Sime Darby, keep your filthy paws off IJN !

I'm glad that the govt has agreed to postpone the privatisation of Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) (National heart Institute) by Sime Darby. The IJN has given excellent service to many Malaysian heart patients, rich and poor. If it was privatised (diswastakan) , many poor patients will not be able to be treated . Privatised institutions are notorious for raising fees beyond the means of low-income earners. Sime Darby has no good reason to take over the IJN, other than to make money from people's miseries and to fill the wallets of its cronies. Finance minister and in-coming PM Najib, the postponement is to enable the govt and Sime Darby to further study the matter. That is all bullshit, you know and I know and Najib also knows, this privatisation will become an issue at the coming Kuala Terengganu by-elections, and the BN will lose a lot of votes as well as the seat, if the govt goes thru with it. Even the doctors at IJN are against it. No decent Malaysian wants it. So, Sime Darby and cronies keep your filthy paws off IJN.

Ketuanan Melayu

Ketuanan Melayu or Malay Supremacy or Malays Must Be the Boss and other races just shut up or get arrested for sedition. Every day, the press and TV stations keep on highlighting this topic. Who's for, who's against, who's got a point of view. I'm telling you Malaysians, this ketuanan thing is already established. The Agung is a Malay, the PM and DPM are Malays, the Chief Justice is Malay, the Armed Forces chief is Malay, the Inspector General of Police is Malay, the Attorney General is Malay, the top civil servant is a Malay, most of the GLC 's CEOs are Malay or Bumiputra. Wonder why the Malays are so worked up about this Malay supremacy thingy ? The Malaysian Chinese, Indians and other races are not trying to take over those positions. Its all in the minds of simple minded Malays, brain-washed by desperate unsuccessful Malay politicians and businessmen. What the non-Malays want is fairness, due justice and equal opportunities. If a non-Malay is better qualified , let him or her have that chance. Do'nt pick a second rater just because he or she is a Malay/bumiputra. I'm a 'certified' Malay (just like Dr Mahathir, Hussein Onn, Pak Lah). My roots stretch out everywhere from Turkey, India, Sri Lanka, China and the Nusantara islands. To me, this Ketuanan Melayu is just political crap.

Islam disapproves tomboys and yoga

Muslim women who are masculine in manner and dressing are decreed un-Islamic by the National Fatwa Council. The council enforcers don't give a shit about the psyche or emotional condition of these 'un-women'. My advise to the 'tomboys' is to keep out of the public eye with your girlfriends. You are safe ,in a private place. And the council cannot arrest you for khalwat (close proximity) since both of you are biological females. Yesterday, the Fatwa council announced that Muslims must not practise the ancient Indian exercise of Yoga. It is feared that Muslims will be led astray from Islam, by following some of the yoga rituals. Many Muslims that I know of, have been practising yoga as a physical exercise for several years but they have'nt strayed from Islam. Whatever it is, I really hope that no over-zealous Religious Dept enforcers, would go snooping in people's private homes or grounds to nab so called offenders. Another fatwa should be created to declare that unwarranted spying on people is illegal.

Are We Ready For CHANGE ?

Barack Hussein Obama will become the next president of the United States. Americans , thank you for not bothering about his race and origins. You just picked a person who you think can be a good leader, better than George W Bush. In congratulating Obama, PM Pak Lah said, we could be like America where every race can get a chance to be PM. Its easy for him to say that, after all he is part-Chinese. I cannot imagine if a Chinese or Indian would dare to have such ambitions. Don't think that the Umno or PAS Malays are gonna keep quiet and allow that to happen. They are already quarrelling with the Selangor govt for appointing a Chinese officer (who is very experienced and qualified )to act as PKNS general manager. Sad to say, meritocracy is worthless in Malaysia. Only Malay officers, no matter how useless, are supposed to be Pengarahs and Pengerusis of govt agencies. Americans have voted for CHANGE but we, Malaysians are not ready for that, because the Umno and PAS Malays don't want to CHANGE. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Barack Hussein Obama terpilih sebagai bakal presiden Amerika Syarikat. Terima kasih kepada rakyat Amerika kerana tak hirau kaum dan asal-usul Barack tu. Hampa memilih orang yang boleh jadi pemimpin yang baik, lebih baik dari Bush tu. PM kita Pak Lah ucap tahniah kepada Obama. Pak Lah kata, kita boleh jadi macam Amerika, di mana semua bangsa boleh dapat peluang nak jadi PM. Senang dia cakap, dia tak pah lah, dia dah ada sikit darah Cina. Aku tak boleh bayangkan ada orang Cina atau India yang ada cita-cita lagu tu. Hang ingat orang Melayu Umno dan PAS nak dok diam dan biak benda ni jadi. ? La ni depa dok bara dengan k'jaan negeri Selangor pasai melantik pegawai bangsa Cina ( yang memang layak dan berpengalaman) untuk memangku jawatan pengurus (GM) PKNS. Dukacita nak kata, meritokrasi tak laku di Malaysia. Hanya pegawai Melayu, walaupun ada jenis yang haprak, saja yang boleh jadi pengarah atau pengerusi agensi-agensi kerajaan. Rakyat Amerika dah pilih PERUBAHAN (Change) tapi kita rakyat Malaysia tak sedia lagi pasai orang Melayu Umno dan PAS tak mau BERUBAH.

