MY Weltanschauung ( WORLDview )!

Another Tale of 2 Cities - the HAVE NOTS v. the HYPOcrites!

2012-01-25T02:05:00.003+08:00

A Tale of 2 Cities:

1) Whilst ISRAEL have Nukes, NO ACTION is Taken;
BUT when IRAN develops Nuclear capabilities, SANCTIONS are Imposed!!!

2) When The FINANCIAL crisis hits:-

ASIAN countries.....the IMF "Directed" Asian Central Banks to
RAISE Interest Rates to protect the currency;

EUROPEAN countries....the IMF "Suggested" that interest rates
SHOULD BE LOWERED to spur growth.

3) The West are "so-called" DEMOCRACY proponents
BUT, insists on having VETO powers in the UNITED NATIONS!!!

.......and the list, goes on and on.....and on!

My Interview with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

2012-01-16T00:28:00.010+08:00

On Monday, 16 January 2012 I was given the privilege of interviewing Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad - Statesman & the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia (1981-2003) for the TV programme I'm hosting at Channel 127, UNIFI. The programme is simply called " ISLAMiC FiNANCE @ The Capital TV " and we're currently in between episodes 6 and 7 of the First Season which started airing in December 2011.

Promo Video of the EXCLUSIVE :- Capital TV YouTube Channel

Have a look at what happened "Behind the Scene":- Tun Dr. Mahathir Interview - Behind the Scene

The Topic & Venue
------------------------

The interview is on the topic of "The Islamic Gold Dinar"...a rather delicate topic when the Ringgit is still around. The Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrjaya was the indicated venue. Well, actually the initial venue was supposed to be at KLCC, Level 86 on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 before it was brought forward to Monday at Putrajaya.

Flashback to 2000 MSC-IAP
-----------------------------------

In 2000, I had many sleepless night preparing my presentation to him for the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) - International Advisory Panel (IAP) or, MSC-IAP. I thought a decade down the road...when the "tables are turned" so to speak, it should be much easier - Well, I guessed WRONG!

The Planning & Preparation
----------------------------------

As I am a "ONE-MAN Research Team", I had spent many sleepless nights going through Mahathir's speeches on the Gold Dinar (in OIC &
IKIM Conferences), Read his books on the Currency crisis ( Doctor in The House & The Malaysian Currency Crisis-How & Why It Happened ), Go through the IMF agreement on Special Drawing Rights and familiarise myself with heaps of other materials. It felt like I'm preparing for an exam and writing a project paper at the same time.

....then the jitters. Initially, I was kind of happy when I was informed in December 2011 by Tun's office of the interview dates. Then, when meetings, site visits, fittings and research started to be put in motion.....ONLY THEN did I realise the IMPORTANCE of the Discourse.

The Interview
----------------

The discourse on the Gold Dinar between Dr.Mahathir and I started around 4pm and ended almost an hour later...with 2 breaks in between. In the beginning, things were quite tense as some of the team were a wee bit nervous...even amongst those who were cracking jokes whilst waiting!

....(to be continued)

of " BOLEH BEEF", Bersih & Halal Certfication!

2011-12-31T17:51:00.003+08:00

2011, a Global brand is created...the "BOLEH BEEF".

The World-renowned beef brand is KOBE Beef and to a lesser extent BALI Beef!!!
Even Kobe Beef which is famous for its massages, beer-fed cow and air-conditioned living can't beat beef reared in Condos & delivered via the iconic Mercedes Benz. A No-brainer, BOLEH BEEF will win hands down!!!

The Boleh Beef launch came after a month long campaign for the masses called BERSIH.
Have yet to see the Halal-certificate though!

2 Decades of Friendship. Have a GOOD LAUGH, on the HOUSE.

2011-10-07T11:34:00.005+08:00

A good friend of over 2 decades since A-Levels and now an Author who happens to be a Lawyer wrote a post on his blog titled "Friends & Mothers - 2 decades of love, loyalty and compassion ".

Have a Good Laugh on the House by Reading:-

The Sinners Almanac

Cheers TK.

6,000 HITS for MY Weltanschauung Blog! TQVM to ALL.

2010-11-09T09:38:00.027+08:00

I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH to ALL MY Weltanschauung Blog Followers, Visitors & Commentators for contributing towards the development and evolution of MY Weltanschauung.

What started as a blog to solicit feedbacks and conduct polls for my International Masters programme assignments in AEI-UM for Advanced Studies in Malaysian Politics, Government and Economics and Advanced Studies in Europe and European Integration have evolved into a Socio-Political blog. The writing adventure reached a new milestone when the MY Weltanschauung blog received its 6,000th hit on 9th November 2010.

>>>>>>>
(Blog LATEST Statistical Report on 9 Nov. 2010)
Site: "MY Weltanschauung" [ http://amirulmohamad.blogspot.com ]

Total counter state:

Hits: 6000
Sessions: 4429

From the beginning of the month:

Hits: 94
Hosts: 54
Visitors: 31
Sessions: 70
New Visitors: 26

Last week:

Hits: 87
Hosts: 50
Visitors: 34
Sessions: 64
New Visitors: 23

of Acronyms - NKRA, Internet & PROTON!

2010-10-24T22:48:00.027+08:00

ACRONYM Definition:
An acronym is a kind of abbreviation. It is a word formed by taking letters from a phrase that is too long to use comfortably.
eg: LASER is an acronym of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

If the letters do not make a word, but are pronounced individually, as in the CIA or the BBC, it can be called an initialism.

Functions seems to be the place to update oneself of the latest "undercurrents".
The alphabet soup that PM Najib's administration seemed to be fond of churning out like NKEA, ETP, GTP etc led me to a comment I'd Overheard when I went to a kenduri in Bangi recently;-
NKRA - " NAJIB Kerja, Rosmah Arah "

INTERNET Acronym - For me, the sucker's price of all acronyms must be INTERNET. It was 2009 and some of us who were attached to the ASEAN Secretariat were attracted by a banner stating "WARUNG INTERNET" advertised by a roadside stall at Wolter Monginsindi Road, Jakarta. Impressed with the availability of Internet access at a roadside stall we proceeded to an empty table, sat down and placed our orders...whilst opening our respective handphones or laptops. Having difficulty accessing the internet, we seeked clarifications from the stall operator and asked for the PIN(if any).

Then only did we realise that INTERNET stands for - INDOMIE+TELUR+KORNET (Indonesian Instant Noodle+Egg+CornedBeef)....Aaaarghhh!

PROTON - PERUSAHAAN OTOMOBIL NASIONAL
Since we're on the topic of acronyms, my wife and I recently went into a National Car company (with an acronym as their Brand Name) showroom to express my/our intention to test drive their new PROTON EXORA as we were looking for a replacement model for our 7-year old KIA Carnival/NAZA Ria.

2 1/2 weeks later....after 2 visits to the showroom as they did not call me back after the first visit, 4 test drives with different companies like KIA(Rondo), TOYOTA and NISSAN(Grand Livina)...and having placed a booking deposit with one of the company I'd test drived with... I'd finally receive a SMS from the PROTON Salesman with the message.." Assalamualaikum en amirul kete exora utk test drive dh ada bleh dtg skrg. Tq " ( sent by Proton Salesman on 23 October, 12.10noon )

...with Salesman like this and irregular supervision, it's no wonder that PROTON have lost their leadership position to PERODUA (another National Car company with an acronym)

UPDATED 8 November 2010
PS: One's name can also be an acronym like an old college mate who wanted to add me on fb but I didn't approve until I found out who MOHD FAZA AZA was recently. Sorry for the delay & Cheers Mr. Onn.

