May 5,2013 - GE13

It is best to bear in mind that come May 5, exercise your rights as Malaysian citizens and vote, not emotionally, but rationally.

‘Missing’ delegates at Penang DAP convention

Hawkeye

 | December 3, 2012

GEORGE TOWN: Penang DAP held its convention yesterday and the most notable event that happened was that by afternoon half the 300-odd delegates were “missing”.

Those who remained were either having a snooze or were talking among themselves, paying scant attention to the speakers.

This prompted Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who, by nature, is reserved to say that perhaps they should have lucky draws with cars and condominiums as prizes.

Chow’s remarks may not apply to Penang alone. There was a poor turnout at the Selangor convention and the situation was similar in some other states.

But Chow, being the wily old politician, corrected himself by saying it was the same for other political parties.

But, here Chow, the Tanjong MP, stand to be corrected.

At the PAS muktamar, one had to line up to use the restrooms, while at the Umno general assembly, they sat on the floor to listen to the proceedings.

“We should not read too much into it as this is not an election year at the state level,” said state DAP Youth activist Chris Lee.

Testament of power

DAP’s power base basically revolves around Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and parts of Johor.

It now also has a growing presence in Sarawak and a moderate representation in Sabah.

A political observer here, Ng Whien Chin, says DAP has always been a top-heavy organisation in terms of active members .

“DAP, however, is a party populated more by high-octane personalities than those with a crowd following. The exception now is DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who is popular among the grasssroots,” Ng said.

Lim would be revered in DAP and become its permanent statesman, if he can deliver Putrajaya, similar to how his father Kit Siang had managed the party through the turbulent years , Ng claimed.

Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi shares the same view as Lee over the turnout, saying that usually, conventions only have a reasonable turnout – not an overwhelming one since there is no election.

But Ng does not agree. He says from a neutral view, accumulating a crowd is a testament of power and to illustrate to the fence-sitters that DAP is not to be taken for granted by either Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional.

“Penang has one of the highest number of fence-sitters as the people here are highly educated and independent-minded.” he said.

A power broker

As the Chinese electorate ground is said to be solidly behind the Anwar Ibrahim-driven Pakatan, DAP is speculated to be a power broker when the “dust settles” after the coming election.

PKR has wavered after a spate of defections while PAS seems to be mired in its Islamist movement world, having unsettled DAP with its uncompromising stance on “hudud” and enforcing their own moral code.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh remained steadfast through this maze though, saying the party must stick by its principles whether in government or in the opposition.

Karpal scolded the local authorities in Selangor and Kelantan for their alleged undemocratic measures.

He was referring to an unpopular plan to build a housing project near Batu Caves and the summons issued to hair salon operators in Kelantan for allowing their females workers to cut the hair of the male patrons.

On the surface, it looks like all is not well within DAP. The grassroots members in Penang are not happy that DAP is unable to differentiate between what is government and what is party.

A sense of uneasiness has also engulfed members here over how Lim is importing in young talent, who are an unproven lot in DAP.

Ng said all these may not derail the party from securing its seats here, as many voters in Penang simply hate BN, and are willing to overlook DAP’s shortcomings.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/12/03/missing-delegates-at-penang-dap-convention/

Which way will Johor voters go in GE13?

FOCUS The 13th general election offers a window of opportunity for change after 55 years of BN federal rule.
This has been created mainly due to communications technology, which allows information to be uploaded within seconds anywhere, any time, via the Internet.
A second factor is the awakening of the people to the massive looting by those who walk the corridors of power.
The third relates to Anwar Ibrahim, who has been able to forge a working coalition among PAS, DAP and PKR within Pakatan Rakyat.
In the northern states during the 12th general election in 2008, DAP flags flew in Malay kampung and PAS flags in Chinese new villages.
For the first time too, Malays voted for DAP and Chinese for PAS, leading to the Umno-led BN losing five states. But the political tsunami did not reach Johor.
Let us look at the scorecard for Johor to see where the votes went and why this is deemed a BN ‘fixed deposit state’; why PKR has considered Johor a frontline state since early 2010; and why Anwar has been a frequent visitor.
The column ‘PAS/DAP’ and ‘DAP/PAS’ in the table below indicates the percentage of votes obtained by PAS against DAP and vice-versa in the five parliamentary seats contested in 2008.

