Islamic Bigotry

The Taliban-ization of Malaysia

This article was published in The Star 2 days ago and the tone of it's arguments and the opinions contained within just reeked of hypocrisy and bigotry.

To all the so-called 'leaders' who are actually entertaining the prospect of replacing our common laws with one that is based on Islam, have they ever paused to take into consideration the concerns and sensitivities of the other races? Do they really believe in abiding by and upholding the constitution set by our forefathers? Is the progress and advancement of Malaysia as a secular nation truly on their wish-list or do they harbor secret fantasies of seeing Malaysia turn into a Taliban-like state where things such as kites, mirrors and computers are banned?

Time and time again, the Malay leaders (and the Malays who support them) have shown that they only serve one segment of society....to hell with the rest. No matter how much lip service they pay to the idealistic sounding concepts of 'religious tolerance', 'racial integration' and 'equitable wealth distribution', everyone knows that it has always been and always will be one-sided.

When they speak of religious tolerance and acceptance, it is all about other religions tolerating and accepting the teachings and practices of Islam. It is never, NEVER the other way round. When faced with the dismay and indignation of the Chinese and Indian communities, the Malay leaders like to offer up a particular section of our country's constitution which speaks of the right to religion and worship for all races.

Give me a break. Even to this day, temples are indiscriminately torn down and church permits are denied for no obvious reason. Does this sound fair to you?

As if all that (I won't even get into the topic of the NEP) wasn't bad enough, now we have this. Islamic law for Malaysia, oh goody!

Just what we need to see 50 years of hard-work go down the drain as we descend back into the middle ages, or as what so many Muslim 'intellectuals' like to call it, 'Zaman Kegemilangan'.

Two particular sentences stood out from the sea of drivel shown below.

Prof. Ahmad boldly states that the formation of MCL must be based on the basic law of the land, i.e. Islam and Malay customs.

We all know that the sentence stops there don't we? Based on the 'stellar' track record of our Muslim leaders, I have no reason to believe otherwise. Forget about other religions and customs, after all, isn't Malaysia a 'Tanah Melayu' where all the other races are basically unwanted infidel squatters?

All must understand that while Islam is theologically distinct from other religions and whose worldview is complete, in terms of similarities as far as ethics, morality, its value system and legal principles, it has a lot in common with other major religions.

Condescending isn't it? From the sentence above, it clearly shows that they consider all other religions to be inferior to Islam. Islam is the only one whose world-view is complete? That certainly is new to me.

Worlds continue to fail me. I just can't believe that an educated person (or so he claims), who is exposed to other cultures and religions can form such narrow-minded thoughts. Whatever happened to political correctness? Whatever happened to unity in Malaysia?

I'm sick of asking those questions without finding any answers.

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Malaysian Common Law
Dr. Wan Azhar bin Wan Ahmad
Fellow Kanan

18/09/2007 | The Star

The Chief Justice of Malaysia, YAA Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, in his officiating speech at IKIM's seminar surrounding ‘Ahmad Ibrahim: His Intellectual Thought and Contributions' last August, expressed his disappointment over the captive mentality of our legal experts, practitioners, judges and lawyers in reference to the high esteem the aforementioned accord English law, or to be more specific, English Common Law (ECL).

He regrettably noted that despite the fact that our nation has been independent for fifty years now, we still retain, follow and rigidly adhere to s. 3 and 5 of the Civil Law Act 1956 (CLA). The provisions of these two sections prescribe the complete application of ECL for the entire nation.

In reality, many tend to interpret these sections as if we are duty bound to refer to English Law in case of lacuna in our own law. In relation to this, Tun Ahmad Fairuz posits four important questions for us to ponder, particularly by the legal fraternity: (i) Does this condition reflect that this country is bereft of legal expertise? (ii) Does it mean that English Common Law is the best option? (iii) Does it mean that our legal experts are still shackled by the yoke of the colonials (di bawah tempurung penjajah)? (iv) Is it true that our legal scholars are impotent, in other words unable to formulate and develop a legal system better in comparison with ECL? He has called for the Common Law of England to be replaced by our very own common law.

The CJ's remarks were reported in local dailies nationwide. Amazingly, many commented positively, including some political leaders. But, there were also voices of discontent from certain quarters describing the call to replace ECL as ‘baseless.'

What is ‘English Common Law'? In brief, it refers to the unwritten law of custom based on the decisions of judges over a period of years in England, i.e. law derived from custom and judicial precedent. This includes the rules of equity, and later, various statutes of general application, developed and administered in that country.

This set of laws was introduced to Malaysia by the British colonials firstly through various treatises with the local rulers followed by legislation and decisions by English judges or judges trained in the English legal system.

The call by Tun Fairuz reiterates the call made by another (former) Chief Justice, Tun Abdul Hamid Omar (in 1990), who said words to the effect that being an independent country, our reference to ECL and the rules of equity - by virtue of s. 3, CLA - is politically indefensible. He continued that s. 3 needs to either be repealed or amended.

It is not an exaggeration to say that actually all these recommendations may be traced to the famous legal expertise of Prof. Ahmad Ibrahim. Many would agree that he was not only the originator but the prime mover of this idea, and many were inspired by him.

Prof Ahmad wrote that s. 3 and 5 of the CLA shall be amended by repealing all references to ECL and the rules of equity administered in England. He strongly suggested that we should refer to the courts decisions in Malaysia instead by applying our own laws and by giving priority to the local conditions and its people, thus establishing and developing our own Malaysian Common Law (MCL).

Prof. Ahmad argues that the last part of s. 3 of CLA itself should allow for the formation and development of MCL. It provides that "the said common law, rules of equity and statutes of general application shall be applied so far only as the circumstances of the States of Malaysia and their respective inhabitants permit and subject to such qualifications as local circumstances render necessary."

Obviously, the CLA is not to be followed blindly or literally. The very provision itself suggests that even its drafters expect us to develop our own common law. Indeed, there are enough grounds for us to establish our MCL.

Unfortunately, Prof. Ahmad laments, in spite of the fact that all our civil court judges, from the lowest to the highest, are all appointed from among Malaysians, they do not show interest or use their abilities to modify ECL to suit or to conform to local circumstances.

If there is any modification, which is very rare, it is done by rejecting an English law in preference for another English law. So, in spite of our independence, local judges and lawyers, and possibly draftsmen, are not. We are still tied to English law and to its court's decisions.

Tun Fairuz lends his full support to the notion of repealing or amending CLA. He stresses that it should be done using whatever necessary and possible modifications, in the spirit and perspective championed by Prof. Ahmad.

It is hard to really understand why certain ‘learned' groups - both within the legal fraternity and without - refused to forsake ECL. Prof. Ahmad boldly states that the formation of MCL must be based on the basic law of the land, i.e. Islam and Malay customs. He finds support for this in the court decision of Ramah v Laton (1927) presided over by an English judge. Could this form the raison d'etre for such a rejection?

To hold to this as true is baseless, unfounded and would encourage fear of the unknown and bring islamophobia to the surface. Historically, it is logical, and no one can argue the fact that the basic law of any nation must always be associated with real truth and justice.

All must understand that while Islam is theologically distinct from other religions and whose worldview is complete, in terms of similarities as far as ethics, morality, its value system and legal principles, it has a lot in common with other major religions. There's tremendous parallelism of all world religions in these aspects.

So when we talk about a Malaysian Common Law, we mean the formation and development of a system of law based on these ethical, moral and legal values shared by the followers of the major religions.

There may be certain values in the English legal tradition that may not suit our common moral precepts. It is against these elements that we must stand united. This is the spirit that should be remembered when we argue for a cessation to reference to foreign laws to settle our disputes. In this regard, any notion of a super imposition of any one religious theological teaching upon the followers of other religions must never be part of that consideration.

For a common law system in our pluralistic society to become manifest, the basis should be Islam, and arguably to a lesser extent, Malay customs. This must not be taken as an outright denial of the role and contribution of other religions or races. Input from other cultures and traditions will serve as great additions towards a harmonious peaceful life in this beloved land. Perhaps the best term to describe the formation and development of this Malaysian Common Law is ‘malaysianization.'

Malaysiaku Gemilang?

I hereby dub thee....

I finally got my MCA membership card, 1-year after signing up. Yes, I know that in this time and age, waiting a year for anything borders on the ludicrous but hey, it's a political party not a private enterprise.

I should consider myself lucky. There was some poor chap who still hasn't received his card, 5 years after signing up.... the poor sod.

The press were there to cover the ceremony, and apparently my face appeared in the China Press newspaper. I wouldn't know though since I don't read the China Press due to the fact that the only part of the paper I can read is the top right-hand corner where the date is displayed. Ah yes, I know my Mandarin numerical characters like the back of my hand *smug*.


Haemorrhaging Patriotism

Lately, I haven't been as active in MCA as I would have liked. The all-consuming pressures of work can sometimes leave precious little time to engage in any other activities. However, there were some recent events highlighted in our news which caused me to take a step back and focus on why I joined MCA in the first place.

I still remember it so clearly. Call it naive patriotism if you may, but I first joined MCA simply because I wanted to make a difference, to stand up against the encroaching racial and religious discrimination in Malaysia, to speak out against what I perceive to be gross injustices perpetuated by the government against the non-Bumi community.

There were so many things I wanted to do....so many things that I thought could be done...

Then the battering began.

Day in day out, it never ceases.

Our deputy PM declares that Malaysia is not a secular state but an Islamic nation, despite it being stated so clearly in our country's constitution that Malaysia has, and always will be a secular nation....

The UMNO vilify Chinese schools as being harbingers of racial disunity, while at the same time clamoring for more local universities and colleges to be designated for 'Bumis only'....

The government talks about religious tolerance in the press, but not a single a mention was given to the other religions while the word 'Islam' and 'Muslim' was repeated over 20 times....

I could go on and on.

Honestly, in such situations, it is so easy to just detach yourself from it all. To just not give a damn, to just carry on with your daily routines and let other people worry about it .... because after all, it has always been this way and it always will isn't it?

For awhile, the thought of just not caring did cross my mind. But then I was reminded of this quote I read in an article, and the quote goes like this...

"The greatest tragedy of the 21st century is not tyranny, or racism, or greed...but indifference"

The moment we become indifferent to the pleas of our fellow men, to their suffering, to the injustice that permeates our society.... that is when we've lost touch of what it is to be human.

No way am I gonna let that happen to me. It's time to buck up.

Become a Malay in 3 Easy Steps

Begitu senang sahaja!

We all know that our politicians tend to spout silly things. You don't have to look further than the Dewan Rakyat pages of our local dailies to get a taste of the pearls of wisdom that these 'intellectuals' have a habit of coughing up.

However, they always still manage to find ways now and then to surpass even your lowest expectations. Case in point, the Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Ali Rustam (phew...what a mouthful!). This bright fellow said recently that it is easy to become a Malay. Yup, easy. Apparently, he must be under the impression that there are loads of people out there who want to turn away from their original race to become Malays, but I digress.

He waffled on ...

"A person who is a Muslim, converses in Malay and follows the Malay traditions is considered a Malay"

Ermm....okay. Brilliant huh. Now EVERYONE can be a Malay, whether they are aware of it or not! I don't know about you, but since when did the word Malay change from denoting a race to a word you use to describe a category of people and their actions?

"Even if that person is Chinese or Indian or Kadazan, if they are Muslim or have converted, converse in Malay and follow the Malay tradition, then they are Malays."

By this MBs brilliant logic, everyone can be Chinese as well. All you have to do is..ermm...eat using chopsticks, play with Pop-Pop during Chinese New Year, use the word KNN CCB at least once a day, and spend at least an hour a week watching Astro Wah Lau Toi.

So simple hor. Then if you get sick of being a Chinese, all you have to do is change channels to Astro Vaanavil, eat loads of mutton rendang.... and voila! Instant Indian!


Become Bernard Yong in 3 easy steps!

Actually, I take back what I said. Maybe it's not sheer stupidity. This MB could be a bona fide genius!

Look at it this way, I am sure we have, at one point or another, wondered what it'll be like to be...say, David Beckham, or Angelina Jolie or something. Now, such dreams can be a reality using Mr MBs oh-so-simple logic!

Now for those of you who've always wondered what it's like to be me (nil, apparently), wonder no more! All you have to do to become Bernard Yong is:

1) Have a blog but update it only once every blue moon

2) Eat tons of haw flakes and dried pork meat aka long yuk

3) Watch Lion Kings 20 times

Easy peasy :)

Sad day in Malaysia

Bigotry

The verdict for Lina Joy's case is out, and it does not surprise me one bit. Sad though, but expected.

Is the concept of 'freedom of choice' so alien to Muslims around the world? Why is it that day in, day out we read endless reports on how people are being hacked to death, blown up to bits, arrested by the government for even giving the slightest sliver of a thought to the renouncement of their Muslim faith? Sure, every religion has its fair share of narrow-minded zealots, but on a scale such as this? Do Muslims really believe that religion can be 'forced' upon someone?

Those questions are swirling around in my mind, but the answers to them continue to prove elusive.

