Why?

Why is Shahrizat Jalil still in the cabinet? Is she waiting for the cows (pun very much intended) to come home?

Why did we spend RM9 billion on a few (2nd grade?) warships? Are we planning to go to war?

Why isn't Ibrahim Ali arrested for causing racial unrest? 

Why is Wan Azizah the president of PKR? Does she serve any purpose?

Why is UMNO so afraid of Anwar? Why are they (UMNO) hell bent on destroying him? Why only Anwar and not Lim Guan Eng, Hadi Awang or Karpal Singh?

Why is Andy Carroll not scoring as regularly as he should?

Why does Najib insist on listing Felda Global?

Why is the central banker who lost billions in the forex market now a senior minister? 

Why are we still protecting Proton after almost 30 years? 

Why is PERKASA so afraid of the use of indelible ink during elections? Are they planning an electoral fraud?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Adam Adli – Hero or Villain?

Adam Adli’s sin was the lowering of a flag in the compound of PWTC bearing the Prime Minister’s face and replacing it with BEBAS’ flag. The flag-down, flag-up operation happened briefly and according to Adam, Najib’s flag was back up within five minutes. Adam says he won’t apologise for his actions because it could demoralise his comrades.

For his efforts, Adam got;

1.      A ‘spitting’ video message from car salesman Arman Azha of PJ UMNO and ex PERKASA youth head.

2.   Disciplinary action from University Pendidikan Sultan Idris ( UPSI) charged with damaging the 'good name' of UPSI and he has 'endangered morals and public order'.

3.       Death threat via SMS

4.       A policeman attempted to punch him in the compound of Bukit Aman when he went to make a report over the SMS.

5.       Accused of being gay.

Mak Datok! AC Mizal? Eizlan Yusof?

Holy Cow!

AC Mizal and Eizlan Yusof are now Dato's! And not surprisingly, like most entertainers, they got a Pahang Dato'ship. 

Don't call me sour grapes but I don't think they deserve the award. I've written about this before [here] and I'll say it again - please keep the royal award prestigious and to a certain extent, desirable.

My view on the higher royal award (Dato' and Dato' Seri/Paduka/Wira etc) is that they should only be given to those who has brought glory to the state or country. It should be a reward for success, loyalty, service, achievement. No doubt, both AC and Eizlan have achieved some sort of success, done some sort of service and have achieved a lot in their fields but is it enough to warrant a high royal award. Won't an AMP suffice? 

I have no problems with Ahmad Nawab, Jins Shamsuddin, P Ramlee, Sudirman, David Arumugam, Aziz Sattar, Rahim Razali and M Nasir getting royal awards. They have contributed much to the industry and more importantly they got their awards after showing their mettle over and over again. They did not get their reward halfway through their career, they got it as a recognition of their continuous success over many years. 

Good Neighbours?

At the Dewan Rakyat some time in June 2011, Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said there have been 2,508 violations of Malaysian air space by Singapore military jets since 2008.

There are reportedly millions of Indonesian illegal immigrants in Malaysia.

Why does the SAF continuously violate our airspace? I’m sure their advanced radar system and NUS educated pilots would notice when they illegally encroach into another country’s airspace. Why are they so arrogant?

Are the Indonesian government is not doing anything to ensure workers coming to Malaysia are legally registered? Some quarters in Indonesia even have the cheek to “ganyang” Malaysia. That’s what I would call ungrateful.

And we are supposed to be good neighbours? Don’t these countries have any shame?

Studying Overseas

We should send our undergraduates overseas for two main reasons; (1) the intended course is unavailable locally or insufficient space in local universities; (2) the student gets admitted into a globally recognised top university.

Graduate students on the other hand should preferably be sent overseas to gain international exposure.

There is always a university league table to gauge each university’s quality of teaching and research.

LSE, Oxford and Cambridge are the top 3 Law schools in the UK* UCL, Durham, QM, Reading, Edinburgh and Glasgow makes up the top ten.