...Water Under the Bridge BUT the Waves(OIL) keeps lapping on the shores!

2010-07-17T01:42:00.026+08:00

******* of Oil, WMD & the Coalition of the Willing (aka Genocide Coalition)!*******

When Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" a.k.a "GENOCIDE COALITION" ILLEGALLY invaded Iraq (with the support of Dogs named Blair, Howard & Aznar amongst others)under the pretext of looking for WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction), the Genocide Coalition not only FAILED to find the intended WMD but caused WMD of a different kind i.e. they either Killed Iraqi Women and Men or Disabled them....thus creating a brand new meaning for the "search for WMD".

Hence, its scant justice when an oil spill courtesy of BRITISH Petroleum(BP) occurred off the coast of American shores, after all they did go to war for it under the pretext of "Search for WMD!". Poetic justice then when one of their trusted dogs' corporation delivered crude oil...FOC to their shores.

WHAT oil spill of the Gulf Coast!!!???? The Genocidist Bush administration went to war for it.....just embrace it.....after all, you went to war for it! SOW....and YOU shall REAP! Let the waves keep on lapping on the shores.

for Charity - Library for Orphanages!

2010-06-30T08:47:00.009+08:00

(UTUSAN Newspaper, 30th June 2010 - Page 14(Dalam Negeri Section)

Had earlier blogged on the Charity Run on 2nd May. Thank you to all sponsors once again.

Utusan Malaysia Online article:- Utusan Online

Hope to take part in another run on 25th July to collect funds for the GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE INITIATIVE-MALAYSIA(GRI-M). Kudos to Faizal Ahmad & Mrs. Akmar for starting the ball rolling with your monetary pledges.

OPA 2010 AGM - Some Suggestions for EXCO

2010-06-26T15:14:00.014+08:00

I'd just attended the OPA AGM after missing last year's AGM as I was then attached to the Political & Security Co-operation Directorate of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. It was good to be back as I'd attended most of the AGMs since the turn of the millennium save for 2009.

Some turned up to get an update as to what's happening to/in RMC in view of the recent "media exposure". I would say that it was a rather "tame" affair compared to previous years' AGM. The comment of the AGM for me without any shadow of doubt should go to OP Ismail Ashaari - "....kita ni JANGAN jadi BODOH macam Bxxxxxx xxxxxxxL, benda dah elok tapi....". Everybody had a good laugh!

In the meantime, some suggestions from a Life Member(LMA 247) of the OPA since the mid 1990s who have also donated to the OPA:-

1) DONATION DRIVE for OPA Building & Education FUND
~ since it has been decided during the AGM to put up the list of donors on the walls of the OPA building, AGAIN...why not have another donation drive for those who wants their name to be on the wall for a minimum buy-in of say RM200-500. The names can also be "adjusted" to reflect a higher donation similar to what OPA does for the VIP tables during the Annual Dinner. Perhaps, past contributors might even want to "top-up" their donations to ensure a higher standing!!??

2) PORTFOLIO IDENTIFICATION & LOG Books
~ It is hoped that OPA President would implement permanent portfolio similar to Cabinet posts or Government Ministries.

~ Among suggested portfolios would be Legal, ICT, Building, Entrepreneurship & Networking, PR & Communications, Welfare & CSR, Special Projects.

~ the implementation of the posts should then go hand-in-hand with the implementation of the log book system whereby certain or important matters are logged and/or documents tracked.

~ Hence, an EXCO member might be in-charge of a few portfolios but the log books will be separated and well-documented for incoming EXCO members to act as their reference and ensure certain documents especially vis-a-via legal & finance do not enter for a want of a better word...the "Lombong Sg. Besi Zone".

3) SELL the OPA Building & BUY Premises all Over Malaysia

~ Selling the OPA Building will enable the OPA to buy at least 5-6units of RM1million 3-storey shoplots in all major towns namely Penang for the Northern Chapter, JB for the Southern Chapter, KT or Kuantan for the East Coast Chapter and of course for Sabah & Sarawak...not forgetting one for KL and perhaps Putrajaya. In addition, the OPA would then have around RM4-5million...money in the bank.

~ Apart from having multiple revenue streams and reducing OPA's single property(OPA Building) risks, having more premises would ensure that there are more activities organised involving a wider spectrum or myriad of ex-Puteras. Inadvertently, brand "OPA" or "Old Putera" will be enhanced around Malaysia.

~ The OPA should then set up a REIT to manage all their properties which would be self-funding anyway (provided the properties are tenanted on the Ground & 1st Floor..whilst the respective Chapter utilises the top floor.

~ It can even be envisaged that the proposed OPA REIT would one day have properties overseas...located where there is a number of OP expats or migrants.

4) In the event OPA do not sell the building and its anchor tenant moves out, SUGGEST the establishment of the following:-
A. Paid, Dining & Accommodation Services for Members and ex-Puteras;
B. Paid, Business Centre Services (similar to Virtual Offices set-up for new start-ups and/or SMEs).

CABINET of LOSERs & UNelected!

2010-06-03T00:16:00.011+08:00

Am saddened by the recently announced mini-cabinet reshuffle.

Saddened, due to 2 reasons:-
1) OTK being dropped; and,
2) Losers being appointed to cabinet.
Though by convention, appointments are the prerogative of the PM...When will PM Najib or his advisors ever learn?? The dropping of OTK just confirms the widely-held notion that the government is "covering" MCA and UMNO in the BILLION RINGGIT PKFZ scandal. Moreover, is the current crop of elected BN MPs so incompetent to be made Ministers or Deputy Ministers or is Malaysia starting to become a republic like the USA where most of the appointed Secretaries are not elected officials!!??

In our case, by appointing losers - the voice of the masses are overlooked for political expediency!!??

LOSER Ministers or Deputy Ministers:-
LOSER 1 - Shahrizat Jalil ( LEMBAH PANTAI )
LOSER 2 - Koh Tsu Koon ( BATU KAWAN )
LOSER 3 - Donald Lim ( PETALING JAYA SELATAN )
LOSER 4 - G.Palanivel ( HULU SELANGOR )

...another case of trying to WIN the BATTLE but, LOSING the WAR???

On another note, I could not for the life of me fathom how MIC's Deputy President is a Deputy Minister whilst his "junior" who is a Vice-President is a full-fledged Minister. I supposed this might be the PM's message to MIC - ...get your house in order or I'll "screw" the lot of you regardless of rank!

10k BOMBA RUN for "IRM-Ekspedisi Merdeka KL London: Library for Orphanage Project"

2010-05-02T21:28:00.021+08:00

Today MY Weltanschauung participated (...and COMPLETED!) in my first 10k run in 16years. Purpose of MY Weltanschauung participating in the run was to collect funds for the "IRM-Ekspedisi Merdeka KL London Project for the setting-up of Libraries at 40 Orphanages in Malaysia".