Kelantan Encourages Homosexual Behavior

Boogey Wonderland

When I read that the Kelantan government has decided to allow clubs to be opened for tourists and non-muslims, I thought to myself.."Hmm...maybe those PAS-folks are beginning to gain some common sense after all"

I should have known it was too good to be true though.

According to Kelantan's Menteri Besar, the kind of club (or in his words, a 'disco') he envisioned was one where men boogied with other men. Yup, you heard me right. All the gays of the world rejoice! Kelantan has officially stated (unintentionally) that it's vision for the year 2007 is to be a state where people can listen freely to the Village People and do YMCA-style dance moves all night long.

The thought of a a mens only club where guys go to dance with other guys must probably send shivers of joy and excitement down the spines of all the PAS members and ministers.

Now I know what they do behind all those closed door meetings. I once thought that they were busy debating issues of national importance (such as whether women are allowed to have names, or should they all just be called 'awek'), but noooo...they are probably busy dirty dancing with one another.

Well to all PAS members, don't worry. With these mens-only clubs, you no longer have to be ashamed! Your penchant for boogeying with old senior assemblymen need no longer be confined to boring old meeting rooms and conference halls. Now you can bring your Menteri Besar, Ministers and Datos to the nearest disco and watch them shake their thang'.

Oh joy, I can't wait!

Decline of a Nation, UMNO General Assembly

My optimism has faded

UMNO recently kicked off their general assembly and our local newspapers have been plastered with reports on speeches made by their politicians, issues discussed by their ministers and grouses vented by their members.

Reading all these reports, I inadvertently felt a heavy sinking in my heart. After all these years of independence, after so many years of working and striving together, it is incredibly sad and frustrating to see that the issue of Malay rights and equity-ownership still takes precedence over everything else.

While the rest of the world marches ahead with globalization, and millions of people around the world are enjoying levels of prosperity which is unmatched in the history of mankind, our UMNO politicians are still intent on maintaining their stranglehold (and even increasing it in fact) on a piece of an ever-shrinking pie.

I once felt optimistic about Malaysia. I once thought that it was a great country to be in, that everyone had an equal chance to succeed given hard-work. Today, for the very first time, I actually thought about what it would be like to leave the country. I am not saying that I will migrate. I am just saying that the thought fleetingly crossed my mind, and that saddens me.

They don't seem to care that Malaysia is sliding down the ranks of competitiveness, transparency and education. After all, according to UMNO and the people they represent, everything is a zero sum game right? In order for them to win, someone has to lose.

This mentality, together with all the problems which plague UMNO and Malaysia is neatly encapsulated in this speech given by Azlieza Azizan, the Malacca representative of Puteri Umno. She said, and I quote,

"We want the Malay corporate equity ownership to be raised to 60%. We have been tolerating the private sector for too long. They apply strict regulations to make it difficult for us to find a place (in the market)"

In a nutshell, her lack of progress is everybody else's fault except her own. The concept of meritocracy is alien to her. The concept of hard-work, sacrifice and perseverance are shunned by her in favor of complacency, greed and self centered-ness.

I know I have Malay readers for my blog. To them, I plead, please oh please tell us that not every Malay sees things the way Azlieza Azizan does. Reassure us that we all have the country's best interest at heart, and that we will all work together to ensure that Malaysia continues to prosper in the international arena.

Not all Malays think like her right?

To those who don't speak up and be heard.

There were many, many other comments which were uttered by people such as Hishamuddin and Khairy which reeked of racially-tinged aggression, but for the sake of brevity I will not quote them in this post. You only have to pick up any newspaper to see just how divided our country has become. Everything seems to be simmering just beneath the surface, and I sincerely hope that it will not reach its boiling point, for all our sakes....

...for all our sakes.


(above: What happened to the Malaysia I knew)

A Slap in the Face of Non-Bumis

Worrying state of politics in Malaysia

The headline of today's The Star caught my eye. In big, bold words, it stated 'Nothing to Hide' and it contained an interview with our PM on the recent ASLI debacle. Reading the article however, was like receiving an outright slap in the face.

It started with this question by the interviewer, with reference to the questions posed by Gerakan on the accuracy and methodology of the Government's figures on Bumi equity ownership.

"It is as if the non-Malays are disputing the rights of Malays when the Malays are not questioning non-Malay rights"

I never knew that putting forth perfectly valid questions was considered disputing the rights of the Malays. That in a nutshell, describes the problems our country is facing. So long as a certain segment of our sociaty see all the hand-outs they receive as a God given birth-right, and not as a crutch for them to get their act together, we will get nowhere.

And honestly, is there a need to phrase this question in such a questionable way? Why is there a need to pit the bumis against the non-bumis? Of course the bumis aren't questioning the rights of the non-bumis, we never had any race-specific rights to begin with!

Can Bumis Achieve 30%?

Ssshhhh....we're actually not all that clever

Dr Lim Teck Ghee, director of Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), has resigned as a director of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli). This organisation, as you all may well know, was the one which recently released a report which showed that the Bumi ownership of equity in our country has reached around 45%.

This far exceeds the 30% target which is the basis of our NEP, which was set more than 30 years ago.

There has been a debate going on about this over the past few days, and to be honest, its pretty hilarious. One on hand, we have the non-Bumis who believe that after incurring the cost of tens of billions of ringgit, the Bumis have successfully managed to meet and exceed the 30% target of equity ownership.

The Bumis on the other hand deny this vehemently and claim that in spite of all the tens of billions of ringgit which have been poured into this initiative, they only control around 18% of our economy. A figure which has hardly moved over the past 10 years.

So funny hor.

I can just imagine this scene in parliament....

Non-bumi MP: We should revise the NEP because the Bumis are very hardworking and clever and have achieved equity ownership of 45%.

Bumi MPs: No, we are not hardworking and clever at all, and we still need the NEP to ensure that we can progress.

Non-bumi MP: Where got!! You all are very very clever already!!

Bumi MPs: NO!! We are not clever at all! Just ask anyone! We still need government help!

Non-bumi MP: Clever!!

Bumi MP: Not clever!!

Non-bumi MP: CLEVER!!!!

Bumi MP: NOT CLEVER!!!

Non-Bumi MP: Clebber clebber dirty fellow!!

Bumi MP: Kanineh %$@#!!!


Smells like fish spirit

That's basically it isn't it? One group claims that the other is in fact, pretty competent and is able to meet the target which are set by their forefathers. The other group on the other hand, insists that they are still backwards and are doomed to a life of grief-stricken subsistence.

Which group is right? Well, who knows.

All I know is that the sudden reversal in ASLI's opinion seems mighty suspicious. One minute ASLI is defending the validty of their research and the methodologies used to come up with the figure of 45%, the next their president Mirzan Mahathir is back-tracking and saying that there were significant shortcomings in their calculations.

One can't help but wonder whether were there any strings pulled, or carrots waved to get ASLI to refute their very own research results.

Also, Dr Lim Teck Ghee was quoted in a press statement saying:

"Since I cannot agree with Mirzan's statement and because of the need to defend the position and integrity of independent and non-partisan scholarship, I regret to inform that I will be stepping down from my position as director at the end of the month"

I find the inclusion of 'the need to defend the position and integrity of independant and non-partisan scholarship' to be particularly interesting. I am sure we all know what Dr Lim is trying to imply with that statement.

I guess the million dollar question stil remains (or in this case, tens of billion ringgit question), "how many percent of our economy do the Bumis really own?"

Khairy the Fear-Monger

This is the kind of leader we have?

A few days ago, I read an article which touched on the need to ensure that there are more bumis in the information communications technology industry. Of course, when it comes to highlighting the 'plight' of the bumis and their need for 'rescue' by the government, who else better to quote than Umno Youth Deputy Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin?

After all, he's made it part of his political platform to continually remind the bumis of how helpless they will be without Umno around.

Reading excerpts from his speech made me laugh out loud.

And I wasn't even in a very laughy mood that day.

Here's some of the good stuff from his speech.

1) "Bumiputras should be given priority in new sectors such as biotechnology and information communications technology (ICT), to ensure they are not left behind" - Khairy Jamaluddin

Apparently, Khairy doesn't seem to know that over the past few decades, technology has been one of the main driving force behind the flattening of the world. More people around the globe, irregardless of their education, background, and ethnicity have found that technology has allowed them to rise up above their circumstances and compete with the rest of the world on equal footing.

Technology has, and never will be a force which 'discriminates' based on the colour of our skin. Technology rewards ability, initiative and innovativeness - qualities which I do not perceive to be lacking in any way in our bumi brothers.

If a poor, uneducated farmer in Sudan is able to use the Internet to obtain the latest pricing info for his crops, allowing him to sell at the best price and increasing his annual income four-fold, I don't see why the same can't be applied to bumis.

2) “We don't want to see the workforce and technologists favouring only certain races in Malaysia and not reflecting the real composition of the population” - Khairy Jamaluddin

Yes, reflecting the real composition of the population is something which is high on his list of priorities. I guess that is why we see such a clear depiction of our country's demographics in the government ministries, civil service, police force, etc.

Apparently, the composition of our workforce only applies one way, and not the other.

3) “We need to move forward and make it our priority to facilitate the creation of more bumiputras in the ICT sector.” - Khairy Jamaluddin

He has got it all wrong. The priority should not be on the creation of ICT bumis. The focus should be on ensuring that all bumis are properly educated, have degrees which are relevant, are able to communicate effectively in other languages, and last but not least - he should be focusing on instilling a sense of self-belief in the bumis by telling them that they can succeed even without government hand-outs, not the other way round.

Once bumis possess all of the above, they will naturally claim prominence in high tech industries such as biotechnology and ICT without Khairy having to lift a finger.

By focusing solely on creating more bumis in the ICT industry, I can see what the end result will be. We'll end up with a handful of 'ornamental' bumis who were hand-picked and placed by the government in the ICT industry in order to make Umno look good. How this will benefit the impoverished bumis, who are living in rural areas without access to basic amenities such as education, I have no idea.

4) “We do not want handouts but the opportunity to succeed on a much more level playing field,” - Khairy Jamaluddin

Call a spade a spade. A rose by any other name will still smell as sweet. Or in this case, a turd by any other name is still a turd.

Khairy can call it whatever he wants, the NEP, the ICA, whatever. He can wax all the political rhetoric he can think of. In the end, no fancy name or acronym will be able to disguise it from what all these initiatives really are - government hand-outs. The sooner he does a Mahathir and informs the bumis that they are subsisting on hand-outs, the better it will be for not only them, but for the country as a whole.

In the whole history of mankind, I dont think any problem was solved without first acknowledging that there is a problem. As long as leaders like Khairy continue to mislead the bumis into thinking that these hand-outs are a birthright, the bumi majority will never progress.

Khairy says that bumis currently dont have the opportunity to succeed and compete on a level playing field. I guess in Khairy's little bubble-world, all bumis must be born with severe handicaps or something.

I've met quite a few bumis during my career and guess what, they are no different from you or me. They possess a mind which, like everyone else, is unlimited in its ability to dream, imagine, create, conceive and reason. Their desires are our desires, and our desires theirs - the desire to provide a good life for our family, the desire to achieve, the desire to contribute to the economy, the desire to make a difference.

I do not in any way see them as 'sub-par', or as a people who are in desperate need of help from the government. They are able to compete with me on equal footing any day, as long as they stop electing silly leaders such as Khairy who continuously tell them that they can't.


Political mileage at the expense of majority

What Khairy is trying to do is obvious. In political circles, such tactics are known as fear-mongering. A politician who exploits this tactic will always try to imbue a sense of fear in his populace - a fear that the life they know is under attack; the fear that without him, they are all doomed to live a life of poverty; the fear that the other races are out to oppress them.

As other political leaders such as George Bush and Adolf Hitler have shown us, a populace which is gripped in fear is very easily manipulated. However, what we should be concerned about is this, such manipulation hardly ever ends well.

How long more will leaders like Khairy knowingly sacrifice the future of their race, just so that they can remain in power? How long more will we let him? I sincerely hope that Abdullah Badawi and Hishamuddin will do something about it, for we cannot afford to let firebrands such as Khairy continue to dominate our local political scene.

The future of our country depends on it.

Paintballing with MCA

Violence is good!

The MCA under-35 branch which I belong to organized a paintball event last week. The branch Chairman said that this event is aimed at encouraging more young adults under the age of 35 to get involved in politics via MCA. I suspect though that he and the rest of the committee were using that just as an excuse to send little balls of paint hurtling at each other's faces at over 300 feet per second.

Hey, at least its for a worthy cause :)



I managed to invite around 10 of my friends to come for this event. It wasn't that difficult though. All I had to do was whisper in their ear "Psstt, you can get to shoot Alvin" and they were sold. Of course, for Alvin I had to whisper "You can get to shoot Cheng Jin" instead, but it had the same effect.



Datuks and their speeches

The event was officiated by our Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, and no, we were not allowed to shoot him (I am sure the thought did cross a lot of peoples minds..hyuk hyuk). As with all other Datuks, they have a fondness for giving long speeches. Thankfully, Datuk Liow was a very eloquent speaker and only around half of the people went to sleep during his speech.