LSE, Oxford and Cambridge again tops the table for Economics* while Reading is at 54^th. So, while it is okay for Law students to go to Reading, it would not be okay for Economics student to go to the same university. Similarly, Durham is 7^th for Economics but a no go for Mechanical Engineering as it is ranked 26^th.

As far as UK is concerned, the old universities still dominate the standings. A few new universities of the 60s like Warwick and Lancaster have joined the elites but most of the even newer universities, the former polytechnics have yet to break into the top 50 save for Oxford Brooks and Hertfordshire at 46 and 48 respectively.

* http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/

Am I a Traitor?

Am I a traitor if I say the privileges given to Malays (in Malaysia) regardless of social and economic standing is a flawed policy?

Would it be treacherous for me to suggest the privileges given to able and capable (and wealthy) Malays be dropped?

Would PERKASA demand for my citizenship to be revoked if I suggest policies be implemented to help the poor regardless of race or religion?

Yes, I’m talking about the New Economic Policy (NEP) and Malay rights.

By the way, if I’m not mistaken, the NEP was supposed to expire in 1990 and if I’m not mistaken, it is still in place, 21 years after its expiry date.

I am all for affirmative action for as long as it reaches the right target. Affirmative action means teaching man to fish and once he knows how to fish, assistance should cease. Affirmative action should be based on need and not race.  I’m also for meritocracy; privilege should be given to the most deserving. Rights should be earned.

Let’s take Bumiputera discount as an example. A Malay earning RM2,000 per month gets to buy a RM150,000 house at a discount. A non-Malay earning RM1,500 per month have to buy the same house at the full price. Affirmative action means making house affordable to the poor/low income but in this case the poorer people have to pay a higher price for a basic need. Has the objectives of affirmative action been achieved?

Looking at the same instance from a different perspective, is it fair for a Malay to still get a discount on a RM500,000 house? The fact that banks are willing to finance his purchase of a half a million Ringgit house, his earnings and repayment ability must be good. Does he deserve the discount?

What about UiTM? Malay politicians and Malay rights group have over and over stressed that it is an institution exclusively for Bumiputeras. My question is how come non-Bumi lecturers are allowed to teach at UiTM? If it is for the Bumis, shouldn’t it be BY the Bumis too? Secondly, does an apartheid-like institution good for nation building? How can we expect a group of young minds without the experience of integrating with other races and cultures be expected to effortlessly fit into a multi racial society let alone a globalised world? We do not need quantity, we need quality graduates.

Every April or May we hear stories of deserving students with a zillion A’s not getting scholarships and complaints of many students with less A’s getting financial aid for overseas studies.  Preference for scholarships should be merit based. If Malay students cannot obtain the necessary grades to merit a scholarship, the guardians of the Malays should look at the root cause; maybe they lack the facilities and/or guidance; maybe they lack interest. Finding out the root cause will enable the policy makers/guardians to formulate an improved policy to help better the Malays’ economic and social standing. By allowing undeserving students to enter university will create low quality workforce and the whole economy will suffer as a result.

Approved Permits (AP) is another controversial subject. It is often used as an example of how the NEP is being abused by those in power. My suggestion is to give APs to any Malaysian car importer without limit and at the same time compel banks to finance all car importers on equal terms. Once that’s done let the market determine who will continue to be in business. I’m already hearing cries of “how will the Malay businessman compete against the Chinese?” My answer is if you can’t compete maybe you shouldn’t be in the business in the first place? I’m sure there is a right business/vocation/job for everyone.

Affirmative action is good, it is necessary but often the implementation is flawed and abuses are rampant. Affirmative action, in order to achieve its desired results must address the right target; those economically left behind. Selective affirmative action is not a good idea; it is unfair and could lead to undesirable social issues.

Ariff Alfian Rosli’s Same-Sex Civil Union

Those who know me and have read my few postings on gays would know I’m against same-sex relationships. I am not a homo-phobe, I’m merely obeying my God’s decree – thou shall not practice your lust on men in preference to women; read more [here]. 