The first four parliamentary seats were contested by a Chinese in the DAP seats and by a Malay in the PAS seats.
A similar trend was seen in all four constituencies – a large number of Chinese who voted for a DAP candidate did not vote for a PAS candidate; and a large number of Malays who voted for PAS did not vote for DAP.
So, despite the fact that DAP contested predominantly Chinese seats, it could not win more than five seats due to a large number of Malays who voted for PAS and not DAP.
This was equally true for PAS – a large number of Chinese who voted for DAP did not vote for the Islamic party. This reveals why the political tsunami failed to reach Johor.
The fifth parliamentary seat was contested by a Malay candidate from DAP. A large number of voters who voted for a Malay from DAP did not vote for a Malay from PAS.
The question is: has this trend changed in February 2013? If it has, which way has it changed?
Will all the Chinese in Johor who will vote for DAP also vote for PAS? Will all the Malays in Johor who will vote for PAS also vote for DAP? Or they have not changed?
Would it be wise to believe that voters in Johor have changed and hence, just work on one race and then rely on the other party be it PAS or DAP to deliver the votes of the other races?
Or, would it simply be wiser to work on all races with top priority given to swing by Malays voters?
DAP and PKR
How did Johor voters vote in the 12th general election when faced with a Chinese candidate in both a parliamentary and state seat?
Two parliamentary seats were contested by PKR, while the DAP contested a state seat under these. The ‘PKR/DAP’ and ‘DAP/PKR’ columns in the table indicate the percentage of votes obtained by PKR against DAP and vice versa

It is noted that PKR’s Chinese candidate secured slightly more votes from all races in Tangkak and slightly fewer votes in Paloh, compared to DAP’s Chinese candidates.
Overall, if Chinese sentiments in the 12th general election is still applicable today, there is no basis to the DAP’s claim that it can secure higher (at least 5 percent or more) Chinese votes than a PKR Chinese candidate.
In general, more Chinese dumped BN, but not as many as in the northern states.
PAS and PKR
How did Johor voters vote in the 12th general election when faced with a Malay candidate in both a parliamentary and a state seat?
PKR contested three parliamentary seats, while Pas contested a state seat under these. The ‘PKR/PAS’ and ‘PAS/PKR’ columns in the table indicate the percentage of votes obtained by PKR against PAS and vice versa.







































In general, the Chinese prefer a Malay candidate from PKR. However, there were mixed results (as in Batu Pahat and Tanjung Piai) when it came to a situation of Malays voting for Malay candidates from PKR, PAS or DAP.
If the sentiment and behaviour of voters in the 12th general election continues, then DAP will not be able to help PAS secure more Chinese votes, while PAS cannot help DAP to get more Malay votes in Johor.
PAS will therefore have to work harder in the Chinese-majority areas and DAP will have to work harder in the Malay-dominated areas in Johor.
If the Johor Chinese prefer a Malay candidate from PKR, it is difficult to predict how Malays in Johor will choose. Hence, the political choice of Johor Malays will be critical to both BN and Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general election.
These facts have stimulated PKR to take Anwar frequently into the Malay heartland since the middle of 2010. Johor PKR chief and PKR vice-president Chua Jui Meng was appointed to assist him to make inroads.
Although the police did not give Anwar a chance to speak in the initial period in Bukit Batu, Kulai and Rengit, Batu Pahat, his persistence bore fruit later.
Ceramahs featuring him began to draw larger and larger crowds after PKR threatened to take legal action against the local authorities and the police for abuse of power.
In this way, Chua and Anwar have chiselled away at BN’s fortress in Johor.
PKR wishes to seal the support of the Malays in Johor before the 13th general election by taking Anwar to Rengit. Are Malays in Johor ready for him?

---

STEVEN CHOONG SHIAU YOON is the Johor PKR election director.
Short URL: http://www.freemalaysiakini2.com/?p=67902
http://www.freemalaysiakini2.com/?p=67902

Excerpt from one of the readers of Bersih 3.0

I was there, and proudly so in spite of all the lies that the MSM is spewing out to the public. So far the government's argument is that the Bersih 3.0 people breached the barrier and thus the PDRM responded with tear gas and water canon (and a whole lot of beating). 

The 1st question to be asked is: Which barrier was breached? Seems like it was the outer perimeter barrier which is not included in the court order. The PDRM had 'illegally' blocked the roads outside the perimeter of Dataran Merdeka not covered by the court order. And one of this "illegal" barriers was breached. If this is true then did the people break the court order. 

The 2nd question: Since only ONE barrier was broken through, why did the police fire tear gas and water canons on all fronts, including the rest of the fronts where the "duduk-bantah" were really peaceful and law abiding? Was firing on all fronts part of a preconceived plan?

