We have to BERSIH-kan Malaysia

Asia Sentinel reports : Sultan Azlan Shah had spoken . A former Chief Judge of our land he had mentioned some important points that properly reflect the opinion of Malaysians. Below is an important excerpt:

Nothing, the sultan said, “destroys more the confidence the general public, or the business community has in the judiciary than the belief that the judge was biased when he decided a case, or that the judge would not be independent where powerful individuals or corporations are the litigants before him. Confidence in the judiciary may also be eroded where the business community perceives incompetence in decision-making. A judgment in a banking or commercial transaction that is contrary to the established norms or which is incomprehensible in its reasoning is bound to give rise to suspicion and loss of confidence.”

It does not take rocket science to know that His Majesty was talking about the Walk of Justice and the Lingam Tape, two associated most controversial events concerning Malaysian Judiciary at the very least in this decade.

Indeed, His Majesty had said it right. If the public has no confidence with the justice system, it would be best to remove the source that affected the problem. Since the current Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz's contract is expiring (today, if I am not wrong), let him go. Employ a new one.

Isn't that solution easy? Why does the government intend to beat around the bush and raising all kinds of denial on the wish of the People and the Monarch? Just let him go. Did I miss anything? Is there any hidden, unspoken reasons on retaining him?

In fact, Comparative Study: Records of "Justice" shows that Sultan Azlan Shah was more productive than the current figure. Most Malaysians were pleased with the performance of Sultan as the Chief Justice. His words should be heard and heeded.

In the meantime Farish A. Noor of The Other Malaysia wrote the article, Malaysia: The people are fed up . He spoke of a continuation from the Walk of Justice by the Malaysian Bar.

The march’s organisers aim to gather 100,000 citizens at the Merdeka (Independence) Square of the city and then march on to the national palace to present their petition to the King (Agong) himself, calling for the Monarch to intervene and look into their complaints about the poor governance of the country on issues ranging from corruption to abuse of power by the leaders of the ruling UMNO party and the government.

As Latheefa Koya of the People’s Justice Party notes: “BERSIH’s march marks a crucial point in Malaysian history where people from all walks of life, and not just political parties, demand free and fair elections in Malaysia. By doing so they are in fact calling for greater participation in the democratic process”.

The King has already signalled that he is prepared to receive the petition, while other rulers such as Sultan Azlan Shah of the state of Perak have publicly bemoaned the state of the judiciary in Malaysia.

Malaysiakini reported this : Perhimpunan 10 Nov: Bersih temui polis KL Khamis ini . The organisers have just informed the police on this up-and-coming massive gathering.



(More details from Bersih official site)

As a concerned citizen, I need to save Malaysia my homeland. One needs to be brave to achieve something good for the nation.

Badruddin Apologised, Nazri : M****r*****r ?

Previously, Malaysiakini reported ‘Karpal a disabled’ remark causes ruckus . I had written an article on this matter, titled Oh My God, Badut-Din Does It Again ! On top of that Karpal Singh also noted that Badruddin had previously used the foul word of Puki Mak in the Parliament.

Badruddin Apologised
In a rare moment of truth, almost non-existent action among the Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament, Badruddin has recently apologised on his statements, unconditionally for some unruly remarks he had said.

Of the many blunders he made in the past, this is certainly an action that shocked me for a while. Nonetheless, apologising for those who are offended deserve some good mention in my blog.

It is certainly in my hope that Badruddin will not repeat similar hurtful remarks in the future and debate with Parliamentarians in a more professional manner. There should be no repeat of the mistakes he made. If one makes too many similar mistakes and apologise too many times, one's integrity and sincerity should be put in doubt.

So, people. Shall we cut Badruddin some slack and give him some time to repent. This is certainly a slightly positive development from his side.

Give him a chance.

Nazri : M****r*****r
Now, that's enough, snap out of it .... Now, I am concentrating on Nazri ... Read Nazri says “M****r*****r!” Cabinet or da’ ghetto? from jelas.info . The text was extracted from NST.

As for what the asterisks stands for, it isn't hard to guess the word. This is the guy who mentioned a bill that does not exist and shouted Racist , Racist , Racist and Stupid , Stupid , Stupid in Parliament.

I am not sure if there is any apology from him. Now, in some ways Badruddin is better than this guy.


(Picture from Bodohland : The Incredible Nincompoo)

Badruddin : Puki Mak ?

[ Caution : The following article is not suitable for children. Explicit language used ]

Previously, Malaysiakini reported ‘Karpal a disabled’ remark causes ruckus . I had written an article on this matter, titled Oh My God, Badut-Din Does It Again !

One can refer to page 41 and page 42 of Penyata Rasmi (Hansard) 22 Oktober 2007 for more details on the matter. It seems that Badruddin associated people on wheelchairs are those that are "taught" by God for certain kind of attitude. It is indeed insensitive to say such a thing.

Hansard: Puki mak ?
Let's do another extraction from the Hansard of the above date. There are some important points to note, referring to page 43 and 44 :

Tuan R. Karpal Singh [Bukit Gelugor]: Ini OKU sementara sahaja. Tetapi saya bagi nasihat kepada Ahli Yang Berhormat dari Jerai, bila dalam satu court yang seperti mana tadi, jangan panik. Jika panik lebih teruk. Di antara apa yang saya menyatakan perkataan-perkataan saya gunakan binatang dan sebagainya, berbanding dengan perkataan ‘puki mak’...

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Dr. Yusof bin Yacob]: Yang Berhormat tak baik...