I don’t know who Ariff Alfian is; all I know about him is what the media tells me. Apparently he’s gay and is married to his lover Jonathan. Three years ago his family reported him missing but according to Ariff he is constantly in touch with his family bar his father. Apparently a police report was made in Malaysia. I didn't know we have jurisdiction over something that happened in Ireland. A man getting married to another man may not be morally acceptable but I don't think it's a crime, not in Ireland at least. Petronas is also looking for him because they want him to repay RM890,000 spent on his medical degree. Ariff also strongly denies he’s an apostate.

Interestingly and somewhat not surprisingly, UMNO is sending someone over to Ireland to coax him to return to Malaysia. Someone’s getting a free overseas trip!

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – one has to choose between being a Muslim and being gay. There is no such thing as being a gay Muslim.  One or the other, never both. Kapish?

A Muslim is someone who unreservedly and sincerely profess that Allah is the only God and Muhammad is his messenger. A Muslim promises to strictly adhere to the words of Allah (Al Quran) and the traditions and hadiths of the Prophet s.a.w. A Muslim cannot merely profess Allah is God but refuse to acknowledge and adhere to his rulings which are spelt out in the Quran.

The Quran says;

We also sent Lut : He said to his people : "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." Qur'an 7:80-81

"Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, and leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!" Qur'an 26:165-166

Practising Muslims should take these verses as law and abide by them. There are no two ways about it. Failure to abide by these rulings makes a person less Muslim or maybe even non-Muslim Wallahualam.

Some people are proponents of freedom of choice. Some defend certain acts/behaviours even when they run contrary to religious (any/most religion) judgement. “It is my fundamental right to choose, it’s none of anyone’s business how I live my life” and “I’m born this way and it’s not my choice” are probably two most common excuses for being gay. The second excuse basically says God made them that way. A thief can also say God made him that way, should we condone his thieving ways?

Let’s look at a hypothetical example; if a man wants to marry his sister, both are of legal age; can they use those excuses to justify their action without being ostracised by society?  It is after all their life; they’ll live it however they want. It is also probably not their choice; perhaps they were destined to marry each other? Can society accept such acts given those justifications?

Humans are intelligent beings, sometimes too intelligent for our own good. God gave us brains and we used it to develop weapons of mass destruction, we used it to cheat the system, we use it to justify our wongdoings. We abuse God’s greatest gift to mankind – our brains. And because we are too smart, we need divine guidance. Why does every religion have sacred scriptures? They are not merely historical text, they are meant to guide the followers. True believers of the religion (any religion) will strictly adhere to the words of their holy text.

I am quite sure Christianity is also against homosexuality. I Googled and found this easy to understand verse; Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

If I say I’ll pray for Ariff’s repentance, critics will tell me to mind my own business. I shall pray nonetheless, pray that he’ll un-break his mother’s heart. 

Achieving Developed Nation Status (updated)

Malaysia wants to be a developed nation by 2020. I hate to spoil the party but I doubt the present administration knows what a developed country is. It seems that all our Prime Ministers think tall buildings represent development. The Petronas Twin Towers and KLIA are amongst the things often touted as our symbols of development. To me they are nothing more than just mere monuments and the thing with monuments is that anyone with power and/or money can build them.

Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, defined a developed country as follows: "A developed country is one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment.”

I like Mr Annan’s definition but allow me to further refine the definition; "A developed country is one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment, where all the citizens are given freedom to acquire knowledge and freely express themselves based on the knowledge acquired. A developed country is where the rule of law is respected and uncivilised behaviour is not tolerated.”

However, according to the United Nations Statistics Division, there is no established convention for the designation of "developed" and "developing" countries or areas in the United Nations system. It notes that the designations "developed" and "developing" are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. (source: Wikipedia)

So how do we determine our status? Khir Toyo once proudly declared Selangor a developed state, published in The Star on 13 July 2005. In the article, Khir Toyo has indirectly admitted that the declaration will be done in a do-it-yourself fashion, as he claims that “There is no one body that ascertains or accredits any nation as a developed nation.”

