The Week In Review 2: Making Sense Of Nonsense - When DBKL & PDRM Redeems Itself

Roundup of the news today.

Lee Chong Wei's Injury- Is BAM to blame?

It may be bad luck. It may be a lack of warm up or stretching prior to the match.

But I think Dato Lee's ankle finally gave way to the weight of the hopes of an entire nation, whose burden lies squarely and solely on his shoulders. With this latest setback, so diminishes Malaysia's only chance of winning the Thomas Cup and an Olympic gold medal.

The question that I cannot seem to find an answer to is, if Dato Lee is playing past his prime (or dangerously close to it), where are the young players, who can challenge not just the top dog of Malaysia, but also compete internationally with the up and coming youngsters from China, Korea, Denmark, etc?

How many more years can we depend only on one man, to bring the country glory in the world of badminton (and sports)?

I think BAM has to start going into overdrive to try unearthing the next crop of players with talent and determination, as well as mental strength, to replace our old warhorses.

Marina Mahathir - Beacon of sense and sensibility

The daughter of a former Prime Minister, the scion of an often controversial and divisive political giant whose shadows cast far and wide upon the current administrations, and whose opinions continues to influence the political landscape of the country, Marina Mahathir has proven that while she may have inherited her father's fiery nature, she has not inherited his politics.

Her latest article in The Star is a gem. Definitely worth a read. Link is provided below.

'Innovative' forms of violence by Marina Mahathir

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Grounded

Not quite, though turnaround plans have yet to take off due to delays in numerous operation issues and the inability to come to a common ground with the unionised employees.

With the unwinding of the share swap between the main shareholders of MAS and Airasia, it's not a stretch to say that MAS is back to square one, fighing fire on both ends, trying to increase revenues amidst a competitive industry while searching for unnecessary fat to trim.

From announcing the Voluntary Leave Program yesterday, to today's news that they will attempt to raise RM 9 billion from bonds and government assistance, it is clear that the government is not ready to throw in the towel yet when it comes to this bleeding behemoth.

I am of course raising this because of the role the government plays in the company. Setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company to buy aeroplanes and leasing them to MAS is obviously a method to ensure MAS's balance sheet isn't further impacted.

My question is, since the SPV will be funded by the government, hence, taxpayers' money, will they be leasing the planes to MAS at market value, or will MAS benefit from "related parties" rates? Can we as the rakyat expect that the aid (read: BAILOUT) that the Government provides to MAS at least achieves a reasonable rate of return?

My other question is this; what would the Opposition do with MAS if they comes to power, either in GE13 or in the future? Do they have the political will to pull the plug on our national carrier, or will they do what BN is doing now for fear of pissing off 20,000 voters who works in MAS?

History as a compulsory subject, but not English?

Having read P.Gunasegaram article in The Star (Making sense of history by P. Gunasegaram), I heave a sigh of relief that English is still not a priority when it comes to educating Malaysians.

It is reported that the Education Ministry is considering making History a compulsory pass for SPM, making it the second subject after Bahasa Malaysia to be accorded such status.

One wonders when will English be given the same royal treatment?

I am not complaining though.

I may not possess a perfect grasp of the language, but I do well enough, I suppose, and it has always been a plus point when compared to the many Malaysians who cannot even string a sentence together without breaking into cold sweat. I am not referring to just one particular race, for I have come across friends and colleagues from all races who brings out the inner grammar nazi in me.

DBKL, PDRM and Ambiga - All We Need Is Love


It warms the very cockles of my heart when I read that DBKL and the police have finally stepped in to cut short the planned demonstrations in front of Datuk S. Ambiga's house.

Datuk Ambiga and DBKL/PDRM, who were on opposite sides of the divide during the Bersih 3.0 rally, even managed to put their differences aside and exchange friendly tweets on Twitter in a rare public display of affection. 

Ambiga tweeted “DBKL worked late into the night to clear yellow lines. Here now with police checking. Appreciate it @PDRMsia and DBKL. So do neighbours” yesterday morning.

