How Malaysia's Largest Bank Blundered and Had To Be Saved

Here's a story of how Malaysia's largest bank, Maybank, went into a deal withs its eyes closed and would have blundered had it not been for the watchful eye of Malaysia's Central Bank. Malaysia's Central Bank ordered Maybank to pull out of the deal because Maybank was going into without considering the risks. How stupid can Malaysians be? The article compares Maybank to Temasek Holdings and the difference in competency was clear to the whole world.

Read the whole article here.

Has Travelling on a Plane Become This Much Hassle?

An interesting article by CNN about how to prepare for your next trip by flight. What surprised me was the amount of labelling that needs to be done to identify your medication and other necessary items, just so that Customs will not harass you about them.

Thank God Malaysian airlines doesnt implement such drastic measures. My only bad experience was when I flew to Munich in 2006. upon reaching Munich airport in the wee hours of the morning, I went to retrieve my bag from the carousal and found that the lock on my luggage was cleanly cut and items in my bag was moved around. Ofcourse, when I got the bag, the zipped was closed but the zipper didnt have its handle - the handle was clealy cut in order to remove the locks. What worried me was that someone could have slipped in some drugs and I could easily have landed up in prison. I dont know if the lock cutting was done in Malaysia or in Munich. And I was too jet lagged to make a complain at 5 in the morning.

Read the whole article on CNN entitled Pre-packing checklist: 8 simply steps.

Firefox's Silent Updates

If you ever wondered when Firefox downloads all its updates, take an occasional look under Help and you might just catch the Fox downloading its future self!

The Best Way To Drink Beer...

...is to sit in front of her...with a cold glass of beer.

The Malaysian Political Oscars!

Taken from WIDE ANGLE – Huzir Sulaiman

The Malaysian Political Oscars!
Our political situation is like something out of a movie – so here are the awards. The envelope, please…

The Wide Angle Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, headquartered for no particular reason in Skudai, presents this year's Malaysian Political Oscars.

The most widely watched television event in Malaysia, the Political Oscar telecast reaches over 1 billion viewers, some of whom are dead, some of whom are 130 years old, and most of whom are registered at the same address.

How does it work? Members of the academy (all Malaysian taxi drivers who despite being allegedly the worst in the world at driving taxis are remarkably good at political analysis) vote on these awards, and the results are tabulated by the auditors of some large accounting firm who would rather do this sort of thing than real accounting work, which might explain the state of the economy.

Here are the nominees and winners.

Best Supporting Actor
It is a crowded field this year, with many stellar performances from both veterans and newcomers.

The nominees include private investigator P. Balasubramaniam in Missing; Pusrawi's Dr. Mohd Osman in Rear Window; Zaid Ibrahim in Gone in Sixty Seconds; and Raja Petra Kamaruddin in An Inconvenient Truth.

But the Best Supporting Actor Oscar goes to Penang Umno leader Ahmad Ismail for his controversial performance in Pride and Prejudice.

Despite his recent success, which led to him being cast in Under Siege and Raging Bull, Ahmad has flatly refused roles in the films Anger Management and Atonement.

Best Supporting Actress
For her critically-acclaimed performance in Minority Report, this year's Best Supporting Actress Oscar goes to Sinchew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng.

Interestingly, immediately after that film completed principal photography, Tan was the unwitting star of Catch and Release, a film that may or may not have been directed by Syed Hamid Albar, depending on which version of the studio press kit you read.

Tan spent just 18 hours on location, before quitting, citing creative differences.

Best Cinematography
For his impactful camera work in the V.K. Lingam vehicle The Conversation, the Oscar for Cinematography goes to Gwo Loh Burne.

(Although The Conversation was shot some time ago, due to his refusal to be credited for many months, Gwo Loh Burne could not be given the award earlier. When he finally came forward, this legal thriller was re-released in some markets as The Burne Identity.)

The Conversation beat out Entrapment, starring Chua Soi Lek, which also features an anonymous cinematographer.

Best Foreign-Language Film
Agricultural Study Tour, a Taiwanese sleeper hit, was shot entirely by coincidence, supposedly with no director and no funding.

Nonetheless, a sequel, Exile on My Taiwanese Farm: Peeling my Taugeh might be filmed next year with some of the original cast.

Best Original Screenplay
Jumper, written by Anwar Ibrahim, wins this year's award. Although the film suffers from a cast of unknowns, whose number seems to fluctuate from scene to scene (though always at least 31), the script is undeniably original and exciting. It also has the potential for numerous sequels, which will prove profitable for the actors.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Written by a team of in-house screenwriters from the Attorney-General's Studios, The Accused, starring Anwar Ibrahim, is allegedly adapted from instructions given by political superiors. A remake of the 1998 flop, but with many of the same actors and production team.

Best Actress
Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok was competing against herself this year with sterling performances in a slew of releases: Election; Woman on Top; Supergirl; and, in cinemas until last Friday, the black comedy Enemy of the State.

She wins the Best Actress Oscar, however, for her most famous role, Miss Congeniality, which has earned her praise from audiences and critics alike.

Best Actor
The big stars of yesteryear dominated the Best Actor category this year.

Nominees include S. Samy Vellu in Gone With The Wind; Dr. Mahathir Mohamed in V for Vendetta; and both Najib Tun Razak and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the comedy Trading Places.

The winner, however, of the Malaysian Political Oscar for Best Actor is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his flawless, nuanced, masterful performance in Eyes Wide Shut.

Best Picture
The nominees for Best Picture in the Malaysian Political Oscars are all gripping epics.

They include the moving story of the many members of Parti Sosialis Malaysia, The Magnificent Seven; the Khairy Jamaluddin biopic Million Dollar Baby; the Hindraf saga, Out for Justice; and the tale of Gerakan in the Barisan Nasional, The End of the Affair.

The winner for Best Picture, however, is the story of the MCA's struggle against the Internal Security Act, Look Who's Talking Now.

Lifetime Achievement Award
For his astonishing film career spanning many decades, and including both commercial hits and small but critically-acclaimed art-house movies, Anwar Ibrahim wins the Lifetime Achievement Award.

His roles, in chronological order, include: Wild at Heart; The Young Guns; The Great Debaters; Sleeping With The Enemy; The Insider; The Sweet Smell of Success; Reversal of Fortune; Cast Away; The Accused; The Cell; Cry Freedom!; Into the Wild; Back to the Future; Mission: Impossible; The Perfect Storm; and, most recently, Eastern Promises.

Depending on the outcome of contract negotiations, Anwar's next movies may include The King and I; Top Gun; and Great Expectations.

Alternatively, he may take roles in Crash; The Departed; and The Forgotten. That's the thing about show business – you never know what the big stars will do next!

That's all for this year's edition of the Malaysian Political Oscars. See you on the red carpet next year!

What’s Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim doing in DAP?

Original article taken from Access Malaysia Today at http://mt.m2day.org/

Contributed by kasee
Monday, 22 September 2008 18:47


Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim raised many eyebrows, not least from associates, when he joined DAP in August and was promptly named a vice-president of the party. The co-founder of the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International has no intention of being a token Malay presence in the multi-racial but Chinese-dominated party. He has found a new platform in the DAP to advocate transparency, accountability, justice and equality.

THE EDGE DAILY

          The Edge Financial Daily caught up with him recently where he spoke about the challenges facing the DAP, especially in reaching out to the Malay community, what ails the country, the spirit of the nation’s founding fathers and his plans in the party. While many would have rested on their laurels at age 74, Tunku Aziz, a former Bank Negara adviser and former group director of Sime Darby, has the enthusiasm of a young man, and is all geared up to help push the ideal of creating a better Malaysia.

The following are excerpts of the interview by Sharon Tan and Abdul Ghani Hamat.

Q: Tunku, why did you join a political party at this age?
A: Given what has been happening recently in our country and I thought that if you want to help make a difference, you have to be involved. What I have always wanted to see developing is a Malaysia which is multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi- religious. Basically the values that the founding fathers of this nation bestowed on this country. Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Dr Ismail, Tun Sambanthan, Tun Tan Siew Sin, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, I mean these people believed in a Malaysia that was united and they could put aside differences for the larger interest of the country. Of course the loss of the independence was something that I have felt keenly... I have felt that since I joined DAP, many organisations that I have worked very closely with suddenly feel a little uncomfortable. Consequently, I am dropping out, because to me these associations are not important. We look at the larger picture.

Q: So its now more of an arm’s length approach in your dealings with other organisations?
A: Yes, in a polite sort of way. I think they have made it very clear that they will say hello to me from a distance. This is what’s so sad about our country. If you are not part of the ruling party then you are regarded as an enemy, which is not true because the whole basis of governance, if you like, or development, is inclusiveness. It doesn’t matter what a person’s political affiliations and religious inclination may be. That person, if he is a good citizen of the country and if he can make contribution, I think he should be embraced and not rejected. So this is something, I suppose, that will come about as we mature.

