xNews® The Rats Of Politics: 2010

MToday vs MChronicle

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 06:16 PM PST

To be honest, I have not read Malaysia Today for a very very long, long, long time. Because initially I thought RPK was an agent of PKR. Then I found out how wrong I was.

In the last few months or so, I noticed that RPK seems to have turned his attention away momentarily from disclosing the wrongdoings of BN and went on a hunt for the wrong-doings of Pakatan Rakyat.

Then a deluge of exchanges between a "YL Choong" guy and Wong Choon Mei of Malaysia Chronicle started us on the radar screen to find out what was happening in digital newsportal.

I find it interesting to observe and read that when RPK was on the shooting spree of BN, all the digital newsportal went on a march together with MToday to do maximum coverage and damage to BN.

But when RPK focuses on the short-comings of Pakatan Rakyat, all the goonies in PR fired back at RPK. This I believe, is the blindness that a lot of us politicians suffer when our identity or core values surrounding a political ideology is challenged.

They cant seem to detach themselves from their own shadows and step back (for a while) to ascertain if what is said about their Party or Struggle is at fault.

Another thing I didnt know until recently was that somehow or somewhat that our Batu MP Tian Chua is associated with MChronicle. And this is not my assertion but the findings of RPK. Therefore I have no great urge to deny what RPK says so.

If that is the case, could MChronicle have been used all these while to discredit the workings of the PM and also BN so that a long term goal can be achieved for PR? Putrajaya??

Another thing I did observe is that, no matter what you say or dont like about RPK, there is no shortage of readers out there who is dead-loyal to what RPK have to say about the future of politics in Malaysia.

I think if you think deep and hard enough, you may be able to come to a conclusion that what RPK is really doing is for the good of the country. And that is, to expose the amount of abuse, corruption etc that have been present in the system for too long and to get the country back on track.

And that includes firing the mis-deeds of both BN and PR if they exist.

If that is the ultimate goal and I believe now, after reading MToday for the last 3 years, we should applaud the efforts of RPK and urge him to continue doing so no matter which side of the political divide all of us belong to.

Because in the end, we must always remember, it is not the politicians that are the masters of this country, it is the voters, the citizens that are the determinants …

Today may be the 2nd last day for 2010, but I can smell a lot more is going to happen politically for the country in the days ahead … so lets keep tap … esp what RPK has to say … coz I am!

My Youth Chief Speech at PNDC 2010

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 05:34 PM PST

The Main points of my Youth Chief Speech at the Gerakan PNDC 2010 (4th December 2010)

1) Tahun ini merupakan kali pertama dimana Persidangan Perwakilan Pemuda & Wanita diadakan berasing daripada Badan Induk. Ini adalah atas sebab-sebab yg tidak boleh dielakkan. Oleh kerana tarikh asal NDC yg dirancang pd 6 Nov terjatuh pada satu hari selepas Deepavali, kedua2 Jawatankuasa Pemuda & Wanita telah mengambil keputusan untuk menunda Persidangan Perwakilan ini ke satu tarikh yang sesuai untuk semua wakil2 kami yang beragama Hindu.

Jika ada kesulitan atas sebab logistik, saya bagi pihak Jawatankuasa Pemuda meminta maaf terutamanya kepada Perwakilan dari Sabah kerana mereka terpaksa menukar rancangan perjalanan mereka yang asal. Semua ini boleh menunjukan bahawa kita mengambil berat atas semangat Satu Hati dalam Parti.

2) Pada tahun lepas 2009, dalam Ucapan Ketua Pemuda, saya telah mengambil tidak kurang daripada 40 minit dalam ucapan tersebut untuk menyentuh atas pelbagai topik semasa. Dan pada mulanya, saya pun merancang untuk membuat demikian untuk tahun 2010, iaitu menulis Ucapan saya mengikut reaksi topik2 semasa yang telah berlaku pada setahun ini.

Tetapi semua ini berubah selepas Tanggal 24 Bulan 11. Dengan ketinggalan seorang pengasas parti kami, mendiang Dr LimCE telah meninggalkan kesan yang begitu mendalam bukan sahaja bagi saya malah semua pihak dari atasan ke bawah parti kami. Dan jasa beliau tidak boleh dilupakan sebegitu sahaja, kami khasnya di sayap Pemuda mesti senantiasa mengingati pengajaran yang beliau telah bagikan kepada kami.

3) Maka, dengan idea tersebut, pada tahun ini, dalam ucapan Ketua Pemuda, saya akan membuat satu perubahan secara 180 darjah. Iaitu, jika dulu saya mementingkan isu2 semasa, pada tahun ini, saya akan menyentuh pada keseluruhan atas ideology perjuangan mendiang Dr LimCE.

4) A 180 degrees change will necessitate that we focus inward (rather than outward) – to Rethink and Re-Energise the ideals that the late founder has fought so hard for us.

I believe Dr LimCE's struggles can be categorised under 2 broad thrust – the first being, a political party must understand deeply what the rakyat wants. And secondly, to work with the Government to achieve those hopes and wants for the rakyat.

At this juncture, you may realise that I have changed the language of my delivery. This is not to downgrade the usage of our National Language in our NDC, as I have advocated last year that all delegates are encouraged to use Bahasa Malaysia in all their debates and speeches. But the intention is to retain the spirit of Dr LimCE's ideas especially those found in books that have written about him; that I prefer to deliver the rest of my speech in English. To take time to translate these important messages from English to Malay will only delay the urgency of it reaching the delegates soonest possible.

