Malaysia has finally made it to the international news and joined the many nations facing problems with religious extremist. Not that we didn't have them before but now they seem to have become bolder. A number of churches were set on fire using kerosine bombs. The Prime Minister has condemned the attack.
I have to say that it is my presumption that the churches were burnt by the Muslim extremist as we have yet to hear from the police regarding the identity of the culprits. This incident will no doubt be linked to the usage of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims which is a big issue with Malaysian Muslims. It seems it might confuse the Muslims and cause them to stray if Christians use that word to refer to God. This case went to court and the outcome was in the favour of the Christians.
Now with the arson incident, it looks like court decisions have no value. The government has to come out strongly against this sort of bullying to reassure the people that there is still freedom of worship in this 'boleh land' and that we need to respect the law and the constitution of the country. Otherwise all is lost.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Police Brutality
Police brutality is not a new phenomena and certainly not confined to Malaysia only. Even the developed nations have many many cases of police brutality against minorities in their records.
The latest in Malaysia is the case of an Indian, Kugan, who was arrested in a car theft case. He is actually a suspect. As in all other cases in Malaysia, a suspect is innocent until proven guilty.
The police have a job to gather evidence to prove their case. In this case, Kugan was found dead while in police custody! What happened? This is the natural question. The police must answer and clear their name. He is not the first Indian to die in police custody. Is there racism in the police department and is it directed against the Indians because they are a minority here?
Independent investigation must be carried out to determine the actual events. If the police want the people to have trust in them, they must not carry out the investigation. It must be done by an independent body and must be done urgently. The job of the police is to uphold the law and maintain peace. If this sort of thing is allowed to go on, I doubt there will be peace in this land. The blowing up of the Mongolian girl has already damaged the reputation of the Malaysian police both within the country and outside the country.
How many Indians have to die in police custody before something is done?
The latest in Malaysia is the case of an Indian, Kugan, who was arrested in a car theft case. He is actually a suspect. As in all other cases in Malaysia, a suspect is innocent until proven guilty.
The police have a job to gather evidence to prove their case. In this case, Kugan was found dead while in police custody! What happened? This is the natural question. The police must answer and clear their name. He is not the first Indian to die in police custody. Is there racism in the police department and is it directed against the Indians because they are a minority here?
Independent investigation must be carried out to determine the actual events. If the police want the people to have trust in them, they must not carry out the investigation. It must be done by an independent body and must be done urgently. The job of the police is to uphold the law and maintain peace. If this sort of thing is allowed to go on, I doubt there will be peace in this land. The blowing up of the Mongolian girl has already damaged the reputation of the Malaysian police both within the country and outside the country.
How many Indians have to die in police custody before something is done?
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Whither Malaysia?
Looking at all the happenings around us, one can't help but think about the direction Malaysia is taking.
In the recent election, the government lost 5 states mainly to 3 reasons. Namely,
a) corrupt politicians in the ruling party
b) arrogance displayed by the ruling party towards other Malaysians of different race
c) racial policies practiced favouring one particular race
It seems the surviving party leaders are still in limbo and not aware of why they lost so badly. The recent rebate offered by the government to offset the steep price hike in petrol does not really help the poor people who are the ones in real need. They do not own cars so they can't get any rebates! The rich man with many cars will be getting more money. And further more, why allow Pos Malaysia (a public listed company) to distribute the rebate for which they will charge a fee. Should it not have been the work of the Department of Vehicles? They work for the government so there will be no fee involved. To see who benefits, one needs to find out who has a major share in Pos Malaysia and I won't be surprised if you should find some politicians in that list.
To make matters worse, the PM doesn't even have control over his party members. The other day one of them (a woman) threw a racial slur in the state assembly! The gall of that woman. The PM has yet to say something. They always talk about racial harmony and sensitivity towards others. If someone says something about Islam or the rights of the Bumiputra, that is being insensitive. Other people also have feelings.
