Puppy in distress Part 2

This is the full account of how the dog was found. Again, I urge someone out there, to open your hearts and welcome this puppy into your home.

I was on my way back home from work when I first saw this black spotted little fur bundle by the side of a busy intersection where cars were turning in and out last Tue. 'Lauren' was lying down with her face to the ground. At first I thought she was maybe knocked down by a car and was hurt. I swerved to the side and parked my car and immediately rushed to her. To my surprise she immediately got up and started following me as if beckoning me to play with her. She has no tail but I swear it was as if her expressive eyes were inviting me to play. There was no way I was going to let her roam around and be another 'road-kill' I've seen more than I want to mention.

I took her to my apartment, fed and bathed her (she did not struggle and was surprisingly docile and playful). Obviously she did not enjoy what was probably her first bath but put up with my vigorous scrubbing. This tough but sweet looking little trooper did not seem to understand she's a stray but was forever looking trusting and deep into my eyes as if trying to tell me something. She enjoys sweet talk and when I gave her a stern look she looked away as if ashamed. Mostly she just lies down with her face on her paws as if contemplating the world. I left her in the kitchen for the night, fully expecting a restless night of barking or whining and a big mess on the floor. She did neither. She actually did her business near the drainage hole. I swear if I lived in a house and work shorter hours there was no doubt I would have adopted her. I tried looking for ppl to adopt her but all they wanted to know is what pedigree she is.

It was heartbreaking for me to send her to SPCA last Wednesday, but I'm hoping for the best. Leaving her there she whined for the first time. The SPCA lady asked if she could call her 'Lauren'. I left in tears but with the hope that a kind soul would find it in their heart to see beyond her bloodline and see her for the sweet soul she is. I just called SPCA today and she is still there.

Maintaining a dog is a long-term commitment, but I'm willing to take up the responsibility of paying for Lauren's release from SPCA, medical, vaccinations and food for the rest of Lauren's life, I just don't have the space for her. Also, I know that puppies/pedigree dogs in SPCA stand a good chance of being adopted compared to mongrels so I dont know what her chances are. According to SPCA she is only 3 months plus and has no health problems.


Best regards,

--
Lauren Khoo S.G

doglover_kelly@yahoo.com

Puppy in distress, needs someone's love and care

Dear people,

I know this is an unconventional post, but as I have mentioned before, I have a tendency towards animals in distress. This poor little puppy was picked up at the side of the road to be saved from being another roadkill victim. It needs a good home with lots of love and care. Don't worry folks, it's well-behaved, hardly barks and is an extremely people-loving dog. Little pooch here is 3 months old, just the right age for training! You may be thinking why am I not keeping this pup for my own? Unfortunately I live in a condo, and have already pushed the management committee's boundaries by housing 2 dogs of my own.







Please, have a heart, and welcome this pooch into your home. The joy you will get is endless. If you are interested, please drop me a mail at doglover_kelly@yahoo.com.

What else can we do to move mountains?

On September 29, 2008 12:32 AM dbctan said...

I'm a resident at Prima Setapak and I can understand what you're getting at. Blogging does invite all sorts of responses - which is what makes it such a 'hot' medium. Cynics scoff when we say we hope to push for change. But that's ok - these are cynical times. Yet writing about your convictions is like lighting a candle. When we were at the candlelight vigil/march saturday 27 sept it became clear that one candle may be nothing; but many candles brightened the night. Perhaps one blog is nothing in the larger scheme of things, but maybe many blogs have the potential to move mountains?

I posted up this comment to remind myself of why we, as individuals need to get involved in the push for change. I am glad to say, I was finally able to bring a friend along to the Anti-ISA movement on Saturday. Thank you "Ginger", for getting involved and being part of the move for change. It is at this crucial time that every lighted candle counts. I've always been among the youngest who have stood up to be counted. Being young is not an excuse to be ignorant or apathetic, so to the youths out there, I urge you to fight for your own future in this country.

