From Sarawak, Land of The Hornbill, Malaysia

2010-01-04T19:14:00.002+08:00

IN GOD'S NAME WE TRUST.........

Religion kills.

I read it somewhere not too long ago. If you don't believe me, open up the history books on major religions in the world. Millions of people perished in the name of religion throughout history and in our time.

No wonder, many people just give up on religion. Who could blame them. Look at us, the so-called believers of a loving, compassionate and ever forgiving God.

We don't practise what we preach.

When I was in Indonesia a couple of years ago, this issue was just about to crop up. I mentioned it to one of the YB there, a lady.

She was surprised and said 'It never happened here in Indonesia'. Let me remind you that her country has the largest population of Muslims in the world.

As far as my memory serves me, I have come across the name Allah in every church service, sermons and writings in East Malaysia and even in the Peninsular that I attended many years ago.

In the 80's when I was a student in Negeri Sembilan, every Bahasa Malaysia church service I attended referred to Allah as God, the Heavenly Father. The issue never cropped up in the national media then.

Personally, like what had happened thousands of times in our history, some people just taking and using religious issues to gain some extra votes and support. Their act shows that they fail to see the destructive effect of religion when it is used for personal or political reasons.

Remember that, when it comes to religion, many at a times, rational thinking will be thrown out of the window and people will do crazy things.

My wife is working in Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Muslim faith. I asked her about this issue. She said that they, the non-Muslims in the Kingdom used phrases that here, in Malaysia deemed 'exclusive' to Muslims and of a certain race.

'Assalamualaikum, Insyallah' Alhamdullilah' etc are used commonly and every day in the course of her work. I asked her, do your Muslim colleagues there know that you are a Christian? She said 'Yes'.

Of course, the phrases above contain the name 'Allah' such as 'God's willing' (Insyallah) and 'Thank be to God' (alhamdullilah).

If the Muslims in the birth place of the Muslim faith can accept non Muslims uttering and mentioning the name 'Allah' in their daily conversations, why can't the same be done here in Malaysia?

She was never scolded or prevented from uttering such phrases. In fact, when she first came back to Malaysia, I felt a bit awkward when she said Alhamdullilah or Insyallah. That was then I brought up the issue and got the reply above.

I don't think that my Muslims brothers and sisters faith here in this country will suddenly gets 'weaker' and that many of them will convert to other religion just because of the name Allah is used by them as well.

To say or even think as such, I personally feel, is an insult to their Muslim faith.

The silent majority of Muslims in this country I believe, can accept the word Allah used by other religion. In fact, some prominent Muslim politicians and cleric voiced similar opinion in the media recently.

We ought to think that the three great religions; Islam, Christian and Judaism shared the same root and history. Before it branched out to become the ones we see today, in the ancient writings, the God of Abraham is referred to as 'Allah' in the Arabic language.

So, I said it again here. Certain parties are championing the issue to gain political mileage or to be seen as the protector of the faith.

As this country of ours is grasping with bread and butter issues, our so-called educated leaders are busy harping on issues such as this.

This issue is another example of why the slogan 1Malaysia, I believe will be, as what happened in the past, merely an empty slogan, made up by desperate people.

Lastly, I urge Malaysians of all faith, please be tolerant to each other. Let us really practise what we preach. Let the universal values of peace, love, forgiveness and tolerance dwell in our hearts and minds.

Allah bless Malaysia.

Lo

2009-12-24T19:57:00.001+08:00

Have A Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year 2010.

2009-12-20T20:02:00.000+08:00

Tapi dengan pengundi jangan buat macam itu. Dengan pengundi kena takut oleh sebab pengundilah yang pangkah para YB sehingga boleh jadi MP, Perdana Menteri, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Menteri, Ketua Pembangkang dan Whip dan macam-macam lagi.

Jangan kurang ajar dengan pengundi nanti pengundi ajar YB semua. Ingatlah, ahli dan penyokong parti YB sendiri ramai yang dah meluat dengan akhlak buruk YB semua. Fasal itulah parti YB hampir tersingkir dalam pilihan raya umum tahun lalu.........

