Malaysian Politicians Love Their Slogans

Malaysian politicians just love their slogans! 

 

As with previous prime ministers, Anwar Ibrahim (left) come up with a slogan, “Malaysia Madani”, for his government. 

 

Mahathir Mohamed had his “Wawasan 2020” to reflect his eagerness for development. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came up with “Islam Hadhari” as a reflection of his vision, which he even tried to export to other Islamic countries. Najib Razak used “1Malaysia” on everything from sundry shops to cash hand-outs. Muhyiddin Yassin promoted “Kerajaan Prihatin” as struggling Malaysians hoisted white flags in pleas for help and Ismail Sabri Yaakob had “Keluarga Malaysia”. 

 

Predictably, on social media, sceptics are having a field day. Comments like “another slogan”, “slogans don’t work” to the more crude “Mad Anwar Ibrahim” have been made. 

 

The consensus is that it’s good policies that people want to see. Let’s see where Malaysia Madani goes from here.

Najib Razak Finally Denounces Islamic State

Finally, Prime Minister Najib Razak came out to denounce the Islamic State. It has been long overdue!

 

Yesterday, he declared, “The actions of the Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq are counter to our faith, our culture and our common humanity”. And he also reiterated it on his 1Malaysia website.

 

The disclosure came after Muslim leaders elsewhere had castigated and condemned IS, including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who said the militant Sunni Islamist group was “embarrassing” to Islam. Najib wouldn’t dare be different because he's not the type to go against the flow and only now, he is gingerly following the others.   

 

At Sunway University and with a new semester starting, the Club and Societies Week saw the Sunway University Toastmasters Club again taking up a booth to promote the club to new students:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, I was at the Taman Indrahana Toastmasters Club’s Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contests and which I participated.

 

I broke into a cold sweat a couple of times because as I reached the meeting venue, I didn’t have a humorous speech. Really, I was clueless. 

By 6:30 PM, I managed to come up with a speech title. It was not even a proper word because I created it. “Un-handsome”! 

By 7:23 PM, I had a speech idea and by the time, the Organizing Chair took the floor, some ten minutes later – I had become anxious because all I had was just an idea. It wasn't even complete.

When I finally did go up to the front as my name was announced, I began my speech based on that small idea. But as words emerged from my lips, my speech took on a life of its own. 

And soon after, I delivered a speech that even now as I think back, I marvel at myself. 

Believe me, extemporaneous speaking is a challenge! Nonetheless, I am grateful it was a winning speech and I have the opportunity to progress to the Area-level contests next. 

In the Evaluation contest, I was placed second.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On that day too, Celtic again proved they are not up to the European challenge when Maribor edged them 1-0 to allow the Slovenians to advance to the Champions League group stage.

The defeat is a big blow to Celtic, who will miss out on the £14 million they earned in the competition last season as well as the glamor and excitement that accompanies Champions League nights.

Still 1Malaysia

Malaysia – 50 years of nationhood and we are still harping on 1Malaysia!

Yesterday, I was at the TM Convention Center in KL's Jalan Pantai Baharu where I participated in the Area P1 Humorous Speech & Speech Evaluation Contests. There were altogether twelve hopefuls for both the contests.

In any case, I had felt good about it because I sensed I did well. My impromptu humorous speech came together nicely and my evaluation was almost impeccable, if I may say so! Anyway, I knew I had done well! 

And I was doubly right because I went up to the stage twice to be crowned champion in the Humorous Speech as well as the Speech Evaluation Contests. I will proceed to the next level, i.e. Division P on October 05, 2013.

 

Homosexual Orientation is Not Sinful

Pope Francis (left) has correctly said gay people should not be marginalised but integrated into society. It is refreshing to hear him say that homosexual orientation is not sinful. 

As he puts it: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge them?"

Can we, please, follow his example?

This evening, I ventured into 'enemy territory' – the MCA Petaling Jaya Selatan office!  I was there for a non-political reason. 

I was attending the Money Mastery Toastmasters meeting. I was privileged to evaluate Ken Chan who was "presenting the results” of his HPL (High Performance Leadership) project. I also took part in Table Topics. 