THE 1^ST THRUST OF PGRM'S STRUGGLE

"A political party must understand deeply what the rakyat wants."

1) Suqiu 1999, Hindraf 2007

We cannot just brush things aside

2) Malays voting for the PAST (spelt P.A.S.T.) – this is because UMNO have since the days of Merdeka been fighting for their rights.

Indians voting for the PRESENT – most of them are worried about bread & butter issues.

Chinese voting for the FUTURE – they are worried about the well being of their children and grandchildren.

The question is, are these 3 groups of people going to increasingly vote for the Past, the Present or the Future as the country move forward?

3) What do the Chinese want?

What do the Indians want?

Why not ask, what do Malaysians want?

(i) Honest Govt accountable to the people. No more Govt before the People. It should be the People before the Govt.

(ii) A Govt free of corruption & conflict of interest.

(iii) A clear seperation of Parliament, Executive & Judiciary with a system of checks & balances.

(iv) Institutions of Govt, Police, MACC, Election Comm, Civil Service to act independently & professionally.

(v) A society where workers can live in dignity, earning wages that can support their families.

(vi) Fair education and health services.

(vii) Independent & free media.

(viii) Basic rights to be protected. The freedom to associate. The freedom to speak up.

(ix) Equality of race. Fairness in religious treatment.

(x) Environment to be protected.

4) Another contentious issue. The NEP & NEM

3 years ago, Lim Teck Ghee on 30% bumi equity participation. Got fired left, right, centre. Some say 17%, others say 45%
Because there was never a tracking system for the administration to ascertain when each milestone was reached.
Because targets were never publicly made known & advertised (ie no public watch)
Swayed too far away from the main aim of equal distribution and eradication of poverty but spend too much time & attention on achieving minor targets, eg 30% quota.
To plug the leakages of dwindling bumi participation in PLCs, I propose the setting up of a Bumi Equity Unit Trust (similar to all the Amanah Saham schemes) to absorb exiting bumi investors so that bumi equity participation in PLCs will never be reduced. All IPOs approved by the SC already have a 30% bumi equity requirement, so how did it dropped to 17%. Leakages occur because unscrupulous bumi investors misuse the privileges to make a quick profit.
We cannot stop people from making a profit, but when they do decide to take profit, they must also help the Govt to keep the bumi participation capped at 30%. So that when you have made your money, other deserving bumi investors can also buy those shares from the Bumi Equity Unit Trust and made their profits. This is call, "one stone kill two bird". Bumi investors can make money & the Govt can ensure that bumi participation is always at 30% or more!

Another way to equalised the disparity between the rich and the poor, in as far as buying property is concerned, those who can afford to buy a property above RM500k should not be given any discounts. And what they have paid should go towards helping to subsidise bumis who cannot afford to even buy a low cost house.
Car import AP holders, only a handful. APs should be liberalised and be given to other deserving genuine bumi businesses/entrepreneurs. To the extent of sharing their privileges by subsidizing other bumis who cannot afford to buy cheap transport vehicles.

THE 2^ND THRUST OF PGRM'S STRUGGLE

"To work with the Government to achieve those hopes and wants for the rakyat."

1) The PM did on the day of the funeral of Dr LimCE wrote in the visitors book that DrLimCE was instrumental together with his late father Tun Razak in the formation of BN. Gerakan therefore in no small way, plays an important role in seeing the perpetuation and continuation of BN for the years to come.

2) Why did LCE decided to joint forces with the Govt when he could have been the State Govt on their own? Because if he worked alone, he could only have gone so far. Combine resources.

3) We always pride ourselves that we are the conscience of BN. We speak up not because we just want to make noise, but because we care about the future of BN.

4) It is no more intentional than coincidental that the BN Convention falls on the same weekend as our Youth & Wanita NDC. This shows and also signal to us that we need to focus on the original mission of BN.

We have seen the likes of Transformation Programmes – GTP, ETP. We must also have a BNTP (Barisan Nasional Transformation Programme), if we are to steer the country forward.

5) In 1974 when BN was formed, it was herald as a force to be reckon with and it got the mandate from the rakyat because the policies were fair and just.

The Dacing symbol of BN – Fair & Just.
How many years have we been using it without given much attention and have almost to the point of forgetting its significance envisaged by our forefathers.
The Dacing also applies to the coalition of BN.
The BN formula is not a "1+12" formula but a 13 Party Formula. That means we are here to share the powers & responsibilities together.

Umno took Timbalan, S/U, Bendahari, Ketua Penerangan, etc.
The 1^st BN Sec Gen in 1974 was Michael Chen.

6) Return to the 1974 BN Formula – One Party One Vote.

7) Another important issue with the rakyat – is BN (the coalition as a whole) the Govt or are individual parties the Govt? If BN as a coalition is the Govt, then BN as a whole should set policies! – Education/Places of worship

THE JOINT COOPERATION OF PEMUDA & BELIAWANIS

Promoting & providing equal opportunity to the young men & women members of the party.
Providing choice to them to be active in the roles that they choose

Does It Filter Through?

Posted: 21 Oct 2010 08:40 PM PDT

This week sees the meeting of all UMNO delegates from around the country, culminating in the 61st General Assembly of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

I'm glad that the PM has the courage to boldly state and reiterate again the important positions of all the races and their contribution towards nation-building and that ALL must be acknowledged for their hard work.

He also had the foresight to remind us again that the way forward is to work together as One Malaysians and not as 'individualistic groupings of races'.

Kudos also goes to Sharizat and Khairy (in their speech) for their far sightedness in preparing the ground for their delegates to see the importance of working as One and not as diverse groups.

They were all saying the right things to pull UMNO forward. And they were all saying it at this most opportune time. Other issues that got to be mentioned were the social contract and the economic pie. And we were (as non-malays) given the confidence that our positions (just like the malays) were enshrined in the constitution.

Problem is … … who doesn't know this? It was all there since 1957. Nothing much of the Federal Constitution has changed except for a short period where our beloved Dr M (fourth PM) did boldly changed some of the articles (wordings) to curb the powers of the judiciary, otherwise its been edged in stone ever since.

So why is there the need to reiterate the position of the malays and the non-malays now?

I truely, sincerely and whole-heartedly believe that PM is serious in wanting to change the social landscape of the country. By means of economic architecture and social engineering. And from the close-door dialogues we had with the PM plus the opportunities I had to talk to his close-aides, I get the strong impression that he meant business.

To make the argument stronger, through our private meeting with Khairy (BN Youth Chair), we also get the same impression and feedback.

My worry is that, it all sounds well on the platform, but does all this nicely worded regurgitations and impromptu speeches filter through in the end of the day?

The first resistance that I hear is already visible in the "inner struggle" (body-language) amongst the delegates. In the DPM's speech to the Wanita, Pemuda & Puteri on Tuesday (19 Oct 2010) he inserted at least half a dozen times mentioned the word 'inclusive' in his wonderfully prepared speech. Inclusive in the sense that we must include all races in the development of the nation.

But somewhere in the middle of his speech, he touched on the need for them (I dont know if it means him or he wanted to include the party) to embrace those NGOs that also fight for the rights of the malay-people. The first thing that came to my mind was an organisation called Perkasa. Eventhough he did not specifically named Perkasa as such, the surrounding circumstances and timing of his mention can and only point to 'that' organisation.

Couple with the fact that, I still dont see any changes of how UMNO Bahagian chiefs behave and treat the common people (let alone their own members in the bahagian). The air of arrogance is evermore present and doesnt seem to diminish with the PM's call for unity and coorperation.

What I'm saying here stems from my own experience with dealing with the UMNO deadwood in my area. And I have not received any divergence of opinions from my own state liasion colleagues as far as Wilayah is concerned.

So if I, from among the middle to top levels of leadership in BN have that kind of feeling, what will the common rakyat feel if they continue to read this kind of rhetorics in the newspapers but see no changes in the behaviours and attitudes of leaders below the MT (majlis tertinggi) of UMNO. Is this a bankable perception that we can rely on?

There's is no trickle down of effect …

On The Technology Front

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 05:03 AM PDT

(Steve Jobs at the launching of the iPad)

by Alvin Yeo

On the technology front, it is always easy to know what is hot and what is not. You have to look rather carefully at the responses of both the consumers and also the product's advertising campaign.

But what I am going to write about is not a product review per say but the future of where this may lead to. We cannot deny the fact that such techno- gizmos will eventually shape and dictate how our lifestyle will be changed. Take for example the radio. It was touted the best thing that happened and the miracle of so many people contained in a little black box telling you stories. And when TV came around, it killed the radio. And they even wrote a song about how TV killed the radio man.

On the social front, we can also associate the air time of TV Shows to the population growth as well. Ever wonder why in some third world country where TV's were deemed a luxury or they are deemed items that "corrupt" your mind and you do not get to watch what you choose but some state approved programmes which basically entail a boring bloke reading out of a prompt card of which he will forget what he just read right after the "Good Night Comrades!!!"

Then came the computers where we actually IM our colleagues whom is sitting just behind us about the latest gossip or where is lunch today. Needless to say that those whom has found a job developing video games, were basically fuelled by the many online vampires whom are not out for blood to feed but constantly stays up late hypnotised by a video consol or a computer game.

On the social front again, you see more kids in a cyber café than you can find in the football pitch now a days. On a rainy day, you will never be able to find the wild kids whom will take to the fields sliding on the fields fantasising the way their idol does a fantastic tackle or the bicycle-kicks made famous by Pele. Instead, you will find them having more developed muscles on the thumbs and fingers executing deft precise clicks and swipes on a game consol to emulate that slide minus the rain, mud and body contact and offcourse the vulgarity which comes after the tackle, has never lost its shine and I have to say that the innovative mind has come up with some rather interesting and unique twist to the "old fashion" bloody cuss.

Then comes a new toy in the market recently and it is barely larger than a B5 dairy weighing in the region of about 6lbs. The iPad. A fantastic gizmo which I felt it was like Steve Jobs saw the iPhone market responding to it like moths to a flame! Seeing the success and asking how do we double the fun and quadruple the profits? Well, maybe a blurry staff whom is sleep deprived and mentally drained just blurted out, "If u think its just that @#$%@ easy, why dun u double our F&%#$@@ work and Quadruple the size of the B##@!&#% iPhone… mumble mumble…" And, Mr Job did his job yet again by taking the suggestion of a fellow employee, double the work load and made the iPhone bigger.

