Pot calling the kettle Black!!!

When we set standards for others to follow, then as expected we would be expected to adhere to the same.

But if you observe Malaysian politicians, you will rarely find this the case, politicians from both sides of the fence shoot from the hips, and immediately forget what was said and commit the same transgressions.

Case in point, do you notice the mushrooming of pictures of the Menteri Besar of Selangor on billboards and banners across the State? Remember when the PR folks used to be so critical of previous MBs of the State for doing the same? Wasn't so long ago was it?

This is just one small case in point, the Israel issue is another, both sides have no problem dealing with the Israelis when they find a need to do so, and both will find good reason to link the other and demonize them for doing so when they need to.

Its all just one big merry-go-round I tell you.

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The New Malay Mail !!!

After a hiatus of more than a month, the new Malay Mail hits the streets today. It may still be too early to predict how things are going to pan out for this 116 year old paper. But judging from the content of today's paper, and if it sticks to presenting the news fairly and without fear, then I predict it will not be too long before it becomes the nations number one English paper.

Get a hold of the copy to day or go to http://www.mmail.com.my/ to see what I mean.

Front page today the Vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaya Tan Sri Prof Dr Ghauth Jasmon says the country’s oldest institution of higher learning “has never been good”, explaining that UM’s reputation has always been the product of public perception.

Inside the pages of the Malay Mail there seems to be a good mix of news reporting covering views from both the political coalitions in the country today.

Lets see if they can continue to do what the other MSM's would like to do but fear to do.

Kudos to the people in charge.

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World Bloggers and Social Media Awards!!!

I have never entered my blog for an award before, feels kind of strange to promote my own blog, but what the heck if Madey can do it, why not me :)

So pls vote, click on the icon on the left of my page that has World Bloggers and Social Media Awards link and vote for my blog.

If you like what I write of course ;)

Remember, if I don't win, its all your fault :p

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The Poor Malaysian Consumer!!!

If you're active on social media, you'd be aware there isn't a day in Malaysia that goes by where a Malaysian would not be disgusted or pissed off at the service he/she received from some company or rather. Most of these companies, it seems are of the GLC/monopolistic type.

It appears that in Malaysia these companies act with impunity. Quick on the draw when payment is in default but slow to respond to complaints or even refunds when service or product is poor.

An efficient, inexpensive and informal redress machinery is essential for consumer protection. In Malaysia the court system is rightly or wrongly generally perceived to be unable to satisfy consumer needs. This was the reason for the establishment of the Tribunal for Consumer Claims in 1999 and the Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims in 2002.

And yet still it seems that Companies in Malaysia regularly take advantage of Malaysians for the simple reason that Malaysians do not seem to possess a culture of redress. I do not know why, maybe it has to do with our culture of deference to authority (some call it feudalism)

Whatever it is, time to simplify the process, if only we had a system where a person could send a complain via SMS, and we had an efficient agency that would swing into action and set up a sting to verify the complaint.

But then again this is Malaysia, its still only 50 years since Merdeka and I may be asking too much :)

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An Ad for an Ad!!!

One, If you have to take out a TV Ad to prove that you have done good work, then you're either insulting the intelligence of people who chose not to vote for you or the good work you claim to have provided may not have meant much after all.

Two, it is not for you to claim credit for the work which you are paid to do, it is for the voters to decide if you deserve the credit and they do so with their votes.

Three, claiming that the ads were the work of your supporters and not of your own does not absolve you from the sin of spending money on ads when the money could have been better spent on the poor.

Shame on you.

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Gerakan Matters!!!

I must admit, I have a very low opinion of Malaysian politicians, there are exceptions of course, but like I said, exceptions.

Believe me when I tell you, I speak with 20 years of experience and up close. I have been a member of Gerakan for 11 years now.

I joined Gerakan because it was supposed to be multi-racial, it was supposed to be a party of intellects, it was supposed to be the Conscience of BN. WRONG on all counts. Its mostly mono-racial, hardly any evidence of intellect left and the party is mostly unconscious.

Why I do stay? I am hoping for a revival. Of course I know this will only happen if Gerakan loses badly again, and all the insincere blokes feel there is little point in hanging around. It's ok, I am in no hurry :)

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Time to just say No! - Proton

Malaysians pay more for locally-made Protons here than they would if they bought them overseas.

Why do Malaysians allow themselves to be conned in such a manner? National Pride?

The world over a local car would cost locals cheaper or as the very least of the same price if they were to buy it elsewhere, but not Proton. Malaysians have to pay a much higher price just to own their own national car, whereas a Proton is made cheaper for a foreigner in a foreign land.

ILLOGICAL?

If not you must at least appreciate the irony...

Proton is no longer a joke, it is a tragedy. People who support this 'project' claim it benefits a few thousand Malaysians by providing them jobs, so therefore this is a case of millions of Malaysians having to suffer so that a few thousand can continue getting a salary.

Whose great big idea is this? Whose legacy are we continuing to support? At what cost?

Time to just say NO!

Protons more expensive in Malaysia than overseas

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2012/01/18/protons-more-expensive-in-malaysia-than-overseas/

Patrick Lee

PETALING JAYA: Saudi Arabians pay less for Malaysian-made Proton cars than we do, an independent think-tank revealed.

Citing the Finance Ministry, the Research for Social Advancement (REFSA) said that Saudis only needed to fork out at the most RM43,570 for a brand-new Proton Waja, Gen-2 or a Persona between 2008 and 2009.

Malaysians, on the other hand, were expected to cough up RM52,999 for a “standard Waja or Persona”, and RM52,988 for a Gen-2 in 2011.

“The fact that local cars are cheaper overseas makes little sense,” REFSA said in a statement.

“Proton cars are locally assembled, and utilise a good amount of locally-made spare parts. These Malaysian cars are not levied import tax, so what is impregnating the price tags?”

A quick search on the Internet showed that Saudi Arabia was not the only country selling Protons cheaper than what Malaysia offered.

According to Australian vehicle listing website RedBook (www.redbook.com.au), the cheapest 2011 Gen-2 model (GCM, 1.6 Manual) was priced at AU$15,990 or RM51,727.

The cheapest automatic Gen-2 1.6 M-Line, on the other hand, according to Proton’s website (www.proton-edar.com), was priced at RM54,538. Manual Gen-2 1.6 H-Lines were priced at RM57,038 onwards.

Those prices, according to the national car website, were just prices in Peninsular Malaysia. Protons sold in Sabah and Sarawak were found to be at least RM2,000 more.

Citing Malaysian Automative Association (MAA) president Aisha Ahmad, REFSA said Malaysians were paying more for their Protons because of painfully high taxes.

“The burden comes from excise duty and sales tax, which are a minimum of 65% and 10% respectively… Aisha said in January 2011 that every car sold in Malaysia had been levied 65% to 105% excise duties, not including 10% sales tax,” the think-tank said.

This, it added, meant that Malaysians could expect to fork out a minimum of RM15,000 every time they bought a RM35,000 car.

In comparison, Thailand’s excise duty, REFSA said, was a mere 35%.

According to a Malaysian Insider report, Malaysians were paying an estimated RM6 billion through excise taxes on cars every year. Quoting the MAA, the report said that the government had imposed these taxes because it “needed the money”.

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Open letter to PR leadership council

Dear Sirs,

I am writing this open letter so as to ensure that it is widely read and with the hope that someone who is capable of representing at least some of you respond.

It has been sometime now that I have had this feeling that as a federal opposition block with the opportunity to govern in some states in Malaysia, there is much more that you could do in dispelling some doubt among Malaysians that you can be better than the little that you present of yourself currently. There is this large body of doubt among Malaysians that we have not seen the best of you nor the worst.

In many developed countries around the world, its citizens have a fairly good idea of what each political party stands for on many key issues. This does not seem to be the case in Malaysia, we seem to know what the ruling federal party is about as we are still governed by many of its policies, for better or for worse. But in the case of the federal opposition in many cases, especially in issues deemed sensitive, you have chosen to be silent.

It is only in the economic sphere that we seem to have some information of what you intend to do if you come to power, but in many other key areas you seem to have been strangely silent. This may seem like a good strategy now, but it is in my humble opinion that it is this lack of transparency that makes people hesitant about who they intend to vote for.

I am sure that a principled coalition as yourself would want to win for what you represent rather than winning sorely on the basis that the other side has overstayed their welcome.

I fervently hope that you can make your position clear on the following issues that have been nagging me in these past few years and I am sure they are of concern to many right thinking citizens as well, as they would provide an insight into the true motivations of your coalition.

1. Capital Punishment

Most developed countries consider the death penalty as barbaric. States and countries around the world are slowly but increasingly abandoning the death penalty as an instrument of punishment. In Malaysia, of course, the death penalty still exists and is still used. Indeed, people are constantly exhorting that its use should be extended.

What are your views? I hope you can be specific and not provide an answer that is neither here nor there as politicians are fond of doing.

2. Canning as corporal punishment
Some developed countries view this punishment as cruel as it leaves a permanent physical and psychological scar on the recipient. It is in some countries considered uncivilized for a state to carry out such punishments.

What are your views on the matter?

3. Islamic law

Over the last few years this subject has generated much interest. Most would agree that some of the laws implemented have been lopsided, and thus are considered manifestly unjust. An example would be how drinking and khalwat in 5 star hotels mostly go unpunished as they appear out of reach unlike the raids often conducted on establishments frequented by people who cannot afford ‘protection’.

What are your views with regards to this lopsided implementation of Islamic laws? How would you do things differently

4. Civil Service
It seems there is a tendency to mollycoddle and provide preferential treatment for those working in government when compared to those working in the private sector, although the private sector contributes to nation building just as much.

It has become common knowledge that the size of the civil service workforce has become difficult to manage where in some positions there is one person doing the job of two and yet in other positions two or three persons doing the job of one.

How would you recommend overcoming these problems and improving the benefits of private sector workers?

5. Non-governmental organization personnel
For years these dedicated group of people work for below average salaries and sacrifice themselves for the nation. And yet their needs are rarely addressed, no government recognized benefits, rarely any recognition. And yet they pay the same taxes and contribute no less.

How would you make working for an NGO less of a burden?

These are just some of the many questions I feel would give an insight into how your coalition can win peoples trust if answered sincerely, at the very least they would provide a barometer of your thoughts on other key issues. The list is never ending, maybe there will be other forums, your views on abortion, euthanasia, healthcare, aging and host of other key issues would be most welcome.
I do not ask this of the Barisan Nasional as most people already know them for what they are, but I ask this of you as you still remain an unknown quantity, in most developed countries by now, they would already more or less know who would be their likely ministers even before an election, unfortunately even this is a luxury to us.

I pray for a speedy response and wish you all the best.


Yours sincerely

Stephen Doss

Concerned Citizen

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Tengok cermin!!!

Menunding jari tanpa muhasabah diri
oleh Jahamy

"Oh umatku,
mengapa asyik menunding jari,
tiada erti kah muhasabah diri?

tiada melekat kah dihati
firmah Maha Ilahi
tiada ditukarnya apa yang pada suatu kaum
sehingga mereka menukar apa yang dalam diri sendiri?

Masih kah tidak difahami
firman Maha Suci
Tidak diubah rahmah yang diberi
sehingga diubah apa yang dalam diri?

Tengok cermin, tanya sendiri,
tak kan asyik menunding jari?

Salam.

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Allah by any other name....

By NH Chan

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

Q: Why do Christians use the word ‘Allah’ in their Malay language Bible and not ‘Tuhan’?

A: It is because Christians, Jews and Muslims worship the same God as the God of Abraham.
Before we all get confused, it is necessary to point out at the outset that the word which is spelt ‘Allah’ is an English word because it is written in English.

The word which bears the same spelling in the National Language is a copy of that word which was first spelt in English in the sixteenth century. The English word ‘Allah’ is the phonetic spelling of the Arabic word for God.

We all know that the Malay word for god is tuhan. We also know that the God of the Muslims is Allah which is actually what this word sounds like in Arabic.

Since most of us do not read or write Arabic, we tend to take the phonetic spelling of the Arabic word for God as used in English dictionaries.

However, from the point of view of Christians, Christians worship the same God as Muslims do. The God of Christians and the God of Muslims is the same God as the God of Abraham.
So that if you are a Christian, the choice of using the word ‘Allah’ in their Malay language Bible is obvious since Christians also worship Allah which is the Malay language equivalent, since Malay uses the same English phonetic spelling – of the God of Muslims. In this country to be Malay is to be a Muslim.

Christians will not use the word ‘God’ in their Malay language Bible because God is an English word and therefore it is an inappropriate word if it is used in a Malay language Bible.

In a Malay language Bible only Malay words should be used. But ‘tuhan’, although it is a Malay word for god, is not an appropriate word to use in the context and sense of the Bible.

Christians who use Malay in their Bible will never use ‘tuhan’ for their God because ‘tuhan’ is other people’s god; it is not the God intended in the Bible.

Just as Malay Muslims will never use ‘tuhan’ for their God even though it is a Malay word for god because their God as well as the Christians’ God is the same God that Abraham (Ibrahim) worshipped – no one really knows exactly when Abraham lived – a traditional view is 1750 to 1500 BC.

Here is an example why ‘tuhan’ is unsuitable to Muslims and Christians. Taoism is common among the Chinese – not all Chinese because there are also Chinese Christians and Chinese Muslims – indeed there are more Chinese Muslims in China then the entire population of Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia combined.

In China a Chinese Bible is written in Mandarin and ‘Allah’ is written in Chinese phonetic characters to represent the sound of the Arabic word.

A Taoist worships many gods both in heaven and in hell – I always think it is because the Chinese people want to play it safe, because either way they have appeased the deities.
I don’t think any Christian or Muslim who uses Malay would worship tuhan even if you say tuhan is a Malay word for god! This is because they only worship their own God who was the God of Abraham (Ibrahim).

In the English Bible the name for God in Christianity is spelt with a capital G to mean the only God.

‘Allah’ is Arabic for God. Monotheism is the belief that there is only one god. In today’s world, the reality is only Jews, Christians and Muslims worship only one god who was the God of Abraham.

The Muslim God is spelt in any English dictionary as ‘Allah’ since the sixteenth century and it means ‘the name of God among Muslims’.

In Malaysia it is also spelt exactly the same way as the English spelling when the National Language came into being after Merdeka. Both languages use Roman letters in their alphabet.

Glossary
Allah is Arabic for The God – for al-Ilah, i.e. al (the) Ilah (God): see Collins English Dictionary which gives the etymology of the Arabic word for God:
[C16: from Arabic, from al the + Ilah god; compare Hebrew eloah]

If you do not already know, Arabic is the language of the Arabs who is one of a branch of the Semitic race. Aramaic pertains to the northern Semitic languages, the biblical name for ancient Syria. And Hebrew is a person belonging to the Semitic race descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Jewish is their language: The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.

Also in the same Dictionary of English Etymology you will find:
Semite Hebrew, Arab, Assyrian or Aramaean, regarded as a descendent of Shem (Gen. X): see The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.

Collins English Dictionary:
Semite or Shemite n. 1. a member of the group of Caucasoid peoples who speak a semitic language, including the Jews and Arabs as well as the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Phoenicians.

Semitic or Shemitic n. 1. A branch or subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages that includes Arabic, Hebrew, Araimaic, Amharic, and such ancient languages as Akkadian and Phoenician.
Shem n. Old Testament. The eldest of Noah?s three sons (Genesis 10:21).

NH Chan is a former Court of Appeal judge. This article first appeared in Loyar Burok.

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