Q: But what finally clinched it for you... Tell us about the actual moment you decided to join the DAP?
A: Well, it has taken a long time... I saw DAP maturing over time. They started off as we all know as just an alternative Chinese party, chauvinistic, very crude in their approach but over time you have seen that these people have lived up to their own high standards. They have fought for justice. They have fought for equality in opportunity and one thing you can say about these people, the DAP leadership, is that they practise what they preach, unlike many other leaders in other political parties. So in the end, I thought that if I was thinking seriously about politics, then it would have to be DAP. In fact, I could have joined and fought an election for DAP years and years ago, because they asked me even then, invited me to join them and said that they would be happy if I were to stand for election on their ticket. Q: When was this?
A: This was a long time ago. More than 10 years. Can’t remember which election now but certainly a long, long time ago.

Q: Obviously they have a high regard for you and you for them. Was the offer of vice-presidency part of the deal for you to come in?
A: No! Absolutely not (laughs). No. There was absolutely no deal of any kind. There was no discussion of any kind. I just said that I wanted to join, filled up my application form and paid my RM100 life membership and there was utterly not one word and I would not have asked for anything. I just wanted to be part of the party for what it stands. Because what DAP stands for coincides with my own personal views and beliefs. So that is as simple as that. So it is not a marriage of convenience.
It does provide a platform for me to continue to work against corruption because this has been what has driven me all these years, even before the word corruption was talked about in this country. Transparency International, which I helped to set up with like-minded people like Datuk Param Cumaraswamy, Raja Aziz Adruse, Datuk Ronald McCoy... felt that corruption would create all kinds of problems for our country. And I think you can see every day what is happening. No department of government is free of corruption. Every level of the civil service is tainted.

You may know that I was a member of the Royal Police Commission that looked into the police service and in our report which consisted of 125 recommendations, we made it very clear that every level of the police force has been touched by corruption. We are not saying that every policeman or every police officer is corrupt but every level. The report has been fully vindicated and that has confirmed what we have always known. To me this is crucial.

Malaysia has developed to such an extent and if you want this development to be sustainable, we have to change. We have to reform the government, we have to change the way we conduct our affairs. I am not just talking about the running of the country but also the way we do business in the corporate sector. So hence my position on good governance, on corporate social responsibility and all of these things, because I believe that Malaysia, given half our talents which are available but which are not often fully utilised, we could really be a great country.

If only we would use these talents properly irrespective of whether they are Chinese, Malays, Indians, Kadazan or whatever. This is part of my great dream and DAP gives me this platform. I could not have possibly joined any party. I could not go into Umno because Umno is race-based and I believe there is no future for race-based parties whether it is MCA or MIC. Fifty years after Independence I think we should be looking at probably the next 5,000 years of what is going to happen to this country.

Can we just go on as we are going on now? Barely tolerating each other? We must go beyond tolerance. We must go for national integration. We are not talking about assimilation. We are not talking about one race dominating another. We are talking about integration. We are talking about Bangsa Malaysia, but each ethnic group will retain its cultural identity. You cannot tell me I am not a Malay, I won’t accept that because culturally I am a Malay. I think we should allow people to keep that part, but in national terms, we are all Bangsa Malaysia.

This is how we have seen great countries developed. In the US, for example they are much more diverse than we are and yet every person is an American. Why is it that when we are abroad, we call ourselves Malaysians, but the moment you walk through KLIA, you become Chinese, you become Malay?

Q: Has DAP, the party, really changed that much from the 1960s and 1970s that you have so much confidence in it?
A: I think change is a process, which by its nature will be slow. But don’t forget DAP has been in existence for some 40 years or more. And you can see they are changing and they are changing for the better. I have attended one or two of their meetings on the central committee and found that the whole process is very democratic. None of the formalities that you see on TV... (meetings of other parties). Many of these people are senior professionals, yet the whole approach is very basic in terms of formalities and so forth. They are much more interested really in substance rather than form. One of the reasons why I had this idea to go into DAP is that, I think I can help to make them realise that one of the changes they have to make is to win the hearts and minds of the Malays while at the same time keeping their core Chinese membership happy. It’s a difficult balancing act... because they can’t just say we want more Malays. First the Malays must feel comfortable, must feel that DAP is capable of looking after their interests. And as we all know, the test of the pudding is in the eating. No point just saying this is what we will do for you. Let’s see you do it.

Now DAP is governing Penang and in control of at least two other states, this is the time to show that you want to improve the lives of those people who are currently marginalised, and many of these marginalised people happen to be Malays.

Q: But that is not the full extent of Malay interest. Can DAP reconcile their political principles and Malay interests as enshrined in the Constitution, and those that are not?
A: I think they are working on this because they realised that it is not all about poverty alleviation but also, as you put it quite rightly, the constitutional principles. I think speaking from my own point of view, what I would like to see is in fact our going back to the 1957 constitution. The original Malayan constitution. As we know over the years the constitution has been amended to such an extent that a lot of the original spirit has all but disappeared. I think this is again causing a lot of the problems today.
I think the important thing is one of legitimacy. While the special position of the Malays must be respected and protected as provided for in the constitution, we must at the same time not forget that if we really want a united Malaysia, the rights of the other races must also be guaranteed. I think the 1957 constitution does provide for this. And we should then work on making the provisions better instead of making them worse. I am not suggesting that these things can be done quickly. It will take time.

It will have to be a case of giving some and taking some. It is just not the Malays who feel that they are being asked to give but also the other races must do the same. You give some, you take some. I think this is the only basis in which we can build a sustainable future for Malaysia but otherwise you see disagreement all the time, and you get people making silly and dangerous remarks like ‘You Chinese are immigrants, you Chinese are squatters.’

I think all of us have to recognise that we are all in it together and the fact that some have come here more recently really is immaterial. The Malays have been here much longer but we are not talking about the past. And for that matter some Chinese have been here longer than many Malays. We don’t want to harp on the past. We want to talk about the present, where it leads us to from now on.

Q: You mentioned the likes of Sambanthan, Tan Siew Sin, the generation of leaders you admire. Where did the country go wrong? How did we flounder in our quest for a multi-racial, multi-religious country? What didnt we do right?
A: I think where we went was, just to assume that simply because we said we are multi-racial, (therefore) we are united, etc. I mean it doesn't really mean anything unless the policy we develop and adopt is seen to work in favour of a united Malaysian nation. When we adopted the NEP, yes there was some disquiet, but I think people who were fair, people of good will right across the nation realised that this was something that had to be done. And I commented a long, long time ago that the government, in trying to find a solution for this disparity, hit the nail on the head. But then through the years, as I know and others know, very quickly the NEP was turned into a party mechanism to entrench political patronage. Really, it's the implementation that people are not happy with. I think not just Malays but everybody could understand the political imperatives of the NEP. They could understand the social imperatives of the NEP. They could also understand the economic imperatives of the NEP. What I think upset a lot of people was the abuse.

Another example is the ISA today. Zaid has hit out. He is a staunch Umno member, you would have expected him not to say those things but what he is saying is what all of us are saying. There is a need for the ISA if the country is under threat to national security and public order. And it was put in place for a particular reason. But surely in this day and age, we have enough laws on our statute books to provide for every contingency, why do we need to use the ISA? And it has been abused in the recent three cases. Is this how you show the world and you show your own people that you are managing the country with fairness, efficiency, with equity, justice?

Q: How much of the problems of corruption and administrative abuses are due to the fact that there is seemingly little separation between the government of the day and civil service?
A: The damage was created by the Mahathir administration. When he came in, he had no understanding of the workings of the civil service, unlike the previous PMs who were all civil servants or former civil servants. Mahathir just dispensed with their advice. He wanted to do everything according to his own standards and civil servants were marginalised. They were under threat. They felt threatened, very senior people were demoted. They became de-motivated. And there was no longer any separation. Because what happened was second guessing, they weren’t making decisions anymore. The top civil servants weren’t even making decisions anymore because they were frightened. I used to be invited as guess lecturer at Intan to talk to very senior people and on every course, they would complain about political interference.

So one day I said to them "look, sorry to hear that, but if you are asking me for sympathy, you are not getting any. It's your own fault. First you know the powers that you have because civil servants have more powers than ministers." And yet they allowed these powers to be taken, abrogated by ministers. Ministers telling them what to do. And yet there are some good civil servants who would say, "Yes, minister but would you give your instructions in writing?"

