Zaid Ibrahim - CHANGE

I am most impressed with this speech from Zaid Ibrahim and became a fan of his the minute he walk his talk during his time in Pak Lah's administration.

As Malaysian, reading the political news and development in Malaysia is actually very energy consuming. So much so that after reading, one would feel a sense of helplessness without any recourse given the abuses, the absurdity of how the various law enforcement agencies handled law and order and silly statements made by the Ministers and politicians alike. Worst of all are the Little Napoleons and the civil servants who do not know where their places.

I've tried to reduce my various RSS feeds and have even told my Malaysian friends here in Jakarta that I might want to stop reading and follow the stories altogether save for my favorite being Malaysia Today. However, I was still drawn to it despite trying and I don't really know why. Perhaps it is the easy sharing tools available and my interest in social media.

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Zaid Untuk Rakyat - Updates via kwout

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Having said this, I suppose in order to effect CHANGE for a better Malaysia and a better tomorrow for ordinary folks like you and me, Malaysians must have the basic ingredients to change and that is the capabilities and willingness. This 2 basic words applies to all, from the people who cast their votes to the political parties and candidates selected as the people's representatives.

This is followed by what Zaid Ibrahim mentioned in the quote above, 25% of the parliament seats in the August house. Another key ingredients will be from the rural and kampungs folks in the Peninsula whereby 1 parliament ticket is allocated to constituencies with less than 20,000 voters.

And the most crucial ingredients comes from Malaysian Malays themselves. However one may cut the cake, there is no way Malaysian Chinese, Indians and the "Yang Lain Lain" (actually, I hate to use this term) can capture Putrajaya even they group together as 1unified unit, no two ways about this as seen in the many analysis done by RPK. Obviously, there are many more factors than this and if only Malaysia can find a true leader who has vision and is most inspiring in breaking all the differences, then Malaysians can stand tall and be proud.

With this, one can do is probably pray very hard for a better Malaysia for our future generations to come.

3rd. force watch! this is a darn good idea from Haris Ibrahim

Enabling the people to choose their candidates for an MP post is absolutely a brilliant idea. Reading the walk through from the link to the clip below, I now have a clear idea what this all about.

1) It enable the people to select the right candidate instead of political parties to represent them in parliament. Afterall, they are supposed to be the law makers and whenever they vote to pass a bill, it will affect the people.

2) It enable the people to really decide who they want and not who the political parties want. As it is now, we have no choice but to tick on the ballot paper based on the candidates selected by the political parties.

3) This initiative enable the people to be the boss and not the other way as it is now. As opposed to the current practice, the people are at the mercy of the politicians, worst of the lot are MP from BN.

4) A fit and proper test for the candidates is a very sound idea. Any politician who aspire to hold office have to pass this test before they can be nominated. I am sure we do not want anymore whores, frogs and free rider politicians Go for quality.

5) It enables the ordinary folks to have the power to check and balance the politicians who can only talk but not work for the people, to weed out the weak and to put in the right people fit for the job. Afterall, this is what they swear to do and uphold in the first place

Overall, this idea sounds sexy and workable. At the end of the day, what we the people want is a better Malaysia and a better tomorrow where we can live in harmony and peace and be proud to be known just as MALAYSIANS.

Well done and kudos to Pak Haris. I will certainly support this initiative.
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Do we go with a third force? Let me walk you through this « The People’s Parliament via kwout

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To report or not to?

As a follow up to what I have clipped on May 20, 2010 - Is this a HOAX? Or is it for real? Here is another clip and it is from Shanon Shah of The Nutgraph which I would like to share.

clipped from www.thenutgraph.com Najib’s call to the media "BUT to shape society's knowledge, so that we are more intellectual, critical, and can think objectively, this is also the role of the press. You can't report only stories that are sensational, hot or about conflicts only." These were Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's words during the 20 May 2010 groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Utusan Melayu (M) Ltd's new headquarters. Najib also said, "[The] integrity of your reports is important, because there is no point if you constantly need to apologise for your news." Reporters from some other independent media outlets have characterised this as Najib "reprimanding" Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia, or "calling for change". Najib seemed to be making a general assessment of the national media. But his remarks are certainly pertinent as president of the party that owns Utusan Malaysia, Utusan Melayu's flagship publication.

Great news for betting football fans Malaysia

Football betting is going to be legal in Malaysia soon with the award of a multi-biilion Ringgit deal with the Berjaya group. Read the clip to the link below to find out more.

Hey, isn't this against the official religion of the country? and now UMNO/BN is going to legalized it. woohooohooo!!!

I especially like this part taken from www.harakahdaily.net

"'Next: Berjaya to apply Halal logo?'

Mahfuz said as a direct result of legalising gambling, the UMNO-led government not only destroyed local sports but also the family institution and the people's income.

