LONE

Saturday, July 31, 2004

Sure Heboh, Sure Haram

::The Mufti Council of Malaysia Friday has decreed TV3's Sure Heboh concerts "haram" (against Islam) as they caused the ummah to neglect their religious responsibility and promoted sin among youths.

Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria has the following to say ::

"It was also "haram" for people to organise, attend and watch the concerts as they were detrimental to the Malays."
"The Sure Heboh concerts are inclined towards causing neglect and can bring negative effects to the race aside from bringing about weak minds."
"There are now many entertainment programmes on television. What is the need of such concerts? Entertainment is allowed in Islam but not if it promoted neglect in various areas."

TV3 is holding a grand 'Sure Heboh' carnival to wrap up the nationwide series of concerts beginning today for three days at the Bukit Jalil stadium in Kuala Lumpur. Now with this decreed will the show at Bukit Jalil be still on?

A poll on the TV3 website showed that 60% said Yes to 'Sure Heboh', 22% said No and 18% said they have never been to one.

| ¶ 7/31/2004 01:06:00 AM

Friday, July 30, 2004

Patriotism ala JG Flying

::February and June are the months for kite flying; the months of August and September are reserved for flag flying. The call is out for one to demonstrate one's patriotism by unfolding one's stock of the Jalur Gemilang and having them fluttering in the wind.

Last year there was this incidence involving the Jalur Gemilang, in Penang :: "Giant flag at shopping mall stolen". This giant of a flag measured 4.8m by 7.2m, and was said to be the biggest in the state of Pulau Pinang. Will someone else come out with a bigger one this year? Anyway the lost Jalur was eventually recovered, much to the happiness of the owner.

This year the "Patriotic Show" will be starting soon. The Kembara Merdeka Jalur Gemilang programme organised by the Information Department will tour the nation from 31st July to instil patriotism among Malaysians in the run up to 47th National Day. The programme is in its 4th year. The programme, themed "Bersama Membina Negara Cemerlang, Terbilang dan Gemilang" (Together we build a nation of excellence, glory and distinction), will comprise 47 participants to mark the years of our independence.

Meanwhile Bernama reports that all supermarkets, business premises and hotels nationwide have been asked to fly the Jalur Gemilang and play patriotic songs throughout the month of August in conjunction with the National Day on Aug 31. The operators have also been told to decorate their premises based on the National Day motives. Once again the show is on, the month to show one's patriotism is once again around. The gomen once again certainly doesn't believe that :: Coerced Patriotism is not True Patriotism. The show must go on. After almost half a century, our leaders are still behaving like children, telling each other :: mine is bigger, mine is longer, mine is taller....my patriotism is more patriotic....... Malaysia Boleh!

| ¶ 7/30/2004 05:35:00 PM

The Long Ranger Saga

::The search for survivors of the Long Ranger helicopter which went missing on 12th July finally ended 'late' last night. All 7 on board the ill-fated helicopter, which crashed at Mount Murud, Sarawak have been confirmed dead. Soon after the helicopter went missing, an intensive hunt was made for it. More than 1,200 people and 16 aircraft, including a PC Orion fitted with a “forward looking infra-red” system that can detect body heat and small metal objects, a GAF Nomad plane fitted with a hyper spectral imaging system to help out in remote sensing and an aircraft equipped with light detection and ranging apparatus and a special digital camera were involved in the search and rescue operation.

Finally after 15 days, on 27th July, the wreckage of the helicopter was located about 4km from the foot of Mount Murud, north-west of the original flight route, ironically, a place that had been searched extensively before. The wreckage was located by rescuers on board another helicopter. Initial reports said that the cabin of the ill-fated helicopter was intatct and this raised hopes that there would be survivors. Due to poor weather conditions and other things, it was only the next day, 28th July at about 520pm, that rescuers could be lowered down to the helicopter. The rescuers reported sighting 4 bodies in the helicopter and one outside, they were said to be badly decomposed. This again raised hopes that the other 2 passengers may have survived. Families prayed and hoped for the best.

On 29th July, Malaysiakini carried a report time-stamped at 353pm by Tony Thien, under this grim headlines :: Heli crash: All bodies found, grim identification task begins. But even at 433pm, Bernama was reporting :: Najib Expresses Sadness Five Victims Failed To Be Rescued. The 700pm news on TV1 showed Najib grim-faced expressing his sadness and saying that the remaining two were still unaccounted for. At 708pm Bernama said ::

"MIRI, July 29 (Bernama) -- The bodies of the five victims of the ill-fated Bell 206 Long Ranger can only be removed most probably Friday once easy access has been made to the crash site.
This was being done Thursday by clearing the area for a landing site for helicopters to fly in police personnel to the wreckage.
[......]
Meanwhile, there are still no news of the fate of two other persons on board the helicopter, which went missing since July 12 while flying from Bario to Ba'Kelalan."

Even at 800pm, national TV news continued to report that the fate of the 'missing duo' was not acertained. Finally at 906pm, Bernama carried this report :: ll Seven In Helicopter Crash In Sarawak Confirmed Dead.

Thus ended the hopes and prayers for the safety of the passengers of the ill-fated Long Ranger helicopter saga. An unfortunate ending as there were no survivors and prayers were left unanswered. What is left is for the families to bear the grief and to mourn the dead. The dead are assistant state minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Dr Judson Tagal, contractor Datuk Marcus Raja, Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation CEO Roger Wong, Sesco northern Sarawak manager Ling Kian Ho, Sesco engineer Jason Eng, Padawan Municipal Council chairman Lawrence Th’ng and pilot Capt Samsuddin Hassim.

Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam, who was in charge of the search and rescue operation had this to say ::

“I am so sorry. We have tried our best. I will meet the family members of all the seven in Miri soon.
“I pray that they will be strong. I pray for the deceased. May they rest in peace.”

| ¶ 7/30/2004 10:15:00 AM

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

of Forged STPM Certs & Manipulated Matrik Results

::Sometime ago our HE [Higher Education] Minister came forth with the possiblity that there was a syndicate involved in forging STPM certs. The very next day the Malaysian Examinations Council [MEC] secretary-general, Datuk Termuzi Abdul Aziz, in rebutting this possibility, said :: " It is impossible for students to change the results on their Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) certificate to get a place in public universities."

On 19th July, our loyal Opposition leader said in Parliament ::

Recently, there was the short-lived but baseless furore over a syndicate on STPM and SPM forged certificates.
Doubts were cast on the credibility, integrity and honour of the STPM “top scorers”, especially the 527 STPM candidates last year who had scored the perfect score of 4.0 cumulative grade point average (CGPA), when in actual fact, not a single forged STPM certificate had been uncovered publicly.

[......]
He continued by saying ::

I have received credible information that last year, some matriculation students who obtained 3.7 and 3.8 CGPA for their first and second semesters are given an overall score of 4.0 CGPA, when it should be 3.75. The Higher Education Ministry should conduct an independent inquiry to establish how extensive is such a malpractice.