Tan Seri George W Bush

Our Melaka CM is surely going to lose a lot of nominations for Umno veep, since his state nominated Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan for a datukship. Questions flying all around the press, the coffee shops, the fish markets.. what has he done for Melaka to deserve that ? Bet he does'nt even know what a 'Datuk' title is. Melaka CM's answer - Shahrukh helped put Melaka on the tourist map, by shooting some scenes of Melaka in his movies. Maybe the answer could be that some smittened Mak Datin insisted on it ? Amitab Bachan would make a more distinguished Datuk, don't you think so ? Hey, since we like to show our appreciation by honoring foreigners, I think the govt should consider confering an award to this foreign leader who's retiring next month. I'm talking about George W.Bush the out-going president of the United States. Why, because the USA is Malaysia's biggest trading partner. Malaysians love watching American movies, playing and listening to American music, reading American books and comic books. Some of our young people already speak like Americans (just tune in to Hitz FM, Fly FM, the TV presenters, anybody not schooling in a Malaysian school). Not to forget, the little kids favorite snacks KFC,MacDonalds, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and other US food & beverage franchises. Yes we are, like it or not, greatly influenced by the Americans. Yes, we should honor George W.Bush with at least a Tan Seri. Happy retirement Tan Seri George W. Bush.

In Memory of Mak

Among us brothers and sisters, there are two significant days in the year which we will never forget. That is 11th of August, and 7th of October. 11th of August is our late father's birthdate. 7th of October, which is today is our late mother's birthdate. (She would have turned 83 today). I would like to share with you, these words of love from her children, in remembering this special day : From 7th child (6th son) Fajar : I love you Mak from deep down in my heart (our hearts). We love you Mak. Al Fatihah.. From 3rd child (3rd son) Maher : She sees in me like no other sees me, knows me like no others know me. All of us has a special place in her heart as she is in ours. May Allah bless my mother Hajjah Haniffa bt Hamad Abdul Azyze and may He keep her safe at all times. Al Fatihah.... From 5th child (1st daughter) Jeniffa : Al Fatihah... for the dearest, sweetest, kindest soul, our beautiful Mak. From 6th child (5th son) Izron : With only ALLAH's consent we live till this day 7th October 2008. We are able to remember that today the QUEEN of all our hearts was born. How did we serve her when she was around is what that counts. How much are we now helping her with prayers and deeds to keep her at ease while in Eternity, that counts too. The Queen of all our hearts will never fade even until we meet our fate. May her soul be blessed and in peace. Al-Fatihah........ I feel that there are not enough words to express how much we all love and miss her. Al Fatihah ... to Mak and Bapak and also Abang. From 8th and youngest child (2nd daughter) Helinna : Words (like you say) cannot do justice.I miss Mak, her face, her touch, her smile, her kindness, Al Fatihah......... (Will update if there are more messages).

Selamat Hari Raya

Alhamdulillah we have completed the month long fasting of Ramadzan and tomorrow, the first of Shawal we celebrate our 'victory' on Hari Raya. The past month has not been a good month for us Malaysians. What with all that power hustlings and locking up 'non-terrorists' citizens, and all the prices of every day essentials shooting up. We, ordinary folks , survived through our own sheer will and detemination, did'nt we ? Looking at the future , within the next few months, looks like nothing will change for better or worse. No matter who rules the country, there will always be dissatisfaction among certain pockets of society. Let them go for each other's throats, but they better not incovenient us, the plain folks. My wish to you, my dear readers, is to be thankful to Allah, be faithful to your beliefs and cherish and watch out for your family and loved ones. Forgive me if I have slighted or hurt any feelings within my blog. I wish you all a Selamat Hari Raya, love and best wishes.

Charged with ISA

Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin, DAP MP & Selangor senior exco Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng, are a threat to national security and public order, so said Home minister Syed Hamid Albar, so they were arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA ). Raja Petra, allegedly, insulted Islam and Muslims in his blog. If one had the brains to understand his writings, it was more about his criticising the hypocratic ways of the Muslim Malays. The insulting was by his blog commentators. So, the authorities (govt & police) afraid to face him in a court trial, chose to charge him under the ISA. Which means to imprison without trial. Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was arrested for, allegedly, trying to cause inter-racial and inter-religious tension between Muslims and non-Muslims. She was accused by Dr.Khir Toyo (ex-MB of Selangor) and reported by Utusan Malaysia, for her involvement in a residents' petition against the calling of 'azan' at a Puchong mosque. She has denied the allegation and has demanded an apology from Dr Khir and Utusan. Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was arrested for reporting Umno Bt Bendera division chief Ahmad Ismail's racist remarks during the Ptg Pauh by-election campaign. This is very weird, the racist gets let off with a three-year suspension, but is still unapologetic about his seditious remarks against the Malaysian Chinese, and the reporter got arrested under the ISA. The latest news is that reporter Tan has been released. Albar said she was taken by the cops, for her own safety. Really weird. Generally speaking, I do not see any 'tension' among the races in my town or anywhere else. Don't believe the NST, Utusan, Berita Harian, RTM or TV3 news. Its only the Govt and BN (especially Umno) who are uneasy, and are trying to cause all the misunderstandings, so that they can continue to rule the country without opposition. And 3 newspapers were given 'show cause' letters for going against publication guidelines. The Sun for manipulating and highlighting sensitive issues. Sin Chew Daily for reporting racially sensitive contoversial statement involving Penang Umno former Bt Bendera chief Ahmad Ismail. Suara Keadilan for reporting that IGP Musa Hassan has been paralysed after undergoing coronary bypass surgery.

