Saturday, February 11, 2012

Did he know?

Did he know?

Did he know?

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 08:57 AM PST


It's always hard to lose someone.  It's even worse when it's unexpected. While I don't consider myself an expert on grief, I do believe I qualify to speak about it.

At the end of anybody's life, the only question that really matters is, "Did he know you loved him?".

Did he know that you loved him when he was alive?  If he did, then you have walked the talk of love.  Love is not passive. It is active.

The point is that we have to show our love while people are alive!  Death is final.  There is no second chance.


You can claim to have loved someone so much and so hard after they are dead.  But if you didn't show it while they were alive, then it counts for nothing.

We have to remember this.

Live, love and never be afraid of saying "I love you".  Let them know.  





(All pics from the WWW)

Business: Jewish vs Chinese in US

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 08:12 AM PST

BLACK BRAS, SIZE 38

A Chinese guy goes to a Jew to buy black bras, size 38.

The Jew, known for his skills as a businessman, says that black bras are rare and that he is finding it very difficult to buy them from his suppliers. Therefore he has to charge $50.00 for them.

The Chinese guy buys 25.

He returns a few days later and this time orders fifty.
The Jew tells him that they have become even harder to get and charges him $60.00 each.

The Chinese guy returns a month later and buys the Jews remaining stock of 50, and this time for $75.00 each.

The Jew is somewhat puzzled by the large demand for black size 38 bras and asks the Chinese guy, "...please tell me - What do you do with all these black bras?"

The Chinese guy answers: "I cut them in half and sell them as skull caps to you Jews for $200.00 each."


...and this is why the Chinese will own us !

"Business is business!"

Civil servant earns $295 a month and drives a Porsche

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 04:18 AM PST

MANILA - On the surface, it looked like any old road-rage case, except that this one escalated well beyond the everyday realm of fisticuffs.
A minor fender bender between two cars - one a Porsche - sparked an altercation. Things quickly got out of hand when the Porsche driver pulled out a gun and took some shots at the other driver. He missed, and was later arrested.

When police investigated, things really went south for the gun-wielding driver, Mr Paulino Elevado. It turned out he was a Customs officer, and the cops' questions turned naturally to how a civil servant earning less than 10,000 pesos (S$295) a month came to be driving a Porsche worth about 5 million pesos.
The port clerk, however, maintained that the sports car did not belong to him - although local media found the car's licence plate registered to an Elevado. The case, which made the headlines in Manila, has highlighted huge problems the authorities face in trying to clean up the Philippines' corruption-riddled Customs bureau.
Pic: credit to Paultan.

Without Fear and Favour!

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 02:33 AM PST

Najib 'sacrificed his faith' to attend Thaipusam do, says Perak Mufti Najib 'gadai akidah' hadir upacara Thaipusam di Batu Caves, tegas Harussani LETTER TO HANAN My Dear Hanan,Mr Alireza Forghani, Khamenei's strategy specialist must of course be speaking for the Government of Iran and Ayatollah Khamenei when he puts in his website the Ayatollah's "legal [...]


FELDA Guna RM1 Juta Anjur EGM, Sogok Perwakilan Sokong FGVH Disenerai Di Bursa Saham?

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 01:20 AM PST

Like this:Be the first to like this post.


In business, a typical Jew always has the last laugh

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 12:28 AM PST

A typical Jew in traditional garb

A well known Anti-Semite, walks into a bar and is about to order a drink when he sees a guy close by wearing a jewish cap/kippa, a prayer shawl/tzitzis, and traditional locks of hair/payos.

He doesn't have to be Tiger Ah Kooi to know that this guy is Jewish. So he shouts over to the bartender so loudly, that everyone can hear, "Drinks for everyone in here, bartender, but not for that Jew over there.";

Soon after the drinks have been handed out, he notices that the Jewish guy is smiling and waving to him and says, 'Thank You ' in an equally loud voice, so that everyone can hear.

This infuriates the Anti-Semite and in a loud voice, he once again orders drinks for everyone except the Jew.

But as before, this does not seem to worry the Jewish guy who continues to smile, and again says, "Thank you."

So the guy asks the barman, "What's the hell is the matter with that Jew? I've ordered two rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar except for him, and all that the silly bugger does is to smile and thank me in such a loud voice. Is he nuts?

"Nope," replies the bartender.

"He owns this place."
Link

KERAJAAN DAP TIDAK MAHU MEMBANTU TYT:BONGKAR

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 12:00 AM PST





AYAT PERTAMA BK : TERKEJUT APABILA MENDAPAT TAHU SURAT INI DI HANTAR OLEH PEJABAT TKM 1 KEPADA NGOS DI PULAU PINANG. UNTUK APA SURAT INI DIHANTAR? UNTUK MERAIH DERMA DARIPADA NGOS ?


SATU PERKARA YANG AMAT PELIK APABILA KERAJAAN NEGERI MEMINTA BANTUAN KEPADA NGOS? BUKAHKAH SEPATUTNYA NGOS MINTA BANTUAN DARIPADA KERAJAAN NEGERI?


BUKANKAH KERAJAAN NEGERI DAP CUKUP BONGKAK MEMAKLUMKAN KEPADA SELURUH NEGARA MEMPUNYAI LEBIHAN BAJET YANG TINGGI? KEMANAKAH WANG LEBIHAN BAJET INI DISALIRKAN?


TANDA TANYA SURAT DI MUKASURAT 1 ???


1. MENGAPAKAH LETTERHEAD YANG DIKELUARKAN IALAH DARI PEJABAT TKM 1?MENGAPA TIDAK DARI LETTERHEAD SUK ATAU PEJABAT KM SENDIRI?


2. MENGAPAKAH MEMINTA BANTUAN DARI NGOS? SEDANGKAN NGOS SEPERTI YANG SEMUA KETAHUI, PUN MENGHARAPKAN BANTUAN KERAJAAN ?


3.MENGAPAKAH KERAJAAN NEGERI TIDAK BERUSAHA MENCARI DANA TAMBAHAN DARI PIHAK SYARIKAT LUAR YANG MENGAUT KEUNTUNGAN BERJUTA JUTA RINGGIT?

