desiderata-ylchong

An important Post which I urge all my ER to read, digest...ponder and

2012-02-03T01:11:00.000+08:00

I have NEVER carried any of this author's writings in my Blog, but I make an EXCEPTION today because the messages contained in his article are pertinent to our survival. Yes, Malaysia's own survival as a thriving democracy, or we continue that slippery road that leads us over the cliff into an abyss/oblivion quitebottomless we can never recover from as a progressive nation. NOTE: I may or may not expand on this INTRO. Need some Reflection...YL the newshound in deep thought, so "don't disturb"; LET THE SLEEPING DOG LIE!

***************************** ENJOY!

2012 - The Year of the Tipping Point?

By Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing

Thursday, 2 February 2012 | Filed under Innovation, Nation Building

Could 2012 become the year of the tipping point around the world?

Though we are just one month into the New Year, the signs all point to a global rebalancing that has been a long time coming.

Like any tipping point, it has been the contagion effect or coming together of a perfect storm we are witnessing.

In the eye of the storm has been the increasingly volatile discontent worldwide caused by socio-economic imbalance.

As the Euro zone debt crisis plays out, the fate of 17 countries in the Euro zone will affect not only 27 member EU countries, but trade (and worryingly), the aid dispensed by the EU to poor countries in Asia and Africa.

A cut in aid to the poor in these countries - where many of the poorest of the poor live - could set back progress and development in health, education and a host of other badly needed help.

In the United States, the presidential election which happens in November is already heating up, and who ultimately wins will be the person with the best prescription to solve America’s imbalance between the rich and the poor.

It is the same imbalance that we grapple with in our corner of the world. It is clear that this will be a major issue in the upcoming general election that will decide who leads our country for the next four years.

What is clear is that there is a seismic shift in the way citizens and their governments interact, and these are predicated on 5 universal values that are mirrored all over the world.

There is enough wealth to end poverty

We have 7 billion people in the world. One billion people go hungry every day.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer is a model that is economically and more importantly, morally unsustainable. The sheer weight of the challenge threatens to suffocate us; the only way out is to rebalance the equation. The poor don’t want handouts; they want a helping hand and a fair chance to fend for themselves. The current rules in most parts of the world point to the lion’s share of the economic pie go to the wealthy and well-connected is a zero sum game. The rules will change, but whether by design or default depends on the forces at work within each country.

Political leaders have much to gain to work to end poverty, much to lose if they turn a blind eye.

There is enough food to feed everyone on this planet.

There is enough wealth to end poverty.

Public demands for accountability and transparency will get louder

Big business and politics are suffering from a trust deficit amongst their populations.

In the spirit of the Arab uprising, the Occupy Wall Street movement seemed to suddenly come into our consciousness. It became the poster child of leaderless, public-led movements against economic injustice, and it has spread to key financial capitals from London to Hong Kong.

It isn’t going away anytime soon, and the message is clear.

Trust is in short supply as a more educated population demands more accountability and transparency.

Shareholders and employees will question new business deals that they feel are not in their best interest.

Voters will want to know if their tax dollars are being used wisely by political leaders for the benefit of the nation.

And the information they seek is increasingly harder to restrict, rules notwithstanding.

How money is spent can be tracked and publicized at the click of a button.

There is no hiding or misleading.

Sooner or later, the Internet reveals all.

Direct democracy is here to stay

1 million people (of a population of 70 million) took just over 2 weeks to bring down a 30-year ruler.

The facts of the Arab uprising in Egypt are mind boggling. Almost unbelievable except that we were witness to this amazing feat.

The Arab uprisings last year brought the potent power of direct democracy into hard focus. It tapped into the energy and technological power of the millennial generation, and defined a new wave of democracy that continues to impact events in the Middle East to this day. The rule book of authoritarian regimes, narrow political interests and self-enrichment has turned to ashes. The region has turned a decisive corner, and a new future is being written.

People are reclaiming their power in the true spirit of democracy.

People don’t want to be dictated to. They want to be heard.

They want to tell politicians what’s important to them, not the other way around.

Leaders who don’t understand this fundamental shift risk alienation.

Social media wields the power of social change

Technology and tools have given the public a voice that is unprecedented, uncensored and unvarnished. There is no controlling information or ‘the message’ in the political or business sphere.

Social media has given everyone a voice, and everyone is making themselves heard on any issue that is close to their heart.

People can pick and choose how they want their news or information, and they are spoilt for choice. In Malaysia, 17 million people are online, that’s almost 65% of the population, with Facebook having a penetration rate of a whopping 75.5%.

Dictating and lecturing is out. Engaging is in.

People don’t trust carefully constructed mainstream messages.

They trust their online community.

And what they’re talking about is what really counts.

Innovation is the only way forward

The talk about innovation in Malaysia has been too tunnel-visioned. We have largely framed it in the context of innovating products. Yet, the start point of an innovation seems to have been relegated to sound bites. We have put the cart before the horse. How can we ask people to come up with innovative products when our society doesn’t have an innovative mindset?

When our schools are breeding grounds for conformity, how can our children have open minds? How can our graduates come up with innovative products and services when there is little space for critical or creative-thinking in most university curriculums? Our economic future rests on innovation - but we won’t get there if we negate all efforts by making conformity of thought the start point.

The rules of engagement - in business and government - have changed.

The balance has shifted.

The tipping point is here.

Glen Knight -- if only you had served in Msia...Miracles could happen

2012-02-02T00:01:00.001+08:00

and you would have been promoted instead. Caveat -- as long as you don't spill the beans on fellow colleagues who went for "higher sums" -- you only went for kacang putih by Msian standards. Add a "few zeroes" in your quantum/quanta and you would have been welcomed into the "inner circle".

Ah, but you can't have your cake and eat it too. So the Singapore system has teated you well too, and there is high price to pay to be a member of a good system.

Let me just wish you well. But this excerpt (highlighted thus BOLDED) doesn't sit well with Desi, but who am I to lecture thee, so I won't, just thinking allowed (which is still an occupational hazard worth defending among scribes here/hear, I don't know about SinGland!):~~

""I used to care for some people in my life. Now I care for everybody. ~~

VIA the Malaysia Chronicle:~~
Tuesday, 31 January 2012 13:34

Ex-S'pore bigwig Glenn Knight: Losing control was the hardest thing

(2 votes)

When Mr Glenn Knight, 67, read The Business Times on Wednesday morning, what came to his mind was another morning years ago which changed his life forever.

He, too, was once a powerful senior civil servant whose job was to enforce the law. He, too, was scrutinised by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

His name was again in the newspapers on Wednesday.

A report in The Straits Times about two top men at the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) being investigated by CPIB for serious personal misconduct mentioned him in passing.

The report cited the two men's case as one of the highest-level probes involving public servants since Mr Knight was convicted of graft in 1992 and 1998.

His response to his story being brought up again after so many years?

"Well, it doesn't really matter any more."

More than most, he knew what it was like to be powerful one moment and devastated the next.

And what it was like to fall from high public office, and left to pick up the pieces.

The Crash

That morning, 20 years ago, his life changed.

"Everything happened within a matter of hours," says Mr Knight, who is married without kids.

"Some men, whom I recognised to be part of the CPIB, came to my house and asked me to follow them."

Surrounded by piles of files and documents in his modest law office at Toa Payoh North, the man gradually opened up about his own experience of being investigated and prosecuted.

He is soft spoken and placid, a far cry from his fiery and uncompromising days as prosecutor and director of the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD).

When this reporter called him up, it was not with the CPIB arrests in mind.

Still, he was initially reluctant to speak of his past or be dragged back into the spotlight.

After some persuasion, however, he agreed to be interviewed.

Says lawyer Edmond Pereira, who has known Mr Knight since 1979: "He was a very good deputy public prosecutor. He had a good mind, was very detailed, and took his work very seriously.

"He wasn't easy for the defence counsel to deal with, very uncompromising even when he had to prosecute high-profile personalities."

Adds criminal lawyer Amolat Singh, who interacted with Mr Knight a couple of times in the mid-1990s: "He had a reputation of being a very meticulous and tenacious lawyer, leaving no stone unturned in his work."

In March 1991, Mr Knight was replaced by senior state counsel Lawrence Ang as director of the CAD.

It was a move which surprised many CAD officers, said news reports then.

He quickly came under investigation by the CPIB for attempting and conspiring to cheat, as well as for providing false statements.

Mr Knight says the first three months after the CPIB visited him at his home were the darkest days of his life.

"The most difficult part of the whole thing was losing control. Someone came and took away your life as it were," he says as the deep lines on his face crinkle into a wistful smile.

"They took me from my home to the CPIB, then back to my office. And there was somebody else sitting at my desk," he adds, describing the feeling as a strange and sinking one.

He was then 46, and had received a Public Administration Medal (Gold) at the National Day Honours the previous year.

The medal was later revoked, along with all his medical and pension benefits.

In October 1991, Mr Knight was sentenced to three months in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of attempted cheating and for giving false information to get a government car loan.

He later appealed and his sentence was reduced to a day in jail and a $17,000 fine.

He was struck off the rolls in 1994, which meant he was not allowed to practise law.

Mr Knight had not been able to get any meaningful employment in the three years before 1994, and had been relying on friends and relatives to help with living expenses, said his then lawyer, Mr Harry Elias.

In 1998, he was charged again - this time with another three counts of misappropriating CAD funds.

Eventually the court found him guilty of two charges, and fined him $10,000 and sent him to jail for a day.

After being debarred, he worked as a consultant for various firms, including a company which sold antiques.

His jobs yielded monthly incomes ranging between $4,000 to $10,000.

At his lowest point, which he describes as the years 2004 and 2005, he lived in a one-room flat in Chin Swee Road and his earnings dwindled to "almost nothing".

Of last week's news of the CPIB probe on the two senior civil servants, he says: "I'm much kinder now than I used to be, so when I read (the news), I thought to myself, I'll give them a chance.

He adds, after a pause: "I suppose when you get so high up the ranks, you don't think that you can make this mistake."

The Comeback

And what has it been like since then?

"He's been battered and steamrolled after what happened," says Mr Pereira. "And I admire him for his courage and determination to return to the same arena."

So what helped him through his darkest moments?

"It must have been God", replies Mr Knight.

A Christian, he adds that the ordeal deepened his faith and changed who he was.

He now lives with his wife, a writer, in a four-room flat in Tanglin Halt.

He is grateful that public attention on the case has waned through the years, and that he has been allowed to move on.

Still, it is clear that the events have left an indelible mark on his personality.

On the kind of man he was before he was investigated, he says: "I was such a strong person and I was only concerned about myself and nobody else, and everything I did was right..." he says, before trailing off.

After a pause, he adds: "You see, whenever I prosecuted anybody, I always made it a point to make sure he was guilty.

"I would spend a lot of time - sometimes close to a month - before deciding to charge him. And once I decided to charge him I would charge him all the way.

"And at that point in time, you sort of lose conception of what is right and what's wrong, you're so sure about what you're doing that you never think that you may be wrong."

Empathy comes more easily now, adds Mr Knight, who has learnt to "see people for who they really are".

"I used to care for some people in my life. Now I care for everybody.

"When someone comes to me now, I try to see what I can do for him. I see him as another person, instead of seeing him as a man who wants to do me in, or what he can do against me."

In 2007, he succeeded in getting reinstated to the bar.

It was, he says, "fantastic".

"The three judges gave me such a good judgment. I felt that they gave me a chance, that I could practise law again. I still feel good about it now," he says with a chuckle.

He recounts a case he took on after being reinstated. A woman came to him for help after her signature had been forged by a bank officer.

"I was amazed," he says. "I thought, how can anyone come to me with a problem like this?"

He adds that he was moved that she would approach a man who had once been convicted of cheating in a case of a forged signature.

Of the future, he says: "My wife would say I'll practise until I'm dead.

"Yes, I suppose you could say I love law. I love it for two things - being able to work with people, and being able to solve problems."

Outside of work, he looks forward to the trips he makes to Batam every weekend.

Having bought a house on the seafront in 1985, he still enjoys reading and tending to his fruit garden.

"I've had a good life, a really good life, even during the dark periods.

"Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't wish for others to go through what I did, but to come through it was important, " he says quietly.

Fall from grace, then back in place

March 1991: Senior state counsel Lawrence Ang replaces Mr Glenn Knight as director of the Commercial Affairs Department.

Two-month CPIB probe begins for Mr Knight. He is 46.

April 1991: He suffers a mild heart attack and is hospitalised.

May 1991: He is charged with eight counts of cheating, attempting to cheat, and giving false information.

July 1991: Mr Knight's wife, Madam Pathmavali Rengayah, and three others charged with conspiring with him to cheat.

Oct 1991: Mr Knight pleads guilty to two charges.

He is jailed for one day and fined $17,000, after appealing against the original sentence, which was three months in jail.

Then, he was assured of immunity, which meant that he would not be prosecuted further.

April 1992: Charges against Mr Knight's wife and three others are dropped.

Sept 1994: Mr Knight is struck off the rolls.

April 1998: Mr Knight charged with three counts of misappropriating CAD funds.

Sept 1998: He is found guilty on two counts of misappropriating a total of $2,720. He is jailed for a day and fined $10,000.

May 2007: Mr Knight's application to practise law again receives approval. He gets reinstated to the Bar. He is 62.

June 2007: Mr Knight joins law firm Bernard & Rada Law Corporation.

Oct 2007: Mr Knight makes his first appearance in court after a 16-year absence.

He represents former National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chairman Richard Yong's wife, On Shu Kio, who is fighting an injunction by the charity to seize her assets.

2010: Mr Knight sets up his own practice.

The New Paper

Published in Politics

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2 Comments

Comment Link Tuesday, 31 January 2012 23:21 posted by susah soros
If he was smart, he would have done what the exNKF chairman did. Keep some files in secret so no one can "kill" you. Hence the exNKF chief got away with a mild sentence and plenty of money from a high paying job.
Comment Link Tuesday, 31 January 2012 18:05 posted by Daun Keladi
Kepada kita cerita ini macam air atas daun keladi.

DESIDERATA: Had I met Glen Knight and maybe understand him at a personal level, I would ELABORATE on this line which I highlighted: "

For now, I will LET IT BE, as the Beatles' anthem cautions Desi at momemnts of doubt and bewilderment.

Lazybones at Desi's still at work, but at DPP's, luckily it's the humerus...

2012-02-01T08:12:00.003+08:00

Fellow BUMmer donPLAYpuks has been a consistent right-hand man in helping me organise the Bloggers Universe Malaysia outings the past few years -- he has politely declined to accept the "rickety" chair, so both of us may just pack our saddles to ride into the Lakeview Club or Maju Palace sunset. However, readers here and at De Don's homestead will always cherish a steady diet of his wit, humour and sometimes biting sarcarsm, directed chiefly at the Powers-that-be and I believe, any power-to-be, so that the state of the nation can be raised a notch little bit/byte by little. So here's from donplaypuks.blogspot.com because Desi's in the mood of Cut&Pastrying. Hey, it's steal CNY, K!:) or :(

31/01/2012

THE REAL RELA $15 BILLION SCAM! HERE COME NAZI MALAYSIA & ADOLF ROSEMAJIB!

by banglanepburmindon and boicroney madhoff, Donplaypuks® intrepid correspondents for voluntary extortion affairs

"Datuk Seri Najib Razak today issued an open warning to would-be demonstrators, saying that the paramilitary People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA) was ready to defend the country from turmoil. Speaking in front of an estimated 20,000 Rela members here, the prime minister pledged his administration’s commitment to look after the interests and welfare of the corps.

“When the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country. Do not cause havoc in this country because the 2.8 million RELA members will not stand idly by and watch the country descend into chaos,” he said to a chorus of approval from the audience." Malaysian Insider 28/01/2012.

Firstly, assuming Najib has been quoted correctly, 2.8 million RELA members constitute more than 10% of the population of Malaysia!

Wow, that's an incredible statistic by any standard, is it not?

We need 2.8 million RELA members to monitor 2 million illegal immigrants, and possibly snoop on Iranian drug kingpins and their Malaysian mules, not to mention the Nigerian con artistes who have made Malaysia their lovely home away from home due to some very compliant on the spot visa issuing officers at KLIA and the Malaysian High Commission in Abuja?

I wonder, I just wonder if we employ 2.8 million police personnel in Malaysia?

Answer: After googling, it would appear that as of 2007, the police force numbered 150,000 with plans to increase it by 60,000. So, we can now safely assume that number is about 200,000 police officers vs 2.8 million RELA members. Does this make sense to anyone?

And you can bet your bottom dollar that with UMNO and Najibs' NEP preferred policy of quantity over quality, the vast majority of RELA members will be SPM Grade 3 or 4 achievers or less.

Ours is one of the few countries in the world where failure and mediocrity is repeatedly rewarded with largesse and riches financed by mugging the taxpayers continuously.

More than that, we have a combined Army, Navy and Air Force headcount of about 200,000. So, WTF is going on PM Najib? Are you, like Hitler and his "Brown Shirts', trying to create your own 2.8 million strong paramilitary army, answerable only to you and UMNO, thereby bypassing the authority of our King and the Genereral, Admirals and Wing Commanders?

Your own litle cosy Nasty Nazi Club? This is Federalism gone berserk and the Treasury being looted.

Next, let's do some simple arithmetic.

Assuming each RELA member is paid an average allowance (RELA members are not entitled to any salary) of only $300 per month, that amounts to:

a. $840,000,000 or $840 million per month, OR

b. $10,080,000,000 or about $10 BILLION per year!!!!

And Najib just gave them a 50% increase in their allowance rate from $4 per hour to $6 per hour.

This means the cost to the Malaysian Taxpayer will rise to $1.26 BILLION per month or $15.12 BILLION per year!!!! This is what will bankrupt our Economy!

I have worked on average figures. Surely there are senior RELA officers who earn more, which will push the financial burden up even further.

Where is the money coming from and really going to? Can anyone confirm if a humongous printing press contract was recently awarded to an UMNO/Najib croney?

The Government (according to our home grown Kelabit Christian Bumiputra scam artiste, Roti Jala) can't subsidise Education, Health, Welfare (but can subsidise, $10 billion per year to IPP's, Petronas bailout of Tenaga for $2 billion due to managment fuckups and inflated $ 9 billion unwanted Banting-Taiping 60-year toll highways) but somehow can find the $10-15 billion a year to empoy part-time RELA members? And Roti Jala says 10% GST is inevitable?

What a Towering Glocal world record breaking RIP OFF!

So, how and what should we read into this latest posturing from our flip-flopping/ U-turning Prime Minister?

Firstly, "When the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country. Do not cause havoc in this country because the 2.8 million RELA members will not stand idly by and watch the country descend into chaos," is a clear threat aimed at stifling opposition to the Police State that Najib is intent on creating, if it has not already been achieved.

Let's be very, very clear. RELA is not Constitutionally empowered to defend the country. That is the role of the Army. You don't engage rank baton wielding amateurs to defend us against another improbable invasion by Indonesia or Japan.

Assuming electoral reforms are not put in place before GE 13, then Bersih 3.0 is a looming reality. Of course, Bersih 3.0 organizers will apply to the police to hold their rally under the Peaceful Assembly Act and the police will respond kindly and positively and say, yes, go ahead, you can hold in Gong Badak Stadium in Terengganu in 2020, provided Perkasa and UMNO can have their opposing rallies in KLCC. So, caring, evenhanded and totally objective will our IGP be.

Either way, UMNO and Najib will lose as they did locally and internationally vis-a-vis Bersih 2.0 and the Anwar Ibrahim persecution, trial and innocent verdict. Because Najib misread the sign and tidal wave of our times and exercised pathetically poor, but predictable, discretion.

So, Najib thinks that his sabre rattling and exhortation of all these SPM Grade 3 holders will put real fear in the hearts of Malaysians? Once again he's behaving like a school playground bully, displaying the IQ and the mental equivalence of Quasimodo's hump, and being spineless about it as well.

And we ain't buying it. Not today. Worse dictators and despots have issued worse threats. We shall not be moved by the demented, craven and cowardly ravings and threats of this "economy transforming" con artiste and urban terrorist of the 3rd kind, i.e. the one we all laugh about and would piss on if he came within 5 feet of our shadows. No Prime Minister worth his salt anywhere would behave in this thuggish, unsophisticated fashion. Adat Istiadat? He hasn't a clue!

Let me issue my own warning to you:

Najib Tun Razak, unelected serially lying Prime Minister of Malaysia, WE, the citizens of Malaysia, will stand firm, and together whip your butt just as we did those fat and chubby school playground mama's boy bullies of our times!

Donplaypuks® with our money and make this a police state, man!

Posted by Donplaypuks® at

Rockybru's MOLE.COM also carries Anti-BN BlogNews...

2012-01-31T00:11:00.002+08:00

like the following from hantulautan.blogspot.com:~~ (AND thinking allowed, why should anyone be surprised? I am definitely not! -- Desi)

Monday, January 30, 2012

NFC Directors Laughing All The Way To The Bank

Hantu Laut

No personal guarantee!

The giver of the loan should now carry the burden of responsibility to the taxpayers.If this isn't abuse of the first order what would you call it? It's not the recipient fault if the government acted so stupidly.Those involved in giving out the loan should also be investigated.

It is now clear why the money was used for what it is not intended for.This soft loan is softer than soft, abnormally low interest rate, no collateral, no director's personal guarantee, it is as good as giving the money away for free.

"The loan agreement has been signed. If we don’t pay back, we will be declared bankrupt or locked up in jail. We will pay every sen plus interest. The question of misappropriation does not arise,” said Wan Shahinur Izmir, who is minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s son.

Come on man! Who are you kidding? How is the government going to sue you personally for recovery of the loan if you did not sign personal guarantee?

My company had borrowed tens of millions before from banks and all directors were made to sign "Joint and Several Guarantee" in spite of more than sufficient securities given to the banks.

If the company folded and can't pay up the loans and there happen to be diminution in the value of the securities, the directors are fully liable for the amount including all interests and if they failed to make good the banks would declare every director a bankrupt.

The government, probably, can charge the directors for CBT (Criminal Breach of Trust), which, sometimes, is difficult to prove in a mismanagement.

Misappropriation is a crime, mismanagement is not.Buying properties under the company's name for investment or even to house working directors is also not a crime, it becomes a crime only if they are in your personal name using company's fund to purchase.It would also not be a crime if the company gave you a housing loan duly approved by the BOD (Board of Directors).

You see, whichever way the government is going to be the biggest loser if the project failed.

Read the full story here.

2 comments:

Freddie Kevin said...: Dear HL,

It will be good if the Govt can review ALL Govt contracts, projects and loans that has unfavourable conditions as far as the taxpayer is concerned.

Better to do so now rather than being shamefully exposed. Worst still by the opposition.

That said, the report by TMI is laughable as far as the opposition PAC members are concerned.

So what were they doing in the PAC sittings?

Goyang kaki, diam and not making pertinent enquiries.

Now come out and say ini takde and itu takde.

Thank you
Freddie; January 30, 2012 10:37 AM
Pak Zawi said...: HL,
It is not the government who is going to lose, it is the rakyat that will ultimately lose. So much money is being plundered for so many projects that will not benefit the rakyat in the long run, I don't know why we are keeping this silly good for nothing leaders in the driver's seat of the Government. The poor rakyat will remain poor while some cronies and those in the right loop will get richer.
It was about a year ago that RPK wrote in his blog about this scandal and I am wondering why he isn't coming up with an 'I told you so' post snubbing us for not taking notice of what he said.; January 30, 2012 12:50 PM

DESIDERATA: In yesterday's post, I featured YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (NN), who clearly is a PKR member, now being its Director of Communications) so in his blogging, this shows -- NO DOUBT WHERE HIS LOYALTY LIES! But NN assured us at a BUM event he deems himself first a blogger, then a politician (You lazy BUMmer2B, please read yesterday's post, can?)

If you know Desi well, in the early days since I started blogging on March 15, 2005, I had declared several times when relevant that I was a card-carrying member of PKR too; preceding that I had been a DAP member for two decades-plus. SO THAT MY ESTEEMED READERS KNOW WHERE I AM COMING FROM. Though I would try to be first a blogger on the issues rather than being biased towards the Opposition politikus and anti the government politikus. As many say, they, da politikus -- whether black or white or brown --are all BAD!

Citizen Nades is a true blood MSM newshound who writes without fear or favour -- and it is clear he is not partisan to any of the political parties; but he's a fighter for a better Malaysia, so the writing is focused on issues, and inevitably they involved CORRUPTION, whether at national, State and/or local council levels.

Datuk Ahirudin Attan aka Rockybru by the time he started blogging was known to be aligned to UMNO, which is also inevitable when he was holding top editorial positions in the Malay Mail (which he left with the changing of the guard at PM-level) and rejoined until he resigned recently, and among the many jobs he's helming is the less-than-one-year-old MOLE.COM.

When Rocky and Desi linked up to organise the BUM annual gatherings at the Lakeview Club, we put aside as much as possible -- impossible to be 100percent OK! -- our political "affiliations" to promoting BUM objectives. For being in Rocky's company on such common journeys which we both enjoyed/enjoy/(would enjoy still?), we sometimes pick up each other's posts when it suited our aims. So when ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad was featured at a BUM gathering (via Rocky's influence, of course!), Desi also was labelled by some as "having turned turtle".

In our blogging journeys, sometime4s we meet at certain confluence and "presto" we faced/face/will face "common" enemies, socio-politically speaking. So Rockybru has been labelled a traitor (point explained later at ***) when he no longer marched with early day bloggers who were Johnny-come-lately (JCL) -- I named one/wan can? Remember Zorro?) who thought he was supporting the "Reformasi" (hence closer to pro-Opposition than BN government at federal level) when he (and Jeff Ooi, now DAP MP in Penang) were both sued by the NSTP and several top management peeps. But Desi knows better since I was already acquainted with Ahirudin in his early MSM days -- he appeared to the newly minted Reformasi bloggers or JCLs to be fighting their same cause when Rocky in fact was consistently pro-UMNO (not a card-carrying member as far as I know and Desi didn't check wit' the Special Brunch!:)

***What happened was Rocky found himself caught in UMNO Team A and Team B's fights and suffered the consequences as well as enjoyed the perks; so at one time, he had to leave the Malay Mail when Pak Lah became the Prime Minister. and quickly established a name among the Bloggers aka BUMmers after we started the inaugural BUM meeting, featuring a good mix of BN and Opposition politicians, media editors, MSM and online, and some civil society leaders. I believe we tried as practicall as possible a "balanced" programme though certain constraints e.g MAS editors turning down invites to speak despite Rocky's networking -- inevitably this made the agenda look more pro-Opposition most occasions! I must thank again Nades for consistentkly and promptly accepting speaking invites on the first three BUM outings -- as long as Desi offeed him a pint -- Rut Bir anywan? Digressing a byte, Desi is a teetotaller -- defined as one drinking only TEAS!

Since Rocky and Desi have a similar background of having served in MSM and also online as journalist and/or blogger, I believe we worked/work well in teAM projects like BUM. I have several times offered him to take over the "rickety" chair, hope he would do it in year 2010 before the uninersally predicted Mayan-originated or Nostradamus foretold "doomsday" visits us?!

Okay, now I have spilled the "beans" on Rocky, he may do me in with a more "insightful" analysis of the BUMmer community. I'm going to send him a copy of this post, and invite his feedback either at rockbru.com or at mole.com, I'm not directing him!:) OR :( -- YL, Desi, knottyaSssual

Back to POLITICSVILLE after a ten-day,mostly tender I hope ...

2012-01-30T12:40:00.010+08:00

Hi-atus into non-politics Creativityville. Too much nostalgia is back (ERRATA: 'bad' not 'back', see the stupor (American) or stupour (Brit:) I'm in after too mush tehtarik:) for the spirit and da soul, if thou haveth one/wan! After overdopsing on tehtarik and sweet cookies the CNY early period, if Desi writes in riddles, that's because DDC is back to annoy my ER!:) OR :( See, how democratic a BUMmer can be:)!

I was damned happy this morning welcoming back CITIZEN-NADES from a long exile in the UK (I used the word 'exile") because of a ****rumour I heard!) hoome to NegaraKu. We can again look forward to more seething and succinct scandal-breaking news and commentaries from theSUN ward-winning newshound. I only use the word "newsdog" on myself and closer mateys who are also BUMmers as we loiter most times in the pasture or tehtarik Temiang Corner instead of in the newsroom.

Okay, to cut the suspense short, here's Cut&Pastrying the lazy BUMway from sun2surf.com Nades's column page 12 in the print version; see Desi is not among the kedekutnor am I from Penang (but a proud Furongknight K!) holding back 30sen angpow lining up at 6AM at the seven11 for free kopi!:)

Freedom of information
culture: How I wish

Posted on 30 January 2012 - 04:20am(Desi copied from online edition OK!)

R. Nadeswaran

THIS is my last column from London as my tenure as theSun’s first (and probably not last) UK correspondent comes to an end. Although short, it has been a stupendous stint for a variety of reasons. A new experience in a foreign land and working in unfamiliar surroundings is always a challenge, but a more media-friendly society outweighs everything else and makes plying the trade here much easier. No obstacles to cross, no hurdles to jump, no pitfalls to avoid and there’s always room for straight-talking journalism.