[All those who took part in this impromptu speaking session were given a 1Malaysia lapel pin (left pic) – but with all due respect to the Table Topics Master who gave it away, I will not keep it. I don't buy Najib Razak's 1Malaysia rhetoric!]. 

Anyway, I was humbled when I was voted Best Evaluator and Best Table Topics Speaker. This meeting scored a 4 over 10 and only because it started five minutes late and finished nine minutes behind time.  Tsk, tsk, tsk! Toastmasters are tardy about time!

 

For the eleventh time, Listen!

Screenshot of Sharifah Zohra Jabeen (right) taking down a university student at a UUM forum

A video of a bullying pro-UMNO speaker publicly berating a student at a university forum on December 08, 2012 has gone viral and I am sure this will embarrass the host university, i.e. UUM. It won’t put the university in a good light because the authorities didn’t exercise due diligence when inviting speakers. Unless the university couldn’t be too bothered because it wanted to be seen as supporting UMNO. Or maybe there is a sinsiter motive, i.e. the university is indoctrinating students.

The speaker, identified as Sharifah Zohra Jabeen, president of UMNO-backed Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) and unabashedly proud to wave the pro-government flag was caught on video tongue-lashing KS Bawani, the student – who had stood up to voice her views on the Bersih electoral rally and free education – with caustic remarks such as “when this is our programme, we allow you to speak” and “when I speak, you listen”. The forum was titled “Seiringkah mahasiswa dan politik?” (Are graduates and politics aligned?).

The 20-minute clip was posted on YouTube only last week but it quickly spread on Facebook and Twitter. I will not be surprised if the whole Malaysian academia had seen the video.

It was rude of Sharifah to interrupt the student midway when the latter was making her point(s) and she even repeated “Listen!” a whopping 11 times and taking away the microphone from KS Bawani to stop the student from speaking further.

Defending the BN government's policies, Sharifah reiterated the now-familiar position that government critics should live abroad since they do not agree with its policies.

"If you're not happy, you are very much suitable to go to another university," she continued, miserably revealing her poor command of the English language.

In another instance, she derided Bawani as 'uneducated'. She said in her broken English: "You have proven that you have a very least of pendidikan (education)".

I was appalled that the audience showed classic crowd mentality. Some 2000 students in the auditorium who had earlier applauded Bawani, turned against her and began voicing approval for Sharifah's scathing attacks, many times clearly personal in nature. The students demonstrated that they don't have a mind of their own, reminding me of the witless walking dead you see on “Resident Evil”.

Sharifah quelled another student who attempted to speak out, saying insistently, “Let me speak” before asking the rest of the auditorium audience: “Students in the hall, 2,300 students everywhere. Did I give her respect? Did I give her respect? I came up to her, shook hands with her and gave her respect as another woman. Do you think I need to answer her question with this attitude?”

She also labelled Bersih co-chair Ambiga Sreenevasan an “anarchist”, and criticized the student for highlighting the need for free education in the country, even telling her “if you equate Malaysia to other countries, what are you doing in Malaysia?”

“Go to Cuba, go to Argentina, go to Libya, go everywhere. Because all the students in this hall are happy with whatever the government does for them,” she said, and ticked Bawani off for having “a very least of pendidikan ([education)”.

The speaker was gruff, gross and graceless. Obviously, she has no class at all! A typical UMNO-bred vulgarian!

Internet memes of Sharifah have emerged after the SW1M president publicly reviled a university student for expressing her views.

Sukan 1Malaysia

The news that some 78,000 or 20% of the 390,000 newly registered voters in Selangor could not be verified by the state government – as reported by The Sun on Wednesday (p 07) is indeed worrying. If they cannot be accounted for – then doesn’t this lend credence to PR’s claims that we have a suspect electoral roll? As is oft repeated, the EC office-bearers must resign for their abject failure to pay heed to complaints of irregularity and take the necessary corrective action to clean up the roll.

When Najib Razak said he will win back Selangor no matter what, is it any wonder that PR must exercise extreme caution when deciding when to call for the state election? PR must think strategically before deciding whether to have it concurrently with the federal election.