Wearing the Nos C2223(in Green) I'd Initially just wanted to walk and finished the torture....but was carried away in the moment to run due to the atmosphere....i.e. Cameras, Photographers, Fire Engine Siren.....in short, paparazzi! TQ to supporters who turned up to cheer. I don't think I'd qualified within the time frame...but I was given a Certificate as well either due to MY being drenched with sweat or, the organisers had more leftover certificates for those in the Junior Veteran (Group C) category.

I would like to thank generous donors:-
1) Assoc. Prof. Habibah Wahab of USM.
2) Mr. Stephen Wong & Ms. Gina Tan of KL.
3) OP Adam Tham
4) Mimpi Muor Restaurant, Mutiara Damansara.
5) Miss Shireen Jasmin of Bkt. Damansara.
6) Mr. Mohd Faizal and M/S Hazelin & Associates of JB
7) Perfect Know-How Sdn Bhd & Leverage Consulting of PJ;
.......and, last but never the least,
8) Ms. Fariza Zakaria & Family.
.......and various other donors and supporters for pledges/donations made and encouragement/motivation given.

Total Collected as at time of posting is RM 1,102 + Set of Books.

It is envisaged that MY Weltanschauung next charity project will be to take part in a Walk/Run in support of the Genocide Remembrance Initiative-Malaysia (GRIM), Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) and Rumah Titian Kasih respectively.

Please register your pledges for MY Weltanschauung's future initiative(s) here(in the Comments Column) or, privately via e-mail ( to amirulblog@gmail.com ). TQ.

ALLAH and its Usage!

2010-01-26T17:13:00.009+08:00

MY Weltanschauung Readers,

I'd receive an e-mail re the "usage of Allah" issue from an old friend.
His last article on " A Hung Parliament in UK" was published many moons ago when he was reading Law at Leeds University,UK.

I'd would like to add a fact that the usage of the word "ALLAH" has been gazetted in several states in Peninsular Malaysia but surprisingly not in Sarawak or Sabah (despite UMNO having been in power for a number of years!).

The following article is his opinion. Though excerpts/ edited version of this article have been published in a local newspaper, MY Weltanschauung is posting his article in its entirety.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
From: MOHD FAIZAL AHMAD

80050 JOHOR BAHRU, JOHOR

Dear Mr Amirul / MY Weltanschauung,

As a Muslim, I am deeply concerned about the on going controversy surrounding the usage of the term Allah by the Catholic Weekly, the Herald. Over the past few weeks, debates on this subject have certainly dominated the headlines but the contending parties are no closer to finding a solution to this somewhat contentious if not explosive issue.

While both sides must be allowed to exhaust their legal options to the fullest extent, I believe that any pronouncement by the appellate courts too will not present parties to this conflict with a rounded and satisfactory solution. If anything it will only serve to persuade them to take up a more legally entrenched position. And as can be seen with any human construct system, the concept of law and the notion of justice can at times albeit paradoxically, be at variance if not mutually exclusive.

From the Muslim’s side, we have had some meaningful and intellectual contributions to this debate by several eminent scholars and jurists. The bone of their contention appears to be that the usage of the term Allah by the Christians is contextually flawed be it from a historical, linguistic, legal or even theological perspective. Essentially, there exists no justification whatsoever for the Herald to insists on the same. In point of fact, since the advent of Islam, they argue Muslims have always used the term Allah to refer to God and therefore its usage to the Muslims is as exclusive as the Pope is Catholic.

On the other hand proponents for the Herald’s cause have pointed out that in neighbouring Indonesia certain section of Christians have been known to use the term Allah in reference to God. Therefore, there is no reason for imposing restriction on the choice of language. This view is not without support from certain segments of the Muslim community. They feel that the Muslims should concentrate on strengthening their religious beliefs (aqidah) instead of wasting their efforts and anger on such pedestrian issues like semantics.

Be that as it may, it is imperative to note that the majority of Muslims in this country are opposed to the idea. To them, the concept of oneness or unity of God is central to the beliefs of all Muslims. Therefore it would be totally unacceptable that the existence of Allah can be explained in any other way let alone via the Trinity concept subscribed by the Catholics. Additionally and by any stretch of imagination, it cannot be pragmatically argued that the Catholics in this country would be severely disadvantaged if they are prevented from using the term Allah in their sermons or publications. To date there exists no statistical evidence to show that such a prohibition would seriously impair their ability to preach and practice their faith. The Herald episode to me is certainly a new phenomenon. Perhaps it is the result of our constantly evolving democratic society which has seen considerable progress over the last thirty years. By and large, it cannot be disputed that the majority of Muslims in our country are a tolerant lot who believe in peaceful co existence with their non Muslims neighbours. And their moderate stance on many issues has certainly contributed significantly towards the stability and prosperity of this country. Therefore, the recent attacks on churches around the country must be speedily and firmly dealt with by the authorities. Such senseless and dreadful acts of vandalism are not only incompatible with the spirit, letter and intent of Islam or any religion for that matter, but can also destroy the very fabric of our multi racial and multi religious society. This must never be allowed to happen if the ‘1 Malaysia’ concept is to be promoted and embraced as the national ideological statement for this new millennium.

One constructive proposal which deserves serious attention is the idea to set up the National Consultative Council on Religious Harmony by Dr Chandra Muzaffar. The powers roles and functions of the council must be properly defined to avoid confusion. It must be borne in mind that in 2005, many Muslims strongly opposed the idea to set up an Interfaith Commission as they fear it was an attempt to usurp the powers of the Malay Rulers on Islamic matters. To dispel such fears and anxieties, it is pertinent that such reservations be addressed from the on set. Membership of such a council too must be representative of all the major religions in this country. At the very least the council must serve as an effective and condusive forum to discuss contentious religious issues of our times.

In the final analysis we have until recently, often been cited as an exemplar nation for our management of racial and religious issues. The Herald’s case presents both Muslims and Christians in this country with the unique opportunity to demonstrate that spirit of tolerance, compassion as well as accommodation in seeking a perennial solution to this impasse. To succeed, the constructive participation of all religious as well as political leaders from both sides of the divide remains quintessential. This I believe will be our greatest challenge as a plural society. And if we succeed in overcoming this obstacle with great aplomb, then and only then should we allow the praises to rain unchecked.

Faizal, JB

Inaugural Eminent Person Lecture Series - TDM, Attended!

2009-11-16T18:09:00.008+08:00

" The SUN NEVER SETS on the British Empire,
COZ GOD DO NOT TRUST THE BRITISH IN THE DARK " - TDM

Attended the Inaugural Eminent Person Lecture Series organised by my alma matter i.e. the Asia-Europe Institute(AEI-UM) at Nikko Hotel, KL. The guest speaker was none other than former premier Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and he gave a talk titled "ASIAN in the 21st Century ".

TDM was in his element and he shared his views on amongst others China, India & ASEAN . On Middle East, his thoughts are that they will never develop because after giving their respective greetings i.e. Salam or Shalom (both of which means peace)...they will then proceed to harm, attack and/or bomb each other

Overall, a morning well-spent!

IF, General Elections were to be held in Malaysia today -WHO Would You Vote for?

2009-08-25T11:07:00.020+08:00

MARCH 2010 UPDATE::

P.94 Hulu Selangor, Selangor by-election. MY Weltanschauung's Poll extended!