This was the police's reply.

The police tweeted “TQ for comment. All of us need to be safe, hv peace & harmony. Appreciation & Gratitude are virtues of life.

Get a room, you two!
Read the full story here (The Star: DBKL to halt unauthorised activities around Ambiga's house)

Now, isn't it nice when we can all just get along? All we need, is a little love (cue Barry White...)

Jason Mraz

Listen to "I Won't Give Up". Beautiful..just beautiful...

(and I hear he is coming to Malaysia soon..woo hoo!)

My Country, The Beautiful

My country is beautiful.

Can't say the same for its people though.

The action, reaction and counter-reaction of different groups of people or individuals defies logic, and common sense, most of the time.

How does it make sense, that a group of traders who allegedly lost money due to the Bersih 3.0 rally thinks that the best way to recoup said losses is to...give away burgers FREE-OF-CHARGE?

"Oh, it is a marketing ploy, to raise the awareness of the public of the local Ramli burger stands", they say.

Well, if that is the intention, can I suggest a more cost effective way to do so? Stack your burgers with 20 levels of patties, pay a bunch of college kids to line up at your stall, and tip off the local daily (as well as pray that none of your customers die of a heart attack right after finishing your burger).

What a burger seller does when he confuses food with Jenga blocks.

Today, I read news that in response to the "not-so-financially-adept" burger stall owners (and this IS a response, regardless of what the secretary of WargaAMAN says), there will be a thosai masterclass held in front of the Deputy Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar 's residence in Ampang at the end of this month, for his unfortunate comment on why the police force chose to not get involved in the burger stall protest (his comment was along the lines of "Well, since the public objected to our dismantling of the Bersih  rally, we shall refrain from dismantling the burger stalls". Juvenile, I know), as well as having this rather smug photo of him plastered all over the newspaper.

"Let them come. My house is on an inclined road and their curry pots will tilt and fall.
Bwahahahaha. *Evil laugh"

This tit-for-tat has got to end someday, no?

I would suggest that instead of having the thosai masterclass in front of the DIG's house, they should hold it in front of Ambiga's house on the SAME DAY as the proposed burger stall owners second coming. During the thosai/ burger event, they should also promote the health advantage that the thosai has over the burgers. Now, this WOULD cost the burger owners some actual losses in future revenue. (Disclaimer: As a personal choice for late night supper, I would prefer burgers over thosai. My bulging tummy is a testament of that.)

While they are at it, why not demonstrate some yoga poses as well, to show that the butt flex, although an important part of the Army's training, has been outdated since the advance of yoga.



"Hey, the one at the back in white! Don't be lazy! Go all the way down!"



Real man do yoga (and pilates)!



Let's see the Army Vets pull THIS off...


How about the setting up of a Law Academy proposed by the Minister in the PM's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz? This is clearly a retaliation against the report issued by the Bar Council during the EGM which brutally demonised the government and the police for their brutal handling of the Bersih rally.

The minister clearly rejects the report, and is of the opinion that it is a fable concocted by the imagination of only a few nut jobs in the Bar Council, and not reflective of the majority of the members of the legal profession. Hence, the Law Academy would provide an alternative body for lawyers who disagrees with the Bar Council.

Now, I am no lawyer, but I doubt that this is neither the best nor smartest way to respond to the report. Instead of addressing the points raised in the report and rebutting them one by one, the government chooses to completely ignore it and say, we no longer recognise you as a legitimate body or association. Instead, we are going to create a new association and fill it with only people who agrees unconditionally with us, the government. If I am not mistaken, the last time someone said, "if you disagree with the way I do things, you can go f*ck yourself and play far far away" (which is essentially what Nazri meant by his proposal), the Republic of Singapore was born.

Even Dr. M waded into the debate by declaring that the Bar Council have been hijacked by partisan aspirations and is no longer independent! According to Dr. M, the Bar Council should only stick to matters of the law and not get involved in matters of politics. His concern is that other professional bodies like the Malaysian Medical Association might follow suit, hence leading to "a lot of confusion".