Tuan R. Karpal Singh [Bukit Gelugor]: ...di mana, di mana dalam dunia ini ada erkataan seperti itu digunakan dalam mana-mana Parlimen atau Kongres-kongres lain dalam negara ini? Apabila dia menyatakan menggunakan perkataan ‘puki mak’ ...

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Dr. Yusof bin Yacob]: Yang Berhormat, tidak payahlah ulang perkataan itu....

Tuan R. Karpal Singh [Bukit Gelugor]: Tuan Yang di-Pertua, dia menafikan sehingga dalam Hansard ada perkataan itu, dia bohong kepada Dewan apabila dia menafikan. Tarik balik, tarik balik ‘puki mak’, apa ini, apa tindakan ada diambil ke atas dia? Adakah dia dirujuk kepada DR.22.10.2007 44 Committee of Privileges? Adakah itu dibuat? Adakah apa-apa tindakan diambil ke atas beliau, dia keriau tadi. Ini bukan negara Islam, ini suatu negara sekular. Ini sudah ditentukan oleh mahkamah, ada ditentukan oleh Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Hussein Onn dan pemimpin-pemimpin lain dalam Barisan Nasional. Apa dia mahu keriau dalam Dewan yang mulia ini.
___________________________________________

Name calling and Foul language : Different Categories
Before we proceed to the next level of discussion, perhaps we should understand what 'puki mak' means.

Urban dictionary: puki mak hang
Definition : malay for "your mother's cunt". Popular among the malays in the state of Kedah, where the world famous Dr Mahathir was born. when you were snub off for trespassing, when you were not,

Example of usage: "Puki Mak Hang....hang ingat tempat nie bapak hang punya ka...?"
English translation: "You mother's cunt... you think this is your grandfather's place...?"

tags : puki, cibai, pantat, faraj, jubok
by newyorker2 kuala lumpur Apr 21, 2006

Obviously, this is a foul word, explicitly pornographic and degrading. There is no such parliament in the world that allows for such language to be used in its proceedings, where serious matters are discussed and laws formulated.

In order to be fair to all parties, regardless of opposition of the ruling party, I would say that the words "binatang" , "lembu" or "bodoh" used by both sides of the coin are unruly and should be discouraged. However, one should note that those words are only negatively descriptive. Those are not bad or curse words.

On the other hand, Puki mak means "your mother's cunt", a different category than name-calling. If such word is permissible, then possibly our future parliament meetings will use these kind of words:

Cao Ci bai, Nia Mah Cao Hai, Punde, Pee Sapre, Mutiram Kudi, Kan Ni Neh, Pantat, Jubok, Kena Tiao, Puki Pepek, Kena Konkek, Motherfucker, Son of a Bitch, Fuck, Bastard ...

Imagine the whole Parliament using such language? We should emulate example of good parliamentary manners such as UK and Hong Kong. We should not try to learn from Taiwan. So, what's next? Throwing chairs, pulling hair, slinging shoe and sumo wrestling in the Parliament?
___________________________________________

Badruddin's Justification
This is Badruddin's explanation on the usage of the word ‘puki mak’ :

Dato' Paduka Haji Badruddin bin Amiruldin [Jerai]: Apa pasal tidak apa, itu bahasa
yang negeri, dan saya menggunakan perkataan itu kerana Yang Berhormat pada masa itu Yang Berhormat biadab dalam dewan ini, menghina bangsa Melayu, menghina bangsa saya. Kita kena ajar orang macam ini dan sekarang Tuhan dah ajar dia Tuan Yang di-Pertua. Seorang ahli politik yang veteran tetapi tidak ada hikmah, tidak ada budi, tidak ada bahasa dan menghina negara Malaysia sebagai negara Islam. Menghina orang Melayu,

It is unclear on how Karpal Singh actually insulted (according to Badruddin himself) the nation, religion and race. Perhaps there is no such thing after all. If there is, I am pretty sure the Barisan Nasional mechanisms would have made it a national situation with huge publicities and shocking speeches. Let's take the national debates on one hand as a separate matter and the usage of foul language as a separate matter.

Shamelessly, a person like Badut-Din, I mean, Badruddin Amiruldin is trying to justify that his usage of the word is appropriate to defend his nation, religion and Malay race. Duh ? How ?

If Badruddin intends to defend, he can always use words and solid points to justify. I do not see the need to use such vulgar words. After all, people like Tun Dr. Mahathir, who coincidentally come from the same state as Badruddin, never defended his people using such horrible language. Tun Dr. M, in his decades of service had been using arguments and different perspectives to illustrate his points. Badruddin had only served one term and the public have already heard such a thing.

Using "Puki Mak" will not make a good defense. As a reprentative of the Malay rakyat (citizens), what has been done is a shameful gesture that brings negative impressions on the attitude of those he wanted to defend. Badruddin's attempt to justify his remarks falls flat.

My dear Badruddin, Members of Parliament are supposed to be discussing important agendas in a Parliament.

Parliament is not a Coffee shop, Kopitiam, Tea House or Kedai Runcit !

Oh My God, Badut-Din Does It Again !

( Picture from Bodohland : Shooting from his A**s again! )

Malaysiakini reported ‘Karpal a disabled’ remark causes ruckus .

