Aidil Adha

Had a nice Hari Raya Aidil Adha this year.
The missus and me are very happy and grateful to Allah that all our children are home.

My latest grandson Habib is 5 months old already. He looks big for a baby that age. All chubby and round and very friendly, ready with a smile and guggles.
His big brother Hasif does'nt seem to grow much, looks small for a 6 year old. Very very hyper active.
Always running and jumping everywhere.
He only keeps still when he's playing games on the computer.

My son Shahman took part in the qurban (sacrifice). I made arrangements with our local Imam, when he was asking for participants. It costs RM350 for a portion.
(Each sacrificial cow is shared seven ways. From your 1/7 part, 2/3 is given to the mosque for distribution to the poor, you can take home 1/3 of the meat. With your 1/3 you can consume all of it, or you can share with your relatives and neighbors.)

The qurban began, soon after Aidil Adha prayers, about 10.00 am.
3 cows were sacrificed in the morning, and 7 more right after Friday prayers, all on Friday. 13 more cows wer sacrificed today. My son's portion was completed in the earliest session.

On Friday night, my sons teamed up with my next door neighbor for a barbecue session. They grilled chicken and ikan kembong.

Did you miss me ?

Hi there, did you miss me ? I'm still alive and kicking. Have'nt been blogging since May, I think, due to the unfortunate 'demise' of my former pc. Now, I have me a new one which my son Shahman DIYed. So many things to catch up with. Keep in touch. Will be back very soon.

Lina's a law student

Last Sunday, 7th June 2009, my one and only daughter Lina Masturah formally became a student of the Multimedia University, Melaka branch. She signed up for the two-year Law (foundation) course. Since the MMU hostel facilities are undergoing renovation works, this batch of freshies are being put up at the Melaka Water City resort in Bukit Katil, about 7 km away from the main campus in Ayer Keroh. This accomodation puts all the other hostels to shame. Six students to a two-room apartment with air-cond, kitchen, clean bathroom, comfortable beds, tv with Astro and wi-fi is available too. And most importantly, bus transport is provided at scheduled times for students to commute to and from campus to hostel and vice versa. Lina and her friends will be staying there for the whole course year. The 'hostel fees' of RM 850 had to be paid up on the spot. She has made some new friends, I've met them and their folks and looks like very decent people. Lina, if you are reading this, study hard and be friendly with everyone and I pray that you will be successful and happy and will become a great woman one day. We love you.

Baby Season

Its Baby Boom Year for the Dadameah clan. Sha'azim and Ika started off in mid-March with a baby boy, their first, Grandpa Didi's third grandchild. Name is Sha' ixack Zarfanne Dadameah, such an exclusive name. In April, Qholiff & Maheran welcomed their second son Qashif Dadameah . Also Grandpa Ijon's second grandson. Also, in April Ileena Qassim, daughter of cousin Zuveea Dadameah, gave birth to a boy. End of April, Nashriq Dadameah had a baby boy named Ryan Adam Dadameah, his first son and second child. The second grandchild for the late Noor Nikman Dadameah. And hopefully by mid-June or later, my son Firdaus and d.i.l. Zuraida will be presenting us his second son (if the scan was correct) and our second grandson.

POLITIC FREE BLOG

FROM TODAY, I DECLARE THIS BLOG FREE OF POLITICS. I WILL NOT BE COMMENTING OR REPORTING ON ANY THING THAT SMELLS OF POLITICS. I SHALL FOCUS MORE ON OTHER TOPICS, BUT NOT POLITICS. I SHALL HAVE PEACE OF MIND. POLITICS SUCK.

New Cabinet

PM Najib announced his Cabinet of 28 ministers and 40 deputy ministers. As expected, Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed as deputy PM. Ministers dropped were Syed Hamid Albar, Azalina Othman, Ong Ka Chuan, Zin Mohamad, Muhamad Taib, Zulhasnan Rafique, and Amirsham Aziz. Six new Senators were sworn in today to join the Cabinet. The full line-up, see here.

Death sentence

C/Insp. Azilah Hadri and Cp Sirul Azhar Umar were sentenced to death for the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu on October 2006. Azilah and Sirul were police officers in the Special Action Unit (Unit Tindakan Khas). Altantuya's ex-lover Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib Razak, was earlier charged as an accomplice but has been acquitted.

