The Star:

Johor Anti-Corruption Agency director Nooraziah Abdul Manaf said of the (67 arrests last year), 36 arrested were from government departments, with the majority being support staff.

Thirty people were from the private sector and one was a politician.

omg. ONE?!

Yet another truly painful demonstration of the ikan bilis vs. ikan yu phenomenon >:(

In Johor, a) politicians damn honest, b) civil servants too stupid to get away with it / politicians far smarter than ACA, d) ACA “prefers” nasi lemak to shark’s fin… Guess only you can choose which is most convincing.

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NST:

It is estimated that 10 to 15 per cent of the 20,000 cabbies in the Klang Valley are civil servants.

“The number might be more. They do it to earn extra income. They get off government duty at 4pm or 5pm and work as ‘spare’ taxi drivers until midnight. Next day, they return to their jobs as civil servants,” Malaysian Taxi, Limousine and Hired Car Drivers and Operators Association president Yusoff Lahir told the New Straits Times.

The article seemed to portray the higher-ups as being none to happy about this, but hell, that’s better than being corrupt right? At least it’s honest work.

And let’s think about it, who would be so rajin as to take on a second job (civil servants no less), if the first job met all of one’s need? True, could be pure greed, but that’s a heckuva lotta work to do.

A well-handled economy shouldn’t require citizens to be working two jobs just to make ends meet. And if people are forced to, we shouldn’t make it any more difficult for them than it already is.

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Not read up extensively on this yet, but there’s trouble brewing at the Ipoh City Council. We’ll keep our eyes open.

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Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib and wife have become eye donors. While the act in and of itself is truly admirable (full credit!), if even half of the allegations (here’s but one example) of corruption against Tan Sri are true, I wouldn’t want to be walking around with eyes that have seen what his have.

Tags: Government Policies, Integrity, Malaysian Politics by Nathaniel Tan
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Slow news day prompts Syed Nazri to write about Puteri Nasi Kandar in Penang - somewhat in bad taste, given that this was the Perth restaurant the PM was busy opening while Malaysians and their livelihoods were drowning in some of the worst floods here ever. My original comments here.

And I don’t know about using precious editorial space to promote restaurants man.. Owned by the PM’s brother or not, that’s just about as bad (though not as common) as using editorial space to do PR for BN :P

And what did Syed Nazri’s other article today offer? His expert advice on the world’s sexiest men :|

Update: 5.45pm

I can’t help but quote aisehman, aheheh..

Anyway, too bad they don’t sell satay at Puteri, because Syed Nadzri in his column today sounds like a man who could give you a lesson on the finer points of handling the kipas.

Tags: Malaysian Politics by Nathaniel Tan
1 Comment »

Malaysiakini (surprisingly, the Star didn’t have something up at time of writing) -

BN’s Abdul Aziz Kiram steamrolled past the 22-year-old Ng Chee Pang by amassing a whopping 5,857-vote majority. This is 3,186 votes more than the majority achieved in 2004 general election.

Abdul Aziz, 46, gained 6,276 votes while Ng garnered 419 votes. Ng also lost his RM5,000 deposit. There were 385 spoilt votes.

Today some 7,131 or 67.32 percent of the 10,525 registered voters for the Batu Talam state seat went to the polls until the centres closed at 5pm.

In 2004, about 76.59 percent of the 10,866 registered voters voted to give a victory to BN in this traditional seat.

I got a PKR generated SMS that had a rather different spin on the matter, but well… not like we can say Malaysiakini has a reputation for being pro-government or anything like that.

I’ll wait to see what the rest of the parties have to say, but right now, at 67.32% it doesn’t seem too unfair to call the Opposition boycott a failure :( What next for them, I wonder.

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Quoting an interview, Tony Pua writes on possible upcoming tensions between DS Abdullah and DS Ong Ka Ting. Is something afoot?

 What is interesting is that, of the many other inefficient and ineffective ministries to cite his example of poor leadership and weak implementation, the Prime Minister picked on his closest “ally”.