Many new friends and contacts were made in the course of work; a few treated me as the “enemy” because I became aware of their wayward operations, others were helpful in terms of providing background information on issues I was not familiar with; publicans loaded me with bits and pieces of gossip and useful tips on football; and local scribes gave their regular dose on the local political scene.

Above all, I learnt to work with a new “culture” called freedom of information, for which every British journalist worth his salt would be grateful to the politicians who pushed for greater transparency and accountability in not only managing funds, but also the system of government.

Also worth noting is the clear distinction drawn between civil servants and their political masters; and the disagreements, however trivial, are not discreet either. Whitehall officials are willing to stand their ground on principles and often, ministers are left flat-footed as the “you make the policies, we implement them” is exercised to the hilt.

There is no interference in the system or issuance of surat sokong (letters of support) for tenders. Even the slightest hint of impropriety leads to resignations as in the case of defence secretary Liam Fox. He resigned after a week of pressure over his working relationship with friend and self-styled adviser Adam Werritty. Fox was investigated amid claims he broke the ministerial code. In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, he said he had “mistakenly allowed” personal and professional responsibilities to be “blurred”. How I wish we had such a culture in Malaysia!

Through the Freedom of Information Act, nothing is more sacrosanct than the truth. Facts and figures, however embarrassing to the government or the opposition, were open to scrutiny.

There were no forms to fill and no fees to pay. Any information deemed not “security-sensitive” was dispensed within days. Material on even what prison inmates eat can be obtained and every penny is accounted for. And for good measure, there’s also a list in the public domain of “individuals, now deceased, who were refused honours (titles) between 1951 and 1999”.

That’s what theSun and this writer in particular have been campaigning for over a long period – accountability and transparency in the use of taxpayers’ money and openness.

It’s not exactly returning to the grind in Malaysia as I have been in touch with the happenings and events that have taken place over the past 16 months. It will be good to once again keep a ear close to the ground with eyes wide open for more stories to write and more scandals to expose. It’s good to be back.

R. Nadeswaran has ended his stint in London and returns to theSun to continue where he left off. He is still reachable at: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

DESIDERATA: I had the pleasure and privilege of having Sdr Nades at the first THREE outings of the BUM (Bloggers Universe Malaysia) events, and especially well covered was the MEDIA SESSION at BUM2009 (surf to bum2009.wordpress.com, or you can just tab at that LH column pictorial link, you lazy BUM2B, can?!) for more:(, or amore:).

Okay, extract jest the relevant panel displayed dare:~

******************************* Hi-Tea *****************************

3. Evening Session from 6.00PM – 8.15PM

Topic: Has The Old Media Failed Civil Society?

SPEAKERS:

(a) Jeff Ooi, DAP MP for Jelutong, Pulau Pinang
(b) Sdr Ahirudin Attan aka Rockybru, All-Blogs Interim President
(c) YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, SA of Seri Setia, Selangor
(d) Sdr Steven Gan, Editor-in-chief, Malaysiakini.com
(e) Sdr R Nadeswaran, Editor (Special reports and investigations), The Sun
(f) SURPRISE BLOGGER-SPEAKER to helicopter in?

Q and A Session (45minutes)

**********************************************************

Another regular participant at our annual BUM outings who has graduated to become a Yang Berhormat/BerKHIDmat is Seri Setia ADUN Sdr Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, whose thoughts on the Freedom of Information Act are worth reprising here/hear! The Selangor State Government under MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim broke new ground by being the first state legislature to pass the Act; I believe Penang is about to follow as the second to do the honour (or it has already passed the legislation? Desi could have lingered too long in nostalgic Creativityville, maaf ia!)

June 13, 2011 · 5:46 am

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Legislating Freedom of Information Act in parliament

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad

I am honoured to be asked to deliver the keynote speech at Bloggers Universe Malaysia 2011.

I attended the first one – BUM 2007 and have spoken at one or two other BUM events. I was asked to arrange for Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to speak at the BUM event last year.

Some of us have reverted to the mainstream press that we criticised so strongly as bloggers. Some become politicians and consequently caught in the political intrigues. Being a blogger first before a politician, I am pleased to be among familiar faces and friends and hope to never join the first two categories!

On April 1, 2011, the Selangor state assembly created history after passing the Freedom of Information enactment.

This was the third and final reading before the enactment was sent to the Sultan to be signed as law.

It was a long three years from March 9, 2008, when Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim announced that a citizen’s right to information would be among the agendas pursued by the new state government in Selangor to April 2011.

I believe that the experience in Selangor is useful for the next step – to push for a repeal of the Official Secrets Act 1972, the Internal Security Act 1960, the Sedition Act 1949 and the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 while introducing a Freedom of Information Act at the federal level.

Except for Selangor, Malaysia is truly lagging behind.

Other than the Western democracies, countries such as India, Bangladesh, Albania and Uganda have some form of Freedom of Information legislation. Recently, Nigeria passed its Freedom of Information Act.

This is one case that Malaysia tak or belum boleh.

Empowerment

Freedom of Information is a key institutional reform to keep up with the times – about what the rakyat demands from the government but also about what the rakyat can do in spite of government with all the technology available.

Since 2008, Malaysians have become more interested not only in politics, but most importantly in how the government conducts its business. Malaysians demand more transparency and accountability, particularly in how their hard-earned tax money is spent.

Opening the government up is key towards empowering the rakyat, and ultimately strengthening our democracy. Democracy flourishes with well-informed citizens.

Yes, there will always be the need for official secrets but under our current framework even a tissue paper at a government meeting is theoretically deemed as an official secret!

Last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court made a landmark ruling ordering the Syabas concession agreement and audit report to be released based on an application by the Coalition against Water Privatisation.

Judicial commissioner Hadhariah Syed Ismail had stated in her 19-page judgement that she was not convinced such a disclosure would be harmful to national security or public interest, as claimed by Syabas and the government.

However the Energy, Water and Green Technology Ministry and the federal government requested a stay order and filed an appeal, claiming that disclosure would “upset the administration of government.”

Institutional reforms are important to ensure that the emerging two-party (or coalition) system that we have today actually has lasting benefit for the rakyat.

There is no use for a two-party system if it means more of the same old policies.

Morality

Ultimately a democratic government rests on a government by the people, for the people. Thus the rakyat have a right to know about what their government does, how their government spends their hard-earned tax money.

We have seen how tens of billions of ringgit are lost each year through wastage, leakages and corruption. These cases flourish simply because the rakyat has very little oversight over government.

Legislating freedom of information is the first step towards empowering the rakyat to stand up for their rights.

Efficiency

By preventing wastage, leakages and corruption, freedom of information legislation can actually make government more efficient. More money would be spent for the direct benefit of the rakyat, not for cronies or contractors. Not for holidays abroad or to privately pursue a daughter’s wedding.

Technology

Then we had the Wikileaks incident. I actually mentioned Wikileaks in my July 2010 speech at the state assembly when the Freedom of Information enactment was first introduced. But then the United States diplomatic cable incident grabbed the world’s attention.

This I believe illustrates how fast technology is moving – and how far behind we are when we are still dictated [to] by an ancient OSA.

Remember – the entire diplomatic cable incident over Wikileaks that not merely brought blushes on Hillary Clinton’s cheeks but actually strained diplomatic relations between the United States and many key allies across the globe was caused by 23-year-old Bradley Manning.

The intelligence analyst merely brought a Lady Gaga CD and then copied all the data into the CD while singing to Lady Gaga tunes.

Keeping secrets from the rakyat is getting more difficult these days.

Trust

Ultimately, freedom of information legislation is key towards restoring the rakyat’s trust with politicians. The tendency to govern by secrecy makes many politicians treat the rakyat as fools. Governing must cease to be a mystery for the rakyat.

Thus, it should come to no surprise that politicians tend to rank low in the trust scale for the public – along with lawyers and salesmen. Datuk Ambiga [Sreenevasan, BUM2011 speaker] – being a law graduate, I empathise with you!

Rumours and gossip are treated seriously in Malaysian politics because of the lack of information. In the absence of reliable and credible sources of information, any piece of information is valuable, no matter how sensational and ludicrous it may seem.

But when the rakyat knows more about what the government is doing, what the civil servants are doing, what the politicians are doing – this will definitely build their trust towards the many unsung heroes who plough on berkhidmat untuk rakyat but who get painted in the same brush as the rotten durians because of the lack of information.

The Selangor experience

As mentioned above, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim actually mentioned on 9 March 2008 that one of his first acts as Selangor Menteri Besar would be to “ask the legal adviser to enact a law that will enable the state to give the public the right to information”.

On that same day, Tan Sri Khalid asked me to join his office to assist him in the task of governing, which ended me in holding the position of his political secretary for over two years until July last year.

Thus I was privy to the discussions that took place not long after that involving Khalid and Elizabeth Wong, along with various NGOs, most prominently the Coalition for Good Governance in drafting the Freedom of Information enactment.

The first hurdle we faced were those from within Pakatan Rakyat who felt that freedom of information should not be a priority. Of course, we demanded for it when we were the opposition but now that we’re in a position of power, they felt this would only hurt us.

But believers of freedom of information such as Khalid, Elizabeth and I argued that this is exactly the task before us. The test is not about demanding it while we had no power but to actually implementing it when we have power.

This is not unique to Malaysia.

Tony Blair, in his memoirs actually expressed one of his regrets is introducing the Freedom of Information Act that would later be a tool used by the media against his government towards the end of his tenure.

The state government actually almost adopted wholesale the draft from civil society.

But when the bill was presented to the state assembly in July 2010, it was a much watered down version thanks to some members of the civil service that are under federal control. At times, it read almost like an Unfreedom of Information enactment.

The Pakatan backbenchers, including myself, supported for the bill to be approved but with amendments to restore the original intent and spirit of the law.

BN on the other hand took two contradictory approaches.

One was that the Freedom of Information bill did not go far enough to ensure the right to know for the rakyat. Two was that it was in contradiction to the federal constitution. Maybe one was advised by Khir Toyo and the other, Apco.

The bill was passed at the first and second readings.

It was then decided that for the first time in Selangor’s legislative history, a select committee would be formed to engage in a public consultation with stakeholders and find ways to improve the bill before it was presented to the assembly again for the third and final reading.

Saari Sungib (PAS-Hulu Klang) was selected as chair while I, Hannah Yeoh (DAP-Subang Jaya), Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi (PAS-Sijangkang), Amirudin Shari (PKR-Batu Caves), Datuk Dr Karim Mansor (BN-Tanjung Sepat) and Abdul Shukor Idris (BN-Kuang) were the members.

Sadly both the BN reps did not attend a single select committee meeting as we sat from July 2010 to March 2011. They had a golden opportunity to present their objections about the bill, even call their own academics and NGOs, yet they ignored the process altogether!

The consultation was extensive – not only with Coalition for Good Governance members but also religious NGOs, government departments, GLCs, academics, think tanks and lawyers.

The result was a substantially improved bill. Among other things, the revised bill is better than the previous version by:

allowing local councils and government-owned entities to be covered under the enactment;
changing the appeals board into the state information board; and
adding the penalties to include obstruction to access to information.

Conclusion

The Selangor experience provides a useful template for any efforts to introduce freedom of information legislation at the federal Parliament. Personally for me the process educated me on the various vested interests against freedom of information and how this can be circumvented through an extensive consultation process with all the stakeholders.

The expertise and passion of NGOs such as the Centre for Independent Journalism and the Coalition for Good Governance have been very useful in building the framework for freedom of information legislation.

At the same time, we need to take into account the practical views of those who will be at the frontline of implementation, namely civil servants and GLC employees who frequently end up as scapegoats in the battle between the rakyat and politicians.

While the Selangor Freedom of Information enactment may not entirely please everyone – which I have learnt is part and parcel of governing – it takes into account the point of view from every stakeholder across the spectrum, except BN of course who chose not to participate.

However, as the experience in other countries has taught us, the real battle is not between political parties but in reality those who are for freedom of information and those who are against freedom of information (and those who pretend to be for freedom of information).

Ladies and gentlemen,

Malaysia is at a crossroads.

While many Malaysians on both sides of the fence are excited about the coming years, a great many more are apathetic or disillusioned. The brain drain and capital outflows, as well as our weakened education system are a sign that something is dreadfully wrong about our country.

Much of Malaysia’s problems emerge because our people feel hopeless and disempowered. They feel like pawns of the elite, jerked around by a wealthy and unaccountable few who care nothing about their needs.

But without the support of these forgotten Malaysians, all the bold plans for transformation, whether the Vision 2020, the ETP/GTP/NEM or Buku Jingga will fail because a country’s strength is in its people and not the plans of its leaders.

Freedom of information is the first step to reversing this dangerous trend because it will restore the confidence and faith of Malaysians.

It will draw them back into a sense of national mission and make them feel part of a coherent whole again.

DESI: PS, can?

Above was the keynote speech By PKR communications director and Selangor state assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad at the Bloggers Universe Malaysia 2011 forum ‘Bloggers Solidarity with the Press’ on 11 June 11, 2011 held at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

Other Bloggers who went from BUMmer to Wakil Rakyat include Jeff ooi (DAP), Tian Chua (PKR), William Leong (PKR), so the resume consisting record of being a BUMmer will stand yee in GOoD stead, yeah!

PPS: **** The rumour I heard was that Nades was sent off to London for him to take a break from all the investigative reports he busied himself wiith his ward-winning A-teAm opening up too many cans of worm -- no, more like coffins unearthed of crocodiles who made off with billions of the tax-payers' money, and when caught with their pants or sarong down (ala WANITA THIEF-cum-MINIsterBYDEBACKDOOR) Sharizat's escapade at cowsville-lah!), they don't bat an eyelid. Remember the cowschief's wife's famous/notorious remark to the effect: YOU THINK I'M THE ONLY UMNO LEADER WITH SUCH (CORRUPTION TAINTED) PROBLEMS? -- YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual

ENJOY! the rest of CNY,

or being a BUMmer:) or BUM2B!:):) Sext, you may become a Yang Berhormat nyet!:(

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 9... Sunday ruminates of things profound

2012-01-29T01:02:00.003+08:00

As I listen to Ole Blue Eyes singing the opening bars of My Way, one often ponders on Life's journey -- consisting of crests and ebbs, Ups and Downs, laughs and frowns. Desi has his share too like any other human, and I believe most writers have their hair turn white sooner than others except for the Shrinks, Cos we tax our brains cells more than the average dude.

So sometimes we descend into melancholy, or DEPRESSION; so here's another extract from CI4S&T:), on this state termed Depression~~

Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri was forced to withdraw as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1072 after party leaders learned he had undergone electroshock treatment for depression. Was he fit, we asked, to withstand the mental rigors of executive decision-making?
Yet more than a century, one of our most beloved presidents, Abraham Lincoln, endured fitful moods of despair in which he saw visions of his own coffin. Melancholy WAS THE COMMON TERM APPLIED TO lINCOLN'S MOODS. tODAY WE WOULD PROBABLY RECOGNIZE THEM AS SIGNS OF DEPRESSION.
wINSTON cHURCHILL ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE WAS PERIODICALLY OVERTAKEN BY THE "BLACK DOG" OF DEPRESSION. pAINTER vINCENT vAN gOH CUT OFF HIS EAR IN A PERIOD OF DESPAIR. mARTIN lUTHER... (nOTE: SUDDENLY i LOOKED UP THE SCREEN AND SAW THE PRECEDING FEW LINES DISPLAYING uPPER AND lOWER cASES EXCHANGED, BUT i WILL LEAVE AS IT IS, ok WIT' THEE?)
...wrote that recurrent melancholy brought him "close to the gates of death and hell . . . shaken by desperation and blasphemy of God."
How thankful we as Christians should be that in our black moods of depression we can turn to our loving Lord for solace and encouragement. He, having undergone the sametemptations can sustain and strengthen us.

*************************************************

ONE of the factors that can drive us into depression is that after one had performed a charitable act for a stranger, the beneficiary did not show an sign of appreciation. Well, such is life demonstration a human's frailties, so we must brace ourselves to meet such ingrates. Desi believes all the great religiopns of the world demand of us to do good, as in accordance with the credo: DO UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD WANT OTHERS DO UNTO THEE...

Again from CI4S&T (obviously written by A. Dudley Dennision, Jr. with US readers and background in mind...) on RECIPROCITY/RECIPROCATION:~~

To be contd, be goOd Miss Patience, cun?:)

************************************************

Mary, about twenty, lived near a woman who was not well. One summer she offered to spend her two-week vacation taking her place in the home as nurse and mother. This freed Mr. and Mrs. Brown to go on a camping trip. When they returned, Mrs Brown was rested, her health was improved, and both were very grateful.
Mary moved to another part of the city. About five years later, her emplyer's place of business burned down, leaving him close to financial ruin. Short-termjobs were scarce, and Mary faced at least two winter months without pay, in a cramped apartment, while thebusiness was being relocated.
Two days after the fire, Mrs. Brown phoned Mary to tell her that her family was preparing to leave for a six-week stay in Arizona because of Mr. Brown's asthma. She asked if Mary would be interested in staying in their home, all utilities and groceries provided, to take care of their red setter. If so, they could start at once. Of course Mary went.
While t5hey were away Mary learned from Mrs. Brown's sister that she had offered to take their doginto her home. Mary head, too, that theBrowns had not seemed to fretabout gettingan early start until they'd heard about the fire.
When they returned Mary asked Mrs. brown if these rumors were true. Reluctantly, she admitted they were. "We didn't want to make our offer look like payfor what you did for us yearsago," she explained, "but we are very glad we could finally make it up to you."

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 8...This th'ng called L'Ve:) or :(

2012-01-28T13:14:00.003+08:00

Today I am proud to "copy&pastry" from masterwordsmith-unplugged; like her, I seldom try to fathom the unfathomable thing called love, but here follow TWO posts, once current, the other wanolde like Desi-lah; at 64 like DSAI but feel 40sex!:)

Love at First Sight

Posted by masterwordsmith On Saturday, January 28, 2012 0 comments

It has been some time since I wrote anything but this morning, I just want to share my thoughts with you because of a music video of Barbara Streisand that I watched AT THIS LINK. In that video, she said:

" A few years later when I was a grown up, I met someone who touched a deeper place in my heart and it was one of those moments when you realize that love at first sight is possible..."

Evergreen - lyrics by Paul Williams

Love soft as an easy chair

Love fresh as the morning air

One love that is shared by two

I have found with you

Like a rose under the April snow

I was always certain love would grow

Love ageless and evergreen

seldom seen by two

You and I will make each night a first

every day a beginning

Spirits rise and their dance is unrehearsed

They warm and excite us

'cause we have the brightest love

Two lives that shine as one

morning glory and midnight sun

Time we've learned to sail above

Time won't change the meaning of one love

ageless and ever evergreen

What is this elusive thing called 'love'?

For the greater part of my life as an educator, I have counselled many teenagers and young adults about boy-girl relationships and many have asked me how to know when it is the 'right' one.

My answer: You just know. Just as you will know when it is NOT the right one. A bit simplistic but to me, it is true.

I cannot deny that I grew up reading fairy tale romances such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella etc and whilst I do not subscribe to those sexist stereotypes that a woman needs a man to make her complete and all that jazz, I strongly believe that somewhere out there is someone meant for each one of us.

And when you meet that someone, you just know. Yes, I am one of those who saw stars, fireworks and my legs turned to jelly, heart throbbed at an earth-shattering speed and went all giddy and lovey-dovey from henceforth.

The initial stage would be heavenly and in time, things may not roll out as smoothly. When the crunch comes, a love that lasts will see the couple walking down the aisle to exchange vows that would bind them for life till death do them part.

BUT

The greatest tragedy of life is when one meets that someone, and then in a moment of uncertainty or by a cruel twist of fate of destiny, loses that someone either in a tiff/misunderstanding/parental objection/peer influence etc or walks away etc and then marries someone else either on the rebound or because of poor judgement or thought he/she was making the right decision then. Even if it was love at first sight, it was likely a love that was not strong enough to withstand the challenges faced.

However, I am not saying that one could not be happy with that decision.

Happiness is a state of mind, I believe. It is a choice that we make to will ourselves to be happy by making rational choices. However, far above all that, the fact remains that had we married that special someone, things might not would have turned out more beautifully. So, each of us is responsible for the choices we make in our lives.

Regardless of our circumstances, it is our individual responsibility to make the best of our decision,to love,cherish and to nurture the one with whom we have chosen to share our lives.

At the same time, I have also come across some who have never fallen in love before and married out of obligation or a host of other reasons. They often ask me, "What is it like to fall in love? How does it feel? How do you know?" etc etc. Too often, our perception of love is based on what we have been exposed to in the mass media and literature or even words.

Some of my friends/relatives in match-made marriages are in marital bliss because in time, they learnt to love that someone and eventually fell in love with their spouses. Amazingly, some of these people I know are so loving even in their old age!!! That is the power of love for you.

One cannot deny that along the road of life, sometimes one may come across someone who has a strong magnetic pull that comes with shared interests or inclinations. It is up to each individual to step on the brakes lest to prevent any untoward incidents and to transform that into a friendship that lasts and built on a platform of shared values or ethics. No disclosure is encouraged and yet, one just knows in unspoken words or even in the absence of body language. Much as one may run away, the fact is there. The attraction and magnetism.

However, I firmly believe that if one really loves....one will not have eyes or the heart for anyone else. That is because the acres of one's heart have been devoted to the love of his life.

No matter how strong the magnetism, nothing will happen because fulfilment has been found in the love of his/her life and there is no space for anyone else regardless of the strength of that magnetism or attraction.

Yet, one is human and prone to failings. In a moment of weakness, one may buckle and a Freudian slip here and there or when both lock glances across the room or the look in one's eyes or the tone of voice could reveal far more than what was intended. And that is the time to step on the brakes, failing which it could ignite something dangerous.

And perhaps, the lack of will-power or self control or even the need for validation as a man/woman could propel the start of an affair.

Having counselled so many from various backgrounds, I can attest to the fact that any broken marriage has long-lasting consequences on the partners but more so on the children and their individual marital status in years to come.

In closing, I just wish to say that yes, one can fall in love at first sight, swoon at the sight or knowledge of one who takes our breath away but at the end of the day - rational and responsible choices are vital in maintaining stability in one's marriage and family. A love that lasts need not be one tailored to story-book romances. He need not be the type to bring you roses or to whisper sweet nothings into your ear. But, a love that lasts is one who loves regardless of whether you are fat or thin, hairy or bald, beautiful or wrinkled...simply put - a love that endures in all circumstances!

But is it that easy?

What are your views and or observations, dear readers?

****************************************************

And now, on the s'xth day of CNY, here's some memory/ies recalled by Desi and several esteemedreaders wit' their heartfool feedback from the early years:)

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Love Is a Many-Splendour’d Thing

Desiderata.english

Love is a common theme of poets and playrights, and why not? This many-splendour’d thing called “love” is a constant companion in our daily lives, from our Birth nursed on Mother’s love, through teenage innocent “first love” experience, then later to the more complicated and convoluted affairs of adults -- involving lovers’ quarrels, triangular fistfights, consuming forbidden fruits and being consumed by their aftermath, often led the green-eyed monster to tragedy and Death.

Many of us have enjoyed watching Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) performed on stage or at the cinema or via TV. Indeed, there have been variations of this great love story by the Bard, including Spanish, Chinese, and even a Malay, adaptations which I had seen on television. Most could easily associate the lines which encapsulate the tragedy of the play:
“What’s in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."

Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet and fall in love in Shakespeare's lyrical tale of "star-cross'd" lovers, unfortunately hailing from two warring families. Here Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and that she loves the person who is called "Montague", not the Montague name or family. Romeo valiantly rejects his family name and vows, as Juliet asks, to "deny (his) father" and instead be "new baptized" as Juliet's lover.

There are certain occasions when love-lorn teenagers (the sender) would “borrow” the works of great poets to convey their feelings to their love partners (the recipient). Those informed in English literature would know of the great love story of Robert Browning (1812-1889) and his wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861). Many can easily recite some lines from the following:

How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints – I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

The last two lines form the defining climax which telescopes all the preceding expressions into a gem of a conclusion -- what many star-cross’d lovers would have felt and would have been proud to have said it in Browning’s unique way. It is again another human emotion as perennial as the grass – true love that gives forth a sworn, undying devotion of one human being to another. But common mortals like us often expressed in prose via cliches such as: I’ll love you till the end of time; I’ll follow you till the end of the earth, or I’ll love you until the end of the world; I’d give up my life for you; ... the list could go on and on, but none will ever come close enough to Browning’s immortal closing.

And from another of her well quoted poems, a stanza is reproduced here:

If thou must love me, let it be for naught
Except for love’s sake only. Do not say
“I love her for her smile – her look – her way
Of speaking gently – for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day” ...

And from the other significant half, Robert Browning comes:

Love

So the year’s done with!
(Love me for ever!)
All March begun with,
April’s endeavour;
May-wreaths that bound me
June needs must sever;
Now snows fall round me,
Quenching’ June’s fever –
(Love me for ever!)

So love is a common theme in poetry in whatever language, and why not? We humans need love as much as we need air and water to survive, from the day we were born until the day we die, that’s an inescapable truth. Love is the first emotion that a baby would encounter on entering this world, for the mother’s caressing arms would have been the child’s first human experience, and it is one full of motherly love and care. So throughout life, a human being is fed on love – maybe of various kinds, ranging from parent, puppy, unrequited, sweetheart, spouse, between a gay couple, to intoxicating “first love” between teenagers, to stolen “love”, or lust, for the married man (woman too, in this age of equality!) in the arms of a secret mistress (or Cassanova)!

Rhythm and rhyme are characteristic in successful songs, the lyrics of some are so well composed they indeed qualify as “poetry”. Those in this league include compositions by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, like “Sound of Silence” (And in the naked light I saw/ Ten thousand people maybe more …) and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (When you’re weary, feeling small/ When tears are in your eyes/ I’ll dry them all/ I’m on your side… ), and of course, innumerable ones by (the late) John Lennon and (Sir) Paul McCartney of The Beatles. For me, from childhood the lines from Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster have indelibly been etched in my mind, and I reproduce here two stanzas of what I consider one of the best love poems ever composed:
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me
Starlight and dew-drops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull’d by the moonlight have all pass’d away.

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life’s busy throng –
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

As mortals who are born to be social animals and have a natural instinct to “love and want to be loved”, a partner who becomes one’s “soul mate” evokes in the loved one a tremendous feeling of tenderness and oneness that the condition is often like “in a dream”; hence the “beautiful dreamer” description, associated with the quiet and tenderness of “the moonlight”, enchanted with song (“soft melody”) sung in a low voice so that the quiet may not be disturbed … We are all familiar with the phrase “Wine, Women and Song” – I guess the missing “wine” in Beautiful Dreamer is subtly embedded in the “kisses” that the lover awake must have softly planted on his dearest aslumber! That’s the imagination on a reader’s part, fulfilling one of the fundamental evocations that a great poem have on us! I believe an essay of a thousand words in prose would not be able to achieve what Foster could accomplish in less than a hundred words – awakening the deepest feelings and imagination in readers who have tasted the wine of a woman’s kiss, and even perhaps among those yet to be initiated into such an experience, and hence privileged to be bestowed by a maestro of an intimation of intimate moments between man and woman.

PS:(2.20pm) The theme of LOVE will be continued next Sunday. Visit desiderata.english sevendays hence, wilt thee? Is "wilt" properly used here?

PPS:(2.30pm) I read with horror an item in a newspaper today where a "prize winning" entry consisting of about 50 words contained TWO HOWLERS! Mayhaps it indicates the "state of affairs" the English language has descended into. Mercy, mercy!
Would readers want to track down what piece I'm referring to -- maybe I'll arrange for a "surprise" prize for the best argued entry to spy the referenced HOWLERS! Email me: chongyl2000@yahoo.com... ENJOY!

7 comment(s):

Very beautiful pieces which melt my heart. I recall some beautiful love poems written by the late Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader dedicated to his late wife. The late Tan Sri took his own life tragically to join his wife in heaven a few years later. I couldn't find any archives of his poems in the nett. Does anybody know where I can find them?

By Ginger, at 8:31 PM

Hi Ginger:

Yes, I remember reading tose poems by the late Justice too. (Dedications via ad in local newspapers ... I shed a tear or 2 reading them...)

Physically small in size,(I'm honoured to have met him personally as a journalist/press officer then) the late Tan Sri was "towering" in stature, well admired by fellow judges for his "exquisite" (literary) judgements!

Any readers have access to Eusoffe's poems -- Desiderata will be honoured with your help in sharing them! I promise a teh tarik?

By desiderata, at 10:04 PM

hmmm Romeo and Juliet, huh~ very different from my piece. A fantastic variation of perspective on this topic :) you write good~

By def-unct, at 4:08 PM

dear Lobak:

If I have ginger and lobak for company
A wonderful evening of soup and song we'll cook up in glee
Shakespeare ould keep love aglow
Wordsmiths like thee&ginger will my good life grow

Thanks for thy soup for the soul.