It had some very cautious reception but the ad campaigns were very well thought out and before they hit the market, people were already pre booking them. Opportunist whom has seen this potential, also jumped into the band wagon and the competitors introduced the Android powered tablets. I am not going to comment too much on the functionality and I still do believe that it is generically dependent on the user preference and there is no clear winner in any case. Its just like a Beemer fan will say how it drives well and handles great on the road and another whom may be an Audi driver will claim the A6 does it better…. The debate never stops but there are other factors where users will naturally be drawn to the sleek groovy looks while the accessories determines how big a freak you really is. A car is after all just a car… (I know many will disagree with me but I am using this as an anology, maybe not such a good one but I think you get my drift… because regardless what analogy I use, there will still be two big faction divided by preference, and that is my point).

So, having some history to refer to and faced with this new toy, how will our future turn out? Will be all be talking like NCIS agents in future and tapping on to a digital pad to cal up information where ever there is a 3G connection (which is basically a very large area). Will doctors now be faced with new medical terms to deal with like instead of a tennis elbow, we now call it an iPad elbow? Or what will we call the skin disorder of not having enough Vitamin D (due to the lack of sunlight)?

We have seen more cases of CTS and other Repetitive Strain Injuries more than actual sporting injuries. I suppose the Insurance Agencies will come up with some form of caveats where payout will be determined by the proper Ergonomic and Work Space Management plans in place and properly implemented as well.

I take the stand of embracing technology with a more liberal and adaptive approach. While we take in the technology, let's also not forget the humanity of social engagement and also nurture the emotions we humans are designed and created naturally to have and we need to develop this. Otherwise we will end up being "surrogates" to technology and the line of who is master will be blurred.

I like some of the games on the iPad developed where it can support more than one person to play on it at one time and this actually helps to foster interaction and sharing. This is the kind of development we should see more of and encourage the development of young minds to see the future as we like it to be and be the wise man our children will be telling their children in future. We keep saying our children will be the future, what then are we doing to ensure they are properly guided to do this and what are we doing to help them achieve to their best potential? It is time we step out of our shadow and start to work on our humanity first before we pass on our flaws to our children.

Malaysia Day!

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 08:44 PM PDT

For the 1st time in the history of Malaysia, 'Malaysia Day' is celebrated. And the Sabahans and Sarawakians are asking, what took you so long?

For Peninsular Malayans (for without the Sabahans & Sarawakians, we cannot be Malaysians). We have been having it our way for far too long.

Can we also say that of the BN Govt?

When an 'institution' (here I name BN as one, because for far too long it thinks that nothing can move it) has been in place for far too long, complacency and arrogance creeps in, and when that 'institution' can have its way for that long, the 'sense' of superiority blocks their observation to what will come.

Why do we need another public holiday when for 47 years, nobody thought it as important to even mention it. And now, with BN losing grip in Parliament, suddenly, we notice that Sabah is indeed our 'Fixed Deposit'.

If you were a Sabahan (and for that matter, Sarawakians too), how would you feel? Taking us for a ride for the past 47 years, and now you realise that this 'daughter' has always been by your side while the other 4 sons have eloped with their favourite 'girlfriend'.

As fathers and mothers (BN), we cannot just ignore the signs that the family is telling us, not anymore. Up next on the agenda, when is the Sabah '20 point' Agreement going to be discussed and given prominence at National Parliament level? When are the Sabahan Parliamentarians going to voice out the grievances they have to endure for their constituents for so long? And let us also not forget that Sarawak have their own version of grienvances in the form of their '18 point' Agreement, we need to address those issues too!

I'm now sitting here in my office enjoying the fan while I manage to get this article typed, but how many Sabahans can enjoy that kind of basic amenity call electricity without interuption for the whole day? And what about hospital care, its virtually non-existant even in big towns like KK.

For now, its no point singing about Sabah as our FD for the next 13GE when all we can give them are just "cow's milk", please please please, we need more to tell our daughter(s) over the South China Sea that we really mean what we say. And dont forget the other elder daughter in Sarawak too, for otherwise, eloping could be another option for them!

To all fellow Malaysians in Sabah & Sarawak, happy Malaysia Day!

PS: In our haste to secure our Fixed Deposit in Sabah & Sarawak, we forgot that we need to amend the "public holiday roll" in our Parliamentary Enactments. So for now, lets say, Malaysia Day is celebrated illegally, save for a declaration from the DYMM Agung. So lets not forget to quickly amend our laws so that the Malaysia Day of 2011 is celebrated legally …

Moving On Gracefully

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 09:29 PM PDT

PM Hatoyama of DPJ

Politics is a drug. Once you have tasted a piece of it, the addiction stays on forever. And for those who have enjoyed the perks that come with it, it is even more difficult to 'wean' them away. Just like mother's milk, its always tasty. But parents have to do what they have to do, yank the 'little devil' away before they become 'dependent' derelicts.

I take my hat off for Yukio Hatoyama (Japan) and Kevin Rudd (Australia) for bowing down before they do any more harm to the bigger cause. For Hatoyama, whom have fought 40 years to restore his family's honour as 'good politicians' but still willing to give it up less than a year later (after being elected) speaks volume of his upbringing and personal character. And for Rudd to do the same is a sacrifice of his part to assure his Party's hold on to the seat of Government is highly commendable.