ATAU MEMANG SYARIKAT INI TIDAK MAHU MENYALURKAN DANA KEPADA TABUNG TYT DISEBABKAN TYT ITU MELAYU?


4.MASALAH BENCANA ALAM ADALAH TANGGUNGJAWAB KERAJAAN NEGERI MEMBANTU RAKYAT DAN BUKANNYA DI AMBIL DARI DANA TYT?


5. MENGAPAKAH MKN TIDAK LAGI MENERUSKAN USAHA INI?


6. DANA TERSEBUT BERKURANGAN? MENGAPA? SELAMA INI KERAJAAN NEGERI MEMBANTU MANGSA BANJIR, RIBUT DAN SEBAGAINYA MENGGUNAKAN DANA DARI MANA? TIDAK PERNAH PUN DI SEBUT MENGGUNAKAN DANA TYT APABILA MEMBANTU MANGSA BENCANA ALAM?


TANDA TANYA SURAT DI MUKASURAT 2 ???


MANA MAMPU NGOS MEMBERI BANTUAN SEBANYAK YANG DI NYATAKAN OLEH SURAT BERKENAAN. NGOS BUKAN SYARIKAT YANG MENGAUT KEUNTUNGAN.


KESIMPULAN :

INILAH BUKTI JELAS BAHAWA KERAJAAN DAP TIDAK MAHU MEMBANTU DANA TYT ATAU INI SEBAGAI LAMBANG TIDAK HORMAT KERAJAAN DAP TERHADAP TYT


TYT PEMIMPIN UTAMA DI PULAU PINANG, DILAYAN SEBEGINI RUPA. APAKAH TYT TAHU AKAN HAL INI?


SELAMA INI MANGSA BENCANA ALAM DI BANTU DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN DANA MANA?KERAJAAN NEGERI SELALU SEBUT SEMUA BANTUAN DARI KERAJAAN NEGERI SEDANGKAN DALAM SURAT DINYATAKAN BANTUAN UNTUK BENCANA ALAM. APAKAH SELAMA INI DANA TYT DISALAHGUNA OLEH KERAJAAN DAP?


YANG PALING UTAMA ...MENGAPAKAH KM SENDIRI TIDAK MENULIS SURAT INI ATAU SUK SENDIRI. BUKANKAH INI BUKTI DAP TIDAK MAHU TERPALIT MEMBANTU SEORANG PEMIMPIN UTAMA DI PULAU PINANG DARI KAUM MELAYU.


DAP RASIS DAN MELAYU BERSIAPA SIAGA.-badarkhubro

ISA SAMAD Salah Guna Duit FELDA RM353,000 Dan Isterinya Guna RM17,875 Buat Rumah Terbuka ?

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 11:57 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Feb: Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) hari ini mendakwa Pengerusi Felda, Tan Sri Isa Samad menyalahgunakan wang Felda sejumlah RM353,375 bagi mengadakan rumah terbuka Aidilfitri, September tahun lalu. Presidennya, Mazlan Aliman berkata, Isa tidak mengadakan rumah terbuka di Ibu Pejabat Felda seperti kebiasaannya, sebaliknya memilih untuk mengadakannya di kediamannya di Port Dickson. [...]


Malaysian health reform socio-economics

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:30 PM PST

FEB 7 — Is the Malaysian health system really in trouble that it requires such a drastic revolutionary change? Is 1 Care for 1 Malaysia Health Reform the answer? Will this proposed radical change make our health system more efficient and effective as touted by officials? Or, is this proposed reform too ambitious and sweeping [...]


MIC’s subservient and self sentered support for UMNO has eroded the basic human rights of Malaysian Indians

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:22 PM PST

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk S.K. Devamany supported the proposed race Relations act by referring to incidences such as the Kampung Jawa temple demolition and the Interlok novel controversies which have been could have been avoided. He further added we must understand that Malaysia is a multiracial country and we want to preserve unity in main stream newspapers. The examples Devamany gave seem to be puzzling. Is the Race Relations act just to avoid minorities and victims from voicing their grievances?

Race Relation Act is needed to eliminate racial discrimination in public and private sector employment, entrance to university and matriculation levels, open tender in government procurements and providing equal opportunities in employment.  At the same time, the government needs to set up a Race Relation Commission which is made up of all races in Malaysia.  This act will also outline the mechanics and methodology in implementing the Race Relation Act.

Instead of giving the above mentioned reasons for supporting Race Relations Act, Devemany is giving the examples of Kampong Jawa temple breaking and interlok novel as reasons why Malaysia needs a race relations act. The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, along with the squatter settlement of Rimba Jaya, was demolished in 2007 by the then BN-led state government as part of its Zero Squatter programme. The kampong Jawa temple breaking in November 2007, infuriated the Indian community to revolt against the BN government which lead to the loss of 5 states to PR and the denial of 2/3 majority in parliament. The introduction of interlok novel upsets and irked Malaysian Indian parents who persistently campaigned against the novel till the government withdrew as school text book.

Before introduction Race Relations act the government must remove all discriminative policies and practices. All race based political parties must be disbanded. All higher education institutions for exclusively one race must be converted into multi racial institutions where students of different backgrounds meet and mingle with each other. Without preparing the ground for such open and inclusive interactions amongst all Malaysians, race relation act will be another peaceful assembly act.

From the incidences referred by Datuk Devemany, as reasons for introducing race relations act, the intent and purpose of Malaysian race relations act looks sinister and restrict Malaysian human rights and not to provide equal rights. With MIC henchmen like devemany around UMNO will wipe out what ever little space the minorities have.  Malaysian Indians must resolve to wipe out MIC from the political scene once and for all to redeem their dignity and pride as citizens of this country.





Senator S. Ramakrishnan

Now Everyone in AirAsia can join MAS

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:21 PM PST

On 1-12-2012 En Azahari Dahlan who was the Regional Head, Engineering of AirAsia Bhd for about 6 years, was appointed new CEO of MAE of MAS. Prior to joining AirAsia Bhd he was with MAS  Another shocking new appointment effective from 14-2-2012 is En Rozman bin Omar as the new Group Chief Finance Officer of [...]


