Nov 29, 2008

P36

Deputy Education Minister Razali Ismail, 59, died today after collapsing while playing badminton at the teachers training college, Aminuddin Baki Institute, in Genting Highlands at about 6.30pm. He was at the college for a Terengganu Umno retreat. Due to his death, the by election will be held within 60 days for Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat.

His body was subsquently brought to Hospital Bentong. The deputy minister left behind his wife, Nooraini Lob Yusoff, and five children.Razali, who was a two-term Kuala Terengganu parliamentarian for Umno, defeated PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu and 89-year-old Maimun Yusuf in the March 8 general elections. He won with a slim majority of 628 by bagging 32,562 votes against Mohamad’s 31,934 and Maimun’s 685.

Malaysian still can feel the heat of March 8 General Election and Permatang Pauh by-election which generated 'Tsunami' in local political arena. March 8 indicated the break of BN's 2/3 domination in parliament and lost of 5 states to opposition while Permatang Pauh brought Opposition stalwart Anwar Ibrahim back to the parliament after decade of absent. Next Kuala Terengganu will be the Barisan Nasional's most important test ground whether they are still relevant enough and acceptable by the people of Malaysian.

Barisan Nasional, the incumbent of the Kuala Terengganu will strive hard to defend and protect the seat from the Pakatan Rakyat. As we know, BN are loosing their popularity among Malaysian. After Kelantan, Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Perak, now the spotlights is on Sarawak and few other states. Thousands of people in Sarawak had joint PKR recently. I wont surprise if Pakatan Rakyat able to form a new government right after next general election.

PAST ELECTIONS RESULT

Nov 28, 2008

Ban the Sales of Alcohol in Malaysia


The people who drink are also more likely to get into suicide, divorce, fights and commit crimes than those who don't. These incidents are more rampant among Malaysian Indian than others. Statistics shows that Malaysian Indian is leading the chart of suicide and crimes too. Besides poverty, alcohol is another key factor which drowns Malaysian Indians into social problems. People who drinks regularly often have problems with family members and society.

Alcohol puts our health at risk too. People who continue drinking heavily well into adulthood risk damaging their organs, such as the liver, heart, and brain. Malaysian Teens that drink is more likely to be sexually active and to have unsafe, unprotected sex and resulted to pregnancies that we are witnessing in local dailies often. The risk of injuring yourself, maybe even fatally, is higher when you're under the influence of alcohol. One half of all drowning deaths among teen guys are related to alcohol use especially among Malaysian Indian.

Students who drink always have problems in schools, universities and colleges. Drinking can damage a student's ability to study well and get decent grades, as well as affect sports performance. Now, Alcohol is something that cannot be encouraged. A solution to this problem is through the process of education, starting from children, teaching them about the badness of alcohol. We should create awareness in them about the dangers related to consumption of alcohol so that when they grow up they will naturally stay away from alcohol.

Besides the education, enforcement by authorities is significantly important. The politician must enact new laws that allow alcohol to ban for sales. Although I’m a non-Muslim, I agree the first move of Sham Alam municipal council restrict the sales of alcohol in Selangor. The next step should be the total ban of the alcohol. Other states administrations and municipal councils must follow PAS act to restrict the alcohol sales.

To all non Muslims, think rationally and see the harm alcohol can do and do not reject just because it comes from PAS. It’s doesn’t matter if it comes from PAS, BN, PKR, DAP or others, as long as it bring harmony to the peoples of Malaysia. We clearly know that alcohol bring harm to various stratum of Malaysian citizen. So don’t hesitate to support the restriction of alcohol. For the sake of our future generation, I think it’s better to ban than restrict alcohol!

Nov 26, 2008

Malaysian Politicians May Take Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore as Example!

Singapore’s Minister Mentor and founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, has always been very smart and popular with his excellent leadership quality. The Singapore cabinets consist of dedicated and intelligent technocrats whereas Malaysia has only weak cabinets. Singapore is a respected nation worldwide especially among ASEAN countries for being outstanding in various sector including education, economy, health care, security, transport system, governing competency and so on. But nothing much I can be proud of Malaysia.

With that kind of composition, that is very brainy, naturally Singapore, with no natural resources could outstrip Malaysia in every aspect of development. Malaysia, on the other hand, was too much preoccupied with its irrelevant and outdated policies such as NEP and few others. Why look East to Japan and Korea (Dasar Pandang ke Timur) to follow their principles? I would advise them to emulate Singapore and invite Lee Kuan Yew to teach them what is good governance in reality.

Whenever Kuan Yew utters anything that deemed to be a slight on Malaysia, voices were raised admonishing him. Malaysia would never dare to face reality. That Singapore had proven that it could survive, it was a slap on those who believed that Singapore would bankrupt up once it left Malaysia. Therefore it was natural that these kind of people would try to rationalise their comments although they know its irrelevant just to combat on whatever Kuan Yew's opinions about Malaysia. In an interview in Singapore, Kuan Yew said that Malaysia could have done better if only it treated its minority Chinese and Indian population fairly. Instead they were completely marginalised and lots of best brains professionals left the country.

Malaysia is now more than 51 years old nation full of scandals and dilemmas haunting around its citizen. The racial divide has become more sensitive. The number of Malaysian graduates unemployed is on the increase. And this aspect can be very explosive. But I haven’t seen any positive actions have been taken to address these social ills. Various excuses were given by Malaysian leaders why Singapore had far outstripped Malaysia in all aspects of social and economic advancement. Singapore was small, they rationalised and therefore easy to manage. Singapore was not a state but merely an island. Malaysia has abundance of natural resources but none can lay claim to have used all these resources to benefit the people. Poverty in rampant and self-government had not brought in any large benefits to the people.

Tiny Singapore without any resources at all managed to bring development to its citizens. It had one of the best public MRT transport systems and airlines in the world and it is a very clean city state. Their universities, health care, ports are among the best in the world. I hope the best from my Malaysia too; I think I have my rights to dream so. Some of my friend always says that I'm not being patriotic since I condemning Malaysia by comparing to other nations especially Singapore.

It is impossible to compare what Singapore has achieved to what our nation had so far achieved. It was actually poor administration and corruption, and nothing more that effected Malaysia. Singapore ousts Malaysia in the governance systems/policies and serious fights against corruption, that’s their secret to be an economy powerhouse in this region. Stop critics on Singapore and let’s take them as model to shape up Malaysia as better place to live.

Nov 25, 2008

25 November.... Malaysian Indian Awakening Day


Malaysian Indians are treated like third-class citizens. The community has been suffering in silence for decades. On the 25 November 2007, Malaysian Indian bravely voiced out that there are something wrong in the community and need serious attention from government. Lack of education opportunity, economic status, uncontrolled abolishments of temples and thousands of problems haunting Malaysian Indian from time to time thus these problems should be addressed immediately.


Tear gas and water cannon were used to disperse a crowd of over 30 000 people as Malaysian Indian rallied on several places around Kuala Lumpur on 25 November 2007. The protesters are calling for reparations from the UK for sending Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourers a century ago. The activists also demand measures to improve the living standards of Malaysian Indian. Ethnic Indians gathered in Kuala Lumpur carrying Malaysian flags and placards. Some demonstrators were beaten and bundled into police vans, as tear gas and water cannon were fired into the crowd.


Malaysian Indians are increasingly being marginalized, economically as well as socially. More than 30% of Indians do not own a house; over 300,000 Indian poor have been evicted from their plantation livelihoods and residences; and there were 21.1 suicides per 100,000 Indians a year 2005, the highest rate amongst all communities. Indians also have the lowest life expectancy at birth amongst the major races.


Until now, the problems faced by the Malaysian Indians are not being attended by the Malaysian Government. One wonders whether Malaysian Indians belong to the third major race or to a third class race in own country. Government should have new plan to end the marginalization of Malaysian Indians as well as other marginalized groups in the country, whether Kadazan-Dusun-Murut in Sabah, the Ibans, Penans, other minorities in Sarawak and Orang Asli.


Nov 23, 2008

Yoga for All

Yoga is not a religion. Rather, it is a set of techniques and skills that enhance the practice of any religion. A French author named Jean Déchanet discovered this in regard to his Catholic faith and wrote the book ChristianYoga (New York: Harper, 1960). In Malaysia Muslim’s case, I have found that Islamic yoga is a reality. It is possible to employ the skills of yoga to worship god better and to be a better human.

Yoga arose from the matrix of the Hindu world, although according to Mircea Eliade it is of pre-Hindu origin and can be traced back to prehistoric shamanism. Like India's other gifts to world civilization, for example the system of place notation on which all mathematics depends, yoga is not tied to the Hindu religion but has a universal applicability. It helps one to follow one's own religion better whatever that may be. Yoga is no substitute for any Islamic requirement, it just as a valuable addition to the spiritual path of one’s religion.

Vesu (a blogger) commented on my post entitled 'Islam and Yoga' before. He said: yoga plus mantra chanting is a complete exercise. you have a choice -do yoga minus mantra, still apllicable. that is hinduism. hinduism never impose restriction, its the most flexible and approachable teachings. muslims,christians etc can take up yoga without any fear of being converted into hinduism because hindus do not believe in converting people of other believe. enjoy yoga !!!

I totally disagree Yoga banned for Muslims in Malaysia by Fatwa council. Such act is more to the mockery of human rights, definitely not to protect the Islam as official religion. I think it’s nothing wrong if write about Islam although I'm a Hindu.

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