Dr. M told that very few ministers dare to do that. You know your power, you must also know the limits of ministerial powers so that you can stand up to them and say: “Sorry, minister. It cannot be done.” This is what civil servants used to do until the time of Tun Hussein. They would say, “Yes, we would love to do that for you but it cannot be done for these reasons....” So, I think this has been a problem.

Twenty-two years of Mahathir’s administration has done considerable damage to every important national institution. Emasculated completely the judiciary, the police, the AG’s chambers, the ACA, which claimed they were independent but we all knew they were not independent. So this is why a lot of us now want good governance. Good governance merely, if it means nothing else, is about going by the book. Performing your duties according to the rules. If you just do that, I think Malaysia will be a better place.

Q: Given that the line (separating politicians from civil servants) is so blurred and corruption is so entrenched, it will take a lot of time and effort to rectify things. Where and how do we start?
A: We must start with political will. Everything must start from there. But the ruling party does not have that. I know. So that is going to be a problem because unless they have the political will. Well, they claimed that they are providing leadership in this area, they want the ACA, after a lot of urgings on our part, to be made into an independent commission. Right now they say they are going to make it happen, but I doubt it.

Q: Why?
A: Because in the first place, they said it would all be done by the end of this year and on the Jan 1, it will all be there but it is not going to happen. The proposal should be made public so that people like us can comment. But we don’t know what ACA has given the government. In any case, it shouldn’t be just the ACA proposing this because they are an interested party. This is where conflict of interest comes in.

It should be a public document — these are the proposals for the setting up of an independent commission and public should be asked if have any comments to make. But at the end of the day, of course, when we talk about political will we are talking about the government’s willingness to put in place effective mechanisms for checks and balances.

Government must be prepared to make sure that enforcement is carried out effectively because the unfortunate thing about the country is that we are replete with laws. You name a law, we have it, and yet why is the country in such a mess? And that is putting it very kindly.

Because enforcement is ineffectual, enforcement is more honoured in the breach than.... As long as you have this situation, you are not going to get very far. And this why people are now talking about change, because the government is obviously not changing. If only they had taken the hint when they came into power in 2004, when they were riding extremely high. If only at that time they had made the necessary changes. I don’t think we would have this today.

Q: You seem to put the blame squarely on Datuk Seri Abdullah as the head of the party (Umno).
A: Absolutely! Who else do you blame?

Q: Apart from attracting more Malays to join the party, what are the other challenges facing DAP as it looks forward to a bigger role in the country?
A: How do you see these challenges unfold given that the party’s ability to rule has not been tested, except for the work-in-progress Penang. I think no party in this country, this is something we have to accept, effectively govern without the support of the Malays. Having said that, we obviously also need the support of all the other races. If we can have the multi-racial kind of support, that would help.
DAP has to work extremely hard quite apart from being democratic as a party to win the hearts and minds of the Malays principally, but also hearts and minds of the other races. Because don’t forget, although there are a lot of Chinese in DAP, they are a lot more Chinese who are not in DAP. So those people have to be won over and you can win over these people only if you have policies which are fair and just and which will protect the livelihood of the people, give the country a measure of stability and protect against crime and whatever have you. There are a lot of issues. There are so many outstanding issues that the DAP would have to concentrate on.

Over time, I hope we will be able to do that. One of the things which I am going to do as part of my remit in DAP is to set up the equivalent of an eminent persons group. People who are not necessarily even DAP members but people who want this to be a better country. We must tap the talents of a lot of people around us in terms of the economic development of the country, in terms of the political development of the country, in terms of race relations, in terms of any number of issues, sociological issues, instead of excluding all these people and developing your own plan... you are not going to get very far.

I think people must be involved. Up and down the line. Not just among us in KL but right out in the kampung, in the Chinese new villages, in the rural areas. Make people feel that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. DAP is not a monster. That it is a party that will in fact take care of their needs and be fair to them.

This is not easy. This is very difficult especially amongst the Malays who have been extremely suspicious for a very, very long time. They have to be won over. They can only be won over only if the see some evidence on the ground. I think they are trying to do that in Penang. So many years of BN rule in Penang and it has not moved much.

Q: Most Malays see the DAP as not having the legitimacy to represent the non-Malays as probably Gerakan did in Penang and MCA in the rest of the country. It is also seen as a party for the working class, rather than one that represents the intellectuals, professionals, people across the spectrum. As you said, the party is shedding the monster tag, so what do you think it should be doing to address this (membership composition) issue?
A: I agree entirely with you that it is still seen very much as a working class party, that it is not really a party for the white collar, the middle-classes if you like. Of course, they have to change and I think if they can start to attract a lot more professional people of all races, then it would be seen at a balance. Otherwise it always has the look and the feel of a labour party. Party for the workers. They have to change. This is one of the issues that they have to pay attention to.

Q: This is being addressed?
A: Yes, within the party there are debates going on all these issues. Because DAP has to re-brand itself and it has to develop. In business, if you are re-branding yourself, you should also have a good product. DAP must create a new desirable product which is the point you made earlier.

Q: How does it feel to be part of the change process?
A: I feel excited because we have been in this mould which was a comfort zone for many of us for a long time. But then we suddenly realised we have to break the mould in order to free ourselves, in order to take Malaysia into the new century and to put Malaysia at the top table of great nations. And there is no reason why we cant be a great nation.

In spite of all the problems we have been through, we have achieved so much. I think a bit more effort should bring about unity, bring about political and economic sustainability. We don’t want a one-off thing, a flash in the pan. Anyone can do that. And we have seen this happened in many countries and what happened was that they all fizzled out. But we want sustainability particularly in race relations. This is terribly important.

Q: Do you see moderation in national politics after March 8?
A: Ideally that should be the case. But it is very difficult for a party or for BN which has dominated the politics of this country for such a long time to take its defeat graciously.

Q: Let's look to the future of Pakatan Rakyat. What is your take on power-sharing between the component parties, given that DAP and PAS sit at different ends of the political spectrum. My own thinking on this is that all the race- based parties should dissolve themselves. Is it the same for religion-based parties?
A: (Laughs) Let's take the easy ones first. Umno can still continue to retain its acronym "UMNO" but it would be United Malaysians National Organisation. In fact, they already have a membership base. The Malays are already there. The Chinese, MCA is already there, MIC is already there. They become the founder members of the new UMNO. So its multi-racial. On the other side, PR is already multi-racial. All they have to do is to combine among themselves, because they have to learn how to share power. Similarly on this side, if they become the government, I think this will then eventually make it possible for Malaysia to have a two-party system. We leave PAS for a while out of this situation. You have a two party system which is basically what we need. If the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy is our choice, which is what we have adopted for 50 years or more, then the two party system should be the basis. Now where do we put PAS in it? PAS, I think, is changing. It will still say that it wants to see an Islamic-based Malaysia, etc. Here again, PAS would have to find accommodation and vice versa.

As long as they can find accommodation, I can’t really speculate on how this will be achieved but I am sure (it will). PAS has in its ranks some very outstanding people. They have some great thinkers. People who are highly, highly educated, so we are not dealing with pondok religious teachers. Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking that PAS is just a group of extreme Islamists. No, they are not. These people are very shrewd. They understand the realities of the 21st century and beyond. So we have to sit down with them and thrash out some of these things.

Q: Aren’t they the biggest power broker in the country?
A: They are. You are right. Absolutely right. They are.

Q: In a way, PAS is a mirror image of DAP, except that it is religion-based. They have clever people at the top with their own ideas of the right way forward... How do you come to terms with having to settle for a compromise in PR?
A: Here again they would have to find a middle way. PAS must realise that on its own it cannot be an effective government. Similarly the other parties must recognise they cannot do without PAS because PAS, in fact, represents the spiritual values of the Malays because of their religion. And while many Malays are prepared to accept a political system which is not religious based, they are also very conscious of the fact, more so than the other races. The Malays put their religion at the very centre of their existence. I think this has to be recognised by all. These are the complexities and the nature of our society.

Q: Something that DAP would have to grapple with?
A: Something that you will have to grapple with. It is not something that can be swept under the mat. Q: Do you see the possibility of PAS supplanting Umno as the dominant Malay-based party? A: That is a possibility. In fact they say politics is the art of the possible. So I cannot rule out that they could supplant, but then that would be reversing the order of things we would like for Malaysia.