The Opposition leader also had some stunning info bits to reveal regarding the latest intake into the Medical Faculty of Universiti Malaya ::

For the University of Malaya medical intake this year, there is a total of 175 students, comprising 96 Bumiputras (54.8%), 69 Chinese (39.4%) and 10 Indians (5.7%).
This year, STPM students make up only some 35 of the total intake, making the intake one of 20% STPM students and 80% matriculation students. Out of the 35 STPM students in the University of Malaya medical faculty, 30 are Chinese and the remaining five Indians.
The vast drop in STPM students in the University of Malaya medical faculty intake is a matter of grave concern although the number of STPM “top scorers” total 527 in the 2003 STPM exam.
A scrutiny of the results of the successful students into the University of Malaya medical faculty would give the familiar finding of previous years – all STPM top scorers have a record of equally excellent SPM results, whereas the top scorers of matriculation, particularly Malay students, have much poorer SPM results – with some having grades as low as C6 for Biology and Additional Mathematics.

It has been more than a month and a half since the HE MINIster revealed the possiblity of a STPM cert forging syndicate and he has yet to come out with any evidence of the existence of this forging syndicate. It has also been more than a week since the revelations by Lim Kit Siang in Parliament regarding the convenient rounding off of CGPA scores of matrik results and again it is silence that we have received from our HE MINIster. Seeing how fast he was to 'crucify' the STPM students, has he lost his 'master voice' or what?

| ¶ 7/28/2004 04:19:00 PM

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Bernama "Penetrating" Report

::At the Global 2004 Langkawi International Dialogue (LID), Tongkat Ali [eurycoma longifolia jack] or often called LongJack is the topic of the day. Bernama reports :: "Tongkat Ali Attempts To Penetrate Int'l Market Via LID Exhibition." It looks like we will need to ensure that said Tongkat Ali truly has great erective powers and hence great penetrating abilities.

Rojam Industries Sdn Bhd is at the forefront of the Tongkat Ali and gamat [sea cucumber products] industries. Its MD said his company would promote more than 40 types of Tongkat Ali and gamat products, both in capsule and loose forms, besides other herbal medicines at the LID exhibition. The company apart from wanting to popularise its product in the African continent, is also keen to get them into other lucrative areas. The MD said :: "Negotiations to penetrate the lucrative China market is in progress."

Traditional Kedah delicacies such as "karas" or is it "keras" will also be promoted at the exhibition which will be opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. This "karas" and "penetrating" exhibition will be on from 29th to 31st July.

| ¶ 7/27/2004 05:08:00 PM

The Great Debate Sandiwara

::Till late last night i was left wondering whether the Great Debate between Opposition Leader Lim KS and our Parliament MINIster, Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz was allowed to take place. It was almost 12 midnight and i was three-quarters or more in dreamland, when i received confirmation that the Great ISA debate had truly been allowed to take place finally. Being quite sleepy, i slipped back into dreamland without hearing much of what happened at the debate proper.

But what can one really expect at a debate which was earlier stopped as the polis thought that it may posed a security threat. It was given the go ahead later after the polis had more than second thoughts and had time to invent some pretty interesting restrictions. Some 11 in all according to this M'kini report. Our Opposition Leader was particularly unhappy with the following two conditions viz ::

3.3 Tidak dibenarkan memasang banner/poster dan bahan bercetak yang melambangkang mana-mana parti politik atau pertubuhan semada di dalam atau di luar bangunan.
3.9. Tiada kutipan derma atau apa-apa kutipan dibuat sepanjang masa perhimpunan dijalankan.

and the third condition of not allowing the collection of donation at the door. Other conditions/restrictions included :: no seditious speeches, no raising of sensitive issues, no loud speakers and that the polis be allowed to video tape the debate. All these restrictions are obviously to discourage the holding of such events.

The following reports by the newspapers confirmed that the Great ISA debates did indeed take place ::

It appears that the take home messages of the debate were :: i) Parliament is not the place for debating the ISA, ii) a vote for the BN is a vote for the ISA, iii) ISA stands for "Ikut Suka Aku", it is not for judicial review and iv) the internal security minister will be a "coward" without the ISA!

| ¶ 7/27/2004 01:02:00 PM

The Thumb Up from Tok Guru

::They say a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Well, one only need to take a look at this one and know that the Tok Guru is doing fine after his angioplasty.

Looking so much better compared to when he was first admitted, Nik Aziz thanked the PM for his concern and for allowing his son, Nik Adli, to visit him in the hospital. Nik Adli, is being detained under the Internal Security Act for being an alleged member of the Malaysian Mujahidin Group or KMM. He is presently in Kamunting, Perak. The Kelantan MB and PAS leader claimed that seeing Nik Adli had revived him. The Kelantan MB is expected to be transferred to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur for further treatment tomorrow.

| ¶ 7/27/2004 10:33:00 AM

Friday, July 23, 2004

Malaysiakini :: Read for Free

::For the past many days, ever since the hard drives 'kena' burnt, the login function at Malaysiakini Website has been disabled due to technical problems.
This is another grand opportunity for those who have been wanting to try out the website for FREE. Browse around and if you like what you see and read, why not sign up and subscribe.
i am sure the site will be up and fully functional again in the not distant future. So have a freebie on Malaysiakini in the meanwhile. But do remember to sign up too.

| ¶ 7/23/2004 04:47:00 PM

Tok Guru in CCU

Kelantan Menteri Besar, Tok Guru, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for a heart ailment. Lets pray for his swift recovery. The Tok Guru was admitted to a private hospital in Kota Bharu for a coronary thrombosis event. M'kini has reported that "his condition was said to be stable now although he was ‘critical’ upon his admission".

This is the first time the 73-year-old PAS politician has suffered from a cardiac complaint. In the past he had been treated for gastritis for years.

Our PM Pak Lah who is on a working visit in France sent his best wishes to Nik Aziz and said he would pray for the politician’s speedy recovery. Bernama quoted him as saying :: "I hope the hospital will also provide the best treatment and facilities to him."
Doctors managing Nik Aziz are reported by Star as saying that he would probably need heart surgery once his condition stabilises in two days. Doctors from the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur could be brought in for the surgery to be done on the Kelantan Menteri Besar.

The latest Bernama report says that Kelantan Menteri Besar who suffered an acute heart attack Thursday morning has been transferred to the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian near here early Friday. Here he will be warded at its Coronary Care Unit (CCU) to enable four cardiologists from the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur who arrived here late last night to conduct further examination on him and to monitor him round the clock. Bernama also reported that Nik Aziz was able to speak for about 15 minutes to his son, Nik Adli, who arrived at the Perdana Specialist Hospital at about 11.50 pm. Nik Adli, his fourth child, is under detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) at the Kamunting Camp but allowed special exemption to visit him.

