Wan Azizah's Merdeka Message

PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (right) reinforced what I said early this morning when in her National Day message, she urged Malaysians to give meaning to what she called “total” independence by seeking freedom from political, economic, moral and social oppression. 

I am sure there are many more Malaysians who think as we do – and until we break free from the secure grip of UMNO manacles, we will not really be “free”!

In a major policy setback for Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (left), the High Court of Australia ruled the refugee swap deal with Malaysia should not go ahead because Australia could not guarantee human rights for asylum seekers in Malaysia. 

And the rejection is right because we don't even have laws that recognize the status of refugees in the country; we have yet to ratify and accede to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol. 

This is a slap in the face for both Gillard and our Najib Razak! Besides, she made a fatal mistake of not seeking Mohamed Mahathir’s counsel – he could have given her plenty of good advice on how to muzzle the judiciary in Australia!

Merdeka, 2011

I am of the view that we as citizens of Malaysia will find true independence only when we have voted out the corrupted and crooked BN government once and for all! 

This land of plenty has been plundered and looted. I am sad, even angry that a country with so much promise cannot deliver after 54 years of independence. 

[Some would claim that we are actually 48 years old since Malaysia has only existed since 1963. To claim our nation is 54 is to ignore the role Sabah and Sarawak have played in its formation). 

Whatever lah. Today, I look upon August 31 – not as a day of celebration – but as a day of reflection, of recognizing that our country’s independence (we call it, Merdeka) can no longer be taken for granted. 

I urge fellow Malaysians to reflect on Tunku Abdul Rahman's vision of a truly Merdeka Malaysia, a Malaysia that belongs to all Malaysians!

Mat Sabu: Islamist or Communist?

On Satuday, Utusan Malaysia dug again into their bag of tricks and came up with another wild story that had Mohamad Sabu saying that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the pre-Independence communist insurgency were heroes. 

The UMNO-owned newspaper accused him of disparaging the country's armed forces and expressing support for communists but Mohamad, has since denied the report and accused the Malay-language daily of fabricating the quote. 

Not satisfied with demonizing him, the Malay daily launched a full-scale assault against Mohamad on Sunday over his alleged remark, carrying eight(!) pages worth of choleric comments and caviling criticisms against him, ranging from top UMNO leaders like Muhyiddin Yassin to ex-soldiers who had fought communists during the Bukit Kepong police station attack. 

The newspaper also accused Mohamad of wanting to re-write history to turn Malaysia into a republic! 

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (left) challenged Mohamad’s critics and asking them to make up their minds over whether the PAS deputy president is an Islamic extremist or a communist. 

Lim said that he had been detained under the ISA in 1987 during the Operation Lalang clampdown along with Mohamad who was then accused of being an Islamic fundamentalist. 

Lim posed the question: "Now, they are saying he is supporting communism. Is there any credibility to these accusations?" 

The lies of Utusan are becoming a big joke! All their spins will wake up the Malays and show them that UMNO are a dishonorable party that have plummeted into the despicable abyss of disgraceful disrepute. Lim had likened the attacks on Mohamad to those made against him for being anti-Malay and anti-Chinese at the same time!

Salam Aidilfitri, 2011

Here's wishing all Muslims Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Najib's Popularity is Sinking

The Malaysian Insider today highlighted the results of their latest survey conducted by local pollster Merdeka Center between August 11 and 27 – showing Najib Razak’s approval rating to be at just 59 percent. 

When Najib (left) first took over the country’s reins in April 2009, his administration’s rating improved quickly on his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s flailing legacy from a bleak 34 percent in March 2009, soaring by 31 percent to 65 percent within just three months. 

His rating hit a record high of 72 percent in May 2010 before it exhibited signs of tiresome weariness and began to decline to 69 percent in November 2010, 67 percent in March this year and 65 percent in May. 

With these results, I can envision Najib biting his fingernails in endless worry! It is suggested that Rosmah takes out her Victoria's Secret lingerie to take her husband's mind off this disconcerting plight that he has found himself in. 

The survey involved 1,027 respondents aged 21 and above across peninsular Malaysia who were elected through random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and state. Of the 1,027 polled, 59 percent were Malays, 32 percent Chinese and 9 percent Indians. 

Even for Najib, popularity has its limits!

I was at the usual venue at 3rd mile Old Klang Road to attend the Money & You Toastmasters meeting. 

It was a meeting with a difference because there was storytelling (with emphasis on vocal variety, body language and props) and Table Topics (followed by individual evaluations). 

It was an entertaining evening that was both exuberant and engaging because everybody cheerfully participated. I'm more than happy to give this meeting an 8 out of 10.

Libya is Going to be in a Mess

Interestingly, Matthias Chang has described the victorious Libyan rebels who succeeded in frightening off Gaddafi as fascist 'Islamic forces' who have betrayed Islam and as child-killers and rapists financed by the Qataris and Saudis and propped up by the insidious propaganda of Al-Jazeera (Webpage http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/letterssurat/43106-scumbag-malaysia-qrecognisesq-fascist-rebel-government-in-libya, posted August 28, 2011). 

