Son Of a Gun!

and ours not to make a judgement....

The story of a man with 39 wives and 100 (give or take a few) children. Not in Malaysia, though.

Read the story here.

Bringing Down Taib Mahmud

From the latest posting by Rocky's Bru "Bolsover Revolution, Against Taib Mahmud : At 9am on Feb 28 (Monday), a group calling themselves Friends of Pakatan Rakyat will be at Bolsover Street, London, to speak up against Sarawak chief minister Taib Mahmud, highlighting his excesses and abuses, his ill-gotten wealth etc.

Here's the email that Rocky received:

"On 26th March 2011, it will be 30 years since the Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud, one of the most corrupt politicians of South-East Asia came to power. On the 28th February concerned Malaysians and friends would like to highlight Taib's personal responsibility for the chopping down of most of Sarawak's rainforests at the expense of the indigenous communities. We would also like to protest against the international community's inaction with regard to Taib's blatant corruption and his placement of assets worth millions of dollars in Western countries.

With the impending election, we aim to:
- discredit the Taib reign internationally as a corrupt kleptocracy that has earned its riches through logging and corruption.
- Pressure the authorities in Malaysia (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission MACC) and western countries (Canada,USA, UK and Australia) to start investigations against the Taib family.
- In England - assets of Ridgeford Properties Ltd, belonging to the Taib family, should be frozen. The serious fraud office (SFO) should determine if the Taib family financed the real estate swindler Archilleas Kallakis."

-----------------------

Selangor menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim has already called on the Sarawak people to bring down Taib in the upcoming state elections.

"Stepping down is the biggest challenge Taib has to face, and I hope that the people will answer this challenge by electing leaders whom they believe have the interests of the people at heart and one who will lead the state to greater heights and prosperity.

"There is no need to be agitated or frightened by Taib's refusal because we do not want to answer him by arguing with him. The answer for the people of Sarawak lies in the ballot boxes," he said in an interview with Radio Free Sarawak yesterday.

The rest of the story HERE.

Salam Maulidul Rasul...

Kepada umat-umat Islam semua, saya ucapkan selamat menyambut Maulud Nabi!

Tomorrow, Muslims the world over celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Peace!
Glorious Peace!

Today, We Celebrate Love...

with a beautiful poem by the late Usman Awang.

KEKASIH

akan kupintal buih-buih
menjadi tali
mengikatmu
akan kuanyam gelombang-gelombang
menjadi hamparan
ranjang tidurmu

akan kutenun awan-gemawan
menjadi selendang
menudungi rambutmu

akan kujahit bayu gunung
menjadi baju
pakaian malammu

akan kupetik bintang timur
menjadi kerongsang
menyinari dadamu

akan kujolok bulan gerhana
menjadi lampu
menyuluhi rindu

akan kurebahkan matari
menjadi laut malammu
menghirup sakar madumu

Kekasih, hitunglah mimpi
yang membunuh realiti
dengan syurga ilusi.

-----------------------------------
here's the English translation

BELOVED

I'll twine the froth of the sea

into a rope

to tie you.

I'll weave the waves

into a carpet

for your bedchamber.

I'll spin the clouds

into a veil

for your hair.

I'll sew the mountain winds

into a nightgown

for you.

I'll pluck the star of the East

a brooch to sparkle

on your breast.

I'll bring down the darkened moon

a lamp to light

my desire.

I'll sink the sun

embrace your seas of night

drink your crystals of honey.

My beloved, how many dreams

murder reality

with illusions of heaven.

The Journey Is Just Beginning For Egypt!

History was unfolding in Egypt before our eyes as Egyptians rose to demand freedom from the regime of Hosni Mubarak.
We are all witness to this uprising, this incredible story.
United in wanting Mubarak to step down as President, the people of Egypt unflaggingly kept the momentum for 18 days.
Anger, desperation, frustration and despair were etched in the faces of the people who converged in Tahrir Square, Cairo.
Finally, that moment to rejoice came yesterday. Historic and awe-inspiring it was for people of Egypt when Mubarak announced that he was stepping down.
They wept for joy. They celebrated like never before.

