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Monthly Archives: June 2008

What A Waste By Petronas – Malaysiakini

Over the last 10 years Petronas has spend RM550 million for the prestigious Petronas Philharmonic Orchestra, that is RM55 million a year.

When the average salary of a worker in Malaysia is between RM1000 and RM5000, the musicians, who are mostly foreigners, are paid between RM16,000 to RM 28,000. They have a 2 month holiday every year. The Conductor is paid RM40,000 a month.

What good news is this for the suffering public, where now ikan kembong is sold for RM12 when it was just RM6 to RM8 in most places.

Now back to the debate in Parliament, Deputy Minister SK Devamony argued not many companies in the country could well afford its musical programme. Well said, but this company belongs to the Government which was set up with people’s tax. Earnings from Petronas must be channeled for the welfare of the community, but the money goes to mega projects and wasted projects like Formula one, Terengganu boat race and Langkawi events. If the money had been re-directed to the people, the fuel price won’t be high. We are paying for the sins of our former Prime Minister and Badawi committed because they are not affected.

More than all that. How many of the 25 million people like symphony music. Do you? Not I, my music satisfaction comes from the radio in my car and the CD’s I purchase. Symphonic music is for the rich, a separate class of people who enjoy life music and luxurious living. Your listening pleasure must be cultivated and only the rich people can indulge in this.

So, Devamony don’t give us crap. Why have one facility that is exclusive and not for the 25 million.

The RM550 million could have been used for something better. When your stomach is empty, not now but as things are happening, in the near future, an empty stomach has no intrinsic value. It growls. Get the idea.

Gov’t defends Petronas’ Philharmonic Orchestra

The government has defended the decision to continue with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) being funded by Petronas, the state-owned oil company.

Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, SK Devamany said that not many companies in the country which could well-afford to sponsor its musical programme.

“This initiative by Petronas should be emulated by other companies in the country,” he told Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) during the oral question session.

He said its ‘intrinsic value’ was priceless for many and cannot be compared with money.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/85351

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Prior Knowledge Of A Mole – Malaysiakini

Malaysiakini reported an hour ago that Anwar Ibrahim was forewarned and asked to be careful about Saiful Bukhari Azlan who was taken in as a staff. This information was given by a party member.

This warning was ignored by Anwar. He, despite  the warning, started getting close to Saiful which would have raised eyebrows. Several blogs were pointed out to Anwar vide e-mail, about this chap, and it is not known if Anwar browsed them. The e-mail was also not replied.

Anwar also saw it fit to persuade the source concerned to withdraw something written on Saiful.

Was Anwar blind enough to trust Saiful fully, which gave the mole the chance to implicate him, or as claimed by his supporters, a trap was set to entrap him.

We have to wait and see.

Buggery Is Bad

Religions forbid sodomy or buggery, whether done with a male or female. It has its origin in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, with brimstone and fire from God, who destroyed the cities because the people there lived perverted lives. Read here and here.

Only yesterday the papers were splashed with news of the buggery case of Anwar Ibrahim as alleged by his aide. Today’s Star has another news of a similar nature involving an OCPD and two lance corporals in Terengganu,

Although scorned by the public, yet it is common knowledge that this type of nefarious activity goes on prevalently among consenting adults. The snag is when this action is forced on another, then it becomes criminal.

A friend of mine burdened by the high cost of living sarcastically commented, “it is all because of the rise in prices, they can’t get the original but therefore look for alternatives, didn’t the government advice change your life style”. He could be right.

KUALA TERENGGANU: Two police lance corporals have lodged reports alleging that their chief, an OCPD of a rural district in Terengganu, attempted to sodomise them, on two separate occasions.

In the first report made on Thursday, the 22-year-old cop claimed that he was sleeping at the OCPD’s house in mid-May when someone grabbed him from the back.

In his report, the cop alleged that the OCPD embraced and kissed him at about 3am.

The lance corporal also alleged that the senior officer dragged his “boxer” shorts down and attempted to sodomise him.

