| Istanbul, Turkey - Nobody predicted that a minor sit-in protest, launched to prevent the demolition of trees in a park in the heart of Istanbul, would soon turn into unprecedented country-wide demonstrations and riots against the Turkish government. Use of force by the police against peaceful protesters in Taksim's Gezi Park, combined with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's escalating statements about the incident, have been the last straw for many Turks frustrated with the policies of the self-defined conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP). Nine days after the initial sit-in, the protests have reportedly spread to at least 48 Turkish cities with two deaths and hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters and police officers injured. How it began It was a sunny and busy spring day in Istanbul on May 28 when about 100 activists started a sit-in protest in Gezi Park. The goal was to prevent authorities from dismantling one of the only green areas in the heart of the city for the sake of an urban development project. Raiding the park on the morning of May 30, the police used tear gas and water cannons to force the peaceful activists out of the area. This was followed by the burning of activists' tents and belongings. The activists, most of whom were students, called for help through the internet. Hundreds of supporters rushed to the area and helped re-gain control of the park. The police raid that followed the next morning caused thousands of protesters to pour into the streets leading to Taksim. They were met by police barricades keeping protesters from entering the square.  The demonstrators included some members of left-wing groups and nationalists, but the majority were middle-class, secular Turks. Some arrived at the protest area wearing helmets and goggles and carrying medical equipment to avoid the effects of tear gas. "The police has surpassed itself in the level of violence," Emma Sinclair, a senior Turkey researcher of Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera, saying authorities had used excessive force. Opposition 'weakness' The government, for its part, apologised for the initial police raid on the camp, saying police officers had indeed used excessive force. Hatem Ete of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a think-tank close to the government, links the riots to the weakness of the opposition parties in Turkey. According to Ete, some groups in Turkish society see themselves as negatively affected by the events of the last 10 years, as certain military, judicial, media and business circles lost ground. "They also perceive some policies of the AK Party as a threat to their lifestyle, and this threat creates an opposing identity," Ete told Al Jazeera. "Given the opposition parties are far from shifting these concerns to the political arena and far from matching against the AK Party, the concerns of this part of the society keeps growing." Youth on the streets Turkish youth, who have often been regarded as apolitical since a military coup in 1980 and its subsequent restoration in 1983, have flowed into the streets, clashing with police across the country.
Prime Minister Erdogan thinks that he is a sultan, he does not listen to anybody, consult with anybody. He thinks he can do whatever he wants.
Others say the prime minister, who was democratically elected with a large mandate, is acting like an authoritarian. "Prime Minister Erdogan thinks that he is a sultan, he does not listen to anybody, consult with anybody," said Yesim Polat, a 22-year-old student. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants."Those views are shared by most protesters. A recent poll by Istanbul Bilgi University researchers who talked to 3,000 activists revealed that the demonstrators' anger is directed strictly towards Erdogan, not his aides nor his political party; 92.4 percent of the participants said that they have taken to the streets because of Erdogan's "authoritarian" attitude. Fuat Keyman, a professor of political science at Sabanci University in Istanbul, told Al Jazeera that the recent social backlash was specifically directed at the prime minister. "Five or six years ago there was social reaction against the AK Party. Today Erdogan is the only target," he said, adding the riots have broken out because there was no response to democratic action and that media has a responsibility in the outcome. How did it come to this? Before the protests erupted, recent developments had worried and frustrated many secular Turks. Erdogan has publicly criticised the content of some TV shows, made frequent statements opposing alcohol consumption, and spoken out against public displays of affection. He recently called all people who consumed alcohol "alcoholics" but then changed his definition to "the ones who drink on a regular basis". The prime minister also supported an announcement calling on young couples to act "in line with moral values" and not to kiss at a subway station in Ankara. Following the adoption of recent restrictions on alcohol, shops entitled to sell the drinks must close by 10pm. The new law also forbids advertising alcoholic products, and prohibits alcohol licenses for businesses within 100 metres of places of worship or education. In the past, the government also proposed outlawing adultery and abortion, but stepped back after public uproars. Erdogan has disregarded the protesters, calling them "looters" and dismissing them as "marginal" or "ideological" groups. "No one has the right to increase tensions with the excuse that trees are being demolished," Erdogan said in a recent public address. In his references to the issue, he often referred to the economic and environmental success of the government, calling himself "the servant of the nation". In its almost 11 years of AKP governance, Turkey has achieved unprecedented economic success, transforming a crisis-hit economy into a quickly growing one fuelled by trade and foreign investment. 'Message has been taken' Meanwhile, other voices in the government as well as Turkish President Abdullah Gul tried to ease tensions. Gul asked the protesters to go home, saying: "The message has been taken. Democracy is not only about [the] ballot box." Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologised for the police's actions against the initial protests in Gezi Park, though he added the government did not "owe anything to those causing harm". Erdogan frequently makes remarks about his party's legitimacy and the fact that it won 50 percent of the votes in 2011 elections. Despite the president's and deputy prime minister's conciliatory remarks, Erdogan has stood his ground - and the demonstrations have shown no signs of abating. Turkey's social crisis looks set to continue. | ||
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lazada
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
What and why Turkish are protesting,and how it started!
True justice
What can a judge do? Here is a poignant tale making the rounds of how justice of a divine variety is realised by a human judge.
With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone. – Oscar Wilde
This is a touching story of a “nenek” who stole a piece of tapioca for her hungry grandchild charged in court in a country rich in natural resources, minerals and oil and gas but the majority of whoserakyat are living below the poverty line. Will the rakyat of Malaysia be in this state under Najib’s Umno rule for the next five years?