PM Najib's first speech

In his first address to the nation, PM Najib urged Malaysians to help him renew Malaysia with the slogan One Malaysia.People First.Performance Now. With immediate effect, he lifted the temporary ban of Harakah and Suara Keadilan. 13 ISA detainees will be released too, effective immediately. Don't be so thrilled yet folks, that's just sugar coating.

Judicial review

High Court judge Aziz A Rahim allowed Nizar Jamaluddin (PR Perak CM) to apply for a judicial review of the legality of the appointment of Zambry Kader as the CM of Perak. Judge Aziz pronounced that the application filed by Nizar was not frivolous or vexatious . There was a prima facie case to be argued in court. Nizar had not questioned the decision made by Sultan Azlan Shah but only the legality of the appointment of Zambry as Perak CM. Nizar had contended that he was the lawful CM under the Perak constitution because he had advised the sultan to dissolve the state assembly, not resigned from the post and neither was a no confidence vote passed against him. Nizar also called for Zambry to show under which law the CM appointed by Barisan Nasional became the legal CM.

PM Najib Razak

Mohd Najib Tun Razak was sworn in before the YDP Agung Tuanku Mizan as Malaysia's 6th PM. He succeeds Abdullah Badawi who has retired. At the same ceremony Abdullah and his wife Jeanne Abdullah were confered with 'Tun' titles by the YDP Agung in appreciation of their national services. Later in the afternoon, Tun Abdullah handed over the PM's duties and office to PM Najib. Najib's father, the late Tun Abdul Razak was Malaysia's 2nd PM.

Pak Lah chairs last Cabinet meeting

PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi chaired his last Cabinet meeting, before he hands over the premiership to DPM Mohd Najib Razak. Shahrir Samad submitted his resignation letter, but was told to hang on with the other cabinet members until new PM Najib forms his Cabinet line-up.

Eradicating poverty in Penang

Penang CM Lim Guan Eng had announced on Monday that the state gov't had managed to eradicate poverty in the state. The state has provided financial aid and economic activities to 726 households, registered under the hardcore poor category. Now, some parties are politicising the program. Lim said : I want to know why it is wrong to give money to the poor. Is it right for them to give money to corruption ? The previous state govt should apologise to the people for condoning corruption. They have also brought about loss of funds to the state govt and I will reveal further details on this, in two days time. The previous state govt should also apologise for being unable to do what the current administration has achieved in one year. They can't answer why they could not eradicate poverty in 51 years, so they question our success in achieving this within a year. If there are any hardcore poor families that have not recieved assistance, tell us and we are prepared to immediately give them aid. We give aid to everyone, regardless of their political affiliation. BN should not politicise this issue but apologise for failing to do this and support our cause. We provide land for the poor to start herbal and spice farms. The Career Assistance & Training (CAT) Center will be conducting job matching services. BN leaders are too lazy to check the facts before criticising the state's poverty eradication program.

Penang's Free Wi-Fi service

Penang CM Lim Guan Eng launched Penang's free Wi-Fi service with 26 active hotspots where the service could be accessed free by the public. The state was targeting to set up 750 spots so the whole state could be covered with free internet service by 2010. The free service is now available at Komtar, Bukit Jambul, Mayang Mall, Chulia Street, Penang Road and Permatang Pauh.

Pak Lah's last call

Abdullah Badawi gives his last opening speech as Umno president. He will be handing over the leadership to his deputy Najib Razak, after the Supreme council elections. He told the delegates that the party is now facing a life or death situation. It is up to the new leadership and members to bring positive changes to rebrand the party. He agreed with Najib's suggestion to give every member voting rights to choose their national leaders to overcome money politics. Some points he made : Limit the tenure of Umno office bearers. Discard the old ways such as restricting the freedom of our citizens and silencing their criticisms. Never adopt racial or religious positions that are extremist to the extent that non-Malays view it as a racist party. Don't destroy the unity among the races that we have built. We must rediscover the cooperation that formed the basis of our national unity.

Najib's wish

Umno deputy president Najib Razak launched the joint assembly of Umno's Women's, Youth & Puteri wings. In his speech, he outlined what he wanted to do, the changes he planned to make, when he becomes Umno president and PM. One of his proposals was to abolish the nominations quota for party elections. He would like every member to have a vote. With the present system, only delegates are allowed to vote for their leaders.

Penang govt appoints PAS leaders

PAS leaders have been appointed to Penang's state agencies. PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu was appointed as a director of state owned Penang Water Supply Corpn (PBAPP). CM Guan Eng is the chairman of PBAPP. Penang PAS state chief Salleh Man and deputy chief Hamdan Rahman (Ptg Pasir assemblyman) were appointed as directors in the state-operated Halal Hub Sdn Bhd.