Although he is right in saying no one body that ascertains or accredits any nation as developed but couldn’t he at least use common sense when making such a declaration? At least try to benchmark the state with internationally recognised developed states like Singapore or Germany for example.  

I think the first step towards achieving developed status is intellectual development. Educated citizens will ensure the rule of law is respected. It may not be adhered to by 100 per cent of the population but at least the number of ignorant people will be very small. Education also make a person more civilised, more cultured and as a result widespread bad behaviour will be a thing of the past. Unruly behaviour will no doubt still exist but the incidence will be less as people would be more embarrassed to misbehave. Civilizations are built when the citizenry are enlightened and enlightenment comes from education.

To be developed nation, proper basic infrastructure must first be in place. By basic infrastructure I mean not only roads, electricity, sewerage and clean water but also  and most importantly, a developed and unbiased education system.

A developed nation must have a 100 per cent (or at least very close to 100 per cent) literate population. Basic medical and dental services must be easily and immediately accessible to all citizens. Quality education to the highest level must be accorded to everyone interested and qualified. Intellectual freedom must be allowed. The judiciary must be impartial and upholds the rule of law without fear or favour. Rule of law must be respected. Corruption and abuse of power must not exist. Public services like transportation, garbage collection, sewerage must be efficient and well managed. Efficient and effective policing and legal system must be present to keep crime low or better still practically non-existent.

Sounds very utopian eh? We should strive for perfection; aren’t we told from very young that we should always aim high?

We cannot claim to be developed by just building mega towers. We should only industrialise ourselves after we have developed our human capital. What is the point of having a national automotive industry if it ends up being a mere car assembler? We must first ensure the population gets adequate education in any field they wish. We then should find our niche and work towards perfecting it.

Let’s start our journey towards developed status by properly educating ourselves. Let’s first be civilised. We cannot be developed if we continue to break traffic rules, disregard no entry and one way signs, break speed limits and jump traffic lights. Citizens of developed nations do not litter and would not smoke in non-smoking areas.


Let's first be civilised, then we can talk about being developed. 

Foreign Workers - Can't Live Without Them; Can't Live With Them??

There are too many of them and we all have to take the blame for their existence.  They are everywhere; restaurants, petrol stations, construction sites, plantations, security posts, factories, wet markets, farms, you name the sector, they will be there. They come from everywhere; it used to be mainly Indonesia, now they come from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and India.

The Government, in their attempt to address the problem of illegal foreign workers offered to legalise them via the 6P Programme. Over 2.3 million foreign workers voluntarily registered through the biometric system under the 6P programme after the registration period ended on Aug 31 and over 50,000 of them had decided to return to their countries of origin.

According to a Bernama report on 12 December, Home Minister Hishamuddin said the government is expected to determine the required number of foreign workers according to economic sectors by middle of next month. He said 93,000 illegal foreign workers involved in the legalisation process under the 6P programme were expected to fulfil each sector's requirements.

2.3 million registrations means there were at least 2.3 million illegal foreign workers roaming our streets!

2.3 million registered but only 50,000 decided to go home! The remaining 2,250,000 are still roaming our streets!

2.3 million registered but the government will only place out 93,000 to the sectors requiring them (refer Hishamuddin’s statement as reported by Bernama above). What will happen to the remaining 2.157 million workers?

My question is; do we need them?

Some reports state that Malaysia has 1.8 million legal foreign workers. Add the 2.3 million just legalised, we have around 3.1 million foreign workers. With a labour force of about 12 million, foreign workers represent 25% of all our workers. The 2010/2011 Economic Report states that of the 1.8 million registered migrant workers in Malaysia, 38.2 per cent were employed in the manufacturing sector, 16 per cent in the construction and 14.2 per cent in the plantation sectors.

Indonesians accounted for the highest number of registered foreign workers in Malaysia at 50.9%, which was attributable to their country’s proximity to Malaysia and cultural and language similarities.

Bangladeshis were second highest, accounting for 17%, followed by Nepalese at 9.7%, Myanmars at 7.8%, Indians at 6.3% and Vietnamese at 4.2%.