Merdeka 51 Years. Malaysia 45 Years

Tomorrow is 31st August, 51st anniversary of our country's independence. 51 years ago, our country was called Malaya. We had 11 states, and our population was about 7 million. The ruling political party was the Alliance Party, a combination of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malayan Indians Congress (MIC). The prime minister was the then Umno leader Tunku Abdul Rahman. The Alliance also formed the 11 state governments. 51 years later, now in 2008, our country is now called Malaysia. Malaysia was formed on September 16th 1963, when the former British colonies of North Borneo (now called Sabah) and Sarawak (also in Borneo) and Singapore joined Malaya. Singapore was expelled in 1965. Now Malaysia has 13 states, 3 Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan island near Sabah). And our population has grown to 27 million. The ruling party is now called the National Front (consisting of 14 component political parties, including the original Alliance members) at the federal level. Umno is still the premier party, and present leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is the PM. But in the March 2008 GE, the voters of Penang, Kedah, Kelantan ,Perak, Selangor and the federal territory of KL rejected the National Front as their state governments .The NF also lost its two-third majority in parliament. A month ago, the parliament opposition leader Wan Azizah of PKR, vacated her seat of Ptg Pauh, so that it will be recontested by her husband, one time DPM Anwar Ibrahim which he won convincingly on the 26th of August 2008. Anwar is now the parliament opposition leader. Tomorrow we will celebrate our 51st Merdeka, but I can't help noticing the lack of enthusiasm among our national and state leaders. Worrying about their political future, I suppose. The rakyat is not so happy too. What with the rising costs of foodstuffs and transportation. Abdullah's budget did not help most of us, only the civil servants, lowly paid pensioners and transport providers (meaning Scomi ). What I thought was funny about this budget was how do you consume RM20 of electricity in this day and age ? And why are the smokers punished and not the drinkers and gamblers ? Happy Merdeka day and selamat berpuasa. Versi Bahasa Melayu (macam Che'Det lah) ......................................................................... Esok 31 Ogos, ulangtahun ke-51 kemerdekaan negara kita. 51 tahun dahulu, negara kita nama Malaya. Ada 11 negeri dan bilangan penduduk lebih kurang 7 juta orang. Diperintah oleh parti Perikatan ,gabungan Umno, MCA dan MIC. Masa tu Perdana menteri ialah ketua Umno Tunku Abdul Rahman. Semua 11 negeri pun diperintah oleh Perikatan. Selepas 51 tahun, la ni 2008, negara kita dah bernama Malaysia. Malaysia ditubuh pada 16hb September 1963, apabila negeri-negeri jajahan British di pulau Borneo (Kalimantan) iaitu North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak (dari Borneo jugak) dan Singapura bergabung dengan Malaya. Singapura telah disingkir pada tahun 1965. La ni Malaysia ada 13 negeri, 3 wilayah persekutuan (KL, Putrajaya dan Pulau Labuan dekat Sabah). Bilangan penduduk dah naik 27 juta orang. Parti yang perintah dinama Barisan Nasional (gabungan 14 parti, termasuk yang asal dari Perikatan). Umno parti utama dalam BN dan ketua Umno Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pegang jawatan PM. Pada Pilihanraya Umum Mac 2008, negeri-negeri Kelantan, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak dan Selangor tolak kerajaan BN. BN juga hilang kelebihan dua-pertiga di parlimen.

Bulan lepas, Ketua pembangkang di parlimen, Dr Wan Azizah dari PKR, kosongkan kerusi parlimennya di Ptg Pauh, untuk membolehkan suaminya, bekas DPM Anwar Ibrahim, bertanding dalam p/raya kecil, dan Anwar telah menang kerusi tu dengan cemerlang pada 26hb Ogos 2008.

Anwar kini dilantik Ketua Pembangkang di parlimen.

Esok kita sambut Hari Merdeka yang ke51. Tapi saya nampak macam tak bersemangat saja pemimpin-pemimpin negara dan negeri. Dok pikiaq pasai masa depan politik depa kot ?Rakyat pun tak berapa seronok jugak. Harga barang, makanan semua dok naik, duit tambang pun dok naik.

Bajet Pak Lah tak membantu sangat. Yang untung - orang kerajaan, pesara pensyen rendah dan pembuat pengangkutan (Scomi kot ?).

Antara janji yang pelek Pak Lah ialah pengecualian bayar bil letrik kurang dari RM20. Di zaman dan masa la ni, boleh kah guna letrik banyak tu ?

Awat nak tambah cukai kepada rokok tapi tak naik pun cukai arak dan judi ?

Selamat Hari Merdeka dan selamat berpuasa.

O my Papa

This morning I recieved several smses from my siblings remembering our dear aruah Bapak. My brother Maher sent a few lines of the song 'O My Papa'. I wonder why, whenever I hear that song, I get all misty eyed and all choked up when I sing it. I'll try to put down the lyrics here (as far as I can remember) so that his grandchildren and great grandchildren can read or sing it, and feel what we feel about their own papas. O my papa, To me he was so wonderful O my papa,to me he was so good. O my papa so gentle , so adorable O my papa ,he always understood. Gone are the days When he would take me on his knees And with a smile He changed my tears to laughter

O my papa,so loving, so adorable Always a clown,so funny in his ways O my papa to me, he was so wonderful

O my papa,to me he was so good.

In memory of arwah Bapak, Hj Mohammad Ibrahim Dadameah, born on this day (11th August), 90 years ago.

Al-Fatihah for arwah Bapak, Mak, Abang and other dearly departed family members. May Allah bless their souls and keep them amongst the blessed. Ameen.