Tok Guru says No Unity-Govt with BN

Tok Guru Nik Aziz ( PAS supreme leader & Kelantan CM) is very much against a unity gov't with BN. The idea was mooted by Tengku Razaleigh (Gua Musang MP). PAS president Hadi Awang had agreed with the proposal a few days ago. Nik Aziz said the PAS-BN coalition had been tried before, but PAS's contribution was not appreciated. Now, he does'nt trust any BN offer. If Hadi is still keen on this unity gov't, bring up this motion at the next muktamar ( general assembly) in June.

Mini-Budget 2009

DPM/Finance minister Najib Razak presented a RM60 billion mini-budget to save the Malaysian economy from recession. The package is targeted at workers, consumers, investors, small & medium businesses, exporters and unemployed graduates. The mini-budget will have four thrusts : 1) Reducing unemployment and increasing employment opportunities (RM 2bil.) 2) Easing the burden of the rakyat, in particular vulnerable groups (RM10 bil.) 3) Assisting the private sector in facing the crisis (RM 29bil.) 4) Building capacity for the future (RM 19bil.) Opposition MPs said the mini budget did not have enough measures for the small man, but was beneficial to the corporate sectors. Where the money is coming from : RM 15 bil. - Fiscal injection RM 25 bil. - Guaranteed funds RM 10 bil. - Equity investments RM 7 bil. - Private finance initiatives (PFI) and off-budget projects RM 3 bil. - Tax incentives See who gets what .

Remember Altantuya ?

Malaysians have been so diverted by silly political games. So, have we forgotten about the Mongolian lady Altantuya's murder ? Take a look here. This is awesome stuff.

"Chain reaction of illegality"

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh said : The BN takeover of Perak has set off a chain reaction of illegality which has left Perak quite possibly a state without a legitimate government.One of our most prosperous states has been reduced to a failed state. One lie leads to many lies.Each bad action leads to a cascade of follies. Particularly when the lie or the violation concerns something very basic. This is a principle we teach our children. It is a simple but universal truth now being demonstrated in Perak. Those who so blithely ignore the Constitution for political ends are quite literally wrecking the foundations of this country to further their own interests. This must stop. With each violation, the sense of decency and restraint, and the habits that bind us to the Constitution are loosened. The confidence in the rule of law that makes civilized life possible is diminished. The Constitution is not just any law. It is the set of laws that founds our nation, defines its basic principles, guarantees our individual rights and prescribes the structures, duties and powers which make a national community possible. It is the very foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Malaysia. Laws are invisible things. They exist only when they are understood and observed. When the gov't of the day ignores foundational principles such as the separation of powers, the Constitution becomes a dead piece of paper.

Sitting under a tree

Perak state assembly speaker S.Sivakumar presided over an extraordinary session of the state assembly. The meeting was called to conduct a vote of confidence for Nizar Jamaludin as the legitimate chief minister (menteri besar) of Perak. All members said yes. Then the speaker called for a vote to seek the Sultan's consent to dissolve the state assembly, paving the way for new state elections. All assemblymen agreed. Finally the speaker asked the assemblymen to vote on the speaker's suspension of BN's appointed chief minister Dr Zambry and his six executive council members. All agreed. All these proceedings were carried out, under a tree, in the compound of the state assembly building. When the speaker issued letters informing the assemblymen of a special sitting of the state assembly today, all the BN assemblymen and 3 independents were told by BN leaders not to attend. The state secretary and state assembly secretary took drastic measures to prevent the meeting.The entrance to the assembly building was locked and guarded by police and what looks like Umno bouncers. To prevent physical violence, the speaker moved the meeting outside the assembly building. And so, for the first time in Malaysian history, a state assembly meeting was held outdoors. Meanwhile BN's MB Zambry had been busy, and managed to get a restraining order to stop assembly speaker Sivakumar from convening any more assembly meetings. My view : Like other disgusted Malaysians, I hope every bloody politician will come to their senses soon. We've had enough of your silly games. Nobody wins. The rakyat are the big losers. I hope HRH Sultan Azlan Shah will wisely put a stop to all this nonsense.