On our own front, for Dr Chua Soi Lek to owe it up to his mistakes is a character trait that all of us who are involved in politics should learn to do. I do not want to dwelve on the appropriateness or morality of what Dr Chua has done, but purely zooming in on his personal action of taking responsibility is what we are interested in, in this article.

But we cannot say that of some of the current leaders in BN as well as PR. How many of you have seen the familar old faces whom have refused to give up because the 'opium' still taste good for them.

Could Thailand have had a different fate if Thaksin is willing to give it all up and devote more of his time to rebuilding the country rather than clinging onto political power.

Likewise if Gordon Brown had owed it up much more earlier when the signs were apparent, could Labour have had slide that much off the scale.

If we are that 'bledy' useless, its time to go gracefully, and that includes me!

Quiet Protest

Posted: 12 Jun 2010 10:37 PM PDT

It's easy to spot me, I'm the one without the raised arm! (Pic by TheStar Online)

Interesting gathering, it was called the "1 Malaysia Rally". But why do I think it was more of a 'syok sendiri' gathering than anything else.

To fully experience the occassion, I decided to take the LRT from Kelana Jaya (the extreme end of 'KJ' Route) to Bukit Jalil (the 2nd last station of the Sri Petaling Route).

I've not taken the LRT for at least 6-7 months and it was a good way to see for myself whether the infrastructure service has improved since Ong Tee Keat took over as Transport Minister.

To my dismal, it hasnt improve but decline in service standards. For one, I couldnt get a ticket to go straight from Kelana Jaya to Bukit Jalil. I had to buy a one way ticket to Masjid Jamek and then buy another ticket from Masjid Jamek to Bukit Jalil. And in between suffer the rain transitting from the 'putra' station to the 'star' station. (How would I know whether to take an umbrella or not?)

So when is RapidKL going to integrate the two systems together? When are we Malaysians going to learn how to be a "first class nation"?

After alighting from the LRT station (at 2pm), I mingled around outside the Stadium to see who were the participants for the 1 Malaysia Rally.

Most of them were underaged school pupils and college students. How did I know? Easy, just ask! Some of them were shouting and making huge noises while others were carrying placards shouting Anti-Israel slogans. (After the recent storming of the MV aid ship to the Gaza strip by Isreali soldiers)

I should have ask myself then, is this truly a 1 Malaysia Rally or is it an Anti-Israel Rally? Why has the organisers allowed students to carry banners and placards to show support of Gaza when the occassion was to gather support for PM's 1 Malaysia Campaign?

Without giving much further thought, I went straight to the upper podium of Putra Stadium to wait for the PM to come and grace the occassion. He arrived at 3pm.

There wasnt much in between (except for the usual greetings among Component Party Heads and usual pleasantries) so I'll just skip the rest and go straight to the meat.

When the PM arrived, almost all rushed forward to kiss his hand (an act which PM Mahathir disliked intensely when he was PM). A fellow Sabahan Party Component Head and I just stood on the side to let those who liked kissing hands so much get their fair share of the grabbing and sembah-ing.

Moments later we were all ushered into the upper podium to a loud thunderous claps of applause welcoming the PM's arrival. (DPM Muhyddin and Tun 'Pak Lah' were also part of the VVIP guests at the Rally. I suspect Pak Lah was there because his son-in-law was there. Incidentally, I also saw Nori (KJ's wife) in the next section beside the podium)

After a half hour performance of local Martial Arts (I like Silambam the best), Khairy went to the platform on the opposite site of the VVIP podium to give his speech. It was sweet and simple but right to the point of why BN has not learned that the Young of today does not like to be treated as 'ignoramus'. The BN Govt has done a lot but we shouldnt self-praise and claim all the credit. We simply cannot pull wool over the rakyat's eyes anymore!

The reason I'm writing this article is to admit to the fact that some of my friends have called me up and ask me why I did not raise my hand while they were shouting the 1 Malaysia Slogan (as you can see in the above photo. I'm the one standing on the extreme left on the same row as the PM).

My answer to them was that, eventhough I fully support the PM's effort in bringing the 1 Malaysia Concept to fruition, I still cannot convince myself that everybody 'below him' (in the administration) have gotten or embrace the idea fully into their very 'being'.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. The day that the Civil Service is fair, that PTPTN & JPA loans are merit based, that the Public Universities entry are transparent, that there will be equal treatment between SK and SJK(C) and SJK(T) and that the Govt Agencies are for ALL … that'll be the day I'll raise my hand with all the enthusiasm that I've got!

But until then, I cannot see through the 'wayang kulit' that is going on nor the lack of political will in doing away with what decades of racial seperation policies have done.

Until then, I reserve the right to protest in quiet …

What’s In A Dato?

Posted: 12 Jun 2010 09:47 PM PDT

It's easy to give and its also easy to take back.

That was what His Majesty the DYMM Sultan of Johor did when he took back the 2 honorifics of DPMJ (title of Dato) and SPMJ (title of Dato Seri) from Chua Jui Meng (ex Vice President of MCA).

I'm not going to write about the political affiliations of Chua in this article but I just wanted to speculate on what the Sultan was going through in his head that warrant such a drastic move of stripping a person of his honours.

The Palace in a seperate statement did mention the fact that His Majesty is now reviewing all prior conferments and will adhere all future awards to a set of strict rules of conduct.

Among the rules include: good standing as a citizen, exceptional performance as a subject, great contribution to society and nation.

