Dean Martin - Young At Heart

Pavarotti "nessun dorma"

Aishwarya Rai - Performance at Event.

Rufus Wainwright - Across The Universe

The Malays Divided?

The Malays are divided. All that unite them, religion, language and race are powerless against that which divides them: POLITICS. In the past the division between PAS and UMNO confronted the Malays. Father against son, brothers against brothers and even husbands against spouse were pulled apart by their support of one party against the other. Prayers were said in PAS and UMNO mosques led by politically inclined Imams. Friday prayers when all Muslims gathered together to say their prayers were occasion for political theatre. It was not Allah that wished them to do so – it was the leaders of PAS and UMNO  - mere humans who manipulated the Malay population to further their own political agenda. These politicians were oblivious to the harm they were doing to their own race. Politics overcame all other sensibilities.

And now this is happening not only in Kelantan and Trengganu or just in the rural areas –but more worrying all over Malaysia. And it is now BN and PR. It is one thing to use race and religion for political expedience, another to deliberately use it to cause the division of the Malays amongst themselve.

We now see Malays bent on intimidating not the other races but other Malays. We see Malays assembled within meters of each other hurling insults and threats of bodily harm at each other in the name of Politics. We see anger and hate in their eyes as the faced other Malays  - each so sure that their cause is the right cause.

At times we see Malay youths harassing the old, the strong harassing the weak. The men insulting the women and always it is the politicians who are there to maximize their gains from these confrontations of Malays against Malays. Nobody says anymore that this is not the way of the Malays. Nobody say anymore that there must be a better way for the Malays to settle their differences. Increasingly we accept that this is where politics have taken the Malays to.

It does not have to be this way. Yes in my writing I have been scathing in my comments on Malay leaders on both side of the divide – more so on UMNO side simply because there are more Malay Leaders within UMNO then in anywhere else. But these Malay leaders are fair game because they put themselves in the front line by their choice to be in public office just as I am fair game because of what I write in my blog.     

But the Malays are now used to confront each other. It signals a shift in the way things were. The politicians are desperate. They can no longer garner support by pitting the Malays against the other races. Now they throw the Malays against each other to gather votes for themselves.  But at what costs to the Malays?

We are beginning to see the breakdown of the cohesiveness that use to bind the Malays. Now it is them or us. BN or PR. Malays are being used to harm other Malays. The predominantly Malay PDRM are used indiscriminately by UMNO to move physically against other Malays who are aligned with the opposition. When will the predominantly Malay Army be called upon to do their worse on their own kind when push comes to shove. Memali will be a drop in the ocean when this time comes and May 13th purely a foot note in our history.

In all this I hold Malay politicians accountable. Malay politicians who are desperate enough to use race and religion just so they will hold on to power and all that power means to them. Not to serve the people but to serve themself.

We now talk about UMNO Warlords!

Warlords: A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil[1] control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war. Today, the word has a strong connotation that the person exercises far more power than his official title or rank (if any) legitimately permits

What does that say of us? We talk about the Tentera Jihad, Storm Trooper of Pemuda UMNO. Has the militarization of the Malays to serve political interest started? Or did it begin from the May 13^th Riots of 1969 and have since been quietly developed by UMNO in readiness to serve its own purpose as and when required? And that need will most probably be in the aftermath of any UMNO loss in the 13^th GE! These are worrying thoughts for all of us – Malays and the non-Malays.

And here is the chilling reality. UMNO loss in the 13^th GE will be caused by the Malays themselves because only the Malays have the numbers to make that happens. So will the Malays be used against the Malays just so that UMNO will stay in power? Are we to see a cleansing of the Malays to leave only those Malays who are with UMNO?

These thoughts angers me. It should anger any Malays that believe that race and religion does have a part in our life – but not in politics and certainly not to be used to divide father and son, husband and wives and certainly not family against family just so that corrupt self-serving politicians can have their own way with us.

We Malays do not need to be united to fight the other races. We Malays do not need to be united for Ketuanan Melayu. And the Malays certainly do not need to be united to have a Malay dominated government in Malaysia. These days the Malays need to be united if we are to be a force for change for ourselves and more critically for our country. The Malays are numerically the dominant race in Malaysia and in being so we owe a responsibility to ourselves and to the others that live here to bring into the government some decency and accountability. We have a responsibility to keep those bastards in government honest. Only by doing so can the Malays ensure that our country be better not only for themselves but for all who chose to call this home.

