Herald can use the word 'Allah'

It is indeed a glorious end to the year 2009 when the High Court declared that the Catholic Church can use the word ‘Allah’ in its Herald publication. We as Christians, should be thankful that our prayers have been answered and that the whole issue has ended amicably. There is no winner or loser in this matter as what is decided is enshrined in our Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of religion and the practice of it. We are thankful that the High Court has upheld the Constitution. However from what we have read of past cases where decisions have been overturned by the Court of Appeal, doubts and fear are being expressed that the same fate will befall this case.

Nevertheless, let us pray that this matter ends here, that the Home Ministry and other interested parties will uphold the spirit of 1 Malaysia. As for concerns related to National security in the use of ‘Allah’, I think it is stretching the imagination a little too far. After all I am sure the faith of the Muslims is strong enough as not be confused or deterred by just a word.

Shameful Rackus in Penang

The Christmas eve rackus in Penang has brought shame to the nice people of Penang. The acts as shown in these 2 pictures should be strongly condemned by the peace loving people of Penang. Obviously these acts of hooliganism are by people who do not love this lovely Pearl of the Orient. Rela members were kicked and hit with helmets and passing cars were damaged. The police have rightly taken steps to publish their pictures in the newspapers and to charge them. It is amazing how on one hand they clamour for freedom to assemble while on the other, they abuse this freedom by going on a rampage whereby life was threatened and property destroyed.  As a matter of fact, did these rowdies know what they are celebrating? It is not even a New Year's eve celebration. It is a religious event, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. But the violence that was exhibited totally contradicts this spirit of peace and joy. And because of their action, the police are now deploying a large number of police personels and Rela members to ensure that the coming New Year's Eve celebration goes on without similar violent incidents. And people are asking  the police to go to look for crime at other places.

Is the Police Paranoid or What?

First they are going to haul up the CM of Penang, Lim Guan Eng for making a statement to the effect that Teoh Beng Hock was murdered. Now they are going to call in Seri Kembangan state assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah accusing him of intimidating the police by directing them to cease the investigation of Guan Eng. Is the police paranoid or what? Or is it just Khalid alone who is paranoid? I really cannot imagine the police being intimidated and submitting to anyone, except umnos. So we have come to the stage where we can’t even criticize the police. Enough of saying we are becoming a police state for we are already a police state.


If Guan Eng is to be hauled up for calling Beng Hock’s case, murder, then Khaid should also call up the Thai pathologist, Dr. Porntip for saying that the case was homicide. While at it, he should also call up the AG for labeling the Kugan’s case as murder as it was now established that the murder charge could not be preferred.

We are seeing a definite pattern now. Create as much distraction as possible from the more serious issues of the 2 jet engines that went AWOL, the siphoning of money out of the country by the umno people who have lost faith in their own party and country, the corrupted macc, judiciary and even the police. The signs are evident that the BN will not retain their power and those cunning ones are making hay while the sun still shines.

RM100,000 per Letter

According to Malaysia Insider the above sign cost the Ipoh City Council RM400,000 and there are 2 of these signs.  Pakatan Rakyat revealed that the proposal was first made by the palace for 4 such signages. When PR took over Perak, it rejected it. But when BN usurped the state, RM800,000 of the rakyat's money changed hands. This works at RM100,000 per letter. Imagine how much it would have cost  if "Kuala Trengganu" decides to put one up. The Ipoh Mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim said that the reason why the signs were so expensive was because each letter had to be lifted up to be erected on its lofty perch up on two separate hills with a skylift crane. Can anyone see 2 separate hills? Even then the cost of RM100,00 per letter is simple ridiculous. But here again, it wont be wrong to speculate that the BN government is starting to bleed the Perak coffers dry, knowing full well they cannot win back the state in the next election. So every bn crony is grappng whatever he/she can get before the treasury runs dry. Deja vu Selangor.

Sheeesh! RM400,000 for 4 letters! Imagine the money that had gone into the pockets of those involved in the scheme. Do we need to make a report to the MACC before it gets into action?

Another Jet Engine gone AWOL

New Straits Times and Berita Harian revealed that another jet fighter aircraft engine, also costing RM 50 million had gone missing, five months after the first one was stolen. The Defence Minister, Zahid, said that those involved in the missing engines have been identified and gave the assurance that action would be taken against the “traitors”. After the first disappearance, we were told that a top military officer and his 40 thieves had been sacked. But the top officer is still enjoying his pension . How the government dealt with the perpetrators is really mind boggling. Being a national security matter, these people should be charged as traitors and sent to Kamunting straight away. The punishment is far from fitting the crime. In China, they would have been shot.