SEPTEMBER UPDATE:
Bagan Pinang, NS by-election. MY Weltanschauung's Poll extended!

MY Weltanschauung have decided to extend the Poll conducted due to the just announced Bagan Pinang, Negeri Sembilan by-elections. Prior to announcement & Update, 21 votes have been casted!

Please vote. TQ.

In conjunction with the Permatang Pasir by-elections, MY Weltanschauung is conducting a general poll to gauge the general sentiment of people on the ground i.e. the silent majority. The poll is titled " IF, a General Election were to be held in Malaysia today -WHO Would You Vote for? ".

The last political poll conducted by MY Weltanschauung was in February of this year...in response to the Perak Constitutional crisis. The question asked - "Which Party Should Determine the Formation of the PERAK State Government? ". Poll was closed on 31st March 2009. The results...from 32votes cast are as follows:-

01 (3%) - Palace/Sultan
01 (3%) - BN
02 (6%) - PR
06 (18%) - Courts
22 (68%) - Rakyat via Fresh Elections
Hence, it can be said that even though there are pockets of support for the 4 out of 5 different institutions involved in the plot...the silent majority prefers for fresh elections to be called!

Malaysians are MATURED....it's some POLITICIANS who are IDIOTS!

2009-08-01T19:17:00.015+08:00

In Europe, the Annual SILLY season happens during Summer...normally, around June or July. The 1st August 2009 "ISA incident" ( peaceful march, constitutional protest, mob demonstration....depending on who you talk to ) has enabled Malaysia...in her aspirations to become a developed nation by 2020, to narrow the "SiLLy" development gap to just about 1-2 months behind!

At a time when the world is in a severe economic downturn and as such focus should be on getting all Malaysians (...irrespective of Religion, Race or Sex ) safely through murky waters, the clowns ( both BN & PR politicians )...with the travelling circus in tow i.e. followers on both side of the political divide are acting like Somalis pirates.......hijacking ships (equals economic recovery) for their own personal political agenda!

Why MY Weltanschauung call some BN politicians IDIOTS :-
Peaceful Assembly ENSHRINED in Malaysian Constitution
Notwithstanding qualifying clauses, Article 10 (b) states that:-

" all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms "
Democracy Benchmark
Protests happens in matured democracy like Washington, USA or London,UK
and is credited with ending the Vietnam War and Poll Tax...amongst others!
Spending Stimulus
Desperate times calls for revolutionary thinking! Malaysia's *foreign minister Anifah Aman comments vis-a-vis ASEAN approach towards Myanmar is a case in point! I would say having more protests actually stimulate the local economy by enriching the hawkers & petty traders...amongst others. This is because a protest is actually an EVENT.....and like most events, RM have to be spent!
" There are 3 types of LIES - Lies, Damned Lies & Statistics "
I do not know where the FT Minister( an alumni of the RMC ) got the figures of RM100-200m losses as a result of the "incident"...it would be interesting to see how the *FT minister qualifies his statement as compared to what an actuarist tabulates! I beg to differ with the FT Minister as I believe that well attended Protests actually adds value to the economy. Examples:-
Increased TRANSPORTATION Spending
- Toll, Petrol, Plane/Taxis/LRT/Bus fare and/or charter etc.

Increased F & B Spending -

Increased MERCHANDISE & Related Items Spending
- T-Shirts, Caps, Badges, Posters, Newspapers etc.

JOB CREATION & Increased SALARY
- Overtime Pay and/or Allowances for Reporters, Security personnel, DBKL Cleaners etc

Why MY Weltanschauung call some PR politicians IDIOTIC:
H1N1 Spread
With the H1N1 outbreak in Malaysia spiralling out of control, only the extremely dumb will say that having hundreds of people let alone thousands...in a dense area a smart move - unless they think that SMART is the name of a car!
Note: *IF ONLY.....SMART countries had imposed a travel ban earlier!
Getting KIDS involved
COWARDS get kids involved in their fight! ...but then again, in certain 'conflict' countries - kids are bearing arms.

MY Weltanschauung RM177 comments:
Najib's honeymoon is over!

at the end of the day, the ONLY person/body who came out of it with something is the Malaysian Police esp FRU who managed to get some practise after a long hiatus. After all ASEAN did not have the *ASEANAPOL-Police HQ in KL for no valid reason.

Perhaps it's time for a 3rd force in Politics
...something like the Liberal Democrats in UK!
Partai Kunci ( KEY Party )...ANYone???

VIP NO SHOWS at YAYASAN PATRIOTIK BANGSA dinner

2009-07-30T02:24:00.008+08:00

Last night...Attended an award dinner at the Shangri-la Hotel,KL organised by Yayasan Patriotik Bangsa (YPB). Was seated at a table "purchased" for RM10,000.

The recipients of the YPB award were supposed to be Tuns Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Badawi & Lim Keng Yaik respectively.

However, much to the chagrin of the hosts......and certain segments of the audience...all 3 recipients didn't turn up!

Possibilities for the NO shows:-
The former premiers cannot stand each other...YET! (see 2 August UPDATE below)

YPB did not check the dates carefully prior to booking the function.

Pure BAD luck!
2 August 2009 - UPDATE / INSERTION:
An Old friend whom I met during the dinner passed a remark as to why I didn't juxtaposed on the "dua harimau tidak boleh berada di atas satu bukit i.e. 2 tigers cannot be on the same hill" Comment made by the YPB Chairman i.e. Datuk Yazid Othman during his explanatory speech as to why the VIPs did NOT turn up!
To this, I can only pose to Datuk Yazid....
"betul ke ada 2 harimau atau sebenarnya ada 1 singa tua & 1 harimau 'jadian' ?

MY Weltanschauung 177sen worth:
YPB should write an apology letter to all corporate sponsors for the NO shows!
Considering RM10,000 was spent on the table...the lack of an usher to see us to the table or even a welcoming Committee is a bit bewildering.
...to end a so-called Patriotic night with a Hindustan/Bollywood song....pergghh!
.....Chinese food was good though!

EVENING with RMC COMMANDANT....MY W's 177 Remarks/Suggestions!

2009-07-25T03:59:00.019+08:00

UPDATE: 5 AUGUST 2009
For the FIRST TIME ever for MY Weltanschauung blog.....a person of Authority responded to my Comments/Suggestions on 4th August(1200 & 1817hours).
However,I am not at liberty to publish both responses!
Suffice to say, both responses managed to elucidate the author on RMC's status.
" SIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE STATUS UPDATE! "

Wasalam & Best Regards.

Friday night - I attended my 2nd function after coming back from my internship with the Political & Security Co-operation Directorate of the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta.

Nice to be back at the OPA Penthouse....... after 3months and missing my 1st OPA Dinner since the new millennium! In Attendance, were around 40 OPs...Some old faces, some new faces(nice to put a face to OP Mike Naser, who is quite active in the RMC e-list).......and a Jakarta friend(OP CA) in tow!

The present RMC Commandant started the ball rolling by briefing all present of the current and proposed future development of RMC's new RM100million campus. It seems that the present RMC land have been transferred to the MOHE.

