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some yoga poses as well, to show that the butt flex, although an important part of the Army's training, has been outdated since the advance of yoga.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.