Poor policy implementation is a hallmark of the Ministry of Education, but no, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein didn’t get picked. Tender awards are still as opaque, but the Ministry of Finance didn’t get highlighted. (Oh, sorry, Pak Lah’s also the Minister of Finance). Even the incompetent Minister of Works who negotiated away the rakyat’s weath doesn’t get a mention.

If you ask me, I’ll say that it’s not as simple as the Prime Minister pointing out the defects in his government. Pak Lah is sending a stern message to Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting. The question then is, what is that message?

Hmmm… will keep an eye on this.

ps- from the interview: Why does the PM have to keep using such inane phrases like “I’ve to do what I need to do” or “I will continue to run the country” ? :| I think most of us no longer expect much dynamic leadership from DS Abdullah, but this is getting intolerably lame wei….

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Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin advocates the building of Chinese mosques.

He raises some interesting points. Granted, by law, conversion where Islam is concerned is a one way street in Malaysia. I prefer streets that allow for more diverse travelling, but I also like diversity in general, and cross-cutting identities, which made the following quotes of some interest to me:

He said it was unfair of state governments to deny the right of the Chinese Muslims based on the misunderstood conception that Islam could only mean Malay language, customs and traditions.

“The idea that Islam in Malaysia must be Malay in all forms is wrong.

It discourages non-Muslims from wanting to know about Islam and at the same time denies the non-Malay Muslims the right to worship in their mother tongue.

“Chinese from China have been Muslim hundreds of years before the Malays accepted Islam. I believe state authorities should give permission for Chinese Muslims to build their mosques.”

“We can no longer pretend that Islam means Malay. The Chinese and, the Indians who accepted Islam are equally Muslim and must have the full rights as Muslims,” he said.

He also said the current situation made it difficult for Chinese who converted to Islam because they had to “masuk Melayu” (assimilate into the Malay culture), too, alienating them from their non-Muslim family and friends.

“If a mosque or a surau for the Chinese is allowed to be built, their non-Muslim community will still accept them as they are still considered Chinese by continuing to practise their language and traditional customs, which are not at odds with Islam,” he said.

“I’m sure when permission is granted, the wealthier Chinese community would be able to contribute to the building of the mosques on their own. To deny this is racism, discrimination and against Islam.”

Tags: Religious Affairs, Malaysian Politics by Nathaniel Tan
2 Comments »

Speaking of Sunday columns. Mr. Wongmust be given credit for allowing for quite a bit of balance, and views from ‘both sides’ (Jeff, one of his subjects, has posted a comment here - note the ‘political temperature’ comment).

I can’t say he has the most cohesive writing style though. His article and points were a little less than well organised. My main problem is that he just isn’t being very clear about what he’s talking about. Should have done a bit more homework.

Guess I gotta go semi-chronological.

Bloggers should be more responsible about what they upload and not bash away wildly on their keyboards.

Where? Where? Who is bashing wildly, tell me. Or more importantly - where are the massess who are listening to wild bashings?

From the annual permit renewal to a host of other media-related laws, reporters and readers have long complained that the Malaysian press should be freer.

These laws have become obsolete because of the Internet. A new medium with almost no censorship has emerged and the authorities must understand, and even learn to deal with, the new media.

Strictly speaking, those laws are not obsolete in any way, shape or form. Draconian laws restricting press freedom are still in full force. What do blogs or the internet have to do with that? :| Do we bloggers fool ourselves into thinking that numerically speaking, more people read blogs than newspapers? Why do you think it’s called ‘mainstream?’

What is there for the authorities to learn? What is illegal in print is illegal online. So confusing meh?

Unlike newspapers, where journalists can consult each other on the legal implications of stories, the one-man show depends entirely on the blogger.

But political bloggers, as opposed to teenage bloggers who write about their lifestyles and love lives, must realise that they cannot “print and be damned”.

Bloggers and journalists are alike even if the medium is different. They cannot claim that their right of expression has been denied when they are sued.