I drove with my headlights on today, to show support for the release of RPK and the abolishment of ISA. Did you do the same? Sadly, I did not see any other cars doing the same on my way to work today. This is an idea I would like to propose to Haris and the rest of the bloggers; we have badges, t-shirts etc etc, what about making car stickers so that other drivers will know why we drive with our headlights on. Maybe it can say something like 'I drive with my lights on to support the abolishment of ISA'.

And to the fisherman's wharf bloggers, Marina, and all the others involved in this push for change, thank you for accepting my thoughts and opinions and thank you also for making me feel counted.

Here is a quote which describes our need involvement, by George H.W. Bush:

"You do not reform a world by ignoring it."

Molotov cocktail attack on Teresa's parents' house

Bernama

From Teresa Kok's blog


















KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- The house of the parents of Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok in Jalan Ipoh here has been hit by a molotov cocktail.

It was confirmed by Teresa when contacted Saturday. She will hold a press conference this afternoon at her parents' house on the incident.

Sentul district police chief ACP Zakaria Pagan said the incident happened at about 2.55am but no one was hurt as the bomb did not explode.

During the incident, Teresa's parents and younger sibling were home.

Why we need to keep the flame burning

I've only had the opportunity to meet RPK once in my life. I wrote about that experience in one of my older posts, here.

He was arrested not too long after. The feelings of anger and sadness were felt among most of the bloggers and people I met. I felt sad and angry too, and a certain kind of emptiness. It was weird, one day you're having dinner, drinking, and puffing away at cigars. Then suddenly, the person sitting next to you just lost his freedom. And this was just from one meeting, imagine his family and friends who've known him for umpteen years, they must feel a deep void within them.

Before, ISA detainees were just names and statistics to me. Now they have histories, lives, family and friends because I finally saw them as human beings, not just a name. I teared when i see their families tear, I feel the same outrage and injustice that their families and friends feel.

We all have this problem as human beings, it's described as limited altruism. This means that we have limited empathy for the plight of others. We say "Oh, pity the poor people" then we go on living our lives like normal. We don't feel until we are affected by it. But when it happens to you, or your family or friends, then it will hurt. Who then, will stand up?

Perhaps the best and simplest way to describe this situation of political apathy and what it leads to is this poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller who described the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.

Original

Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Kommunist.

Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat.

Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,
habe ich nicht protestiert;
ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.

Als sie die Juden holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Jude.

Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte.


Translation

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

So speak out now, before it is too late. Here are the ways you can show support for RPK and the other detainees

Abolish ISA schedules

A) Kuala Lumpur -

Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) will be organizing ” Raya Demand Abolish ISA” on 26th September 2008 at Masjid Jamek.

Date: 26 September 2008
Time: 12noon
Place: Please gather at main entrance of Masjid Jamek (near to Masjid Jamek LRT Station).

Please wear Black and Red coloured clothes to show your solidarity with GMI.




Lets demand for abolishment of ISA and release of all ISA detainees.

For program details please contact Miss Nalini at 019 3758912 or SUARAM office 03 77843525. For direction please call Mr Syed Ibrahim at 013 3682067

Please spread the news to your friends and family and encourage them to come for this event.


B) Penang -





C) Kuala Lumpur -





Venue : Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur

Date : Saturday, 27th September, 2008

Time : 7.00pm

Our system has denied justice to 64 ISA detainees.

Are you going to allow them to languish further in Kamunting?

Some of these detainees, like our beloved RPK and the Hindraf 5 spoke out for you and me, spoke up for a better Malaysia, spoke up for our next generation!!

Now is our turn, what can we do for them?

Pick up your candles and join the vigil to repeal the draconian ISA.

JUSTICE FOR RPK, JUSTICE FOR THE HINDRAF 5, JUSTICE FOR ALL ISA DETAINEES.

Suara Rakyat, Makal Shakati!!!


Copied from Shar's Blog. Sorry yah, don't sue me for plagiarism ok?

