Forced to wear Tudungs?

The correct term is 'Indian', not 'Keling' you %@$#%

I've never heard of Jerai MP Datuk Badruddin Amiruldin before in my entire life.

Until yesterday.

It was reported in the papers that this Datuk used the word 'keling' to describe indians. Can you believe it? This coming from not only a 'Datuk' but a politician! Even my 5 year old niece knows that it is not polite to refer to indians that way!

It started like this. This Badruddin fellow said that he was uncomfortable with the fact that some newscasters on TV wore an ear stud. When another MP quipped in that it is customary for the first born male of an indian family to wear such an ear stud, Badruddin replied by saying

"I am talking about muslims. I am not talking about kelings"

I don't know about you, but I'm not even an indian and I'm really disappointed (yes, and pissed) that an elected official is stupid, arrogant and ignorant enough to use such language in parliament. Thank goodness we have our ever faithful Lim Kit Siang to stand up to this Badruddin clown and demand an for apology. Hmmm, I wonder where is our good ol S.V. when we need him?


What Malaysia Stands For

That is not all folks! This Jerai MP ding-a-ling then went on to say that he wants to make it compulsory for ALL graduates of the International Islamic University (IIU) to wear a tudung. Yup, you heard me right. ALL graduates! Chinese, Indian, Chindians, Mat Sallehs, Banglas..whatever. He said that it was not a 'religious' matter but that we should respect each other's culture.

Excuseee me??? Malaysia is a land of many races and culture you dingbat! Our acceptance of each other's culture is expressed by our tolerance, not by our insistence that everyone conform to our personal rules and regulations (and in this case, dress-code).


On a more serious note

Having said that, it's time to get a little serious. I don't know about you but it truly saddens me that there are so-called 'Malaysians' amongst us who still harbour such backward views and beliefs. To me, Malaysia is a land of racial harmony. A place where you can mingle freely amongst the other races without having to be ashamed of who and what you are. It infuriates me that there are people out there who want to destroy what we've come to know and love about Malaysia. People who come under the guise of 'nationalism' and 'patriotism' but in fact are actually narrow-minded, selfish hawks who seek to turn Malaysia into another Afganhistan.

With regards to the tudung issue. I truly believe that it should be of a person's own free will that she (or even *shudder*..'he') put on a tudung. I have nothing against the garment, what I am against however is the coercion of people. How can we possibly achieve vision 2020 if the politicians amongst us still insist on strong-arming people into following their beliefs?

During the parliamentary session, Lim Kit Siang produced and read a letter written to him by a graduate of the IIU who was forced to wear a tudung during her convocation. This is just plain sad. What should have been one of the most joyful days of her student life was instead turned into one of shame. Not because of the tudung mind you, but because the very rights, the freedom of choice given to us by our constitution was shattered.

When our nation's founding fathers got together to sign the constitution, I am sure that this was not what they had in mind. I wonder what they would think if they could hear Badruddin now.

I bet it's enough to make them turn in their grave.

Our National Automotive Policy

A much needed boost

The front page of The Star newspaper bore the headline 'Shifting Gears' and carried an article about the Government's new policies to boost our automotive industry. It is about time! After years of watching our local automotive industry languishing in the doldrums, it's good to see that our Government is taking the steps necessary to give it a good kick in the a$$.

Excuseeeee me

What? You don't agree that our autmotive industry is, as i put it, 'languishing in the doldrums'? Sure, our car market is the largest in Southeast Asia (although IMO, it is no big feat considering that one of our neighbours is made up of a zillion islands, which makes cars a less than ideal choice of transport; and another neighbour of ours is roughly the size of Petaling Jaya), but size alone does not a vibrant car industry make. Just look at the quality of our local automotive vendors, the quality of their products can be best described as shoddy, and at worst , as a downright load of %@$#$@^!!. Although to be fair, Proton's decision to axe 34 of its 287 vendors a while back for failing to meet quality standards deserves to be applauded.

Anyway, amongst the new policies which were introduced by the government are:

• Phasing out of the controversial AP system. This sounds more promising than it actually is though. APs will still only be given to bumi controlled companies, but only this time around they can be given directly to public listed companies without the need for bumi intermediaries. Is this a case of 'Out of the left pocket and into the right'?
  
• The setting up of an Industrial Adjustment Fund. This fund basically gives our local car manufaturers and assemblers matching grants for the purchase of new machinery and technology
• Training and R&D grants. I like both the Industrial Adjustment Fund as well as these training and R&D grants. It certainly will do its bit to boost our local expertise and capabilities.
  

Better times ahead?

It is good to see the government taking the necessary steps to get our local car manufacturers (Proton in particular) into shape. Who knows, even as Volkswagen prepares to take a stake in Proton, good times could be in store! It's time we give Thailand's Rayong a run for its money... heh heh.

