Archive for May, 2011
1Malaysia: ‘Good slogan, poor product’
By Stephanie Sta Maria | May 19, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: The endorsement of unity as the golden key to nation-building is an age-old practice that has not always produced the envisioned borderless society.
In the 1960s the military leaders of Burma promoted “Burmese nationalism”, but this ideal disintegrated when the ethnic Burmese majority sidelined the identities and interests of the other communities.
Thailand, too, fumbled with the unity baton as its political parties jostled for ownership of the unity concept while igoniring the plight of minority communities.
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Why I am thinking of leaving
Posted by Kit in Brain drain on Thursday, 19 May 2011
The Malaysian Insider | We asked readers to tell us why they migrated… or are even thinking of migrating. This is one of the stories.
MAY 19 — I would like to tell you first-hand why I am thinking of migrating in the future:
The salary base of Malaysian employees are low.
I am a trainee for a foreign bank and urban poor as I earn less than RM3,000 a month; compared to my counterparts who are currently working overseas (merely as a waiter/ barista), their weekly salary is equivalent to what I earn in a month.
The living cost is getting higher.
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Reclaiming our truly Malaysian history
Posted by Kit in Education, History, nation building on Thursday, 19 May 2011
By Centre for Policy Initiatives
Introduction by CPI
Below is the first in the CPI series on ‘Reclaiming our truly Malaysian history’.
The post provides readers with information on the meeting held in Petaling Jaya on May 15 to launch the national campaign on reforming the history curriculum and textbooks.
During the next few weeks and months, CPI will feature analysis and contributions from scholars and educators on the history reform issue so that the public and government are made aware of and fully understand the ramifications of education – in this case, the history curriculum and textbooks – being used as a political football by the powers that be.
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Poor have no shield from subsidy cuts, says Pua
By Yow Hong Chieh | May 19, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — Subsidy cuts will widen the gulf between rich and poor in Malaysia if the Najib administration does not cushion the impact of price hikes on lower income groups, DAP publicity chief Tony Pua has said.
He said the lack of measures to lessen the burden on the bottom 40 per cent of income earners would only worsen the already-high level of income inequality in Malaysia, which, according to the World Bank, was among the highest in Asia and close to South American levels.
Pua said despite repeated price hikes to key items like sugar, petrol and diesel, the government had yet to fulfil its pledge to implement programmes like a cash rebate for motorcycles under 250cc and cars under 1,000cc as well as one for those hit by reductions in food subsidies.
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10 days in May (17)
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building, Religion, UMNO on Thursday, 19 May 2011
Tweets @limkitsiang:-
Cabinet silence on Utusan “Christian Msia” bogey/Hisham condonation – thot of “Silence of the Lambs” not Hannibal horror film but metaphor
Cabinet let Najib down- exposes Global Movement of Moderates call empty rhetoric. Have BN Ministers read Nades’ article? http://ow.ly/4XSyI
Nades asked:”If PM advocate moderation tolerance acceptance Y voices extremism overpowered threatened what done achieved over past 50yrs?”
“Every rt-thinking Msian embrace PM’s wisdom prophetic words on moderation tolerance acceptance” except BN Cabinet – dare not launch MMoM
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No place in society for those who sow seeds of hatred
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building on Thursday, 19 May 2011
By R. Nadeswaran | 18 May 2011
The Sun
THE hallowed corridors of the renowned Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford University have been the scene of the entry of many luminaries whose speeches elucidated its audience.
Monday was no different when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak delivered his address. The packed hall had students, academicians, diplomats, businessmen both local and Malaysian, and even a disgraced politician.
Najib’s speech on moderation, peppered with quotes from the Quran, the Torah and even the Bible, went on to outline Malaysia’s success as a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society.
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Of online privacy, PR snafus, and self-righteousness
By Edwin Yapp | May 19, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 19 — All’s fair in love and war, so says the age-old adage. But while this might be true in the old days, all’s not necessarily fair at all especially in the cyber age world.
Late last week, news broke that Facebook has owned up to hiring a public relations consultancy to expose supposed flaws in Google’s privacy practices. According to the Economist, numerous reports appeared stating that Burson-Marsteller, a public-relations company working for the social networking giant, has been urging bloggers and journalists to write scathing pieces about Google’s Social Circle.
Social Circle enables users to view information publicly available of other users who are connected to their Google Chat and Contacts, and includes data such as Facebook accounts, Twitter feeds and personal Web sites.
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Native festival lacks spirit
By Luke Rintod | May 18, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
KOTA BELUD: Sabah’s main local native festival, Tadau Kaamatan or Harvest Festival, was a shadow of its old self this year.
Decorated stalls that are normally put up by government agencies and private companies to exhibit and sell products were absent and uncollected garbage from the previous day was strewn around.
