7th. Vigil (23-11-2008)

The 7th. candle-light vigil was more into getting to know the many faces who tirelessly grace these vigils every Sunday evening when they could have been elsewhere like shopping or going to "pasar malams". Azmi, the "not-your-regular-type-of- law professor" sharing his abhorrence and repeal of repressive laws in the country- the ISA !!
Haris up-close with the "permanent fixtures" of candle- light vigils (guess I'm going to get some flak in my choice of words above, hmmmm......forgive me ladies !)
then it is Bernard.....chatting-up the ladies !
Estrelita Soliano or Lita........blogger and crusader who shuttles between here and the little red dot, holding up her version of a "light-candle"(actually it's 2 paper cups glued together with a little battery operated torch-light "shoved-in" from below through an opening- simply genius !!....did I make any sense there ??)
another ingenious idea...Claire with her scintillating "ear-to-ear" smile adorned with a pair of twinkling ear-rings complete with mistletoe's that goes blink, blink, blink alternatively...... just brilliant ! .......must invite her for the whole of December every night to stand in one ear-marked corner of my house .....then I won't have to put up my christmas tree this year.......
I also met Elaine( who froze when I was first introduced by Bernard as an SB....she actually believed I was an operative !!) with her kids Brian and Patricia and close friend Linda
and finally teenagers Jamuna (left) and Sangereswary...............this picture needs no words.....except for this bad resolutions and grainy photos taken with my cell phone camera !

Thank you all you brave and concerned citizens of civil society !
Cheers !

Pak Lah...a Hindu head-of-state ??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malay_language#Dictionary

Borrowed words

agama - religion (from Sanskrit agama)
bahasa - language (from Sanskrit bhāshā)
biara - monastery (from Javanese derived from Bihara in Sanskrit or Pali)
buat - do (from Sanskrit wuat)
bumi - earth (from Sanskrit bhumi or from Sanskirtam "buumi")
duka - sadness (from Sanskrit duhkha)
guru - teacher (from Sanskrit)
kepala - head (from Sanskrit kapala "skull")
kuda - horse (from Sanskrit)
maha - great (from Sanskrit)
nama - name (from Sanskrit naam)
neraka - hell (from Sanskrit naraka)
perpustakaan - library (base word "pustaka" is the Sanskrit word for "book")
puasa - fasting (from Sanskrit "upavasa")
putera - prince (from Sanskrit putra "son")
purba - ancient (from Sanskrit "purva/poorv" meaning past)
raja - king (from Sanskrit rāja)
roti - bread (from Sanskrit roṭi)
singa - lion (from Sanskrit)
suka - happiness (from Sanskrit sukha)
tali - string (from Sanskrit)
unta - camel (from Sanskrit ushtra)
utara - north (from Sanskrit uttara)
warna - colour (from Sanskrit varnam)

There you go folks, now that yoga, the traditional art of mental and physical self-disciplines originating from India thousands of years ago, in it's true form which happens to be in the Sanskrit language is decreed by the fatwa as associated to Hinduism, therefore deemed "haram".

Take heed all you people in the journalism/writing profession, make sure you affix the above logo beside the list of borrowed words in your piece to ascertain the "halalness". For if you keep writing the words repeatedly over a period of time, you might be accused of embrassing the Hindu religion !

Hmmmm.....looks like even Pak Lah's title of "perdana menteri" and our national car's many second names like "Putra", "Wira" "Satria" and "Perdana" in bahasa ( which I believe is also borrowed from the Sanskrit language) has to have the certification....or otherwise be deemed a Hindu head of state and an Indian national car !!

Sheeesh.....talk about insecurity !

Arch of silence

Arch of silence
By Pearl Lee and Darshini Kandasamy November 18, 2008

Believe it or not, an arch is to be built at the Federal Highway and no one knows who is doing it. At least that’s how it seems.

This much the probing journos from Malay Mail know: The arch will straddle the highway near the UEM and Malay College Old Boys’ Association (MCOBA) buildings at the Jalan Syed Putra stretch.

Everything else is shrouded in mystery, who is building it, who approved it and, more importantly, why it is being built now and how much it will cost in the midst of a global credit crunch and Malaysians being told to be prudent in their spending.