Mafia Al Capone Bermaharaja Lela Di Selangor

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:19 PM PST


GA – On 18th January 2010, Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd, submitted an application to mine sand in Dengkil (Sepang, Selangor), an area of 45 acres. The letter was copied to Mat Suhaimi Shafiei and Amirudin Shari.


Amirudin Shari supported the application and signed the 'letter of support'. An important point to note is that Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin were both registered as Directors of Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd on that same day, 18th January 2010. And this is no coincidence.


On 23rd May 2009, at around 5.00pm, a meeting was held between a sand contractor (hereinafter referred to as 'SC') and Mat Suhaimi Shafiei in the Sunway Hotel in Seberang Prai, mainland Penang. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss sand-mining in Selangor.


Mat Suhaimi asked SC to submit an application to mine sand to Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd with a copy to him (Mat Suhaimi). Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd is a Selangor state owned company involved in the mining and selling of sand in Selangor.


On 2nd July 2009, at around noon, a meeting was held in Mat Suhaimi's office where he instructed SC to incorporate a company called Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd (company number 308078W).


The Directors of the company are:

1. Adnan Bin Abd Mokhtar (IC number 691119-10-5105)
2. Siti Rosmaliza Binti Meo Rasli (IC number 751115-08-5026)
3. Marzaniyah Binti Arshad (IC number 721127-08-5444)
4. Mat Suhaimi Bin Shafiei (IC number 680227-08-5275)
5. Amirudin Bin Shari (IC number 800208-01-6059)


The Director's fees for Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin was agreed at RM5,000 per month.

On 18th January 2010, Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd, submitted an application to mine sand in Dengkil (Sepang, Selangor), an area of 45 acres. The letter was copied to Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin Shari. Amirudin Shari supported the application and signed the 'letter of support'.


====

Ini baru pendedahan sikit daripada RPK. Belum masuk dengan rakaman telefon lagi bagaimana Suhaimi minta OPENLY, RM50k untuk kegunaan peribadi. Belum masuk lagi dengan bayaran yang dikenakan kepada Azmin Ali.

Nampaknya, SAHIH dan BENARlah bahawa Selangor sudah menjadi negeri 'MAFIA' dan berkonsep AL CAPONE.

Collect duit. Ugut kalau tak bayar. Sanggup bunuh di luar Negara kalau boleh mendatangkan masalah.


Kita berasa musykil, kerana Amiruddin Shari yang mempunyai imej bersih, bijak pandai, bertanggungjawab juga akhirnya gugur dan menjadi taik rasuah.

Inilah bala yang akan jatuh kepada PKR apabila orang yang naik adalah mereka yang tak sabar nak jadi kaya.


Sebab itu, kalau kita perhati dan tengok, ramai kalangan reformis 1998 adalah mereka yang susah dan kedana. Ada yang terpaksa cari makan dengan sumber haram. Kalau mengadu kepada orang tertentu khususnya pimpinan PKR; mereka akan jawab, saya lagi susah.

Inilah kalangan yang berjaya dididik oleh Anwar sebagai penggerak PKR di Selangor. Bodohlah kita kalau nak terus dipermainkan oleh orang yang nampak BERSIH; tapi kotor dan bergelumang dengan najis rasuah.

Pisau kata "siapa yang dedahkan kejahatan pakatan akan dibunuh?"

PM Najib Has Split and divided the Indians

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:17 PM PST

Malaysian Indians were the loyal supporters of MIC/BN with high hope of being uplifted from their socio economic quagmire due to the induction of NEP. The New economic policy introduced in 1971 had deliberately blocked and hindered the progress of Malaysian Indians. To overcome the effect of NEP blockage MIC ventured into setting up their own educational institutions like Tafe, AIMST etc and set up their companies like MAIKA holdings. MIC went to the Indian community for financial support to set up these institutions. The poor community in good faith gave them whatever they had. But MIC cheated, betrayed and let down the community which became poorer. But MIC continued to give hope without any results. Finally in March 2008 the community dumped MIC.
   
Having lost all respect and faith of Indian community, MIC lost the confidence and trust of UMNO. To UMNO, MIC can no more deliver Indian votes.  After the 2008 election results the Prime Minister Datuk seri Najib tun Razak took it upon himself to win the Indian votes. In fact he is the defacto leader of Indian community. The prime minister in his personnel capacity reached out to the various groups like the sikhs, Malayalees, Telegus, temple of fine arts (TFA), divine life soceity (DLS) etc and MIC just prod along to show that they still matter. He gave handouts directly from his office. 
  
The prime minister has recruited a personal assistant for Indian affairs who report directly to him. MIC leaders now have to go through him to reach the prime minister. MIC has become just a show piece without any power to decide on the Indian community. Besides the Prime minister has created other Indian bases to work along BN like the chamber of Indian traders, Makkal sakti group, Anwar discard Nallakaruppan, PPP, IPF, new party called justice party etc. MIC has become irrelevant to the Indian cause and their local leaders at district level are remnants of samy velu era. They are just runners of UMNO warlords. 

The prime minister has successfully split and divided the Indian community so much so that they have no say at all in BN. He guards UMNO and Malays from getting divided and no new Malay based party is admitted into BN. But for Indians more groups are welcomed and he will give the party leaders cash handout generously. As in the past the biggest problem of Indians in this racially segregated country is political leadership. The Tamil political leadership has failed to lead the masses. A few trusted leaders have let down the community in the past. Now we have trust deficit on Indian leadership by the Indian community in Malaysia. BN is struggling to redeem its relevance to the current political expectations of Malays and Chinese. Can the Indian community come up with their assessment of the political development and their position? Can we as a community send a message to the national leaders? 
   
The vacuum and opportunities has made many unworthy candidates vying to fill in the leadership position. Unless the educated and dedicated Indians come forward we may be worse off in the changing political landscape in Malaysia. Our future is in our hand. Can we stand up and be counted?