Right now I have this image of Malaysia being placed on an iceberg and set to drift towards the equator. Based on the political scenario at the moment, that's the feeling right now.
In the recent election, the government lost 5 states mainly to 3 reasons. Namely,
a) corrupt politicians in the ruling party
b) arrogance displayed by the ruling party towards other Malaysians of different race
c) racial policies practiced favouring one particular race
It seems the surviving party leaders are still in limbo and not aware of why they lost so badly. The recent rebate offered by the government to offset the steep price hike in petrol does not really help the poor people who are the ones in real need. They do not own cars so they can't get any rebates! The rich man with many cars will be getting more money. And further more, why allow Pos Malaysia (a public listed company) to distribute the rebate for which they will charge a fee. Should it not have been the work of the Department of Vehicles? They work for the government so there will be no fee involved. To see who benefits, one needs to find out who has a major share in Pos Malaysia and I won't be surprised if you should find some politicians in that list.
To make matters worse, the PM doesn't even have control over his party members. The other day one of them (a woman) threw a racial slur in the state assembly! The gall of that woman. The PM has yet to say something. They always talk about racial harmony and sensitivity towards others. If someone says something about Islam or the rights of the Bumiputra, that is being insensitive. Other people also have feelings.
Right now I have this image of Malaysia being placed on an iceberg and set to drift towards the equator. Based on the political scenario at the moment, that's the feeling right now.
Monday, March 31, 2008
A Changing Malaysia
After ruling this country for 50 years, the ruling coalition found themselves with a government without a two-thirds majority! How could this have happened? Dare we dream that the leadership is actually taking stock to learn from all this? I am not so sure.
I am sceptical because most of the previous Ministers were not of quality material. They came into power playing the race and religious platforms. They have been doing this for so long they don’t know anything else or even care about anything else besides making money for themselves. When the people went to the streets in protest, they didn’t get the hint. It is certainly not our culture to protest or even to strike! In all my 36 years in government service, I remember only once when the union called us to picket in K.L. Of course we took leave to stand by the roadside carrying our placards. We were demanding for better pay then.
The demonstrators in K.L. last year were demanding for a decent livelihood. They were asking the government to look into their welfare. It was about jobs, education, freedom to worship, places to worship, rising cost of fuel, food etc... They were not terrorists as they were made out to be by some politicians who were in power then. If the leadership had been smart, they would have studied the situation and assigned the right persons to provide solutions to the problem rather than lock up the protesters using the Internal Security Act. The election results might have been different. The coalition might not have lost 5 states! That’s just my opinion.
I guess it was not just the demonstrations alone that caused the change. There was too much corruption. Our No. 1 enemy is not “Drugs”. It is CORRUPTION! The whole nation can go bankrupt if it is left unchecked. We will end up carrying sack loads of our money just to buy a packet of ‘nasi lemak’, while the corrupt politicians and their cronies are enjoying their ill gotten gains in some Polynesian island!
I think the change came at the right time. My only hope is that the government will learn from the change and do what it is supposed to do – take care of the people. The dust has finally settled and the opposition that has claimed the 5 states are now in the limelight. Lets hope they will do a better job. We do not need a moral police. We only want good governance. Is that too much to ask?
I am sceptical because most of the previous Ministers were not of quality material. They came into power playing the race and religious platforms. They have been doing this for so long they don’t know anything else or even care about anything else besides making money for themselves. When the people went to the streets in protest, they didn’t get the hint. It is certainly not our culture to protest or even to strike! In all my 36 years in government service, I remember only once when the union called us to picket in K.L. Of course we took leave to stand by the roadside carrying our placards. We were demanding for better pay then.
The demonstrators in K.L. last year were demanding for a decent livelihood. They were asking the government to look into their welfare. It was about jobs, education, freedom to worship, places to worship, rising cost of fuel, food etc... They were not terrorists as they were made out to be by some politicians who were in power then. If the leadership had been smart, they would have studied the situation and assigned the right persons to provide solutions to the problem rather than lock up the protesters using the Internal Security Act. The election results might have been different. The coalition might not have lost 5 states! That’s just my opinion.