The latest unemployment statistics put the unemployment rate at 3.3% i.e. almost 400,000. Given this (simplistic) analysis, yes, we need foreign workers.

My next question is; why do we need them?

Human Resources Minister S Subramaniamin an interview admitted that over dependence on foreign labour was the “biggest issue” faced by his ministry but efforts by the government to reduce the numbers have been met with difficulties, including opposition from employers. “Malaysians have become too dependant on foreign workers. The way forward is for the employers to have a change in their mindsets,” said Subramaniam. This mindset change, he said, must translate into employers being less labour dependent and more skill dependent. Subramaniam said many developed countries have gone through this phase and have been able to transform themselves by using less manpower and more machines. He believes Malaysia can change, too. He said the country is caught in a “vicious cycle” where wages are low and locals don’t want to work. “And because locals don’t want to work, foreign workers come in, and the more they come in, the more wages won’t increase,” he said, adding that he hopes wage increases would help alleviate this problem.

Eighty per cent of the workers in the plantations sector is a non-Malaysian, according to the Malaysian Employers' Federation and a drop in foreign worker arrivals could further worsen a labour shortage and lower output growth.

In the construction sector, where two-thirds of the workforce is foreign, a labour crunch could disrupt large government infrastructure projects with a significant multiplier effect.

Many Indonesians also work as domestic helpers. One in every 16 residents in the capital Kuala Lumpur hires an Indonesian helper, according to data from the Indonesian embassy.

Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Ariff of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research believes that if Malaysia had not allowed the massive influx of foreign workers, local manufacturers would have been forced to innovate and automate to boost productivity to maintain their competitiveness.

Economists say continuous dependence on cheap foreign labour would not encourage local corporations to mechanise, which is necessary to push the economy to a high-income level as defined by the World Bank.

“Over-reliance on foreign workers can have detrimental consequences, and that is why the government is looking at ways to reduce dependence on them.

“This high dependence cannot be done away with overnight, as a sudden repatriation of foreign workers can have serious repercussions on the economy, especially in sectors like manufacturing, construction and plantation,” Mohamed Ariff was reported as saying.

So, to conclude, we do need foreign workers but at the same time we need a shift in our mindsets to reduce our dependence on them. The main thing to do is to automate our processes. This is however easier said than done. Automation requires large capex and large capex will result in higher costs which lead to higher prices. Another question then arises; are we ready to accept higher prices for our goods and services? Maybe we have to bite the bullet for the sake of our country’s future.

Another thing is to make the 3D (dirty, demeaning and dangerous) sectors more attractive to jobseekers. Yes it sounds ridiculous, how do we make dirty, demeaning and dangerous jobs attractive? Maybe by increasing wages? Increasing the wages of the lower end of the scale will inevitably push the wages of the higher scales up and maybe the goal of a high income economy might be realised. Increasing wages also could negate the effects of higher prices caused by the automation process.

Like Prof Ariff said, the high dependence cannot be done away with overnight so we must start the ball rolling immediately. Incentives must be given to industries to automate and reduce dependency on unskilled foreign labour. Wages must increase to attract workers into previously unattractive sectors. Non-financial benefits must also be increased to further encourage the jobless to apply for jobs in the sectors they previously shunned.

We have acknowledged that the dependence on these workers is not good for the country in the long run. We must do something about it. Now.

  

MAS Dropping Routes to Ensure Air Asia Gains Market Share?

That is a very long title. I'm talking specifically about the Kuala Lumpur - Surabaya route. From 6 January 2012, MAS no longer flies to Surabaya. Apparently it is one of the many unprofitable routes currently served by MAS. Not surprisingly, sister company Air Asia flies to Surabaya too. How come KUL-SUB can be profitable for AA and not for MAS?

While we're on the topic, is it true that MAS pays way above (high-end) market price for its nasi lemak? Is it true that suggestion to change the aircraft from B747 to B777 for the day flight to London was shot down by certain people upstairs because the 777 lacks a first class? Is true that MAS is top heavy and they are over paid? I'm not hurling accusations. I'm asking questions. 