What piqued me the most were the following remarks:-

by the OPA President i.e. OP Maj. Gen(Rtd) Datuk Paduka Dr. Termidzi
"....how can RMC capitalise on being the ONLY school/college located in a university campus!? "
by an OP Dr. who just came back from UK (CA's batch mate)
"....at the end of the day, it's NOT the quantity of Puteras we churn out
but, rather the QUALITY.
I'd rather have 50 quality OPs rather than 500 questionable ones "

MY Weltanschauung 431177 Suggestions:

with the recent brouhaha over english as a teaching medium, Change RMC into an english medium college...thus ensuring its distinctiveness & competitiveness!

apart from General Leadership Training emphasis should also be given to specific soft skills training like presentation, debate, negotiations, etiquette mutatis-mutandis

Convert the old Cadet Wing into a RMC Museum cum Hall of Fame + incorporate a RMC Hotel & Training Centre for sustainability....after all WEST POINT, New York have a hotel!

...from RED DEVILS...to RED WUSSES/SISSIES...(RED devils renamed) - the latest "WUSSES/SISSIES" in ASIA!

2009-07-19T14:37:00.015+08:00

Jakarta Bombers 3 - 0 JAKARTA, INDONESIA!

Jakarta BOMBERS 3 - 0 JAKARTA, INDONESIA!
( NO Thanks to the red WUSSES/SISSIES)

Definition of "WUSS":
Princeton : " a person who is physically weak & ineffectual", noun
Answers.com : " a person regarded as weak or timid especially as unmanly ", noun - slang

Having stayed in Jakarta for some months and having observed the marketing blitz to promote the 20th July match between the Indonesian team and the red WUSS (formerly known as Red DEVILS), the decision by MANCHESTER UNITED to call off their match is utterly disappointing and a dastardly cowardly act!

After all, the former RED DEVILS ( now renamed the RED WUSS ) is coming to pluck a share of the Indonesian economic pie. Don't they realise that apart from ECONOMIC Ramifications there are also POLITICAL Repercussions of their decision to cancel their match! Whilst the economic ramifications are obvious and can be quantified, the political repercussions are intangible and might be difficult for them....... to comprehend things like moral victory for the bombers, the need to show support & solidarity with victims of a terrorist attack etc. etc. mutatis mutandis!

For all I care, the Jakarta bombers missed their target by a few days....Red WUSS(formerly known as RED DEVILS) were supposed to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Talk about spineless prima-donnas!

MY RM177 Comment/ 177 Rupiah Ngobrol:

NEVER thought I'll say this but the Malaysian Football Team have more heart and soul than the cowardly wusses/sissies who call themselves the red devils!

But then again perhaps the former colonialists are cursed into being ASSinine+stupid & cowards+yellow by their former colonies due to the atrocities committed by them.

Examples:

(1) BRITISH: In 1941, Guns were facing the wrong way i.e. towards the sea. The Japanese invaders just came in through the backdoor via Johore! Just imagine, a nation who pride themselves of Cambridge, Oxford, Sandhurst & the phrase " the sun NEVER sets on the British Empire" were so ASSinine (actual spelling is with 1 's' but I prefer 2 'S's as it drives home my point) in their planning!

(2) DUTCH: For all their history of colonising people like the Indonesians, the Dutch Army just allowed/looked-on while the Srebrenica massacre took place. And to add insult to bloody murder, they were wearing the BLUE BERETS of the UNITED NATIONS!

INDONESIA.......the 4th NATION, worked!

2009-07-17T01:12:00.020+08:00

Indonesia is the 4th country i've actually "worked" in. The other 3 were the UK, Philippines and of course...Malaysia!

7 things I liked about Indonesia:-
NOT having to wait for taxis.

CHEAP Services e.g. Haircut, Shoe repairs by a Cobbler, Reflexology massage etc.

ENTREPRENEURIAL people.

One's patronage at most establishment are really valued/appreciated!

RANGE of Choices to suit one's budget...from dead cheap to extremely extravagant.

Spending around 1million Rupiah per month for a shared Room(Rumah Kos) with laundry & ironing thrown in!

CREATIVE, elections!

Summary of my exposure:-

INDONESIA (the 4th NATION): Internship programme at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta. Attached to the Political & Security Co-operation Directorate under Mr. Termsak. APSC is one of the 3 pillars of the ASEAN community. May - July 2009.

I like to dedicate the song "BERITA KEPADA KAWAN" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAaFPPTSvhY ) to all my Indonesian friends. I find this song so apt to describe Indonesia...so much potential and resources whilst at the same time so much sufferings!

PHILIPPINES (the 3rd STATE): Attached to NDT, Manila and went to PETRON Depot, Sasa City, Mindanao. Mindanao was my first ever experience in a 'conflict' area...skirmishes were taking place at Cotabato. What an experience...to be 'working' with one's back to the beautiful sea and experiencing cool sea breeze whilst surrounded by guards with guns & machine guns watching anxiously! Never been back to Mindanao, since.

United Kingdom the second Country (1991-1994)! As a student...mainly menial labour! Dish-Washer, General Cleaner, Kitchen Assistant, Cook & Head Cook. My main employer was Kelly's and Salina's German Coffeehouse in Sheffield.

Also did small-scale businesses...mainly food-related.

MALAYSIA (HOME COUNTRY). 1st Paid Job was as a Shop Assistant when I was 8-9years old...1st official Job - at Shangri-la Hotel, KL after my SPM. Other organisations included A&W, Athlete's World, EON Finance(EON Bank Group), UNISYS MSC...where I was attached to the PM's Department at the newly completed Putrajaya administrative city in 2000-2001, Perfect Know-How & Araf Vektor.

MY RM177 Comment / 177 Rupiah Ngobrol:

Having stayed in Indonesia (Jakarta, Bandung & Yogyakarta...in addition to Bali in 1996) - but NOT as a tourist, I'd learnt to appreciate Malaysia more. INDONESIA for me is a SLEEPING GIANT, so...so much potential...if only they can get their act together!

PS: This posting was supposed to appear before I went to Jakarta....BUT due to security reason(s) namely not wanting others to know of my absence, only NOW is the posting made!

PILPRES INDONESIA (Presidential Elections)

2009-07-07T11:18:00.024+08:00
Tomorrow...Wednesday, 8th July 2009 is D-DAY for the more than 238million Indonesians!
It is the Presidential Elections ( commonly referred to here as "PILPRES" ).

The next President will lead Indonesia from 2009-2014.

Will the existing President SBY prevail?...or, his predecessor Ibu Megawati ...or, will GOLKAR lead Indonesia again with the current Wapres(Wakil Presiden i.e. Vice-President) Jusuf Kalla?

O...G...K...ONLY GOD KNOWS!

( Aspiring Candidates )

( sample of the Ballot paper )

Having arrived in May for my internship at the ASEAN Secretariat-Jakarta (ASEC) , the campaigning was an eye-opener for me as it allows me to compare the campaigning style of 2 different yet similar country/culture i.e. Malaysia and Indonesia.

Indonesia is the 3rd country (after Malaysia & UK) where I'm observing elections....surprisingly I first voted NOT in Malaysia but in the UK and campaigned in Sheffield for the Liberal Democrats (...for the simple fact that Paddy Ashdown used to serve in Malaysia).

Hence, some personal (NOT as ASEC rep.) observations:
Only 2 countries in ASEAN chose their President/PM direct...the other being Philippines.