What's the big deal about Negarakuku

I had almost forgotten about this guy Namewee who spawned some controversy with his home-cooked rap version of our national anthem uploaded to You Tube on July 15 2007. This video was a runaway hit, grabbing over 100, 000 views in a short time- sparked some uproar with the Malaysian public and authorities; and had several MCA personalities defending Wee. I still remember catching over the news Namewee with Chua Soi Lek in the latter's office over this issue. Chua was the Health Minister then, whom ironically in the later part of 2007 had his blackmail-video thingy hitting the JB streets and You Tube as well. I never did really catch Namewee's video, subject matter of the controversy, until he appeared again in The Star on the same issue again. I thought the police was over-reacting- this time around he's being investigated under the Sedition Act, prompting me to check out his Negarakuku video. Look at this no-brainer interview here:




The Negarakuku postings in You Tube also sparked off ugly racist comments - I found one video posting accompanied by 25,000 ugly comments traded between You Tube fans. The video does have intentional racist and blesphemous undertones, but the rap is a refreshing departure from the serious pre-1992 Wah Idris-reengineered version of Negaraku. The review is here, in this wiki. I came across versions of 'Mamula Moon' (Felix Mendelssohn and his Hawaiian Serenaders) and 'Terang Bulan', the local cover version, which the Negaraku is based on. Read the 'Terang Bulan' story here. My favorite 'Terang Bulan' (Rudy Van Dalm) version is here, dedicated to all bloggers fighting for a true and just cause. Strangely, the lyrics to this song, if you catch them, does reflect our political scene.

Bring the closing of Kamunting Detention Camps further

On the 14th of Sept, Shar came up with a brilliant idea on how we should put into motion the abolishment of ISA. Read his take here .

This idea was mentioned by Lim Guan Eng yesterday during the forum in Chinese Assembly Hall. Perhaps great minds think alike, or maybe they've been scanning the blogs. If the possibility of closing the Kamunting camp is there, how about extending it to the NS camps? Already, three national service camps were closed in Penang, due to a landslide and the fact that these camps did not obtain planning permission.

How many of you believe that NS actually is beneficial to the youth? Again, news of tragedies and accidents in these camps are eminent; this was picked off the star online. I am Malaysian also wrote about the plight caused by NS here

Just to share little bit of one on one experience with the success of NS camps, let me relate the experiences of some first year guinea pigs who went for the first round of National Service. I was born in 1986, we were the first batch of students picked fresh out of Form 5; 'sad' to say, I was not one of them. However, my peers have related enough horror stories to me.

These include rape, fights, bathroom peeking pervs, smuggled cigarettes and barely edible food. Yes, you may say that we're spoiled brats, who need some ragging to grow up, so living in these conditions might possibly be beneficial to our growth. Toughen us up, make us understand the need to be independent and strong.

Erm, reality check. Discipline level was low. Mainly because the trainers were not bothered on whether you showed up for training. I had a friend who got lucky; he landed in a camp in Selangor, near his house. Everyday without fail, he'd skip over the wall and return home, only to come back in the evenings and continue 'training'.
Most of my friends somehow managed to skip grueling physical activities and got their nicotine addiction fixed by buying cigarettes off the trainers.

3 months later, all of them returned to civilization, a little darker, most of them lost some weight but none of them significantly changed. They did not, in that 3 months, learn anything new, nor did they have any heightened awareness of their surroundings. And no, they were not physically more capable of putting up a good fight or protecting themselves.

I think 'old fart' mentioned this idea before when shar, him and me were discussing the possibilities. So I want to put forward this idea to the 5 PR states, close down all the NS camps in your state which poses a hazardous risk or has not obtained proper planning permission.

We need to build national unity and compassion for the country and its citizen's plight from the very beginning. Instill the qualities at home, in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools. Not send us off to 3 months of sub-standard living in the interest of 'racial harmony and national unity'.

RPK and Marina, please stay strong

RPK has been has been sent to Kamunting for a 2 year detention under the ISA.Botak signed his detention order last night. It must be for RPK's 'own safety' that he did so. Dear Marina, please stay strong and know that we support you.