Q: DAP does not believe in the NEP and wants to do away with it. NEP is important to the Malays. How does DAP assure the Malays that none of their rights would be eroded?
A: I think we should extend NEP not just to the Malays but to everybody. The main purpose originally was to redress the (economic) imbalance. The extreme poor just by accident happened to be Malays. And now we have added to this end of the spectrum, Indians and of course there are Chinese who are poor. The whole purpose of the original NEP was to improve the condition of the poor, not just in monetary terms but in terms of employment, in terms of education. If we can continue with this, I think the Malays will support it because many Malays themselves have been opposed to the NEP, because of the way NEP has been applied. And they could see that the NEP has been used as a party tool. It has been used to reward division chiefs, to buy votes. Surely this was not the intent to begin with. So if we can have use of NEP in a way which is seen as fair and just, which meets the basic requirement of alleviating poverty, I think it would have the support. So it got to be re-worked. The whole thing has to be re-worked so that it meets the aspirations of the people. I can honestly claim that I have not benefited from the NEP because I made a conscious decision not to go in cap- in-hand to ministers asking for projects or contracts, and so on, because I feel that first the NEP was not intended for someone like me who could still earn a living without having to ask for government assistance.

And there are a lot of Malays who are like me. Those who have benefited are those who are close to Umno. You have to be very, very close to Umno. In other words, just a few people benefitting from this, and this is again one of the reasons for Malays in rural areas not voting for Umno. This was unheard of.

Q: Do you think your entry into DAP will be a prelude more Malays joining the party?
A: Well, I wouldn’t be so vain as to think that this would happen. People just don’t join an organisation simply because their friend is in there. I think people do make a conscious decision about things like this. Hopefully they will realise that times are changing and there is no reason why a multi-racial party should not be attractive in terms of meeting the needs of Malaysia in the future.

Mahathir The Cause of Un-Rest in Malaysia?

As I have mentioned many times before, Pak Lah, the current Malaysian prime minister, is bearing the brunt of anger cultivated during Tun Mahathir's rein as prime minister where he ruled the country with his iron grip.

Read this excellent article in Malaysiakini about what Tun Mahathir did in his time (article reproduced below, original article can be found here)

Mahathirism the cause of BN unravelling

Proarte | Sep 19, 08 5:20pm

I refer to the Malaysiakini article MCA, Gerakan told to work with Umno to kick PM out. This article revealed Dr Mahathir's breathtaking hypocrisy. He lamented  that race relations were deteriorating under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi without even considering that it is the culture of Umno, which he himself engendered, which is responsible for Umno's racist and bigoted actions. Racial division in Malaysia  today emanates from one source only and that is Umno.   Surely it was the fact that people of different races and religions were willing to unite which resulted in the unprecedented gains for the Opposition in the Mar 8 elections. In fact, the races have never been more united in Malaysian history. Yes, there is a long way to go, but there has been a palpable sea of change. Race relations only apparently 'deteriorate' when Umno instigates it using the media, religious government  authorities and the police. The recent ISA arrests of 3 individuals under the pretext of national security and race relations were utterly disingenuous and could only be described as a synthetic charade. When Dr Mahathir took over power, he emphasised Ketuanan Melayu. Racial division became the modus operandi of BN during his tenure. It was Dr Mahathir who in fact gloated that Umno could rule Malaysia without non-Malay support. So much for promoting racial harmony and Bangsa Malaysia. Dr Mahathir inculcated the idea that non-Malays must accept the discrimination in the country if they wanted to prosper and live peacefully. He rewrote Malaysian history, selectively applied the 1957 constitution and encouraged a racist agenda in the civil service reinforced by institutions such as Biro Tatanegara. Nevermind if the majority of the Umno bigwigs were not pure Malay, as long as they claimed to be Malay and were recognised as such, they could be leaders.   It explains why Dr Mahathir, whose Indian ancestors came to Malaysia little over 100 years ago, could volubly claim to be 'indigenous' but  yet consider Baba Chinese in Melaka who have been here for almost 600 years as orang asing. This is 'Mahathirism' in short -  a Machiavellian ploy to exploit race and religion for financial gain and power. Dr Mahathir is shameless in his duplicity and the only reason why he was able to succeed was because he was a leader of a feudally minded people who were economically and educationally backward. His Machiavellian psychological ploy was to engender a tongkat mentality in the Malay community to make them loyal to Umno. Dr Mahathir was able to bring about a semblance of unity and economic progress during his tenure due to his dictatorial grip on all institutions of governance. He was willing to share the wealth with the leaders of BN component parties as long as they acquiesced to his Ketuanan Melayu stipulation. It is no surprise that MCA and MIC leaders became immensely rich but had to sell out their communities as part of the deal. It was only a matter of time that we would see Mahathirism unravel because it was based on a lie and was becoming economically, socially and politically untenable. Anwar Ibrahim's sacking was a symptom of this. This led to the haemorrhage of support from Umno to PAS and PKR. In order the stem the loss, Dr Mahathir, the arch secularist in a cynical and unconstitutional manner, declared Malaysia an 'Islamic state' to steal the thunder, as it were, from PAS. This further divided Malaysian communities as there was now a rivalry between PAS and Umno for Islamic credentials leaving non-Muslims confounded and alienated. Badawi's team saw this as an opportunity to wrest power from Dr Mahathir and seduced the rakyat with promises to end Mahathrism i.e. crony politics, police corruption, judicial corruption and religious and racial polarisation. The gullible rakyat responded by giving BN and Umno an unprecedented level of support in the 2004 elections. However, Abdullah squandered this opportunity to reform governance in Malaysia by reneging on his promises. The overwhelming support seemed to make Umno even more arrogant to the extent that it actually put into practise the notion that it did not need other parties or communities to rule. This explains the arrogant and politically naive rhetoric by Khairy Jamaluddin about Penang needing a Malay chief minister, the brandishing of the keris by Hishamuddin Hussein at the Umno general assembly, the demolition of a Chinese temple in Penang and the escalation in Hindu temple demolitions. We recall that at the Umno conference which was held on Deepavali day, a delegate had the audacity to say that the temple issue was a 'small matter'. Khairy then went on to make his infamous speech about Indian news vendors "who controlled the business" not distributing his father-in-law's speech because they chose to go on holiday. This was just the tip of the iceberg of a cumulative set of events from 2004 till now which have left Malaysians feeling bitterly short-changed and cheated by Abdullah. I personally believe that Umno is not capable of reform under Abdullah, a man who has never been known to stand for anything other than being a 'Mr Nice Guy'. His promises for reform were at best well intentioned. The landslide win in 2004 made Umno think that they already had a winning formula  and so why rock the boat and change? Well, Mar 8 saw the rakyat waking up and bringing about change which they had been yearning for. The multiracial opposition smashed the psychological two-thirds majority of BN without any violent racial conflagration as a consequence. It was a cathartic event for all Malaysians. It demolished the self -serving Mahathir mantra that  a two-thirds majority was required for political stability. In fact, people began for the first time to see BN majority rule as a liability. Umno does not appear to have learnt anything . It still behaves like a 'one man show' when it cannot afford to do so. MIC and MCA are lame duck parties which are incresingly seeing the wisdom of distancing themselves from Abdullah's Umno, which arrogantly pushed them aside when they won with a landslide in 2004. Umno is now riddled with hopeless division and scrambling for power that it does not seem to realise that it is weak and needs to build up multi- racial support, otherwise it is as good as dead in the long run. The current irrational actions by Umno to arrest people under ISA under bogus excuses betrays a pathetic mindset which sees the Malays as tools to be manipulated for Umno's own self-serving ends. Malays know that it was an Umno warlord who uttered racist comments against the Chinese, yet the journalist who reported it was arrested. Malays now know that Khir Toyo's allegations were the pretext for Teresa Kok's ISA incarceration. The mosque in question has categorically said that Teresa was not involved in the azan petition and that the low volume of the azan was due to a technical fault. Malays know from reading Raja Petra Kamarudin's blog that he has always stood for justice and Islamic values. The arrests have further undermined Abdullah. It would appear that Abdullah's administration is in complete disarray and this is in no small way is due to his utter incompetence. To be fair to Abdullah, he inherited the rot which Dr Mahathir had set in motion. I would go as far as to say that Dr Mahathir is to be blamed for all the nonsense we are witnessing now. Abdullah's fault lies in his inability to reform Mahathirism. Malaysia and Umno needs Mahathir now like the proverbial hole in the head.

Is Malaysia Matured Enough to Allow a Mega Church?

Indonesia government allowed the construction of a huge church, Katedral Mesiah, in Jakarta, which opened its door to 4000 people singing hymns and saying prayer together. And this is in the worlds largest Muslim country. Is this just a show for good publicity?

Let's look at its neighbour Malaysia. The Malay's in Malaysia are so backward that it took a church 25 years to get a permit to be setup in Shah Alam, even then, it was moved from a residential area to deep into an industrial estate.