Alright, I'm merely kidding. His speech was interesting enough and I am sure a lot of the young adults present were motivated to get more involved in voting and politics. He did mention a figure which was an eye opener. According to statistics, only around 27% of Chinese people below the age of 35 vote. That's a pretty dismal figure, especially considering that the Malays have close to 40%.

If this trend continues, soon there will be hardly any young Chinese voters and the whole country will end up under the control of PAS or something, and we definitely don't want that. If they came to power, all women will probably be required to wear burqas and walk 2 feet behind their husbands, and all men must grow moustaches and change their names to Ahmad or Ali or something.

*Shudder*


For honour!!!

We were looking forward to the start of the matches. Any chance to cause pain and humiliation to our friends will be gladly welcomed. That's what you call brotherhood.



I mean c'monnn, how can you NOT want to cause grevious pain and injury to people who look like the above 3? Inviting eh...hahahahah.

In fact, one of us was so excited that he couldn't wait for the games to start to inflict his own brand of pain. Sensing an opportunity during a photo-session, he made his move and struck with such force and fury that it makes George Bush's Shock and Awe tactic seem like a stroll in a daisy covered park, with little lambs bleating in the distance.






Presenting the brave gladiators

For me, it was the first time attemting to do battle with itty-bitty balls. Normally, I do battle with my BIG balls but that's a different story. Me and my friends split into 2 teams of 5, called rather unimaginatively, GTRS and GTPJ. Those are actually the acronyms of our Church, Glad Tidings Petaling Jaya, and our Young Adult Service, Glad Tidings Revival Service. I know, those are funny names for a paintball team, but hey...there were other teams calling themselves 'Supra' (right Don?..heh heh) so I guess we are not the only unimaginative ones.







The place we played at, TT Sports Park in Subang, had some pretty cool gear. We were all provided with a brightly coloured overall, chest padding and a face mask. The overalls were pretty limited in terms of size though, and before long, the only sizes left were the small and extra-extra large ones. For the more oddly shaped amongst us, it was a problem.

Norman had to make do witha pair of overalls which looked more like paddle-pushers, plus he had to run around the playing field with half of the pants-bottom riding up his butt crack. It wasn't a very pleasing sight, especially for his teammates who started the game standing behind him.

Nai Paul on the other hand, underestimated his..ermm..girth..and tried to squeeze himself into an overall which was probably 2 sizes too small. As any guy can tell you, that's not being very kind to your family jewels.



In spite of all the fashion-related glithces, we were soon all suited up and ready to go. Before the games began, we came up with all sorts of fancy strategy and tactics which we will deploy in order to CRUSH OUR OPPONENTS! We had out flankers, shooters, and penetrators (it's not as gay as it sounds alright). It was so beautifully planned.





When the match actually began, it was a different story. Every bit of strategy which was discussed before hand evaporated and everybody began running around like headless chickens, shooting anything and everything that moves. Not very effective, but it was friggin a lot of fun =)


When the dust settles



After about 3 hours, with each team having played 3 separate matches, the points were tallied. Waddaya know, looks like we didn't suck that bad after all. Of course, I'm only speaking on behalf of my team, GTRS. GTPJ on the other hand sucked really bad. I dont need to say much, the picture above speaks for itself...muahahahah.

We ended the day extremely tired out, but in high spirits. Everyone had a great time, although Chen Jin did suffer an injury. It was quite bad actuall, but being the good friends that we were, we just stood around him laughing. Ah well, he'll live to fight another day.

Freedom Should Not be Abused

I agree with Badawi, but....

I am not surprised that it has come to this. If you've read the papers yesterday, Badawi warned all bloggers that those who are found disseminating disruptive lies and untruths will be detained. He went on to say that the full-weight of the law will be felt by those who instigate social unrest and religious tensions by spreading lies ad rumous over the Internet.

Now I agree with what Badawi is saying. Some people might call this an infringement on our freedom and rights, but let us step back for a second and try to determine what true 'freedom' really means.

To me, the word 'freedom' does not conjure up images of a society in which there are no rules and regulations. In fact, in such an environment, anarchy will reign and true freedom will ultimately suffer. Some shallow people in fact equate freedom with the ability to, say, run down the streets naked, have sex with any person (or animal...ughhh) they want to, or to do whatever he or she pleases, irregardless of the consequences. These views are so obviously wrong that I sometimes wonder what's wrong with those people. How can they not see that true freedom flourishes when people have the ability to function within clearly socially and culturally defined 'rules'?

Just compare Malaysia, a land with (what some would say) many rules and regulations, with Iraq, a land where (at the moment) basically anything goes. In which country are the people more 'free'?

The same goes for freedom of speech. Some people equate freedom of speech with the ability say whatever they want, nevermind the fact that it may consist only of lies and untruths. Now these lies and untruths, while they may seem relatively harmless, can easily snowball into something which has the potential to undo all the progress which has been made over the past decades. Now who wants that eh?


..but I doubt that this new ruling will be implemented fairly

Yup, you heard me. I agree with Badawi that people should be held accountable for the things they post on the Internet. However, I do have my reservations on how effective this approach will be.

You see, I don't entirely trust that our government and it's related bodies (the police, the ISA etc) will be unbiased in their assessment of what sort of comments and posts are punishable, and what are not.

Will they crackdown as hard on the bloggers who spread lies about the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia? Or are they mainly focusing on stamping out the allegedly anti-Bumi, or anti-Islam posts which are swirling about in the blogosphere?

What if someone were to post blasphemous lies about the other religions such as Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism? Will the government even bother to crack down on the people responsible? Or does their 'tough stance' only apply to posts which criticize Islam?

Although I hope that the government will be fair and unbiased in this, past experience has taught me a lot.

I won't be holding my breath.

Movie Clip - Chinese Harassed at UPM

What's wrong with having a cultural night?

As many of you may well know, it was reported in the local Chinese Newspapers that the Chinese Student Association in UPM had their request to organize a cultural night rejected by the universities administrators. Although cultural nights by all races have been eagerly anticipated events for many years now, the administrative staff of UPM decided to take a different stand and bar the chinese. No good reasons were given.

I am not sure if this is related (some say yes, some say no, but I'll stay neutral), but here is a clip of some students who set up a student affairs booth in faculty 12 of UPM, where they were set upon and harassed by over 50 other students, which you will see in this video clip. In the ensuing commotion, a female reporters camera was confiscated, and several female Chinese students were pushed to the ground (according to the write-up attached to the video)

These events were not reported in our major newspapers.

Once again, our media has shown itself to be nothing more than puppets on a string. Unable to adequately highlight the gross injustices which are taking place on a daily basis. (Lemme see, what do have on our front page news? Amber Chia goes sky-diving, and Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk K. Wow, now THOSE are important national issues)

Let me make things clear though, I am NOT saying that this is a racial issue. I am not anti-Malay, or anti-Chinese, or anti-Indian or whatever. Even if the tables were turned, I would still be pissed because a large group of people ganging up on a few individuals is something no civilized nation should tolerate. Bullying and intimidation is something our government should put a stop to.

It's sad, really sad.

UPM Teaching Guide - Double Standards are Alive and Kicking in Malaysia

'It is a teaching guide, not an authorised textbook'

The above statement is enough to send any fair-minded, peace-loving Malaysian into an outraged frenzy.

What am I referring to? Well, if you've read the newspapers lately, you would have come across several reports about how an Ethnic Relations module in Universiti Putra Malaysia makes several totally unfounded, biased and racially discriminating statements about the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia. In this so-called 'teaching guide', which will be used as a teaching reference for hundreds of students in UPM I might add, one of the audacious claims they make is that the May 13 riots were instigated by the Chinese backed party, DAP.

Wait a second here, I thought that the May 13 riots were caused by millions of disgruntled people-of-a-certain-race-which-I-shall-not-mention (POACRWISNM) who were so incredibly sidelined and poverty-stricken (due to their own incompetence one might add) that they felt that violence was their only course of action? In fact, I recall stories told of how convoys of military trucks ferrying hundreds of barbaric POACRWISNM would swoop into the city and begin viciously attacking innocent bystanders - men, women and child alike.

Stories were told of how families would be forced to leave their homes in the dark of night because of these gross acts of violence. Of how innocent people were forced out of a cinema by these POACRWISNM and hacked to death in broad daylight. And all because of what? The colour of their skin.

Let me repeat myself, 'a vicious, premeditated attack by the hapless and hopeless POACRWISNM in our country on other innocent people!' And the author of this so-called 'teaching guide' has the gall to blame it on the DAP?

How in the world DAP fits into this picture, I have no idea. They weren't the ones weilding the machetes which were used to shed so much blood on that fateful day in our country's history. Also, the DAP was not the political party which benefited so handsomely from the violence and upheaval.

In the face of mounting protests by all fair-minded Malaysians, the author of this 'teaching guide' tried to justify their lunacy by saying that these statements are not their own, and were merely borrowed from publications made by several other historians. Excuse me, that in itself is a very weak and lame excuse! Since when did a few zealots opinions form the backbone of our country's history? One man's opinion, does not history make.


But..but..but...it's just a guide

What infuriates and saddens me even more than these blatant lies is that our Higher Education Ministry will not even lift a finger to make things right. According to them, and a certain minister by the name of Datuk Mustapa watshisname,

"We will not recall this guide. Its claims are not considered seditious because it is not a 'book' in the real sense as it did not go through the editing process that a textbook would undergo"

So let me see if I get things right, as long as such inflamatory statements come in a publication which does not have the word 'BUKU' printed on its cover, then it's alright? Correct me if I am wrong, but it makes absolutely no sense! Racially biased lies are exactly that, lies, irregardless of whatever medium they may come from.


What if it were the other way round?

If my memory serves me well, I recall a big hoo-hah being raised over an advertisement which was aired on our local television network. In the ad, a Malay men played the part of an inconsiderate LRT passenger. Although it was just an ad meant to convey the importance of civility, many people thought otherwise. To them, it was an attack on the Malay race! It was racialy oppressive! It was a form of subversive victimisation! Bla bla bla ad infinitum.

All that fuss over a seemingly innocuous TV ad.

I really wonder what would the Higher Education Ministry do if a 'teaching guide', claiming that the Malays are the reason for our country's economic malaise, were to be published. Would they still say that due to the fact that it's merely a 'guide' and not a 'book', they see no harm in it being circulated and in the hands of thousands of young students?

You tell me.


The Malaysia we know and love

With the people in power refusing to acknowledge the gross misrepresentation present in this teaching guide, I can't help but wonder what is happening to our country. Whatever happened to the Malaysian ideals? The dream of living harmoniously together with people of all races? Of peace, respect and tolerance?

Are all the good things which Malaysia stands for slowly disappearing due to the actions of a group of misguided individuals?

Honestly, I don't have the answer to that. You tell me.

*the Education Guide has since been withdrawn, as reported in The Star, July 20th. Looks like there is hope after all

Mandarin Demand is Discriminatory

Najib, please tell me you're joking

I read something funny in The Star today. You can check it out here. Apparently, our Deputy PM Najib thinks that it is preposterous that private companies which are hiring put fluency in Mandarin as one of their criteria. Najib likens this to discrimination, and it is a practice which must STOP FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PURE!!

Ermmm...right.


What about poor lil ol' me?

I'm a Chinese, and my Mandarin vocab is limited to phrases such as 'Wo Ai Ni' (I Love You), 'Ni Ai Wo' (You Love Me), 'Che Shuo Zhai Na Li?' (Where is the loo?) and 'Wo Bu Hui Jiang Hua Yi' (I can't speak Mandarin). Sad huh, somemore I actually went for Mandarin tuition during my primary school days. 2 years of it in fact! Money down the drain me thinks...sighhh.

Anyway back to my point, I can't speak Mandarin well, and when I see such job ads stating that they are looking for a Mandarin speaking candidate, I simply just turn the page and continue with my job browsing. I don't give it a second thought. Zip, nil, nada.

Not even once did I suddenly pause to think, "Bugger, I am being discriminated against! It's racism! It's lingualism! Its...its....(insert your own victimistic statement here)"

Najib went on to imply that this was the reason why the number of our famous jobless graduates has increased rom 45,000 in 2000 to 85,000 in 2005.

If only it were that simple.


Discrimination, Shmishcrimination

What next? Would asking that a job seeker has a degree be discriminatory if Najib were to have his way? How about those job ads for the position of a cosmetics sales promoter, where it clearly states that they are only interested in female candidates? Is that considered discrimination against males?

What about companies who are looking for people to manage their operations in say, India, and are looking for a person who is fluent in hindi/tamil? Is that discrimination?

Dear readers, let me tell you what discrimination is.

Discrimination is ....

...you apply for a position in a local university, only to be told that all the available places have been allocated for bumis.

...tenders for government projects are only open to bumi companies.

...the heads of GLCs HAVE to be bumis, irregardless of the competence and skills of competing non-bumi candidates

I could go on and on. All the above scenarios can be considered discriminatory, but we non-bumis accept it with our heads held up high because we want to see Malaysia progress as a nation. Hell, somebody has got to sacrfice if Malaysia is to succeed.

Please note, I am listing down the above scenarios just as examples of what discrimination actually is. I am not bitching about it in any way.


I am not anti-Malay

Before I get postings lambasting me for being unpatriotic and a racist, let me clearly state that I am not anti-Malay in any way. You can check out my prevous posts here, here and here. I do believe that serious efforts have to be undertaken in order to reduce the income gap between the poor and the rich, the Malays and the Chinese/Indians.

What I AM against however, is stupid politicians coming up with inane statements which put the blame for their races' lack of progress on unrelated and irrelevant factors. To put it simply, I am against stupidity.

C'mon Najib, the Chinese and the Indians have long sacrificed so many things to the Malays because we too, want to see Malaysia progress and see the Bumis take their majority-given place as the engine of growth for this country. We are not out to 'sabo' the bumis. The number of jobless graduates worry us just as much as it does you. However, to blame this on the private companies just flat out infuriates me!

Seek the root cause of the problem! Use your capacity as a Deputy PM to do something about it for crying out loud. I'm getting so sick of the blame game politicians play.

Malaysia vs Singapore - Why We Failed

Scenic Bridge? What scenic bridge?

Further proof that the Internet is full of interesting crap. Here is an interesting comparison I got from a dear colleague of mine via e-mail. Read it and weep (for us Malaysians).

Now you know why we failed in so many Malaysia-Singapore negotiations.

First up...the Singapore Cabinet


PM Lee Hsien Loong
Cambridge University - First Class Honours (1974)
Harvard University - Masters (1980)


SM Goh Chok Tong
University of Singapore - First Class Honours (1964)
Williams College, USA - Masters (1967)


MM Lee Kuan Yew
Cambridge University - First Class Honours (1949)


Minister for Law Prof. S Jayakumar
University of Singapore - Bachelor of Law Honours (1963)
Yale Univerity - Masters (1966)


Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng
University of Singapore - Bachelor of Arts & Business Admin (1977)
London Business School - Masters (1979)


Minister for Foreign Affairs BG George Yeo
Cambridge University - Double First Class Honours (1976)
Harvard Business School - MBA w/ Distinction (1985)


Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang
Cambridge University - First Class Honours w/ Distinction (1976)
Harvard University - Masters (1986)


Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean
University of Manchester - First Class Honours (1976)
Imperial College, London - Masters w/ Distinction (1977)


Minister for Education Tharman Shanmugaratnam
London School of Economics - Bachelor of Arts
Cambridge University - Masters
Harvard University - Masters


Now for our Malaysian Cabinet *drumroll*


PM Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
University of Malaya - B.A. Hons in Islamic Studies (1964)


Deputy PM Dato' Sri Najib Razak
University of Nottingham - Bachelor of Arts Honours (1974)


Minister of Foregn Affairs Syed Hamid Albar
(can someone tell me his univeristy?? )- Bachelor of Arts


Ministry of Works- Dato' Seri Samy (goodness me, is that an afro??) Vellu
(Education Unknown <--- Mou Tuk Shee)


Ministry of International Trade & Industry Rafidah binti Aziz
Universiti Malaya - Bachelor of Arts Honours


Minister of Agriculture Muhyiddin Yassin
(Education Unknown)


Ministry of Domestic Trade Shafie Apdal
(Education Unknown)


Minister of Education Hishammuddin Hussein
LLB.Hons - University of WalesAberystwyth, United Kingdom
LL.M(London) - Commercial & Corporate Law, London School Of Economics, London


Minister of Home Affairs Radzi bin Sheikh Ahmad
(Education Unknown)


Malaysia Boleh

Apparently, education takes a back seat in bolehland. Doesn't matter how much you know, or how well trained you are, all that matters are the arses you kiss on your way to the top. Oh, I am sure it also helps if you are born into the 'right' family.

After all, connections are everything right?

Sad, so sad indeed.

Divorced Women are Gatal

PAS again, bravo

That was the conclusion one PAS MP made based on his 'observation' of divorced women. He said that when he met such women at parties or gatherings, they don't seem sad about being single. instead he said, they seemed very gatal.

So let me see if I understand. According to our dear ol' MP here, all women who are divorced should walk around with a sad, sad look on their face. A few tears here and there might help as well. Doesn't matter if the divorce happened 10 years ago, or if the former husband was a complete a-hole. As long as a woman doesn't immerse herself in constant, self-deprecating misery, she is gatal.

And they wonder why people say the Muslim men of Malaysia are intent on subjugating women.

Malaysian War-zone

Will wonders never cease

The ever so wise foreigners who run international insurance companies have decided to classify our very own Melaka Straits as a war-zone. By doing so, they will be able to demand higher insurance premiums for ships which trawl the straits.


(above: Yup, it's a War Zone)

Laugh if you must. Call those ang mohs silly if you have to. Me on the other hand, I agree with them totally! C'monnn, any Malaysian who has ever visited Port Dickson can surely attest to have seen the following disturbing, war-zone like sights.

(1) War-zone-like picture, exhibit 1: Freedom fighter holding bomb

The individual in the photo below has been identified as a class-A war criminal, and just look at what he (or is it a she?...hmmm) is holding in his/her hand! It's a weapon of war! Somebody notify the bomb squad!



(2) War-zone-like picture, exhibit 2: Highly trained SEAL troops spotted

This group of hardy, well-trained, and war-like SEALs were spotted along the straits. The baby is allegedly their squad leader. Cunning.



(3) War-zone-like picture, exhibit 3: Genetically modified, mutant soldiers

This guy is obviously a genetically modified soldier. Look, he has gills beneath his nipples.



(4) War-zone-like picture, exhibit 4: Torture devices

Here, a spyshot was taken of a POW being cruely strapped to an electric chair.



(5) War-zone-like picture, exhibit 5: Mass rioting

Those are...ermm...smiles of anger and frustration.




See? I told you so

Having seen all the incriminating and disturbing evidence, the only conclusion that we can come up with is that the Straits of Melaka is full of war-like activities and blood-thirsty beasts. We should all thank the foreigners for correctly pointing out to us that a war-zone exists in our very own backyards.

So to all Malaysians who have never experienced what war is like, let me know and I'll try to organize a trip down to PD.

Don't Interfere in Islam, non-Muslims Warned

Oh Geez

Today's newspaper reported on the statements of a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz. In one of his speeces, he warned non-muslims that the Government will not hesitate to use the Sedition Act against those who insulted Islam.

Fair and well right, after all nobody likes to have their religion insulted. However, what if the tables were turned? If another religion was insulted, would the targeted group be allowed to use that very same Sedition Act to prosecute the perpetrators? Or does this 'sanctity of religion' only apply to Islam in Malaysia? Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz's statement reeks of biasness and hypocrisy to me. I wonder what will happen if a non-Muslim politician were to go on stage and warn Muslims not to insult other religions. He'd probably be hanged by his bollocks or something.

Same statement, different person, different consequences.


I insult you, you insult me, we are one big insultin familyyyy

Here's another thing, what exactly constitutes an insult against Islam? Is the mere act of drawing several silly cartoons (which are not even that funny in the first place) considered an insult? Would a non-muslim who questions Islamic Law be accused of insulting the religion? What about Muslims who question so-called Islamic laws, are those considered insults as well? Surely something which is divine in nature cannot be blemished or tarnished in any way through the actions of mere mortals like ourselves.

A person adheres to a religion because of their belief in its principles and its teachings. Does it matter if a few odd people here and there don't hold your religion in an equally high state of esteem? Will their derogatory actions and speech in any way diminish your faith, or the sanctity of your religion? If you answered no, then why are certain people still getting so worked up over a few supposedly negative comments (which aren't even all that negative when you get down to it)?


Religion is an important matter, especially to Muslims

Datuk what's-his-name then went on to say that "Religion is an important matter, especially to Muslims". What's with the use of the word 'especially'? Is he trying to say that religious matters are not important when it comes to other races?

I take that as an insult. Now according to preceeding events of a similar nature, I have every right to go about blowing up buildings, torching cars, protesting in fits of anger and condemning every single living thing on earth. But I wont. Because I believe I am better than that. I will not stoop to such depths just to 'defend' something which does not need to be defended by my earthly, ephemeral actions in the first place.

I am amazed that a country like Malaysia, which is supposed to be a model nation of multi-racial harmony, can be a home to one-sided, foolish neoradicals such as this. I thought that living side-by-side with other races will teach a person how to be more tolerant, not more defensive, like how a wild beast is when backed into a corner.

Looks like I was wrong.

Mulsim Women's Rights in Malaysia

Freedom of speech?

I obtained this article from an e-mail which is currently circulating around. The author is purportedly Marina Mahathir, and this is a piece which she wrote for The Star. The newspaper however, saw it fit to censor and block the article from ever seeing the light of day on grounds that it was unneccesarily harsh on our government.

Was this a right decision, or is it just another case of over zealous censorship? You read and decide.

Marina Mahathir for The Star

In 1948, one of humankind's most despicable ideas, apartheid, was made into law in South Africa where racial discrimination was institutionalized. Race laws touched every aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites, and the sanctioning of "white-only" jobs. Although there were 19 million blacks and only 4.5 million whites in South Africa, the majority population were forced to be second-class citizens in their homeland, banished to reserves and needing passports to travel outside them, even within their own country. It was only in 1990 that apartheid began to crumble and South Africans of all colours were finally free to live as equals in every way.

With the end of that racist system, people may be forgiven for thinking that apartheid does not exist anymore. While few countries practice any formal systems of discrimination, nevertheless you can find many forms of discrimination everywhere. In many cases, it is women who are discriminated against. In our country, there is an insidious growing form of apartheid among Malaysian women, that between Muslim and non-Muslim women.

We are unique in that we actively legally discriminate against women who are arguably the majority in this country, Muslim women. Non-Muslim Malaysian women have benefited from more progressive laws over the years while the opposite has happened for Muslim women.

For instance, since the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, polygamy among non-Muslims was banned. Previously men could have as many wives as they wanted under customary laws. Men's ability to unilaterally pronounce divorce on their wives was abolished and in its place, divorce happens by mutual consent or upon petition by either spouse in an equal process where the grounds are intolerable adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion of not less than two years, and living separately for not less than two years. Compare that to the lot of Muslim women abandoned but not divorced by their husbands.

Other progressive reforms in the civil family law in the late 1990s were amendments to the Guardianship Act and the Distribution Act. The Guardianship of Infants Act 1961 was amended to provide for equal guardianship for both father and mother, rather than the previous provision where only the father was the primary guardian of the children. In contrast, the Islamic Family Law still provides for the father as the sole primary guardian of his children although the mother is now allowed to sign certain forms for her children under an administrative directive.

The Distribution Act 1958 was also amended to provide for equal inheritance for widows and widowers, and also granted children the right to inherit from their mothers as well as from their fathers. Under the newly proposed amendments to the Islamic Family Law, the use of gender neutral language on the issue of matrimonial property is discriminatory on Muslim women when other provisions in the IFL are not gender-neutral. Muslim men may still contract polygamous marriages, may unilaterally divorce their wives for the most trivial of reasons (including by SMS, unique in the Muslim world) and are entitled to double shares of inheritance.

These differences between the lot of Muslim women and non-Muslim women beg the question: do we have two categories of citizenship in Malaysia, whereby most female citizens have less rights than others? As non-Muslim women catch up with women in the rest of the world, Muslim women here are only going backwards. We should also note that only in Malaysia are Muslim women regressing; in every other Muslim country in the world, women have been gaining rights, not losing them.

In this country, our leaders claim to stand for all citizens. Our Prime Minister is the Prime Minister of all Malaysians, our Ministers work for all Malaysians in their respective fields. There are two exceptions to this. The Minister for Islamic Affairs is obviously only for Muslims; even though some of the things he does affect others. While the Minister for Women purports to work for all Malaysian women, even though not all Malaysian women benefit from that work. Perhaps we should consolidate the apartheid of women in this country by having a Ministry for Non-Muslim Women which works to ensure that Non-Muslim women enjoy the benefits of the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a UN document which Malaysia signed and is legally bound to implement, and a Ministry for Muslim Women which works to gag and bind Muslim women more and more each day for the sake of political expediency under the guise of religion.

Today is International Women's Day. Unfortunately only about 40% of the women in this country can celebrate. The rest can only look at their Non-Muslim sisters in despair and envy.

Parti Keadilan against Petronas

My first protest

I didn't actually take part in a protest, don't be silly. I was merely a spectator to one. It was about 3pm today when I received a message from my friend saying that there was a protest going on outside of KLCC. Apparently, a group of Parti Keadilan supporters were protesting over the recent 30 sen increase in fuel prices, and they were calling for the downfall of Barisan Nasional.

It was pretty interesting. For those of you who, like me, have never seen a real life protest before, here are a few pics.


(above: Shout shout shout)


(above: Chant chant chant)


(above: The policemen were out in force)