By desiderata, at 11:56 PM

searching for those Tan Sri's poem as well.His affection for his wife astound me,such simplicity and yet so tragic

By DareDevil8, at 11:23 PM

the poem by the late tan sri..i remember reading it from the star newspaper and i can memorise most of the lines..i guess so..originally in latin version n english as well..let me try if i can still remember..

'my dearest darling, half of soul, light of my life and jewel of all wives..

i think of thee, of thee and yet of thee,
like thee there never yet can ever be..thine two intoxicating eyes i miss, and thy cheeks and lips i used to kiss..

if helen of troy were clad in the beauty of thousand stars, then thou gentle as evening air art in mine eyes, as shine the moon among the lesser fires,

of all the queens that ever lived, i chose thee to rule me, mine very own halena (his wife's name), my one and only, to the very marrow thou will see i love ye,

o' how in the world am i to live without thee?

those r d beautiful lines and i guess i got correctly..i felt obliged when all of you requested for that poem..all the while i tot i m d only one who really touched by that lines..hope it would be helpful..regards, MJ http://profiles.friendster.com/rockyjulkarnain

By rocky, at 8:04 AM

c u guys..n i guess u all must be lawyers..so long my learned friends..rgds, Muammar Julkarnain Esq., from beeston leeds UK

By rocky, at 8:11 AM

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 7...Ro'st reprised for HUMOURing self, can du?

2012-01-27T15:45:00.002+08:00

Desi likes to imagine he has some GOoD sens' -- not earning BIG bucks dough -- of humour. So jest to occupy a CNY Fridae, who serves as my sexcretary as as a childe born todie, he/ she/it is fool of love. Beg thy pardon if my language offends some easily stirred human nerves who don't have a humerus vein -- sorry I don't writHe to please this particular category of human form because I don wanna to have too short a life on earth; and Heaven is an unknown quantitity, and Hellll has two many enemies waiting to cut Desi's throat. A friend once asked me if there is/was a place between H'n and H'l, so told him half serious to look up his dick...PURgaTORY. He was quite lazy and requested I help by defining the shortest way the meaning, so here goeth:

It is that place in a pub'icLAVATORY quite Malaysian not washed for 15dies Cos all the stuff have gone away for the impotent holyday. And many cheapskate clients steal enter this TO'LET place FREE OF CHARGE to muntah/puke all die after bingEing on yEe sang or yeE hey! Knot yEE sEi, K! It's only the s'xth day (PSSS: realise on 28Jan it should be MINUSwanny!) of the Year of the H2O dragon:) ~~ YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual

PS: If you drink, please you can drive, but DON PUKE, K!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Did you see some Oscar Wilde in "me"?

It's goode to see some Wildeness around in this world of either political correctness or Kampung Wira jungle politikus scurrying for cover out there. Often when one uses wit and sarcasmin local English writing, it's like throwing pearls at swine, that's Desi' honest opinion, okay! And I don't seek your nod of APproval to say this because if you feel the Pedasness, feel free to move out of Negri Sembilan to Tanjung Rambutan!

In Malaysia, I'm sorry to report people don't know the fine art of poltical barb-trading. They only rade in billion-dollar APs and under-the-skirt banality -- sex with a 15-year-olde gali melacot, anywan? Then jail the messenger for the expose/exposure?

Malaysian voters are well served by several ministers whose brains dwell not northwards but tending towards the south near an orifice where the sun don't shine (Think the big mouth who asked "What crisis. Our judi-sirree in crisis?" And at the bighearted councillors and cronies serving r(l)oyal interests, Zakaria the gate-keeper-tunred millionaire and advertising his palace of four storeys as "small") .

Digressing a byte, which is growing to be Desi's passion to get away from the madding crowd, sorry I go literature path eh! -- And if you any reader not so esteemed wanna be English sexpertic todie and ars' why not "the Sun doesn't shine?", who do I ask? Anyway, I guess it does ot matter as even if you took a poll of the 219 Members of Parliament, "Have you read Animal Farm?", it would bring much delight if 10% h=gave an honest "Yes"answer. You further ask if they heard the quote well promoted by former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad -- "There is something rotten in the House of Denmark", less than 10% would understand where it came from,what more its meaning and context, despite gallant efforts by many Bloggers to educate them.

It's a sad thing, a tragedy indeed, the state of affairs of politikus in NegaraKu -- or is it a comedy like some MSM glorifying Zakaria Mad Deros' multi-million ringgit mansionable hosting of a grand celebration of Hari Raya with orphans, wow! how considerate and generous? BUT not making a sound about the illegal structure and where the blardy hell millions came from?

Now, where'sDesi headed this moUrn? To one field where most of the political donkeys along Jalan Parlimen won't appreciate the musings or music of. For most of the two-legged resident periodically there often behaving less civilised than their four-legged cousins at Zoo Negara (minta maaf ia for this comparison) who feed on sick and banal jokes like their sisters and mothers suffering monthly "leaks" was great comedy when the subject was million-dollar cost-overruns in Government buildings that feature roofs and ceilings that crumble soon after their fanfare openings. And a RM4.6billion bail-out is euphemistically called a "soft loan". When then does it become a "hard" one? Ah, when they buy gold-laid coffins to bid premature goodbyes to more of these elected wakill rakyat?

Okay, sorry folks, for the wlong Intro todie -- now I tye by long-hand from page 12, theSun, appearing from behind the clouds after 4 (sie-lo!) days! (Cun'fess: Actually I bruffed as I googled later and reproduced the Reuters Original -- see the header is slightly different from that print copy which you cheapskates got a rlee kopi from at the SEVEN11 nearest you, yes?)

Oscar Wilde crowned king of the quips
Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:11am BST

LONDON (Reuters) - Playwright Oscar Wilde, who even managed to mutter on his death bed "Either those curtains go or I do", was named in a poll on Monday as Britain's greatest wit.

He captured 20 percent of the vote, just two points ahead of comedian Spike Milligan, who had engraved on his tombstone the epitaph "I told you I was ill".

In the Top 10 of famous wits, wartime leader Winston Churchill made it to number five for his notorious putdowns. When accused by Labour parliamentarian Bessie Braddock of being drunk, he said: "Bessie, you're ugly. And tomorrow morning I will be sober but you will still be ugly."

The playwright Noel Coward comes in at number seven, saying of humour: "Wit ought to be a glorious treat like caviar. Never spread it about like marmalade."

Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, more renowned for her steely personality than her roustabout humour, was the highest ranked woman in the poll, taking 12th place. She once quipped: "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

The poll of 3,000 comedy fans was conducted to mark the launch of a new UKTV digital television channel called Dave under the banner "The home of witty banter".
© Reuters2007 All rights reserved.
However, I wear my rights in my closet. Outside it,
Desi does knot observe these claims to Copyrights reserved as he's an out-of-closet Leftist, remember, that Dime of September?)

PS: If you readers put Desi in a fowl or fouler mood, I may return with Amore humour to rumour you.

_________________________________________________________

I jest received a forwarded email from mGf Shannon, and I didn't even know I have a facility to my NAME! Any royalties tocollect hear?

SANTA ANSWER MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
Love Desi Mails? Click here to joint Mr-Desi

Have you heard of Mr. Santa Singh applying to a medical school to become a doctor?

Needless to say he never made it. You know why?

These are the answers he wrote in his entrance exam.

************

Antibody - against everyone

Artery - The study of the paintings.

Bacteria - back door to a cafeteria.

Caesarean section - a district in Rome.

Cardiology - advance study of poker playing.

Cat scan - searching for lost kitty.

Chronic - neck of a crow.

Coma - punctuation mark.

Cortisone - area around local court.

Cyst - short for sister.

Diagnosis - person with slanted nose.

Dilate - the late British Princess Diana.

Dislocation - in this place.

Duodenum - couple in blue jeans.

Enema - not a friend.

Fake labour - pretending to work.

Genes - blue denim.

Hernia - she is close by.

Impotent - distinguished/ well known.

Labour pain - hurt at work.

Lactose - people without toes.

Lymph - walk unsteadily.

Microbes - small dressing gown.

Obesity - city of Obe.

Pacemaker - winner of Nobel peace prize.

Proteins - in favour of teens.

Pulse - grain.

Pus - small cat.

Red blood count - Dracula.

Secretion - hiding anything.

Tablet - small table.

Ultrasound - radical noise.

Urine - opposite of you're out.

Varicose - very close. posted by desiderata

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 6...Virginal Post

2012-01-26T00:56:00.004+08:00

what is desiderata marked the debut of my humble Blog, now almost finishing se7en years on March 15, 2012.

I reprise the virginal post as it was writ then --TYPOSwarts&All -- to remind the start of an exciting journey with cyber-friends, some who became terrestrial mateys, but most still Aliens -- or are they ETs? I believe that we are enriched by the companions on life's journey -- for better or worse -- and Desi on hindsight attribute my "inventing" a unique style (as described by two regular readers who appreciate beyong norma; English OK!) of ***blogspeak wit' a dose of DDC (4Da Desi Code, endowed by AweOfHelen a chinCHAsui eeehPOHlang!:) thrown it to make a cyber-rojak:) OR :( to each his/her/its own! -- YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual

PS: *** My favourites are "In the steal of the night...; Get the hear out of hell!...(specially targetes at steAmedreaders who dare aRsEk intelligent Qs -- but do not forward an accompanying cheque! -- when Desi didn't solicit for businurse!:(:(

Okay, the reprised article starts now -- badder steal, a REPRISAL for ER (4EsteemedReaders lah! if you must ask, judging from thy Ignoramus-looking reaction!:( ~C~C~c~c~c~C~C~ The lust symbol preceding this sentence refers to the se7en seas (BTW, 7 is Desi's fave nombor OK!) for I have thousands of cyber-friends worldwide -- if you believe UMNO and MCA leaders they have millions of members, so a litter exaggeration on Desi's part is forGIFTen yes/No/maybe/++++Mayhaps?

PPS: ++++ Mayhaps is a combo word as part of DDC erotically/exotically derived from maybe and perhaps, so it's on stronger probability than the two originals standing alone; hope this short Intro gifts thee some vague idea on DCC!

what is desiderata

WRITING has been a passion of mine among others, like painting and reading, since my early school days. Those were hazy, lazy days when young people had time for top-spinning, spider catching, swimming in former mining pools (a dangerous pastime!) in the outdoors, and for indoor leisure, there was no TV, and the strongest pull for me were comics and library books. As the saying goes, "Necessity is the Mother of Invention", I ventured into writing in my secondary schooldays to earn some pocket money, so that my siblings and I could indulge in the weekend cheap matinee (as the cinema was about the next best thing to a luxury outing).

Since my youth, I have adopted a poem called "The Desiderata of Happiness"by Max Ehrmann as my philosophical guide to daily living. Desiderata starts with "Go placidly amid the noise and the haste ..." and ends with an optimistic "With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." (I'll publish this poem in full later - but meanwhile, readers can go to Yahoo! and Search for this easily...)

"Desiderata" means "features or characteristics deemed as essential or desirable to..."; hence one may say the desiderata of happiness may consist of, among others, good health, a balanced education, a professional job, lots of money to spare after the essentials for daily living, or even a carefree vagabond lifestyle ... to each his/her own!

I shall end my first blog as an Introduction here, just past midnight, March 15, 2005 - "Beware the Ides of March!" for those with some exposure to Shakespeare, who would be quoted in my writings quite a lot in future. Meanwhile, greetings to all, please find time for fine reading, especially Poetry, so that we can puruse a common journey of upgrading our quality of life. Wishing you all Good Health and Progress in All Your Endeavours.

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 5...Keep It Simple II

2012-01-25T15:28:00.003+08:00

The author of today's column in The Star, normally called P. Guna, was one of the few writers in MSM whom I followed regualrly, especially when he was among the top two (?) editors at the business weekly The Edge, for his well-researched and authoritative writes. Not too long ago, he moved to The Star and presto, he earned the distinction of the first editor from this more profitable daily to "accept" a speaking engagement at BUM2010 at a Media Forum (Thanks matey!) Earlier invites to the same paper had always been met with supreme elegant silence -- neither a Yes nor No. I normally would have followed wit' :) after Yes and :( after no, so that's blogspeak, K!

I still invest RM1.20 on either the NST or the Star because part of me is keenly conducting a MEDIAWATCH since I had seved some 30plus years in both MSM and online, even diplomatic, missions.

THe following article also strikes a chord with me in that I expressed strong support for Mat Sabu when he depicted the mata-mata who were killed at Bukit Kepong (1950 if I'mw not mistaken) as serving the British masters/colonialists' interests, and it's the "attackers" including the communists and nationalists who were the "patriots" to then Malaya. I premised my stand that what Mat Sabu did was to re-look history from a different perspective with changing times, although as often reminded that "History Writing Is the Story of the Past According to the Victors".

In passing, may I also refer to another controversy regarding the socalled Malay heroes consisting of the Five Hs -- Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Lekiu and Hang Kasturi plus a female Hang Li Poh associated with 15th century Malacca Sultanate. I wrote that it was a myth perpuated by the powers-that-be until very recent years that the five were MALAY HEROES, and even Sdr P Guna also perpetuated this reference in passing.

Prof. Khoo Kay Kim -- often this very mentionof name of Malaysian historian conjures up in young Desi's mind the famous/notorious Ku Klux Khan of the great United States of America -- kicked up a ruckus again lately by dismissing the Malay Heroes as mere legendary figures cooked up by imaginary minds to spice up the Malacca sultanate history, and the good professor challenged detractors of his stand by shwoing "evidence" to any history claim of the heroes were real persons.

My article merely quoted some sources as dismissing the "Malay" part of the myth -- that the five indeed existed but were CHINESE MUSLIMS from mainland China who most likely had followed the famed admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He) in his voyages escorting many flotillas of trading ships that stopped at Malacca on their way to India and Africa. The claim by one writer of 1421: The Year the Chinese Discovered America (ie before Christopher Columbus) wa countered by many other historians and journalists, so the "jury" is still out whether the chinoserie preceded the Spanish discoverer (? ?? am I right -- please remind Desi of historical facts, K!)

Cutting a long story short, again this article reminds us that HISTORY SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO SECOND LOOK with passing times as new "evidence" crops up, so one day we may have a great female researcher among us that Singa-pura was part of Peninsular Malaya before a tsunami broker the little Dot away from the northern terra cota -- creating a controversy to make the study of HERstory more exciting!

Last point I sighted in P Guna's piece/peAce is his reminder to newsdogs about the famous guide of answering the Five Ws and one H in news writing, a complementary point (marked **** and thus BOLDED) to yesterday's piece/peAce by MI's .

Thanks to all comers, young&olde, new&ancient -- let's make GOoD history in creating the Malaysia we potentially can make a leading South-East Asian nation better than "Singa-pura-pura (Guna, please correct me if I'm wrong: that today Singapre's GDP per capita is about four times Malaysia's?) Yes, some sea-horse can masquerade as miniature dragon, so whay can there be a lion-in-disguise -- Yes/ No/Maybe?Mayhaps, pick from multiple choice solution if there is one...Today, the third day of the Water Dragon Year, Desi is a true democrat knot about todie.:)

Wednesday January 25, 2012

Myths, prejudice and history

Question Times by P.GUNASEGARAM

It is next to impossible to make history objective, but we must give it L a damn good shot.

LEGEND is a lie that has attained the dignity of age. – HL Mencken The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice. – Mark Twain

Remember Jalan Birch in Kuala Lumpur, near the Merdeka Stadium? It’s been called Jalan Maharajalela for many years now, Birch becoming a victim of a programme of Malaysianisation of road names.

But Birch also became a victim of Malaysianisation of history – from hero, he became a villain, and his killer, yes, Maharajalela, became a hero in the flash of a road sign change.

Few things can so poignantly illustrate the change in historical perspective as a country changes.

JWW Birch was a British resident (adviser to the Sultan) in Perak in the 19th century. The British used a system of residents to control most Malayan states. A local called Dato Maharajalela assassinated Birch.

Although the reasons why he did this are obscure, Maharajalela is now hailed as a nationalist who opposed colonialism and died in the process – he and his accomplice were hanged.

Hence his elevation to hero status and Birch’s relegation to villain, a representative of an occupying force.

I remember my early history textbooks post-independence put Maha ra jalela in bad light until years later when the historical perspective began to shift.

We studied in our history books that Sir Francis Light was the founder of Penang which is ridiculous from a Malayan/Malaysian perspective because Malayans must have known the existence of Penang long before it was “founded” by Light. To this day, Wikipedia states that Light founded Penang. How confounding is that.

When the British “founded” places, it meant they then established a system of governance with rules of law. There is a court system and a police force. Prior to their “founding” there was no such legal system among the locals.

Then, there was Sir Stamford Raffles who similarly was said to have “founded” Singapore conveniently and erroneously erasing the arrival earlier to that place by a prince from Palembang, Sang Nila Utama, some 500 years earlier.

It seems like even Singaporeans believe their history started with Raffles. I was at a performance put up by Singaporean MBA students in 1991 which started off the history of the country from the time Raffles “founded” it in 1819. How unfortunate! It was with great amusement that I read many years ago of a stunt pulled by an American (Red) Indian.

After arriving in Italy via a commercial flight, he promptly announced that he had founded Italy.

And what right did he have to make that outrageous claim? The same that Christopher Columbus, an Italian who sailed on behalf of the Spanish monarchs, had when he proudly claimed that he had discovered the Americas (at that time Columbus thought it was the East Indies) in 1492, a land already in habited by millions of others.

Now, Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim has controversially raised lots of heckles and temperatures by saying that Malay warriors such as Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat were mere legends – myths invented by fertile minds for the amusement of others, much like the Greek gods.

He is, however, a renowned historian with no political ideology, racial or national axe to grind.

To his critics he has this to say: “If you don’t agree with me, bring out the sources to show I am wrong. You cannot simply say you don’t agree. I am saying that these things were not true because no reliable sources confirmed they existed.”

That is a clear indication as to how we should go about clarifying history.

History must be based on facts. It must seek to recreate - without any ideological, national, racial or any other bias - *****what happened to who, what, when, where, why and how, the journalistic five W’s and one H.

Otherwise it remains a myth and legend.

Just as in the case of Hang Tuah, one should seek to ascertain whether Maharajalela was indeed a hero by trying to establish, based on facts, his motives for killing Birch.

Otherwise it becomes a mere speculation and interpretation which is not history.

We are a relatively young country and yes, we would need to rewrite history from the perspective of Malaysia and Malaysians. No, Light had not founded Penang and Raffles, Singapore.

There may be many questions we can’t answer but we must make an effort to find them. And we need a proper system of archiving so that future generations know things the way they were.

History in school must not be a tool for nation building or used for any other agenda but to paint a true picture, as far as that is possible given all our collective prejudices, of Malaysia and of the world.

It needs to have balance, fairness and most of all truth about everyone’s contribution to nation building.

It must not seek to aggrandise one race or religion at the expense of others.

It must have enough of a mix of subject matter to ensure Malaysians have sufficient appreciation of Malaysia and how it has come to be where it is as well as an unbiased understanding of the state of the world. Anything else and it would become poor propaganda instead.

The best way towards this is to have a curriculum drawn up by historians and true educationists and to put in place a rigorous means of verification if we need to change history or at least what we learn of it.

You can interpret history but you must not rewrite it without factual basis.

It is next to impossible to make it objective but we must give it a damn good shot nevertheless, if we are not to live in and perpetuate a lie.

Independent consultant and writer P Gunasegaram (t.p.guna@gmail.com) says we need an accurate history before we learn anything from it.

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 4...Keep It Simple

2012-01-24T01:45:00.007+08:00

After se7en weeks of starting my blog on the Ides of March 2005, a newspaper in East Malaysia started using my articles I wrote for Sunday headed Desiderata.English. May 1st marked my debut at the Borneo Post, hence my affection for that date on top of another sentimental reason for a poet-aspirant. (Wordsmithry has Desi spelling in my profile as poet-aSspirant, can excuse me for some funD?)As a journalist, writing for newspapers is unlike my penning (pening kepala ke?) my blog posts; for the latter as a hobby for somehow I did/do/will be doing it "Desi-way". Translating the preceding, it's equivalent to singing ala Frank Sinatra's "My Way".

Yes, when you write for the masses -- readers of a newspaper, whether print or on;line -- you have to stick to answering the Five Ws + 1H-- Who, When, Where, Why, and .... and How. (Can't recall the fifth W, keep for late, can? Maybe a smart reader can help Desi out here?) NOTE: a regular reader who appreciates my "unique" scribing sms-ed me at nght that "The 5th W is What". Half-drunk on tehtarik and overlysugared cookies, Desi cheekily replied: I cunt r'ber; he had to call me later (+35sen or more, aMore...) to emphasis that the W I couldn't remember was WHAT! TerimaKASIH, matey...More on this in the next post, OK!:)

So blogging was indeed profitable in my first year as I wrote that Sunday column catering mainly to secondary students, read mainly by Sarawakians and Sabahans. I earned a princely sum of RM800 to RM1,000 p.m. just spending a full weekday, including lots of reading and research in the two dys preceding the deadline of a Friday noon.

So it's with great apprciation I sighted the following article in the Malaysian Insider written by a fellow newsdog which reminds us to keep news copies "Simple"!

Side Views

Whatever happened to plain English? — Yow Hong Chieh

January 23, 2012

JAN 23 — I read an essay yesterday on someone’s recommendation which made no sense. The syntax was correct but there was little meaning to what had been written.

The sentences were convoluted and the language verbose; the intention unclear. I’m not the sharpest of tacks but if I can’t summarise a story in one sentence — as was the case with this article — then that usually means the writer has failed to communicate his or her thoughts clearly.

It reminded me of the project summaries produced by a graduate programme at a renowned architecture school in London which, when stripped of jargon, said very little, if anything.

If imitation is the best form of flattery, the students enrolled in this programme were world-class brown-nosers, slavishly reproducing the linguistic contortionism of Deleuze, Derrida and Foucault without entirely comprehending what they were doing.

One word was never enough. If what was to be said could be padded with pseudo-intellectual gobbledygook, then puffed up it would be with stolen lexicon from French philosophers.

Example: “Our research interest lies in the employing of non-linear systems to actively delineate the interface between hardspace and softspace. Hardspace is the implementation of an architectural materiality, providing infrastructure for the softspace, which is the realm of human interface.

“The nature of this interstitial condition was explored through the study of the interactions exhibited by multi-agent systems, their resulting organisational patterns and the implementation of agency through material actuation. In projecting a mixture of human behaviour within an agent-based system of interactions, our prototypical system aims to provide an architectural rethinking of the temporary and distributed event network.

“The contemporary megaevent scenario necessitates the employment of an adaptable system that negotiates between typological needs, temporary material deposition and the temporal but radically different ways that crowds occupy event spaces. Due to its systemic and prototypical nature, our agent-based system provides for design adaptability within large data sets, mapping infrastructure and interface for an event-based architecture.”

In other words: People can change the physical aspects of our building through interaction. Structures will be defined by use, not predetermined functions; this is well-suited for large-scale events like the Olympics.

I am reminded of George Orwell’s essay, “Politics in the English Language”, in which he lamented the spread of “ugly and inaccurate” writing, which he said was a means to disguise fuzzy thinking.

He was, of course, referring to how the political language of the time was geared towards hiding unpalatable truths from the public, but the point remains: Keep it simple, stupid.

Language is about illuminating meaning. It is about conveying force and clarity of ideas, not just the mere appearance of thought. Good ideas can be described plainly - and, in fact, are made better by such treatment - while weak ones need gussying up.

There’s enough nonsense and rhetoric out there clogging up our bandwidth. So let’s all of us please try to put our ideas across effectively and not give in to this disease of embellishment.

* Yow Hong Chieh is a journalist with The Malaysian Insider

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

DESIDERATA: Thou art invited to catch Desi at the Buttelfry Varrey K ra la OK next to Temiang Corner, Furong and you find it worthwhile paying RM6 for one drink to appreciate this amateur poer-aSspirant sing the poetic Bee Gees' evergreen:

First of May

When I was small, and christmas trees were tall,
We used to love while others used to play.
Don’t ask me why, but time has passed us by,
Some one else moved in from far away.

(chorus)
Now we are tall, and christmas trees are small,
And you don’t ask the time of day.
But you and i, our love will never die,
But guess we’ll cry come first of may.

The apple tree that grew for you and me,
I watched the apples falling one by one.
And I recall the moment of them all,
The day I kissed your cheek and you were mine.

(chorus...)

When I was small, and christmas trees were tall,
Do do do do do do do do do...
Don’t ask me why, but time has passed us by,
Some one else moved in from far away.

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 3...Newton's Laws and Karma

2012-01-22T12:24:00.004+08:00

The top ranked scientist Isaac Newton has three laws of physics associated with his name, which more or less govern the ophysical world as we understand it. I have been associating lots with a fellow schoolmatey tehtarik pardner who also propounds that in the Buddhist faith, the concept of KARMA parallels the physical law FIRST of newton's which states:

To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Simply put, if you slam someone in the face with a ten-pounder force, your fist also receives a ten-pounder -- never 11- or 9-! -- force in return. The difference is that your targeted opponent's face feels immense pain, while your anticipated fist feels just a slight slap like on the wrist as your anticipation and that part of the human anatomy is adapted to withstand larger forces than a 10-pounder -- unlike the opponent's face. If this is not a good example, please go and refer to Newton or Einstein who beat Newt to the rank of GREATEST SCIENTIST IN THE WORLD as we humans know it.

So myGOoDfRiend explains that humans will essential reap what they sow. Simply put, if you do good, the same will retrun to reward you, if not immediaitely, then later. That's why Miss Pateince is also Mr, Ms or in-between Virtuous. So when someone does a bad thiong, the probability by Karmic law is that soemthing bad will return to visit him, bestA immediately-lah, Desi prays. But if it cometh back ten years later, it's OK 'Cos the "badnurse" will give him a punch ten times stronger?! If I digress, please forgift me, because when you venture into the matter of FAITH, one tends to stray from the material world that we easily see, feel or smell. On matters of the soul and spirit that the concept of Karma preaches, you go beyong the physical realm, and we use Newton's physical laws to try to approximate the truths inherent in religious faith.

I had once composed a poem, which was also reproduced in my 2007 little anthology tiotled Midnight Voices or sumthing... if tjhoiu haveth a copy, sell it back to Desi can, for RM30 -- twice thy investment for I myself have run out of a decent clean kopi!:)

Cheers, ENJOY the kopi extract -- no, it won't kill you... neither would it heal your cancer. But it works thy lazy hazy mazy brain cells a little as the effort of reading expends energy using thy eyes from the nutritious food you consume in vast quantity -- like mandarin oragnge and Nian Gao now -- which sends electrical waves to thy sleepy brain cells reacting to the stimulus, and hopefully you take some t=ime to join Desi and Sdr WongSC in rruminating on this peAcefool'D Sundae:( or :(, YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual

Reflecting on Newton's law

To every action
There is an equal and opposite reaction
Goes one of Newtonian laws
governing physical forces and motion

Extrapolating on Newton's law to human affairs
In light of the tragedy of Sept 11 morn
I fear that human response to
such horrendous attacks on humankind
Usually brings forth an opposite but often,
more than an equal, reaction,
Inflicting more, and spiralling, violence and tragedy on innocent ones

Borrowing Dylanesque wisdom while we're
adrift in this wind of confusion and sorrow
"When will they ever learn?", I say,
Leave the wrath of the Maker
To visit upon the actors of such cowardly acts.

The premise of my poem was that in human affairs in inflicting violence, usually the reaction is often greater than a reaction to physical force, creating a spiralling chain of increasingly more violent events. I firmly believe there was no way the U.S. could avoid following up with retaliatory action, as some reaction must follow such an attack on humanity. It was only a question of how and in what form the “reaction” (retaliation) would be, and for how long, to justify the objectives once the enemy has been identified and the objectives have been spelt out. My final premise of the poem was that finally, an end must come, and only God – in whatever form we perceive Him to be - can exact the just retribution on the perpetrators of the terror attacks.

DESIDERATA: Come back for a little more as I join some angry/hungry mateys for lunch...K!? This is a rhetoric Q, please don't react unless ypou wanna tell me to meet and you have a BIG angpow for this mousey writHer!

"GONG XIO FA CAI!
Hong Pau Na Lai!
Zu Ni Shen T Jian Kang
WAN XI RU YI!"