The 3rd question: Why did the police suddenly desert that front which the crowds broke through, before the crowds did what they did? Was that action on purpose? Earlier in Brickfields, they had given us the impression that they will allow us through their cordon without retaliation. They had blocked the entire road leading from Brickfields to Central Market. But when we march on and faced off with them, they just opened up the cordon and allowed us through peacefully. We thanked them, and there was happiness that this time the PDRM is different, that they will not hurt their own people; people they are supposed to protect. So when they withdrew from the cordon near Dataran Merdeka were they were purposely "inviting" the crowds (having given that impression earlier) in to give them an excuse to attack?

The 4th question: If there was a breach of one front by some people, wouldn't the police be competent enough to just arrest the few who had broken through, and if necessary to fire tear gas there only? Then they can restore the barrier there. It seems all so deliberate that the PDRM was planning to lure the crowd into making this mistake and to give them an excuse.

The 5th questions: If they were not intending to use excessive violence, why were the police name tags all removed? What is there to hide? Why did they trap the crowd instead of dispersing them? Why did they stop the LRT which the people can use to disperse? Why did they block all the dispersal routes that the crowd will use to disperse? Why did they fire into the crowd and from both sides? Was it to create a stampede so that easily hundreds could have been killed by their own fellow Bersih supporters in the ensuring panic, and then blame the deaths on Bersih? (It was so easy under the circumstances for this to have occurred if not for the relative calm, discipline and tolerance of the crowd: a great credit to them). If they had acted professionally, why confiscate the cameras, and beat up the journalists recording the event?

The 6th question: Why did the authorities jam all the phones within the vicinity knowing that the crowd needed to communicate through this. When Ambiga and Anwar declared the end to the rally at 2.30pm (which I read about the day after the rally), most people did not know about it because the communications were down. Was it a deliberate act to keep the crowd unaware and disorganized? Only at 5.00pm on that day did I see the sms declaring the rally over (but I had decided that it was over by 4.00pm in keeping with the original Bersih plan). So many people were just waiting till the earlier declared time of 4.00pm to disperse since we did not get any other instructions. It was just another 1 hour or less, and the crowd would have happily dispersed at 4.00pm even without instructions.

I will not even talk about Agent Saboteurs that were possibly planted. Look at some of the video clips of the Bersih people being beaten by the police. Amongst those beating the helpless, unarmed, unresisting, non-retaliating arrested Bersih supporters were police in uniform and those in plain clothes (who had earlier mingled with the crowd, probably to instigate them).

The most important thing now is that we should not be distracted by this governments evil intention of using the "small", instigated breach of the cordon as justification for using excessive and disproportionate violence on innocent rakyat who had just come out that day to demand for Free and Fair Elections (and for some, to Stop the Lynas project). And all that finger pointing as to who is at fault for the violence (which by now is obvious to people who still have some objectivity left) is the governments devious plan to distract us from the central issue of a clean and fair elections.

Let us forgive the PDRM rank and file who acted the way they did. They were starved because most of them have not eaten since breakfast (a hungry man is an angry man), tired, and were told that one of their compatriots have been killed by the "rioters" (actually a policeman dies of heart attack away from the scene of the rally, and someone up there used this to create anger amongst the police rank and file), and they were under orders from the upper echelons of power (who were not at the front doing the dirty job of injuring our own people.)

Let us focus on the issue: That over 100,000 people stood up courageously on 428 (indeed something alien to our culture, but the question that begs to be answered is why so many ordinary people are doing something to alien to themselves?) to tell the government that they are tired of the cheating and corruption during elections. They are telling the government clearly and bravely that they DEMAND their right to have a Free and Fair Election. Is this so unreasonable?

If the government is sincere and has nothing to hide about conducting a free and fair election, why did they not even allow a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) for the Sabah renown illegal voters, let alone a RCI on the EC and its process. What is there to hide? And why should we allow ourselves to be cheated of our democratic right for a free and fair election?

I am a member of the FAILED GENERATION: a generation of people who have failed the younger generation of this beloved nation by ALLOWING (by our indifference and apathy) the situation to come to this. This happened over the years, and we were aware of what the government was doing to destroy a system of Free and fair elections. But we chose to be silent (grumbling and complaining amongst ourselves, and nothing beyond that). The young people are standing up to take back their rights that we have allowed ourselves to be forfeited. They are the ones who will inherit this nation from us. What are we leaving them, and for their children, and grand children? Can we continue to stand idly by and allow them to work towards regaining that fundamental right? We have failed them in the past, let us not fail them again now when there is a chance that we can make this right for Malaysia.