I salute Sultan Ibrahim for setting the record straight and that His Majesty is putting the rules to work himself after his ascension to the Johor Throne. This will in no small way return the former glory, prestige and meaning of being a Dato from a Royal State.

Among the plenty, there's now honour to being a Dato' from the State of Johor. I can't say that of other states (or at least some of them).

There's also concern that athletes whom have contributed to the nation be awarded honorifics after their retirement. So I'm all for Soh Chin Aun and Misbun Sidek being confered the Dato'ship. But why in the like of Lee Chong Wei and Nicol Davids. Both are still in their twenties, why the hurry?

And what about Chef Wan, why is he a Dato' also? Any connection to any other things?

My humble opinion as a subject of the Malay Rulers … the other Royal Highnesses may want to emulate the bold action of Sultan of Johor in restoring the "glory of the title".

Then it means something to be a Dato'. Otherwise the street is full of them, by then it would be more prestigious to be called "Encik". At least that was the feeling during the administration of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak's time.

Nah … Here’s A Senator

Posted: 05 May 2010 04:01 AM PDT

MIC Deputy President – G. Palanivel

Deputy President of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), G. Palanivel was sworned in as a Senator in the Dewan Rakyat on 3 May 2010. That's good for the Indian community. Regardless of his performance for the last 4 terms in Hulu Selangor, I have heard (from my own sources) that he too has contributed his fair share of his duties in that area for the last 20 years.

Because voters appetide are always insatiable, they will always keep asking for more, and if you did not attend a function that they have organised (and there are many more excuses the electorates can give you), they will say you have not contributed/performed and therefore not fit to be fielded as a candidate. What is the criteria to judge whether an MP is performing or not performing?

What is a good MP and what is not a good MP?

At least now that he is a Senator (despite talk that this was a way to keep him silent and not make noise for not being chosen as the candidate for the Hulu Selangor By-Election), he should be able to use his new position to fight for the plight of the Indians in MIC and also his 'ex'-constituents in Hulu Selangor for the last 20 years.

But this article is not about G. Palanivel, it's about Ezam, the ex-PKR Youth Chief who was also sworn in at the same time as Palanivel as a Senator. My question is, what has he done to deserve a seat in the Senate? By apologizing to the people of Hulu Selangor during the week-long campaign that he was wrong in criticising the Govt while he was in PKR? Is that it?

Is that how UMNO rewards its 'rejects'?

If that is the case, then we have a serious problem here. The Senate becomes a national dumping ground for 'political rejects' and 'political-frogs'.

What is a criteria to becoming a Senator? Is this a favour-granting post that is used to keep people happy or entice people to hop over and become a political-frog?

When has the 'honourable' institution of the Senate degraded to become like that? Instead of housing people who have contributed to the nation or are contributing to the nation, it has been used for other reasons (we call that patronage).

Previously known as the Upper House, carrying a higher stature than the Dewan Rakyat, Senators are now not being given the respect that they should, much like the grand-title of Dato and/or Tan Sri, the streets are full of it, its becoming like a commodity!

2 Years On and …

Posted: 04 May 2010 10:48 PM PDT

I was asked by blogger Jed Yoong of "LurveWonderland" (her new blog after a long lapse from the cyberworld) to comment on what I had been upto in the last two years since the 12GE. Knowing well that an email response would not do justice to what I had to say, an interview was arranged so that we could explore further the topic at hand.

In an open-fashion manner, Jed fired off her questions in successive rounds of probes as to what I think about various issues but most of them centred around the constituency of Batu and what I think about the ongoing court case involving Tian Chua and his police-biting incident.

I gave a no-holds-barred response to all her questions and although the interview was a rather long one, but I think due to length-constraint, only a very small section of the interview appeared in her blog (which does not do justice nor was it able to capture the true spirit and essence of the question and answers for the day).

The interview is found here.

First of all, I would like to state that there is no "crew of 10″ in my service centre as she alluded to. Some of the people she met there, were genuine voters who had come in to chat and share what were happening in the places where they reside.

I only have a staff of 4 in my office. 3 Malay and one Indian. This is not by default but by design. I want my staff to be sensitive to the needs of the electorates of Batu especially the plight of the Indians (since most of them are from the lowest income groups) there. This team have been with me since the day I lost the Batu Election.

But Jed was right in that my service centre is definitely opened from 12pm to 7pm daily and upon request on weekends too.

And Thank You Jed for interviewing me and giving me a chance to explain what we have been upto in the last 2 years …

(Incidentally, the link to my blog which she provided at the end of the interview is an error. Instead of limpsipin.com (I hope the error was not intentional to make me a 'limp') it should read limsipin.com)

A Dictator and A Thief

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 04:37 AM PST

We 'lost' the Batu Parliamentary seat after 24 years.

There must be some obvious person out there (or among us) who despite the explanation of the 'leadership of the party', still could not accept the fact that what has been a strong hold of Parti Gerakan (the constituency of Batu) for the past twenty odd years from 1986 to the present is now the 'priced jewel' in the hands of the "dictator of the pact".

I'm glad somebody trumpeted the frustration that I'm feeling and it is clearly spelt out in the follwiong article:

http://www.klik4malaysia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=638%3Agerakan-grassroots-in-quandary-over-batu&catid=25%3Alatest-news&Itemid=189&lang=en

Good luck to the 'new' BN Batu Division Chairman, you have just signed your own 'Be.End' warrant!