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SHARE-ing this moody song by FRank SINatra la-la la from B'YOND with thee:)~~

Send "Love's Been Good To Me" Ringtone to your Cell

(R.Mckuen)
[Recorded March 20, 1969, Hollywood]

I have been a rover
I have walked alone
Hiked a hundred highways
Never found a home
Still in all I'm happy
The reason is, you see
Once in a while along the way
Love's been good to me

There was a girl in Denver
Before the summer storm
Oh, her eyes were tender
Oh, her arms were warm
And she could smile away the thunder
Kiss away the rain
Even though she's gone away
You won't hear me complain

I have been a rover
I have walked alone
Hiked a hundred highways
Never found a home
Still in all I'm happy
The reason is, you see
Once in a while along the way
Love's been good to me

There was a girl in Portland
Before the winter chill
We used to go a-courtin'
Along October hill
And she could laugh away the dark clouds
Cry away the snow
It seems like only yesterday
As down the road I go

I've been a rover
I have walked alone
Hiked a hundred highways
Never found a home
Still in all I'm happy
The reason is, you see
Once in a while along the way
Love's been good to me

REcolLECtion of GOoD times 2...In the Sands

2012-01-21T07:01:00.001+08:00

from sweetspirits.blogspot.com:~~

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Midnight Voices = Desi's Book N Cyber Friends

Midnight Voices

Last week seemed just like most weeks had been , always something to deal with for the last three months have been what one could say very trying times.

I decided to check my mailbox and i was so excited to receive a parcel from my very special cyber friend friend Desi :) .
It had been a very long time since i had received a gift from anyone especially coming all the way from Malaysia .
Desi's book Midnight Voices and other poems to me is worth its weight in gold , actually it is priceless , because it to me it is a link to a special friend i hold dear to my heart.
For Desi is a Midnight Voice that has never failed to be there during good times and bad times .
Desi for much of the past two years has been my bridge over troubled waters and has guided me home , helping keep the strength .

It is a very special person that can consistantly be there for another person , even when one has his own things in life to deal with , i know that Desi's friendship is in fact a gift God has given me and i shall treasure our friendship forever , for it is a true friendship tied in a knot by angels hands and it will never come undone.

Desi's book Midnight Voices and other Poems is beautiful .People sometimes say that a person has a beautiful soul . I've learnt from my friendship with Desi and by reading his book that Desi himself has a beautiful soul.

Desi if i have forgotten to thank you , for always being there for me .Then i thank you now and may God Bless You Always

posted by sweetspirits

DESIDERATA: Hear's sharing from CIS&T on FAMILY:)

"You're out in a canoe with your mother and your wife. Neither women can swim. The canoe flips over in deep water. Which woman would you save?"
That question was put to a group of American students at Dartmouth College -- and 85 percent said they would save their wife.
But when the question was asked a group of African Students, 75 percent declared they woould save their mother.
Why the difference? In Africa, the family clan is the primary unit. so a man's mother is more important than his young -- and replaceable -- wife, explained Dr. JamesFernandez of Dartmouth.
But in the U.S., married couples form new and independent units -- so the man's allegiance is to his wife rather tha his mother.

PS can? From Desi, a cheeky shearing as a ChinoSIRie:
I would take out a coin, toss it -- if it's Heads, save Mom. If it's tails, save wife. As we Chinamen like to gamble at any opportunity, especially when CNY is around the Temiang Corner, that's another reason why the red packet must also contain a few coins, not just red notes.

PPS can2?
Who would you save if the canOE also carries your Mother-in-law?
Desi would ask: "Who among ye have a three-sided COiN?"

REcolLECtion of GOoD times...wit' cyber mateys:)

2012-01-20T13:50:00.004+08:00

Today I borrow from fellow blogger calling herself masterwordsmith-unplugged a recent post to which I responded with a virginal comment, after making stealthy peeps in the middle of the nights --hot summer, cold winter, ah, let's leave spring and autumn out for da moment -- and ENJOYING MANY SToLEN TREATS, like a knotty boiLol:) ~~ YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual

Bond

Posted by masterwordsmith On Friday, January 13, 2012 6 comments

Here's an old story that always warms my heart. I have posted it before in my other blog but not here. May we be blessed with friends who love us and whom we love. Have a nice day!

I Knew You Would Come

There were two childhood buddies who went through school and college and even joined the army together. War broke out and they were fighting in the same unit. One night they were ambushed.

Bullets were flying all over and out of the darkness came a voice, " Harry, please come and help me."

Harry immediately recognized the voice of his childhood buddy, Bill. He asked the captain if he could go.

The captain said, "No, I can't let you go, I am already short-handed and I cannot afford to lose one more person. Besides, the way Bill sounds he is not going to make it." Harry kept quiet.

Again the voice came, "Harry, please come and help me." Harry sat quietly because the captain had refused earlier.

Again and again the voice came.

Harry couldn't contain himself any longer and told the captain, "Captain, this is my childhood friend. I have to go and help."

The captain reluctantly let him go. Harry crawled through the darkness and dragged Bill back into the trench. They found that Bill was dead.

Now the captain got angry and shouted at Harry, "Didn't I tell you he was not going to make it? He is dead, you could have been killed. That was a mistake."

Harry replied, "Captain, I did the right thing. When I reached Bill he was still alive and his last words were 'Harry, I knew you would come."'

-Author Unknown-

6 comments to The Bond

says:

January 13, 2012 8:29 AM

1. desiderata Moving, inspirational. I wished I wrote that ONE! My first comment here, DPP sings your praises, so being a close bud of ESS, I must come by to say: Hi!~~ YL, Desi

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And from half a year ago, across the SE7EN Cs:NOTE that normally in cut&pastry or reprising, I leave all the TYPOS, WARTS&Awe alone, but today I will try some spring cleaning as is traditional in preparing to meet the New Lunar Year!:)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Back to Creativityville...

Desi has gone MIA for almost a month post BUM2011.

One of the foreign cyberhomes I find time for to pass time at leisure is at clarityofnight.blogspot.com, run by American attorney Jason Evans, who attracts with his short fiction writing CONtests (challenge is write a story of less than 250words using a photo prompt provided by the host:).

Because of BUM2011 which ended on July 24 with some housekeeping still unfinished, I had missed Jason's latest SS outing titled "Elemental" though I had composed a science fiction plot during uncomfortable sleepless in Furong nights.

These few days I randomly cruised the gOod American but of universal appeal BUMmer's site and I reproduced the first para of his entry "Six Years".

"So here I am, arriving at my sixth anniversary of The Clarity of Night. That's something like 42 in blog years. "

How true, Mr Evans, a BUMer half way rrrrrround the globe in tiny, weeny and peytonplacesque Seremban -- Seven Stones was my last entry at thy place, remember?-- Desi feels the same too. That is after blogging for six years plus, it is translating into some four decades in the physical world because in blogosphere, the air is intense, intoxicating, and it takes lots of energy to expend words into lines, then into paragraphs, then into a whole piece:) -- or partially hanging not at peace!:(

I'm next "stealing"Jason's beautiful piece with which I have a particular close connection in my present phase of cyber-writing...Thanks Americano matey, I'll also proffer ye endless rounds of tehtarik should you happen by Temiang Corner One Fine Day, K!

So my dear ER, please ENJOY Mr Evans' thoughts which I cherish:):):)

Monday, August 08, 2011

Interlude

In those August weeks, he shed the worries of work and disappeared to where the roads were long and the only color, green. He put away the phone without messages and ignored the dwindling email streams. His friends would not think to miss him. They figured he'd be back soon enough, but part of him wondered if that would be true. The heat enveloped him, and farmland rolled over sharp hills. He thought of what it was like to be a teenager, without plans and without somewhere else to be, and found that part of himself still surprisingly close, despite the pile of years. In the sky, the crows flew too high to be heard. They would not roost until the red and yellow Earth faltered and the sun lost the strength to fight away the cold.

He walked the fences during those days. The ones that brushed the woods while horses grazed out in bright pastures. Their tails swished at invisible flies as high summer buzzed loudly in the trees. He forgot to care about the counting of days. He forgot their names. He also forgot to think in the words, and plans, and lists where one thing led to another. Now, a thing was there, or not there. Each expansive experience hit him all at once. Nothing more was needed to do or say.

It was on one nameless afternoon, after he had dived deep, when he was walking a forest trail. He turned a bend in the underbrush and stopped at the sight of shimmery black fur. A horse nipped at a patch of blackberries. Its muscled shoulders turned and flexed as it regarded him with large, dark eyes. It wasn't until a footstep drew his attention over to the woman nearby. Leather riding boots brushed the ferns as she returned to the horse, which nuzzled for a scratch between its ears.

He'd apologized for the interruption, and she smiled. He was taken with her long hair and how, like him, she looked both aged and young at the same time. Her eyes didn't drift from him very often as they spoke. A few polite words grew into more. Even when the horse stomped impatiently, and her firm hands steadied it, she watch him. She moved with the same fluid, animal strength that the horse did. She could have stepped out of a painting, he thought. She was that beautiful. But something else fueled the ease of his conversation. She told him her name and the history of the nearby farm. She told him how much she enjoyed the forest paths they were standing on. He asked her about what she saw and how much time she chose to spend there. Something about the way she moved drew him. He had strange thoughts, like laying a hand on her shoulder just to feel the workings of everything happening within.

She told him that he should visit the barn, and he accepted. He watched her mount and command the horse. He saw her pause in the field and look back. That night, he felt no need to the watch the fireflies. He slept because he was eager to be part of the rising sun.

The next day he met her under the shade of the barn eaves. She introduced him to the horses, and he touched each one. She watched his hands when he did. He found himself close to her, just as he wished, just as gravity wanted to move him. They talked, and she touched him when she laughed. She didn't seem to mind when he glimpsed at the feminine lines of her neck. He wanted so much to breathe in the skin where it disappeared beneath her shirt. If she read these thoughts too, she didn't seem to mind. Sometimes she stared at his mouth when he talked, and when they sat side by side and looked out over the fields, she pressed against him, from her shoulders down to where her ankles met his hiking shoes.

They didn't need to talk about how they would cross the last boundary between them. That is one important difference between adults and teenagers. The days evolved, as did the things they spoke to one another. Never did they need to stumble and test. It was midday when they finally made love. The loft in the barn hung rich with the fragrance of hay and large presence of the animals below. She shed that shirt, and he buried his face while her arms encircled him. Their joining was not obscured or tentative. It wasn't hidden under the veil of night. He kissed her nakedness in full light, and his hands touched earth and heat and the pounding pulse of life. Every movement she made since that first meeting, every turn and stride alongside him seemed now to circle toward the darkness between her legs. She drew the length of him against her animal heat, and she sighed, lips parting with a whispered groan. But their artistry was no abstraction. Not some academic composition of metaphor and forgotten geometry. When his muscles clenched with hers and their bodies undulated, the horses neighed and thumped into the sides of the stalls. The cicadas throbbed with their building motion, until their pace grew wild and mindless, to a final, panting gallop.

When she laid on his chest and cast a shadow in the slanting sun, his fingers trailed through her hair, and the day also took its own repose.

They remembered what it was like to be teenagers without plans, but unlike then, they knew there was no other place they would choose to be.

Posted by jason evans

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posted by desiderata

Welcome to the Politics-free CNY Party at Desi's...

2012-01-19T14:09:00.005+08:00

For the rest of this week, and for the whole of next week, as Desi's Place is taking leave of Politics. To celebrate the coming of the Year of the Dragon, hopefully this fierce animal will gobble up ALL THAT'S BAD in and for our country -- and shine its fiery light of conquering the ENEMIES FROM WITHIN. Yes, Malaysians don't have to fear the foreigners for we are a resourceful nation of talented people -- IT'S THE CROOKS AND CUNNING LEADERS WITH OUR NATIONAL LEADERSHIP THAT REPRESENT THE GREATEST THREAT TO OUR SECURITY AND FUTURE.

Let's take ten days' leave to relax, re-energise and REFLECT ON WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE STATE OF OUR NATION and TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO RIGHT THE WRONGS so we can be a proud nation again. Marching Forward, Not Sliding Backwards while all our competing neighbours and beyond are on forward march beat and mode.

There's not more time to waste. The truly caring Malaysians must stand up and be counted!

Politics-free Party at Des's

While DESIDERATA's PLACE has decided to leave all politics out of this homely place, democracy still reigns here -- so if Readers still want to rant and rave via COMMENTS, that I can't help it. My feel and feedback is that the ordinary citizenry, except those who walk the corridors of power at PUTRAJAYA and the PWTC, Kuala Lumpur has had an overdose of all the cacophany of noises, silly wise-cracks, "UGLY" Malaysians who are selfish, selfcentred acting in the annual sandiwara, whose universe does not extend beyond their wants, their demands and robber baronry politics.

These robbers take RM250million from the public coffer and do not bat an eyelid when they are found out to have misused, or abused the monies collected from the Tax-payers, a duty they honestly fulfill through blood, toil, sweat and tears.

The blardy leaders after stealing our monies gift back the poor a token RM500 once in four-to-five years and expect eternal gratitude and slyly campaign that the electors must vote them back into power cometh GE-13... Don't be suckers forever -- You owe these robbers NOT A SINGLE SEN! Those elected to govern owe us --THE RAKYAT -- not the other way around! They have a duty to work for the people who pay for their salaries and perks.

Many Malaysians, including several hundreds of thousand resident abroad, say they "have wept till the tears have run dry". They passively give up and resign themselves to a fate that's worsening every passing year. We owe a duty of care to our children and their children to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SITUATION! We are the ones who can map out our country's destiny, so don't fail yourselves!

Some say it's no use fighting the entrenched UMNO system, just surrendering and saying, "Just give up". No, we must not give up. We must do something about the situation before it's too late!

One group, increasing strident, especially now resident abroad as young students, or more mature professionals working as expatriates in London, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Beijing, or BUT DESI SAYS: That's not a premanent solution to a Malaysian dilemma. The fight is within the country. We need to right the wrongs within NegaraKu. PONDER THIS ISSUE and DILEMMA DEEPLY WHILE YOU CELEBRATE THE CHINESE FESTIVAL.

Meanwhile, Desi will make this respite of 10 round days a celebration of RnRnR -- welcoming Readers to send me contributions of the light and laughter kind -- defined as those that give us LIGHT, LAUGHTER and are KIND to fellow Malaysians, regardless of race, class, religion and gender.

Share with me and ER here some insightful anecdotes, and Desi will also revisit his mental landscaopes to pull out some nuggets for sharing. Yes, with cyber tehtarik and Mandarin oranges. I may even offer an AngPow if the lady Luck shines on Desi in the kambing fortnight as I ride the Dragon.

Just to flag off -- I've found no other Limerick to challenge this on mirth&laughter:

There was a young lady from Niger

Who smiled as she road (sic) on a tiger

They returned from the ride

With the lady inside

And the smile on the face of of the tiger.

(The above was Writ by Anon, which means could be George, Ahmad, Siva or Along ~~
I wished it was writ by desiderata-ylchong, knottyaSsusual!

I wished I were a cowboy in Nashville
Strumming guitar wit' not a care in the world
But I have to work as a writHer in FuRong
Pening my kepala to keep my tummy from churning
and stringing the imaginary cowgals singin' along
Such a cheap thrill!

I wave a keris
To show I am master
When the barbarians are at the nation's gate
I'll my ma cai pack and muster
The foreign devils' arse-holes to kiss

SOMETIMES, if Desi's language is a little strong or puzzling like a riddle, it's meant to work that way. See that ANTHEM FOR NOW, I sing "My Way" from the beginning towards the end too, often faltering in the middle. Yes, that's life, we make some mis'steps, it's OK as long as it's NOT fatal. We have many second chances in life, just Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, remember what peAce there may be in silence.

Now, for Starters, let me share two anecdotes on the topic of COMMUNICATION, from A. Dudley Dennison, Jr's "COntemporary Illustrations for Speakes & Teachers"

Sharing1: A century ago, a young teacher in Alabama held her little blind-and-deaf pupil's handunder the stream of water flowing from a pump spoutand manually spelled out the word water. The teacher's name was Anne Sullivan; the little girl's, Helen Keller. As a surprise for Miss Keller, her classmates at Radcliffe College presented a lovely fountain to the collegeon their fftieth reunion. The fountain is called the Anne Sullivan Memorial Fountain. Before feeling the water, Miss Keller read a Braille inscription on the back of the fountain: "In memory of Anne Sullivan, teacher extraordinary, who beginning with the word water opened to the girl Helen Keller the world of sight and sound through touch."

Sharingtoo: The technique of listening is even more important in ademocracy than in a dictatorship. Norman Rockwell. the noted artist, recounted his experiences while painting the portrait of President Eisenhower.
"The general and I didn't discuss politics or the campaign. Mostly we talked about painting and fishing. But what I remember most about the hour and the half spent with him was the way hegave me all his attention. He was listening to me and talking to me just as if he hadn't a care in the world, hadn't been through the trials of a political convention, wasn't on the brink of a presidential campaign."
It was small wonder Eisenhower was such an effective wartime and civilian leader.

Che7ers, Happy New Year to all who care to join in welcoming the Dragon and extracting from it its firey goOdness. Sometimes I write GOoDnurse which is typical DDC -- see that GOD is in good, and a nurse is walys a caring angel, in the true spirit of Florence Nightingale:). God bless the mail&femailNightTIN&DayDINgales around hear! -- YL, Desi

Hornbill Unleashed Unleashes Bombs on Taib's Illgotten Assets...

2012-01-18T14:27:00.005+08:00

Finally, the dirt wrapped around the past-shelflife-via-bribery CM of Sarawak floats to the surface like jetsam and floatsam after a tsunami... can East Malaysians conduct the funeral rites at GE-13? Hey, dear Sarawakians (and Sabahans), RECLAIM YOUR LAND! Vote ABU, VOTE PAKATAN RAKYAT! ~~ YL, Desi

From the bomber, hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com:-

January 18, 2012

Evidence of Taib corruption – oil palm plantations three times the size of Singapore

Filed under: Kleptocracy,Politics — Hornbill Unleashed @ 7:55 AM
Tags: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, Corruption, Dictator, Sarawak Politics, Save Sarawak, Taib Mahmud

stop-timber-corruption

Leaked land registry records show that companies linked to Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s family have been given close to 200,000 hectares of land for oil palm plantations – Taib himself is a shareholder of Delta Padi Snd Bhd, one of the main beneficiaries.

Leaked records from the Malaysian state of Sarawak’s Land and Survey Department show that 31 companies linked to Malaysian top politician Abdul Taib Mahmud (“Taib”) have been given land for oil palm plantations amounting to almost 200,000 hectares equivalent to three times the size of Singapore. The land leases were issued by the Taib-led Sarawak state government, which is being accused of massive corruption and the systematic destruction of the Borneo rainforest.

According to the Swiss Bruno Manser Fund, the Taib family companies have been given long-term leases for 198,882 hectares of secondary rainforests and native lands at a price of only 95.6 million Malaysian Ringgit (USD 30.4 million). While the land given to the Taib family by the Sarawak government has been grossly underpriced, it is particularly shocking to see that more than half of the land leases – over 45,000 hectares – have been given out for free or for “payment in kind”.

Kuching-based Titanium Management Sdn Bhd, which is majority-owned and directed by Taib’s son Mahmud Abu Bekir, has received 10,438 hectares of state land in the districts of Sri Aman, Serian and Lundu for free. Delta Padi Sdn Bhd has rec! eived 27,600 hectares of state land in the districts of Sarikei, Mukah, Paloh and Sibu for just 6.2 million Ringgits (USD 1.9 million). Delta Padi Sdn Bhd is a particularly obvious case of corruption as the Sarawak Chief Minister himself is a director and owner of one of its main shareholders, Mesti Bersatu Sdn Bhd (Company number 758849-v).

BMF sets Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission a deadline for action against Taib

The Bruno Manser Fund is shocked at the latest evidence of the Taib family’s corruption and its massive involvement in the oil palm land grab. It is particularly disturbing to note that Malaysian prosecutors are completely inactive in respect of the Taibs, despite massive evidence being available in the public domain.

Last month, an international NGO coalition called on Malaysia’s Attorney-General, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission and the Inspector General of Police to arrest and prosecute Taib an! d his closest family members. Research by the Bruno Manser Fund had sho! wn that the inner circle of the Malaysian Taib family has stakes in 332 Malaysian and 85 foreign companies. The known Taib-family net stake in 14 large Malaysian companies alone is over 1.46 billion US dollars

The Bruno Manser Fund challenges the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to take decisive action against the Taib family before the end of January 2012. Should it fail to do so, the NGO community will lodge a complaint against Malaysia with the United Nations on account of non-implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption, one of the few legally binding international treaties to which Malaysia is a party.

Another GoOD reason why you should VOTE ABU!

2012-01-17T21:04:00.003+08:00

A belated revelation from a former UMNO minister -- well, badder late than neber, says this Koboi!:) So VOTE ABU at GE-13 -- yes, VOTE Anyone But UMNO/Asalkan Bukan UMNO... VOTE PAKATAN RAKYAT!

From Malaysia Chronicle~~

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 19:57

Former Minister: BN ‘bombed’ voters with cash

Former Cabinet Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir says that cash was given to voters in previous elections and added the strategy was known as “bomb”.

Kadir, who is from Umno also added that he had himself seen how cash handouts that ranged from RM200 to RM1,000 was used in Barisan Nasional’s election campaigns to bribe voters in return for their support at the polls.

The former Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism, said that the word used for the strategy was known as “bomb”.

Speaking at a forum, he said "I have been the head of delegation of many campaigns and I have been given lump sums of money to distribute," said the former Information Minister at the Malaysia Strategic Outlook Conference 2012 here. "It was a blatant use of money to buy votes."

But he was quick to add that he personally didn’t use the money.

James Chin, who heads the School of Social Sciences at Monash University at Sunway, and who spoke at the forum after Abdul Kadir said that “bombing” was a very effective tool in Sabah and Sarawak.

Kadir said that while he still in Umno, he wanted to remind them of the “Merdeka trust” — which meant giving the people the right to truly free and fair elections.

Umno should not fear losing

Kadir also told Umno members not to fear losing if it was sincere in its intentions.

“If you lose accept it; people change governments all the time in US and Australia,” he said. “I am an Umno man, I don’t mind if I lose. If you are there just to make millions for yourself and your cronies or if I have made my billions and am afraid I will be arrested after I lose power, then I will do all these tricks.”

Kadir stressed that to have free and fair elections, there must be equal access to the media and GLCs and government departments must be neutral.

“You must give the opposition the freedom to have TV, radio and newspapers,” he said. “For 50 years, PAS has been asking for a newspaper licence but none given — the government is a big bully.”

Barisan Nasional, he said, should not be making use of the Ministry of Information, Felda, Felcra, the Special Branch and other federal agencies to support their campaign.

Malaysia Chronicle

**************************************************************

Another GOoD reason why VOTERS must jettison Barisan Nasional, for they allow former PMs like Dr Mahathir too much clout to "interfere" with the Government's policy-decision-making, when the former UMNO bigwigs are clearly past their shelf-life!

Monday, 16 January 2012 09:09

Ignorant Mahathir shames Malaysia ^Featured

Written by Ismail Dahlan, Malaysia Chronicle

(39 votes)

EDITOR'S PICK The Financial Times has been running a series of article entitled ‘Capitalism in Crisis’ this month. Due perhaps to his notoriety from the days of the Asian currency crisis, Mahathir was invited to pen an article as part of this series. Or it may be that FT wanted to amuse its readers with an illustration of the kind of rabid, ignorant louts that hold sway over less-developed nations. In the event, Mahathir did not fail to make a fool of himself. Unfortunately for Malaysians, he was described as a former Prime Minister of Malaysia, embarrassing us all.

Twisting the facts to shore up his case

Mahathir started off with his usual rant about how Malaysia was asked to raise interest rates and let inefficient banks and companies go under in 1998; yet the West did not follow their own advice during the 2008 crisis. In fact, Mahathir is wrong to compare these two dissimilar events in the fashion that he does.

Malaysia’s currency came under attack for at least the following reasons :

> Reserves that were too low (USD28 billion), lower even than the amount of mobile capital (USD50 billion) in the country

> Performance deterioration of the financial sector

> A credit-funded stock and real-estate bubble

> Deterioration of the real exchange-rate

All of the above factors were caused by Mahathir’s mismanagement of the economy based on the advice of individuals who can only be described as his cronies. The Finance Minister’s and BNM’s warnings, almost two years before the crisis, were ignored and dismissed by Mahathir.

The US subprime crisis was caused by an entirely different reason, which was financial innovation. Without innovation, no industry can progress and finance was no different. In this particular case it was the securitization of mortgages known as subprime mortgages because of their relatively higher risk. Few, including the US Federal Reserve Bank, foresaw the danger that would be caused to the global financial system by these products.

He who knows not and knows not he knows not, he's the real fool

Despite Mahathir’s claims, the US did allow banks and companies to go under, including Lehman, and Bear Sterns. If the US had not then stepped in, it would have caused a far worse global crisis which would have have also impacted Malaysia.

Mahathir also claims that Malaysia, thanks to his currency controls, recovered faster than its neighbours. This is untrue as there was little difference in the timing of the recoveries. In terms of the quality of recovery, we are definitely worse off than our neighbours.

In an attack on the finance industry, Mahathir claims that it creates no jobs, businesses or trade. This is of course entirely untrue as the Finance Industry plays the critical role of funneling savings to the best possible use. If Mahathir thinks it creates no jobs, he should visit the City of London. We will add that the export surplus in the Finance Industry contributes to almost 3% of the UK’s GDP. There will also be no business or trade without Banks to provide loans to those who need it.

Blind leading the blind

Nor should Mahathir be running down the complex financial products that are found in the market today. They serve a purpose, to hedge, to protect investment value or to avoid large volatilities in investments. So indeed we need options and swaps and forwards and futures.

Mahathir then suggests, incredibly, that Bretton Woods be revived and gold reestablished as the basis for currency exchange rates. Clearly, Mahathir has no interest in learning from the lessons of history or he would not make so foolish a suggestion. During the Great Depression in the 1930’s, it was the economies that hung on the longest to the gold standard (including Brittan and the US) that took the longest time to recover. It will also mean that countries will no longer have control over their monetary policy.

Money supply will grow fast or slow based on the pace of gold discoveries. Effectively, this means that a without gold discoveries, we would end up with deflation which would inevitably lead to the contraction of economies. It is ignorance and a lack of a clear thought process that prompts Mahathir to come up with such ideas. We should be grateful, one supposes, that Malaysia is now free of his grandiose schemes or we will be saddled with yet more failed enterprises like the Perwajas and the Protons. Unfortunately he still wields enough influence in the BN to get the odd crackpot idea approved.

Towards Economic Disaster!

Mahathir then proposes that currency trading be banned. How then would one determine rates of exchange? Based on Mahathir’s less than informed opinion, perhaps?

Forex trades essentially ensure that any given product, a packet of groundnuts shall we say, costs the same in Malaysia as it does in South Korea, assuming there are no transportation costs. If Malaysian groundnuts cost more than South Korean groundnuts then demand for it would dissapear. The result would be a depreciation in the ringgit until the groundnuts cost the same again in both countries. To attempt to manage these scenarios and far more complex situations without a forex market would be foolhardy.

Mahathir and his like yet control the Barisan Nasional and are even now leading us into disaster in 2012 by denying an abyss that is already upon us. For us to engage in reasoned and rational economic dialogue, practice and policies, we will have to jettison the BN by voting in a new Pakatan government. The alternative is unthinkable. The alternative is economic disaster.

Malaysia Chronicle

DPP Revisits J'accuse (Dr Mahathir...)

2012-01-16T16:25:00.004+08:00

From MChronicle:~~

Sunday, 15 January 2012 14:26

I accuse the good Dr M (J' accuse revisited)

Written by donplaypuks

FROM THE BLOGS Today marks the 114th anniversary of the greatest newspaper article of all time - 'J'accuse' - written and published on 13th January 1898 by Emile Zola. As my homage to Zola and J'accuse, I reprise below my earlier blog post of 9 July 2010.

Alongside and before 'J'accuse' stands the American Declaration of Independence of 4th July 1776 with its electrifying 'We hold these truths to be self-evident.' This proclamation must rank as a sacred formulation of the fundamental rights of every human being and represents the pinnacle of human intellect in freeing us from a kind of mental slavery that certain men can command and rule us at their whims and fancies as if by divine right.

This reprisal is timely, coming as it does in the wake of Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal from sodomy charges, heralding a new brighter dawn for the nation.

Meanwhile 'the Good Dr.M' continues to sow the seeds of dissent and disunity while continuing to support the regime of a lying Prime Minister who propels us closer to a totalitarian state as the last strategy for his Party to cling on to power.

Note too that Dr.Mahathir presides as paid "adviser" to the fast sinking Proton Holdings which for the umpteenth time has entered into discussions for either take over by or collaboration deals with successful foreign automotive giants while at the same time championing dodgy, cosy deals with local "auto czars" and "top Proton management."

Of course, he is also paid "adviser" to Petronas which has embarked on farming out "marginal oilfield exploration rights" worth $billions to private companies. And who should be the primary beneficiary of these "direct negotiation" ventures? Surprise! Surprise! It's none other than a consortium in which Dr.M's son has a major stake. Can anyone tell us what exactly is a "marginal oil field" that Pertonas is forsaking exploration of while Mirzan Mahathir and his partners, which includes foreign parties, are willing to sink in their own capital of US$400 million?

Everywhere we look, our treasured GLC's, like MAS, are falling over like tenpins. After announcing humongous operating losses, they are being patched up together by the same management teams which proudly announced after the previous restructuring (costing the Taxpayer tens of $billions) that it was the best ever and they had seen the "light at the end of the tunnel" and "turned the corner" after "leaving no stone unturned" in their search for viable solutions.