As it is, Malaysia is the world champion in GDP in terms of the nation’s plundering, pilfering and siphoning of money to other countries. Ministers’ 100-200 per cent pay hike, GST, subsidy removal, AES implementation nationwide and many more much of it for the benefit and pockets of Umno cronies, but nothing much in comparison for the rakyat.
So those who put Umno in power are to be blamed – getting a one-time RM500-RM1000 payment and you will be sucked through the high prices of GST and subsidy removal forever.
Of course, also in karma’s way will be those who aided and abetted in the many instances of cheating throughout the campaign in GE13 that contributed to the ensuing questionable mandate. Now, here’s the story …
Extracted from http://aliran.com/14203.htmlThe NenekAn Indonesian Judge, Marzuki, was sitting in judgment of an old woman who pleaded guilty to stealing some tapioca from a plantation.In her defence, she pleaded that she did this because she was poor, her son was sick and her grandchild was hungry.The plantation manager insisted that she be punished as a deterrent to others.The judge, going through the documents, then looked up and told the nenek, “I’m sorry but I cannot make any exception to the law and you must be punished.”Accordingly, our nenek was fined Rp1 million (US$100) or jailed two-and-a-half years. She wept as she could not pay the fine.The judge then took off his hat, put in Rp1 million into it and said, “In the name of justice, I fine all who are in the court Rp50000 (US$5.50) as dwellers of this city and letting a child starve until her grandmother had to steal to feed her grandchild. The registrar shall now collect the fines from all the accused.”The court collected Rp3.5 million (US$200). Once the fine was paid off, the rest was given to our nenek. The fines collected included those from the plantation manager!This short story succinctly shows what a judge can do to achieve justice, despite the sometimes inhuman strictures of man-made law. To his eternal credit, Judge Marzuki meted out justice of a divine variety.
We Don't Need A "Strong" Leader Ala Mahathir
MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2013
We Don't Need A "Strong" Leader Ala Mahathir But One Who Has Good Morals And Strong Moral Convictions
Mahathir's 23 year reign has long being dismissed by thinking Malaysians as being more destructive than constructive for the nation.
He happened to be the Pm at a time when some say even a donkey could have done economically as well for the nation with its eyes closed.So, we are not going to talk about the 7% annual growth, KLCC or Sepang or Formula 1 or the now moribund MSC.
If you wanted to talk of those, you have to talk about Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and even Thailand - the so-called Asian Tigers - who all did much better than us with less natural resources.
We will focus more on what Mahathir's reign has wrought to the nation's psyche and institutions or the legacy of corruption and corrupting influences we have inherited.
Racial polarisation became entrenched during his divisive premiership, not helped the least by BTN's alleged indoctrination of racial supremacy. Before him, few Malaysians saw each other in racial terms.
Ahmad, Ah Chong, Muthu played as a team. We invited each other to our homes and did not think twice about visiting each other.
Mahathir also emasculated the judiciary with the infamous sacking of the Lord President and several senior judges on dubious grounds; the august institution has yet to recover from the body blow.
Today, very unfortunately, few Malaysians see the judiciary as their last bastion or fountain of justice.
The police, too, appear to have been compromised to do the bidding of their political masters and the AG's Chambers has come to be seen as a mere adjunct to the Pm's department instead of being the custodian of the public law fearlessly prosecuting in the public interest, not selectively to serve the private interests of the administration and the connected.
Public projects are farmed out to cronies, families and the connected under the skirt of the Official Secrets Act and accountability has become a dirty word.
All these done in the name of the interest of the rakyat, but benefit few in numbers.
No business, at least the public ones, seem to be able to move without the expedient of grease and greasing, so much so that one ex woman minister even challenged her ex colleagues to prove that they were clean.
Mahathir was able to do whatever he wanted to because he was strong and nobody dared challenge him.
No, we dont't need a strong leader, we need one who has good morals and strong moral convictions to do the right things, not the convenient and corrupting ones.
What can we expect Najib or the Najib administration to do?
Najib himself is implicated in the still unresolved scandal of the Scorpene submarines and the death of a Mongolian beauty.
His administration has inherited all the debilitating diseases of the previous administrations before him.
And recently implicated too, in the alleged cheating at the polls, including the claims of the treasonous use of foreign voters to pad the numbers.
Can such a Pm and such an administration so encumbered and enervated do what is necessary to put the nation back on the path to reconciliation and progress?
No, we need an entirely new leader, one who has good morals and strong moral convictions and an entirely new administration to heal the nation and move forward
What ails goverment projects?
JUNE 10 — The quality of public works has been gradually declining and, thus, it was not surprising when we heard about the collapse of a section of the ramp connecting the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway to the Second Penang bridge in Batu Maung.
It is not new to find flaws in public works and the lack of an accountability system. The problem is, public projects are issued based on political considerations rather than ability.
Human errors could be found in almost all government projects, including state government buildings, including the collapse of Perak State Park Corporation’s two-storey administrative building near Tasik Banding in 2007; government agency buildings, the Matrade building had been completed nine years late; general hospitals, Hospital Sultan Ismail was infested with deadly fungus; stadiums, the roof of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium had collapsed twice; flyovers, cracks were found on the pillars and beams at the Kepong MRR2 flyover; and mosques, the roof of a mosque in Terengganu collapsed after it was opened for the public for five years.
