Happy New Year

Another has passed and in 3 hours time we will be celebrating another new year.

2009 was a memorable year for me and my family. It was fruitful and challenging, and most of all, it was rewarding.

2009 was also the year my son, William, begins to work alongside me, after 27 years. Throughout the last 20-odd years, my son grew up without seeing much of his father and the father hardly spent time with his children - his negligent father, the man who failed to fulfill his duty as a father and husband.

However, by the grace of God, and by certain circumstances and happenings, both of us had to team up and work together. Initially tough and onerous - the two man are like strangers to each other. The goings were tough and the partnership were complex. It was more of a cultural shock and the circumstances were unique.

Whatever it is, and whatever that happens, the results speaks for itself. The 12 months of hard work and the insurmountable stresses ultimately were rewarding and satisfying. Both of us have much to savour and feel good.

In fact, we are looking forward to the coming new year full of vigour and high expectations. We believe we will have another good year. We both are ready to undertake all the challenges as we journey on. We are prepared to work much more harder. We will make it another memorable and momentous year.

In the meantime, I will be going for a short holiday with all my children.

Happy New Year to all my fellow bloggers and all my friends here in this cyberspace.

Let's Welcome 2010!

Art Harun articulates about Social Contract

Below is the open letter written by Art Harun at his blog ARTiculations of which I took the liberty to reproduce it here.

My sincere apologies to Art Harun.




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An open reply to Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah
by Art Harun.

Dear Doctor,

I refer to your article "Accused as criminals better than being evil."

Before I join issue with you on several matters in your article, allow me to state some disclaimers. This is to prevent me from being labeled anti this and that or pro this and that.

First and foremost I am just an ordinary citizen of this country of ours who is just concerned with the well being of our country. Although I have my own political views, I am not affiliated to nor am I associated with any political party at all. I am a Malay and a Muslim. I am not anti-Malay or anti-Islam. Nor am I pro non-Malays or non-Muslims.

Now that I have made that clear, I shall address some of the issues raised.

Firstly, the "social contract". These two words have become a cliche in Malaysia. Whenever somebody or some parties raise some sensitive issues which the Government does not wish to address, they will be referred to the "social contract". Soon, I suppose when a thief snatches a handbag from a poor woman, he will shout to the woman, "social contract"!

What is the "social contract"? I will not repeat what it is as I have written about it here. The first thing to note about it is that any social contract is not cast in stone. It may change as the society and state change and the need of the two parties to the contract evolve with time. What was deemed good 52 years ago may not be good anymore now, and vice versa.

If we take our Federal Constitution as an example, there have been hundreds of amendments made to it. That is the nature of it. It is a breathing and living contract which changes or ought to change according to the time.

Being so, questioning the provisions of the social contact is not a blasphemous act. Nor is it an act of treason. It is in fact a necessity for our society and our state to evolve into a progressive one. With all due respect, for you to label a certain party as "ultra kiasu" just because it apparently questions - if at all they did that - the "social contract" is unbefitting of your stature as a respectable ulamak and a well known senior lecturer. It is like labeling your own students "kiasu" for asking too many questions.

Why can't we be positive about things? Are we so used to be told what to do, what to hear and what to say all these while that we have forgotten to engage with each other properly without any ill feeling? If an ulamak and academician like yourself can't engage properly and without emotion, I shudder to think of the prospect of this nation of ours. Have we all closed our heart and soul to any opposite views?

The second thing to note about the social contract is the fact that this contract, like any other contract, has two parties to it. The first party is the people. The second party is the State (or the government). It runs two ways. The people say "I give you, the government, some of my rights in exchange of you giving me certain benefits". So, the obligations exist on both side of the fence. Not only one.

That means both side must conform to the social contract. Both sides have their own respective obligations to perform. Nowadays, we talk as if only the people are supposed to perform the social contract. We talk as if the government does not have any obligation to perform under the social contract. That is an obvious misconception.

The thing is this. The government is powerful because it holds the power. If the people do not perform the social contract, the government would come with all its might and prosecute him or her. I ask you, what can the people do if the government does not perform its side of the bargain? Do you expect the people to keep quiet?

Thirdly, it is to be noted that as a living document, the terms of the social contract may be renegotiated from time to time. Among others, John Locke posits as such. Locke even posits the rights of rebellion in the event the social contracts lead to tyranny.