What on earth is the good Mr. Wong meandering about? A blogger cannot consult friends/associates/colleagues about legal implications?

All teenage bloggers write only about their latest crush and Paris Hilton?

You know who believes in “print and be damned?” People willing to be damned. So if you come across such damnable people and writings, then you can damn well go ahead and damn themLAH. You think I’m going to stand up and defend people who purposely publish libel online or offline?

Right of expression? Don’t bluff. When those 2 guys go into court, they’re not going to be talking about rights of expression. They will be arguing things like whether what they said was a) true of false and/or b) fair comment. As he said recently, Jeff doesn’t really even think this concerns so-called “freedom of expression.”

Many people who have been named in some blogs regard themselves as victims. Lives have been destroyed because of unsubstantiated reports on these blogs. The false news may be forgotten after a certain time but the damage has been done.

Ironically, these irresponsible bloggers are still hailed as heroes even after being proven wrong eventually.

I sympathise with said victims, I really do.

But who is hailing liars as heroes? Show us. Shoooooowwww ussss nowwww!!

Neither does it make sense to target one or two personalities nearly every day.

What? Is he talking about the Khairy chronicles?

If Brenden Pereira plagiarises an article, and I blog about it for a few days after, am I targetting 1 or 2 personalites nearly every day?

Or is Mr. Wong talking about blogs dedicated to just one person? If got, show us please.

A few bloggers seem to have political ambitions, which makes a mockery of what they claim to strive for.

:| So Anwar, Kit Siang, Husam Musa, Tian, Shahir, are all mocking their own efforts? And what if I want to run for office someday? Am I mocking something?

What’s wrong with a blogger having a political opinion or ambition? As long as they don’t try to hide it under the guise of objectivity (again, if you have plenty of examples of this abuse, show us), I don’t understand what the big deal is.

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So maybe I’m nitpicking. But if you wanna talk about something this important, and make big claims about RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM, then please think and write a little more carefully.

But! Must be 100% fair. Let’s reprint all the good stuff he said below:

[Read more →]

Tags: Responsible Free Speech by Nathaniel Tan
1 Comment »

I write in the hopes that this blog’s criticisms are taken as sincere and constructive. Thus, when politicians whom I tend to disagree with intensely in many regards offer criticisms against movements I’m sympathetic towards, I will try to take said criticisms in the same spirit.

Umno Youth Deputy Chief Khairy Jamaluddin has a lot of things to say in his Sunday column. It was a level of discourse a little more reflective of his ‘education’ than much other nonsense he has spouted. Wouldn’t it be big of the NST to allow space for similiar voices from the Opposition? Such a mature and frank exchange of views in the media would go a long way in moving the country forward. But it looks like that’s a tad too responsible a brand of journalism for the NST?

But we’re getting distracted. Let us examine some of Sdr. Khairy’s actual remarks, and attempt to evaluate them.

Khairy begins by stating his surprise that the opposition is not using Batu Talam as an opportunity to capitalise on the tough year the government has had. He argues that the reason given for the boycott - that the Elections Commission (EC) and the laws governing it are all prejudiced towards the government - is inconsistent and symptomatic of double standards:

Yet, they forget to mention that this is the same EC that oversaw the last general election, the Sarawak state polls and the Kuala Berang and Pengkalan Pasir by-elections which all saw opposition candidates participate freely without any restriction and win some seats.

He adds:

And as the Umno information chief astutely pointed out, had the by-election been held in Kelantan, in one of the Pas-held seats where the fate of the entire state government would hinge on its outcome, the thought of a boycott would not have even entered their minds.

Strong arguments. I won’t pretend that there’s a serious flaw in his reasoning here. That the opposition’s move was at least as much tactical as it was based on principles (and perhaps more so) seems hard to refute. I certainly invite any arguments to the contrary.

The very real reason that the mainstream opposition is not contesting in Batu Talam is because of the near certainty of losing and losing badly. They know that a crushing defeat will take whatever initiative they had gained during the events of last year away from them. A comprehensive defeat would nullify whatever psychological gains they believe they have made.