Senator S. Ramakrishnan


UMNO insults and degrades non Malays but no qualm robbing them their share

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:14 PM PST

UMNO the dominant party of BN has long treated the non Malays and non Muslims as second class citizen. With the mass influx of Muslim foreign workers the non Malays and non Muslims even rank after them further down. This is the political structure which Malaysians don't talk in the open but everybody knows and lives and moves about accordingly without upsetting each other. That is the strength or weakness of Malaysians. The UMNO politician may not say it himself but when others say so he will be indifferent or silently encourage it. They implemented racist policies and practices all the way right from 1970 in the name of equality and fairness. They deprived the non Malays and non Muslims their fair share of their own sweat and blood. That nefarious and hypocritical are UMNO politicians when dealing with rights of non Malays and non Muslims.
    
UMNO leaders have introduced policies and procedures that will knock off the non Malays and non Muslims from scholarships, university enrolment, government employment, procurements and contracts from eligibility to compete and bid. This blatant blockage has reduced and eliminated the participation of non Malays and non Muslims in civil service, uniformed service, providing services to government and its agencies. The non Malays and non Muslims were reduced to the periphery in education and medical services. 

But all these racial policies have reduced and restricted Malaysian competitiveness, efficiency and integrity. Malaysian economy is heading nowhere despite all the transformational programs. These preferential state ethnic policies have stifled the quality of reasoned and informed decisions and thinking in the government decision making bodies. Recruitment and promotion is race based and not meritocracy.  As a consequence of these racial policies many Malays themselves have grown despondent and start distancing from UMNO. 

The educated and informed Malays could see the duplicity and self enriching actions of UMNO leadership.  Majority of Malays are still vulnerable and affected by the economic uncertainties and very dependent on government aid. But a small section of elite UMNOPUTRAS have enriched themselves at the expense of state coffers. The vast majority of Malays poor are hoodwinked and bribed in the name of race and religion to support these few elite UMNOPUTRAS. UMNO is fighting tooth and nail to keep these Malay poor in good humor by giving goodies and cash. When the competition for the Malay heartland is intense the role of non Malays and non Muslims will decide which way Malaysian politics will go. 

The non Malays especially Indians must believe that their one vote counts and makes a difference. The minorities are the king makers. They must be registered as voters first and vote during general elections. Indians must discard the thinking that whether Rama rules or Ravana rules, nothing going to change. There is difference in Rama's and Ravana's rule. Our future is in our hand and not in the UMNOPUTRAS hand. Make hay when the sun shines. Sail when the wind blows. This is the moment. Let's not miss it and blame everybody else except ourselves. It's now or never.  





Senator S. Ramakrishnan


Racial eyesores on the Malaysian landscape

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:06 PM PST

The recent outbreak of violence with racial overtones at Petaling Jaya Selatan squatter settlement requires Malaysians to face up quickly to this most critical yet unresolved problem of racism and racial discrimination in Malaysian society. 
 
This agenda is highly appropriate and timely because this year happens to be the year the United Nations will hold its conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa in August.

Racism and racial discrimination have been part of Malaysian political, economic, social and cultural realities ever since colonial times. Today, race has been so deeply institutionalised that it is a key factor determining benefits from government development policies, bids for business contracts, education policy, social policy, cultural policy, entry into educational institutions, discounts for purchasing houses and other official policies.

Practically every aspect of Malaysian life is permeated by the so-called 'bumiputra policy' based on Malay-centrism. This is unabashedly spelled out by political leaders in the daily mass media in Malaysia.

It is an established fact that racial polarisation is prevalent in various Malaysian institutions. A new survey by Universiti Malaya shows that 98 per cent of Malay students do not mix with non-Malays while 99 per cent of Chinese students and 97 per cent of Indian students do not mingle with the other races.

While the government tries to account for this problem by blaming other extraneous factors such as the existence of vernacular
schools, it is clear that the roots of polarisation lie in this institutionalisation of racism and racial discrimination.

Integral part
Racism is an integral part of the Malaysian socio-political system. The ruling coalition is still dominated by racially-defined component parties, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). These parties compete for electoral support from their respective constituencies by pandering to 'racial' interests. Invariably, their racist inclinations are exposed at their respective party congresses.

Some opportunistic opposition parties likewise pander to their constituencies using racist propaganda to win electoral support and they have also contributed to the vicious circle of racial politics which has characterised Malaysia all these years.

Umno, the ruling party, continues to insist that 'Malay unity' and even 'Malay dominance' is essential for national unity. 'Malay dominance' is invariably used interchangeably with 'Malay privileges', which the ruling Malay elite justifies through the Federal Constitution.

Consequently, we have witnessed the periodic controversies over the alleged challenges to Malay special privileges every time sections of Malaysian society call for non-racist solutions to Malaysian problems. The recent fracas over the appeals by the Chinese Associations of Malaysia (Suqiu) is a case in point. There have been other cases in recent Malaysian history in which the ruling party has allowed racist reactions to be used against the non-Malay communities.

White Paper
The official White Paper on the mass ISA detentions of 1987 documents the Umno Youth rally at the Jalan Raja Muda Stadium on Oct 17, 1987, at which racist and seditious sentiments were flagrantly displayed, e.g.: "May 13 Has Begun; Soak it (the kris) with Chinese Blood…" Umno leaders, including those who are ministers today, were among the rabble rousers on the podium. 

The ruling party condoned such racism on the grounds that theirs was a reaction to the protests by the Chinese organisations over the posting of unqualified officers to the Chinese schools in 1987. In the same way, Umno Youth tried to justify their recent boorish protest over Suqiu at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall by the fact that they were 'provoked' by Suqiu. These realities are principally because they were trying to externalise the internal problems within the ruling party, Umno itself.

Even more recently on Feb 4, 2001, a Malay Action Front rally was organised by former and current Umno leaders using the emblem of an unsheathed kris (Malay dagger) against a blood-red backdrop and calling for the further extension of Malay rights and privileges. Racism and racial discrimination are also manifested in the way indigenous peoples are uprooted from their traditional homelands and displaced to ill-planned resettlement schemes to make way for dams, plantations and other industrial projects. Many development agencies do not respect their native customary land rights. The underlying assumption in official circles is that their cultures and way of life are backward and they need to be 'modernised'. They are rarely properly consulted over these projects and their fate is tantamount to 'ethnocide'.

