It's amazing that an issue of relocation can turn ugly and envelope the country in a us versus them stance. It would have been perfectly normal to see a group of rather zealous residents protesting in front of a building but to bring in the head of an animal to prove a point is a little too much.
Thus, the issue has escalated into something short of a religious row. The sacred should not be brought into a man-vs-man argument. Which is exactly what this whole matter is about.
Would the placement of a religious building within range of a majority group hasten the "backsliding" effect on that group? Instead, it can be used as an image of tolerance and togetherness. A sign that two communities can co-exist in harmony together. Transcending any notion of race or religion. That all citizens are accepted on the basis of being a Malaysian and not by creed or belief.
This is the true loser in the whole matter. Malaysians are the losers as long as the lens of creed and belief clouds our eyes.
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My external links are all bad. I apologize for that, and I am in the process of fixing the problem.
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Stating your race on official forms will no longer be a requirement soon.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Cabinet was studying the move to drop the column requiring a person to provide information on his race in official forms.
“There is a need for us to look at Malaysians not from the perspective of race,” he said.
“But there are also views saying there is a necessity to continue with the race requirement for the purpose of gathering information,” he told reporters here after launching the book Leadership Evolution Serie 1: A Look at Selected Theories” by Prof Khairil Annas Jusoh, a special officer to the Prime Minister.
Source: The Star Online
What is there to mull about? What "purpose of gathering information" is so important? A Malaysian is Malaysian, any given way. What is there to think about? If we are to identify ourselves as a 1Malaysia, as harped so much by the local media of the day, then steps should be made to create a 1Malaysia. Rid those forms of the race box. I believe even the box marked "Religion" should also be struck out.
What does race and religion have to do with applying for a driving license? Or bank loan? Or applying for an educational institution?
Instead, the box should state whether we are Malaysian or Non-Malaysian and nothing more or less.
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Here we go again.
Bloggers who incite hatred or harp on sensitive issues like race and religion in their postings can be prosecuted for sedition, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
He said the Government would put in place a mechanism to monitor and prevent seditious content from being displayed on blogs.
“The proposed mechanism will not only protect Islam or the Malays but all Malaysians,” he said after attending a state Umno gathering at Batu Burok here yesterday.
Hishammuddin said issues relating to the monarchy, race or religion were sensitive in a plural society like Malaysia and there must be some laws to prevent seditious postings on the Internet.Source: The Star Online
You can really get tired of the same tune being repeated over and over again. What I really want to know is, what about the other forms of media? Especially those that are in direct control by the government of the day? These jokers are ever ready to twist the truth in order to keep the government in place. These are the ones who really instigate the hate between various groups, who play up issues or scare the populace. They too need to be regulated, not just bloggers.
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For 1Malaysia to work, we do not need tolerance. No! Tolerance will only delay the inevitable, the decay of relations between all the groups living in Malaysia. What is needed is respect. The need to respect our differences and to live with them.
Being different is the key-stone of nature. All things are different, even identical twins are not truly identical. Our individuality gives us our personality. It is this that needs to be allowed precedence in Malaysia. Yes, we are different, we believe different things, we disagree yet lets live together and learn to understand what makes us different and find ways to come to a consensus on what can be shared values.
Yes, we are different yet our differences are what makes us unique. It is what makes Malaysia unique.
Yes, we are different, and yet we are all equal. We are Malaysian. We are equal. Equal opportunities. Equal say. Equal rights. No-one above the other. All allowed to carve a living on this fair country we call Malaysia.
We don't need tolerance, we need respect.
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Penanti is a win for PKR and honestly, BN should just keep quiet and be the gentleman. But BN being BN, had to say something and it is not surprise that the two top BN leaders in Malaysia had to say something.
A win is still a win. All because BN did not contest doesn't mean the win is empty or hollow. Instead, BN chose not to take part in the election citing a million and one reasons but the obvious - if BN took part, it was a sure lost. So BN did not take part and when PKR won, BN turn sore losers. True, the voter turn out was low but it doesn't mean people did not want to vote PKR, it just means people did not turn out to vote. If BN was so sure that the people who did not come out to vote were BN-supporters, why then did you not field your candidate? At least, it would have cut the majority by half or PKR may not have won at all.
Whatever statement that comes out of the BN camp, after the Penanti election, to me are statements from sore-losers. They should keep quiet and concentrate on managing this fair country.
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In Malaysia all things are lead to a lonely place called politico-alley. It's an alley where one can sell their soul to the highest bidder and make a quick buck at the expense of the ordinary bloke living on the street. They pawn themselves to the masses and all they want is our super-fly ability to mark the ballot paper. And what happens when a candidate does not get the money they yearn to gain from politico-alley? Draw out a DVD of recordings that prove someone tried to buy you out. Use the DVD to blackmail and hopefully get back at those whom spurn you. Ironically, nothing is gain from this desperate act to gain 15 minutes of fame and glory on national television. It merely taints the very system from which the citizen elects its representatives. It exposes the fact that in Malaysia anything and everything is tied to politics. From the education system, concession to buy land, the right to one's own religion and the use of certain words in daily living; are all governed by politics.
In Malaysia nothing is spared. All are used for political gain.
In an environment such as this, it is small wonder that a candidate can claim that they were offered money to be a candidate. No surprise when it is the norm. So aside from selling the idea that the Opposition in Malaysia are all crooks, such revelation only serves as a headline to sell more newspapers or feed the Government propaganda machine.