Hmmm, I wonder if Mahathir Mohamad is also thinking along the same lines? Chang, if you can recall, was Mahathir’s former political secretary. And Mahathir is well-known for his discordant stridency. Chang reminds me of Mahathir! 

Having said that, methinks he may be correct in his prognosis. Gaddafi may be an autocrat but I think he had done much for his country. He brought peace and development to Libya. Believe me when I say the country will break apart.  

UK’s The Independent reveals today that the Royal Bank of Scotland has helped to bankroll Europe’s last dictator. Alongside, Russian bank Sberbank, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, they issued more than $800 million (£489m) in Belarusian government bonds in January this year.

A previous bond deal done by the same syndicate of banks last October, had netted the Belarusian government a further $1 billion. It is said these deals were a lifeline for the country. 

Critics are trying to cast aspersions on these banks but to me, these financial institutions are opportunists. They always have been and they always will.

I'm sure other banks too have cut deals with all sorts of regimes all over the world. What's new?

I ask you, why this single-minded interest in omly Belarus?

Sturdy Products

On Saturday, UK’s Guardian featured a story of a Disney factory that is facing a probe into a sweatshop suicide claim. It has been alleged that Disney's best-selling Cars toys are being made by a Shenzhen toy factory called Sturdy Products. This China company makes other brands too, e.g. the Thomas the Tank Engine range, Matchbox cars, Toy Story, Barbie dolls, Fisher Price products, Scrabble and the Hot Wheels sets.

One worker reportedly killed herself after being repeatedly shouted at by bosses. Others cited worries over poisonous chemicals. Disney have now launched their own investigation.

There were also claims that the company uses child labor and that some of the 6,000 employees have to work an extra 120 hours every month to meet demand from western shops for the latest toys.

The undercover investigation was carried out with the help of human rights group SACOM, which helped to expose abuses in Apple's Foxconn plant in China – read my blog posting dated May 07, 2011.

Mattel in fact, noted that the company was "deeply saddened" by the suicide but that, while it was "very tragic", it was an isolated event and local authorities had found nothing suspicious about the circumstances.

The company said it had carried out a detailed investigation. It said it was committed to working collaboratively through the International Council of Toy Industries' Care (Caring, Awareness, Responsible, Ethical) process "to achieve continuous improvements in factory working conditions".

Interestingly, SACOM's findings brought a rebuke from the International Council of Toy Industries' Care Foundation. "We are the first to concede that much more work lies ahead of us, but we refuse to accept the sensationalist, media-oriented declarations of any group, especially when they are carping and filled with incorrect information. It is simply counter-productive", the foundation said. 

I agree. And if I may add, I have a sneaking suspicion that China is being actively singled out and targeted.

Celtic enjoyed their first win in four outings thanks to a Gary Hooper double. The striker opened the scoring against St Mirren in the sixth minute after being set up by strike partner Anthony Stokes. Six minutes later a mistake by former Celtic defender Paul McGowan allowed Hooper to slip a second past St Mirren goalkeeper Craig Samson.

Jobs Announcement

Today, I went to two contests. First stop was Bankers Club in Amoda Building, Jalan Imbi where I attended the Premier Advanced Toastmasters Club Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contests. Participation was generally disappointing – there were just seven contestants in total – and in the former, Marcus Chee impressed with his speech titled “The Secret”.

What I mean is that he was crowned champion. Not bad for a guy who delivered the humorous speech showing off his legs and suitably decked out in red strappy heels and carrying a handbag. I must say I loved his speech! Club president Loh Chuan Seng won the Evaluation contest. I was one of the judges.

Second stop was UniRazak Sunway Campus where the Joint Area B1-B2 Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contests was held. Unlike last year which proceeded like clockwork, this year’s event was very messy! The Chief Judge was late. The Toastmaster-of-the-Day was late. Two judges were late. There was no briefing for role-players – except judges. The agenda contained many errors. Of course, we also started late – a full ten minutes – and it only commenced after both the second organizing chair and I as the Sergeant-at-Arms insisted that we kick-off the contests! Even after the Humorous Speech Contest Chair finished his little presentation – there was an awkward idle time of thirteen minutes before the contestants could begin.

On the positive side, ten Indrahanians (above photo) came to lend support to our two contestants – Han Lee Hwee for the Humorous Speech contest and Ng Jean Hui for the Evaluation contest. Altogether six club winners participated in the two contests for Area B2 and the Taman Indrahana toastmasters easily outshone their lackluster rivals. I am particularly pleased that my mentee took the honors in the Evaluation contest even though she is very much a freshie!

In the Area B1 contests, Dennis Wee fought tooth-and-nail with Meyyappa but the former prevailed in the end. In both contests, Dennis came first and Meyyappa came second. The other contestants were simply outclassed.

Having being involved in twelve club and two Area contests thus far – I must say that this year’s quality of contestants is gravely lacking. With some exceptions – mostly, the speeches and evaluations I have heard didn’t raise eyebrows!

In the immediate aftermath of Steve Jobs' announcement Wednesday that he was stepping down as Apple’s CEO, shares dipped in after-hours trading by as much as 7.39 percent, stripping $24 billion from its market cap (Webpage http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/08/apple-stock, posted August 24, 2011). I wonder what if Najib Razak resigns tomorrow? I am speculating that Bursa Malaysia will see share prices ascend skyward! The country will be celebrating!

