LET THEM EAT CAKE ?

Q. Why not let the King interview the Rakyat instead of MPs who will be partisan to their own party rules? Afterall, the Rakyat would reflect better the wishes of the people?

A1. The Rakyat did indeed give it's vote in 2018 as to how it wants the country to be run. Looks like the politicians have pulled the carpet under the Rakyat?

A2. A couple of days ago, I wrote a piece about the repercussions of another GE in this climate. Unfortunately the "rakyat" is also confused. I bet you, in the kampongs, estates and far-off lands, they haven't a foggiest idea what's going on in the corridors of power. For them, it is biz as usual, regardless of who's in power, in KL.

A3. There's a saying, "Religion is the opium of the masses".....and we certainly know what that will do to us in a country of 30mil+ addicts. Besides, the King simply cannot interview the (individual) masses because the elected MPs afterall, are supposed to convey the Rakyat's message. And even if he somehow does it, I also fear the outcome.

A4. It's like it was when Hitler was ruling. We conveniently fool ourselves by saying "the Rakyat is NOT stupid". Remember, millions cheered Hitler too, even when they knew he was CLEARLY wrong. Millions cheered Mao when he was busy killing millions. Same with Lenin, same now with Trump.

A5. The Roman Emperors held 300 days celebrations for the masses to keep them unfocussed. Nothing has changed. Ignorant masses often cannot see the simple truths and sadly, it does not have the ability to see the clear ends. The "stupidity" of the ignorant masses has been proven thousands of times in history. Time and time again, they follow the wrong leader and in the end, suffer terrible consequences.

A6. When I saw the writing on the wall 2 days ago, I decided to "warn" the our people. I have been in touch with some folks in the right place(s) voicing my thoughts. But in Malaysia, the fine line between what's right and wrong, is ALWAYS blurred, usually deliberately.

Sometimes, I despair about the fruitlessness of our struggle(s) for an equitable society. It seems, it's the will of the powerful minority that will overcome the desire of the weak (and ignorant) masses.

I worry for Malaysians and Malaysia.

Not another Election now

I'm sure every (well, most) Malaysian is totally dismayed over the manner in which political power appears to be peddled from a legally elected government by the Rakyat in 2018, to one that is now called a "Back Door Politicians" (BDP) team.

There is, at this time of writing, every likelihood that this deadlock may be resolved by going to the polls. I know that many of us are screaming, let us go back to the polling booths to decide on who should run the country. This cry is filled with, I'm afraid, irrational motives. Mostly anger. And when we vote with anger, the results are always....disastrous. I am not in favour of a snap general election at this time. These are my reasons:

1) The BDP kleptocrats have nothing to lose at all. They have been charged in court, being tried and indications are that some if not all, will be found guilty. By calling for a fresh mandate, their trials will be postponed and they get to live to fight another day. The Rakyat had booted out their govt in 2018 precisely to see them jailed for their alleged crimes, if found guilty. Up until a few days ago, the Rakyat's aspirations were on track. Let's not scupper this process of righteousness. Justice must be done.

2) The country's finances are being repaired by Pakatan Harapan (PH) (now demised) and the confidence level index was on the rise with world markets. With a new election that will definitely change the economic drivers, the good work done so far is definitely going to be derailed. The ramifications are quite certainly negative and will be long felt by the Rakyat who had no part in these political charades.

3) The BDP fellows who were booted out by the people, have nothing to lose by clamouring for a "recount" now. If anything, they have a chance to make a comeback with a fresh election that they will almost certainly, manipulate, with the assistance of the deep state. Afterall, this was their modus operandi for years. Remember, most of the missing billions may reappear mysteriously to appease some hungry vote devils in 2020. Do we want to risk an election that has the remotest possibility of being rigged? 

4) We have seen the Rakyat's anger at some underperforming PH ministers, namely from Bersatu. Because of this anger, I worry very much that there are elements in society that will punish other former PH reps (who are doing good work) simply because of being associated with Bersatu. We all have read blogs and social media posts where the impatients have vented their frustrations at the delays in implementing election promises. I had written about this before...."Cutting my nose to spite my face". I'm afraid that we cannot risk a backlash of voters that will ultimately "cut off our noses" by their emotional act(s) at the polling booths. We may make an error in choosing the "lesser" evil given the choices we will be presented with.

5) I dare say, if an election was called now, there will be many "independents" who will run, and not surprisingly, will get elected. Given the state of political flux currently, many of these independents are unlikely to have well defined political manifestos. This fractioned election will lead to many camps in the new cabinet, something that will make governing very difficult for an elected Executive. I'm positive that we will have a minority govt with a sizeable elected independent MPs. Independents ruling the floor are not necessarily good when we need a wise decision in the August house. It may well happen that we end up having a lame-duck parliament.

6) Given the hightened racial and religion-centric state of the country currently, I fear that the Rakyat may vote along ethnic lines with more gusto than before. Many good candidates may end up losing because they are a victim of this polarised voting vendetta. We have seen this happen in the several by-elections held in 2019. UMNO and PAS (and even maybe Bersatu now) will certainly go on a racially pronged strategy to garner support. We fought for 61 years to vote as Malaysian and now to regress into parochialism is definitely a major disappointment to those of us who believe in the "best man for the job" dictum.

7) From the above reason, it is my believe that Bersatu, Azmin's faction of PKR, many PKR reps, some Amanah reps and perhaps, some DAP reps will lose the seats they previously won. Whatever it is, I will expect a net loss (compared to 2018) collectively in the PH camp. We all know, the beneficiary will be the BN parties who will undoubtedly run along chauvinistic lines. And with this expected pattern, some kleptocrats will be the winner. Are we ready to reward their past misdeeds?

8) A fresh election will cost at least RM 2 bil in public funds. And the mis-allocation of human and capital assets that can be elsewhere deployed for genuine national needs, especially now. I just dread the financial and rhetorical waste that will ensue with a fresh election. 

9) If the BDP does indeed form (part of) the next government, we can expect 90% of the current charges faced by some of them to be dropped, or the courts to rule those charges as "flawed". Imagine, murders, CBT, thefts, abuse of power, corruption and so on, all of which details were graphically described by witnesses and publicized in the media - to simply vanish. We must also be cognizant that besides the millions wasted in the trials so far, there will be 100% "revenge" actions.....many heads will roll with a new Executive team in place. Everything will swept under the carpet. Justice that the Rakyat was waiting for eagerly, will be chucked into the dustbins of polarized politics. 

10) Post election, I can almost definitely forsee a populace, if the inevitable happens, that would have lost hope in a Malaysia Baru. Freedom of speech will be further limited, arbitrary detentions will increase, rule by law be the norm and many of the liberties the Rakyat now enjoys, be reduced or even removed. Odious laws that are in the process of being repealed, will enjoy a rejuvenation. ISA or it's ilks, may make a comeback. This time with more bite.

11) If a fresh election is called, I expect Tun to be the 8th PM in the new coalition. However, with reduced input from PKR, Amanah and DAP in the national administration, many of the rational policies we enjoy in Malaysia Baru, will almost for sure be curbed by his hard-core lieutenants, now empowered by the fresh vote. I have no doubt that religious extremism will become institutionalized in Malaysia, to levels never seen before. The Muftis of certain states will enjoy movie-star fame and liberties. Some permanent residents who are till now treading softly, will be granted facility to insult other races in Malaysia with impunity.

12) With a BDP team, the sacred offices of the Judiciary, MACC, Audit Dept and the Public Oversight Committees will likely be compromised. I expect Latifah Koya and Tommy Thomas to be replaced within 30 days. In place, cronies and old favour collectors will be given coveted positions to look the other way. This has happened before and there is no reason why we should doubt that this will not recur.

I could go on and on but just these frightening prospects highlighted above, are enough to make us rethink a fresh poll. My belief is, we should let the interim prime minister form a government based on his experience of working with PH (but not necessarily with all the politicians who held office before). Those who performed well should be retained so that there's continuity of execution of the Rakyat's mandate given in 2018. Those who were laggards, let's get new blood to do the work.

But one thing's for sure, we should not include the BDPs who have been charged for various offences against the interest of the nation. The billion dollar question is, will politics of Malaysia allow him an unfettered right to do the right thing for Malaysia Baru ?

And if he does not do the right thing, we still have GE15 to redress this.

That's an Indian colour, you smell like an Indian !

I had to pen a few words in the recent fiasco involving the "No Indians" job posting that is viral. But first let me start with 4 personal experiences.

The first, in 1981. Having aced my high school exams with straight A's, I was interviewed for a place in the medicine (matriculation) programme at Universiti Malaya. At the interview, the interviewer, an elderly Malay man, told me that while my results were sterling, he will not award me a place in UM. The reason was "Thambi, kamu punya results, "kita punya orang" memang tak boleh kalahkan. Kamu gerenti bolot kesemua award dalam 5 tahun kelak". The ministry gave me an offer to pursue agricultural science at another local university. Fortunately, the Singapore government gave me a scholarship to further my studies there. In my batch of 20 sponsored students, 18 original Malaysians are now highly placed Singaporeans. I came back to KL.