So for those Malays who are with BN or PR you must think. Political division does not require you to intimidate, harass or threaten another Malay. It does not require you to abandon friendship or families. Like all things in life, take politics in moderation and take politics for what it is – a part of life.  Leave it at the doorstep when you come home or to be with friend. Leave politics alone when others who are with you wants to converse about life, family and the weather. Until our politicians lift their game leave politics where it deserves to be…in the gutter!

The Ugly Malaysian : Khir Toyo

Dr M doubts Khir's mansion claim

Khir's new 'Bali-theme palace'

Khir Toyo arrested over land deal

UPDATED @ 12:12:13 PM 06-12-2010

By Adib Zalkapli

December 06, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — Former Selangor Mentri Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo will face charges in court today over alleged land fraud in connection with the purchase of property in Section 7, Shah Alam.

The Malaysian Insiderunderstands that the prosecution will be led by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail at the Shah Alam Session Court. 

The Selangor opposition leader will be charged with businessman Shamsuddin Hayroni.

They will be charged under section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum imprisonment of two years.

The case makes Dr Khir (picture) the second major Barisan Nasional (BN) leader to be prosecuted since Datuk Seri Najib Razak took over the government in April last year. 

Last July, former Transport Minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik was charged with misleading the Cabinet over land acquisition in Port Klang.

Dr Khir’s prosecution comes just a day after a rare BN convention where party leaders made a pledge to reject corrupt practices in preparation for possible snap polls.

The Sungai Panjang assemblyman’s Balinese-style home built on the Shah Alam property has been seen as the face of corruption and exploited by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders to campaign against BN in the state.

The property is said to be worth more than RM20 million but Dr Khir insisted that he bought it for only RM3.5 million.

In 2004 former Minister Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam and tycoon Eric Chia were charged with corruption and criminal breach of trust respectively, just weeks before then-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called for the 11th general election which saw BN winning 90 per cent of the parliamentary seats.

Kasitah was acquitted in August last year while Chia was declared a free man in 2007.

IZZY

Izzy

While watching Snow White, as the Prince is about to give her the kiss of life

Izzy: "I don't want Snow White to wake up."

Mum: "Why?"

Izzy: "I don't want the Prince to kiss Snow White."

Mum: "Why?"

Izzy: "Izzy want the Prince."

REGRETS OF THE DYING

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice.  They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

The above is extracted from the following blog site:

http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

Almost the PM?

Rosmah oh Rosmah….. what are we going to do with you? Right from the time that Najib became DPM his profile went up one notch. Your profile went up by about three notches – by your own doing and efforts because as far as you were concern you were already “almost the PM’s wife”.

 Already the corridors of power were reverberating with the way you were making your presence felt. Amongst the people that I knew in KL nobody had a good word about you or for you. All the stories were about temper tantrums and having your way in everything that you desire. After Pak Lah’s marriage to Jean – your bitchiness became more pronounced amongst those who had to be around you. Bitchy and being imperial at the same time makes you a person people did not relish being around. Even when najib was DPM, already everyone was being made to choose – to be with you or against you! That really confused a lot of Minister’s wives, the wives of the VVIPs, VIPs and all those wives of people who feel they are important enough to be included within your circle. Pak Lah was fortunate that Jean was a decent lady and gracious enough to understand that the people around her had to make choices even before Pak Lah stepped down as PM. But I remembered that our late Kak Endon did not suffer you easily….she never did suffer fools easily!   

 

Rosmah you are 57 years old. Do not allow those media people to airbrush your images to make you look like a teenager. I know those bastards sometimes do not listen to you but if they don’t, go talk to hubby lah…after all he is the PM...at least the last time I checked he still was! And don't listen to all those people saying that Najib is now Mrs PM...he is still PM in Malaysia...what you do in your home is your business!

About those luxury shopping sprees overseas…a word of advice. Remember the late Sultan of Johor who titahkan MAS to ship his purchases back to Malaysia?  I suggest you do not do the same thing. People will talk and these “free services” provided by MAS will be hard to explain if it gets out into the public domain…and with the Internet it WILL! Do what we all do….pay for the excess baggage. I am sure you can afford it…or quietly charge on Najib’s expenses account via OGS (On Government Service). But if PR wins the next election…die lah! So better to just pay to get the extra luggage back to KL.

When you are overseas don’t ask the embassy staff for special treatment. Not all the staff are supporters of BN or UMNO. Anything you ask them to do can be posted on a blog and before you can say “Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa” every one in Malaysia knows about it! Again die lah!

As for your involvement in the murder of Altantuya I suggest that you don’t give too much notice to the statutory declaration that RPK filed. Everyone knows that you will not attend a murder!

·      First of all you cannot dress up to go to a murder – and we know that you are
    not going to go anywhere unless you can dress up and look good!

·      Second: Can you bring your bodyguard and your staff with you when you
    attend a murder? No you can’t! You cannot have your driver drive you to a
    murder – and you are not going to drive yourself!

·      Thirdly: And what if the UTK guys use too much explosives and you get blood

    and flesh all over your dress – you will be very upset!

So as far as I am concerned there really is no reason for you to go to that murder! In fact about the only reason you might consider going to a murder is if the person to be murdered had got you so angry that you would be prepared to commit the murder yourself!

We know that Najib has denied knowing Altantuya ….and I am sure you believe your husband!

Oopps  somebody just pointed out that your husband only claimed that he did not know Altantuya AFTER her murder…so I guess we have to strike that reason out.

Now how do you explain the above photo? Again you must remember that UMNO’s vote is dependent on the Muslim votes in Malaysia – and Muslims makes up over 60% of the population. Next time wear the tudung…remember the furore caused when you air kissed Shah Rukh Khan? Cannot lah……even air kiss cannot! I am just putting up the photo here so that you will remember not do this again. With the way things are UMNO cannot afford to lose any Malay/Muslim votes in this coming election.

I wanted to write about your children but I guess that will have to wait for now because it is almost lunchtime …and I am hungry.    

NAJIB must not debate DSAI!

I say, without fear or favour, that our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, should not accept DSAI challenge to debate him on matters of economic polices or for that matter on any issue whatsoever! This is just a cheap attempt by DSAI and Pakatan Rakyat to get some prime airtime on the television channels that the government controls! Our Prime Minister is entitled to have this prime time slot to himself–why share it with anybody! Datuk Seri Najib you control these medias, you decide on their license, you staff them with your people – so they better listen to what you say or else ask them to go look for another employer!   

Why should our Prime Minister put himself remotely into a situation where he will be asked awkward questions that he must answer even when he cannot? Where he has to explain economic policies that he does not understand? Justify policies that he knows he can implement without public scrutiny?

If you debate DSAI how are you to explain the costs overruns of the various mega projects? It is nobody’s business what UMNO politicians makes from tenders, contracts and projects that are directly negotiated. After all these are all on a willing buyer (UMNO Politicians and their cronies) and willing seller (BN/UMNO government). And just because UMNO is on both sides of this equation we know that DSAI will seize on this insignificant reality and start accusing the government and UMNO of colluding on these matters.  Datuk Seri Najib why open a can of worms?

 

Why should our Prime Minister allow himself to be embarrassed by past economic policies that have almost bankrupted the nation? And anyway the OSA covers most of these policies, including the IPP’s agreement and Highway Tolls – so how can our Prime Minister circumvent the OSA. He must keep these files confidential! And as far as Petronas is concern DSAI understands that it is only the Prime Minister that is privy to how much it earns and how it spends its income. That is the law and DSAI understand that you have to follow the rule of law in the country that you choose as your home!

What if DSAI wants to score cheap political points by asking our Prime Minister what is the progress of the PKFZ investigation? About Altantuya? About so many things that as our Prime Minister he cannot talk about because it is all sub judice or whatever sub lah…no I do not want my Prime Minister to be embarrassed!

It is not because I think that DSAI is a better orator then our Prime Minister. It is not because I think that our Prime Minister is not confident enough to face DSAI in debate. Even if I know that that was true what is more important is that our Prime Minister should not debate the Leader of the Opposition who is now involved in a Court Case – anything said in the debate might prejudice the whole court case – and then who is to be blame? Our Prime Minister of course!

So Datuk Seri Najib stay clear of all these opposition attempts to corner you and embarrass you on national television. They got nothing to lose but you have Muhyiddin lurking in the wings to take over as Prime Minister, Mahathir trying to get his son promoted further up the cabinet and so many UMNO warlords asking for mega projects – so you should focus on resolving these more pressing matters rather then debate with DSAI.

Who cares if the Leaders of the USA, UK or Australia debate with the Leaders of the Opposition in the run up to any general election? I know for a fact that it is not done in Russia, in Burma, in Afghanistan, in Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s time or even in Uganda during Idi Amin’s rule – in fact even now they are still not doing it in Uganda! So please Datuk Seri Najib you must maintain your standard. If you need to debate anybody then do so with your BN collegues. They will not ask you any hard questions or ask you to explain anything you cannot explain. And if they ask for you to explain anything it is just to ask you when their “peruntukan” will be distributed and if there has been any increase.

So please Datuk Seri Najib no debate. Do not allow DSAI the opportunity to make you look, act or talk like a bumbling fool. You can do it by yourself without anybody’s help – who needs DSAI!

MERDEKA!

A sobering thought!

This was first posted 18^th July 2009 in Lim Kit Siang’s blog

At what stage in his tenure as Prime Minister did Mahathir decided that the end justifies the means? When he did that he threw away accountability and responsibility of his actions to the people. It is one thing for a businessman to take chances in making his business decisions because the consequences of his actions, good or bad, will be for him and him alone to bear – and another when the consequences of your actions affects the nation.

There must have come a time when Mahathir had some self doubts as to the rightness of his decision making process – he was wrong with Musa, with Anwar, with Pak Lah. He was wrong with Eric Cheah, Abdullah Ang, Tajuddin Ramli. He was wrong about Privatization…or if you want to be tedious – the implementation of it was flawed.

But what I would want to pin him to is that he was the one who brought the culture of materialism into the UMNO physce and in so doing, into the Malay consciousness – and by default, into the minds of the people. When you decide that the acquisition of material wealth is the path you want to take in your life, then whatever you do from then on, will reflect the importance of that choice in your life…and that my friend has been the undoing of UMNO and the many other things that is now wrong with our country.

No longer will decency, family values, religion, honour, duty to country and all those values that hold together the fabric of society be considered important. Look at Khir Toyo – what need is there for him to acquire and flaunt such trappings of wealth with his new found wealth (while he was MB) with such haste. Did it ever occur to him that there would be questions asked or has the actions of other leaders that went before him precluded the need to hide his ill gotten gains?

Greed is good? Yes Proton, KLCC, KLIA, the many many Highways that were built, and so many mega projects etc etc all these are Mahathir’s legacies…but the actual costs to the nation is too much for us to bear. When we sit at the kedai kopi we talk about how we could get our hands on some AP’s, how to secure that ‘negotiated’ tender for the mega project, how the brother of a certain political secretary could have got himself two Brabus. The list is endless but always the underlying factor is the acquisition of material wealth…and for that Mahathir we hold you responsible!

 The end does not justifies the means – not when it is ultimately the majority of the people who will pay for the excesses of a few. Now who will have the task of making things right?

I sat down with me, myself and I to ponder this. We need to look beyond Mahyudin. Najib is already PM – a fait accompli. Mahuyuddin will want his time as PM too – but beyond that it is still open season. I said that maybe further down the line, a Chinese might become the PM. Myself said that if Obama is President of the US of A then why not a non Bumi as our PM?….but Me said that it was not constitutionally possible for that to happen – but he could not come up with specifics. Then we looked at each other and realized what we were saying. “A Chinese or Indian as PM of Malaysia? Where got Jalan?” Yes we have begun to think the impossible. Yes my friends we need to start thinking about things we have never thought before if we are to enter into the 21st Century. The world is changing around us – we want and need what is best for our country. We need the best in our country to lead us – we deserve nothing less.

Malaysians risk lives in rush for spilled coins

AFPJanuary 19, 2011, 2:41 p
m

AFP ©Enlarge photo

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - 

Malaysian motorists risked their lives to scoop up thousands of coins spilled on a highway after the vehicle carrying the currency overturned, reports said Wednesday.

Dozens of people abandoned their cars along the side of the North-South Expressway, one of the country's main transport arteries, and frantically filled their pockets, helmets and plastic bags with the coins.

The melee caused a traffic jam on either side of the overturned four-wheel drive vehicle, which left 70,000 ringgit (nearly $23,000) in coins strewn across the road on Tuesday.

"Fortunately, both of us escaped with minor injuries," said 28-year-old driver Zairulhisham Mansor, who along with a friend had been transporting the coins to shops in the resort town of Malacca.

The New Straits Times said that the coin-hunters ignored police demands to clear the road.