TWEET!

I've gone Twitter crazy. Especially since I began using TweetDeck. It's a really nifty application, easy to use, with great user interface. You guys gotta check it out.

Now that I have TweetDeck in my dekstop, I will be tweeting more. And It seemed to have fired up my blogging spirit too :-)

Acting Your Age

What's wrong with 20 something year old girls trying to act like they are 12? You know the type I'm talking about. Those who pretend to be naive and cute (ie: stupid). And that nasal voice that they use when speaking! OMFG!

And the vanity! Taking self portraits whenever the opportunity presents itself (which for them is every 3 minutes.). Damn, they are annoying.

Major LOL of the Day

Ok, I know I said I will not post anything regarding politics anymore but this one is so funny i couldn't resist. Plus, one or two such posts once in a while doesn't hurt anyone, does it.

See, yesterday around 300 people gathered at Pusat Sivik in PJ for a candle lighting ceremony as a protest to ISA (and basically everything crappy of the country). While the participants were singing Negaraku, suddenly (jeng, jeng, jeng!), the police arrived (ok, my fault for being over-dramratic. I shouldn't used that effect since something like this is so common these days you should've seen it coming from 50 miles away). Our trusty friendly neighbourhood patrols dispersed the crowd while they were singing our national anthem to arrest basically everyone.

When contacted by Malaysiakini regarding the matter, the CPO Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar denied the accusation. According to him, the crowds were not arrested while they were singing Negaraku. Hey, our police have better sense then to arrest a peaceful crowd while the anthem is being sung.

However, when Malaysiakini presented to the CPO with (now I have to use "jeng jeng jeng") a video of the arrest made by one of the reporters (gasp!), he has only this to say:

"I deny it"

But Mr. CPO, there is video proof. It clearly shows that the police arrested the crowd when they were singing Negaraku. Plus the crowd were not even acting violent or out of control like what you sugested many times in many other "illegal" assemblies (said with annoying whiny 5-year-old voice).

"I deny it"

But, but Mr CPO, how could you deny something like that? There's a video, and the video shows... people singing, arrested...police, candles....Negaraku....

"I deny it"

This brings the "looks like me, talks like me and sounds like me but not me" argument to a whole new level. Hats off.

Ahh, nothing like a really good joke to brighten my day.

I deny it, the new clincher. Win any argument with anyone, anywhere, anytime. The trick is be stupid enough not to realise how preposterous it actually is. Sounds easy to me.

It Never Ends, Does it?

Ok it's been ages since I last wrote anything. I'm sitting in the 24 hour room right now and what's hapening at the library's foyer compleed me to write something about it.

There's a group of Malays who has set up a booth cand they call themsleves the Gugusan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (or something like that). And thy've been ranting about mempertahankan hak dan martabat orang Melayu and all this shit. Damn, not this again...

I wonder if they even know what they are ranting about.

What's in a Keris?

Seeing all the brouhaha sorrounding Hishamuddin's recent apology over the keris incident, I am tempted to write something of my own.

First of all, whether apology constitutes as an apology. This is what he said.

"I am sorry if it had affected the non-Malays,"

and...

He is also sorry "for not being able to defend a heritage symbol" of the Malays.

Ok, the first statemet. Apparently he is sorry IF what he did affected the non-Malays. If it affected the non-Malays? Why if? This made me feel that he is not sincere in he's apology at all. It seems like he think's that what he did is wrong ONLY if someone took offense in it.

Then the second statement really gets me going. You're sorry for failing to defend the Malay symbol? Ok, that begs the question; What is he sorry for? For hurting the non-Malays, or failing to protect the Malay symbol? Surely, you can't be sorry for both. For me, it gives the impression of someone saying " I'm sorry for what I did, althogh I don't think that what I did was wrong." Would you consider that a sincere apology from someone? Even if he did apologise, I could clearly sense that he is not sorry or regretted what he did at all. He only regretted of having himself caught in a bind.

And to talk about sincerity. Why did he wait for so long before finally apologising? It's been already 2 years since the incident. When the controversy first erupted, he didn't even bother to explain his action. Wouldn't it be better to apologies a few days after the incident, seeing the outbursts that it generated if he is TRULY sorry for what he did? What wait for so long?

Simple. Because at that time, UMNO is still in power. Hishamuddin, like many UMNOputeras, are arrogant because he wielded authority. He did not have to take responsiblility of what he did. But who could blame him? That has been UMNO's practice all this while.

Then, came the mother of all shockers, that is the previous GE. Things have changed, and the UMNO croonies don't feel as secured anymore. So did Hishamuddin. What he now does is to play damage control, to admit his wrong doings and to apologise. To play the nice humble Malay that means no harm. To be a big man of great principles.

All he's trying to do is save his own ass.