The second incident was in 1985. I was dating a Chinese girl and she was room hunting. I took her on my motorbike to view several rooms. At every prospect, the landlord would tell us "no vacancy" in spite of the the signboard outside. I then asked her to go in alone to enquire about the vacancy without my presence. At the very first house in Section 17,PJ, she got the room. We firmly believe that an Indian man as the tenant's companion was not acceptable to the (Chinese) landlords.

The third was in 2003 in a professional organization in KL, with a staff-force of almost 1,500 where the Indian Malaysians made up less than 10%. I was already a very senior person in the company then. During lunch, one manager, a young Chinese boy, was heard uttering "we should not allow the secretaries to eat their lunch(es) at their table. The whole place smells like an Indian...". He is now one of the leaders in this company. So you can imagine the culture within the firm now.

The final incident was in 2009 in Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles. I walked into a luxury goods shop and asked to see a Jaeger Lacoute "Reverso" watch. The salesgirl, an older Chinese woman, sort of hesitated to take the watch out from the show cabinet. Just then my Chinese girlfriend walked in and exclaimed that the watch was the same as what I was already wearing (I kinda hid that when asking to view) - the saleswoman literally jumped to take the watch out of the cabinet and was extremely sweet to me thereon. I'm not exactly sure till now whether she was racist or just thought I was too poor to be shopping in her store....with my bermuda shorts and "singlet".

For those following the recent brouhaha, I'm sure you would have been pretty offended by what "Kevin" first wrote, and then tried to justify orally, and finally produced 2 versions of an apology - all which went viral. And this led to comedic, idiotic and apologetic responses by the public. 

Wait, did I say you would have been pretty offended ? How silly of me. From the various comments I've seen, not ALL Malaysians were offended. Let's analyze this.

Malays kept out of this debate because:

1) some shared the same view as Kevin,

2) some were happy the "kelings" were whacking the Chinese instead,

3) some were preoccupied praying for the Corona virus to kill off 30% of the Chinese,

4) some couldn't be bothered as it did not involve (their) race or religion for a change,

5) there was no fatwa on the discrimination of kaffirs from Zakir nor Asri,

6) well, in general, they were not "black skinned" and so it didn't apply to them, and

7) they have the full force of the government in case anyone said something similar against them. Imagine if Kevin had said no Malays because they were prone to corruption and generally lazy/stupid ?

The Chinese Malaysians responded partisanly to this because:

1) some were as disgusted at his attitude and it didn't represent the majority of Chinese here,

2) some AGREED with him and saw nothing wrong. Afterall, racism is our way of life. Live with it or immigrate to Australia-lah,

3) some saw it as purely a business decision (and nothing personal) and Kevin's faux pax was forgiven because he was just a "Chinaman" (who probably couldn't defend his actions articulately) doing business here, (mind you, if his customers were mainly Chinese, he could have said "Mandarin speakers only" - so this justification is totally lame),

4) some are cringing at the expected outcry and are trying to mediate somewhat the repercussions.

Ahh, the "Indians". Now this gets colourful. Indians were outraged generally because:

1) bad enough we are screwed everyway in Malaysian society, now this "bloody bastard Chinaman" (as colourfully put by one Indian uncle in a viral response voicemail) makes silly justifications for his inept ad,

2) some feel that ALL Chinese are racist and/or crooked so coming from this fellow, it is to be expected. I had one private message saying (verbatim) that "it's in their DNA/psyche. They are the most productive people in the world but equally, the most self centred/unpleasant on earth. Very hard to defend because this lack of decency is to be expected of them",

3) some felt that we should not prolong these rantings because we are a "small and powerless" minority who need the Chinese on our side in politics otherwise the Malays will bully us further,

4) some felt that Kevin was being honest (albeit crude) and at least, not hypocritical as the remaining 99% of the Chinese,

5) some Indians hid under the cloak because "we are Ceylonese/Malayalee and not the same as them Indians". Ironically, the Ceylonese (Sri Lankan Tamil origin), are, in my opinion, one of the most racist lot in our country. You know who you are.

The Sikhs reluctantly (honestly, they rather drink beer....) joined in the fray because SOME consider themselves Indians and are offended by Kevin's slur. Most, feel like the Ceylonese. Being of lighter shade (in general), they assume a sense of superiority somehow. Afterall, 100 years ago, they were associated as the "Benggali Puteh".

As for me, I've dated women of all races/religions when young(er), married a Chindian in my 20's, and in my not so youthful days now, hooked up with a Chinese woman who has Malay siblings/relatives. Our makan-makan sessions are what you would call a "muhibah" example. So it's hard to label me a racist. I've heard and seen all forms of discrimination and am generally, quite immune to it. But I will speak up when necessary.

Coming back to Kevin. Well, the poor fellow lost his job (well) and was made to apologize publicly for his "mistake". I'm not sure how the colour of one's skin will prevent a China customer from buying a property in Malaysia. If a black American was the salesman, would this change Kevin's excuse? I can tell you, many Malaysian companies hire "coloured" Americans here because it helps sell the company's image as an "international" company. In America, 60% of the ads feature black/asian/hispanic Americans - they have matured from being colour conscious (well, in most areas). In Malaysia, it's race, religion and sadly sometimes, colour. I have been called for many casting calls and sometimes, the producer will say "we prefer fair skinned talents because the lighting suits them better". I recall, many years ago, Mat Rahmat, the then Information Minister, banning models of "Pan Asian" features from RTM ads because they did not portray Malaysians correctly. Ironically, there was some wisdom in his thinking.

Until Malaysia passes some anti discriminatory laws, being Malaysians, we will be prone to labelling others. How nice it is when we are overseas and asked of our origin by say, an American, 90% of the time we will say "I'm Malaysian". ICERD was one way to have cultivated this but the bigots in our country scuppered the plan. Our leadership lacks the will (or does it?) to ensure all Malaysians are really equal under the law, not the Orwellian equality we have now.

Finally, how about the Gragos in Malaysia, what are they saying about Kevin's explanation? Well, I think being "neither here nor there" in their disposition, they are staying out of the debate. Afterall, they are in the "middle" of everything and win either way.

“In the biological sense, race does not exist.”
― Abhijit Naskar, We Are All Black: A Treatise on Racism

Make Trump great again

Just watched the State of the Union speech by Trump. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised at his political fluency and candour - I didn't see the tele-prompter (but I guess it must be there somewhere or he's just aced a fantastic delivery) but his remarks appeared genuine, well structured and human. Most of all, to the many of his detractors, humbug to you - this man has actually defied the odds (and logic perhaps) to become one of the better presidents in recent times based on delivery.

Pelosi's act of tearing up his speech was totally childish.....and for that, she was not acknowledged by him. And for the Democrats to walk-out without shaking his hands, outright rude. I'm sure the American people will remember this behaviour - just watch, he will win the re-election. Finally, a President who gets things done! (And for those pining for the Soleimani fellow, listen again to the speech). Give this man another 4 years to finish what he started. He beat the impeachment charges as well.

For the 1st time, I saw the Presidential honour medal being delivered on the spot to Lindbaugh (not too sure of the merit but that's Trump's choice...).

But when Trump itemized his administration's achievements, I couldn't help wonder what our boys will say, if the Great Leader had to present his report card on the 1st 2 years in power. "Boleh-lah" maybe?

Look the other way.....maybe it will go away?

I've noticed some interesting patterns on how we humans deal with the "effects" of the disease.

Some become overly parochial and strive to defend the "eating habits" of their kin - these people, are just taking the matter too personal. (And probably too uptight). Corona has been discovered as originating from (not the Mexican type ...) a bat, probably consumed in China, by a Chinese, and spread by this Chinese person to a close contact, likely another Chinese...and then to the rest fo the world. One person told me that if I went to Indian meat markets, I'd probably witness mutton being bashed to death, chickens being boiled alive, and perhaps bombay "duck" being baked alive so who am I to comment on Chinese eating habits. I'm pretty sure he's not been in an Indian meat market but had the  audacity to lecture me based on his self proclaimed righteousness. And he was an INDIAN mind you :)

Then there's the "ostrich" end where people have suddenly become the ultimate "know-it-all-sage" where they don't consider this plague, a plague. These lot will spew tonnes of data where other diseases are "more" deadly/dangerous, extoll the virtues of the Chinese govt's ability to hide, err, I mean "control" the epidemic etc. It's like they don't care OR that it's too remote. That's how the Black Death of the 14th century spread...our apathy.

Another group will espouse conspiracy theories and point to the US as being culprit based on some cockaninny official saying that the US Army or some other covert US agency "created" it. While this probability cannot be totally discounted, it does not help to solve the possible contagion in the offing. I personally think, if not organically "created" by nature itself, the virus is probably as a result of an accidental release by the Chinese govt's scientific/warfare labs in Wuhan. There is some literature on this "theory" too, just Google it.

And the WORST lot - the racists who "pray" for the virus to "kill" the Chinese and the religious bigots (usually the muffheads) who claim that this is a punishment from God onto the kaffirs, or something like that. I'm sure you have all read that some of these religious pundit have themselves been inflicted by the virus that they claimed was sent by their god(s) to kill the kaffirs. What a poetic retribution.

The voices of reason and caution tend to get drowned by the lot  above. Insanity seems to be spreading faster than the pandemic itself.

Be warned.