Bersih 4.0 will come, even though none of us hope for it, if this government proceed to dissolve Parliament and call for the 13th GE without meaningful electoral reforms, the most important of which is to clean up the electoral rolls. Open the rolls to an independent audit group. Then there are the issues of the postal voters, and the poll booth observers. This can be done before the next GE if this government is sincere about winning fairly. But is it their intention to have a Free and Fair election? I think Bersih 4.0 is inevitable, and nothing can stop it, if this government continues to avoid the issue and continues this blame game. The people are not easily hoodwinked and deceived anymore. They are not afraid anymore to stand up for their rights. This is a new culture pervading the society.

Those who have missed out the earlier Bersih rallies, I want you to think about this: Why are most of the people who have come for the Bersih Rally so keen to come back again if there is need for another? I don't need to explain, because I can't even begin. Its a strange feeling,of patriotism, a sense of unity and national pride, a revelation of what racial and religious harmony is all about and intrinsic sense of purpose that make these people want to come back to stand up for a noble cause.

If this government does not do what it must, Bersih WILL grow from strength to strength. This is not a prophecy, it is an inevitable and irreversible fact. Bersih will simply die a natural death if this government undertake meaningful reforms for a free and fair election. The ball is at the BN government's feet. Take heed my dear government but we are ready to stand up again, but please let Bersih die a natural death.....

Muslims Can No Longer Eat In Indian Restaurants

Muslims Can No Longer Eat In Indian Restaurants

1) How very sad! Are the JAWI officers being overzealous or is this another change in policy?

2) Will this also apply to the Hindu barber shops including the one in Lake Club where our previous PM’s, Dr.M & Pah Lah used to frequent? The Hindu Indians, who run the banana leave shops/barber shops, etc, are not going to be happy about it. Will our PM have the courage to step in, in line with our 1Malaysia?


http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/06/27/tolerance-my-ass/#more-353


Couldnt help feeling this angry today. I know at my age, I am supposed to be mellowing out, looking forward to a nice chilled day and now what? I find myself with the same amount of righteous anger as I had when I was 16 - going through puberty and finding the world most unfair that my mum wouldnt allow me to have my first pair of cargo pants!


I was sitting in the banana leaf shop this morning having a roti and a coffee when a group of JAWI officers entered the premises. 10 officers to be exact, into this little shop. They spent a good 20 minutes going through the place (and it is a small place!) and finally one officer writes out a writ and gives it to the cashier. They then left.

Curious, I asked the cashier what that was all about and he replied that they were not allowed to have their little altars and pictures of their deities in their shop "because otherwise, Muslims cannot come into their shops" . What utter nonsense!

Are we still living in the Malaysia that is so "famed" for its "religious tolerance"? The shop is not a mamak shop. It is an Indian Banana leaf shop. Why would it be surprising that they should have signs of their religious beliefs in their own space? I didnt think that sort of thing was illegal (please correct me if I am wrong). What is wrong with this picture? Will it come down to the point when my Muslim friends should not visit my home just because I have a cross or a chinese altar there? PLEASE!



Better yet, I discovered as I was leaving , that the JAWI personnel had targetted the other 3 banana leaf shops along that row of old shops (near the vets office - off Jalan Maarof). There were at least 4 nos of vans for the officers , ALL double parked on the main road and causing an inconvenience to the other road users. Is there a separate set of laws that govern these people? Notwithstanding the fact that they are trampling all over the definition of religious tolerance in this country , they also flaunt the general laws of the land. This makes me really angry and sad about the state of our country.



I now find it difficult to speak up for Malaysia when there are arguments comparing Malaysia to other countries. It is sad that we can have the once world tallest building and still think like we came out of the jungle yesterday.

Guan Eng denies DAP gave information to WikiLeaks

Guan Eng denies DAP gave information to WikiLeaks


KEPALA BATAS: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said claims that the party had leaked information on PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case to Singapore as exposed in the WikiLeaks, was a baseless accusation.

Lim said the accusations levelled at DAP were just an effort to discredit the party.

He added that DAP did not have any diplomatic relationship with the Singapore government, let alone the Singapore intelligence.

“So, where did the WikiLeaks information come from? Diplomatic relations? Currently DAP has no powers to establish any kind of diplomatic relationship. So, what kind of relationship do we have with the Singapore intelligence?” he told reporters at the Pakatan Rakyat Convention here on Sunday.

On Saturday, former head of Selangor PKR Youth Hamidzun Khairuddin wanted DAP to clarify how Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew knew of Anwar’s alleged sodomy activities that were exposed in the WikiLeaks website recently.