I guess it was not just the demonstrations alone that caused the change. There was too much corruption. Our No. 1 enemy is not “Drugs”. It is CORRUPTION! The whole nation can go bankrupt if it is left unchecked. We will end up carrying sack loads of our money just to buy a packet of ‘nasi lemak’, while the corrupt politicians and their cronies are enjoying their ill gotten gains in some Polynesian island!
I think the change came at the right time. My only hope is that the government will learn from the change and do what it is supposed to do – take care of the people. The dust has finally settled and the opposition that has claimed the 5 states are now in the limelight. Lets hope they will do a better job. We do not need a moral police. We only want good governance. Is that too much to ask?
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Election - Time For Change In Malaysia
Today is election day for Malaysians. There has been a lot of talk about exercising the individual’s right to vote in order to change the government for the better. Theoretically it is good advice but in practical terms, this won’t work in this country.
Our politics is still based on race and religion. The more racial you are the more votes you will get from your community. The religious nuts are having a field time glorifying their brand of politics based on their religious order. ‘The only way is our way’ is their slogan and their religious rules are good for everybody.
So you see, it really boils down to the general education of the masses if we really want a good government run by honest people who will consider Malaysia is for Malaysians. It sounds like a dreamer’s view point but I don’t see any dramatic change if the current government loses some seats.
The little ‘Napoleons’ or ‘mullahs’ are still in their places of power within the government machinery. For them their post is considered an inheritance as most of them came in through the ‘back door’ as a result of the government’s policy of helping the Bumiputeras using the NEP. The politicians may be changed but these government servants who don’t seem to know that they are ‘servants’ are still embedded in their various posts and they are the ones who introduce policies that divide the population, especially those in the Education Ministry as this involves our young people. The special treatment and privileges given to the students because they belong to a particular race divides the children at an early age and by the time they get into the university, there is little or no integration between the races.
I blame this situation totally on the Education Ministry and the previous PM who started all this nonsense. Until today he is still not repentant and dares to mention in the papers how can an Indian Malaysian be equal to a Malay Malaysian! He started the rot and we are at the receiving end now with racists politicians and meatheads who think they are our leaders in Parliament.
By tomorrow we will know the outcome of the elections and what is in store for all Malaysians. I still think change will only come when the Malays wake up and realize they don’t need the NEP anymore and accept all Malaysians as their equals under the Malaysian flag. Until such time, we can only wait and hope.
Our politics is still based on race and religion. The more racial you are the more votes you will get from your community. The religious nuts are having a field time glorifying their brand of politics based on their religious order. ‘The only way is our way’ is their slogan and their religious rules are good for everybody.
So you see, it really boils down to the general education of the masses if we really want a good government run by honest people who will consider Malaysia is for Malaysians. It sounds like a dreamer’s view point but I don’t see any dramatic change if the current government loses some seats.
The little ‘Napoleons’ or ‘mullahs’ are still in their places of power within the government machinery. For them their post is considered an inheritance as most of them came in through the ‘back door’ as a result of the government’s policy of helping the Bumiputeras using the NEP. The politicians may be changed but these government servants who don’t seem to know that they are ‘servants’ are still embedded in their various posts and they are the ones who introduce policies that divide the population, especially those in the Education Ministry as this involves our young people. The special treatment and privileges given to the students because they belong to a particular race divides the children at an early age and by the time they get into the university, there is little or no integration between the races.
I blame this situation totally on the Education Ministry and the previous PM who started all this nonsense. Until today he is still not repentant and dares to mention in the papers how can an Indian Malaysian be equal to a Malay Malaysian! He started the rot and we are at the receiving end now with racists politicians and meatheads who think they are our leaders in Parliament.