A Priceless Campaign

Somehow I missed this BBC News report (dated August 21, 2011) but here it is anyway! London’s Metropolitan Police are investigating 3,296 notifiable offences linked to the riotous lawlessness in London. Of this number, 1,883 people had been arrested and more than 1,070 charged in connection with the disorder between 6 and 9 August. The most common crimes were burglary (1,101), damage to vehicles (399), theft (310) and arson (162).

The Met said it had more than 1,100 crime scenes in 22 boroughs, and 20,000 hours of CCTV footage to review.

Figures from the force also show that 396 juveniles have been arrested, of which 218 have been charged.

Frightening, isn’t it? And the above statistics pertain to just the mayhem in London!

A friend sent me a facetious email this morning telling me that at the height of the troubles in London and elsewhere, the Britons who were supposedly looting – some commentators referred to them as alienated and estranged minorities – were actually using the MasterCard Minority Bronze and the MasterCard Minority Gold to avail themselves to the goods their hearts desired! Yup, MasterCard may have embarked upon a localized marketing initiative during this 4-day blitz that was based on their "Priceless" campaign. After all, "there are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard".

EC Review

It is pleasing to read The Sun’s front page this morning that according to the Election Commission’s chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof, the EC are amending regulations to allow all Malaysians living abroad to exercise their voting rights – provided they register a corresponding address in the foreign country with the EC. Presently, only full-time students, civil servants and their spouses are allowed to cast postal votes while living abroad. He even raised the possiblitiy that the EC may also extend the postal vote to people in certain professions such as journalists, doctors, nurses, flight attendants who reside in Malaysia but are not able to vote as they will be on duty on polling day.

And the icing on the cake is the admission – finally – that of the eight demands made by Bersih 2.0 – for a full listing, check out my posting dated July 02, 2011 – four: the 21-day campaign period, the use of indelible ink, clean electoral roll and review of postal voting – were within the EC’s jurisdiction. Even more surprising was his declared support for the other demands such as prevention of corrupt practices, putting a stop to dirty politics and strengthening of public institutions – because this means he recognizes that (1) the Bersih demands are fair and just, (2) there are flaws in the system, and (3) they should be set straight. On free and fair media access, he said the EC met with all media frequently and could only “appeal” that fair coverage is given to all parties. This is understandable because all mainstream media are affiliated, directly or indirectly, to BN personalities and/or parties.

To think that these jerks at the EC were dragging their feet all these years! They should have been sacked a long time ago…

Unexpected Praise

Last evening, I was at the IEM venue to be the Chief Judge for the Humorous Speech & Evaluation contests, where thirteen participants came forward to wow the audience. There were at least four good Humorous speeches but the champion Ken Wayne deservedly won because his “Chinese vs Indians” speech was truly entertaining. I would even go so far as to describe it as comical. The speech evaluations were also generally of high quality but there can only be one winner, and the top dog was Robert Ram.

Yesterday morning, Lim Guan Eng received praise from an unexpected source when the granddaughter of the MCA’s first president and daughter of the country’s longest-serving finance minister said the Penang chief minister should be given recognition for the state’s prudent management of public funds.

Tan Siok Choo, the daughter of Tan Siew Sin and granddaughter of Tan Cheng Lock – both of whom were former MCA presidents – told BFM radio that it was good that Lim had shown what could be done by eliminating waste and implementing open tenders. Her remarks on Thursday came as the DAP is increasingly being seen as the party of choice for the country’s Chinese community while the MCA, the party founded by Siok Choo’s grandfather Cheng Lock, appears to be like a beast in its death throes.

Gaddafi - Wanted Dead or Alive

Libya‘s uprising which began on February 16, 2011 – in the wake of revolutions which toppled the long-serving despots of neighboring Tunisia and Egypt – was a prolonged sometimes indecisive entanglement between disparate posses of rebels yearning to liberate themselves from governmental oppression and the entrenched political monopoly of Muammar Gaddafi (below) that was bred on viciousness and savagery.

Some of the first footage of the rebellion to come out of Benghazi showed incensed young Libyans outside an official building smashing up a green monolith representing the spurious liberation doctrine that had kept them enslaved since the 1970s – the Green Book.

As the uprising spread, and the seriousness of the threat to his rule became indubitable, Gaddafi showed he had lost none of the ruthlessness that had been directed against dissidents and exiles in the 1970s and 1980s. But this time it was turned on whole towns and cities where Libyans had dared to tear down his posters and call for his overthrow. His regular forces backed by mercenaries nearly overwhelmed the rag-tag rebel groups, consisting of military deserters and ill-trained militiamen, whom he dismissed as wayward 17-year-olds, "given pills at night, hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe". NATO’s intervention in March – authorized by a UN resolution calling for the protection of Libyan civilians – helped prevent their annihilation – but for much of the time, it was a standoff.