Lets pray and wish the Tok Guru will have a fats and uneventful recovery. At the same time lets also pray that the government and Pak Lah will see it in their wisdom to allow another who presently resides in Sungai Buloh (or is he in KLH presently?) to have his treatment of choice and be relieved from his sufferings.

| ¶ 7/23/2004 12:12:00 PM

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

No Datukship for Bee Bennard? How Can?

::Our hero swimmer, Bee Bennard, the one with the countless firsts will probably not be getting his datukship prior to winning the CMA presidency.
In a yet to be reported report, Bee is said to have won the CMA presidentcy pants down, i mean hands down, as his only possible competitor has only one nomination so far. This competitor needs 57 more just to be able to register as a candidate. It is reported that this erstwhile competitor will not have action taken against him as the earlier ruling that the CMA presidency should not be challenged was just an advisory. This should have been explained earlier and more nominations may have poured in!
In the meanwhile congratulatory messages have been pouring in for this 'pants down' win by Bee even though the election proper is really in September. Observers are saying that these "gonadal carriers" are trying their utmost to outdo each other. Why can't they just be patient, September is only just less than two months away. Hopefully the advertorials don't start coming too, as there will be less space for only the news that matters.
Anyway back to the matter-at-hand, the other rewards that our hero Bee will be receiving. The President of MAUSA [Malaysian Amateur Union of Swimming Association] has announced that president-elect-without-election Bee will be given cash rewards and other gifts, so far no titles have been mentioned. The reward and gifts will be handed over to the Cambridge University Bee during another president-elect-without-election, Bad-r-wee, during his trip to Britain later this week. This should provide some photo-shoot-session and news coverage for both the latter president-elect-without-election, Bad-r-wee and the CMA president-elect-without-election, Bee. According to the MAUSA president, the cash reward for Bee "will hopefully cover the training costs incurred by Bee". Bee is probably not so hopeful but Bee is a charitable one, he is known to have collected money for some charities during his swim. So it appears that Bee shouldn't hope for more lah, as said earlier he is not so hopeful. Anyway with the CMA presidency in hand, he is obviously not gonna beat about the bush for more handouts.

Disclaimer applies as usual

| ¶ 7/21/2004 10:18:00 AM

Friday, July 16, 2004

The Anwar Spinal Dilemma
It's his Human Rights

::The recent deterioration of DSAI's spinal problems has once again brought to the forefront the great divide in this country. On the one hand there are those who think that DSAI should just go ahead and have his operation locally and on the other hand there are those who feel that he should be allowed to go oveseas for the treatment of his choice.

The facts that are known are :: a.DSAI first had his spine injured after a fall from a horse; b.soon after his arrest he was badly assaulted, c.there is sufficient evidence that he has spinal stenosis, d.there has been recent deterioration of his condition and e.his condition demands urgent operative treatment.

The other thing that is clear, and has been affirmed by Suhakam in 2001, is that it is within a patient's human rights to make an informed choice regarding the treatment of his illness. Suhakam has also affirmed that there are no prohibitions under Malaysian laws to prevent a prisoner seeking treatment for his illness overseas. It is also to be noted that Suhakam is a body set up by the Malaysian Government following passage of a Bill in Parliament, the purpose of this body being that of advising the Government on Human Rights of its citizens among other functions. Following from this Suhakam advisory, it appears that it is within DSAI to go for the treatment of his choice even if it is to take place overseas. Denying him this affect his human rights, refusing him his choice of treatment affects his human rights and not giving concrete reasons affects his human rights.

Those who say that DSAI should not be given special treatment (it would open a Pandora's box, so said one); who is going to pay for his treatment overseas; DSAI will "escape through the backdoor" when he goes overseas (Dr Ng you can be so sickening); are obviously those who are not being updated regarding DSAI's spinal dilemma and are missing the point. It is on record that DSAI and his family have said that the payment would be borne by the family, that he would not run away and the Government can imposed whatever conditions it deems fit as long as he is allowed the treatment of his choice ie endoscopic microsurgery under local anaesthesia. This is affirmed by Suhakam. What obviously DSAI does not want is to be dictated to by a third party with regard to the treatment of his condition, this is depriving him of his human rights.

Questions like whether DSAI thinks our local surgeons incompetent or that they will function as "hired assassins" do not arise. These are probably just figments of those with very highly imaginative minds, those highly susceptible to thinking of conspiracy theories. The whole thing is really a questions of a patient's human rights. Unless the Government has very very good reasons to deprive a patient's of his human rights when in this hour of need, where the MINIster of Health (who is himself a medical doctor and a fellow human being) is fully aware like DSAI about the possible complications of further delay of treatment, it is not a question of DSAI refusing treatment but rather, the MINIster and his cabinet collegues and the PM refusing DSAI the treatment of his choice.

| ¶ 7/16/2004 05:08:00 PM

Bee Bennard for CMA President
Bee's Many, Many Firsts

::When it was first reported that doctor-wannabe Bee Bennard of Melakat, who is presently studying medicine in Cambridge University, was going to swim the English Canal [EC], there was much clamouring for him to contest the CMA presidency. It was speculated that he would be swimming that particular canal during the 'ham' season when the tide would not be causing great waves. Doing so would give Bee plenty of time to make it to the CMA election, which is to be held in September. For those not in the know, MCA stands for Malaysian Chinese Association and therefore you can easily surmised which association CMA represents.

Bee Bennard trained very hard but neither did he received support nor funding from the Boleh Gomen nor the CMA. Instead he is going to collect funds for three charities, two in the UK (one can presume that must be Ulu Kelang) and another in Melakat. How so thoughtful of this bright young man.

The great historical day, 13th July 2004, finally came and it can now be safely reported that Bee Bennard has successfully become the first CM to swim the 33.6km-wide English Canal in a record time of 9 hours and 45 minutes. The very first Malaysian to do so, did it in a what now can be seen as a relatively record long time of 17 hours and 42 minutes, some almost 8 hours more.

In this great historical swim feat of this doctor-wannabe he achieved many, many firsts; among these many, many firsts are (the list is not exhaustive, it is impossible to mention all) ::

1.The first Malaysian to swim the EC in the shortest time of 7 hours and 45 minutes
2.The first CM to swim the EC ever
3.The first CM EC swimmer to be observed and tailed in a boat by both his parents
4.The first CM and Malaysian EC swimmer most likely to have his name recorded in the Channel Swimming Association
5.The first CM and also the first Malaysian to have ever raised funds for three charities at one go by swimming
6.The first CM and Malaysian swimmer to beat the first Malaysian ever to swim the EC by being faster by almost 8 hours, 7 hours and 57 minutes to be exact
7.The first CM and Malaysian to have ever started his EC swim at 8.34am (English time) from Dover and completing the swim at 6.19pm in Calais, France
8.The first CM and Malaysian to have crossed the EC while also a medical student at Cambridge Uni.
9.The first and only Malaysian to swim the EC, from England to Frogland, on 13th July, 2004

As mentioned earlier the list of firsts goes on and on and on, it would probably take a few more days to list all. Whatever, there are already talk that come September, this astonishing fellow, Bee Bennard will be elected CMA President unelected and unchallenged. Members are speculating that he and he alone will rerceived the weighted divisional nominations. Any challenger appearing on the horizon would first have to achieved some of Bee's many firsts and that is a mission impossible task, at the most a challenger will probably end up with one sole nomination. So, come September, Bee will be President and whereby achieve another first. So it looks like with the Presidency in hand, it is probably worth more than two datukship in the bush.