By tomorrow we will know the outcome of the elections and what is in store for all Malaysians. I still think change will only come when the Malays wake up and realize they don’t need the NEP anymore and accept all Malaysians as their equals under the Malaysian flag. Until such time, we can only wait and hope.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Non-Muslims Looked After
The Prime Minister said that non-Muslims were looked after and that various ministers in the Cabinet were charged with this responsibility. What a load of bullshit.
He was commenting on a request by Indian-based non-governmental organizations for the Government to form a non-Muslim Affairs Department to look after the interests of believers of other faiths. This request was brought up when they had a heart to heart meeting with the PM a few days ago in the hope that something concrete would be done. Looking at his reply, nothing is going to happen and that special meeting the PM called with the Indian based NGO's was an eyewash. Another political ploy to get votes.
I am sure all the Ministers mentioned by him would be flabbergasted to know that they were actually responsible for the religious problems of their ethnic groups. Those Hindu families that had problems with the Islamic Religious Department would certainly be surprised to know that all that while when they faced the rude officials from the Islamic Departments who had backup from the police, they actually had a hero Minister in the Cabinet who wasn't doing his job. When the dead body of their spouse was whisked away by the Islamic officials, when properties and accounts were frozen and placed under the Islamic Affairs Department, there was no Minister around to help them.
The proposal by the NGO's is a very sound one to help the non-Muslims in this country to sort out their religious problems with the Islamic Affairs Department. The Non-Muslim Affairs Department need to be empowered to be able to help the non-Muslims citizens of this country. We must have that right. Don't chicken out at this juncture Mr. Prime Minister.
The existing Ministers in the Cabinet have their own duties. The MIC leader does not have any influence to help the Indians. Just look what happened during this Deepavali. The UMNO General Assembly was held at the same time and no one went for the Open House. That is a slap in the face for the MIC leader Datuk Seri S. Samy Velu. Even the UMNO don't respect him!
There must be something wrong with the current system to cause more than 30,000 Indians from all walks of life to march down the street and demand for a better treatment. You have to take heed and come up with a better solution than make a sweeping statement like this :
“For instance, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting looks after the interests of the Buddhists, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu covers the Hindus and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok covers the Christians in the country.
“For the time being, this is quite effective and we have always been addressing the problems brought up by followers of the different faiths.
“We also have a National Unity Department which looks into matters relating to unity and the various faiths embraced by the various races in the country.
“In fact, we have always looked after the interests of non-Muslims and pay attention to any issue they may bring up to us,” he told reporters after visiting a kerepek factory in Kg Bukit Bangkong yesterday.
The march by the 30,000 or so Indians is an indication that all is not well with their lot and also that the existing system and the leadership is not functioning as expected. Then there is the problem of all the little Napoleons running the various government departments who have their own agenda which also needs to be addressed. The lack of non Malays in all various posts in the government service has added to the distrust of the government. The street demonstration is not about wanting more, or taking from others. This is exactly what our Deputy Prime Minister had in mind when he said, “We will not do anything that is seen as depriving other races of their rights. We will only demand whatever rights the bumiputra has. That is all,” Najib said.
The Indians want the same thing, education, jobs, business opportunities, housing etc.. The basic necessities is what they want. Not more not less. Is that too much to ask?
He was commenting on a request by Indian-based non-governmental organizations for the Government to form a non-Muslim Affairs Department to look after the interests of believers of other faiths. This request was brought up when they had a heart to heart meeting with the PM a few days ago in the hope that something concrete would be done. Looking at his reply, nothing is going to happen and that special meeting the PM called with the Indian based NGO's was an eyewash. Another political ploy to get votes.
I am sure all the Ministers mentioned by him would be flabbergasted to know that they were actually responsible for the religious problems of their ethnic groups. Those Hindu families that had problems with the Islamic Religious Department would certainly be surprised to know that all that while when they faced the rude officials from the Islamic Departments who had backup from the police, they actually had a hero Minister in the Cabinet who wasn't doing his job. When the dead body of their spouse was whisked away by the Islamic officials, when properties and accounts were frozen and placed under the Islamic Affairs Department, there was no Minister around to help them.