Migrant workers, including foreign domestic workers, are another group of people who face racism and racial discrimination in Malaysia. There are over two million foreign workers in the country, out of which there are over 10,000 hired as domestic help. The negative and derogatory perception of foreign workers held by many Malaysians condone the abuse of these workers. As women, foreign domestic workers are often subject to verbal, physical and even sexual abuse. The are discriminated against because of their gender, race as well as class.

Affirmative action
The ruling party Umno prides itself on the supposedly 'successful' affirmative action in favour of bumiputra. Bumiputra literally means 'princes of the soil', the official epithet for Malays and other indigenous peoples but which excludes the original peoples, i.e. the Orang Asli of Peninsula Malaysia. This has been the cornerstone of development plans since the New Economic Policy was started in 1971.

Consequently, while this populist bumiputra policy has been applied to the benefit of bumiputra as a whole, the new Malay ruling elite is strategically placed to reap the full benefits of this racially-based policy. Totally committed to capitalism and to privatisation, this policy has ensured that the non-Malay local and foreign elite have also gained from the New Economic Policy since 1971. This class cohesion among the Malaysian ruling elite underpins the racialist politics which has characterised Malaysian society since Independence.

It is time for Malaysians to reaffirm the non-discriminatory basis of the Federal Constitution and to uphold human rights principles which are strictly anti-racist.
Article 8 (1) of the Constitution clearly spells out the principle of equality of all Malaysians while Article 12 (1) allows no discrimination against any citizens on the grounds of religion, race, descent or place of birth.

Article 153 on the special position of Malays was inspired by the affirmative action provisions of the Indian Constitution to protect the minority under-privileged class of harijans. Ours is fundamentally different from those provisions because the ethnic group in whose favour the discrimination operates in Malaysia happens to be the one in political control, the Malays.

Malay dominance
At the time of Independence in 1957, four matters in relation to which the special position of Malays were recognised and safeguarded were: land; admission to public services; issuing of permits or licences for operation of certain businesses; scholarships, bursaries or other forms of aid for educational purposes. The Constitution certainly does not adhere to any notion of "Ketuanan Melayu" (Malay dominance), which is a totally racist concept.
When the Constitutional (Reid) Commission was considering whether such a provision should be included in the 1957 Constitution, it made the following comments:

"Our recommendations are made on the footing that the Malays should be assured that the present position will continue for a
substantial period, but that in due course the present preferences should be reduced and should ultimately cease so that there should be no discrimination between races or communities." (Report of the Federation of Malaya Constitutional Commission 1957, Govt Press, para 165, p.72)

After the Tunku was deposed in 1971, the new Malay ruling elite felt that adequate opportunities had not been made available to Malays, especially in education and that there should be a larger proportion of Malays in the various sectors. In 1971, under Emergency conditions, Article 153 was duly amended to introduce the quota system for Malays in institutions of higher learning. Clause (8A) specifically provided for the reservation of places for bumiputra in any university, college and other educational institutions.

Quota system
Nevertheless, the quota system was not intended to be the totally non-transparent and non-accountable and unfair system we know it today:

Firstly, Article (8A) makes it clear that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can only order a reservation of a proportion of such places for the Malays. It would therefore mean that the quota system is applicable only on a faculty basis and more importantly every faculty or institution should reserve places for students of every race. No faculty or institution under this provision could cater for the Malays alone to the exclusion of the other races.

Years after the implementation of this racial quota system, there was no trace of any such order being made by the Agong nor was there evidence of any such order having been gazetted. Such a directive would thus seem to have been made by the officials of the Ministry of Education.

Thus, it is not clear whether the quota system is made applicable on an institutional basis or on the basis of the total number of places available in a particular course of study of all the universities in the country. To apply the quota system on the total number of places available in any particular university will again be a wrong interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution.

Article 153 (8A) does not authorise the administrators of any university to refuse admission to any student of a particular race. It only allows a proportion of the places to be reserved for Malay students. On such a reasoning, the constitutionality of institutions like the Asasi Sains in the University of Malaya or the science matriculation course of the Universiti Sains Malaysia which cater only for bumiputra students is doubtful.

Furthermore, the Constitution of the University of Malaya expressly prohibits discrimination on grounds of race for the admission of any student to any faculty or institution of the university. In this context too, the constitutionality of other institutions which admit students of a particular race only to the exclusion of other races is also doubtful as it violates the equality provision of Article 8.

From the above, it is clear that the question of the constitutionality of the quota system as it has been practised since 1971 especially in totally bumiputra institutions has never been tested.

Original intentions
We know what the original intentions of the 'Malay special privileges' provision in the Merdeka Constitution were, but to maintain that it is a carte blanche for all manner of racial discrimination as we have witnessed since 1971 is a violation of the spirit of the Constitution.

International law sets major limits on affirmative action measures. Notably, affirmative action policies must be carefully controlled and not be permitted to undermine the principle of non-discrimination itself nor violate human rights. Holding the equality principle uppermost, the raison d'etre and reasonableness for differential treatment must be proven.

Another important criterion to ensure successful affirmative action and synonymous with international law is that such special measures should be introduced for a limited duration as was suggested by the Reid Commission in its Report of the Federation of Malaya Constitutional Commission in 1957.

A consequence of the so-called affirmative action policies up to now is that for the poor of all ethnic communities, including the
indigenous peoples in Malaysia, these objectives of wealth redistribution for their benefit have not been met.

While it is widely recognised that racial polarisation exists in many Malaysian institutions such as schools, universities, the civil service, it must be stressed that this is not a 'natural' consequence of a plural society.

On the contrary, through the years there have been deliberate attempts by those in power to create divisions among the people.
 
