It went as expected, with everyone doing their part to show that they actually cared. In case you are wondering which event I was referring to, its Earth hour of course.
But let's not stop there shall we? We should do our part, in recycling materials, in ensuring disposal of garbage in the right manner (and in case you are wondering again, do not dispose your batteries in the same household garbage bags) and to contribute to the Earth's sustainability by not wasting energy. Its really simple to write all this up, but to do it is a different matter.
And of course, the conclusion of the recent 2008 UMNO Annual General Meeting went about as smooth as it could, barring the slight crowd trouble during the announcement of the Youth Presidency.
Expected, I supposed. And the curtain closer was also proper, the Previous, the Past and the Future. I am referring of course to the unexpected showing up of Tun Dr Mahathir, who also took the opportunity to have his media moment with Abdullah and Najib. But its no accident.
The new president, Datuk Seri Najib, certainly knew when it was the right time, and he welcomed Tun Dr Mahathir, who went up to the stage, and also wished Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi whilst congratulating (presumably) Datuk Seri Najib on his takeover. It all came together nicely.
Sure there was talk that the current dream team could have better consistency, but I am certain that Najib will make do with the new appointments. The conclusion of the AGM is timely, for UMNO will now head Barisan into the current most important factor of upcoming by-elections.
Whatever the reasons, Pakatan will insist that the results of all the past and the next three by-elections are the mandate for Najib and his Government. UMNO will emerge stronger and more united from this AGM and will focus on their most nagging wannabe member. Anwar Ibrahim had not left UMNO wholeheartedly, as evidenced by his
own admission that he did seek a meeting with Tun Dr Mahathir, after his termination from the party to 'negotiate his return' (this was revealed by his then most trusted aide Ezam prior to the Permatang Pauh by-election which Anwar won).
In fact, PKR was very much an accidental political party, formed primarily to seek Anwar's release on his now convicted sodomy charge. The fact that PKR had emerged victorious in the past 12th General Election, clearly showed (and also admitted by the Pakatan) that the electoral had in fact showed their displeasure, by voting against
Barisan.
But that would be the past. Clear wrongdoings by the current state governments that PKR led, and with the controversial departure of PKR's second highest politically appointees have shown that Anwar does not have the Lieutenants he needs to help him administer his party's victory. More aptly, PKR has promoted foot soldiers to Generals in their quest to run their states. In their quest to justify their actions, they saw it fit to kill their own captains (in the likes of their own two ADUNS and former EXCO members)
UMNO does not have the problem that plagues PKR, but the same cannot be said about PKR. For when Anwar loyalist decided to abandon UMNO, they merely did so to show their loyalty to Anwar. UMNO on th other hand has a pool of untapped talents, leaders, and to a certain extent, foot soldiers. Evidently, these UMNO members did not
abandon their party even when found guilty of certain malpractices, as
in the case of Ali Rustam. Such is the case, with the new appointments of the recent AGM, a new wave of grassroots leaders are now poised to impart the party's
leadership visions and missions.
For Barisan, this can only herald a new better front, given that Najib has again reiterated that his vision of One Malaysia will prevail, and will do all in his capacity to achieve something that no previous Malaysian leader had tried enough. With renewed confidence, UMNO should lead the fight against its political enemies, and with that set
their sights on one of UMNO's own prodigal son, Anwar. - PJ Moorthy - Malaysia-Instinct
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Monkeys, Trees and Horses
The one thing that Malaysians are talking about in the coffee shops and mamaks are how depressing it will get, both in economics and politics. Malaysians have to be forgiven for their pessimism.
It seems that the sentiments of the Ali, Raju and Ah Chong on the streets are of the 'slow spiral to meltdown' of the Barisan government is speeding up.
Social-Political observers both far and near have wighed in, in fact contributing, if not starting these so call 'winds of change'. But have they really?
Monkeys. One cannot discount a coordinated effort by certain powers to wreak havoc in this peace loving nation called Malaysia. Some 12 years ago, Malaysia witnessed its second earth shattering moment. After the riots of 1969 (widely acknowledged as the first) unruly mobs tried to destabilise her again by taking to the streets to protest the sacking of then convicted Anwar Ibrahim. CNN reported sporadic rioting by mobs, though it was mostly centered around the Dataran Merdeka area leading up top the then official residence of the deputy prime minister. Now, as this goes to print, different sporadic groups are trying the same tactics albeit in a more orderly manner to defy the government of the day. Groups making police reports on police brutality are spurred on by lawmakers aligned to the opposition. Elsewhere, groups are gathering under the shady raintree to defy a constitutional (arguable) state government. Yet elsewhere in the cyberworld, others are starting 'fires' or reigniting 'fires' aimed at destabilising the country.