Permatang Pauh Prelude

Opposition leader Wan Azizah Ismail vacated her Ptg Pauh parliament seat, to enable her husband ex-DPM Anwar Ibrahim to contest for her seat. There were all kinds of reaction and comments. Ex PM Dr Che' Det remarked that its an act of a loving wife as expected. His wife (Dr Hasmah) would have done the same and was babbling some nonsense about running fast or slow. And the stupid reporters, wanting to humor him, laughed along like idiots. Were they laughing with him or at him, I wonder. It's common knowledge that this old man can't stand this Anwar or anyone close to Anwar getting the limelight. That was a pathetic sight. Home minister Albotak commented its all for her love for her husband. Again the idiot reporters laughed. Does your wife love you or not, Albotak ? This time I think the reporters laughed at him for sure. Who can forget how he made KL a traffic nightmare by closing several roads, because of a rumor. He wanted to sound Mahathir-ish but he flopped big time. Che'Lah PM's son-in-law Khairy wanting to show his machoness said Anwar is afraid to lose so Anwar is taking an `easy ride' and is running for a safe seat. This young upstart forgets that he too, had an 'easy ride' to the Umno Youth No.2, and had also contested a safe seat, Rembau in the elections. But Che'Gubard did provide some 'bumps' on the way. Did he remember the 'lashing' he got from Wan Azizah in parliament, for trying to be a smart-ass. Melaka CM (Umno VP) Ali Bhai said Anwar 'sacrificed' his wife for his own political interest. Education minister Hisham said Anwar is distracting people from the police report against him. Wanita MCA leader Yen-yen said, Wan Azizah played out her voters and has made a mockery of the parliament. Secretly, Wan Azizah is Yen-Yen's role model.She is going for one of the MCA vice-president's chair.The first ever MCA woman to do so. DPM Najib admits that the BN has got a big fight in hand. Kelantan's Annuar Musa, suggests that BN boycott the by-election . That's one big coward. Che'Lah PM said the BN is not scared of Anwar, but the law will take its course. Meaning that Anwar can go ahead and run for elections but he can still get arrested for any 'crime' reported against him. Such bravado from a man who just discovered that only 42% of Malaysians thinks he's doing a good job as PM. Recently, in an attempt to win back some popularity, Che' Lah PM promised to bring down petrol prices by September. And September 16 is Pakatan Rakyat's target to take over the Malaysian govt. So, lets wait for the EC to announce the nomination and election day this coming Wednesday. This is gonna be a big bang of an election.

Hard luck

The petrol price rise has really affected the ordinary Malaysians in so many ways. Every guy wants to make up for the extra buck used up for petrol. Some, car-pool to their working places, sharing petrol money. Some, use the public transports, take the bus or train, adjusting their time to keep with the schedules. Some, keep their cars at home, ride a motorbike to work. Consumes less petrol than cars and can wiggle through most traffic jams. Some, who only own a motorbike, mostly low-wage earners, got no other choice. Pay more for petrol. Why not cycle to work ? No need to fill petrol and good exercise too. Sure, but do you think its worth it, if your work-place is 5km or 10km or more from your home ? Can you feel safe when you are side-tracked into the road-side ditch by bullying trucks and busses ? The most popular mode of transport in Penang is the motorbike. Second-hand bikes are being sold like hot cakes here. Just be careful when buying these second-hand bikes, you might end up buying a stolen bike, you might be buying my stolen motorbike. No, I kid you not, my motorbike was really stolen last Thursday night. I never dreamed this could happen to me, only to other 'unfortunates'. Now I'm an 'unfortunate'. That night, there was a pasar malam in town. Just before maghrib I drove my bike down there to buy some food for the family (wife and daughter were fasting that day). I bought some laksa, pasembur ,murtabak and chicken rice. Got home, parked my bike in the porch, I just closed the front gate,unlocked. I was just in time, the bilal had just begun the azan for maghrib prayers, and my wife and daughter can break their fast. After the prayers, dinner, I went out to the porch for a smoke. I noticed that the gate was opened. Did I or did'nt I close the gate just now ? Hey, why am I feeling some barrenness in the porch, like something's missing. Then it dawned on me, my motorbike,PFS 496 is not there. Who moved it ? Have I been careless or not, I'm not sure. My motorbike has been stolen right in my own porch. And no one heard any unusual sound or noise. My two boys Fadzlil and Shafiq were watching tv in the living room. They did'nt hear anything. My nearest neighbors did'nt see or hear anything .They had closed their doors and windows, same as us. Its just circumstances, every Muslim household would close their doors and be indoors when its maghrib. And the thief took advantage of the situation. After I had calmed myself , my daughter Lina accompanied me to the police station, down the road to make a report. You know, this place Tasek Gelugor, every public building (police station, govt clinic, post office,BSN, Agro Bank, market, schools) is easily accessible by foot. Its already been a week, no news from the police. And I don't expect my bike to be found or returned intact. These thieves would strip the bike and take the parts that can be sold to the scrap-iron shops. Now I'm looking for a replacement. Its a necessity.

No Muzakarah with Umno

Badawi admits that he has had 'muzakarah (meetings )' with some PAS leaders. I wonder who those PAS members are, but its definitely not Tok Guru Nik Aziz. Tok Guru is very sceptical about Umno's invitation 'untuk bangsa dan ugama'. When Umno talks about kehilangan kuasa Melayu it is actually about kehilangan kuasa Umno. Now Umno needs PAS to get back its two-third majority in parliament and also to get back its power in Selangor,Perak ,Kedah and Kelantan. I'm sure those wayward PAS fellas must have been promised high government positions (say DPM, ministers,deputy ministers, exco and GLC chairs). Tok Guru Nik Aziz (also Tok Guru Hadi) has experienced what happened to PAS when Asri brought PAS into the BN after being invited by Tun Razak. The union did not last very long. Tok Guru Nik Aziz does not want history to be repeated. He said its okay to muzakarah with individuals but not the party (Umno).

Damn these price hikes

Fuel price gone up and will be going up again.... maybe. The knowitalls say take a bus. What ? Bus fares are going up too. And the gas suppliers are raising their prices for domestic gas cylinders. You can bet the roti canai and nasi lemak will increase some more. The RM625 for cars and RM150 for motor bikes refund is easy money for con-men. Today Che' Lah proudly announced that his ministers will take a 10 percent cut off their entertainment allowances, not their bloody salaries.What a cheek ! When workers asked for a minimum wage to be set, it was disallowed. How are these lowly paid workers going to manage ? I'm sure they have school-going kids and bills to pay. Me, I am suffering too. I'm just a pensioner with two schooling kids, and one son in college without scholarship. I have to maintain a car, a motorbike, and a house for which I am still repaying the housing loan. Did I mention, the special expenses for my two children with disabilities ? My two working sons cannot support me, their mum and younger siblings, for they too are struggling with their own finances. Thank you BN govt, I hope you guys will be replaced soon.

Ezam joins leaky ship Umno

Why is all the media making such a big deal of that ex- Youth leader of Parti Keadilan, Ezam Mohd Noor rejoining Umno. Did you see the 'staged' handing over of his membership forms to none other than Captain Paklah of the leaking ship called Umno. One wonders why Ezam wants to join this crew, and why Captain Paklah was so eager-beaver to welcome him with open arms. Ezam said he wants to help Captain Paklah rebuild Umno back to its former stature. Retired skipper Tun Dr M has lost confidence in this new skipper and wants him removed. Can this Ezam do what Tun M has tried vainly to do, to bring back Umno's former glory. My personal view is that, Ezam has all the 'dirty little secrets' of Umno officials in his pocket, so Umno has to take him in, for their own security.

Man overboard !

I just want to add my few sens worth about Tun Dr Mahathir quitting Umno. I don't know if that's a wise decision or some kind of strategy on Tun M's part. Tun, if you don't like the captain, you should'nt jump overboard first, just throw the captain (Pak Lah) overboard without a lifeboat. That is, if you really love your ship and shipmates.

Mothers Day & National Service

Its Mothers' Day today. The world pays tributes to mothers everywhere. As usual the medias will spotlight the 'celebrity moms'. Offsprings expressing their love and affection for the world to view. Meanwhile, in far flung places of the universe, unsung ' heroines ' toil and sweat and bleed to put a decent meal on the table for their young ones. Here, in our own developed country, on Mothers' Day, a mum is broken hearted. Her tears will never bring back her daughter, who she had entrusted with the government program called the National Service Training. That incompetent organisation failed to take immediate action when her 18 year old daughter complained of illness. That poor girl died after suffering her pain for several hours. Before that, 15 (maybe more, I'm not sure) other teenaged trainees, had died during the national service training, set up since 2003 for 5th formers, while waiting for their SPM results. Their mothers are crying too, on Mothers Day. Read what Malaysian Medical Resources blog has to say. Should we allow more of our teenagers to suffer in this failed training program. I want the government to dump this program immediately. I have a daughter who's sitting for SPM this year.I pray that she will not be selected. I wish all mothers, young and old, have a good Mothers' Day. And I advise all children, young and old, especially my own, love , cherish and protect your mom, as she is the only one you'll ever have.

Tun Dr M Go Blog

Former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has joined the blogging community. Read what he said about the government's plan to set up a Judicial Commission on appointment of judges. There's a lot for Pak Lah to ponder upon. I'm going to visit there quite often. Should be very interesting.

Monorail derailed

On Tuesday (22/4/08) Pak Lah told Penangites that the 32 Km Second Penang Bridge project will be delayed for another nine months due to problems in buying land (land acquisition), design and the rising cost of building materials. (Pak Lah should be consulting the ex-DCM Rashid about the land part.He was the wheeler-dealer on land matters with the previous state govt.) Any developer knows that land acquisition should be cleared up first before planning any project. micro or mega. Land-owners are smarter now, not like their grandpas in the old days. Hope that our bridge contractor from China is not hopping mad for being made to wait to start work. Original estimated cost RM3.6 billion, now shot up to RM4.3 billion.In nine months time RM 10 billion ? (I say, if you can't get the site or you don't have the money, drop the project, or move it to a shorter route.) On Saturday (26/4/08) MOF2 Nor Mohamed, told the state Federal Action Council meeting that some proposed mega-works in Penang have not been approved yet, namely the mono-rail and Penang Outer Ring Road. (I hope the islanders can live without these projects. I'd be very glad if both these projects are dumped.) On Sunday (27/4/08) Ex-CM Tsu Koon clarified that he had stated that federal projects commited to before elections will go on. Today, Nor Mohamed came down off his high horse and said the Federal govt is sincere about working with the Penang-PR govt and has no intention of cancelling projects under the 9th Malaysia Plan. He said the purpose of the Penang FAC meeting was to call for more cooperation from the state govt. (Well now, who's the next minister to come and punish Penangites for voting PR ?)

If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them !

Lee Kah Choon (former deputy sec.gen. of Gerakan) has proven to us Penangites that he is ready,willing and able to put the Penang rakyat's interests above political loyalty. Since he was appointed as a director of the PDC and chairman of InvestPenang by Penang CM Lim Guan Eng, he had been attacked from all sides by the BN people. Acting Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon (under pressure from BN) issued a 'show cause' letter to Kah Choon. Instead of replying to that letter, Kah Choon chose to quit the party. That's the trouble with sore losers, hate to see one of their own being appreciated by the winners. They should be contemplating this instead - If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them !

No tourist ringgit

Tourism minister Azalina makes her move to weaken the tourism industry of the PR states. She stated that all MOUs (Tourism Action Councils) with the PR -led states will be terminated because of the change in leadership. All programs planned earlier by the previous govt will go on as planned. The difference is that all funds will be handled by the federal govt, not by the state govts. That means no tourist-ringgit is coming to Penang,Kedah,Perak,Selangor & Kelantan states. The federal govt gets the tourist- ringgit instead, is that how it goes ?

No Petronas money for Second Bridge

At his first official 'one to one' meeting with the PM , Penang CM Lim Guan Eng's request to use Petronas money to finance the Second Penang Bridge project was refused by Pak Lah. Pak Lah's reason ,Petronas does not finance infra-structure projects. Wonder if Petronas helped finance the annual T'ganu Monsoon Cup show, or the Crystal Mosque or the T'ganu Islamic village, or the development of luxury houses and resorts on T'ganu's islands ? Pak Lah setting an example for his ministers to follow, bully the PR governments.

Tun Dr M lost faith in Najib.

Ex-PM Tun Dr Mahathir, has lost faith in DPM Najib Tun Razak. Now he says he is not supporting Najib to take over from PM Abdullah. It looks like Muhyiddin Yassin has caught his eye. Muhyiddin is quite 'vocal' these last few days, disagreeing with most of Pak Lah's and Pak Lah's latest 'apple polisher ' MM Taib's views. That's MM Taib's way of showing his gratitude to his benefactor.