Previously, Dr.M, as long-standing "adviser", claimed he hadn't a clue about the fiasco in Proton writing off $560 million of its disastrous investment in motor-cycle manufacturer MV Augusta and selling it off for Euro 1. Consequently, Mahathir's handpicked MD for Proton, Tengku Mahaleel, was sacked. Mahathir again pleased "Que?" When Najib engineered the retirement of Petronas CEO Tan Sri Hassan Merican in order to ease in his dubious crony Omar Mustapha Ong (of Ethos Consulting fame) on to the Board of Directors, again it would appear, if it can be believed, Dr.Mahathir was not consulted??!!

One can only suppose that Dr.Mahathir, now wiser when even longer in the tooth, is taking an ever closer interest in the manoeuvrings going on in Proton and Petronas, which in turn is bound to be the harbinger of more Taxpayer $billion bailouts and economic rape of our "safe deposit" petroleum resources.

So,let's learn to recognise Mahathirism whenever and wherever we encounter it, and extinguish it from the face of the earth.

9th July 2010

HEROES AND VILLAINS

The 112th anniversary of the publication of the most famous denouncement in the history of the world of a racist conspiracy quietly passed us by on 13th January. The French writer Emile Zola took on the might of the entire Government of France when he sounded that clarion call for justice in the L' Aurore newspaper in Paris on 13th January 1898.

'J’accuse’ or ‘I Accuse’ represents the triumph of human intellect, endeavour, strength and resolve over hopeless odds when faced with institutionalised government misbehaviour, thuggery and gangsterism.

I had recourse to ‘J’Accuse’ in an earlier blog in 2008 click here

There are other epochal markers for human intellectual development like the 1776 ‘American Declaration of Independence’ with its doctrine of self- evident truths, that all men are created equal by their Creator with inalienable human rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, and......especially that:

“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the GOVERNED”.

Were you not inspired by Lincoln’s ‘Gettysburg Address’?:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

.... that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom— and that a government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Or by Churchill’s war speeches as he stood alone against the onslaught of Hitler, The Third Reich, Gestapo, ‘blue eyed and blonde’ Aryan superiority racist Nazism hypothesis, Holocaust, Mussolini and Hirohito, fascism and an Axis of Evil:

“I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, sweat and tears......

....our policy is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us.....against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime..... You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be.....

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even...armed and guarded....we would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”

Stirring words and actions such as these represent the uncanny arrival of the right men and women at the right time to lead, guide and inspire the world to safety. They feature prominently among the pinnacles of the advancement of human mind and ethics.

THE AWAKENING – 1 NATION, 3 SYSTEMS

When I first watched the black and white movie versions of 'The Life of Emile Zola' and 'The Dreyfus Affair' on Malaysian TV, I must have been 17 or so. The anti-Semitic aspect of the Dreyfus saga did not register much with me then though that was the central reason for the victimisation of Dreyfus, seen as a pushover by dark and dangerous elements in the admiralty of the French Navy. Most of my classmates and schoolmates, including me, were politically ignorant and naive even at a time when the Vietnam War was raging so close to home and the 1969 race riots, pretty much restricted to Malays and Chinese in Selangor, Ipoh and Penang following the general elections, changed our world! Back then, Kuala Lumpur was part of Selangor; it became the first Federal Territory on 1st February 1974.

But if today, anyone here were to say he is ignorant of the Israeli-Palestine conflict or the USA-Iran/Afghan War when Malaysians have justifiably sponsored and boarded flotillas heading for Gaza, and unjustifiably spawned local bomb makers and regional terrorists, that would be the height of ignorance or hypocrisy!

So, as in 1957 and 1969, Malaysia is once again at a crossroads. Now, we are faced with a right wing organisation, an NGO which claims to represent an “oppressed MAJORITY”! Now, isn’t that a little odd, if not an awful lot, given they are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the New Economic Policy (NEP)? More than that, the last 40 years has seen the almost complete domination at every level of Government, the Civil Service, Army, Navy and Air Force, Police, Judiciary, the administrative and teaching corps at Government owned schools, colleges and universities and Government Linked Companies (GLC's) such as Petronas, Sime Darby, MAS, Maybank and sports organisations, scouts movement and many others, by one group of Malaysians over any other.

Yet, they would have us believe, this has created an unprecedented level of insecurity among the majority that seemingly defies analysis. The NEP was formulated in 1970 to address the charge that indigenous Bumiputra majority in Malaysia only owned some 2% of the economy and to rectify the imbalance therein through affirmative action policies. It was meant to be terminated 20 years later, but never was by ex-Prime Minister Dr.Mahathir Mohamad (1981-2003) who summarily claimed its objectives had not been fully realised yet, though he never disclosed any independent statistics to support his fiat.

Some fifteen years later, a leading and highly respected PhD holding analyst and researcher with government resigned his post when his statement that Bumiputras had achieved 45% control of the economy was hotly disputed by then Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Najib Razak (now Prime Minister). It appears that equity valuations are still stated at original cost and not market values!

After 40 years of NEP, our government claims that the originally loosely stated Bumiputra target of 30% share of economy languishes at just under 20% and that of the 40% of the population classified as ‘poor’ by international yardsticks, Bumiputras constitute the majority!!

Whose fault is all that? Who is responsible for the gross abuse of the NEP to the extent that it only benefited a relatively few cronies, politicians, insiders, the elite and well-connected businessmen and corporate raiders to the tune of billions of dollars, while the masses ate cake? Who's exclusively been holding the reins of power since 1957? Who takes ownership for the endemic corruption and billion dollar financial scandals, the economic looting and plunder that continue to rock and quake the country?

This has led to vociferous demands amid much public hand wringing, breast beating and self-flagellation, prominently backed by Dr.Mahathir that Bumiputras who perhaps constitute some 60% of the populace, should by some law of inverted logic control and share in 67% of the national cake! The NGO leader and his acolytes aver they have a right to speak up and demand actions based on their view of right and wrong, on any and all issues involving or affecting Bumiputra rights; that they have “wide and enormous” support from the “indigenous heartland’ (wherever that may be).

Many suspect Dr.Mahathir is the real brain-child and power behind this NGO whose public leader gained a parliamentary seat standing as a candidate under the banner of Malaysia’s opposition religious party, PAS, then defected and now operates as an independent MP. Apparently his friendly overtures to the ruling party were roundly and pointedly, ignored!

Accusations have also been hurled against the ruling party that it has outsourced its extremist right wing elements and leanings to Dr.Mahathir and this new kid on the block NGO, thus killing two birds with one stone - appearing to be a moderate multi-racial consensus party AND portraying itself as the only party capable of dealing with overt chauvinism and extremism.

The stance and line of attack taken by Dr.Mahathir and this NGO is very, very clear:

1. The Ruling Party is no longer capable of protecting Bumiputra rights.

2. NEP should continue indefinitely until they and only they say, “enough”.

3. Their demands are backed by ‘Special Position’ clauses enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

4. The award of citizenship to immigrant populations in 1957 was a deliberate act of sabotage by the departing colonial British administration. That this somehow created what is in reality a 2nd class citizenship and a “Social Contract” whereby these immigrant citizens, their children and the children of their children ad infinitum will not question their government, ever, even if the Flames of Valhalla were to engulf them.

5. "Others" should not question anything pertaining to the NEP, its cost or who bears it in what proportion even if there is blatant abuse of it. (This implies the NEP exists only to rectify the economic imbalance among one group of Malaysians and not all, through affirmative action policies which are not defined).

6. Demands by other Malaysian citizens as to their Constitutional rights is not quite cricket, as by virtue of the (iffy) “Social Contract” they are 2nd class citizens!

7. That Opposition political parties such as multi-racial Democratic Action Party (DAP) (unlike the major component parties of the ruling Barisan National (BN) where memberships are by race) are anti-Bumiputra, anti-Islam, anti-Federal Constitution and anti-Monarchy (anti-Sultans). That DAP’s malevolent, treacherous and treasonous "secret" master plan/agenda is for the Chinese to re-colonise Malaysia with help from Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore to eventually turn it into a vassal and protectorate slave state of China. The woodwork is crawling with foreign spies out to wreck our nation!

8. If not, multi-racial opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) or People's Justice Party, is anti-Monarchy, pro-Israel and Pro-Zionists. It will turn Malaysia into a Republic and the 51st state of the USA, which, being ruled by proxy by Israel (as revealed so swimmingly by none other than Dr.Mahathir), shall surely result in Malaysia eventually being controlled by the Jews and their Diaspora!

J'ACCUSE III

Now we can clearly see in all its glorious nakedness the intentions of Dr.Mahathir, the new NGO, the ruling party and its MSM in the incessant demonising of DAP, PKR and its leaders. Attack is the best form of defence and when in doubt, play the man, not the ball (my tribute to World Cup Football)! Nazi Joseph's Goebbels' "A big lie when repeated often enough eventually will be accepted as the truth” has become fashionable political strategy. Ooh, you are about to be re-colonised and made 2nd class citizens in your own land by the minority and their foreign imperialistic allies! Boo, beware, or else your children will only be fit to be gardeners, chauffeurs, taxi and bus drivers, office and messenger boys, coolies and keranis (clerks)!

That it should fall to a non-entity, the little guy, the nobody, the small time blogger to sound the nation and the world, raise the cudgel and hopefully strike a blow for reason, freedom, truth and justice to prevail is a little worrying. All these people whom I revere and whose names I have sprinkled about as though I can claim a right to be associated with them - Washington, Lincoln, Churchill and Zola, oh Emile Zola, I ask for their forgiveness.

I am once again drawn to the 1776 ‘American Declaration of Independence’:

“..That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organising its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness......

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

And so let me begin:

J'Accuse Dr. Mahathir Mohamad of indulging and engaging in demagoguery, of playing to the gallery and playing with fire to drive a wedge and divide Malaysians, pitting race against race, by promoting envy and jealousy.

J'Accuse Dr. Mahathir Mohamad of scaremongering tactics, of and posturing like Enoch Powell who once scurrilously tried to frighten Britain citizens about being swamped by coloured immigrants and of “rivers of blood”! All this to mislead our people into thinking the ruling party is ordained (by divine right) to govern in perpetuity and there are no alternatives regardless of its excesses!

Let us be very clear. The majority of Bumiputras voting for the Opposition does not constitute loss of political power or control for the Bumiputras. It may be fatal for the incumbent ruling party, but that is not equivalent to a fate worse than death for the Bumiputras. No sirree, not by a long, long way! You see, you need the "consent of the GOVERNED". If you don't have it, you should know where the door is! The Governed today are not the uninformed naive lot that might once have been quietly bled to death by increasingly subtle ponzi and cunning Bernie Madhoff and Goldman Sachs mafia-style rabid conscienceless capitalist schemes!

J'Accuse Dr.Mahathir Mohamad of hypocrisy in ranting about a future government that MIGHT open the floodgates of immigration and reduce the Bumiputras to minorities in their own native land. There is also something quite amiss, something not quite right when Dr.Mahathir is himself actually the son of either 1st or 2nd generation immigrants from Kerala in India. Dr.Mahathir was the presiding prime minister when identity cards were issued by civil servants to illegal immigrants in Sabah attempting to re-engineer the population mix there. It was he who opened the doors to foreign labour and maids and then offered amnesty to a million illegal immigrant workers. Today, it is conservatively estimated that there are about a million illegal immigrants each in peninsular Malaysia, and Sarawak and Sabah.

J'Accuse Dr. Mahathir Mohamad of doing this deliberately and not caring a jot as to the consequences of such actions. In a tinder-dry atmosphere of his creation, when embraced by immature minds and opportunist politicians, such irresponsible utterances, writings and actions can prove to be the flash point for conflagration as in 1969! The highly intelligent Dr.Mahathir is not aware of it? Only too well, I suspect!

J'Accuse our successive governments of allowing the separate arms of a democratic state to deteriorate and be compromised as to their honesty and integrity to the greatest detriment of its people. Corruption and economic looting have been permitted to flourish and their perpetrators, to enjoy the fruits of their ill-begotten gains and escape scot-free!

J'Accuse our government of selective prosecution and double standards. Thus, an opposition MP is prosecuted under sedition laws for merely making a factually correct statement that a Sultan can be sued by law. Reporters and opposition politicians are bafflingly arrested and sequestered under the Internal Security Act (ISA) "for their own safety" based on unfounded rumours about an insult to Islam traceable to a blog posting by a ruling party MP and ex- State Chief Minister. Pro-government newspapers blow the conch for unreserved retaliation without verifying an iota of fact! A cartoonist, because his drawings are seen as anti-Government, has his books confiscated and banned under the repressive 1984 Printing Presses and Publication Act (PPPA) promulgated by Dr.Mahathir.

On the other hand, a government MP is let off with a slap on the wrist for referring to some citizens as immigrants, most of whom are 2nd and 3rd generation citizens or older! As too occurred with the prime minister defending his political aide who was forced to apologise and resign amidst public furore and outrage over a racist speech rant that the mothers of Chinese immigrants came to Malaysia as prostitutes to sell their bodies, and Indians as beggars! Really, PM Najib, do you honestly believe the words that came out of your own mouth that your ex-aide had not referred to “local Chinese and Indians”? He was referring to foreign Chinese and Indians who never set foot on our shores? Really? Then, my grandfather was a Caucasian named Ghandhi Mao!

And insulting foreign Chinese and Indians is acceptable behaviour? It is not blatant racism deserving outright condemnation and possibly, prison sentence for the "orator"?

J'Accuse!

HOPE

You cling to power, fame, the dismal dregs, trappings and illusion of money, property, wealth and a place in the history books.

I am not judging expecting perfection from you. The Lord alone knows my own weaknesses and pathetic failures.

I demand fair play. I demand justice prevails. That’s all.

And I say all this with great fear. I am no hero. I “know” no one. If they come after me in the wee hours of the morning because that’s what they have learnt from Stalin and Hitler and Idi Amin, Bokassa, Saddam and the Taliban about how to treat their fellow citizens, I shall go quietly and gently in their Black Maria and say nothing. I shall not give the enforcers any statements or the time of the day. I shall not give in to pain!

I have said what I meant to.

My inalienable right to say it is indisputable.

I have the weight of history in my favour and (I hope) God on my side!

- http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com/

DESIDERATA: I urge my EsteemedReaders to reprint this article and circulate it as widely as possible before GE-13. Do your small part, and every small part will add up to a mountainous wave that will sweep UMNO off the Putrajaya throne from where Najib&Cronies have been plundering the nation's riches at the expense of the People. One minister's family received RM250million at 2percent loan to rear cows, but they siphoned off RM30million to buy condominiums. And they hand out a paltry RM500 -- one-off summore! -- to poor families and expect them to be forever grateful. So the Rakyat Jelata run out of rice, bread and butter, and the generous PM's wife invites them to come to the Permata party, and "Let's eat cakes!" Yes, Rosmah spent RM111million in just the first year alone on her socalled Permata personal project!

Opposition Leader DS Anwar Ibrahim had just before GE-12 vowed that the first thing PR would do when it took over Putrajaya was to LOWER PETROL PRICES (by 10-20percent?) instead of raising them every time the world oil prices rose. Malaysia is a nett poil producer and exporter, so this is possible (as former DPM and Finance Minister he knows this...), and the many rounds of price-inflation (which occurred under the UMNO regime the past few years) would have been prevented which cause the people's standard of living to plunge several rounds.

There is URGENCY AND IMPETUS for our nation's survival that at the ballot box, V V V V V V V the people/RAKYAT VOTE ABU -- Yes, Vote Anyone But UMNO (Asalkan Bukan UMNO!) ~~ VOTE PAKATAN RAKYAT

After the euphoria, Pakatan Rakyat, please come back for REALITY CHECK!

2012-01-16T11:56:00.003+08:00

From a writer I have sighted often enough at The Malaysian Insider, and who I believe was among the pioneers of ABU -- Anyone But UMNO (Asalkan Bukan UMNO). Of course, one medicine seller in London wants us now to believe ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the FIRST to promote ABU. If that was true, Desi was born yesterday, and Sharizat's family's cows can fly. What happened was at that time UMNO was divided into Team A and Team B, and we all know how the cunningwan used the courts to dismantle ori UMNO to give birth to UMNO Baru to control all its ill-gotten assets. Soon enough, like the Animal Farm of George Orwell, the animals woke up to "All animals are born equal, but some are more equal than others", so Baru was dropped. Hey Presto, UMNO under devil's disguise took over, and NegaraKu became a land of Daylight Robbers and Rapists of the resources, chiefly PETROLEUM, of this fair land of milk and honey we call home. Now, two decades later, we are headed for BANKRUPTSY, a warning olagged off by Idris Jala (bless him at THT time!) who was later copted into BN Cab in net made of wood, and he changed his tune...

I believe PR, especially PKR, after entering into a season of Hi Euphoria after the court's decision of acquitting its leader DS Anwar Ibrahim of Sodomy II charges, must now come back to a REALITY CHECK. And so it's that Desi preproduces this column from ALI KADIR. I believe he was from the ori UMNO bloodline as his father served once as Law Minister, when the BN big brother still had some decent and honest leaders.

Side Views

Just the basics, Pakatan — Ali Kadir

January 15, 2012

JAN 15 — Does Malaysia need new ideas or a new vision or reinvention? I pose this question after reading a report in The Malaysian Insider today which summed up the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Kedah and the writer suggested that the Opposition need freshening up.

More than anything else Malaysia needs a recalibration of doing things the right way, of following processes, of tackling corruption seriously, of rehabilitating the hollow institutions, of making sure that the rule of law applies to prince and pauper, of not sacrificing racial harmony because of political expediency, of rehauling government procurement, of respecting the rights of states, of upholding the sanctity of the Federal Constitution, of not treating non-Malays/Muslims as enemies of the state.

In my humble opinion, if Pakatan Rakyat really wants the support of Malaysians, they should specify in some detail their plans to address the abovementioned. There is a tendency for us to call for new ideas, new approach and new vision.

But we have had all that and more over the last few decades, beginning with the self-proclaimed visionary, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Following that was Abdullah Badawi with his own vision and now we have Najib Razak.

But what has been forgotten by all the PM’s, spin doctors is integrity, honesty and nurturing and preserving the soul of this country. It is not about building 100-storey towers or mega projects.

It is about reclaiming Malaysia for the people who matter, its citizens. For far too long, the ruling elite have torn and twisted the psyche of Malaysia for their own benefit.

Yes, Pakatan Rakyat please sort out the knots that remain in your alliance. But we don’t need another booklet or another vision.

Malaysians want a commitment to doing things the right way, of putting public interest over narrow interest. And if Pakatan Rakyat you do come to power and muck around with the mandate, then you too will be shown the door.

For at the core of any democracy is respecting the will of the voter.

* Ali Kadir reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

DESIDERATA: Yes, cometh GE-13, Vote ABU; Vote Pakatan Rakyat!

I am not superstitious...so let's talk after earthly life

2012-01-15T18:09:00.009+08:00

One subject I try to avoid is Religion --- that's because you can talk until all of Sharizat's cows come back to their three condos, we wouldn't be be able to come to a fruitful conclusion. I can talk about life, death and half-dead, and it's from a common man's perspective...and we can usually nod or shake our heads over different POV. But we won't start yelling and howling, K!

I have writ that although I was born in the year of the Pig, I believe I have traits of a Cat. I am no kitty I add.

Those who follow my blog writHes religiously, like every Sunday instead of going to the church, you'd know that I write personal stuff on this "holyday", so I call it Sunday's RUMINATION. A legacy from a weekly column I had writ for an Online newspaper, which one you can ask? My answer is: please don't be kaypoh -- spend time pondering about THE STATE OF OUR NATION, and related to it, your life, existence and death.

mGf Jon A has wisely observed that we don't choose where we are born, just like we don't choose our relatives. (If I can choose the later, I wouldn't have 20percent of my relations still with me; as for the former, the story follows...)

I often use DDC, so newcomers don't often understand half of what I write. Do I care? NO, because my Rumination is often shared confidences. Between fRiends. Yes, don't drop the "R", I often remind. If I used DDC plus revealing the chinoserie in me, I'd writHe Don't dlop the "l", C?

I have expended like 4 to 5 of a cat's lives, so have 9 minus 4 o5 left. Into my 10th life, I don't want to be a writer no more, don't wanna die a pauper TWICE! That would be so masochistic.

I told mGf -- DDC for myGOoDfriend, not myGALfirend, OK! how many times have I told you, last time or lately, that I don't love you for asking, what, you have so many galfriends ah?

Now where was I?

I was ruminating on the re-incarnated life of a blogger named Desi.I am a journalist by training, but when I write in weird ways, I am no gay, just a BUM. Or BUMmer -- it's democratic world in blogosphere -- so you coin a term as you like it, even if Shakespeare could have invented it but put in a slightly different way.

2b cuntinudeD, Godwilled, InsyaAllah:~~

Ah, now it's 9.23PM, after a hearty meal and some kaypoh-ing wit' some political mateys -- knot yet fRiends -- I come back to ruminate cos I have promised, and more often than not, I keep my promises. Sometimes, I put on a facade, add one paragraph, well padded, like some cowgal's antomy, I end my reflection because I feel lazy, hazy, dazy and mazy -- if any word doesn't belong, please strike one/wan!

So talking about Life -- there has been many predictions that 2010 (ERRATA: 2012, see, Desi's as human as you after awe!) would mark the year of DOOMSDAY for the human race. Armageddon indeed, Apocalypse, but who am I to join the league of Nostradamus? I can't even predict if I'm getting my allowance cheque for sext month.

What I would say is IF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT ENDS ON THE SAME DAY FOR EVERY ONE OF US, "it would be the most unfairest Godly/unGodly/human/inhuman verdict!" at the end of the day this year. WHY should "innocent" people, most of us are I think, working hard for an honest day's living, suffer the same fate as the MURDERERS, DAYLIGHT ROBBERS, RAPISTS and bloodSUCKERS? (that seem to proliferate in one political party hear!:(

Indeed, I would then come to a final conclusion there is no such thing as a GOD, however you deem Him to be.

Desi would pray to the Almighty, spare me and the hordes of cowboys and cowgals, whose only sin is they like to lay about, sing for their supper if they didn't have breakfast and lunch, then drink tehtarik to drown their sorrows because the bars would not serve soft drinks. Maybe some smartaleck trade can put the beer in A&W lookalike cans and label it as Rut Bir.
I wouldn't touch beer as I think I would embarrass myself turning red-as-a-lobster, and that would turn off a cowgal, wouldn't I?

Or if Nashville, 10yC would bear with one more, I would like to be dare before the End of the World is sung to its finish by Skeeter Davies. I would rather look forward to this scenario, I told my sunny boy this aft'noon:

I'd***duet wit' FAITH HILL strumming my Kapok guitar; then challenge Tim MCgrowl to a ****duel, like a Gunfight at the OK Corral...Is that corral in Tennysee, ah?

For Ignoramus hear, ***duet is a song sung by a cowboy and cowgal, normally a love-song, never a hatesong (because the ilks of PERKASA peeps aren't allowed in Nashville, they can stay put at the two condos of RM10million in Bangsar owned by cow'rds like Sharizat and husband and sons and daughter because they don't know the word "shame"!

**** Duel is a gentlemanly fight, normally to the death, between two gentlemen, normally o'er a third party called a beautiful -- drop dea!d -- cowgal! No, Desi would NOT challenge Perkasa chief or cattle honcho thief --Dr Mohd Salleh izzit? -- for a duel. If they were to duel Desi, they would use a mesingun and Desi's left wit' a six-shooter. Oh no, Desi wouldn't like to go underground before the Big One hits Los Angeles or Tokyo.

PEaCE mGf, it's just two weeks into a beaut year, we have 366 minus 15days left; no, don't spell it as Oz do, 351 dies left, or right. I wanna be Tempted yet, so let's sing together, alongside George Jones:

ALMOST PERSUADED

Last night all alone in a barroom
Met a girl with a drink in her hand
She had ruby red lips and coal black hair
And eyes that would tempt any man.

Then she came and sat down at my table
And as she placed her soft hand in mine
I found myself wanting to kiss her
For temptation was flowing like wine.

And I was almost persuaded
To strip myself of my pride
Almost persuaded
To put my conscience aside.

Then we danced and she whispered I need you
Take me away from here and be my man
Then I looked into her eyes and I saw it
The reflection of my wedding band.

And I was almost persuaded
To let strange lips lead me on
Almost persuaded
But your sweet love made me stop and go home...

Send “Almost persuaded” Ringtone to Your Cell

*******************************************************

And if you feel like strumming along, hear's (C how HEart Desi works like a cowboy for yeE!:):(~~

Artist: Wynette Tammy
Song: Almost Persuaded

Tammy Wynette Sheet Music
Tammy Wynette CDs

Send “Almost Persuaded” Ringtone to Cell Phone

ALMOST PERSUADED
Recorded by Tammy Wynette
Words and music by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton

Last [C] night, all a-[C7] lone in a bar-[F] room
Met a [C] man with a drink in his [G] hand
He had [C7] baby-blue eyes, [F] coal black hair
And a [C] smile that a girl [G] under-[C] stands. ... [G]

Then he [C] came and sat [C7] down at my [F] table
And as he [C] placed his hand over [G] mine
I [C] found myself [C7] wanting to [F] kiss him
For temp-[C] tation was [G] flowing like [C] wine. [G7]

And I was [C] al-[C7] per-[F] suaded
To [C] strip myself of my [G7] pride
[C] Al-[C7] most per-[F] suaded
To [C] push my [G7] conscience a-[C] side. ... [A7]

CHANGE TO D:
Then we [D] danced and he [D7] whispered, "I [G] need you!
Let me [D] take you away, and be your [A] man."
Then I [D] looked into his [D7] eyes and I [G] saw it
The re-[D] flection of [A7] my wedding [D] band. [A7]

And I was [D] al-[D7] most per-[G] suaded
To [D] let strange lips lead me [A] on
[D] al-[D7] most per-[G] suaded,
But your [D] sweet love made me [A7] stop and go [G] home. [D]

Send “Almost Persuaded” Ringtone to Cell Phone

Ole Blue Eyes' tradition in Malaysia...

2012-01-14T00:01:00.004+08:00

So everyone of us can maketh it "Our Way"...or "My Way" unique to his/her own:-
Desi would.

Desi chooseth to highlight the last stanza, can?
COS it is the one that inspires the most...
And I believe in the footsteps of Ole Blue Eyes,
There is one Malaysian

Who stands tall

Opposition Leader DS Anwar Ibrahim
After overcoming all the travails and tribulations
For more than a decade
Hounded by the UMNO baddies

On 9th of January 2012
He can proudly sing:
"I did it my way..."

Writer: JACQUES REVAUX, CLAUDE FRANCOIS, GILLES THIBAUT, PAUL ANKA

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway;
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
"No, oh no not me,
I did it my way".

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

DESIDERATA: still in Ruminating mood; we shalt all pause
PONder my friends, the STATE OF THE NATION
And then you realise we indeed have hope
Because one leader stood fall
Battling the evil forces defacing NegaraKu

And wit' a little help from his fRiends
Along the way -- the hi- and by-way
DS Anwar accompanied by a growing band of Do The Right Thing Malaysians
Can truly sing in unison with conviction
"We did it our way."

AGE

2012-01-13T15:04:00.005+08:00

Although Sunday is two days away -- but for Oz-influenced Malaysians, who have gone away todie, this one is not for you! -- yet Desi is in the mood to RUMINATE. It's for my bud Jon A, just a heartbyte away! And one other friend far away, but yet Always on my mind.

This is because of a friend just two weeks younger than Desi, and I'm younger than DS Anwar Ibrahim by two weAks2-- a PM-in-waiting! -- complained to me yesterday that too many of his acquaintances of his age are wasting precious time fighting over small things -- we call it "petty" quarrels.

We both have been encouraging each other -- yes, we were classmates in the gOod olde days when just Brinsford College trained teachers spoke more or less perfect English, so it was rare for pupils -- unlike my nephews' gen-- to point out any mis'takes on the instructors' part. I had been a "rewrite" newsperson for some time, and yes, even graduates in English (of my nephews' gen!) major had their copies of just 100-150words glittering with a dozen grammar mistakes! I was inclined to advise a couple of them to go elsewhere for a new job -- but then we would have half the newsroom empty of reporters!:(

Back to age -- it's the mental attitude that determines how old or young one feels -- yes, a p[op songhot in the airwaves runs "Forever Young", but that would be against reality.

On the weekday a few before DS Anwar faced the Sodomy II judge, he was in Seremban, and he had remarked: "No worries about me going to jail. I'm still strong, although I'm 64 years old, I feel 46!" -- a refrain my classmate and I were sharing since last August when we started singing the Beatles' "When I'm sixty-four". I wonder if my ER wit' gOod memory noticed then it was my Anthem For Now (see above, now featuring Connie Francis of my young Gen!:)

So I close this early reflection -- I pen such (w)rites when the mood catches my imagination:) -- wit' a borrowed write (how I wished it was Desi's!) ~~from page 17 of A. Dudley Dennison, Jr.'s "Contemporary Illustrations for Speakers & Teachers":~~

Age

Age is a quality of mind.
If you have left your dreams behind.
If hope is lost,
If you no longer look ahead.
Then you are old.

