Jed Yoong

Anwar Ibrahim mungkin ada pelbagai kepincangan, tetapi kalau tidak licik berpolitik, tidak mungkin beliau dapat menghinggapi sebentar kedudukan Timbalan Presiden UMNO dahulu. Masuknya Kamaruddin Jaafar ke dalam PAS sebenarnya sebahagian dari usaha Anwar untuk memastikan pengaruh beliau tetap tegar dalam PAS mahupun UMNO selepas kejatuhannya.

Lihat sahaja betapa ramai kuncu-kuncu Anwar yang tidak lari dari UMNO, malah mengisytihar ‘taubat’ sekuat-kuatnya semata-mata untuk kekal menghendap di PWTC. Malah, ramai juga penyokong kuat dan ‘fan-club’ Anwar dari zaman reformasi yang kemudiannya menyertai UMNO, seperti Khairy Jamaluddin bersama-sama puak-puak yang kini dikenali sebagai penghuni Tingkat 4.

Read full post @ Tangents: Restless Musings Of A Malay Mind

Malaysia’s failure was not to create a generation of post-1969 leaders who would have discarded the values and praxis of linguistic nationalism and who would embrace diversity and hybridity instead…How sad that after half a century of coming into being, we still do not have a national language where every Malaysian citizen can find herself or himself.

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Besides the drivel about uniting the Opposition, etc. What has he achieved before he was sacked in 1998?

Islamisation? Moral policing? Bahasa baku?

***UPDATE***10.07AM

Come on, Anwaristas. This post is dedicated to your “messiah” and “idola”…..

In today’s world, the worth of a person has been reduced to the amount of money he earns and his wealth. A corporate figure is deemed ’sucessful’ because he can have all the ‘good things’ in life. Whereas a poor roadside sweeper is probably deemed a failure. If you have more money, it’s a validation of your worth on this planet. Like a good buddy said, “Money is a way to keep track to see who’s winning.”

Although that may not represent the view of everyone, it probably indicates general sentiments among ‘modern’ urbanites. If you have more money, it means you’ve got it right. And less, if you are not playing the games of life correctly. Some may see money as a means of achieving goals. Like a fellow blogger said just ways to acquire our basic needs and further luxuries for ’self-actualisation’. He argues that modern life as we know is a natural progression in the evolution of man.

In the Christian worldview, the love of money is said to be the root of evil. This is not to say that it’s wrong to be rich for God has blessed us. The context is if you love money more than God, then you will fall away. This theme is repeated throughout the Bible. That the World and God are separate and anti-thesis of each other.  Another verse says that it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle hole than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Again, this does not mean that a rich man can’t but that riches in itself would be futile for reconciliation with God.

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I read in the New Straits Times today an interview with Gan Pei Nei, the new Rawang state legislator. The 27-year-old was Tian Chua’s assistant before he was elected Batu MP.

I first met her in Ijok. And she caught my attention as she was one of those people who worked silently with a deep conviction that she was doing the right thing.

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It was reported yesterday that the Selangor state exco will declare their personal assets to the public with some dubious conditions.

Before I continue, I want to say it pains me to write this article as Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim is the nicest of politicians. Easy-going, affable with no airs despite being a Tan Sri.

My concerns about the conditions are:

1. Children above 21 are exempted. The obvious abuse is to transfer everything to your children or to give them contracts, shares, etc.

2. Only value of assets will be declared not details.

Shares. By this I guess, ‘cos it’s not very clear from the report, it means the number of shares in which companies will not be revealed. The public deserves to know as what’s the point of knowing that X owns RM1mil worth of shares, which can be legit, without knowing in which companies. There may be conflict of interests or favours in the form of companies giving shares to excos for contracts. It’s important to know how the shareholdings change and what shares they are holding.

Property. This is fine ‘cos they probably deserve their privacy. But if it’s LAND then yes, ‘cos we may want to trace whether this was state land, etc. If a single line of info said Land - RMYmillion. It doesn’t really show anything.

At the end of the day, you can always adjust your personal assets by passing it off to cronies or transfering to foreign accounts, children, relatives, etc. Hence, I believe significant movements above a certain amount should be declared. Even then, this can be overcomed by making movements below the amount. Or totally circumvented by just funneling the money to your children, relatives, etc….

3. So what if they declare to the MB? What if an exco member colludes with him?

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Let’s do away with cosmetic declaration and be transparent. PKR should live up to its election promise of a new hope.

I wonder what Man did for entertainment in the old days. Was it just shagging and more shagging? It seems to be that way ‘cos Holy Books always try to control free-spirited copulation.

Why do we need all these rules and regulations to live? Rule of law?And are we made to work? Or get an ‘education’? Since when was it necessary to be formally educated to ’survive’ in the world? Is it not another elitist system which marginalises?

Actually, my personal view is God didn’t make Man so that we need to do all these silly things. Achieving, competing, working (defined as modern day slavery).

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I felt compelled to write this because I remembered something that Dr M said in last year’s War Crimes Conference. He said that the worst thing that you can do to a leader is to label him a war criminal in the history books. He was referring to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush and their roles in the war in Iraq which overthrew Saddam Hussein.

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Friends who follow my blog may have come across my posts about the Chinese-ed.

Some have commented that I may be a bigot. And everyone should be free to choose their language and culture in multi-cutural Malaysia.

Firstly, the Chinese-ed are known among the ethnic Chinese themselves to be typically quite insular and obsessive about Chinese culture. There is nothing wrong about obsessions as some may even say I am obsessed with politics, photography and blogging. The main problem that I wanted to highlight was the importance of language in communication. And I ask why most Chinese-ed these days are not proficient in Malay, our national language, and English. All languages are useful to some extent and I am a lover of languages and cultures. But it becomes divisive when language is embedded into identity such that a group refuses to master other languages due to the false belief that their main cultural identity is China. This is despite being born in Malaysia and being third and fourth generation Chinese. This ghetto style society is very much due to vernacular schools.

Secondly, in joking about such REAL issues that Malaysians face, perhaps we can move towards a solution. The Chinese-ed must realise that Malaysia is not China and the 5,000 years of history is very much in their heads. After all, those who came to Malaysia were mostly from the lower classes. And I find it quite absurd that some Malaysian Chinese choose to identify with a country that they left instead of embracing the people in a country which welcomed them and allowed them to prosper.

Finally, of course, I’m not a bigot. Please try to be less serious. And laugh. It makes politics and life much more enjoyable.

Aiks. From famous blogger Everibodi Lafu Rojakz. He very, very powderful one — in the blogging world — and is organising Together Gather 2. Aiyoyoyoyoyo.

Today is April Fools’ day. That was why I was a bit unsure if the Post-election Analysis organised by MYKMU.net was really happening. But I had earlier received an SMS from Mukhriz’s press officer, probably ‘cos I kept harassing him over the elections. But then it could still be a big joke.

I was actually quite impressed at the level of soul-searching demonstrated. I have to admit that these guys took the bull by the horns. Perhaps they were also spurred by the urgency of overthrowing Pak Lah and his much despised son-in-law and now Rembau Member of Parliament (MP) Khairy Jamaluddin.

Former Selangor Mentri Besar (MB) and now Opposition leader, Khir Toyo, announced yesterday that he was going for the UMNO Youth chief. This is probably a direct challenge to KJ, who is deputy chief now.

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More “goodies”…Old habits die hard? Ke ke ke ke

From the All-Malaysian Bloggers Project (Star) Editor:
Soar with the Kite Runner
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Dunno why but generally, the erm…usual-lah…you win some, you lose some. I wonder why they like to charge non-Malays more. I think it’s quite despicable. Esp since we are already paying the NEP tax. Surely you don’t have to charge me another RM1 or give me less drink? I really dunno what’s on their minds…You wonder why I think they won’t hesitate to slaughter us again just for power…Thanks Barisan Nasional.

***UPDATE***Actually it was just the last stall. The other stalls were very friendly. Anyway, get used to it? But I think they kinda felt bad when I looked at the portions they gave to the Malay boy who bought drinks right after me. Sigh. Come ON, MAN. Is a drop worth the tension in race relations? And charging me RM1 per piece of kuih instead of RM1 for 3 or 4? AiyOH. Tolong-lah!!!!

***UPDATE 2***I think I just look like a tourist-lah! Haiyoh! Always veli bad at bargaining-lah.

***UPDATE 3***I am so sorry I dunno why I am so hung up on this issue. But the truth is traders of all races try to get the best price of people. My “own kind” has “chopped” me for more…I must stop seeing things through racial lenses. Almost an impossibilty.

PAS mengadakan himpunan rakyat untuk kali pertama (I think…) di Stadium Shah Alam pada malam tadi. Seperti ceramah-ceramah yang lain, suasananya semacam satu pesta kecil yang penuh mesra.

Gerai-gerai makanan and minuman dipenuhi orang. Dan pelbagai jenis ubat dijual dari yang buang angin mengikut cara tradisional (gambar) ke akar-akar yang boleh meyembuhi pelbagai penyakit.

Ini juga adalah kali pertama saya mengunjungi ceramah PAS yang diadakan di stadium. Dan pada malam ini, Stadium Shah Alam dipenuhi oleh penyokong-penyokong PAS bukan sahaja dari Selangor tapi juga dari luar negeri.

Ucapan-ucapan pemimpin Barisan Rakyat akan dilaporkan oleh Harakah dan media alternatif yang lain. Jadi sila nikmati satu lagi explorasi saya ke dunia PAS.

Maaf jika, Bahasa saya kurang fasih. Tapi saya telah sikit bosan menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Jika boleh, saya pun akan menulis dalam Bahasa Cina tapi malangnya, saya seorang “pisang” (Banana).

Majlis ini dihadiri presiden PAS Hadi Awang, timbalan presiden Nasharuddin Isa, Menteri Besar Selangor Khalid Ibrahim (PKR) dan (amboi) ahli exco kerajaan Selangor Ronnie Liu (DAP).

Tidak termimpi-mimpi satu hari Ronnie akan menjadi sebahagian kerajaan. Siapa lagi akan membela nasib sekolah-sekolah Cina kini?

***UPDATED***More photos inside.

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KOTA BHARU (AHAD - 30hb Mac, 2008): Hospital Pakar Perdana mengesahkan Menteri Besar, Tuan Guru Dato’ Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat masih ditahan di hospital berkenaan untuk pemeriksaan lanjut akibat serangan virus demam.

Ketua Perhubungan Awam dan Perkhidmatan Pemasarannya, Faizul Hasri Zulkapli bagaimanapun berkata keadaan Mursyidul Am PAS itu dalam keadaan stabil dan kini di bawah pengawasan doktor pakar.

From Nik Aziz’s Facebook profile.