Sunday, October 29, 2006

a hazy situation


YEAR in year out we have issues that surround us. Everyone knows it’s a problem but yet little, or at times nothing is being done to explain to the masses to rectify the issue.
Every wondered how every year the country becomes a little ‘misty’, no thanks to the open fires in Indonesia. The smog that envelops the whole country, which at times threaten schools and offices to shut down, sees little rectifying works been done.
Our Republic ‘friends’ only apologise. They know it’s a problem yet all only words are offered.
The Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) issue has been the talk of the fraternity since time in memoriam. Yet nothing is done to explain how the marks are awarded and the method of answering. Heck even the registration fee for four sittings even baffles many as the board seems to suggest a “see you again” attitude.
Even more baffling is how certain parties look at the Mat Rempit issue. Instead of taking a stricter approach, parties like Putera Umno and certain articles in our dailies seem to glorify these troublemakers. It has been a menace throughout the year yet nothing solid is done to get rid of them.
What about deaths in police custody? Yes, often then not such reports still exists where so called offenders are picked up and hardly 24 hours later pronounced dead in their cell, most often claimed to have taken their own lives.
Most recently the family of a 26 year old odd job labourer from Rawang cried foul over how the police handled the matter. The deceased, Suresh Kunasekaran, was said to be held in a ladies cell before found dead with a saree wrapped around his neck.
Job opportunities are declining. Degree holders are finding it tough to secure a stable income, an income which can pay their study loan and perhaps finance their small little car or humble little home they plan to stay in. Yet nothing is done to open up the market in making more jobs available at every level and not just in the industrial field only.
There are so many other issues that surround us, we talk about it but sadly it ends there. Newspaper reports have not often been kind, citing one sided stories and are most often spun for personal reasons. Well, that’s the reality in Malaysia, at the very least.

Pic above was taken on Oct 22, 2006. Red circles indicate the Twin Towers (left) and the KL Tower.

-The Man Who Sold The World-

Saturday, October 14, 2006

glorifying converts?


I am not a fan of religious issues. Not that I am not fully knowledgeable on the area but it is more of not wanting to hurt another man’s feelings. I have a personal opinion of my own with regards to it, which could baffle many, but this is not the place or avenue to express so.
However, a TV show on RTM1 earlier today, certainly caught me off guard. Not that such a programme is new to me, but I wonder what is gained by glorifying converts.
(Note: I get the idea spreading religion was a good way for previous governments to spread their influence and perhaps gain more land, however in modern society, this ideology should no longer exists)
Yes, the programme was about how several converts from various ethic backgrounds accept their new found religion- Islam. As said earlier, despite my personal opinions, I still maintain my utmost respect towards all forms of religions, but to praise such antics certainly leaves a sour taste in one’s mouth.
A week earlier, the Sikh community were also yapping about a rumour on a programme on Astro which was later called off due to a turbaned pure Sikh embracing Islam. While the truth in those rumours are yet to be established, the fact remains that despite almost being half a century, the country still lives in a religion clouded society.
There is nothing wrong in practising what you believe. But cashing in on a show which glorifies converts certainly places the other religions at a disadvantage. Why don’t show Muslims who convert into Buddhism or Christianity? Why the double standards?
The problem with religions today is no thanks to those who proclaim to have a robust knowledge about it. Then you get people like Takaful Malaysia’s Syariah department head Fauzi Mustaffar forbidding his Muslims brothers to extending their Deepavali greetings to Hindu friends.
The email, claimed only intended for internal circulation, stated ‘Deepavali was a religious festival where Hindu deities were worshipped and thus wishing Hindus was like syirik to Muslims’.
“So Muslims who have inadvertently wished Hindus a Happy Deepavali, Happy Durga Pooja or Happy Lakshami Pooja must immediately repent and not repeat it in the future,” added Fauzi in his email.
Then we have the Pope, misconstrued in his speech, which angered the Muslim world urging for the head of Vatican City to apologise.
Should we tie Fauzi up around a pole and hurl stones at him, just like practiced in the earlier days of Islam?
Religion was needed then as a way of life, as law to govern a group of people. Today, we have laws in every country, may it be legal, moral or religious.
Religion is pure in nature, but sadly it is tarnished by its followers. If Nabi Muhammad, Jesus or Buddha were still around, they would surely be despaired.

NOTE: The writer once again establishes his respect towards all religions and the article is in no way belittling any form of the respected faiths practiced by people worldwide. This is purely an opinion based article.


-The Man Who Sold The World-

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Mad Rem-farts!