But if from life you take the best,
And if in life you keep the jest,
If love you hold,
No matter how the years go by.
No matter how the birthdays fly,
You are not old!

About time, YES! that Zul Noordin and Utusan get their suit

2012-01-13T11:47:00.004+08:00

Former lecturer Aziz Bari deserves our support, for he's doing us a favour--some NATIONAL SERVICE, in Desi's eyes. Syabas, may we see more of you standing up to these divisive elements -- maybe PR will give ye a parliamentary seat to contest in GE-13? -- YL, thinking allowed:)

FRom Bernama, via MChronicle:)

Friday, 13 January 2012 05:49

Aziz Bari sues Zul Noordin, Utusan for defamation

KUALA LUMPUR- Former International Islamic University law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has filed a defamation suit against a Member of Parliament (MP) and Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad.

Abdul Aziz named Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Datuk Zulkifili Noordin, Utusan group chief editor Datuk Abdul Aziz Ishak, Mingguan Malaysia and Utusan Melayu as defendants.

He filed the suit through the law firm of Messrs Mohamed Hanipa & Associates at the Kuala Lumpur Civil High Court Registry on Dec 22 last year. A copy of the statement of claim was made available to the media.

Lawyer Azhana Mohd Khairudin, who is representing Abdul Aziz, told reporters that High Court deputy registrar Norhatini Abdul Hamid had set Feb 10 for case management after meeting the parties in chambers today.

The plaintiff alleged that on Oct 17, 2011, Zulkifli had uttered defamatory words against him, which were published a day later in an article in Utusan Malaysia. Abdul Aziz claimed the words referred to him directly because his name and designation were specifically mentioned in the article.

He said the natural and ordinary meaning of the words meant that he was, among others, a rude and uncouth individual and a law professor who was not fit to be a law lecturer.

He is seeking general, exemplary and aggravated damages with cost, apology and a retraction of the statements from the defendants.

-BERNAMA

Greatest scientist ponders the mystery of creature called "woman"

2012-01-12T08:33:00.001+08:00

Saturday, 07 January 2012 14:54

Stephen Hawking: Women are the biggest mystery in the universe

(1 Vote)

The biggest mystery in the universe perplexing one of the world's best known scientists is -- women.

When New Scientist magazine asked Brief History of Time author Stephen Hawking what he thinks about most, the Cambridge University professor renowned for unraveling some of the most complex questions in modern physics answered: "Women. They are a complete mystery."

The wheelchair-bound Hawking, who only recently retired from a post once held by Isaac Newton, talked to the magazine in the run-up to celebrations for his 70th birthday about his biggest scientific blunder and his hopes for modern science.

Hawking is due to celebrate his 70th birthday on Sunday with a public symposium entitled The State of the Universe at the University of Cambridge's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.

Hawking heads a list of speakers including British Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Saul Perlmutter and Kip Thorne, one of the world's leading theoretical physicists.

- Reuters

DESIDERATA: Simpleton Desi has a home growwn Malaysian mystery -- WHY ARE MALAYSIANS SO TOLERATING OF UMNO & MCA LEADERS WHO ROB THEM IN BROAD DAYLIGHT?

****PONder former minister Dr Ling LS ambitiously trumpeting his great son, Ling Hee Leong, as broadcast by the MCA-owned newspapers, becoming the YOUNGEST BILLIONAIRE IN THE COUNTRY AT RIPE OLDE AGE OF 27, taking over at least four listed copanies. When the shit hit the fan with the stock market crashing to just 10-20percent of then market values, this rat escaped to hide in Australia, and a cohort named Datuk John Soh was left carrying the baby.

****PONder why then PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad sacked his deputy DS Anwar Ibrahim? The truth of the matter was that DSAI did not approve of Mahathir's proposed bailot using PETRONAS money of his tycoon son's shipping company to the tune of over RM1billion when the Asian financial crisis hit. Of course, if you believe UMNO No.1robber&goons who did the devil's job were singing the charge that: Anwar was NOT FIT (MORALLY) to become PM as he was engaged in immoral sexual acts NOT PROVEN. But Sodomy I and II robbed us of the missed opportunity of real reformation and great transformations for more than a decade.

We are an at important crossroads where we have power to CHANGE THE STATUS QUO IN GOVERNMENT in our hands as VOTERS. We have to save ourselves and country from going bankrupt with these UMNO robbers if they stayed another decade!

Hey, dear fellow Malaysians, let's say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH to these UMNO daylight robbers! At GE-13, VOTE ABU, yes, Anyone But UMNO (Asalkan Bukan UMNO), VOTE PAKATAN RAKYAT!

Anwar’s not-guilty verdict has altered Malaysian political landscape

2012-01-11T13:47:00.000+08:00

By Kim Quek

The judge walked into the court room, read the judgment in one minute, and disappeared into his chamber.

By the time the flabbergasted people in the court room recovered from their shock and realized what it all meant, they jumped in uncontrollable jubilation with shouts of joy, burst of tears, hugging, back-slapping, utterances of congratulations and thanks. Within minutes, the same ecstatic outburst also came over the thousands of supporters gathered outside the court building. In fact, the sense of joy and emotional relief has quickly reverberated right across the nation, transcending race and religion.

Such was the high drama that greeted the totally unexpected acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim from the sodomy charge by Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah at the Kuala Lumpur high court on Jan 9.

And such was the impact of this sensational Anwar story that it travels instantly around the globe with international TV channels like Aljazeera and BBC stopping their programs to break the news, which no doubt has also brought relief and satisfaction to overseas pro-democracy and human rights bodies and well-wishers who had been anxiously awaiting the outcome of this sodomy trial.

No doubt the heightened sensation derived partly from the shock element of the verdict as no one had expected an acquittal. This is due to the fact that the trial had been so outrageously unjust and vindictive right from the start that everyone recognized it as political persecution and had anticipated a conviction and possibly instant jail on D-day, Jan 9^th. And so, imagine the joy of learning the opposite in such a dramatic fashion at the end of this long drawn ordeal.

It is common human experience that it is only when one is on the verge of losing a dear person that he discovers how much he loves that person.

And so it is with Anwar Ibrahim. The nation-wide anxieties (expecting the worst scenario) that were steadily building up in the run up to judgment day, and the irrepressible smiling faces that appeared everywhere upon learning Anwar’s acquittal is the best testimony of the hitherto not so obvious truth that the nation has in fact all along treasured his leadership.

Such spontaneous response is also indication that Anwar’s indefatigable struggle to bring an end to the long antiquated and corrupt autocracy in this country, against unparalleled cruelty inflicted on him, has not gone unnoticed and unappreciated by the people, despite the regime’s high-handed media black-out on him all this time.

This wholly unanticipated finale to the three and a half year long Anwar sodomy II saga has far- reaching ramifications, and in fact transformed the political landscape and altered the balance of power between the challenger and the incumbent. Anwar’s vindication of his innocence and his return to full political life from the precipice of a potentially lengthy prison term has brought the following consequences:

· It has spared Pakatan Rakyat the potential crisis of a leadership vacuum.

· On a personal level, it has revitalized Anwar and strengthened his position as the undisputed leader of the opposition group.

· It has enhanced his public image as prime minister-in-waiting who will lead Pakatan Rakyat to rid the country from the current quagmire of racial and religious dissension and economic malaise perpetrated by Barisan Nasional (BN).

· Having averted near catastrophe, Anwar’s new lease of political life will re-energise the Pakatan alliance and bring the component parties closer together as a compact fighting force.

· It has caused BN a disastrous set-back, for not only bringing a political plot that it has labored for three and a half years to naught, but also for damaging BN’s public image and credibility.

· It has demoralized BN and increased the risk of its fringe component parties deserting the mother ship.

· For whatever reason that precipitated this unexpected verdict – whether the last stage reversal was decided by the judge himself or by the political masters to avoid greater net loss of electoral support – such a disastrous finale has apparently deepened the conflict between the hardliners and reform-inclined faction within Umno.

The last point is important as it has the potential to cause an implosion in Umno – a thoroughly corrupted political party, void of political idealism, and characterized by its world famous brand of “money politics” and perennial in-fighting.

That there has been a last moment reversal is suggested by the following occurrences:

First, more than a week before D-day (Jan 9), blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), long time Anwar loyalist, launched a vicious attack on Anwar, branding him a sodomite who was guilty as charged. These attacks, which were widely publicised in Umno-control newspapers and TV channels, were recognised as a signal that Umno was still on-course to convict Anwar, and the RPK’s attack was a tactical move to pre-empt the potential backlash of an Anwar conviction.

Second, a few days before Jan 9, home minister Hishamuddin Hussein hinted a softening of stance against the proposed ‘free Anwar’ mass rally on Jan 9, when he suggested to Anwar’s party PKR to seek permission for the rally from the police, which had up to that point vowed to crack down harshly on it. And to the surprise of everyone, the police promptly gave their consent upon its first meeting with PKR, despite having vehemently opposed it previously. In hind sight, that could be the point in time when the decision to convict Anwar was reversed, as it makes sense not to clash with Anwar’s supporters when Anwar was already destined to be acquitted.

Third, it is odd that the judge should give only a one-minute verdict at the final judgment, while it took him one hour and fifty minutes to deliver his lengthy judgment at the interim stage to establish the prima facie case. A palpable explanation is that the one-minute verdict was a last moment decision. Alternatively, it could be the honest but sketchy script of a judge who finally could not bring himself to pass a judgment that would condemn him and his descendents to eternal infamy.

That Umno’s hardline faction has been rattled by the Anwar acquittal is seen in the uncharacteristically belated response of faction leaders deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former premier Mahathir Mohamad. As expected, both hypocritically claimed that the Anwar verdict was proof that the Executive had never interfered with the judiciary. Such manifestly untrue claims only re-confirm that these hardliners are still living in the past, grossly out of tune with the tempo of the Internet age.

These political dinosaurs belong to history. They don’t deserve to rule Malaysia.

Kim Quek

11.01.2012

DPP has another dig at PM&his wooden Cab...

2012-01-10T18:25:00.005+08:00

bin Et!

Especially on one who had vowed his had "burnt" his bridge to UMNO forever when joinging Tengku Razaleign once upon a time when they still had "semangat"... Maybe they should join RPK in his abode nigh London Bridge reportedly fallin' down ... yet has not reached the seabed. It awaits the UMNO bridge to hit rock bottom first. And Lais Yatim the orphan rejoined Najib's cabinet and once a while, comes out like a worm to sing the Master's voice song. Pathetic until the same-olde-UMNO crumbles and then Lais Yatim might just goback to Negeri Sembilan to revive his state politics. If Mohamed Isa can, surely Lais Yatim with a Law master's degree candu! And Desi joins DDP in raising the tehtarik cuppppps: Bottoms Up Mateys!

09/01/2012

IN GOD (& PERHAPS DSAI) WE TRUST, EVERYONE ELSE PAYS CASH!

or "INDEPENDENT MALAYSIAN JUDICIARY?" YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!

by donplaypuks® at http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com

Brothers and Sister of Malaysia,

I had wanted to open my writing on this historic day in Malaysian with what it was like to breathe the hill air in the Car Park at the Jalan Duta Court Complex this morning and what it meant to me and my friends when news of Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim's (DSAI) acquittal filtered through to the crowd of 10,000 there.

But let me digress a wee bit lest we let our serially lying Prime Minister and his Minister for MsInformation, Goebbels Tim Rice Anak Yatim Piatu and his cohorts run off at the mouth (and pink lips) and make all sorts of wild claims that this acquittal has firmly established that our Judiciary always was and truly is, independent of influence, especially by the Executive. Let me categorically state this:

Today’s decision by High Court Judge Mohamed Zabidin bin Mohamed Diah to acquit Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) of sodomising his ex-aide Mohamed Saiful Bukhari Azlan on 29June 2008 DOES NOT BY ONE JOT mean the Malaysian Judiciary is truly independent of the manipulating tentacles of this UMNO/BN Government or of one that may succeed it. ****No way does one swallow a summer make. Nor does it, as opined by Bridgette Welsh, a professor at Singapore Management University and a long-term observer of Malaysian politics who was on hand to attend the verdict, and who spoke to the Wall St. Journal, mean:

“It shows that Mr Najib is willing to step away from interfering in the judiciary.”

No Siree! It does not mean any such thing! Not by a very long, long way!

****(Interject DPP can? I used the same metaphor - so izzit DPP working inconsort wit' Desi~~ or a case of GreAt Minds Think Alike? ~~ Desi)

I am also incensed (well, actually, fucking pissed off) that all these foreign "experts" on Malaysian politics and Press were allowed entry into Judge Zabidin's courtroom while we, the taxpaying Rakyat (citizens) were deliberately denied our Constitutional right to bear witness to the court proceedings by an army of our very own policemen.

THE SLATE WILL NOT BE CLEAN until Barisan Rakyat takes over the reins of Government and we have an open Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) where all the relevant judges, magistrates, Attorney Generals, Chief Secretaries to Government, Ministers, Chief Ministers, Inspector Generals of Police, Generals and even the odd Sultan or two are subpoenaed to testify on the peculiar decisions they made regarding State coups, various deaths in police custody and elsewhere as well as cases of financial misdeeds by our home grown Fraudtrepreneurs and "Corpo-rat Captains of Industry," general endemic corruption and about corruption charges levelled at judges. Some of these cases are-:

1. The Teoh Beng Hock "suicide."

2. Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed "suicide."

3. Deaths in police custody of Francis Udayappan, Ananthan Kugan, Gunasegaran Rajasundram and scores of others.

4. A former Chief Justice (an an ex-Attorney General) who was caught candidly on camera holidaying with lawyers who paid for his travelling expenses and who appeared in front of him in more than one court case. That same CJ was also identified by witnesses testifying under oath at the same RCI as having gone hunting for a $1 million house with a local business tycoon. The lawyer involved was accused of fixing some court cases and the appointment of judges with the CJ and others such as Mahathir.
5. Perak State coup.

In particular, I would like to grill over flaming coals a couple of Federal Court judges, if they are still alive, how in Sodomy 1 they could honestly write an opinion that the accuser, Azizan Abu Bakar had blatantly lied about various relevant issues under oath, but nevertheless were "convinced" that DSAI had committed sodomy on him as testified to solely by Azizan!

This is not about revenge, but about transparency and accountability, and most of all, integrity. It is also to send a clear message to those titled personages and others holding high office in Government and Government Linked Concerns (GLC's) that with fancy salary packages, perks and privileges, not to mention inflation proof index-linked pensions and chauffeur driven Mercedes Benz cars, comes 'in loco parentis' or duty of care. They cannot just walk away from administrative and $million and $billion financial scandals which burgeon under their watch, or which involves them or their cronies/families while they foam at the lips with tag lines like 'People First, Performance, Now! (Accountability, Never!).’

Note that a Malaysian born CEO (of 9 years standing) of Singapore MRT resigned last week after two major MRT breakdowns in train service. Here in Malaysia, a certain once Minister of Agriculture and now Deputy Prime Minister refuses to take responsibility and resign in the wake of alleged massive corruption and Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT) involving a $250 million Government 25- year Loan dished out to the husband of Minister of Cows & Condos (and the odd $ million Mercedes cars, or two or maybe, three).

Here still, another former Minister shamelessly continues as Chairman of a commodities driven Public Limited Company (Plc) which since an infamous merger, for which a merchant bank led by PM Najib's brother is reputed to have earned professional fees of about $500 million, has lost some 50% of its share value, declared sapping losses of over $2 billion and after blaming it all on the Plc's CEO, has now suspiciously, despite the Plc having its own award winning property arm, forked out a whopping $750 million (60% over its quoted market price) for control of another listed property company. Wtf, you may well ask! The list is almost endless.

So, integrity is somewhat is short supply here, where it matters most.

No Siree! The moment Prime Minister Najib smirked “Who is Anwar" and mocked him in Parliament about his injuries sustained in the Bersih rally and then fought tooth and nail to successfully set aside (by Judge Zabidin) a subpoena issued by DSAI’s lawyers for Najib (and his wife Rosmah) to testify in the Sodomy 2 trial, we know Najib and his band of 40 thieves will NEVER “step away from interfering in the judiciary.” Because, for the past 30 years, undermining and destroying the ideals of the Separation of Powers, a Mahathir formulated initiative, has been the KEY strategy of UMNO/BN in clinging on to power.

And this is where Judge Zabidin comes in. How did he rule that PM Najib and Rosmah had nothing relevant to testify to when Saiful had testified under oath that he had met them in their home courtesy of Najib’s aide. Najib had even placed a telephone call about it to then IGP Musa Hassan BEFORE the alleged sodomy act took place!

Especially since Najib first lied in public that he had ever met Saiful, back-tracked on it when caught out, then lied again that he had only met him about a scholarship Saiful was lobbying for and only when finally cornered by the Opposition, did he (reluctantly) own up?

Do remember too that Zabidin and the judiciary repeatedly blocked Anwar’s request for witness list and other discover documents to facilitate to the maximum Solicitor General Mohamed Yusof Zainal Abiden's ambush tactics. At the end of the prosecution’s case, he even ruled that Saiful was a credible witness! He also first ruled DNA material gathered when DSAI was in a prison cell was inadmissible (at which point the entire SG’s case fell apart and it was game over) and then on some flimsy appeal by the SG, reversed it!

So, when everything pointed to a conviction, what gave?

My guess is that when faced with judgement and widespread condemnation by the international press like the Washington Post and Wall St. Journal which had the attention of Obama, and the leaders of half the western world as well as Turkey, Oz and NZ had pronounced misgivings over the long drawn out case which the SG should not even have filed in the first place, he exercised discretion over valour and passed the buck back to PM Najib and the politicians who conspired and conjured it up in the first place.

Were the integrity of the DNA samples compromised to such a degree that Zabidin had reasonable doubt to acquit DSAI? That much is certain. When faced with the idiocy (did the midwife drop him on his head at birth) of a Chief Inspector of Police who illegally removed the samples from the safe custody of the Chemistry Department, claimed to have them stored in a cupboard in his air-conditioned office and checked on their integrity by sticking his hand in the cupboard to verify that it was at an equable temperature, what choice did Zabidin have? I mean which police station in this country runs its air-conditioning units at zero or sub-zero temperatures? More than that, there was that utterly damaging testimony by that defence DNA expert from Oz that had our scientist from the Chemistry Department been his students, he would have failed them all!

But in another era, that of Mahathir “the benevolent dictator” and Judge Augustine Paul (passed away in 2010) and Judge Ariffin Jaka (passed away end 2011) much of the defence evidence and testimony would have been oh, so conveniently declared “irrelevant” and “expunged” from the court records forever, and even a Mother Teresa convicted of dildo-sodomising nuns and the poor.

So, High Court Judge Mohamed Zabidin bin Mohamed Diah today did what was the only course of action open to him if he did not wish to be pilloried for his remaining days by the court of public opinion, local and international.

HE SCREAMED “CATCH!” IN UTTER PANIC AND THREW THE BALL AND BUCK BACK TO PM NAJIB AND UMNO/BN!

Najib and UMNO/BN give up on meddling with the judiciary? After manipulating the appointment of their party legal adviser, Tun Zaki Tun Azmi as CJ in 2008 over the heads of so many senior judges? NEVER! After wantonly throwing way $100 million to APCO USA and $58 million to FBC Media in UK to prop up his image by PR misdirection and drivel? NEVER! Because misinformation and now and then plain lying is the credo of this leadership.

And so when the acquittal verdict was confirmed and I breathed in that cool morning air atop the Jalan Duta Court Complex hill, freshened by early morning showers, an old confidence surged in my bones. It suddenly flashed across my mind as I hugged my friend Bernard and looked across at the weeping and laughing and cheering PKR, PAS and DAP old, young and rejuvenated men and women:

THE END IS NIGH FOR NAJIB AND THIS BREED OF UMNO/BN LEADERS AND POLITICIANS. IT WILL DO THEM A WORLD OF GOOD TO BE IN OPPOSITION FOR A COUPLE OF TERMS OR UNTIL THEY LEARN THAT CONTINUALLY LYING TO THE CITIZENS AND CHEATNG THEM WILL GET THEM NOWHERE. BE WARY. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY PR MANIPULATION AND SNAKE OIL SALESMEN MASQUERADING AS CARING POLITICIANS,

BARISAN RAKYAT’S TIME HAS FINALLY ARRIVED. THE SUN HAS SET FOR NOW ON UMNO/BN. WE ARE DESTINED TO SEIZE THE UPPERHAND.

WE ARE ALL OF 1 RACE, THE HUMAN RACE!

Ali Kadir's commentary on DSAI's court verdict a reminder...

2012-01-10T01:12:00.001+08:00

One swallow does not a summer make.

It strikes a chord with Desi -- it just means the STRUGGLE MUST GO ON WITH GREATER URGENCY AND COMMITMENT, BY THE RAKYAT FOR THE RAKYAT. At GE-13, VOTE ABU; VOTE PAKATAN RAKYAT!

We need REAL CHANGE, and restore the Judiciary to its olde glory when it was truly respected by Malaysians and internationally. One rogue of a PM who overstayed his welcome destroyed a fantastic legacy (the debauchery was epitomised by the sacking of a Lord President and five senior judges...)inherited by NegaraKu from the British colonialist masters in 1957 wehn we proudly gained our independence. ~~ YL, Desi

From The Malaysisn Insider:

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Not a great day for justice — Ali Kadir

January 09, 2012

JAN 9 — I have to break up the party but it is a sad day when we Malaysians are celebrating an acquittal which would HAVE been an acquittal in any democracy.

Please stop calling the judge a hero or brave person or hailing the government for not interfering in the judiciary. It is embarrassing because we once had one of the most respected judiciaries in the Commonwealth and now we are celebrating one enlightened decision.

This is the equivalent of being Olympians at football and then celebrating a win at regional level. (Oh sorry, we actually did this also.)

I don’t know Anwar Ibrahim and I think Anwar is a poor judge of people (Mahathir Mohamad, Eskay Abdullah, Zulkifli Noordin, Ezam, Saiful, etc) but this sodomy case was very weak. The offence was consensual but Saiful alleged that he was forced into the act and then there were the multiple screw-ups.

If the judge had applied his mind properly, the defence should not have been called. If I recall correctly, he read out a long judgment in court where he seemed to have made up his mind on Saiful’s evidence even without the benefit of other evidence.

The defence was called and the government’s expert witnesses were shown up badly. By the way, should we even bother to trust the government’s DNA expert?

So today the only possible outcome was reached and the government issues a statement saying that the decision shows the independence of the judiciary. So is the government saying that before this decision there was interference from Putrajaya?

Others are saying that this court decision shows the potency of the administration’s reforms. But didn’t the government hail judicial independence.

The days have long gone when we should be excited at something which was the norm in Malaysia from independence until the 1980s: true freedom enjoyed by institutions in the country.

May I also remind those claiming a victory for reform that such a sentiment was also exuded after the Federal Court freed Anwar under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi... need I remind Malaysians about the power grab in Perak after that.

So, enjoy the freedom of one man but don’t read too much into anything.

* Ali Kadir reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

For a Few God-fearing GOoD Men...

2012-01-09T13:02:00.005+08:00

There is still hope for NegaraKu! Let's celebrate and give Thanks to God -- however you deem Him to be.

Picture from jalanpulang1978.blogspot.com, Thanks with offer of endless rounds of tehtarik on Desi!:)

Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur hari ini memutuskan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim didapati tidak bersalah atas tuduhan meliwat bekas pembantu peribadinya.

YES! ~~ DS Anwar Ibrahim is set free after the good High Court judge
Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah found the former DPM "NOT GUILTY" of Sodomy II charges this morning.

Desi wasn't too optimistic when I penned the previous post in the wee hours after midnight when I said only a MIRACLE -- with the Almighty's wisdom and benevolence acting through his servants on earth -- would set an innocent man free.

Giving credit to Pak Lah who preceded present PM Najib Razak who allowed Anwar his freedom to come out of prison during his Mr Nice Guy admin of just five years, and today, giving credit where credit is due, Najib did not push the much-feared High Court judge to do his bidding of taking Anwar out of the active political stage. But as Anwar said in his recent roadshow around the country before today's landmark decision at Jalan Duta courts, the event today is historic, BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT ANWAR ALONE, BUT MORE ABOUT OUR COUNTRY AND ITS FAIR-MINDED CITIZENS> Yes, it is a "V"ictory for the Rakyat -- the 26million people of this fair and loving land Malaysia we call home.

From MChronicle, initial report:~~

Monday, 09 January 2012 08:31

Anwar aquitted: Magnificent show of support stumps police, Najib

Written by Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

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UPDATE 6 In a shock decision, the Najib administration threw in the towel to overwhelming public support for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The courts, which are under the thumb of Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno party have acquitted Anwar of sodomy charges. This is in line with prolonged calls from the international diplomatic and business communities as well everyday Malaysians, who are fed up of the brand of manipulative politics pushed by Umno, beginning during the time of former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

"It is thanks to all the brave Malaysians for standing up to be counted this morning. This is not just about Anwar although he is the main figure. But we all know that enough is enough, the rot has gone on for too long. Things are out of control and the people can sense it. Only they can save Malaysia and this morning is the first step," a jubilant PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

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DESIDERATA: will go out for a capitalistic lunch to celebrate with my socialist friends in Furong -- JOM at Lingam's? Plesae don't bring the Chief Justice or ex-CJ with lawyer-who-wrote-judgement-on-behalf-of-judges VK Lingam! If can, kindly bring along esteemed Auditor-General who exposed the RM250million National Feedlot Corporation's scandal, and of course, Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah.

Wall Street Journal commenting on Sodomy II

2012-01-09T01:16:00.002+08:00

Desi compleatly agrees with what AWJ wrote, but I'm afraid the Malaysian judiciary system CAN NOT be depended on to deliver fair judgements wheire the cases involved high-profile politicans from the Opposition camp. The former DPM Anwar Ibrahim in the first place should NOT have been charged -- second time around after Dr Mahathir Mohamad's first round partially succeeded, but finally under Pak Lah's administration, a "fairer" final court of appeal reversed the guilty verdict. Damage had been irreversibly done -- the "black" eye delivered by an officer nothing less than binatang IGP then.

Desi is not optimistic of a "NOT GUILTY" verdict (tomorrow Jan 9), and it's a relief to hear Sdr Anwar assuring on his ceramah circuit the past week -- I attended the one in FuLong -- saying that he's PREPARED for whatever the verdict. But he stressed that the final power lies in the hands of the people -- YES> WE THE RAKYAT. People, VOTE "ABU" cometh GE-13, OK!

He also urged that we "pray" for him, and this power of the Almighty will ensure that JUSTICE WILL TRIUMPH over the bastardised UMNO systems of PDRM and Judiciary and the rot started durig the PM's reign of teeror of 22 years. Remember the sacking of Tun Salleh Abas, the then Lord President of Integrity, and five other senior judges?

Let's pray for all the GOoD men who inluded the present Auditor-General (who exposed the RM250million scandal) who dare to stand on the side of justice, fair play and DOING THE RIGHT THING. May God bless His people who are striving to always DO THE RIGHT THING. There is a glimmer of hope that A miracle may yet happen tomorrow when the Sodomy II trial jugde is one among the few who would DO THE RIGHT THING. Then God bless him! Amen. ~~ YL Chong, Desi

Saturday, 07 January 2012 15:07

WSJ: Sodomy II even flimsier than Sodomy I

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KUALA LUMPUR — In urging President Barack Obama to take a stand in democracy in the Muslim world, The Wall Street Journal today called Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s second sodomy case “flimsier” than the first.

In its editorial piece, the US daily said Malaysian democracy could benefit from a sign that the US is not indifferent to Anwar’s legal ordeal or to the political system that has allowed it to continue. US interests could benefit as well, it said.

“The current case is even flimsier than the last one. It is based mainly on the word of one accuser who, as it so happened, had met with then-deputy prime minister, now Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak days before the alleged incident.

“Doctors at two hospitals could find no evidence of rape in the aftermath of the alleged incident. Nonetheless, political observers anticipate a guilty verdict,” WSJ said today.

The verdict of Anwar’s trial will be delivered on Monday with a potential sentence involving years of jail time on sodomy charges.

If found guilty, Anwar could spend up to 20 years behind bars but will escape the caning penalty as he is over 60. It would effectively spell the end of his political career and his chance to be prime minister.

The former deputy prime minister first went through “this charade” in the late 1990s, when he fell out with then-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during the Asian financial crisis, was “savagely beaten” by police and ultimately sentenced to prison on sodomy and corruption charges.

Anwar (picture) spent six years in prison before the sodomy charges were overturned by the country’s highest court in 2004, a year after Dr Mahathir had left office.

He was again served with sodomy charges four years later after Umno lost its two-thirds majority in a general election and the opposition seemed close to assembling a parliamentary majority.

“This is happening in the context of growing discontent among Malaysians with Umno’s ruling order, and Mr. Najib’s ambivalent attempts at political reform. But if that’s reminiscent of the unhappiness that presaged the Arab Spring, so too is the don’t-rock-the-boat attitude of the Obama Administration,” WSJ said today.