It is this backward thinking that is putting more pressure on Malaysian leaders as their outdated thinking is causing the country to fail miserably. Internal bickering among UMNO (MCA is reluctantly staying away; MIC is non existent anymore) about leadership power is making a mockery of the ruling party. While another lame duck, Anwar Ibrahim of the Opposition party, has been going around proclaiming that he will take over the country after some parliament members willingly move over to his side because of their frustration with the government. But this hasn't happened yet and will unlikely happen. The Malays are scared of losing their privileges which the government provides and this might help keep the current government in power since PKR has vowed to slowly eliminate government handouts to the Malays.

Oh What a Week in Malaysia

I guess the rumour mongers were right. In sending 3 civilians (news portal editor Raja Petra Kamarudin, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng) to ISA, the Malaysian prime minister just blew whatever integrity he had left in himself and his administration. Read the Star Headline this morning and you'll know how battered and bruised the PM was after yesterdays Supreme Council meeting which left him looking weak and vain. It's a pity as I had much hopes for Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi. I thought he had the courage and wisdom to lead this country more openly that his predecessor, Tun Mahathir, who in my humble opinion, is the root cause of all this unhappiness in this country. But he can plead old age and sit quietly at home and pretend that he's innocent and wait for death (for all I care now).

As for another joker in the crowd, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, well, his Sept 16 came and went by without a whimper of a sound from him. So much for his glorious take over. Come to think of it, he is just another politician, isn't he? Everyone s hoping he has some tricks up his sleeve or else its just political suicide for him to claim to have 30 MP's willing to cross over. Come to think of it, just before the last elections, he made a statement saying that once he's eligible to contest for a Parliament seat, there will be PKR parliamentary members just waiting to hand over the place to him. But what really happened was no one volunteered to give up their seat and to save Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's face, his wife had to give up her seat. How sad. And this is the man who said Sept 16 was possible!

My prediction is that Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi will resign before Oct 7. His current deputy, Dato' Sri Haji Mohd. Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, will take the helm of the country and will rule Malaysia with an iron fist, just so that what happened to Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi doesn't happen to him. And also so that he can maintain come control over the courts over his involvement in the murder case of a Mongolian model. Which means Raja Petra is right after all when he said that he will be in jail for a long, long time once Dato' Sri Haji Mohd. Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak comes to power.

With Theresa Kok and Tan Hoon Cheng released, that leaves only Raja Petra and th Hindraf detainees, among others, in ISA. Ms. Kok has said she will sue the government and police for negligence. We'll see how that goes and how the government will try to silence her. All this is happening at a time when the world economy is very weak and Malaysian politicians are striving to make this country even worst that what it already is.

In my 50 years in this country, I have never seen racism rear its ugly head as bad as it is now. We had stupid BN ministers playing the race card without fear of its implications. And they still have the cheek to suggest to the party that they can still serve the party as an outside member. I really didn't believe that theirs as stupid as they look but their proving me wrong each time they open their mouths. No wonder Singaporeans laugh at us. I used to be angry when Singaporeans compared their meteoric rise as a country to our rise as a nation to the type of people running the country - Chinese against Malays. But more importantly, the level of education of the Singaporean government far exceeds that of the whole Malaysian government combined. I guess this is the telling difference and why our country is still backwards - first world infrastructure, third world mentality.

Intel's 6-Core CPU & AMD Steals Intel's Secrets

"Intel officially unveiled its six-core 'Dunnington' Xeon 7400 processor Monday ... As expected, Intel launched the Dunnington chip for high-end servers ... The Xeon 7400 is also one of the first Intel chips to have a monolithic design. In other words, all six cores will be on one piece of silicon. To date, for any processor having more than two cores, Intel has put two separate pieces of silicon ... inside one chip package."

On the other hand....

"A man who once worked for Intel and then jumped ship to join AMD has been accused of stealing his erstwhile employer's chip secrets. Federal detectives allege they discovered 19 CAD designs and more than 100 pages of confidential Intel documentation."

Malays - The Origin

by Maxyn Forest

It's been interesting to read such free-flowing comments on an all "Malaysian" free for all.  While we are on the subject, how many of you have read the book entitled Contesting Malayness"?  Written by a Professor of National University of Singapore.  Cost S$32 (about).  It reflects the Anthropologists' views that there is no such race as the "Malays" to begin with.
 
If we follow the original migration of the Southern Chinese of 6,000 yrs ago, they moved into Taiwan, (now the Alisan), then to the Phillipines (now the Aeta) and moved into Borneo (4,500 yrs ago) (Dayak).
 
They also split into Sulawesi and progressed into Jawa, and Sumatera.  The final migration was to the Malayan Peninsular 3,000 yrs ago.  A sub-group from Borneo also moved to Champa in Cambodia at 4,500 yrs ago.
 
Interestingly, the Champa deviant group moved back to present day Kelantan. There are also traces of the Dong Song and HoaBinh migration from Vietnam and Cambodia.  To confuse the issue, there was also the Southern Thai migration, from what we know as Pattani today.  (See also  "Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsular".)
 
Of course, we also have the Minangkabau(s) who come from the descendants of Alexander the Great and a West Indian Princess. (Sejarah Melayu page 1-3.)
 
So the million Dollar Question:  Is there really a race called the "Malays"? All anthropologists DO NOT SEEM TO THINK SO.
 
Neither do the "Malays" who live on the West Coast of Johor.  They'd rather be called Javanese.  What about the west coast Kedah
inhabitants who prefer to be known as "Achenese"?  Or the Ibans who simply want to be known as IBANS.  Try calling a Kelabit a "Malay" and see what response you get. You'll be so glad that their Head-Hunting days are over.
 
The definition of "Malay" is therefore simply a collection of peoples who speak a similar type language.  With what is meant by a similar type language does not mean that the words are similar. Linguists call this the "Lego-type" language, where words are added on to the root word to make meaning and give tenses and such. Somehow, the Indonesians disagree with this classification.  They refuse to be called Malay.  Anyhow you may define it.  Watch "Malays in Africa" - a Museum Negara
produced DVD.  Also, the "Champa Malays" by the same.
 
With this classification, they MUST also include the Phillipinos, the Papua New Guineans, the Australian Aboriginies, as well as the Polynesian Aboriginies.  These are of the Australo Melanesians who migrated out of Africa 60,000 yrs ago.
 
Getting interesting?  Read on.
 
"Malay" should also include the Taiwanese singer "Ah Mei" who is Alisan, as her tribe are the ancestors of the "Malays".  And finally, you will need to define the Southern Chinese (Funan Province) as Malay also, since they are from the same stock 6,000 yrs ago.
 
Try calling the Bugis a "Malay".  Interestingly, the Bugis, who predominantly live on Sulawesi are not even Indonesians.  Neither do they fall into the same group as the migrating Southern Chinese of 6,000 yrs ago, nor the Australo Melanesian group from Africa.
 
Ready for this?
 
The Bugis are the cross-breed between the Chinese and the Arabs. (FYI, a runaway Ming Dynasty official whom Cheng Ho was sent to hunt down.) Interestingly, the Bugis were career Pirates in the Johor-Riau Island areas. Now the nephew of Daeng Kemboja was appointed the First Sultan of Selangor. That makes the entire Selangor Sultanate part Arab, part Chinese!
 
Try talking to the Bugis Museum curator near Kukup in Johor.  Kukup is located near the most south-western tip of Johor.  (Due south of Pontian Kechil.)
 
Let's not even get into the Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekiu, and Hang Lekir, who shared the same family last name as the other super famous "Hang" family member, Hang Li Poh.  And who was she?  The princess of a Ming Dynasty Emperor who was sent to marry the Sultan of Malacca.  Won't that make the entire Malacca Sultanate downline "Baba"?
 
Since the older son of the collapsed Malaccan Sultanate got killed in Johor, (the current Sultanate is the downline of the then,
Bendahara) the only other son became the Sultan of Perak.  Do we see any Chinese-ness in Raja Azlan?  Is he the descendant of Hang Li Poh?

Next question.  If the Babas are part Malay, why have they been marginalized by NOT BEING BUMIPUTERA?  Which part of "Malay"
are they not?  Whatever the answer, why then are the Portuguese of Malacca NOT BUMIPUTERA?  Did they not
come 100 yrs AFTER the arrival of the first Babas?  Parameswara founded Malacca in 1411. The Portugese came in 1511, and the Dutch in the 1600's. Strangely, the Babas were in fact once classified Bumiputera, but discovered that they were strangely "declassified" in the 1960s.  WHY?
 
The Sultan of Kelantan had similar roots to the Pattani Kingdom making him of Thai origin.  And what is this "coffee table
book" by the Sultan of Perlis claiming to be the direct descendant of the prophet Muhammed? Somehow we see Prof Khoo Khay Khim's signature name on the book.  I'll pay good money to own a copy of it myself.  Anyone has a spare?
 
