What possessed the cow-head protesters?

That is the title of an excellent article that summarises the sorry state of affairs in Malaysia today.

So do you still want to go out and vote for UMNO / BN again?

Do your part.

I'm trying my best by disseminating news you won't find printed in the normal channels.

Cyberpower will prevail.

Please ask your other friends this question.

What possessed them, those pigheaded cow-head protesters?

" 4 Sep 09 : 8.00AM

By Jacqueline Ann Surin
jacquelinesurin@thenutgraph.com

(Source: openclipart.org)

WHAT possessed them? That's the question I'd like to ask the protesters who desecrated a cow head on 28 Aug 2009 after Friday prayers to object the building of a Hindu temple in Section 23, Shah Alam.

We know that it's not Islam that teaches intolerance of and disrespect toward other religious beliefs, nor is it Islam that preaches violence or force if Muslims don't get their way. We also know that it is really not Malaysian or Malay custom at all to be so obnoxious, threatening and crude. For all my life as a Malaysian, I have known Malay customs to be gentle, sophisticated and inclusive. This is most likely because the "Malay" race was actually historically constructed; its customs weaved from a convergence of different continents and cultures.

So, if neither Islam nor Malay custom drove the 50 protesters to publicly despoil a sacred Hindu creature and to threaten bloodshed because of a Hindu temple, what was it?

Possessed by superiority
My hunch is that these protesters were emboldened by a culture of Malay Muslim superiority that has been carefully cultivated and strategically stoked by the Umno-led government, Malay Muslim politicians from Umno, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), and by the judiciary both civil and syariah.

We only need to consider the following events where non-Muslim, non-Malay Malaysian rights are deferred, even trampled on, by a system that upholds Malay-Muslim rights and sensitivities as ultimate and unquestionable.



(Pic by Bill Davenport / sxc.hu)

Despite several police reports that have been lodged by Catholics against Al Islam for an undercover report that desecrated the holy communion, no action has reportedly been taken against either the publisher or the editorial team.

Despite the incendiary reports and headlines in Utusan Malaysia that promote ketuanan Melayu at the expense of the constitutional rights of other citizens, no action has been taken against the Malay-language daily by the Home Ministry. Consider how other media have received warnings and threats, and have even been suspended or shut down before for much vaguer offences.

Additionally, let's not forget that in 2006, it was the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, under the leadership of then Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who banned any discussion of Article 11 and the proposed Interfaith Commission. Abdullah also threatened to use the Sedition Act if Malaysians attempted to discuss their constitutional rights in the light of issues arising from a clash between civil and syariah laws because some Muslim groups charged that these initiatives were attempts to undermine Islam.

According to Selangor PAS, beer must not be sold in Muslim-majority areas regardless of non-Muslims, who may want to consume alcohol and are not prohibited from doing so.

Because this is the holy month of Ramadan, PAS Youth wants the Michael Learns to Rock concert banned. They have described it as a huge insult to Islam especially since Muslims, presumably, should not be having any fun during the fasting month. The Umno-led BN government, surprise, surprise, has also chided the concert organisers for being disrespectful towards Muslims and Ramadan.

But since when was Ramadan meant to be a kill-joy for Muslims and non-Muslims? I don't recall Catholics in Malaysia insisting that non-Catholics should also fast and sacrifice during Lent. Or Hindus suggesting that everyone else should also be a vegetarian on a Hindu holy day.

(Pic by Theodore99 / sxc.hu)

Mind you, this attempt to ban a band because of preferences, defined by some Muslims for all others, is no different from when the animated movie Babe, which starred a pig as the lead character, was banned several years ago.

Consider also how "Allah" cannot be used by non-Muslims in their worship in Malaysia, out of deference for perceived Muslim insecurity and the notion that the word "Allah" only belongs to Muslims. Let's remember that it is the government of Malaysia that is upholding the ban on the use of "Allah" even though historically and culturally, the word cannot be copyrighted by Muslims, and was used even before Islam.

Notice also how the proscription of pork in students' school lunch boxes and increasing regulation for pet dog ownership presupposes that Muslim sensitivities are all-important regardless of the way of life of other Malaysians.

And it's not just food and pets, its dress codes, too. Remember how in 2005, several ministers defended the dress code imposed by the International Islamic University on non-Muslim female students? No matter that even among Muslim scholars, there is no consensus about the requirement for Muslim women to wear the tudung.

In the conversion cases involving, among others, Shamala Sathiyaseelan, M Moorthy, R Subashini and more recently, M Indira Gandhi and Mohan Singh, one outcome keeps recurring: not even the civil courts will uphold the rights of non-Muslims.

Police inaction
I'll also wager that the Shah Alam protestors were bold enough to do what they did so publicly, showing no fear of being caught or penalised by the police, because they knew that they would not be arrested. After all, in the past, police have demonstrated an uncanny ability to restrain themselves from taking action whenever a Muslim mob attacked a Malaysian forum that tried to address the issues of political Islam and how they affect our nation.

We shouldn't be surprised at all that the Selangor police stood by and did nothing on 28 Aug while the protesters promised bloodshed and clearly threatened the peace. After all, the police also took minimal action against the mob that disrupted the peaceful Article 11 forum in Penang in 2006, and against another mob, led by PKR's Zulkifli Noordin, that disrupted the August 2008 Bar Council forum on conversion in Malaysia.

Hishammuddin (Pic courtesy of theSun)And what has the current administration led by Datuk Seri Najib Razak demonstrated to reinforce this culture of inaction in the face of threats and attacks against civil liberties and the legitimate rights of non-Malay and non-Muslim Malaysians? It excuses these threats of violence. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein not only found time to meet the cow-head protesters at his office, he also found ways to justify their actions by making them out to be the ones who were "victimised".

We all know that if any group protested against the building of a mosque by using a severed and bloodied pig head, the group would not have stood a chance with the authorities. And they definitely would not have been so easily welcomed, and then defended, by the home minister in his office. And that's why, even when protests that are designed to insult Islam happens, the perpetrators of such hate antics do so without revealing themselves.

So, what possessed the residents of Section 23, Shah Alam to do what they did so boldly and publicly? I'll be happy to wager that it's because they believed they would get away with it. Even if they eventually don't because of public outrage, including among Muslims, and the embarrassing international headlines, these protesters probably started off by believing that their method of protest would not result in any repercussions on them. Indeed, Hishammuddin's defence of them may just be an indicator of how, even if they are taken to task for instigating violence, they will be let off lightly.

And so, do you blame the protesters for thinking they would get away with threats of violence? I don't. The evidence, after all, that they would likely escape action because they belong to a Malay Muslim majority, is just too overwhelming. Denying that a particular political culture has been put in place in order to favour such bigoted, violent and intolerant behaviour would be to deny that the 28 Aug demonstration ever occurred.

---

Jacqueline Ann Surin had to shout to be heard over a Merdeka dinner at a friend's home in Section 6, PJ because the terawih prayers from the nearby mosque was being blared for more than an hour before she left. She wonders if for some Muslims, piety is best demonstrated by being a nuisance to one's neighbours."


Veritas numquam perit


Truth never perishes



Vivere commune est, sed non commune mereri



Everybody lives; not everybody deserves to

A German's View Of Islamic Terrorist Fanatics

I recieved the email, reproduced below, today.

If you care for mankind, world peace, humanity, truth, freedom and justice, please copy the email text and forward it.

The same thing occurs with any fanatical groups, be they racists, political parties, religion based or any other like minded fanatical groups, they all qualify as, and deserve the label, 'terrorists'.

This is by far the best explanation of the present day Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read.

His references to past history are accurate and clear.

it is not a long document, it is easy to understand, and well worth reading.

The author of this email is said to be Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well known and well respected psychiatrist.

A German's View of Islamic Terrorist Fanatics


"A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates.

When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care.

I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools.

So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen.

Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace.

Although this unqualified assertion may betrue, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.

It is the fanatics who march.

It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide.

It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave.

It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill.

It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque.

It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and
homosexuals.

It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The hard quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:

Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.

Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on!

Let us hope that thousands, world wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late.


Emanuel Tanay, M.D."


SAY 'NO' TO ALL FANATICS & TERRORISTS.


Cave!


Beware!

IN 1BLACK MALAYSIA – WEAR BLACK ON MERDEKA DAY

31st August 2009, is indeed a day of mourning!

There is nothing to celebrate on Malaysia's Independence Day this year; the 31^st August 2009 is more like a day of mourning, so black would be an appropriate colour to wear.

The videos below express the feelings of many patriotic loyal citizens.

To go to the YouTube page, please click HERE

To go to the YouTube page, please click HERE

Wishing Solemn Merdeka (Independence) Day Mourning to all.

Noli nothis permittere te terere

Don't let the bastards get you down

NTV7 host ‘reassigned’ after Najib gets a D rating

Image from Merdeka Review

Najib, is currently far away in Sharm El-Sheikh. Egypt, one wonders why he went early Tuesday?
Could he not wait to see BN / UMNO defeated in the Manek Urai by-election?

(The by-election results will be known soon, all things being equal, by 12:00 GMT (8pm in Malaysia), however the main stream media most likely will be slow in reporting the expected BN / UMNO defeat by about 2,000 votes)

See Malaysiakini for updates HERE

Extract from: Blog CK Chew

"All her guest did was to give premier Najib Abdul Razak a ‘C’ or ‘D’ rating for his first 100 days in office.

It was enough to see ntv7 talk-show host Florence Looi being issued a warning letter and an immediate transfer to the news desk of the private television station.

Looi, who hosts the popular ‘Point of View’ current affairs programme, was said to have ‘breached editorial policy’, according to ntv7 sources.

The two guests on the talk-show, aired on July 5, were author Syed Akhbar Ali and consulting editor Leslie Lau of news portal Malaysian Insider. It was the latter’s remarks that landed Looi in trouble.

The sources said she was verbally told that she should not have asked her guests to rate Najib’s performance. As Looi is the host-cum-producer of the programme, she was the only one who received the warning letter.

Looi, who is assistant assignment editor, has since been reassigned to cover news, ostensibly because of a shortage of human resources at the news desk."

Click HERE to see more

If others had been asked, I think most would have not been so generous with their marking!

Also see Malaysia Today HERE

Quam se ipse amans sine rivali!



Himself loving himself so much

Permatang Pauh, two more days to go

IN THE 26 AUGUST BY-ELECTION
PERMATANG PAUH VOTERS SHOULD REJECT ARIF SHAH & BN / UMNO

Image hijacked from Zorro's blog, thanks a million Zorro

For a good and informative read, and socio-political views, in English and Bahasa Malaysia, please go to this blog which has had nearly 42,000 hits (since 24/07/08) http://thedandelions.wordpress.com

The dandelions are a group of about 12 who are doing a great job to publicise the goings-on in Malaysia.

Congratulations to each and every 'Dandelion' on your one-month anniversary

Ubi concordia, ibi victoria

Ubi dubium ibi libertas

Where is the unity, there is victory

Where there is doubt, there is freedom

Are bloggers on strike in Malaysia?

No way José!

The Malaysian main stream media have gone to town, gleefully reporting that there is a bloggers strike.

It is true as far as the word ‘strike’ is concerned, but the context should be:

Bloggers are ever ready and will always strike at the jugular of the corrupt, the self-enriching, the deceitful, the hypocrites and those who greedily abuse their power.

The bloggers will strike and counterstrike until there is change.

True democracy, human rights, and freedom must be restored, 50 years under UMNO / BN must end, it is time for change.

BLOGGERS, WILL CONTINUE THEIR STRIKE,

and everyone else must strike too, if they want a better future,

AGAINST GREED, DECEIT, BRIBERY & CORRUPTION, SELF ENRICHMENT, HYPOCRISY, ABUSE OF POWER AND LIES,

AND CONTINUE TO DEMAND:

GOOD GOVERNANCE

TRUE SEPARATION OF POWERS

FREEDOM OF SPEECH & ASSEMBLY

HUMAN RIGHTS

TRUE JUSTICE

EQUALITY FOR ALL

THE END OF RACISM

ECONOMIC REFORMS

TRANSPARENCY

Velle est posse

- To be willing is to be able

Rocket Man, Tony Pua

TONY PUA KIAM WEE

BLOGGERS UNITED

PLEASE GIVE THIS BLOGGER YOUR VOTE

http://tonypua.blogspot.com/

http://educationmalaysia.blogspot.com/

http://puakiamwee.blogspot.com/
In the Chinese Language

Tony Pua Kiam Wee was born 1972.

He was the former Malaysian CEO of Cyber Village Sdn Bhd, a SESDAQ (SGX secondary board-listed company).

In early 2007, he disposed of all his interests in the company and tendered his resignation to join the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Tony Pua graduated from Keble College, Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics under a scholarship from the MTC Foundation in 1994. Prior to that, he received Asean and Shaw Foundation scholarships to pursue his secondary education at Raffles Institution and then later in Raffles Junior College.

In Malaysia’s 12th General Election, Tony Pua is a candidate for the Parliamentary Constituency of Petaling Jaya Utara P106 on a Democratic Action Party (DAP) ticket.

On 8^th March 2008,
VOTE WISELY

VOTE FOR TONY PUA KIAM WEE

PETALING JAYA UTARA P106

VOTE WISELY

Hipahipa!

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad

Nik Nazmi's agenda for his future constituency, is explained in the video below (in Bahasa Malaysia)



BLOGGERS UNITED

PLEASE, CONSIDER

GIVING THIS BLOGGER YOUR VOTE

http://www.niknazmi.com/wordpress/

NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD

PEOPLES JUSTICE PARTY [Parti KeADILan Rakyat] http://www.harapanmalaysia.com/

CANDIDATE FOR SEAT IN THE SELANGOR STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

[DEWAN UNDANGAN NEGERI] SERI SETIA N32

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad blogs at www.niknazmi.com

He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree [LL.B Legum Baccalaureus ] from King's College, London and received his prior education at the Malay College, Kuala Kangsar.

In the United Kingdom Nik Nazmi was active in the UK Executive Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC), Federation of Students Islamic Societies and the National Union of Students, UK.

His commentaries on important current issues have appeared in Malaysiakini, the Sun, the Edge, in Malaysia, and internationally on Channel News Asia and the BBC World Service.

Nik Nazmi currently works in Kuala Lumpur, as Confidential Secretary to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and also as a director of a listed company.

Earlier in his career, he was a legal executive in a Malaysian corporation.

VOTE FOR
NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD
N32 SERI SETIA



VOTE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

Vote Wisely!

Tsjoch!

ELECTION MALAYSIA 2008

A little ditty, rather witty, hope it makes you think a bitty

VOTE
ONE & ALL,
VOTE WISELY,
VOTE FEARLESSLY
VOTE FOR THE FUTURE,
VOTE FOR TRUE FREEDOM AND REAL DEMOCRACY

Just do it!

A GOOD OMEN, MUSHARAF IS DEFEATED?

This is heartening news from Pakistan.

"Musharraf's ruling party concedes defeat 
in Pakistan parliamentary elections as early
results show opposition gains"
BBC

Come 8th March 2008.
Malaysians too will have the
opportunity to vote.

This will be the time to clean up,
and get Malaysia back on the right path.

The lawlessness, the bribery & corruption,
the greed, the injustice, the racialism and
the arrogance must go.

Sanda bashi!

AVARICE, GREED, GLUTTONY

AVARICE, GREED &

GLUTTONY

Vulgarity, Vanity and Vice.

Avarice, greed, gluttony,

excessiveness, insatiableness, rapacity,

esurience, do you condone such vile vulgarity?

You should indeed know of these sins

since most of our so divisive two-faced BN leaders

love such vices, living palatial lives aloof, like dictators

Living a life totally out of touch with reality

Whilst the ordinary citizens struggle daily

to make ends meet, just eking out wearily

Meagre incomes, and minimalist lives

Surviving as best there are able, like slaves in shanties

whilst the fat cats bask in luxury, eating from ample tables

The per-capital-income is skewed to a few

and the common man, he is really well and truly screwed

Statistics, lies, misrepresentation and empty talk and ‘pie in the sky’

Blatant lies are spoken without any shame,

Another day dawns, but the shit is just the same

Promises were made, but never became but a name

What can the people do, to reverse the stinking rot?

They really need to improve their lot

Strength in numbers is all they’ve got.

Ask me this, I can but reply, and please take note

Accept no more patronising, empty talk, learn this by rote

Get off your arses, one and all, go out on polling day to vote.

Vote for change to improve your lives

And those of your family, man and wife

People power can change your life.

Deny Barisan National a two thirds majority.

Make them an inferior, insignificant minority.

That will kill their ignorant, pompous superiority

Vote for Victory, Vote for Change,

Vote for Democracy and Freedom,

Vote for Now and For The Future.

On Voting Day Do Your Duty

All Malaysians Arise En-mass

Give the BN a Bloody Big Kick in the Arse!!!!!!

Salute!

SAY NO

Seig Hiel! Hiel UMNO! (click on image for flip-chart action)

SAY NO TO AUTOCRACY, NO TO DISCRIMINATION, NO TO OPPRESSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, SAY NO TO BARISAN NATIONAL {aka UMNO + STOOGES}

SAY YES TO TRUE DEMOCRACY
VOTE WISELY, VOTE FOR CHANGE.
YOUR FUTURE, AND THAT OF YOUR DESCENDANTS, DEPENDS UPON IT

Hipahipa!

Free & Fair Elections, are they An Elusive Dream?

NOT ONLY THE BALLOT BOXES NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT

The local media reported on 14 February 2008, that Malaysians will go to the polls on March 8.

“The Election Commission announced that nomination day for the 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats would be Feb 24.

A total of 10,922,139 registered voters on the 2007 master electoral roll gazetted on Feb 5 would be eligible to vote. Of this, 221,085 are postal voters.

The Malaysian Election Commission Chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, had assured Malaysians that the polls would be conducted fairly and there should be no fear of vote-rigging and phantom voters.

Transparent plastic ballot boxes, indelible ink and ballot papers without serial numbers would be used in this election, he added.”

Did you listen to the announcement by the Chairman of the supposedly independent Malaysian Election Commission, he was hesitant, was unsure of what to say; this was obvious there were long periods when he stopped speaking, and one only heard whispering during which he was prompted. What a pathetic Chairman the EC has.

Any man called in off the street could have spoken better, and may have been more believable too.

If you recall, the Malaysian Federal Constitution was recently amended to enable his, (Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman) term of office as the EC Chairman, to be extended.

Going by his past performance, he is not an asset, actually more of a liability, if free and fair elections are the goal.

However, maybe he was indispensable, an ideal compliant stooge, a front man for the BN, so that a lot of whitewashing to cover up any election irregularities could be easily facilitated.

Well it remains to be seen if the election process will be free and fair, but many people have serious doubts it will be

So far there has been widespread distribution of bribes from the BN, in the form of gifts to potential voters and / or their family members, (it is interesting to note that the word ‘gift’ in German means ‘POISON’, that is most apt is it not?)

Flags of political parties are being placed everywhere, especially the UMNO & Barisan National ones are seen strung up and attached to pubic utility poles, road signs and other road furniture. (this is of course illegal), but the UMNO - BN does as it likes, it had more than two thirds majority in the last Parliament, so this, to them, equates to immunity and a carte blanc to defy the law.

Now Malaysia has no Parliament, no Government, no PM, no Ministers, and no appointed ‘Caretaker Government’, so who is in charge?

Why then, do the mainstream media still refer to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as the Prime Minister, if there is no Parliament he is no longer the PM, is he?

Using the same logic, the former ministers and others who were elected representatives in the previous parliament should not use public funds and facilities to carry out their election campaigns, this the usual modus operandi in Malaysia, and carried under the pretext of some "Official Duties". How can there be Official Duties" to perform, when there is no Government?

“PADE DOH BN!” (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH BN!)

The time for change is now.

After 50 years of empty talk, pseudo-democracy, corrupt legislation, misrepresentation, blatant lies, bribery, corruption and insincerity.

THINK ABOUT IT. At both Federal and State Elections. VOTE WISELY.

NO MORE BN BULLSHIT!

THE BROKEN 2004 ELECTION PROMISES OF THE BN-COALITION POLITICAL PARTIES

This is the title of an excellent post on ‘Malaysians Unplugged’ to read this blog, please click here

Imeqatigiitta!

Will Malaysians Soon Be Sleeping on the Streets?

In the true spirit of free speech, this letter is posted verbatim.

It has been posted elsewhere, and has been widely distributed by email.

The letter from "Little Bird" is also worth a place here.

“Malaysians May End Up Sleeping in the Street

Sunday, 06 January 2008, by ‘Little Bird’

Indonesia is one of the world's most richest countries in terms of natural resources.

God has blessed Indonesia with gold, uranium, copper, oil, timber, beaches, seas and other wealth.

The land is fertile with abundant rain. Stick a twig into the ground and it grows into a tree. Yet Indonesians sleep in the streets.

Food is expensive. The average Indonesian eats some rice, tempe, tauhu and maybe some vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner - everyday. An average Nasi Padang meal for four persons in a single star Indonesian restaurant can cost RM60.00 (160,000 Rupiah).

This is way beyond the income of the average Joko or Ketut in Indonesia.

Why is this so?

The answer is because the ruling elites in Indonesia do not care about the people. They have pillaged the country. They craft policies that only serve to keep the elites in power and the wealthy.

The same thing is happening in Malaysia.

There are also millions of Indonesians who go to school and university but do not learn skills that can help them survive in the real world. They are very poor in European languages like English or Dutch. All their education is in Indonesian. So they cannot keep up with the latest developments and technologies.

They cannot compete. They remain poor.

The children of the elite are sent overseas for their education. An average Indonesian university graduate cannot bring world class skills to his employers. He or she therefore earns a pittance.

This is happening in Malaysia. Bumiputra university graduates only strike it rich if they get Government jobs where they do not do much work but earn a good salary with a pension.

In the private sector they may not get a job or earn only a pittance. That is why 100,000 graduates remain unemployed in Malaysia.

Bumiputra university graduates are turning up for interviews as taxi drivers and shop assistants.

What about those who flunk out after SPM?

They become Mat Rempits. Last Saturday I saw another Mat Rempit get killed at the road races in Shah Alam (near Section 7).

In Malaysia, just like in Indonesia, food is getting very expensive. But the wages and salaries of the people, especially the Malays, is not keeping up with the increase in prices.

Instead of developing the competitive ability of the people, the Government has been using the failed NEP to provide subsidies and dish out money on a plate. Everything is subsidised, even cooking oil, flour, rice, sugar, fuel, etc.

The Government has been providing these subsidies so that the people will keep voting for the ruling party.

So it has never been to the Government's advantage to make the Malays independent.

A Malay who is independent of the Government may not vote for the BN. It is therefore better to keep feeding with subsidies. So, for the past 50 years, everything has been subsidised.

But now with 27 million people in the country of which more than half are Malays, subsidies are getting more expensive.

There is also much much more thievery and wastage by the elites in Malaysia. But there is no bottomless well full of money.

Everything has its limits. The money will soon run out.

Without the subsidies for cooking oil, sugar, flour and petrol, how are the people, especially the Malays, going to survive?

Already university graduates cannot find jobs or compete in the private sector. What happens when the oil money runs out?

What happens when (not if, but when) the Government cannot simply spend billions of oil money to sustain its voting base any longer?

That is when we may see people sleeping in the streets, just like in Indonesia.

If that happens this country will go up in flames. We will all be consumed.

In Indonesia, the Government has not mobilised its hundreds of millions of people (over 250 million Indonesians) with the competitive skills to grow enough food for themselves.

Hence food is expensive.

They do not even have simple survival skills like coming to work on time, organising themselves to do simple tasks, maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and so on.

They are poorly read and not informed about many things that are going on around the world.

Their Government has failed in all these aspects. Hence the average Indonesian remains poor.

The same thing has happened in Malaysia.

Our young people, especially the Malays, do not possess basic survival skills. We are not talking about competitive skills but just basic survival skills.

The Government is not serious about giving them useful competitive skills either. The Mat Rempits are being glorified by the politicians as saviours of the nation (Mat Cemerlang). Correction. they are drug users, gang rapists, snatch thieves and street fighters.

When an efficient Policewoman called Nooriyah Anvar was appointed
Chief of Traffic Police she went after the Mat Rempits with a vengeance. Does anyone remember her?

She confiscated their bikes on the spot. But soon the Mat Rempits called their political muscle and Nooriyah Anvar was kicked out.

To date she holds the record of being the shortest serving Traffic Police Chief in Malaysia.

She has been replaced by Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib.

So the Government is not serious about improving the position of the Malays. It serves the Barisan Nasional Government to keep the Malays down and out. Then the Malays can go to the Government for crumbs.

This way the ruling elites get to keep the whole loaf to themselves. Go and visit Indonesia.

This is what is happening over there. It is happening over here too.”

This is a quite realistic scenario which is not hard to envisage, since everything in the Malaysian garden is not as lovely as it may seem to some.

What do you think?

Is it far fetched, or a reasonable assessment of the current situation in Malaysia?

Sanon!