The deadlock was broken when rebels advanced and finally under stealthy cover, attacked Tripoli. At the time of writing, with rebel flags flying in the heart of the capital and Gaddafi's regime appearing to disintegrate, it seems the game is up. But his whereabouts are unknown, and Libyan rebels have announced an amnesty for anyone within his "inner circle" who captures or kills him. A $1.7 million (£1m) reward is offered for Gaddafi, "dead or alive". Nothwitstanding this bounty, he has pledged to fight to the end – but from where?

Image credits: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14619799

Liverpool turned in a strong performance on Wednesday to beat League One side Exeter City 3-1 to advance to the next round. It is nice to know that Kenny Daglish is serious about the Carling Cup and that the Reds dominated the proceedings. The Reds scored through Luis Suarez (23), Maxi Rodriguez (55) and Andy Carroll (58) and the other team replied through a Daniel Nardiello penalty in the 80th minute.

Edible Works of Art

It was Monash University’s turn to have the Humorous Speech & Evaluation contests, and I was again the Chief Judge. There were twelve contestants on this Tuesday evening – and I bore witness to some good speeches and evaluations. Joanne Yong and Sally Chia came in as Champion and first runner-up in the Evaluation contest whilst Rachel Leong and Sally Chia took first and second places respectively in the Humorous Speech contest. It was great to see Toastmasters from other clubs coming to give their support to this event. After all, this was the first contest to be organized by Monash Toastmasters since they were chartered in September 2010. Anyway, Low Mun Yee and team did an awesome job!

Check out these cakes! These are all completely edible cakes made by a lady named Zhanna from St Petersburg, Russia. Well, actually, they don’t even look like cakes! These are works of art to say the least.

More photos at http://www.artcake.ru/cakes.htm

Flatlining Economy

People are worried about the country’s flatlining economy. With rising food and fuel prices and inflation running above payrises, fewer than half of the country’s eleven million low to middle-income earners are broke by the time the end of the month comes around.

Which country am I talking about?

Indeed it is the UK. Research by Ipsos Mori for the Resolution Foundation think tank found that 48 percent of people in low to middle-income households – defined as having a gross income of between £12,000 and £48,000 a year – have any cash left over at the end of each month. Fewer than three in 10 (27 percent actually) of low to middle-earners make any monthly savings. And this squeeze on household budgets is choking Britain's fragile recovery.

Britons have every right to be worried because I reckon things can only get worse.

Wait a minute! This could also describe Malaysia! Our economy is also in an anaemic state, is it not?

Belated feedback on my blog posting on June 01, 2011 titled “Move over, Naomi”.

Another two of my African students had responded. I’m now reproducing their enlightened comments here!

Amogelang Tshukudu, Gaborone, BOTSWANA: “I do not see how racism is portrayed in the ad, if at all the concept of dark chocolate is considered racism then the media might as well stop advertising products. Naomi Campbell's recent track record should really say a lot about who she is, I don’t see her name being tarnished in any way”.

She then added: “Oh maybe Cadbury should not have used the slogan ‘there is a new diva in town’...it kinda makes it seem like Naomi Campbell's era has ended and taken over by the new chocolate, though I really feel that she really needs to retire”.

Chatiwa Mbotho, Francistown, BOTSWANA: “… comparing a black person to a chocolate is a good thing and there is not even a bit of racism in it, it will be just a genuine comment. Therefore the advert wasn’t racist”.

Postal Vote Fraud

Image credit: http://media1-cdn.malaysiakini.com/393/507144b284132d96e1628304e2804592.jpg

The opposition parites have been alleging vote-rigging and electoral manipulation for years but their complaints have always been summarily dismissed. Earlier this month, an ex-army man came forward to make a claim that he was ordered to mark postal votes for other military personnel. On Wednesday, another four individuals – they had served at army and air force bases across the country – revealed that they were ordered by their commanding officers to mark thousands of postal votes of personnel who were out in the field in three separate general elections between 1978 and 1999.

According to one authoritative blog at http://national-express-malaysia.blogspot.com/2011/08/four-more-ex-soldiers-admit-to-postal.html, posted August 18, 2011, these courageous souls have been identified as Major (Rtd) Risman Mastor, Kamarulzaman Ibrahim, Mohamed Nasir Ahmad and Mohd Kamil Omar.

One of them, Kamarulzaman, a clerk working at Malacca’s Terendak army camp, narrated that he spent three days marking ballot papers during the 1986 general election. The 53-year-old said he was given three pens of different colours, which he used alternately to sign the postal votes in the absence of the army personnel who were on their tour of duty.

“For example, I would use a blue pen to sign for one serviceman and a black pen to sign for his wife. I was also ordered to mark votes for the opposition,” he said at a press conference hosted at the PAS headquarters by the party’s youth wing.

When asked how many postal votes he signed, Kamarulzaman said he could not remember the exact number but was sure that it ran into the thousands.

“If you want to say how many, let’s just say my hand went numb (from signing the ballot papers). I basically voted for soldiers from all over the country.”

I don’t know about you but I am absolutely alarmed and deeply disturbed by this expose. This tells me that the Election Commission has been indifferent and worse, even negligent to allow this malpractice on a major scale.

It is a well-known fact that in every election, armed forces personnel are obliged to vote for UMNO-BN. Ask some of them and they will tell you they don't even know how the ballot paper looks like. But they have been "voting" for the past God-knows-how-many elections.

When interested parties protest, the EC would bring out their carpet of tired and worn-out excuses – e.g. they lacked the resources, they do not have the powers to change and/or correct and so on and so forth.

The thing about Malaysia is that in this country, anything goes! In mature democracies, any official(s) who compromised the EC’s impartiality and neutrality would have been fired from their jobs for gross incompetence. Not in Malaysia though. So can you blame Malaysians if they subscribe to the belief that the EC turns a blind eye to these abuses in order to enable UMNO to govern in perpetuity?

By the way, I discovered a very interesting fact. In 2004, Najib Razak would have lost the Pekan constituency but for postal votes!

US Ciggy Companies Mount Legal Challenge

If you have read US news this week, you would have come across the tobacco industry’s legal challenge to increased government regulation. Of course, they know this may not hold up in court, but it could mean it will be years before cigarette packs carry pictures of a smoker's corpse or other more graphic images meant to convey the dangers of smoking. This expected delay could save cigarette makers millions of dollars, both in lost sales and increased packaging costs, industry experts say.

Professor Deborah Mitchell of the Wisconsin School of Business said that the new labels represent the government's most drastic attempt to curb cigarette marketing, making the industry's lawsuit an almost inevitable business decision.

"There is a massive amount of psychological evidence that people are more affected by pictures and visuals than words," said Mitchell, who specializes in consumer psychology. "The question is: When the government leverages that information to have a negative impact on an entire category, is that fair?"

Analysts say that tobacco companies are increasingly relying on their cigarette packages to build brand loyalty and grab consumers. It's one of their only advertising levers left to pull since the government has curbed their presence in magazines, billboards and TV. When health warnings take up half the size of a pack, it makes it even harder for smokers to see the red of Marlboro or the green of Newport.

Four of the five largest US tobacco companies sued the federal government Tuesday, insisting that the proposed packaging requirements – set to take effect in 2012 – violates their free speech rights. The companies claimed the warnings no longer simply convey facts allowing people to make a decision on whether to smoke – they instead compel them to put government anti-smoking advocacy more prominently on their packs than their own brands.

Research firm IBISWorld have estimated the new labels would cause a decline of less than 1 percent in overall US tobacco sales in 2013 (Webpage http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/17/general-specialized-consumer-services-us-cigarette-labels-lawsuit_8628839.html, published August 17, 2011).

Still some marketing experts say the images could have a much stronger impact on consumers than the current written warnings on cigarette packs. Whatever the case may be, it is still important to educate and reinforce and remind persistent smokers that smoking will kill, sooner or later!

Good Cop Bad Cop Routine

I was at KDU University College where I attended the D’Utama Toastmasters Club contests as a judge. Lim Lay Kun, the Division B Governor made a request for my services and I obliged. She was Chief Judge. There were six and ten participants for the Humorous Speech and Speech Evaluation contests respectively. Experience won the day and so, Johnson Yike emerged Champion in both contests. I found the former to be more interesting than the latter. Yet, it was the test speaker, Robert Ram who really tickled our funny bones with his humorous speech titled “Welcome to Bali” and if he had been a contestant, he would have easily won hands down! No kidding!


I have this bad feeling that Najib and Muhyiddin (above photo) are playing a stupid game – it’s called ‘Good cop, bad cop’ routine. Now that the prime minister is seemingly distancing himself from the strident rhetoric about the illegal Bersih 2.0 – assuming he is sincere although I very much doubt it – his deputy yesterday drew parallels between the UK riots and last month’s Bersih rally. The latter reiterated that “the government is very proud and pleased with the role and bravery of PDRM in handling the illegal Bersih demonstration on July 09, 2011 that was, in fact, dirty (kotor)” (Webpage http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/muhyiddin-likens-bersih-rally-to-violent-uk-riots, posted August 18, 2011).

So Najib plays the good cop with his newly-discovered conciliatory stance and Muhyiddin is now the bad cop who praised the Malaysian police for their strong-arm tactics against peaceful citizens. Muhyiddin is lovin’ it when he contradicts his boss – so, what’s up? What is Muhyiddin’s real agenda? Methinks, Najib's days are numbered – before Pakatan can even get to him, his DPM will!

I don’t know if there are Malaysians out there who are still gullible and innocent, but just in case… I REPEAT, you cannot compare UK riots to the Bersih demos. In the former case, looting was rampant during the four days of mayhem in London and elsewhere. In the latter case, the Bersih protests were peaceful and there were zilch signs of looting. [This is not to say that there is no looting in Malaysia – it’s just that it occurs right under our noses and we don’t know it. Every day, somebody somewhere is pillaging and plundering the nation’s wealth and squirreling away taxpayers’ hard-earned money! We all know who the looters are, don’t we? I don’t intend to identify the BN crooks but it is not difficult to unmask them].

And to refresh our collective consciousness, the Bersih rally was non-belligerent and non-violent but Malaysian police responded forcibly. Over in the UK, there was anarchy in the streets, yet the British police were extremely restrained in their response. ‘Tis a strange world indeed!

TI Re-branding

For the first time in 70 years – Toastmasters International, the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to teaching communication and leadership skills, are updating their brand. And so, on August 17, 2011, their website, their educational materials, pins and awards, everything we see reflects their new look and feel.

This re-branding represents that powerful combination of strengthening one’s competence in communication and leadership skills – thereby gaining the confidence to lead – is what differentiates Toastmasters International from other skill-building programs.

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded on October 22, 1924, the organization currently has more than 270,000 members in 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For those interested to know more – please check out www.toastmasters.org

Marilyn Monroe in Chicago

Remember Marilyn Monroe’s famous pose in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch? In the scene Monroe stands over a subway grate as a breeze from a train passing below blows her skirt over her panties.

That particular scene was shot in New York but on July 15, 2011, a 26-foot (8-meter) tall sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in that same memorable pose was unveiled at Chicago's Pioneer Court (400 block of North Michigan Avenue, east side). As the Windy City, Chicago seems like the second best location for this gigantic bombshell by artist Seward Johnson. This monument of stainless steel and aluminium and weighing a whopping 34,000 lbs will be on show through the spring of 2012 - according to the Huffington Post (July 19, 2011).

Not unexpectedly, passers-by wasted little time to position themselves under her billowing skirt to get a subway-grate view of Monroe! The men (below) in their spiffy suits too couldn’t resist Monroe’s presence – and so, they took photos from err... all angles.

I don't blame them. That pose, that dress, that blonde hair and OMG, those luscious lips can drive any man crazy! Me included!

I read in Chicago Tribune also that The Zeller Realty Group, which owns Pioneer Court and now this statue, wants Monroe to make people think. I am not really sure how much thinking there will be, but for sure, this artwork will become a conversation piece and a target for camera lens.

I don’t know why but this makes me suddenly think of Sunway University’s “Think to make a difference” slogan – again, how much thinking are we expecting from this? If we just think, how do we make a difference? It is only when we act upon it, that we can make a difference.

Besides, there is old thinking and new thinking. I am sure we want people to embrace the new thinking, do we not?

Also, what if everybody is thinking the same? I think it was George S Patton who said that “if everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking” – which is not exactly what we want Sunway University to become. At least I don't think so. As a place of learning, surely we want it to be able to nurture minds and inspire creativity and innovation. I would think that it should not just be a place of thinking, but even better, it is a place of doing. I would be worried if - as Bruce Lee said - "If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done".

Hmmm, come to think of it, I don't understand this slogan at all. I get the feeling that the smart aleck who developed this slogan may actually be lacking in clarity of thought!

When an apology is not good enough

I was the Chief Judge at the Metropolitan Bilingual Toastmasters Club contests – and there were eleven contestants in the fray. The Evaluation contest was pretty good and Vincent Hoh was crowned champion. I thought the Humorous Speech contest left much to be desired – anyway, Lee Xi Wen emerged as the easy winner.

Yesterday, I blogged about Perkasa being unhappy with the Star because the Dining Out articles had insulted the sensitivities of Muslims when it featured pork dishes. Pork is forbidden for Muslims and parading it in a page promoting food for the Muslim fasting month is seen as very offensive. Today, Hishammuddin Hussein too said that he was dissatisfied with the daily’s response to the “mistake”. An apology is deemed inadequate. And the Home Minister wants more to be done. What is “more” is not clear though.



I searched back issues of the said newspaper and managed to locate the offending special supplement that incorporated an advertisement “Best Rib In Town” on its second page, an article “Whipping up an appetite, Mongolian Pork Ribs” in page 04 and “'Morganfield’s Sticky Bones” which specifically referred to prime pork ribs in page 07. I grinned when my eyes caught the M-word, i.e. “Mongolian” because that’s a delicate word that will surely cause somebody – I don’t need to identify him. Who in Malaysia doesn’t know? – a lot of grievous distress.

It’s kinda strange that Utusan and other newspapers are getting away scot-free when they crap about Christians and Chinese and Indians. And there’s no need to say sorry even! But when the Star craps, sorry is just not good enough! I don't really care about any of these newspapers because as far as I am concerned, they are all trash. So if some people are not happy with one particular daily – in this case, it is the Star – then I urge the government to revoke their license without delay. This should satisfy the angry Muslims because Hishammuddin will be punishing the newspaper and sending a telling message to the MCA Chinese that they must know their place. Hishammuddin in rejecting the apology is determined to impress upon the MCA Chinese that they are subjected to an entirely different set of rules and they had better know it!

Mubarak in the Dock

Former disgraced Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak and others have finally been indicted in court. In Mubarak’s case, the charges include conspiring to kill protesters (15 years in prison or death penalty); and abusing power to amass wealth (5-15 years). As seen in the photo below, he appeared in court on a hospital bed. Even if he is on his deathbed, justice must be done! And so far, his court appearances have been televised – so this is a case where justice must also be seen to be done.

I long the day when I will see our crooked Malaysian leaders getting arrested and being put in the dock – to be charged with looting the country with reckless impunity!

Prime Minister Najib Razak announced yesterday the setting up of a parliamentary select committee on electoral reform – and this panel comprising government and opposition members will discuss "everything that needs to be done” and reach a consensus on the matter. Unsurprisingly, he said the move was to dispel any misconception that the government was against a clean electoral process (The Sun, August 16, 2011, p 02).