So, how many of you have met with orang Asli(s)?  The more northern you go, the more African they look.  Why are they called
Negrito(s)?  It is a Spanish word, from which directly translates "mini Negros".  The more southern you go, the more "Indonesian" they look.  And the ones who live at Cameron Highlands kinda look 50-50.  You can see the Batek at Taman Negara,
who really looks like Eddie Murphy to a certain degree.  Or the Negritos who live at the Thai border near Temenggor Lake (north Perak).  The Mah Meri in Carrie Island looks almost like the Jakuns in Endau Rompin.  Half African, half Indonesian.
 
By definition, (this is super eye-opening) there was a Hindu Malay Empire in Kedah.  Yes, I said it right.  The Malays were Hindu.  It was, by the old name Langkasuka. Today known as Lembah Bujang.  This Hindu Malay Empire was 2,000 yrs old, pre-dating Borrobudor AND Angkor Watt, who came about around 500-600 yrs later.  Lembah Bujang was THE mighty trading empire, and its biggest influence was by the Indians who were here to help start it. By definition, this should make the Indians BUMIPUTERAS too since they were here 2,000 yrs ago!  Why are they marginalized?
 
So, in a nutshell, the "Malays" (anthropologists will disagree with this "race" definition) are TRULY ASIA!!! (Main continent and West Asia included)
 
Here are some comments from Michael in answer to some Malays who have attacked him for penning this commentary.
 
Greetings.  This is Michael Chick.  Unlike others who hide behind "anonymous synonyms" I came clear with my real name.  The post
which I put up was not a figment of my imagination but the end result of 3 years extensive research. As such, the facts presented are clear-cut, straightforward and unassuming. Perhaps you would all like to chat with any anthropologist at UM before
sending-off any flaming sparks in my direction again.  These Professors should be as Malaysian as any of you.
 
The subject matter is fact-based.  To Bayi, "Contesting Malayness" is available at Kinokuniya at Takashimaya 4th floor, Orchard
road. At a cost of S$32.  It is also available at National University of Singapore.  Why?  'Coz it's their textbook.  Let me repeat -"Contesting Malayness" is an NUS textbook, published by NUS Press, written by Professor Tony Milner.
 
To Achmad Sudarsono, calling the Malays a "race" is akin to calling the Hokkiens or the Javanese a "race".  Please do not confuse the term "orang" with "Bangsa".  What do I mean?  The term 'orang' is used by Malays to describe Orang Bugis, Orang Acheh, Orang Laut, Orang India, Orang Melayu. And here is where the confusion was.  Orang Melayu merely refers to the
residents of Kampung Melayu near Jambi, near Palembang.  Please use Google Earth <http://earth.google.com/>  to find its exact
location.
 
Unless you can say that all "Orang Melayu" are descendants of that village, you simply cannot be called Orang Melayu.  In fact the name "Malay" has been traced to Lembah Bujang, where the Indian traders used to call the locals "Malai" (in Tamil) to describe the locals.  The locals were animistic pagans at that time, and readily adopted Hindu practices and Indian customs. "Raja" and "Sultan" are Indian titles.  The adat bersanding with the pelamin are of Indian origin.  Even the "gifts-bearing" walk by the groom has its Indian roots.  Please attend an Indian Wedding before flaming me again.  Or have a chat with Prof Nik Hassan who is in charge of the Lembah Bujang archaeological excavations.
 
Malaya, was therefore a derivative from Himalaya.  "Sejarah Melayu" therefore was describing the Kampong Melayu origins.  But
here is where, from pages 1-3, it will tell you that Kampong Melayu are descendants of Iskandar Zulkarnain (Alexander the Great) through the bloodline of a West Indian Princess.  This came from Sejarah Melayu.  This book is cheap.  You can buy it at the University Malaya Bookstore for a mere RM35.  It is published by MBRAS (Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society).  Its
patron member is Tun Hanif (ex-IGP).

Please speak with Datuk Prof Zuraina Majid, who excavated "Perak Man".  She will tell you that Perak Man is a descendant of the
Australo-Melanesian stock.  African National Museum of the Phillipines will verify that they came from Taiwan.  And National University of Indonesia will confirm that they came from the Phillipines.
 
Nik Aziz (PAS leader from Kelantan) will tell you that his grandfather came from Champa.  To all Kelantanese, please explain the newly changed name of a Kampong near Bachok (close to the Pengkalan Chepa airport) to "Kampung Champa" to our friends here.
 
Please also visit Museum Negara to see the exhibits on the "Dong Song" brass drums and Gua Cha in Kelantan near Gua Musang to see the Hoabinhian Caves. Dong Song and Hoabinh are in Indochina.  And therefore, the locals are descendants from that region.  The entire Northern States also have their roots from the Pattani Kingdom; which today we call Thailand.  In fact, please visit the Kelantan WWII museum to see the article on how Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu was part of Thailand from 1943-1945.  Then walk over to the Kelantan State Museum to see the exhibit on Gua Cha to read their explanations of the Hoabinhian Cultures of Early Kelantan settlers.
 
Malaysian Archaeologists call the early settlers Proto Malay.  And the current settlers Deutero Malay.  The scientific term is
actually, Australo Melanesian (African) and Austranesian (Chinese, or Mongoloid).  This is a DNA and bone structure classification.  Even the term Negrito transalates from Spanish to mean "mini Negro".
 
I hope that I've made myself comprehensible enough.  Feel free to ask any further questions to help clear the air.  The "Malays" are NOT a race.  I'm so sorry that you are only hearing this now.  The rest of the Academic World has known it for years.
 
By: Michael Chick on May 30th, 2007 At 2:44 am

To address Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Li Poh.  They were all related by the family name of "Hang".
 
Please visit their graves in Malacca.  Their graves are clear-cut Hindu. This was during the "Great Malacca Empire" when Parameswara was supposed to have converted to Islam.  Why are the graves of the "Legendary Defenders of the States" Hindu?  They do not have the spiral headstones or the Batu Acheh type headstones - instead, they are solid concrete blocks with triangular holes for incense and oil-lamp burning.
 
Hang Tuah's grave (Kampong Keling) is another "conspiracy".  Please read the inscriptions on the side:  "they found a large stone marking a grave, and therefore it must be Hang Tuah...".  This grave was merely designed to be a tourist destination.  Note that there are no names engraved anywhere.  Just a big non-descript stone marking that a human body lies underneath it.
Lastly, why is a Muslim buried in Kampong Keling - 'Keling' meaning Indian?
 
The subsequent question is why is Hang Tuah removed from current school history textbooks?
 
One of two suggestions comes to mind.  He was pure fiction (please read Hikayat Hang Tuah before flaming me again), or as the Bugis Museum Curator in Johor will insist, that Hang Tuah was Chinese. So were the rest of his "blood brothers".  They were all Chinese; and related to Hang Li Poh.
 
Let me pose a simple question to you:  Why is it, that when you visit Malacca to see the great historical Malaysian City/State,
you see the Portugese "A Famosa" gateway, or the Red Dutch buildings like Christchurch, or even St. Paul's Church on St. Paul's Hill?  Where is the evidence of "The Great Malaccan Empire"?
 
Let me help you with that answer.  Published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in a publication called "Melayu Journal" in 2005 -
"...we had to look for an icon by which the Malays would be proud of..."  Since Majapahit, Acheh, Lembah Bujang (Langkasuka) were either Hindu, on Indonesian soil, or both, Malacca was the only location left.  The great Parameswara is, by the way
buried on Fort Canning Hill downtown Singapore, for those of you who want to visit it.  They call it the "Keramat" and it's immediately behind the National Musuem of Singapore.
 
Please enlighten me by showing me ONE single piece of evidence of "The Great Malaccan Empire".  Even Dewan Bahasa couldn't.
Perhaps any one of you could.  Evidence, and not mere gut-feeling please.
 
Also, please consult Prof Khoo Khay Khim before flaming me again; Thank you.
 

Malaysia Has First Class Infrastructure But Third World Salaries

After 50 years of development, we can say that we have one of the world's best infrastructures in terms of roads, airports, ports and even the Multimedia Super Corridor.

We only realise this until we travel overseas or to neighbouring countries or when we get visitors from the United States or Europe.

As visitors leave the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, travel on the highway, visit KLCC or the surrounding shopping complexes, they can immediately access the Internet. They all say we are better than the developed countries.

The government has done a lot in that we have a roof for every head, a desk for every school-going child, a bed for the sick and even jobs for 2.5 million foreign workers!

Lately, the government has been taking strides to improve the salaries of the government servants while businessmen have had to increase the cost of food items at groceries or restaurants.

Whilst we have first class infrastructure, we still have third world salaries.