It would be a long list if we point out one-by-one the delayed, cost-overrun and high-cost government projects. And sick projects can be seen everywhere.
It is indeed puzzling why flaws in government projects are unstoppable.
Many government projects are issued to some contractors with political backgrounds without going through public tender. Even if there is something wrong with the project, the authorities would just pay to clean up the mess.
Take the roof collapse of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium as an example; its sub-contractor was ordered to pay a fine of RM10,000 for carrying out construction work without being registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), while internal actions was take against the main contractor.
There is indeed a huge distance between the RM10,000 fine and RM292 million cost of the stadium roof, as well as the RM15 million cost of repair works.
Ironically, the roof of the stadium collapsed again in February this year during re-construction works, injuring five workers.
No severe punishment was imposed on the involved contractors while the responsible units have not performed their supervision task seriously, pulling down the construction standard of public projects.
It was said that the collapse of the ramp in Penang was due to scaffold failure. The weight of the bridge deck and whether the scaffold is able to support it can all be estimated. Therefore, if scaffold failure is really the cause of the collapse, there will be no way for the contractor to escape the blame.
The incident this time has claimed a motorist’s life. Who will be the next victim?
The Works Ministry has set up a separate team of experts to probe the cause of the collapse. However, would legal actions be taken?
To curb sick government projects, the current contract distribution system must be replaced by a performance-based system.
It is related to Umno’s political reform. It must take national interests into account and give up the existing contracting system.
Constant flaws in public works bring a waste of national resources. How could there be no reform since the people are watching? — mysinchew.com
A leaking roof in JPJ wangsa maju
Penang bridge extension collapse,killing one and injuring 3.
A 4.5 billion BN project indeed!
Another collapsing BN project, fortunately no lives were lost..
BN has lost the war of Popularity
Popularity is Power
from the people!
A popular government has the solid backing of the CITIZENS.
A popular leader doesn’t have to bribe anyone for support; just a mere word and
he can mobilize thousands in one solid show of solidarity and affection
endorsing their choice for those whom the citizens prefer to lead them.
When the leader/ leaders possesses
the allegiance of the marjority of a nation’s people behind them, commanding
their trust, respect and overwhelming support and affection.
WELL, THAT IS POWER!
What the rallies seem
to have accomplished
If popularity is any indicator, I doubt that the BN lineup
can come anywhere near to the appeal that Anwar and his brothers in arms
command. At merely stating that there is to be an assembly, the people just
come out in droves to see them in a show of support and solidarity, without promises
of free food or any other enticements apart from the fact that they want to see
in person this man and his comrades in the flesh and hear their views. And if
needed, to rally behind them in a show of strength and mass support.
Time and again, this
has been demonstrated via the rallies throughout the nation.
Detractors may feel that the assemblies don’t seem to go anywhere but sifting through all the logic and reason, somehow there is a grudging conclusion that perhaps it does meet a purpose. Shoring up the sentiments of the people, deposit as it were, to be withdrawn in a crucial time. Whipping up the sentiments of outrage amongst the people that they have been defrauded.
Perceived foul play is a thorn in people’s mindsets. Everyone of whatever ethnicity feels indignant to have their sense of decency and fairplay mocked, and when ingrained into their psyche, it will stay there for a long time and will be vented explosively when opportunity comes. The rallies can also pressure the BN ruling coalition to toe the line and not procrastinate anymore if they are really seeking to reform for the better.
The rallies have made superstars of the Pakatan line up. Nurul, Che GU Bard, Tian Chua, Mat Sabu, Tony Pua to name a few, apart from already idolized top guns. And not only exclusively from PR but the personalities from NGOs as well. The rakyat can easily relate to these personalities, these perceived champions and identify with them as one of their own. They have captured the imagination of the Rakyat as underdogs championing their cause for justice and righteousneous although, it may be an idealistic notion that may not have bearing to bread and butter issues affecting livelihood
Nonetheless, it appeals psychologically to the core essence of decent people with moral values. Touches on raw nerves and pent up emotions that has been set aside in the people’s psyche for years under the iron handed authoritarian rule of the BN. This is an accumulation of those many years of pent up frustrations of the common layman on the street who have been exposed to, heard about or victimized in one form or another , the excesses of the ruling party , commited with impunity for half a decade ,in total disregard of the rakyat’s opinions , as if they didn’t matter. So what is witnessed now in these rallies is the venting of the people’s exasperation and disapproval of the abused practices inflicted on the country for so long.
It takes two hands to clap and make a sound. Pakatan is but just one hand, the rakyat make up the other .If the people are not supportive and in consensus with the cause, very few will attend the rallies. They will stay away not because the authorities tell them to do so or that it is illegal, but simply because they cannot commit emotionally. But on the contrary, looking at the numbers in attendance, in spite of warnings and veiled threats by the powers, generally law respecting and abiding people attend the gatherings, it shows just how disapproving of the government ( judging from the ground sentiment of the rakyat ) the people are.
More importantly, it also reveals the intensity of the emotions that is felt by the people. The “Tidak Apa, Biar saja!” attitude has shifted to “ Ta boleh dah.! Sudah lah, cukup la itu, Ta boleh lagi.”
And this represents the marjority voice of the Rakyat, including
even those who prefer not to attend and have voiced out their protest through
the ballot. They may want to move on in despair that they were denied the
opportunity to UBAH, but doesn’t mean that they have given up all hope.
A voice of Gen Y.