Now let's read the infamous remarks as provided by Malaysia Today (summarised version) and Penyata Rasmi (Hansard) 22 Oktober 2007 :

Bahasa Melayu:
1) Kita kena ajar orang macam ini dan sekarang Tuhan dah ajar dia Tuan Yang di-Pertua. (Page 41 and 42 of Hansard)

2) Yang Berhormat sendiri kena bersopan santun kalau mahu ajar orang, kalau Yang Berhormat sendiri pun dah perangai macam itu dengan berkerusi roda, ini Tuhan telah tunjukkan kepada Yang Berhormat . (Page 42 of Hansard)

English:
1) We have to teach people like this and now God had taught him Tuan Yang di-Pertua. (Page 41 and 42 of Hansard)

2) Yang Berhormat has to be polite if you intend to teach other people, if Yang Berhormat yourself has that kind of attitude when you are at the wheelchair, God has shown you Yang Berhormat . (Page 42 of Hansard)

Disability versus Stupidity
That's highly insensitive. Member of Parliament (Jerai) , Badruddin Amiruldin claims that people who sit in wheelchairs are punished by God! We know the groups of people who normally sit in wheelchairs : the disabled (some at birth, some by accident).

If disability is a form of divine punishment, I would like to ask Badut-Din, "Is stupidity and idiocy punishments from God ?". If the answer is a resounding "yes", I would be quite concerned with the Cabinet. The river never runs dry. Badut-Din has proven it using himself as a model. After all, stupidity is worse than being physically disabled.

Physically-challenged people are still able to solve problems and produce great stuff. Look at musicians such as Jose Feliciano, Ray Charles and local evergreen singer Alfred Ho . Stephen Hawking, the scientist, who is wheelchair-ridden due to some chronic illness produced one of the greatest theories in mankind on the creation of universe. His work is detailed in the prize-winning book "A Brief History of Time". The poet Byron is famous in his own right.

What has Badut-din, a person "capable" of walking and talking "amok" done for the nation other than tarnishing its reputation and lowering the standards of its Parliament? Perhaps, Badut-din should recognise when one does not use (or rather incapable of using) one's own brain, one would not know the significance of such words. Now, is that a punishment from God?

An MP is a "Yang Berhormat"
As an MP, one carries the title "Yang Berhormat" which means "The Respected One". If he thinks such words are justifiable after a moment of thought, would that mean that his brain is screwed up? Does a person who utter such statement deserve to be respected?

Is having such an MP a punishment from God to Malaysians? Maybe not. Then, are Malaysians actually the ones who are stupid? Remember, remember, we chose representatives in the form of Members of Parliament. "Yang Berhormat" was installed with our mandate.

Attacking a member of the opposition like Karpal Singh is one matter. Making such a general statement that hurts the feelings of many Malaysians not involved in the debate reflects an insolent and non-professional attitude. As a :"Yang Berhormat" / "Respected One", one should have the wisdom to exercise compassion and not to associate negative connotations to people who are physically disadvantaged.

Compassion in the Cultural Root of Malays
According to Malay blogger Roslan SMS Corner , traditionally Malays are brought up to be compassionate. Parents teach their children not to look down on the disabled, the old folks or any poor people. Charity is encouraged. Development has certainly brought in new and differing influences. However, it remains that many still holds dear to this good attitude.

As a representative of the citizens, particularly of Jerai and of Malays, Badut-din created a certain degree of negative perceptions to the Malay society. It is unclear whether UMNO (the party that Badruddin belongs to) has made any instructions for him to apologise. My confidence stoops low if you catch the drift.

I would like to call the public to dissociate such a rude character from the liberal Malay society as there are many of them who feel slighted by the way he speaks.

Other Insolent Remarks
Such horrible words coming out of Badruddin is not surprising. After all, he is famous for sexist remarks ( on female MP Fong Po Kuan, "How long can the Yang Berhormat's husband stand her?" ) , racist remarks ( on Malaysian Indians : " keling botol", " keling jual roti" ) , arrogant remarks ( "kalau tak suka, keluar dari Malaysia" ) and brandishing May 13 book coupled with suspicious remarks such as "if it were disturbed, these hornets will strike and destroy the country" .

The words being mentioned above were only the tip of the iceberg. Correction, I mean tip of the Hornet's Nest. One can always refer to Badruddin's Details in Wikipedia for more shocking statements.

( Picture from wattahack : Now you are sitting in a wheel chair. God has punished you. )

Comparative Study: Records of "Justice"

Result of the study
The data below is summarised from a table provided by Malaysian bar on Past LPs’ and current CJ's records of written judgments . It is a comparative study into the number of reported judgments written by the current Chief Justice, Tun Ahmad Fairuz bin Dato' Sheikh Abdul Halim and his three predecessors, Tun Salleh Abas, Raja Azlan Shah (as HRH then was) and Tun Mohamed Suffian when they sat at the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Apex court. The results are as follows:

Tun Ahmad Fairuz (current Chief Justice)
Period : 1988 to 1995
No. of years : 19 years
No. of written judgments / total no. of cases : 49 out of 198

Tun Salleh Abas
Period : 1979 to 1988
No. of years : 9 years
No. of written judgments / total no. of cases : 107 out of 244

Raja Azlan Shah
Period : 1965 to 1982
No. of years : 16 years
No. of written judgments / total no. of cases : 187

Tun Mohamed Suffian
Period : 1961 to 1982
No. of years : 16 years
No. of written judgments / total no. of cases : 254 out of 382

The exact meaning of "Written judgments" and method of research can be referred in the Malaysian Bar (Badan Peguam Malaysia) homepage .