The proposal by the NGO's is a very sound one to help the non-Muslims in this country to sort out their religious problems with the Islamic Affairs Department. The Non-Muslim Affairs Department need to be empowered to be able to help the non-Muslims citizens of this country. We must have that right. Don't chicken out at this juncture Mr. Prime Minister.
The existing Ministers in the Cabinet have their own duties. The MIC leader does not have any influence to help the Indians. Just look what happened during this Deepavali. The UMNO General Assembly was held at the same time and no one went for the Open House. That is a slap in the face for the MIC leader Datuk Seri S. Samy Velu. Even the UMNO don't respect him!
There must be something wrong with the current system to cause more than 30,000 Indians from all walks of life to march down the street and demand for a better treatment. You have to take heed and come up with a better solution than make a sweeping statement like this :
“For instance, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting looks after the interests of the Buddhists, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu covers the Hindus and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok covers the Christians in the country.
“For the time being, this is quite effective and we have always been addressing the problems brought up by followers of the different faiths.
“We also have a National Unity Department which looks into matters relating to unity and the various faiths embraced by the various races in the country.
“In fact, we have always looked after the interests of non-Muslims and pay attention to any issue they may bring up to us,” he told reporters after visiting a kerepek factory in Kg Bukit Bangkong yesterday.
The march by the 30,000 or so Indians is an indication that all is not well with their lot and also that the existing system and the leadership is not functioning as expected. Then there is the problem of all the little Napoleons running the various government departments who have their own agenda which also needs to be addressed. The lack of non Malays in all various posts in the government service has added to the distrust of the government. The street demonstration is not about wanting more, or taking from others. This is exactly what our Deputy Prime Minister had in mind when he said, “We will not do anything that is seen as depriving other races of their rights. We will only demand whatever rights the bumiputra has. That is all,” Najib said.
The Indians want the same thing, education, jobs, business opportunities, housing etc.. The basic necessities is what they want. Not more not less. Is that too much to ask?
Cholestetrol
God works in miraculous ways but He also allows medical professionals to help in the healing work.
It seems I inherited the high cholesterol level problem. All my brothers and sisters also have high levels. Following the advice of my doctor, I embarked on finding a drug that will help to lower the cholesterol level. After trying out three of the statin drugs, I thought there was not much hope. Finally my doctor introduced Vytorin. Even though it is a combination of Simvastatin & ezetimibe, it seems to work for me for the moment. So far no side effects and the results are good.
I have to keep a lookout though for signs of side effects like : muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness with fever or flu symptoms and dark colored urine;decreased urine or rust-coloured urine; blurred vision. These are some of the allergic reactions to Vytorin.
Results:
The LDL dropped to 2.19 (<258). The Triglyceride level dropped to 1.66 (<1.68). The Total cholesterol/HDL ratio is 4.5 (<5.0). Total cholesterol is now at 3.8 (<5.2).
What a relief! Now I just have to work on the HDL which is below 1.0(>1.03). Need to play more golf and tennis!
It seems I inherited the high cholesterol level problem. All my brothers and sisters also have high levels. Following the advice of my doctor, I embarked on finding a drug that will help to lower the cholesterol level. After trying out three of the statin drugs, I thought there was not much hope. Finally my doctor introduced Vytorin. Even though it is a combination of Simvastatin & ezetimibe, it seems to work for me for the moment. So far no side effects and the results are good.
I have to keep a lookout though for signs of side effects like : muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness with fever or flu symptoms and dark colored urine;decreased urine or rust-coloured urine; blurred vision. These are some of the allergic reactions to Vytorin.
Results:
The LDL dropped to 2.19 (<258). The Triglyceride level dropped to 1.66 (<1.68). The Total cholesterol/HDL ratio is 4.5 (<5.0). Total cholesterol is now at 3.8 (<5.2).