Pakatan Rakyat

PKR (KeADILan),DAP and PAS leaders proposed to consolidate the co-operation among the three parties under the name 'Pakatan Rakyat' ( People's Alliance). Their pledge is to uphold the rights and interests of all Malaysians no matter what race or religion. The state govts of Kelantan,Kedah,Penang,Perak and Selangor will be known as Pakatan Rakyat governments (not PAS govt,DAP govt,PKR govt, not PKR-DAP-PAS govt). Anyway, this name is a little better than Barisan Rakyat or Barisan Alternative. Why not ' Rakyat Muafakat' ? RM more value than PR.

Maulidur Rasul 2008

The YDP Agung Tuanku Mizan Zainol Abidin, leads 10,000 Muslims from various public and private organisations at the Maulidur Rasul (Prophet Muhammad (SAW) birthday) national-level celebration at the Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil. He called on Malaysian Muslims to emulate Prophet Muhammad's outstanding personality in carrying out Allah's commands, to create outstanding Muslims who are an example to the world. The king was accompanied by the Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Nur Zahirah. Also present was PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, DPM Najib Razak, minister in charge of religion (Min,in JPM) Zahid Hamidi, and other Muslim ministers and deputy ministers.

Abdullah's Cabinet 2008

PM Abdullah announced his new Cabinet. Ministries reduced from 32 to 27 (XXL to XL). No parliamentary secretaries posts. Notable inclusions are millionaire lawyer and ex-MP (Kota Baru) Zaid Ibrahim, banker Amirsham Abdul Aziz in the PM's department. Recycled minister Shahrir Samad returns to the Cabinet after 22 years. He was FT minister from 1983-1986 under Mahathir. And was it a good idea to include Mamat Mamat Taib (from Senate back door) as a minister ? Among the ministers dropped was Umno Wanita chief & ex-MITI Rafidah Aziz. She said if she was not going to be appointed, she should have been told in advance. She should'nt have run for elections and should have retired. And to add salt to her wounds, her deputy chief Shahrizat (who lost in the GE) was named as special cabinet advisor (with ministerial status) on Women,Family & community development affairs. Also dropped were anti-Shahidan Perlis MPs Radzi Sheikh Ahmad & Azmi Khalid. Other ministers dropped were Tunku Adnan Mansor & Abdullah Md Zin. A disappointed Radzi resigned as Umno and BN secretary-general , effective immediately. There were 16 new ministers, some promoted from deputy. Some 'leftovers' from MCA and MIC made ministers and deputies. BN's strong supporters from Sabah & Sarawak were under-represented. Umno Youth deputy chief, Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau MP) not appointed to cabinet.

Ku Li calls for EGM.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Gua Musang MP/Ex-Finance minister/Ex-Umno v.p.) has written a letter to all 193 Umno divisions to call an extraordinary general meeting on May 11, before the party polls scheduled this year. Matters to be dicussed are the weakening leadership and overall pathetic performance of the party in the recent GE. He seemed doubtful that Umno will never rule the country again with the present crop of leaders and attitudes.

Mega Projects On

PM Abdullah assured the Penang govt that the federal govt will not abandon major projects promised to Penang. Penang BN should respect the PM's decision and accept their defeat. CM Guan Eng : Pak Lah made the right decision.

Umno protests

Those Penang Umno chaps are such sore losers. They sabotaged their own party candidates, because their chiefs were not selected. They lost Balik Pulau and Nibong Tebal and of course, Permatang Pauh and seven state seats. Gerakan and MCA lost all their seats (parliament and state) and accepted their losses like ladies and gentlemen. The out-going CM Koh Tsu Koon was even present at the swearing-in of new CM Lim Guan Eng of DAP. Umno reps stayed away. Just after being sworn-in the new CM Guan Eng said that among his agenda was to skip the NEP (New Economic Policy/Dasar Ekonomi Baru) especially the selective tendering of projects to favored contractors ( Umnoputeras). Open tender will be practised. Yesterday, the new opposition leader Azahar Ibrahim (he was slated to be the DCM but BN lost) threatened the people of Penang that he will ask the federal gov't to pull back all the mega- projects promised for Penang (the second Penang bridge is one of them). As for me, they can take it all back, we Penangites do not need more developments, all we want is clean air, less traffic hassle,a safer environment and cheaper consumer products. Today, about 1000 some say actually about 500 (the rest are passers-by and shoppers) Umno members, led by Azahar gathered at Komtar, where the state gov't office is situated. They were shouting and screaming like crazy nuts protesting against the DAP-PKR joint gov't's uncompromising stand against the NEP. (This New Economic Policy/DEB is already 37 years old). Banners declaring Hidup Melayu (Long live the Malays), Melayu Pulau Pinang menyokong kepimpinan Pak Lah (the Penang Malays support Pak Lah's leadership), Anwar Ibrahim pengkhianat bangsa (Anwar, traitor of the Malay race), Tak akan Melayu hilang di Pulau Pinang ( Malays will not be sidelined in Penang) ,Kepimpinan DAP dibantah oleh Melayu Pulau Pinang ( Penang Malays against the DAP led gov't) and Jangan hapuskan DEB (Don't terminate the NEP). Take note that it is the Umnoputeras who are stirring disturbances. Because they are the big losers, when the NEP is taken away. The police and FRU were there, but nobody was arrested or charged for unlawful assembly. No water cannons were used. Well, different rules for different FOOLS.

The people's choice

The people have decided on March 8 2008. Denied the 2/3rd majority to the ruling BN gov't in Parliament. There'll be new state governments for Penang (my home state), Kedah, Perak (unexpected) and Selangor (totally unexpected). And the people of Kelantan chose to be ruled by PAS again. Those elected must remember who put them in parliament and the state assemblies. You must not fail the rakyat who trusted and voted for you. Congrats to the winners and to the unelected, don't lose heart, try again next time. I salute blogger Chegubard for giving a good fight to that BN boy in Rembau. Although you didn't win , I bet you scared him out of his socks. His 'reinforcements' were more powerful than yours. Hoping for an 'improved' government.