A major conclusion can be derived from the table provided by Malaysian bar. Of the persons mentioned in the study, Tun Ahmad Fairuz is the longest serving in number of years but produces the lowest number of written judgments (both records in a combination of High Court, Court of Appeal and the Apex court). He is also the only person in the table provided which has less than 100 written judgments.

The article was closed with this paragraph:
"The above analysis provides a useful comparison for those who believe that the number of written judgments by a judge is a good yardstick to determine the suitability of character, temperament and ability of anyone wanting to assume the nation’s top judicial post. "
_______________________________________________

Additional information (unrelated to the study)
Tun Ahmad Fairuz is one of the many names mentioned in Malaysiakini Special Report: The Lingam Tape judicial scandal . The de facto leader of Keadilan (PKR, the opposition party) , Anwar Ibrahim released the tape of a conversation between V.K. Lingam and "another" person on the receiving end, which can be watched here (with English subtitles). A draft transcript of the conversation was prepared by Keadilan.

As of 22nd October 2007, Anwar's Judicial Rot article was published in international magazine Wall Street Journal chronicling the events and happenings (to date) on the so-called investigation on the tape.

Ferry Incident: Can We Be Even Dumber Than This?

Goodness gracious.... I have just read a letter from Malaysiakini titled Dumb and dumber over ferry inferno from Norman Fernandez.

It seems that Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said there is an urgent need for a new jetty which could prevent untoward incidents.

How profound that is Jamaluddin ... I was dumb struck for a while.

Now let's read Norman Fernandez on this "brilliant" ideas only certain people can think of:
" Perhaps the minister would like to be informed that people had died from a ferry tragedy and not from a collapsed jetty. As of yesterday, the death count from the Tioman Island ferry tragedy is six and one passenger is still listed as missing. "


Simple isn' it? We do not require Einstein to solve this equation. No rocket science. Recent Ferry Tragedy = Caused by Ferry. Notice that the word "Ferry" is at both sides of the formula?

As if matters are not clear enough, A Tioman disaster waiting to happen letter from Alicia Au was published in Malaysiakini on 12th June 2006. She described the dangerous experiences she had to go through in the ferry service that she had taken. Now, it was found out that Disaster is waiting to happen in Redang too , according to a letter by Humble Teacher in Malaysiakini .

Point 1: Police Report Lodged Few Months Before Incident
The most important point is that a police report was actually lodged. Prominent socio-political blogger, KTemoc wrote a piece of article on the letter above : Tioman ferry disaster - Ministerial criminal negligence .

No one is sure if the related authorities had taken any action on Alicia Au's report. However, everyone can be sure that a big ferry accident happened currently ( as reported by Malaysiakini ). It is completely logic that survivors want answers from the authorities. One may ask why? The answer is simple as I quote from KTemoc's second writing on the tragedy:

Point 2: Alleged Unethical Operators
" However, there is another maritime tradition which requires the captain of the ship and his crew to leave the vessel in distress ONLY AFTER every passenger had been taken care of.It

Survivors accused the crew of abandoning them when the passenger cabin filled with thick, black smoke, and giving no help to the elderly and children on board. "

Point 3: Regulator or Transport Ministry Not Doing Their Job
" You may be shocked, but wait because there’s more. A Marine Department official said the ferry's permit to transport passengers had expired in December last year and not been renewed. That's almost one year of unlicensed sailing!

So? What's our regulator doing? Look, it's a Marine Department official who said that, so was there any close-one-eye thingy at the top? "
_____________________________________

It is no doubt that a new jetty may help in preventing untoward incident but shouldn't we prioritize according to the points stated above? Jamaluddin's suggestions are not even close to eliminate the symptoms. He is suggesting something that is totally unrelated to the ferry incident.

In order to permanently stop a problem, just like a disease from recurring, the government should weed out the problem from the ROOT, not from the SYMPTOMS. Point 3 (from above) would be used to illustrate this.

A common step taken by most authorities in the Third World would be to penalise the operator involved in this incident. It is possible that the company will be banned and the owners be blacklisted. Other operators in Tioman Island would be investigated. If the authorities are hardworking (which I normally doubt), ferry operators all over Malaysia would be inspected as well.

One question remains: Would such a move prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future?

My answer: Definitely not. Perhaps few years later some operators may repeat what was being done. After all profit is the main ingredient for any business. The lesser maintenance on ferries, the lesser money being spent. The more people being packed in a ferry, the greater the profit ! The operators would most probably think: "Why should I care? The authorities are not going to check everytime".

Therefore this makes the approach a temporary solution. The issues are sorted from the "symptoms" level. The "disease" persists.

Sorting out issues from the Root perspective, the government should create a system to periodically, preferably quarterly, bi-annually or yearly run through of a database of all ferries. A list of those expired should be produced and checks should be performed. Operators should be demerited or penalised immediately. A rule stating upon a repeat of such offense on three counts would equal to revocation of license.

From time to time, the regulator bodies @ the government should randomly check on several ferries or operators to ensure the "health" is maintained. Slap them with penalty if the job is not
done properly.

An effective and efficient complaints line with proper contact information disseminated should be created. Bear in mind that a police report was lodged previously. That is an example of poor public service. The new complaints line should not work in that terrible manner.

With regular inspection and avenue for the public to become as watchdogs, the operators would be forced to maintain quality for business sustainance. This is the permanent solution that should be adopted. The "disease" can only be eliminated when the "root" of it is removed.

If Transport Ministry Chan Kong Choy can't perform or think of a "root" solution, wouldn't it be appropriate if a fellow citizen in Malaysiakini to ask : Isn’t it time for the transport minister to quit?