Visit To Print Media

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 04:21 AM PST

During the last few days, a group of us in Gerakan National Youth had made courtesy visits to some local print media/publishing houses. Among the topic that were raised and debated were: what's the future direction that Gerakan is going to take in the next 3 to 5 years.

Some of the journalist also did interviews with us and below is a piece we did on 3 March 2010 on what Gerakan should seriously consider or at least think about, less we be sweeped aside without knowing what hit us!

http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/151637?tid=1

Interview with Klik4Malaysia (Part 1)

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 09:04 PM PST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_RU0dLQA84

A group of online-media journalist came to my Batu Service Centre Office sometime last week and did an extensive interview with me on the problems faced by the voters of Batu and other related issues, including a possible By-Election in Batu. I gave them a very open and honest answer and also included some of my thoughts on the development of the Youth Movement within Gerakan and other plans for the future.

I was told this will be the first installment of their recording and that the other clips will be uploaded soon when they are available. If you find this first part of the interview interesting, hope you will check in soon for the rest of the instalment.

Hope you dont find my 'hair' (in the interview) disturbing (my apologies) as in the midst of trying to give my full attention to the interview, I forgot to comb my hair … not that there's much to comb actually!

This clip and the subsequent ones are also available at www.klik4malaysia.com

Thanks for viewing.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

One Step Forward & Three Steps Back

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 08:30 PM PST

The very Anti-Thesis of 1Malaysia … if there's such a thing, we are beginning to wonder!

It takes years to build up goodwill, trust and a harmonious relationship. And all it takes is another 'Special Officer' to break all of that … in a couple of seconds!

Nasir Safar must be one of the 'least' educated special officers from the PM's Office. Never one to make any sense and now that he had opened his 'golden' mouth, the gems just came spilling out. And its not very nice to hear though!

When PM took pains to visit the Thaipusam event in Batu Caves, we thought it was such a good gesture that we followed him to also see for ourselves the great turnout and atmosphere at the age-old Hindu Temple. It was also touted as the second time in the history of Malaysia that a PM took the trouble to come visit for himself the great majority of Indian people in this country and how they celebrated one of the grandest festival in South East Asia. His father was the first to do it.

Even Al-Jazeera covered the event for a full 10 minutes in their Night News Report, giving full coverage to the Indian Descendents in Malaysia and how the festival has come to be regarded as a annual crowd puller for tourism in Malaysia.

Then came a week later, a Special Officer took a great big hammer and shattered all of that. Calling Indian Malaysians 'pendatang' and Chinese Malaysian Ladies 'whores'.

What is becoming of this country, all of us have eyes to see. After 52 years of Independence, we still have this kind of derogatory remarks being hurled at each other. What was Nasir Safar trying to prove? That he was the almighty officer from the PMO and that nobody could touch him, even if he had said it in good faith. This was the excuse (partial statement below) the PMO could cock-up, and that we are suppose to accept it and feel that everything is OK.

In a prompt reaction to what had happened, the PM's Office quickly sent out a statement yesterday evening – "Nasir Safar, the special officer to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who stirred a hornet's nest with his stinging 'racist' remarks will resign. The remarks allegedly made by Nasir in Malacca today do not in any way reflect the views of the prime minister. Nasir never intended to make any derogatory remarks. He spoke at length on the contributions made by all races in developing the country. Nevertheless, Nasir apologises for any offence caused and in light of this, will tender his resignation."

Resign for what? He should be kept longer in the PMO so that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition has got a better chance to pave the "Path to Putrajaya", faster. I think we should start a petition campaign to reinstate this 'illustrious' officer from the PMO. Better still, give him a TanSri next year (because he's already a Dato) for making it clear that the real Ketuanan Melayu concept needs a damn good Ambassador, and he's the man for the job!

Some say during the period from 2002-2008, this country was ruled by an institution called the "4th Floor Boys". This were a smart group of young professionals who could outdo and out-argue anybody of this country and they veil a considerable amount of power in the weak hands of the 5th PM. Now comes another breed of animals who are standing-skin-close, advising and breathing the same air as the PM … people like Nasir Safar. I just wish that the PM knows what he is doing, including the minutest family background, and psychological profiles of each and every one of his Political Secretaries and Special Officers. We cannot afford to get the equation wrong again and usher in another group of 'new' 4th floor boys.

As a point of reflection, we (especially Indian and Chinese of this country) shouldnt be perturb by what has been said. If some lowly-officer can create such a stir in our sentiments just by saying something like that, how easily are we 'manipulatable' by others whom have got deeper and more sinister intentions than this.

We should learn to sieve through the substantial and unsubstantial remarks that comes our way. Are we so weak that we also have the siege-mentality of one other race (of this country) that will continue to haunt us? Mention the word 'pendatang', all the Chinese and Indians of this country will just go berserck! When are we able to hear that 'loaded word' and not be disturb nor affected by it?

Nay … we should remian strong and steadfast in trying to build a truly Bangsa Malaysia, 1Malaysia, Middle Malaysia, Malaysian Malaysia … brother any more slogans?

InsyaTuhan (I believe not gazetted, but if it is, please tell me), we shall live to see our children enjoy a harmonious country for the future.

