy. They have yet to admit that Umno is rotting at its core, and is waiting to fall apart.

Meanwhile, the "prodigal dad" of Umno Baru is just waiting to bail out once again - to start whipping that fat lady with her wimp. It must've been the satay party the fat lady threw for Dirty Harry, which left a bad taste in his mouth ..... which would probably make sure Jibby eats Harry's satay in future.
Mahathir was right about Harry this time - just what the hell did he think he was doing (or what the hell was Jibby thinking, rather) gallivanting the length and breath of Malaysia?
Just take a look at the screen capture of the results as of this morning:-

On another note,
those of you concerned about the bed you sleep in in the afterlife, worry no more - fear not O Ye Men of Little Faith!!
The solution has been provided by our Prophet Muhyiddin. He has just passed on to us a message from the hereafter - through his mouthpiece, Bernama.

The message is this -
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin said today "Muslims who vote for either the Barisan Nasional (BN) or PAS have an equal chance of going to heaven. He said what could prevent them from going to heaven was their sins and not their votes for a political party."

Note that he spoke about Muslims only - and hence I wouldn't wish to comment on that. However, there appears to be a theological spin used for politics here .....
So what I'd like to ask below, is simply a theological question in my attempt to understand my leader's ideas.

Now for those who still believe that
a) "God" is a simpleton in the sky,
b) in "eternal heavenly rewards or possible everlasting damnation in hell",
c) in heavenly brownie points,
d) in sin,
d) and care for their "immortal souls" (whatever that may be)
and would like to think a little more:

The question remains though - isn't it a "sin" to vote for murderers?
..... those who call for their twisted daggers to be bathed in "chinese blood"?
..... those who breed hatred and mutual suspicion?
..... those who work in cahoots with the underworld?
..... those who specialize in C4-ing Mongolians while hiding their involvement?
..... a tainted and shamelessly biased judiciary and security personnel?
and those who suck your life-blood through numerous indirect taxes?

Aiyoyo, Moideen Muhyiddin
- please don't give up your day-job while you moonlight as a prophet, yah?


p.s.
Looks like Malaysia is up for some real "good-times"
- we really have an interesting pair of clowns who "lead" the nation!!

KJ: Politics of Empathy or Whoring?

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

"Do remember that
dishonesty and cowardice always have to be paid for.

Don’t imagine that for years on end
you can make yourself the boot-licking propagandist
of the Soviet regime, or any other regime,
and then suddenly return to mental decency.
Once a whore, always a whore."
-George Orwell

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

“I don't want to coast along with the old model because,
clearly, it has been rejected.
That is why I made it a point, when we set up our community complaints bureau,
that some of the first cases we solved would be for non-Malays."
- Mr. Khairy

"The internal split within Umno will weaken the party’s position
and this will pave way for the Chinese Malaysians
to make various demands to benefit their community".
- Mr. Khairy, 18 August, 2006 (quoted in Sin Chew Daily)

"after awhile, you get immune to these things."
-Mr. Hishammuddin

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

"Some people" believe that because they peddle their "goodies" on the street to desperate people, they deserve respect, and should be regarded as saviours of the world (and some other ignoramuses also believe that, anyways). They don't mind having to do or say stupid and shameless things - as long as they eat better, it's fair game. Surely those professionals on the street, providing sexual favours know a thing or two about this "Politics of Empathy" - so, this "some people" must've surely got some pointers from them ....

"Some people" believe that the solution to all their ills lie in their ability to be peddlers of popular sentiments - regardless of personal convictions. Their logic is very simple - when you know that your convictions are rejected, simply start whoring for greater appeal among the masses, using the talents at your disposal. And they strive to create these desperate masses who'd succumb to the temptation they present - on their own terms, though.

It doesn't matter one bit if their convictions (in line with that of their mindless herd), are diametrically opposed to that which they empathize with - what matters to these gutter politicians is that they can sell themselves to the people they woo. Hypocrisy is just the name of the game.
They have some fancy names to boggle the "minds" of their mindless minions and simpletons - they call it "Politics of Empathy".

Don't underestimate these guys - they're smart, alright.
Especially since they were bred in systems far superior (International schools and even Oxbridge, I hear) to our pathetic Malaysian education system, which has become the laughing stock among educationists. (Yes - in Malaysia, it can only look like education, and sound like education - but it just isn't education).

The sad part is, they don't learn, know or even understand the meaning of ethics or morality .....