Malaysia cannot afford deaths of many for the non-performance of an individual. After all, democracy calls for Utilitarian Approach, Transparency, Accountability

Liederabend - First Ever German Art Song Series to be held in Malaysia

I received this in my mailbox ...... I think I should publish it.
____________________________________________

Dear Music Lovers,
Artists Platform and Goethe-Institut Malaysia present Liederabend - German Art Song Series 2007, supported by The Actors Studio and KLPAC.

The series will begin in October 2007 at The Actors Studio Greenhall Penang, followed by four different programmes in November 2007 at KLPAC, Johor Bahru and Ipoh. ( For more info, please refer to the flyers attached).

This is the first ever German Art Song Series to be held in Malaysia. Never before has our audience been exposed to this important art form from the German Romantic period. The concerts feature some of Malaysia's young talented singers accompanied at the piano by Kok-Ting Chong.

Telephone reservation is recommended as seats are limited.

For further enquiries, do drop us a line at email address artistsplatform@gmail.com.

Hope to see you at the concert.

Best Regards,
Kok-Ting Chong
Music Director ,
Artists Platform .
____________________________________________

So ladies and gentlemen, lovers of lieders and vocal art, here's your chance to savour the moment. The most interesting ones from famous composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Wagner will be sung and heard.

I do have some curiosity on the "Journey" section. I have heard "Winterreise" before from CD tracks. Time to experience it live perhaps.

I plan to try something new too. I gather that Tan Wei Han (tenor) and Chia Yee Yean (soprano) will be singing the "Letters" section on 17th November at Indicine (of KLPac).

Time to try something from Schumann, "Dichterliebe" and "Frauenliebe und Leben"

Enjoy...

[ For Enquiries, try calling 04-263 5400 (Penang), 03-4047 9000 (Kuala Lumpur), 07-221 4935 (Johor Bahru) or 05-5487814 (Ipoh) ]
____________________________________________

(To view the details, please click on the flyers to enlarge)

Alfred Ho, the Famous Blind Singer Joined DAP !

Alfred Ho, the Visually-Impaired but Famous Singer had oficially joined Democratic Action Party (DAP) at a Press Conference in DAP Seputeh office on 14th October 2007, 11.00 a.m.
Biodata: http://alfredhosinger.blogspot.com/2007/08/biodata.html
Blog: http://alfredhosinger.blogspot.com/

Updated on 16 Feb 2008, 3.59 p.m.
Alfred had informed me that he will be using the new address http://alfredhomusic.blogspot.com/ because of some complications with his old blog. Please visit for updates on his views and details on upcoming performances.

The event was coordinated by MP-in-residence Seputeh Teresa Kok . MP Bukit Bintang Fong Kui Lun and MP Cheras Tan Kok Wai were present to welcome Mr. Alfred Ho into DAP.

Ms. Teresa Kok started the ball rolling by thanking those who came, announced Mr. Alfred's joining and passed the microphone to him to state his causes.

Alfred Ho's words
A visually-impaired person does not necessarily mean one is less concerned about the politics and society of his homeland, Malaysia. Mr. Alfred Ho (thereupon referred to as Alfred) is an avid and seasoned reader of political affairs particularly through the internet, traversing through multiple blogs and famous news sites such as The Star, Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini ( http://www.malaysiakini.com/ ).

It seems that Ms. Teresa came to know him because he lives in her constituency. Having some problems with his daily life due to some purported discrimination because of his disability, he seek for her help by sending e-mails with related content.

Previously, Alfred stated that he had tried to approach various governmental organisations and parties for assistance but was not able to get the help that he wanted. Only Ms. Teresa took the initiative to meet with him and approach in a positive manner. This is what prompted Alfred to commit himself to DAP to further his causes.

Besides that, Alfred had also alleged that he is also being discriminated for his political standing, as can be seen from the published letters in his blog.

On matters of national interest, he mentioned his opinion that the Angkasawan project is a waste of public funds that could be better used to serve the poor citizens. Alfred is deeply concerned with the current state of corruption in the nation.

It seems that Malaysians are not concerned enough because "they still have money to spend" but judging by the current state of corruption, he calls for all to react before "it is too late". He strives for equality for all, regardless of race and religion. He reiterated that there should be no discrimination even to those disabled.

Earlier, before he started his announcement he stated the sentence "If a blind man can be so concerned until he had to join politics, then something must be very wrong with the country !"

How does a Visually-Impaired person use the computer ?
Alfred uses a Speech Recognition software. It is an incredible tool that allows them to navigate softwares effectively. Words displayed on websites can be translated and transmitted as audio. As for using the keyboard, Alfred was trained in typing. Being quite a fast typist, writing e-mails or commenting in forums is not a problem for him.

MPs' Words
After Mr. Fong Kui Lun welcomed Alfred into the party, Tan Kok Wai urged the nation to use voting as a way to improve the situation in Malaysia. As someone used to say "These days corruption is no longer under the table, it is on the table".

The MP mentioned about Singapore Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew's statement on the potential that Singapore may rejoin Malaysia if equality is practised. He seconded it and re-emphasised the concept with education.

The three MPs then took out a newspaper article published in Chinese. It was displayed the promises of the current Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should the citizens vote for him. In 2004, Abdullah received landslide victory. A number of his promises are unfulfilled it seems.