If I was in the position to appoint a CEO to overhaul MAS, I'd probably hire someone (very) senior from the world's successful airlines like Cathay Pacific, SIA or Lufthansa. Chances are he/she may not be Malay and Ibrahim Ali will be furious. He will then call me a traitor and ask for my citizenship to be revoked. He will also say something stupid (as he always does) like 'MD MAS hak Melayu'. Let's not talk about Ibrahim, let's look at who made money from the skies last year.

Top 5 by Net Profit (ATW World Airline Report 2011)

1.         Air China

2.         Cathay Pacific

3.         Lufthansa Group

4.         Emirates Airline

5.         China Southern
Ethiopian Airlines is once again Africa's most profitable airline, according to 2011 World Airline Report by Air Transport World (ATW). For Fiscal Year 2010 which ended in June, Ethiopian Airlines made a net profit of 121.4 million dollars, ranking it as the most profitable airline in Africa by far. Second place South African Airways made a net profit of 78.9 million.

Ethiopian's revenue for FY 2010 was $1.3 Billion. In 2010 World Airline Report, Ethiopian Airlines was ranked the 16th most profitable airline in the world. In 2009, Ethiopian was ranked 25th in the World's Top 25 Airlines, appearing for the first time.

(ATW World Airline Report 2011) 


If Ethiopian Airlines can, how come MAS cannot??

Questions on Parti Keadilan Rakyat

I'm sure a lot of people equate Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with Anwar Ibrahim. The party itself was born out of Anwar's sacking and subsequent conviction. Is it true that the party exists for the sole purpose of making Anwar Prime Minister? What is the raison d'etre of PKR?

I admit I'm not a fan of UMNO's way of doing things. Although I'm all for a change in government, I'm also not a fan of PKR's way of doing some things. I've always seen them as a party of rejects and frustrated politicians. Having said that, I must also admit they have quite a number of brilliant young minds in their fold.

My first question on PKR is Anwar. Why is he the "Ketua Umum"? What is a Ketua Umum? Is there a need for a Ketua Umum? Technical issues may have prevented Anwar from running for the President's post but is there a need to create a post for him? Why can't he just say ok I'll just be an ordinary member since I can't legally be the president? By creating that post for him proves PKR is all about Anwar Ibrahim. 

Even the logo is styled after his black eye.

Why is his wife the President? yes, she was nominated and won the support of party members but maybe there is someone more qualified, more suited for the role. Someone without nepotism written all over their faces. To me, Wan Azizah is merely Anwar's spokesperson. 

Why is Anwar the economic adviser for Selangor? By appointing him shows that the party is not confident of Khalid Ibrahim's ability. Does Selangor need an economic adviser in the first place? Even if they did, wouldn't they be better off appointing an actual economist like KS Jomo for example? 

PKR was not ready to win as many seats as they did in 2008. That is why they had so many defections. I'm guessing most of their candidates were parachuted in simply because they did not have enough qualified potential lawmakers. I'm also guessing nepotism played a part when friends like Kamarul Bahrin and Zahrain Hashim got to contest. Well I guess when you are short of candidates what else can you do but call on friends. Maybe that was the case, to give Anwar benefit of the doubt. Maybe they were also desperate for big-ish name candidates.

Can PKR survive without Anwar? What will they be post Anwar? I'm not keen on Anwar being PM not because I believe he is a homosexual (or bi-sexual given that he's married with lots of kids). Whether he gay or not is not my problem. I haven't seen him do it so I shouldn't be commenting on the issue but I've never liked him even back when he was in UMNO. He was part of the UMNO political-business culture, there was even a group of stocks on the KL stock exchange referred to as Anwar stocks; MRCB, NSTP, Phileo and a few more I can't remember. I'm guessing the reason why we have two different LRT systems (PUTRA & STAR) is to satisfy all parties, Anwar being one of them.

What is Anwar's motivation to become PM? To get back at Mahathir? 

Whatever it is, the party must shake off the "Anwar image". He won't be around for long but the party has to live beyond his years and needs a cause beyond Anwar Ibrahim.