The paper pointed out that Malaysia is supposedly a moderate Muslim country and a useful regional counterweight to China.

“Failure to speak to the broader aspirations of ordinary people will only feed the suspicion that has festered for years that the United States pursues our own interests at their expense,” WSJ quoted Obama as saying, in May.

“Mr. Anwar’s case gives the President a chance to show that he meant what he said,” WSJ said today.

-Themalaysianinsider

House of men of integrity,like London Bridge, is falling down

2012-01-07T12:10:00.001+08:00

The famous or notorious house (depends on your esteemed viewpoint -- Desi's is of the latter category) called Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement who enlisted 20 men of integrity as candidates for GE-13 is crumbling down, less than two years of establishment. Of course, maybe it's due to the curse of being so near the London Bridge who we as children used to sing along with our primary school teachers that "...is falling down". Poor choice of residence by MCLM founder-chairman, the famous/notorious RPK for exiling himself to the London neighbourhood -- is it bad feng shui?

RPK with his lieutenant based in Malaysia, president (until a week ago) Haris Ibrahim, civil rights lawyer flying around the world and KL-East Malaysia more than residing in his law office, chose to play a "supra-normal" role by nominating these 20 men to contest the coming General Elections (GE-13) under the Pakatan Rakyat component parties' banner. This earned a loud rebuff by then deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali at an official press conference, also by then Director of Strategy MP for Batu Tian Chua there is no way why PKR should surrender the important role of selecting party candidates to "outsiders".

Dr Syed Husin -- an academic with socialist convictions embedded in his blood who Desi has always preached as a good role model for young politician-aspirants among my circle of friends -- even shared a revealing anecdote with the reporters.

He related that prior to GE-12, a group of representatives comprising civil society representatives (which included these MCLM leaders) met up with PKR leaders and proposed that PKR accpet one of their nominees as candidate. Husin told them he knew this "nominee" who was reputed to frequent the pubs, and often ended up "drunk" -- yes, high on alcohol, not on political debate!

"They couldn't bother to do a proper background check on just one nominee, why now they want to expand to 20?" he added.

Tian Chua was more forthright. Who are these NGO activists to dictate to long party stalwarts in PKR who would make good election candidates?

"A first requisite for consideration would be for these potential candidates to sign up as party members," Tian added, dismissing the possibility of accepting outsiders to contest under PKR banner.

Maybe the lesson from GE-12 has been well-learnt -- accepting "froggies" like Wee Choo Keong, Zulkifli Noordin and Lim Boo Chang (also the famous or notorious biggest frog of damned all, who stood under PAS banner IBRAHIM ALI) who deserted the PR to now become BN-friendly MPs. I hear not a single sen exchanged hands -- they did it in the interests of their constituents. Maybe Hee Yet Foong also loved the BN politics so much, she wanted to use Najib Razak's caring leadership to especially help the handicapped people like her in wheelchairs. If Desi believes her, then pigs, and cows reared in RM10million condos by Sharizat's family, can fly!

So back to RPK and Haris' pre-New Year's Day 2012 act -- the first casualties of their MCLM's handpicked candidates included two lawyers, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Sreekant Pillai, and a doctor in Perak, whose name I can't recall, sorry.

This article also serves partially as an update and so I urge my ER (4esteemedreaders-lah-lah) to bear with me reproducing a portion of my original blogpost titled "MCLM Prez Haris Ibrahim resigns, but can you still trust him?"

As far as I am concerned, I DON'T!

When I could see through RPK from more than a year ago after noticing his change from pro-Opposition to singing praises of the UMNO leaders especially Najib Razak, whose wife RPK even had given the "IMPRESSION" was at the scene of Altantuya's murder, how could Haris act only now? And yes, I agree 100percent with RPK that PERCEPTION is everything in POLITICS! See, I don't disagree with this devil-in-disguise all the time! Many would say: Give Haris Ibrahim the benefit of the doubt -- NO, Desi WON'T, for he is the left leg while RPK is the right leg in the combo band of two-men-of-superintegrity wanting to dictate 20 candidates for DAP and PKR to field on their parties' tickets, yet remain "independent" if elected -- I guess to be answerable to two self-appointed "ombudsmen" comprising -- who else -- of Chairman and President of MCLM, of course. WHY? -- because their integrity is beyond question! Two demi-gods, I believe I used this term in my first face-off with RPK more than a year ago. (For latecomers and the clueless, please research MC's archives, can? You don't have to pay a single sen, you know, just spend some energy and time-lah! Do fly less between Kuala Lumpur and London and Phuket, OK?)

Now here's the revealing list displayed at Haris' blog called the People's Parliament, Right Hand Column -- under

Pages

You can clealy see from the above that Haris and his obedientORsubservient-to-RPK tribe have been calling for BOYCOTTING THE MSM. But they, RPK and Haris himself, featured prominently in the MSM like The Star and TV3 and NST last year, or maybe these two want to imitate the famed Dr Mahathir Mohamad: Saya sudah lupa! (?) OR izzit "Saya Mudah Lupa?" knowing that many Malaysians indeed have short memories -- luckily newsdogs not among them!

These duo are just like the UMNO and MCA leaders -- do as I say, don't do as I do, implying they are indeed a special breed. Like the RM250million NFC cows raised at RM10miilion condos, the number increasing from one, as sighted by PKR leaders, to two in Bangsar, as boldly declared by the NFC chairman at a press conference much, much later; and a third one reported in Singapore, by PKR again? These nosey-parkers, Wanita UMNO chief must have heaved a long, moo-y sigh under her breath in the perfumed scented condo, and many moo-moo music to her ears in agreement, like all the 1,000 to 2,000 delegates present at the last UMNO Wanita General Assembly.

How convenient is the TIMING --RPK giving an exclusive interview to TV3 just before the Sarawak State Elections?

Now, how again coincidental the fantastic TIMING that fugitive blogger appears to give simultaneous interviews to mostly MSM like NST, Mingguan Utusan, etc? Of course he gave a special interview to some bodek online portal (financed by one Datuk John Soh) -- all these TIMED when the GE13 is impending, with most speculation latest by April 2012!

Now, why should we give Haris the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know of RPK' U-turn or selling-oul or my famous or notorious description, SOUL'D OUT?

Just before this secodn time around, Haris joined his esteemed chairman RPK for a "holyday" in Phuklet, yakking and yahcting. No, RPK did not inform his President about the "content" of his impending NST, Utusan etc interrviews timed as a new year's day present for Malaysians. You believe Haris'statement, then Desi is still in kindergarten, yes, reciting Lundun Blidge Is Farring Down... in his chinoseries style.

Whta worries me most is that after resigning his MCLM-presiency, he and his band of RPK-worshippers are dispalying their new loyalty to the ABU -- for Anything But UMNO, or Asalkan Bukan UMNO -- relatively new initiative by a group of mainly young Malay NO activists (I attended its inaugural alunch in Seremban recently). I worry Haris and gang would hijack ABU's agenda for their own dark goals, working with the famous/notorious trojan horse trumvirate who had all been kicked out of PKR

I also don't trust Haris because in the July 9 Bersih2.0 rally lasy year, he had a post in People's Parliament, from which freemalaysiatoday had filed this report reading:

*************************************Please explain, Haris tells ‘bad boy’ Tian

Stephanie Sta Maria | July 28, 2011

Tian Chua finds himself in the hot seat following a Bersih 2.0 video of him charging at the FRU.

FULL REPORT

PETALING JAYA: PKR vice-president Tian Chua has been asked to explain a video clip that clearly showed him leading a charge at the FRU during the Bersih rally on July 9 (last year, 2011).

The clip (below) showed the crowd facing off with the police at the KL Sentral tunnel moments before multiple rounds of tear gas were fired at them.

Tian Chua was seen standing in the front while the Bersih 2.0 leaders were seen urging the crowd to move back.

Then Tian Chua counted down from three to one and led a charge straight at the FRU who fired at them.

The clip was uploaded by Bersih 2.0 steering committee member Haris Ibrahim on his blog earlier today. The blog post entitled, “Confirmed: Tian Chua was a bad, bad boy!” demanded an explanation from the Batu MP.

“Tian Chua, you have some serious explaining to do,” Haris wrote.

“You showed disrespect to the Bersih 2.0 leadership that was present there, especially (Bersih 2.0 chairperson) Ambiga (Sreenevasan) and you were leading the rally.

“More importantly you took it upon yourself to alter a peaceful rally to one of aggression, and in doing so, put many out there at risk to life and limb,” he said.

Tian Chua: Charge me

When contacted, Tian Chua declined to comment on the video and repeated his earlier statement that he would only respond to an official police charge against him.

“I don’t think it it appropriate for me to comment on this video clip,” he said. “If the police have evidence then they should charge me and I will defend myself in court.”

The clip however was included in the police version of the Bersih rally.

That version was screened to the media last week during which the police pointed out that Tian Chua had provoked them into firing the tear gas.

“I’m very troubled by the video,” Haris told FMT.

“When I saw the line of FRU on that day I suggested to Ambiga that we ask the crowd to sit and that the Bersih 2.0 leaders peacefully approach the FRU.

[Haris later today clarified that at that moment, he had not informed Ambiga of his suggestion to ask the crowd to sit but was about to tell her when the police started firing tear gas.]

“I didn’t hear the countdown nor the call to charge. All I heard was the sound of shooting. Two days later eye-witnesses told me about Tian Chua’s actions, I read FMT’s report of the police screening and I recently received this video clip,” he said.

Bersih 2.0 leaders condemned the police for the unprovoked firing but an upset Haris pointed out that Tian Chua’s actions now exonerated the FRU and validated police claims of crowd aggression.

He flayed Tian Chua for being “irresponsible and totally disrepectful” and pointedly asked if his group had been trying to hijack the rally.

“Tian Chua owes the public an explanation and shouldn’t hide behind this ‘not appropriate’ nonsense,” Haris said.

“He has chosen time and again to ventilate issues in public space and then call on authorities to answer. He should now do the same.

“This is a matter of public concern. Batu constitutents would probably have been among the crowd and don’t you think they have right to know why he behaved that way?” he said.

Ambiga, meanwhile, declined to comment, saying that she had not yet seen the video. However, she added that she would let the clip speak for itself.

Tian: Not the true picture

In a statement issued later in the day, Tian Chua said “the witch-hunt whether on me or other participants cannot absolve the guilt of brutality on July 9”.

He said that the edited video which showed him leading the demonstrators did not give the true picture of what happened at the tunnel that day.

“Although the police did not specifically accuse me for “charging” the police, reports in mainstream media insinuated that demonstrators and I intended to “attack” or cause physical harm to the police officers.

“This is far from the truth. From the video, it was clear that the policemen had their guns loaded with tear gas canisters,” he said.

He said anyone in the crowd would have realised the danger of staying in the enclosure once the police fired the tear gas.

“The video footage only showed a few people rushing out towards the open air, and tear gas was fired directly into the crowd.

“The video also showed that the police fired the tear gas canisters horizontally into the enclosed zone non-stop.

“The police action was evidently malicious and intended to cause maximum harm to the peaceful group without warning. It was unprovoked and unwarranted action. It was police brutality,” he added.

He said that many people witnessed the incident and that the edited video cannot distort the truth.

Tian Chua did not refer to Haris’ blog in his statement.

*************** ends FMT report *********************

When contacted yesterday, Tian Chua told Desiderata that indeed, he had in recent times suspected that Haris (RPK too!) was not to be trusted in his role at Bersoih.20 rallies. I had commented before Haris had compromised Bersih2.0 role, and I would even go further, he usurped the Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreneesan's president position by writing taht "sell-out post-- giving ammunition to the famous or notorious PDRM, the following Editor's note notwithstanding!

[Editor's note: The original headline 'Explain, Bersih 2.0 tells ‘bad boy’ Tian' has been changed to correctly reflect that this is Haris Ibrahim's personal opinion and not Bersih 2.0's.]

********************************

Another gOod read is by fellow blogger DonPlayPuks who writes with cutting edge humpor most times, but today at MC he merely used the smallest of nails with a fine polish on RPK's coffin!

I only reprise now that paragraph whose header I would add another farewell subhead-- I hope this will the last (w)rites I would have to spend time on the founders of MCLM:( ~~ YL, Desi. knottyaSsusual, especially when I am in an AP, ap, AP mood -- 'tis only the first week of a fantastic new year, yes!

With such friends as RPK, who needs enemies?

But the plain truth of the matter is we do not need RPK to realise our dreams of a better Malaysia.

It was not RPK who spent years in prison for us (as did Anwar and Guan Eng) or marched downtown in KL to fight for free and fair elections in the face of tear gas, pepper and chemical laced water cannon spray and baton charges, or who has taken Penang and Selangor towards an open government that for 51 years UMNO/BN said was not possible.

In Anwar, Ambiga, Guan Eng, Khalid Ibrahim et al, we have the kind of leadership RPK has never offered us. All RPK has now exposed are his own Machiavellian machinations which are worse than that of (as claimed by RPK) PKR’s Azmin Ali . At least Azmin is a PKR card carrying full time politician from whom RPK could learn a lesson or two about loyalty and the long haul. We can do without "help" from those who snipe and snitch from the safety of Manchester and Phuket

Last (W)rites performed for RPK's by fellow BUMmer...

2012-01-06T11:53:00.002+08:00

Funeral services should not be too serious with too much wailings and sobbings that disturb the neighbourhood. I like donPRAYpray's ceremony full of wit and h/rumour -- so RIP can also read "Rise if possible", for many humans have a cat's blessing of 9 lives. CAN9 too if you wear a wolf's clothing wellA enuf. If you no understand my short Intro, it's only for mGf dpp's reading for a rite well performed. At no charge to MC (4Malaysia Chronicle-lah, you ignoramus or mice:) from where I reprised the lust act:), viz:

Friday, 06 January 2012 02:53

Here lie the ashes of RPK, may he R.I.P

Written by donplaypuks

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If pride goes before a fall, then much more, respect, integrity and most importantly, trust, has bolted out the window forever as far as RPK is concerned. Now, Malaysians who had long hoped that RPK would lead the bloggers' charge in unseating permanently one of the most corrupt and racist regimes in modern history, have every reason to look elsewhere for leadership and a deliverer.

Let's not mince words or attempt to soften the blow by blathering on about "Many of you appear to be of the view that RPK has betrayed us, and has sold out......I do not share this view.......Mine is premised on the man and Marina that I believe I have come to know." This is the worst kind of hypocrisy and a state of self-delusion and denial the Haris Ibrahim's of our world live in, having suffered an almost, but not quite, fatal body blow.

It would have been kinder of RPK to have fired a cyanide tipped bullet into Haris's or Anwar Ibrahim's brains than to have indulged in this kind of cowardly deception.

For the record, I WAS a staunch RPK supporter until 01.01.2012. Now I couldn't care less if he were somehow to be incarcerated again in Sg. Buloh Prison and the keys to his solitary confinement cell thrown away in the Kelang River. He's had his 15 minutes of fame and WE THE PEOPLE, would have created history in opening the window for an exceptional additional 15 minutes for him had RPK shown true courage and gumption in self-exile and in the face of, admittedly, tremendous adversity.

So, RPK's latest betrayal, and make no mistake, this is the second such instance of it within 12 months, has clearly confirmed that he has SOLD EVERYBODY OUT!

And that Phuket yacht junket and bragging about cavorting with fraudtrepreneur ali baba businessmen who once RPK would not have touched with a 10-foot pole and whom we spit at in disgust? That’s as telling an action as any that RPK has lost the plot. In attempting to backstab Anwar Ibrahim and PKR, he has only succeeded in stabbing himself.

RPK had hoped to hoodwink us by claiming that he did not realize his 2011 TV3 interview would be used to Najib's, Rosmah’s and UMNO/BN's greatest advantage, as they did just before the elections in East Malaysia. Now he thinks our opinions don't/won't count when he clearly backstabbed Anwar Ibrahim and PKR, timed a week before the court verdict is due to be pronounced on Sodomy 2, on 9th January. RPK, like so many other self-appointed panjandrums, was wrong in 2008 and he will be wrong again in 2012/2013.

RPK may well harbour the notion that he contributed more to Pakatan's tsunamic success in GE 2008 than Anwar Ibrahim.

Such is the nature of those who suffer from illusions of grandeur.

Let me state yet again another matter for the record:

There was not a man or woman alive in 2008 other than Anwar Ibrahim who could have united PKR, DAP and PAS under one common banner to stand in opposition to UMNO/BN and deliver Badawi's and UMNO/BN's head as Anwar did, on a platter. None could have secured Selangor, Kedah and Penang into Pakatan’s fold without Anwar helming the coalition and formulating and executing to almost perfection the winning strategy.

But can we expect anything else from those who are poor second or third cousins or whatever to Royalty and who have fallen on hard times? It must be galling to rely on 'peasant' supporters' donations and the largesse of the class of multi-millionaires and billionaires whom RPK once railed against and claimed fixed government licensed lotteries to finance party-hopping MP’s, to get by in the boondocks of grey, depressing and chilling Manchester. Yet, no royalty ever came out in defence of RPK when he was in prison or when he was charged under the ISA, did they?.

From there to getting into bed with a manipulative, plain lying and dishonest Prime Minister who will not hesitate a jot to rip off the taxpayer to retain power is but one short $10 million step. Or is it $30 million or Euro 30 million?

I do not subscribe to the view that RPK was coerced into his Brutus act by the Special Branch, thereby buying time, protection and freedom for his allies and friends as one blogger claims. Such altruism is not to be found in the soul-fabric of a cunning, self-serving and now selfish and double-crossing megalomaniac.

And how does he support his allegations of corruption in Selangor as “reported” to him by “Chinese businessmen”??!! Why with the same type of spurious arguments and “proof” Kerismudin and Najib offered us which resulted in reporters and opposition MP’s being arrested under the ISA “for their own good”! That’s how! Gut feel and anonymous informers? Bah, what a humbug! He very conveniently remains silent about the 'A' given by the Auditor General to Selangor and Penang for transparency and accountability, not to mention their cash surplus and record FDI's.

At least the so-called paid (from taxpayers' money) UMNO bloggers have nailed their colours to the mast. The core of that group does not change its affiliation like a chameleon.

With such friends as RPK, who needs enemies?

But the plain truth of the matter is we do not need RPK to realise our dreams of a better Malaysia.

It was not RPK who spent years in prison for us (as did Anwar and Guan Eng) or marched downtown in KL to fight for free and fair elections in the face of tear gas, pepper and chemical laced water cannon spray and baton charges, or who has taken Penang and Selangor towards an open government that for 51 years UMNO/BN said was not possible.

In Anwar, Ambiga, Guan Eng, Khalid Ibrahim et al, we have the kind of leadership RPK has never offered us. All RPK has now exposed are his own Machiavellian machinations which are worse than that of (as claimed by RPK) PKR’s Azmin Ali . At least Azmin is a PKR card carrying full time politician from whom RPK could learn a lesson or two about loyalty and the long haul. We can do without "help" from those who snipe and snitch from the safety of Manchester and Phuket

So, RPK, I’m truly sorry. For you, I have only ashes to ashes, dust to dust... to offer. You have lied and misled us once too often to have a shred of credibility anymore, anywhere.

And who am I? Why, just a nobody from the 4 million who will soon bury the thieves, rapists and looters.

- http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com/

Seremban rally sees DS Anwar still charismatic and in fighting mood

2012-01-05T06:38:00.003+08:00

Ahead of a court verdict next Monday on a sodomy charge that may put the Opposition Leader behind bars for up to 20 years. On a nationwide roadshow, the former Deputy Prime Minister spoke to the crowd of 500 people last night with vigour, entertaining them with humourous anecdotes to show jarring differences in PR-led states like Selangor and Penang, where new welfare aid has been disbursed to the people, eg fre water in Selangor to poor households, contrasted with after some 50 years of neglect during Barisan Nasional rule. Yes, he reported that the BN states like Sarawak with much timber and other natural resources are being robbed by corrupt BN and UMNO leaders and their cronies, even with ministers being offfered vast tracts of land. He narrated a personal experience with then Sabah chief minister Kasitah Gadam trying to bribe him (Anwar was then DPM and Finance minister...) with land offer without his (Anwar's) asking.

Anwar also reported that when he accompanied daughter Nurul Izzah to enrol in engineering course at Petronas University in Tronoh, the university authoritioes waived Nurul's fees, saying she had been granted a scholarship. But the then DPM said his daughter had NOT applied for any scholarship and insisted that his family from official pay could afford to pay, and rejected the scholarship offered. He said this trend of minsters and wellpaid high officials, from UMNO especially, abused the facilities like scholarships which should have been channelled to the poor and needy from the villages and kampong and urban slums.

On the impending Monday's court decision, Anwar in context recalled that Turkey offered a good example that it's people's power, and not the incumbent government, which would finally decide the fate of politicians facing court action and unjust imprisonment. Erdogan won his presidentcy contesting from within the four griim walls of a jail too. Yes, Malaysians have in their hands the power to overthrow the BN government to ensure an improved judiciary and higher standards in all government deluivery systems.

Here follows an AFP report of the two-hour long event in front of the NS PKR Hq:

SEREMBAN, Malaysia: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday that his coalition will not disintegrate even if he is found guilty of sodomy charges and imprisoned after a verdict next week. Anwar was charged in 2008 with having sex with a male former aide. A verdict in the long-running trial is set for Monday, and if found guilty, the 64-year-old politician faces up to 20 years in jail. Anwar has denied the charge, claiming it is a government plot to tarnish his image in this conservative Muslim-majority country and reverse his coalition's 2008 unprecedented poll gains. Late Wednesday, Anwar told a gathering of about 500 people in central Negeri Sembilan state, near the capital Kuala Lumpur, that his three-party opposition alliance would not crumble without him. "Anwar in jail, Anwar out of jail... it doesn't matter. The most important (thing) is people should overthrow UMNO," he said during his hour-long fiery speech, referring to the ruling United Malays National Organisation. Anwar's opposition alliance, led by his Parti Keadilan Rakyat, won an unprecedented one-third of parliamentary seats in the 2008 polls, stunning the Barisan Nasional government which has ruled for half a century. The sodomy charge surfaced shortly after the election. Strolling on a small makeshift stage in a parking lot on Wednesday, Anwar said he was innocent and called on his supporters to "save our country" from government corruption and mismanagement. "I'm not guilty. I'm a victim of slander... There is no case if they follow the facts or the law," he said. After his speech, the crowd greeted him with slogans like "Long live the people" and "Long live Anwar". "Everybody knows Anwar has not done anything wrong ever. (The government) is playing the same card, the same game," Izzat Haffiz, 21, a civil engineering student, told AFP. "We fight for democracy," he said. "I feel very sad because our government... grabs all the freedoms we are supposed to have." The rally was part of a nationwide tour that began on Tuesday in the southern Johor state to raise support ahead of the verdict. Anwar will visit six other states and Kuala Lumpur before a courthouse rally Monday. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, already spent six years in jail on convictions of sodomy and corruption a decade ago after he had a fallout with his then boss, ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. The sodomy conviction was eventually overturned and he was released in 2004. Prime Minister Najib Razak is widely expected to call fresh general elections due in 2013 this year, hoping to regain a strong mandate with such vows that he will allow greater civil liberties. His Barisan Nasional coalition has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957. Malaysian Election Commission deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar says even if convicted, Anwar was still eligible to run until he has exhausted all avenues of appeal. After that, anyone convicted to more than a year in jail or a fine of 2,000 ringgit ($635) will be barred from contesting elections for five years. - AFP/de

I agree 90%with Azmin's statement that "RPK is irrelevant"...

2012-01-03T16:42:00.003+08:00

From the Malaysian Insider:

Azmin says RPK irrelevant

By Shannon Teoh

January 03, 2012

Azmin said Raja Petra was now ‘hired by Umno’. — File pic

PETALING JAYA, Jan 3 — PKR deputy president Azmin Ali today dismissed Raja Petra Kamarudin’s attack on him and the party, calling the self-exiled blogger irrelevant after being away from Malaysia for over two years.

Raja Petra, better known as RPK, had called Azmin “deceitful” and unable to shed the Umno culture, saying in an interview published yesterday there will be an internal revolt in PKR if the Gombak MP succeeds Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should the de facto party leader be jailed for sodomy.

“Raja Petra is irrelevant. It is the rakyat, not Raja Petra, who will determine the direction of the party.

“He has been intimately disconnected from the country. He does not know what is happening,” the Selangor PKR chief said.

Raja Petra had also told Umno’s Utusan Malaysia last weekend that Opposition Leader Anwar was morally unfit to be prime minister as Malaysians could not accept a homosexual to lead the country.

The Selangor prince, who fled the country in 2009 after alleging that Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife were responsible for the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shariibuu, did not explicitly call Anwar a homosexual but said there was no room in Malaysia for someone who is gay and wants to become PM.

He also said he was “90 per cent” sure the man in the Datuk T sex video was Anwar, and that many of the latter’s friends believed in the authenticity of the video.

Azmin repeated today PKR’s claim that Raja Petra was now “hired by Umno” as he was no longer exiled in Britain but now holidaying in Phuket and giving interviews in Singapore.

“He is so near to Malaysia, he can enter the country anytime,” he said, implying that a deal has been struck between the blogger and the ruling Barisan Nasional.

DESIDERATA:

WHY 90 percent, and not 100 percent?

Yes, you can ask, and I will give ye a decent enough reply --

THE OTHER 10 percent I reserve for his sidekick, also just-resigned MCLM President Haris Ibrahim's future behaviour...I will give another assessment in three-four months' time by which time GE-13 is likely to be held. IF I rule 100% by then, then Haris te lieutenant has NOT LEARNT his lesson ... then BOTH WOULD BECOME IRRELEVANT!

Knotty PS:

Desi will come back to enhance this Post as I need to take a break to answer a call from DPP!:)

PPS: I apologise that I didn't have enough time to do the necessary research to finish the above as promised. Ms Patience eh? She is also Ms, Mr, Virtuous OK!:)

I will plan to have a compleat instalment -- title in mind is THE HOUSE OF MEN OF INTEGRITY CRUMBLING DOWN -- like the London Bridge eh?!... Time permitting the article will AP TOMORROW, God-willing/InsyaAllah~ lah...YL, Desi

MCLM Prez Haris Ibrahim resigns, but can you still trust him?

2012-01-03T12:57:00.009+08:00

Pages

Okay, let me background you a little after posting up theSun's report on Haris' resignation and extracting some other points from his own statement at PP:_

MCLM president Haris Ibrahim quits

Posted on 3 January 2012 - 05:29am

Alyaa Alhadjri
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA (Jan 3, 2012): Malaysian Civil Liberty Movement (MCLM) president Haris Ibrahim (pix) yesterday announced his resignation from the post, citing disappointment with recent controversial statements made by its chairman, exiled-blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.

Haris in a blog post, claimed Raja Petra's statements, published in an interview with an English daily, had contradicted the ideals on which the movement was formed in late 2010.

Haris claimed Raja Petra had undermined the movement's mission to create a single, united society, when the latter told the paper that "the Egypt-style people’s revolution was not an answer for Malaysia due to the delicate racial balance. They (Chinese voters) don’t want Tahrir Square type of change".

"These comments just referred to greatly undermine efforts I am making, albeit through MLCM, in the 'Anything But Umno' initiative," Haris said, adding that he is saddened by the fact that Raja Petra should continue to see Malaysians as "Malays, Chinese, Indians, and Others".

"I remain committed to all efforts to see this a nation of a single people, all equal," he said.

Haris also denied that the movement had decided not to field any candidates in the upcoming general elections, despite Raja Petra claiming so in the same interview.

"Matters of policy and direction of MCLM were to be determined and made after mutual consultation and consensus between us. I can confirm now that no such decision has been made after due consultation," he said.

He added that it was impossible for him to continue to serve MCLM as its president, in light of the circumstances.

"I have communicated my resignation to (Raja Petra) by email," he said.

Despite being labelled a "third force" to rival Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat in the movement's early days, both Haris and Raja Petra had insisted that the movement was meant as a pro-rakyat force, intending to empower civil society and initiate change.

****************************************

Patience, OK, I will come back to serve my ER (esteemedreaders, not like RPK and his lapdogs who won't tolerate contrarian views from their sifu RPK, who they worship like a GOD without room for human flaws!

STAY TUNED

Continued @1.50PM:

I reprise here my own article that Malaysia Chronicle published slightly more than a year ago, which for the record, earned the great RPK's wrath, and led to a FACE-OFF with no less than four long blog and news online exchanges!:(

If outsiders looking in at MCLM from afar could see the "change in character" of the MCLM chairman hiding out in London, I wonder WHY it took Haris so long, flying in and out of Malaysia to London, Thailand and whatever holiday resorts (funded by UK philanthropists, Haris?) to realise RPK has his own "selfish" agenda? Even after the TV3 interview given last year, Haris and his band of diehard RPK supporters still did NOT see through his UMNO-led agenda?

