Archive for category nation building
50+4 Malaysia: Malaysia, I Still Love You..
Posted by Kit in nation building on Thursday, 1 September 2011
by QuaChee
(As per my previous years, I’m continuing my writings for beloved Malaysia this 2011.. in conjunction with her 54th birthday.)
Dear Malaysia
You seem so cool when I was younger
You seem near perfect when from abroad
But now that we are together
The imperfections are clear
Racism
The antics of politicians
Rising cost of living
The 3 main things preventing from making you wholesome
Plus a few more..
All these easily blind me
From the beauty that you have inside
It takes more (effort)
To find those beauty now Read the rest of this entry »
The myopic Malaysian
Posted by Kit in Mariam Mokhtar, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, nation building on Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Mariam Mokhtar | Aug 15, 11
Malaysiakini
If we are not happy with our car, we fix it or change to a better model. If we are dissatisfied with our clothing, we change tailors or buy another dress. If the restaurant food which is served is rubbish, we demand a refund or send it back to the kitchen. Some of us are even prepared to marry another woman if the current one(s) are unsatisfactory. So why not political parties?
Various people have urged Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to resign but some people are hesitant because they fear that Najib’s deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin would take over.
To think that Muhyiddin (right) is the only choice means that Malaysians are still in a coma, or are too lazy to exercise their grey cells, or perhaps cannot see beyond their noses. Have these myopic Malaysians forgotten that Malaysia does have an opposition? And that they have a choice?
Read the rest of this entry »
You are no better than a thug
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building on Tuesday, 16 August 2011
— Azrul Mohd Khalib
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 16, 2011
AUG 16 — I read with much disappointment and irritation at Senator Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor’s behaviour as reported in “Ezam threatens ‘jihad’ against those proselytising Muslims” (August 12). Malaysians should reject the politics of intimidation, scare mongering and violence which appears to be espoused by Ezam.
He has also misrepresented the Jais raid situation as one where Islam is under attack. Let us be clear: Islam in Malaysia is not and has not been under attack. Both Hasan Ali and Ezam know it.
It is not necessary to play the martyr (Hasan Ali) or the defender of the faith (Ezam). The latter’s threats to wage war and to burn the offices of both Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider are criminal in nature and I call upon the necessary authorities to address them appropriately.
It is not necessary to resort to such bullying tactics and to bring down the level of engagement to that of thugs, samsengs and Ah Longs in a back alley. Such a person is surely morally bankrupt. Read the rest of this entry »
History or Soviet-style propaganda? That is the question
Posted by Kit in Education, History, nation building on Monday, 15 August 2011
by Andrew Aeria
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 15, 2011
AUG 15 — If anyone from the Ministry of Education held an honest, open and non-patronising discussion with our secondary schoolchildren on the subject of history as it is presently taught in school, they would discover that a huge majority of students view it as a painfully boring and utterly worthless subject.
They would also discover that students learn practically nothing from the subject. Instead, students only force themselves to memorise vacuous facts about people and events merely to pass their exams; an indoctrination exercise that defeats the whole purpose of why we educate our children in the first place.
I should know. I taught an introductory-level university course, “Malaysian Social History” to undergraduates for a few years. And to my astonishment, I discovered how intellectually and emotionally impoverished my undergraduates were about history. Not that they had not studied and even passed the subject with flying colours in their SPM/STPM exams, but because what they had previously memorised in school was simply not worth remembering! Stunned by their lack of interest in the subject, I examined the current school history syllabus and its teaching methods. I discovered to my horror and dismay that it is presently more predisposed to Soviet-style propaganda instead of being a subject that nurtures a passionate appreciation of our rich heritage and common humanity. Read the rest of this entry »
Mainstreaming the lunatic fringe?
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building on Sunday, 14 August 2011
— Mustafa K Anuar
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 14, 2011
AUGUST 14 — In the recent past, middle-ground Malaysia has borne witness to a series of disturbing public expressions by certain groups and individuals that border on ethnic slurring, slander and rabid racism.
And many a time, these public expressions have without exception insulted the intelligence of the average Malaysians, irrespective of ethnic and religious backgrounds.