Najib has also promised that there will be no cover-up. The fact that this theft was kept from the public until now is already a cover up. As the Defence minister when the engines went missing, Najib should have revealed the fact to the public then.
Our present Defence minister, Zahid has also displayed his ignorance when he commented that no high ranking officer was involved in the theft. Isn’t a Brigadier-General who was sacked for his involvement a high ranking officer? Or is he taking a preemptive step to follow in the notorious umno tradition that only low ranking officers or ikan bilis are caught and punished?
From the statements by our ministers and leaders, it is obvious that we are in the game of passing the buck again. The military has reported to the police, the police is waiting for the AG for instructions as to the next course of action, the PM is waiting for the relevant authorities to wrap up their investigations, and also leaving it to the Air force and Armed force on the kind of action to take against the Brigadier-general. Can someone help to ‘decipher’ the above procedure?

So Christmas is here again!

So Christmas is here again. And as usual, there shall be the common call in churches not to lose focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The commercial aspect is celebrated by everyone, whether Christians or not. Partying and giving of gifts are the main focus for these people. But we as Christians, apart from giving gifts, we need to remember why we celebrate Christmas. Apart from making resolutions and promises in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, what have we done? Have we done our part to contribute to a better world? Celine Dion in her song "So this is Christmas" tells us what Christmas is all about. "For black and for white, for yellow and red ones, let's stop the fight".

So this is Christmas

And what have you done?

Another year over

A new one just begun.

And so this is Christmas

I hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year

Let’s hope it’s a good one

Without any fear.

And so this is Christmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The war is so wrong

And so Happy Christmas

For black and for white

For yellow and red ones

Let’s stop all the fight

A very Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year

Let’s hope it’s a good one

Without any fear.

And so this is Christmas

And what have we done?

Another year over

A new one just begun

And so Happy Christmas

We hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year

Let’s hope it’s a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Christmas

And what have we done?

Another year over

A new one just begun.

         WISHING EVERYONE A MEANINGFUL AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS

Empty Sloganering

The 1 Malaysia slogan has been so widely used on everything that it has become meaningless. Slogans such 1 Malaysia Dance Festival, 1 Malaysia Song Contest, 1 Malaysia F1, 1 Malaysia  clinic,  etc. ring hollow because all you need is one racist statement from Utusan Melayu and other umno bigots, and all the good that the slogan is supposed to generate, evaporates into thin air. Statements like "the Chinese stepped on Malay photographs" and "it would not be impossible for another ‘May 13’ to be triggered." are contrary to what 1 Malaysia advocates. Instead of rebuking  the Utusan Melayu reporter who wrote such racial slurs, the PM had instead praised the paper for being the voice of the people. And the irony is that the 1 Malaysia slogan is supposed to be Najib’s brain child, but he doesn't seem to be doing much to promote his concept.
How can we ever hope to live together in peace when every simple act, even though it is trivial, is interpreted and highlighted by the Umno goons as insulting the positions of the Umno Malays. Notice I say Umno Malays, because the real Malaysian Malays are more intelligent than the umno malays and understand what it takes to live in peace together.

Nazri - you are on the right path

Nazri’s recent action and statements have shown that he is a man of principle after all. He has ticked of the old senile Mahathir for being the mother of racist, he has admitted that the BTN course needs to be revamped, he has also rebuked the errant taxi drivers for exploiting the tourists. As he has said, he is indeed his own man. This is the kind of leader that we want even if he is an umno man, to speak up against injustice and against religious bigots. We do not ask you to take sides but just be fair and implement your policy fairly. Articles and reports have been written about how investors are by-passing our country and how we are losing the brains of our nation. And yet these racist bigots, the police, the MACC and the judiciary are trwisting the laws to fit their agendas and thereby putting the fear of discimnination into the minds of investors. One day, there wont be anything left for them to exploit. The oil would be gone, the investors would have left and the non-malays would also have gone. There are signs that we are going backwards and countries like Indonesia and Thailand are moving ahead, but what do people like Mahathir and Zaini care. As long as they are the Jagur kampong, the world can move on.
Some have expressed that Nazri's outburst is just a flash in the pan, but what if it is ? At least it is a beginning, and if one umno man can see the light and speak up, maybe others would find the courage to do likewise. Remember, it was Zaid Ibrahim who started it off. But be as it may, we do have a long long way to go, especially with the likes of Mahathir and Zaini Hassan of Utusan Malaysia around.