This year is the 50th year of Malaysian Independence. MP Tan Kok Wai said the citizens in general has no confidence in the current governance. DAP stands against the abuse of power and corruption.

The press conference ended with a Q & A session and Alfred passing his participation form to the DAP MPs. Alfred sang several songs from his music albums to entertain the crowd of press, friends and fans.








P.S. : Sagaladoola is not a member of DAP but decides to do justice to any parties or individuals that may be disadvantaged by the shocking Printing, Presses and Publications Act . MP Teresa Kok wrote a blog entry on this event as well .

Teenagers Smarter Than Nazri? How Come ?

I mean, really.....

How come? These are teenagers, young schooling (college or university) people who have yet to fully graduate with a degree.

From what I have gathered, Nazri, is a law graduate. The ironic thing is, a person like him could make such a grave mistake by saying that there is a Witness Protection Bill in Malaysia when there is none. I am sure Malaysians are waiting for the de facto Law Minister to apologise for this blunder. Not getting what is required, the Minister even continued with calling certain group of people as "Crazy Lawyers". Amazing isn't it?

These teens were writing about the infamous video clip of Shock-A-Lingam. The clip was widely reported in the blogging world and Malaysiakini.

Here, the two pretty teen lady bloggers....
Pinkpau (Su Ann) : The Judiciary Issue
Charlenediane : My Thoughts Exactly

and Nat's of jelas.info ex-colleague....
Johnleemk : Malaysia's Judiciary, Failing Quantity and Quality Tests

What can I say? The "condition" in Malaysia is so bad until the extent that it is no longer even possible to cheat anybody, even teens. What more can I say?

One thing for sure. The internet has globalised the world. It has democratised knowledge. In this information age, it is no longer true that those of older age will know more than those of the younger age. The availability of various data on the web has enabled everyone to capture new things at their whim and fancy. You can only get it if you put in your effort.

Nazri, do you use the net or something? Do you think or do research before you speak? Do you blog?

Restrict Truth = No Truth, Restrict Freedom = No Freedom

Fresh from Tengku Adnan's statements on the Judiciary Issue, Malaysiakini reported that our Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin came out with something new about the "State of Truth". I had previously chronicled Tengku Adnan's infamous statements in an: "Not Asking Them to Write Truthfully", He Said.

Without further ado, let's proceed to the issue at hand. Malaysiakini reported Zam to media: No need to tell PM the truth . Shocking doesn't it?

Malaysia Today as well as Lim Kit Siang's blog had made some extracts on the shocking statement. Excerpts with comments from me as below :
___________________________________

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin has told editors not to play up negative news because Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s pledge to “hear the truth” does not apply to the media.

[ Sagaladoola: Why, oh, why Zainuddin? I thought the ethics of media and journalism is to investigate and tell the truth ? If lies were said, it would be considered unethical and propaganda-ish. That would be so negative .

It is Pak Lah's personal problem on whether he wants to listen or accept the truth.

From my understanding, the media is for the citizens. Malaysia is already 50 years old, and citizens like me would like to have an INDEPENDENT media telling us the truth and nothing but the truth no matter how hurtful that can be......

..... and I thought, citizens deserve to know the truth ]

Zainuddin said this during a one-hour meeting on Wednesday at the RTM headquarters in Kuala Lumpur with the country’s top editors.

The country’s information czar is one of two top government officials to hold meetings with the media top brass this week.

Yesterday, chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan in another meeting urged media organisations to avoid emphasising on news deemed negative against the government, such as the 2006 Auditor-General’s report.

[ Sagaladoola: One can only solve problems (especially those plaguing the nation) when one acknowledges the truth and weaknesses. Besides, I recalled back then in 2004, Pak Lah received a landslide victory in elections because he promised "Transparency" and "Accountability". Wondering what happened to the "Transparency" part ? ]

According to sources, Zainuddin began the meeting by declaring that he would frequently meet editors to advise them about national issues.

[ Sagaladoola: Now you see it how it is done. *blink blink, wink wink* ]

However, he stressed that he would only “advise and not give warnings”.

[ Wikipedia: Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 is a piece of legislation that requires all print media in Malaysia to obtain a licence and abide by its strict regulations. The license or permit must be renew annually in order to publish in Malaysia. ]

[ Sagaladoola: Ooooo.. so that is a choice, not a warning or threat? Hmmn, ok . I am sure that the editors will listen to the so-called "advise" from Zainuddin Maidin. If there is something about making editors listening to so-called "advice", be rest assured that the Information Minister have been doing a "great job" these few years.

I mean look at how the protests, bloggers and Batu Burok were being reported. I don't know what to say.]

The information minister claimed that he assumed the new role under the instructions of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

[ Sagaladoola: Now we know who the chief director is ]

Zainuddin then explained that Abdullah’s often repeated pledges of “listening to the truth” were only restricted to government officials and Barisan Nasional leaders so as to assist the cabinet in making decisions.

[ Sagaladoola: The citizens are supposed to be staying in a democratic nation, where they play a part in deciding for the nation. They have MPs to voice their decision. What is wrong for the citizens to "listen to the truth" ? ]

Based on the account by a well-placed source, Zainuddin said Abdullah’s pledge did not mean that the media have the green light to practice unrestrained reporting because certain topics were considered highly sensitive.

Zainuddin added that the cabinet often scrutinises media reports and have noticed that at times, Abdullah’s statements have been misconstrued. However, the minister did not elaborate on this.