They have overcome.

I salute you!

May the future be yours to shape. May Egypt be better and be the country you want it to be.

But after the euphoria, what next?

For sure, this is just the beginning of the journey, the transition, for Egypt and her people.
Changes/ reforms will take place, no doubt.

As a journalist puts it:

"The questions that floated just beneath the euphoria included: whether the authoritarian regime was indeed over, how a country of weak political institutions and few opposition leaders would organize a transition, and whether Egypt could both transform itself and remain a stable force in the region."

May it all be good news for the people of Egypt. We all pray for your well-being and glory!

(Anyway, one of the many blogs I follow on the Egypt uprising is THIS.)

Early Valentine's Day Greetings, Y'All...

I suggest that JAKIM and other religious authorities, government agencies work doubly hard to ensure that orphans are not exploited by people who pose as ustaz who care for their welfare.

Just saying... prompted by all these calls of anti-Valentine's Day!

Here's an excerpt:

The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) is launching an anti-Valentine’s Day campaign Friday.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom said the campaign would be launched during a forum, "Awas - Jerat Valentine's Day" (beware of Valentine's Day trap) in Putrajaya Friday night.

Apart from members of the public, Jakim has also invited 1,000 students from higher learning institutes to participate in the discourse.

Jamil said the National Fatwa Council had, in 2005, decreed that Muslims should refrain from celebrating Valentine's Day, as it was not part of Islamic practices.

Today, The Council of Churches responded:

"Valentine’s Day is a secular observance that is not celebrated religiously by churches in Malaysia or worldwide.

The council's general secretary Reverend Dr Herman Shastri said the National Fatwa Council had erred when it referred to Valentine’s Day as a Christian observance and has hurt the feelings of Christians in Malaysia.

“To suggest that Valentine’s Day is observed by Christians is unfair and misleading".

Here's the thing: I'm no ulamak...but I can tell you that you won't go to hell if you celebrate Valentine's Day.

Besides...How is celebrating Valentine's Day sinful?

Can't buy cards? Can't buy flowers?

Duuh!

Does Selangor Really Need Another (police) Force?

The Selangor Government has got to convince me that the state needs its own auxiliary police.

Right now I am not convinced.

According to Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, the state government has already written to the Home Ministry for approval of the plan. It has not got a response yet.

Khalid said the state needs the auxiliary police because of the increasing crime rate in the state.

This, he said had created concern among the people and the state government wanted to seek a concrete solution to counter the problem.

"The people’s safety is the state Government’s priority and there is no reasonable excuse as to why the Federal Government has to reject our service in efforts to protect the people,” Khalid said.

He cited as examples recent incidents where two security guards were hacked to death in Damansara Perdana and an eight-month pregnant woman was allegedly assaulted.

Khalid also said the state’s intention was to assist the police to carry out crime prevention and not to take over their duties.

Certainly, the home ministry would need time to make a decision on such a matter. You can't be hasty in this sort of thing.

I'm a Selangorian. But I'm sure people in other states are just as concerned about rising crime rate.

I am heartened to know that measures have been taken to reduce the crime rate across the country. That's what Pemandu CEO Idris Jala said last month.

Anyway. I don't want an auxiliary police force in the state.

Sure, the setting up of one will help curb crime. But having it presents other problems, I foresee. So, at what cost?

The police should take the cue. Obviously the state government thinks that the police are not doing a good job or that the police really need help. Unless, of course, it has other motive. I'm not going to speculate.

But, I can't believe that the police force needs an auxiliary police force (of the state) to help it out.

If the police force is suffering from manpower shortage, then it has to find ways to overcome the problem.

Back to Idris Jala's report on the crime index.

The crime rate has been brought down. It is not ZERO crime rate, he said.

He said:

“The numbers we have from January to November show that crime has dropped – for every cousin who is robbed there are thousands of others who are not robbed. Zero crime only exists in heaven lah.”