Almost equal Coverage on TV for the 3 aspiring candidates...( Malaysia MUST Learn ). Point to Note: Voter Education programmes (i.e. how to vote, exercise your rights...blah,blah,blah) are partly sponsored by Japan/Japanese NGOs.

Official campaigning ended on Saturday i.e. 4days before actual elections. On Sunday, banners, posters etc. started/have to be removed...I suppose its to give voters time to reflect - FREE of external influences!

Malaysia's ruling(federal) coalition is referred to as Barisan Nasional. Indonesia has a party called BARNAS (short for Barisan Nasional).

Usage of ink to ensure that voters DO NOT vote twice.

...and in a compromise(despite a court ruling re the electoral register) to ensure the elections proceed - voters who are not registered/listed in the electoral roll, can vote at the last hour before the polling stations are closed! GO FIGURE!
Some comparisons:
Extensive use of paraphernalia like banners, posters etc. in Indonesia & Malaysia, whereas in UK...its usage is considered minimal.

Supporters of contenders will go around treating people at certain places. e.g. in Kebayoran Baru(where I'm staying), certain factions will go around saying "this treat is on us...more to come,if we win". Same goes for Malaysia...reminds me of Ketari, Pahang by-election ...amongst others!

Almost Equal coverage of contenders in TV media in UK(at least where Labour & Conservative parties are concerned) and Indonesia.......but not in Malaysia.
Based on the feedbacks I get in Jakarta(mainly from taxi drivers, food stall operators & public at large) & to a lesser extent Bandung folks...it will be a contest between SBY-Boediono & JK-Wiranto. Ibu Mega seemed to be setting-up Prabowo for the next Presidential bid in 2014...aah! Politics...who would have thought that Bung Karno's daughter would ever team-up with Pak Suharto's former son-in-law!!??

My 177Rupiah Ngobrol(Comment):
The election is a fight between the PAST , PRESENT and a wannabe FUTURE.
I forecast GREAT THINGS happening in Indonesia...if, they chose right!
I would think that the SBY-Boediono ticket will win handsomely....but, then again so did BN in the 12th General Elections held in 2008!
~ I WISH INDONESIA...ALL THE BEST & CHOOSE WISELY ~

ASEAN in need of a HIGH IMPACT Branding Project!

2009-06-10T15:40:00.027+08:00

UPDATE: June 2009,"The Jakarta Globe"

" ASEAN Agrees to Co-operate in Space Work "

( http://thejakartaglobe.com/national/asean-agrees-to-cooperate-in-space-work/310495 )

2015 is the D-Day for the creation of an ASEAN Community. However, Talk to the food stall operators operating around the ASEAN Secretariat and chances are they won't know what ASEAN stands for apart from it i.e. Gedung ASEAN being some sort of a diplomatic place.

It's time therefore for ASEAN to embark on a high impact branding exercise to ensure that ASEAN citizens can relate to being part of ASEAN and the "One Vision, One Identity, One Community" slogan. Just having an ASEAN anthem, ASEAN logo on declaration forms and general capacity building exercises......DOES NOT cut it anymore!

Hence, where better to start than from SPACE...the final frontier i.e. by having an ASEAN Satelite for Monitoring Purposes programme. It is with this motive in mind that a similarly titled Policy Paper was proposed and submitted to the ASEAN Secretariat(ASEC) during my Internship Programme at the ASEC.

The advent of an ASEAN Satellite for Monitoring Purposes will not only endear ASEAN citizens to ASEAN if promoted and marketed right but, more importantly it can be used to monitor/address non-traditional security issues like:-

Natural Disasters e.g. Asian Tsunami & Huricane Nargis

Trans-border Haze

Piracy and other Maritime Issues like Illegal Fishing
and Overlapping Teritorial Claims ( South China Sea & Ambalat )

Overlapping Airspace Control issues
( Johore-Malaysia & Singapore and Singapore & Batam-Indonesia )

Countries with a Comparative Advantage(CA) in Satellite Technology are Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. By virtue of having an Astronaut(Angkasawan) programme...Malaysia, should seize the initiative and further expand the workings of the SCOSA - Sub Committe on Space Technology & Applications!

(Clockwise from Top Right: Fauziah Jalil, Myself, Azrul Shahreen, Muhammad Rum & Zokhri Idris. Not in pict. Zikry Kholil).
http://thejakartaglobe.com/national/asean-agrees-to-cooperate-in-space-work/310495

Fauziah Jalil & I proposed the Satellite Policy Paper Proposal whilst Azrul, Rum, Zokhri and Zikry(not in pict) proposed a Monitoring Mechanism for the Myanmar elections.

Thank you to Mr.Dhannan Sunoto (Director,Cross Sectoral Co-operation), Ms.Adelina Kamal(ADR/Head-Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance) & Mr. Alexander Lim(ADR/Head-Science & Technology) for consenting to grant an interview with my team and for the valuable inputs. Our heartfelt thanks is also extended to Ms.Gayatri Probosasi (Special Officer to ASEAN Sec-Gen & Strategic Planning) for helping us with the structure and format of our proposal!
Not forgetting,the ever wonderful Miss Arlene Taulu for making things happen for us.

...THINK...ANALYZE...BE INDEPENDENT!

2009-05-02T15:45:00.015+08:00

Despite raising the alert level, I watch CNN with much bemusement on the reason why a travel ban was not imposed by the WHO i.e. "based on the SARS outbreak experience...the economic effects far outweighs the health/medical effects of a travel ban. "

WHO's non-imposition of a travel ban from affected countries is in stark contrast to the position taken by WHO during the SARS outbreak a few years back and crippled the economy of a few countries.

I plead to Malaysia & the ASEAN countries (who are supposed to be wiser after the SARS outbreak experience) to impose a travel ban to visitors from countries affected with Swine Flu/Mexican Flu(or whatever name U want to call it).......otherwise we would be opening the Pandora's box.

Moreover, why should we believe the WHO, the US and certain European countries whose economies are presently in a free-fall...with the down-side potential yet to be seen! Weren't they the ones adopting "the hollier than thou" attitude by criticizing the Asian/ASEAN countries in the 1998 financial crisis...but now they are the one's committing the same mistakes(...and a bit more) and magnifying it by 177times!

PLEASE don't be taken in by the argument given by WHO that the economic effects far outweighs the health/medical effects of a travel ban.
After all...notice the different spin coming from the West's mainstream media vis-a-vis "Mexican/Swine Flu - SARS Crisis" , "2008 Global Meltdown & 1998 Asian Financial Crisis" or even in sports i.e. "Hockey: Grass v. Astroturf pitch". In all cases, ASIANS have been hoodwinked / conned and emerged on the receiving end!

MY WELTANSCHAUUNG 177 sen Comments:

I sincerely hope that this won't come true BUT the non-imposition(as opposed to the travel ban during the SARS outbreak) of a travel ban from Swine Flu affected countries will come back to haunt us when the bodies starts piling up!

PS: I wonder...if the oubreak had originated from Asia, Africa or even South America - would a travel ban be imposed by WHO...as per SARS outbreak!???

kj WON but, did UMNO lose?