Especially among the idealistic young generation who have heard accounts about what it was like under BN
from the older generation besides interpret ting for themselves how much truth
those accounts carry in current times.
They make up their own minds based on testimonies and evidence
presented and come to a conclusion by their own accord influenced by their own
intellect.
They may not have
felt the brunt of the excesses in comparison to their parent’s generation, but
doesn’t mean that they do not feel offended or concerned when their sense of
values in what is acceptable and decent in our society and culture is aroused. More so when perpetrated by those entrusted to
lead us and make the correct decisions on our behalf with our best interests at
heart.
BN losing the war of perception and popularity
Ask any average man on the street to name any BN ministers
or legislators with as much charisma and popularity as that of those in PR and
chances are there will be very few names to match that of the house hold names
of those in PR.
It is a war of perception ,and on the media front especially
the social media , BN is suffering huge casualties in the popularity battle for
hearts and minds .
Race card again, does
it help?!
And harping on the race card to rally the Malays doesn’t
seem to help much either, if anything , BN runs the risk of offending their own
coalition members and chasing them away to the other side out of sheer
exasperation and despair. Not to mention that it has already successfully created
the image on the mindsets of those on the other camp on , how despicable and
low those responsible will stoop , to preserve their power and control and how
desperate they are in fear of losing that power.
The race bashing may appeal to ultra racist elements within UMNO but just how significant are their numbers? Amongst the 3 million or so UMNO members, many are ordinary people with ordinary lifes that has been integrating with the other communities and to an extent are interdependent on each other to advance and progress.They have been doing so for years and to tell them now they have been dancing with the enemy may offend their sensibilities when they know for a fact it is not so. And neither do they feel threatened by the other communities. Continue to dispense with this spiteful racial rhetoric of Us vs Them ,so blatantly designed to incite and manipulate , turns decent rational people who can reason ,off.
UMNO has with credit raised up the economic standing and intellectual abilities and capacity of the Malay marjority, yet ,with informed intellect, comes a clearer perception of world views guided by common sense and rational thought. Education does away with ignorance. It removes the proverbial coconut shell. Educated or informed people cannot be lead by the nose anymore. They can decipher very well or understand, emotionally if not intellectually, what is mental colonialism and oppression, simply because they are now intelligent and mature enough.
Get off your high
horse!
The elite of UMNO and BN need to step out of their gilded horse
drawn carriages or their limousine motorcades and mingle with the Rakyat to
regain a sense of the pulse of the people. They are so clearly out of touch
with what is going on, on the ground, what the Rakyat has evolved into after 56 years post independence and how they really
think and feel about the state of affairs in the nation.
From the makcik nasi lemak to the
pakcik warong, Muthu’s dobi to Ah Seng’s workshop to the SMIs, Towkays and Dato’s
of Sdn Bhds. What and how do they feel about the past 50 years under BN.? Why so
many of them voted as they did during the PRU13??
In a nutshell , BN is as unpopular as a rotten
egg in a crowded room. The stink from 50 years of abuses cannot be washed off
overnight. But if they can discard the smelly parts then there may be hope yet.
Please don’t rock the boat and just allow us to be Malaysians
In the urban areas, where the economic
power houses and life sustaining organs of the nation that generates the wealth
exist, the message has been sent loud and clear, No More! Enough already! Let’s get on with living as Malaysians and
collectively transform it into a nation to be envied for prosperity and
cooperation of her patriotic people, who have a very strong sense of nationhood
and love for their homeland. Using our very diversity as a formidable strength to
challenge the world and emerge celebrated. We can have our cake and eat it too,
distributed fairly to all to ensure all will have a piece.
Whether that task can be done by
PR or BN is a moot issue. More pressing
are the ideals of the marjority seeking
a better quality of citizenship and way of life in our homeland.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Here we go again, the Mahathir race card!
Mahathir, under which the cronyism, corruption and nepotism flourished under his 22-year iron-fist administration and are still very much alive and kicking today is once again playing his infamous racial card again for obvious reason. His UMNO Baru (current UMNO party) is dying a natural death since Mar 2008 General Election. For the first time, the ethnic-Malay, Chinese and Indians have all voted in favor of opposition parties in the last general election in retaliation to the worsening corruption practiced by UMNO and their component parties. PM Najib and his lame attempts at governing might be one of the reasons voters voted out the arrogant BN coalition but he was the direct production of Mahathir’s assembly-line in churning out low quality leaders.
Mahathir does not have much time to waste and his primary focus now is to ensure there may be a continuation of the Mahathir dynasty after the Razak dynasty completes the cycle.
But that can only happen if the voters think UMNO has changed for the betterment of the people instead of their own cronies.
The coming UMNO assembly also may witness the return of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin besides Mahathir as special advisors who would influence the country’s policies. It would be fun if Mukhriz can be convinced to wave the keris (dagger) in imitation to the previous actors,Najib and Hishammuddin Hussein and the frogman Ibrahim Ali. If he does ,wonder what will his competitor Khairi, say to that!.
The racial card has being used with some success in the past and basically many UMNO leaders today has played that game in one way or another.
But that was before the explosion of internet via social media or blogging . It cannot be denied that the majority of Malay voters who voted against UMNO in the general election were the educated youngsters who read the “truth” from the net.
Mahathir is playing a losing racial game if he thinks he can rally this important group of Malay youngsters to back UMNO as the ultimate party in ruling the government forever.