He said the government has been working hard to reduce crime in the last 11 months, starting with the mobilisation of 14,222 police officers to 50 hotspots, mainly in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor. This was followed by the installation of 496 CCTVs and ranking of 753 police stations for their achievements.

These measures, he said, have worked as crime incidents in those hotspots have gone down.

Overall crime index and street crime fell by 16% and 38% between January and November this year as compared to the corresponding period last year.

But this is fast changing with the revelation of the positive police statistics, Idris believes. From January till November 2010, crime has dropped to 157,000 recorded cases from the 180,000 during the corresponding period last year.

So...there you are!

Sorry, John, I'd Have To Disagree With You!

I know that John Malott, former US ambassador to Malaysia is a good friend of Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

So, it stands to reason that he would defend his friend. I understand that.

But, his take on Malaysia published in the Wall Street Journal, "The Price of Malaysia's Racism", is a misrepresentation of facts. Yep. There is such a thing as a misrepresentation of facts. You cite facts, and then you misrepresent them. Like THIS.

Reading his piece, you'd think that Malaysia is a terrible country, torn apart by racial clashes.
We should all be packing up and fleeing to some wonderful civilized country.

I take exception to his portrayal of Malaysia. But well, he is free to say what he likes and the good part is, I don't have to agree.

Do read Rocky's Bru
Jebat Must Die
Shamsul Akmar's
Johan Jaafar's

GONG XI FA CAI!

By tomorrow, everyone would be back in their home towns. Most towns and cities outside the Klang Valley will be crowded and congested, as usual during festivals. Yay! KL and PJ roads will be traffic-free.

Anyway, folks, have a safe journey home and happy holidays.

Have a wonderful Chinese New Year!

May the year of the rabbit bring us all prosperity and lotsa good things!

Oh Mubarak! Oh Mesir!

Egyptians have taken to the streets to protest their president of three decades, Hosni Mubarak.

According to activists on the ground, the numbers are just getting bigger and bigger. And soldiers are joining the protesters.

There is a tangible, strong sense of solidarity.

Embattled and very unpopular Mubarak says that he'll step down -- in September,

They say he is "offering a mixture of concession and defiance". Some say it's a trick.

I'm just really wondering -- what will Egypt be after all this is over? Will it be a better Egypt? More democratic?

Meanwhile, our students in Egypt (mainly in Cairo), numbering some 11,000, are trying to get out of the country. Most are so scared.

The government will be evacuating them. The first evacuation of Malaysian students from Cairo to Saudi Arabia will begin by tomorrow (Thursday) at the latest.

Two C130 RMAF aircraft are being despatched to Cairo today to fly the students to Jeddah.

Egypt's Uprising...

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak -- a man so out of touch with his people.

The Return of Ummi Hafilda

If you don't know it already, this lady has a blog. And what a blog!

On Dec 12, last year, she resurfaced in the news, calling on her brother, Azmin Ali, to repent.

‘Taubatlah Azmin’

Ummi Hafilda Ali yang pernah menggemparkan negara kerana mendedahkan salah laku Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pada 1997 merayu abangnya, Azmin yang kini Timbalan Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) pulang ke pangkal jalan dan bertaubat.

The rest of the report HERE

If you think that was all, you're mistaken. On Thursday, she was back with a vengeance.

PETALING JAYA (Jan 13): Ummi Hafilda Ali, a key witness in the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy and abuse of power trials in 1999, is taking legal action totalling RM700mil against the Opposition Leader, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh and PAS.
The rest of the story HERE.

And Anwar's response:

KEMAMAN (Jan 15): Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed as a "mosquito issue" the challenge of Ummi Hafilda Ali, a key witness in the former deputy prime minister's 1998 sodomy trial, to debate on his alleged sexual misconduct.
"This is a mosquito issue," he told reporters at the "Pas replaces Umno" gathering in Kampung Geliga here.

I haven't heard the name , "Ummi Hafilda" mentioned in ages. And, you know, out of the blue, I was told that she has a blog with an address - http://srikandi7.blogspot.com.