What’s In A Name

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 04:29 AM PST

A man came home from work and his children ran to him and called out 'Ayah! Ayah!'.

As a result of that, his neighbour got very upset and sternly ticked him off, "Can you please tell your children not to call you 'Ayah' anymore?"

The man asked, "Why?" The neighbor retorted, "Because my children call me 'Ayah' too, and they might get confused and mistaken you to be their father."

Burial rites, religious ceremonies, name callings are meant for humans. Our Creator (All Praise to Him) couldn't care less if you mispelt his name or couldn't remember his name after a beer or two. Even if you were to keep repeating His name and walk out of a 32 storey building, you would still meet your fate, ala Teoh Beng Hock style.

So in the end, who has the last laugh, the Creator. He must be thinking, I gave all these two-legged creatures a brain and a heart and all they could use it for was to compete on who has the right to call my name … hello, anybody home!

Far From The Truth

Posted: 18 Jan 2010 08:15 PM PST

I love my country, does my country love me?

Malaysians are obsessed with slogans and bombastic concept-titles. In the area of National Unity, we had the oft mentioned Malaysian Malaysia (Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's creation of 1965), then Bangsa Malaysia (Tun Mahathir's 2020 brain child), then 1Malaysia (Najib's concoction of what it means to be a Malaysian) and the latest, Middle Malaysia (Lim Guan Eng's version of his father's version of Malaysian Malaysia).

And the reality is that, whomever coins such names and concepts, we still see a spiraling and worrying national divide of racial polarisation. The situation is not any better than when we achieved Independence but worst off. This fact is most prominent whenever I visit national universities and government sponsored colleges.

You don't need to venture far but just go to the canteen and you can see how bad the polarisation is. One group of Malay students will be sitting among themselves, another group of Chinese students at another corner and a third group of smaller Indian students some where else. There is no attempt to mingle among themselves and exchange views or even greetings. The only time I see some signs of improvement is when the teenagers goto Khidmat Negara for 3 months and they seem to be able to 'tolerate' each other for the duration of their stay. Otherwise, once let loose, its back to square one again.

If after 52 years of Merdeka, we still have this kind of things happening in Malaysia, when is the situation going to improve? When can we see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Politics seem to have taken a foothold in all things big and small in this country. From how you travel, to what you study, to how you raise your family, to what you eat in public places, all of these and many more are governed tightly in the hands of a few. And if the few in power turns out to be ningkumpoofs, we are 'fixed' for life.

So lets disregard all the semantics and the rhetorics for the past 52 years and get serious in seeing a change in how Malaysia conducts its own affairs, a move towards a - fair and just – society.

Yesterday, the 18 Jan 2010 saw the United States celebrating the birthday of one of its most illustrious sons – Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The civil rights leader employed humble yet effective leadership ways to achieve his goals and was one of the most thrilling speakers of our time.

It took America almost 50 years to see his 'Dream' come true. To have 'equality' in all strata of American life right up to the coveted title of the Presidency itself.

Does Malaysia need to wait another 50 more years before we can also see some light on this. Or by that time, most of the liberal Malays, Chinese and progressive Indians would have migrated elsewhere and there's no need to talk about a truly Malaysia for Malaysians anymore.

What is saddening is that, nobody cares enough to truly provide a solidarity movement to face this challenge of National Unity squarely in the face. None of the appointed Minister for Unity or Minister of Home Affairs since Merdeka have had any success with it. And I dont see any of them in the future would either, if we still go on the way we have been.

When can we learn to be truly tolerant and compassionate enough to say that yes, apart from Ali, Ah Beng and Muthu too has rights in this country and those rights are never subservient to any others. Bar the fact that policies like the New Economic Policy etc etc still has its role to play in an economically divided country, we shall allow such policies to prevail at all cost if it helps to allevate the plight of all Malaysians.

We seriously need to think through this deeply and widely. And it must start with the top. And the top means the Cabinet itself. It doesn't matter if there's not a single Chinese or Indian in the Cabinet of Ministers but if each and every one of the Ministers can think, live and struggle for the good of all Malaysians, we are so much more closer to what our forefathers wanted for Malaysia many decades ago. The sad truth is, are these Ministers thinking in unison or are they trap by divergent interests?

Gone should be the days that there should be 6 Chinese in the Cabinet or 3 Indians at the top or that one deputy Chief Minister must be Malay and one must be Indian. If we still think like that, no amount of shouting of 1Malaysia or Middle Malaysia would help the country, at the end, its just a word!

Salam 1Malaysia, Hidup Middle Malaysia, anything else to shout about?

xNews® The Rats Of Politics

MToday vs MChronicle

MToday vs MChronicle

My Youth Chief Speech at PNDC 2010

My Youth Chief Speech at PNDC 2010

The Main points of my Youth Chief Speech at the Gerakan PNDC 2010 (4th December 2010)

Does It Filter Through?

Does It Filter Through?

On The Technology Front

On The Technology Front

Malaysia Day!

Malaysia Day!

Moving On Gracefully

Moving On Gracefully

Quiet Protest

Quiet Protest

Nah … Here’s A Senator

Nah … Here’s A Senator

A Dictator and A Thief

A Dictator and A Thief

Visit To Print Media

Visit To Print Media

Interview with Klik4Malaysia (Part 1)

Interview with Klik4Malaysia (Part 1)

What’s In A Name

What’s In A Name

Far From The Truth

Far From The Truth

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