Nevertheless it is to be believed what some fortune-tellers are saying about Mahathir to live till the ripe age of 88-years-old, Mukhriz Mahathir has to step up and spring board to the premiership come rain or shine else without his grand old daddy the junior may just ended up as another UMNO ordinary member.
With police force, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Election Commission, Judiciary and to some extent even the Royalty deeply entrenched in the “UMNO Culture”, chances are higher for Mahathir dynasty to become a reality than to have opposition coalition (PR) taking over the federal government.
The combination of the Three Musketeers Najib-Mahathir-Daim would blow all aspects of democracy to pieces.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
BN even quoted biblical scriptures to defend their position
A tweet from BN
Barisan Nasional ? @barisanasional
Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment - Romans 13:1-5
11:01 PM - 23 May 2013
countered by this tweet from another twitterer, also quoting scriptures from the bible.
"He who justifies the wicked & he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD." - Proverbs 17:15.
Just goes to show again that,
Fools can never pretend to be smart but the smart can easily pretend to be fools, and feign ignorance.
It is easier to fool people than to convince people they have been fooled!
Barisan Nasional ? @barisanasional
Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment - Romans 13:1-5
11:01 PM - 23 May 2013
countered by this tweet from another twitterer, also quoting scriptures from the bible.
"He who justifies the wicked & he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD." - Proverbs 17:15.
Just goes to show again that,
Fools can never pretend to be smart but the smart can easily pretend to be fools, and feign ignorance.
It is easier to fool people than to convince people they have been fooled!
A voice of reason amongst the madness of paranoia and spiteful politics from UMNO
Don't blame the people, listen to them!
Umno supreme council member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said Barisan Nasional (BN) should not allow talk of "Chinese political tsunami" to continue to foment, and should instead study how to regain the lost Chinese votes, he said.
According to a report in China Press today, Saifuddin noted there has been a vote drain for BN in every election. For example, he said, BN lost a lot of Malay votes in 1999, many Indian votes in 2008 and Chinese votes in the recent 13th general election.
But when BN lost a lot of Malay votes in 1999, it was with the strong support of Chinese voters that the coalition was able to secure a mandate, he added.
"Since 2004, BN's majority in Parliament has been reduced.
"To remain in power, BN leaders must listen to the voice of the people, such as in regard to the coming exercise to redelineate electoral boundaries," he said during a dialogue with the Chinese community in Malacca on Friday, the first between an Umno supreme council member and local Chinese leaders.
The former deputy higher education minister and former Temerloh MP said the country faces three realities: alternative media, the rise of new society and the rise of new politics.
"These are realities the country's leaders cannot ignore or take lightly.
"For example, the rise of alternative media provides the public easy access to information; and the rise of new society allows people to think out of the box," he said.
He also said the rise of new politics means more people will think independently.
The people have progressed to the "third stage" of democracy, where they not just vote but take part in nation building, he said, adding that the nation's leaders should also change accordingly to continue to win the support of the people.
- theSun
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Please dear TUN, stop trying to provoke!
Dr Mahathir's speeches , comments are just consistently and blatantly racist. While Malaysians are working to forge a Malaysian spirit and to value unity in diversity, this one man stands up to monger fear and sow hatred. How should the world deal with us as a country? CEOs of foreign MNCs can just pick up their Blackberries and type: "On second thoughts, give Malaysia a miss for now." Two years of lobbying of corporate HQ by the company's country manager in Malaysia can disappear in two seconds. Fund managers can do fancy maths to create proxy exposures to Malaysian equities minus the political risk. They can invest in these synthetic assets instead of investing in the real thing on Bursa Malaysia. Local investors, including the select few who are already ponied up on the inside track, must surely ask whether we have the climate of trust to do an ETP. Judging by his heroic belief in the veracity of his own crude exposition of exchange rate economics all these years, one can only assume that he does not know that he is harming the country by the things he says. This is the kindest way that one can say anything about the noises he makes.
Why i am supportive and voted for the other side! Coz i am horrified!
Why I voted for the other side,
Well PM , First of all, as a minority in my country, I will
be frank and come straight out to say that I voted against your party. It was
not personal, nor did it have anything to do with ethnicity. It was nothing
against you personally but I was simply following my heart, the inner voice
within me was too loud to ignore. I would have liked to vote for your statement
of it being unnecessary for change but if I had done so, there will be endless
sleepless nights for me as my conscience will nag me throughout.
For it will mean giving support to a party who have so blatantly in full witness by me, consistently time and again challenged my sense of decency and propriety by commiting with impunity acts that no peace loving righteous society can condone. Yet your government in the past years hitherto , has given me the perception that IT does condone the acts that outraged and arouse our moral indignation without so much as a thought for the Rakyat’s sensibilities and worst try to cover up such acts with deception and denial of the truth, unsuccessfully, all in the name of political maneuvering to avoid accountability just because you are powerful enough to do so.
You must realise that there are those of us ordinary people who have better access to information and are more than adept in relying on our common sense to interpret what is accurate and perceive what are transparent attempts to deceive or obscure.
Don’t you see, many of us are also God loving and
God fearing in our respective faiths and
we are firm adherents of the believe
that we must uphold the values and principles of righteous living, or at
the very least strive to be decent human beings with standard values on moral
behaviour.
I and many others(God
Forbid) still can understand and probably put up with the shenanigans of money
politics, rhetoric spewing tactics for hearts and minds, even dirty offensive
tricks playing on emotions of the public as merely ploys that politicians use
to jostle for positions of power and entitlement they feel they deserve but
where is the line? Are there any moral boundaries?