My question is, what about situations where politicians abuses the legal system to their advantage and human rights are trampled on by the police force? Can the Bar Council not defend the defenceless, when politics and the law are thrown together in an explosive mixture?

The Bar Council also has its own democratically elected presiding members. If there are members who are dissatisfied with the conduct of the Bar, I am sure there is a proper way to impeach the President of the Bar, through a voting process, especially if the majority of the Bar Council disagrees with him.

And on a final note, I once ranted on the inclination of the Malaysian people to write memorandums (http://wheretimeisnot.blogspot.com/2011/06/chinese-indian-or-anak-malaysia-i-ask.html). Apparently, the popularity of the memorandum have waned and have given way to the rise of the dreaded...POLICE REPORT.

Apparently, nowadays one can lodge a police report on anything.

Feelings hurt? Lodge a police report.

Slighted by the comments made by someone in the public arena? Lodge a police report.

Assaulted by the police? Lodge a police report.

Police assaulted by rioters? Lodge a...well, you catch my drift.

According to The Sun, RELA and other NGOs have lodged police report against Tenaganita's executive director, Irene Fernandez, although I do not see how what she said to an Indonesian newspaper, although controversial, had anything to do with all these bodies, just like how I am uncertain why the MACC has hauled her up for an interrogation interview.

Apparently, the only times when police reports aren't so easily lodged are times when you are involved in an accident in Puchong (and you have to travel all the way to Serdang to lodge a report) or when the case involves VVIPs.

My country is beautiful, but its people? Beautiful as in the movie A Beautiful Mind...certifiably insane.

Race Based Politics - A Preview

Last Wednesday, my company sponsored a table at a dinner function hosted by Malaysia's Harvard alumni community, and being the freeloader that I am, of course I weaseled for accepted the invitation.

The dinner was held at the new wing of Royale Bintang Damansara at Mutiara Damansara, and a keynote address was given by the Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Lim Guan Eng.

Besides the free food (which was mediocre, at best), I was looking forward to the speech by the Chief Minister, titled "The Future of Race Based Politics".

I had high hopes of a persuasive discourse on the extinction of governing along the racial lines, and for him to explain how the political landscape in the near future will be shaped differently. I anticipated a speech where he would seek to convince us that his party, DAP and the coalition that they have formed with Keadilan and PAS, will be a more than adequate alternative to the current Barisan government.

I was sorely disappointed.

Granted, the time allocated for him to talk could be far too limited to venture into such lofty agendas, but it would still have been more beneficial for him and the guest if he had not stuck to his usual script and rehash points of discussions which have been raised to death in all types of media such as newspapers, radios, television.

He spent the evening listing the goals that his state government have achieved and defending himself against accusations that they have sidelined the Malay populace in Penang.

It was a wasted opportunity, in my opinion.

There were distinguished guest amongst the crowd that night (and some of them did raise interesting, albeit contentious points, during the question and answer session), and he could have been more specific and dynamic in his address.

The Chief Minister's speech did however provoke an urge in me to consider my position in this whole discussion on whether our country can survive in a political system free from the shackles of race and racial sensitivities.

I will pen down my thoughts on this matter in a future post.

Reasons Why I Did Not Go For The Bersih Rally

Top five reasons why I did not attend the Bersih 3.0 rally:

5. I thought that it was some 1Malaysia national "gotong-royong" activity.

4. I am a Barisan Nasional supporter...until THEY start rallying, then I am a PKR supporter..

3. Yellow does not look good on me.

2. Astro was showing free channels (HBO! Fox Premium Movies!) for a week, starting from a day before the rally.

...and the number one reason why I did not attend the Bersih 3.0 rally...

1. I could not locate my Power Ranger suit.

Self Esteem - The Voice Within

The next time you find yourself alone, whether you are just standing underneath the shower, or sitting in a parked car, listen.

Listen to what you are saying to yourself.

Throughout life, we are surrounded by people who revel in putting us down just to make themselves feel better, people who are callous with their words.

The one person who shouldn't add in to all this negativity is yourself.

You may not be aware of it, but we are constantly in a subconscious conversation with ourselves, and many times, we allow ourselves to repeat the criticisms that others level at us.

"You are not good enough"

"You are not smart enough"

"You are not beautiful or good looking"

Listen. Are these the things that you hear when you stop, and listen?

If you do, it is time you practice some positive reinforcement to boost your self-esteem and confidence.

Take the wheels of your mind and drive. Be conscious of the thoughts that you have, and when you identify thoughts that plants the seeds of self-doubt, get rid of them by telling yourself that you are good enough, that you are smart, and you look good.

In the beginning, you will find it hard to believe, or it may sound delusional, but give it time. Before long, you will discover that being happy with yourself, being confident and having a healthy dose of self-esteem will come as naturally and as effortless as breathing.

So, listen to that voice within you, and if you do not like what you hear, know that you have the ability to change it.

An Evening At The Nursing Home

There she laid, with her mouth wide open, motionless except for the slight rising and lowering of her chest, each of her limbs tied loosely to the bed frame with pieces of stained white cloth.

By the side of her bed stores her few measly belongings. Biscuits, milk powder, toothbrush. All tagged with her name. A name that I read but did not commit to memory.

At the other corner of the room was another woman, probably in her early 50s, with her full head of jet black hair looking out of place among the other residents. She was also lying on her bed, but not sleeping, just staring at the ceiling, presumably deep in thought, paying no heed at all to my friend and I.

An old man sat outside, his walking stick next to him, as he scribbles away on his newspaper, fiercely trying to maintain his dignity, his mind, his sanity, or whatever is left of it.

Another resident, afflicted with what I can only guess is Parkinson's disease, sat watching an English documentary being shown on the television.

These were the scenes that surrounded me when I accompanied a friend to visit her aged grandmother, her mah mah, at a nursing home in Petaling Jaya. I've been to children's home before, but I have never visited an old folks' home prior to this.

My friend visits her mah mah at least twice a week, taking turns with her family members to bring food, drinks, and company to the old lady. I requested that she bring me along the next time she went, and that was how I ended up spending an evening at the nursing home.

Tonight, she brought sweet potatoes and yogurt, and her mah mah was delighted with the sight of the former. She has difficulties talking and even recognising her family members, but you could sense a build up of excitement and approval when she was shown the brown starchy tuber root.

When I helped to wheel her to the dining table, my friend asked her mah mah to lift up her legs instead of letting it drag on the floor. I asked if she would prefer I put the foot rest of the wheel chair down to make it easier for her mah mah. My friend explained that getting her to lift her legs may be the only form of exercise her grandmother will have for her weaken legs muscles and knees.

Seeing my friend talking to her mah mah, holding her right hand gently while encouraging her to use her left hand to hold the spoon and feed herself, it left me with a lasting impression, how two women, separated by more than fifty years and two generations continue to bond for however long it may last.

The attempts at conversation my friend had with her mah mah would probably be the only intelligent stimuli the old lady has had the entire day.

The rest of that evening,  one could only hear the sound from the television and the occasional chatter of the foreign staffs, and I suspect that the days would not be much different.

My friend used a wet towel to wipe her mah mah's face after the sweet potatoes, and banana cake softened with milk.

We left after tucking her grandmother in for the night.

Many of us don't like to be reminded of our mortality. We live our life like there is always tomorrow. The truth is, there is, but it may be a tomorrow that we are not part of.

We all tend to forget that each of us has an expiry date, and contrary to what is widely believed, this expiry date is not the day we finally pass on. No, our expiry date is the day when we start to lose our cognitive abilities, our physical functions. When all you have is the air between your lungs, that is when it is too late.

One may be lucky to live a life to a hundred, but as witnessed by myself on this fateful night, many reach an age where growing old gracefully and with your dignity intact seems like the impossible pursuit of the Holy Grail.