Malaysian Police, Pathetic and Beyond Hope?

Can nothing be done?

A lot has been said about the deplorable state of our local police force, but you'll never know just how bad it is until you experience it for yourself. It was 8:30 in the morning when I came across this post, and reading it was enough to break my heart. Hearing what the author was put through by our very own men-in-blue made me feel paradoxically angry, infuriated, sad...and most of all, helpless.

Mind you, this was not a one of case. How many more times must we open the newspaper only to be confronted by yet another case of police arrogance, brutality, incompetence and corruption? It makes me laugh that some of our ministers wanted to accord Selangor with the status of a 'Developed State'. How can we possibly be considered 'developed' when our police force is still in such a deplorable condition? When their ranks are permeated by such filth?

I consider myself a truly patriotic Malaysian. There are so many things to love about our country, the weather, the culture, the camaraderie - you name it. Sadly, my patriotism does not extend to our local police. I know there are some good apples amidst a sea of rotten ones, but I truly believe that they are the exception. This I know from my own run-ins with the police force.

Shame and Pity; will these 2 words continue to describe the feelings I harbor everytime I see our policemen all decked out in their fancy uniforms and decorations?


When it happens to you...

I once blogged about one of my encounters with the police. The post is here if you're interested. This reminds me of a friend of mine whoo had a recent 'encounter' with the police. It happened at one of their haphazardly set-up roadblocks where my friend was pulled over for an exhaust tip which was supposedly 'too large' (Doesn't matter that it was deemed legal by the JPJ, because whatever the police says goes right? Even if it is not stated in any ruling whatsoever).

My friend tried to reason with the police that the exhaust he was using was indeed legal, but after several attempts, he apparently got the police officer all riled up. Annoyed, the police officer pulled him aside and told my friend that if he did not want to 'settle', he will be charged for illegal drug possession.

My friend was incredulous. What drug posession?

It was then that the police took out a packet of white drugs and threatened to plant them in my friend's car. All of this happened in plain view of the other police officers, who seemed unperturbed by such behavior. In the end, my friend had no choice but to fork over RM300 to this incredibly corrupt, thug-like police officer.

Sad isn't it? We are all law-abiding citizens who are working hard in order to contribute to the growth and prosperity of our nation. In no way do we deserve to be treated like criminals. To be threatened by the very people who are supposed to uphold law and order in our country. To be shamed and humiliated by these police animals.

Animal: an.i.mal ( P ) Pronunciation Key (n-ml)
n.

1. A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia, differing from plants in certain typical characteristics such as capacity for locomotion, nonphotosynthetic metabolism, pronounced response to stimuli, restricted growth, and fixed bodily structure.
2. An animal organism other than a human, especially a mammal.
3. A person who behaves in a bestial or brutish manner.

Describes the police exactly doesn't it.

I Will See You In Paradise

Life's Journey

A brother of a dear friend of mine passed away recently. He was only 12 years old. He was born with cerebral palsy and could not do the things normal children could do. However, what he lacked in physical mobility, he more than made up for it with sheer determination and guts. The boy's name is Jeremy Koo.

Everyday was a struggle for him. A struggle to breathe properly, a struggle to eat the food which was given to him, a struggle to live. Things we normally take for granted were a huge challenge for little Jeremy. But overcome them he did. Every single day for 12 plus years.

We sometimes wonder, why does God allow such things to happen? How could He let an innocent boy go through so much pain? It is in times like this however, that you can hear God saying....

"Be still and know that I am God"

Isaiah 55: 8-9 says...

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts"

True isn't it? While we may not always understand the things around us, or understand what God is doing, we should always, always trust in Him. For all things. At all times.

Otherwise everything would be meaningless - and our lives merely a diaphonous, futile existence.

Missing in Action

My Life...

I know I haven't been posting for quite some time. I can't help it. My schedule for the past few weeks have been crazy! Oh btw, did I mention that I got shortlisted in the final 12 for the Nescafe Kick-Start challenge? Yea, I really thank God for seeing me through.

This is one of the main reasons why I've been so busy as of late. I had to take quite a number of days off from my regular day job in order to attend the filming of the reality show, which began in October and will go on til the end of December. Yup, its a miracle my boss allowed me to take all those days off (I will keep the number of days a secret, for now..hahah). However, because of this I've had to put in more hours at the office in order to get my office work done. What this basically means is 13-15 hour working days....tiring.

Anyway, I wish I could update you guys more on what's been happening with me and all, and how the shoot is like, but I've been made to promise never to utter a single word regarding the program to anyone by Nescafe. So yea, mum's the word.

I'll keep this post short for now. I will try my best to post at least once every couple of days. I miss blogging.