War on Iran has Already Begun

I've always thought the whole of the Western World are against Iran. It is after all an Islamic country which is not friendly with the major Western powers apart from Russia and Russia is not known to be friendly with the other major powers especially the USA. So it caught me by surprise to read an article by a white European warning the world of an attack on Iran. 

Seumas Milne is a Guardian columnist and associate editor. He was the Guardian's comment editor from 2001-07 after working for the paper as a general reporter and labour editor. He has reported for the Guardian from the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russia, south Asia and Latin America. He previously worked for the Economist and is the author of The Enemy Within and co-author of Beyond the Casino Economy.

The following article by Seumas Milne appeared in www.guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 7 December 2011.

They don't give up. After a decade of blood-drenched failure in Afghanistan and Iraq, violent destabilisation of Pakistan and Yemen, the devastation of Lebanon and slaughter in Libya, you might hope the US and its friends had had their fill of invasion and intervention in the Muslim world.

Ezam says DAP is Evil

Ezam Mohd Nor went to jail for Anwar Ibrahim. Ezam promised us (the rakyat) boxes of proof of wrongdoings by UMNO leaders. Ezam was a reformasi hero. He represented the younger generation in the fight for justice. Notice all that he was is in the past tense. He is no longer all that. From one of the most vocal voices against UMNO, he has now gone back to the dark side. He is now Senator Ezam. Now he has nothing but good things to say about UMNO. He has truly been turned over.

I just wrote is a whole paragraph of what everyone already know.

Ezam is still always in the news. The most recent is when he warned us of the DAP's cruel intentions. Yes, he knows what the DAP is up to. Ezam knows all. Ezam says DAP will turn Malaysia into Singapore. 

I say hooray to that.

I too want us to be like Singapore. 

I want Malaysia to have an efficient MRT system like Singapore. 

I want Malaysia to have a booming port like Singapore. 

I want Malaysian cities and towns to be clean like Singapore. 

I want our education system to have a good reputation and standing like Singapore's. 

I want our Khazanah to be as big as Singapore's Temasek. 

I want Malaysia airlines to be as profitable as Singapore Airlines. 

I want KLIA to be as popular as Changi. 

I want Malaysia to be a choice destination for investors and tourists just like Singapore is. 

I know Singapore is not perfect. No country is. I still would like us to emulate Singapore, the positives of Singapore. Like the Malay saying "ambil yang jernih ...", just take the good stuff.  

We all know what Ezam meant. He was directing his remarks to the Malays. He is warning us Malays that we will become marginalised like the Malays in Singapore if DAP/PR comes to power.

I disagree.

Firstly, are the Malays in Singapore marginalised? I don't know. 

Secondly, is there an official government policy that gives preference to the Chinese over the Malays in Singapore? I don't think so.

Singaporean Malays forms 15% of the population. Almost two thirds of Malaysians are Malays. 

The Malaysian police and armed forces are almost exclusively Malay. So is the Malaysian civil service.

The Malaysian parliamentary configuration favours the Malays. There is no way DAP can have more seats than PAS or PKR.

Given the statistics and reality, is it even possible for the DAP to dictate terms when PR comes to power? 

Malays would not be in trouble if DAP/PR comes to power. Naughty UMNO members will. 

More Quotes

While I’m still in the movie quotes mood, here’s some more I found:

There's three ways to do things, the right way, the wrong way and the way that I do it.

Robert De Niro in Casino

Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. That's how I get by.

 Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: To World's End

Sometimes I wish that I had never met you, so I could go to sleep at night not knowing there was someone like you out there.

Good Will Hunting

"Some people can't believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first."

Good Will Hunting

"Don't forget. I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy...asking him to love her."

Julia Roberts in Notting Hill

You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.

The Notebook

I'd rather fight with you than make love with anyone else

Dermot Mulroney in Wedding Date

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But, you can either run from it or, learn from it."

Rafiki, from The Lion King

You can't lose someone you never had

Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days

Dorothy:  I love him! I love him for the man he wants to be. And I love him for the man he almost is.