A public nuisance!
And I wonder what Putera Umno might achieve in purifying their already tarnished reputation.
Illegal racers on puny machines, better known as Mat Rempits, are terrorising the streets of KL and other parts of the country. It may look petty to most of us, but those who travel around in the wee hours of the morning will know how dangerous these groups of thugs wannabes.
The ‘Bulatan Pahang’ and Dataran Merdeka in KL are several top spots for this notorious motorcyclist to display their pathetic circus like antics on the roads. However, note the large fan base who normally line up the sides of the streets, waiting for cheap amateurish entertainment to liven up their otherwise pathetic weekend nights.
Newspaper reports and primetime news have given this menace much publicity. The police do conduct regular checks at various parts in the country. Yet this problem is not ending as more and more youths, some as young as 15, are hoping on their small cc bikes and ramming their way dangerously around town.
A road user Sam (not real name), who once accidentally knocked down a Mat Rempit in action, will never forget the day he was rounded up by about 10 bikers.
“It was scary. My first thought would be what if they memorised my car number and later spring an attack. Even worse, it wouldn’t be me but another family member of mine could be driving and fall victim to these bullies,” said Sam.
Sam is not alone, as even media personnel have fallen prey to the stone throwing and thuggish like acts of this scrawny bunch of riders when covering news reports.
Putera Umno’s actions are a joke. Why not en-rope drunk drivers and maniac speedsters in the cleansing programme? Would you think a couple of sweeping the floor and cleaning the fan acts will help change this people from making the streets of KL into racing circuit?
These Rempits claim they do this as an act to de-stress and the reason they are on the streets is because of the lack of racing facilities.
Such claims of theirs are utter rubbish. What de-stressing do they need when a large bulk of them are merely clerks and office workers, with only less then 1% being so-called professionals or graduates.
Also, despite having a world class circuit in the heart of town will not stop them from menacing the streets as tracks will only cater to a certain number of riders at a certain time, thus leaving the other riders to roam the streets. The thrill of cutting into cars and showing off their ‘skills’ to other road users is something a circuit cannot offer as well.
The solution can only be one. The police ought to be stricter and mete out tougher punishments on these offenders.
Do not let the streets of KL be terrorised by a bunch of ‘pariahs’ on puny machines. Strike them off the roads and teach them to be better riders.

-The Man Who Sold The World-

Thursday, October 05, 2006

democracy?


THE political turnabout which occurred in Thailand recently has somehow overshadowed the troubled country of Burma.
Both the Thai and Burmese military may seem to have gone down the same road. Nevertheless recent developments in Siam show the Thai army, led by General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, has taken a more positive step compared to the ousted Thaksin Shinawatra governement by agreeing to have talks with the Muslim rebels of the southern end of the country.
Burma, despite international criticism and constant pressure, has yet to see any significant change in its policy of resorting peace and democracy in the country. Even the change of name from Burma to Myanmar has yet to receive the acknowledgement of official governments and organisations abroad.
Tracing back to its roots, Burma gained its independence from the British and was named the Union of Burma on January 4, 1948. However, Burma is not part of the Commonwealth as it obtained freedom before the Commonwealth allowed republics to be members.
U-Thant, then secretary to the Prime Minister, created history by being the first non-Westerner to head an international organisation- as the United Nations Secretary General. Among his fellow countrymen working with U-Thant in UN was none other than Aung San Suu Kyi.
Democracy saw its fall in 1962 due to a military coup led by General Ne Win. Several uprising were recorded namely in 1988 and early 1990s. Yet nothing has stopped the military regime from denying the Burma citizens the right to decide.
An election was conducted in 1990 (after 30 years), and Aung San Suu Kyi’s party The National League for Democracy won 60%. Yet it was not acknowledged and despite being a Nobel Prize winner, Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest and her whereabouts are unknown even till today.
Several international bodies have shown their disgust over the lack of human rights in Burma. Among those companies, ranging from sportswear to household items, are adidas, Reebok, Marks and Spencer, Carlsberg and Ikea to name a few.
Nevertheless, there are others who claim their presence in Burma is solely to develop the country for the betterment of its citizens. This list is mostly comprised of oil and gas companies or those related to it, namely Chevron, Maersk and Malaysian oil giants Petronas!
An opportunity to speak to several Burmese refuges seeking political asylum in Malaysia clearly shows the problems faced by the citizens of the said republic. Some are willing to pay RM2000-RM4000 per head to enter into the country via the Malaysian-Thailand border and then are left to fend on their own once in Malaysia. Most seek ‘refuge’ in Jalan Imbi, which is ‘guarded’ by the Chin Refugee Committee Malaysia. This group of people receive no support from the Myanmar High Commission in Malaysia and thus only rely on the aid by the UN Human Rights Commission.
Among the hundreds and at times thousands Burmese living around the heart of town include university students and graduates.
One wonders if the coup in Thailand will lead to such an epic as seen in Burma, where the military might just get too relaxed and enjoy the comfort of being in power. Such instances, which Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted saying he is “shocked by such actions” only goes to show governments should not take its public lightly.
The fight for democracy in Burma is still on as efforts to release Suu Kyi are still encourage even by the world wide community.
The citizens ought to be given the right to choose and decide who and what they want. But as a King once said; “Human rights is an overrated virtue as the people at times don’t know what they want and what’s best for them.”
You decide!