No toll hikes for now

Yesterday the Gov't said they were increasing toll rates by 33% along 5 highways. Today, the Gov't said no toll rates hike. The hikes are postponed till December 2009. Why the sudden u-turn ? Its obvious, that the Gov't is facing two by-elections (Bukit Gantang & Bukit Selambau) and another one coming in Sarawak. And the situation in Perak looks shaky. If the Pakatan Rakyat gets to dissolve the state assembly, a whole state election looks possible. The toll hike will not make the BN gov't popular. Of course, Pak Lah and Najib will surely deny that is the reason for postponing the toll hikes.

Pak Lah's achievement

Pak Lah takes pride in his 'achievements' such as judiciary reforms and the formation of the Malaysian anti-corruption commission (MACC). He told some businessmen at a dinner held in his honor. There were more 'failures' in his resume, which he did not want to mention. He did take a swipe at 'bloggers' and the media who he said should be more responsible when disseminating information. He said he has a higher level of tolerance than the previous PM Mahathir but the people must be responsible.

Use cops to catch truants

The Kelantan education department is enlisting the police to nab school truants. Truancy is rampant in the urban areas and looks like its catching up in the rural areas. This truancy problem exists in all the states, so the various education departments should follow what the Kelantan education dept. is trying to do. Malay students are the majority of the truants seen at the shopping malls and other public places. This is real, not racist. This is a major Malay problem, as well as national.

Law for Invasion of privacy

The Malaysian Bar Council wants the Gov't to implement specific laws to curb invasion of privacy. Existing laws are too general or lenient. The Council's Human Rights Committee chief Sonya Liew said : " Many past cases and the recent one involving assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong have proven how inadequate our laws are in protecting us from getting our privacy violated." " Currently we don't have a specific law to charge anyone taking a photo or videotaping someone in a compromising situation. All the relevant sections under the Penal Code are related to the distribution and possession of the material." " In former minister's Dr Chua Soi Lek sex DVD case, the police were only able to arrest those caught in possession or distributing it. They could not prove who installed the hidden camera in the hotel room and they could not take action against the hotel for trespassing as we have no privacy law." Recently in Johore, a man was fined only RM100 for photographing a young girl urinating in a public toilet, with his handphone camera. " Unless there was an Act which recognises the right to privacy, it would be difficult to deal with the intrusion of privacy" " Privacy was not even recognised in the Constitution."

Pak Lah's selective hearing

Once upon a time, Pak Lah the PM of Malaysia told us Malaysians " I'm listening to you. I have big ears you know. I can hear your complaints." Now he says these things (on the Perak political crisis) : Asked if the political twists and turns can be resolved by going to the polls, since that's what the people of Perak want. He said : There is no need for elections. BN should continue ruling Perak to ensure stability. When the Pakatan Rakyat won in the 2008 elections, BN gave way to them to form the state gov't. Now the situation has changed and BN is deemed as the legitimate state gov't so it should function as " demanded by the people." Whose people Pak Lah ? Only your people, not the people's people. You are not listening to the Perak people, Pak Lah. You stuffed your ears with I don't know what so you can't hear their complaints, their wishes.

Eli Wong, you done no wrong

I'm really sorry and disappointed that some people would stoop so low to bring down a dedicated and popular state assemblywoman like Elizabeth Wong (Bukit Lanjan - PKR). The scum who posted those MMSes of her 'exposed' body to the public, must have made some money from her political enemies. Elizabeth, don't listen to those wolves and hounds baying for your blood,wanting you to quit. You done nothing wrong. You are the innocent victim. Be strong, take them on, kick ass , stand up for your rights. Show those goons you won't be cowed. My very best to you Eli, you deserve better.

Dr M : Pak Lah, THINK !

Pak Lah is willing to accept anybody who wants to join Umno. That is Umno's policy. Tun Dr Mahathir said : The two PKR reps Jamaludin Radzi and Osman Jailu are guys with problems because they are involved in corruption cases. (Jamaludin and Osman are charged with accepting bribes and sexual favors for approving a RM180 million housing project in Sri Iskandar,Perak Tengah. At the time, Jamaludin and Osman were state exco members). The trial begins 10th February. Is Umno so desperate that it cannot wait for the court's decision on the two accused, before accepting them as Umno members ? If they are accepted now, and should they get acquitted by the courts, you know what people are going to say ? They are going to say that the government ( led by Umno) influenced the courts. Whether justified or not, is not the question. The people's perception will not change. This will have an impact on the next general elections (GE13). Umno is already assumed to be deep in corruption, always breaking promises, and favoring the PM's cronies in Terengganu. (Yeah, Dr M's cronies lost out). If that is not enough, you want to bring in people accused of bribery and sexual favors, to soil further Umno's already tarnished image. So, Pak Lah think properly before you eagerly accept such people.