The subordinate claimed that he fled and hid in one of the rooms before deciding to lodge the police report.

The second report against the OCPD was made at 5.15pm on the same day by another 21-year-old cop who claimed that his chief had ordered him to accompany the OCPD to a bedroom on the second floor of a rest house here, early in March.

The policeman claimed the OCPD also tried to molest and sodomise him.

Both the reports were lodged at the Kelantan police headquarters in Kota Baru.

Senior police officials confirmed that the reports were lodged, adding that the two lance corporals had been transferred out of the district to facilitate investigations.

OCPD Kampar Dupes Everybody

I laughed reading this report. Here a man offered RM50 to a Police corporal, not once but three times. The only reason the Corporal refused the bribe was, perhaps it was too low, or there were others besides him to deter him taking the bribe. He should have arrested him the first time, but he was being kind.

Next we read, the bribe was offered, because they did want the 3 woman to be inspected. Nothing wrong was found.

No Policeman will refuse a bribe, without this second salary they will perish.
No Malaysian will offer a bribe if nothing is wrong.

Only Kampar OCPD Supt Nordin Manan made a fool of everybody including his CPO Perak and the IGP. Thank you Nordin.

clipped from thestar.com.my

IPOH: A Chinese national landed in hot water after he tried to bribe a police corporal at a roadblock near the Gopeng toll plaza.

Although the corporal waved off the money and warned him, the man repeatedly offered the RM50 note.

After the third time, the police finally arrested the 36-year-old man at the roadblock at 11.45pm on Saturday, and turned him over to the Anti-Corruption Agency at about 1pm Sunday.

“During inspection, the Chinese national approached them in a blue Proton Saga and asked police to free the three women.

“The man told them that the women were his relatives. Initial investigations reveal that he gave the bribe to exempt them from inspection,” he said in a press statement released Sunday.

It is learnt that the 54-year-old Malaysian and the three women, aged 18 to 20, only had their statements recorded as they had their personal documents with them.
  blog it

Death In Wedding

How stupid can we get. Somebody died. This is not a movie but real life.
clipped from thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: The younger brother of the bride in the botched wedding in Sungai Besi on Saturday died from a gunshot wound in the head.
The 23-year-old man was shot by a detective, who was a guest at the wedding. He died Sunday at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, said City CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Ku Chin Wah.
He said police have arrested the bride’s father and another person who were in a group that gate-crashed the Hindu wedding at Desa Tasik Sports Complex moments before the bride and groom were to be married.
It is believed that the bride did not get the consent of her family and the group arrived with parang (machetes) and chains to force her to cancel the wedding.
The group of about six, including a woman, began shouting before they started attacking the guests.
The plainclothes detective identified himself as a policeman and warned the group to stop and fired several warning shots.
But they charged at him forcing him to open fire and a bullet hit the bride’s younger brother.
blog it

The Last Straw – Malaysiakini

Yes, this broke the camel’s back. Malaysiakini reports that SA Vigneswaran MIC Youth chief quit the party effective 3 PM today. It is painful to leave a party which you have been with for 25 years. But then he is not Samy Vellu who happens to be in for 30 years, and wants to embed his name as the longest MIC President, notwithstanding whether he deserves that high honour or not. Does he really care for the 630,000 members in MIC: a figure inflated to show the strength of the party.

Has Sam ever contemplated that in this group of 630,000 members there may at least a single soul who can run MIC as the President, or have  the Indians retarded to a position of indentured labourers as when the first generation Indians arrived this shores, and their “gangani” or mandore under whom they worked was their demi-god. It looks the way now. Only the members can decide. Well I can foresee the mandore will be re-elected the next year and all the members will be subservient to him until he says good bye to his existence. Sometimes one wonders whether this big group are just yes man or mechanised robots who must have Samy to think for them.

SA Vigneswaran threw a challenge at Sam, leave the party and prove whether it can survive or it will be buried. By Samy leaving, MIC will survive – after all it had survived from 1946, under 6 previous Presidents and Sam will be another passing figure.

Vigneswaran is polite when he says the fateful defeat of MIC in March 8 tsunami, was caused by an individual, but it is an open secret that Uncle Sam was responsible.

Ong Ka Ting and Chan Kong Choy, to say the least, had some love for MCA to quit. Does Samy love MIC?

There is a tendency among Indians to be concerned that if you leave an organisation, unmindful of the benefits you obtained, then you become ungrateful. Perish this thought. What has happened to your contribution.

Well as it goes Uncle Sam will get elected next year and the “gangani” system will be given a new breath of life.

Forum On Social Contract – Malaysiakini

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/85240

The Bar Council’s forum “The Social Contract”  is over and surprisingly it was just discussions, for and against, and contrary to what Ibrahim Ali feared, the forum did not disintegrate into, affecting the sensitiveness of races, racial discomfort, Malay supremacy and a platform for sedition.  Read my comments here.

Ibrahim Ali is a devious politician, being bankrupt of ideas, clutches any straw to make sensational news to attract his former allies in UMNO. Fortunately the UMNO group knows him as a slippery eel, and will fall from one pot to another. Such is his character.

The forum made the ordinary man being made aware of what the social contract meant, and I dare say, there are many of us in the dark of this concept of a social contract.

So, Ibrahim Ali you can sleep in peace, nothing happened at the forum.

Would any blogger friend care enough to give a brief history on this Social Contract thing, to appreciate what was discussed in the forum. Thank you.

RPK And His Tryst With The Police – Malaysiakini

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/85225

I have been reading Malaysia Today for some time now and enjoy what the author Raja Petra Kamarudin says. His comments on various issues of the day, particularly relating to the Government, our leaders and VIPs in power, gives the readers insight information, and anecdotes which the MSM is unable to provide. It enhances the bare facts brought out by a paper and adds meat to the bare bone. So much so that when you read the mainstream media, and find something new, the tendency is there to browse Malaysia if RPK has a story on it.

If there is one, then you feel satisfied that RPK’s report has filled up the gaps left out by the media earlier, and you feel contended you are well informed of the whole issue.

Such is the trend and I am sure many other readers have this addiction in reading Malaysia Today as a real source of information.

The issue of the statutory declaration made by him on June 18, could be Raja Petra’s swan song and action may be taken by the Police for elements of libel against the government – and if this happens he may be put away for some time and we the readers will be disappointed the King of the blogging community is not there to give us hopes and aspirations. That will be a sad day indeed. Needless to say, most of the bloggers may close shop, no more WordPress or Blogspot com, and only the hardy may continue, maybe with reduced activity and perhaps only comment on woman clothing, inflation and the increase in crime. What a way to go.

Despite assurances by the Government, that blogging is part of the growing tendency for people to raise their voice, and then this phenomenon extends beyond the borders of our country, the government by strangling the voices of the people, is following a retrogressive step in the wrong direction.

RPK is not naive to clash with the Police. He is not going to put his head into the guillotine, willingly, waiting for the blade to come down. He knows the consequences. To my mind there is substance behind the SD which information RPK is privy to.

Confronting the Police is nothing new to RPK. He has gone through this a few times, and the interrogating Police have had butterflies in their stomach during questioning time. RPK is a tough nut to crack.

A short flash back, will reveal,  RPK and his tryst with the Sedition Act goes back to March 2001. In 2004 it was the case of the Yam Tuan of Negeri Sembilan, the case of Muhammad son of Muhammad, as he calls it, a case still pending, and maybe, God forbid, another one to come now.

One thing is sure. RPK is not going to be passive to receive the accusations lying down, he sure is going to fight, a fight for freedom to say what one feels is correct, barring the fact no libel or sedition is intended.

Kota Baru Goes Colourless – No lipsticks

I thought this controversy on lipsticks and high heels has ended. Lots of comments have been passed and I thought the instruction not to use lipstick and high heeled shoes have been withdrawn.

Anyhow, what is good about this Star report is, three young Kelantanese girls who are sales promoters have their say, and this is something for MPKB to chew on. They ask:

  • Do you want us to look like a living corpse
  • School girls not applying lipstick and high heeled shoes get raped
  • Will MPKB have a counter to buy back the high heeled shoes
  • Being sexy does not mean rape

These lasses must be congratulated for speaking up.

You can read my earlier comments here:

http://rvicdav.blogspot.com/2008/06/kb-council-says-no-lipstick-high-heels.html

http://rvicdav.blogspot.com/2008/06/pas-is-apolitical-it-is-islam.html

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/28/nation/21673083&sec=nation

KOTA BARU: The municipal council’s latest advisory on lipstick and high heels is not going down well with female sales promoters here.

A survey by The Star revealed that many of them felt that the council had gone overboard.

Norshuhaida: ‘It is like looking at a living corpse’

The circular “advising” women not to apply lipstick and wear leather high heels was distributed at premises licensed by the MPKB.

It was aimed at Muslim females working there.

While they said they accepted the wearing of tudung as part of the MPKB’s directive to women in retail outlets, they could not understand what the fuss was about lipstick and high heels.

Shamira: ‘Even a schoolgirl with no lipstick or heels can get raped’

“I disagree. I do not think there is anything negative about women wearing high heels,” said sales promoter Wan Noriana Wan Yaacob, 23.

She said MPKB should then have to have a buy-back counter for high heel shoes if it was going to stop her from wearing it.

Norshuhaida Che Nasir, 19, a salesgirl at an outlet that sells lipstick, was outraged.

She said that at least natural colour lipstick should be allowed.

“I actually agree with the negative side to putting on excessive make-up. It is like looking at a living corpse.”

Wan Noriana: ‘Then there should be a buy-back counter’

Shamira Salleh, 25, from Kampung Laut in Tumpat, said that women did not have to look sexy to get raped.

“Even a schoolgirl who does not apply lipstick or wear high heels can get raped.

“They (MPKB) should reconsider the advice,” she added.

Why Nazri Is Riled

Nazri always felt that he was the sole defender of what happens in Parliament, and anything that happens there must be done with his knowledge. Unfortunately, the barring of the press reporters from entering the lobby of the Parliament puts him in an embarrassing situation.

Nazri said the idea did not come from him. Originally the 3 speakers were made out to be authors of this scheme, but they too demurred realising the seriousness of barring the press reporters, and seeing the type of hype that was created. Hell broke loose when the Deputy Prime Minister wanted to have a press conference, and all reporters boycotted the event, except for Bernama.

Till date nobody knows who decided on the barring of the reporters.

As usual Nazri is barking up the wrong tree, what the Barisan Nasional backbenches club did was to save the government from loss of face, considering the stupidity of the move, and they removed the barricades.

Nazri wanted to be a hero, and when someone else stole away the privilege, he is getting angry. Poor Nazri.

Rift between Nazri and Tiong widens

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/28/nation/21683647&sec=nation

KUALA LUMPUR: The feud between Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz, minister in charge of Parliament affairs and Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BBC) chairman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has gathered momentum.

“I am expecting the BBC to recommend to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to sack me as a minister. If they dare not do that on Monday, then shut up and don’t talk anymore,” said Nazri.

He said this in response to Tiong’s statement that the club was upset with Nazri, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who had called the BBC members childish and gangster-like after they removed the barricade at Parliament lobby on Tuesday. The barrier was put up to ban reporters from moving freely in the lobby area.

Tiong said the backbenchers felt insulted by Nazri’s remarks.

He said that BBC checked with both Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and Nazri before removing the barricade.

He said both had said that they were not aware of the barricade.

Tiong had also said that the BBC would hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the issue and decide on the next course of action to be taken as they felt Nazri had gone overboard.