For the rest of the Malay Mail story read here .

It will be interesting to know why so many parties are denying their participation in this project. Who actually approved this ? And why is Jakim's good name being dragged in here ? Is this a final attempt of the Islam Hadari directive to leave the stamp of their presence in their short-lived tenure? Are there more of these arches elsewhere in the country ? And the notice issued by Syabas of water disruption in the area ....hmmm....surely Syabas won't take things into their hands without an issued directive, right ? And who is Rebana Ubi ?....and City Hall too ? And at what costs ? And worst still.... sheeesh!!!....... I have to crawl past this stretch everyday I go home !

Questions aplenty, denials even more and something smells like rotten fish here, but I know the gutsy guys and gals in Malay Mail are not going to sit back or let it slip by, will they?.....no siree !! The plot thickens and as I read the story for the second day today it gets more and more interesting, folks !

I must say "kudos" to the pains-taking and tireless team who are on this story ! Give us more answers and let heads roll if there has been discrepancies in the awarding of this contract ! Now for those who want to know more.... go get your copy of the Malay Mail and read all about it !!

Cheers to the Malay Mail team !

6th. Candle Light Vigil 16-11-2008-in pictures

They came in all ages, religions and color....
amazing thing was, they came with their families.....
Evelyn striking a coy smile in the background....with candle of course !
a part of the attentive and brave crowd...
YB Teresa(my face-book friend too) addressing the attentive vigiliers........
DelCarpo looking mean and macho with a blazing candle.....
and this little boy, bored to the speeches made decided to amuse himself with the dripping wax...
Din Merican addressing the crowd.....
3 nuns and the "holy ghost" with Tony G. and Jared on the left.
ahhh.... I finally got to meet elusive fellow blogger Estrelita(right) with son Jared and friend Meryl. Cheers for the company Lita and thanks !
The star of every vigil - Syzen me thinks her name is !
barret donning Pet with another ardent supporter !
Yes I told you before they came with their families...seen here are Pereira and his daughter (left 1st and 2nd.) and the Netto's with their son ....and incidentally John(centre) is originally from Taiping.

There you go folks ..the 6th. candle-light vigil last night under a humid sky in the vicinity of the PJ Civic Centre compound, courtesy with permits applied for by the state representatives in the exco and went without any unpleasant incidences, unlike the last one which was bloopered and barged-in by the moronic men-in-blue.

Now why can't a bunch of innocent candle-carrying and tax-paying citizens spend their Sunday night assembled peacefully in any place they want ? Do they need permission to even gather to hold candles ? Do they look like a "national threat" to the police ?? Or do they look like they need police protection ( as in police arrest/detention) ??

Thank you all good and brave people of civil society in Malaysia ! Cheeeeers !

Sarawak state rep leads 12,000 into PKR

SIBU, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Ngemah state assemblyman Gabriel Adit Demong, 58, who won on an Independent ticket in the Sarawak state election some time back, has joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

He handed over his application form to join the party to its president Datuk Seri Anwar Inbrahim at a dinner here Saturday night.

Also joining Adit in his move were 11,752 individuals from throughout the state.

Adit is a four-term Ngemah state assemblyman, three of which were on BN ticket when he was a vice-president of the now defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak(PBDS), a dayak majority state BN component party which was de-registered due to internal leadership crisis.

With Adit joining PKR the party now has two members in the state legislative assembly.

The other is Dominic Ng who is also the state PKR chairman and Padungan state assemblyman.

Now how did this alarming news missed the msm today I don't know.....hmmm....was it deliberate, yes ? I first heard from a fellow blogger and was told to browse Malaysiakini. Then here on Bernama on-line news this ...! Wow... about 12,000 people ??

This mass exodus must be absolutely worrying to the BN, much to the delight of Anwar and his coalition, who have been only harping of change for so long.

Does this mean Anwar is soon going to issue another "take-over" date-line ?? Has he got the numbers yet ? Or is he waiting for judgement day? Speculations are rife and will be the topic of every conversation when 2 or 3 ordinary citizens of the country meet for a teh-tarik !
Pray tell all !

DAP's anti-ISA run....to Taiping

350km 'freedom run' kicks off

DAP's anti-ISA (Internal Security Act) flag began its 350km journey on foot to the Kamunting Detention Camp in Pandamaran, Selangor today with several party personalities kicking things off. Party vice-chairperson and former ISA detainee Tan Kok Wai flagged off the low-key event at the Pandamaran new village at 8.15am with a short speech....(Malaysiakini) At the time of this posting the runners are about 16km from the Kamunting Detention Camp. Talk is their run of "passing the flag" had been closely followed by our infamous Special Branch and unwarranted road-blocks ! Now there seems even a healthy run has become illegal !Must warn all devotees who are next walking or running to Maran or Batu Caves to first get clearance from our men-in-blue.......sheeesh !!! Lets hope they make a good run and the good people of my town are there to welcome them ! Goodspeed ! click Malaysiakini video here for the flag-off !

candle light vigil - got abuse meh ??

The past four vigils went on without any "ugly" incidents.....until this 5th one which also coincided with the 1st anniversary of the "Bersih Walk" ! See Fr. Polino of Divine Mercy Church gently holding a candle for the cause.....here after the brute and menacing orders by the police were barked to back-off into the Amcorp Mall....only to be roughly man-handled later near the Dewan Civic and arrested....who says "men of the cloth" were spared...huh ?? Shame ...shame...shame !!!
and so was MP Tony Pua...another victim of circumstances or plain persecution......?
...the harmless crowd milling around the mall before......
Haris worked on plan B.......to gather around the entrance of the mall to sing the "Negara Ku" before marching in pairs peacefully out to the streets......!
...the crowd preparing to leave the mall..
and the cops getting into gear to intercept, confront and use brute force to arrest innocents.....the rest you know was mayhem with the arrest of 24 people who were walking in their own country with a candle in their hand......so much for democracy ! Pwhiiit on the authorities !

I must say the police....especially the plain-clothed operatives were the most uncouth of vermins hurling and barking vulgar abuses at the innocent tax-paying citizens of all races and religions gathered to witness their high-handedness....shame on these poor excuses for human beings !!!

**Up-dates: for visual-proof of police high-handedness during the singing of the "Negara Ku" last night, go here and see for yourself as otherwise claimed by the head-honcho !



A black day indeed !

**top-most pic-courtesy of din merican, which clearly shows the bullying tactics of the brute and menacing "protectors" of the law......what a shame !!

permits to sing christmas carols ???

Raja Petra released !!

Yes that was indeed the best news today, but what was more disturbing was this comment I received in my comment box below:

Anonymous said...

Unrelated – Stephen, may I ask if in your area the BEC leader have to get a police permit for “Christmas Carols” sung from house to house during Advent ?
Over here, we go around the blocks for 4 days the maximum in a group of 20 i.e., children and adults, dressed like Santa, carry a guitar and other smaller musical instruments. Never have loud speakers. How much of noise can we be making ? The police had last year asked for list of the Christmas songs, not enough that they want the lyrics also. Is this fair ? And the Government is calling USA racist !!

Yellow Rose of Texas

11/07/2008 09:24:00 AM

Now I, for the life of me and for as long as I have been in existence on this here great land of mine cannot remember when such rulings came about ! I don't know where "over here" is, as written by the commentor but since when did you have to apply for a permit and to submit to such "conditions" ?

Unless you are a first generation son/daughter of an immigrant here in Malaysia, I have in all my life enjoyed this 1 week or so to the run-up of Christmas by little children and youths going from house to house singing songs that are only too familiar to all Malaysians irrespective of race or religion.....and you too, as a true blue born and bred Malaysian of every race and religion know how innocently heart-warming these carols are, yes ??

Come now "real" people of Malaysia.....don't tell me "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" are seditious or threatening in someone converting to Christianity ?? When are these bigots going to learn that we have always lived in this plural civil society which NOT tolerated BUT accepted and respected each other's religious traditions during such festivities ?? This singing sessions organised by the respective faithfuls also inculcates values and talents of being a part of the truely Malaysian family and sure beats and keep youths from being scum-bags, better known as "mat-rempits", right?

And the singular and most spectacular factor of being uniquely Malaysian is the "open-house" concept during festivities not just for one race or religion BUT for ALL races and religions ! That IS Malaysia and has always been THAT ! And now this...hmmmm !

So which over-zealous fanatic now came up with these idiotic "conditions"...... huh ? Surely Malaysians never had a problem with Christmas carolers before, so why now ??

And if the morons in the local authorities do not recognise this uniqueness and demand for such ludicrous "conditions" to this age old Christmas-time Malaysian tradition (and this has nothing to do with ape-ing the west ...kapish ??) of carollers accompanied by youths strumming box-guitars going around from house to house and in every town in the country that has been with us Malaysians from the time of our fore-fathers (yes...yours and mine !) landed here in Malaya back in the 1800's, then I condemn those who now demand these "conditions" for being their own worst enemies and proclaim them now as the real "pendatangs" !

I am stumped and pissed-off with this ruling today and somebody better have a damn good explanation !!.......Sheeeesh !!... and to quote pasquale.......NO CHEERS TODAY !

*picture-extracted from google images in Malaysia-without permission.

"...now anybody can be a prime minister"

Surely my holy Prime Minister must be joking....erhhh..with his "now anybody can be a prime minister" quip...right ?.... it sounds so corny, like some airline tag-line...?

What a load of crap, Pak Lah....we cannot even get the various people of our small country Malaysia together, let alone the people within UMNO and the much politically divided malay populace without first deliberately fanning the race issues with the infamous "kekuatan melayu" monologue ! So stop it....we are not morons to swallow this kind of rhetoric's, my good and out-going Prime Minister! .....peleeeaze !

Think it's fashionable to parrot such cliche's just to appease the now new and first black president-elect of the US just to show how democratic and united we Malaysians are and slowly worm into their good books ?? (read here)

Get real Mr. Prime Minister.... you don't need to please the Americans, sir, just please your people, your citizens first !.... The world has witnessed the many unconstitutional instances you and your predecessor inflicted on innocent citizens who you and your predecessor felt "were a threat to the nation" and subsequently detained for, and in your current Home Ministers words "their own safety" and the numerous times you and your predecessor sent out your chemical-laced water cannons to intimidate, disperse and arrest, peacefully assembled tax-paying and candle-carrying citizens of all ages, gender and race while a silent majority prayed, for the last 26 years,.....remember the ISA, sir ??

We as a nation and as a A1 priority, must first do away with the race issues that glaringly affects and demonises the ordinary people on a daily basis, with the policies of the government which so dearly exercises and labels us as per our race/identity in all dealings and in all levels of our public sectors.....that alone is reason enough to create us, your people of civil society, a divided nation.....so why the bull-shit now ?

With this mind-set of governance, to have a prime minister of "anybody" would be a fool's dream and definitely I assume not in my lifetime too !

Have a pleasant retirement sir and God bless you and your family !

I have a dream.....

President-elect Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and daughter Sasha, 7, waves as they takes the stage at his election night party in Chicago's Grant Park.(3-11-2008)

Electoral College votes - Winning post 270

Obama - Democrat 338

McCain - Republican 155

In Memory of Kasim Ca Tong

Just got word this morning that a dear lawyer friend Kasim Ca Tong was shot dead in Golok last night ! As of now I am still trying to contact friends who are there in Golok.

This is all so shocking and upsetting !
**Will up-date as soon as I get more info.

**UP-DATES-5-11-2008
2 very conflicting versions have appeared on our local papers today and one source who actually saw the bullet riddled t-shirt believes the first one here is more conclusive. Read the other one here. Either way this whole killing of this gentleman is beyond comprehension and unwarranted!

a tale of 2 cows !

As usual my good friend John W. sent me this "part" old time philosophy on governments of the world ! Have a good day folks and thanks John !

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes.
The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION (ENRON STYLE)
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows.
The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company.
The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.
You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States , leaving you with nine cows.
No balance sheet provided with the release.
The public then buys your bull.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide..

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
The local Mafia is demanding protection money for the cows
You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 2 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the **** out of you and invade your country
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a 'Democracy....'

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive....and finally.....

A MALAYSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
errhh....I swear I never met the cows......??