Lulu Hopes This 5th Year Of Badawi-ism is The Last Year Of Badawi-ism For All Malaysians

Tony Pua received a call late last night telling him that 4 lawyers who were trying to lodge a police report in a police station in Shah Alam were instead arrested.

You would also have read the news of police officers with automatic rifles charging at a 100 year old Hindu temple and its devotees to demolish the building. Many were injured as a result and one victim is apparently in a coma. Some 14 persons were arrested including a 15 year old boy.
Late last evening, 4 lawyers - P Uthayakumar, M Manoharan, V Ganabathy and Vethamoorthy went to Shah Alam police station to lodge a police report over the above incident.
Unbelievably, based on witness statements, they were denied entry into the police station at the gates. Shouting began and a small fracas soon followed with one of the lawyers pushed to the ground.
Finally, the lawyers were allowed in to lodge their report over the afternoon temple demolition incident.
However shockingly, the Deputy OCPD then appeared and had the four lawyers handcuffed and arrested!

It gets worse. Read it at http://tonypua.blogspot.com/2007/10/police-must-be-crazy.html

Some background to what happened.
Earlier, several hundred police personnel and local council authorities clashed with the residents who sought to stop the demolition of the 100-year temple in Padang Jawa. Workers from the Shah Alam City Hall had demolished the village’s Sri Maha Mariaman temple without a valid court order, said Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in a statement today.

What a wonderful way to mark the end of the fourth year under Badawi's rule. Almost every type of lawlessness and arrogance is evident in these events.
Lawlessness reigns - there was no paperwork to demolish the temple
Lawlessnees reigns - automatic rifles were dispatched
Lawlessness reigns - the public are not allowed entry into the police station
Lawlessness reigns - a 15 year old boy was detained and his parents were not allowed to see him
Lawlessness reigns - lawyers attempting to lodge a police report and instead handcuffed and arrested
Lawlessness reigns - those detained were refused their constitutional right to legal representation
Lawlessness reigns in those who have been given the charge to uphold the law.
and I'm not even going to start about why the sudden interest in the land where the temple sits, has the ownership of the land changed from the state to a business entity, the brokers and why council workers are doing the demolition work and how come the already so stretched police force is being used.

Yesterday marked the end of the 4th year of Badawi-ism.
Yeterday also saw Malaysians grieving over their 100 year old temple destroyed, families waiting anxiously outside the police station and people lay injured in the hospital
I hope it was a Happy 4 Year reign for him.
We enter the 5th year of Badawi-ism today.
I also hope it's his last.

Letter of appeal from Hindraf to the PM and other parties here
Malaysiakini update here

Lulu Wonders About The Ops Lalang Detainees

Ever since I put up the list, I have been wondering, what some of these 1st day Lalang detainees had done that earned them the privilege of being lalang-ed 20 years ago.
There were those on the list who were identified as businessmen, rubber tappers, nightmarket traders, lecturers and so on. Ordinary people like you and me. What did they do to earn the wrath of the Home Minister? How were they a threat to the nation?

I can't recall what it was that caused me to do a search on the name "Chee Heng Leng", one of the first day detainees of the swoop that took place 20 years ago.
I didn't even realise that the person is a lady.
From the google search, I learnt that she is an educationist, now working in NUS, Singapore. No, she did not leave the country after Ops Lalang. She continued to work in UPM until 2003, her last position was as an Associate Professor. Her area of expertise is on healthcare, with a focus on the corporatization of healthcare in Malaysia. She has a number of papers which are women related.

Some of the papers she published was co-written by Cecilia Ng, another familiar name.
Lulu googled it, and learnt the she is another of Ops Lalang's detainees. She was a lecturer, and like Dr Chee, Dr Ng was a woman activist. They are both PhD holders.
Malaysiakini has an article on her incarceration, Detained on strength of mere suspicion. She was held on the pretext of having links with the underground communist movement.

Dr Chee Heng Leng
Dr Cecilia Ng
two ordinary normal everyday women, doing their part as Malaysians advocating not just women's rights per se, but a better life for women in Malaysia.
Does it scare you into thinking that if you stand up against what is wrong and press for what is right, you would be incarcerated?
It does scare me.
But what is even scarier would be what happens if we remain silent.
I really don't want to know, and so I will continue to blog about what is wrong. This is a pale comparison to what these two brave women have contributed, but I do hope that I am making a difference.
I hope that you would make your stand too in issues that affect this nation of ours.

DAP will be holding a public forum on Remembering Ops Lalang (1987-2007) tomorrow.
Date: 31 October 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:30p.m-1045p.m.
Venue: KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Special Guest: Malek Hussin (Chairman, MAFREL and former ISA detainee)
Speakers:
Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Chairman, Gerakan Masuhkan ISA)
Nolaila Othman (Wife of a current ISA detainee)
Lim Kit Siang (Parliamentary Opposition Leader)
Karpal Singh (DAP National Chairman)
Tan Seng Giaw (DAP Deputy National Chairman)
Lim Guan Eng (DAP Secretary-General)
the last four names were taken in during Lalang.
In Remembering Ops Lalang, we will also remember to press to abolish the ISA.

Why Did Lulu Gasp So Loudly When She Saw This Bit Of News on Malaysiakini?

afterall, his name has been refered to many times in many blogs.
To quote him, "it is public knowledge that I was the officer referred to in these widely sensationalised news"
but to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, to hear it from the man who is our Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director, a top ranking police officer really shocks Lulu.

And that is the way it should be.
We need to be countinuously shocked. Some things we must NEVER accept.

The revelations made in the AG reports revealing how overpriced some of the items some ministiris have purchased must shock us. Misuse and abuse of funds must be noted, and we have to make the government know that we will not tolerate these nonsense. We make our unacceptable shock known via "letters to the editor" in the newspapers and through our blogs. People's Parliament has shown us time and again how to write letters to our MP.

News that a certain person in authority, be they goverment servants or elected politicians, are corrupt must shock us. When we start becoming desensitised and accept it, it becomes a way of life in Malaysia.
The next time someone offers "help", open your eyes big-big, and look shocked. If they hold back your approvals etc, continue to visit them with big-big eyes, blind and stupid in their ways. Your ways will tire them out.

News of children abused, young lives taken away must always shock us.
We must mourn for them and their family. Then we are to look at the society around us and be determined to make changes that counts.
We are never to be desensitised to this sort of news.

Even the news that "Umno Youth will continue to use the keris as its symbol at the coming party general assembly and believes that with time the non-Malays will become de-sensitised to it."
We are never to be de-sensitised when someone waves a keris and threatens to be unhesitant about using it. Any sane man would not raise a keris in this manner in an open street. We remain concern in case some over zealous person attending the meeting takes the politician-performer seriously and uses the keris.

We have to maintain this sensitivity lest this becomes a way of life for our children.

Lulu Wants You To Wonder What The Future Holds For Your Children

Abdullah also said that the Bar should make a stand for the country as a whole and not for any internal pressure groups or its members.
"For instance, when the Bar Council officially supports dissenting judgments or pushes forward its view that Malaysia is a secular state, (it) must take care to not simply represent the views of certain segments of society."
Malaysiakini - PM rebukes lawyers over protest

In the issue of Malaysia being a secular state, the Bar Council members are protecting and defending what is stated in the constitution.
So what is it? Islamic state? Secular state?

The constitution tells me that it is secular.
Looking at the history of this nation, from 1957 all the way up to 2000 [and maybe more], we were secular.

Who says it is Islamic?
Mahathir did.
When? Under pressure from an emboldened Islamist opposition, and soon after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the former prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, said on Sept. 29, 2001, that Malaysia was, after all, "an Islamic state."
It has been seen by some observers as an effort to counter the rise of the ultra-conservative Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) which is winning support from a growing number of Muslim Malays. IHT
Badawi parrots it, as does Najib and a few more whom Lulu is not bothered to mention.
certain segments of society? yup! the segment which is trying to out-Islamise PAS holds this view.
On what basis are they saying this?

Twenty years ago, all this would have been unthinkable.
Go watch any of the P.Ramlee era movies which are screened on RTM2 at 10:30pm Sunday. That was what it was like for your children's grandparents.
What will your children see twenty years from now?
Are you willing to silently accept it?

worth watching At the Crossroads - Malaysia
worth reading RELIGION-MALAYSIA: Rediscovering Secularism

In The Judiciary, Can Lulu Place Her Trust and Hope?

‘in the judiciary, people place their trust and hope’

At 14th Malaysian Law Conference, Sultan Azllan Shah gave these pointers in his opening address.
Public confidence in the judiciary is based on four evaluating criteria. They are:
(1) the principle of independence of the judiciary;
(2) the principle of impartiality of adjudication;
(3) the principle of fairness of trial; and
(4) the principle of the integrity of the adjudicator.
He then asks: How does our judiciary measure today against these criteria?

In your own personal opinion, how does our judiciary measure?
1/10?
5/10?
9/10?
10/10?
Anything short of 10/10, you should worry.

Look at it this way - you wouldnt want the one to whose case is on the short end of the stick, right?
The judiciary needs to strive for perfection, to always be seen above board.

What we have now is a sad, sad state of affair.
The judiciary needs to be cleaned up, probably bleached too, and returned to its honoured rightful position.

For your sake,
without fear or favour
For your children's sake
without fear or favour
For all who seeks protection in the law
without fear or favour
For the clean judges sake
without fear or favour

Lulu Hopes It Doesn't Trickle Like This

The newsreader was announcing over the radio about the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) launch this morning.
The master plan involves 227 projects in infrastructure, tourism, education, manufacturing, the oil and gas sector and agriculture, and is expected to create 560,000 jobs and attract RM112bil worth of investments over the next 12 years.
The mission of the ECER is to move the economy up the value chain, raise capacity for knowledge and innovation, address persistent socio-economic inequalities, improve the standard and quality of life and strengthen the institutional and implementation capacity.