There is general agreement that racial polarisation has its origins in the colonial divide-and-rule strategy. This has been well-documented in studies by W R Roff (The Origins of Malay Nationalism, 1974:24) and Hua Wu Yin, (Class and Communalism in Malaysia, Zed Press 1983)

The racialist formula was institutionalised in the Alliance at Independence and perpetuated by the Barisan Nasional to the present day. Attempts at creating racial discord among the people continue to be perpetrated in public institutions and the mass media whenever it suits the politicians.

These instances have been well-documented. (See Kua Kia Soong (edited) 'Polarisation in Malaysia: The Root Causes', K Das, Ink, KL 1987; 'Mediawatch: Use and Abuse of the Malaysian Media',Huazi Research Centre 1990 )

Of all the official policies and public institutions which practice racial discrimination, there is none more pervasive than the New Economic Policy (NEP) which was implemented as a fait accompli after the Emergency was declared in 1969.

Elite cohesion
Although its specific objectives were 'restructuring of society to correct the economic imbalance of wealth holding which led to the identification of race with economic function' and 'eradication of poverty irrespective of race', the NEP has been implemented these 30 years in a racially discriminatory way with little transparency or accountability.
Just 10 years after the NEP was implemented, the 1980 census showed that more than 80 percent of all government executive officers were Malay; Malays held 75 percent of publicly-funded tertiary education places; and 96 percent of Felda settlers were Malay.
By 1990, it was widely held by observers that the wealth restructuring policy objective was very much on target if nominee companies listed under 'other Malaysians' were analysed. It is also well-known that many of these nominee companies have been formed by the bumiputra elite.

All the same, these figures showing ownership of equity capital, however distorted, also reveal that the rich non-Malay elite have done quite well under the NEP. This perhaps accounts for the elite cohesion which has held the Barisan Nasional coalition together for so long. The evidence further shows that the NEP's 'wealth restructuring' has mainly resulted in increased wealth concentration and greater intra-ethnic inequality.

By the mid-80s, it was found that the top 40 shareholders in the country owned 63 percent of the total number of shares in public companies; the top 4.4 per cent of investors in the Amanah Saham Nasional had savings amounting to more than 70 percent of ASN's total investments.

The ASN is a prime example of a savings institution, secured by Malaysian taxpayers irrespective of race, but which blatantly discriminates against non-bumiputras. This racial discrimination extends to loans, end-financing, purchase of housing, shares
allocation, etc. 

Problem ignored
Racial discrimination in the education policy is manifested in unfair financial allocations to the different sectors and language streams and the reluctance of the government to allow development of the mother-tongue schools of the non-Malays.

Thus the number of Chinese and Tamil primary schools in the country have actually dropped from 1,342 and 888 at Independence to 1,284 and 535 today respectively, even though the population of the communities has doubled in the last 44 years. The government has continued to ignore the grave problem of the shortage of qualified teachers for these schools for years.

By 1990, the realities of the racially discriminatory quota system in education were as follows: an average of 90 percent of loans for polytechnic certificate courses, 90 percent of scholarships for Diploma of Education courses, 90 percent of scholarships and loans for degree courses taken in the country and almost all scholarships and loans for degree courses taken overseas were given to bumiputras.

Regarding the enrolment of students in residential schools throughout the 80s, 95 percent of them were bumiputra. The enrolment in Mara's Lower Science College, the Maktab Sains Mara, was almost 100 percent bumiputra throughout the 80s.

High time
Racial discrimination in the realm of culture is seen not only in the education policy but also in the discrimination against non-Malay cultures and religions in the National Cultural Policy. Non-Muslims face obstacles in their freedom to build places of worship and access to burial grounds, among other complaints.

Racism and racial discrimination have dominated Malaysian society for far too long. Now that the Malay ruling elite has clearly gained control of the Malaysian economy, it is high time for a new consensus based on non-racial factors such as class, sector and need to justify affirmative action.

It is time for all Malaysians who hunger for peace and freedom to outlaw racism and racial discrimination from Malaysian society once and for all and to build real unity based on adherence to human rights, equality and the interests of the Malaysian masses:

Non-racial solutions to Malaysian political institutions
1) Political parties formed on the basis of race to further the interests of their respective races should be outlawed as such
practices are inconsistent with international conventions against racism and racial discrimination;

2) Ratify all the international covenants and UN Conventions that have not been ratified by the Malaysian government to ensure that all legislation in the country abide by international human rights standards;

3) Enact a Race Relations Act and institute an Equal Opportunities Commission to combat racism, racialism, and racial discrimination in all Malaysian institutions;

4) Delineation of constituencies must be based on the principle of 'one person, one vote' and there should not be wide discrepancies between the number of voters in different constituencies;

5) Reintroduce elected local government so that problems of housing, schools, etc. can be solved in non-racial ways;

6) Ensure that there is no racial discrimination in the civil and armed services and that every ethnic community has equal chance of promotion;

7) Establish an Independent Broadcasting Authority which is fair to all ethnic communities in Malaysia; 

Non-racial solutions to Malaysian economic development

8) There must be full transparency and accountability to ensure that contracts and shares are not dispensed on a racial basis through nepotism, cronyism or corruption;

9) Public money must not be used to bail out failed private businesses under the guise of affirmative action;

10) Government policies should be strategically aimed at reducing income disparity between the rich and poor regardless of race, religion, gender, disability or political affiliation;

11) Small and medium industries, the backbone of national industrialisation, should be developed without racial discrimination;

12) Fair and adequate support should be provided to all sectors including pig farmers especially during times of crisis;

13) Land should be fairly distributed to farmers of all ethnic communities;

14) The racially-based quota system should be replaced with a means-tested sliding scale mechanism for deserving entrepreneurs; 

Non-racial solutions to Malaysian social development

15) Modernise the 450 or so New Villages in the country which have existed for more than 50 years, in which many of our small and medium industries are located and where basic infrastructure is inadequate;

16) Improve the living conditions (e.g. a guaranteed minimum monthly wage) and basic amenities such as housing, education and health facilities of plantation workers;

17) Ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and members of their families;

18) Set up an Equal Opportunities Employment Commission to address all forms of discrimination in the workplace;

