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I will be taking the week off to do some homework for my trip up the hill this weekend.
What’s the homework? No, I am not snooping around to catch them playing dirty. That we can see even with our eyes closed! I am taking these few days to concentrate on praying. Now, don’t laugh just yet! There’s power in prayer! I am bringing my supplication to my Father in heaven. For He said in Jeremiah; ‘Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. ‘
Yes, that’s what I will do for the next few days until April 7. It is not that I have not been praying for the nation. I want to stop blogging for this time, to concentrate on prayers. I hope others can join me in this.
Let’s all pray together for democracy to prevail and justice to be served. Let’s pray for God to heal our nation.
I will be back on Saturday or Sunday, all depends if Maxis broadband is available up the hill…
God bless all those who are out there on ground zeros. Keep the faith, fight a good fight, finish the race!
On Saturday, three of us got together, two J’s and me. We parked ourselves at the food court in a shopping center, ordered ice-kacang and feasted on these chocolate cupcakes which I baked earlier in the morning.
triple chocolate cupcakes
What did we talked about?
We plan to go up a hill next weekend. The two J’s want to catch speeches by some political big names. Me? I plan to check out the other camp, look at the numbers of attendees and see if I am lucky enough to get some money in an envelope? Perhaps if I pose as some reporter, I may be lucky?
Whatever it may be, I will give a report for all to know. Today is nomination day up at the hill. I am too flat out after two ‘makan’ meetings yesterday to be there. I will reserve my energy for next weekend! Meanwhile, let’s pray for a clean and fair elections at the 2 hills and 1 batang. Pray that we will go up a hill and come down a mountain!
The one with the least (nominations) got the most (votes) and won the post! Oxymoron?
Who got the least nominations to vie for the Umno Youth President post?
Let’s recap; Mukhriz Mahathir (74 nominations), Mohd Khir Toyo (62 nominations) and Khairy Jamaluddin (53 nominations).
Khairy who received the least nominations, and his political career is said to be a goner, won!
What to make out of this?
First, let’s look at their perspective on issues like ISA, new media, teaching Science and Maths in English and Umno per se in my previous post Ini-Mini-Miny-Mo. Khairy is seen to take the middle road and is willing to engage the demands for change in Umno. Mukhriz asserted he will continue his father’s legacy. Khir Toyo, on the other hand promised to continue with Umno’s Ketuanan Melayu.
In a way, I am happy Khairy won.
Because, there MAY still be a chance for Umno (at least the youths) to change (IF Khairy can be trusted with his words).
Because, a candidate with over 20 corruption reports made against him, will infiltrate the minds of the youth with that kind of tainted leadership.
Because, 22 years of Mahatirism is more than enough.
Because, there will still be division in Umno with the son-in-law of the ousted Umno President holding a high position in Umno. And division is good, it keeps all in check. and it weakens.
Yes, again, I say, I am glad that Khairy won. Not that I am rooting for him. Not that it’s a good choice. In fact they have no choice.
Well, it all depends which side of the coin you are looking at with his win; That this proved money politics is much alive in Umno?; That they are voting for change?
Let’s flip the coin. And see on which side it will land!
I write with a heavy heart today. As I was preparing dinner, I received a sms with only three hard-hitting words; ‘X has cancer’. I know X was in a surgery this morning. I was not prepared for this news yet and I am in shock. Although I have hope for healing, I am still sad.
Our environment is not only contaminated by diseases; it is also contaminated by the corruption of money and power. The heaviness in my heart extends to the moral condition of our country’s politics. When X is diagnosed with cancer, X’s family and friends are affected by X’s condition. Likewise, when our environment is contaminated by the ills of corrupted power and corrupted money of politics, we, the rakyat are affected too.
The title of this post is taken from a speech made by former President of Czech Republic, Mr. Vaclav Havel. I would like to share with you his speech, ‘A moral contaminated environment.’
We live in a contaminated moral environment. We fell morally ill because we became used to saying something different from what we thought. We learned not to believe in anything, to ignore each other, to care only about ourselves. Concepts such as love, friendship, compassion, humility or forgiveness lost their depth and dimensions, and for many of us they represented only psychological peculiarities, or they resembled gone-astray greetings from ancient times, a little ridiculous in the era of computers and spaceships. Only a few of us were able to cry out loud that the powers that be should not be all-powerful, and that special farms, which produce ecologically pure and top-quality food just for them, should send their produce to schools, children’s homes and hospitals if our agriculture was unable to offer them to all. The previous regime – armed with its arrogant and intolerant ideology – reduced man to a force of production and nature to a tool of production. In this it attacked both their very substance and their mutual relationship. It reduced gifted and autonomous people, skilfully working in their own country, to nuts and bolts of some monstrously huge, noisy and stinking machine, whose real meaning is not clear to anyone. It cannot do more than slowly but inexorably wear down itself and all its nuts and bolts.
When I talk about contaminated moral atmosphere, I am not talking just about the gentlemen who eat organic vegetables and do not look out of the plane windows. I am talking about all of us. We had all become used to the totalitarian system and accepted it as an unchangeable fact and this helped to perpetuate it. In other words, we are all – though naturally to differing extents – responsible for the operation of the totalitarian machinery, none of us is just its victim; we are all also its co-creators.
Why do I say this? It would be unreasonable to understand the sad legacy of the last forty years as something alien, which some distant relative bequeathed us. On the contrary, we have to accept this legacy as a sin we committed against ourselves. If we accept it as such, we will understand that it is up to us all, and up to us only, to do something about it. We cannot blame the previous rulers for everything, not only because it would be untrue but also because it could blunt the duty that each of us faces today, namely, the obligation to act independently, freely, reasonably and quickly. Let us not be mistaken: the best government in the world, the best Parliament and the best President, cannot achieve much on their own. And it would be wrong to expect a general remedy from them only. Freedom and democracy include participation and therefore responsibility from us all…
Do we see the parallels mentioned here? That each of us has a role to play if we want a good government? That freedom and democracy include participation?
There are still those who think that politics belong to the politicians and not the rakyat. It’s time we all stand up and be counted in the making of our country’s government. It’s time we choose with our eyes wide open, our minds uncorrupted; we choose freely and independently!
People of Batang Ai, Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau; this is a call to you. Help us to live in an uncontaminated environment by choosing with a moral obligation and moral authority. Help us to start perpetuating the real free and democratic government.
In conclusion, Mr. Havel has this to say;
You may ask what kind of republic I dream of. Let me reply: I dream of a republic independent, free and democratic, of a republic economically prosperous and yet socially just, in short, of a humane republic which serves the individual and which therefore holds the hope that the individual will serve it in turn. Of a republic of well-rounded people, because without such it is impossible to solve any of our problems, human, economic, ecological, social or political.
And Mr. Prime Minster-to-be, what do you think of Mr. Havel’s dream?
I am supposed to do a trial bake of ’savory muffins’ on Saturday to prepare for another round of baking for a blogger friend who will be visiting next Saturday.
I think J would prefer the sweet chocolate cake than this savory muffins.
The taste verdict for the muffins (ingredients include mozarella cheese, cheddar cheese, capsicum, butter, pizza sauce, flour, eggs and ham) is ‘too salty’! I guess it is the cheeses!
The muffins ready to go into the oven
Savory muffins just out from the oven
So J, what should it be, savory or sweet? Don’t think too hard, this is not choosing a wife! 
“Currently 1,189 cities and towns across 80 countries are committed, with more coming on board every day.
From the Chatham Islands to the Arctic Sea, people from all corners of the world will turn off their lights for Earth Hour to cast their vote for action on climate change.
The historic event will see millions of people gathered in parks, streets, town squares and homes around the world to witness the lights going out on iconic landmarks and city skylines, while taking in the atmosphere of some truly unique Earth Hour events.”
To read more go here.
Earth Hour 2009 will be observed from 8.30pm to 9.30pm local time on Saturday, 29 March 2009.
Where will I be during Earth Hour? I have a dinner appointment but I will make sure that there is lights off and TV off at home! Of course my dog, Missy won’t like the darkness. It’s a small sacrifice, to give the earth a break, although it’s just a one hour break! And it saves you electricity costs too! Please think about it and PARTICIPATE!
This is the job application of a 17-year old submitted at a McDonald’s fast-food establishment in Florida….
THE JOB APPLICATION
NAME: Greg Bulmash
SEX: Not yet. Still waiting for the right person.
DESIRED POSITION: Company’s President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever’s available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn’t be applying here in the first place.
DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that’s not possible, make an offer and we can haggle.
EDUCATION: Yes.
LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility.
SALARY: Less than I’m worth.
MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes.
REASON FOR LEAVING: It sucked.
HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK: Any.
PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30-3:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?: Yes, but they’re better suited to a more intimate environment.
MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER?: If I had one, would I be here?
DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING UP TO 50 LBS?: Of what?
DO YOU HAVE A CAR?: I think the more appropriate question here would be, Do you have a car that runs?”
HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION?: I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.
DO YOU SMOKE?: On the job no, on my breaks yes.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS?: Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy blonde super model who thinks I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I’d like to be doing that now.
DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?: Yes. Absolutely.
SIGN HERE: Aries.
And guess what? He got the job. It certainly pays to be honest!
(source: Owen’s World)
I have sort of adopted this monkey, thus giving him (not really sure of its gender but I will assume its a he) a name; JJ. Actually JJ is the pet of an Orang Asli guard in the precinct where my office is, which is just outside my office.
Thus I drive pass JJ daily and noticed that JJ is sort of skinny. I started feeding him yesterday, with some of my sweet potato butter cake. It looks like JJ don’t quite like the cake, although he did try to put the whole piece in his mouth and almost got choked. This morning I brought a banana and JJ loved it. JJ rewarded me by touching my fingers after he took the banana.
JJ scrambled back onto the tree after taking the banana
JJ first peeled the skin and then went chomp, chomp!
I found out that JJ’s owner has been feeding him rice, no wonder JJ is skinny! I will get JJ some peanuts for his next feed.
To those who must be wondering if I am working in the jungle (sighting giant moths and monkeys), no, my office is situated in a prime commercial/residential area.
Photo by Jong
Perakians has foresight. They know the world is watching us, as displayed in the photo above.
And this is how the world sees us.
Cannot read? Here’s the retyped article..
Politics fuels the mini-budget
Kuala Lumpur Observed
Angus Grigg
The Australian Financial Review, March 4, 2009
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak, will unveil a big spending mini-budget next week that will be as much about politics and patronage as boosting the economy.
Infrastructure projects and government contracts will be distributed among political friends. There will be waste and white elephants, as is the Malaysian way.
It is not, however, sustainable. Malaysia has not run a budget surplus in a decade and now finds its public debt levels uncomfortably high.
The ratio of debt to gross domestic product is above 50 per cent, while the budget deficit this year will probably exceed 10 per cent of GDP and go higher in 2010. For a commodity exporter which has enjoyed five years of record prices, these are appalling numbers.
‘They were lazy in the good times,’ says Fitch Ratings analyst James McCormack from Hong Kong. ‘And now there is pressure on public finances.’ The first consequence of this pressure is a likely downgrade of Malaysia’s local currency debt after Najib releases his budget next Tuesday.
Analysts are expecting a budget of between 15 billion ringgit ($6.3 billion) and 30 billion rinngit. This should be enough to push Malaysia’s credit rating down one notch to A- and raise its cost of borrowing.
But more worrying is the longer-term outlook. Fitch estimates that 40 per cent of government revenue is derived from the oil and gas sector, whic means its finances are unlikely to recover until the oil price does. No one is forecasting this in the short term, while everyone expects the government to keep on spending.
‘This is ultimately unsustainable,’ says HSBC economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde. ‘In the end the cost of borrowing will just be too expensive.’
For Najib, who will become Prime Minister on March 31 when Abdullah Badawi steps down, this is a problem.
As he has almost no popular support, his only real option is to buy himself some political capital by continuing to spend.
He could, of course, boost growth and investment by opening the country’s highly insulated economy, but this is not Najib’s style.
He is a Malay hardliner, well schooled in the politics of protection and patronage. In a political career spanning 32 years, he has been associated with corruption scandals, accused of inciting racial violence and even linked to the murder of a Mongolian alleged to have been his mistress.
It makes for messing reading, but in ordinary times Najib could expect to survive such scandal. But these are not ordinary times and therefore Najib is in trouble.
Firstly, the opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim, has began eroding the government’s once insurmountable grip on power. The internet has neutralised its hold over the mainstream media and subject the likes of Najib to scrutiny.
Therefore, blatant vote-buying won’t necessary work for Najib as it did for his predecessors, while the government’s tight fiscal position will make this even harder. Najib could therefore be an ‘embattled’ prime minister from day one.
‘There will certainly be no honeymoon,’ says political analyst Wong Chin Huat. No sooner will Najib have assumed the presidency of his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) than the pressure will be on.
A byelection in the northern state of Perak has been scheduled for early April and it is already being viewed as a poll on Najib’s leadership. The seat was previously held by the opposition, but Najib will be under pressure to reverse the government’s recent string of byelection losses. This is unlikely as even the Malay heartland has deserted the National Front coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since independence.
After this, Najib will face another byelection in Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Despite there being only a state seat up for grabs, the contest will be a test of the government’s non-Malay bumiputra. The seat is dominated by indigenous Dayaks, who have traditionally supported the government.
Indeed UMNO and tis coalition are in power due only to their electoral dominance in the eastern Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak: these two states provide 55 of its 140 seats. But opposition leaser Anwar has been working hard on the island and has offered to increase the petroleum royalties these states receive.
‘The byelection could be the first blow to the government’s dominance on Borneo,’ says Wong. It would also demonstrate that Anwar’s three-party coalition is capable of winning power nationally.
But the fear among many in Malaysia is that such a sign could make Najib increasingly desperate and make him resort to extreme measures. He is a hardliner who would not want to be the first UMNO leader to lose the prime ministership.
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