Personally speaking, I allow my conscience to be my guide in terms of acceptable actions, and hence I am well aware of where the line I should not cross lies.
Personally speaking, I allow my conscience to be my guide in terms of acceptable actions, and hence I am well aware of where the line I should not cross lies.
We teach our kids, don’t lie, don’t cheat and HORRORS upon HORRORS , don’t kill, It is WRONG, more grievously so when innocent lives get sacrificed. We are held accountable for our misdeeds ,justice is blind, and for some in our community, they are answerable to GOD.
Yet in the political power game to dodge accountability, the very beacon in the establishment who are supposed to be upholding and protecting these values and tenets are the very ones who are seen to display, commiting the acts we fastidiously wish to impart on our next generation never to do. Something is wrong with this picture, or in this day and age “It does not compute”. Alarm bells in all those who have any sense of propriety will without doubt ring incessantly within, more louder for us who live , breathe and eke out our daily toil and existence in this beloved nation of Malaysia.
Why did I vote for
the other side?
Many reasons but none
of it has anything to do at all will my ethnic identity. You have labelled it as
an ethnic tsunami, I beg to differ.
It has more to do
with a tsunami of the collective and concerned conscience of a nation’s people ,
under siege . A common ground that transcends all barriers of race and
religion. Our humanity !
Now that the dust has settled.
As a citizen of this
nation, I have no qualm as to who governs now that the dust has cleared, and
your coalition has now narrowly won the mandate. Your other statement” it is time
for a reconciliation” does strike a note with me and I am sure many likeminded
people like me. We just want to move on now; we have voiced our protest at the
ballot. I will neither march nor protest in any “people’s initiative?” Not that
I dare not but I am too civil and my common sense speaks against it. Although
if I am outraged enough, I will do so at the drop of a dime.
Again, why did I vote
for the other side?
Well, I and millions of my fellow
countrymen voted for HOPE for this land of ours, it is merely that simple. You
do not have to be a rocket scientist or is it political scientist to sense
that. And although the opposition claims
the cry of UBAH as their campaign rallying call, but that very word penetrated
deep into resonating the hearts and psyche of ordinary better informed Malaysians yearning for a breathe of fresh air
in the foul stench of the political climate and how we are governed. And what
is seen is a manifestation of that collective consciousness of imprisoned
conscience expressed in the ballot.
UBAH means to me, a chance, no matter how slight, to usher in our hopes and aspirations for that which is acceptable and decent plus some of the other mumbo jumbo espoused by the other side, hoping that civility and mutual respect can be restored to a degree. Even the remotest chance of hoping for that to happen is enough to convince me to give it a go.
I am not a fool to believe in a complete
change of the flawed system and culture we have been governed under for so long.
But I am naïve enough to have the faith, and desperate HOPE that it can at
least if not eradicated but brought under control.
And that is mainly the reason why I voted for the other side, not because of their campaign promises and reasoning on economics, although I have to admit , many of their arguments made a lot of sense. But the main most important reason is that it will be like choosing the lesser of two evils and should they fail to perform, we can always kick them out as well. I hate this feeling of choice but can I help it when all I see and hear presently serves to strengthen the perception of the ruling elite and their extreme excesses.
We as Malaysians wish for the innate feelings of subtle oppression and suppression of our talents to dissipate. The obstacles in feeling fettered by shackles need to be smashed that our yearning to play our part in making this beloved nation great can be realized. Also I resent very much the feelings of resentment that have insidiously crept into the Rakyat’s psyche borne by the pathogens in the atmosphere of ethnic divisiveness perpetuated by agents with selfish agendas..
Please do take into heart the often used phrase “you can fool
some people some of the time but cannot fool all the people all the time.”
I sincerely hope that you have noticed where
the bulk of the sentiments of young Malaysians, educated and astute, lie. And
that they cross ethnic boundaries, attempts to drive a wedge with this
generation ,using whatever card , be it race or religion ,only serves to
reinforce their conviction of foul play. It is obscene and offensive to them as it is to me and likeminded sensible
Malaysians.
Another generation of Malaysians will be coming of age to
vote in a few years, and they will be much better informed with all the options
of alternative media that is available.
And they combined with the young bloods who have just voiced
their concerns at the ballot will comprise of the collective voices of
discerning Rakyat who cannot be easily mislead nor manipulated by propaganda
mongering tactics designed to inflame emotions more than to educate..
It is more likely
their choice will be influenced by their intellects guiding their conscience and not their
ignorance on the real state of affairs. Eventually there will be another
stronger combined force or tsunami wave in
selecting between perceived right and wrong.
Start over on a clean slate
Please heed my plea
to uphold or put into place a system that can guide you to the moral high
ground,I now begrudgingly look towards you as the one who has to steer our nation’s course, do not copy
Captain Smith’s navigational charts
knowing full well how tragic was that course for the Titanic.
The past is the past,
ever a pragmatic, I am more concerned with what is ahead, you may not be able
to wipe the slate clean but that doesn’t mean you cannot place the slate on the
side and write into a fresh one. Refer to it by all means and learn “What Not To
Do “ with the notations on the old slate or do the reverse.
I might not have
supported what your party stood for, but I have to acknowledge you as my
nation’s leader now, albeit begrudgingly. The onus is now on you to win over
the hearts and minds of those that your administration’s
past policies have effectively polarized , marginalized and held asunder for so
long.