From what I have heard, this is not an excessively inaccurate assessment. One view presented to me was that in such a by-election, the entire focused might of the BN campaign machinery would be focused on Batu Talam (as opposed to spread across the country, as it would be in a General Election).

Apparently, a loss would thus truly undercut the momentum the Opposition would seek to ride into the next GE, so they are perhaps choosing to forfeit the battle in hopes of winning the war. Obviously, such a strategy incurs significant costs as well, as Khairy’s article attests.

Some other criticisms levelled are the usual blablabla, and not particularly interesting. Then there’s this:

I suppose one of the greatest failings of the opposition is their lack of any positive platform. What they offer in their rallies, through their elected representatives, in their websites and via their mouthpieces in blogosphere, is what the Americans call negative campaigning.

Rather than getting their policy platforms across, almost all of the opposition’s activities and efforts are channelled towards pointing out what they think is wrong with the government today.

Think about it. When was the last time the opposition came up with an original, positive policy platform? Sometimes they bring up pertinent issues but most of the time, their charges have as much veracity as a blog run by some never-was journo hack with a dried-up contact list and an enormous chip on his shoulder.

The juvenille and asinine low-blow at the end against Rocky aside, I think this may be a criticism we can take constructively and sincerely.

Whether to focus on criticising the government vs offering alternatives could be said to be a question of strategy, but it may not be far off the mark to say that listing alternative policies and agendas has barely been done by the opposition at all. I reckon this is a shortcoming that needs addressing.

This isn’t to say no alternatives have been proposed at all. Given my own area of familiarity, I would use Anwar’s non-racist New Economic Agenda and PKR’s vision of a truly multi-ethnic political structure as an example, along with DAP and Pas’ lasting commitment to public integrity vs. corruption.

Khairy seems to go a step too far in suggesting this though:

What has made it worse for the opposition is the open policy of the present government that has encouraged dissent from within its ranks. Case in point would be the emboldened government backbenchers who regularly take senior government officials to task for failed promises or shoddy execution rendering the opposition redundant.

Encouraging dissent? Have you forgotten what happened to YB Shahrir Samad? If dissent is fine, why hasn’t a single BN MP spoken out strongly against issues so close to the rakyat’s heart such as the toll hikes and other secret concession agreements?

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This post is getting a little long. Suffice to say that a strong personal dislike for most of Sdr. Khairy’s political viewpoints is insufficient reason to dismiss valid criticisms that can be used as indicators for where the Opposition needs to step up its game. If there are good refutations to some of his claims, I would be more than happy to hear them, and hear them discussed.

Tags: Malaysian Politics by Nathaniel Tan
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Just home from Malam Reformis dalam Kenangan. A good event, with lots of heartwarming sharings from family members of those who have passed on recently. Highlights for me included touching speeches by Ooi Tze Min, who spoke of his man in the street (protesting) father, and trying to live up to that legacy, as well as Sreejit Pillai (anyone know his blog address? nat: thanks cheekyme!), who spoke of his father, MGG Pillai.

Maybe it’s presumptuous of me, but.. the sacrifices, blood and toil (’struggle’ is a tad too Umno a word for me) seems like…. a legacy. A deeply honourable one, and one for our taking, if we’re willing to fight for a better Malaysia.

Most of the crowd seemed to be PKR inclined, but there seemed to be a good PAS representation as well. There was a pretty good muhibbah mix too.

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Sadly, still too swamped with activities to really write :( Just a crazy weekend, with a lot to think about. Need to get my act together a bit, but working on it..

Meanwhile, the government hides more and more :P

Tags: little notes, eyewitness by Nathaniel Tan
1 Comment »

politikus has links to the full suits against Jeff and Rocky - all the gory details in legalese!

Pretty busy weekend ahead, which puts a small dampner on my plans to blog about the differently abled, HIV patients and the FTA and Simpang Renggam. Sorry, will do my best to move fast!

Tags: little notes by Nathaniel Tan
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