Disclaimer::the above account of Bee for CMA President has no relationship to any living person or events and even the slightest of any similarities is to be deem a one in a trillion trillion occurrence. It is also to be noted that the activities of one known only as KA has been very infectious and there is a need for one to be vaccinated before encountering said KA

| ¶ 7/16/2004 01:16:00 AM

Thursday, July 15, 2004

O Mercy, Mercy Where art thou?

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
'T is mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's,
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616),
"The Merchant of Venice", Act 4 scene 1

Why is it so hard for the Government to find in itself the quality of mercy? Why do we have such a cold hearted MINIster of Health, a medical doctor at that. A doctor who can coldly utter :: that the problem was the consequence of Anwar's refusal to undergo operation to correct it locally in 2000. Anwar did not refuse treatment then but wanted, a decision any patient is allowed to make, to undergo an operation which is deem best for him and of his choice. A patient has the right to be treated by the doctor of his choice and in whom he has confidence. This is something, a patient should not be denied as long as he has been informed of all consequences, this too has been affirmed by Suhakam as the right of a patient. What has happened is that he has been denied treatment of his choice till today.

As the MRI recently showed and the MINIster agrees, Anwar has spinal canal stenosis which needs urgent treatment. Putting all other considerations aside, can he be shown simple mercy and be allowed to get the treatment of his choice before the condition worsen, being a medical doctor you are fully aware of possible further complications. What is the reason or reasons for denying him this. Is there no sense of mercy, kindness, friendship or decency left in our cabinet MINIsters, some of whom were cabinet collegues of Anwar, that they can allow to let Anwar further suffer. Has he committed such horrendous crimes that he must continue to suffer and be denied simple mercy and kindness? Reach into your hearts (or have all of you done just that already) and do the decent thing, simply as one human being would do for another.

Datuk Dr MINIster, remember this ::

"Cowards are cruel, but the brave
Love mercy, and delight to save."
John Gay (1685 - 1732)

Do not be afraid of showing mercy, do not be afraid of being humane, don't make the world sicker for you are the MINIster of Health ::

"Today we are afraid of simple words like goodness and mercy and kindness. We don't believe in the good old words because we don't believe in good old values anymore. And that's why the world is sick."
Lin Yutang

| ¶ 7/15/2004 02:03:00 AM

Monday, July 12, 2004

The Great ISA Debate, Great Sandiwara

::The Great ISA debate was announced some weeks ago. A public debate on the controversial ISA between Lim Kit Siang and the MINIster of Parliament sounded good. The debate was decided for tonight and a few may have planned to attend it, but i didn't. Why, you may ask? Not having a short memory helped. The last time this particular MINIster was to have taken part in a debate with the opposition, it fizzled out at the last moment. The polis in Terengganu intervened, stepping in at the very last moment and the debate was stillborn. The reason the polis gave then, that 'lamed cover all' reason, national security. So when i heard of this Great ISA debate, i figured that it will be similarly aborted and the same old oft used reason given. The polis once again did not prove me wrong and came to the rescue of the MINIster.

True enough, a few days before the event the polis refused to issue the permit. Lim KS said that the polis had earlier said verbally that the permit would be given. Being an old hand Lim should have been aware of such gostan. On learning about the eprmit rejection, the DAP submitted an appeal. So the merry-go-round continued. The MINIster was 'surprised' and his special assistant was quoted as saying :: "Dato said it is better for the debate to go on. He was surprised with the police’s decision," and added :: "He will submit a formal appeal letter on the matter tomorrow".

The appeal(s) to the Kuala Lumpur police chief produced similar results, another rejection, the police chief had decided to back up his subordinate. So the next stage of appeal of taken and the IGP approached. At the 11th hour, the permit was given today, but the debate won't amterialise, at least for tonight, as the MINIster concerned has a prior appointment. The MINIster proabably expected all appeals, even his own to be rejected,

Malaysiakini in its latest report on the debate has this to say ::

Met at the Parliament lobby earlier, Nazri said he had no idea why the police refused earlier to grant a permit.
The MINIster, who oversees parliamentary affairs, said he will discuss with Lim on a new date for the debate.
"The debate is definitely on," stressed Nazri, who agreed to the debate following an invitation by the opposition leader in the last parliamentary session.

Doesn't all that this MINIster has to say sounds very similar to what he had to say when that Terengganu debate was aborted by the polis. i cannot recall that that particular debate ever taking place after that. What can one said about the merry-go-round this time around, just another bolehland sandiwara

The polis is very good at stepping in at the last moment and fouling thing up. It does serve a purpose, it ensures that such events are often considered as non-events by the public right from the start, right from the word go. In this manner, the polis ensures that these events are poorly attended when they are allowed/permitted at the 11th hour and as a result demoralises those organising such events. To the organisers of such events don't give up, when this particular MINIster is not involved, i have today resolve to do my level best to attend in the future.

| ¶ 7/12/2004 09:32:00 PM

Car Immobiliser

::Surely many of us would have seen those highspeed highway car chases on TV shows like "Amazing Police Videos". High speed car chases are very dangerous even on highways and more so in built-up areas. A device which can immobilse a criminal getaway car will certainly prove a boon to the police department and other law enforcement agencies.

Such a device may became reality soon reports the Guardian. Police in Britain and the US have ordered tests of the new device that delivers a blast of radio waves powerful enough to knock out vital engine electronics, making the targeted vehicle stall and slowly come to a stop. This device is expected to work on cars made in the last 10 years as they carry computer chips to control the engines.

David Giri, formerly a physics professor at the University of California in Berkeley has set up a company called ProTech, and is developing this radio wave vehicle-stopping device. The results obtained from trials done on this device would be reported at the Euroem 2004 science conference in Germany soon.

Like all things, this device can be a boon, but there is always the possibility of it being mis-used by those in authorities and criminals alike. i can forsee, the device being used by criminal elements to stall cars of potential kidnap victims or armoured cars/vans filled with dough. But then again in a few years down the line, we may have jammers to stall these vehicle stalling devices. Life goes on.

| ¶ 7/12/2004 05:11:00 PM

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Child Prodigy::Sufiah

::Wonder how many of us remember the child prodigy, Sufiah Yusof. The one whose mum is Malaysian-born, i believed. The Sufiah who provoked national debates in the UK and Malaysia. Well that was back in 2000, when she was 15 years old, yesterday she got married and brought her saga to a happy close. She has found happiness and a husband and has returnd to her university studies. But the debate regarding her running away, the reasons why she did so and what happened after she was found and the "how best to manage child prodigies" will be coated in controversies for a long time to come.
Her younger brother, Iskander Yusof surpassed the scholastic achievements of his more famous sister. He was only 12 when he enrolled at the University of Warwick in 1998, becoming Britain's youngest undergraduate and he graduated in 2002.