Hamidzun was reported to have said that it was no secret that DAP had a close political relationship with the Singapore government, especially with Lee.

He added that details and confidential information of Anwar’s sodomy case was with DAP chairman Karpal Singh since he was representing Anwar in the sodomy case.-Bernama

Chinese daily lists Anwar's 'seven costly mistakes'

Chinese daily lists Anwar's 'seven costly mistakes'

2010/11/12

KUALA LUMPUR: Amid swirling speculation over the leadership of Pakatan Rakyat, a detailed analysis in a prominent Chinese newspaper on Thursday outlined "seven costly mistakes made by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim".

The article concluded that Anwar was "not truly qualified" to lead the political grouping.

In an assessment on Anwar's performance over the past two years, the article said Anwar did not produce a counter-strategy to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's reform blueprint.


This ranges from the 1Malaysia concept, the Key Performance Indicators, National Key Result Areas, Government Transformation Plan and Economic Transformation Programme.

"He (Anwar) has not responded at all so far, but just let swing voters be gradually lured by BN," the article said.

Secondly, the article contended that Anwar had allowed Pakatan's morale to sink.

"Although Pakatan won eight of the 13 by-elections, it has been defeated in the recent ones, except in Sibu because of Chinese votes.

"Pakatan has been facing both internal and external problems and its members have lost their high morale of the 2008 general election. Anwar has not come out with new strategies to boost morale."

The article further argued that Anwar had apparently taken the people's support for the opposition in the march 2008 general election for granted and did not fulfil his election commitments.


"Fourthly, Pakatan is still a loose organisation and there is no effort to consolidate and strengthen the coalition.

"Compared with the BN, Pakatan lacks an effective structure and organisation and its discipline is in a mess.

"Pakatan is also facing contradictions and conflicts in terms of political ideology and has failed to introduce new policies."

"Fifthly, there is no political resource integration. Anwar should apply his administrative experience as the deputy prime minister in integrating the resources of the four Pakatan state governments and introducing a plan to stimulate economy in the four states.

"Sixth, Anwar seems helpless to quell the PKR infighting. Internal problems of PKR had been started since the 2008 general election, including choosing inappropriate election candidates and resolving problems by creating by-election through resignations.

"The people will not be cheated again and again.

"The withdrawal of Perak state assembly members from the party has caused the collapse of the Pakatan government in Perak.

"A few MPs and state assembly members have also quit the party after that. Anwar claimed it as a plot by Umno, but he has never seriously put any effort in resolving the factional, personnel and power struggle problems in the party.

"Finally, Anwar lacks the ability to lead and judge: A leader should be responsible, fair and unbiased. Anwar's stand in the party election is ambiguous.

"For the direct election mechanism, even outsiders have expected problems, but why did experienced leaders like Anwar fail to anticipate them?"

One Member One Vote - Parti Keadilan Rakyat Divisional Elections

One Member One Vote - Parti Keadilan Rakyat Divisional Elections

PRESS RELEASE:
23rd Sept 2010

For the first time in Malaysian history, "one member one vote" party elections will give the more than 400,000 Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) party members a right to vote directly for their leaders.

PKR members will vote twice. The first time is in elections at the division level which will take place in conjunction with the divisional annual general meetings. And the second time in elections at the national level

This democratization of the party election process and broadening of participation at the grassroots level were made possible by amendments to the party constitution in 2009.

In the ongoing elections at the divisions level, an unprecedented 8,570 candidates are vying for positions at the division, women and youth wings. Of the 204 divisions eligible to conduct the annual general meeting (Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan Cabang) contests are taking place in 145 divisions.

Over the past weekend, divisional annual general meetings were held in 84 divisions with contests taking place in 67 divisions. Among the divisions' that witnessed a very high voter turnout were Tuaran in Sabah and Tangga Batu in Malacca. This coming weekend a further 83 divisions will conduct their annual general meetings with contests set to take place in 60 divisions.

The task of supervising the conduct of elections at the division and national levels has been entrusted to the Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP). JPP's duties include monitoring the elections, ensuring free and fair elections, receiving and acting on complaints and objections.

To date, the JPP has received a total of 135 complaints and objections; 86 were related to candidacy, 17 relating to the electoral process and 32 relating to discipline. As an executive and monitoring body, JPP ensures that each and every complaint/objection will be considered in an impartial and serious manner.

The JPP is happy to note that over the first weekend, by and large the Keadilan Secretariat and volunteers conducted themselves professionally and voting, for the large part, took place in a smooth and orderly fashion.