Not only that but also to restore confidence and
pacify the feelings of perceived gross social injustice perpetrated upon those
you purport to champion. It is time to put a lid on the alleged excesses
or rein in the strays mucking up everything, it will not look good on
your C.V.
There may be hope yet if the government will
pursue an agenda of national reconciliation to unite one and all into the
pursuit of better standards of values and living for all, including the top
echeleons of society and those who preside.
And I along with many others across the ethnic divide , will
gladly give you approval if we sense that there are sincere and bold attempts
without fear or favor to make amends of past errors. Extricate yourselves from
the quagmire of past iniquities and system of doing things from the 20th
century.
If you still refuse to acknowledge and sense the profundity of the times, it will eventually be your own undoing. It will be a grave mistake to make attempts to halt the impetus of a people by underestimating the magnitude of the Rakyat’s disillusionment with the status quo.
As for many of us, it
will be business as usual, slogging through with the expensive cost of
subsisting in a cosmopolitan city, anxious and concerned on what is to come in
the very near future. Not only bread and butter issues but also social concerns
that may affect my personal sense of security for my family and close ones, and
the quality of live and pursuit of knowledge for our kids, not only
academically but also on values ,hoping that they have not been polluted yet by
what is already out there.
I am proud to be a
citizen of this nation, please make me proud of my Government!
Death of an innocent..TBH.
LEST WE FORGET! The family needs closure!
How corruption in the US created the largest inequality gap in their history! .
Breaking Inequality is a documentary film about the corruption between Washington and Wall Street that has resulted in the largest inequality gap in the history of America.
It is a film that exposes the truth behind the single event that occurred back in the early 70′s that set us off on this perilous journey that we are currently on.
The inequality gap is presently the worst that it has ever been and there is no solution in place to repair this crippling problem.
No country in the history of the world has ever remained a super power without a middle class and the road we are currently traveling doesn’t include this all-important segment of the population. The old saying “As goes the middle class… so goes the nation” holds true even more today than ever.
We live in a world where governments can create as much money as they want in order to fund all kinds of wasteful projects, wars, handouts, and banker bailouts. The current system by design has transferred the wealth from average everyday Americans to an elite few who care not about the majority.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Corruption in Malaysia, it is what it is.!
Ultimately, the question is- which party did you vote for and why?- If your answer is the opposition because the current regime is corrupt, then get ready for a rude awakening.
Voters who voted opposition back in 2008 did not do so primarily because the current regime was corrupted. If that was the main reason, how on earth could former PM Mahathir rule this land for a whopping 22 years, despite the fact that his regime opened the floodgates of corruption and racism? In actual fact, Malaysian Chinese and Malays love corruption, without them realizing it.
Like it or not, corruption has been part and parcel of Malaysian culture, thanks to Father of Corruption – Mahathir Mohamad. That was why a study done some moons ago found that graduates actually thought corruption was not such a big deal after all. Corruption has been ingrained into the mindset of Malaysian citizens so much so that it’s almost legal and inseparable entity from daily lifes. Corruption was like lion-dance during Chinese New Year and “meriam-buloh” during Hari Raya festivals. While Malaysian Chinese consider corruption as a main ingredient to get business going, Malaysian Malays consider corruption as “rezeki”. That’s why the opposition can only go so far by drumming government massive corruptions as the reason why they should be booted from Putrajaya.
Do you really think corruption will disappear into thin air if the opposition wins the general election and form the federal government? Why do you think everybody rush to lick Lim Guan Eng and Anwar Ibrahim boots to be fielded as candidates? And do you really think Sabah’s King of Frogs Jeffrey Kitingan, Wilfred Bumburing and Yong Teck Lee really want to take care of the Sabahan? Pleeeeze!!! With the exception of probably Lim Kit Siang and Nik Aziz, you can’t really trust the rest of the opposition politicians. If they have no intention of enriching themselves, then President Obama is still a virgin. Ever wonder why Mahathir confidently declared he will not leave the country before the next election results are announced? That’s because he was dead sure the current corrupt regime will still form the next federal government.
If the recent AES implementation criticisms by the public was any indicator, it shows that the public can’t live without corruption, well, at least majority of them. Malaysian drivers like to speed and drive as if they’re Formula-1 drivers and they have no plan of changing their lifestyle (or rather drive-style). And AES was a classic example of how zero corruption will affect their lifes. While they accept the reality that they would be caught breaking the laws, they want the flexibility to negotiate their way out through bribes. And you can’t “kautim” (settle) by giving money to the AES camera on the spot, can you? These people would rather pay RM50 as “coffee-money” for each of 10 traffic offences than to pay full RM300 for 2 offence tickets, literally speaking.
From sales executives to company directors, 90% of their business deals involve “under-table” money, one way or another. If the only thing that opposition can promise is eliminate corruption, then a sizeable Chinese and Malays would rather vote for the corrupt regime, if that was how they secured their current businesses or “rezeki” in the first place. So, does that mean the current corrupt regime should be returned to power? Well, perhaps the answer can be found by the recent advise from Mahathir himself - choose between the lesser of two evils. Of course when Mahathir blogged his advise, he was referring to the possibility of violent demonstration should the opposition lose in the coming election, although I can’t figure out till today how can one lose something that it does not possess in the first place (*grin*).