Jerry Maguire: I love you. You... you complete me. And I just...

Dorothy: Shut up, just shut up. You had me at "hello".

Jerry Maguire: Show me the money!

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."

Dumbledore, Harry Potter

Do, or do not. There is no 'try'.

Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back

Sometimes it's easier to be mad at the people you trust because you know that they'll always love you no matter what you say.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

"And we are going to last, and you want to know how I know? Because I still wake up every morning and the first thing I want to do is see your face."

P.S. I Love You

I know I have a heart because I feel it breaking.

Wizard of Oz

You're a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.

Buzz Lightyear to Woody in Toy Story

The 207 from Peugeot

For a company that gave us the beautiful 308 and the sexy RCZ, Peugeot really got it wrong with the 207 sedan. From the front one can see the family resemblance but looking at it from the rear makes you feel not want to look. It reminds me of the previous Honda City pre facelift.  

I have nothing against Peugeots; in fact I used to own a 405 back in the early 90s. To me, Peugeots can be somewhat erratic in their designs, in the 70s they gave us the big eyed 504 and 604; not exactly the most beautiful of cars, well there is nothing beautiful about them. The 204 is also not a nice looking car. The 404 is typical of an early 60s design, nothing exceptional. They did no better with the boring and plain 305 and 505 but surprised the market with the 205 which showed the Golf GTi there is room for another hot hatch. The 205 succeeded where the XR3i and the Astra GTE failed; shake the Golf GTi off its perch. The streak continued with the handsome 405 (no, I’m not being biased) and there seem to be no stopping the French carmaker, the 306, 307, 207 (hatch), 208 and now the RCZ. 

But the 207 sedan looks like a hatchback with a badly attached boot. 

Peugeot however is not the only carmaker in my ugly car list. The BMW E36 compact is probably at the top not because it’s ugly (it is) but because it’s a BMW. I’m a BMW lover and it breaks my heart to see them selling cars looking like that. The guys from Munich are also bad at designing SUVs. I won’t waste money buying the X1 or X3 but I would sell everything to buy the X6. Thank god they got the X6 right. 

As ugly cars goes, the 207 sedan sits comfortably next to the Fiat Multipla, Ssangyong Stavich; which are not cars really, they are MPVs, but ugly nonetheless.

Quoting The Godfather

The Godfather trilogy is officially my favourite movie of all time, with Pulp fiction a very close second (fourth?). I list below some of the memorable dialouges from all three Godfather movies. Dialouge from Pulp Fiction if reproduced might turn this blog into an X rated website, so I'll just list the few decent ones.  

The Godfather
"I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see. They talk when they should be listening."

Don Corleone to Sollozzo referring to Sonny


"Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But uh, until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day."

Don Corleone to Bonasera


"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

Don Corleone to Johnny Fontane about Woltz


"Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again."

Don Corleone to Sonny


"Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever."

Michael to Fredo




The Godfather: Part 2

Michael Corleone: There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.


Michael Corleone: I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies.

 The Godfather: Part 3 
"Times change. These days, we learn from the philanthropists like the Rockefellers. First you rob everybody, then you give to the poor."

Michael to B.J. Harrison


"When they come, they'll come at what you love."

Michael to Vincent


"Don't overestimate the power of forgiveness."

Michael to the Archbishop


"Never hate your enemies -- it effects your judgement."

Michael to Vincent


"Politics and crime -- they're the same thing."

Michael to Tommasino


"The richest man is the one with the most powerful friends."

Altobello to Vincent


"Nephew, from this moment forward, call yourself Vincent Corleone."

Michael transferring his power to Vincent


Don Lucchesi: Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.


Mary Corleone: I'll always love you.

Vincent Mancini-Corleone: Love somebody else.

Real power can't be given. It must be taken.

Pulp Fiction
Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.


Jules: If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.


Fabienne: Whose motorcycle is this?

Butch: It's a chopper, baby.

Fabienne: Whose chopper is this?

Butch: It's Zed's.

Fabienne: Who's Zed?

Butch: Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead