Hype hype hooray

This from The Star:

PUTRAJAYA: Foreign tourist arrivals in Malaysia has surpassed the target of 20.1 million while earning the country RM45.7bil in receipts this year, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

And again:

Now the Government has set new targets – 21 million by next week and 21.5 million by Aug 31 next year as the VMY campaign has been extended to that date in conjunction with Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the country also earned RM45.7bil in foreign exchange.

Sigh, such fantastic numbers to make us happy. But oh really? As to be expected, missing details in the report don't lend much credence to the boast. And as to be expected, if you want the truth, you just have to dig further.

On the day before the media bugles blared our achievement, the Bangkok Post carried an article in the travel section. It provided a snapshot of Thailand's tourism numbers:

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is on course to attain its target of 14.8 million foreign tourists this year who are expected to generate 547.5 billion baht.

According to its Governor Phornsiri Manoharn, 10.4 million tourists visited the country in the first nine months this year which was up 3.2 percent over the same period of last year.

The biggest group of the international travelers were Japanese (one million), followed by South Koreans (760,000) and Chinese (705,000), while the number of visitors from Australia and India gradually increased.

Surprisingly, it also carries more details on Malaysia's numbers. And that's where it gets interesting:

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board is confident it can achieve its target of 20 million visitors and 408 billion baht (US$12 billion) in tourism revenue by the end of this year.

At the half-way mark this year, the country had welcomed around 12.4 million international travelers, an increase of 23.9% compared to the same period of last year. The biggest groups of visitors were from Arab countries (around 300,000) such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Hmmm.... hmmm.......

Let's see:
By year end, 14.8 million foreign tourists would have visited Thailand, generating 547.5 billion baht (or RM 60.2 billion). That's 6,200,000 visitors fewer than Malaysia's purported figure. Fewer yes, but it will draw in RM14.5 billion more.

Breaking it down further to bite-sized numbers: Each tourist to Thailand on the average would have spent RM4,067.56. With Malaysia, it's almost half the value, or RM2,176.19. And to think we in Malaysia thumb our noses on budget traveler strategies, believing there's no money there.

Need proof? What's most curious is the report reveals that Malaysia claims the highest number of travelers entering the country in the first six months were the Arabs - 300,000 of them out of 12.4 million, or a mere 2.5 per cent. Imagine that. The 12.1 million remaining tourists must have been so thinly spread from different nationalities. Either that or more plausibly, they're ashamed to even admit that most tourists are short-trip visitors from the region (think Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand). Why malu? Why butter facts?

Here's a lesson on facing facts from our neighbour down south. It's all there in Wikipedia:
In 2006, 9.7 million international visitors entered Singapore, generating S$12.3 billion or RM28.5 billion. On a per visitor basis, that works out to an average of RM2,938.14.

Indonesians were the largest group of visitors followed by China. Altogether 996,000 Malaysians visited the island (and probably spent scant :), hence bringing the overall average down.) All that seems to jive with Thailand's figures.

As for ours, i really really don't know when the dongeng stories will end. Whether tourism or angkasawan, will we ever learn to quit the hype? We ought to, you know; we ought to in a hurry because there's is a lot of truth to the old saying: Masturbation makes us blind.

Assalamualaikum

i might like to greet you that way come the new year.

Can i still, do you think? And what would Johari Baharom say? Would it be construed as "confusing" some of my fellow citizens?


Background:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/21/asia/AS-REL-Malaysia-Catholic-God.php
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=952&Itemid=31

Twisted history of Omar Hashim

Who is this jerk?

This man gives a frighteningly myopic account of how Indian Malaysians came to be citizens of this country. Omar categorises the entire group as 'convict labourers' invited to work in the estates and build the earliest infrastructure. (Part 2 is here.)

Omar Hashim, executive committee chairman of the Malaysian History Association, does not mention anything about the backbone of the civil service whose structure was modeled from British India. Who do you think trained our people, got us into the groove of running a public sector?

He does not mention the courts and the entire support network required to run it; the court clerks, lawyers, registrars.

He does not mention hospitals from early doctors to those who manned the emergency and ambulatory service.

He does not mention the first teachers, who helped implement an education system modeled on that of British India.

He does not mention the first organised army regiment, the sepoys in Penang; he does not even acknowledge the brave Indian soldiers who died standing their ground resisting the wave of Japanese forces on their way down south. These men were massacred fighting for the freedom of a land of which they held no citizenship.

And who do you think were the brave second-liners who marshaled the early police force?

Omar Hashim is not a historian. He is a political weed hoping to gain some prominence in spreading lies on behalf of the Umno agenda. And like countless other weedstock, he uses the racial line:

"The Malays have been left behind in the quest for the economic cake of the country. The situation can be described like this: For every Ringgit each of the Malays obtained for their household income, the Chinese gets two Ringgit while it is one and a quarter Ringgit for the Indians.

In 2004 the household income according to race showed that the Chinese earns RM4,426 per month, the Malays RM2,711 whilst the Indians RM3,456. The data proved that the New Economic Policy, which has been vehemently opposed by certain non-Malay parties, in actual fact had benefited the Chinese and the Indians."

History requires a wider lens than race, something the executive chairman of some hack history association seems to be besotted with. Then again, can you expect anything more from fungus? They shun from light.


p.s. i googled and yahooed to find out more about the Malaysian History Association, and this Omar guy. There's nothing. Like i said - fungus. (There is mention of the Malaysian Historical Society, which is well-known among people in the discipline)

p.p.s.: (1.03am) ahhh... found something on Omar Hashim. At least an Omar Hashim that's somewhat consistent with the credentials stated in the Bernama report. Very, very enlightening. See here. It's a transcript of an interview (Nov 30, 1999) conducted by Australia Broadcasting Corporation after the 1999 Malaysian General Elections. Omar was 'chairman of the Election Commission'. Notice how the interview ends.

Make no mistake, he's accountable

A group of Indian Malaysian leaders and academicians have been invited to meet Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tomorrow at his Putrajaya office. However, Malaysiakini quotes an unnamed observer as saying that the whole exercise is merely a PR gig orchestrated by the 'Fourth Floor' boys to soothe things over.

"The PM is being misled by those who organised the meeting by leaving out the majority of the Indian representation."

We've read this over and over by observers and experts, haven't we?

"The PM has been kept in the dark." "Survey results were skewed to make the PM feel he's well-liked." "Letters and memos addressed to the PM never reach him." "The IGP is hiding facts from him."

Guys, this is bullshit.

No man is that dumb. Or can afford to be. Ignorance is a very cheap reason coming from the highest govt official in the country; especially if it's about feedback and comments on the very administration he runs. If a person surrounds himself only with sycophants who fight to carry his balls, then that's because he CHOSE to be in denial. If he'd wanted the truth, he could've clicked on any one of the hundreds of blogs and electronic newspapers on the internet to get a good idea. It's that easy and i am sure he's done it; i'm sure he knows.

If Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had wanted to do something worthy of his position, for the genuine betterment of Malaysia, he could have done it. That's what the Seat is for.

Instead, he signed the approval for ISA detention of five Hindraf leaders today, further digging into the scab of our fracturing society. Mr Clean and Mr Nice is anything but.

Meanwhile his deputies and lieutenants continue to have free reign barking up seditious lines, even blatantly unconstitutional ones. i'll say this much: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has single-handedly put this country into a fog of uncertainty that nobody can even foretell what would happen over the next few days. Between light and darkness, he chose the fouler end.

Stop making excuses for Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He is the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is accountable for every snot action and policy that's shredding this country apart. And, sleeping or not, he WILL be made accountable yet.

The amendment was unanimously passed at 4.50pm.

That's the ominous final line in Malaysiakini's report on the constitutional amendment bill to extend the retirement age of Election Commission members to 66 years.

Unanimous.

That came after all opposition MPs staged a walkout in protest of the arrests that took place in Parliament grounds today. That also tells you every single BN MP - MCA, Gerakan, MIC, PPP, SUPP etc - is in support of that amendment which speedily and conveniently skews the scales even more to suit the incumbent govt.

It also tells you this: It's that easy to muck around the Constitution if you give them such overwhelming power.

Just what have we done?

For that idiot Ali Rustam...

The Malaysian Constitution
Article 9, Clause 1

No citizen shall be banished or excluded from the Federation.

Ali asked for the use of the ISA on the eight citizens unjustly arrested at the human rights march in KL on Sunday. Either that or strip them of their citizenship.

There they go again spewing reckless pronouncements. For a high-ranking politician and a state Menteri Besar, he sure knows jack-shit about what really guides this country. The fact that the PM has consistently allowed ppl like him to get away with such hogwash, reflects the equally dim capacity of His Hollowness.

Guilty as charged

Given the govt's recent penchant for arrests and dubious charges, let's make life a whole lot easier.

Friends, shall we surrender ourselves at the police stations?

i'm dead serious. Surrender by the tens - maybe hundreds - of thousands; and insist on being charged, to be detained and be brought before a magistrate. Every single one of us who took the trouble to participate in the Walk for Justice, the Bersih Rally, the Hindraf Rally, we did 'wrong' and let's offer ourselves for indictment. If anyone of our comrades are sentenced, let us ask for a similar sentence. By the tens of thousands.

Let's set a date, fix a time and surrender at the Balai. Let us bombard the stations and ask to be locked up; fill the jails if we must.

After all, with so many thousands who allegedly did wrong, something must surely be right.

New industries to meet national demands

Ain't it phenomenal how Scomi soared this past four years? It's practically a national Midas.

It's wrapped up manufacturing buses for RapidKL and RapidPenang, clinched the Kelana Jaya LRT expansion job, and doing lots of drilling and all that oil and gas stuff. Not bad at all for a young turk.

Then yesterday, we were treated with this:


Hebat. Our very own monorail right out of Rawang.

Scomi's definitely got a nose for money. Question is, what's their next niche?

Judging from recent events and the frequency they're happening (not to mention the on-coming toll hikes, petrol hikes etc) here's my best bet:








Yeah, the way FRUs were shooting these puppies on Sunday at the Hindraf rally, they'll be needing supertanker-loads for the coming year. Repackage it with some TLC and sell it for a couple of hundred ringgit a pop, man, they'll be minting money.

Not to mention doing their bit for peace and national security. Who needs the ISA.


pic credit:
Topmost - The Star
Above - http://www.big-ordnance.com/

How to dig a grave

Restraint.

The police showed restraint at the Hindraf rally yesterday. So said everybody with half a position in the govt, including Minister of Frequent Travels Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Strange word to bandy around, especially led by a Parliament which has shown anything but ( read bocor, terowong, close-one-eye, mau lawan?)

Here's restraint, Malaysian-style.

Restraint is showing up at 2am (or 4am) at Batu Caves, corralling citizens as sheep behind the temple gates, and then jet-spraying the shit out of everyone there with chemical-laced water, and for desserts, tear gas.

If that's restraint, what is otherwise? Hanging 'em by the balls?

Restraint is setting up roadblocks (four lanes into one) three days before the event to sic out Malaysian Indians who might be coming to town with 'wrongful' ideas. How stupid is that?

The supporters threw rocks and bricks, so it was reported. It was the way it was reported - the impression that everyone there came with a bagful of fist-sized rocks. If such missiles were that prevalent, the mainstream media and bloggers would have shown pics of people in the act.

Every picture editor in the MSM would've used this picture big (like colossally big) to carry their accusatory tone of 'Defiance'. And yet... none. Fuckall.

And when things get hot on the PR side, here's what losers do. They lie. IGP Musa Hassan's getting very comfortable with it. He said:
(NST) "A Molotov cocktail was thrown into a bus which was razed but at no time did we use any force, including water cannon or tear gas, in and around the temple vicinity."

(NST) "There was no body contact from my men."

(The Star) Musa said no tear gas or water cannons were used at the demonstrators during the incident (at Batu Caves).

And Jeff Ooi has this in response.

This govt has lost every last morsel of legitimacy it once had. Its counsel is irrelevant. It is past due.

The happy bond between Beruk and Bersih

During the Umno General Assembly, the Son-in-Law described would-be participants of the Bersih Rally as "beruk". Monkeys prowling the streets, he hollered. Not so long ago, that same honorific was used on socio-political bloggers in this land, too.

Ma-aaan, truth be told, Khairy J is spot on. The man's exhortations has scientific basis.

Read here for the scoop. And more importantly why. Monkeys, bloggers, rallyists.... we're a team! And what a team.

The national power nap

Here's what you get in the aftermath of Nov 10:
The Prime Minister is in denial. The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and the ill-informed Information Minister are being their typical irrational selves. Pahang's Umno chief and Menteri Besar is now asking for swift use of the ISA. The general response from the other side has been bitter and vindictive. Poor Malaysiakini, a lone domestic voice among the dunes of MSM-propagated lies.

It's clear this govt refuses to acknowledge the Message sent this past Saturday. Instead it mocks. It dishes out more venom. It believes it can subvert this show of dissatisfaction by either ignoring it or thumbing its nose at the whole idea in the hope that it dies a typical worn-out death. Oh yeah?

We must make this govt listen.

Make it listen hard and act no less. The key, however, is to do it without causing hardship to innocent parties. i'm not advocating another rally anytime soon because there's high chance another show will be met with merciless action on the part of the police.

i'm advocating an action where no brutal police force can be meted because it's so widespread; harmless yet potent in point. i'm advocating the power of the individual rumbling in unison to become a power of the masses. All this without so much as lifting a finger.

So how about this? Let's shut down Malaysia. In an act of mourning and prayer, let's shut it down by consensus and as a mark of protest over the pathetic response from this govt.

For half an hour - a pregnant half an hour - let's together put this country to sleep. Stop working, stop eating, stop driving, stop studying. Just stop. Even individual policefolk can participate - after all, there's no more Dataran Merdeka to be cordoned. Unions can shut down their buses, delivery trucks, newspapers, banks, etc. Lawyers can request for an adjournment, architects a brief stop-work order. All activities except those that involve life-safety and personal security.

Half-an-hour is not going to hurt the economy, not going to make a student go dumb, and certainly not starve a person to death. But half-an-hour - synchronised across the country in all fields - will speak a lot. And if it's still met with impunity and indignation on the govt's part, we shall shut down longer the next time.

If enough concerned citizens in their various capacities across the country take part in this movement - and the signs are there are - we would have sent a huge message to the ruling party. It would show them that we the people own this country. Not them. Never them. They serve us. And they better start with electoral reforms. Like now.

i'd suggest that Bersih again take the lead. Pick a date, set a time, spread the word. Spread it in style. Let's go into a self-induced coma.

Make this the one snooze the PM will never ever forget.

Zero deception

Scrutinise this picture. No, not the fact that pictures of the PM always seem to show him pointing at something. Deduce the number of people present.



The Star reports that more than 10,000 people showed up at FT Minister Zulhasnan Rafique's Hari Raya open house yesterday. AAB himself was there, delighted at being boot-licked by yet another machai.

Not to be outdone, the NST reports that more than 60,000 people happily gorged and oohed their Saturday evening at that Palace-on-Lowcost-Land Zakaria Md Deros' open house in Pandamaran. There was no mention if AAB was there.

Fuiyo! The numbers.... It seems like Al Jazeera missed big-time. The real action was over rendang and air bandung in the abode of Umno show-boats, where everyone celebrated in peace and left the respective places burping in B minor.

In stark contrast, the very same media reported that 4,000 people showed up for the "foiled" and "illegal" Bersih Rally. No pictures were carried except traffic jams caused by police roadblocks. The truth? This is how 4,000 looks like:



Numbers don't mean nothing to the editors of the mainstream media, who are by simple extension pitiful running dogs for the govt. Not just numbers, but facts. Cold, hard facts. I'm sure it's become routine; spineless cari-makan journalists and editors bowing down to a Fourth Floor memo to remake facts. It's just words and digits after all. One zero, two zeroes... what does it matter?

They don't seem to learn, do they?

Virtue always wins. The more you lie, the more you lose. And here in Malaysia, baby, the dam won't hold for long.

Given the coverage of the Bersih Rally by the mainstream media yesterday, that the police were forced to use water canons and tear gas on participants, that it was the police who kept the crowd under control, when everything to the contrary was caught on Al Jazeera's tape and beamed across the globe, who could believe you anymore?

And when govt-sanctioned rats start hacking into personal and NGO websites and changing the contents, or roaches which come out at night placing flyers perpetuating the lie that the Bersih Rally was spearheaded by a five-person anti-Muslim group, who can trust you to lead anymore?

All it takes is for every rally participant to inform 10 friends of the lies perpetuated, this govt's in deep trouble. And yet they foolishly continue with the path of deception.

From just this context alone and seeing how the media has carelessly responded, there is no question anymore that the AAB govt lied about the Batu Burok incident (Bersih's other infamous episode) as they have lied just about every thing that is of rakyat value in this land.

I hate liars.


pic credit: (Top) The Star
(Bottom) Minaq Jinggo

Do you Yellow?

We needed this. After a disgusting August 31, where history was distorted, shamelessly reenacted by a current leader and his son-in-law... people who didn't earn their badges, but craved the limelight no less, we needed this.



The unofficial merdeka gathering happened this afternoon.

There are many reasons to be elated. We - the tens of thousands; that uncle from Penang, the makciks from Perak, the bro from Segamat - have made our point in the rain. We came in peace, walked in peace, and left in peace. And a memo from Bersih calling for free and fair elections is now in the hands of the Agong.

This despite the PM pathetically making it a personal issue with him, and the deployment of thousands of policefolk to thwart this rally. Cars were checked, buses turned away and key transit points under strict watch. It is they - the ruling party - who inconvenienced the public.

The Unit Amal Malaysia deserves a million thanks for flawlessly organizing the logistics. They were on hand at every intersection directing people and traffic flow. I am impressed.

I cannot only speculate, but i suspect the Agong must have ordered a safe passage to the Istana gates. The walk was relatively trouble-free despite whirring choppers and FRU presence. If so, we thank you, Tuanku.

Even so, international news reports reveal that police used tear gas and water canons on citizens at Masjid Jamek. This is tragic and illustrates the desperate nature of those in power. These people came in peace; there is no reason for such aggressive show of force. Let's await global condemnation on this whiny loser of a govt.

But for now, let us stand proud. For the brothers and sisters i met, for the common love shared, for those who believe but could not be there, we will stand firm. And we shall steer this nation yet to its just glory.

Nov 10, 2007 - for me, it was Free Malaysia's finest hour.


ps. there must be many more pics and posts being uploaded in cyberspace. This is just my token share.

He wants to break the Bersih rally

At the Umno General Assembly's winding-up speech, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said this:

"They are challenging the patience of the rakyat who want this country to be peaceful and stable. That is what they are challenging, not me.

Tapi saya mesti kata saya pantang dicabar." (Trans: But I have to say that don't you dare challenge me).

- excerpt from Malaysiakini

Abdullah, wrong on both counts. For crying out loud, you're not even in the picture. You're merely Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, flesh and bone, a blip in the country's ever-unfolding storybook. See, this isn't about how much we like or hate your face, if that's not too hard to understand.

This is about institutions and fundamental structures. This is about safeguarding the integrity of the country's pillars and never allowing them to be subverted by foul motives.

So, 'atok, if we want a free and fair elections, what's so wrong with that? And if hundreds of memos on this matter written to both the govt and the Election Commission received stony silence and no replies, how then? You might choose the bed (it's peaceful no?), but for some people it's important enough to alert the Agong to this illness.

I am one of them.

And I absolutely hate it when someone tramples on my fundamental right as a citizen of Malaysia. Especially someone who's sitting on the esteemed position of Prime Minister, yet still not know the basic duty of that institution.

Siapa cabar siapa, Abdullah? Seems like you're the one making the threat, authorising the police to make arrests. And to that, all I can say in full empathy is: Screw you.

Notes to self

• Get yellow t-shirt
• Get raincoat (in case of water jets)
• Check med insurance (in case of swinging clubs)
  

Even if they threaten, we must stand.

We must.

The angka in angkasa

Yeah, the pie must be getting smaller in Bolehland. As they say, out there, the sky's certainly the limit.

I suspect they're double-verifying this experiment: "Can durian runtuh in deep space?"

Oooo...

From The Star today:

KUALA LUMPUR: Anyone who takes part in the illegal gathering on Nov 10 at Dataran Merdeka to demand for a “fair and clean” general election will be arrested.

Police will not hesitate to pick up anyone seen in the area where 100,000 people are expected to congregate from 3pm.

The plan was for those attending the gathering to march to various parts of the city before heading to Istana Negara where a memorandum would be submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

So, Deputy Commissioner Zul Hasnan, tested your water canons lately? Choppers all fueled? Tear gas canisters? Should be easy using them on unarmed citizens at a peaceful gathering, no? Like sitting ducks.

The thing is we've come to expect nothing less from you fellows. You may threaten to arrest us, maybe beat us, bloody us, break some ribs, why hell, even shoot us. And yet, we'll still be there.... the rakyat including the blind, the wheel-chair bound, women and children. All to see a memo get to the Agong.

What does that tell you about the state of the country? Think it's pretty, Zul?

Debt management

Ramli Yusoff, chief of Commercial Crimes Investigation Department, is likely to be charged by the ACA today. It seems only natural if one considers what's behind the scenes; the effects of a downward spiral in a crumbling relationship between bigger players. Poor Ramli... a chess-piece who's more than a pawn - perhaps a rook - but expendable no less.

The clearest picture emerging out of this saga is the shameless patronage crippling the running of this country. It is but a snapshot of the sinister web of IOUs between soulless bigshots and peasants.

It reaffirms the suspicion: You are in a position of power not because you're good but because of favours done and favours owed. You may be at some pinnacle, but you are Owned. You are a puppet. And that makes for a very pathetic reason to exist, if you ask me.

At this point, it is irresistible to ask one single question - What if? What if Ramli had refrained from conducting investigations on the suspected underworld taiko back then? Would he then be on a happier umrah this Saturday? Would he be tagged as future IGP? Just wondering...

It has become painfully obvious that in Malaysia worms and fellow grovelers succeed if you help this govt keep its power. Merit? Aptitude? Feed that to the fishes.

Melaka's chief minister Ali Rustam will not be punished by his Umno clans-folk despite his obnoxious remarks at the PPP assembly. Zakaria Deros remains very happy in his palace. The Altantuya trial was scarred even before Day One and is proceeding on a curious trek. The people behind the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco continue to walk freely.

There has been incredible inertia displayed by the powers to act on the VK Lingam videotape, as damning as it is. Why?

IOUs.

Simple as that. And simpler than that is the next question: You gonna just watch?

His eye on Malaysia

It was a far, far cry from that other Eye; those collection of empty gondolas of a certain ferris wheel at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. This one was piercing, it had depth and history, it had pride, and above all, compassion.

Yesterday morning Sultan Azlan Shah shared, via the on-going Malaysian Law Conference, his Eye on Malaysia. In some ways, you may say it was his State of the Union address. Or malunion, depending.

And if in today's world, content - more than clothes - makes a man, you can say the silver-haired Sultan of Perak and former Lord President no less is a fine man indeed.

But don't take my word for it (I'm a blogger; I write rubbish, no Nazri?). Read for yourself. Read slowly and savour the intelligence. Square that with a certain de facto Law Minister who touched on just about the same topic a day earlier in the New Sunday Times.

Fetch, Fido

How do you trust the ACA when it is not honest even in small matters? Correspondingly, can you blame an informant for being wary about entrusting his/her safety on such an agency? All that hogwash about being independent, fair, and blablabla... everything points to it being a pathetic running dog.

Your ever-faithful propaganda pipe (Bernama) reports:

October 26, 2007 01.28 am

Anwar Failed To Meet Video Clip Deadline, Says ACA

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) said Thursday that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim failed to meet the deadline given to him to surrender the original recording of a video clip purportedly showing a prominent lawyer trying to broker the appointment of judges in 2002.

In a statement issued here shortly before midnight Thursday night, it said the original recording was to be submitted by him to the ACA by Thursday (Oct 25), failing which he is liable to court action Under Section 59 of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997.

The statement added that the onus lay with Anwar to deliver the clip at the ACA's headquarters in Putrajaya and not ask ACA officers to come to his office to get it.

According to the ACA, the clip Anwar wanted to hand over was only a copy in the form of a 'pen drive' of the missing eight minutes of the original, which is 14 minutes long.

Anwar had earlier provided the ACA with a copy of a video clip lasting six minutes allegedly showing the lawyer having a conversation with a senior judge regarding judicial appointments. He claimed to have left out the eight minutes to protect the sources who had given the recording to him.

The ACA also denied that its action to get the original recording was politically motivated as alleged by Anwar. It is assisting a three-man independent panel set up by the government to verify the authenticity of the video clip.

Umm, didn't you agree to come over to Anwar's office in the first place? And didn't you call up Anwar at the last minute telling him the trip's cancelled (dibatalkan) and that he should hang on to the clip for the time being? At least that's what Anwar told the people present at his office yesterday; heard that with my own ears. Unedited. If he was the one lying, well then, charge him. Charge him like now, and send him to the slammer.

Otherwise the ACA is nothing but chickenshit. Independent my boney ass.

Slowness

This here was what i thought we'd begin to evolve in little pockets under the Badawi admin. No need for superheroics - that was supposed to be a narrative of an era past. A maha-era.

IDR without the narcissism of the Nusajaya Administrative Center, the NCER without the ostentatious Penang Global City Centre; no need for spaceflights and the massive but leaking Duta courthouse, no need, no need.

To live an let live the Sg Buloh Leprosarium, not pummel it to bits. To be able to continue cycling along the lovely tree-shaded streets of Kuala Kubu Baru or Taiping. To cherish an evening walk along the Klebang coast in Melaka and still see the sea.

Slowness is a fine virtue indeed.

Buying it vs earning it

It's plastered on the highway billboards. It's on the RapidKL buses, newspapers, TV and all possible paid media. Dreams Are Possible goes the tagline. Come Wednesday our space program participant will fly up into the blue yonder in a Russian Soyuz and come home a week or so later to a possible datukship.

Ho-hum.

I wish the promoters in govt dished the same fervour on Nicol David, world's No1 woman squash player. I wish her face had been on billboards and buses and newspapers and even documentaries.

I wish i had seen Karamjit Singh's face on billboards too, back when he was the world's best rally driver instead of being punked by local sponsors. I wish he had been on Proton and Petronas ads.

I wish they had pumped up the great achievements of our badminton dudes with a ten-storey banner instead of making 'em play exhibition games during the Machap by-election campaign.

Sports personalities, soul folks, writers, artists... heroes one and all living and breathing on this very tanah tumpahnya darah ku. There are just so many things from ground zero Malaysia which we could pick to "...captivate and unite us all".

Yet we decide to throw in the big bucks and pump up the volume on this trip fully manned by the Russians. With that we hope to be associated with the big boys. Like the waterboy among jocks. Like groupies hoping they'd be groped by rock stars.

Will we someday truly deeply appreciate ourselves for who we are, do you think?

Confident enough that we do not have to have an Eye on Malaysia just because there's an Eye on London. Confident enough that we do not have to force a theme park at the IDR just because Singapore's doing its Integrated Resorts.

Just confident. Confident that we have the creativity and resolve to chart our own way with class. Will we get there? Will we finally earn it, do you think?

Pak Denial

The Prime Minister is set on outdoing himself yet again. Some gems from his speech at the Gerakan National Conference yesterday:

"We do not want to pretend and say that everything is okay. We do not want to be in a state of denial. Tell the truth, even if it is painful."

When the 2,000-strong Bar Council's March for Justice up to your doorstep that Wednesday morning, what do you think they were telling you? Like, hey keep up the good work? And yet buses were stopped at entry points into Putrajaya and the passengers made to walk. Security measures it seems. The FRU was there, hundreds of them, with water canon, chopper. Seems like you didn't want to get the message that day.

"The prime minister must have the courage and readiness to listen even to the worst stories, whether it is related to the country or himself. Never allow yourself to sink in a hole of denial and feel that everything is alright."

Your machai Nazri has this to say about the VK Lingam tape and subsequent Bar Council march: "No crisis, no problems. I don't see any scandal.” Now you help me out, Abdullah - define denial.

"I know, you know that I have never been inconsistent. I am firm in my stand. We have been entrusted to lead at the national level. Our duty is to all citizens regardless of race."

Whoa, go easy with the self-praise. Best to let others make that judgment. I can think of one Zakaria Deros who got off lightly for building without a permit, yet dozens of Hindu temples have been torn down for the same reason. I can think of you declaring RM600 million in federal development funds for all states except Umno-less Sarawak.

Who's playing race, Abdullah? Who's in pathetic denial?

Stripping Heritage

Yup it's started again. Say goodbye to another jewel in our landscape. Say goodbye to another chapter of this nation's heritage. Say goodbye to good sense.

The NST reported that demolition works of the Sg Buloh Leprosarium will continue after the cabinet met and issued a directive on Sept 12.

UiTM vice-chancellor Datuk Seri Prof Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah said the secretaries-general of the Health, Higher Education and Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministries then decided that the development should go ahead.

"The National Heritage Commission has also withdrawn the interim protection order and it is not going to pursue this matter any further. The earlier agreement stands, that is the mosque and the church are to be preserved.

"As far as I am concerned, a decision has been made, we are simply abiding by the law. The project must go on because we have students who need these facilities," he told the New Straits Times.

Poor governance compounded by poor vision.

The entire episode has been a sham. When Health Minster Chua Soi Lek came out in late July this year saying an Infectious Disease Control Center will be built in Sg Buloh, we should have seen the writing on the wall. In tambah-manis spin, the media reported his speech about a tourist centre and a heritage site.

And how three ministries would work hand-in-hand to ensure sensitive development. No literature or visuals was issued on the vision of this place. Just the usual "Trust us, we're the government".

Before you knew it, demolition contractors hired by UiTM teared portions of the east quadrant of the 77-year-old leprosarium, a feat local termites couldn't do in 3/4 of a century. The show must go on said its Vice-Chancellor; we have students who need an education and need to graduate, was the rationale. Moreso, these buildings have no heritage, declared the VC. Like he knew the value of heritage even if it was buzzing under his nostrils.

A stop work order was issued by the Heritage Commissioner Zuraina Majid. Boy, she tried. But as she found out soon enough, she's toothless in the scheme of things; things in the magnitude of hundreds of millions of ringgit.

We're losers.

We're pathetic losers because we allow poor minds to make poor decisions on our behalf. Losers because we legitimised their positions as custodians of our rights and heritage.



Today being Sunday, the neighborhood church is deathly quiet. Instead, just behind its quarters, a backhoe was grunting its diesel breath as it cleared a grove of banana trees. Already a linear swath has been cleared reaching to the valley beyond. Might it be a future road? i couldn't tell. There has never been a plan of the project shown to the public.

Further along the meandering path, a one-tonner is being loaded with salvaged roof tiles from the surrounding cabins. An elderly 'inmate' is plucking a papaya from a tree outside her cabin and gives a wrinkly smile. i gesture to her the rape going around her neighborhood. She shrugs and looks resigned; just that instant she looks tired.

Oh, she will pass on. She will die. As the shirtless man with clawed hands eying the backhoe will die. As the sanctity of this project has died. Their presence no more significant than the disfigured digits of a leper.





Occupants have been evicted from their cabins. The signs are still fresh. The discarded furniture still unstained by exposure to the weather. Prayer altars still bear the ashes of burnt jossticks, their hopes of a mirthful end now billowed in the dust of dirt-carrying lorries.

So a new flame will lay upon this fading gem; a new beginning to burn away a stigmatised past.

Phase 1 of a grand scheme - a research centre, institute of molecular biology, hostels, the works - has begun after a teeny resistance. Thanks to how things are run in this country, we have not seen a figment of its masterplan. (If precedents are anything to go by, we'll be seeing godawful buildings like the new and pretentious Hospital Sg Buloh being erected.)

We know it's 16 ha given to UiTM two years ago by the Finance Ministry. And another 47 ha of the leprosarium to be 'developed' under the Health Ministry. Fodder for fatcats. The opening roll call of the heroes of this new agenda is captured in the picture below. I snapped it for morbid posterity.



In the meantime, the intrinsic value of heritage remains an eggshell cladding without any structural framework, merely a ploy for the incompetents running this country to bandy around as and when it sees fit.

On Sunday, while strolling the once-peaceful grounds, i realised full-fanged parasites on the wings of the ringgit have landed on the east quadrant the Sg Buloh Leprosarium. From there, it will munch its way into the vital organs of the natural community and leave it dead. Two years tops.

Pray for Paraquat in a ballot box.



ps.
Back in dec 2005 i wrote about the magical quality of the Sg Buloh Leprosarium in my very first entry at mongrel trails, my other blog.
Just about the best documentation on this topic on the web can be found at Valley of Hope. Compilation of historical accounts, visuals, commentaries and news reports.

Breathing in merdeka

We've been often told that with Freedom comes responsibility.

Merdeka was celebrated just this past Aug 31. RM100 million worth of pyrotechnics, videos, dancers and shit to make you forget the govt abuse, mismanagement and our tattered Constitution. This Aug 31 didn't do much for me, 50 years or whatever.

You want more meaning, it can be found here - the Dataran Merdeka of cyberspace - where today sets the platform for tomorrow. Who knows, just perhaps, we the citizens are slowly waking up to our responsibility as co-pilots of the land. We will find ways to make this govt accountable yet.

i signed the petition, of course.

For simple reasons: i want to truly know merdeka. i want to taste its marrow.

Yeah right

The highest-ranked officer in government shows how well he knows the terrain. Was he doing a stand-up comic act in Kuching last night?

The Star:
It’s a common tactic to cause a commotion which will lead to police taking action, and when the police take action they will use the incident to attack the police for being heavy-handed.

NST:
Maybe they are under pressure because the Barisan Nasional government has developed this once laidback state. Nothing really happened during their time.
Now they see that the state has developed in a short period and they are trying to do nasty things to tarnish the government and the police. This is their brand of politics

- AAB, datelined Kuching
btw, both The Star and NST as national newspapers couldn't even deliver basic info - what event was this?; was it a call to his bedroom at 2am?; was he having a shave at the barbers? Basics, fella.

The comments were in reference to the forced abortion of Saturday's ceramah at Pantai Batu Buruk, K Terengganu. The official story changes like a chameleon. Police now acknowledge four gunshots were fired by a constable in plain clothes, injuring two Malaysian citizens. They survived.

As usual, blogs and Malaysiakini provide more balanced coverage. And as usual, i am inclined to trust the pondans more.

Penat lah

Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy, the man embroiled in the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco, has gone on two weeks medical leave.

His press secretary said the condition requires Chan to receive treatment overseas.

The weight of a RM4.6 billion controversy and the loss of lives of innocent citizens riding on an express bus can indeed cause a terrible terrible migraine, to say the very least.

And what is so wrong with Bangsa Malaysia, Zam?

Read this.

"To say that theSun newspaper is a champion of Bangsa Malaysia shows that Dr Lim Keng Yaik sympathises with the newspaper which has all this while fought more for (the DAP's) 'Malaysian Malaysia'."

- Zainuddin Maidin, reported by The Sun; Aug 28, 2007

Read it and taste it. Smell it. Breathe it in deep and sense the textures of that thought. Try conjure the psyche of a person who could utter such a statement. Is he a wise person? Is he worth his appointment as a leader? You want the full broth, go here. Jeffooi highlights it here.

I really, really can't figure this current Minister of Information. He's against public discussion, he truly believes the closed-door Cabinet is the only forum that is sensible. He believes only his kind in the party are smart and that every single one of us outside of it is a bumpkin fit only to chew on betel nuts and such.

This much i can gather: The textures and undertones of his remarks smack of the view that the common people in this country are a bunch of grazing farm animals out here in the pampas of Malaysia; some are beasts of burden, tasked to plough, others carry loads. We're good for our wool, good for meat and milk and the leather our skin may provide. The man speaks like we're lost without shepherds. Shepherds like Zam.

Zam truly believes we cannot think. And the only true feeling that defines a patriotic Malaysian is adulation for its shepherds. Like how we should carry flags everywhere we go. Barisan Nasional flags, i mean.

Amazing. What twisted tribe of humans does he belong which is capable of justifying a line of argument which translates critical thinking and debate as bad because it magically pursues the idea of Bangsa Malaysia, and in turn congeals into the Malaysian Malaysia agenda which ultimately is the loathsome DAP tagline? How is it possible that a simple practice of preserving the ethics of the fourth estate is led through his convoluted offals and emerges as a political ploy to overthrow the government. It always comes down to that, doesn't it?

Well, farm animals as we might be, Zam, i'm telling you this: Baaa off. Go feed some ducks and goats in some agricultural enclave in the North Corridor Economic Region. In there lies your truest calling.

Balls

I have at the rear screen of my car a newly-minted Malaysia Today sticker. After reading this latest post by the Man, i'm doubly proud to have it there.

I know it is frustrating when the government cannot touch me. Well, I am prepared to make your job easier for you, Muhammad son of Muhammad. I am going to allow you to organise another gathering at the PWTC like you did last Saturday. I am prepared to step onto the stage and face your 2,500 Umno members in a gathering organised by Umno and repeat all my allegations live, on Malaysian soil, in the Umno headquarters. I will remove the protection that I now have and throw myself to the mercy of the government to do what it wants to me.

- Raja Petra Kamarudin

So, enough of pondan talk, Umno c/o Muhammad Muhammad Taib. Fix a date, take up the challenge.

Anything cheaper?

So here's what AAB said at the closing of the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) 2007:

As we are well aware, actions speak louder than words.

So, as we leave this beautiful island of Langkawi, let us resolve, each of us, to do our bit and play our part to give practical meaning and ensure the implementation of the plan of action that we have just adopted here.

As they say in popular jargon, let us walk the talk.

YAB, when you first masuk PM's office some four years ago, i remember you dem garang lah. Conducted surprise visit to Immigrations office. Made them quake, then buck up. Shortly thereafter, there was the Royal Commission on the Police Force - had some of the best minds on the panel. Based on their report, you promised an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) will be set up. Then there was Perwaja's Eric Chia; arrested and charged for CBT. Then Kasitah Gaddam, for corruption.

You declared a War on Corruption. Wah. And you made the Promise. Woo-ooh.

You were glowing. Rakyat shiok you. i also shiok you. i thought maybe you were the real thing. After the Mahaheroics era, here comes someone with deeper self-confidence and the wisdom to reach for the soul of our land and its people.

That was then. Shame on me.

But if that wasn't bad enough, you've upped the ante on Najib and Samy for saying things you don't mean without even tripping a lie muscle.

IPCMC mana? "Work with me, not for me" mana? Flushing out corruption mana? Integrity and openness mana?

Aiyo, Zam shaddup oreddy

What's worse than stupid?

In three letters - ZAM.

You cannot have a discussion with such creatures. They holler and make declarations which remind you of fascist regimes.

Jeff Ooi - bold gold

Pressed for time but i just have to say this. Go Jeff Ooi!

It is NOT a loss for blogosphere, despite the number of naysayers. If anything, it may well spur a March of Rights into the halls of Parliament. My only wish is to see more such people of calibre step up and purge the rubbish that is the AAB govt.

Wanna, Nades? You'd make Azalina's day.

Remember this:

"We are doing this as part of Visit Malaysia Year," she decreed and challenged this writer to stand for elections if I didn't agree with her - before the microphone was ceremoniously taken away from me.

- Citizen Nades
The Sun, May 25

Chapter 3: An appointment in hell

You sense the raging breath. Raja Petra Kamarudin will not go down quietly. Correction - he will not go down, period.

And the clowns in Umno better watch out. The Anak Raja Bugis spills the beans on Umno's info chief Muhamad (x2) Taib, the man who made a police report on Malaysia Today, and marinates the serving with bile only hell hath the stomach for. Thank God, the ex-Selangor MB can suddenly choose to not fathom English again, else he'd be pissing in his pants.

i started off reading Malaysia Today as a huge sceptic. The exposes seem way reckless and unfounded; more like a National Enquirer on Malaysian politics. Statements were made without much proof and overall it sure seemed like RPK was headed for lots of legal trouble. i'd imagine he would have been sued down to his last follicle. i didn't wish to see it, but i was sure the day would come when the gaffe politicians in this country, the Joharis, Musas, KJs, why even the Najibs and AABs would drag the man to court.

Widespread lies have to be dealt with sternly if the fine reputation of these 'leaders' are to be maintained. Otherwise, their work will be hampered. These personalities are the country's stewards. i would even say it is then their responsibility to take legal action in order that the rakyat's trust remain unshaken.

But it hasn't happened.

Despite the seemingly outrageous slander on many of these prominent leaders including the Prime Minister and DPM, nothing has happened. It would've been an easy target. Raja Petra writes lucidly unlike those political commentaries in the mainstream media. No read-between-the-lines stuff. Just bang-bang and bang. If he had crossed the line, it would have been an open and shut case in court. Clearcut.

Yet nothing. Even yesterday morning's police report made by Muhamad (x2) was over the alleged denigration of Islam and the Agung in Malaysia Today. C'mon now, RPK's given bolo-punches at the fella in the Prime Minister's seat on so many occasions, yet they choose to report on a grey-area item instead. If anything, that's the picture of a very desperate Umno.

Overall non-action, elegant silence, whatever - and specifically this episode - only reinforces the opinion i have about Raja Petra Kamarudin after the earlier months of sceptism. Over time and by the inductive process, i have actually come to believe the gist of what this man writes.

Unless of course Muhamad (x2) Taib chooses to challenge via the courts the latest flurry hurled his way. Otherwise, Mr ex-MB, it's you on the bus on a non-stop trip to hell. Raja Petra's hell.

Chapter 2: Raja Petra

Just as Nathaniel Tan is beginning to catch his breath, the fight to close the minds of the Malaysian people has shifted gears. A police report has been filed by Umno's Information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib on the "sensitive" writings of uber-Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.

The report cites that Raja Petra has been writing stuff which insults Islam and the Agung. Reports Malaysiakini:

Taib told reporters later that the report was regarding remarks published on the website on July 11 and several other articles.

He claimed that the postings and articles were disrespectful to the King and Islam. According to him, they had the potential to create unrest in the country and strike fear in the people.

“The reports contain criminal elements which could incite anyone and cause fear. Maybe these people (bloggers) had forgotten that Malaysia is a country with many sensitivities,” he said.

i am puzzled and amazed.

i follow Malaysia Today closely; been reading their stuff for the past two years now. Raja Petra writes exclusively in English (although he also features guest columnists and articles in Bahasa Malaysia). Although it hasn't been established, there's a high chance the articles in question are in English.

Now, in 1998, this Muhammad Muhammad Taib fella told a Brisbane court that he doesn't understand English and on those grounds, he was acquitted on charges of false declaration.

What can i say? All hail Muhammad Muhammad Taib's English tuition teacher! All hail the ex-Selangor MB who can now not only understand English, but fully empathize with the written content. Next, he'll be crittin' Shakespeare.

Free Nat Tan, free this bridge builder

Nathaniel Tan, social activist and blogger, was detained Friday by a hide-and-seek Malaysian police. The following day, he was secretively hauled to the Magistrate Court and is now serving a four-day remand to "assist" police investigations on internet-related affairs. The Official Secrets Act has been bandied about.

This entire episode smacks of deceit, discrimination and despotism.

We are governed by fools. The price is proving costly.

If the measure of any entity is about where it stands compared to its perceived potential, then i'll say this: The Abdullah Ahmad Badawi government is a dismal failure.

We could be world-beaters; we have geographical advantage (look at the map and understand how strategically-placed we are in nature's scheme of land and seas). We have minerals and ancient forests of untapped treasures, we have sunshine and rain, we have salt, fruit and rice. We speak the languages of four-fifths of the world's population. We were tutored in a system of governance and logistics, and inherited a formidable education system. In other words, we had software. One of the best in Asia.

Even today we have DNA - brilliant minds, nimble bodies, stout will. Mongrel breed. Cross-pollinated. We have ready builders. Bridge builders.

Yet despite all this, we are stunted as a nation. Far short of potential. We're a molehill trying to pass off as Olympus through propaganda pipes. And this is the ultimate failure of government, nothing else. We may be Malaysia, but we are atomic, not a compound. Not even an alloy. Not near forged steel. And they like it that way. Shred the fabric, strike fear, protect the hood. Divide.

Nathanial Tan decided to stand against such shit. He wants to build bridges. In his mind's eye, he sees a Malaysia fair and true; as fair and true to their dictionary meanings, and as fair and true to the understanding of those with virtue. Unlike many who slither and slide in government, you know he has a calcium-rich upright spine. For some twisted reason, this is not a desirable trait.

Of the millions of lines written, and comments left behind by readers in hundreds of local blogs which are more scandalous and cause for serious concern, they picked on Nat.

They hauled his mortal bones and ran off. You may say that for quite a few hours he was technically kidnapped; friends, family and feisty gf were given the fright of their lives by the elusive cops that Friday evening. His whereabouts were not divulged by the authorities. There remains a grave air of uncertainty about his immediate fate because of the continuing cruel and unnecessary reticence on the part of the supposed vanguards of peace and order. Whatever happened to basic rights?

But you can't put a good man and his fraternity down. Not till hell freezes over.

i do not know if we've hit the bottom. All i know is we shall continue to stand for principles. Because it is principles which will stand; eons after the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi government has crumbled and recorded as the period when true bridges were forcedly left unbuilt and Malaysia was an archipelago of divided islands in the fearsome Osa-Isa sea.


graphics: courtesy Mob's Crib

Cosmic...

“I see (Samy) in the form of Lord Krishna. You (Samy Vellu) know what the people need. You know what the people want.”

- MG Pandithan, president of the Indian Progressive Front (IPF), at the party's congress today. It is reported that Pandithan is sick. With such quotes, I do not for a moment doubt that.

Say yes, KJ

"Say sorry."

"Uh-uh, no way."

"Say sorry, dammit."

"Uh-uh, no way. I stated facts. Want to debate over it? Live?"

******* (Answer pending) ********


Flashback:
DAP's Tony Pua writes a commentary about the just-announced civil service pay increase. He is all for it. He does note however that the civil service is bloated after recent massive employment drives.

In 2006, there were 1.1 million civil servants. The nation's total labour force that same year was 10.7 million. In other words, 1 out of every 10 employed persons in the country works in the government. Such a statistic is out of whack with the Mahathir administration's philosophy to reduce the economic burden on the government via privatisation. They were aiming for a 500,000 civil service workforce then; we are currently 120% off-target!

Tony points that this scenario exists because the civil service has been turned into a 'reservoir' to absorb "unemployed Malay graduates". Najib himself made that call last year, although he didn't use the word Malay.

Umno's Khairy Jamaluddin is pissed with that remark. How dare Tony insult the civil servants, who had to go through stringent entry tests, and who had faithfully served the country for years. He wants Tony and the DAP to apologise.

Tony ain't budging. Instead, Screenshots' JeffOoi informs that DAP has booked a hall to host a debate on this issue, and perhaps more.

*********

Ahhh, who needs the Man U show?

Say yes, KJ. Say you'll be there.

And tell Zam to bring along his TV, radio and newspaper crew. Tell him to beam it live. Allow the nation's bloggers and amateur video enthusiasts to record the event too. Let the international press know about it. It'll be for the nation's good; one sure sign that your Papa-in-law is moving towards a more open government.

More importantly, discourse such as this will disprove dongengs, myths and wild accusations which hamper the progress of this fine nation, even threatening to frazzle the nerves of fragile and sensitive citizens. And if in the end, with fact and with rationality, it is proven that Tony has to apologise, then let's together make him do it.

But before that.... Say yes, KJ.

Lies and the Story of the Parliament leaks

The mainstream media has carried the official version of the Parliament House leaks. But like the whole episode itself, it is a porous story with large gaping holes.

Somebody's lying big-time.

Scrutinize the picture below. It is the Malaysian Parliament House. You can view it here. (Click the 'Reference' tab.)



The picture was downloaded from Polygum's website, a premier product of Belgian waterproofing company, Atab. Among it's many references around the world, it lists Malaysia's Parliament House as one of its completed projects covering a total of 2,000 sq m. That's about 20,000 sf or the area of four football fields. That plausibly equates to the entire flat roof area of the Parliament House.

But, as with the other projects on the list, no indication of the year is given.

Hence the logical question: When was this waterproofing exercise conducted? Was it 44 years ago when Parliament House was constructed? Could it be that this international brand is so wanting of business, it has to reach deep into its archives and pull a four decade-old project as reference?

I think not.

Scrutinize the picture again; see that aircon compressor unit ill-placed behind one of those sun-shading devices? That's newer technology around these parts. Right up to the 90s, air-conditioners in sweltering Malaysia were of the hole-in-wall types or window units. You can still see them in many buildings although the split-unit systems are the norm these days. Clearly, this picture is not from the 60s but much more recent. Assuming this picture was taken by the manufacturer upon completion of the job, what does that tell you about the period of the project?

Another fact: the Polygum waterproofing system was only launched in 1978, according to the manufacturer. It has since been upgraded with better materials. So again no way the Parliament House used a Polygum waterproofing system in its original inception in 1962.

I have written to Atab seeking clarification on this project. I imagine they will reply within a short period. They have to - it's their reputation on the line.

But for now let's turn our attention to the government and its conduct over this episode, specifically Samy Vellu. Samy says "the waterproofing material used when the building was constructed had worn off after 44 years, resulting in water seeping through the roof.


The Works Minister attributed a JKR (KL) report saying, among other reasons:

Waterproofing on the roof was not working and had been used beyond its lifespan;
Waterproofing was installed on the concrete surface without any protective layer;
(text verbatim from The Star)

Assuming though, that the gist of Polygum's claims is true - that it did conduct a waterproofing exercise on Parliament House - what the hell then are Samy and the JKR talking about?

And let's speculate a little given the morsels of info garnered from MSM's tape-recorder journalists. Polygum as a membrane-type waterproofing product is a packaged system. Any licenced applicator has to follow a series of procedures and specifications before the product is deemed functional and eligible for its 10-year insurance-backed guarantee. Polygum stakes its reputation on that.

But as with all waterproofing systems, there is limit to its scope - it doesn't cover the functioning of gutters and their accompanying downspouts. That is under the purview of building maintenance. Flat roofs are notorious for faulty or choked roof domes (rainwater outlets). A stray plastic bag, ciggie butts, debris and weeds can easily lodge the openings. Any number of malfunctioning roof domes will result in a flat roof simulating a swimming pool during a heavy downpour.

And that's trouble. The tao of water is about flow. It doesn't judge, and obeys two masters - gravity and capillary. When water collects into a sizeable pool, any alternative opening becomes a leak. It pours rather than ooze or bleed. That seems to be the case with Parliament House.

Not having had the benefit to walk on the Parliament House roof myself nor peek into the ceiling cavity, I can only deduce this: The heavy rainwater leaks into the interiors indicate that it is less of a roof waterproofing issue than gaping holes that have emerged due to negligence at the interface of various equipment and the roof. It may be broken mechanical pipes or large cracks close to the roof plane.

I suspect it is due to poor coordination work between the mechanical equipment (exhaust fans, central air-conditioning systems, water supply lines, sprinkler lines) where they penetrate the roof. These oftentimes happen when maintenance or repair is done without enough care hence compromising the waterproofing system in place. But I'm only speculating.

In short, the full true story hasn't been told.

Without proof, I do suspect waterproofing was redone, perhaps back in 2005 when Parliament first sprung a massive leak. The extent is why, possibly 2,000 sq m.

In April 25, 2005, Malaysiakini reported:
"It was 3.30pm. Parliament was in session and a legislator was speaking. There was heavy rain and thunderstorm outside. Suddenly, water started pouring into the chamber from a badly leaked roof, messing up the seats of several deputy ministers.
"Parliament workers frantically brought in buckets to collect the water. The microphone suddenly went dead. Then it was pitch black. Deputies in the House panicked and ran out. The meeting was adjourned indefinitely."

Some among us, tak mudah lupa. The penultimate line in the article then: Ramli said the parliamentary administrative department will conduct a thorough probe into the matter.

DAP's Lim Kit Siang then went on a subsequent rampage, unleashing a series of media statements in the month of May 2005. You can check the archives here and here. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's response then: "If there is a leak, it must be repaired."

Despite Samy's current claims to the contrary, I think it was. And I think repairs ran into the millions and worked just fine until recently. I think the building maintenance successfully defaulted on the 10-year warranty because some act was conducted quite recently by unqualified parties which ruined the waterproofing layer and subsequently voided the policy. Maybe they upgraded the aircon ducts, poked new pipes here and there, who knows. No one's clarifying, neither were reporters asking.

Also ask yourself this - why would Samy state such: "We not only have to waterproof the roof but also create a heat-proof layer on top of it. It is quite a big job." For crying out loud, what is a heat proof layer, dude? And why the need for it when waterproofing systems work just fine in the searing Arizona sun?

This architect ( he is on RIBA's chartered list, you know) needs some Continuing Education courses.

A lot of flak is being directed towards the waterproofing system to explain away the Parliament House leaks.

Old, worn-out system that hasn't been replaced since 1962? Or a false claim by a waterproofing company of a job it never did?

Somebody's lying.



Credit - Mid-post picture: New Straits Times

Presenting Zam news....

In Zam's world, big news happen to be events of little significance except to angkat and ampu a cabinet comrade. Self-conjured feel good factor.

See here for earth-shattering account.

So, Sports Minister Azalina flies over to the Everest base camp in a Russian helicopter, sticks around for 15 minutes and flags off a Malaysian contingent set to climb the tall peak. Then she and her 10-member delegation flies off, perhaps to some shopping haven closer to sea level. All in a very constructive day's work.

Among her coterie is the Sports Ministry's Deputy Director-General Madrib Ibrahim. He also acts as the chief sycophant since it is not polite for the minister herself to boast about her 'achievement'.

"We hope to put her name in the Malaysian Book of Records as the first minister and the first female minister of Malaysia to set foot at the base camp," Bernama quotes the stooge.

And this, friends, is news.

Bear in mind she didn't climb to get there! Nevermind that you and I probably paid for this important trip. Heavens, it's become even more daring than those "lawatan sambil belajar" excursions. This 15-minute let's-suck-in-the-view trip for 10 freeloaders itself might be a Malaysian record on public spending.

Yeah, Zam news - essential tongkat ali for the masyarakat. And the nation shall be fortified, bursting with pride.

Ijok: Strings after gempur

The results have been announced. Behold, a two hundred increase in majority votes. The Barisan cheers have erupted. Moist Lips and Sleepy Hollow and Dark-to-Light are busy congratulating each other and thereafter patting their own backs, as strange a behaviour as it may be.

Half-the-Value has shown he's worth twice the price. That Car Thing will say he burned rubber at Batang Berjuntai. A merry Son-in-Law can now dismount from the uncomfortable kapcai. The photoshoot's done. A job well done.

And the carnival shall leave Ijok. And all shall be quiet at the Markas and the Bilik Geraks.

We have here a gentleman winner in Parthiban. A good guy, say many Ijokians. A wonderful smile that makes many a mother wish her daughter would snag. A legendary son who provided for his siblings, and educated himself via the Malaysian dream.

But wet blankets such as me have never been happy with fairytale endings per se. Happily ever after? Really, for that we have to turn to the yet-to-be-inked storyboard.

Of how a good man becomes a puppet - a morbid Pinnochio in reverse. As the strings are tied, one thread at a time, from favours owed leading to tonight's victory, of beholdenship and masters and servants.

Yea, the story will unfold in quiet Ijok away from the pesky eyes of unemployed women or bloggers. A string for Moist Lips, another for Sleepy Hollow, two for Half-the-Value, another two for Dark-to-Light... and on and on the parts of the body of this scholar gentleman shall be divided among his power investors. And the strings shall tug and slack in a strange Ramayana, and his legs will kick, and his head nod, and there'll be loud choruses along with "three bags full". And he will be rewarded, why even loved.