Of course I am not advocating a rebellion here. I am stating that the people have every right to question about the social contract and to scrutinise the performance of its terms by the government. And the people have every right - in fact it is arguable that it is the people's duty - to prevent a tyranny or an act of tyranny.

Being so, I am sure it is not such a sin as made out by you for any party to question the social contract. That is within his or her right as a party to the social contract.

The next issue which I wish to address is the misstatement of the real issues in contemporary Malaysia. I have to state this because when the issues are misstated, the arguments in support would also go wrong. Emotions can seep in and everything will turn ugly.

The issues at hand, in my opinion, are not the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation or the special positions enjoyed by the Malays and the natives of Borneo. Those are entrenched in the Federal Constitution.

I have chosen the words in the preceding paragraph deliberately. Nowadays, when the arguments for "equality" are raised, the other side quickly jump and say "you are questioning the status of Islam" or "you are questioning the special rights of the Malays" or worse still, "you are questioning the position of the Malay rulers".

Notice how the issues have been misstated to suit their purpose. What are in existence are not "special rights" but "special positions" and the parties which enjoy these positions are not only the Malays but also the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Please read this article for further explanation on this issue.

On the position of Islam, I don't think anybody in their right mind would question the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation. But dear Doctor, you must be wise enough to discern between official religion and the law of the country. These are two different things. Similarly, you must also be unemotional enough to discern the difference between Bahasa Malaysia as the official language and the rights of the people to speak whatever language they wish.

What have been raised in contemporary Malaysia is not the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation. Many events have taken place so far in relation to inter-faith integration that would call for a closer look at the freedom of religion as enshrined in our Constitution in order to find solutions. These events were perhaps not within the foresight of the fathers of our nation when the Constitution was being drafted.

It is then left to us, the children of today, to take the bull by the proverbial horn and try to find acceptable solutions to everybody in accordance with the common standard of fairness and civility.

Among others, these problems are:

* the controversy surrounding inter-faith marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims where a non-Muslim would convert to Islam to marry a Muslim but later re-convert to his or her original faith;

* the controversy surrounding the forced indoctrination of a certain faith - whether Islam or other faith - on children who are below the age of majority;

* the controversy surrounding the issue of apostasy in Islam;

* the controversy surrounding the unfair allocation of budget for the erection of temples or churches as compared to the mosques and suraus;

* the controversy surrounding the right to practise Islam by Muslims in accordance with their sectarian beliefs;

* the controversy surrounding some fatwas issued by some body of ulamaks;

* the controversy surrounding the usage of the word "Allah" to signify God;

* the controversy surrounding the publication of Bible in Bahasa Malaysia;

* the controversy surrounding moral policing.

These are issues which are being raised. They have nothing to do with the status of Islam under the Constitution or the status of the Malay rulers. Like it or not, these issues exist and will persist so long as we huddle ourselves in our dark caves, secure in our belief that those people who raise these issues are ultra kiasu and they have treasonous tendency.

This nation is built, from day one, by one strength and that strength is the unity of her people, regardless of race or religion. There is no such thing as this is "our" nation and not "theirs". In fact, may I respectfully point out that you, as a Chinese Muslim, are contradicting yourself when you refer to this land as "our own land" if what you meant by "our own land" is that this land is the land of the Malays. Please dear Doctor. Be more sensitive to the feelings of all Malaysians. You are after all an influential ustaz or teacher whose views are respected by many.

Now, as this nation of ours go into adulthood, it must confronts issues which naturally arise in the course of nation building. It must confront these issues unemotionally and with great respect to everybody involved. Lest the very basis of this nation, namely, the unity of her people, would just fade away and we can bet our last dime that destruction would be on its way. I fear for my children. I fear for this nation if we continue to count "our rights" as opposed to "theirs". There is no "opposite parties" mind you. We are in this together.

Now you have come up with a rather ingenious formula. It is based on the entitlement to more rights for the majority. It is numerical power, which many argue is the direct result of democracy. Jeremy Bentham postulates the utilitarian principle under which it is said that whatever brings the most happiness to the greatest number of people would be good. It would appear that you have managed to reduce the utilitarian principle into a science by reducing the yardstick of happiness and greatest number of people into a mathematical formula.

But with respect, you are threading on a dangerous path. Stretched to its logical conclusion, you are validating the might of the majority over the helplessness of the minority. In the end, finally, what matters in your equation is the numbers involved. What if, in the future, the non-Muslims become the majority in this country, may I ask you? Would you accept their lording over you as a minority then?