[ Sagaladoola: So, again, it's either the mistake of the press or citizens for miscontruing? Zainuddin needs to relate. If you are talking about justice, one is innocent until proven guilty. Not the other way round. Where is the proof, Zam? ]

The information minister also ticked off two television stations, warning them to stay away from reporting with a racial slant as this could trigger another "May 13" riots.

[ Sagaladoola: Why blame the media for this? Hishamuddin is not from the media, right? So is, Badruddin Amiruldin]
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I have a few questions, I would like to ask Zainuddin Maidin concerning his "advice":

1) If the media is not writing "truth" in the papers, what kind of articles would be published?

2) What is the opposite of truth?

3) Who does the media belong to? The citizens or the ruling party?

I end my article with a famous quote:

TRUTH ....... "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
— quote from Philip K. Dick , a famous deceased author.

My Blue-ish, Blue-sy, Blueberry Pie, Nights and Music

Wong Kar Wai will be releasing his first English debut My Blueberry Nights this year. I heard it will be in November 2007. Anticipation runs high.

Wikipedia states this: The director describes it as "a story of a woman who takes the long route instead of the short one to meet up with the man she loves."

From the various wallpapers found on the official website of the movie and severalwebsites of reviewers/critics, it seems that the general positive description (as always with all his past efforts) is the excellent cinematography. The ambience is slightly different than Wong Kar Wai's previous films. The scenes for My Blueberry Nights is made by a new cinematographer, Darius Khondji.

My Blueberry Nights has some nice blue-ish colour tones in some scenes, the soundtrack centralising on music that is slightly blues inspired. If my guess is correct, the overall emotion will be a bit bluesy as well. Splendid, doesn't it? A true blue "blues" movie.

Norah Jones, the lead actress in her acting debut will be singing a track. There are already praises going around for Chan Marshall's (of Cat Power) splendid blues-inspired track. Other instrumental tracks supplied by Ry Cooder, a famous recording artiste and soundtrack composer in his own right. Gustavo Santaolalla, the award-winning composer who contributed as well to Ang Lee's movie Brokeback Mountain will be strumming his guitar in a track.

I have always been impressed with Wong Kar Wai's selection of music for his movies. From "In The Mood for Love" to 2046, Happy Together and Eros : The Hand. I have enough confidence to say the songs for My Blueberry Nights will be equally good, only on a different vein. His past few movies would probably rely more on violin-type strings. This time it shall be more on guitar.

It seems most of the shots are done indoor. As usual Wong Kar Wai's work has always been of the art house genre with some touches of the French New Wave style. Not everyone will immediately get what he is trying to convey, but those who pay enough attention with a deeper sense of analysis to combine the cinematography and emotions potrayed through the motions of the actors and actresses with the mood conveyed by the music would definitely appreciate his work.

Just like any good wine, his art work is of acquired taste.

It took me a second watch to appreciate "In The Mood for Love". The moment the messages hit me, I hunted down all his other shows and soundtracks for watching.

You can view My Blueberry Nights trailer in Youtube

Past films directed by Wong Kar-wai , a prize winner in the highly-acclaimed internationally, Cannes Film Festival....

Feature films:
• As Tears Go By (1988)
• Days of Being Wild (1991)
• Chungking Express (1994)
• Ashes of Time (1994)
• Fallen Angels (1995)
• Happy Together (1997)
• In the Mood for Love (2000)
• 2046 (2004)
• Eros (The Hand) (2004)
• My Blueberry Nights (2007)
• The Lady from Shanghai (2008)

Short Films:
• wkw/tk/1996@7′55″hk.net (1996)
Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wkw/tk/1996@7
• Hua Yang De Nian Hua (2000)
• The Hire: The Follow (2001)
• Six Days (2002)

Enjoy.....

"Not Asking Them to Write Truthfully" He Said !

Malaysiakini reported about this concerning Tengku Adnan, one of the name mentioned by a person in the Shock-a-Lingam tape.

"Oups, he did it again", the blogger Freethinker wrote in his Observer blog.

To quote Malaysiakini :
Tengku Adnan said this in his speech at the launch of the Bernama-Tourism Malaysia Treasure Hunt 2007 at the MTC. "On this earth, we can do whatever we like, but you must remember that when you die, you have to answer to someone. So whatever you write, especially the press, write responsibly...

"I'm not asking you to write truthfully, but write responsibly," said Tengku Adnan to a crowd of 50 comprising mostly of Bernama staff and sponsor representatives.

Hahaha .... Oh, he is "NOT asking them to write truthfully".

Wait, wait, is there anything wrong with that statement?

Again I repeat, he is NOT asking them (the press) to write TRUTHFULLY ... Hmmn yeah right, ok, darn .. hehehe.

So, what kind of news in the press we have been reading these days? Now I am a bit tad confused.. hehehe.

I thought WRITING RESPONSIBLY IS BY WRITING TRUTHFULLY? It is supposed to go hand in hand with ethical journalism and such. I wonder why Ku Nan would choose to use the word "BUT" to connect those two phrases. Shouldn't it be this :

" I am asking you to write truthfully AND responsibly? "

If Ku Nan thinks truthfulness and responsibility does not gel, then he should define his version of "Responsibility" to us.

For me, responsibility and ethics of journalism is "to tell the truth and nothing but the truth". It is all about impartiality. Journalists should not have any political affiliated mindset when they are writing materials. Ku Nan, do you have something else in mind? Whoops, I question too much.

Sheesh ... English problem or Mental problem or some symptoms in judiciary? Or rather all the above?

Good luck Malaysians. ...