12GE 2008

12th General Elections 8/3/08 ------------------------------- After BN won simple majority at 2.30am - Pak Lah : I'm not resigning.I'm not under pressure. At 2.42am - BN lost its 2/3rd majority in parliament and 4 state governments (Penang,Kedah,Perak and Selangor.) PAS retains Kelantan. Pak Lah : We've lost, we've lost. Party chiefs Samy Vellu (MIC),Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan) and Kayveas (PPP) lost their federal seats. Minister Shahrizat lost to newcomer Nurul Izzah Anwar in Lembah Pantai. MCA president Ong Ka Ting : We never expected this could happen. (MCA won only 15 federal seats out of the 40 contested.) On the oppositions victory in 5 states : PKR adviser Anwar Ibrahim : A defining moment in Malaysian history and the opening of a new chapter. Koh Tsu Koon : I take full responsibility for BN's loss in Penang. (Gerakan lost all state and federal seats in Penang.) DAP & PKR will form Penang state govt with Lim Guan Eng as CM.

EC breaks promise

Will we be seeing 'ghosts' on March 8. ? Election Commissioner TS Rashid decided, with the agreement of the IGP and AG, that indelible ink won't be used to mark 'voters'. Some RM2.4 million was allocated to buy the ink from India. Turning around on his earlier announcement after parliament was dissolved. Reason was, as he bullshitted, that some jokers had bought the inks from a neighboring country and were planning to mark the fingers of several 'simpletons' from remote villages, making them believe that it was required prior to voting . When actually it would 'disqualify' them from voting. Fingers are supposed to be marked after voting. There might be some 'troubles' in the polling centers when these people are prevented from voting. Man, I was so eager to get my finger painted to show that I voted. So now, its possible for ' phantom voters' to siege the polling centers of the 'hot' seats in their chartered busses. Remember, the police have warned opposition party supporters not to hijack or stop those busses from ferrying the 'ghostly' voters to the polling centers. Is the ruling party so scared to lose that it had to enlist the '3 Stooges' to put up obstacles on the election path ? What next ?

Hidup Umno ! not Hidup BN !

I got really pissed from what I saw on TV3 1.30pm news today. There's this bimbo (probably first-timer) running for a state seat somewhere in Johor. After introductions by her seniors, made a little speech. And she rounded it off with shouts of 'Hidup Umno !' 'Hidup Umno!' ' Hidup Umno !' and ' Hidup Melayu !' 'Hidup Melayu !' 'Hidup Melayu !' Did anybody tell her that she is running on a multi-racial Barisan Nasional ticket ? She forgot that she was accompanied by several non-Melayu to submit her nomination papers last Sunday. If this is the type of young Malays being groomed as future leaders, then it don't look good for racial harmony and all that muhibbah bull being publicised all over the world. No wonder, the other BN coalition parties, despise Umno, and are just hanging on to BN for their own political and financial survival. Just disband the BN and each go your own way.Who will survive ?

Penang's candidates

Sunday was Nomination Day for Malaysia's 12th General Elections. I watched Pak Lah and other candidates in the Kepala Batas constituency filing their nomination papers on TV. Pak Lah's constituency is next to my constituency of Tasek Gelugor. Local UMNO warlord Shariff Omar (deputy agriculture/agro-based industries minister) has been the Tasek Gelugor MP for three terms. He was deputy CM of Penang, before he moved to parliament. He had to give up his seat to elections first-timer senator Nor Mohamed Yakcop (second finance minister cum economics adviser to the gov't). I guess Shariff was not very happy, and so were some of the locals. This YB always returns to his kawasan regularly. He lives not very far from the Tasek Gelugor, Sungai Dua and Telok Air Tawar towns in the constituency. The state assemblymen/woman from TG constituency were retained to seek re-elections. At the 11th hour, incumbent Sg Dua ADUN, Jasmin Mohamed was dropped for a Pemuda UMNO candidate. Then at the 11th and a half hour later, he was in again. The Pemuda chap had a 'khalwat' case ongoing. On Nomination Day, it was confirmed that Nor Mohamed Yakcop will be fighting for the Tasek Gelugor parliament seat against Ismail Salleh from PAS. Jasmin Mohamed going for Sg Dua state seat against Mohd Salleh Man of PAS. Shahbudin Yahaya for Ptg Berangan state seat against Arshad Md Salleh (PAS) and Jahara Hamid for Telok Air Tawar state seat against Norhayati Jaafar of PKR. I predict that BN will win all those seats but with reduced majorities. Former Penang CM and acting Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon is running for parliament in Batu Kawan on the mainland. If he had stood for parliament on one of the island's Chinese majority seats, he doesn't stand a chance against the DAP. He will be facing off against Dr Ramasamy of DAP. There are 23% Indians,21% Malays and 54% Chinese in this constituency. I ,personally would like to see Koh Tsu Koon in parliament. Good luck to him. DAP sec.gen. Lim Guan Eng is trying his luck in Bagan on the mainland. The incumbent DAP MPs on the island were reluctant to give up their seats to an 'outsider'. He managed to get a state seat Air Putih in the Bukit Bendera parliament constituency ( the fortress of Gerakan sec.gen. Chia Kwan Chye). He could win both seats. PKR president Wan Azizah is defending her Ptg Pauh parliament seat. And the disgraceful ustaz Firdaus Ismail is trying again to get that seat. Wan Azizah will win again with an increased majority, if there is no hanky-panky from SPR and BN. I will not be voting in Tasek Gelugor (my wife will be voting here). I will be voting in Bayan Baru parliament seat and Batu Uban state seat on the island. I registered as a voter there in my bachelor days and haven't re-registered at my present address. Old friend Zahrain Md Hashim (PKR Penang chief) is running against MCA's Ooi Siew Kim for parliament. I wont tell who I'll vote for, my secret.