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2009-12-09T21:01:00.004+08:00

My apologies for the long silence due to family commitment. By the way, below is an interesting photo that I picked up from Malaysia Today.

Next time before you buy any shirt with some funny words on it, make sure you understand what it says.........ha ha ha

2009-11-06T17:56:00.000+08:00

Kelantan is threatening to terminate the 1976 Agreement with Petronas as the action of offering them GOODWILL MONEY instead of ROYALTY violates the Agreement. If this Agreement is rescinded, then the rights over any and all petroleum in the Kelantan economic zone would belong to the state and not to Petronas. And Kelantan would get 100%, not just 5% of the revenue.

Note that this GOODWILL MONEY only applies to Terengganu and Kelantan. Sabah and Sarawak are still paid ROYALTY because those states are Barisan Nasional states. And even though Terengganu is now also a Barisan Nasional state the federal government does not want to revert to the ROYALTY in case the state falls back into the hands of the opposition. So Terengganu too still receives GOODWILL MONEY or WANG EHSAN.

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2009-10-30T17:22:00.003+08:00

ANOTHER SPINELESS POLITICAL CREATURE

The signs that something was not quite right with this man already showed on Nomination Day and Ronnie told me he was a bit worried about this guy. He went to the nomination centre without any money and could not pay the deposit. So they quickly did a collection to help raise the deposit by passing the hat around.

After Badrul had been sworn in as a State Assemblyman, he ‘disappeared’. Instead of spending time with the other Pakatan Rakyat Assemblymen or the Member of Parliament, he was seen almost every night having dinner with the Umno people. He was mingling with the Umno people and staying away from the Pakatan Rakyat people.

I told Nik Nazmi, the Menteri Besar’s political secretary, about the Badrul problem way back in mid-2008. I told him we have probably ‘lost’ him. And we actually lost him a few days after the 8 March 2008 general election.

Nik Nazmi told me they are aware of the problem. But of course nothing was done about it and now the problem has come back to bite PKR and Pakatan Rakyat on their backsides.

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Photo : Malaysian Insider

2009-10-29T19:03:00.002+08:00

SARAWAK GOVERNMENT SERVANT PLEASE READ THIS

Adding he said, "why invite foreigners to your country when you make sure they do not understand anything, from forms and making them to walk so far to see the authority while your office boy can park his car in front of the authority's office?

If you cannot serve your own public with ease and convenience to them, it means your servants do not know their priority, it means the civil servants top to bottom do not understand their jobs and priority, so tell me what am I doing here?"

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2009-10-26T11:58:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - – Malaysian police said Saturday they had arrested a native leader who set up roadblocks in Borneo to stop a logging firm from encroaching on their ancestral land.

Ondie Jugah, 55, from the Iban indigenous group, was among a group of 10 people who have mounted a blockade since early this week in the interior of eastern Sarawak state, on Borneo island.

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2009-10-20T09:12:00.003+08:00

OF MALAYSIA DAY, BARU BIAN AND GABRIEL ADIT

After 46 years and losing 2/3 majority in Parliament, finally, the Federal Government has given long due recognition of the day Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya to form Malaysia. Najib has declared that 16 Sept is a public holiday for the whole nation beginning next year.

During my school years, we were taught that Sabah and Sarawak 'masuk' Malaysia, a blatant lie as if one study history carefully, Sabah and Sarawak together with Malaya and Singapura joined to form Malaysia. How can one 'masuk' something that has yet to be formed? Later, Singapura went it separate way, a smart move I might say.

In the papers today, Baru Bian, a prominent lawyer well known to champion the rights of the natives to protect their land from the land robbers ie big corporations with ties to the state politicians is going to be appointed as the state liaison officer, replacing a fellow from Semenanjung.

I think it is a right move as Baru as he is known among his friends and clients, courageous and dare enough to challenge the state and be a voice for the oppressed native land owners in Sarawak.