I was reminded of my own maternal grandmother while I was at the home, and I remembered all the morning walks that me and my siblings took with her through the shops in Damansara Uptown. She passed away fifteen years ago due to cancer, and yet my sisters, brother and I still speak of her fondly, as if she is still among the living (My sister related to me how she was recently burned by an incense stick by my late grandmother while praying, as a lesson for being "angry" at my grandmother for not helping my sister win the lottery after having a bird pooped on her).

My apologies if you are searching for a lesson in this post, for there is none to be had. No enlightenment. No morality posturing. No guilt trip to make you feel like you should spend more time with your aged parents and your loved ones.

This is a mere record of my evening spent at the nursing home. I cannot claim that I left that evening a better person, a learned man, but it is an experience that I would not forget in a haste.

Note: A huge thank you to my friend who was willing to let me publish my thoughts and observations of the intimate moments she shared with her mah mah, as well as inviting me to be part of the evening. 

Faith in our generation, restored.

Injustice: Welfare Stopped Due To Political Affiliation

It was reported in The Sun on 5 March 2012 that  Assistant Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture Datuk Mong Dagang had instructed the Welfare Department to stop welfare assistance to a handicapped person, Frusis Lebi.

Datuk Mong Dagang

According to the report his reasons for stopping welfare assistance and subsidies was "because he (meaning Frusis Lebi) is a strong Opposition supporter".

He was quoted in the same daily saying that the "welfare assistance shouldn't have been given in the first place because he can plant padi and ride a normal motorcycle like a normal person".

He allegedly wrote a letter to the Welfare Department and the Agriculture Department stating that Lebi "is against government policies and openly supported the Opposition candidate in Bukit Begunan constituency in the 2011 state elections."

The letter allegedly written by Datuk Mong Dagang

In another report in the same daily, his colleague in the government Tan Sri Dr James Masing, Land Development Minister has defended Datuk Mong Dagang's actions.

Tan Sri Dr James Masing

Masing is quoted in the daily as saying "follow the rule of life, that is jangan lawan towkay. In any organisation, we cannot go against the boss. That is the golden rule in life which we must observe."

Now I don't know why there is not a bigger furore over these unsettling developments in Sarawak.

The fact that an elected official fails to recognise that it is the tax payers, not his political party, who funds the Welfare Department and the machinations that we call OUR government, proves one and for all the sorry state of our country's governance.

The disbursement of such welfare subsidies should not be based on the whims and fancy of a politician. Instead, it should be based on the a set criteria which is transparent and consistent in its application.

Based on what Datuk Mong Dagang allegedly wrote in his letter, it appears that the only reason given to stop the subsidies was that the welfare recipient openly supported the opposition. His subsequent defence that Lebi should not have qualified for assistance in the first place seems like an afterthought, a weak excuse.

To have the Land Minister say, "don't fight the boss because it is the rule of life" speaks volume of the way the government views themselves. Instead of being of public service to the citizens of Malaysia, they act as if they are, in Masing's own words, "bosses and towkays". From what I understand, bosses are people who usually own the organisation, i.e. the shareholders in a company. So, could this mean that Masing sees themselves as owners of Malaysia, and that we are all merely their employees? If you dare quote the "rule of life", how about the "rule of law"?

Gerhard Kocher said, "Ask not what the government can do for you. Ask why it doesn't."

In this case, the reason why it doesn't is merely because you did not cast your vote for them. By following this line of logic, students who are currently on government scholarship may also risk losing financial assistance if they dare to even speak up against the establishment. Businesses which do not toe the line of the political parties currently in power risk being sidelined in the awarding of government contracts.

I continue to use the term "government scholarships" and "government contracts" although the money that goes into the scholarships and the public contracts, belongs to us Malaysians, not the ministers or their cronies.

Do we still need any further reasons to realise that we need to demand our elected officials to be held to a higher benchmark and standard than what Dagang and Masing have exhibited in this instance?

Blessed is the country where her people sees the government and themselves as one and the same.