Kong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Chinese New Year to everybody with Chinese ancestory. (Look up your family tree, and maybe you might find some drops of Chinese blood there. I know, I have some.) Drive safely, keep your houses safe and enjoy the holidays. Kong Xi Fa Cai.

Muhibbah

My friend from Talk Only (Cakapaje) blog tagged me to give my views on `muhibbah'. Muhibbah is derived from an Arabic word habibba meaning 'love' In English, it means 'goodwill'. In the Malaysian concept muhibbah means respect and tolerance of each other's customs, tradition, way of life,religion and opinions. Sharing each other's joy and sorrow. Standing by each other during hard times and enjoying the good times together. This is what the new generation are being taught. My generation has been practicing this muhibbah thing long before the government forced it down on you young people. We called it friendship and sincereness. Now its just a government buzz-word, to make Malaysia look good in TV promos and tourism pamphlets. Watch any show on RTM or some other local TV station, there will be a 'token' Chinese or Indian actor or actress to make us believe that muhibbah is being practised. The goodwill of muhibbah is disappearing. Where is the goodwill when you bombard water cannons on innocent people trying to express their dissatisfaction and unhappiness in a peaceful manner. Where is the goodwill when you disrespect other religions. Where is the goodwill when you fail to keep your promises. Yes, go and fool those foreigners that we practice muhibbah in front of their million ringgit mugs, and then go home and curse them, for forcing you to pretend. Its all about being sincere and honest with each other.That's what muhibbah is about.

The world will keep on turning.......

Most of the blogs I have visited in the Malaysian blogosphere , especially the biggies MK & MT, are so very critical about Malaysia's incorrigible politicians and government. But all that bashing and bitching has'nt made any impact or effect on those elephant skinned political and government chaps. I doubt that they ever read any of the SoPo (Social-Political) blogs, maybe they have read some of the super-blogs (e.g MT,MK). (MK is not a blog, its an online alternative news web.) So, since this blog won't be seen by the 'leaders' of Malaysia, I can bitch and rant for all I care, and the world will keep on turning, and Pak Lah will still be sleeping, and Najib and Khairy will still be scheming, and Lim Kit Siang will still be provoking, and Anwar will still be avenging, and Umno will still be upholding 'ketuanan Melayu', and Samy Vellu will be blaming every Malaysian Indian but himself, and VK Lingam and his judge buddies will keep on bluffing, and Mahathir will be laughing and on and on and on ....... (fill in as you please) Then..... one day soon, Pak Lah will wake up and rub his eyes and say, ' I have an inspiration. Lets call for elections.'

Farcical RCI

Only in Malaysia, five 'smart' people had to confirm that a certain video clip of that 'correct, correct' lawyer was the real thing. Wonder why my favorite prof is still hanging around with them. To brush up their history knowledge, I suppose. One prominent historical figure, conveniently forgot his own history. One ex-CJ claims to be the target of a stalking lawyer in Kiwiland. One minister (who was mentioned 11 times in the video clip) denied any connections with that lawyer. Said that guy must be loony or sloshed. This minister just 'cleared' a couple of his ministry's staff , suspected of some hanky-panky in South Korea. The way things are going, the cameraman and his dad, could be charged with something and all the rest of the cast can go home and sleep peacefully. By the way, what was the cameraman's dad doing there in the first place. ?

Chua Soi Lek did right

Dr Chua Soi Lek did right by quitting his ministerial and other party posts. His political 'assassin' succeeded in 'killing' his political future. At least, he had the balls to admit his 'mistake' and apologise to those who matter. I won't judge him for his private intimacies. Only the 'holier than thou' types would do that. Hard luck, he was caught unawares by spy-cams. There goes his dirty little secret. We know that there had been several sex scandals involving the powerful and connected . Those bloody cowards would never dare to admit their deeds and are roaming free like good boys. Some are still in the 'corridors of power.' I hope he will 'disappear' somewhere far away for a long long rest, make peace with his family and deal with his 'demons'. Best of luck to you, Dr Chua.

Hajjah Jamilah is back.

Been too happily occupied this weekend to post my blog. On Friday, the person that we (the family and me) missed so very very much returned from her pilgrimage. Shahman,Lina,Shafiq (my youngest son) were at the Bayan Lepas airport to recieve her. At about 1.00 pm, we saw her pushing her baggage trolly out of the gate. We hugged and kissed each other and shed tears of joy. She was overjoyed that her little boy Shafiq was there to meet her. Shafiq just smiled and smiled and hugged his mum. He just overflowed with his affection, snuggling his head in her body and showing every one that she is his mum. Fahmie and Fadzlil stayed home to wait for their mum. Firdaus,Zu and Hasif would come by later in the evening. My sister in-law and brother in-law (biras) returned together with my wife. Their children came to fetch them. I greeted my biras with a hug and kissed his cheeks, just like brothers. I just gave a respectful salam to my sis in-law. I think she would be shocked, mortified if I hugged and kissed her. You see, my wife's family are the conservative 'kampongist' type. My wife seems to have lost some weight, she looks smaller a bit. And she was coughing a lot. People say that most Malaysians who come back from the pilgrimage usually get colds and coughs. The atmosphere and humidity in the Arab Peninsular is dryer and extremely hot by day and extremely colder by night. From news reports and first hand experience of our new Hajjah Jamilah, shukur alhamdulillah no major catastrophe as happened in previous years happened. The Saudi govt had done a good job with the security arrangements. Since our beloved hajjah is still suffering from 'jet-lag', looks like domestic duties cannot be handed over yet, until further notice. To everyone out there Happy New Year 2008. 2008, I'm ready for you. Bring it on.