Since the opposition has never won the federal government since independence, there’s no benchmark of how corrupted they would become. Thus, the perception of the general public – the BN regime is tremendously corrupt while the PR regime may be mildly corrupt, if the latter choose to corrupt after all. The choice is pretty obvious based on Mahathir’s “choice between the lesser of two evils” theory. The good news for the opposition fans – the corrupt Chinese businessmen are flexible to switch sides and butter the opposition’s bread should there be a change in government. The bad news – the corrupt Chinese businessmen are worried that a perceived lesser corrupt government may mean lesser business deals for them.
Now, has anyone wondered what was the cause of the disappearance of PM Najib during 1st-Jan-2013, when he should be doing the New Year countdown instead of his deputy?
Underground naughty rumours has it that when the PM should be shouting “Happy New Year”, he had instead flew into a resort in Hong Kong. The interesting part was where all the local tycoons were summoned to a private meeting with the prime minister. But that is another story to be told.. As of now, the opposition needs to behave - lock in existing supporters while competing for fence-sitters. But going by the rate on how PAS and DAP childishly playing the religion cards the same way BN used to play, no wonder Mahathir is grining from ear to ear. Worst still, some opposition figures are already counting their chicks before they’re hatched, when they should instead presenting their arsenal of propositions for the betterment of the people.
Above is Condensed from http://www.financetwitter.com/2013/02/malaysian-loves-corruption-cant-live-without-it.html
Most are familiar with the RM300 million stadium named after the Trengganu Sultan – Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, which collapsed just a year after it opened? Point your gun at my head but I’m still betting my last dollar that corruption was involved. But in Malaysia corruption is OK as long as the project does not “collapse” but unfortunately the stadium did collapse one year after it was officially opened by the King himself, and that’s embarrassing enough. At least during Mahathir’s era the Penang bridge (built by Korean construction company), PLUS highway, Putrajaya and Petronas Twin Towers (Japanese and Korean contractor) have not collapse. This leave the preliminary question if the politicians should start pointing the finger at the Korean contractor the moment the stadium collapsed, unless of course this Korean contractor did not even qualified for such project in the first place.
Underground naughty rumours has it that when the PM should be shouting “Happy New Year”, he had instead flew into a resort in Hong Kong. The interesting part was where all the local tycoons were summoned to a private meeting with the prime minister. But that is another story to be told.. As of now, the opposition needs to behave - lock in existing supporters while competing for fence-sitters. But going by the rate on how PAS and DAP childishly playing the religion cards the same way BN used to play, no wonder Mahathir is grining from ear to ear. Worst still, some opposition figures are already counting their chicks before they’re hatched, when they should instead presenting their arsenal of propositions for the betterment of the people.
Above is Condensed from http://www.financetwitter.com/2013/02/malaysian-loves-corruption-cant-live-without-it.html
Most are familiar with the RM300 million stadium named after the Trengganu Sultan – Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, which collapsed just a year after it opened? Point your gun at my head but I’m still betting my last dollar that corruption was involved. But in Malaysia corruption is OK as long as the project does not “collapse” but unfortunately the stadium did collapse one year after it was officially opened by the King himself, and that’s embarrassing enough. At least during Mahathir’s era the Penang bridge (built by Korean construction company), PLUS highway, Putrajaya and Petronas Twin Towers (Japanese and Korean contractor) have not collapse. This leave the preliminary question if the politicians should start pointing the finger at the Korean contractor the moment the stadium collapsed, unless of course this Korean contractor did not even qualified for such project in the first place.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that corruption in Malaysia is so serious that there were abundant jokes about the situation. A bunch of Malaysians paid a visit to their Korean friend’s house hoping to taste homemade “kim-chi”.
- Malaysians: Whoa!!! Your house is like a palace … Is that the latest Benz model? Just how on earth could you afford this? No wonder you won’t go back to Korea *laugh*
- Korean: Come here and I’ll show you my little secret … Can you see that Penang bridge?
- Malaysians: Yes? *scratching their head” …
- Korean: Well, it was supposed to be two Penang bridges because our study showed a single bridge will be insufficient to cater for the traffic …
- Malaysians: So? *getting more confuse*
- Korean: So? So there you have it – a single bridge built with the cost of two …
- Malaysians: *it took them several minutes to digest what the Korean told them* … then burst into laughter as if they’ve found the holy grail …
Some years later, this Korean decided to pay a visit to one of his old Malaysian friends.
- Korean: Whoa! Your house is triple the size of my palace … Is that the latest Lambo model? Simply Amazing! How did you do it?
- Malaysian: Come here my friend and I’ll show you my little secret …
- Korean: OK, OK, I’m coming … *was about to orgasm*
- Malaysian: Can you see that bridge over there?
- Korean: *staring for a couple of minutes* … but I don’t see any bridge …
- Malaysian: *burst into laughter* … precisely …
Now, do you understand why Malaysian politicians are so eager to start mega-projects almost on daily basis? It doesn’t matter if the bridge is “crook” or to be built halfway to nowhere but most importantly the project has to be awarded (you know to whom). In Malaysia you’re untouchable even if the writing is on the wall that you blatantly squandered millions or even billions of taxpayer money but you’re asking for trouble if you wear black or yellow, mentioned the word Altantuya , "toppling the ?? errr... block" or even protest about escalating cost of living or police brutality. Malaysia is indeed a paradise of scandals – from Sex to Stadium.
Extracted and condensed from http://www.financetwitter.com/2009/06/malaysia-paradise-of-scandals-from-sex.html
Extracted and condensed from http://www.financetwitter.com/2009/06/malaysia-paradise-of-scandals-from-sex.html
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