1984 - My Past...and Our Future? Beware Of What You Post Online!

I personally believe that this has got more to do with protecting those with vested interest and those who walk along the corridors of powers as if they own them, than the "kids who are connected online", as claimed by the MCMC chairman.

Read the following link for The Star's report on the amendment to the Evidence Act passed recently in relation to comments or Internet postings which are deemed "hateful, seditious, or slanderous" (Cyber bullies and stalkers often get away because of lack of evidence).

To elaborate on my opening statement, as a nation we seem to be regressing towards a police state, where fear is used as a tool to keep the flock in check. The Internet's position as the last bastion for free and bias-free (albeit unfiltered and error-prone) information and news is under attack. With the amendment to the Evidence Act which shifts the burden of proof from the prosecutors to the defendant, it seems the Malaysian government is trying to control the Internet, just like how most mainstream media is under their control.

Also noteworthy is the cyber troopers initiatives recently rolled out by the ruling parties to "combat lies and propaganda of the Opposition". This initiative which includes having a Facebook page for the cyber troopers, coupled with the amendment to the Evidence Act, should be a cause of concern for any reasonable and rational netizen. Are the cyber troopers suppose to trawl the Internet to seek for potentially "hateful, seditious, slanderous" comments or statements and then report them to the MCMC or the authorities?

I may be stretching this a little too far, but doesn't these developments just reminds you of George Orwell's 1984, his masterpiece about a dystopian future, where the Big Brother and the Thought Police spies on the people and dissidents are captured by the Ministry of Truth, and is reintegrated into society via torture and brainwash.

A couple of thoughts and comments about the article published in The Star.

• The MCMC chairman said that owners of Internet accounts where hate messages had originated could easily rebut charges against them if they were innocent.  “For example, if you can produce witnesses to say that you were nowhere near your computer or any other communicating device at the time the message was sent out, you can get off", the chairman said. My question is, since almost everyone has a smartphone now, and most carry their smartphone with them everywhere they go, how are we going to prove that we are nowhere near a communicating device?
• The Minister in the PM Department cited that one of the reasons for the amendment is that the conviction rates of suspected cyber offenders was very low, and that it was very difficult to prosecute the offenders before the amendment. One begs the question then, that how about the other crimes that have low conviction rates? If murder, rape, kidnapping records similarly low conviction rate, would the law be change to make it easier to prosecute the suspected murderers, rapists, kidnappers? Another inconsistency to note is that our Attorney General Chambers and the prosecutors that works within are paid to prosecute. It is their job, their burden, to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute the suspects. We, the public, are not paid to defend and prove our innocence, so why should we make their jobs easier?

Is this a violation of human rights? Loyarburok seems to think so (Bad laws won't stop cybercrime). When one is deemed guilty until proven innocent, there should be a louder out pour of criticism and cries of injustice from the public. Have these voices already been curbed by fear of being hauled up by the government?

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.