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.

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