What’s equally disturbing is that such articulation has caused hurt, pain and even outrage among the people who have been subjected to these irrational outbursts from the lunatic fringe. ‘Lunatic fringe’ here refers to the fanatical, extremist or irrational members of society who seem to be on the rise lately. Perkasa and other groups of similar disposition come to mind immediately. Read the rest of this entry »
Still dreaming of a Malaysia to call Home
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor, nation building on Friday, 12 August 2011
By Farish A. Noor | August 12, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
AUG 12 — A Malaysian ambassador once asked me if, after living and working abroad for more than 2½ decades, I still kept my Malaysian citizenship. And I answered yes. He was surprised somewhat and added: “Thank God, at least we haven’t lost you as well.” I replied: “Well, we have lost so many good academics and professionals by now I’m not sure if that makes any difference by this stage…”
Yet out of some naïveté on my part I would still state that I believe in the Malaysian project, for all its quirks and shortcomings. And now, as Malaysia looks ahead at a decade that will undoubtedly transform the face of Southeast Asia and will witness the gradual decline of American influence and the rise of China’s in Asean, we hold fast to the ship of state that is due for a severe battering as never before.
Read the rest of this entry »
Inter-faith group says Jais raid an attempt to create religious strife
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, Religion, Selangor on Tuesday, 9 August 2011
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 09, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — A non-Muslim inter-faith group said last week’s raid on a church dinner was part of a “systematic and deliberate attempt by many of those who walk the national corridors of power” to create conflict among the different races and religions in Malaysia.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) also urged the federal government to investigate the fiasco including reports by Umno-linked Berita Harian and Harian Metro that “Muslims questioned that night confirmed that they had been asked to convert.”
The MCCBCHST said the Jais raid on the DUMC (picture) ‘sets a dangerous precedent and makes a mockery of the sanctity and inviolability of all religious places.’ — File pic
“These reports… did not identify the claimants nor state the basis for their making such statements. Such witnesses must be made available to an independent inquiry, which must be instituted immediately… to corroborate such evidence and to verify it.
“If the newspapers in question are found to have published false statements likely, or meant, to incite religious or racial hatred between Malaysians, the authorities must initiate the necessary action to punish them to the full extent provided for in our laws,” it said. Read the rest of this entry »
How unprincipled and low can you go, Chua Soi Lek, as MCA President?
Posted by Kit in MCA, Media, nation building on Monday, 8 August 2011
Any Malaysian given three answers to the question: Who made the allegation that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia would invariably name Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and UMNO although not necessarily in the same order.
Nobody would have named the MCA let alone the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek as it is so wild, absurd and irresponsible a charge no sane or reasonable person would make.
One could disagree with Chua Soi Lek to date but so far he has kept to certain standards in his public statements and speeches.
But Chua Soi Lek’s allegation in Kota Kinabalu yesterday that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia must rank as among the most despicable and dastardly of lies in Malaysian politics designed to help UMNO ultras to scare Malay voters. Read the rest of this entry »
Christian groups demand proof of converting Muslims using aid
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, Religion, Selangor on Saturday, 6 August 2011
By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 06, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Christian groups are calling for evidence behind two Malay dailies’ allegations that they are trying to convert Muslims through welfare aid.
Berita Harian and Harian Metro reported today that certain Christian organisations were hiding behind the guise of welfare aid by offering monthly cash allowances of at least RM1,000 to hard-hit Muslims and their families in an attempt to turn them into Christians.
The pro-Barisan Nasional newspapers’ allegations came after the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and the police raided a multiracial dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya last Wednesday night, based on a report that the Christian-majority crowd was allegedly proselytising to Muslim guests.
“If you’re saying that Christians give RM5,000, now you convert, show the proof,” Council of Churches of Malaysia general secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri told The Malaysian Insider today. Read the rest of this entry »
Between fictitious and true unity
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, nation building on Friday, 5 August 2011
by Hafiz Noor Shams
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 05, 2011
AUG 5 — There is a strong emphasis on unity in Malaysia.
It is easy to rationalise why this is so. The country has been diverse from the very beginning of its modern history. Each group largely lives differently. While difference and diversity can be sources of strength, it is also a source of conflict.