The division level elections, which are currently happening, are taking place over 8 days between 17 September and 2 October 2010. The national level elections will take place over 8 days prior to the party's annual general congress on 26 and 27 November.

Dr Molly Cheah
Chairperson
Jawatan Pemilihan Pusat (JPP)
http://www.keadilanrakyat.org/en/pusat-media/kenyataan-media

Anwar Ibrahim's Son's Wedding

Anwar Ibrahim's Son's Wedding

A Letter from a Chinese Malaysian Resident In USA

Subject: A Letter from a Chinese Malaysian Resident In USA
.... and our "MALAYSIAN" Government wants to woo MALAYSIANS back from overseas.......

Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak
Prime Minister of Malaysia,
admin@portal.gov.my

Dear Prime Minister,
We refer to the letter below from a Chinese Malaysian for your information.
Would you like to comment, please?
We look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Yours respectfully,
Eddie Hwang
President
Unity Party WA
UnityPartyWA@westnet.com.au
www.unitywa.org

Ph/Fax: 61 893681884
Date: 02-Dec-2009.

A WELL WRITTEN LETTER !!!

A Malaysian diaspora speaks up....

I am a female Chinese Malaysian, living in the Washington DC area in the United States . I have read many of the letters that often talk about foreign countries when the writers have no real knowledge of actually living in those countries.
Many draw conclusions about what those countries are like after hearing it from someone else or by reading and hearing about them in the media or after four years in a college town in those countries.

I finished STPM with outstanding results from the prestigious St George's Girls School in Penang . Did I get a university place from the Malaysian government? Nothing.. With near perfect scores, I had nothing, while my Malay friends were getting offers to go overseas.

Even those with 2As got into university. I was so depressed. I was my parent's last hope for getting the family out of poverty and at 18, I thought I had failed my parents.

Today, I understand it was the Malaysian Government that had failed me and my family because of its discriminatory policies.

Fortunately, I did not give up and immediately did research at the Malaysian American Commission on Education Exchange (MACEE) to find a university in the US that would accept me and provide all the finances. My family and friends thought I was crazy, being the youngest of nine children of a very poor carpenter. Anything that required a fee was out of our reach.

Based on merit and my extracurricular activities of community service in secondary school, I received full tuition scholarship, work study, and grants to cover the four years at a highly competitive US university.

Often, I took 21 credits each semester, 15 credits each term while working 20 hours each week and maintaining a 3.5 CGPA. A couple of semesters, I also received division scholarships and worked as a TA (teaching assistant) on top of everything else.

For the work study, I worked as a custodian (yes, cleaning toilets), carpet layer, computer lab assistant, grounds keeping, librarian, painter, tour guide, etc. If you understand the US credit system, you will understand this is a heavy load.

Why did I do it? This is because I learnt as a young child from my parents that hard work is an opportunity, to give my best in everything, and to take pride in the work I do. I walked away with a double major and a minor with honours but most of all a great lesson in humility and a great respect for those who are forced to labour in so-called `blue collar' positions.

Those of you who think you know all about Australia , US, or the West, think again. Unless you have really lived in these countries, i.e. paid a mortgage, paid taxes, taken part in elections, you do not understand the level of commitment and hard work it takes to be successful in these countries, not just for immigrants but for people who have lived here for generations.

These people are where they are today because of hard work. (Of course, I am not saying everyone in the US is hardworking... There is always the lazy lot which lives off of someone else's hard work. Fortunately, they are the
minority..)

Every single person, anywhere, should have the opportunity to succeed if they want to put in the effort and be accountable for their own actions. In the end, they should be able to reap what they sow.

It is bearable that opportunities are limited depending on how well-off financially one's family is but when higher education opportunities are race-based, like it is in Malaysia ; it is downright cruel for those who see education as the only way out of poverty.

If you want to say discrimination is here in the US , yes, of course it is. Can you name a country where it doesn't happen? But let me tell you one thing - if you go looking for it, you will find it.
But in Malaysia , you don't have to go look for it because it seeks you out, slaps you in your face every which way you turn, and is sanctioned by law!

Here in the US , my children have the same opportunity to go to school and learn just like their black, white, and immigrant friends. At school, they eat the same food, play the same games, are taught the same classes and when they are 18, they will still have the same opportunities. would I want to bring my children back to Malaysia ?
So they can suffer the state-sanctioned discrimination as the non-malays have for over 50 years?