But the heart remembers. It will remember of a cloudy evening, April 28, before the announcement and the euphoria, when he was a truly good man with a brilliant smile. And most of all, it will definitely remember this: free will.

All the best, Parthiban. Sincerely. I pray it's just the sour grapes oozing from my pores.

Ijok N11(a) - BN's moral territory

While the physical boundary of Ijok (N11) is amply defined and understood, the moral boundary of the existing ruling party is another story. For three by-elections now, BN has rapidly revealed new territories south of Moral.

Much has been documented by independent observers but the full terrain has not been charted; all we know is there's a string of caverns - running from Batu Talam through Machap and Ijok - covered in slime. By the time we understand its features, we'd have seen the true face of Ugly.

Expedition KeADILan dropped anchor for two weeks over at Ijok and through its lens we record the caves are deeper, the smell fouler. And bats. Thousands of 'em. Whirling, screeching, and flinging water bottles. But there's a culture to all this, a primordial technology called 3G - greed, gangs and gempur.

And then there's the fourth. You see, a revised national almanac lists today as being All Souls Day in Ijok; at the polling stations, the fourth G is believed to emerge - ghosts, with an X factor.

This much I have surmised. The south of Moral is an ecosystem of reptilian values.

I've seen enough money pumped into this quiet charming town to make Dubai envious, heard a moist-lipped DPM tell lies, read of a self-appointed World Information Minister zamming BBC for biased reporting. I've seen high-ranking police officers shamelessly shutting down Opposition ceramahs, seen low-ranking Umno hooligans shamelessly decked in Zakaria shades.

I have not seen grace.

The good ship KeADILan has to be commended for helping to reveal the deeper nature of the coalition that has ruled us for 50 years; the BN party which could have chosen to go the loftier north, chose instead the bowel route.

No matter how Ijok's story ends later today, by my reckoning the Opposition has already won big-time. Winning Ijok will only be a bonus to the eventual BN thrashing that is to come in urban districts at the General Elections.

A snake in DPM's clothing

It's confirmed - Politics and power make you stupid. Najib, Deputy Prime Minister, is proving that he is a bit thick up there for assuming that the people can't see through snake-talk and hogwash.

Today's headline in The Star:
DPM: Fighting corruption a national mission
KUALA LUMPUR: Fighting corruption remains a national mission and the Government is all out to eradicate graft.
“Some people might be quick to say that the Government is not serious in fighting corruption or that the Prime Minister is the only person speaking on this subject,” said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
“But let me remind everyone that this is not just the agenda of the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is firmly behind him on this,” Najib said in his keynote address at the third anniversary of the National Integrity Plan (NIP) and Integrity Institute of Malaysia.

And yet a day earlier, in TheSun:
Najib announces RM3.5m for mosques, suraus, schools in Kg Jaya Setia
BATANG BERJUNTAI (April 23, 2007): The Barisan National (BN) is leaving nothing to chance in Kampung Jaya Setia within the Ijok constituency.
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a special RM3.5 million allocation from the Prime Minister's Department for seven mosques, 16 suraus and six schools for the constituency.
"Although there has not been any request for these but we feel that we need to do this as a sign of the BN's commitment," he said during a ceramah in Kampung Jaya Setia.


**Duhh. This guy's a sad case. One of a pack of them up there in Bluffsville, Putrajaya.

Ain't the first. Won't be the last. It's become so commonplace nowadays, these two-faced declarations, the only way to shut them up is to kick them out. With nice steel-toed construction boots. Simple as that.

The Wall to fair elections

It'll do the system a whole lot of good if the Elections Commission was given a solid kick in its butt to do its job.

The body today stands as a shameless shell, fit only to conduct the barest logistics of running an election. The more important role - as guardian of the principles of the democratic process - it turns its back. It has forsaken its Constitutional role. There is enough evidence in the three by-elections - Batu Talam, Machap and now, Ijok - to show yet again that the EC is nothing but a carapace to propagate the misdeeds of the ruling BN party; it is a token billboard to declare that there is such a thing as fair elections on this land. We may suffer from the Mudah Lupa Syndrome, but three abusive jolts in a row? This we must never forget nor let go.

Bribes are bribes, no matter how you approach it. Just because it's a by-election and a hundred streetlamps emerge in a couple of days when none was erected in the decades prior - that's a bribe. When RM36 million worth of development suddenly gets poured into a constituency because there's a by-election - that's a bribe. When you get RM200 on the very morning of the by-election, that's a frigging bribe.

Any Commission proudly fulfilling its duty would have put a stop to this nonsense. But pride, here in sycophantsville Malaysia?

Forget about the rants in the warongs and coffeeshops, forget about the rants in cyberspace. It doesn't give a hoot about what you think. It only listens and acts according to who's up there, never down. Which is a bad, bad mistake in the longer term. We've reached the apex of the longer term; it is now.

I believe a crippling protest is what's needed to shove these idiots to kingdom come. Reform has to happen institution by institution and the EC is ripe for a solid structural makeover given the topicality and relevance to our everyday lives. 100,00 strong, why 200,000 strong, assembling peacably and without arms at its den in Putrajaya.

Peacably and without arms but with a clear message - have balls; you're serving the People, not be a stooge.

Machais rule!

This picture in The Star on Wednesday speaks volumes. Minister in the PM's Dept Nazri Aziz and Minister of Works Samy Vellu in front of a passive Chief Justice - that's Law and Order for you.

It was the handing over of the new KL courts over at Jalan Duta. While it may seem innocuous, this protocol shot captures the scary scenario clouding our land.... the Executive runs just about everything in this country. Everybody else, even if you represent the third equal arm of government, are expected to only stand and watch.

The mountain

BN won handsomely at Machap. It was a 4,000+ majority, in results very similar to 2004, the Year of the Promise. Can you handle it?

Plainly speaking, the Opposition was whupped good despite their coordinated venture. Despite employing new technologies (they have a blog), cranking out a full-on series of ceramahs by Opposition heavyweights, and house-to-house canvassing. It didn't matter that case after case of govt abuse was voiced by the opposition; didn't mater if MIC thugs pounded on a couple of DAP folks. Didn't matter that the charismatic Anwar pitched in his support to huge ovations the night before.

What matters: Hakka karaoke, free food, badminton stars being forced to do exhibition games, fresh tarred roads, a new park, millions of ringgit of projects (more promises) and the trusted Payung coming to town on voting day allegedly handing out cash. As a recipient told a DAP crew (as reported by Malaysiakini) upon emerging from the Payung's ad hoc disbursement outpost: "...Biasalah."

At the end of the day, with a shedding of 481 votes compared to GE2004, it wasn't even a dent on BN's performance. It meant that for the people of Machap, the Promise is getting along just fine. Like the nine-day fiesta of songs, gifts and a twirly Payung spinning out red and teal-coloured ringgit.

Me, i'm disappointed. Downtrodden. And i'm not even active in politics.

See, despite what the pundits say, Machap may be rural but it isn't exactly backwater rural or inbreeding country. It's less than half an hour from Melaka city; close enough to the Kelang Valley. They have cars and bikes, handphones and Astro. Many of Machap's sons and daughters have basic if not tertiary education, and ought to be able to carry a proper dialogue. In other words, Machap is just about your typical west coast constituency from Pontian to Kepala Batas with a mix of villages capped with a small town.

And so, as a wonderful test case, the opposition channeled its firepower over nine days in an express education on the misdeeds of the ruling party. It seemed the mood was bouyant. Perhaps the message was getting through.

Machap Demokrasi! And at the end of the day, DAP's Liou polled 1,542 votes. That's about a fifth of total votes. That's status quo.

And that's what scares the woolies out of me. The results clearly show there's a whole big, fat population out there who are willing to go with the status quo.

And here we are battling for the return of local council elections, for safer neighborhoods, for stern action against cronyism. We lash out against corruption and toll hikes, and idiot ministers who want to carve their dominance into our space and lives. We ask for justice served, and integrity restored. And we think we make progress.

But we look up... and all we see is the steep, craggy incline of Mount Status Quo. *Gulp*