What about the ban of the Islamic minarets in Switzerland? Do you, as a Muslim, accept that because after all Christians are the majority in Switzerland? What about the ban of the hijab and head scarf in France? Do you accept that on the same basis, ie, that Christians are the majority in France? What about the killing of Muslims Bosnians by the Serbs and Croats? You accept that too? After all Christians are the majority in that region. What if the Israelis manage to forcefully fill Gaza with Israelis leaving the Palestinians to be the minority, would you accept the desecration of everything that is Islam in Gaza?

What you are preaching, in my humble opinion, is political expediency suited for the current moment and nothing else. You are not seeing the bigger picture. With respect, you fail to look into ourselves as Muslims and spot our weaknesses as an Ummah against the backdrop of globalisation and openness. You pay scant regard to spirituality and our ability as Muslims, to face this new aged world on any ground other than the strength in numbers and loudness of our voice.

You mentioned Ibn Khaldun in your article. Can you point out the existence of what Ibn Khaldun termed in his "Muqadimmah" as the spirit of "assabiya" in our contemporary Muslim society? Do we have "assabiya" nowadays? Or is it a matter of whatever is mine is mine and yours is yours? In your mathematical formula, you are in fact preaching against Ibn Khaldun's "assabiya." The communal spirit, comradeship and camaraderie are obviously not important in your formula.

What about the numerical superiority of the non-Muslims in education for instance? Non-Muslims do get 9As or 10As in the examinations. Based on your numerical formula, wouldn't they have the right to be in our public university? If so, why don't they get what they are entitled to?

What about the numerical superiority in the non-Muslims' contribution to our national coffers through the payment of taxes, duties and investments made? If your numerical superiority formula is applied, wouldn't the non-Muslims then have more rights to build churches and temples compared to Muslims?

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying they are so entitled. But I am just applying your formula to real situations.

Non-Muslims' festivities should be limited to the percentage of their numbers. Sorry Doctor, I am laughing at the suggestion. Is that what matters? Festivities? Public holidays? They should have less number of temples and churches and we should have more mosques and suraus? (You seem to suggest that there are far too many churches and temples in Malaysia but have you seen the state of these churches and temples? Some are by the side of the road and in shop lots. Some are just housed in a small doggie house.) How much space we occupy on our way to our graves? And how big our graves are? Good God, who is kiasu? What have we, the good people of Malaysia, become? And why have we descended into this deep pit of triviality? Oh my goodness.

Sometime I find your reasoning inconsistent Doctor. While you preach goodness and high morality and you make such huge outcry against the evil of living immorally as practised by some politicians and the likes, at the same time you don't really mind a newspaper which sometime write obvious lies and spread hatred. This is because, according to you, this newspaper is being frank. Well, is it okay to be bad as long as we are frank about it? You view with contempt the act of living together outside marriage by some non-Muslims but you can accept the act of lying and spreading hatred because the perpetrator is being frank? The last time I checked Doctor, even Hitler was being frank in wanting to kill all the Jews that ever walked the Earth. Was that okay?

The only way out of this racial and religious time bomb which is ticking fast in contemporary Malaysia to my mind is for all of us to confront all the issues in an unemotional manner. We should list them all out in the open. We should accept that those issues constitute problems and acknowledge that fact. We cannot deny their existence. We should stop assigning guilt. We should avoid pointing fingers. We should not adopt the my-religion-is-more-righteous-than-yours attitude.

After we manage to do that, we should then sit down and find the solutions as best as we can.

And we better do it fast. Because the longer we delay it, the more insidious and deep they will become. Soon more people will misuse those issues for whatever personal purpose which they may have. The situation may then become irreversible.

May God give all of us the wisdom.

Salam.

Posted by art harun at 15:54

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SOURCES:

An open reply to Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah

The Malaysian Insider

The Malaysian Bar

The Malaysian Insider: Don pushes racial line in 1Malaysia

The Malaysian Insider: Tuduhan penjahat lebih baik dari berjahat

From Dr Rafick to dr ridzuan tee



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A Chinese wants to be more Malay than the Malays?

Quote for today 1

The religion of China is Confucian;
The religion of a Malaysian Chinese is confusion."

