Be DEAF, DUMB & BLIND they said....

I have been almost dead silent on the many abuses and atrocities in Malaysia for the past couple of months. I thank many of you who have sent me pm's to ask why "suddenly" I am not providing my opinion(s) on topical issues. A heartfelt thanks to those who said that it made their day to see someone taking a bold public stand on injustice(s) in and out of Malaysia. But there is always a price to pay for such boldness. See the enclosed headliner that is self explanatory on what happened to me. When you take on the "system", whether for the right or wrong reasons, you are bound to make enemies. Whether it's Malaysia "baru" or "lama", the end results are sadly, inevitably, the same.

Most of my musings have about the Malaysia lama era and so, in fairness, one would think that Malaysia baru would have come to my rescue. Afterall, I championed many unjust causes privately and publicly, with the hope of seeing a new Malaysia that is transparent, fair to all of its citizenry, and one that upholds the principles of social justice. Most of you would have seen me publicizing charitable and noble causes, bringing to attention worthy causes or matters of public policy. I would have thought that my acts were meritorious (not that I yearn for any accolades or rewards) and in the interest of natural and/or social justice. I like to see a better world for all of us, and our children. So I spoke up as keeping silent in the face of injustice, was akin to being an accomplice. Many great souls gave the similar advice and I repeated their wise words.

Instead, "they" gave me 14 years in prison for what I believe, at the worst case, was a technical error in my past life as a businessman. I cannot discuss the merits of my defense as that would be most unhelpful for the coming appeal. My legal and personal advisers (especially Wei Ling) have "ordered" me to refrain from writing on any issues of public importance as my views may not necessarily go down well with the "powers that be". Who really knows who these "powers that be" are anyway.

At this juncture of my appeal process, speaking my mind would be a dangerous thing to do they say. What is seen as courageous by some, may be seen as foolish and/or challenging the status quo. They reminded me that while the world is progressing along the "who moved my cheese" competitiveness chain, in Malaysia, mimicking the 3 monkeys (deaf, dumb and blind) is perhaps more helpful. As religion (local, foreign or alien/man-made) is highly sensitive, and thus blind faith is "fait accompli", no point in my trying to talk logic in the religious darkness we are engulfed in they said. Afterall, who cares about truth and injustice they said. If you recall, some time back, I had written (shamelessly borrowing a famous movie line) that, "truth and justice are, at best 2nd cousins and in Malaysia, they are not even on talking terms". How the chicken has come home to roost for me.  Everyone else has resigned to the status quo they said. Don't rock the boat they said.

More so, when I was sent to prison on 11 Sept 2019 and Wei Ling passed the hat around to raise the RM 900,000 bail money among family and friends. Most of my 5000 FB friends (and family) were nowhere to be seen, the very same friends/family who "supported" my courage and outspoken-ness before. Maybe they didn't know (as many do not read mainstream propaganda these days) but Malaysiakini did carry news of my sentencing too. And I believe the EDGE also head-lined it. I suppose the notion of self-preservation takes over? So you can understand my somewhat despondent view on life these days. I suppose it's easier to ignore the frustrations of injustice if we remain like the 3 "wise" monkeys.

But I still love to muse for public consumption. I am not allowed to write on my (absolutely shocking but a movie potential perhaps) Shawshank Redemption-type (remember, he too was an accountant?) prison experience either. So folks, expect to see me being the "dumb blonde" blogger writing on food, music and maybe, on foreign politics. Unless of course, a 3rd force, one with clout and funding, comes along in our time to redress the wrong(s) done onto the people.

Now which mouse will bell the "cat" ?

WAG THE DOG

Wag the dog comes from the longer expression the tail wagging the dog.

The tail wagging the dog is an American idiom that dates back to at least the late 1800s. For the tail to wag the dog, then and now, indicates a backwards situation where a small or unimportant entity (the tail) controls a bigger, more important one (the dog).

Wag the dog went on to develop its own specialized political meaning. In 1997, a film called Wag the Dog came out, based on a 1993 novel of the same name by Larry Beinhart. The plot revolved around efforts to distract attention from a presidential scandal by fabricating a war.

The story intruded into real politics not long after its release. In 1998, when Bill Clinton’s scandal regarding Monica Lewinsky broke, he was accused of “wagging the dog.” Three days after admitting he had inappropriate relations with Lewinsky, he ordered missile strikes against two countries, allegedly to divert public attention from his sex scandal.