What got Lulu's attention was that the newsreader also said that the KLSE was expected to rally today, as the market rallied during the launch of the Iskandar Development Region covering southern Johor, and the Northern Corridor Economic Region covering Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak.
erhm... for Lulu, this sounds more like a construction / real estate project, rather that one with the noble intentions stated in the mission of the ECER (see para above).

Then Lulu saw this little headliner in Malaysiakini.

Lulu hopes that it will not trickle in this manner
Lulu hopes that she is wrong.
Lulu wants to be wrong.
Lulu hopes that PM will be faithful to his Islam Hadhari principles and not allow this kind of nonsense to happen.
Lulu hopes that the ACA, which seems so clued in and powerful nowadays, would have its ears glued to the ground, and their eyes monitoring the money trail of the suspisious few.

IGP, Whilst You Are At It, Lulu Suggests You Check The Investigation on the Apollo Market Raid

IGP wants to know if drug raid was authorised
Was it an impromptu or an unauthorised raid? This is the question Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan wants answered after two policemen were shot dead and two others were critically wounded in a drug bust on Thursday.

Lulu thinks you should also check out this one whilst you are at it.
The incident happened at the Apollo market on Sunday, Sept 23rd.
Read it here.
There was a police report lodged, so, Lulu guesses, investigation is in progress?

Lulu Actually Read Through The Whole Interview

and with this "see no evil" [can't say the same about the other 2 actions] attitude, we really, really have to pray for this beloved nation of ours.

Can you imagine a sailor, retuning to his home after a year at sea. At the port, the harbour master tells him, "Your wife was unfaithful to you in your absence"
The sailor say, "Unless you bring the culprit to me, I won't believe you"
As he gets onto the taxi, the taxi driver tells him, "Your wife was unfaithful to you in your absence"
The sailor say, "Unless you bring the culprit to me, I won't believe you"
When he gets home, the housemaid tells him, "Your wife was unfaithful to you in your absence"
The sailor say, "Unless you bring the culprit to me, I won't believe you"
Finally, the sailor is greeted by his wife.
His heavily pregnant wife.
And he tells her, "Hey wifey, on my way home, three of the townfolk told me that you're having an affair. Nah... I don't believe them. They're just trying to discredit you. Just Three out of the five hundred residents in town. WHat is that?"
"And, if that was true, they would bring out the men whom you have been having an affair with, right?"
"Until then, it’s just mere chit-chat in the coffeeshop. That’s all."

Lulu's Dedication To All Ops Lalang Detainees - Of Mice and Men

Following up to an earlier post, attached is a list of names of those who were detained on 27th Oct 1987.
This list is taken from the book Malaysia 45 Years Under ISA by Koh Swee Yong. The book is available at Popular Bookstore [which is where I got mine from] and also Kinibooks at RM50.00. 1. Lim Kit Siang
Age 46, Secretary General of Democratic Action Party (DAP), Opposition Leader in the parliament

2. Lim Fong Seng
Age 62, Chairman of Dong Zong, the United Chinese School Committees Association Malaysia. A well known tin-miner, Chairman of the School Board of Goveners of Confucian High School KL

3. Sim Mou Yu
President Jian Zong, the United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaysia

4. Datuk Yap Pian Hon
Age 46, Chairman of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Youth, Exco of Selangor State Assembly

5. Karpal Singh
Age 47, Deputy Chairman of DAP, MP for Jelutong and State Assemblyman for Bukit Gelugor

6. Chan Kit Chee
Age 56, Vice-President of Jian Zong, Chairman MCA Liason Committee of Perak

7. Dr Tuang Pik King
Age 42, Vice President of Jian Zong, the United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaysia, Principal of Confucian High School, KL

8. Dr Kua Kia Soong
Director, Chinese Resource and Research Center, KL. Publicity Chief of Civil Rights Committee

9. Dr Chandra Muzaffar
Age 40, President of Aliran, member of Asian Human RIghts Commission

10. Hu Sepang
Age 40, MP for Rasah, Organisiing Secretary for DAP cum Chairman of DAP Negeri Sembilan

11. Lim Guan Eng
Age 27, MP for Kota Melaka, son of Lim Kit Siang

12. Dr V David
Age 55, MP for Puchong. Secretary General for Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC)

13. Tan Chai Ho
Age 37, Senator, Head of MCA Youth Vanguard. Vice-Chairman of MCA Youth

14. Lee Chan Fei
Age 48, former State Assemblyman for Tapah, Perak. Contractor. MCA Batu Gajah Division Chairman

15. P Patto
Age 41, MP for Ipoh, DAP Deputy Secretary General

16. Kerk Kim Hock
Age 31, DAP State Assemblyman for Durian Daun

17. Hiew Yun Tat
Chairman of Perak Anti-Radioactive Committee

18. Hiew Yew Lan
Age 44, Gerakan Ipoh Municipal Councillor, Papan Action Committee advisor, Vice-Chairman of Perak Anti-Radioactive Committee, tin mine manager

19. Lee Koon Bun
Age 60, Vice Chairman of Perak Anti-Radioactive Committee, Secretary of Papan Anti-Radioactive Action Committee

20. Ibrahim Ali
UMNO MP fpr Pasir Mas Kelantan, detained under ISA in 1975 for a year as President of Mara Institute of Technology Student Union

21. Liew Chong Beng
Age 28, businessman, exco of the Selangor Chinese School Action Committee

22. Chee Heng Leng
Age 32, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (now Universiti Putra) lecturer, member of Insan

23. Dr Tan Ka Kheng @ K.K. Tan
Age 35, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (now Universiti Putra) lecturer, Vice Chairman of Enviromental Protection Society of Malaysia, adivsor to Perak Anti-Radioactive Committee

24. Meenakashi Raman
Age 29, Legal Advisor to Consumer Association of Penang (CAP), one of the lawyers acting for residents of Bukit Merah, Ipoh who brought a suit against Asian Rare Earth Sdn Bhd

25. Song Kang Swee @ S.K. Song
DAP State Assemblyman for Bandar Maharani (Muar) Johor

26. Sim Tong Him
DAP State Assemblyman for Tengkerah

27. Yau Jiok Hua
DAP Malacca chairman, State Assemblyman for Kubu, lawyer

28. Yang Khar Ming
Nightmarket hawker

29. Lai Thean Loy
Businessman

30. Tan Bee Hwa
Christian Missionary

31.Pang Chau Nam

32. Eng Thiang Lai
A MCA Youth leader

33. Thean Kooi
businessman

34. Loong Ming
Age 50, rubber tapper

35. Lim Chin Chin
Age 32, Pro-Tem secretary of Aliran KL Branch, coordinator for the research at the Christian Federation of Malaysia

36. Lai Shew Yet
businessman

37. Dr Poh Boon Sing
UPM Engineering Faculty lecturer

38. Low Tin Hock
self-employed

39. James Lai Chee Seng
Pastor of First Baptist Church

40. Wong Heng Wee
Rubber tapper from Kampung Baru Cina

41. Loh Foh Lai
Rubber Tapper

42. Jamaludin Othman
Religious Teacher, a Malay who converted to Christianity

43. Abdul Latif Mohamad
Age 47, former PAS youth leader, committee member of PAS Besut division

44. Haji Muhammad Ariff Yaacob
Perak PAS ulamak chief

45. Muhamad Sabu
Age 33, Penang PAS Youth Chief

46. Bunyamin Haji Yaakob
Age 41, Exco PAS Youth, Kelantan PAS Youth leader

47. Khaled Abu Samad
Age 32, PAS Youth Secretary, considered a promising second echelon leader in PAS

48. Mohamed Yusuf Karim
Age 40, head of the Naksabandiah Religious Group

49. Haji Suhaimi Saad
Age 42, PAS legal advisor

50. Tajuddin Abdul Rahman
Exco of UMNO Youth and Deputy Chairman of Perak UMNO Youth

51. Arokiadass
Age 42, engineer, unionist, Parti Rakyat Malaysia member

52. Dr MohamadNasir Hashim
Associate Professor at UKM, Deputy Dean of the Medical Faculty, Chairman of Insan

53. Mohamed Yunus bin Lebai Ali
self employed, PAS Baling Division secretary

54. Halim Arshat
PAS Youth Chief

55. Brother Anthony Rogers
Age 38, assistant director of the National Office for Human Development

56. Chow Chee Keong
Engineer

57. Chew Wa Boo
Vegetable seller

58. Sivamoorty s/o Solai
Chairman of a factory in-house workers union, a lawyer

59. Chay Tow Wah
Farmer

60. Cheong Ah Kow @ Ah Kow
Insurance agent

61. Wee Choo Keong
lawyer, DAP advisor

62. Mohamed Fahmi Ibrahim
Age 39, State Assemblyman for Pandan, UMNO Youth Exco

63. Kee Chong @ Kee Choy
sawmiller

64. Ong Tin Kim
Gerakan Parlimentary Secretary to the Minister of Post and Telecommunications

65. Hilmy Mohamed Nor
Marketing representative, a Malay who converted to Christianity

Another 54 were taken in before the end of this bleak dark shameful year in Malaysia history.

Lulu's Dedication To All Ops Lalang Detainees

The first indication that sections within the MCA was willing to push a harder line for the resolution of Chinese grievances came in November 1986, when the Selangor branch of the MCA, which was headed by the national deputy president and Labour Minister Lee Kim Sai, passed a resolution calling for the abolition of bumiputera status for the Malays and the East Malaysian natives. The resolution provoked an immediate backlash from UMNO members, who interpreted it as a demand for the end of the cherished Malay ‘special rights’. Forty-six UMNO MPs wrote to Mahathir, asking him to sack Lee from the cabinet, who himself offered to resign. Whilst the rift was quickly patched over in public – the Selangor MCA withdrew the resolution and the Sultan of Selangor publicly reprimanded Lee and warned him not to question Malay special rights – many within UMNO remained unappeased, and it contributed to deteriorating relations between the parties, most notably in the virtual demonisation of Lee that was to arise later in 1987 (Asiaweek, 23/11/1986).

Tensions between the MCA and UMNO soon spilled over into broader ethnic tension with Malaysian society. Language and education issues – a political flashpoint since the days of the Malayan Union plan in the 1940s and, as we have seen in relation to the Merdeka University controversy, accentuated by the social programme of the NEP – proved to be the spark point for the escalation of tensions.
The first round of protests came in August, when Universiti Malaya instituted a ruling limiting the use of Mandarin, Tamil and English in the teaching of elective subjects. The decision provoked demonstrations from non-Malay students, who interpreted the ruling as an attempt by the administration to boost the academic performance of the Malays compared to the other ethnic groups (NST, 02/08/1987).
The ever-belligerent UMNO Youth soon waded into the controversy, criticising the demonstrators but doing nothing to prevent counter-demonstrations by students supportive of the university’s move (NST, 04/08/1987).
As the protests continued, police were forced to keep the contending groups of demonstrators apart (NST, 18/08/1987).
By October, the DAP had become involved in the protests and the police were making numerous arrests (NST, 10/10/1987).

The Universiti Malaya uproar was soon overshadowed, however, by a national level dispute, also concerning language and education, when the Education Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the promotion of around ninety teachers who were not educated in Chinese-language schools to senior positions in government-supported Chinese-language primary schools. The promotions caused a storm of protest from the Chinese community, which saw the move as an attempt to ‘change the character of the Chinese schools’, and perhaps ultimately pave the way for their disestablishment (Tan 2000: 244).
Although Anwar quickly backed down over the appointments, Chinese opposition parties and educationalist groups continued to protest, demanding the instant withdrawal of the appointees. Again, the Chinese parties in the BN were clearly pressurised by the protests into adopting a more chauvinistic position, for fear of losing ground to the DAP. In a sensational turn, the MCA and members from other Chinese parties in the BN, again led by Lee Kam Sai, thus joined a protest rally with the DAP and other Chinese-based opposition parties, calling for a boycott of the schools involved (NST, 12/10/1987).
The boycott saw over thirty thousand children kept away from school by their parents (NST, 16/10/1987).

The cycle of protest was intensified by a series of counter-demonstrations organised by various groups with UMNO. On the same day as the MCA-DAP joint rally, some five hundred UMNO members also held a demonstration, but the primary target of their anger was their coalition partner the MCA, rather than the DAP; demonstrators burnt MCA flags and posters (NST, 12/10/1987).

Subsequently, on October 17, UMNO Youth held a rally at a disused stadium in Kampung Baru, a large Malay district in Kuala Lumpur. The rally, attended by some six thousand people, was highly chauvinistic, and the target of the protesters wrath was against the government MCA rather than the opposition DAP. Banners called for the resignation and of Lee Kim Sai, and urged the MCA to ‘go to Hell’ (pergi Jahanam). Other banners expressed broader and often violent anti-Chinese sentiments: ‘May 13 has begun’, a reference to the ethnic riots of 1969, and ‘Soak [the kris] in Chinese blood’ (Malaysia 1988: 17).
The UMNO Youth president, Najib Tun Razak, addressed the crowd, calling for Lee’s resignation and demanding that the MCA acquiesce to government policy, or else leave the BN (Asiaweek, 20/10/1987).

By the end of October 1987, then, ethnic tensions in the country were reaching critical levels. As news spread of freak shooting incident when an army sergeant ran amok killing one Chinese and wounding another Chinese and a Malay in the Chow Kit area of Kuala Lumpur, the centre of the 1969 riots, many people rushed to stockpile food, fearing the outbreak of rioting. Increasing public attention was focussed on a mass rally planned for 1 November to celebrate UMNO’s fortieth year, postponed since 1986 (the actual anniversary) and relocated from Johor (UMNO’s birthplace) to Kuala Lumpur. Up to a half million Malays were expected to join the rally, in what was seen by many as a show of strength by Mahathir against the UMNO dissidents (Asiaweek, 06/11/1987). With ethnic tensions running high, however, it was feared that the rally would prove to be the spark point for fresh riots. In such a context, there was little doubt that the government needed to take action to calm sentiments and prevent an escalation of conflict.
All the above text was taken from Balancing the Risks of Corrective Surgery: The political economy of horizontal inequalities and the end of the New Economic Policy in Malaysia
Graham K. Brown

On Tuesday, 27 October 1987, the police launched Operasi Lalang [Operation “Weed Out”] within the first day, Operasi Lalang made fifty-five arrests, all under the ISA [Internal Security Act which provides detention without trial] of DAP (Democratic Action Party) MPs, a DAP state assemblyman, second echelon MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) leaders, Chinese educationists, prominent NGO figures, and university lecturers.
Three newspapers, The Star, Watan, and Sin Chew Jit Poh, were suspended indefinitely.
Over the next few days, more people were arrested, including politicians from Pemuda UMNO (UMNO Youth) … Gerakan, PAS (Malaysian Islamic Party,) and the PSRM (Malaysian Socialist Party,) local Muslim teachers, members of some Christian groups, and other NGO activists.
The arrests spread geographically from Peninsular Malaysia to Sarawak where local environmentalists and anti-timber logging natives were also detained. The waves of arrests, though lessening after October, continued until the number of detainees reached a peak figure of 119 in December.
PARADOXES OF MAHATHIRISM : An Intellectual Biography of Mahathir Mohamad by Khoo, Boo Teik

This post is dedicated to all of you [scan Star taken from JeffOoi]
SAY NO TO ISA!

Lulu Dunno If It Is The Star, The ACA or Anwar Who's Playing Games

regarding ACA's no-show yesterday, according Malaysiakini,

“I failed to understand (this). It could be that the ACA officers are forced to refer to the top if I do give all the evidence and (have to decide) what (they will) do next,” he said.
He disclosed that the ACA officers had phoned him at 11am to say they were on their way to his office in Petaling Jaya. Ten minutes later, they called to cancel the appointment. “They said they were instructed to cancel the meeting until further notice,” he said, quoting ACA special task branch head Sazali Salbi, who had led the investigation team in questioning Anwar for the second time on Monday.
Sazali, when contacted, said he has been directed not to issue any statement to the media. ACA director-general Ahmad Said Hamdan could not be reached for immediate comment.

The Star, however, reports that

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has yet to hand over to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) the original video clip purportedly showing a lawyer brokering the appointment of judges.
This is despite a commitment the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto head gave to the ACA on Tuesday to hand over a “genuine and proper copy” of the video clip on Thursday.
ACA had earlier issued an order to Anwar to hand over the 14-minute clip to assist in investigations.
The agency stated that Anwar had called its officer, asking him to collect the video clip from him.
“Under the order, it is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s responsibility to come and hand over the video clip at the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency said the clip Anwar wanted to hand over was only a copy of the original in a thumb drive (eight-minute long) and not the original clip as ordered.
“Datuk Seri Anwar has failed to hand over the original video clip. Failure to do so is an offence under the Anti-Corruption Act, punishable under Section 58 of the Act with a fine not more than RM10,000 or jail up to two years or both,” it said.

You also have to bear in mind that Anwar suddenly disclosed that he was prepared to hand over to the ACA the full 14minute version in spite of earlier assurances and confirmations by his aide that all the officers would get from him was the eight-minute version, in order to protect the identity of the two unnamed sources who recorded the footage in 2002.

Between the three of them, Lulu's not sure who's acting and who's not.
The only one Lulu's sure is not acting is the main character in the video clip.

Lulu's LOL! Kononnya UMNO Is Mature

“We’ve never made any such attempts. Never. Umno is mature. We’ll leave it to the delegates,” Umno secretary-general Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.
Malaysiakini - Nov 5-9 Umno AGM: No gag order on delegates

Then erh... Lulu guesses that it is the Malaysians who are not mature enought to stomach remarks like
- Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein waving a keris two years ago
- one delegate last year warned that more was to come if Malay-Muslim interests were threatened.
- Hashim Subuh's “Hishammuddin has unsheathed the keris. He has waved it. He has kissed it. We ask now when he is going to use it,”
- Hasnoor Sidang Husin's “Umno is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defence of race and religion”.

Lulu Is Excited For The Penangites Cos Malam Bangsa Malaysia Is Coming To Town

We had ours in KL the weekend before Merdeka.
Aishah, Rocky, Big Dog, June-E, Bangmalaysia, Nuraina, YB Jeff Ooi, Walski, SK Thew, Melvin Mah, Euphoria in Misery, Rajahram, Nocturnal Mind and Howsy blogged about it.

Now the Bangsa Malaysia team is taking the event to Penang.

Event : Malam Bangsa Malaysia
Date : 3rd November, 2007
Time : 8.00pm
Venue : Room A, Dewan Sri Pinang, Pulau Pinang.

There will be a charge of RM10 per person to cover rental and refreshment costs.
The event can only accomodate 200 people and attendance is by invitation.

The organising team has also put together a forum entitled ‘One People, One Nation’ which is open to all who are registered to attend the get-together later that night.
The forum is scheduled to start at 5pm. Registration will start at 4.30pm.
Speakers for the forum are :
1. Dato Lim Chong Keat (pending confirmation )
2. Khoo Kay Peng ( independent political analyst )
3. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar
4. Haris Ibrahim
5. Aliran president P Ramakrishnan
You can read about the KL Bangsa Malaysia get-together HERE.
___________________________________
What you need to do to get an invitation
Firstly, as places are limited, please be sure that you can attend before you ask for the invitation.
If you are very sure that you can make it, please send an e-mail to bangsamalaysiapenang@gmail.com
In your email, please provide the following details :
1. Name ( as per IC ) and IC number
2. Contact number
3. A liitle bit about yourself ( where you’re from, what you do ). Also tell us what your feelings are about the last fifty years of independance and what your hopes are for the coming fifty years. Also, share your thoughts on what you think needs to be done to make the aspiration of one people, one nation a reality in Malaysia.

All e-mails will be replied.
All particulars furnished will be treated with utmost confidence.

Lulu Gives You An Example Of One Who Is Not A Man

"I used the foul word because I was defending my race and country. You were attacking my race and that's why God has taught you a good lesson by putting you in a wheelchair,"
BN Jerai Badruddin

You think NST and Malaysiakini is oversensationalising it?
Allow Lulu to share the Hansard on this

Dato' Paduka Haji Badruddin bin Amiruldin [Jerai]: Apa pasal tidak apa, itu bahasa yang negeri, dan saya menggunakan perkataan itu kerana Yang Berhormat pada masa itu Yang Berhormat biadab dalam dewan ini, menghina bangsa Melayu, menghina bangsa saya. Kita kena ajar orang macam ini dan sekarang Tuhan dah ajar dia Tuan Yang di-Pertua. Seorang ahli politik yang veteran tetapi tidak ada hikmah, tidak ada budi, tidak ada bahasa dan menghina negara Malaysia sebagai negara Islam. Menghina orang Melayu,
Tuan R. Karpal Singh [Bukit Gelugor]: Duduk, duduk.
Tuan Yang di Petua, Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Dr. Yusof bin Yacob]: Yang Berhormat Jerai, duduk Yang Berhormat Jerai
Dato' Paduka Haji Badruddin bin Amiruldin [Jerai]: Ini bukan kawasan Yang Berhormat di Gelugor. Jadi apakah saya tidak boleh mempertahankan maruah dan agama saya, bukan Tuan Yang di-Pertua, orang ini, mengungkit perkara-perkara lama. Dia panggil orang binatang, dia panggil orang macam-macam. Yang Berhormat sendiri kena bersopan santun kalau mahu ajar orang, kalau Yang Berhormat sendiri pun dah perangai macam itu dengan berkerusi roda, ini Tuhan telah tunjukkan kepada Yang Berhormat. Di atas sikap Yang Berhormat yang angkuh itu.
Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Dr. Yusof bin Yacob]: Cukup Yang Berhormat bagi Jerai. Ya.
Dato' Paduka Haji Badruddin bin Amiruldin [Jerai]: Terima kasih Yang Berhormat.

Cik Fong Po Kuan [Batu Gajah]: Saya pohonlah Yang Berhormat bagi Jerai, jangan menghina kepada OKU. Jangan, tak baik macam itu.
Dato’ Paduka Haji Badruddin bin Amiruldin [Jerai]: Kalau dia tidak menghina saya ......
Cik Fong Po Kuan [Batu Gajah]: Boleh menggunakan apa perkara tetapi tidak boleh menghina OKU.
Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Dr. Yusof bin Yacob]: Yang Berhormat bagi Batu Gajah sila duduk. Yang Berhormat bagi Jerai ......
Dato’ Paduka Haji Badruddin bin Amiruldin [Jerai]: Kalau sedar dia OKU, berbudi bahasa seperti orang OKU.

Hansard 23rd Oct from the parliament website pg 41-43

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
.... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!
Rudyard Kipling's If

Dato' Paduka Haji Badruddin bin Amiruldin MP of Jerai is so, very not there

If Only Lulu Could Have Great Men Rule Our Great Country

A great man never needs to point out to people, "Admit it, I am great!"
A great man's greatness is so evident, people cannot help but notice it.

If - Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!

Our leaders, sad to say, got it all wrong.
So, so, so wrong.
if only these leaders of our nation could be a man...

I hope you will share this with your kids tonight.

Lulu And 4,000 Others Have Signed the Petition to the Agong to be submitted on 25/10/2007

have you signed?

Lulu has
so has Haris
and Malik Imtiaz
and Tricia Yeoh
and Darren Hsu
and Ghostline
and WaiKC
and JeffOoi
and Rocky
and KualaLumpurisHome
and Lucia
and SKThew
and Edward
and Helen Ang
and Zorro
and Tony Yew AND his church

i could go and and on and on, but this post needs to go out
If you have not signed it, if you're thinking about it and are not sure, check what the other bloggers have to say and why they are signing it.

Quickly!
Haris has to compile the names, and get it ready before the Rulers meet tomorrow!

Any Yet Another of Lulu's Wondering

you know how Lulu wonders about a lot of things?
Now Lulu is wondering about Lingam and the person behind the Lingam tape.

Lingam was caught on video

expressing concerned that the outgoing CJ was moving his ‘men’ into top judiciary posts. The conversation revolved around the urgent need to get Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, then chief judge of Malaya - the judiciary’s No 3 - appointed as Court of Appeal president (No 2) and then chief justice (No 1). There was also the plan to get former attorney-general Mokhtar Abdullah, who was then a Federal Court judge, to replace Ahmad Fairuz as No 3.

History reveals either [take your pick]
a) a really bizarre coincidence
b) Lingam's expertise in foretelling the future
c) no need to say lah huh....

Anwar/PKR who received the originally-14-minute-but-was-cut-to-8-minutes-to-hide-the-identity-of-the-tape-er tape have painsakingly protected his identity for the safety of the whistle blower.
Now everyone - the police, the lawyer, the judge, the ACA, probably even the underworld are looking for him. Kinda like a Canto flick.

Anwar said,

the whistleblowers, who witnessed the conversation taking place, will only come forward if the government can guarantee their safety.
"At the right time, these people will come out. Give them an undertaking today, and in a few days they will come out and Malaysians will know the truth. Their issue is personal safety," Anwar said.
"Attempts to incarcerate the whistleblowers will serve to further exacerbate the public's outrage and will certainly draw the condemnation of the international community that is monitoring developments in this case," he said.

so, Lulu's wondering, if you were Lingam,
Wouldnt you have a short list of suspects already? Whilst you may not remember that conversation exactly and who was there, you know who amongst your circle knows your deepest darkest secret. Wouldn't you flush them out one by one?
Would it not be safer for the tape-er to come out in the open and seek the protection of being in the limelight?

This is another bizarre possibility that has been in Lulu's little mind for a while.
Looks like the whistle blower has also been naughty-naughty as there are concerns of incarceration. What if the tape-er was the lawyer himself? He's gone to "the other side". He's offering to spill the beans in exchange for amnesty. Hence the wayang kulit, the teasing game, the brokering for his safety etc.

Hopefully the person will come forward soon.
And with it comes the domino collapse of the dirty fellas and a cleaning up of our judiciary system.
In a fair world, yes... here in Malaysia, Lulu's not too sure...

the more factual, non-wondering, non bizzare possibilities were sourced from Malaysiakini's SPECIAL REPORT: The Lingam tape

Just As Lulu Was Thinking, Hush... Don't Let Anthony and Peter Hear About This

too late... Peter Tan, being ever so digitally connected picked up on this bit of NST news via SK Thew

An angry Badruddin shouted back at Karpal. “You are no better. Calling us (BN MPs) animals… you insult people. Now you are sitting in a wheel chair. God has punished you.”

NST Online -October 23, 2007: Karpal: Lawyer wrote part of judgment for civil suit

shhhh.... try not to tell Anthony Thanasayan about it. Don't wanna give him the painful reminder that idiots and bigots are running our country.

Lulu Doesn't Want The Little Children To Suffer Anymore

I think most of you who read this blog are parents. God has blessed you with children to love and to raise.
I'm not a parent. But over the years, I've worked and played with children. Church kids, friend's kids, squatter kids and neighbour's kids, and I enjoy it very much.

The past few days, I feel very saddened to see these type of news in the papers.

On Saturday it was
Boy dies in brutal attack
KAPAR: A seven-year-old boy died after being stabbed four times in Taman Perangsang for allegedly disturbing chicken and turkeys belonging to a 15-year-old boy.
Police arrested the assailant, believed to be a student of a religious school, shortly after the attack on Mohd Khairulnizam Riza Azmi, a Year One pupil of SK Abdul Samad in Kapar, yesterday afternoon

Today, I read that
Schoolboy dies in scuffle
BAGAN SERAI: A scuffle between two students of SMK Bagan Serai, believed to be over a stolen pen, ended with one of them getting killed.
Remove Class student Loh Wei Kuan, 13, was rushed to the Bagan Serai health clinic about 500m away from the school after the 12.35pm incident yesterday but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

I feel very sad that children are killed by children, those not much older than themselves.
For the child who murdered, he bears this burden of guilt and regret for the rest of his life.

One of the children I teach comes from an underprivileged background. He's a very, very bright child. Being brought up by his Indonesian parents in a squatter area, his command of English and his determination to succeed amazes me. But he has a problem with managing his anger. On most days, he is happy like sunshine, but there are moments where he gets angry about something or someone, and he retaliates by sulking [which I could live with] or pushing/attempting to get even with the other child. I have told him, he has great potential and a very bright future, but he has to manage his temper. Five seconds of fury could cost him his entire future.

How are you bringing up your child?
Do you teach him how to manage his anger?
Is he taught consequences, and things that you would regret and can never undo?

With children, be a believer of quantity time. Quality time is not a concept that they can understand. They only recognise if you were there. Or not.
Where are you going tonight? I hope it's home to your kids.
What are you doing this weekend? I hope it will be something which includes your kids.

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him

Lulu Hopes The Government Would Listen To What Dr Tan Seng Giaw, MP For Kepong, Has To Say About The Space Program

ok... this is kinda wistful thinking, but what Dr Tan wrote in his letter to Malaysiakini makes good sense and Lulu hopes that it will not be a crystal ball prophesy of "our" space program.

As the letters to the editor is available without subscription, Lulu will take the liberty of reproducing it in full.

The government has spent at least RM568 million to put Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor in space. He has just returned to earth. Congratulations to him. While celebrating this event, we must not follow the Saudi Arabia example in our quest for outer space.

According to John Lawton and Patricia Moody (A prince in space), Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud was the first Muslim spaceman. In 1985, he traveled in an American rocket launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida.

Sultan Salman was then commissioned as an officer into the Royal Saudi Air Force. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel, and is qualified in several military and civilian aircraft.

In June 1985, he flew as a payload specialist on STS-51G. As one of a seven-member international crew, which also included American and French astronauts, he represented the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation (Arabsat) in deploying their satellite, Arabsat-1B.

Upon conclusion of his space flight, he helped in establishing the Association of Space Explorers, an international organisation comprising all astronauts and cosmonauts who have been in space, and served on its board of directors for several years. For several years, he also headed the Advisory Committee for the Science Oasis Project to be built in Riyadh.

On the day Sultan Salman went into space, 230 Arabs from several countries congregated in Cape Kennedy to encourage him. He did three space experiments designed by Arab scientists. His trip was deemed a turning point in science for the Arab world

But over the past 22 years, what has been the state of science, including space technology, in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world? Saudi Arabia has some of the state-of-the-art scientific facilities. What happens to the Oasis Science Project? Indeed, we need to learn from the Saudi example.

The writer is DAP MP for Kepong.

Lulu on Between Running Amok and Controlling Anger

“But you must remember the word amok comes from this country and there is a limit to everything,” - Nazri Aziz

In typical a case of running amok, a male who has shown no previous sign of anger or any inclination to violence will acquire a weapon and, in a sudden frenzy, will attempt to kill or seriously injure anyone he encounters.

Wikipedia offers some suggestions on possible causes.
1. pysical consequence of alcoholism, drug addiction, heat or internal parasites.
2. a sudden explosion of internal tension created by life in a highly hierarchical society; both Malay and Javanese traditional societies are said to have been extremely hierarchical, with an emphasis on deference to rulers.
3. a form of spirit possession.
4. amok is closely related to male honor (amok by women is virtually unknown). In many cases where the background of the amok-runner is known, there seems to have been some element of deep shame which prevented the man from living honorably, as he saw it, in his own society.
5. Running amok was both a way of escaping the world (since perpetrators were normally killed) and re-establishing one's reputation as a man to be feared and respected.

When Lulu read about how this 15 year old boy stabbed a seven year old to death over "allegedly disturbing chicken and turkeys ", it made Lulu think, is that what this running amok that Nazri is talking about?
To lose you cool and get so, so uncontrollably angry that you kill someone in rage?

yes Nazri, there is a limit to everything. Running amok does not excuse you from taking the life of someone's son. It doesn't. "Sorry"s and "I didn't mean to do it" will not return someone's dead son to him.
Anger needs to be managed. Tantrums should not be tolerated but taught how to be dealt with.

Lulu feels very sad for the seven year old's family, his friend who was with him and the 15 year old who has to bear the guilt of taking the life of another for the rest of his life.

Run amok? Let's learn to control our anger.

if you would like to read more about Controlling Anger, do drop by this site managed by the American Psychological Association.

Like Calvin, Lulu Doesn't Know Which Is Worse

Lulu Wonders If This Is The Beginning of The Syariah Court Encroaching On Business Activities

I'm VERY concerned about the Syariah Court granting an injunction on a business entity.
if the agreement was signed under common law, would not the common law be where they need to seek justice? why is the Syariah Court interfering?
----------------------------------------

Lulu is gravely concerned.

SEREMBAN: Are the receivers of a five-star hotel here duty-bound to obey an injunction from the Syariah High Court?
This is the question that needs to be addressed following a decision by the Syariah Court here which granted an injunction to three sisters to stop the receivers from continuing to conduct business transactions on their behalf.

Sat 20/10 Syariah Court grants injunction

What can of worms is this opening?
As a non-Muslim, is Lulu one step closed to dhimi-ness?
If you have any dealing with a Muslim, do you fully understand the implications of this injunction and the future liability that you may face?

What does all this mean - that the Syariah Court has granted an injunction on a business entity?
It used to Islamic law on Muslims
Then they added Muslims and non believing family members
Now business entities?

Lulu is GRAVELY CONCERNED
Believe me, you should be too

Lulu's Misplaced Miss Universe Contestant Strikes Again

Lulu was watching the news just now.
Other than the waste-a-lot gay-or-not's return home, all the channels were showing Pak Lah's opening speech and response to PPP's request for more seats.

"He (Kayveas) said he has sent the request (for more seats) to the central committee (of BN). I say since he has sent the request, then we would consider it,"

Malaysiakini BN to study PPP’s quest for more seats

ah.... just as you thought PPP got back a bit of face when the PM said that, Lulu says, think again. That's a Miss Universe contestant response.
It sounds so correct, and so profound. But it is of little substanse.
Lulu was wondering whether was this the first time he heard of the request for more seats as he is so, so clueless. In the end, Lulu thinks he knows. What he doesn't know, Lulu guesses, is the discussion and the decision made by the powers behind BN on whether or not to layan PPP's request. Almost every BN partner already knows the answer. Only Badawi is still "we would consider it"-ing.

"People don't like to see brothers quarrelling among themselves. They would say the family is not stable. We must always be reasonable and that should be our prime effort.

He's probably clueless that his machai/warlord slighted PPP just the day before. Maybe cos zam-zam alikazam did not allow it to be printed in the mainstream media.
Get real Lulu - it's not like as if he'd read the papers anyway...

"People who fight and oppose us want to see us split. Barisan's strength does not come from implementing projects but a spirit of give-and-take amongst ourselves. This must be our practice for a better future, not for just our party - the Barisan Nasional - but for the people and the country,"

Another very Miss Universe contestant response. Kononnya "for the people and the country".

sigh... of all the brilliant, kind, compassionate and wise people in this country, why did we have to end up with him?

Lulu Has Bad News For You - Not Only is Ali Rustam Spot On ABout PPP

“PPP can leave BN,” said Mohd Ali.
He then pointed at the stunned delegates and added: “All of you can leave. Either today or tomorrow. Why wait until the general election? What’s there to wait for?”
Malaysiakini Ali Rustam: PPP can leave BN - now

These are the results of the 2004 GE by component party taken from Wikipedia

What Ali Rustam said to PPP, he could also say that about any component party in BN. Without MCA/MIC/Gerakan, UMNO will still have the 2/3 majority required in Parliament.
And not just any single component party, he could address it to anyone who tries to gang up and threaten UMNO collectively.

They dont need anyone.
This is how big and powerful the UMNO monster is.

RPK has this to say about Ali Rustam

Ali Rustam seems to feel that Umno ruled Malaysia for 50 years without any help or support from the non-Malays and they can continue to do so another 50 years without any problems. Of late Ali Rustam has been demonstrating his contempt for the non-Malays. His move to kill the pigs in Melaka and drive the Chinese pig farmers out of business is one case in point. He boasted to all and sundry that he wants to show the Chinese that he is the boss, something his predecessors were not able to and did not dare do. The pig farmers and their family and friends command a lot of votes and it is better that the government leaves them alone. All the Chief Ministers before this adopted this policy but Ali Rustam wanted to show them that he decides and he calls the shots. And this is what he told the PPP convention that 15 October, “I decide.”

and a lot more. Read it here

Lulu Didn't Know That They Were Getting Paid RM250/Monkey Exported For Research

Malaysiakini reports that

“We have information that the decision to export the monkey when Musa Nordin was still the DG. We have information that there is connection with the company. He has close contacts with the Department of Wildlife. Clearly there was some hanky panky going on there with elements of corruption,” he said.
According to Roar, each exported monkey brings in RM250. The macaques are exported, mostly to China, for animal testing and vivisection.
Roar alleged that the export contract of over 20,000 monkeys annually was given by the Environment Ministry to a company, Sunny K-9 Sdn Bhd. A check revealed that the company, based in Ipoh, is a dog-training academy.

The wildlife conservation group wants the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to look into alleged business dealings involving a minister and a former director-general where wild monkeys are being exported for profit.

Why can't our government servants live a life of integrity and retire with dignity?
Why do they want to continue in these corrupt ways?
sigh...

Lulu Wonders If You Know That Harga Tepung Naik?

did you hear about the increase in global flour price?

13/09 Now, price of enriched wheat flour to go up

An industry source told the New Straits Times that the Malaysia Flour Mills Association had informed flour wholesalers about the inevitable price hike due to a hike in the global price of wheat.The price of wheat flour has risen by about 70 per cent this year.Enriched wheat flour, currently tagged at RM1.70 to RM1.80 per kg, is not a controlled item like general wheat flour which is retailed at RM1.35 per kg.
From US$220 (RM770) per tonne early this year, the price of wheat has hit US$380 (RM1,330) per tonne this month, an increase of about 70 per cent

15/10 Enriched wheat flour to cost even more

Barely a month ago, housewives and bakery and noodle manufacturers were shocked by a hike in the price of enriched wheat flour by 30 sen per kilo.
But the worst has yet to come. It may cost 60 per cent more per kilo from tomorrow.The Malaysia Flour Mills Association has sent a memorandum to the Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Association of Malaysia to inform its members of the price hike, to take place on the fourth day of Hari Raya.On Sept 15, the price of enriched wheat flour went up from RM1.70 to RM1.80 per kilo to RM2 to RM2.10.This triggered an increase in the price of noodles, bread, biscuits and other foodstuff.
From Tuesday, the price of enriched wheat flour will be between RM2.60 and RM2.70 per kilo.

A price hike in flour related goods is inevitable.
Whilst there will be some rumbling of profiteering, your charkwayteow seller is very much like you and me, trying to make ends meet in negaraku. He is more likely to be raising the price to cover for other hikes like cooking gas, toll, rent, labour and his plate of chap-fun. He is not raising it to buy a Navigation System (VNS) and Parking Assistance Camera (PAC) enabled Volvo V50.

Lulu is wondering about the whole ideology of control price.
Most items which make up the food portion of our Consumer Price Index (CPI) are probably also a CPI, as in controlled price item.

Just last month, there was a shortage on chicken. As whole chickens are controlled price item and the cost of producing the chickens had gone up due to the price increase in chicken feed, the breeders were selling whole chicken at a loss.
Do you remember the sugar shortage?
And what about the cooking oil shortage?
All control price items.

The government controls the price of the basket, and thus "boasts" that the CPI index has "contracted", "gone down" and once in a while allows the "slightly gone up".
No matter how painful it is, Lulu wonders if it would be better if control pricing was abolished and market forces were to determine the price of items.

Is it really because we want to protect the poor that we allow ceiling prices to remain? What can we do if we abolish ceiling prices to protect the poor?

Lulu is still debating this in her head.

Lulu's Favourite Lighting Shop

is TopTen, which is located along LDP in Puchong at the row of shophouses just before Tesco.
There's a really wide range of lights at very reasonable prices and service is great.
In my visits there, I've met my friends and colleagues there. My wireman cumm handyman is a regular there too. It's like as if everyone and their colleague knows that place.
Why is Lulu blogging about TopTen?
37-year-old Wong Sing Ling whose body was found yesterday morning in the aftermath of the Tioman tragedy was the owner of TopTen.
He leaves a wife and two sons.

Lulu Hi5 Dean For Giving Her Something To Dream About

Dean John's in his latest Malaysiakini column, ‘Glorious’ Malaysia, writes of this thing called StAR.

Because the best idea I’ve heard of for a very long time is an initiative by the UN and the World Bank called Stolen Asset Recovery, or StAR, to help developing nations to recover the proceeds of theft by corrupt leaders. Assets so far targeted for recovery include those stolen by Muhamed Suharto of Indonesia (estimated at between US$15-35 billion), Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines, $5-10 billion), Mobuto Sese Seko (Zaire, $5 billion), Slobodan Milosevic (Yugoslavia, $1 billion), Jean-Claude Duvalier (Haiti, $0.3-0.8 billion), Alberto Fujimori (Peru, $0.6 billion), Pavio Lazarenko (Ukraine, $0.114-0.2 billion), Arnoldo Aleman (Nicaragua, $0.1 billion) and Joseph Estrada (Philippines, $0.07-0.08 billion).

Lulu googled it, and learnt quite a bit.

Their mission statement
By signaling to corrupt leaders that there will be no safe haven for stolen assets, StAR would constitute a formidable deterrent to corruption in developing countries. StAR would also serve to bring in the other side of the corruption equation, as stolen assets tend to be stashed in developed country financial centers.

In their executive summary
The theft of public assets from developing countries is a huge and serious problem:
• The cross-border flow of the global proceeds from criminal activities, corruption, and tax evasion is estimated at between $1 trillion and $1.6 trillion per year.
• Corrupt money associated with bribes received by public officials from developing and transition countries is estimated at $20 billion to $40 billion per year—a figure equivalent to 20 to 40 percent of flows of official development assistance (ODA).

The underlined bits sounds familiar, right? Makes Lulu wonder what M'sia's percentage is.
If using the "don't need to tell the rakyat the truth" AG report, it could me as much as 11400% more [remember the RM50 car jacks which were contracted for RM5,741?
Someone recently bisik-ed to Lulu's ear that a government contract which was costed by the supplier at RM9million was tendered and approved even though the middleman submitted it at RM18million. No prizes for guessing who pocketed the RM9million [and more]. Kinda makes you miss the 10% days of the old regime.

The cost estimates suggest that every $100 million restituted to a developing country could fund:
• 3.3–10 million insecticide-treated bednets, which are twice as effective as regular bednets; or
• First-line treatment for over 600,000 people for one year for HIV/AIDS; or
• 50–100 million ACT treatments for malaria; or
• Full immunizations for 4 million children; or
• Approximately 250,000 water connections for households; or
• 240 kilometers of two-lane paved road.
Gosh... we could even send another spaceflight participant up to the moon!

Dean reminds Lulu at the end of the article that
As I understand the StAR system, proceedings can at this stage be instigated only by the current government of plundered countries. So unless and until Malaysia achieves a change of ruling regime, we’re unlikely to see a BN leader on the StAR hit-list.

well... some gals dream about diamonds, Lulu dreams about StAR...

Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative: Challenges, Opportunities, and Action Plan can be found here

Don't You Think Lulu's PM Sounding More And More Like A Miss Universe Contestant?

ok. have to clarify first. Lulu has not been watching Miss Universe for very many years dah.

But in the good old days, during the interview session, it would be quite common for the beauty queens to be asked, if they could wish for anything, what would their wish be?
The cliche answer would be stuff like "world peace", "end suffering", "end hunger" etc. Answers which sounds good, but have no substance.

Lulu's PM also sounds very "Miss Universe" in addressing issues.

eg
Addressing the 62nd UN General Assembly
On climate change
“The course of human history is marked by a few pivotal moments, during which we can make the correct or wrong decisions that will impact on the destinies of those who come after us,” Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.
There must be a will to moderate mankind’s excesses using science and technology as tools, the Prime Minister said.
“The time for us to invest in our collective future is here and now.”
It sounds so correct, and so profound.
But try telling that to the people who live in Ulu Klang, and also to the protectors of what used to be Bukit Cerakah.
That's a Miss Universe respond, isn't it?

On Burma
Abdullah said Malaysia disapproved of Myanmar's violent crackdown against pro-democracy protestors.
“Let me express my country's disapproval, together with other Asean countries, on the use of excessive force by the Myanmar government to put down justifiable civilian protests.”
It sounds so correct and so profound.
Now try telling it to the folks at Batu Buruk, and also the people of Burma who are now being told that Asean will never suspend Burma, says M'sia
and yet another Miss Universe response

on keeping our children safe - the Nurin murder
To keep children safe from danger, the Prime Minister has suggested that a single session for schools be implemented.
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said this would mean students starting school as they were doing now and ending at 4pm.
wow! What a brilliant profound solution... except that 1. we don't have the infrastructure to support single session, and 2. most people actually work [unlike him and his sil] and do not finish work before 4pm. Even his government servants dont get off work by then.
Yup! Yup! definetly a Miss Universe contendor.

Some people call it No Action Talk Only, others call it cakap tak serupa bikin. Lulu calls him a misplaced Miss Universe contestant.

He has had many, many more answers and response ala Miss Universe. Lulu has to go back to work, else she would look up for more.

Care to add to the list?

Lulu Poser

Look at these pictures.

Macam ramai yang hadir, ya. Quite a full turnout.
The pictures were taken by JeffOoi at the press conference held for the victims of the Tioman ferry tragedy.

How many editors do you think would allow this in their papers tomorrow?
Malaysiakini has
But Lulu doesn't think that those papers who quote bloggers would.

Well, we'll see in 6 hours time.
Goodnight all!

Update 9am
NST reports on it at Survivors want answers from authorities
The Star has a small mention of it at Drowned couple buried, giving more prominence to what the Klang MP Datin Paduka Tan Kee Yew has to say over what the victims have to say.
Berita Harian reports Cuti bertukar tragedi which was from an interview which took place at a victim's home
I couldn't find anything on it in Utusan

ooo..... looks like all the papers with the exception of NST is very DAP phobic. In case you haven't realised it yet, the very well attended press conference took place at DAP's HQ in PJ.

btw, remember our publicity seeking good for nothing MPs? well, bad enough they have nothing of value to contribute to the tragedy now, they made things so much worse by holding up rescue efforts by their insistense for Kodak moments.
This is what Johnny has to say

Here's what my girlfriend told. She was told to head out to search either 8am or 9am(somewhere around that time). They wait for it and asked the marine police if they can head out already or not but the marine police said that they need to wait for the YB(Yang Berhormat) to come first.The operation was delayed till the arrival of the FIRST YB and the YB with marine police head out without the victim's relatives.

go read more about it at http://blogging-johnny.blogspot.com/2007/10/appreciate-but-at-same-time.html

Truth is, Lulu's Disgusted That You Would Not "Postpone" Your Holiday To Share With The Rakyat's Grief

how many of you recall the Building Bridges dialogue?
if you can't, let Lulu refresh your memory

Two weeks before the event, after the flight tickets have been issued to the global participants and hotel rooms booked, our PM [baru bangun-ed] looks into his diary and realises he has a clashing engagement.

"I had to postpone it. There were some things I had to attend to immediately, so we have to find some suitable dates," he said.
"I have an important role to play in that conference so I don't want it to be held while I am not around," he added.

Reuters

The Times
[Lulu wonders if he knows what the new date for the dialogue is and if he's even invited]

Well and fine. That event which did not even feature him as a speaker had to be postponed to another date in order to accomodate his "attendance" and "contribution".

Pity he couldnt ask the "organiser" to postpone the Great Johor Flood either, cos obviously, he wasn't willing to postpone his role in buka-ing nasi kandar shop and now we learn, sailing in a boat with the Ferrari boss.

Lulu Still On "Tell The Truth"

A week ago, NST reported this

The prime minister wanted leaders, especially those in Barisan Nasional, to tell him the facts about those issues without sugar-coating them.
We do not want to pretend and say that everything is okay. We do not want to be in a state of denial. Tell the truth, even if it is painful

Someone recently remarked to Lulu about how clueless this Prime Minister is. During Mahathir's regime, the old man knew the headlines three days ahead. With this PM, three days later still blur-blur.
This kind of PM how to be a strategist?

And then.... [trust] Zam [not to let us down] said,

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin has told editors not to play up negative news because Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's pledge to "hear the truth" does not apply to the media.
Yesterday, chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan in another meeting urged media organisations to avoid emphasising on news deemed negative against the government, such as the 2006 Auditor-General’s report.

It's frightening that
PM want the truth, but does not know it.
He continues to live in a dream world, flying around the world in a jet reserved for his personal use, chatting with our first man in space whose one week trip is a "free deal" and spending oil money like as if it were a bottomless well but in reality, is expected to run dry in three years.
The rakyat, whom the truth is supposed to be suppressed, not only knows it, but has to live it. The price of bread will go up after raya in tandem with the price of flour. A man caught stealing from the pasaraya is sentenced two years jail whereas those who CBT millions are persuaded to retire. Soon to come, a congestion charge into the city when the public transport facility is still lacking. The mullahs have hijacked the administration and made the country an Islamic model that even Turkey does not want to follow.

It's high time he takes his own advise.

“The prime minister must have the courage and readiness to listen even to the worst stories, whether it is related to the country or himself. Never allow yourself to sink in a hole of denial and feel that everything is alright.”

But will he?
Lulu doesn't think so. He's too happy in his dream-land, filled with all his illusions and make-believe.

Lulu's Mixed-Up Priority Prime Minister

sad isn't it, that Lulu has a PM who expressed his disappointment when bad weather/technical hitch prevented audio and visual signals from being transmitted directly to Malaysia and re-routed to Seri Perdana

"I am disappointed. I had wanted to extend Hari Raya Aidilfitri greetings to Dr Muszaphar. It appears that it is not possible,"

but has nothing to say about the Tioman Ferry Tragedy where four people are confirmed dead, and another 3 still missing. Evn Najib has expressed sadness over the incident. but Badawi? erhm... maybe the "truth" was hidden from him? "They" didn't want to spoil his raya?

And maklum-lah, "he was so busy during Ramadan that he broke fast three times on an airplane", he still has yet to fulfil his commitment to meet with the members of the Bar Council regarding their concerns on the judiciary system in Malaysia.

Lulu Offers Free Ipod Nano

have you been looking and drooling over the latest Ipod Nano?
It's really, really so cool, makes me wanna drool!
do you want to buy it, but alas, you have a naggy spouse/parent who think that it's an expensive waste of money?

Lulu has an excellent proposal for you.

so, how about it? You can tell your wife you got the ipod free. Just dont tell her you paid RM2K for Amir Muhammad's Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol 1) and Dean John's Mad About Malaysia. You may want to pass the books to her to read too as they are excellent readable books which give you relevant glimpses of negaraku.

Okay, this is not an original sales pitch.
Lulu took a cue from the Russian Space Agency and the people who sold the Sukhoi fighter jets and bindling it with a "free" trip to space.
Obviously, this pitch works because the Malaysian government didn't just fall for it once, but twice!
so, any takers?

really, The PM Shouldn't Tempt Lulu With Such Statements

:D
does he really, really want to know how HE could bring cheer to Malaysians?

Lulu Wishes All Readers Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Lulu Wonders If Zam Realises That He Has Dis-Credited All The Malaysian Press?

Zam said this, and it was reported by Malaysiakini
On bloggers, Zainuddin said that media professionals, should not resort to information provided in blogs. "They (bloggers) are citizen journalists. If you use (materials from) their blogs, then you are no longer a real journalist," he said.

okay....
there goes
Berita Harian - Anaknya, Datin Paduka Marina dalam laman blognya berkata...
and
NST - ... Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir said in her blog
and
The Star - On her blog rantingsbymm.blogspot.com, Marina wrote...
and
Harian Metro - Datin Paduka Marina dalam blognya berkata...
and
Utusan Malaysia - ... katanya dalam laman blognya, rantingsbymm.blogspot.com, petang ini.

gosh... can't these papers be like Bernama and hire real journalists?

Looks Like Its Only Going To Be Good News, Good News and More Good News From The Mainstream Media

yes,
Our PM wants us to tell him the truth
we've sent an astronaut up to space
PWTC does catering for 200,000 people at RM7.50/head, and the spread includes 30 types of dishes, including ketupat, satay, rendang and raya cookies

gee.... it's almost as if we're living in Pleasantville

from Malaysiakini

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin has told the media not to play up negative news because Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's pledge to hear "the truth" does not apply to the media.
Zainuddin said this during a one-hour meeting on Wednesday at the RTM headquarters in Kuala Lumpur with the country’s top editors, including those
from national news agency Bernama. The minister is one of two top government officials to hold meetings with the media top brass this week.
Yesterday, chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan urged media
organisations to avoid emphasising on news deemed negative against the government, such as the 2006 Auditor-General’s report.

Sometimes, By Writing Less, Lulu Can Tell More

the NEP/NDP success story is it reaching those who need it the most?

Pictures from
1. Zakaria fetes guests at mansion The Star
2. Various articles patchwork-ed from Sheih's Kickdefella

Lulu Is Observing One Day Blog Silence

out of sheer disgust on the following bit of news.

Faiz will be next, says PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave the Government’s commitment that Kapt Dr Faiz Khaleed would be the second Malaysian to go to space.
In a press conference after witnessing the live telecast of the Soyuz TMA-11 blast-off at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) last night, Abdullah told reporters that Faiz would certainly join the space programme if Malaysia was offered a place by the Russian government in the next mission to the ISS; as long as he was qualified to do so.
“I'm quite keen to accept the offer,” he said.

I don't know what to say, other than

Lulu Not Offering Any Prizes If You Get This Correct

There was a question in a study that Lulu is doing which went like this,
How does pleasing one's neighbour [which means everyone] for his good differ from "people pleasing"?
"People pleasing" persons do it with a motive of pleasing and glamour-ing themselves. They put themselves into the spotlight under the pretext of helping someone. They want to be seen as kind and generous, but in reality, are usually selfish and selfcentered.
"Pleasing one's neighbour" persons are those who have the neighbour's heart in mind. They do it for their neighbour, not themselves. Sometimes, it is at a cost to themself. They have a heart of gold and are as selfless as it gets.

No prizes for guessing which category these ministers and their wives fall under.

Lulu Hopes This Is Satire

Just the other day, Sharon Bakar posed the question, "Do Malaysians Really Get Satire? "

I was actually thinking about satire on the page, particularly when it doesn't have a box around it saying "This is meant to be funny". And I was thinking specifically about this post on Amir Muhammad's blog on a spoof column he wrote as Ambi Mohan for the New Straits Times - the reactions from angry readers who didn't understand that their leg was being pulled actually makes funnier reading than the articles themselves!

So, when Lulu saw this, and mind you, it didn't have a box around it saying "This is meant to be funny" and it wasn't written by Amir Muhammad so Lulu didn't quite know what to make of it.

Could this be one of those satire-thingy?
He can't be serious, right, to pay USD30million to send the back-up too?
It has to be a joke. it has to be... we can't afford it. We really can't.
Please, let it be one of those wickedly intelligent satire...

Maybe Lulu Not The Only One Watching Too Many Foreign Movies

Mabe Nazri too.
cos, he's going around being quoted by the press as saying things like

New identity, new face - these are what the government can offer to protect the source of the video clip featuring a conversation between a lawyer and a "Datuk" believed to be a senior judge on the appointment of judges.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamad Nazri Abdul Aziz said the witness can be given a new identity or undergo surgery to be given a new face under the Witness Protection Act.

as reported by the Sun

A new identity or even new look can be arranged for the person or persons who took the controversial video of a prominent lawyer allegedly brokering the appointment of judges, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz.
He said such measures were defined under the Witness Protection Act to ensure the person's identity was protected.
“Under the Act, they will not only be protected but can also undergo (plastic) surgery to change their look,” he told reporters after handing out duit raya and goodies to old folks in Lubuk Merbau here yesterday.

as reported by the Star

He said cover for informants was provided for under the Witness Protection Bill tabled recently in parliament. He said the bill provided protection for witnesses so that their identities could be kept a secret, including administrative and other operations necessary to effect changes in their personal details.

as reported by NST

new id, new face, plastic surgery.... doesn't it all sound so like something from the movies?
hmm... somehow, Lulu's choosing to trust Uncle Kit and his take on what reality is in Malaysia.

I am completely baffled by Nazri’s reference to the Witness Protection Act (Star, Sun) which he said assured protection to the person or persons who took the Lingam Tape. New Straits Times reported him as referring to the Witness Protection Bill, “tabled recently in Parliament” – which is untrue, as no such bill had been tabled in Parliament.

I had been pressing for a Whistleblowers Protection Act to give meaning to a national campaign to expose corruption, misuse of funds, government scandals, criminal breach of trust and all forms of malpractices and abuses of power but the government had been dragging its feet and there are no signs that the government is ready to present a Witness Protection Bill to Parliament.

It is the height of irresponsibility for Nazri to give assurance of protection under a law which does not exist, but it is an even greater height of irresponsibility to envision a scuttling of all investigations into the Lingam Tape, its allegations of perversion of the course of justice and the rot of the judiciary in the past 19 years under a “No Source, No Case” scenario.

Malaysiakini reports quotes from
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

“My office had confirmed this fact with the Legal Division of the Parliament, that no such bill had been tabled for a First Reading in the Lower House.
“The only bill which was tabled, debated and passed by the Lower House two sessions ago was the Evidence of Child Witness Bill 2007,”

former United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Param Cumaraswamy.

“What Witness Protection Bill or Act is Nazri referring to? From searches made there is no such legislation either passed by Parliament or even in a bill form before Parliament,”

Lulu's Ironic [NOT Iconic] Prime Minister

isn't it ironic that this is coming out of the mouth of the same man who's going to take his government leased plane to Russia to see off the overglorified "1st Muslim fasting in space" spaceflight participant?
Lulu's reading more and more about how he's a Muslim, and how the Muslim world should be proud of him.
In this case, well, Lulu will give you the pleasure of being proud of the spaceflight participant.
Go ahead, continue to boast of the spaceflight participant, if you please.

btw, Lulu's not even going to start about UMNO youth leaders who wave swords in the name of race and religion.

You know what else the PM said?
“We do not want to pretend and say that everything is okay. We do not want to be in a state of denial. Tell the truth, even if it is painful.
you sure you want to hear the truth?

well,
truth is, your glorified angkasawan is actually a space tourist.
and his reseach are mere experiments.
Painful, or you want to stay in denial?

sticky- to cut a long story short, if you agree with the petition, sign it.

to be posted on top till the end of this week.
Please be a part of the people who are petitioning the Agong to review the judiciary system in Malaysia.

-------------------------
You know how you and your friends sit together at the coffee shop/mamak/Zipangu and start lamenting about the judges/courts/judiciary system in the country?
have you ever complained about the judiciary system in Malaysia?

did you talk about how some very senior judges have been constantly overlooked in the numerous promotion exercises that have proceeded during the tenure of Tun Ahmad Fairuz, with junior judges being preferred?

did you banter how at least one judge promoted to the Federal Court is reported to have failed to deliver written judgments in up to as many as 35 cases, resulting in many inprisoned still waiting for that to be completed before taking the next step of appealing the sentence?

were you aghast about the sudden change of the trial judge in an ongoing murder trial in Shah Alam?

You wanna know how nasty the courts can get? Go read this
and even as Lulu blogs now, we are watching the public prosecutor and the judge act in the most bumbling bee proffesionalism in Shah Alam. No wonder why the Tiger of Jelutong applied to be allowed to participate actively in the trial. At the rate the thrial is going, the verdict will also be a "no wonder".

How can we expect fair trial if ever anything happens to us?

You worried?
Lulu's worried
If you were sued by some ahem-linked company, do you have confidence you'd get a fair trial?

Think about it.
If at the end of this think-think, you have confidence in the judiciary system, then continue doing what you were planning to do after this.
If not, go to Haris' blog and read the petition that he has drawn out. Then send a mail to savethejudiciary@gmail.com with your full name and IC number.
Please do not be afraid of persecution. Like the "Do you want May 13 to happen again?", this is just the bogeyman that the bullies like to wave at us.

Thanks and have a good day

Is OKT Asking Lulu To Vote MCA In?

did you see this Ong: Don’t divide support in the Star today?

As the Chinese population in the country is now about 25%, the community should not further divide their support between MCA and the Opposition, said MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

erhh... and duh....
He mentions history, what MCA did since Merdeka.
Did you know that MCA has only 4 Ministers in the cabinet? Can anyone tell Lulu how many were there when we Merdeka-ed? Lulu's sure that in that 1957 non-superinflated Cabinet, there were more than 4 MCA ministers.

and instead of being a partner to UMNO, you're now no better than a running dog.

Sad insn't it, your Federal Ministers couldn't even stand up against some little mullah who had sent out instructions on racial ratios to at least 3 MNCs. Instead, they chose to hide behind "cabinet discussions".
Your State Assemblymen in Kinrara and Subang also could not handle the mullahs who told the Royal Circus that they could not provide "entertainment" to Malaysians in the fasting month.

By giving their full support to MCA, the Chinese would give the party more effective representation in the ruling coalition, he said.
Lulu don't know whether to laugh at statement or cry for the man who said it.

“Otherwise, all MCA's efforts over the years would go down the drain,”
Lulu's not sure what MCA's efforts are in these past 10-15 years, but Lulu would think that it has gone into someone's pocket.

So, it's up to you guys who you want to vote for in the next elections.
You don't owe OKT or any of the other MCA fellas anything. They want your vote? They'll have to earn it. Please spend the balance of your months as an MP and SA well.

Lulu Posses Logical Myopia?

That's what Russian ambassador to Malaysia Alexander Karchava said.

Recently, it was reported that Nasa had listed Malaysia’s two Angkasawans as space flight participants and not as astronauts for the ISS mission 16. This led to several reports here doubting the status of the Angkasawan.
Describing the cynics as possessing “logical myopia,” he said that during the medieval period, there were also critics who doubted the European quests to seek new territories, claiming it a waste of money.
“Yet in the end, it was those who went beyond the known worlds who reaped political and economic benefits.

Lulu's the type who would still call a spade a spade even when some big boss out there is calling the spade the great shifter of the earth.

But, mind you, his spaceflight participant status was not something Lulu maliciously created. That's what NASA called him. Look at his credentials compared to the other cosmonauts. And if you wiki it, a spaceflight participant is a space tourist. A cosmonaut? really?

Logical myopia?
Yar, and his study tour in space would hopefully reap fruits and benefits like those derived from the Selangor State Assemblymen's trip to China.

The whole angkasawan thingy has been a farce.

The selection from the thousands who applied. The race and gender friendly top 4. And now the nation is clamouring with pride over the first Muslim in space during Ramadhan. Could that always have been the intention?

The announcement of the final ONE. The glamour ceremony. The pretend to build up the tension and excitement. All this kononnya hush-hush, when all this time, NASA had already put it up on their website prior to the PM's announcement. I really dont think any bookie was accepting bets on this "sure win".

Lulu's not too sure about Logical Myopia, but Lulu's certain that there are people out these who want Malaysians to blindly believe in this Malaysia [not forgetting, Muslim] boleh!

Lulu Wants A Free Burma

amen

When The Monks Flee, Will Lulu's Country Treat Them Hostile-ly?

The monks marched
and now they're hunted down
Those who were caught, were disrobed and shackled waiting to be taken away.
There have also been reports of monks killed in the jungles.

If, and when, they seek refuge in Malaysia, will our PM who during the last UN General Assembly said,

Let me express my country's disapproval, together with other Asean countries, on the use of excessive force by the Myanmar government to put down justifiable civilian protests.

give them shelter and protection to live a life of dignity in Malaysia instead of being hounded by the Rela zealots?
Will we treat them well after all the waves of support shown by Malaysians when the protests was taking place?

Will You Join In With Lulu To Applaud These Fine Men And Women of Selangor?

Did you know that every year, the Selangor BN Assemblymen are [in the words of their boss, Khir Toyo] "“ encouraged to go on educational trips. It was organised by the state BN but they have to bear the cost on their own.”

The NST reported him as saying that, but, Lulu knows... nowadays, you can't believe everything that is reported by the KDN approved media either. For context to Lulu's disbelief, read this and this.

Two of them said they would be paying for the trip and denied that state funds were being used. Asked how much they paid, they claimed that the bill had not yet been sent to them. Both agreed that the state BN was organising it. One called it a retreat for assemblymen while the other called it a trip for exposure.
However, the third assemblyman said the trip was paid mostly by the state BN. “We only paid about RM1,500 each while the rest was taken care of. I don't know what the actual cost is.”

State executive councillor Datuk Mokhtar Dahlan said “The cost is borne by the assemblymen themselves who have or are going on the trip to China and the state government is not using its funds in any way”.

And different assemblymen have also reported different reasoning behind the trip.
Khir Toyo said that the visit was part of a beautification and cleanliness study tour.
Datuk Fatah Iskandar pula thinks that it is aimed at attracting investors to Selangor.

Anyway, whatever it is, let's applaud these assemblymen for paying their own way, all RM1,500 of it, in their noble attempt to study the China system on beautification and cleanliness. After their return, they would be able to proudly boast of how advance our toilets are next to the China toilets, just like how their boss like to boast about how progressive we are next to Nigeria.

Come on, a hand of applause to these men and women of Selangor






the KDN approved media whom we should thank for bringing this piece of news
Bernama BN Reps Paying Out Of Own Pockets For Study Tour To China, Says MB
The Star Reps paid for Silk Road Tour, says Mokhtar
NST Poser over China trip for Selangor BN assemblymen

Lulu No Jalan, No Contact, No Clout

This is taken from The Sun, pg5 Press Digest
MCA Youth Secretary General, Wee Ka Seong on Saturday disclosed that at least three MNCs have received directive that they must hire their senior level staff based on the quota of 45% Malays, 35% Chinese, 17% Indians and 3% others.

and the MCA dingdong begins
Two Federal Ministers, Fong Chan Onn and Chua Soi Lek said they have not heard of such incidents but stressed if there was such a directive, they would take the matter to the cabinet.

Fong, the Human Resources Minister said
I have not heard about it.
It is impossible and it should not be happening
It is not the government's policy, we have not made such a decision.
If there, indeed is such a directive, we want to find out which department it comes from.

Chua, the Health Minister said
If it is true that MNCs have received such a directive, it is issued in contravention og the government's intention and will hinder the rakyat's competitiveness.
It is not right.
MCA ministers will gather the relevant information and raise the matter in the cabinet to present their views.

These MCA fellas have the jalan, the contact and the clout to pick up the phone, ask the MNCs if they had indeed receive such a directive to determine if Wee Ka Siong is talking rubbish or not. It's not like as if these were olden days where you have to send a rider on a horse up to Penang to dispatch the message and wait a week or two. Whip up the handphone from your pocket-lah. Two minutes or less and you're done.

and what is there to "MCA ministers will gather the relevant information and raise the matter in the cabinet to present their views" for? [haha! another close door discussion which comes to naught?]If it is wrong, then it is wrong. The officers whose name is on the directive needs to be disciplined and action to be taken.

And in the meantime, across the ocean, the MNCs are probably re-looking their position in Malaysia and preparing to reposition themselves in China, India and Vietnam. All this in the midst of our PM's grand real estate plans for many corridors.

All because of some zealots whom even kononnya Federal Ministers are unable to control.

again, remember this : Because the non-Muslim partners do not / will not treat the problem at the root, the fella from BN you voted has now to fight with the symptoms. And even so, they are unsuccessful. Are you sure you want to vote them back in again?

Lulu Spots a Middle Man Opportunity

I'm sure that you have done the coffee shop/mamak/Zipangu thingy on the AG report. You may still be lamenting over it, especially since the Star did a summary on the highlights since 1993 in yesterdays edition [click here]

When Lulu saw this, Lulu at once recognised it for what it was.

a future entry on the AG's report.
Maybe the folks in the Star should bookmark the pictures so that they can recycle it in 2, maybe 3 years when the AG report comes out.

sigh... for the sake of the country, Lulu would much prefer to be wrong.