2009-03-25T23:49:00.015+08:00

" UMNO youth results. what are your thots? "
(SMS rcvd from 012-7-----8, 26 March)

" They blew up the chance to clean up pemuda, that beruk is a liability "
(SMS rcvd from 012-2-----9 at 0032hours, 26 March)

"Fuck! KJ MENang Doh! Ah haram tipu F uck! "
(SMS rcvd from 017-3-----4 at 2329hours, 25 March)

Did UMNO lose? OR, is it just my circle of grumpy middle-aged, sore loser friends!

My 177sen thoughts:-
Innocent until proven guilty...a MERE WARNING does not suffice!

NEVER underestimate the "power of RM" during troubled times!

Congratulations is in order despite being left for dead in the aftermath of the 12th General Elections.

P.S. Congratulations to Zaki Zahid -9th=446votes
(MC/Introducer during my Wedding reception at Tabung Haji, 1996).
Also to Tg. Azman -8th=455votes (my senior in RMC).
Commiserations to Akhramsyah Sanusi-41st=161votes (my 'brother-in-law')
...try again Bro!

Perak Update!!! By-Election in Bukit Gantang Parliamentary Seat

2009-02-09T14:54:00.004+08:00
UPDATE(2.58pm, Malaysian Time):
As MY Weltanschauung is conducting the on-line poll, Roslan Shaharum, MP for Bukit Gantang pass away suddenly today. By-election will be held soon.

Salam TAKZIAH to the family of Allahyarham Roslan Shaharum. "Semoga ALLAH S.W.T. mencucuri rahmat ke atas roh Allahyarham"

I guess, an indirect Referendum is coming soon to Perak D.R.

PLEASE VOTE.......Am Conducting A Poll

2009-02-09T02:54:00.007+08:00

VIP Friends and Readers,

MY Weltanschauung is conducting 2 Polls.

The 1st poll is to make sense of the present political turmoil and constitutional crisis in Perak D.R. and to get a feel of the "mood on the ground" or the "silent majority" thoughts.
"Who do YOU THINK should DECIDE the formation of state government in Perak". Is it:-
Palace/Sultan

Barisan Nasional (BN)

Pakatan Rakyat (PR)

Courts

Rakyat via FRESH ELECTIONS

Since Perak is the "in" state now and bearing in mind of the Pangkor Treaty (Perjanjian Pangkor) in 1874 whereby Sultan Abdullah accepted the first British resident adviser i.e. J.W.Birch....... The 2nd poll is more of a trip down memory lane and your reflections of how you perceived history . Do you think that British Colonialism in Malaya was:-

Good

Neutral

Bad

Ugly

No Comments

Appreciate your kind indulgence to inform family, friends and colleagues of this poll.

Thank you for your kind participation.

TIME to ACT...OIC must RAISE an ARMY!!!...Ooops! SECURITY Detail

2009-01-16T23:51:00.028+08:00

The ongoing GENOCIDE cum MASS MURDER alias MASSACRE a.k.a KILLING FIELDS taking place in Gaza with the full backing of genocide supporter cum murder cheerleader alias terrorist supporter i.e. USA should make the OIC realise how useless they are in defending the Muslim Ummah.

It is time to act in the best interest of the Ummah instead of individual OIC countries being "concerned with its' own parochial interest".

MY Weltanschauung salutes the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for expelling the Israel ambassador in protest over the Gaza invasion...quoting, " how far will this barbarism go?". THE SILENCE FROM THE ARABS IS DEAFENING!

Calls by Datuk Zahid Hamidi-Minister in Malaysia Prime Minister's Department for a peacekeeping force to be sent to Gaza and for an OIC peacekeeping force to be sent to future hot zones is NOT enough and temporal in nature.

To start the OIC "intifada" going, MY Weltanschauung suggest that a regimental strength Security Detail be established under the auspices of the OIC Security Secretariat. The task of the Security Detail can be as follows:-

Official / Ceremonial Duties (1 company)
~ main tasks of the Company is for Ceremonial purposes similar to Malaysia's 1RAMD (Kompeni Istiadat).
~ Ceremonial Company should Be based at OIC HQ in Jeddah.

Security (1 company)
~ main tasks is for VIP protection...similar to the US Secret Service, protection of OIC assets, conference or even help out during the annual haj pilgrimage.

Special Tasks (2 companies)
~ main tasks is for deployment at "hot zones" where OIC countries or Muslims are involved. We cannot just rely/trust on UN Peacekeepers....RECALL the Srebrenica Massacre which happened under the noses of the so-called UN peacekeepers(manned by the Dutch Armed Forces)

~The special tasks company can be based at Afghanistan and/or Somalia and deployed to help out with the security issues of the respective country. Deployment can be considered as an "on the job training".

OIC, ACT NOW!

less you forever be ridiculed by the World (Muslims and non-Muslims alike!)

as OIC ---OH! I SEE(pronounced "C")

...But U don't do anything!

CHANGE(Hype) I DON'T Believe In......Obama Screws the Palestinians!!!

2009-01-04T11:25:00.012+08:00

"...if somebody is sending rockets into my house,

where my 2 daughters sleep at night,

I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that

- and i'd expect Israelis to do the same thing"

Barack Obama(B.O.)

Such shallow, 'on the surface' and superficial type of analysis is something I'd expected from Bush but not from B.O. Then again, the comments were made by BO last year and only recently shown by CNN(for reasons known only to CNN and their funders/backers)!

Based to a certain extent on this subtle comment re-highlighted by CNN and support from President-Elect B.O., Israel took it upon them to launch the Gaza Strip invasion.

The hype is starting to show.......nothing have changed. USA will still screw the PALESTINE of their birth rights in favour of their finance master Israel.

"B.O. - CHANGE, I DON'T BELIEVE IN!"

P.S: B.O. - What do you tell Palestinian Anwar Balousha who as a result of Israel atrocities had to bury 5 of his daughters aged 4, 8, 13, 14 & 17 respectively?

Would you then call him a terrorist for attacking Israel?

Let the SHENANIGANS Begin (Malaysian Politics 201)....More for UMNO/BN to LOSE, than PAS/PR to WIN!

2009-01-03T17:13:00.026+08:00

Definition of "Shenanigan" -

"Reckless or Malicious behaviour that causes discomfort or annoyance in others" (Princeton on-line definition)

Nomination Day is arriving soon. BN will be represented by ex-Senator Wan Ahmad Farid(ex-Dep. Home Minister) from UMNO & PR by Mohd Abdul Wahid(4 term Assemblyman) from PAS. A few independents are expected to be in the chase as well hoping to throw a spanner in the works but while he is 'adding some spice to the curry' is NOT expected to make much headway...the Shenanigans is about to start (if they have not already started!...rumours are swelling that certain independent candidate will be "bought")

Aaahhh!

By-election and how they spur the local K.T. economy in these troubled times!

Again LOCAL issues will decide the day despite attempts by the MSM to drum-up or concoct national issues. Local issues are issues like:-

Monsoon Cup & Crystal Mosque expenditure

PAS "being in bed" with DAP despite extreme ideological differences

Petroleum Royalty Payment

Hudud Law

Purchase of a fleet of Mercedes Benz for State EXCO's usage
The candidates themselves and "who they are aligned with" in their respective parties.