The injustice the non-Malay have to suffer in frightening silence is the most damaging problem one has to face throughout one's life. You just have to look at the mighty govt structures which completely favours only one race, the Umno Malay.
The Chinese and Indians are treated no better than the illegal Indonesians.
Racism and corruption are openly practised by the Malay politicians everywhere, Courts, schools/Uni, police, govt offices, contracts, GLC, NEP, ISA, local govt.
It's so powerful and intimidating that you walk with fear and keep your mouth shut on anything and everything political.
Religion is taboo unless you talk good about Islam.
As for being a slave in the foreign country, I am a happy 'slave' earning a good income as an IT project manager.

I work five days a week; can talk bad about the president when I want to; argue about politics, race and religion openly; gather with more than 50 friends and family when I want (no permit needed) and I don't worry about the police pulling me over because they say I ran the light when I didn't.

Have we seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet (Anwar Ibrahim)?
Or is it the head light of an oncoming Umno train ?
Lets hope its the former for the sake of all fair minded Malaysians.

The dream of a Malaysian 'race' in the future is nowhere in sight with the present BN govt.
Where is Negara-Ku???

Source: FUN email

Parlimen Agama Sedunia Dan Syarahan Herbert Feith

Parlimen Agama Sedunia Dan Syarahan Herbert Feith
5 Dec 2009

Ketibaan saya di Melbourne, dinanti rakan lama, Dr Abdul Rahim Ghouse. Tanpa berlengah kami terus menuju ke Pusat Konvensyen Melbourne bagi menghadiri Parlimen Agama Sedunia, sebuah forum yang menghimpunkan puluhan tokoh-tokoh tersohor, untuk mengungkapkan kepentingan hidup bersama, menjamin kerukunan merentasi kepercayaan dan memastikan agenda kedamaian tercapai.

Pihak penganjur mengundang saya untuk membicarakan perihal Tauhid, Pemerintahan dan Masyarakat. Saya tekankan tradisi pemikiran Ibnu Ashur dan As Shatibi, yang menyumbang kepada pemahaman maqasid al shariah. Apatah lagi ketika dunia dirundung krisis kewangan yang bersangkutan dengan peranan etika dan nilai. Kemudiannya saya menunaikan solat Jumaat yang diimamkan Sheikh Isa.

Sekitar jam 6, memenuhi pula undangan menyampaikan Syarahan Sempena Memperingati Herbert Feith di Pusat Persidangan Kotaraya Melbourne. Saya menyampaikan syarahan yang bertemakan Asia Selepas Krisis, Pemulihan dan Perubahan. Syarahan ini merupakan usahasama Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Universiti Melbourne dan Universiti Monash.

Herb Feith merupakan ahli sains politik terkenal, berasal dari Vienna, yang menulis buku berjudul The Decline Of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia. Buku tersebut merupakan rujukan klasik yang hampir setanding dengan karya B.Shrieke dan William Roff.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Bangun! The court's in session

The following article is a work of fiction and any resemblance to people still living, already dead, or about to die is purely coincidental.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin

Bangun!
All rise.
The judge walks in and takes his seat.
Duduk!
All sit down again.
Case number 1651/09, the Shah Alam High Court, Public Prosecutor versus Mohd Azmir Mohd Zin, Ahmad Suhairi Zakaria, Mohd Hilmi Ni, Eyzra Ezhar Ramlz, Ibrahim Sabri and Ahmad Mahayuddhn Abd Manaf.
Will all the accused please come forward and enter the dock.
The six enter the dock.
Okay.
What is the charge?
lease read out the charges to all the accused.
Yes, your honour.
You, Mohd Azmir Mohd Zin, Ahmad Suhairi Zakaria, Mohd Hilmi Ni, Eyzra Ezhar Ramlz, Ibrahim Sabri and Ahmad Mahayuddhn Abd Manaf, are accused of dragging a cow’s head after Friday prayers on…….
Hold on.
What are they being charged for?
Sedition, your honour.
Sedition?
How come I don’t get to hear sodomy cases?
I want to hear a sodomy case.
Is there any sodomy involved here?
No, your honour.
Only sedition.
How did they commit sedition?
They dragged a cow’s head to the Selangor State Secretariat building.
How can they commit sedition against a cow?
Dragging a cow is not seditious.
It was not a cow, your honour.
It was a cow’s head.
Of course you have to drag a cow by the head.
I know that.
You can’t drag a cow by the tail.
It was not a live cow, your honour. It was a dead cow.
These six accused dragged a dead cow?
Not a dead cow, your honour. Just a cow’s head.
They cut off the head and just dragged the head.
They needed six people just to drag one cow’s head? No, your honour. Only two dragged the cow’s head.
In fact, they carried it by the horns.
Not actually dragged it along the ground.
Then how come six are being charged if only two dragged the cow’s head?
Did they take turns to drag the cow’s head?
No, your honour.
Two dragged the cow’s head.
The other four stepped on the cow’s head and spit on it.
So this is sedition against the cow?
Not sedition against the cow, your honour.
They committed sedition because their act was an insult to Hindus.
Was the cow owned by a Hindu man?
No, your honour.
We have not yet established who owned the cow.
Did the owner of the cow make a police report?
No, your honour.
But many Hindus did make police reports.
But none of these Hindus owned the cow?
No, your honour.
Then why are they so upset?
Because they feel insulted. Aiyah!
This case is getting very complicated even before the trial can start.
Can’t we just charge them for sodomy instead?
I want to hear a sodomy case.
Judges become famous when they hear sodomy cases, not cases involving cow’s heads.
We can’t, your honour.
There is no sodomy involved here.
I’m sure if the police investigate properly they will find someone who has been sodomised.
Well, your honour, I think Umno has been sodomised.
There you are.
So there is sodomy involved.
Can we amend the charges to sodomy against Umno instead?
But your honour, Umno was not literally sodomised.
It’s more like figure of speech sodomised.
Umno was sodomised politically.
Anwar Ibrahim did not literally sodomise anyone either.
He sort of politically sodomised Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
But that did not stop the government from charging him and finding him guilty of sodomy.
Why can’t these six be charged for sodomy, for politically sodomising Umno?
I want to hear a sodomy case.
For this particular case we can’t, your honour.
But maybe we can give you another sodomy case to hear.
Tiong King Sing just sodomised Ong Tee Keat by revealing the details of the RM10 million cash donation.
It is now public knowledge and there is even a Statutory Declaration floating around.
Fantastic. Make sure that that case comes to my court.
Where did the crime occur?
In Petaling Jaya, your honour.
Ah, then that comes under my court’s jurisdiction.
Okay, let us proceed with this sedition case then.
Are there any witnesses involved?
How many witnesses are going to be called and how many days will we need for this case? Initially, there were some videos of the crime.
Are the videos going to be entered as evidence?
Then the accused might as well just plead guilty and save the court’s time.
If there are videos then they have no defence.
The videos were available, your honour.
But now the MCMC has asked Malaysiakini to remove the videos under threat.
So the videos are no longer available.
So the evidence no longer exists?
No, your honour.
If there is no longer any evidence why waste the court’s time with a trial?
Just drop the charges.
We can’t, your honour. We have to make the Hindus happy by at least pretending that we are putting the six on trial and then later either drop the charges or find them not guilty due to lack of video evidence.
Why later?
Why not now?
We can’t, your honour.
There is a by-election coming up soon in Port Dickson and there are about 20% Hindu voters there.
This will make the Hindu voters very unhappy.
We can only drop the charges after Umno wins the by-election.
If not Umno is going to be sodomised good and proper.
Ah, if Umno loses the by-election can’t we then change the charge to sodomy since Umno was sodomised in the by-election?
Umno can’t lose the by-election, your honour.
Why not?
Because there are more than 5,000 postal voters in a total of only 14,000 registered voters. I see.
So the opposition is going to be sodomised instead then.
Sort of, your honour.
And these six people being charged are also opposition members?
They are, your honour.
I always said Anwar Ibrahim’s people are troublemakers.
All opposition people are troublemakers.
I have already decided to find them guilty even before the trial starts.
These six are not Anwar Ibrahim’s people, your honour.
You said they are opposition supporters.
They are Umno supporters, your honour.
But you said they are opposition supporters.
Yes, your honour.

Umno is the opposition in Selangor.

“Sometimes you’ll find treasure in the most unlikely place.”

For those who are looking at a perfect racial integration, look no further than the Peranakan Cina of Melaka. The Peranakan practices all the Chinese and Malay customs religiously, including old customs that even the Malay and Chinese no longer practice. They speak Malay, with heavy influence of Chinese language. In addition to all the deities they pray to, all Peranakan Cina accept that fate is determined by their Supreme God, “Tuan Allah” (perhaps due to the influence of Islam) At Jalan Tokong in Melaka, you will find a mosque, an Indian temple and a Chinese temple within the same road that is no longer than 500m. Everyone treated everyone else with respect, and all races could live harmoniously for hundreds of years. Our forefathers have learnt to live harmoniously regardless of the color of their skins. But I am very sad that all this will be destroyed by greed for power and money.


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