If one takes a step back and look at the ultimate goal, it can be said that all this points to hoping that all these instability will put Anwar Ibrahim unto the country's number one position instead of Najib Tun Razak.
It does not take a rocket scientist to see the pattern here. Clearly, the objective to overturn the government is clear, and given the reaction, it seems destabilising the country for one man's goal does not seem to bother these people. Of course, these are just hypothetical theories.
M Bakri Musa who is a surgeon residing in California posted recently about the legend of the monkey handler. Insinuating that the resignation of the three state assembly persons that brought about the downfall of the Pakatan State government was lead and masterminded by Najib Tun Razak shows his inability to keep pace with the happenings on the ground here back home in Malaysia.
His total disregard of the 'triggers' that happened prior to the downfall of PR in Perak shows his lack of understanding of the events. How DAP is known to have a crack in its state hierarchy emerged when Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan threatened to drop her candidacy in protest against the two 'brothers' is conveniently put aside by pro opposition observers. How PKR strong armed their way into the formation of certain state goverments, displays the hypocrisy of the very thing they are trying to fight in UMNO, mystifies me from a neutral point of view. Yes, this is how politics is played in every country, but to lose the cardgame to the law is the last thing any gambler would want. Yet PR insist that they are the government(state) elected by the people. No need to remind the people that the man they very much want to see as the next Prime Minister has been trying to get lawmakers to switch camps (thought it is widely speculated and accepted that Anwar was the mastermind of the downfall of the Sabah state government in the 90's through rounghshod tactics) No need to remind the people about the sly way PR has been winning the hearts and minds of those supporting them by playing up BN's 'kezaliman', whilst they keep trying to hide their hypocrisies! How else does one explain their insistance of pursuing legal action against BN instead of the Sultanate of Perak? Anwar knows that by doing so they will lose popularity amongst the core Malay support. He also slyly calculates that based on the consitution, judgement will have to go to the federal courts, and here, PR has succeeded in brainwashing the general public that the judicial arm has been subservient to BN. Hence, the monkey stories continue.
Trees. Symbolic to nature, and the beautiful raintree which thrives in Ipoh has now got a new identity. Dubbed 'Pokok Demokrasi' by its supporters, V Sivakumar continued to mock the system by donning ceremonial robes, insisting that it was a legal sitting of the state assembly (though funny enough how he avoided inviting trouble by not sending assembly notices to all state reps, conveniently omitting those he deemed rogue, namely the Royally consented and appointed Zambry and his exco, as well as the independent assembly persons). Evidently, all this is a play masterminded by someone to continue to show the audience, which is the rakyat, that PR is still alive and fighting. The need for sympathy votes is very much acknowledged here. Admittedly (by all three parties) PR was voted in on March 8 by those who who wanted to vote against BN, not for PR. Hence the need to gather around trees.
And horses. Apart from them being animals, lets spare these beautiful animal from the cesspool of sympathy politics that continues to the domain of Pakatan's tactics.
For now, Anwar's failed tactics has seen him resort to new lows by deceiving the peace loving majority of Malaysians into believing that everything wrong about Malaysia is caused by UMNO.
I beg to differ. Mahathir has come and gone. Badawi is leaving, and Najib will soon take over.
In all these years the common factor is Anwar Ibrahim. Go figure.
It seems that the sentiments of the Ali, Raju and Ah Chong on the streets are of the 'slow spiral to meltdown' of the Barisan government is speeding up.
Social-Political observers both far and near have wighed in, in fact contributing, if not starting these so call 'winds of change'. But have they really?
Monkeys. One cannot discount a coordinated effort by certain powers to wreak havoc in this peace loving nation called Malaysia. Some 12 years ago, Malaysia witnessed its second earth shattering moment. After the riots of 1969 (widely acknowledged as the first) unruly mobs tried to destabilise her again by taking to the streets to protest the sacking of then convicted Anwar Ibrahim. CNN reported sporadic rioting by mobs, though it was mostly centered around the Dataran Merdeka area leading up top the then official residence of the deputy prime minister. Now, as this goes to print, different sporadic groups are trying the same tactics albeit in a more orderly manner to defy the government of the day. Groups making police reports on police brutality are spurred on by lawmakers aligned to the opposition. Elsewhere, groups are gathering under the shady raintree to defy a constitutional (arguable) state government. Yet elsewhere in the cyberworld, others are starting 'fires' or reigniting 'fires' aimed at destabilising the country.