Read a take by Bernice Chow here

Why bother to blog?

People often ask whether I am pro-government or pro-opposition. They seem to think that most bloggers are pro-opposition the way we criticize the government. Perhaps they have been misled in why we bother to write. It's not about choosing the people in power, its about putting the rakyat in power.

You don't have to believe in politicians, the idea is to believe in a system. That's what we fight for, an idealism of good governance, transparency and accountability.

That is what we want to push forward; an idea of a system that works and benefits the people, not place hopes in one man and ask him to lead the way; because never put your hope in man lest he disappoints you.

Even if a person deviates from this idealism, we hold on to the idea of it, and change the leadership when they have lost track of what they're meant to do.

The idea is to put the power back in the hands of the RAKYAT, we make the decisions, and that is where every person should play a part. Stand up and be counted, if not there is no use complaining about the governance in this country.

We often seem anti-government because the current government gives us no choice but to be so. On the other hand, if the opposition were to form the next government, we will continue to watch and criticize.

I have heard people complaining that there is noone good enough to lead the country. That politics is about money and corruption, it doesn't matter which side we choose, we'll never get out of this situation. I, for one, believe that it is not about choosing sides, but rather about changing the mindset of the people in this country.

Only if we are able to do that, are we able to alleviate ourselves from this current situation. We have to send the message, that we want change; and the reason why we reject BN is because we do not even see a hope of change in their continuing governance. The same message goes to PR, give us the change we need if you do come into power, if not we will pull you down.

We blog not just to put the PR into government, but we blog for building awareness, for pushing the right ideas and for better governance. That means that even if PR is in government, our job is not over yet.

A letter to Datuk Zaid Ibrahim

Dear Datuk Zaid Ibrahim,

As a law student, we have been thought throughout our course that the rule of law and that upholding the law is of paramount importance should we choose to embark into the legal field. As Hans Kelsen believed, the law is a pure science on its own, in that it should be separated from any form of impurity such as politics, religion and social circumstances. The law then should be upheld above all these elements, and flourish on its own without being manipulated by anyone to use it as a tool of oppression or to gain power.

This is of course, to many people unrealistic and idealistic, as we have seen the law being used for these specific purposes, whether it be within the country or outside of it. I too, at one point believed that we could never achieve this especially in this nation. I see that you have tried over and over again to implement the law reforms direly needed in this country, and time and time again your ideas have been rejected. I used to question your involvement in UMNO, and why someone who seemed to be so genuine in changing this country would be involved with a bunch of corrupt political animals.

Perhaps now I understand, that not every person in BN is evil and corrupt, just like not every Pakatan Rakyat member is angelic and pure. Perhaps you thought that joining the system and implementing change from within would be much more fruitful than criticising from outside. However, I do not think you have failed in your job and responsibilities. I think instead you have succeeded, because you held on to what you believe, and by resigning you have shown the government you will not toe the line in sacrifice of your principles.

For this I applaud you, and I think so do many other Malaysians. In my short history of 22 years, I do not remember any member of the government resigning in protest to the policies of the people in power. You would probably be the first, and you have set the precedent for other well-meaning members of the government as well. You have also set yourself as a role model for students and others in the legal field to ensure that we uphold what we have been thought from day one; the rule of law, believe in justice and equality, and that the law is to protect, not to oppress.

Therefore sir, you have done the right thing, and that is the most important thing to do.

“Always do right - this will gratify some and astonish the rest.”

—Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens] (1835-1910), writer, lecturer, humorist

Regards,

A Law Student

Speaking from the heart

A while back, a friend of mind commented that my writings were too factual, and never really revealing my emotions. I've been re-reading my older posts, and I realised that I started out with great passion. This passion was ignited by hate and negativity. Hate towards the regime, hate towards life's injustice and hate towards the unfairness in life. This was what drove me to write and condemn the present government ever so often.

This eventually changed after the March 8 elections. The PR government toppling 5 states was symbolic, not only of a new dawn of politics in Malaysia, but symbolic of the passion in all Malaysians alike. It wasn't just a victory for PKR, or PAS or DAP, but a victory for the people, to believe that the choices we make in life lay in our hands.

However, the turn of events after the elections, where there was constant sabotage whether from inside or outside, the continuous manipulation by the mainstream media, the continuous denial by the BN government of our voices led me to write in a humdrum manner. I was sick and bored of seeing the same things over and over again, of how slow things were moving, of constant talks of change but never really changing.

So I tried to extricate emotion from all these happenings, feeling jaded, that perhaps we were fighting a lost cause. I didn't want to be negative, yet I couldn't be positive about what I wrote. So I lost passion for a moment, running out of ideas of how to touch people and reach out to them.

But this past week or so, I have seen things that have made me feel again, and this time hope has returned, however only after tragedy set in. This started with the outrageous arrests of RPK, Teresa and Tan. The feeling of anger and injustice arose yet again. This time I decided, by hook or by crook I will do everything necessary to show my support. So for the past 3 days I have been to all 3 events held to show solidarity for the detainees and the abolishent of ISA. The first was the Bukit Aman vigil,the second being the bloghouse vigil, and finally yesterday the commemoration of Malaysia Day and solidarity to demand for the abolishment of ISA at Kelana Jaya Stadium.

I smsed most of the people listed in my phonebook, but unfortunately, not many showed up among them. Of course they had their reasons, however I couldn't help but feel disappointed that they did not care enough to show up. The past 3 days though, despite not being able to convince any newcomers to come along, has truly ignited my feelings of kinship with other fellow Malaysians. Many of them, from all walks of life, whether they knew the detainees personally, or were regular civilians showed up in solidarity for all 3 events. And 2 of them were on very short notice as well.

We did not do much, except light candles and sing, and listen to speeches. It didn't take a lot of effort. But the feeling of togetherness and unity could not have been any stronger than at those moments in time when all of us, who took the time off our busy schedules to care, felt more strongly united as Malaysians. The common hope and need in all of us for a better Malaysia, brought us together those 3 days, united as a nation, fighting for a single cause; against injustice, inequality and racial divide.

For anyone who feels that they have given up all hope in this nation, I urge you to feel the togetherness at these gatherings. The next time we fight for a cause, be a part of it, make yourself be counted, and you will believe once again in the common goodness of humanity. Though divided we are in language,colour,religion and anything else, at the end of the day you realise that we are all Malaysians, merely seeking to improve ourselves and our surrounding, and that we are really not that different at all.

So for those of you who were not there, I've linked the videos here , here and here . Also, here's a link to a posting on the bloghouse gathering here. To those who were there, thank you for keeping the hope alive in me. I'm truly proud to be a Malaysian because of you.

Mysterious passport check at KLIA

"Encik, mintak tengok passport?", one of the two gentlemen at the doorway politely requested. They were standing right in the middle of the doorway of the embarkation hall, preventing access. I did not hestitate a bit to draw my passport out and handed it to the gentlemen for inspection.

He briefly scrutinized it and returned it with a polite "Thank you..."

With polished politeness I thought, a bit wee too polite and what on earth were these 2 guys checking passports at the embarkation hall for. It was the last flight out to Singapore for the evening and I had passed through 4 prior passport checks- the first being the airline counter check-in, second time at the escalator leading to the immigration checkpoint by uniformed police, third check at the immigration checkpoint and the fourth time right after the x-ray scan leading to the embarkation hall by airline staff. This was the fifth passport check for the same flight inside the embarkation hall. Not uniformed PDRM, nor immigration personnel nor airline staff; just in plainclothes. It did not occur to me that I should ask for their ID, probably the act of getting my passport out for pre-flight checks was on my subliminal side.

I made a quick call to my friend who was a frequent flyer too, flying about every 2 weeks; admitted that it was rather unusual for having passport checks inside the embarkation hall, especially when the last check was just outside the hall. It was a case of one check too many. "Why on earth so many passport checks?!"

Who were they? Looked like I did not make the grade. Damn.

A reminder of tonight.

Monday 15th September 2008.

Venue - Kelana Jaya Stadium.

Time - 8pm.

Note: This gathering at Kelana Jaya stadium has been approved by the authorities.

I'll see u there. Nothing will stop me from being counted.Not at this crucial time.

RPK in danger! Pakatan Rakyat must move now!

This is posted from the People's Parliament

Got a call from lil hummingbird.

“We must meet. RPK is in danger.”

We met.

“You look like shit!”, he said.

“I feel like that as well”, I replied.

“You remember when RPK was in remand at Sungai Buloh the last time and he refused to eat or drink and the prison authorities got so worried that they begged his wife to get him out?

“Well, RPK is on hunger strike again. No food and no water. The authorities know that his kidneys will not be able to take this for long too long. They are going to let this carry on in the hope that complications set in and that he will suffer organ malfunction.

“That’s why even though there are news reports that Teresa’s family will be allowed to see her, probably tomorrow, there is no word that RPK’s family will be allowed the same. Lawyers have already written asking that they be permitted to meet with RPK but no word yet.

“They’re going to wait until his condition is critical before they get him medical attention. By then it will be too late. RPK would already be dead.

“That’s what they are banking on. They’ll say he brought it on himself.

“You people can hold all the vigils you want. That’s not going to get him out.

“Pakatan have to move now. Anwar has to stop this nonsense of waiting for enough Malay MPs to crossover before he seeks the audience with the Agong to intimate that Pak Lah has lost the confidence of the majority of MPs in Parliament. Didn’t the rakyat reject race-based politics at the last general elections and at Permatang Pauh? Go form the federal government now.

“Anwar has the numbers already, so he should not delay any longer.

“RPK has been without food or water since Friday. He’s not going to last long.

“We must get him out now. Otherwise the authorities will be returning him to us in a coffin!

And we can only get RPK out now if Pakatan takes over immediately”.

________________________________________________________________
Can anybody hear us?

Has history been rewritten by fools?

Dear fellow malaysians,

I urge you to watch this video here . In my student years not too long ago, I do not recall any of these events in the history books that we studied. All I recall was how UMNO struggled in freeing our nation from the clutches of the British. If this video documentary is true, and I believe it is, judging by the personal accounts of the people interviewed; then we may have been fed with inaccurate historical facts of the struggle of our nation towards 'MERDEKA'.

And judging from the political tactics used by the present government, I am not very much surprised that the British did use the same ploy, and the successors of them are now using the same ideas. Remember, ISA was used to suppress "communist threat" in this country by the British.

After watching the whole documentary, and make sure you watch it, one starts to wonder whether there was any real threat from the communist in the first place...

Syed Hamid Albar: Use of ISA necessary to protect Malaysian public

Courtesy of Malaysiakini

Necessary to protect BN is more like it.

Candlelight vigil tonight

There will be a candlelight vigil tonight 8.30 pm at Bukit Aman. This is a peaceful event to show protest against the detainment of RPK, Tan and Teresa Kok under the draconian ISA law. I will be there to show support.

FREE RAJA PETRA MOVEMENT

Raja Petra Kamaruddin is detained under ISA at an undisclosed location. Please come to Kelana Jaya Stadium 8 p.m. September 15, 2008 to show solidarity for RPK’. Show your support for this blogger giant and web-master of www.malaysia-today. net, who took on the establishment in the name of Justice, Freedom and Democracy.

When Anwar was sent to goal in Sungai Buloh by the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad in 1998, he launched the Free Anwar Campaign. Now, it is time that we start a Free Raja Petra Movement.

This September 15 meet will hopefully result in a nation wide campaign to Free Raja Petra and the not to be forgotten others who are now under ISA detention. I also appeal to Amnesty International and Journalists Without Borders, and other Human Rights Organisations around the world for their support and cooperation.

My Fellow Malaysians, we cannot be indifferent anymore. But in showing our concern, let us keep the peace and deny the present Badawi government, which is under siege of their own making, the chance to declare a state of emergency in order to save itself. Let us do whatever we can for Mdm Marina Petra and her children as they once again have to go through the ordeal.—Din Merican

Malaysia looses Google

I just heard this from my close source.

Early part of this year Google initiated their interest to Badawi to set up a major data center in Malaysia to cater to its Asia infrastructure as a hub. Rival locations considered were Vietnam and India but Malaysia's geographical location, technological infrastructure and pool of talent workers made it a favorite option. According to an insource, a deal exceeding RM2 billion was actually struck and contracts signed between Google and a few major IT companies in Malaysia.

However the blocking of Raja Petra's Malaysia-Today website in late August had got Google rethinking of their business investment in Malaysia. Yes, Google has signed contracts, but at the end of the day, political stability and credibility is of paramount importance to in business startups and operations. Suddenly locating their mail servers here is what Google thinks is a bad idea because the Malaysian Government, besides adopting fluid policies, also has politically-censored the internet. They are not looking to fulfilling the signed contracts but just the bare obligatory minimum until contract(s) expiration.

Google got jittery of the breaking of the MSC creed which is 'no censorship' and is now considering 'opening shop' in Singapore instead of Malaysia as a datacentre hub. More than twice the cost of doing business in Malaysia but politically stable.

So what if it's not September 16

Above: News excerpt from Reuters

 

Does anyone know the cost of the 41 MPs' 'educational' Taiwan trip? For me it's educational too, as I did not know that Taiwan has the leading edge in agriculture. More of computer and electrical products I would say, being the leading manufacturer of RAM, PC motherboards and so on. The MP's flight would most likely be chartered, or using the Government's private jet. The costs would be different from say, flying there by MAS; but anyway here's my estimation of the market 'value' of the travelling and accomodation costs:

Flight by MAS
RM1,800 x 2 trips x 41 pax                                                          RM147,600.00

Accomodation     
Say at the 5-star The Sheraton Taipei Hotel, twin room with breakfast for at least 7 nights till Sept 16

USD350 x 3.5 forex x 41 pax x 7 nights                                            RM351,575.00

Other expenses   RM300 x 41 pax x 8 days                                  RM98,400.00

Total                                                                              RM597,575.00

I'm not too sure about the living expenses of RM300 per day but I dare attest that's the bare minimum. Also I have not included any conference or event costs which would involve banquet room rental, etc. Banquet room rental can easily cost up to RM15K a day for 41 pax, without food and beverage that is. Throw in another RM205K if you like. BN is really really scared. Would would believe the sole purpose of this trip for other than taking out the said 41 MPs out of town so that they are out of reach on Sept 16?

Anwar, I'm a big picture guy. It does not matter whether you succeed in taking over the government by Sept 16 or not, so long you take over by the month or the next. So long the inflation rate does not increase nor stagflation begin to worsen. Sept 16 will always be remembered as a moronic day when the PM took his MPs for a little ride out of town to escape the New Malaysia Day.  Badawi, is this  Taiwan trip budgeted kah? No wonder we run into high deficits each year. For the sake of nation-building it seems. 

Below: Excerpt from Bloomberg newsportal

                                                                                              

Malaysian Economy: Cost-push inflation and Stagnation at the same time

I regularly scan foreign news reports on Malaysia and spoted this statement here, by Second Finance Minister Nor Yakcop. This report is actually about this Minister's appearance on TV3's The Exchange which I had earlier missed.

This particular statement on the right caught my eye and I was quite taken aback by this ridiculous lie of the Government 'having done all we can' to fight inflation. In the first place this hyperinflation (where inflation goes out of control with prices of goods doubling or trippling in a short time) which started in June 2008 was caused by the Government's stupid fiscal policy of increasing fuel price by 40%. It's of course cost-push inflation- the Government pushed the cost up and did nothing effective to repair this economic blunder. If the Government is sincere and 'have done all they can in fixing the economy, fuel price should have been dropped further immediately when crude oil prices started to fall.

Er- cost-push inflation not as serious as demand-pull inflation??! In my professional opinion, both are equally dangerous if not addressed properly. Cost- push inflation is caused by the sudden decrease in the supply of an essential item and/ or the sudden increase in prices of an essential item which is so substantial and rapid that it shocks the economy and chain-effects the other items causing their prices to rise as well. The situation can happen so rapidly that supply of the said item(s) cannot be expanded in time ; or suppliers of those items have their hands tied behind their backs preventing them to act to increase demand so as to adjust the market price. The perfect example is our 40% petrol price hike in June. On the other hand demand-pull inflation happens when total demand exceeds total supply in the economy caused by needs of consumers. The suppliers cannot supply the needs of its customers thus causing the scarcity in supply of goods; which in turn increase prices, thus called 'demand-pulled'.

If I were managing Malaysia's economy I would not want to focus inflation alone. That's because Malaysia is on the verge of an economic situation called stagflation- the combination of inflation and economic stagnation. Instead of one enemy we have two now- inflation and stagnation happening at the same time. The sudden surge in petrol prices in June 2008 caused cost-push inflation which sent out a signal to the general public not to spend more, be conservative,etc. The Government's fiscal cut of RM2 billion in Ministers' entertainment and claims allowances in June 2008 was one loud signal to spend less. The impact of such fiscal measures was almost immediate- economy growth slowed down immediately- suddenly we are not talking about the forecast growth of 6-7% but a below 5% economic growth. Business are now faced with low demand (stagnation of revenue and growth) and the rising costs of doing business (inflation), hence the term stagflation. If we continue to run a business in this situation, employers will have to lay-off workers in order to curb falling margins. Eventually, the businesses will also go under the lack of sustainability.

This country is run by amateurs... the Finance Ministers does not appear technically sound even in the most basic economic principles. We had better remove them, one way or another.

Ringgit stablises against the US Dollar because of Central Bank intervention

The recent steady climb of the greenback against the Malaysian Ringgit since the beginning of August 2008 has got Bank Negara (BNM) worried, resulting in the central bank selling its US dollar reserves keeping the USD capped at 3.46 against the Ringgit at the moment. BNM is not the only central bank selling the USD to keep domestic currency stable- as other central banks in Asia have done the same with the similar intention. Forbes report here.

A night with some esteemed bloggers

Last Thursday, the 28th of August 2008, was meaningful for me in 2 ways. Firstly, I had the privilege of meeting up with some of the people whom in my dreams only would I be able to be associated with.

These are the people who have brought about and are constantly fighting to achieve what all of us strive for, mainly a Malaysian Malaysia where justice and equality is upheld. Through their influence in cyberspace, they have shaped the minds of youths like mine, widening our perspective and giving us the strength to strive for what we believe in. They give me courage to do what I believe in and never give in to the ways of the world.

This star-struck night was filled with esteemed bloggers such as RPK, Haris Ibrahim, Malik Imtiaz, Zorro, Shanghai Fish, I am a Malaysian, Din Merican, Shar101, TV Smith, Gus, Wattahack and others as well. And to my luck, I was seated next to RPK where I was so star struck i could hardly gasp my thanks when he offered me a plate of chicken. My tongue betrayed me that night, but perhaps it was good that it did so, because by listening instead of talking, I learned much more.

I guess the 2nd event of the night, really is a personal achievement for me. I achieved a 2nd Upper Class Honours for my LLB UOL (external) placing my among the top 10% ranked in the world.

Both these events, rolled into 1 night, has made it truly memorable for me in the sense that I now am more optimistic to fight for what I believe in, and never compromise my beliefs no matter what happens. For that, thank you fellow bloggers, if you feel that what you do has no meaning, take pride in the fact that you have converted one person at least, that is me.