Some believe that race relations nowadays are worse than they were in yesteryears, but the worst race riot of the country happened in Kuala Lumpur in May 1969. Another big race riot happened in Singapore in July 1964. Conflict between the races was part of the reason why Singapore was expelled from the federation in 1965.
Those conflicts have left behind a deep scar in Malaysian society, even as many Malaysians today never witnessed a race riot first-hand. These old fears are becoming irrelevant but it is still part of what describes our society. So entrenched is the fear of history repeating itself that many are mindful of the tiniest possibility of a race riot. Read the rest of this entry »
Christian cleric condemns Jais raid on PJ church
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building, Religion on Thursday, 4 August 2011
By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 04, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — In an immediate reaction, Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) secretary-general Rev Hermen Shastri hit out at Selangor’s Islamic religious authorities for “storming” a Petaling Jaya church last night on questionable grounds.
The Malaysian Insider reported earlier this morning that some 30 policemen and enforcement officers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had barged unannounced and without a warrant into a multiracial dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) here last night over an unspecified complaint.
But Shastri said he understands the raid was linked to attempts to preach to Malay Muslims about Christianity.
“Apparently there was a police report by Jais on proselytising to Malays,” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted. Read the rest of this entry »
Jais, cops raid church over multi-racial dinner
By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 04, 2011
PETALING JAYA, Aug 4 — The police and Selangor religious authorities raided a multi-racial dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) here last night over an unspecified complaint.
DUMC senior pastor Dr Daniel Ho said about 30 police officers and enforcement officers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) entered the church without a warrant at 10pm.
Ho explained that an NGO called Harapan Komuniti had organised an annual thanksgiving dinner at the church, which saw an attendance of between 100 and 120 guests of all races. Read the rest of this entry »
Why the gov’t is paranoid
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, nation building on Wednesday, 3 August 2011
By KJ John
Aug 2, 11 | MalaysiaKini
I always believed paranoia was the sickness of weak and fearful people, or those who have just cause for abject fear. For example, after 9/11, the Americans were absolutely overcome with paranoia only because such an unfortunate incident was “not in their paradigm of possibilities; worse still, probabilities!” Therefore, I could tolerate, accept and appreciate their paranoia as they did three 100 percent complete checks on me within the same airport in November 2001.
But, why is the government of Malaysia also paranoid these days? First we ban “an avowedly peaceful rally to ask for clean and fair elections”. Nonetheless, it then became the best example of a peaceful rally of ordinary Malaysians reflecting the 1Malaysia syndrome; except for police disturbance. Read the rest of this entry »
The Amanah Agenda — part 1
Posted by Kit in nation building on Wednesday, 27 July 2011
By Sakmongkol AK47 | July 24, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
JULY 24 — Last Friday, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah launched the setting up of another NGO. It is called Amanah. Its full name is Angkatan Amanah Merdeka. The name suggests that, independence and the wider meaning term, freedom, is a responsibility entrusted upon our shoulders.
It seems the main ingredients of an independent nation are being eroded and violated with irresponsible impunity. Our economy is slowly going to be run by powerful economic plutocracy. An elite group has taken over the planning and running of the country. We are simultaneously enthralled and goaded into believing that our economy can get better miraculously through stylish presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint authored by expensively paid consulting companies. Those people in Balakong, Sungai Besi and Jalan kelang Lama did not need power point presentations authored by McKinsey consultants. They didn’t have to pay Idris Jala for leveraging on McKinsey people either!
Read the rest of this entry »
Christian plot: What have police uncovered?
Posted by Kit in DAP, Islam, Media, nation building on Monday, 25 July 2011
By Hawkeye
July 25, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
BUTTERWORTH: DAP has demanded that police reveal the outcome of their investigation into an alleged conspiracy to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia.
Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow said police wrapped up the investigation some time ago and should have informed the public what they had found out.
The seriousness of the allegation and the uproar it caused warranted the public disclosure, he added. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia Belongs To All Malaysians
Posted by Kit in nation building on Monday, 25 July 2011
By Richard Loh
You were born in Malaysia, received a birth certificate as proof and you received an identity card upon attaining the age of twelve and with these you are a citizen of Malaysia, hence you are a Malaysian.