***

Quote for today 2

“Just look at the shopping malls, although Christians are only nine per cent, the Christmas and New Year 2010 celebrations are incomparable to the Hari Raya and the Islamic New Year. If you do not believe, visit the states ruled by the ultra kiasu and its allies, and the shopping malls of their allies throughout the country,” cried Dr Ridhuan Tee - Ah Yam.

Ridhuan said: the Chinese are “ultra-kiasu”

Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah is the Utusan Malaysia columnist

***

Quote for today 3

As a Muslim, we want to emphasize that Islam teaches justice. Everyone has rights. We do not accept a rule where only one race’s rights are protected simply because they are the majority. We cannot deny the minority,” said Khalid Samad who is the PAS Shah Alam MP.

“Even if there was one Buddhist in a village, he must be allowed to celebrate and practice his faith because it is his right. Just because the Malays are the majority, Islam does not say we can go around and oppress others,” stated Khalid, who sounded upset when told about the arguments made in Ridhuan’s latest article.

He added that while the original social contract of the country did provide some form of protection for Malays so that they would not be left trailing behind, that was in the past and even then that did not mean that other races were not considered as equal citizens of the country.

“It is disappointing that Ridhuan Tee is becoming more UMNO Muslim than Malay Muslim. As a Muslim convert, he should be concentrating his efforts in trying to show the truth and justice within Islam, and not trying to win acceptance from the Malay-Muslims minorities who buy into this racist sentiment.”

***

My dad used to tell of a man who bragged that he had been a Methodist and was now thinking of leaving the Baptist church to become a "Charismatic" movement and a preacher. My dad wished him luck. The man seemed puzzled. Dad explained that he didn’t see any harm in changing labels on an empty bottle.

***

A cynic once remarked that nothing is permanent except change. We live in a world of change. Everything from ladies’ shoes to legislation, from automobiles to art, from furniture to finances... and oh, religion too ... change overnight. World events seem to tumble over each other with barely enough time to happen.

In such a breath-taking age men look here and there for a point of permanence.

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Kiasu? No, its Kiasi!!!

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Mahathir & The Malaysianization Paradox

Tun Dr Mahathir called on the Chinese and Indians to set aside their respective country of origin and start calling themselves Malaysians for the success of the 1Malaysia concept.

Elaborating, Mahathir said people in Thailand and Indonesia called themselves Thais and Indonesians but this is not the case here.

Mahathir said there was no difference between the various races as everyone is a Malaysian.

"The problem of Indian Muslims will be resolved if they can decide and choose to become either a Muslim or an Indian," he added.

But ... we had always called ourselves Malaysians and called Malaysia our country. However, we were called and identified as Pendatang and warned repeatedly that we are 2nd class citizen. Even the national registration department and all the governmental institutions insists to identify us as Chinese and Indians. We are also identified as un-bumiputera and an enemy within.

The Thais and Indonesians? Did they call their fella citizens as "Pendatang"? Unheard of!

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SOURCE: MALAYSIAKINI.COM

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Najib and the Harmony Paradox

Harmony!

Oops! but please tell that to Utusan Malaysia and those who were contemptuous with the cow head. And also those others who preach at the BTN.

I was "extremely surprised" when being told that they teach in BTN that "the Chinese hid and buried secret nuclear weapons on their parent/relative grave in preparation of the day of Armageddon."

I hope so as that may save the world from war and extinction.

Malaysia is like Zimbabwe?

Political analyst Abdul Aziz Bari likened those who hold the reins of power in Malaysia to a bunch of 'thugs'.

According to him, these individuals do as they please without proper regard for the law of the land and the percepts laid down in the federal constitution.

"We are like Zimbabwe, just with another name!" stressed the law expert.

Elaborating, Abdul Aziz said: "I don't know how else to call them, sometimes we need to call a spade, a spade. What we have is a state of lawlessness, it's like the law of the jungle."

According to the UIA law professor, in Malaysia, "the judiciary takes its cue from the government."

"When you have a judiciary like what we have, what can we do? In normal circumstances you go to court to compel the parties who refuse to do its legal duty to do it. But not in our case," he said.

What is worse, according to Abdul Aziz, Barisan Nasional is "undermining or simply could not care less about the constitution."

"BN has demonstrated complete disregard for the rule of law and supremacy of the constitution, either the letter or the spirit of it," he said.