Srikandi? Ummi must believe herself to be something of a fighter.
In the epic, Mahabharata, it is the name of a warrior princess.

In Javanese mythology, Srikandi is the only girl fighting in the battlefield.

So now, Ummi Hafilda has made a return, a comeback.

The lady has stormed back.

Sorry, Malaysians. They Prefer NUR Alert!

The Cabinet has approved a child abduction alert system to trace and inform on the disappearance of children aged 12 and below.

It will be called NUR (NationalUrgent Response) Alert. (Not NURIN Alert which is what it was originally called).

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein issued a joint statement on this today.

It said the initiative, to be chaired by the Royal Malaysia Police, would be implemented immediately, with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry acting as the deputy chair.

Information will be spread through posters, websites, text messages and electronic message boards and its implementation will involve strategic collaboration between the government, private sector and non-governmental organisations.

As you all know, NUR Alert is basically NURIN (Nationwide Urgent Response Information Network) Alert, an initiative pushed by several bloggers immediately after the body of missing 8 year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin was found in a sports/gym bag in PJS1, Petaling Jaya, on Sept 17 2007, nearly a month after she disappeared near her home in Section1, Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur on Aug 20.

I and so many others were hoping that the Cabinet would say yes to the name NURIN Alert just as AMBER (America's Missing:Broadcast Emergency Response) was named after Amber Hagerman who was abducted and found dead in Arlington, Texas in 1996.

Both Nurin's and Amber's killers were never caught.

So unbelievable that such a useful and proven system was not put into place much much earlier after it was proposed. Honestly, politics and politicians piss me off.

Nevertheless, I am very happy that the system is being put in place, to save our children.

After Nurin, there had been several cases of missing kids. Sharlinie or Nini, went missing at a playground near her home in Taman Medan, PJ, just months (Jan 9,2008) after Nurin's tragedy.

Elements of NURIN Alert were effected in Nini's case but only minimally. She was never found.

As for NUR Alert, it is to help in the search for kids below 12. There has been some disagreement over this with some groups saying that it should extended to those below 18 because statistics show that the majority of missing kids are those between ages 16 and 18.

In the US, the criteria used to activate AMBER Alert differ statewide. Here are the general requirement: 1. law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place, 2. the child must be at risk of serious injury or death, 3. there must be sufficient descriptive information of child, captor or captor's vehicle and 4. the child must be 17 years or younger.

So let's hope it will not be another 3 years before we see this put into effect. Let's save the next child!

Remember -- Nurin's killer is still out there, though we hope he had died of H1N1 or some dreadful disease...

It Should Be Nurin Alert!

...because she made it all happen.

My take (in the NST today) on the child abduction alert system - to be called NUR (Nationwide Urgent Response) Alert -- to be formalized by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

I can only guess why the ministry is not going to call it by its original name NURIN (Nationwide Urgent Response Information Network) Alert but I won't speculate.

So, as I have said, it should be called NURIN Alert. After all, if Nurin had not been brutalized and died, this plan to put an early alert system in place wouldn't happen. And, did I say that we all couldn't save her?

Oh -- you do remember Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, don't you? The 8 year-old who was abducted from somewhere near her home in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur on the night of Aug 20, 2007.

Someone dragged her into a van.

She was never to be seen again until Sept 17, about a month later at a location far from that pasar malam -- in PJS1, Petaling Jaya.

She was dead, her body crumpled, brutalized, she was thin, her hair shaven, and a cucumber was stuck in her....(never mind). The child suffered unimaginable pain and horror.

And her body was found in a gym bag.

In death, she was so unrecognizable. Her father, Jazimin Abdul Jalil could not even recognize her, he could not identify her. Perhaps it was just too much for him.

I can never forget that image of Nurin after her body was found -- her thin face, shorn head -- a pale shadow of her when she was alive.

The nation was shocked and outraged.

Immediately after her death, there was a move to begin pushing for something akin to AMBER Alert which is highly successful in the US in saving and rescuing abducted kids. The initiative was for NURIN Alert.

Also read THIS.