If one takes a step back and look at the ultimate goal, it can be said that all this points to hoping that all these instability will put Anwar Ibrahim unto the country's number one position instead of Najib Tun Razak.
It does not take a rocket scientist to see the pattern here. Clearly, the objective to overturn the government is clear, and given the reaction, it seems destabilising the country for one man's goal does not seem to bother these people. Of course, these are just hypothetical theories.
M Bakri Musa who is a surgeon residing in California posted recently about the legend of the monkey handler. Insinuating that the resignation of the three state assembly persons that brought about the downfall of the Pakatan State government was lead and masterminded by Najib Tun Razak shows his inability to keep pace with the happenings on the ground here back home in Malaysia.
His total disregard of the 'triggers' that happened prior to the downfall of PR in Perak shows his lack of understanding of the events. How DAP is known to have a crack in its state hierarchy emerged when Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan threatened to drop her candidacy in protest against the two 'brothers' is conveniently put aside by pro opposition observers. How PKR strong armed their way into the formation of certain state goverments, displays the hypocrisy of the very thing they are trying to fight in UMNO, mystifies me from a neutral point of view. Yes, this is how politics is played in every country, but to lose the cardgame to the law is the last thing any gambler would want. Yet PR insist that they are the government(state) elected by the people. No need to remind the people that the man they very much want to see as the next Prime Minister has been trying to get lawmakers to switch camps (thought it is widely speculated and accepted that Anwar was the mastermind of the downfall of the Sabah state government in the 90's through rounghshod tactics) No need to remind the people about the sly way PR has been winning the hearts and minds of those supporting them by playing up BN's 'kezaliman', whilst they keep trying to hide their hypocrisies! How else does one explain their insistance of pursuing legal action against BN instead of the Sultanate of Perak? Anwar knows that by doing so they will lose popularity amongst the core Malay support. He also slyly calculates that based on the consitution, judgement will have to go to the federal courts, and here, PR has succeeded in brainwashing the general public that the judicial arm has been subservient to BN. Hence, the monkey stories continue.
Trees. Symbolic to nature, and the beautiful raintree which thrives in Ipoh has now got a new identity. Dubbed 'Pokok Demokrasi' by its supporters, V Sivakumar continued to mock the system by donning ceremonial robes, insisting that it was a legal sitting of the state assembly (though funny enough how he avoided inviting trouble by not sending assembly notices to all state reps, conveniently omitting those he deemed rogue, namely the Royally consented and appointed Zambry and his exco, as well as the independent assembly persons). Evidently, all this is a play masterminded by someone to continue to show the audience, which is the rakyat, that PR is still alive and fighting. The need for sympathy votes is very much acknowledged here. Admittedly (by all three parties) PR was voted in on March 8 by those who who wanted to vote against BN, not for PR. Hence the need to gather around trees.
And horses. Apart from them being animals, lets spare these beautiful animal from the cesspool of sympathy politics that continues to the domain of Pakatan's tactics.
For now, Anwar's failed tactics has seen him resort to new lows by deceiving the peace loving majority of Malaysians into believing that everything wrong about Malaysia is caused by UMNO.
I beg to differ. Mahathir has come and gone. Badawi is leaving, and Najib will soon take over.
In all these years the common factor is Anwar Ibrahim. Go figure.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Another Open Letter, Pete?
Someone sent me an email to alert me of another RPK open letter recently. Yes. From a man bankrupt of ideas (who is also a bankrupt) , and according to my well informed sources also a man who sells his skills, it comes as no surprise. Funny how it always seems that whatever he writes, readers tend to take it all in. Till date all his accusations remain just that, no proof, no reveal, just accusations.
Yes, he can probably be classified as a victim, in the case of his recent ISA detention. But then again there are 63 others who are deemed a danger to national security. It cannot be denied that he writes from his heart, and along with that his readers take heed in his rantings. But one wonders how many of his readers know about his background? For example, presumably, he was a director in a public listed company (before it went public) to handle bumiputera contacts and to reap all benefits that went along with it. It isn’t his fault really, because a man has to make a living, right? But what about the extent of going to see Tun Dr Mahathir and even to see Dato Seri Najib for financial support? It is ok, because the man has to make a living, right? And hence, when he could not get any money from either of them, he turned on them, presumably.
In his latest open letter addressed to Pak Lah, it is said that BN is now opposed by young rural malays as they see hope in Pakatan Rakyat. He went as far as to say that the ‘Kampung Malays’ are openly defiant of UMNO ad the recent results in the Trengganu by-election is a concerted no to Pak Lah and the soon to be Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib.
It is easy for him to comment on these results, because when RPK says so, it is a fact. Forget about the 30 odd thousand voters that voted for BN. Forget about the fact that Chinese populated constituencies voted for BN. Pay attention instead to the fact that Kuala Trengganu, though urban in part is very much rural country and the fact that PAS has a strong foothold on islamist fundamentals. Malaysian politics is hard to predict, and one wonders how a candidate is named (PAS named their candidate based on the party supremo’s dream that he had the right candidate). The fact remains that there is a government in power in the form of Barisan Nasional, which that has brought this country to prosper and continues to lead the country in these trying times.
One must not forget that in the lead of the yet to be proven Pakatan Rakyat is a former figure of UMNO, Annuar Ibrahim. Annuar is no angel either, having been in the heart of UMNO’s corridor of power who has even attacked the Indian community in his infamous ‘I will silence the Temples’ tirade in Penang. However, since the March 8 elections, the rakyat has see it fit to place their eggs in Annuar’s basket (given their support in Parliament,m it can be argued that Pakatan has almost one third support, almost)
As a former journalist in Singapore, one has to be doubly sure of facts and figures when reporting. Bur these rules do not seem to apply to bloggers. For example, if I were to say that United States is in fact doomed and that 25% of their citizens are already unemployed according to the New York Evening Today. But there really isn’t a New York Evening Today, and the figures are really something that was plucked from the air! So how does one really check the figures? Readers should and must do their own verification. But how many actually do? So if it was printed in Malaysia Today, it must be true, because if it wasn’t then they would have sued RPK! So on the basis of no legal suit, then it must be true!
All said, readers must pay attention to false accusations and nay-sayers. Do not be taken in by false reporting. IF THERE ARE NO SENSATIOAL NEWS, its really means just that. If you choose to read open letters, let’s just say you should then stay open to judgements. Ever wondered why there are no open letters in Singapore? Singaporeans are more knowledgeable, and choose not to believe in false news. Malaysians are the opposite. The more lies the better.
Yes, he can probably be classified as a victim, in the case of his recent ISA detention. But then again there are 63 others who are deemed a danger to national security. It cannot be denied that he writes from his heart, and along with that his readers take heed in his rantings. But one wonders how many of his readers know about his background? For example, presumably, he was a director in a public listed company (before it went public) to handle bumiputera contacts and to reap all benefits that went along with it. It isn’t his fault really, because a man has to make a living, right? But what about the extent of going to see Tun Dr Mahathir and even to see Dato Seri Najib for financial support? It is ok, because the man has to make a living, right? And hence, when he could not get any money from either of them, he turned on them, presumably.
In his latest open letter addressed to Pak Lah, it is said that BN is now opposed by young rural malays as they see hope in Pakatan Rakyat. He went as far as to say that the ‘Kampung Malays’ are openly defiant of UMNO ad the recent results in the Trengganu by-election is a concerted no to Pak Lah and the soon to be Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib.
It is easy for him to comment on these results, because when RPK says so, it is a fact. Forget about the 30 odd thousand voters that voted for BN. Forget about the fact that Chinese populated constituencies voted for BN. Pay attention instead to the fact that Kuala Trengganu, though urban in part is very much rural country and the fact that PAS has a strong foothold on islamist fundamentals. Malaysian politics is hard to predict, and one wonders how a candidate is named (PAS named their candidate based on the party supremo’s dream that he had the right candidate). The fact remains that there is a government in power in the form of Barisan Nasional, which that has brought this country to prosper and continues to lead the country in these trying times.
One must not forget that in the lead of the yet to be proven Pakatan Rakyat is a former figure of UMNO, Annuar Ibrahim. Annuar is no angel either, having been in the heart of UMNO’s corridor of power who has even attacked the Indian community in his infamous ‘I will silence the Temples’ tirade in Penang. However, since the March 8 elections, the rakyat has see it fit to place their eggs in Annuar’s basket (given their support in Parliament,m it can be argued that Pakatan has almost one third support, almost)
As a former journalist in Singapore, one has to be doubly sure of facts and figures when reporting. Bur these rules do not seem to apply to bloggers. For example, if I were to say that United States is in fact doomed and that 25% of their citizens are already unemployed according to the New York Evening Today. But there really isn’t a New York Evening Today, and the figures are really something that was plucked from the air! So how does one really check the figures? Readers should and must do their own verification. But how many actually do? So if it was printed in Malaysia Today, it must be true, because if it wasn’t then they would have sued RPK! So on the basis of no legal suit, then it must be true!
All said, readers must pay attention to false accusations and nay-sayers. Do not be taken in by false reporting. IF THERE ARE NO SENSATIOAL NEWS, its really means just that. If you choose to read open letters, let’s just say you should then stay open to judgements. Ever wondered why there are no open letters in Singapore? Singaporeans are more knowledgeable, and choose not to believe in false news. Malaysians are the opposite. The more lies the better.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Truth Matters . . . Not To Detractors.
Its often said that the truth matters. That truth shall prevail. We hear it from our formative years, our parents constantly drilling it into us. Then it happens. When we grow up, we do the same but practice not.
The controversial release of Razak Baginda who was accused of the murder of the now infamous Altantuya Shariibu Murder had indeed stroked further the imaginations of conspiracy theory subscribers. That he was released and acquitted, and the fact that the prosecution did not appeal the verdict added fuel to it. Now he has done one better by finally appearing for a press conference, earlier not showing up for one.
All this cannot help Razak one bit as he attempts to justify his position.
Which leads us to this, the Courts found him innocent, Razak provides details for the first time, and in his course, verifies that Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor were not known to the victim. He further stated that the purported claims that the victim was linked to an arms deal never happened.
So how are we convinced that Razak is guilty?
Razak said it. Bloggers were responsible for spreading the theories, and after many statutory declarations that were made and withdrawn, it helped these accusations. Fact that even Anwar Ibrahim had supported it said even more. But how did it come about?
Mainly from Malaysia Today, in fact mainly from Raja Petra Kamaruddin. And how is he getting away with it? Simply because those that he chose to name in his many postings choose not to give him the time of day. RPK is no doubt a popular blogger. His uncanny ability to get his readers to indulge in his many fantasies seems so uncomplicated. But if you really look into the details like some who care do, you should be able to find the misleading ‘facts’. For example, the proclaimed date and time of Datin Sri Rosmah and her ‘presence’ in the site of the murder does not even correlate with her time being at that place. It doesn’t matter, because if anyone actually pays notice to the person who claimed so would have been easily written off as a Najib collaborator.
And that really brings us back to the title. Truth matters, but not to the detractors.
Stand back and take a good look around you and try to imagine you being the accused, going against the might of Malaysia Today. Hurts, doesn’t it?
Trained journalists are taught to do that. Verify statements and check around for details, however minute it can be. Bloggers? Most of them trumpet the sensational stories. Don’t believe me. Check for yourself. Look through the more popular pro opposition blogs, or for that matter, pro government blogs, and see and ask for yourself. Look at the skewed writings of Bernard Khoo, whose post are as littered with made up facts as many as potholes in Johor Bharu (Post in question vary from Zakaria’s Palatial home where he used photos of the purported Mugabe house, and claims of the use of Government Jet by certain Government officials). The mainstream media may want to tell you what they want you to see, but you can be rest assured that they will tell it as best as they can.
The truth does indeed matter, to us who aim to do. Telling fibs is just not on.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Bloggers Knows Best
The New Media industry is really tough! We have been in business now for almost two months, ironing out all the hiccups, and given the onset of recession in Singapore, and the hopeful barring of technical recession in Malaysia, we online portals are finding it hard to draw in the advertisers!
And yet people like Malaysia Today, can have its editorial staff go in and out of jail, spend countless of supporters 'Makan and Minum' and fishing no less!
The cracks in the 'A list' of Malaysian Blogosphere has reared its ugly head!
In recent weeks, Bernard Khoo of Zorro's unmasked has come out with guns blazing against Ahirudin Attan of Rocky's Bru. Well, if you are truly a blog troller, you would have already seen them.
But hold on. If you take Bernard's view, and all those wonderfully articulated angst of a former teacher, you will surely want to beat up Rocky. But lets stop and analyse Bernard, shall we?
Remember the photos of Istana Idaman? Photos which he very quickly put up on his blog and procalimed it as Zakaria's palace? A boo boo no less.
And what about the countless rant about the Army's mechanised Batalion heading for the Istana Negara to support the Bersih march? No need to verify this, as it is the absolute truth.
And today, he claims that Rosmah, and Najib had taken the 'Government's VIP Jet to the APEC meeting in Peru on 22-23 November. After the 2 day meeting they will proceed for a week long tax payer paid holiday in Washington DC, from 24 to 29 November to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holidays. This as everyone knows is the peak holiday shopping period in theUS US
It did not matter to his readers that he was not there to send Najib and Rosmah. It did not matter that the other dignitaries from all APEC countries and their spouses are there to do their part for the namesake of their country's contribution to the world's economic health. It did not matter to him that there were reporters sent to do their jobs to actually report on Najib's trip.
It matters only to Bernard that he continues to write from his heart and take in all his readers and make ridiculous claims as illustrated above.
On the contrary, there are trained professional's like us who are trying to make our living the only way we can, trained to see, to report and to gauge, hopefully to turn our portals to success stories like 'Malaysikini'! For Rocky to have used his skills, the ones he knew and still know best from his years in mainstream journalism, he is deemed to have spinned for his masters.
I guess, if all fails, I will return to the country I still call home, and to the Political Monopoly of PAP!
Good luck Malaysia....
And yet people like Malaysia Today, can have its editorial staff go in and out of jail, spend countless of supporters 'Makan and Minum' and fishing no less!
The cracks in the 'A list' of Malaysian Blogosphere has reared its ugly head!
In recent weeks, Bernard Khoo of Zorro's unmasked has come out with guns blazing against Ahirudin Attan of Rocky's Bru. Well, if you are truly a blog troller, you would have already seen them.
But hold on. If you take Bernard's view, and all those wonderfully articulated angst of a former teacher, you will surely want to beat up Rocky. But lets stop and analyse Bernard, shall we?
Remember the photos of Istana Idaman? Photos which he very quickly put up on his blog and procalimed it as Zakaria's palace? A boo boo no less.
And what about the countless rant about the Army's mechanised Batalion heading for the Istana Negara to support the Bersih march? No need to verify this, as it is the absolute truth.
And today, he claims that Rosmah, and Najib had taken the 'Government's VIP Jet to the APEC meeting in Peru on 22-23 November. After the 2 day meeting they will proceed for a week long tax payer paid holiday in Washington DC, from 24 to 29 November to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holidays. This as everyone knows is the peak holiday shopping period in the
It did not matter to his readers that he was not there to send Najib and Rosmah. It did not matter that the other dignitaries from all APEC countries and their spouses are there to do their part for the namesake of their country's contribution to the world's economic health. It did not matter to him that there were reporters sent to do their jobs to actually report on Najib's trip.
It matters only to Bernard that he continues to write from his heart and take in all his readers and make ridiculous claims as illustrated above.
On the contrary, there are trained professional's like us who are trying to make our living the only way we can, trained to see, to report and to gauge, hopefully to turn our portals to success stories like 'Malaysikini'! For Rocky to have used his skills, the ones he knew and still know best from his years in mainstream journalism, he is deemed to have spinned for his masters.
I guess, if all fails, I will return to the country I still call home, and to the Political Monopoly of PAP!
Good luck Malaysia....
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Finally An Ombudsman For Media And Media Practitioners….
It’s a well known fact that two of Malaysia’s more famous netizens, Ahirudin Attan a.k.a Rocky and Jeff Ooi, Yang Berhormat since the March 8 General Elections, were brought to the civil courts in an attempt to silence their oft critical and revealing post on a main stream newspaper.
The proposed formation of the council comes in the wake of recent lawsuits taken by YB Seputeh, Teresa Kok. Though not attributed as the cause, it cannot be said that this is not the straw the broke the camel’s back.
For once too often, the media has been blamed for the ‘spins’ and half truths of many articles, coincidentally, most involving the Pakatan Political parties. In recent days, even the fore runner of
Malaysiakini’s Editor in charge of the day’s publishing has since tendered her resignation.
What then does the proposed council hold for the ordinary Ahmad, Raju and Ah Beng on the street?
For one, it will be deemed the one stop centre for complaints, sort of like an ombudsman.
But how far will media practitioners go to make this council work? Main stream media is already controlled by the Printing and Press Act, not to forget the Sedition Act, and probably a host of many other laws too. It will then be the place to go to where people can make complaints and take the media to task without having to fear the courts. Much like the BAR is to lawyers. Something like that. Here in
But that is as far as it goes. In recent months, the once ‘apolitical’ group has turned on its head! Probably the trigger that brought these bloggers to the fore was the Ijok by election of 2007. Of the handful of bloggers that ‘covered’ the event, quite a few has turned ‘pro-reformasi!’ (Annuar Ibrahim’s KeAdilan Party formed in 1997 to fight for the overturn of his conviction on misuse of power amd sodomy charges coined the phrase reformasi in the late nineties, and his party KeAdilan, trounced in the 2004 elections underwent a change, eventually renaming itself Parti Keadilan Rakyat, PKR) Recent post by these bloggers have even gone as far as to insinuate that Altantuya was able to reach out to them through third party seance to tell her grim tale.
Never mind that the case is still in court, and never mind that the Police has actually cleared those mysteriously named in Statutory Declarations and testaments. These bloggers are hell bent that Najib and his wife are actually involved. All thanks to the expose of Raja Petra Kamaruddin, whose many accusations and articles remain that.
Amazingly none of his accusers have taken him to court, and perhaps this has fuelled the conspiracy subscribers that when there is smoke, there is fire.
However, many have failed to actually check the source. Most do not realize the extent of RPK’s ability to spin. From the pro Anwar Reformasi days, which saw him critical of then Prime Minister Mahathir to the post Anwar release days, which saw him in Mahathir’s group asking for help, in which it was reported that he offered his spinning abilities against Abdullah Badawi. Malaysians, it seems in their dire hope of the much longed for, change in government has gone the length to convince themselves that all that is printed on the internet is indeed the truth and nothing but that. Not even Police investigations and commission of Inquiry can tell them otherwise.
Perhaps, then if the proposed National Media Council actually did cover the blogosphere, then maybe, just maybe, these personal opinion maestros of the blogs might just succumb to authority. As it is, the likes of masked men, Cikgus, Cerpen writers, Political Aides, has-been-was-there bloggers will continue to mesmerize their readers with imagined fowls and miraged post men with their fairy tales!
This writer believes that these personal pages (otherwise known as Blogs) remain….oh so personal and should not be looked at as THE SOURCE for news.
Aye! I say YES to the NMC!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Malaysia Today Says..Therefore It Is..
Having read a lot of Malaysian Blogs lately, it comes as no surprise, when people start to think that sensational news printed in one of those popular blogs, Malaysia Today, are real facts. Really.
I say this because, what Malaysia Today prints, Malaysia Today does not have to proof. Really.
Take for example this posting here.
Let me digress a little. Rocky has been saying that Utusan Malaysia should not be sued, as freedom of Press means the freedom to write about issues in the spirit of journalism (Pardon me, Rocky, If I seemed to have misread your posting). And people started calling him names. Funny, though, cause not so long ago, I seem to remember him being the hailed the 'Captain of the Black Pearl'!
The point is this, the letter written by Kapt Dato Zahar Hashim is from his view as an Officer of the company bidding for the job, Mentari Services Sdn Bhd. What the letter did not mention was that the helicopters proposed by Mentari belonged to Kazan Helicopters, a Russian Company originally set up as a splinter of Russia's state-owned Rosoboronexport. Interestingly when Turkey bought helicopters from Kazan, it discovered that Kazan had no permits to deliver or overhaul military aircrafts and Kazan was also embroiled in allegations of corruption in their deals. Turkish Journalist, Lalle Sarii reported for Todays Zaman, a Turkish news site. Though the Russians are well known for their MIGs, the same cannot be said about their Helicopters. Although its hows that there are over 1940 helicopters used in Asia, majority of them were used in Korea. BUT this is not important. As these are only allegations and in retrospect, it was between Turkey and Russia.
But lets look at the hardware then. Illustrated here are the different hardware from Eurocopter and Kazan...shall I say Mentari-Kelowna.
OK, I am no Military expert, but lets just take a look at the two different choppers, and say if you were the Minister, which will you recommend?
Then let's take a look at reputation. Eurocopter is the direct result from Aerospatialle and Daimler Chrysler cooperation, two top names in Aviation, not to mention Aerospatialle's involvement in Rockets....but before you think I am 'selling' you Eurocopter, think again.
I am merely comparing both 'apples'. And lets look at Kazan, or should we look at Kelowna, or Mentari? Ok , unfair to even mention Kelowna or Mentari, lets say Kazan. Kazan's website was last updated in ..2007. Sorry, I tried extensively to get newer web documents, but no later than 2007 in Kazan's official website.
Then, lets look at choppers in service. Eurocopter wins handsdown. Howabout support services? Eurocopter has a regional office in Kuala Lumpur based out of Subang, and Kelowna (representing Kazan) based in Canada (Hamilton and Kelowna). Eurocopter is jointly owned and operated by a consortium of Aviation companies. Kelowna founded by two engineers.
Eurocopter develops, build and sells Helicopters. Kelowna services Helicopters. Kelowna's subsidiary operates a Canadian Government Military Service Contract.
Kapten Zahar raised the issue of saving RM1.4 Billion.
In a purchase like this, I am assuming that the Government would want something reliable and also reputable. Of course, its only an assumption, but I am only hazarding a guess, which can backfire. But did the good Kapten think at any time at all that he is peddling something outdated and inferior?
Since reading the letter, I have done a fair bit of armchair investigation. Coming across the Turkish 'Kazan' files only assured me that, if we needed to replace the helicopters, Eurocopter, will be my choice. But then again, this blogger is not an A list blogger, and certainly, this is only my opinion stemming from the letter which points that there were wrongdoing in the appointment of Eurocopter as the next vendor for rotary aircraft to the Malaysian Armed Forces.
In my humble opinion, choosing a Mercedes over a Cherry should not be questioned, if I am looking for a good machine with proven engineering record rather than a bargain from a representative!
I say this because, what Malaysia Today prints, Malaysia Today does not have to proof. Really.
Take for example this posting here.
Let me digress a little. Rocky has been saying that Utusan Malaysia should not be sued, as freedom of Press means the freedom to write about issues in the spirit of journalism (Pardon me, Rocky, If I seemed to have misread your posting). And people started calling him names. Funny, though, cause not so long ago, I seem to remember him being the hailed the 'Captain of the Black Pearl'!
The point is this, the letter written by Kapt Dato Zahar Hashim is from his view as an Officer of the company bidding for the job, Mentari Services Sdn Bhd. What the letter did not mention was that the helicopters proposed by Mentari belonged to Kazan Helicopters, a Russian Company originally set up as a splinter of Russia's state-owned Rosoboronexport. Interestingly when Turkey bought helicopters from Kazan, it discovered that Kazan had no permits to deliver or overhaul military aircrafts and Kazan was also embroiled in allegations of corruption in their deals. Turkish Journalist, Lalle Sarii reported for Todays Zaman, a Turkish news site. Though the Russians are well known for their MIGs, the same cannot be said about their Helicopters. Although its hows that there are over 1940 helicopters used in Asia, majority of them were used in Korea. BUT this is not important. As these are only allegations and in retrospect, it was between Turkey and Russia.
But lets look at the hardware then. Illustrated here are the different hardware from Eurocopter and Kazan...shall I say Mentari-Kelowna.
OK, I am no Military expert, but lets just take a look at the two different choppers, and say if you were the Minister, which will you recommend?
Then let's take a look at reputation. Eurocopter is the direct result from Aerospatialle and Daimler Chrysler cooperation, two top names in Aviation, not to mention Aerospatialle's involvement in Rockets....but before you think I am 'selling' you Eurocopter, think again.
I am merely comparing both 'apples'. And lets look at Kazan, or should we look at Kelowna, or Mentari? Ok , unfair to even mention Kelowna or Mentari, lets say Kazan. Kazan's website was last updated in ..2007. Sorry, I tried extensively to get newer web documents, but no later than 2007 in Kazan's official website.
Then, lets look at choppers in service. Eurocopter wins handsdown. Howabout support services? Eurocopter has a regional office in Kuala Lumpur based out of Subang, and Kelowna (representing Kazan) based in Canada (Hamilton and Kelowna). Eurocopter is jointly owned and operated by a consortium of Aviation companies. Kelowna founded by two engineers.
Eurocopter develops, build and sells Helicopters. Kelowna services Helicopters. Kelowna's subsidiary operates a Canadian Government Military Service Contract.
Kapten Zahar raised the issue of saving RM1.4 Billion.
In a purchase like this, I am assuming that the Government would want something reliable and also reputable. Of course, its only an assumption, but I am only hazarding a guess, which can backfire. But did the good Kapten think at any time at all that he is peddling something outdated and inferior?
Since reading the letter, I have done a fair bit of armchair investigation. Coming across the Turkish 'Kazan' files only assured me that, if we needed to replace the helicopters, Eurocopter, will be my choice. But then again, this blogger is not an A list blogger, and certainly, this is only my opinion stemming from the letter which points that there were wrongdoing in the appointment of Eurocopter as the next vendor for rotary aircraft to the Malaysian Armed Forces.
In my humble opinion, choosing a Mercedes over a Cherry should not be questioned, if I am looking for a good machine with proven engineering record rather than a bargain from a representative!
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