As a minister, we have a role to "speak truthfully and responsibly too". What do you say, Nazri, the Minister and his ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ utterances ?

Is threatening / intimidating whistleblowers a way forward to solve the judiciary issue? It is mind-boggling enough that the authenticity of the video is investigated in priority over the people implicated in the video. For your information, it is almost impossible to make such seamless video of clear graphics and audio. The best graphic team in the world can only afford the Final Fantasy Movie.

Let me give a better idea. Investigate those in the video and you shall know whether the video is genuine. Saves time. That provided the current Malaysian government is sincere in its intentions.

Quote of the day:
Actions are the fruit of all truth, it is by your words you may be heard, but by your actions you will be judged. by Joe Maclaine, Police Blogger.

Malaysians are watching and judging.... Election may be near....

Judiciary Issue! Opposition "Treated", NGOs Ignored?

(Picture taken from Jeff Ooi)

Chronicles of the "Walk of Justice"
"Lawyers don't walk everyday. Not even every month. Not even every year. But when they walk, then something must be very wrong."

These are the words from Chairman of Bar Council, Ambiga Sreenevasan relating to the Walk of Justice to Palace of Justice on 26th September 2007.

Indeed true. Especially when lawyers choose to walk when they are intimidated or had to brave the FRUs and Mother Nature in the form of rain to make their statement known.

The March / Walk for Justice stemmed from a recorded conversation between VK Lingam and purportedly with current Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim in 2002 (video format). The Shock-A-Lingam tape was released by former Deputy Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Malaysiakini has the whole set of news listed to cover this infamous video that somehow reflects on the state of the Malaysian judiciary system.

A blogger friend of mine, John Lee had pasted the full transcript of the conversation, taken from Malaysiakini. He asked the right question in the same article which is aptly titled as Malaysia's Chief Justice Rigged an Election?

Jeff Ooi and fellow blogger, Wattahack took a lot of pictures from the momentous event. I felt bad for not being there. I just came back from Macau and missed the whole thing.

Is Malaysia truly independent?
The Bar Council, which purportedly represents 12,000 lawyers submitted a few memorandums calling for an independent judiciary to serve the people. A request for an Independent Royal Commission of Inquiry was brought up as well. Without any form of Independence, justice will not be done in a manner that is beneficial to the law and order of the country. With so many calls for "independent" (inquiry and judiciary) set-ups , it is surely ironic given that the nation had just celebrated its so-called 50th Independence one month ago (31st August). Is our country really "Independent" anyway?

In my opinion, paper value and consistent shouts of "Merdeka" (the Bahasa Melayu word for Independent) carry no meaning if the governance and judiciary is being handled otherwise. Talking is easy. Working something out is tough. Not walking the talk or in Bahasa Melayu "Cakap Tak Serupa Bikin" equals to poor / inefficient governance.

The last I recalled, the citizens gave Pak Lah an almost uncontestable mandate to rule the nation running on the notion that this man would reform the nation, clean up the dirty stuff (corruption etc.) and gear the nation towards a progressive First World status.

If Malaysia is a developed democratic nation such as France and Britain, the ruling party would have been removed in immediacy. After all, the government and judicial system are created for the citizens, not the other way round. If those systems are meant to protect only the interests of a few elite powerfully-connected people, the country might as well be named a feudal country with peasants doing the work and the few invincible lords reaping the rewards. Think of a dictatorial medieval state, for example.

Nazri: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Response
MySinchew.com reported Malaysia: Nazri Ticks Off Lawyers . This is what the infamous minister has got to say:

Statement 1: "Those who participated in the "Walk for Justice", their brains are like opposition party. It is better for them to register as members of opposition party. I will be more delighted if they (Bar Council) register as an Opposition party. So that I know how to handle them," he told Sin Chew Daily when contacted today.

Comment: This is what happens when one protests for a fair judiciary system. A minister like Nazri will treat one like Opposition parties; is it so, Nazri? As a minister, one is supposed to be working for the citizens, not against the citizens. When citizens protest, it is a form of dissatisfaction with the way certain things are being done. Lawyers are citizens too. If the Shock-A-Lingam video expose is true, I am sure not only the lawyers are concerned. The rest of the citizens are dissatisified too.

Furthermore, Opposition party members are also citizens of Malaysia. If they saw something unjust going on, there should be no reason that should stay silent. So, what does Nazri mean by his statement? Is there any other different or more negative treatment for Opposition? Let's hope that's not the case, Nazri. Let's hope there is no double standards. Yeah, right.

As I write, I am starting to recall the Batu Burok incident.

Statement 2: "I will ignore them as if they are non-governmental organizations (NGOS)," he continued.

Comment: This is the biggest blunder of all. Does this statement mean that the lawyers, who don't walk everyday but choose to fight for an independently clean judiciary system will be ignored? I understand that Nazri is a trained lawyer. That is why I am doubly surprised by such words.

How can a trained lawyer ignore the calls of other lawyers for an independent and just judiciary system? What kind of law is the trained lawyer practising then? Surprise, surprise.

NGOs are supposed to represent citizens too. For example, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), National Human Rights Society (Hakam) and Aliran. If MySinchew's derivation is correct, would that mean NGOs are mostly ignored ? Oh dear, what does Hakam represent again? Oh yeah, human rights of Malaysians.

Are they being ignored, Nazri?

Is this a judicial crisis? Please do not shock me by saying "No".

If that is the case Nazri, I can't help but support Mohd Kamal Abdullah's call for your resignation.