LONE

Friday, January 30, 2004

Back 2 Blog

The CNY is practically over, at least for most Hokkien Lang, the break was most welcomed and it also allowed me to confirm that i am not what i thought i had become (see this and this for context). This has helped me to make a little peace with my significant other, who oftentime think i'm an addict.
The break also allowed me to spend some time in the PAS land, there has been some changes since i was last there. The PCB (formerly Pantai Cinta Berahi and now Pantai Cahaya Bulan has further disappeared and only a tiny strip is left of what was a nice beach in my younger days. Traffic in the town centre is just as mad and congested as before despite the opening of a new bridge over the Kelantan River. The Kota Bharu Methodist Church is now in its own new building and opposite it, a new mega mall is underconstruction, this is gonna be the biggest in Kota Bharu i am told. This new 4 storey church building has a bakery in the ground floor and the church itself in the 1st floor, so there is bread for the stomach on the ground and bread for the soul on the 1st!
As usual PAS and UMNO flags are all over the place and there are a sprinkling of those of Keadilan (old ones though, none with the red borders of PKR). The parties must be gearing up for the 11th election. Was told that a mock election was held in December and our top UMNO man in Kelata was said to have received a beating.
For those who have used the East-West highway, it is as good (or as bad) as before. Smooth driving all the way and little need to overtake anyone. The Banding Island Resort is still there and a good place to take a break and a leak and a bite as any other stop. To know more of this resort, which is said to be one for those fishing enthusiasts, go here. This highway has been a boon to those who have to make almost 'annual (or even more frequent) pilgrimage' to the East Coast states. After Jeli, for those going to Kota Bharu, a better route to take would be to go through Rantau Panjang rather than Tanah Merah, traffic is relatively light and therefore stress levels too.
There has been marked increase in the number of authentic and pseudo-Thai restaurants in town especially in the Wakaf Bharu and Tumpat areas. With names like Chengmai, Bangkok and Maesot, who needs to go to Thailand proper for Thai food. Especially now with the avian flu in Thailand (and the messy way the Thais have been handling it), it is little wonder that these local establishments were packed nightly. There were many grumbling and rambling stomachs that night (2nd CNY night) when we were turned away by at least 3 of these places. So no tomyam for us that night, and the hungry stomachs had to be satisfied with those 'prosperity burgers' of McDonald. These goodies are only available during the CNY period.
Oh yes, if you are wondering whether there were sounds and noises from firecrackers and lion dance drums in PAS land, be assured that there were plenty to keep the younger ones entertained. Spotted a lion dance at the opening of a supermarket performed by a group of malay lion dancers.

| ¶ 1/30/2004 04:27:00 PM

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

Swift Justice

Recently, the Monday which has just gone by, there was a heated arguement between the judge presiding and the accused in one of the highest court of our land. The high profile case being heard, among other things, was bail for a convicted sodomist. In this matter, the man had not exhausted all the legal avenues available to him. In this matter of bail, which usually takes a short matter of time to settle, tetapi in this particular case, it has taken more than half a year! See here for further details.
But justice can be swift, as swift as 48 hours. This happened after the one seeking bail let out an emotional outburst, lambasting the judges in that process and lo and behold, soon after that a 'promise' was made by the judges to deliver the bail decision within the next 48 hours! How's that for swift justice, malaysia boleh style. Dramatic way of getting justice swiftly.
Now we have, none other than our new PM asking for swift justice but this has nothing to do with any bail application. See this article in the NST, headlined Pm : I want Swift Justice. Surely lots of right thinking Malaysians must wish that he had said this earlier not only in relations to the court lambasting bail case mentioned above but to many other cases which have occurred during the past 2 decades.

| ¶ 1/20/2004 11:45:00 AM

Sunday, January 18, 2004

Few Good Men

Reading about what is happening in Malacca, somehow reminded me of this movie :: A few good men, remember the one with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. if you need to refresh your memory go here.
Last November, Lim Guan Eng exposed the case of the secretary of the state’s Jasin Municipal Council who was serving in the post despite being declared a bankrupt in October 2002. The secretary's appointment was defended by the Malacca MB but the new PM Pak Lah in and ordered the controversial appointment terminated.
Now again Guan Eng has pointed out that newly appointed Malacca International Trade Centre or MITC chief executive officer has not so impeccable credentials. The newly appointed MITC CEO is said to possess a criminal breach of trust conviction in 1995.
Are there really so few good men in Malacca?

| ¶ 1/18/2004 01:02:00 PM

Friday, January 16, 2004

Aliran Monthly Really Needs You

Just saw the latest print copy of Aliran Monthly, the apppeal mentioned in my earlier blog was no spam mail; it is in Page 22 of the latest issue of the Monthly.
So rally all you Aliran supporters and keep the Monthly going. Donations and subscriptions are greatly welcome ::

1. Make a donation to Aliran.
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| ¶ 1/16/2004 08:37:00 AM

Thursday, January 15, 2004

Country with the Highest Execution Rate

If you think it is China, you are wrong; say Saudi Arabia and you are not right, answer Malaysia Boleh and again you fail. The 'dubious honours' according to Amnesty International belongs to Singapore, which it says has the highest execution rate on a per capita basis.
See the report by the Australian.
For the full report from AI go here, below is a short summary ::

More than 400 (actual figure is 408) prisoners have been hanged in Singapore since 1991, giving the small city-state possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population of just over four million people. The execution figures include a significant percentage of foreign nationals. It is not known how many prisoners are currently on death row, but the shocking death toll from executions continues to rise.

Most of those executed were convicted of drug trafficking while others were executed for murder or firearms offences. These offences carry a mandatory death penalty, which means that trial judges have no option but to impose a death sentence on those who are convicted. A series of clauses in the Misuse of Drugs Act and the Arms Offences Act contain presumptions of guilt, conflicting with the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and eroding the right to a fair trial.

Singapura Boleh.

| ¶ 1/15/2004 07:10:00 PM

Promises oh Promises

{updated version}
The newly minted PM has made many promises since taking over from the Tun. And he certainly has a lot to do with the mess the Tun has left behind for him; to rectify, repair, set in order, make amends and so on. The 100 days honeymoon period is more than three quarters gone, so maybe it's time to note down what Pak Lah has promised to date ::

Pak Lah started of by declaring war on corruption, Zero Corruption he declared.
Calling for the TRUTH from all and calling for the people to work WITH him.
Agricultuure and not mega projects will form his major part of his economic initiatives
Improvement of the civil service, making it more civil and ensuring the public a better, more efficient delivery system. Red tape reduction advocated.
Ensuring that the quality of education is improved. Education revolution
A Royal Commission for the Polis Force, terms and aims and composition of the commission are eagerly awaited.
Ensuring more prudent fiscal policies and better utilisation of the taxpayers' money, deferring or cancelling projects which are not needed in the immediate future eg the doubling tracking rail project.
Calling once again for Kepimpinan melalui Teladan, "Political leaders should lead by example."
Ensuring a more transparent open tender system BUT some 'special projects' will not be so

Now are there any promises or cakap cakap which have been left out, please clue me in.

Prior to the new PM taking over, there were wishlist galore, see some of them here and here. Read the full text of the PM's speech at the NEAC dialogue forum, here

| ¶ 1/15/2004 11:22:00 AM

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Limited Transparency

The less than 100 day-old PM admitted that the handling of procurement and tender processes for government contracts lack transparency, (he is stating the obvious). He admitted this while speaking at the NEACouncil dialogue at Putrajaya, (so what is the solution he proposes?) He said ::

"Tender processes need to be transparent, with open tendering being the norm." "Having efficient and transparent processes will reduce uncertainty as well as limit the opportunities for corruption." (All very, very good). BUT (this is a big one), he also is quoted as saying, "Direct negotiations will be limited to very special cases. In this manner, an open tendering system will help promote efficiency and competition, which would directly lower the cost of doing business."

Now the BIG question is whether all tenders will be transparent or are there going to be some with limited transparency and are therefore opaque and if so which tenders are these going to be? The other question is why the need for these special opaque tenders?

Just like you want the TRUTH from us, in return we would like to have the TRUTH from you, for the TRUTH will set you free. 26 more days to go.

| ¶ 1/13/2004 04:06:00 PM

Monday, January 12, 2004

Tolerance & Acceptance

Both the Lunar New Year and the 11th election are on their way. The newly minted Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall has already had its Chinese New Year dinner and among its honoured guests was our newly retired PM. And these are his words of wisdom ::

"I believe this year is an election year and I plead to Chinese voters to give their full support to the Barisan Nasional in the election.," and " Malaysia was peaceful compared to many other countries in the world because the BN government was tolerant towards all races in the country."

Malaysia has been independent for almost 50 years, isn't it time we had a Government which accepts and not just tolerate all Malaysians. Isn't it time we have a Government which is colour-blind, race-blind and religion-blind but has full 20/20 Vision to accept all who are Malaysians. So i hope the newly retired PM has again been misquoted by the press. For to many, tolerance and acceptance are words with vastly different meanings.

| ¶ 1/12/2004 04:03:00 PM

Gossiping--Good? Bad?

Gossiping, yakking, chinwagging or chit chatting or whatever you choose to call it, men are known to call gossiping--de-briefing or networking or blogging, often does not have a good reputation of its own. But some do say that it is good for the gossipers, and some say even for the establishments they work in. The latest bite on gossiping according to a new research done on nurses by an occupational psychologist, Ms Katherine Waddington, at the School of Nursing at London's City University, said that while gossiping was generally good, there was a downside. So like all good things, it should not be overdone, nor should it be malicious, false or vindictive.
So what are the good points of yakking, according to this research, they are ::

Gossiping at work is an ideal way to let off steam and can help staff relax or even discuss ideas
Gossip could help people to become more creative.
Gossip could help to let off steam or ease stress and help to provide a safety valve for those in demanding jobs.

Of course it must be noted that Ms Waddington's research findings may only be valid for nurses.

For those who are into gossip, you might want to look at the following too ::

Happy gossiping, yakking, de-briefing, networking, blogging ...........

| ¶ 1/12/2004 10:09:00 AM

Saturday, January 10, 2004

The PM's New Year Resolution

The PM has said it, his New Year Resolution is :: All political leaders under my administration will show good example in carrying out their duties. .
The STAR also reported the PM as saying :: "Political leaders should lead by example in combating corruption". Now where and when and by whom did we hear about this slogan previously :: Kepimpinan Melalui Teladan. So what's new? Where did that slogan of old led us? Did so many followed that leader so closely and so diligently; that at the end of his era we ended up with so much corruption and other ills which we are facing today. This time around, if 'Lead by Example" is not being led by a really, truly, honestly GOOD LEADER, we will most likely remain in ground zero or worse.
Hopefully this time around, we will have a good leader, who will really, truly and honestly ensure that there will be no place for political leaders in his administration who cakap tak serupa bikin. This leadership by example should also not be limited to fighting corruption only but extended to all the ills we face today.

| ¶ 1/10/2004 12:05:00 PM

Friday, January 09, 2004

Test Page

This gentleman has such a wide smile. Why? It's because he has just been chosen as the DPM recently. What a happy, happy smiling man. Hope that he will have reasons to continue smilling and that we will have reasons to contiunue smiling along with him. Would he like to account for his past sayings and his comments on the ISA and make amends for his worldly views. Does a leopard changes his spots or a tiger his stripes? Wishful thinking and hoping. But man does live on hopes.

| ¶ 1/09/2004 09:42:00 AM

Thursday, January 08, 2004

Robber Cops

It was New Year's Day, seven robbers came acalling at this hotel in KL city, the Wenworth Hotel at Jalan Imbi. They came in 2 cars. 2 of them assaulted the hotel's spa manager, another 2 held gun each to subdue their victims, another 2 stood guard and number 7 cleaned out the cash register at the front counter of the spa. RM 3000 were taken away.

The spa manager and his worker recognised the number plate of one of the car used in the hold-up and lodged a report at city police contingent immediately after the robbery.

The spa manager identified the suspects at the polis lineup. Sounds like an episode of Gerak Khas.

According to this report in the STAR, the 7 suspects were from Bukit Aman's Serious Crime Division. All the 7 were polismen, included were 2 chief inspectors!!!

Pak Lah please hurry up with the Royal Commission and rid the PDRM of such Robber Cops and other misfits within it.

| ¶ 1/08/2004 05:43:00 PM

Dress Code Only an Advisory Lah

Looks like our morality guardians are taking a step back, we are now told that the dress code is only an advisory lah. See this. Wasted so much hot air complaining about it. So for those who like tight jeans and sleeveless blouses, please to carry on.

Dresses not advised but not disallowed

According to Terengganu MB's special assistant in Chinese Affairs, Mr Ng Chai Hin, the new guideline (read advisory) had merely advised women and men to dress decently. So what's wrong with that? This is also when they are at work; at the discos and karaokes, they are free to dress as they like (this also within limits of decency lah, so no bare-chested looks). But are there any discos and karaokes left in Terengganu, i wonder, will check them out when next in the East Coast.
Mr Ng is ever ready to help if any non-muslim is treated unfairly, he assured that the state will not hesitate to initiate investigations if a non-Muslim was unfairly treated under the new guideline.
As for Mr Karpal of the DAP, he can rest easy and treat his threats to sue as hot gasses too.
What is difficult to understand is why PAS goes on these 'testing the boundaries' trips ever so often. They then have to think of reasons to back down, often the mainstream media is blamed as sensationalising things or heating up issues which are truly cold. On the other hand, it could just be a way of PAS to get some coverage in the said media.

PAS and Mr Ng might want to take note of what this writer to Malaysiakini has to say. Among the many things he has to say, did he pose the question : 'Dressing sexily is not the same as indency'.

| ¶ 1/08/2004 02:52:00 PM

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

The New Cabinet

Following the appointment of Najib as DPM, a minor cabinet reshuffle occurred. According to Bernama, the new cabinet is as follows ::

Full List Of Cabinet Ministers

Prime Minister: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Deputy Prime Minister: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Minister in the Prime Minister's Dept ::

1. Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
2. Datuk Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor
3. Datuk Abdul Hamid Zainal Abidin
4. Tan Sri Bernard Dompok

Minister of Special Functions in the Prime Minister's Dept:
Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Effendi Norwawi

Minister of Housing and Local Government: Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting

Minister of Works: Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu

Minister of Primary Industries: Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik

Minister of Energy, Communication and Multimedia: Datuk Amar Leo Moggie

Minister of International Trade and Industry: Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz

Minister of Defence: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Minister of Finance I: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Minister of Finance II: Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop

Minister of Home Affairs: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Minister of Science, Technology and Environment: Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs: Datuk Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis

Minister of Health: Datuk Chua Jui Meng

Minister of Land and Cooperative Development: Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam

Minister of National Unity and Social Development: Datuk Dr Siti Zaharah Sulaiman

Minister of Information: Tan Sri Khalil Yaakob

Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism: Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir

Minister of Human Resources: Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn

Minister of Transport: Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy

Minister of Entrepreneur Development: Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Tan Sri Abdul Aziz

Minister of Rural Development: Datuk Azmi Khalid

Minister of Youth and Sports: Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein

Minister of Agriculture : Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

Minister of Education: Tan Sri Musa Mohamad

Minister of Women and Family Development: Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil

The reshuffle has been very minimalistic, probably the PM is not ready to bring out the chopper and has made the changes just for the sake of making changes. The man who could have been DPM has been moved to the Agri Ministry, a ministry which is to be the front runner of one of the new PM's initiatives. It appears that the PM has also taken the opportunity to send JJ away from the MoF, probably because of the doubletracking deal which soured. The mini mini reshuffle could also mean that the 11th election is near, after that probably the chopper would be out or who knows, by then those who needed to be chopped may no longer be around.

| ¶ 1/07/2004 03:06:00 PM

Najib for DPM

Looks like Najib's dream will come true. Reports from the Star and Malaysiakini say that he will be confirmed as DPM today, before the weekly cabinet meeting.

The smile says it all (Star pic)

Wanna see the manner, Johnny Ong & TV Smith think, how Najib was chosen, take a peep here.

| ¶ 1/07/2004 09:51:00 AM

Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Aliran Monthly may have to cease operations

Received the following distress e-mail from Aliran

Dear Readers

We are incurring significant financial deficits every month and we will run out of funds in a few weeks. The financial contribution from the sale of our magazines can no longer cover our fixed overhead expenses.
We cannot carry on like this. One way out would be to increase our cover price - but we are very reluctant to do this. In the past, Aliran depended on limited financial resources derived from Aliran Monthly subscriptions and sales as well as donations made by our members, subscribers and other well-wishers. Our writers, members and other supporters receive no payment for their tireless services.
Our current financial predicament is largely the result of declining street sales (although our subscribers have remained loyal.) Apart from this, the cost of producing Aliran Monthly, disseminating information and publications, networking with other civic organisations, and organising public talks and forums has risen considerably.
For our operational expenses, we receive no funding whatsoever from any government or opposition political party, corporation or foreign source. We have always cherished our autonomy.
Help us to carry on as a rallying point for citizens and civic organisations concerned with freedom, justice and democracy. Support us as we defend civil liberties and human rights, and promote inter-ethnic and inter-religious respect. Contribute to our work in raising awareness of the plight of marginalised communities, disadvantaged groups and persecuted individuals who are too often bereft of any opportunity to speak for themselves.
Become a part of this struggle by responding in any one of the following ways:

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| ¶ 1/06/2004 03:28:00 PM

She Bomber

Yesterday the papers were abuzzed with news of the twice-cancelled British Airways Flight 223. British officials were said to have warned that more flights may be called off to prevent another Sept 11-style attack.
The concerns over the flight came as the United States was placed on high alert because of intelligence that raises fears of a possible attack that could be bigger than the Sept 11 attack. In London, British Transport Secretary said British security services had information supporting US intelligence and that there was information about specific threats.
Sunday Telegraph quoted security sources as saying two al-Qaeda members were at large in Britain and planned to detonate a shoe bomb or similar device in an aircraft lavatory.
wits0 pointed out this report, the device may not be a shoe bomb but an IVED or intravaginal explosive device. This report is to be found in Mirror.co.uk, points to a She Bomber, according to this ::

"US security services told Scotland Yard the woman - almost certainly linked to al-Qaeda - intended to hide eight to 12 ounces of plastic explosive in her vagina.
She would then go to the toilet during the Boeing 747 flight, remove the material and detonate a blast that would down the aircraft."

Imagine the nightmare if explosive devices are concealed and carried in this manner. If no specific information about the suspect is available, would it be possible to carry out an intimate body search of every female passenger. Surely if the She Bomber can do this, what is gonna stop similar He Bomber from concealment of such explosive devices in other bodily locations? Who would want to travel by air and be subjected to such intimate body search?

| ¶ 1/06/2004 02:30:00 PM

Monday, January 05, 2004

Sexy, Improper, Immoral Attire

Why, oh, why must we have our morality guardians appearing once every so often. If it is not with regards to holding hands, talk talk between members of the opposite sex or lining up separately, the latest immoral act deemed is wearing immoral attire. What is happening to our society that there is a need for such controls. Are the members of our society living so decadently that we need rules and laws to protect ourselves from doing harm to ourselves.
Both the Star and Malaysiakini have reported on the latest move by the Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council to ensure proper attire for muslim and non-muslim workers. According to the news reports, this move appears to be more concerned with the lady workers. Are there also ruling for proper attire for gentleman workers?
Thanks for little mercy, the workers are said to be banned from wearing such attires only during office hours. So after office hours, presumably they are allowed :: short-sleeved blouses, tight-fitting jeans, long skirts with slits, mini-skirts, figure-hugging or revealing dresses. This must come as a relief to those who like to dress in such a manner. On the other hand, knowing the rebel in the young such a ruling might have the effect even on those who don't regularly wear such dresses. So there is a possiblity of the ruling misfiring.

| ¶ 1/05/2004 05:12:00 PM

Saturday, January 03, 2004

Accidents:: Vengeance of Wild Spirits?

THe recent furore over the increasing number of road traffic accident deaths laid the blame on drivers, their vehicles, road conditions, weather and even the Works MINIster. But this NST reader seems to think that there are other forces at work. Here is the letter from one S.K.Kang, who thinks that the 'vengeance of wild spirits is to be blame, in his letter, he relates his experience ::
Nobody and no authority in this world can control road accidents. Just imagine, a car or motorcycle can ram into a stationary lorry or bus. Something must be very wrong.These vehicles can be seen at 10m to 20m away, even at night.
Before a road is constructed, we bulldoze the virgin forests, but we never request the spirits of the wild for permission or to ask them to go away. By the rule of the jungle, we have destroyed their homes.
Naturally, the spririts get very angry and their only recourse is to take revenge by blocking the view of drivers.
I was waylaid by the spirits of the wild (langsir) during the 60s. We were having a night driving exercise and I was driving a Daimler Scout. We were driving from Tangkat to Segamat at 2.30am.
I was driving along an estate road, all oof a sudden, I saw a road with bright lighhts to my left. I turned left and heard a loud bang and the next moment my vehicle was in a drain.
Luckily nothing happened to me, only my commander was slightly injured on the head. It was very dark and we remained in the vehicle until the next morning. Then, I discovered that I have smashed a large milestone.

Now what do you think of what Mr S.K.Kang has to say regarding his experience. Are we going about the wrong way in trying to reduce road traffic accidents? Should our Datuk Seri Semi Value be getting the bomohs and the priests to exorcise our roads of these wild spirits and appease the vengeance that is in their minds? Anyone, out there, with similar experiences?

| ¶ 1/03/2004 08:50:00 AM

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