Don’t forget that Najib had installed himself as the Selangor UMNO chief and so, he is determined to wrest back Selangor for UMNO. Otherwise, the politicians in his camp will be starved of the free-flowing freebies that come by controlling the state government. And he will lose influence and even face.

We all know Najib is desperate to win! And not just in Selangor. Check out this Najib video clip:

Yesterday, Sunway University Toastmasters Club had their meeting and it was very well-attended. Again, there were good speeches and evaluations. I am fortunate that we continue to draw Toastmasters from other clubs to support us at our meetings – last evening, there were friends from Taman Indrahana, Money & You, MIMKL, Kuantan and UniRazak. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

God Bless Malaysia!

Today is Malaysia Day. I challenge Malaysians to reflect on the state of our beloved country. Where is our country heading to, I ask? I am clearly worried. And alarmed. Even fearful.

Instead of giving me reasons to rejoice, I see racial and religious divisions. I see a polarization of society. I see the ascendancy of right-wingers who are determined to re-write history and turn this country into a Malay-centric universe. And who just love to scream their heads off that Malays and Islam are under threat; that non-Malays are pendatangs; and that we who are Malaysians should be grateful we are accepted in this country. I see a society that is being slowly torn apart due to rising crime. And a rising cost of living that is causing much grief amongst low-income families, not to mention that wages are still frozen in time, being unable to keep pace with rising prices. I see the criminalization of segments of society who are different. I see the seeds of hate being planted by politicians who should know better. I see the fragmentation of a once-harmonious society. And I see the falsehood of 1Malaysia that Najib preaches. The above are my concerns. Am I misguided? I don't think so. On the eve of Malaysia Day, the Prime Minister himself made a speech in his own constituency of Pekan, Pahang warning the UMNO Malays that the 13th general election is not an ordinary election. Instead, it will determine the survival of the Malays. He reminded them that if the Malays “want to maintain the backbone of the government, (they) must make sure UMNO wins” So, fellow Malaysians, are we going to meekly accept the above? Is Najib a prime minister for all Malaysians? Or just the UMNO Malays? On this special day of the forty-ninth year of our nationhood, it is important to remind ourselves that we can make a difference, individually and collectively. And the most important duty we have is to correctly exercise our vote in GE13. Our one vote is indeed precious! We need to start afresh. Only a new government can grant us this. It's as simple as that. 

God bless Malaysia!

Climbing Public Debt

Fitch Ratings on Wednesday let on that Malaysia’s public finances are weak relative to those of its ‘A’ range peers and the country is now on par with more heavily indebted ‘A’ range sovereigns such as Italy. [For those who didn’t know, Italy is considered one of the countries at risk of a debt default].

This comes after economists said that the federal government’s debt, which nearly doubled since 2007 to RM421 billion, poses a fiscal risk to the country if not managed carefully as it impairs Malaysia’s resilience to economic shocks, which appear to be occurring with increasing frequency.

In fact, in 1Q 2012, this debt has spectacularly ballooned to RM470 billion – the highest debt in Malaysia’s history! (Webpage http://aliran.com/9854.html).

According to Aliran’s Dr Subramaniam Pillay, our debt is about 54 percent of GDP – the second highest in Asia. Just to put this into perpective, Indonesia has a debt of only 23 percent of GDP and Singapore has no debts (ibid).

Fitch has warned that the deterioration in public debt ratios is affecting Malaysia’s credit profile and a lack of progress on fiscal reforms could lead to a ratings downgrade.

What is also alarming is the fact that “general government revenues (24% of GDP in 2011) remain well below the ‘A’ range median for general government revenues (33%)” (Malaysian Reserve, August 02, 2012, p 4). So the government is earning less but they are determined to spend beyond their means. We must thank Najib Razak for his vote-buying schemes such as BR1M, TR1Ma, KR1M, SARA 1Malaysia and others.

On Wednesday, SUBS members proceeded to Fong Lye Restaurant in Sunway Pyramid to help Leong Ken Yien celebrate her birthday. The photos below refer: