Happy Labour Day

About Labour day:

Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. The majority of countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1, and it is popularly known as May Day and International Workers' Day. The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the Eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

Most countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1, known as May Day and International Workers' Day. In Europe the day has older significance as a rural festival which is predominantly more important than that of the Labour Day movement. The holiday has become internationalised and several countries hold multi-day celebrations including parades, shows and other patriotic and labour-oriented events. However, in Northern Europe, Walpurgis Night is celebrated on the preceding night and this holiday merges with the Labour Day in some countries.

May 1 is a national holiday in Albania, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia (locally known as Hari Buruh), Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, the Philippines (spelled as "Labor Day"), Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine, May 2 is also a national holiday. In Poland, while May 1 is a national holiday, it was renamed from Labour Day to simply "State Holiday" in 1990.

(Source: wikipedia)

Bumiputra Term in Malaysia is Similar to Apartheid in South Africa

Apartheid was an official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against non-whites. Bumiputera or Bumiputra is a Malay term widely used in Malaysia, embracing ethnic Malays, Javanese, Bugis, Minang and other indigenous ethnic groups such as the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and the tribal peoples in Sabah and Sarawak automatically denying the rights of other minorities including Malaysian Indians and Chinese

On the 1st of March 2009, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat commented that the term “bumiputera” is racist and prevented other races from receiving government aid. Nik Aziz’s remarks was made in response over extreme criticisms and threats from UMNO against statement made by Democratic Action Party’s Dr Boo Cheng Hau, the opposition leader in Johor where Dr Boo was reported to have compared “bumiputeraism” with apartheid.

Whats wrong if we compare “bumiputeraism with apartheid? If bumiputera are entitled to special privileges, of course for sure the word bumiputera is racist, of course bumiputera means apartheid. Lets me clarify you that the term 'bumiputera' by itself is actually not racist but to say that only Malays Muslim are bumiputera then it is racist. Bumiputera means 'son of the soil' - aren't we all, the different races, who were born in Malaysia, the son of the soil? So all of us, regardless of race, who were born here are bumiputera! Only foreign immigrants we can call them as Non- bumiputras.

I've just done little research on the word "Bumiputra". The word "Bumiputra" is made up of two Sanskrit words - "bumi" meaning "earth" and "putra" meaning "son". The word is used in the Hindu holy books Mahabarata and Veda. Each time the Muslim UMNO Malay calls himself a "bumiputra", he is actually reciting a Hindu word (note: Sanskrit is the language of Hinduism and is not a language used in communication by people). It is weird that a Hindu word is being used to define a Muslim group for the un-Islamic practice of discrimination on the basis of race.

Peace always be with you Tok Guru. Thank you for enlightening us with your wisdom, and I do hope that those sick people of UMNO will take your words like true gentlemen. Tok Guru, you are my greatest Hero in the whole of Malaysia. You are one great leader that I really would love to meet one day. You are the most humble man here in Malaysia. We are all Malaysians, so all should be the same, so scrap out the all the craps about bumiputras. May god bless Tok Guru with good health!

There is hope for all Malaysians; racism has ruled/ruined Malaysian for far too long. Let's forget our race, a poor Rakyat can be a Malay, Chinese, Indian or any other races. Race does not matter, if you are poor you are poor. Let's give equal opportunities to all Malaysians.

Third Class Malaysia?

THE WIDENING GAP

It’s hard to accept the fact that our nation left far behind compare to other developed and developing nations in Asia. In fact, Japan is in first class, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan in second class, poor Malaysia only able to compete with third class nations thus its nothing wrong to call Malaysia as third class nation. Even China and India are chasing Malaysia from behind and currently they are the economic power house in the making in this region.

Statistics shows that Singaporeans, Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese richer than us. Why we have failed although our annual fuel/petroleum export income more than RM70 Billion? We have lost the battle to those nations that lack of natural sources. We are now in dangerous zone while facing world economic crisis impacts.

The Making of Bangsa Malaysia

Former Pakatan Rakyat Perak state EXCO, Nga Kor Ming repeated the reciting of verses from the Quran in an apparent defiance against Malay Unity Action Front president Osman Abu Bakar, who had lodged a police report against the Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyperson for doing the same in the run up to the Bukit Gantang by-election recently.

This time Nga recited the verses in the presence of PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and close to 1,000 party supporters at the Markas PAS in Taman Melewar, Gombak. Even though he is a non-Muslim, he showing is openness in learning Al-Quran. This shows PAS has succeeded in uniting all Malaysia through the Principe of Islam.

I think it’s nothing wrong for a non-Muslim learn and recite Al-Quran verses in their daily life. Its show that the non-Muslims are really understands the Islam, which is the nation’s official religion. I hope my non-Muslim friends do not misunderstand me, learning Al-Quran does not illustrate that we have converted to another religion, but shows our strong relationship as Malaysians by accepting each other in this lovely multi-religion nation.

YB Nga shows a good example as a Malaysian (Bangsa Malaysia):

No Force in Religious Believes, Please!

Freedom of religion in Malaysia is a controversial issue. Islam is the official state religion and the Constitution of Malaysia provides for limited freedom of religion, notably placing control upon the 'propagation' of religion other than Islam to Muslims, a fundamental part of a number of other religions. However, questions including whether Malaysia is an Islamic state or secular state remain unresolved. Now it’s easy to convert to Islam but it is so difficult to return to non-Islam religions. Is this the freedom of religion means in Malaysia?

A non-Muslim person who wishes to marry a Muslim person must convert into Islam before the marriage can be recognised as legally valid. A marriage between two non-Muslims (civil law marriages), however, will not become void after one spouse subsequently converts into Islam. Here are some victims of the limited freedom of religion in Malaysia:

T Saravanan/R Subashini

In 2006, T. Saravanan, a Muslim convert, sought to dissolve his marriage with his non-Muslim wife via the Syariah Court. His wife, R. Subashini, applied to Kuala Lumpur High Court for an injunction against her husband seeking divorce in the Syariah Court. The High Court dismissed her application. This was affirmed in the Court of Appeal, where the court also ordered Subashini to take her case to the Syariah Court. As of September, 2007, their case is pending in the Federal Court after an appeal by Subashini. Subashini is also seeking to stop or declare void the conversion of their children.

Revathi Masoosai

Revathi, an ethnic Indian woman, has been held in a rehabilitation center run by Islamic authorities since January 2007 because she wants the State to acknowledge she is a Hindu and not a Muslim. Revathi was born to Indian parents who had converted to Islam before her birth. She claims she was raised by her grandmother as a Hindu. She and Suresh were married according to Hindu rites in March 2004. Revathi was advised by the Malacca Islamic Religious Department to make an application at the Malacca Syariah High Court to confirm her status as a Hindu. She did as she was told.

However, the Syariah Court ordered her detained in a rehabilitation centre in Ulu Yam, Selangor under Melaka’s Syariah criminal laws for 100 days. This detention was extended in Revathi’s absence for a further 80 days supposedly because she had not “repented”. In the meanwhile, Revathi’s Muslim mother obtained a Syariah Court order granting her custody of Revathi and Suresh’s 15 month old baby. That order was enforced on Suresh’s Hindu family with the assistance of the police. The family is now torn apart - with the mother in detention, the child with the grandparents and the father in limbo without his family.

Lina Joy

In fact, Many Muslims who have converted to Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and other religions lead "double lives", hiding their new faith from friends and family. The Lina Joy case challenged this view of the situation by taking the problem of apostasy to the Federal Court in 2007. Lina Joy lost the case and was denied conversion to Christianity. This cleared the situation about the overlapping areas of jurisdiction between the Islamic and the secular courts in Malaysia. Also it is now clear that renouncing Islam is very difficult although not impossible in Malaysia.

Wong Ah Kiu

Legally known as Nyonya binti Tahir, was a Malaysian convert from Islam to Buddhism.Of mixed Chinese and ethnic Malay descent, she was taken in by her grandmother, a Malay Muslim married to a Chinese of Hainan origin who had converted to Islam; however, she was later adopted by a Chinese family and raised as a Buddhist. Her husband died in 1989 at the age of 87; knowing that she would be unable to be buried next to him as a Muslim, she filed two further applications for recognition of her change of religion in 1991 and 1998; these too were rejected. She left behind a written declaration that she was a Buddhist and wanted to be given a Buddhist rather than an Islamic funeral.

Maniam Moorthy (A member of the first group of Malaysians to successfully climb Mount Everest)

A Malaysian Indian born and raised Hindu, a controversy about his religion arose after his death; he was buried as a Muslim against the wishes of his wife in accordance with a Syariah Court ruling that he had converted to Islam without the knowledge of his family. Despite his conversion to Islam, Moorthy remained uncircumcised, still took part in Hindu festivals, ate pork, and drank alcohol; he appeared on television on 31 October 2005, being interviewed about his celebration of Deepavali. On 11 November 2005, he fell from his wheelchair, injuring his head and entering into a coma from which he would never recover.

And the latest case:

Indra gandhi’s three young children were forcefully converted to Islam by her estranged husband. Indira's marriage is now is a limbo after her husband, K Patmanathan, 40, converted without her knowledge on March 11. She claimed that her husband, who has since assumed the name Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah, had also converted their three children - aged one to 12 - on April 12 without their presence and using only their birth certificates. Now Indra Gandhi fearing that she could not reconvert her children to Hindu. Read here- Anguished mom knocks on PM's door and here- Conversion row: Hindu Sangam turns to new cabinet.

And if you argue freedom of religion in Malaysia, they will reply "YOU TAK SUKA, YOU KELUAR DARI MALAYSIA!" Watch here:

One Malaysia?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Naib Tun Razak promised that he will a PM for all Malaysia by emphasising on One Malaysia concept. But are other UMNO leaders sincere for this cause, and give up their race based struggle?

• “PM – I am Prime Minister of all communities. Urges people to break race barriers to foster unity.”
  

“Bangkitlah Melayu – Bersatu hadapi tuntuan kaum lain yang semakin terlaluan” - Utusan Malaysia front-page headline which carried the following three quotes on the front-page:

• “Dalam keadaan sekarang ini, orang Melayu berhadapan banyak cabaran semasa dan kita perlu mencari cara untuk memastikan kaum itu tidak berpecah-belah” – Syed Anuar Syed Mohamad, Timbalan Presiden Gabungan Pelajar Melayu
  

• “Penyatuan UMNO dan Pas perlu menjadi batu loncatan untuk mengeratkan semua rakyat berbilang kaum di negara ini” - Osman Abu Bakar, Ketua Umum Badan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu

• “Kita tidak boleh biar sebelah pihak sahaja menang. Kalau kita nak penuhi apa yang mereka nak, jangan pula kita lepaskan apa yang jadi hak kita” – Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo

These sickening racist statements hurting non-malays severely. Do we need such politicians to fight for "One Malaysia" agenda? the leaders like Ibrahim Ali and Ahmad Ismail, is above the law on sedition. On the other hand, Karpal Singh was charged for sedition for merely saying that the Sultan of Perak can be sued in court which is a fact.The selective enforcement of laws is something which sickens all Malaysians.

The racists have been known to show blatant arrogance. It is my personal hope that the non-Malays do not resort to such childish acts. We would hard to "survive" after that. These people won’t change because they’ve the constitution to back them up. Sorry to say that "One Malaysia" failed with a bad start!