19) Gazette all communal lands of the Orang Asli and other indigenous peoples so that they can control their own land resources and choose their own way of life;

20) Enact laws to confirm the rights of urban settlers and obligations of developers to provide fair compensation and alternative housing to urban settlers;

21) Cater to the special needs of women, children, senior citizens and the disabled;

22) Provide more recreational facilities for the youth regardless of race to allow them to develop positive and healthy lifestyles and to encourage tolerance and awareness of cultural diversity and equality;

23) Establish a housing development authority to direct construction of low and medium-cost public housing for the needy irrespective of race;

24) Poverty eradication programmes to benefit the poor of all ethnicity must be seriously pursued;

Non-racial solutions to Malaysian education

25) Special assistance must be based on need by under-privileged sectors and classes and not on race;

26) Institute a means-tested sliding scale of education grants and loans for all who qualify to enter tertiary institutions regardless of race, religion or gender;

27) Recognition of educational certificates, diplomas or degrees should be dealt with by the National Accreditation Board on strictly academic grounds and not politicised or subject to racial discrimination;

28) Schools using the mother tongue of Malaysian minorities should be built as long as there is a demand for them in any catchment of these ethnic communities and they should not be racially discriminated against in financial allocations;

29) Establish a long-term solution to the crisis of teacher shortage in the Chinese and Tamil schools;

30) Amend the Education Act 1996 to reflect the national education policy as originally stated in the Education Ordinance 1957 ensuring the use, teaching and development of the mother tongue of all Malaysian ethnic communities;

31) Make available compulsory Pupils' Own language (POL) classes within the normal school curriculum as long as there are five pupils of any ethnic community in any school;

Non-racial solutions to Malaysian cultural policy

32) Promote knowledge, respect and sensitivity among Malaysians on Malaysian cultures, religions and ethnicity;

33) All places of prayer and worship for all ethnic communities should be gazetted in their areas of domicile free from any encumbrances and there should be no arbitrary restrictions on these places of worship;

34) National artistic and literary awards and scholarships considerations should be for all works by Malaysians regardless of the language in which they are written;

35) All ethnic Malaysian cultures should be fairly represented in official cultural bodies and the media. 







DR KUA KIA SOONG, 
former ISA detainee 
Member of Parliament
Director of Suaram.

Double taxing the public via 1Care

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 09:37 PM PST

JAN 5 — A tax by any other name is still a tax. And that's exactly what the 1 Care healthcare proposal is, if reports about the scheme are true. Central to 1 Care is the National Health Financing Scheme (NHFS), a government insurance fund that both employees and businesses will have to pay 10 [...]


No tolls if Pakatan captures Putrajaya - BRAVO !! Let's do it together

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 09:18 PM PST

Athi Shankar
January 28, 2012

Pakatan Rakyat pledges to be a caring federal government if it comes into power.

GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Rakyat will abolish toll collections in the North-South highway and on Penang Bridge and it will also hand out RM1,000 annually to senior citizens, if it captures Putrajaya in the next general election.
These pledges, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Pakatan will never "run away from". He said people can put their faith in Pakatan's promises.

"If we capture Putrajaya, we will immediately abolish the North-South Highway toll. "We will also abolish toll collections on Penang Bridge.

"We will not run away from our promises," Lim told a cheering crowd at a Chinese New Year open house co-hosted by Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh.

Also present were state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun.

Karpal was however, absent due to a prior engagement. Lim said while Pakatan will abolish toll collections on road which were already enjoying huge profits, it will retain concessions in other areas.

Lim, who is Penang Chief Minister, pointed out that PLUS had collected RM24.3. billion in toll collections on the North-South Highway, which was built on a RM6 billion budget.

"Cut-throat" BN government
Lim said given that PLUS had raked in a RM18.3 billion profit, it was now time to abolish it.

He slammed the Barisan Nasional federal government's plans to increase current toll rates and continue its collections for years to come.

He said the people must be ready for change to stop the 'cut throat' toll collections of BN and PLUS.

Lim called on the people to vote for Pakatan if they wanted tolls to be abolished.

"BN said it cannot be done. Yes it cannot be done if it is BN. "But under Pakatan, it can be done," he promised.

Lim, who is Bagan MP, said Pakatan would also give RM1,000 cash yearly to all senior citizens, regardless of their race, religion or political backgrounds.

He said Pakatan would not discriminate against senior citizens, even if they were from Gerakan or MCA.

"We will even hand out the cash to Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon if he wants it too," Lim said.

He also said that Penang aims to be the cleanest, greenest and safest state in the country and his government would work hard to achieve the goals.

Please spread the good news.

The Debate With Chua Soi Lek - Not Just Chinese Alone

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 09:16 PM PST

The Debate With Chua Soi Lek Is On The Topic "Is the 2-Party System Becoming a 2-Race System" Should See A Contest of Ideas, Ideals And Policies That Benefits Democracy And Also All Malaysians Not Just Chinese Alone.

February 11, 2012

Press Statement by Penang Chief Minister And DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur on 11.2.2012

The Debate With Chua Soi Lek Is On The Topic "Is the 2-Party System Becoming a 2-Race System" Should See A Contest of Ideas, Ideals And Policies That Benefits Democracy And Also All Malaysians Not Just Chinese Alone.

The debate with MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek organised by MCA's Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research(INSAP) and Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute(ASLI) is not on topic of "The Malaysian Chinese In The Coming General Elections – Quo Vadis?" but on the topic "Is the 2-Party System Becoming a 2-Race System".

The topic of the debate "Is the 2-Party System Becoming a 2-Race System" was suggested by the organisers through a letter by ASLI's CEO Datuk Dr Michael Yeoh on 3 February 2012. I had accepted this topic as this is in line with DAP's and the Penang state government's commitment to fight for the rights of all Malaysians just as MCA believes in fighting for only one community. It is wrong for Chua to change the topic on the merits and demerits of a 2-party system or whether it is becoming a 2-race system to one of "Malaysian Chinese-Quo Vadis?".