Some might argue that the non-Malays blew this whole thing out of proportion. The kissing of the keris is a very common practice, especially during Malay ceremonies, and it usually means no harm. And why should anyone be afarid of the keris? It's just a synbol. The non-Malays are the ones who are being insensitive here. They should not play with racial issues, especially if it involves cultures and religions.

First of all, let's get one thing clear. I am not afraid of the keris. I'm not intimidated by the keris kissing, and I respect that if it is done in the name of Malay culture. However, what Hishamuddin did was beyond culture and symbol. It is what he meant by kissing the keris that irked me and most Malaysians. If he kissed the keris as a part of a ceremony, noone would say a world. It just tradition. We would understand that. But his keris kissing antics meant a whole different thing, carried a whole different meaning. He didn't do it for the sake of ceremony or tradition, he did it in an attempt to scare and intimidate non-Malays who question 'Ketuanan Melayu'. Right before he kissed the keris, he warned the non-Malays not to awaken the sleeping tigers for when the tigers awake, there will be blood (this is not exactly what he said, word by word, but you get the meaning). Then, someone from the audience even shouted when will the keris taste blood.

So that what what Hishamuddin's keris kissing meant. Not tradition. His brand of keris kissing symbolised hatred, racism, bigotry and blatant disregard for other races.

And even if he not did mean to incite violence with the keris (or any other weapons), his intentions are clear. He is a racist uneducated bigot who has no place in a multi racial country. Worse of all, he is not unique in UMNO, and many of them hold various important positions in the country.

In short, I do not for once believe that Hishamuddin is sorry at all for what he did. He might be sorry that what he did cause so much damage to himself and UMNO, but beyond that, I believe he stands by his actions. What he's trying to do now is to control the damage that he inflicted. And it doesn;t take a rocket scientist to realise that the attempt is lame, hypocritical, fake and not a bit sincere.

Soap Opera, Malaysian Style

Anwar Ibrahim just issued a statement that PR will be able to form the government by Sept 16. According to him, he now has enough cross over MPs to do so.

And how is BN taking this? Are those monkeys gonna sit around and wait for that to happen? Of course not, but the question is, how true is the allegation and if it is true, what can (or would) BN do about it?

This is getting really interesting.

Malay Supremacy, Again... So What's New?

Ok, so apparently Hishamuddin had finally 'apologised' for his keris wielding and kissing antics. That is if you consider that half-ass attempt as an apology.

According to him, he regrets if his actions has hurt the feelings of non-Malays. Fair enough, so now what are you gonna do about it? Apparently nothing, not that it's surprising at all.

But then, he made another statement right after that, this addressed to the Malays. Now, he's also sorry failing to uphold and protect the national symbol.

Ok, so is that what the keris symbolise? A weapon that is thirsty for the blood of non-Malays? Something to scare off those who question the UMNO brand of Malay supremacy? Is that what he failed in 'protecting'?

So now, is he really sorry or not? Maybe for the latter, but to the former, I don't think so.

A few days ago, Tengku Razaleigh held a post-mortem to discuss on UMNO's performance. You might have asked by now; what, another post-mortem? Aiyo, why they need another post-mortem? Just go to any kopitiams la, over they the post-mortem lagi accurate. But no, UMNO has to have another post-mortem. And another one is what they get.

What's the content of the meeting? Another topic on Malay supremacy. Or more specifically, how Malays have lost their political power and how to grab the power back from the nons. To know more , read this post from Malaysia Today.

And this kind of meeting coming from someone like Tengku Razaleigh? Man, if I jad any respect for you previously, you just lost it.

Then, there are also people like the Crown Prince of Kelantan who made the kind of statement that he did (read my previous post to know more).

And not to mention to countless of seminars held by Biro Tatanegara discussing a similar issue.

What surprises me is that these people, after so long, still fail (or refuse) to realise the real reason BN lost. BN lost not because the nons are trying to grab the power from the Malays. Hell, even Malays supported the opposition. So how do you explain that?

The reason is really simple. We are just sick and tired of the way BN is doing things. And it doesn't take a non-Malay to realise how fucked up BN is. Corruption, polarisation, discrimination, blatant disregard of the rakyat's needs, keris wielding stunt, cronyism, racial politics, religious issues, education, rising cost of living, hypocrisy, murders, tyranny, you name it. Everything that can go wrong, went wrong. That is why you lost. Case closed. Now do something about it.

Then again, that explanation might be too simplistic and lack the necessary oomph, so that might be why the UMNO people cannot accept it. No, no, we shouldn't care about those trivial matters, what more important is that the Malays (by that, you know I mean UMNO Malays) are losing power. We need to address that first. Those issues, aiya they can wait la. First we need to get the power back first. Only when things get back to the way it used to be the, maybe then, and I mean maybe then, we will look at your needs.