We see this phenomenon often in the local political scene more than any. Whenever there's a "hot" issue, it's not uncommon to find a "fire" of sorts being lit in another direction/area. Quite obviously, it's to diffuse the attention of the People on the real matters, ie matters that actually are important, and ultimately, will decide on the political direction of the country. Take for example the time when we were informed that a 11 year old kid was shot at in 2017 because he was found driving a car in which there were parangs and other dangerous items. That was when the 1MDB case was hotting up. 

In Malaysia Baru now, the people are marking the report card carefully. There are reverberations of dissent inside and outside. Actors were found to be acting badly and only protected from being fired by the director. Like in the movies, fanatical cartel lords have taken control of local councils and are quite obviously wreaking havoc with public opinions. Therefore, a "tail to wag" the dog needed to be created. Based on topical statements bandied about, we all should know why there's a sudden interest in the dead and buried. Even news rags are delving into the obscure lands where there was no previous interest, all in the name of wagging the dog. They just had to revive a dead dog to make it the bogeyman so that the fires can burn freely elsewhere. 

Watch the 1997 movie called Wag the Dog. All will be clear.

To kick one when one is down?

About 10 days ago, I received a rather stern show cause letter from the UK institute of Chartered Accountants. It included a screenshot of my profile in Linked-In and without reservation accused me as "passing off" as a Chartered Accountant. Not only that, it asked me to sign an undertaking letter not to use the designation "CA" (Chartered Accountant) in my profile.

I wrote back stating that I earned the CA designation from 2 different premier professional institutes, and the CPA and Fellowship designations from other global institutes and that it was free to independently verify this assertion. I asked the UK Institute as to how they deemed me to be "passing off" when the description was 100% factually correct. I also enquired how come the Institute was scouring social media to suss out the pretenders or was this letter the result of a complaint.

A couple of days of silence ensued and then the Institute replied "After carrying out further checks, we confirm that no misrepresentation had taken place and we are closing this case. Due to data protection act, we are unable to reveal the details of the complainant". 

Did the above reply mean to say "We are sorry, we rushed off a show cause letter to you, a senior member of the accounting fraternity, without a thorough investigation of a poison pen letter" ? If so, this is indeed is a strange way of saying "We apologize".

I informed the UK Institute that they ought to be more conscientious in future and in the interest of goodwill, was letting this ride. While I know mistakes can be made sometimes, a professional body (especially one that has vast resources to hire professionals to verify claims) should first thoroughly check each allegation, especially those that come from picking up random bits and pieces from social media posts. 

Martin Vengadesan (all credit to Martin) explains the LTTE

KINIGUIDE

972 SHARES

Who were the LTTE?

Kiniguide

Published: Today 6:48 am  |  Modified: Today 6:49 am

KINIGUIDE | The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was one of a number of competing guerilla groups that fought against the Sri Lankan government for an independent homeland in the north and east of the island, where a majority of people were Tamils.

It gradually gained pre-eminence among these groups and at its peak held sway over large areas in the north of the island, establishing its own government.

Vilified by foes for its use of child soldiers, suicide bombers and political assassinations, the LTTE did draw significant support from those who felt the cause of fighting Sinhalese majority oppression was a valid one.

Eventually, in 2009, the LTTE was defeated militarily, its iconic figurehead Velupillai Prabhakaran (photo) and most of its leaders were killed, while others were arrested. More than 10,000 fighters were rehabilitated, even as a humanitarian crisis unfolded in territory the LTTE formerly held.

Roots of the war

Historically, waves of Tamil migration to Sri Lanka date back thousands of years. Tamil kingdoms in the north co-existed alongside Sinhala dynasties in the south and centre of the island for much of the time. 

There were even occasions when the Tamils, in the form of the Chola Dynasty centred in Thanjavur (modern-day Tamil Nadu), conquered most of the island.

Their strength peaked under the great warrior-king Rajendra Chola I, who annexed most of the island in 1017 and abducted the Sinhala ruler Mahinda V.

Although the Sinhala kings gradually regained their lands, an independent Tamil kingdom centred around the city of Jaffna existed for many centuries.

However, colonial rule united the island, and when Sri Lanka was granted independence in 1948, the Tamils found themselves in a minority, with Sinhalas making up 69 percent of the island's population.