What a relief! Now I just have to work on the HDL which is below 1.0(>1.03). Need to play more golf and tennis!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Arrest, Arrest and more Arrests!
The Malaysian Police have been very busy the past few days and it looks like they will be kept busy with more arrests on the way.
The whole episode of street demonstrations with police water canons shooting water laced with chemicals and baton wielding police charging at the demonstrators could have been avoided if the top brass in the Police Department had used their brains instead of listening to stupid politicians. The media, whether local or international look for news that will bring higher ratings. Boys throwing rocks at the advancing Israeli tanks in Palestine is news. Korean riot police bashing the demonstrators is news. Myanmar’s army crushing the peaceful march by the monks is news. So, when the peaceful march by the Indians in K.L. is violently disrupted by the police, it will make the news. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.
All they had to do, was give the permit for the peaceful rally with conditions relating to the safety of the populace and traffic control while limiting the number of people allowed to approach the embassy. I very seriously doubt that the Queen or the British Government would immediately go into action just because the British Embassy in Malaysia received a petition from a bunch of Indians! But no! They had to show who was more powerful.
It is the right of every Malaysian to differ with the government. We need not be an elected representative to voice our dissatisfaction with government policies as some elected politicians seem to think. The people must not be afraid of the government. The government must be afraid of the people. We put you there and we can take you out. So if a sizeable number of the people have some grouses to voice out, it is the government’s duty to not only listen but to take action on them if they are found to be true. Very simple really.
No need for riot police, bloody clashes, unwanted international media exposure, definitely no need for the ISA and most of all no need for the many silly explanations from the political fraternity. Some of our ministers truly embarrass the nation when they open their mouths and try to speak in English. Listening to one of them on BBC’s Hardtalk and one more bantering with an Aljazeera reporter was enough.
To top it up, we had one Member of Parliament who wanted to remove the crosses and statues of Mary in Christian schools! It seems our country being a ‘Muslim nation’ cannot allow such things. He must have graduated from the Taliban school. One of the leaders of HINDRAF will be charged for uttering seditious words that could incite racial disturbances. So what happens to the MP who insulted the Christians?
The whole episode of street demonstrations with police water canons shooting water laced with chemicals and baton wielding police charging at the demonstrators could have been avoided if the top brass in the Police Department had used their brains instead of listening to stupid politicians. The media, whether local or international look for news that will bring higher ratings. Boys throwing rocks at the advancing Israeli tanks in Palestine is news. Korean riot police bashing the demonstrators is news. Myanmar’s army crushing the peaceful march by the monks is news. So, when the peaceful march by the Indians in K.L. is violently disrupted by the police, it will make the news. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.
All they had to do, was give the permit for the peaceful rally with conditions relating to the safety of the populace and traffic control while limiting the number of people allowed to approach the embassy. I very seriously doubt that the Queen or the British Government would immediately go into action just because the British Embassy in Malaysia received a petition from a bunch of Indians! But no! They had to show who was more powerful.
It is the right of every Malaysian to differ with the government. We need not be an elected representative to voice our dissatisfaction with government policies as some elected politicians seem to think. The people must not be afraid of the government. The government must be afraid of the people. We put you there and we can take you out. So if a sizeable number of the people have some grouses to voice out, it is the government’s duty to not only listen but to take action on them if they are found to be true. Very simple really.
No need for riot police, bloody clashes, unwanted international media exposure, definitely no need for the ISA and most of all no need for the many silly explanations from the political fraternity. Some of our ministers truly embarrass the nation when they open their mouths and try to speak in English. Listening to one of them on BBC’s Hardtalk and one more bantering with an Aljazeera reporter was enough.
To top it up, we had one Member of Parliament who wanted to remove the crosses and statues of Mary in Christian schools! It seems our country being a ‘Muslim nation’ cannot allow such things. He must have graduated from the Taliban school. One of the leaders of HINDRAF will be charged for uttering seditious words that could incite racial disturbances. So what happens to the MP who insulted the Christians?
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