Why is it so hard for the ruling government to accept this simple fact and treat each and every Malaysian with fairness. Why must they keep harping about race and religion. The Federal Constitution of Malaysia , which came into force in 1957, is the supreme law of Malaysia. Is it that difficult to run the country with this guided Constitution? Trying to misinterpret, ignoring or quote the constitution as and when it suites the government in order to hold on to power is a sure disaster.
Each time Malaysia has a new Prime Minister, Malaysians have high hope from the new PM to take the country to new heights. Each PM came in with a big bang, promising the sky and moon with each having their own slogan and using the rakyat’s money to promote it aggressively. But alas the euphoria did not last long when the NATO (no action talk only) syndrome sets in.
Read the rest of this entry »
Angry Malaysians
Posted by Kit in Media, nation building on Monday, 25 July 2011
— CL Tang
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 24, 2011
24 JULY — Wong Chun Wai says, “Can we stop being angry people and try to make sense of the issues affecting the nation instead? Or better still, laugh at them?”; in his Sunday column, Of Angry Birds and Angry Malaysians: Sunday Star 24 July 2011.
A young man, about to become a father and a husband, saw his life tragically ended after being subjected to near inhumane interrogation by a government institution. Teoh Beng Hock was under such duress that, according to the RCI, it drove him to commit suicide. And this is someone who is apparently innocent of any wrongdoings.
An elderly lady, drenched as a result of the water cannons, walks away from a brigade of riot police, eyes stinging from tear gas. All she did was to take part in a peaceful march for electoral reforms with thousand others who suffered the same fate.
A mainstream newspaper and a so-called NGO with its bellicose leader is allowed to spew out racist rants; fan religious tensions; and spread fantastic conspiracy theories (Jewish/Communist/Christian domination, take your pick) to divert attention away from the failings of the government, with barely a murmur of disapproval from those whom we look to for protection of our shared values. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 2.0 rally – a basketful of faux pas by BN Government, before during after and still ongoing!
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, Jeyakumar, Najib Razak, nation building, Police on Thursday, 21 July 2011
If someone had been assigned beforehand to a special task to script the worst-possible scenarios for the Najib administration in relation to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 peaceful rally for fair and free elections, nobody could be so creative as to pre-plan the basketful of faux pas committed by the Barisan Nasional government before, during and after “709” and still ongoing.
Before
The basketful of faux pax before 709 included:
1. Arbitrary declaration of Bersih 2.0 as unlawful.
2. Ban on Bersih T-shirts and paraphernalia, to include even yellow T-shirts, coupled with indiscriminate arrests.
3. Police and government disrespect to the Yang di Pertuan Agong who had met with Bersih 2.0 leaders and suggested a compromise of a stadium rally instead of a march – accepted by Bersih 2.0 but reneged by the authorities. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Daddy chose to stand with the crowd
Posted by Kit in Bersih, nation building on Thursday, 21 July 2011
Da Huang Daddy | Jul 20, 11
Malaysiakini
EYEWITNESS
My dear daughter, Daddy told you this morning that I was travelling to work; in fact, I was travelling to Kuala Lumpur to participate with the so-called “bad” people, as the TV had labelled them.
Early in the morning, after giving you a kiss while you were sleeping, Mummy took Daddy to the airport. Why didn’t I drive? Because I heard that the police uncles had surrounded Kuala Lumpur, and as such, I might not be able to arrive there by driving.
Mummy: “What if you are caught?”
Daddy: “That is why you must stay – to bail me out.” Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih rally was 1Malaysia in action
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, nation building on Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Yin Ee Kiong | Jul 20, 11
Malaysiakini
EYEWITNESS
There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it is not from an on-coming train.
Malaysians are slowly but surely emerging from the dark hole that we have been in for well over 40 years. I am once again confident of our country’s future; recent events have convinced me of this.
I would be the first to admit that I have often doubted the resolve of Malaysians in the face of repression and abuse of power by its authorities. I look at Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, even Myanmar, and wonder at the courage of their citizens who fight for change against almost insurmountable odds.
Then I look at ourselves and wonder why we seem so useless. Or perhaps we are not really useless – perhaps we are just a little more patient. However, 40 years of abuse of power will wear away even the patience of a saint. On July 9, that patience evaporated. Read the rest of this entry »
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