Ethnic tensions boiled over in 1956 with the passing of the Sinhala Only Act which replaced English as the official language of the nation. Protests over the act led to racial killings with more than 100 Tamils killed. In 1958 a larger number died when tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamils erupted again.

Birth of the Tigers

In the 1970s, Sri Lanka became increasingly polarised. This included the rise of Sinhalese extremist violence through the left-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna which staged an insurrection against the Sirivamo Bandaranaike government in 1971. An estimated 30,000 people lost their lives.

During this time many Tamil youths also felt that their politicians were conceding too much ground to the federal government.

A number of young Tamils began carrying out guerilla operations against the authorities. 

This culminated in the assassination in 1975 of Jaffna mayor Alfred Duraiappah, who was shot dead in a temple. His masked killers targeted him for betraying the Tamil cause.

A couple of years after the killing, a group known as the Tamil New Tigers claimed that Duraiappah had been shot by one Velupillai, who was to become the central figure of the LTTE.

Civil War begins

Ethnic strife continued to escalate. Following the 1977 general election, more than 300 Tamils were killed in anti-Tamil pogroms, whereas in 1981, the historic Jaffna library was burned down by state security forces.

In 1983, this became an all-out war with the events of Black July. The LTTE carried out an ambush on a Sri Lanka army patrol, killing 13 soldiers, and in retaliation hundreds, maybe thousands, of Tamils were slain.

In the Cold War environment, it was easy for rebel groups to get arms, financial backing and training. As such there were a number of rival groups ostensibly fighting the same cause as the LTTE.

In April 1984, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi invited the leaders of the five leading Tamil militant groups, the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), for talks aimed at uniting the groups.

It didn't work as, over time, the LTTE became the dominant group, wiping out its rivals often by committing fraternal killings of captured rebels.

The LTTE also became known for its use of child soldiers, suicide bombers and political assassinations, including many of moderate Tamil politicians who still supported the federal position, instead of advocating for a separate Tamil homeland.

Despite the reputation for violent methods, the LTTE gained much sympathy and financial support from among the diaspora. Financing came from a number of places, including Malaysia. 

Selvarasa Pathmanathan, who eventually became the LTTE's chief international spokesperson, operated from Malaysia from 1987-1990 before decamping to Thailand.

At its peak, the LTTE operated a de facto state under its control, named Tamil Eelam, with Kilinochchi as its administrative capital. It established its own air force and navy, and had its own currency, radio, television as well as health, education and court systems.

The LTTE's relationship with India soured over the presence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force from 1987 to 1990 and this prompted one of its most notorious acts in May 1991, when a suicide bomber killed former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and 14 others at a campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.

Two years later, another suicide bomber took the life of Sri Lanka's president, Ranasinghe Premadasa.

The final years

While the assassinations made some dent to its popularity, the LTTE generally maintained a degree of strength and support for a good 20 years. At one point in 2002, the LTTE dropped its demand for a separate state and appeared to settle for regional autonomy.

A ceasefire treaty was declared, and it appeared as if the fighting might be finally over with a permanent solution, but talks were stalled after six rounds, during which the region was also badly hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami.

In 2006, the recently-elected president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa (above), decided against maintaining the peace and set out to destroy the LTTE militarily. His ruthless scorched earth tactics included the internment of Tamil civilians in concentration camps.

Finally, in May 2009, the LTTE was defeated militarily and Velupillai was killed along with his entire family and most of his loyal supporters. 

The 26-year war cost the lives of an estimated 80,000-100,000 people. Many human rights atrocities against civilians were carried out in the Sri Lankan Army's final push for victory.

Selvarasa, who attempted to keep the LTTE alive, was arrested in a Kuala Lumpur hotel within three months of the defeat.

The years since

Sri Lanka has engaged in a painful rebuilding process. Velupillai had a cult-like following that initially refused to believe he was dead, but over time, supporters came to acknowledge that the war had left no winners.

On Sept 4, 2016, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ibrahim Ansar, was assaulted (photo) at KL International Airport by locals, showing that there were still some residual tensions beneath the surface.

Meanwhile in India, a political party called the Naam Tamilar Katchi has tried to play on the LTTE legacy. 

Led by film director Seeman and calling for a unified Tamil homeland in both Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka, it has very little support among the voting public, garnering less than two percent at the Tamil Nadu state elections in 2016, despite fielding 234 candidates.

The focus over the last 10 years has been on rebuilding and rehabilitation, which has also been supported by the diaspora. 

There are many thousands of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees around the world, and also a high number who were internally displaced.

Friend or Foe ?

While parochialism would want us to cheer the middle kingdom's emergence in the world's domain in most spheres, I am very very WARY of their style of rule. I just don't trust the red leadership at all. If anything, it has shown us that it will dictate terms for society, and will use whatever means it desires to achieve the goal(s). That's hardly a benign way to cultivate a new country, one that had been subject to 70 years of brutal communism. The biggest large scale genocide was not in Russia nor WW2 Germany but in China itself. The late "chairman" killed many millions during his rule. While too much freedom (if there's such a thing) can be used to limit/end people's freedom (like the right to arms), I rather the devil we know than emerging devils who wanna shine now. Let's face it, can you imagine anyone wanting to immigrate to China? Maybe the Great Leader (I mean the real one) can sell the 2000 year old wall to Trump ? Win-win for both.

Fair weather company

I had a life changing experience recently. While the experience itself, a stint in the hard-core Kajang prison for a week, is a book in the making - the behaviour of human beings in exceptional situations, is worth a musing. I debated with myself for many days whether I should pen this piece in case it got read in a misconstrued manner but to remain silent, and not talk of my pain and disappointments, would be really hypocritical. Those who know me, know that I have always been one who speaks his mind without fear or favour. And so here it goes.

When the news of my (temporary) incarceration spread and the only way to free me was to pass the hat around to collect a sizeable amount towards the fine/bail became apparent, so did the true nature of friends and, sadly, family. 

My soulmate, Wei Ling, called on (what we then thought were) our staunch supporters to pitch in towards the collection. She had considered carefully the financial affordability of those we sought assistance from. In other words, those that she asked help from, could more than afford to chip in. Don't get me wrong, a donation or a loan, is always at the option of the giver so I cannot assume that everyone will be as caring for my liberty. Considering that my freedom for a long stretch was at stake, mistakenly, I thought that people who claimed to be family and close friends, would want to see me "free" and therefore, would put aside all non critical cash calls and loan/contribute to the pool. That's when the proverbial "shit hit the fan" scenario ensued.

But first, my utmost appreciation to those who came forth even before WL could ask....and these were, by far, few. And some, I really apologize as I didn't know how deep your friendship/concern was for me....you showed it with you heart (and wallet) when it mattered most. I will always remember you. What touched me was, some of you, I hadn't seen or heard from for years and when you saw the news splashed across the media, quickly called WL and offered assistance immediately before she even asked. And then, there are those that organized "support groups" to pass the hat around towards the pool. Again, I am very thankful for your concern. You know who you are so I will keep it at that for privacy. All in all, we managed to raise the sizeable bail money to free me. I'm not sure if I can ever repay all or part of the monies contributed but it's a debt I will always remember. When I bounce back, every penny will be repaid till I'm alive.

But here come the "kick in the balls" incidents so to speak. Some who are multi millionaires (I'm an accountant and I know the numbers too well), gave absolutely feeble excuses when asked to chip in. To list them, would be laughable so I will spare you the insult. Suffice to say, it was short of telling me "Sorry mate, you can rot in jail but I'm gonna go for my Mediterranean holiday instead". Offering prayers instead of cash at crisis time - yes, it was considerably offensive if you were in my shoes. I respect your prayers but it's akin to telling a drowning man in a shark infested tank that "god" will save him instead of immediately throwing a rope to yank him to safety - well, you know how he feels. Even worse, were those who owed me monies (for years) and quietly decided not to repay in this moment of crisis. Perhaps they thought that my unfortunate circumstance would render it a bad debt automatically? As I'd said earlier, I did not expect everyone to chip in but at least, when asked, the least would be to give a plausible reason. Some went silent or avoided taking the follow up call. Some went into a tirade on the systemic failures - yes, we all know. But one has to be out to fight the busted system. When "inside" - I had no voice, no eyes and perhaps, almost no will. When I was informed of this false (yes, it appeared like that) empathy, I felt really disappointed - some of these pretenders, I had gone out of my way to assist them in the past in their moments of hardship. I had assisted in paying car installments, home mortgage, medical bills and even donating towards children's university fees etc. I had even paid "along" debts to prevent their family from being attacked. Maybe I'm naive in expecting reciprocal decency. Perhaps guilt beguiled some of them to courtesy call, after my release, and offer pathetic excuses.....to avoid venting my disappointment, I refused to respond as I would have blurted my true feelings. It's clear that these are fair weather friends.....when the sun shines, you wanna play with me. When it rains, you will run away, along with the umbrella it seems.

In lamenting this situation to my Dad, he told me "I have always told you, to test a man's sincerity, ask him for some big money. You can then decide who is your true friend". Dad is right. Money talks, bullshit walks.

WL and I have decided that from now on, we will really be circumspect in our friendships. This message is sincere, even though not necessarily politically correct. Truth really hurts.........I found out the painful way. Having fair weather friends is not good for my health. I don't hope for you to suffer my fate. Thank you. 

Ramesh

Released for a while..........

This personal message goes out to those who came forward immediately (and without any questions), with personal assistance, legal/bail money contributions, moral and time (especially to look after my son while WL was running around) support and other forms of assistance to my family and me while I was in prison for the past 7 days. I am now in the "recovery" mode - prison does indeed drain one's energies, and maybe, even the will to live.

I need a few days to rejuvenate my mind and body, and maybe soul too. There are many of you whom I wish to thank publicly but for the sake of privacy, I will not name you personally in this general message but this heartfelt gratitude goes out to you from me directly so you can rest assured I know of your personal support - I am truly really grateful, words fail me to express further my level of gratitude. In good times, I have many "friends" and so I assumed. But, I now only know who my TRUE friends are: It takes a life-stunting lesson like this to find out the truth.

Having said these, it would be terribly remiss of me not to publicly mention my ever supportive life-partner Wei Ling who trudged on bravely against the legal system, (in)justice system, maddening bureaucracy and family chaos while being a loving mother to my son (who thought daddy was in "hospital"). Without WL, I would likely still be suffering in jail. She made numerous calls, trips, pleas with authorities to get me freed, shuttling between the courts, home, lawyers' offices and Kajang prison daily - she was so exhausted, after fetching me back at about 10pm from prison, yesterday, she could not even get up from bed. I would also like to thank my brother Suresh who left aside his busy practice to run around relentlessly to push the paperwork (and it is not easy when you take on the system) to get me freed. My Dad and Mum fully believe in me regardless of the court's verdict and were there for me at deciding moments. Of course, real good friends like Somas, Nalini, Anand & Rani, Ganesan, Shahid & Shamima and Paul who came for court hearings in the past 4 years, made recent prison visits, or arranged expert legal help by using their influences, and other forms of leverage. Also, not forgetting those who made "cameo" appearances at court hearings like S’pore Talip, Mike, Pava, Teoh, Francis, Albert, Dato' Iskandar, Maha & Meesha, and others. I am very grateful for your selfless support at all hours of the day, and indeed, at many nights.

WL also informed me that some of you called her personally to extend your moral support and strategic advice, some even at 3am considering her full day’s hectic schedule - I also warmly thank you all for this very much needed support to my young soulmate who, perhaps, this, was her first real life crisis. Without explaining the brutal (and that being the kindest of words I can think of) realities of being in prison, I can only say I survived the 7 days of HELL.......mainly in the HOPE that I had to get out to see my family, and live to fight another day for my innocence. Many a times in my despair, I almost gave up. As many of you know, the (absolutely unreasonable and unprecedented) sentence by the Sessions Court of 9 years or RM 9 mil was suspended in full by the High Court on 17/9 and I was set free pending my Appeal (maybe within the next 3 years) with a bond of RM 900,000 paid by

some family members and friends.

I did not mean to leave anyone out from this personal "Thank You" message but if I did, I do apologize profusely. In summary, I am really glad to have you as my family and friend, or both. My battle is not over yet, and I will still need support from you given the odds against me - but I am very relieved that I have a loyal and supportive "army of love" behind me for the tough journey ahead. Thank you once again.

Ramesh and family.

Please, Mr.IGP.........from the "Tukang Kayu"

PLEASE, Mr.IGP..........

Dear Mr.IGP, don't you have any real work to do? For eg. locate Indira's ex husband or her daughter, Pastor Koh, or find out who the "actors" are etc. This proposed adventure of yours is nothing but DUMB. Nobody wants ISIS back in M'sia. When they left, they were "PENGKHIANAT" of the highest order. To now spend our taxpayers' monies to rescue them is a damn bloody insult to all Malaysians. Please stop doing these partisan deeds. Cukuplah, please retire early if you wish to be remembered as a good cop.

This one's for you (sung to Carpenter's Please, Mr.Postman):

Oh yes, wait a minute Mr. IGP
Wait, Wait Mr. IGP….
Oh yeah
If there's an answer in your tag for me
Please, please, Mr. IGP
Why's it takin' such a long time
Oh yeah
For us to hear from that voice so fine
There must be some word today
From Indira’s girl so far away
Please Mr. IGP look and see
If there's an answer an answer from thee
We've been standin' here
Waitin' Mr. IGP so patiently
For just a card or just an answer
Sayin' she's returning' home to me
Mister IGP, Mister IGP look and see
Oh yeah
If there's an answer in your tag for me
Please, please, Mr. IGP
Why's it takin' such a long time
Oh yeah
From Pastor Koh for us to hear of the voice so fine
So many days you passed them by
See the tears standin' in their eyes
You didn't stop to make them feel better

Oh dearie me, I must be regressing...

Mujahid said:

1. "Jawi is a national heritage which was once an official medium of communication between nations."

2. “With this spirit, we will retain our tradition and culture which I repeat should be supported by all races, as Jawi does not belong to the Malays. It is our Malaysian heritage”

Facts:

1. Jawi was once a medium of "written" communication in the Malay archipelago ONLY. Not global as was insinuated. Jawi is an Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language, Acehnese, Banjarese, Minangkabau and several other languages in Southeast Asia. The REAL medium of GLOBAL communication was Latin for centuries before being replaced by Spanish, and perhaps English in the past 300 years. Given that all things are in English, even in computer language, the emphasis should be to upgrade our level of English. Not some "language" that has become extinct, and frankly, USELESS! Let's not get sentimental with education. Just look at the mess we are in compared to other countries that wisened up to the challenges of the future.

2. Jawi is of Indian/Arabic origin - please go look it up. The earliest known inscriptions were found in southern Sumatra and on the Bangka Island (683-6 AD). They were written in an Indian script during the time of the kingdom of Srivijaya. When Islam arrived in Southeast Asia

during the 14th century, the Arabic script was adapted to write the Malay language. In the 17th century, under influence from the Dutch and British, the Arabic script was replaced by the Latin alphabet. So it's not "tradition" or "culture" but a copied writing form, from 680AD or so.

(https://www.researchgate.net/…/290552038_The_Jawi_writing_s…)

3. In the same spirit, why not also include Mandarin and Tamil as official written medium in gomen depts ? Very clearly, Jawi spread as a result of Islamisation of the region. This is the fear the Enlightened  non-muslims have given the regression of the political maturity and, erosion in the freedom of expression. Who to blame - the act of the minority stupids are forced onto the majority wise isn't it? It would greatly help if our gomen was made up of really educated officials as opposed to pseudo-intellects.

LOOK MA....guess who came for dinner?

Treachery? Sleeping with the enemy. You call it, I don't have to say much. A picture paints a 1000 words (on deceit). So here's 2000 words on back-stabbing. 

He's gonna do well in our politics, all the requisite traits are there: From ball carrying, lies, double-speak and cronyism...and all at a tender age indeed.

Helps if one has the patronage of a would be relative?

Cutting my nose to spite my face?

I felt compelled to pen this arguably slanderous (not if its true) piece given the major cock-ups by some ministers recently.

From cameo appearances in viral videos, to flying cars, black shoes, khat, back-tracking on Lynas and of course the double-speak on Zakir Naik by many senior ministers, it sometimes appears like things have slipped back to the "bad" old days. Some say worse. Almost all boo-boos are by ministers from a single race - is this a DNA problem as once espoused by the Great Leader himself? Even the racial uneasiness level appears worrying.

I've read many comments that indicate that knives are being sharpened and, not only a minority, wish to see a one term PH government. A year ago, I wrote about how difficult it was to clear a 61 year old terribly clogged sewer - I then asked to give the new plumber some time to fix the rotten pipes (system) and dredge out the sludge (BN) that was choking the drains.

While I am also disappointed that the pace of change is slow, and sometimes new silt is replacing the old sludge, I am cognizant that the new team is still only about 16 months old. How does a 16 month old baby walk and talk - often clumsily and spouting gibberish. Hence you get the "shoe" minister with his latest associates, the ball-carrying youthful one and the entrepreneur development one. Yes, the one with the flying car idea.

Don't get me wrong, I think flying cars will be a reality one day for sure - but not one designed and built by Malay-sians. We must admit it, we are a low tech-skilled country - mainly caused by years of BN lowering the standard to get popular votes, in virtually every competitive sphere. 16%, 20% and 30% pass marks for English, Math and Physics ain't gonna yield us great engineers, scientists and doctors. It will give us the Dr. Ridhuan Tees (who was accused of plagiarizing a student's work) and Dr. Asris (a nincompoop preacher based on recent utterances). Their doctorates are fit for the garbage bins if their intellect is an indicator. Let's face it, even in sepak-takraw, our "own" sport, we are thrashed by the kimchi-eaters who took up this sport ONLY for the 2014 games. Our hockey team is in the doldrums. Our football team recently struggled to beat Afghanistan where the latter probably learnt to dribble dodging mine-fields literally. But then, hey - this is Malaysia where the brown-nosers in the right party, get their degrees, titles and contracts without merit. This is very frustrating and how long can this go on we might ask.

Having said the above, do we cut off our nose to spite our face? Do we vote in the in the "old devil we know" (BN) just because the new plumber cannot fix all the leaks as fast as we want? This would have been easy to answer if there was a "3rd force" ie another credible political party whose principles were based on transparency, meritocracy and unfettered public service. Malaysia has none now. Granted there is probably none in the world that would qualify although, in my opinion, the PAP of Singapore and the FDP of Switzerland may come close. But before we rush off to "punish" PH because of some foolish minister's (well, a few actually) antics, let's consider what would happen within 90 days if the old devil was voted in:

1. All enforcement heads like Tommy and Lateefah will be replaced with sycophants of UMNO,

2. All legal cases involving UMNO politicians (and their wives) will be dismissed/withdrawn with flimsy (and really, without reasons too) excuses,

3. Jho Lo will be given a Tan Sri title and all charges dropped,

4. 1MDB will be revived and this time, not RM 40 bil but RM 400 bil will be siphoned off,

5. All those who spoke up against BN will be hunted and charged (or blown up). LGE and Tommy will be in jail,

6. China will be (re)invited to build virtually everything at super-inflated prices (got to make up for the lost 5 years of siphoning mah),

7. LTH, KWAP, Felda and all GLCs will be ordered to fund BN to stay in power for another 1000 years...ala the 3rd Reich,

8. "Malu Apa" will be the national slogan,

9. No flying cars nor 3rd national car, and

10. Zakir Naik will become a citizen and awarded a Tun-ship.

Don't scoff at my predictions - many if not all will come true. So people, let's not get overboard in trying to teach them a lesson now. Even so, it's only 1 of the 4 main parties that's screwing up mostly. We should raise our ire publicly and demand for redress but let's give the plumber more time to fix the rotten drains. This is a case of "better the small cute devil than the big ugly demon" we had before. See the visual effect below.....frightening prospect indeed if we choose wrongly?

Pendatang (ass)al ?

Lest we forget, my ancestors had FIRST come to Malai ur (town of the mountain people) about 2000 years ago if not earlier. Way way before the other "pendatang" from Indonesia (Orang kepulauan), China (Yunan), Cambodia (Cham), Taiwan (Ainu), Melanesia, Thailand and others - just check their DNA to local folks. It's important for the REAL history to be taught in schools that starts with Raja Parameswaran (who apparently converted but this is hotly disputed). Just look up the word "malai" and see who coined it first. Here's History 101 for the less motivated.

It originates from the Tamil words "Malai" and "ur" meaning "mountain" and "city, land", respectively. An inscription on the south wall of the 11th century Brihadeeswarar Temple also made a reference to Malaiyur, a kingdom that had "a strong mountain for its rampart" (ie "banjaran") in Malay Peninsula that fell to the Chola invaders during Rajendra Chola (not Raja Chulan ok) I's campaign (circa 1000). An early literary appearance was in Vayu Purana (350 BC!!) where the word "Malaya Dvipa" (literally "mountainous dvipa") was mentioned, referring to the mountainous terrain of Malay Peninsula. Then, the term "Maleu-Kolon" was used in Geographia by Ptolemy (circa 100AD) which is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit term malayakolam or malaikurram, referring to a geographical part of Malay Peninsula.

In 7th century, the first use of the term for a nation or a kingdom was recorded by Yijing. On his route via Maritime Southeast Asia, Yijing visited Srivijaya twice where he stayed from 688 to 695, studying and translating the original texts in Sanskrit. Even the Chinese had been here for perhaps 1300 years?

The problem is, the most recent wave of Indians and Chinese happened in the mid 19th century when the Brits needed labourers (Indian and Chinese) and guards (Sikhs) - so the "memory" is short, or rather, "convenient" for the naysayers. Given the appalling level of education of the majority residents here till the late 19th century, the Brits "imported" the Ceylon Tamils, then the most educated Asian. Hence these races were the newcomers.....but don't forget, when they arrived, they met their ancestors who had been here for hundreds of years - so it was a kinda "homecoming" for them. Even the term "bumi" means earth, and "putran" means son in Tamil. Safe to say, who REALLY established the Mali Ur. If you stretch the history cord long enough, we must say we are afterall ALL from Africa.

It's hard for morons (or deliberate ignoramus) to appreciate history and then we have the troublemaker snake oil salesman who pours oil into fire. That's why I have been long saying - "Send him back !". No point in asking the extremist Shoe Minister to revisit school textbook as he's busy chasing another (ancient Hindu originating) writing form under the puppet-master's yoke.

Thank You Dr. Naik ?

I was in FB "jail" for 3 days. Apparently doing a "comparative analysis" (it seems comparative analysis is only allowed to be done by deep fakes) of a current racist nasty troublemaker (in Malaysia) against a past racist nasty troublemaker (in Germany) is deemed offensive by the idiots in FB who don't understand English much less nuances and sarcasm.

Zakir Naik, the fake fakir who calls others kafir (like the rhyme?), is accusing others of sowing discord and wants to sue (and he can afford a famous lawyer too...). WOW ! And this is what he is attributed to having said:

“I lodge this report so as to enable the police to commence an investigation against the said individuals under the Penal Code and/or Sedition Act and other relevant laws for defaming me and for instigating racial disharmony and hatred among the citizens of Malaysia”

Pot calling the kettle black? I'm not sure if he realizes what he has been doing or saying publicly in Malaysia thus far:

1) Told the Chinese to go back,
2) Said the Indians were more loyal to Modi than Tun,
3) Claimed the Muslims in India were 100% (or 100 times?) worse off than the Indians in Malaysia.....without proof (and without reading the Indian Constitution on minority rights....none exists here)
4) Told Muslims to support a crooked Muslim leader rather than a Muslim leader who works with Enlightened folks,
5) Exalted the acts of terrorists (and is wanted for funding terrorism),
6) and much more rubbish.............

As recently said by Tun "We can take away his permanent residence status if he does something which is detrimental to the well-being of this nation. At this moment, the police are investigating (whether) he has done something wrong or not. Of course, if he had done so, it is necessary for us to take away his permanent residence status".

But, wait.....I want to say "thank you" doctor - in an ironic way, ZN has united Malaysians by asking the Chinese "visitors" to go back. Up until now, it was only us Indians who were fighting to get rid of this vermin. The Chinese Malaysians, mostly, for want of a better word, "buat tak tau" as it's deemed an "Indian" problem. I know this as I belong in many chat groups where the majority members is Chinese. Every time I write or publicly admonish him, hardly a squeak from my compatriots. Even when I was hauled up by an "authority" and wrote about it, they merely paid lip service and some said, "serves you right" for what they deemed was, my stand against the ideology. But only a small slur from ZN now, and the whole Chinese community has "suddenly" awoken to the dangers of ZN's preaching. Even the mousy one in my chat groups is "up in arms" because the snake oil salesman asked her to "balik kampong". Fooyoh, such bravery. Like I said, thank you ZN for once again uniting Malaysians against a common enemy.

For the sake of Malaysia, I hope this time, after the "detailed" investigation, PDRM will not issue a statement saying while the videos were genuine, it was not able to verify with 100% accuracy that it was Zakir saying those outrageous words.

(Hopefully, this post doesn't earn me another "go to FB jail" term).