Abdul Aziz believes that the BN government is clearly going against the constitution when it set up the JPP (Federal Development Department) which is ultra vires of the defined rights of the states.

he also criticised the federal government's 'play acting' in making much ado when giving assistance and aid during natural disasters to opposition held states.

According to Abdul Aziz, this rot of lawlessness goes right down to BN's core which is Umno.

He is of the opinion that the Umno warlords cannot be reformed and as long as they exists, Umno cannot be reformed.

"They simply don't want to do it," he said.

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SOURCE: MALAYSIAKINI.COM

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Chinese Moral Philosophy: Virtue of Life

There is a Chinese saying: "If you borrowed some money from someone, then you repay that person with money; but if you owe someone a personal favor, favor that you sought from them, then you can't repay back with money, for you owe them your soul, even if it means you have to sacrifice your life as a form of redemption - for till then, you still had not repaid your dues."

That's the virtue of life and that's the fundamental virtuosity that man must possess.

It may sound foolish and obnoxiously moronic - but that's the Chinese moral!

We may be rich because we work hard and live miserly. But the fundamental moral philosophy of life is more than these basics.

Life must be lived to the fullest. Life is more than just being hardworking and having a lot of wealth. Life is about living, something that's worth living.

Life is a journey to an end - the grave. When life ends, what's left is - your legacy - what we had done for others and what's worthy to be remembered - of you.

That's life!

The real reason why we are always behind

We Malaysians always think we are so smart and powerful.

But why are other people in our neighbourhood doing so much better than we are?

Maybe the reason is that we're not so smart, after all, as we think we are.

It's only when the tide goes out do you find out who is not wearing a swimming suit.

A dollar is a dollar is a dollar!

A dollar made is worth the same as a dollar made - from manufacturing, from you salary, from kickbacks, from under-table, from top of table, from selling services, be it services of labor, brain or down-under, or anything that you service.

The cracks in our social and political systems are visible and alarming and the decay had set in. We have allowed and implicitly encourage our loss of focus of the real issue we faced; the nation have diverted enormous energy, money and attention to the war against, not our enemy but our very own. Since we do not have an outright external enemy, it had to be created from within so that those who cannot work hard can have a right to demand from those others who can.

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Nazri tells Utusan: "STOP BEING RACIST"

Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz condemn Utusan Malaysia for its “outdated” racist propaganda, saying the Umno-owned newspaper must accept that Malaysia is a multi-racial country.

“They should stop it because how would we (the Malays) like it if people say that Malays are lazy and stupid? We would also get angry. Don’t do to others what we don’t want others to do unto us,” the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told The Malaysian Insider.

Nazri had earlier castigated the Malay daily for defending the controversial National Civics Bureau, or Biro Tata Negara (BTN), for its courses which he said were racist.

“And more so now, under the prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) and 1 Malaysia, we must accept that Malaysia is a multi-racial country,” he added.

“I have reiterated that we must learn from Nicole David and other athletes. It is not acceptable to be a racist in 2010. It does not matter if we keep saying that we are not racist if our actions show otherwise. Enough with racism already.

“50 years after Independence, where are we headed to? Are we still going to deny that the Chinese and Indian community have any right to stay in this country? I think it is outdated,” Nazri added.

Nazri added that Malaysians can longer accept categorising minorities with derogatory names.

“Malaysians, including the Malays, can no longer accept calling Chinese as immigrants and Indians with derogatory terms like ‘keling’.

“I think that if we want to act on a few that question Malay rights, then we should attack them only but not the whole community. If there are one or two individual Chinese or Indians that question Malay rights then we attack them only. We should not label the whole community as anti-Malay.

“As an elected representative, I know that that all the races are enjoying good relationships, so we should not take one or two bad examples as a basis to attack the whole community. I cannot agree with that. I am very much against racism. I hate racism,” he explained.

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READ THE ARTICLE HERE

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Mind games by an old master

I would be happier leading open-minded Chinese than narrow-minded Malays," Tok Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said with a smile.

"If you want to listen to me, thank you. If not, then I'm sorry", Tok Guru said.

"Islam means you should ask questions. If you don't understand (our policies), ask," he added.

Read the article HERE

The rise of China as the global economic power

Will the World be 'China-centric’ soon?

The rise of China will change the meaning of time. The US was born modern and without a memory because it was European settlers, not Americans, who created it. So there’s always a transience about Americans, who have a deep insecurity about themselves...Whereas the first thing a Chinese likes to say is: “We are the product of a 5,000-year civilisation.”