This turnaround is puzzling me. If the government had previously stood their stubborn ground and insisted that our elections were free and fair, why is there a need for this select committee now? Unless, Najib’s disclosure is seen as a major concession that acknowledges the political fallout from his administration’s harsh clampdown on the Bersih 2.0 rally.

It must be pointed out that an intention is not necessarily worth anything since they are just words. I don’t trust Najib – he’s good at stringing words together and appearing to appease the public but in the end, the canvas he paints on remains as just a blank piece of idle white fabric. His words mean nothing because they do not translate into deeds. But more than having this select committee, I believe that nothing less that a transparent and thorough overhaul of the electoral process, EC system and even the EC leadership will be acceptable.

I repeat – I am suspicious of Najib. I doubt he is sincere. I maintain he is playing a public relations game and toying with the citizenry. I will not be dumbfounded if I am disappointed again!

Hopping Mad

Perkasa is not all talk and no action! Yesterday, they were hopping mad and decided to show off their disgust at a newspaper and the Indian community.

First, they stomped and then torched copies of the Star newspaper. This was meant to express their fury at the daily’s controversial “Ramadan Delights” dining supplement which mentioned non-halal eateries. Ibrahim Ali branded the newspaper as anti-Islam and anti-Malay. [The Star did make an apology and it appeared on the third page of its Friday edition but Perkasa deemed it insufficient and showed a lack of sincerity].

Second, Perkasa members threw a couple of rubber snakes into the bonfire. This was to show their anger at an MIC division leader, T Ananthan, who had brought a live frog to the MIC annual general meeting last month to express his disdain for Ibrahim. Ananthan had called the Perkasa leader a “political frog” when slamming Ibrahim for questioning the non-Bumiputeras’ loyalty to the government after MIC complained about the Public Service Department (PSD) for not offering scholarships to deserving Indian students.

Perkasa Youth chief Irwan Fahmi Ideris explained: “He brought a frog so we brought snakes to represent the community.” So there you have it, folks – Perkasa is equating Indians to snakes! If this isn't racist, I don't know what is! If I am an Indian, I would be provoked and feel very insulted!

And Irwan and Perkasa forget that a snake can make a meal out of a frog!

Searching for Answers

A 12-year-old boy shields his face as he leaves Manchester magistrates' court after admitting burglary, during this week's riots in the city. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/REUTERS

The UK is bitterly divided on the reasons behind the riots – some blame the unrest on opportunistic criminality, others say conflicting economic policies and punishing government spending cuts have deepened inequalities in the country’s most deprived areas.

Matthew Goodwin, a politics professor at University of Nottingham gave another perspective. “There’s a fundamental disconnect with a particular section of young Britain and sections of the political establishment,” he said.

Many of the youngsters themselves struggle to find any one plausible answer, but according to one blog Citizen’s Free Press: Ireland, the author suggests a widespread sense of alienation as a contributing reason after documenting tales spun by this youthful aggregation who made up the majority of the arsonists and looters.

A sampling of those arrested and charged: A 30-year old lifeguard; a 26-year old trainee plasterer; 25-year olds, one a chef and the other a call center worker who earns £14,000 a year; a 24-year old graduate who wanted to be a social worker, 23-year olds – an Electrical engineering student, a scaffolder, an electrician and a full-time carer to a disabled mother; 22-year olds – an accounts clerk and an estate agent; 21-year olds that included a freelance journalist, a Civil engineering student and a Law student; a 20-year old retail assistant; a 19-year old Computing student; 18-year olds that included an Olympic ambassador, an A-level student, a charity volunteer, a youth worker and a forklift truck driver; a 17-year old unnamed boy charged with robbery; 16-year olds that included an unnamed girl charged with burglary other than dwelling and two unnamed boys charged with violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life; a 15-year old unnamed girl charged with burglary other than dwelling; 14-year olds – two unnamed girls charged with intent to steal, an unnamed boy charged with violent disorder and burglary and another unnamed boy charged with possessing an article with intent to cause criminal damage; and two 12-year old unnamed boys, one charged with theft and the other charged with burglary other than dwelling (Webpage https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AonYZs4MzlZbdGg3WjF3ZmpqLUNuZHNuVDRiUWFhUGc&hl=en_US#gid=0, accessed August 14, 2011).

Savior Najib

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua yesterday accused the prime minister of using subterfuge to save “billionaire cronies” – he was referring to Tajuddin Ramli (above photo), the poster boy of Malay entrepreneurship.

Just in case, there are those who suffer from memory loss, Tajuddin, a former protégé of Daim Zainuddin and a close friend of Mahathir Mohamad had shrewdly succeeded in getting the Malaysian government to pay RM1.79 billion to acquire MAS shares belonging to his own corporate vehicle at RM8 per share despite its market price then being only RM3.62 per share.

In addition to this logic-defying transaction, Tajuddin’s gross mismanagement since 1994 had resulted in MAS suffering billions in losses and was laden with RM9.5 billion in debt. In spite of asset bundling exercises later, the national flag carrier still failed to completely recoup its losses till today.

