Let it be filled with hope and goodness!
Dec 312009
Someone called asking for directions to a wake, and I hadn’t any idea what he was talking about.
Eli called later with the bad news. It was on the blogosphere earlier, but I’d been nose deep in work and had totally missed it :(
I think John introduced me to Rajan, who like Eli, John, Hafiz, myself and many others wrote for a short-lived project I tried back in the day: Bolehland.com (someone noted that most have since become TMI columnists :P )
I remember he popped by my house on one occassion, where a group of us were playing cards. He wasn’t one of the evening’s winners, but he was a great sport and extremely warm company.
I remember his laugh and smile, his easy humour and even easier manner.
And now – all of it taken away by a single accident.
Sigh :(
Funeral Details:
Date & Time:
Thursday, 31 December 2009, 2:00pm
Location:
Grace Assembly of God Shah Alam
6 Persiaran. Petaling
Seksyen 28
40400 Shah Alam
See map.
Dec 242009
:) This time of the year is very much family time, so it’ll probably be a break here for quite a while – 1000 apologies!
ps- been researching and thinking of the bak kut teh issue, quite interesting!
I confess I find it delicious (somewhat unhealthy probably, but delicious).
It is something of a testament to current affairs that in all seriousness, I really don’t know whether it’d make sense to put the words “No offence” at the beginning of the previous sentence.
In any case, allow me for now to seek the perspectives of experts who I hope may be reading on some of the following quotes from an article on the Bak Kut Teh Controversy:
Ketua Penolong Pengarah Jabatan Kemajuan Agama Islam Malaysia (Jakim) Lokman Abdul Rahman berkata, bak kut teh tidak boleh dianggap halal kerana ia masih mengekalkan penggunaan nama yang haram mengikut hukum Islam.
“Walaupun mereka mungkin akan membuat permohonan, Jakim tidak akan meluluskan makanan bak kut teh halal itu kerana sudah jelas ia tidak mengikut hukum yang telah ditetapkan di dalam Islam,” katanya.
So, I have a few questions. Some I have some inkling of, others less so, but I wanted to get your views:
a) (For you Hokkien lang out there) If I were to use the word “Bak” or “Bak Kut” – is a specific type of meat implied in common usage?
b) What exactly is the hukum Islam referred to twice by saudara Lokman above?
I ask b), and the follow up questions that follow with full respect, and in the hopes that some lady or gentleman may perhaps enlighten me and increase my understanding of the issue.
So, is there a specific law that involves the haram or halal-ness of things with certain names? As in, perhaps, if I were to wrap a piece of perfectly halal plain bread with a wrapper that said “pork bun” or something would that technically make it haram to buy or eat?
Again, I hope there is absolutely no misunderstanding of my intent, which is asked fully respectfully in the spirit of inquiry.
I have always been interested in Islamic jurisprudence, and remember having plenty of technical questions I used to ask Nik Nazmi (waaaaaay) back in the day when we shared an office. Our conversations always enlightened me, and I hope to continue my journeys of discovery in the same spirit of learning.
Apologies in advance if I edit or delete overly contentious comments, trying not to spend Xmas in jail, ahaha :P :)
I really wish I could find that clip on Youtube.
You ever watch the (eminently enjoyable) Hunt for Red October?
Remember one of the final scenes? Where the Secretary of Defense or something is settling matters with the Soviet ambassador?
Even though it doesn’t catch the fun acting, I’m eminently grateful to Drew, who transcribed:
Ambassador: There is another matter… one that I’m reluctant to…
Secretary: Please.
Ambassador: One of our submarines…an Alfa… was last reported in the area of the Grand Banks…. We have not heard from her for some time.
Secretary: Andrei. (look of disbelief) You’ve lost another submarine?
But of course, tragicomically, truth is stranger than fiction.
In beloved Malaysia, Porsches get stolen from police compounds, and fighter jet engines mysteriously disappear from RMAF bases.
“The investigations revealed RMAF’s logistics system was full-proof. However, the shady activity might have been carried out staff in the lower rungs in cahoots with outsiders,”
Aha!
First, credit to the Bernama reporter who wrote “full-proof,” and the editor that ‘caught’ it. (Perhaps the kind editors at MK should also go through the mistakes in that article again).
a) I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how Zahid would’ve spelt it, given the chance
b) It’s probably more accurate, in that the BN government is truly incapable of being “fully” there. Or perhaps, no matter how much corruption it eats, it is never “full.”
Also: it appears that some staff were carried out along with the engine during the operation? :|
But grammar Nazi-ism aside, you really have to love Zahid’s reasoning: “RMAF = foolproof, which must obviously be why, low ranking staff and ‘outsiders’ managed to break into it.”
Sigh. Usually foolproof means even a fool can understand and use something. In this case, it probably means even a fool could have walked in and stolen a RM 50 million engine.
RM 50 million of our money. Gone. Just like that.
Does he expect us to believe that the only people who got rich off this affair were a few corporals and ‘shady outsiders?’
I think that our mighty submarine, the KD Altantuya, clearly shows that no arms deal of that scale goes down in Malaysia without some fat honcho getting fatter over it.