Read the rest of the article .

Did You Know This?

In 1998 English referee Martin Sylvester sent himself off after punching a player during a game in the Andover and District Sunday League.

My Angel

 
        August 1942.. Piotrkow , Poland . The sky  was gloomy
  that morning as we waited anxiously All the men, women  and
  children of Piotrkow's Jewish ghetto had been herded
  into a  square. Word had gotten around that we were being
  moved. My father had only recently died from typhus, which
  had run rampant  through the crowded ghetto. My greatest
  fear was that our  family would be separated.
        
        'Whatever  you do,' Isidore, my eldest
  brother, whispered to me, 'don't tell  them your
  age. Say you're sixteen.' I was tall for a boy of
  11, so  I could pull it off. That way I might be deemed
  valuable as a  worker.  An SS  man approached me, boots
  clicking against the  cobblestones. He looked me up and
  down, then asked my age.  'Sixteen,' I said.  He
  directed me to the left, where my three  brothers and other
  healthy young men already  stood. My mother was motioned to
  the right with the  other women, children, sick and elderly
  people. I whispered to  Isidore, 'Why?' He
  didn't answer. I ran to Mama's side and said I
  wanted to stay with her. 'No,' she said sternly.
  'Get away. Don't be a nuisance. Go with your
  brothers..' She had never spoken so harshly before. But
  I understood: She was protecting me.  She loved me so much
  that, just this once, she pretended not to. & It was
  the last I ever saw of  her.
        
         My brothers and I were transported in a cattle  car
  to Germany . We arrived at the Buchenwald concentration
  camp  one night weeks later and were led into a crowded
  barrack. The  next day, we were issued uniforms and
  identification  numbers. 'Don't call me Herman
  anymore.' I said to  my brothers. 'Call me
  94983.'
        
        I was  put to work in the camp's crematorium,
  loading the dead into a hand-cranked elevator. I, too, felt
  dead. Hardened, I had  become a number. Soon, my brothers
  and I were sent to Schlieben,  one of Buchenwald's
  sub-camps near   Berlin . One morning I thought I heard my
  mother's  voice, 'Son,' she said softly but
  clearly, 'I am going to send you  an angel.'
  Then I woke up.  Just a dream.  A beautiful  dream.  But in
  this place there could be no angels.  There was only  work.
  And hunger.  And fear.
 
        A couple of days later,  I was walking around the
  camp, around the barracks, near the  barbed-wire fence
  where the guards could not easily see.  I was  alone.  On
  the other side of the fence, I spotted someone: a  little
  girl with light, almost luminous curls.  She was
  half-hidden behind a birch tree.  I glanced around to make
  sure no one saw me.  I called to her softly  in
  German.'Do you have something to  eat?'  She
  didn't understand.  I inched closer to the fence and
  repeated question in Polish.  She stepped forward.  I was
  thin and gaunt, with rags wrapped around my feet, but the
  girl  looked unafraid.  In her eyes, I saw life.  She
  pulled an apple  from her woolen jacket and threw it over
  the fence.  I grabbed the  fruit and, as I started to run
  away, I heard her say  faintly, 'I'll see you
  tomorrow.'
 
         I returned to the  same spot by the fence at the
  same time every day.  She was always  there with something
  for me to eat - a hunk of bread or,  better yet, an apple.
  We didn't dare speak or linger.  To be caught  would
  mean death for us both.  I didn't know anything about
  her,  just a kind farm girl, except that she understood
  Polish.  What was her name?  Why was she risking her life
  for me?  Hope was in  such short supply, and this girl on
  the other side of the fence gave me some, as nourishing in
  its way as the  bread and apples.
        
        Nearly seven months  later, my brothers and I were
  crammed into a coal car and shipped  to Theresienstadt camp
  in Czechoslovakia.  'Don't return,' I told the
  girl that day.  'We're leaving.'  I turned
  toward the barracks  and didn't look back, didn't
  even say good-bye to the little girl whose name I'd
  never learned, the girl with the  apples.
          
        We were in Theresienstadt for three months.  The war
  was winding down and Allied forces were closing in, yet  my
  fate seemed sealed.  On May 10, 1945, I was scheduled to die
  in the gas chamber at 10:00 AM.  In the quiet of dawn, I
  tried to prepare myself.  So many times death seemed ready
  to claim me, but somehow I'd survived.  Now, it was
  over.  I thought of my parents. At least, I thought, we
  will be reunited.
        
         But at 8 A.M. there was a commotion.  I heard
  shouts, and saw people running every which way through
  camp.  I caught up with my brothers.  Russian troops had
  liberated  the camp!  The gates swung open.  Everyone was
  running, so I did too.
 
        Amazingly, all of my brothers had survived; I'm
  not sure how.  But I knew that the girl with the apples had
   been the key to my survival.  In a place where evil seemed
  triumphant, one person's goodness had saved my life, had
  given me hope in a place where there  was none.  My mother
  had promised to send me an  angel, and the angel had come.
 
        Eventually I made my  way to England where I was
  sponsored by a Jewish charity, put up  in a hostel with
  other boys who had survived the Holocaust and trained in
  electronics.  Then I came to America , where my  brother
  Sam had already moved.  I served in the US Army during the
  Korean War, and returned to New York City after  two years.
   By August 1957 I'd opened my own electronics repair
  shop.  I was starting to settle in.
        
         One day, my  friend Sid who I knew from England
  called me. 'I've got a date.  She's got a
  Polish friend.  Let's double date.'
        
        A blind date?  Nah, that wasn't for me.  But Sid
  kept pestering me,  and a few days later we headed up to
  the Bronx to pick up his date and her friend Roma.  I had
  to admit, for a blind date this wasn't so bad.  Roma
  was a nurse at a Bronx hospital.  She was kind and smart.
  Beautiful, too, with swirling brown curls  and green,
  almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with  life.
 
        The four of us drove out to Coney Island.  Roma was
  easy to talk to, easy to be with.  Turned out she was wary
  of blind dates too! We were both just doing our friends a
  favor. We took a stroll on the boardwalk, enjoying the
  salty Atlantic breeze, and then had dinner by the shore.  I
   couldn't remember having a better  time.
        
        We piled back into Sid's car, Roma and I  sharing
  the backseat.  As European Jews who had survived the war,
  we were aware that much had been left unsaid between us.
  She  broached the subject, 'Where were you,' she
  asked softly, 'during  the war?'
 
        'The camps,' I said, the terrible  memories
  still vivid, the irreparable loss. I had tried to  forget.
  But you can never forget.
        
        She nodded.  'My  family was hiding on a farm in
  Germany, not far from Berlin ,' she  told me. 'My
  father knew a priest, and he got us Aryan papers.'  I
  imagined how she must have suffered too, fear, a constant
  companion.  And yet here we were, both  survivors, in a new
  world.
        
         'There was a camp next  to the farm.' Roma
  continued. 'I saw a boy there and I would  throw him
  apples every day.'
        
         What an amazing  coincidence that she had helped
  some other boy.  'What did he look like?  I asked.
  'He was tall, skinny, and hungry.  I must  have seen
  him every day for six  months.'
        
        My heart was racing.  I couldn't believe it.
  This couldn't be.  'Did he tell you one day not to
  come back  because he was leaving Schlieben?'
 
        Roma looked at me in amazement. 'Yes.'
         
        'That was me! ' I was ready to burst with
  joy and awe, flooded with emotions.  I couldn't believe
  it!  My angel.
        
        'I'm not letting you go..' I  said to
  Roma. And in the back of the car on that blind date, I
  proposed to her.  I didn't want to wait.
        
        'You're  crazy!' she said.  But she
  invited me to meet her parents for Shabbat dinner the
  following week.  There was so much I looked forward to
  learning about Roma, but the most important things I
  always knew: her steadfastness, her goodness.  For many
  months, in the worst of circumstances, she had come to the
  fence and given me hope.  Now that I'd found her again,
  I could never let her  go.
        
         That day, she said yes.  And I  kept my word.  After
  nearly 50 years of marriage, two children and three
  grandchildren I have never let her go.
        
        Herman  Rosenblat, Miami Beach , Florida
 
 
        This  is a true story and you can find out more by
  Googling Herman Rosenblat as he was Bar Mitzvahed at age
  75.  This story is  being made into a movie called 'The
  Fence.'   This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million
  people world-wide!
        
      

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Ball Kissers

No Increment?

What do you do when you do not receive an increment? Nearly everyone in my company received an increment with the exception of a couple of individuals. In my opinion, nearly all who didn't get their increment deserved an increment but not all who got increments deserved theirs. But what do you do when you've put in more than your share of the effort and the bosses don't recognize it. I am talking about a company where the big boss is influenced by what he hears and sees from some ball-kissers (if you know what I mean). And therein lies the biggest flaw of the appraisal system where the performance evaluation forms are just for show. It's something to satisfy the auditors.