Such a system would have helped Jazimin in notifying the police, enforcement agencies and the media about Nurin's disappearance. The community would also be the eyes for these agencies.

When Jazimin first reported her disappearance to the police, he did not get much help. It was about 2 days after her disappearance that his plea was taken seriously.

To cut a story short, the initiative was supported by so many people including Shahrizat Jalil who was then the Women, Family and Community development Minister.

Anyway...it's now going to be NUR Alert.

It should be NURIN Alert.

Ask any Malaysian, they'd remember Nurin. She united us all in our anger and our shock.

We failed to save her. But we know she did not die in vain. So, let's do it right. Leave politics and political branding out of all this.

Do it for our children. Do it to save the next child!

And oh, did I forget to remind us all that Nurin's her killer was never caught.

A Long Walk To School...

This is a touching story of six children in Kampung Bongkud, a remote village in Sabah, who have to walk nearly two hours to their school in Menggatal near Kota Kinabalu.
And another two hours to get home.

These six year-olds have to do it for the rest of the year, and the next....

They have no choice really because their village of only 10 houses, is so remote and the terrain so rough that you either reach it by foot, or four-wheel-drive vehicles and motorcycles during the dry season.

At the start of the new school term yesterday, these kids began their day gathering at the edge of their village before 6am to begin their long walk to SK Tombongan -- about 8km down a steep dirt track in the jungle and crossing rivers along the way.

Their school is about 35km from Kota Kinabalu.

Many before them went through the same thing.

Read the NST story HERE, and HERE.

A touching story, indeed. But it shouldn't end there. I remember similar stories that were highlighted in the media over the last 20 years about kids in remote villages having to take that journey everyday to school. They traverse winding paths through hills, jungles, cross rivers and streams....

Can you imagine that? Can you imagine your children -- no, YOU, having to go to work like that???

I know kids are a hardy lot. But, come on! These kids wake up at dawn and take a 2-hour walk through all that. And after school, they make that long trek home.

It exposes them to danger!

Surely, there is another way?

This is the 21st century. And we are supposed to have elected people to care for the welfare of these children....

I'm thinking of a hostel or something like that for these kids.

You see, right now, they don't have a choice. But surely we can give them some...

And on the subject of schools, I was reading a posting -A Message For The Ministry Of Education - by my blogging bro, Syed Akbar Ali (OutSyed The Box).

Actually, he reproduced a comment by one of his readers about how schools are making parents pay for all sorts of unnecessary things.

I'm not sure if all schools do that but I know the school my kids went to, did that.

You stop to wonder what all the payment was for. Then you reassure yourself that perhaps it's a standard practice by all schools. And besides, you can afford to pay, so you don't make a fuss.

But we should make a fuss. The high fees for God-knows-what are unacceptable and smack of daylight robbery.

It inflates the cost of giving your kids an education in PUBLIC schools.

Here's an excerpt from OutSyed The Box:

My son is in f5 and we have to pay up $262.50 for barang wajib. What is barang wajib? Its t shirts, cadar, lencana, sticker, track bottom etc. But these are items that we have already bought last year. If there is wear n tear, we can replace some. We shouldnt be replacing cadar atau lencana. But what the school did is to change the color of these items and force parents to buy.

.

Keperluan buku is $68.50 but most books from f4 are still not used. But parents have to pay. Bayaran sumbangan PIBG is $492 and one of the item is motivasi ($50). If motivation is not part of a teacher's job and has to be paid extra by parents, I think M'sian edu is doomed.

.

Why we parents are not happy? One, some of the parents have many schooling kids. If f5 one have to spend nearly $1600 on the first day of school, imagine you have 5 kids and some in colleges where they need $500/600 pmth for food and books. Perbelanjaan biasa mcm mana?

Also read his More Education Issues HERE

Selangor-Federal Government on Collision Course

Now, Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim wants an emergency state assembly sitting to be called to amend the constitution to return the power of appointing the state secretary to the Sultan and the Mentri Besar.
At the same time, he announced that the new state secretary Khusrin Munawi will not be allowed to attend state-related meetings deemed confidential, including weekly executive council meetings.
Khusrin told a Press conference today that he is not a Barisan Nasional tool and has no personal agenda.
"I am just a civil servant carrying out my duties."