Ok then UMNO, keep talking. While you are at it, you might not realise that the rakyat and Pakatan Rakyat are laughing at your denial and impotence. In fact, at this rate, the PR might not even have to waste time strategising on how to oust BN. It may simply self-implode on itself.

And maybe then, UMNO will truly realise what went wrong. But I'm not crossing my fingers though.

Times Magazine 100 Greatest Novels

I'm currently attempting to read the 100 novels that made the Times list. 20 down, 80 left to go. The list was made a few years back so some of the latest 'to-die for' books didn't actually make it.

To view the complete list, click here.

Happy reading folks!

A Royal Statement

Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had given into granting non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.

He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity” organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.

“Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.

“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text.

In his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority.

However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion.

As an exampleTengku Faris said non-Malays are allowed to practice their respective religions in peace. They must however do so in accordance with the law and “not be provocative towards Islam”.

“The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (negara Islam), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others,” he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

-Malaysiakini-

Have I got your attention yet?

I am left totally speechless and extremely offended after reading this piece of article. Ok, let's review piece by piece of what this Crown Prince said.

Malay unity is the core of national unity. Malay unity? What about inter-racial unity? I am really curious as what made him believe that Malay unity is all that matters in the country. Doesn't he know that the country consist of 40% non Malays? What about us? Are we negligible? For humanity's sake, Tengku, you can't be serious.

And then he tried to justify why non-Malays should not be granted equal rights. Apparently, it is because we are not the penduduk asal and since the Malays compromised and had given us citizenship, we shou;d just be grateful and keep our mouth shut. In fact, this is the argument used again and again by many to justify this view.

Ok, first of all, what does it mean to be a citizen? Is it merely the right to practice my religion freely? And that's it? How am I supposed to feel like a citizen when I am constantly reminded (by government policies and also statement like these) that I am a mere pendatang haram?

If the Tengku's view holds any water (it is not appropriate for the non Malays to have citizenship and later seek equal rights) , then, to this day, the blacks in the US will still be repressed and discriminated against.

And Tengku, just so you know, Malays are not even the penduduk asal of this country. The Orang Asli are. Guess you have forgotten about them. Or maybe you don't even know (or care) that they exist.

Then to say that the results of the GE shows Malay rights have been challenged? Are you kidding me? What about "it shows that Malaysians regardless of race, religion and creed have fought as one identity for the betterment of the country"? That never crossed your mind?

And since when is Malaysia an Islamic state? Read the Constitution please! It clearly states that Malaysia is a SECULAR state. I could bet my head on that.

Honestly, I am sick and tired of Malays that see themselves as the ones who are repressed. Add to some who think that they are some sleeping tigers waiting for the right time to awaken and claim back the country.

This kind of views and statements cannot be justified anyways and by anyone under any circumstances. This is discrimination in broad daylight. I just hope that Tengku's view is exclusive to a small minority of Malays. But then again, judging from the applause that he received from the audience, maybe not.

Child's Play

After blackmailling Penang by pulling off all the major projects in the state in the aftermath of BN's extraordinary loss in the GE, it now shifts focus to all the 5 Pakatan Rakyat states.

The latest drama: Minister of Tourism Datuk Azalina Othman Said said that BN plans to termainate any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the 5 PR states because they fear that the government's plan cannot be accepted by the people of the states. The result? No more development in the staes that aim at increasing tourism. And Azalina even said on TV; that she doesn't think the government can work along with PR under current circunstances.

Fuck you Azalina. And fuck you too Barisan Najis.

This is clearly a game of getting back at the people of PR states for causing BN to lose big.

The last time I check, my parents (and in the future, I too) pay taxes to the federal government, not to BN. So what makes them think they can decide how OUR money is used? What makes them think they have authority to deny us of development just because we voted them out? It is not YOUR money that you're playing with, it OURS!

Up till now, I am dumbfounded to find that BN is still playing the denial game on why they lose big. First, they blame the voters of being too emotional. Then Abdullah said they lost because they did not tap into the power of the cyberspace. After that, he said there are saboteurs in the party. Next they took action, by punishing the people of PR states.

Fucking wake up BN! They reason why you lost is clear. Just go to any kopitiam and I'm sure the Ah Peks there will give you a 3 hour lecture on why you lost.

Look at Taiwan. When Kuomintang (KMT) lost in 2000, they did some serious soul searching, sacking corrupt and arrogant ministers, totally reforming their party and this year, they bounced back and took Taiwan back.

Is BN following their lead. Oh no... instead they chose to sulk and whine like babies and blame others for their impotence and try to punish others by denying them goodies.

Back to Azalina's case. If that's what BN is up to, then i suggest that the PR states people pay their taxes directly to the state government only. Dont forget PR is in control of the 5 richest, most important and resourceful states on Malaysia. It is BN that can't survive without us, no the other way round.