Hey, Haris, you launched a boycott of mainstream media -- which must also include the Star and the TV3, no? -- and yet you found it beneficial to sell MCLM medicine to the Malaysian public who only wanted to see a two-party or two-coalition emerge in the GE13?

So Haris, what's your real agenda?

You compromised Bersih 2.0 with SABM representation but at the same time you and RPK wanted MCLM to play a poltical role -- anticipating a kingmaker role with a "hung Parliament" that RPK predicted?

I pray you do NOT also hijack ABU --Anything But UMNO (Asalkan Bukan UMNO) agenda along the way!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

With friends like RPK, Haris Ibrahim, PKR doesn't need enemies

The knives are out for Anwar - Umno offers big money for his scalp

I recently wrote an article thinking aloud why Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) the blogger now-in-exile in Britain has been writing some articles highly critical of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, especially regarding its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but I tempered my concern with giving benefit of the doubt to the blogger now resident abroad that he might have been misinformed or disinformed by his cronies back home including civil rights lawyer-cum-blogger Haris Ibrahim.

My main criticism was that RPK had always written promoting Reformasi from 1998, marked by his outstanding role of director of FreeAnwarCampaign (FAC), and generally working in concert with opposition parties and non-governmental organisations(NGOs) towards change in government at the federal level. But recent writings had given rise to concern he was giving lots of ammunition to the ruling BN regime, especialy UMNO, to attack the Pakatan Rakyat. And today's New Sunday Times proves again my point -- its page 9 report shows that following the departure of former PKR deputy presidential candidate Zaid Ibrahim, RPK has become the "flavour of the month" of the MSM.

In fact, most Malaysians long to see the birth of a two-party/coalition system in this country -- surely a central message sent by the March 8, 2008 General Elections (GE12)? My contention is that PR consisting of PKR, DAP and PAS, now form the only viable alternative coalition able to topple the BN government in Putrajaya, and hence must be given a chance to prove themselves. I add that any third force, however well-intentioned, would only become a new impediment to PR's march on Putrajaya.

I have mentioned Haris in tandem with RPK because their efforts in moving civil society often are inter-connected in timing, and objectives, but whether by design or in revision of stands, the duo are caught flat footed in their contradictions when promoting their preferred candidate to take over PKR Zaid Ibrahim, and curently The Third Force in Malaysian politics.

I clearly recall that RPK, in elaborating on the third force, had stressed that it's NEVER meant to field any canidates in the forthcoming general elections, especially the GE13. Using the public-listed companies as an analogy, he said the third force would act like an auditor, to check the listed company's accounts and watch out for discrepancies, or waywardness by its directors and management chiefs. One point I would ask: The listed companies always appoint their own auditors who are qualified for this role, but whose mandate are this third force using to self-appoint themselves as auditors to the three components of the PR?

In fact, in my earlier article I had quoted Haris as saying the third force -- now birthing as Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) in London -- had identified some 30 men/women of integrity to stand as candidates in GE13, and some 20 had agreed to stand, and they would want DAP and PKR to allow these candiadtes to stand under their party banner, according to a Star report dated Nov 17, 2010. I had questioned why would these well established parties with their own selection criteria privatise such an important role to outside parties. This stance was also restated by leaders like PKR strategy director Tian Chua besides Dr Syed Husin.

This Third Force is neither third nor force, according to just retired PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali. In fact he sarcastically shared at a mew conference in conjunction with recent party Congress a "revealing" episode, relating that preceding the March 2008 elections, a representation was made to him to allow a Third Force candidate to stand under PKR banner. Syed Husin knew of this "guy" candidate quite well, so he told off the backers that they should have done a thorough background check and would have found that their nominee was a regular pub-goer who often ended up drunk.

Let me now reproduce the NST report dated December 12, 2010 in full, and I reiterate that the headline itself again proved my point that RPK is providing grist to the MSM to attack PKR and PR frontally, with banner headlines likely to be used by the UMNO campaigners cometh GE13.

'Some PR reps not fit to walk a dog'
2010/12/12

KUALA LUMPUR: Raja Petra Kamaruddin has reiterated his disappointment at what he views as the lack of commitment to reforms by Pakatan Rakyat.

After virtually reprimanding his most recognisable political ally Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at a London political forum on Oct 2 for not honouring campaign promises, the fugitive blogger wrote in his latest blog posting: "But what is Pakatan Rakyat's excuse? Pakatan Rakyat talks about reforms. But what reforms are they themselves introducing?

"They demand that Barisan Nasional reform. Should not Pakatan Rakyat demonstrate what it means by reforms by first of all reforming itself?

"In a nutshell, this is what I mean when I say that the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) seeks to reform the political environment of Malaysia. Note that our target to push for reforms is not just Barisan Nasional but also Pakatan Rakyat.

"And I will continuously write about how things are done elsewhere and ask why we can't also do the same in Malaysia.

"And I will not accept the argument that we can't also do that because our skin is black, brown, cocoa or yellow and not white.

"It is not the external colour of our skin that determines advancement. It is our brain and how we utilise it that will."

At the Oct 2 Friends of Pakatan Rakyat Forum in London with Anwar, and now Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Tian Chua, Raja Petra launched an attack on Pakatan's failure to implement "not a single one of the reform agenda contained in the People's Declaration".

He said this was an improved version of the Agenda of Change authored by Anwar in 1998.

According to Raja Petra, the People's Declaration was drawn up by what he termed as the civil society movement and was adopted by Pakatan parties as their manifesto for the March 2008 general election.

Three other non-Pakatan parties, too, embraced the People's Declaration, Raja Petra said.

He argued that the move and the spirited efforts of activists and bloggers like him had helped Pakatan gain seats. And now some 21/2 years after the election, not a single one of the reforms had been implemented.

As seen from the video recording of the event, Anwar had smiled approvingly when Raja Petra started addressing the forum but no longer smiled as the speech wore on.

Raja Petra offered not himself, but credible personalities from the civil society movement to be fielded as Pakatan candidates in the next general election.

As for some of the candidates fielded by Pakatan in 2008, Raja Petra, quoting his wife had said, "some of them, I can't even trust to walk my dog".

Raja Petra described them as an embarrassment.

(NST report ends here)

RPK asked in a reaction article to my piece titled "Why RPK is acting out (of character)" asked "Have I really changed?", and in a partial reply, I just said we all as individuals "grow up" with passing years, and that only the person himself or herself (including this writer!) would be able to answer truthfully if he/she has changed characterwise or with respect to the causes he/she once championed. But today, a month later, I conclude that RPK, your struggle has indeed changed direction, and you are treating PKR, and Anwar, as the enemy bigger than BN-UMNO. WHY?

So today when I opened up the New Straits Times, I wasn't surprised by the page 9 lead item headline; totally in character with his previous Oct 13's header: "Umno is Beginning to Look Better Than PKR"

So Pakatan Rakyat be forewarned that you would have to "review" your election strategies with the probable entry of MCLM or Third Force candidates, however you call them, now or revised because the promoters don't seem to know their directions and mandate. Maybe they will be strengthened by their well-linked ally Zaid Ibrahim-- in the next general elections?

The Rakyat/electorate must stay focused and united in rejecting a third, or fourth or fifth force; by contesting, they will only become "spoilers", siphoning off votes from the PR, hence benefiting the BN. Foremost on our mind must be to question where these sudden new forces get their monies from? Whose agenda are they really fighting for ?

Who are you to act like a SUPRA-GOVERNMENT BODY just because you have drawn up a People's Declaration via the People's Parliament via harisibrahim.com? Can an elite group meeting outside the country -- be it in London, Paris or Timbuktu, I care not -- totally a crowd of some 50 to 100 Malaysians carry the Malaysian fight for "A better Malaysia"? If you remain a cyber-voice writing pieces of concern for the homeland, I can live with that. But shortlisting candidates of impeccable character,playing a demi-god role? No, a BIG resounding No!

I end with a recollection of my criticism when it was made known that more than a decade ago, MCA leader Ng Yen Yen was a permanent resident of Australia when she was made a Senator. My stand then was,and still is, that I hold nothing against Malaysians having PR overseas, but I am firm that Yen Yen should NOT remain a Senator and continue to play active role in the country's politics as her loyalties were/are split. In fact, in passing, I too wrote a letter to the PM's Department too objecting to an Aussie PR being appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the Star, more or less on the same principle that one must not have any "conflict-of-interest" situation that often arises with high profile posts.

I too wish that Malaysians abroad who wish to play any significant role such as taking part in the country's elections by initiating or becoming Third Force candidates, or serving as a Cabinet minister, to return home to fight the battles. And help sincerely PR and the people's efforts to win the war for Putrajaya.

Why launch an MCLM in London, and announcing candidates to shove down the PR component parties throats? Maybe the BN regime under Najib Tun Razak will be more accomodating absorbing them -- hence the direct Barisan Nasional membership?

The UMNO leaders seem suddenly to become reform-minded, and so willing to co-opt Taiwan-returned graduate-rapper "Namewee" aka Wee Meng Chee -- why not also co-opt the 20 men of integrity nominated by Haris Ibrahim? I wonder if indeed we are seeing the emergence of The Third Force or The Third Farce?

- YL Chong is a reader and contributor to Malaysia Chronicle

**************************************************************

UPDATEd @4.98PM (See how heART Desi works for his ER?:)

I will now extract the last portion of Malaysia Chronicle's article by Mathias Gomes and Stan Lee ~~ I quote from ..."The undressing of a false icon: RPK is coming home!"

Pakatan is stronger than you now, even the Umno bloggers are better than you now

If Anwar were not important, then why would Najib want to pay you so much or spend so much effort to get you to speak from his side. Why keep going after his arch rival Anwar? What is so great about Anwar if he is not really so great?

Also, sad to say despite the sensational interviews in the Malay newspapers, I don't think many Malaysians will be sidetracked from the NFC scandal, the UPSI police brutality and the Adam Adli protests or the January 9 Sodomy II verdict. The results will be the same. The people will hate Umno more because of Najib and Rosmah. In the end, it will not be Anwar who would have lost because of your interviews. It is you yourself, dear RPK, who has wagered and lost - lost badly.

No, my dear RPK, today you have bought your freedom and will be coming home soon. I think there is "udang sebalik batu" in your case, and I beg to differ when you just said you don't care about your detractors like me or what we think.

The sad truth is that people like Big Dog Zakhir Mohamad, Rocky's Bru Ahhrrudin Attan and even Parupu Kari or Papagomo are better people than you now, RPK. At least they stay true to their roots and not stoop so low that you can smell the shit in their pants.

Anyway wish you the best for old times sake, and goodbye to you and Malaysia Today.

Malaysia Chronicle

DESIDERATA:

I especially find this paragraph so discerning of the two writers, and it reflects my view too because I can engage the pro-UMNO bloggers in public discourse without resorting to threats and creating fiction to run down the opposing parties:~~"The sad truth is that people like Big Dog Zakhir Mohamad, Rocky's Bru Ahhrrudin Attan and even Parupu Kari or Papagomo are better people than you now, RPK. At least they stay true to their roots and not stoop so low that you can smell the shit in their pants."

RPK mounting vicious attacks on DSAI, working in cahoots with UMNO-controlled MSM

2012-01-02T21:36:00.009+08:00

By now many readers of New Sunday Times and Mingguan Utusan would have been overloaded with lots of innuendoes, half truths by the once-esteemed blogger whose fulll name I won't even dignify to mention because I deem him a scum and of an order not fit to address with his father-given name.

On the same day (A SUNDAY, also January 1 ushering in the significant New Year of the Dragon...), there is an online portal (its name also won't be promoted here!) known to be financed by a failed politician but still prosperous businessman John Soh running a similar story in an exclusive interview with the fugitive blogger denigrating Anwar's political role.

A different sort of portal more like aggregating other blogwrites and doing follow-up like any press, MOLE.COM, relatively new, features "RPK changing sides, again?", has a link to Mole.com owner/part-owner? Rockybru, aka Datuk Ahirudin Attan, at whose site I left a comment, viz:

(To rockybru's piece titeld "RPK's nail in Anwar Ibrahim's coffin", my cheeky comment reads:

desiderata said...

Rockybru, I beg to differ wit' your post's title, instead more apt: "The nail is on RPK's own coffin!"
COS this guy has been changing like the weather, you see that in MCLM's sidekick Haris Ibrahim too. First they say the are a 3rd force, not taking part in GE; later they say No, we want to nominate candidates to contest under PR component parties without getting prior sanction from PAS, DAP and PKR.

To me, the NST has "copulated" the once-esteemed blogger -- I wonder how much is the price? Higher than Yee Mee Foong the crippled who collapsed the PR state government in Perak?

11:16 PM

*********************************************************

I will just postpone another comment at the MOLE.COM after it appears****, but it's worth remarking that even pro-UMNO bloggers like rockybru won't shut out readers' comments challenging his viewpoints, or demean them with sarcasm like the socalled popular M2Day's owner also the blogger hyding away in England the past two years and yet he deems himself an authority on Malaysian politics, and expects his fans to take his word as gospel truth.

My comment UPLOADED@10.24PM, --wit' typos, warts and all -- :: RPK a blogger once esteemed in my eyes until about two years ago, used to preach Islam lots in his M2Day. But he has been creating "fitnah", including writing false accusations against writers who don't agree with him I usually adopt the stance of "Let's be agreeable in our disagreement" and I don't have problem debating with pro-UMNO bloggers like Rockybu, Big Dod and aVoice, knot Midnight. But with this RPK, he catch him telling half-truths and outright lies, so UMNO should not celebrate too early. Seew how this coward of a blogger living in luxury in London first headlined many reports that "Rosmah was at scene of Altantunya's murder...." but he changed his tune later attribuiting it to Other Sources. So convcenient AFTER creating the false IMPRESSION amon the readers about Rosmah vizavizi Altantuya, and RPK is the one preaching often that Impression is everything in politics, hence many journalists are expert "spinners". ***************************************

Now I'm borrowing a reader's comments from fellow blogger Din Merican's post titled "RPK (360)?: Anwar may become irrelevant. I think the writer who ID himself as Don has been featured my my blog before; THE DON knows indepth what's going on with RPK, hence I am proud to reproduce his two comments (THANKS, Don, endless tehtarik on me ~~ Desi:), viz:

"I honestly feel sorry for this man, if he can be called a man. A man that has run away from the law, no matter how unfair it is, is not a freedom fighter, RPK is just a hired writer.

He has no means of income, he is personally broke, that much he has admitted himself, yet he lives a luxurious life, travels here and there, etc. and so to sell his soul is his only choice.

He is a man on a vengeance roll, mainly against Anwar and Azmin, the same Anwar he once defended. However, Anwar would not play ball with him, as Mahathir, Sanusi, Najib, etc. do, so this is his revenge.
He thinks he knows it all, and those that disagree with him, will face his wrath, even if it’s unjustified.

When the whole world believes that Anwar has not been given a fair trail,RPK, the self declared know it all, believes otherwise, which is coincidentally BN’s view.

RPK himself has censured both Augustine Paul and the present judge on Sodomy 2, and now, in an interview with the BN’s media, he says otherwise.

He is BN’s and Najib’s last resort, and mind you, many believe he has been cornered by Najib, and Najib has his balls in his hands.

Tell me RPK, what is it that you have achieved in life?
Have you taken a corporation and created value for it?
Have you created jobs for the jobless?
Have you helped the under priveleged?
Have you done anything that has resulted in making us more educated, besides gossip that is?
Have you educated a group of intellectuals, persons, etc. in achieving something far greater than they thought that they were capable of, and they in turn have gone out into the world, and attained outstanding achievements, as a result of your input into them? Not politically, but economically even.

Have you made outstanding advances into something that will eventually make life easier for us?

Have you attended an outstanding college or university and is recognised for it, and made your children to walk in your similar footsteps?

You have no money, even to support your children through university, and depend on the generosity of the british govt, and your paymasters, to feed your family and educate your kids, what a shame that has befallen you. And yet you give lectures and sermons about religion, God and the like.

You are good talker, and you twist your positions, faster than Badawi, Najib and KJ combined.

You make no sense, and the interviewers’ know it, and everyone can see that the whole interview was well scripted.

Do tell what is it that you have done, that you think makes you as superior as you think you are, even remotely.

Put your CV against Anwar, or even Azmin, or even some lesser known PKR politicians, and you will be embarrassed, that is if you are capable of feeling some degree of shame.

Your true self has just emerged, and those that continue to underestimate you, and continue to think that you will fight for truth and justice, do so at their own peril.

You are just a self serving ignorant old fool, and a shameless one at that too.

Don - January 1, 2012 at 6:21 pm

Sheesh, the shame that has befallen this person is, I believe, caused by divine intervention, because he is quick to judge and condemn everyone, but himself, and his hypocrisy is caused by the devil.

He is better than all the imams/pastors/priests, etc. put together, better than all the economists put together, better than all the lawyers put together, better than all the statisticians put together, he is an expert in everything, well, he thinks he is better than God Himself.

Remember RPK, who God wants to destroy, He makes them crazy first, you are nearly there.

You can play every role that you want, but do not play God, God will not put up with that.

You are living the lie that the devil has taught you.

Don

UPDATEd -- Desi's Theory on BN Politics: The Three Cs of Cooperation, Collaboration,

2012-01-01T23:08:00.000+08:00

and finally, COPULATION. This is the political practice of UMNO/Barisan Nasional that their leaders apply on anyone NOT yet aligned with its camp. Remember how an Pakatan Rakyat duly-elected Perak government was seduced and finally stolen by the UMNO-BN goons working in cahoots with business tycoons, and endorsed by a royalty meek-and-mild?

And it is NO SURPRISE to Desi that the socalled "popular" blogger RPK has finally succumbed to the last stage of UMNO's 3Cs. Yes, the royal blogger now in socalled exile in the UK is about to reah a climax in the epochal act as demonstrated so openly -- and to me a an impending pathetic ending with the GE13 -- by his interview, blurbed on frontpage and prominently displayed over THREE PAGES in the New Sunday Times today.

I won't detail this soul'd out interview of a once-upon-a-time blogger-actvisit heading the FreeAnwarCampaign now peddling medicine for UMNO. Why do you think the leading English MSM-propaganda-ganda-wang-anda would give him such generous space. This same guy who had headlined so often in his M2day blog highlighting that Rosmah was at the scene of the murder of Mongolian beauty Altantuya.

Today's interview is the culmination of the "collaboration" he offered to another UMNO mouthpiece TV3 a special interview just before the last Sarawak state elections in order to maximise damage on the Opposition. His latest reprisal is a repeat performance except the NST act reaches a climax I have never seen before in an ertswhile Anwarista head completely "selling out"/soul'd out the Opposition cause of changing the present regime of 54 years at Putrajaya.

Dear ER, this is just my INTRO for a long piece. I need to adjourn for New Year lunch to come back refreshed and energised to take on a Face-Off opponent who is not above cooking up fiction to put his enemies down. READ MY POST YESTERDAY which includes an olde item that was the real start to a regretful ENC'UNTER WITH THIS ROYAL BLOGGER enjoying immunity hyde-ing out in Manchester, UK, but giving his ntyerview to the NST from out of Singapore. I have called him a "coward" before, and I reiterate the same moniker for one socalled fighter for a better Malaysia but chooses to live in luxury to enjoy the best capitalist life that Londoin has to offer. But only for those with deep pockets. So the natural question arises: Who is lining RPK's pockets for the moment?

STAY TUNED...

Okay, now going into THE BODY, I apologise I have to reproduce the NST's frontpage summary SO THAT I MAY REBUT THE "IRRELEVANT" WRITER'S PR-FOR-UMNO PIECE BUT BEIONG A COWARD< HE WILL CONTINUE HIDING IN ENGLAND!

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01 January 2012 | Last updated at 02:42PM

RPK: “Anwar may become irrelevant”

By Ahmad Fairuz Othman
news@nstp.com.my | 0 comments

ASSESSMENT: Raja Petra faulted Anwar both for his ineptitude in improving the economy of the PKR-led Selangor state and for turning his latest sodomy trial, bogged down by prolonged delays, into a political circus.

SINGAPORE: Raja Petra Kamarudin has said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is fighting his latest sodomy charge, will be politically irrelevant and fade into oblivion if the opposition failed to take over Putrajaya in the coming general election.

With the opposition coalition “in a mess” due to infighting, and Anwar’s inability to hold a firm grip on PKR’s “crown jewel” of Selangor, the chances of Pakatan Rakyat winning power will be at stake, said Raja Petra, once a staunch supporter of Anwar.

“Like an Elvis Presley song, It’s Now or Never. But the question is can it be now?” the UK-born Selangor prince, now living in exile in Manchester, told the New Sunday Times in a rare interview.

Raja Petra, 61, has been a long-time supporter of the opposition and was instrumental in the first campaign to free Anwar from jail 11 years ago. Both have since fallen out.

Raja Petra had disappeared after two arrest warrants were issued against him for failing to attend court hearings in April and May, 2009. He had claimed to be in a self-imposed exile.

In the wide-ranging interview, he also gave a frank assessment of the government’s transformation programme spearheaded by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the current state of the Pakatan coalition and the emerging role of the so-called “third force” in the Malaysian electoral system.

In the two-hour interview at a hotel suite in Singapore, he launched a scathing attack on Anwar, whom he spent years fighting for his freedom from his jail sentence following his earlier corruption and sodomy convictions.

He faulted Anwar both for turning his latest sodomy trial, bogged down by prolonged delays, into a political circus and for his inability to improve the economy of the PKR-led Selangor state, raising question marks over his leadership. (Anwar is the economic adviser to the Selangor government).

The sodomy trial has taken a very long time and the verdict is not due until Jan 9.

“There were like 50-60 postponements during the trial,” Raja Petra noted.

He said the most important thing was not whether Anwar would be found guilty or otherwise.

“To me the issue of Anwar is not whether he is or not guilty with sodomy. The issue is whether he is the best person to run the country. Can he run the country? Now you might be the most God-fearing man on earth, you can be absolutely clean. But if you cannot run the country, you cannot run the country,” Raja Petra said.

Likewise, Anwar has also not seen much success in Selangor: “What's your advice? In the last three years since you been economic adviser, you've gone overseas 60 times in mere three years. Shouldn’t you be staying home running the state? Running the party? Running the coalition?…The coalition is in a mess. People are fighting with each other,” Raja Petra said.

“He seems to be running away.”

Raja Petra warned opposition supporters against turning the fight for justice into a struggle for Anwar.

"Even when Mandela went to jail for 27 years, there was no campaign to free Mandela. Even though there were groups, the Free Mandela Group. It was a campaign to end apartheid,” he said. “I am sure Mandela is a much bigger figure than Anwar by far, in terms of historical importance.”

Raja Petra said Anwar’s leadership of Pakatan was out of political expedience. “Pakatan will back Anwar as long as they still harbour hopes of forming the next federal government. But if come the next election, and if Pakatan fails to form the next federal government, Pakatan has no use for Anwar anymore, especially Pas and DAP.”

Raja Petra also said both sides of the political divide would have to work hard to win the sizeable “floating voters” in the coming election.

“There’s this group which is actually floating and this is a big group. This is 30 to 40 per cent. They are prepared to swing either way. At the moment, a lot of them will still give Pakatan the benefit of the doubt. But also a lot of them are beginning to lose confidence with Pakatan.

“At worst, if they are not prepared to give Barisan the confidence, yet not prepared to give Pakatan the benefit of the doubt, they will abstain from voting.

He said the Egypt-style people’s revolution was not an answer for Malaysia due to the delicate racial balance.

“They (Chinese voters) don’t want Tahrir Square type of change. But if then you merely embark on evolutionary changes, small changes. I think it's time Najib grabs the bull by the horns and call a spade a spade.”

He said Umno, the backbone of Barisan Nasional, too needs an internal transformation. “Najib must be prepared not only to take a knife but take a chainsaw and cut whatever needs to be cut.”

DESI'S REBUTTAL

Let me enlighten a little on what the THREE Cs of UMNO/BN politics is about. Having been the only government we know, the UMNO-led BN coalition, first as the Alliance, now as the hugely expanded Barisan Nasional, most of the Malaysian population would have tasted the first stage of UMNO's political modus operandi. Our daily life would somehow lead us to CO-OPERATING with the government apparatus toi make life easier. There is not much problem at this infant stage.

Only when an individual, usually starting with working life, more so going into doing business in the private sector, the individual is forced to "COLLABORATE" with the government of the day -- to obtain projects, or tie up with BN leaders to further their business interests. Still acceptable at most times for the individual with an alert mind -- to keep the "dirty hands" of UMNO political-goons who want money but don't want to work but they thrive on "bodekism" which is entrenched culture in UMNO top political echelons and top government ranks. By now, many of the Malaysians who are collaboraters with UMNO bigwigs would have landed up with Datuk or TanSi titles!

Ah, the next phase is the most alluring, and dangerous to one's health -- physical, moral and after-life. And in my humble opinion, RPK had entered this stage of BN politicisation process ie COPULATION -- because he has illusions of being a prime mover in THE CORRIDORS OF POWER.

*********************************

DESI'S ASSESSMENT:
RPK, let's face facts regarding your background. You have had dalliance with former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad, which I believe were the days you thrived doing business. I don't know your history then so I would be kind you were at the COOPERATION STAGE.
Then you moved into the next phase of COLLABORATION with DS ANWAR IBRAHIM after his fall from UMNO grace as deputy PM and UMNO president, stepping into leadership role at FreAnwarCampaign in the challenging years of Anwar spending time for more than six years behind bar (at Sungai Buloh Prison). I was then a journalist, and you earned my respect, especially later when Anwar was feed, and you started your blogportal malaysia-today. Then PM Mahathir -- your benefactor once -- became your enemy because then you still had some humanity devoting time and resources in getting a fair trial in the court of public opinion for Anwar charged in court on "trumped up" charges, this the majority of Malaysians know that. I am adopting the same logic that RPK used in his NST interview claiing he's speaking for "voters" who charged that Anwar's role as economic adviser in the SElangor state government did not help in the fight against corruption. And that PR will lose Selangor back to the BN, if you believe RPK's reliably-informed sources from half a world away seated in his London or Manchester luxury apartment or hotel.

Then towards the latter part of year 2010 and greater part of 2011, "you seemed to change and you acted strange" (hey, quoting from Elvis' "Are you lonesome tonight?" can?) AND I HAD CAUSE TO DOUBT YOU! The TV3 interview was the first act, based on copulated script according to UMNO -- BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DENY TV3 IS AN UMNO PROPAGANDA MACHINE!

And with today's act 2. you have entered the BN-UMNO's political stage of SOUL'D OUT COPULATION -- you appear in thy naked glory of what an expensive sellout to the BN political apparatus looks like. I think your son who was once arrested for alleged "theft" and could have used by the UMNO politicians as leverage against you to ensure you graduate from Collaboration into the Copulation stage shows the mighty power of Vitamin M! ADUN YEE YET FOONG of Perak who collapsed the PR-led Perak government -- for RM24million as RPK's M2day did allege -- now has a more expensive "class" mate in you, the "great"RPKas one online portal described you. To those few who still give some benefit of the doubt to RPK, I hope you share my conclusion this NST interview provides the final proof the once-esteemed blogger-activist has completely SOUL'D OUT!

Stay Tuned...

(Desi will come back after an early dinner...as I have been hinting to you, I am a real capitalist on wickedends, what more on this first day of a YEAR TO POTENTIAL CHANGE AT PUTRAJAYA!:)

I surfed to fellow blogger Din Merican's and found he also ran RPK's interview, to which I added this comment:

*************************************

"I second Didi’s and michatan2000′s comments — I believe it is RPK — hyding as a Dr Hyde:) in luxurious exile in UK — who has become IRRELEVANT since about two years ago.

I once believed RPK cared enough promoting and fighting for a Better Malaysia, hence his FAC leadership to get then sacked DPM Anwar Ibrahim a fair trail on corruption and SODOMY I charges.

But over the past decade, is there anything that is substantively different in Sodomy II from Sodomy II (ERRATA now added: Sodomy I). NIL, and RPK has turned 180degrees –Sdr DinM, not 360 if that’s what you are implying!, and is now an ardent supporter of UMNO system. We all know since the sacking of Tun Salleh Abas as Lord President, the Malaysian judiciary has been largely COMPROMISED.

But there are still a FEW GOOD MEN IN POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE LIKE THE AUDITOR-GENERAL who released the 2010 annual report condemning the NFC as “in a mess”. And RPK still wants to sell the poisonous medicine that Najib is capable seising the bull by the horns and of doing drastic surgery of UMNO politic.

It’s like squeezing water from a rock, and as a once wellinformed blogger, RPK really has SOUL’D OUT the Reformasi cause he headed while Anwar was incarcerated! You still want to give the system whose IGP was capable of giving a detainee (no less than a former DPM!) the black eye? God help us from those who have eyes but wear a blind after receiving some incentives.

Sdr Din, ap AP New Year and to your esteemed READERS, let’s VOTE ABU at GE13~~ YL, Desi

********************************

PS: I urge my ER to visit dinM's blog to read readers Didi's and michatan2000's comments. Also, please read one DON's insightful views, hit a resounding chord with Desi's beat!:)

desiderata-ylchong

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