I would welcome this distraught candidate to reveal all and allow the citizens to decide for themselves. If she can claim that the Opposition are crooks, then what more the current Government, whom have more resources and money to offer to the Opposition in order to manipulate them for the government gains. If a little is revealed, then allow the whole to be made visible.
Will this happen in Malaysia?
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The predominant question from the whole Altantuya case is "What is the motive?". Why? Why was she killed? Did the two police officers decided on their own accord to randomly pick up a woman from outside the compound of the Aquitted One and drive her to a jungle location, just to strap military grade explosives and blow her up? What's the story?
I guess this is a question will forever hang in mid-air. A question never answered but forever asked. What other questions would you like the new PM to answer? Post your questions in the comments area.
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I took a long break from writing, primarily to focus on other matters in my life and also because looking at the current state of Malaysia, one would end up blogging about the same matter every week. Anyway, for those who have been wondering where I have been, well; I'm still here. And I'd like to put in a little two (2) cents bit on the UMNO General Assembly.
A new PM will step up and this is a most undemocratic step up. It is a PM by consensus, namely the President of UMNO will be PM of Malaysia. He was not voted in, neither were the other members of Malaysian society (namely non-UMNO) consulted or allowed to take part in the voting. Wait, for the presidency there was no voting...right, everyone kind of opted to save the trees by not printing ballot papers for president and just step up whoever the previous president said was good for the post.
So we'll have a new PM by next week. Still new PM but same old problems. PM-to-be spoke about eliminating corruption from the party polls. I think I heard the same speech last year and the year before. Same problem seems to appear every general assembly. Then there was that call to have more representation from the grass-roots in electing their leaders.
Currently, about 2500 delegates cast votes. PM-to-be wants to introduce a new system to elect the UMNO leaders. Sounds good but it would mean the rewards for votes would be slightly higher.
Talking about delegate votes. The PM-Son-In-Law won the delegate votes eventhough it was clear Former-PM-Son won the popular vote. So it shows, even if the grass-roots support you, it is still the delegates that determine the victor. The voice of the 3 million UMNO members can be stifled by 2500 who stand in as delegates.
Come next week and we'll see the new PM strut his stuff as he face three(3) by-elections which I am sure BN must win as a gift for the incoming new PM. Yup, new PM, same old problems.
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It is funny that whenever our politicians do not agree on anything, they make a police report. Take Perak for instance when the House Speaker suspends its members from doing their duties. Is the suspension a crime? Is suspension of a politician a cause for investigation by the police? This is funny indeed and far more funnier being that the PM was the one advising the BN fellas in Perak to make police reports.
So can the rakyat make police reports to say that their elected representatives are not doing their jobs? That these MPs have been squabbling over petty issues since March 8th and the rakyat have been suffering all along because of their irresponsible actions.
Can the Pakatan Rakyat make a police report on the disobedience of the BN representatives who question the power of the House Speaker?
No wonder our police force is over burdened with cases. Most of the cases fall outside their jurisdiction, yet due to the politicize nature of Malaysia, they have to entertain the powers that be.
The Perak government should just have fresh elections. What is BN scared about? If the people are behind the BN then surely fresh elections will solidify BN's hold on Perak. Or is the case otherwise? Is BN really afraid that Perak would grant PR greater footing into Malaysian governance? For all signals seem to point this way, that the threat of PR winning Perak completely is real...very real.
Right now, Perak is a confused state. Who is the government of Perak? For all you know it, the very people who would decide this may just be the police.
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We have been subjected to a deluge of silliness unheard off, these pass few weeks. This country is caught in an endless tug-of-war for the right to govern. And in all this noone is really listening to the people. Do we need to pull off a "People Power" movement in order for the government to hear us out? Do we need to sit in KLIA, ala Thailand government toppling movement, and force this government to listen to us?
The whole clock and dagger scenario which we are caught in should be put away and our elected representative start the process of looking after the welfare of our people. I can imagine the scene in parliament, where everyone is looking over their shoulders, wondering if they will be the next to pull the rabbit out of the hat. Our government is so caught up in this spiral of political intrigue that it has lost focus to what it should be doing, looking after the citizens of this fair nation. These are the people who have taken the choice to make this country great. The one's sitting in the August house are merely governing, but it is the citizens who make up this nation. It is on the shoulders of the everyday citizen that this nation is stand upon. It is the normal day citizen that suffers from this downward spiral of governance.
As a citizen of Malaysia, I would want a nation that is strong and stable for my children. I would want a strong economic environment where my children can seek a secure financial future. I would want an environment where knowledge is freely available, so my children can gain a fair education that allows them to express themselves to be the best they can be.
Stop the politics and start looking after the citizens welfare.
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So what happened to the idea where there should be a ruling for "political frogs"? Much like everything else in Malaysia, if BN is the one doing it then it is alright but if anyone else does it...then it's downright sinful.
BN is just better at the game and they sure pulled out their joker in Perak. The government can call the Pakatan Rakyat sinners while BN hide their sins and still get away smelling like a saint.
So the drama would be long and straining for Perak as the power struggle continues and in the midst of it all, the people of Perak suffer. Malaysians suffer as the political game continues while the real issue of governing the nation takes a back seat. Have we all forgotten that the world is currently dealing with the worst financial crisis ever? And here we are, still squabbling over the spoils of a war played out by greedy politicians.
When will Malaysia seriously look at getting its act in place?
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