The district-level celebration in Kota Belud used to be attended by thousands of locals and tourists, but this year a mere 300 turned out for the drab affair.
If this is any indication, the once renowned festival that is marked for for its jolly drinking sessions, camaraderie and friendly competitions following the padi-harvesting season, is set for the state’s cultural dustbin!
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Murder most foul: The truth still eludes us
Posted by Kit in Crime, Najib Razak on Thursday, 19 May 2011
Comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers
‘For the two who were convicted of the crime – who has seen their faces? Are they in prison or are they relaxing outside their beach homes?’
Wikileaks releases cables on Najib and Altantuya
Ferdtan: There is nothing new in the Wikileaks cables that we do not know about – but it is nice to get it from an unbiased third party, US embassy’s political section chief Mark D Clark.
It gives credence to ‘gossip’ – and, it seems that these allegations must have some truth. Obviously the US embassy, being professional, must have done some basic investigations into the authencity of some of the allegations against PM Najib Razak before despatching their report to its head office in Washington DC.
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Longing For A Free Mind (Part 11 of 14)
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa on Thursday, 19 May 2011
Q&A: Change, Corruption, and Talent Recruitment
Q1: We went through a momentous change, a political tsunami as it were, with the 2008 general elections, yet things have remained unchanged. What would it take to effect real change in our country?
A1: I understand and share your frustration. What will it take for our country to change for the better? I am certain that a few weeks ago the average Tunisians felt the same way as you do now; likewise the Egyptians, until just a few days ago. So do not despair, change will come. My hope is that when it arrives, we will be spared the fate now endured by the Tunisians and Egyptians.
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‘Tamil school problem still being ignored’
By Humayun Kabir | May 18, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
IPOH: Tamil schools that were closed because of poor enrolment are not being substituted with new ones in semi-rural and urban areas to cater to the Indian community, the DAP claimed.
Party national vice-chief M Kulasegaran said that nearly 60% of Indian parents preferred to send their children to Tamil schools rather than national schools.
He also said that in Perak, there are over 17,000 pupils studying in Tamil schools – 9,000 in national schools and over 1,500 in Chinese schools.
“Over 70% of the 134 Tamil schools in the state are located in former estates and about 80 of them have an enrolment of fewer than 100 pupils,” said Kulasegaran, who is also Ipoh Barat MP.
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Don’t give up on Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Articles, June Rubis on Thursday, 19 May 2011
June Rubis
The Malaysian Insider
May 19, 2011
MAY 19 — Discovering the fresh corpse of an orangutan was probably the last straw. It had been shot several times and left to die on a riverbank. We discovered the corpse while paddling up a river in Batang Ai National Park.
Killing an orangutan, a totally protected animal, in Sarawak is an offence that could lead to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of RM30,000. Very few have been prosecuted for wildlife crimes in Sarawak, and the lack of prosecution or arrests does not necessarily mean that no crimes have been committed.
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Finding the nation’s voice
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Media on Thursday, 19 May 2011
Christopher Chong
The Malaysian Insider
May 19, 2011
MAY 19 — Everyone knows that a democracy is a political system where periodical elections take place. But democracy is much more than just elections. It involves the existence of a space which allows for people to freely debate on public issues and government policies as well as presenting alternative ideas without the fear of repercussion. Indeed, the health of a democratic society is dependent on the existence of such a space.
This space — which could take various forms, i.e. physical, print, broadcast or virtual — also known as the public sphere enables people to freely gather to discuss and identify societal or political problems so that such discussions will lead to political action for the good of society.
Tahrir Square in Eygpt is a good example of how the public sphere was utilised by ordinary Egyptians who want to see political and social changes in their society. Through the mass protests throughout the country where Tahrir Square served as a focal point for hundreds of thousands of people gathered together to demand a change of the government, which had overstayed its welcome. Their efforts were crowned with the government bowing to the wishes of the people. Read the rest of this entry »
Teoh’s death IS about the MACC
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 19 May 2011
The Malaysian Insider
May 18, 2011
MAY 18 — Datuk Seri Shafee Abdullah is right that that the public should focus on Teoh Beng Hock’s death but wrong to say that the blunders of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should not be in the picture.
That is part of the task given to the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating the cause and circumstances of the suspicious death of the Selangor political aide. But it is also performing its original mandate of reviewing the propriety of MACC’s interrogation methods and procedures.
Of course we want to know what happened to Teoh on the morning of July 16, 2009 but a critical element to reaching any finding will be the surrounding circumstances of the case and the behaviour of the MACC.
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‘Christian Conspiracy’: Bona Fide or Bogus?
by Haider Yutim
Malaysian Digest
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
The nation is shaken again by an inter-religion strife after an arguably unsubstantiated news report from Utusan Malaysia entitled ‘Kristian Agama Rasmi?’. The allegation of a ‘Christian conspiracy’ that came out on front-page was akin to pouring gasoline over sparks that’s been kept under control by the government. And all it took was a three-word headline. A police report was lodged against the alleged conspiracy by DAP Bukit Tumba branch committee member Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman who purportedly witnessed the so-called secret pact between DAP leaders and pastors at a hotel in Penang. Following Razali’s police report, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar stated that investigations into an alleged Christian plot to unseat Islam as the federal religion was a priority for the police.
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A desire for better quality of life
Posted by Kit in Brain drain on Thursday, 19 May 2011
Setec
The Malaysian Insider
May 18, 2011
MAY 18 — My primary reasons are different from that of most migrants from Malaysia:
1) English as the first language — I believe English is the language for all; I do not believe in multi-lingualism, e.g. learning Chinese, Tamil, etc.
I think this idea is not anti-nationalistic. For example, English is the first language in non Caucasian-majority countries like Singapore, Zimbabwe, etc.
2) One schooling system — a good majority of people in Malaysia are racists by supporting vernacular and religious schools. Chinese go to Chinese schools, Indians attend Tamil schools, Malays get education at religious schools, and the rest end up in government national schools.
I’m a product of government national schools; however, I’d only support government national schools if all lessons are in English (pre 1971). Read the rest of this entry »
10 days in May (16)
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Teoh Beng Hock on Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Tweets @limkitsiang:-
Utterly incensed by Shafie’s outrageous defence MACC re TeohBengHock death – “Focus on Teoh death, not MACC clangers” http://bit.ly/loWqsV
Is Shafie attorney for 29mil Msians or 4MACC? Is he attorney 4justice/truth? Y ignore MACC blunders which can b telltale signs of crime?
Shafie said “hallmark question” whthr TBH’s death is suicide or not.What abt “hallmark Q” TBH was murdered or not? Y did Shafie rule it out?
RCI misused by MACC 2exculpate MACC, incriminate DAP or contend TBH suicide.Who gave orders 2MACC 2gun 4Sgor PR govt result in TBH death? Read the rest of this entry »
Terbunuh kerana operasi cegah maksiat?
Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
May 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
Soalan: Dr Asri, semalam ada berita seorang telah terjatuh mati kerana lari dari intipan pihak pencegah maksiat sebuah jabatan agama. Bolehkah perkara macam ini berlaku. Bolehkah kita cegah maksiat sehingga menyebabkan orang mati? Minta tolonglah Dr Asri huraikan kes ini.
Kenali mangsa, KL.
Jawapan: Ya, saya berdukacita dengan berita kematian seorang individu kerana lari daripada intipan pihak pencegah maksiat yang cuba menangkapnya kerana khalwat. Kes ini bukan yang pertama. Sudah berapa banyak kes yang sama berlaku dalam negara kita. Walaupun sudah kritikan dibuat, tetapi hal ini tetap berulang. Apabila berita tersebar dalam media, ia telah memalukan keluarga mangsa, memberikan mesej yang salah mengenai Islam kepada bukan muslim dalam negara ini, yang sememangnya telah lama salah faham disebabkan tindakan masyarakat muslim itu sendiri. Di sini saya suka menyebut beberapa perkara secara umum mengenai kes-kes yang telah berlaku; Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia slips in economic competitiveness
By Yow Hong Chieh
May 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — Malaysia fell six slots from 10th to 16th in a closely-watched international ranking of economic competitiveness despite recent government assurances that it was winning the fight against graft while improving accountability and transparency.
The Institute of Management Development (IMD) 2011 World Competitive Rankings released yesterday also saw Singapore knocked off its perch by this year’s joint leaders Hong Kong and the United States.
Even as the US regained the top spot after losing it for the first time in decades to Singapore last year, Malaysia is now only two places above the spot it occupied two years ago after dropping the most in ranking out of the top 20 countries. Read the rest of this entry »
Unapologetically Sarawakian
By http://rakyatsheart.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 1, 2011
UH-OH, WHAT’VE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? Seriously, for someone who has not written anything more than work emails and business proposals in the last 10 years, it’s more than a mental block that I have to deal with. It’s not unlike getting a 50-year old who only knows how to ‘pangkah dacing’ his whole life to ‘mark the Rocket’.
Growing up as a kid on the banks of mighty Sarawak River, along the Gambier Street shophouses, I was fortunate enough to experience 1st hand the ‘rojak’ of cultures that’s Sarawak – not only did we ‘tolerate’ each other’s existence, we mingled. You had the ‘tambang’ operators from across river, the kopi-o stall taukeh, the long-eared Orang Ulu who’d just stepped off the green-coloured STC bus at Ban Hock Lane, the tattooed Iban, the ‘kuli’ at the docks, the mee jawa and satay seller who plied his trade outside a Chinese kopitiam, the Indian spice trader, the barber shop frequented by men and children alike from all ages. Read the rest of this entry »
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