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.

Money, Money, Money (ABBA's song) for another by-election?

Started with a RM3 million aid to a Chinese school in Hulu Selangor, now the 'donations' from Najib has shot up to RM18 million in the Sibu by-election. Unlike Hulu Selangor, the spoils are shared among 67 schools in Sibu. It's better late than never, as the saying goes.

Extracted from FMT here "Najib later announced allocations totalling RM18 million for 67 schools in the Sibu parliamentary constituency. They included RM10 million for 60 national-type Chinese schools, RM5 million for five private Chinese secondary schools, RM2 million for Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sacred Heart and RM1 million for Sekolah Kebangsaan St.Mary."

Malaysian man in blue just cannot change

Will the police shooting of Aminulrasyid Amzah be another case of NFA being stamped on the case file with the so called 'high powered" police inquiry? Or will it be another threaten the foreign pathologist inquiry of the Teoh Beng Hock case , And what happened to Kugan in the "die in jail" police beating case?

The MO seems all too familiar and it is hard to even believe a word the police have to say in their defense. The police just do not seems to understand the concept of upholding the law and justice of the country entrusted to them and it is the 'big brother' attitude of some of the senior officers starting from the IGP that is giving law enforcers a bad name. Can we then equate the man in blue as a licensed and organized crime outfit? And the police seems to be getting away with ..... all the time. Shhhssssh!

clipped from www.freemalaysiatoday.com The arrogance of police power NEW A week after schoolboy Aminulrasyid Amzah's death by police shooting, Malaysians have been treated to the ghastly spectacle of a government withdrawing into itself in the face of public outrage, and seemingly intent only on finding grounds for justifying its actions. Left in abeyance is the fact that governments exist in democratic nations to ensure the safety of all its citizens, and to ensure equal justice for all, no matter what their station in life.

1st Speaker's Corner in Malaysia and it is in my home state

I am glad to hear that today in Penang, the Speakers' Corner was launched.  "The Speakers’ Corner fulfills the aspirations of empowering the people by encouraging citizens to exercise their constitutional rights under Article 10 (1)(a) of the Federal Constitution of freedom of speech and expression and Article 10 (1)(b) where all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably." MT

I especially like point No.7 in Penang Chief Minister's speech in launching the Speakers' Corner.

" I have always said that a good government must do three things: listen to the people, do the people’s work and give hope to the people. The Speakers’ Corner serves as a catalyst to the growing spirit of democracy throughout Penang and the willingness of the state government to listen to the people to be a good government" You can read the rest of the speech here posted in 'My Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.'

Now, how many more states in Malaysia will follow this small step in recognizing the peoples' right to free speech? This small step will hopefully generate many more bigger steps in the long road for democracy.

Well done, Penang.

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!!!!