Indonesia's latest fatwas

For your information : Fatwa (edicts) issued by the Indonesian Religious Council (MUI) : 1. A ban on aspects of Yoga that contain Hindu elements. 2. A ban on vote abstention if ' qualified' candidates exist. 3. A ban on smoking by children and pregnant women, and in public places. 4. A ban on abortion unless the mother is a rape victim, the pregnancy endangers her life, or the foetus is aged less than five weeks. 5. A ban on vasectomy because the process is ' irreversible'. 6. A ban on marriage with minors, based on a 1974 law that forbids men under 19 and women under 16 years old from marrying. Justification for fatwa No.2 : Islam obliges Muslims to elect their leaders if the latter meet certain criteria. The criteria include - being Muslim, honest, briliant and ready to fight for the people. Nahdatul Ulama (the biggest Islamic organisation in Indonesia) disagreed that : Yoga as practised in Indonesia, was a pastime and must not be seen in a religious context. To discourage smoking, the MUI should not use ' Islamic law' as a tool. What's important is to inform the public of of the bad effects of smoking and urge the govt to enforce policies to discourage smoking. The MUI should not force people to vote, it was their democratic right to vote or not. A religious body should not dictate political behavior.

Happy Year of the Ox

To all my friends and readers I wish you a happy, prosperous and peaceful Year of the Ox. Thanks for the oranges. By the way, President Obama was born in the year of the Ox 1961. My brother , former Star reporter Adyll, was born in the Ox Year of 1949. Gong Xi Fa Chai !!!

Gitmo to be closed

US President Obama ordered the closure of the notorious Guatanemo Prison within one year. He also ordered other secret prisons to be closed. What has ex-president George W Bush gotta say about that ?

44th US President

Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the USA at 11.00 am 20/1/09 US time (our time 1.00 am 21/1/09). I watched the event on the Internet. RTM was broadcasting live, but there were too much chatter from the RTM presenter and his guests. The Internet broadcast was slower by 5 minutes, I think. Great speech by Obama, and lots of promises which we hope he can keep.

KT voters reject BN

The voters of Kuala Terengganu gave the parliament seat to PAS man A.Wahid Endut. Even though the BN with DPM Najib had dished out lots of goodies to the KT folks, they still rejected BN's man Wan Farid, by more than 2,000 votes. Najib and other federal BN leaders left town early as if they had known they were going to lose. Syabas YB Wahid and PAS.

Lina is 18 today.

Lina Masturah turns 18 today. She's one of the lucky teenagers who did not have to go to PLKN ( National service training camps). I'm quite happy with that. To pay for her driving lessons, she took a part time job in the office where brother Fahmie works. She passed her Undang-undang (highway code) test today. She's grown up now, and sooner or later I would have to give her some kind of freedom, which I hope she will use wisely and with responsibility. Remember, your mum and dad and brothers love you. Make us proud, whatever you do.

Seat belt dilemma

On New Year's Day, we drove to Alor Star to spend some time with my eldest son Firdaus and family. This is the day that the govt enforces the compulsory wearing of seat belts for back seat passengers. Initially there were five of us going. As our car, a Toyota Avanza can seat seven people, that should not be a problem. But we had to bring along Fadzlil's wheel chair. The back row seat had to be folded to carry the wheel chair, that leaves only three seats in the second row. The seating arrangement was me and Shahman, in front. Fadzlil, Milah and Lina in the second row with Shafiq, bouncing in between them (unbelted). Then, Lina decided not to go. She said it was too cramped up. Shafiq is not so little anymore and gets excited when travelling. We sent her to her friend's house to spend the day. Fahmie was working overtime, so there was no one at home. Imagine, another family with four or five kids, wanting to travel together in a Kancil or Proton Saga/Wira . Because of the heartless 'seat belt ruling', somebody got to be left behind. They wanted us Malaysians to support the local car industry. They sold us cars that are affordable for the average wage earners. Then they make this unreasonable ruling, that keeps the family separated. Now Proton will be producing MPVs to force Malaysians to buy. Is this the reason for introducing this rule ?

New Year 2009

Happy New Year 2009. 2008 is now History. Did we learn anything ? Make this year and years after this better and safer for our children and grand-children.