PAS or UMNO ?

Political parties’ elections in this country usually attract a lot of attentions from both friends and foes alike. The party election of PAS on the 5^th June is no different and its coalition partners of DAP and PKR will await the outcome intently while Umno, its political foe awaits the outcome with either further rejection or cooperation.

While Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has been return unopposed as the President, the result of the three corner- fight for the Deputy President among Nashruddin, Mat Sabu and Datuk Husam Musa, will certainly has an impact on the future road PAS will be heading: a more religious approach of the ulama way or a more liberal approach of the Erdogan way.

While it is a well known fact that both Nashruddin and Mat Sabu are in favour of cooperating with Umno, Husam Musa and his mentor, Tok Guru Niz Aziz are against it. It is also well known that Husam Musa who is an economist rather then an ulamak, is being groomed by Niz Aziz to be his successor as the Menteri Besar of Kelantan and which has caused some animosities among party members.

An interesting point for discussion here is the view expressed by Husam Musa that PAS should not cooperate with Umno and it is time for PAS to play the dominant party now while Umno, after more than 50 years of political dominance is struggling to correct its image problem. Furthermore, his view that PAS should remain centrist demonstrates the wisdom of the man.

During the last GE and the subsequent by-elections, there has been tremendous support by both the Malays and the non-Malays for PAS. I am certain that never in the wildest dream of the hardcore supporters of PAS that they are able to see the Chinese and the Indians holding and waving the PAS flags. It is just incredulous of PAS to have gained such support and most probably it would like to capitalize on it.

Conversely, PKR under the stewardship of Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim seems to be on the wrong footing lately. Unlike the supporters of PAS who showed extreme loyalty, PKR needs to identify the Aminahs, Ezams and the Zulkiflis in the party before any more damages by these members become beyond repair.

Looking back at the history of PAS, one must realize that it has been consistent with its ideology and has demonstrated a great degree of fairness to the non-muslims in its governing state of Kelantan. One only needs to hear the comments of Tok Guru with regards to race relations and politics to have a heart for the party. While Umno uses the racial card with impunity to gain support of the Malays, PAS uses spiritual advice of the Tok Guru as an epitome for racial tolerance.

Do you think PAS should replace Umno as the dominant party of Malaysia?

If PAS were to lead, what future do you foresee for this country?

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To kill or be killed

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The speed in which the police managed to solve many of the robbery cases lately by hunting the criminals down and in some dangerous cases, shoot to kill, certainly deserved to be applauded by all. Although our streets are still not totally safe yet, the breakthrough in solving the many robbery cases has brought some relief to many of us.

(read here for some of the violent cases solved: here and here and here and here and here)

There are still many hard core criminals who have in their possessions, guns and dangerous weapons and will not hesitate to kill the victims if their demands for cash and valuables are not met.

There were several cases in which the police had shoot-outs with these criminals and many of them were killed on the spot. Apparently, there are some quarters who have questioned the police on the need to kill instead of arresting the criminals.

In some countries, there are special hit squads to permanently eliminate the hard core criminals to specifically reduce the crime rates and to provide a sense of security to the people.

Under such circumstances, when the police are confronted with such dangerous criminals who will not hesitate to kill, do you think the police should kill first or be killed or to wait for the right time to arrest them?

By killing these hard core criminals, don’t you think our country will be safer?

To arrest these criminals and sentenced them to jail will do injustice to our society. Firstly, they have committed dangerous crimes and would have either killed or maimed their victims and secondly, once they are released, they will most probably rob and kill again. And it certainly will be a waste of the taxpayers’ money to feed them.

It will be an uphill task for the police to act against crimes without the help and support of the people. We need to be vigilant at all times and if there is a slightest hint of an intended robbery, the police must be informed or as the police used to call, tip-off.

With the current economic uncertainties and the possibility of retrenchments and high unemployment, we better brace ourselves against a higher crime rate.

Penanti: No contest,so what?

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Hooray, BN is not contesting against PKR in the Penanti by-election!

Is there any cause for celebration?

I do not think so and would like to forward the following pointers:

1) Currently, BN is on damaged control and the new PM is trying hard to portray a good image of BN. Since the chances of BN to win are very slim, another lost will cause greater damage to BN in general and the new PM in particular. Furthermore, since the seat was vacated by the PKR candidate to solve its internal problem, why should BN contest then?

2) The BN do not want to play the game of by-elections presumably planned by PR. In fact BN has accused PR of wasting public funds by holding such by-elections instead of concentrating on working for the people which may change the perceptions of PR supporters. Like in advertising, perceptions can be changed through the medias and the mainstream medias are control by BN!

3) Since the people are already fed-up with so many politicking, any more calls by PR for by-elections will certainly backfire against them and which I am sure BN will attack them from all corners.

4) What if PKR loses the by-election to an independent candidate?

This will allow BN to come out in full swing and well prepared for the Perak state election. A victory for BN will either ‘paralyze’ or destroy the coalition of PR through the blitzkrieg of the mainstream medias.

5) The seemingly dissatisfaction of the Indian members in PR and the formation of the Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party which is able to be registered within two months do not augur well for PR. I am certain that BN will play the devil in disguise to slowly break the support of the Indian community for PR.

6) The leaders of BN have already realized their weaknesses and will retreat to fight PR another day. I sincerely hope, the leaders and supporters of PR will not be overconfident and must also realize that the euphoria of the March GE is slowly fading away, if not already faded.

As such, PR must stay focus and be seen to get the job done for the people.

The end of the world

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I am no fortune teller and extremely poor in predictions, especially the four digit numbers in lottery draws.

Looking at the catastrophic events, natural or otherwise that have unfolded before our eyes, do you think or have the slightest inkling that the world is at its most vulnerable now?

The outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1918 which had killed thousands in America and Europe is back to haunt us. Just as we thought the Spanish flu virus has been eradicated, it has now mutated itself into a super bug and is back with a ‘vengeance’!

It has evolved into killer diseases like the Ebola virus, AIDs, SARs and now the swine flu with no effective medicine available until now and the quarantine of the infected victims being the only way to contain the spread of the disease. With the help of modern technology and the advent of the airplanes, theses viruses are able to spread with super speed with the potential to cause a pandemic.

Brace yourself against these mutants!

The effect of global warming has made its presence felt with the soaring temperature in the past few weeks in many places. The glaciers are melting and in the event of a massive meltdown of these glaciers, many islands will be submerged underwater: including the little red dot. And the scorching heat will cause massive droughts, thereby making agriculture for food impossible, resulting in food shortages and famines.

As if this world is created to self-destruct and not vulnerable enough, there are many super volcanoes waiting to erupt with even greater force than that of Mt. Krakatua's eruption in 1883. Likewise, massive earthquakes like the one in Sichuan or even greater on the Ritcher scale could trigger huge tsunamis without warning. And please do not forget about the possibility of the Big Bang. A strike of a small piece from the many asteroids that hover around in outer space is enough to cause colossal damages to any country. A giant size will wipe out the planet earth!

The 9/11 terror attack against the United States has almost single handedly brought the world to its knees in the fight against terrorism. There are many more wars which the world has to fight: drug war, guerrilla war, biological war and nuclear war. And the end result of all these wars is: destruction of mankind!

Do we have the chutzpah to ignore these inclement catastrophic events?

No matter what we call this phenomenon, Apocalypse or Armageddon, nobody can withstand the wrath of God.

Instead of us speculating on the when, let us focus on the how: How can we live our days and have a meaningful life?

Where is the foundation for good governance?

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In any structural building, the laying of the foundation is of paramount importance to prevent it from collapsing. It is the utmost challenging task of the engineer to see that the foundation is solid and strong. In the event of any structural defects or worse still, if the building collapses, the engineer is liable to be fined, jailed and his practicing license terminated.

If we are to juxtapose the above context to the governance of a country, then the PM who, like the engineer must be able to build a strong foundation for unity, peace and prosperity so that the system of the whole country will not collapse like what is happening to some countries in Africa now.

Since the launched of the first and subsequently second economic stimulus packages by the new PM, the impact and benefits have yet to be enjoyed by the people. Furthermore, with the liberalization of the economy, albeit at a slow pace, the pulse of the implementations have not really being felt yet. If the implantation is weak, then the whole system of the plan is bound to collapse.

The political impasse in Perak has caused so much confusions and frustrations among the people that the foundation of the judiciary seems shaky. The takeover of the state government by BN from PR through nefarious means is tantamount to against the rule of law. And the manner in which the Speaker was removed from the State Assembly with the help of the police has seriously compromised the image of the police force. Furthermore, the yes-no-yes decision on the rightful Menteri Besar by the court has certainly rocked the already fragile foundation of the judiciary.

The avocation of the 1Malaysia concept by the PM calls for greater unity among the people. To walk the talk, the PM has been attending festivals of the other races which is only a symbolic gesture and means nothing if the other politicians and the Little Napoleons in the government are holding courts of their own. And after more than 50 years of independence, the government seems to finally realize now that the unity of the people is the key factor for the country to move forward. But then, the foundation for unity has been rocked by so many incitements of racial hatreds that it needs a lot of ‘piling’ again.

Is time on our side?

With the foundation of the three strong pillars (economy, judiciary and unity) for good governance being severely hit, do you think the current government can withstand the pressure? Or Should we sack the' engineer'?

How to buy condoms: Malaysian style

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1) Go to the shelf where the condoms are display to find out the price so that you can prepare the exact amount. This will allow you to pay instantly at the counter and before the cash register can finished ringing, you would have most probably already dashed out from the shop: possibly the fastest 10m dash in the world!

2) Enter the shop with a book or whatever brochure and pretend reading by holding it high to cover your face. Pick-up the condoms and pay the exact amount so that you do not have to wait lest you expose your face while waiting for the change which can be torturous.

3) As you walked into the shop, pretend to talk on the hand-phone and then tell the sales assistant that your friend whom you have just spoken to would like to buy condoms. You can take your time to pay and walk out gracefully; after all it is for your ‘friend’.

4) Browse through the products on the shelves, especially those that are placed near the condoms. Instead of reading the product you are holding, you can ‘squint’ your eyes on the varieties of condoms available that are placed beside. This will gives you the time needed to identify the one you are interested, without the embarrassment.

5) It is a different ball game, if you are with your girlfriend.

Like a hawk preying for food, your eyes ‘preyed’ for the exact location of the condoms. Then you buy some sweets and politely asked your girlfriend to wait outside. And with lightning speed, you zoomed on the condoms, pay the money (remember to be the exact amount) and out you go to be with your girlfriend.

6) Tell the sales assistant you would like to buy condoms or pick one yourself, pay the money and walk out like a gentleman. The whole world will thank you for reducing the population explosion and helping to keep AIDS under control.

My True Malaysian Idol

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Rain or shine, they will make their rounds in the housing estates. Under the rain they get drenched and under the sun they get scorched by the heat. And yet they will peddle on, some with their rickety bicycles, from one housing estate to another. Once, on my way home, I passed by one of them and after a while when I have reached home, I was astonished to see the same person in my housing estate: a distance of about 15 to 20km!

I am sure many of you must have seen these ice-cream sellers in your vicinity, whose sight will bring joy to the children. My wife's friend had once witnessed one of them being robbed in broad daylight and how the ice-cream seller cried with so much sadness and anger as he had lost all his 'sweat' money.

I wouldn't really know how much they earn a day, but the hardship that they endured to survive has my greatest admiration. It has given me a sense of hope and inspiration when things are getting tough for me.

If the ice-cream sellers can earn a living under such harsh and difficult conditions, how about others then?

Will they be able to survive or 'melt' like the ice-cream in a tough working environment?

Can those who have been retrenched adapt to survive under the current economic downturn and do they have the gumption to seek alternatives?

Unlike those artificially and highly commercialized created idols from the American Idols and a host of many other reality shows, my idols have added values to my life.