"At the same time, BN's crony Berjaya Group will be forking out huge profits," he said.

On a more sarcastic note, Mahfuz said Berjaya would perhaps apply for the Halal certificate from minister in the prime minister's department, Jamil Khir Baharom.

clipped from harakahdaily.net KUALA LUMPUR, May 13: PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar said that the decision to legalise betting for the coming World Cup season by prime minister Najib Razak was a grave injustice to the people. "Najib's government has in fact victimised the people by making them habitual gamblers. Once gambling is legalised, more people will succumb to the habit and become addicted," said Mahfuz.   Deputy Finance Minister Dr Awang Adek Hussein had recently stated the government's intention to legalise gambling before the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa next month, arguing that the move was made to curb illegal gambling and to find revenue for the government.

A center-spread ad costing US180K to US230K

Why in the world would the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister wanted to place an ad in the center-spread of a US newspaper? Who is paying for the hefty bill? Reading the headline, we all know where the money is coming from.

Rosmah ad placed on govt’s behalf

11 May 10 : 8.00AM

By Koh Lay Chin
kohlaychin@thenutgraph.com
PETALING JAYA, 11 May 2010: A recent two-page spread in the New York Times, costing thousands of US dollars and featuring the prime minister's wife, was placed on behalf of the Malaysian government.
In an e-mail response to questions from The Nut Graph, the New York Times said: "The advertisement was placed by an ad agency on behalf of the Malaysian government."
The response from New York Times executive director of community affairs and media relations, Diane McNulty, reveals that the ad was not placed by private individuals, as suggested by the last line in the ad's congratulatory message.



There is so much more the money can do for the poor and needy in Malaysia, why blew it in just an ad. Anyway, who in the USA would want to have a second look at the ad? It boggles my mind!

A very powerful article that speaks on my behalf in Malaysia

Why is it after 53 years of independence in Malaysia, they are still debating on nationality?

I for one, when asked by my Indonesian friends about my nationality is very proud to say that I AM MALAYSIAN. 'Fortunately or unfortunately', I am born in an ethnic Chinese family (my father was born in Malaya while my mother who has since passed away came from China at a very young age) and I carry a Malaysian identity card and passport. This is enough for me to get all my legal working permits, travel visas and reporting documents for a foreigner to work in Indonesia and as such, this makes me a Malaysian citizens and not Chinese citizen. Simple as that.

Like it or not, with an ethnic Chinese DNA, I still do make an effort to understand the culture, wisdom and teachings on the Chinese philosophy and way of life. Having said so, I will take and practice what is good and discard what is deemed to have clash with my principles. As a citizen, I take it upon myself to learn and acquire the necessary knowledge of the other ethnic races in Malaysia so as to live with my neighbors harmoniously and not to show any disrespect. In my mind, the question of nationality and loyalty to the country is a non issue, unlike some of the politicians who kept harping on it like an old trumpet.

What then is all the fuss about in Malaysia as advocated by some of the politicians (and recently the author from Utusan Malaysia newspaper) whether or not I am grateful or otherwise? My advise to all those racist politicians is to INTROSPECT and as the Indonesian will say "Ngaca donk!" and "Jangan bagai katak dalam tempurung".

From Free Malaysia Today, an article by Kee Thuan Chye prompted me to penned the above thoughts and hopefully get the message to those who are still debating on such issues.

Antics of the top men in blue of Malaysia (Updated with new link)

A 15 year old Malaysian Malay boy was shot in the back of the head by the Malaysian police and here is a take articulated by Lim Kit Siang " Cry “This is not Manchester or Los Angeles, this is bloody Malaysia” finds resonance in the country and reflects gravity of crisis of public confidence in police professionalism" who visited the bereaved family of the boy.

Now, read what the Malaysian top cop have to say about it  Star Online "Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has hit out at those criticising the force over the death of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah, saying he could call his men off the streets if that was what the people wanted" and it gets even more interesting on what he has to say.

How can a top cop issue such statements or even say such things? He sounded so childish akin to playing 'masak-masak' with the neighbor's little girl next door, now you know why the crime index in Malaysia is on the rise. God Bless Malaysia. I fear for the safety of my children in KL, Damn!

May 01, 2010 - Just read from mofasad and this is what the man in blue did not tell the public, mind you, this is a police report! Based on the earlier reports, there was another boy with Aminulrasyid in the car who managed to escape the police from the so called 'crime scene' and after some heavy police beating.

I am not trained in law neither am I a crime scene investigator. Nevertheless, common sense tells me that the way the police reacted to the case and statements made by the Selangor police chief and IGP are typical MO of another "push the blame" to the innocent.

So, when the law enforcer of the land abuses the power 'in the name of the law itself', what would happen to the law and order of a country? Man, this is scary!!!!