Fullproof indeed :P
I always get so incredibly irritated when cops arrest people for stupid reasons.
The two PKR Youth leaders detained by police here yesterday for circulating leaflets alleged to be seditious have been placed on remand for three days beginning today.
They were arrested after Friday prayers at a mosque here while circulating leaflets calling on the Kuala Lumpur Syariah Court to expedite hearing of the sodomy case involving PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim.
I mean, what for goodness sake is seditious about flyers asking for a trial to be expedited?? What exactly is the need to hold them for 3 days again??
Such trigger happy tendencies display an over-sensitivity that I can only attribute to ridiculous levels of government insecurity over the way it is running the country, and levelling unbelievable criminal charges against political opponents.
Next thing I know, I’ll be hauled up because my book has a picture of Altantuya on it :P
Firstly, Salam Maal Hijrah! :)
Not to politicise religion or whatever, but I thought it a bit presumptuous when Najib said:
The Hijrah spirit practised in Islam is in line with the 1Malaysia concept which is a continuous effort at strengthening unity among the people.
Hallo. *IF* anything, it would be that 1M’sia is in line w/the Hijrah spirit, not the other way around. So arrogant this guy!
I also couldn’t help but notice other terminology, as used in the front page of today’s Star as well:
THE 1Malaysia Transformation Roadmap will be released by the end of next month after getting public feedback, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
Transformation? What, you mean like Reformation? Like, Reformasi?
Sigh, there isn’t a single original idea in 1M’sia is there?
I guess the proof of the pudding will always be in the tasting.
(for a long time, I always found myself saying: the proof is in the pudding. which i realise. doesn’t make sense :P )
ps- on this subject, do see Haris Ibrahim’s latest update on a recent death in detention.
After much work, we finally have our latest book out – this blog post will constitute its ‘soft launch’ :)
The book, published by Kinibooks, is entitled “Where is Justice? Death and Brutality in Custody” and features 4 major case studies (Teoh Beng Hock, Kugan, Altantuya and Anwar’s black eye), as well as Suaram reports detailing as many known deaths in custody as possible.
John Lee and I (well, largely John) put in a lot of work trying to give an accurate a picture as possible, and compile as much data as we could in trying to give a systematic, detailed picture of this horrific trend in Malaysia.
I think I’ll leave it at that for now – I think our distributor, Gerakbudaya, will be selling them tonight at the following talk. Swing by and pick up a copy, while listening to a profound Malaysian intellectual!
Speaker: Prof Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Title: When will we ever learn? Has Malaysia learnt the correct lessons from past crises?
Date: Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Hotel Singgahsana, Persiaran Barat, off Jalan Sultan, 46760 Petaling Jaya (next to Taman Jaya LRT Station)
Admission: FREE
How can we call ourselves in any way civilised? MK:
Dr Anis Salwa Kamarudin of the Health Ministry’s public health division said the cases are linked to certain habits of detainees, such as eating grass and walking around barefooted.
“Some of these detainees like to eat grass which grows in the camp (compound),” she said in a written response on how the disease spreads and what measures are being taken to prevent the incidence of communicable diseases in immigration detention centres.
In May, two detainees died of leptospirosis at the Juru immigration detention centre, while six more succumbed in August at the KLIA immigration detention depot.
Anis explained that infection occurs either directly through contact with urine or tissues of animal carcasses, or indirectly through the contaminated environment soil, water, drainage and plants.
:|
Detainees….. LIKE……. to eat grass?
w.t.f. is wrong with this “dr?” How many people walking this earth “like” to eat grass?
MK pictures of life in detention centres:
I’ve been to some of these places, and yes they are that bad.
Yes, we do sometimes have a large number of undocumented migrants, but is this the way to deal with them?
All these human beings – whose lives are no less valuable than yours or mine – want to do is to work and make a decent living, like any soul anywhere.
We can’t think of a better solution than to keep them penned up like animals, doing nothing all day except eat grass to stave off hunger?
Can you imagine the mental torture that aggravates the intolerable physical conditions of being trapped in such a place for months or years?
Like to eat grass indeed. I think that maybe those responsible for this appalling violation of human rights should be put on a diet of shit infested grass for a month to see how they like it.
Haiyo. Small thing like this still want to arrest.
A short prayer ceremony to mark the Internal Security Act (ISA) detention of five Hindraf leaders two years ago was marred by the arrest of one of the movement’s key leaders S Jayathas.
His alleged crime – wearing an anti-ISA button badge.
Shortly after leaving a Hindu temple in Bangsar Utama where the prayers were held, a uniformed police officer grabbed Jayathas and said the arrest was because the latter had sported the button badge.
The police had been a little quiet since the days of the wanton Perak vigil arrests, but it seems they are back to their old nonsense now.
Thankfully, Jayathas has been released, but seriously – what on earth was all the fuss about? One little badge threatening national security?
And fifty cops needed for this whole operation? A dozen in riot gear?
Need we any clearer indicators that our police are hopelessly mismanaged? Out hunting badges when they could be stopping crime?
Sigh.