MCA is organising the conference on "Malaysian Chinese at Political Crossroads" to be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, and several other topics will be explored by various speakers. The organisers had agreed that Chua will I be debating in Mandarin at Berjaya Times Square Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on 5-6pm 18 February 2012 carried live by Astro AEC television station.

I wish to stress that I am willing to debate in English or Bahasa Malaysia at another slot similar to my debate in 1991 with Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat where two debates were held, one in Mandarin and the other in English. I have appointed my Political Secretary and Komtar ADUN YB Ng Weik Aik to finalise debate arrangements and details with MCA as well as DAPSY National Chair Rasah MP YB Anthony Loke to handle the logistics of the debate.

The debate with Chua Soi Lek is on the topic "Is the 2-Party System Becoming a 2-Race System" should see a contest of ideas, ideals and policies that benefits democracy and also all Malaysians not just Chinese alone. DAP offers the ideas, ideals and policies implemented in Penang that can be translated nationally of fostering a sense of belonging, a sense of togetherness and a sense of ownership amongst all Malaysians. Only when when there is respect of political rights, socio-economic justice and respect for each other's human dignity are we Malaysians regardless whether we are Malay, Chinese, Indian, orang Asli, Iban or Kadazan.

Lim Guan Eng

Siem Reap, Cambodia Holiday (23rd Dec. to 26th Dec.2011)

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 03:04 AM PST

My tour guide for Siem Reap, Sun Same who speaks good command of English. He is well versed with the history of Angkor Wat and all the other temples. Although we have a planned itinerary, he was flexible to suite our changes.
Pub Street on Christmas eve. This street is line with many restaurants and pubs and is just across Steung Hotel where we stayed.
Ta Prom with the many gigantic roots all around the temple. Angelina Jolie was here during the filming of Tomb Raider.

Beng Melea:My loved ones seemed happy and so am I. Angelina Jolie was also here to film Tomb Raider.


Inside the vast compound of Angkor Wat.
This is the main temple of Angkor Wat. We could not climb up as it was closed for cleaning during our visit
The awesome roots of Ta Prom.
Terrace of the Elephants: You can see the many stone sculptured elephant trunks. During major sporting events, the King would sit on the terrace to watch the events.
Admiring the beauty of Banteay Samre.
Banteay Srey (Citadel of Women): This is so called because the carvings are so intricate and beautiful, the locals believe that only the women could do it. One has to really admire the carvings to appreciate this temple site.
Bayon: This is the must see temple beside Angkor Wat if you are in Siem Reap. It is truly magnificent and is my all time favorite among all the temples.
This Buddha statue in Bayon has the biggest smile and we are all smiling too!

No more Valentine’s

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 10:27 AM PST

Ah, February. The month of love. The official colours are red and pink. The official flower is the rose. It is a month of chocolates and gifts with sappy love songs. February is the month of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of love, marriages, couples and for some odd reason, epilepsy. It is that singular day when being single will make you feel like you are the biggest loser in the universe. It is also that singular day when florists, gift shops and restaurants rake in ungodly profit from couples who feel the urge to splurge their hard-earned cash as a way to proclaim their undying love for each other.

It is also that time of the year when we will hear calls from certain quarters banning Muslims from celebrating the feast of Saint Valentine. As sure as death, taxes and tarred roads close to elections, there will be hellfire and brimstone talk from holier-than-thou overnight religious experts telling us that celebrating Valentine's Day is haram.

There are many reasons for this non-legally binding fatwa of sorts. The most common is because of its Christian origins. It is, after all, the feast day of a saint for the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheranism. So like Christmas, a Muslim should not acknowledge these celebrations, let alone celebrate them. But Valentine's Day has long lost its significance as a religious celebration, it has now become as secular a celebration as New Year's Day. It may have started out as a Christian celebration, but the Valentine's Day of today is far from religious. Today, Valentine's Day is not Christian, it is capitalist. Socialists would not approve.

A less common (but more humorous) reason why Muslims should not celebrate Valentine's Day is supposedly because of Saint Valentine himself. According to the word on internet forums and religious television programs, Saint Valentine was a warrior who led the Christians and caused the downfall of Muslim Spain.

But, dig deeper and you will discover that while the identity of this person known as Valentine is rather obscure, none can be attributed to a warrior that led an army against Cordoba. Despite this, one will still stumble upon this work of fiction every time Valentine's Day comes around.

Frankly, I am sick of this Valentine's Day polemic. Every year, there will be a huge debate with the battle lines drawn; liberals against conservatives. You would think that Valentine's Day is the single most important thing facing this country and the Muslim world. While we debate about this frivolous issue, another bomb goes off in Iraq, another person dies in Syria and closer to home another Orang Asli will lose her home.

So I propose that in order to end the debate once and for all, we ditch Valentine's Day. We create a completely new and Malaysian celebration of love. We call it "Love Day", or in bahasa Melayu, Hari Chenta (the classical spelling is deliberate). No more Valentine's Day.

Hari Chenta would be a completely secular Malaysian celebration. No saints, no Christian traditions and no purported fall of Muslim Spain. No one seems to have a problem that Valentine's Day is a celebration of love. I would therefore think that no one would have a problem with Hari Chenta as a celebration of love. Besides, I cannot imagine anyone arguing that the act of cherishing love is forbidden.

Of course, religious authorities will argue that people will still be involved in 'vice' even if you changed the name and make it 1Malaysia friendly. But males and females get sexually aroused all year round, not just one day in the middle of February.

We can even get Hari Chenta officially sanctioned by the government and place it in the tourism calendar, next to things like the Rainforest Music Festival and Putrajaya Boat Race. We can have 1Malaysia programs for the day; poetry reading competitions, screening of sappy romantic comedies (approved by the Film Censorship Board, of course) and maybe a procession on Dataran Merdeka. Who knows, if we are really serious about loving each other, we might even declare it as a public holiday. After all, we already have so many holidays, what's another one?

Let's forget about whether Muslims can or should celebrate Valentine's Day. Everyone should just get together and celebrate Hari Chenta and move forward to more pertinent issues. Make love, not war. Especially not over issues like Valentine's Day.

*first published on 09 February 2012 for The Star iPad


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