Being a professional, I believe he will be able to shoulder the responsibility to lead Parti Keadilan in the upcoming state election that is due in the not too distant future.

As for Adit-the-2-face joker, after knowing that he has been passed yet again for top post in the party as when he was with Parti Rakyat Sarawak, declared that he does not support PKR anymore. What a blessing!!.....It is good for him to throw tantrums now rather then when the state election is just around the corner. Imagine the chaos......

Adit cannot be trusted as, judging from his conduct when he was in PRS and now in PKR, this guy is like 'lalang ditiup angin', a spineless political creature, looking for something to satistify his hunger for position and power even if it means ignoring the principle that he claimed to uphold.

So, go ahead Adit and form another party and appoint yourself as a whole life president, then you might be satisfied.

It will surely be the end of your political career.......

2009-10-17T16:38:00.001+08:00

West Malaysians think they are very clever, much cleverer than the 'natives' of East Malaysia. Some even think that East Malaysians are head-hunters and cannibals who walk around naked save for a leaf around their waist to hide their family jewels. So East Malaysians are not clever enough to make their own decisions. Kuala Lumpur has to decide what is best for Sarawak and Sabah. And Kuala Lumpur will decide who should lead the opposition in Sarawak and Sabah and who should be the candidates in the elections.

I suppose this not only demonstrates ignorance but arrogance as well. Or should we say ignorant arrogance (bodoh sombong, as the Malays would say)? Why can’t those people who sit in their high towers in Kuala Lumpur understand one thing? East Malaysians want to decide their own destiny and they know what is good for them better than any West Malaysian who flies into Sarawak or Sabah once or twice a year.

Sarawakians and Sabahans are fed up with the domination by Kuala Lumpur. They view Umno and Barisan Nasional as parti penjajah (colonialist parties). Sarawak and Sabah agreed to team up with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963 because they wanted independence from Britain. It was not to replace one colonial master, 10,000 miles away, with 10,000 colonial masters, one mile away.

Now, even the opposition, who want to replace Barisan Nasional as the government in East Malaysia, are acting like parti penjajah. Why should the East Malaysians choose the opposition over Barisan Nasional if all they would be doing is to replace one colonialist party for another colonialist party?

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2009-10-06T11:44:00.003+08:00

Something that I came across at Patrick Teoh's blog, Niamah!!.....Funny but it explains the whole out-of-this-world mentality of our so-called leaders.......Click to see larger picture

2009-10-05T17:18:00.003+08:00

Najib oks Isa's money politics by stating that Isa's wrongdoing was a technical one.

That is the lamest and stupidest reason I have ever heard so far. Corruption is corruption and it is against the law.

To say that Isa's conviction is due to technical reason is wrong and insults the intelligence of all Malaysians.

In other countries, the candidate will bow out in honour or will be left out by the party to contest.

Only here, in 1Malaysia that a convicted party member is elected to represent the party that convicted him to stand in an election.

What more can I say except.............MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!!!!!!!

Lo

..............But the Umno president is wrong to call Isa's offence a technical matter within the party as he told a student in Paris yesterday. "This (Isa's offence) is only a technical matter in the party and he has already paid for his deeds," Najib was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

The only reason why Isa did not face any charges in court is because Umno's money politics is under a preferential category of crimes.

And thus, up to the party to decide whether those in the wrong need to face the full weight of the country's laws. Isa did not because the former Negri Sembilan mentri besar is powerful and, as Najib himself admitted, popular and capable of winning...............

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2009-10-02T18:01:00.004+08:00

Win at all costs even when it means selling your soul to the devil. That is my interpretation of Tan Sri Isa's nomination by UMNO and BN to contest in Bagan Pinang upcoming by election.

I hope the voters will not shame the country and the world by voting him.

Lo

Barisan is compromising its entire platform of reform by nominating Isa, in the hope it can win this one by-election. It is nominating a known money politician to represent itself to the people of Bagan Pinang and the people of Malaysia. It is basically telling us that Barisan stands for corruption.

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"Sekarang rakyat di Bagan Pinanglah yang bertanggungjawab membuktikan kepada dunia bahawa rakyat negara ini masih ada maruah dan tidak mahu menerima calon yang dihukum oleh partinya sendiri kerana politik wang," kata Ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian itu yang juga Pengarah Jentera Pilihan Raya PAS bagi pilihan raya kecil Bagan Pinang.

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2009-09-28T12:21:00.004+08:00

..........A security guard said he had instructions from Jabu’s office to pass a letter to the PKR Women’s delegation. Jabu’s letter stated that he would not meet the delegates as he “had prior appointments”. In his letter, Jabu advised the PKR Women’s delegation to turn to the police for enquiries and advice on the rape issue and other crimes.

One of the security guards even shouted “Bawa balai polis saja (just take it to the police station)!” in an apparent attempt to intimidate the group of PKR women.

Zuraidah then contacted Jabu’s office by telephone, asking a member of Jabu’s staff to come down to the main gate to accept the memorandum on Jabu’s behalf. According to Zuraida, an unidentified staff member answered her rudely, saying, “I don’t want to be involved in your squabbles!”

Zuraidah Kamaruddin and her delegation strongly condemned the lack of courtesy and unbecoming behaviour of Jabu’s office........

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2009-09-26T23:15:00.003+08:00

KHAIRY, SHUT THE F*** UP

If BN is so competent to govern, then please explain the abuse of power and rampant broad daylight robbery that are happening........We the rakyat are tired and fed up with the wayang kulit you and other BN robbers are performing at the moment.

Rather than commenting PR, why not give us your piece of mind on the robbery of billions of ringgit of rakyat's money in the PKFZ scandal or............your tongue is too tied up to criticise your own kind???

Lo

2009-09-26T18:06:00.000+08:00

Photo : The Broken Shield, click here to read more

2009-09-26T18:02:00.000+08:00

......................To be frank, the Malay middle class have been complicit in this situation. Over the past decades most have drifted away from active engagement in politics. In short, we’ve always thought that politics is too dirty and corrupt for us — that public service is something that those who can’t get good jobs spend their time doing.

Instead, we live our lives totally separate and apart from party politics — rarely meeting with Umno, PAS or PKR activists. We’ve been more focused on our families and our careers. This has allowed others have set the agenda politically.

Nonetheless, we’ve started to view Umno with alarm, seeing party members as rowdy, corrupt, ill-disciplined and greedy. We also worry at the current unrepentant tone and the way “winning at all costs” has supplanted any other higher aspirations.

At the same time PAS’ antics in Selangor in particular remind us of what the Ulama-led party is capable of when the opportunity arises. The constant pressure to take the moral high-ground, neglecting more serious governance and social issues reveals the conservative faction of PAS’ narrow-minded bigotry at its very worst.

So where does that leave the Malay middle class?.................

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2009-09-21T20:34:00.003+08:00

WHERE ARE JABU AND TAIB????

Finally, someone in the Sarawak state cabinet that has a spine and dare to discuss the Penan rape case issue when others, especially Taib and Jabu 'buat tak tahu' or 'deny everything' even if the evidence is staring them right under their noses.

Like I said previously, will they give the same response if it were to involve their family and friends???

Lo

...............The Sarawak Women and Family Council will hold a special meeting on Friday to discuss the report by the National Action Committee (JBPK) probing allegations of sexual abuse of Penan women.

Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Human Resource/Training), Datin Fatimah Abdullah, said the special meeting, which would be held at her house in Taman Desa Guru, would discuss in detail the JBPK report..............

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2009-09-19T21:12:00.003+08:00

HEADS MUST ROLL OVER THE PKFZ SCANDAL.........

I felt insulted after reading a report about the leaked cabinet paper that was published in Malaysia Today a few days ago.

It implied that the government knew all along about the escalating costs of the project but gave their approval anyway.

My question are;

Why has this thing been dragged for so long?

Why the culprits have not been charged in court?

Was this leaked paper included in the ongoing cabinet investigation?

Can we trust the cabinet to conduct the investigation? After all, it seem that cabinet knew all along about the escalating cost of the project?

I salute Raja Petra for being a courageous whistle blower, taking a great risk on himself as the document is protected under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

As taxpayer of this country, I have the right to know how the money is being managed. If the OSA is being used to cover up mistakes and bad management, then action must be taken to bring all involved to court.

If they still have some honour in them, they should tender their resignation immediately and stop making excuses for their misdeeds.

Shame on you Malaysian Cabinet..........

Lo

................."The question Najib has failed to answer is why the Cabinet papers on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal should continue to be kept as secret documents instead of being declassified, unless the Barisan Nasional has skeletons in the cupboard which must be kept hidden from public knowledge and scrutiny," Lim said.............

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2009-09-19T10:07:00.000+08:00

TO ALL MALAYSIANS, SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI

2009-09-16T17:33:00.002+08:00

LET US DEFEND OUR NCR LAND FROM THE LAND ROBBERS!!........

............About 120 Iban natives including women from Kampung Ensika, Kampung Entanggor, Kampung Tungkah Iban, Kampung Arus Sebangan are in full force once again setting up blockades to defend their communal land and forest from being destroyed by a logging company Hock Tong Hin (forest licence Holder of T/5090) and its contractor Forest Wealt Sdn Bhd.

This is the second time they have set up blockades to save their communal forest. The previous blockade was made on 14th day September 2006 and subsequently a suit was filed in 2007 (Suit No 22-118-2007) against the same licencee (Hock Tong Hin) which then their contractor was Roundtree Timber Sdn Bhd. The case trial has been set on the 8th December 2009............

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2009-09-16T10:58:00.003+08:00

SAMY, SAMY SAMY.........

My prediction is that Samy will (or is) destroy(ing) MIC........

............His team won the MIC party election and one delegates had apparently proposed that the former Prime Minster, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, be garlanded with slippers for his unfavourable comments on Samy Vellu.After receiving condemnation for the insult on Dr Mahathir, Samy Vellu announced immediate suspension of the delegate who made the proposal. Phew, what a suci tangan!

Just before the news of the suspension was relayed by The Star SMS service, several bloggers had apparently taken a stand to demand that the MIC be “kicked out of BN.”I would like to differ from them. Kicking the MIC out of BN is not one of the uses I have in mind for my foot. That would probably be an insult to my foot. I would spare my foot for more useful and beneficial purposes........

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2009-09-16T07:47:00.001+08:00

...................For the life of me, I simply cannot figure out how the two video clips mentioned can offend anybody, except perhaps the cow-head protesters and the Home Ministers. Malaysiakini was just reporting facts and events that had actually happened. If that is a crime against the law, then the government might as well close down all newspapers and all media organisations.

There are many other papers and media organisations that gave significant coverage to the two events. Why are they not interrogated and charged as well?.................

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2009-09-13T09:41:00.003+08:00

............AND THE SICKENING RESPONSE OF SARAWAK SO CALLED LEADERS

I wonder what would their reactions be if their wives, daughters or relatives were the victims??????

By far, Jabu, the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak gave the 'best' response which can be read here.

2009-09-11T18:54:00.002+08:00

WHAT SAY YOU..........?????

Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud said the reports were nothing but “lies” and demanded that the newspapers corrected them. “Check your information or you will be suspected by the decent people of Sarawak of trying to sabotage us when we have toiled to develop our state,” Taib said.

Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu who is the chairman of the steering committee on Penan Affairs said that it would be a waste of time to investigate. He said: “I have not heard of such complaints from the Penan communal leaders in my many visits to Ulu Baram.”

Sarawak’s Rural Development Minister James Masing described the Penans as “good storytellers”.

Now that the Women and Family Affairs Ministry has released its National Task Force Report confirming the allegations of sexual abuse of Penan women and young girls, these state leaders have switched to the silent mode.

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