Wagging the Dog

Racist remarks against one another is taking on greater proportions nowadays. Nazri has taken on Mahathir, and without their realising it, both are confirming that Umno is a racist party. Hundreds of reports had been made against DAP MP M Kulasegaran for 'making noise' over the special privileges accorded to the Malays. Then MIC and PKR then made reports against Utusan Melayu for calling the Indians, noisy people. Next,the Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa (Perkasa) of Pahang  lodged a police report against Nga Kor Ming, the member of parliament for Taiping, Perak, over his statement questioning government expenditure in the construction of mosques. Most probably, the ding-dong will go on, as there are more to come.
But has anyone thought of the motives behind all these ant-racist remarks and reports?
In the Nazri-Mahathir case, Mahathir is getting what he wants, and that is limelight and power. A man who has weilded 22 years of power can hardly give this up.
As for Zaini Hassan of Utusan Melayu, he must be laughing all the way to a datukship, as his views will keep umno in power and the ignorant Malays chained to umno.
Simply put, the Umnos are simply wagging the dog. Racial riot? Nah, unlikely as the corrupted Umnos have more to lose. But we are forgetting the murder of Kugan and Teoh Beng Hock, the Mongolian girl, the Perak Power grap, etc, etc, aren't we?

1 Malaysia in Practice

This story was published in Hannah Yeoh's blog somtime in Oct. and was repeated in  Citizen's Nades column.
This story is so meaningful and inspiring that I feel compel to reproduce it again so that those who miss it, can truly know the meaning of 1 Malaysia.
The guy sitting in the wheelchair is Chin Kit and the guy next to him is Azizul, who is also suffering a disability of the hand. Chin Kit stays at the Angsana flat in USJ 1, while Azizul stays at Pantai Dalam in Kuala Lumpur. I'll let Chin Kit tell his story:
“Azizul used to be my school mate. We studied in the same school before. Now he is one of my best friends. Whenever I want to go to a public place I will call him and he will surely take a bus to come to my house. Then after that we will take a public taxi to travel wherever we want to go. When we get a taxi, he will help carry me in and out of my heavy wheelchair. When we are in public places, we live like normal people, window shopping, buying things, watching movies, and just hanging-out like normal people. So I'm very appreciative and I thank God to have a friend like Azizul. Hopefully our friendship will last forever".
Truly the picture and the story say it all, true friendship that goes beyond the bounderies of skin colour, religion and disabilities. Isn't this is what we are yearning for? This is what 1 Malaysia is all about. We started on the right footing, in the fifties and sixties, but somewhere along our journey, greed, power and corruption among the ruling coalition crept in and we began to crumple. The saddest part  is that the divisive and racial elements are not perpetuated by ordinary Malaysians, but by the Umno leaders and their bigots. Shame on you that we need 2 simple, ordinary guys to teach you what racial intergration is all about.

Muhyddin, you are the DPM, so behave like one.

The caliber of a minister is reflected in the way he responses to situations confronting them. If he is always chiding his critics or opponents over every trivial issue, he will always remain a third class minister only fit to run a kampong community. To be a minister of international caliber, he must be magnanimous enough to ignore the small stuff and concentrate on bigger issues that affect the country and its people.


There isn’t really much one can say about the ordinary umno ministers except that they are an embarrassment to the nation as some of them can’t even speak proper English. How to take part in international forums?

But Muhyddin, the Deputy Prime Minister, doesn’t seem to know who he is and what his position stands for. He seems to be putting his fingers into all kinds of pies. Whenever the oppositions slip, he is there to pounce on them with all kinds of derogatory remarks, like a child rejoicing over the mishap of his opponents. His defence of the BTN syllabus exposed his ignorance as Nazri has now openly declared that the truth cannot be hidden as Anwar Ibrahim was once in the government and he knows the facts. Then like the pot calling the kettle black, he ticked off Kit Siang for stepping on the photos of 3 Perak ‘frogs’. But he forgot that his umno goons tore the picture of Toh Soo Khoon (pic) and set fire to the photograph of Lim Guan Eng. And don’t tell us that umno was not behind these acts. And I suppose umno was not behind the cow head incidence too, eh? At least Kit Siang did it openly by himself, but the cowardly umno leaders send in their underlings to do the dirty work while they hide behind the veil of innocence. So don’t give us this shit about morality. As a DPM, show us yours first.

BTN - Revamp or Upgrade, the end result is the same

The Cabinet decision to revamp its curriculum is practically an admission that the accusations leveled against the Bureau by past participants have been true. Nazri further admitted that the co-curriculum is against the PM’s 1 Malaysia concept. The Selangor government is therefore justified and exonerated for having made the decision not to send their state sponsored students to the course. What a sham this has been. Even a few umno ministers, without checking their facts, had blindly declared that the course was non-racial and non-discriminatory. I wonder what they have to say now. These Umno ministers, never think first before opening their mouths.

From this event we further see the need of a strong opposition and that the BN must never be given its 2/3 majority in Parliament to prevent them from abusing their powers.

But wait a minute, as I penned the above, news have come in that the govt. had flip-flopped on its decision. According to the BTN chief, Datuk Ahmad Maslan, they are not going to revamp the curriculum but to upgrade it. Whether revamp or upgrade, the action taken will achieve the same result, and that is to remove all the racial and discriminatory contents as those were the main complaints about the course. It is the Kiasu syndrome that is being exposed as those in power just cannot bear to be seen as giving in to the Opposition.