Now, why would you want to amend the constitution? The law is there and you want to change it because you are unhappy and tidak puas hati that it's not on your side?

I suppose it is your right.

Sure looks like it's the beginning of a very long prickly affair. Clearly political. But, of course. What isn't, huh?
Let's hope both sides can find a swift amicable solution/settlement.

Because if this drags on and on, I don't have to tell you that it's the people who will suffer.

I vote in Selangor.

Good luck!

Selangor-Federal Government On Collision Course

Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim is so pissed with the Federal government. And in this case, its chief secretary Mohd Sidek Hassan for announcing Mohd Khusrin Nawawi as the new Selangor state secretary.

Khalid and his guys have already got a candidate. They don't want Khusrin.

He has accused Sidek of violating the constitution, of being irresponsible, unprofessional and wilfully ignoring Selangor's selection process in choosing the best candidate to fill the state secretary's post.

As far as the federal government is concerned, the appointment falls within their jurisdiction. Besides, the Sultan of Selangor has endorsed it.

So what? - says the Selangor government.

A deadlock.

No solution means there's a strong possibility of this controversy going to the courts.

Here's part of Khalid's statement:

"Perlu dinyatakan di sini, tindakan Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan itu bukan sahaja melanggar Perlembagaan, tidak bertanggungjawab serta tidak profesional malah boleh dianggap bermotifkan politik; sebagai salah satu usaha untuk mencabar kredibiliti Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor.

Lebih merunsingkan saya, tindakan Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan tersebut telah menghantar mesej yang tidak sihat iaitu kemampuan dan pengalaman bukan keutamaan dalam mempromosikan kenaikan pangkat pegawai kerajaan. Mesej ini sangat bahaya apatah lagi sememangnya perkhidmatan kerajaan acap kali dikritik sebagai tidak efisyen."

Read the Selangor MB's statement HERE.

Stripping In Singapura...

Oh Singapura..
Hanya menanti masa,
Kehangatan menubuk dan merusuk
Terlalu lama belenggu
Bisu, pekak dan buta
Akhir nya
Nah...
Rasakan
Ku telanjang
Oh Singapura...

You can't do so many things in Singapore. Really. Too many, just too many regulations to tell you how to live your life.
Life is so regimented.
There's just so much and so long you can take.

I'm just trying to, er, analyse why people are doing the craziest thing in Singapore.

Stripping, taking walks in the buff....oh...just being naked.

I didn't make this up.

"The recent surge of nudity, streaking and promiscuity, signs of a more liberal generation, has everyone scratching their heads in this once prudish city."

Imagine that? Read the rest HERE

Smouldering in Singapore...

Who said Singapore has no soul?

Happy New Year! Let's Move On...

I'm getting old. If you ask me what I remember to be unforgettable or memorable events in the country this year, I'll probably hold my breath for way too long, and still find it hard to recollect more than five.

I do remember that they are all not so nice political stuff, and tragedies.

Around the world, I remember the rescued Chilean miners because it was a miraculous thing. And people the world over followed their lives in the pit, and the rescue that followed. That was a near tragedy that had a very happy ending. If the world had mega loudspeakers, we could hear the sighs of relief and joy when the were all safe above ground.

At least that's one wonderful event I remember.

And then, the globe-shattering Wikileaks.

On the home front, I just wanna say that our fabulous Tigers' stunning performance that led to victory in the AFF Suzuki Cup, was a superb end to the year.

And it's a public holiday. So enjoy. Stop bitching just because you hate the Barisan Nasional.

Let's move on.

May you have the resolve, stamina, willpower and conviction to not break the resolutions you have made.

Have a Very Happy 2011!

Salam Hari Natal!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Done shopping? Finalized your Christmas menu?

Already on your way to "balik kampung"? Safe journey, y'all!

Here's wishing a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

PEACE ON EARTH!