There are a few heavyweights with more to gain or lose; From UMNO : Soon to be anointed PM Najib, controversially appointed Terengganu MB & ex-Senator/Dep.Minister Wan Farid. From PAS it has to be Hadi Awang and those aligned to him like Mustafa Ali and Nasharuddin (i.e. the anti-Erdogan faction)

Gist of this by-election:-

"MORE for BN/UMNO to LOSE,

than for PR/PAS to WIN"

PS: My first exposure to a By-election was at Ketari, Pahang in 2002. Things that can happen during a by-election is so jaw-dropping that it defies logic. As mentioned earlier, the only good thing in a by-election is the wealth that is redistributed. Wealth redistribution observed:-

a Deputy Division Head(now Division Head) from up north asking for the Burger Stall owner to finish up whatever stock he has so that he can go home early and get fresh supplies. When a Minister happen to pass by...he said, "saya menyampaikan sumbangan orang utara (I'm just delivering donation from people up north).

Football game played for 30minutes with the local youth. The youth were later given "expensive" prizes for participating.

an MB giving away Bicycles "sponsored" by Corporate Bodies

land titles being issued, roads being paved etc. etc.

1430H / 2009....Only CONSTANT is UNCERTAIN!

2009-01-01T01:05:00.013+08:00

" You can fool SOME of the people ALL the time,

ALL the people SOME of the time
but NOT ALL the people ALL the time" ~Abe Lincoln~

Just came back from a wedding cum holiday up north (including Thailand). Things are bleak. Despite assurances by no less our DPM a few weeks back i.e. the economy is resilient, strong internal demand will ensure sustainability etc. etc...things are NOT what it seemed.

Based on qualitative interviews conducted on a random sample...the following were observed:-
In Penang, staff in the semi-conductor industry are facing "pay cuts" and "forced leave".
In Kulim, Kedah work in certain factory(ies) have reverted to "single shift". Elsewhere, on the outskirts of Alor Setar...a factory dealing with basic food neccesities will chalk-up losses in the millions if there is no government intervention.
In KL, "businesses are closing down"....I personally know 5 business owners who are in various stages of shutting down their businesses.
In Thailand, ...based on conversation with business owners in Padang Bezar, revenues and visitors have tumbled...compared to previous years

The "denial syndrome" or "everything is normal" statement have got to end. Concrete actions via stimulus packages, fiscal policy (BNM included) and the full gamut of initiatives available at the government's disposal have got to be utilised/undertaken BEFORE the slump worsens!

Let this be a Strong reminder to politicians(BN or PR) across the board - start doing what you are paid to do and what we elected you for vis-a-vis people's welfare......or else! One might just take a number and join the ranks of the unemployed!

Be Prepared for a NO-FRILLS & HARD WORK 2009! Happy New Year.

"A New Year, A New Start, A New Chapter, A New Beginning,

Forget the Bad, Cherish the Good,

I Sincerely Wish You & Family a very Blessed New year Ahead!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009"

~ received via SMS from my Bang Long in JB ~

ASEAN CHARTER.......tentative steps towards ASEAN UNION?

2008-12-20T10:43:00.029+08:00
"...short of a Military Intervention,

there will NOT be a regime change in Myanmar"

~ anonymous ~

Yesterday, I attended a talk by Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi(ambassador at large) on " ASEAN Charter: Moving Forward" organised by Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) as part of their Ambassadors Lecture. Kudos to the speaker as he managed to elucidate the ASEAN mechanisms and brought me up to speed in less than an hour what my friends doing the International Masters in ASEAN Studies(IMAS) takes hours to learn.

Matters that piqued me:-
ASEAN Charter have "come to force" i.e. ratified in December 2008.

USA was the first country to appoint an ambassador to ASEAN. However, the Japanese ambassador(Masahiko Horie) pointed out that Japan had appointed a "dedicated ambasador" to ASEAN back in October...unlike the US ambassador who is in lieu of another word "multi-tasking".

Secretariat of ASEAN have an operating budget of just USD 10 million annually.

ASEAN have more than 700 meetings yearly... However, this pales in comparison to the European Union who conducts hundreds of meetings monthly.
PS: I first met H.E. Masahiko Horie in February 2008 in Cyberjaya during the launch of DreamEDGE Malaysia and found him to be a very affable, approachable and hardworking ambassador. I believe it's a matter of time before his promotion as his services would be required elsewhere.

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE!!! ...We Are NOT Living in UTOPIA

2008-12-17T16:17:00.018+08:00
" JUSTICE is KNOWING the JUDGES who DECIDES,
DEMOCRACY;
is KNOWING the PEOPLE who COUNTS the VOTES "

Much brouhaha have been said about the importance of Judicial Independence (JI). The notion sounds good and appeals to the hoi polloi but, the fact remains that Judicial Independence as a concept is USELESS if the judges aren't impartial.

In MALAYSIA, the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is supposed to be the first step towards JI.....but even then who can say to a science that the judges nominated won't be biased based on the premise of religion, race, culture, experience, sex or age!

In USA...the so-called benchmark by Hollywood aficionados as a being bastion of JI, selection/nomination of judges to the Supreme Court is based on which party(Democratic or Republican) is holding power. Republicans tend to nominate judges who are more conservative and pro-life whilst Democrats will be skewed towards nominating liberal and pro-choice judges. One can argue till the cows come home but, can anyone prove that the judges nominated are impartial? With an average age of 68 who dare argue that they won't be biased towards the young! Coincidentally, the USA was home to the first recorded terrorist in the modern world.

In UK...who can prove or disproves the notion that Law lords and judges are not biased in favour of English culture and conservatism when deciding cases involving cross-culture matters. Even the term "LAW LORDS" smacks of the "hollier than thou" attitude....as if they were a cohorts of Demi-Gods!

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE remains an illusion which is an abstract in concept unless a judge's impartiality can somehow be solidified. JI.....Anywhere in the WORLD???
......COME ON! Unless, I've died and when to heaven....or, am dreaming of Utopia and Shangri la in the same dream.

MALAYSIAN POLITICS 101

2008-12-07T18:56:00.001+08:00

I've just finished a course on Malaysian Politics taught by Dr. Sivamurugan Pandian from USM. My group had to make 2 presentations and we presented on:-

"Bracing for Malaysia's Future: post-Mahathir, 2002" and,

"Selection of Candidates in Election: A Comparative Study between 2 Political Parties in Malaysia - UMNO & PAS"....Our heartfelt thanks go to Tan Sri Sanusi Junid & Haji Ishak Surin for giving us the interviews and providing us with valuable insights as to how their respective candidates are selected and the process flow.

After the course, I went around asking my classmates(especially the international students) as to what they will remember on Malaysian politics or, what their conclusion will be.

Some of their frank responses:-

1) There's more action and drama in Malaysian politics as compared to European politics...(in Europe, calling a politician a homosexual will not have its desired effect. However, parading matresses is something else!)

2) The incarcenation of nonsense...We have the same SHIT where I come from!
3) Hussein Onn is the most brilliant Malaysian PM.......he choose Mahathir!

4) Anwar Ibrahim is an ANGEL...as he was accussed of being involved in unnatural sex when the building is not in existence(before the prosecution amended the charge). Therefore, he must have WINGS which only angels have!

5) The European political parties should sent delegations to Malaysia for study visits/in-depth study so as to create more excitement for the average observer.

Refreshing answers.....GO FIGURE!