Below is The Times' article (10th June, 2004) by Sam Coates ::

Happy ending for the runaway prodigy

Sufiah Yusof provoked a national debate when she fled Oxford university, aged 15. She marries today.

A PRODIGY who went to Oxford aged 12 but ran away claiming that her parents had put too much pressure on her has found happiness and a husband on her return to university.

Sufiah Yusof, now 19, disappeared from St Hilda's College in 2000, the day after her third year exams, sparking newspaper headlines, a nationwide hunt and emotional appeals from her family.

In fact she was in hiding in Bournemouth, working in a hotel. When she was found by police in an internet cafe she refused to return to her parents and was taken into care by a foster family.

As the Yusof family difficulties were played out in public, her disappearance prompted a national debate on the treatment of prodigies.

But today The Times can reveal that her story has had a happy ending. This afternoon, Sufiah will marry Jonathan Marshall, 24, a trainee lawyer from Keble College. The pair met at a Law Society function more than a year ago, after Sufiah returned to Oxford in October 2002 to complete her final year.

Although she failed to complete the course and did not get a degree, she found love and now the couple plan to move to London and have "many children".

For the past year she has been working as an administrative assistant for a construction company, while her fiance completed a legal practice course.

Farooq Yufos, Sufiah's father whom she claimed was responsible for her disappearance, has been invited to the reception. It is believed that he will attend with the rest of her family.

Today's celebrations will cement the reconciliation between Sufiah and her family. After running away in 2000, she e-mailed her father to say "see you in Hell" and went to live with a foster family.

Relations worsened a year later when she told Tonight with Trevor McDonald that she never wanted to see her "controlling and bullying" father again.

But now the couple say that they have the blessing of both sets of parents, who "couldn't be more supportive".

Sufiah and Jonathan, both strict Muslims, are living together in Oxford after marrying in a Muslim ceremony last week. Jonathan, the son of Christians, was introduced to Islam by Sufiah and converted to the Muslim faith in April last year.

Today they will complete the legal formalities so she can become Mrs Marshall, and hold a reception for family and friends.

Sufiah told The Times: "Meeting Jonathan was the best thing that happened to me while I was at Oxford."

Asked whether she had, in fact, enjoyed herself at university , she said "I suppose . . . yes", adding only that the experience had been "interesting".

She said: "If you are surrounded by people your own age it certainly is different from being surrounded by people who are five years older than you. I can't quantify why exactly that is . . . it's just different."

She refused to repeat her earlier criticisms of her father's decision to push her into academia so young.

"I suppose, in retrospect, you can say if they (were) good decisions or bad decisions. But now it's just something that happened to me."

"As a Muslim you just believe that everything happens. It's hard to look back and be judgmental about my parents and my parents' motives (in sending me) to university quite early."

Sufiah was 13 when she started her degree, equalling the record of Ruth Lawrence, the maths genius from Huddersfield who entered university in 1984 and became Oxford's youngest graduate.

Sufiah's father and mother had given up their jobs to educate their five children at home, and Sufiah's success seemed to vindicate their decision.

But after three years she disappeared, sparking a huge police hunt. Mr Yusof, who was once jailed for a "1.5 million mortgage racket", claimed that she had been abducted by someone interested in his methods of accelerated learning.

But Sufiah had run away of her own accord. In an e-mail to her parents she wrote: "I've finally had enough of 15 years of physical and emotional abuse."

| ¶ 7/11/2004 05:20:00 PM

Saturday, July 10, 2004

Rojak Malay

::Just when you think it is safe to get back to 'Rojak Malay' speak and listen to or compose 'Rojak Malay' songs. The Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim who is reported by STS as being in the forefront of the campaign by language experts against what is known as 'Rojak Malay', intends to amend the National Language Act. He is said to want more administrative bite to get rid of 'Rojak Malay', which has become increasingly common in daily speech, in songs, the media and even in Cabinet meetings. Now who are the 'Rojak Malay' MINIsters, i wonder?

STS defines 'Rojak Malay' thus ::

"It incorporates a sprinkling of Chinese words, a dash of English and a pinch of Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia."

eg :: 'Hari ini birthday I lah (Today is my birthday).'

This issue of 'Rojak', it was 'Rojak Songs' then, was brought up in May this year, first they were supposedly banned and then not. The MINIster involved then was the Bow-Tied one and the songs then included :: P. Ramlee's classic hit 'Madu Tiga', Anita's Seksis, Ruffedge's Tipah Tertipu, Too Phat's Alhamdulillah and KRU's Bade, which contain English words in their lyrics.

The Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim is now taking up the cudgel but we are unsure how he is going to strike. It appears he is going to start with the Cabinet. This may come as a surprise to all of us :: Experts have acknowledged that there are no more than eight or nine original Malay words. The rest of its lexicon is borrowed from various sources, from Sanskrit to Arabic to English. So with only those few words to play or juggle with when speaking or singing, it is pretty obvious that whatever we say or sing, its going to come out 'Rojak'.

| ¶ 7/10/2004 04:25:00 PM

Ku Li's Candidacy

::This is the 2nd occasion, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah or popularly called Ku Li, will be offering himself for the post of UMNO president. The first was in 1987 when he lost to incumbent Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir (now Tun) narrowly by 42 votes. This eventually lead to UMNO being declared illlegal and the formation of UMNO Baru by Mahathir and Semangat 46 by Ku Li. The rest is history, UMNO Baru eventually became UMNO again and Semangat 46 went its way and was dissolved in 1996.
Ku Li has offered himself this time for the following reasons ::
1. The UMNO president's post is vacant, UMNO presently has only an acting president
2. No one appears to be interested as "no one has offered to contest the post"
3. He wants to keep "democracy" alive in UMNO
4. His friends and supporters have urged him to offer himself
5. He is prepared to serve and to struggle for UMNO
6. He is qualified to do so. (see CV below)
The above reasons are not in any order of importance.

Tengku Razaleigh, first became Umno vice president in 1975 at the age of 29 and was re-elected in 1978 and 1981. He mounted a challenge against Dr Mahathir for the presidency in the 1987 party polls but was narrowly defeated by the then prime minister who obtained a majority of only 42 votes. Tengku Razaleigh also lost twice in his bid for the Umno Deputy President's post to Tan Sri Musa Hitam, the then deputy prime minister, in 1981 and 1984. Ku Li is a gradduate of Queen's University and has a Bachelor of Science in Economics and also studied law at Lincoln's Inn. He first became Gua Musang MP in 1974 and has been its MP since. He served as finance minister for 8 years from 1976.

When announcing his offer to be candidate, he had this to say to UMNO members present :: "It is up to all of you. I can't do more than this because I have nothing, I'm just a lone ranger. You are my strength in order to be able to advance for the sake of the Malays and myself."

Over the next many days and weeks, in the runup to the UMNO elections, one can expect the mainstream print and electronic media to echo Ku Li's detractors in decrying if not outright ridiculing Ku Li's candidacy. Many of the UMNO leaders are already saying that Ku Li is not serious about his offer, as if they know him better than himself; some says that he is 'more suitable' for one of the vice president's posts; others predict a difficult time for him and many wonder if he would ever achieved that magical figure of 58 divisional nominations.

Expect more newspaper reports like these ::

Lets wait and see whether all will be fair in this endeavour of Ku Li to try for the president's post once again or will there be forces out to prevent a fair fight. Whatever it is, UMNO members must be given an even field to make a decision as to whom they would like to be their leader to further their struggle. As for the nation, will it really make any difference whether Ku Li or Pak Lah wins at the end of the day?

They are all smiles now, will things be the same at the end of the day, Come September. Will UMNO be torned asunder once again? Will we see UMNO Baru II? Whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see, QUE, SERA, SERA

| ¶ 7/10/2004 12:24:00 PM

Friday, July 09, 2004

Ku Li for UMNO Presidency

Hot, Hot, Hot News :: Sun2Surf online reports ::

Ku Li offers himself for Umno presidency

GUA MUSANG: Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has offered himself as a candidate for the Umno presidency in party polls in September on grounds that he wants democracy to flourish, besides enabling him to continue his struggle for the party.

Opening the Youth and Wanita delegates meeting for the Gua Musang division on Friday, the former Umno veep said it was now up to party members nationwide to accept his offer and nominate him at their divisional delegates meetings.

"So today, on a good day and a good month, in front of all of you, and following urges and requests from many, particularly friends, I feel it's not too extreme if I were nominated for the post of (Umno) president.

"If the number (of nominations) is sufficient as stipulated by the party constitution, I'm prepared to consider accepting the nominations.

"With your prayers, I have been given the strength and adequate knowledge to continue the struggles on behalf of the Umno people," he said to loud applause from about 1,000 delegates and guests at the meeting at Bukit Chekati, here.

This is Bernama has to report as to why Ku Li is offering himself for the Presidency ::

"The post (of president) is still vacant and the party responsible in deciding the (holder of the) post are the Umno members through the divisional delegates meetings nationwide.

"Furthermore, and as far as I know, no one has made an offer for the post at the moment except for myself. I hope I will get the support from the divisions if they feel I am qualified and suitable.

"If they feel I am not qualified, what can I say, this is just an offer to serve from someone who has been long in the party but without a position, although I am full of eagerness to champion the cause of Umno," Razaleigh said.

This is what Shahrir Samad has to comment regarding Ku Li's offer ::

When asked to speculate on what may be the reasons behind Razaleigh’s motivation, Shahrir said: "I think he’s driven by the sense that he’s better than Dollah Badawi... the fact that he is more senior, has been around longer, and had fought the party president at a time when Dollah was only running for the number three post. Because of that, he can never consider being number two or three to Dollah."

On 23rd June, veteran journalist, MGG Pillai had this to say ::

To this, the UMNO leaders have no answer. So, they cloak themselves in prophylactics, oblivious of the floods, landslides, earthqakes, and revolutions outside the bubble. It is actions like that force these factions and camps out on the streets to argue their case. We have had it once before. And another could not be far off, if the issues that bring these factions and camps into the open are not resolved if not addressed, and the leaders make sure they are properly elected. There is no sign of that. But the two top positions would be almost certainly challenged. That worries the top leaders, not factionalism or camps. For if there is a fight, the factions and the camps would not unite behind the UMNO's preferred leaders. That includes Pak Lah and Dato' Seri Najib.

On 8th July, RPK in his article :: Who will be the one to bell the cat?; started of his article by saying ::

The battle lines are drawn. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) is going to make a bid for the top job; that of the Umno Presidency, which would then automatically make him the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
and continues by saying ::
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) and Najib Tun Razak are both Acting President and Acting Deputy President respectively. This would therefore make them Acting Prime Minister and Acting Deputy Prime Minister. They would need to be ‘confirmed’ to their posts this September.
RPK concludes ::
Ku Li’s biggest challenge is to find who is going to be that first -- the brave mouse that will bell the cat. Once someone comes forward and takes the lead, the others would follow super-fast and Ku Li would get his 60 to 70 nominations. And, once that happens, Ku Li will certainly win.
Winning the Umno Presidency is no effort for Ku Li. Getting his nominations is. And that is what Ku Li is working on even as we speak.

Ku Li has offered himself, probably his last chance to have a go at the UMNO Presidency and a chance to be the 1st among equals. Will UMNO members take up his offer to serve?

| ¶ 7/09/2004 07:31:00 PM

Thursday, July 08, 2004

Obesity Hits the Army

::Obesity is one big problem worldwide. Many of us just can't refrain from eating even when it is not good for us. Many of us just can't say "Tak Nak" whether it is that hamburger or cigarette or that KFC drumstick or that tub of ice-cream. As a result of which we get fat and obese. The warnings of the perils of obesity is all on the wall for us to see and there are diets galore. Read about the "Perils of Portliness". Surely all of us are aware but really what i want to touch on is the recent news about the way our MoD {MINIstry of Defence] is going to tackle this problem among its soldiers, the so-called "Shed fat and earn a Trip" programme.

The Deputy MoD has revealed that too many people in the armed forces were dying of illnesses related to diabetes, obesity and other diseases linked to a "modern" (sic) lifestyle. The armed forces chief Jen Tan Sri Mohd Zahidi Zainuddin is worried. Of the 1,488 soldiers who died over the past 10 years, 20% died of chronic illnesses, including cancer, obesity and obesity-related diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. 55% of soldiers are known to smoke.

So the MoD has decided to come out with the following measures ::
1. Those above 40 should get annual medical check-ups, for early detection and immediate treatment of any disease
2. All army training institutions be made “no smoking” zones.
3. Reward the weight-losers with a holiday::the "Shed fat and earn a Trip" programme

If the MoD can only come up with the above, it is obviously to be found wanting. And to even think of No. 3, really and truly beats one's understanding. To reward those who are obesed and lose 10kg in 6 months with a paid holiday [so that they can put back the weight?] defies rational thinking. Why not reward those who are not overweight and are fighting fit and ready to safeguard the nation? The people in the armed forces have no business being overweight and not healthy, they are paid to be "lean and mean" and ever ready and ever healthy to serve their function.

While the MoD is at it, how about considering these measures too, forget about the paid holidays, the money can be better used ::

More vigorous exercise regimes for the soldiers
Ensure that armed forces food is in healthy composition and portions
Ban smoking in all facilities and for all personnel, top to bottom
Get the armed forces Health Services to embark on preventive health programmes
The top guns in the armed forces should lead by example :: remember "Kepimpinan neallui Teladan"
Make examples of those who are grossly overweight and give tghem the sack if they don't get lean and healthy after a given period of time.

These and other additional measures deemed suitable would probably get the soldiers up and fighting fit rather than the reward mentioned earlier.

| ¶ 7/08/2004 04:23:00 PM

Marina's Discovery

Reading Marina Mahathir's latest musing in the Star entitled :: Value of Open Minds, makes me wonder when it was that she first realised that "our education system is almost completely about getting through exams and little else". It can't be just recently.

Definitely it can't be as recent as when she was invited by a public-listed company to sit on an independent panel to select students who would receive the company’s scholarships. At the selection, the candidates were almost all having only As in their SPM and extremely high CGPA in their STPM or matriculation results. Some had CGPAs of four, the pur-fect score. The selection panelists, apart from academic qualifications, were also looking for candidates with maturity, initiatives, leadership qualities and people who would one day be assets to society. At that selection, the panelists were disappointed with what they were looking for, she said; but at the end of the day, maybe out of a misplaced sense of responsibility, they managed still to choose the 6 candidates out of the disappointing 12. You can read her article in toto later on.

At the end of the day, Marina realised these things about the education that our children are receiving ::

It is completely exam oriented and the children are only taught to regurgitate things 'taught'
There is little self analysis of things 'taught'
There is no thinking outside the box, this is not encouraged; thinking more than what has been 'taught' may be even be dangerous, just in case they think of things which should not be thought of
The students possess little knowledge of the world outside their schools
Original opinions and thoughts are not encouraged.
These are things many of us know about our education system and that is why, many have subjected their children to extra teaching at home or in tuition classes or for some, overseas, to get liberated and to think outside the box.

At the end of the day, Marina has hopes that everything else catches up by the time our children leave university. Just pure wishful thinking on her part. The present winds prevailing in the universities are no better than those in our primary and secondary schools. With the AUKU and the Aku Janji nonsense, [see Lim KS Aku Janji, here] there is little hope for the majority of our students to be truly educated and to utilise all their potentials to be society assets. Will the creation of a Higher Education MINIstry be of help, only time will tell but for many it will be too late. For all these defiencies of our education system, we have our various past education ministers, the government (there being only one) and ourselves to blame.

| ¶ 7/08/2004 01:34:00 AM

The Dog's Docs

Dr Zurin Azlin, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, with her patient (centre) and her colleague Dr Farrah Alias (left). They show no qualms examining their patient. "It is not a problem if I follow the necessary cleansing procedures as dictated by the religion after handling the dogs. The important thing is to nurse the animals back to health," she said. You can read the whole story in Metro KL.

| ¶ 7/08/2004 12:22:00 AM

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Faking It::Mission Impossible

::Malaysian Examinations Council [MEC] secretary-general, Datuk Termuzi Abdul Aziz, says it all :: " It is impossible for students to change the results on their Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) certificate to get a place in public universities." Why? Applicants seeking university entrance have their results sent in computer diskettes to Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU), the organisation that handles admissions into public institutions of higher learning, which double-checks the accuracy of applications for entry into public universities. The MEC has been doing things this way since 1982, and never had any problems of students changing their results With this assurance from the Sec-Gen, mana boleh ada instances of students faking it when applying for university places.

So what exactly is the Higher Education MINIster [HEM] talking about. Firstly, he kicked off by saying that his HEM cannot be responsible for checking all the examination result slips. Next he warned that the HEM will expel students from IPTAs if they are found to have doctored their secondary school examination certificates. The HEM is like a warning zone, he has also warned faking students that their scholarships and bursaries would be withdrawn and that they would be reported to the polis for further action as faking it is a criminal offence. The HEM is also reported as having detected doctored certificates when looking into MCA's claims that many students with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0 were not given places in IPTAs. Bravo for the fast and immediate actions. The HEM is even forming an investigative body to look into the matter and getting to the bottom of it. The HEM MINIster said that he will be proposing security-enhanced features on examination result slips to prevent tampering. When asked by reporters, the MINIster replied that it is possible a syndicate may be involved in faking it.

As for Dr Wee, what he had said in June has obviously been misconstrued by reporters. Dr Wee claims that he had not said students had forged their STPM certificates but that a student had made a false declaration in his appeal form. The Star reports ::

“All I said was that of the 68 students (from the 128 top scorers) who appealed to the MCA, one had made a false declaration on his appeal form.
“The student had said he obtained a CGPA of 4.0 in the form but upon checking with the Higher Education Ministry, we discovered he had actually obtained a CGPA of 3.88,” he said.

So what started off actually as a case of 'false declaration', was misconstrued by reporters and led to some quick detection actions by the HEM after the initial disclaimer that the HEM cannot be responsible and supposedly further actions like expulsions, withdrawal of scholarships, enhancement of security features and polis reports. What's happening. Hopefully, the statement by the MEC Sec=Gen that faking it is mission impossible will put to rest this flight of fantasy. Now who is faking it, the students applying for university places or the HEM and its MINIster?????

TOP

| ¶ 7/06/2004 12:57:00 PM

Monday, July 05, 2004

Of Fake STPM Certs & Others

::It looks like nothing is safe from the forgers, these days. It is in the papers that the authorities have woken up to the possibilities of fake STPM results being used for university entrance application. A newspaper report is said to have quoted Dr Wee Ka Siong, MCA Youth national education bureau chairman, as claiming that some of those who failed to obtain places to study medicine had forged their STPM certificates to say they had achieved excellent results!

The Star reported ::

The Higher Education Ministry will investigate claims that some students had forged their STPM certificate to say that they achieved a 4.0 cumulative grade point average but failed to obtain places to study medicine in institutions of higher learning.

A little bird claims that Dr Wee has been misquoted by the press, this is also another frequent happening where our politicos are concerned. But if there are such forged certificates, surely they can't just be confined to only the doctor wannabes. If true, a worrying situation.

On the topic of those failing to gain university entrance, there is a disturbing report of one of them doing away with himself after he was unsuccessful in obtaining a place to study bio-technology despite having fairly good results. What would cause a 20 year old to do this is difficult to understand. The poor guy was found 'hanged' with his mum's saree as reported by the Star.

Back to our intrepid Malaysian forgers, there is a Bernama report on the discovery of many fake driving licences, believed to be issued by a syndicate, in the state of Kelantan. These fake licences have no serial numbers, are lighter in colour, have clearer prints and are slightly smaller than the original. The tiger image is also not visible when scanned under ultraviolet light. So be on the look out for them. The JPJ boss has advised those with these fake driving licences to surrender them to the JPJ, failing which they could be charged under Section 108 of the Road Transport Act 1987, which provides a maximum fine of RM5,000 or imprisonment, or both upon conviction.

TOP

| ¶ 7/05/2004 03:35:00 PM

We live in a Democracy

::We are often enough told that we live in a democracy and the main reason is that we have elections, often enough. Every 4 years or thereabouts we have a general election. We had our 11th just recently, but with the uneven field and an Election Commission which says it is not so independent and then goes all out to fumble its way, we really wonder if things are all that democratic.

Apart from the general elections, there are the elections for the leadership of our political parties. UMNO's is coming up soon. UMNO is also said to be a political party which practises democracy. Why then are we hearing cries for the top two party posts to be unchallenged. Not there there are really incumbents for the posts of UMNO President and deputy President. Both of them are in reality actors; Pak Lah the acting UMNO President and Najib the acting deputy President. So in any event, who are there to be challenged. But the clamouring for no contest is still there.

It is not easy to even get nominated for the two top posts in UMNO these days. In the good old days, one only needed a proposer and a seconder. Along the way, it has become more and more difficult to be nominated, over the years a "minimum nomination system" has evolved, this system is said to ensure that only 'serious' candidates are nominated. The "minimum nomination system" goes like so ::

To contest for the UMNO presidency, a prospective candidate needs at least 30% of nominations from all the divisions. ie 58 nominations from the 191 Umno divisions nationwide.

For the deputy's post the quota is 20% (39 nominations), vice-president 10% (20) and supreme council seat 5% (10).

This is UMNO's versi of democracy at work. According to this Star report, this "minimum nomination system" has been criticised, almost from the beginning, as undemocratic and open to abuse. But the present acting UMNO President says :: "It is the decision of the general assembly, not the Supreme Council." He pointed out that he did not create the system (but someone else, who was frighten of losing too, did). So as "undemocratic" as it is the "system" stays, this is difficult to understand when it comes from our PM who has said that he is strongly committed to democracy!

The outburst from the PM was in response to a suggestion by Ku Li that the "system" be abolished to ensure transparent and democratic party elections. Ku Li, the Gua Musang MP, had also said that party leaders had nothing to fear in abolishing the "system". There are speculations that he may want to contest for the Umno presidency or deputy presidency. His followers are said to be "pressuring" him to contest.

Najib has come out strongly to support the no contest for the UMNO Presidency position. The NST quoted him as saying ::

"There should be no question that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be the party president. The supreme council and state liaison committees have decided on this and members should support it."

Is this feudalistic speak or democratic speak? Apart for insisting that there be no contest for the 2 top posts, Najib is all in support for healthy democratic contest for other posts in UMNO. Excerpts from the NST report ::

Commenting on the increasing number of party leaders offering themselves for the three vice-president posts, Najib said it was normal and there should not be any restriction as long as the candidates had enough support from party members.
"There is nothing wrong with having many candidates in the race for the vice-presidency. In the past, we did have up to six or seven people contesting for the posts," he said. (Does Najib need being reminded taht there were also contests for the Presidency and the deputy in the past.)

On the one hand he wants no contest but on the other, he welcomes and see nothing wrong in having many contestants. Very 'schizophrenic' sounding indeed.

TOP

| ¶ 7/05/2004 02:20:00 AM

Saturday, July 03, 2004

Pray Before Boarding

Laloo Prasad Yadav said it all :: "Indian Railways is the responsibility of Lord Vishwakarma. So is the safety of passengers... It is His duty, not mine. I have been forced to don His mantle." Is this out of Bollywood? Wrong, Laloo is India's Railway MINIster and has absolved himself of blame for rail accidents troubling the world's largest rail network. So remember, apart from paying before boarding, do pray before boarding.

Wonder whether this will catch on with our MINIster of Works, he who also likes to blame man-made disasters eg landslides as 'acts of God'. One Malaysian MINIster called Samy Velu. And we may in the future be required to pray before getting into our transport vehicles.

TOP

| ¶ 7/03/2004 12:22:00 PM

Friday, July 02, 2004

Tun Mahathir for Iraq?

::According to a Knight Ridder Tribune columnist, Todd Crowell, our Tun Mahathir would be the ideal leader to lead Iraq. This was reported in a Bernama news item.
In his commentary carried by the Bahrain Tribune, Crowell described Tun Mahathir as a Muslim leader with the best credentials to lead the chaotic, tattered country to "democratic stability and prosperity". He further asked :: "If the goal is to create a stable, prosperous and democratic Iraq, who can better to do it than Malaysia's former Prime Minister (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad, who led the most stable, prosperous and democratic Muslim country in the world today for 22 years?"
Crowell said the Tun with all his experiences and all the good things that the Tun has done for our country during his 22 years as the helmsman. He credited the Tun with transforming a country dependent on rubber and palm oil into a regional high-tech, manufacturing and financial powerhouse, and successfully governed a country divided, like Iraq, on racial, ethnic and religious lines.
Unfortunately, i was unable to trace the original article online either from Knight Ridder or the Bahrain Tribune. So we just have to go by the Bernama report.
i can't help wondering whether the Tun would be interested in this Iraq job, knowing that he is quite obviously not receiving much from all his advisory posts and on top of that whatever receivable also happens to be taxable. This would obviously be a well paid temporary stewardship of Iraq. It would be a job which would allow him to wield, once again, power and authority, things which he is used to and can do 'well'. At the present moment, he is probably bored stiff with little to do and his recent forays into domestic politics have not been received kindly. The new PM, Pak Lah, would also be more than just glad to have him out of hairs. Certainly an arrangement which would make both the ex-PM and the present PM happy.

TOP

| ¶ 7/02/2004 12:40:00 AM

Thursday, July 01, 2004

100 Days of Cemerlang, Gemilang and Terbilang.

::100 days of the new era of Cemerlang, Gemilang and Terbilang [CGT], have slipped by. What changes have been brought about by this CGT gomen? Have the promises in the BN manifesto started to take roots?

Has the fight against the greatest scourge (corruption) faced by the nation shown greater momentum by moving up a gear?
Has more democratic space been provided?
Does joe-public have a bigger say in the administration of this nation?
Has the separation of powers and independence of the 3 instituitions of gomen been given greater respect?
Has there been a greater interest in wanting to listen to the truth about matters effecting the nation?
Is what has happened regarding the recent debacle involving the admissions to IPTAs, a sign that the gomen is interested and taking the right route to ensuring quality education for all our young and the move to a knowledge society?
Are there signs that nepotism and cronyism on the way out?
Has the level of personal safety of the individual been improved?
Are there signs that the independence of the judiciary is being ensured and enhanced?

And the list goes on. How many would answer YES to some or all of the above questions?

TOP

| ¶ 7/01/2004 05:38:00 PM

Ku Li's Candidacy

Ku Li offers himself for Umno presidency

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