MAS had lodged two police reports – Dang Wangi Report No. 347/02 dated January 04, 2002 and Dang Wangi Report No. 12532/05 dated May 04, 2005. And police investigations did reveal a high level of fraudulent transactions, breaches of fiduciary duties, and breaches of various statutory duties.

So what we have are ongoing lawsuits against Tajuddin and not just from MAS. And it is this scenario that Nazri Aziz, Minister in the PM’s Department wrote to GLCs this month instructing them to withdraw their suits. The rationale was to buy time for all concerned parties to reach a “win-win” agreement and put an end to the prolonged financial saga involving Tajuddin. Najib then directly stepped into the fray when he played down the directive, saying it should not be misconstrued as an out-of-court settlement but merely an “off-site” solution to end the long drawn-out financial saga involving Tajuddin.

By shrugging off the move as a mere “off-site” solution, Pua said Najib was displaying a lack of political will to fight patronage, rent-seeking and cronyism – a pledge Najib himself made when he came to power. “In fact, the ‘off-site’ solution by Najib suggests some secret rendezvous between the two parties to thrash out a handshake deal by subterfuge,” Pua declared. That's Najib alright!

Penang in the News

In the August 13 issue of The Economist, the international weekly dubbed Penang “the first custom-made city of globalization” and credited chief minister Lim Guan Eng for boosting the city’s revival by axing a racial special treatment economic policy in the state to create a more level-playing field that appeals to foreign investors.

For sure, Penang Boleh! This no-nonsense recognition from a well-regarded news magazine for Lim is acknowledgment of a job well done. This just shows that Pakatan can govern better than BN. And they didn’t even have to pay foreign PR companies to write the said article!

For sure, Lim Guan Eng is putting the shine back to The Pearl of the Orient. And doing the right things have gotten him all the right attention.

Hmmm, the BN government did not censor the said article for untruthful reporting! They must have realized the futility of it!

It is good to know that Putrajaya has now ended their contract with British publicity firm FBC Media after the embarrassing exposé last week revealed Malaysian leaders routinely appeared in paid-for interviews on global television programs. For insights into this shame, read my blog posting dated August 04, 2011.

The Malaysian Insider today understands that the Prime Minister’s Office terminated FBC Media’s contract in the past week, just months after another public relations firm, APCO Worldwide from the US, met an ignominious end for alleged links to Israel.

Recreational Looting

I was back at KDU University College this evening to attend the regular meeting of the D’Utama Advanced Toastmasters Club. I was the evaluator for Joyce Hue who delivered an advanced speech titled “The Fairer Sex”. She spoke with poise and confidence; certainly she has improved and so has Cherrise Tan. Incidentally, the latter was voted the Best Project Speaker and not surprisingly, hehe, I was voted the Best Evaluator. Foong Weng Tuck as the Toastmaster gave us a rousing meeting, besides occasionally bursting into song. And Dennis Wee as the Table Topics Evaluator was his usual animated self accompanied by flourishes of histrionic gestures. These two fellas ensured that the meeting was both interesting and engaging. I would score this meeting a 7 out of a 10.

In fact, I arrived rather late at Damansara Jaya because I was detained at the SUBS Board of Examiners’ meeting via video-conferencing with Lancaster University Management School (LUMS). This meeting was four hours long and I had tough questions to address. Still, I made it in time to listen to Joyce’s speech and gave a good evaluation as well.

If one were to examine the riots that overwhelmed parts of London and elsewhere, one will continue to remain befuddled over the whole thing. There is clearly, no single policy issue driving these riots. Sure, this violence may have started with the police killing of a man in Tottenham, as they classically do start, but what was unfolding across the affected cities was recreational looting. Marauding gangs and a supporting cast of mainly young people were allowed to pillage and plunder with abandon ease and without police intervention and so the message went out that “anybody” could go and loot without being arrested by the police. The mob mentality quickly caught on - it was that contagious.

It is tempting to start theorizing on these criminal acts but I don’t think we should succumb to moral panics and kneejerk responses. More than anything else, we should research and reflect on what happened. And in the meantime, the police must reclaim the streets and the neighborhoods. Immediately.

Images credit: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/08/london_riots.html

Image credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14471098

Malaysian Victim

The August 04, 2011 shooting of Mark Duggan in the Tottenham neighborhood triggered a demonstration. But on Saturday violence erupted and soon spread to other parts of London and by Tuesday, the unrest had reached to other English cities including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol and Birmingham.

In the affected cities, the police hesitated and the mobs burned buildings and looted stores. Very early on, it has dawned on everybody that the London riots had nothing to do with the killing. Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday this lawless rampage was just "criminality, pure and simple".

A Malaysian, Mohd Asyraf Haziq Rosli was attacked by a mob, and then mugged by people pretending to help him. He suffered a broken jaw in the process and this episode captured in YouTube sparked an outpouring of outrage. But what was even more alarming was the fact that even children took part in the assault on this twenty-year old student.

London Riots

Images credit: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/08/london_riots.html

Images credit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/london-riots-police-debate-tactics

Image credit: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/08/london_riots.html

Image credit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/london-riots-police-debate-tactics