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 !!!

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.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas to all my Christian friends. I don't think its wrong to call God - Allah in Bahasa Malaysia. Arab Christians call God - Allah too. Methinks the deputy minister has been badly advised by his incompletely educated advisers. If that becomes law, I feel sad for this country. Meanwhile, enjoy your selves.

I'm still around

Hello, Hello. I'm still around. So, BN won in Ijok. No big deal. Was it necessary to pour in millions of ringgit for a few votes ? Must be really desperate, our government. Will be back soon.

Road safety contest

Its balik kampung season again, this time for Chinese new year. The highways and byeways will be jammed with vehicles, big and small, leaving the big cities for little hometowns and villages. In their eagerness, in their haste to be with family, many drivers tend to be careless and forget about traffic rules. 55 deaths by road accidents have been reported since Ops Sikap XII was launched on Sunday. The death toll may go up further if drivers don't change their attitude on the roads. Think of your family and loved ones waiting for you. A few days back, the Road Safety department thought it had a brilliant idea to keep the roads safe and creating awareness among the public. It launched a public contest called 'Snap,Send and Win' to snap photos of traffic violators caught in the act. Cash prizes were being offered. In other words they want you to waste your precious time and go out and look for traffic offenders and record it in pictures then send to them for action. Risk your own life and limb for a few ringgit. Tranport minister Chan Kong Choy was not amused and directed the department to scrap the contest immediately due to possible abuse by certain quarters. The department should start planning some other strategies or get road safety consultants from other countries to help educate our road users and road designers.

Looking back at 2006

Already one week into 2007 and this is my first post for 2007. The holiday mood is slowly fading and everyone's back in their business. Never expected the floods to be so devastating in Johore and the southern states. From the pictures we saw on tv and on internet sites, reminds us of the New Orleans floods in the US, and some coastal areas look like the tsunami aftermath. That is one of the most memorable events of 2006. Wonder what will Mother Nature hand us this year. If only we had preserved her natural assets and protected our environment, we would not be so devastated. Develop some more, cut the hillslopes, chop off the trees, choke the streams and rivers. When disaster comes , you ought to know who to blame. You asked for it. Malaysian politics can be summed up as this : Everybody thinks that they are smarter than the government and Prime Minister and can run the country better. Racial harmony and religious tolerance are not being given the chance to flourish because of certain chauvinistic parties. People without religious credentials shut up say the holier than thees. Local warlords and their kin can break the local bylaws and get away with them. Those other politicians who kick up the ruckus are plain envious, so they say. What next 2007 ? Will we Malaysians ever change ?

Selamat 'Aidil Adha & Tahun Baru 2007

No new year resolutions for me. Don't always keep 'em anyway. Just take things in stride. Not very organised, but it works somehow. Just managed to log in. Been trying for some days, since that Taiwan earthquake damaged the whatchamaycallit cable. Hari Raya Qurban falls on New Year's Eve this year. So, I advise all the decent Muslims boys and girls not to go and make a nuinsance of themselves on New Year's eve to welcome 2007. Respect the Aidil Adha. My daughter made my wife and me proud by her good performance in the PMR ( seven As). That was a fine present for her mum who celebrated her birthday yesterday. Selamat hari raya 'Aidil 'Adha and selamat Tahun Baru 2007.

Wanna be a local councillor ?

Wanna be a local councillor ? Why not eh ? First you don't need to get elected. That means no election hassle, no need to spend so much money and canvassing for votes. Just make sure that you are 'visible' to your party chiefs. You can be 'invisible' to your local residents. They don't know who their local council rep is. I too do not know who the hell is the councillor for my area. 'Invisibility' to your local residents can spare you the inconveniences now being shouldered by the elected assemblymen and MPs.Don't have to listen to 'sob stories',grouses about your council (very good, pass your problem to the YBs),settle summonses,recommend for jobs and colleges. Meetings, only once a month (correct me if I'm wrong)and you get allowance for that. You plan your projects at commitee meetings.Just go to the monthly meeting and 'setuju' every damn thing. About one quarter of our local councillors are not academically high achievers.Some just made it to Form Three. Yes , they got where they are by climbing the political ladder. Academics and professionals get to be appointed too.Some how they don't seem to make as much money as those 'survivors'. If you're lucky not to get caught (by opposition observers) you may get to build your 'dream palaces' on council land. You know what the council enforcers will do to the squatters. And this is the best part of being a coucillor, you get to go on 'study tour' in a foreign land. Study what ? Maintenance of public toilets in 'girly joints' in Hatyai,'dangdut joints' in Medan. Study landscaping on the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and many other interesting study tours. How do you get to be one ? Make your way up the political ladder in your state.Rub shoulders with your branch leaders,buy free lunches for the grassroots.Be the popular party man or woman.Make yourself noticed when a national leader or state leader comes visiting.Stand in the front row to welcome and send off your leader.Don't forget to kiss his hand.Your DNA on his hand might make him remember you. So, wanna be a local councillor ?

Bangsa Malaysia

Why is that MB from the south so worked out about that Bangsa Malaysia thing ? There can only be Bangsa Melayu, Bangsa China, Bangsa India, Bangsa Dayak, Bangsa Kadazan,etc. No such thing as Bangsa Malaysia ? Friend, our country is almost 50 years old and you are still thinking about the Tanah Melayu days. Check your history books, Perseketuan Tanah Melayu has become Malaya, and then Malaysia. The only Melayu left is the Keretapi Tanah Melayu and Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu ( United Malays National Organisation) and `baju Melayu' perhaps. Remember how our past and present leaders tried to integrate the various communities as one multi-racial group as Malaysians. When our athletes go out to represent the country, they are known as Malaysian athletes, not Chinese, not Indian, not Malay,etc. When our politicians and businessmen go overseas, they are recognised as Malaysian politicians, Malaysian businessmen. Any Malaysian person that goes anywhere is a Malaysian. Maybe its that word 'Bangsa' that makes you unhappy ? I urge you to consult a good Bahasa Melayu - English dictionary. The word 'bangsa' means 'race' or 'nation'. You guys had to play up the 'race' issue, did you. So 'Bangsa Malaysia' means Malaysian National, 'antarabangsa' means international. Not Malaysian race, no need to make a fuss over it.