I'll give you a concrete example. I have to financial analysts, both graduated from university at the same, from the same class in fact but one now earns RM2000 more than the other. You can always see the higher paid girl working late with the big boss every year during appraisal time. What "services" she gives him is beyond my knowledge as I leave work sharp at 5 pm. Rumours thrive in an environment where there's more than one lady working. As you can imagine, a financial software house like mine has more women than men - 3:1 ratio in fact. So what does the higher paying girl do during appraisal time that earns her more pay than her equally, capable colleague? Your guess is as good as mine.


So the ones who don't get what they deserve usually leave and enrich our competitors? How sad but that's the situation where the boss runs the show. I want to leave but I cant. Unfortunately I am being paid a lot more than the going market rate. I met 4 potential employers who would hire me on the spot if I could absorb a 40% pay cut!

How To Identify the Ball Kissers?

Their the ones with the loudest voice, the ones with all the smart remarks, the ones always laughing in the office and the only ones laughing and smiling at anything the bosses say. Not to mention the ones always seen with the boss, either in the office or during lunch or something even in the evening. Trust me when I say that certain sex mixes more with the boss after working hours than during working hours. I wonder what they have to discuss or do with the boss that cant be done during working hours. Maybe I just don't have the right tools.

What To Do With the Ball Kissers?

If you want to rise up quick in the organization, then these are the people you have to hang out with. You have no choice. Hang with them, be nice to them no matter how dumb their statements can be most of the time, pretend to laugh at their jokes - do whatever it takes except selling your body or soul to be nice to them.

If you're not nice to them, then be prepared to be overlooked. Your boss will never know that you just saved their biggest account or you're the fulcrum of technical support. You will be just be a number to the boss.

Big Ball Kissers, Small Ball Kissers

You just have to find an organization small enough that doesn't have any ball kissers yet or small ball kissers. You'll be safe here, for a while, until a ball kisser comes in. Don't expect to not see any ball kissers in large organizations; these organizations thrive with such elements.

The funny thing about granting favours to women is that they remember what you promised them even though you don't. So, the tiny, little thing you promised them in the heat of them moment while pumping - be prepared to pay the price for a long, long time. Just a friendly advise to my boss.

16th September 2008, Hari Malaysia

On 16th September 2008, Hari Malaysia,

Let us agree that …

There are thirteen states, and only one Malaysia
There are many parties, but we are one nation
While we may differ, we are not enemies
We can be critical, but not offensive
We shall seek and embrace truth, and reject deceit
We shall not take sides based on partisan views

Because wrong is wrong and right is right, no matter who does it

Let us all oppose corruption, racism and bigotry
Unite for one future, free from sleaze, discrimination and poverty;
Multiplicity is God's creation; let us replace race with Unity
Let us see Unity in diversity, and learn to love all, because
When we dislike the other, we dislike part of God's design,
We are One
We may greet each other in different ways, what we are all trying to say is:
I am pleased to meet you, my brother, my sister Malaysians

For there are

Many lamps, One Light
Many hearts, One Spirit
Many prayers, One God
Many Colors, One Race.

Have a meaningful Hari Malaysia

ALERT: Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Malaysia Quite Serious

Attention, everyone

We have just been alerted that Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Malaysia, spread by mosquitoes, is quite serious. More than 2,000 people are infected down south. There are claims of unreported deaths. Consult a health-care provider or visit the nearest hospital for chikungunya fever if you showed symptoms such as fever, severe joint pains and rashes.

Four states have been hit, i.e. Johor, Malacca, N.Sembilan and Perak. The worst hit is Tangkak, Johor. Almost all elderly people (age 45 years and above) are infected with this virus. Many people who are infected seek treatment from Tangkak Hospital every day. There were times beds were full, and the hospital could not warded them. Therefore they were discharge after a half day treatment in the ward. This epidemic outbreak has persisted for more than three months.

► Below is the chronological of this outbreak.
1. The disease is spread by the foreigner workers in the plantations.
2. Then the 'bugs' are passed down to the local planters, of which, their families are infected eventually.
3. Now people in this town (Tangkak) are infected as well as others in nearby towns and states.

► Symptoms of Chikungunya:
1. High fever
2. Rashes
3. Chronic joints pain (which will last for > 3months)
4. Concurrent deaths

► Recommendations:
1. Increase ad hoc facilities and manpower in district hospital and clinics.
2. Bring down the population of the vector (mosquitoes)
3. Quarantine the sick people who are infected with this virus.
4. Educate the public how to prevent and contain the disease.

Dr Teo Kim Lai (among the many courageous Pahlawan Volunteers veterinarians involved in the investigation of the Nipah Virus Outbreak,1999 archived at http://www.pahlawan.com.my/voice/VECrisis1.shtml) ) recommends that the sick should be quarantined as the virus is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. CHIK fever epidemics are sustained by human-mosquito-human transmission.

Further information can be obtained from the Health Ministry's website at http://www.moh.gov.my or call (603) 88810600/ 0700 during office hours.

FURTHER READING:
► Chikungnya Di Malaysia
http://www.moh.gov.my/opencms/opencms/moh/chikungunya_malaysia.html
► Chikungunya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikungunya
► Chikungunya - Fact Sheet by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/Health_Topics/Chikungunya_Fever/facts.aspx
► Insect Bite Avoidance
http://www.nathnac.org/pro/factsheets/iba.htm

► SAVE LIVES. Please circulate this to fellow Malaysians. Post to other groups and newsgroups outside of Facebook. We'll keep you informed of further developments at Pahlawan Volunteers discussion board at http://groups.to/pahlawan or http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33559455073

CHIKUNGUNYA FACT SHEET (obtained from the Ministry of Health web site)

1. What is Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is an acute febrile infectious condition transmitted to humans by the bite of specific mosquitoes.This disease was first detected in 1953 in Tanzania. Since then it has emerged as one of the main causes of disease outbreaks among human populations in African and Asian countries and of late affecting several locations in Europe. It is currently endemic in most countries in the Sub Saharan region in Africa, India, South East Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. This is not an unknown mysterious disease.

2. What is the causing agent?

Chikungunya is a febrile illness caused by a virus from the genus Alphavirus in the Togaviridae family.

3. Is the disease infectious ?

Yes. The Chikungunya virus spreads through the bite of an Aedes albopictus or Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with the virus. The Aedes mosquito also transmits the dengue virus.

4. What is the incubation period for Chikungunya ?

The incubation period for Chikungunya can range from 3 to 12 days but usually it is about 3 to 7 days.

5. What are its signs and symptoms?

The usual symptoms include:

· Sudden high fever

· Severe joint pains

· Redness with rashes occurring on the body

· Headache

The fever can occur for a period ranging from 1 to 7 days (usually about 5 days). Chikungunya is commonly mistaken for Dengue Fever due their similar clinical symptoms.

6. Can it cause death?

In Malaysia, Chikungunya has never been reported as causing haemorrhage (bleeding) or death. However, some patients experience prolonged symptoms. Aged patients could suffer from recurrent joint aches ranging from several months to a year.

7. What is the treatment for this disease?

As in other viral infections there is no specific treatment for Chikungunya infection. Usually, it is treated symptomatically (treatment for specific symptoms as experienced by the patient). Most patients need only outpatient treatment. There is no vaccine available to prevent this disease.

8. What you need to do if you are infected

If you experience signs and symptoms of Chikungunya infection, please seek immediate medical advice from the nearest clinic or hospital.

9. Prevention

· Keep your house and surrounding clean, free from Aedes mosquito breeding. This can be done through community-based activities, gotong-royong. There is evidence of no new case reported in areas where gotong-royong is carried out.

· Check your house and surrounding at least once a week to ensure no Aedes breeding.

· Seek immediate medical attention from the nearest clinic or hospital if you experience signs and symptoms of Chikungunya.

10. Can my area be affected?

Possible, due to the wide spread presents of this disease vectors (mosquitoes), namely Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in this country.

11. Current situation

Please refer to the press statement.

12. Actions taken by Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health has taken several proactive measures to effectively contain and manage this disease:

· Active case detection

· Aedes survey

· Adult mosquito destruction by fogging and ULV

· Gotong-royong

· Health promotion As a result, the outbreak has been contained and restricted only to the affected localities.

For further information please contact:

Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC)Disease Control DivisionMinistry of Health MalaysiaLevel 3, Block E10, Parcel EFederal Government Administrative Centre62590 Putrajaya

Tel. no.: 03-8881 0600 / 03-8881 0700

Website: www.moh.gov.my