Now that’s thinking long term! — The Straits Times

Read the whole article HERE
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Learn Mandarin

Nuns' Prayer

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GIVE US A SENSE OF HUMOR LORD,

GIVE US THE GRACE TO SEE A JOKE,

TO GET SOME HUMOR OUT OF LIFE,

AND PASS IT ON TO OTHER.

***

Is Malaysia an "Oil Cursed Country"?

In a stinging speech at the Young Corporate Malaysians Summit today Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah described Malaysia as an “oil cursed” country.

“When I started Petronas in 1974, I did not realise I would see the day when I would wish we had not uncovered this bounty,” lamented Razaleigh.

“The oil that was meant to spur our transition to a more humane, educated society has instead become a narcotic that provides economic quick fixes and hollow symbols such as the Petronas Towers.”

He said the original intention of Malaysia's “modest quantity of oil reserves” was to help the country make the leap from an economy based on commodities and low-cost assembly to a more diverse economy based on high income jobs.

“We saw our oil reserves as an unearned bounty that would provide the money for modernisation and technology.”

However, the billions of ringgit earned from oil exports over the past three decades have been squandered by the government.

“Our oil receipts, instead of being applied in the manner we planned upon the formation of Petronas, that is, according to its original developmental purpose, became a fund for the whims and fancy of whoever ran the country, without any accountability,” he said.

Razaleigh argued that Malaysia's oil wealth has been squandered and used “to bail out failing companies, buy arms, build grandiose cities amidst cleared palm oil estates”.

“Instead of helping eradicate poverty in the poorest states, our oil wealth came to be channeled into our political and politically-linked class,” he added.

“Instead of being the patrimony of all Malaysians, and for our children, it is used as a giant slush fund that has propped up authoritarian rule, eroded constitutional democracy and corrupted our entire political and business elite.”

Petronas has contributed 40 percent of the national budget over the years but such a great reliance on oil income is getting untenable.

****************

SOURCE: MALAYSIAKINI.COM and Tengku Razaleigh: 'Our oil wealth squandered'

*****

Severe Crisis to force Change

We have been taking a system operating past its capacity and driving it faster and harder. No matter how wonderful the system is, the laws of physics and biology still apply. And those laws are telling us that we, as an endangered species, cannot continue on the path we are on.

The problem is that it is very difficult to get those inhuman beings to appreciate and undertake the change we now need without an even bigger crisis than what we are already experiencing. History indicates that we don't accept large-scale change easily, especially when this change challenges the accepted behavior and beliefs of those inhuman beings.

It generally takes a severe and fatal crisis to overcome such resistance. Unfortunately this means the crisis will have to be very large and completely undeniable before the society respond.

So when the crisis is big enough to force change, it will also have great and unstoppable momentum. As a result it will be far more damaging, irreversible damages, and the impacts will continue to worsen long after we had restored order and acted on the causes.

This is why it is doubly urgent for our leaders and We the People to heed our warning and develop a more sustainable way of creating harmony with our natural world - and to begin doing it now, while we have a chance to do it in a reasonably orderly way. If we wait for our Pearl Harbour, we will make the scale of the problem so obvious to all and it will be too late as the impact and disruptions by then will likely to be unimaginable.

There is no longer just a social issue as how we respond now will decide the future of our nation and the human civilization of this land.

There is no one else; there is no other time; it is us and it is now!

******************************

Adapted from:

Hot, Flat and Crowded
by Thomas Friedman

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Nazri calls Mahathir - "Bloody Racist"

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
The Malaysian Insider
Monday 7th December 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has called Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad a “bloody racist” for defending the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) courses, and reasserted the Cabinet’s earlier decision to overhaul the programme.

Nazri pointed out to reporters in Parliament today that patriotism was not meant only for the Malays but for all Malaysians.

“He is a bloody racist. You must be a Malaysian whether you’re a minister or not. You must walk your talk. Don’t just because when you were PM, you wanted everyone to support you, you’re Malaysian and the moment you’re no longer PM, that’s it, only talk about the Malays so I cannot accept his comment.

“I strongly feel the BTN courses must be in line with the 1 Malaysia slogan by the PM,” he said.

Dr Mahathir had said yesterday that there was no need to revamp BTN’s training modules in the current form and that it was suitable for instilling the patriotic spirit among Malaysians.

Nazri also slammed Umno’s Utusan Malaysia newspaper today, saying its “denial syndrome is making me laugh.” The minister in the prime minister’s department also repeated his stand “everybody knows what the BTN is,” so there was nothing to hide.

“I just want them to know, they should not go on a denial syndrome because their syllabus is known to everybody. Don’t think that people outside do not know about the syllabus based on patriotism for Malays. I just want to remind that the in the opposition, Hasan Ali was a former deputy director of BTN and Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul was a BTN former director and Anwar Ibrahim’s father in law was involved with the BTN.

“They all know what the syllabus is all about so who are we to say that it did not happen? You want to lie? You make people laugh. I mean there are people who attended the courses who came out very angry. There were many instances of the use of words like Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy). It is ridiculous so I want them to tell me where did I go wrong in supporting the revamping of the BTN syllabus. Tell me where I went wrong?” He asked.

Nazri stressed that BTN is funded by public money and should be spent properly for the betterment of all communities.

“The BTN’s allocation is mentioned in the PM’s department’s budget. So it’s public money. So if it’s public money then we need to ensure that it is spent properly, not to have courses only to concentrate on one community in the country.

“You talk about patriotism, love for the country, patriotism is for all Malaysians regardless of race. Therefore, the money spent on BTN to have courses must reflect the 1Malaysia slogan by the PM. It should not only be to raise patriotism among the Malays. Malaysia is for all races so I disagree with any syllabus which only concentrates on patriotism just on one community, I disagree. If they have a problem with that, I want to know what is their problem,” he said.

Nazri questioned if Utusan Malaysia, which has been at the forefront of defending BTN courses, believes that Malaysia belongs only to the Malay community.

“Do they want to say that Malaysia belongs only to the Malays and the government is only a Malay government? Should only the Malays be given the spirit of patriotism? Other races are not patriotic about their country? So I want them to point out to me where is it that I’ve gone wrong If I disagree with the past syllabus,” He added.

Nazri also denied the claim made by Utusan that it was only him who wanted BTN to be revamped and not the Cabinet.

“The moment PM took over, when he introduced the 1 Malaysia slogan. It was soon after that because courses run by BTN using public funds must be used properly and it amounts to millions so if you want to talk about patriotism, patriotism for all, not just the Malays, for all Malaysians. It’s not because of the Selangor state government that we changed the syllabus so it’s long before that,” he said.

Nazri also questioned Utusan for deceiving Malaysians on BTN.

“You tell me, can I lie? I can’t. They must use their head lah. If they want to deny and all that, if the other side they do not know, it’s different but all these people were involved with BTN before. They were facilitators and directors so they know what’s going on.

“Come on lah, please, this is not 1961 or 1970s. information is freely available. I want them to get out of the denial syndrome, admit it and that’s in line with the PM’s slogan so why shouldn’t we change?” he asked.

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SOURCE: The Malaysian Insider

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Spirit of Malaysia Incorporated?

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said it was about time the spirit of Malaysia Incorporated be revived to foster closer cooperation.

He also called on the business and financial community to invest more in Malaysia''s real economy and the capital market.

"Now that Initial Public Offering's have been freed from the 30 per cent Bumiputera requirement, there is no reason why local companies and small-and-medium enterprises should shy away from investing in their own country," he pointed out.

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Dear Muhyiddin,

You should get Utusan Malaysia to help promote such close cooperation instead of promoting May13 and propagating fear and inciting the Malay community to hate the others.

Who dare to invest in a country that have the "exceptional" media controlled by the government that is filled with journalists who are desperate to split the society and the diverse community and are so persistent in their desire of collusion and preference for hate within the society.

Even the blinds can see!

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Yoga & Alcoholic Drinks Conundrum

Research confirms that drinking alcohol gives you the same benefits yoga does !!!




Malasana
This position, for ankles and back muscles.




Ananda Balasana
This position is great for massaging the hip area.




Salambhasana
Great exercise to stimulate the lumbar area, legs, and arms.




Dolphin
Excellent for the shoulder area, thorax, legs, and arms.




Halasana
Excellent for back pain and insomnia.




Marjayasana
Position stimulates the midrift area and the spinal commune.



Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
This position calms the brain and heals tired legs.





Balasana
Position that brings the sensation of peace and calm.




Savasana
Position of total relaxation.

Yoka or drink? Any will do!

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Source: Sahil Dev

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