Note: Interesting quotes by companies around the world (‘Dirty List’ is companies in Burma while ‘Clean List’ is companies with no investments in Burma- source hwww.burmacampaign.org.uk)

‘Dirty List’

1 Bales Worldwide
Bales Worldwide is a travel company that organises tours to Burma. Although the company admits there are ‘conflicting views’ on whether tourists should visit Burma, it argues in favour of tourism.

2 Petronas
Petronas is a Malaysian state owned oil and gas company. It has several contracts with the regime in Burma to extract and explore for oil and gas in the country.

3 Utopia Tours
Utopia Tours is a travel company based in Thailand which specialises in holidays for gays and lesbians. It advertises tours to Burma in Gay and Lesbian media in the UK. Aung San Suu Kyi has asked tourists not to visit Burma because it helps fund the regime and gives it legitimacy. Forced and child labour was used to develop many tourist facilities.

‘Clean List’

1 adidas
“adidas-Salomon is very concerned about the human rights record of the military regime in Burma/Myanmar. Consequently we stopped sourcing products from there in 1999…none of our products have been made there since”.

2 BHS (British Home Stores)
“Having reviewed the BHS supply chain, I can confirm that there were historical ties with a supplier in Burma. This link is now terminated and there will be no further business conducted within Burma.”

3 ERNST & YOUNG
“I would also add that I share your disgust with the regime in Burma and applaud your efforts and those of other organisations in helping stimulate international pressure for change.” Nick Land, Chairman.

-The Man Who Sold The World-

Sunday, October 01, 2006

a world of drugs and oil



IF you think the United States of America controls the world…well think again!
Only two establishments control the globe ever since the 1900’s- Pharmaceutical and Oil companies.
Note telecommunications company too have played a major role in the development of nations on a global scale, yet it is nothing compared to the ‘evil plots’ of both the pharmaceutical and oil organisations.
Wars used to be ignited due to the flames of religion, unlike seen today. Religion is only camouflaged, or is used to blind the masses of what really is.
People debate the Muslim-Christian war still wages on. Is this true? Russian invaded Afghanistan in 1979 causing the Muslim world to curse the Soviet regime. Yet today it has strong ties with the Saudi royalty, thanks to their oil and gas contracts via LUKoil.

‘ The administration of President George W. Bush represents an especially close set of personal ties between the oil companies and the government – at the very highest level. The president and his father were both longtime industry insiders from Texas and chief executives of their own oil companies. Other oil figures at the top of the administration include Vice President Dick Cheney, former CEO of Halliburton, the nation’s largest oil-services company, and National Security Advisor Condolezza Rice, a former director of Chevron Texaco, after whom the company named one of its supertankers. These very visible figures give the administration its peculiarly strong oil flavor. In the earliest days of the administration, they promoted a number of striking industry-favorable policy decisions, such as the rejection of the Kyoto Treaty on global warming, the ouster of the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the elaboration of a strongly pro-oil national energy plan.
Look at UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and BP CEO John Browne (Lord Browne of Maddingley). The Blair-Browne relationship was so close that wags in the press called the company “Blair Petroleum.’

Seen the movie Constant Gardener? It has in a passive way shown the immorality of major pharmaceutical companies conducting tests on citizens of poor nations, namely Africa and Asia. A drug called Trovan was tested and proven bad for children, causing them to suffer inflamed joints. However, their failure was buried and it has never been spoken about.
The example above is just one of the very many secret plots which are in the ugly closet of such establishments. And governments play a part in such activities too, for the economical benefits, so they claim.
AIDS (HIV) has been around since its first formal outbreak in 1985 (despite having traces of origin since 1959), but companies, despite having state of the art research labs, have yet to find a cure. However, there are medications to slower the pace of HIV and this is seen to reap more monetary benefits for the companies.
Imagine, telecommunications can grow from a brick sized to a thumb sized mobile phone. Camera’s today come with multi functions, technology enables us to see what happens beyond our reach, DNA is now part of crime scene investigation, but still no cure for AIDS?
Below is from another interesting article published recently on how history has proven man’s greed in controlling the world.

Seven Oil Wars to Control Iraq

Before coming to the Iraq war of 2003, we will review the modern history of conflicts over Iraq. There have been a total of seven wars in the past ninety years, all closely related to oil. What follows is a thumbnail sketch of those conflicts, to suggest the constant military struggle over this oil-rich territory.

1. Colonial Conquest (1914-18).
The first conflict took place during World War I, when the British captured the area from the Ottoman Empire during a bloody four-year campaign. Lord Curzon, a member of the War cabinet who became Foreign Minister immediately after the war, famously stated that the influence of oil over British policy in Iraq was “nil.” “Oil,” said Curzon, “had not the remotest connection with my attitude over Mosul,” the major city in Iraq’s northern oil-bearing region. Studies by a number of historians have shown that Curzon was lying and that oil was indeed the major factor shaping British policy towards Iraq. Sir Maurice Hankey, Secretary of the War Cabinet, even insisted enthusiastically in a private cabinet letter that oil was a “first class war aim.” London had ordered its forces to continue fighting after the Mudros Armistice was signed, so as to gain control of Iraq’s main oil-producing region. Fifteen days later, the British army seized Mosul, capital of the oil region, blocking the aspirations of the French, to whom the area had been promised earlier in the secret Sykes-Picot agreement.

2. War of Pacification (1918-1930).
To defend its oil interests, Britain fought a long war of pacification in Iraq, lasting from 1918 throughout the next decade. The British crushed a country-wide insurrection in 1920 and continued to strike at insurgents with poison gas, airplanes, incendiary bombs, and mobile armored cars, using an occupation force drawn largely from the Indian Army. This carnage killed or wounded thousands of Iraqis, burning villages and extracting colonial taxes by brutal means. Winston Churchill, as Colonial Secretary, saw the defense of Iraq’s lucrative oil deposits as a test of modern weaponry and military-colonial use of force, enabling Britain to hold the oil fields at the lowest possible cost.

3. Re-Occupation (1941).
Though Britain granted nominal independence to Iraq in 1932, it maintained a sizeable military force and a large air base in the country and continued to rule “indirectly.” In 1941, fearful that Iraq might fall into the hands of the Axis, London again decided to seize direct control of the country through military force. Broad geo-strategic wartime goals drove this campaign, but not least was British concern to protect the Iraqi oil fields and keep them in British hands, free not only from German but also from US challenge.

4. Iran-Iraq War (1980-88).
In 1980, Iraq attacked its neighbor, Iran. A long war ensued through 1988, a savage conflict causing hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides, costing tens of billions of dollars and destroying much of both countries’ oilfields and vital infrastructure. Foreign governments, interested in gaining geo-strategic advantage over both nations’ oil resources, promoted, encouraged and sustained the war, some arming both sides. The US and the UK supplied Iraq with arms, chemical and biological weapon precursors, military training, satellite targeting and naval support. Other powers participated as well, notably France, Germany and Russia.33 The big oil companies profited mightily, as war conditions kept Iraqi and Iranian oil off the market, driving worldwide prices substantially higher. By bankrupting the two governments and ruining their oil infrastructure, the war also potentially opened the way for the return of the companies through privatization in the not-too-distant future. But after the war, when Iraq and Iran turned to Japanese oil companies for new private investments, including a Japanese role in Iraq’s super-giant Majnoun field, the stage was set for yet another conflict.

5. Gulf War (1991).
Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, the US decided to intervene militarily and Washington assembled a number of secondary military partners, including the UK and France. As US President George Bush summed up the oil-centered threat posed by Saddam Hussein at the time: “Our jobs, our way of life, our own freedom and the freedom of friendly countries around the world would all suffer if control of the world’s great oil reserves fell into the hands of Saddam Hussein.”34 US forces heavily bombed Iraqi cities and military installations and then launched a short and decisive ground war, ending the Iraqi occupation of its neighbor. The war badly battered Iraq, destroying much of its electricity and water purification systems and claiming 50-100,000 casualties.

6. Low Intensity Conflict During the Sanction Period (1991-2003).
After the armistice, the UN’s pre-war embargo continued, because the US-UK used their Security Council vetoes to block its lifting. The sanctions imposed a choke-hold on Iraq’s economy, restricted oil sales and kept the country’s oil industry in a shambles. By blocking foreign investment and preventing reconstruction, the sanctions further ruined the country’s economic base. At the same time, with Iraqi supplies largely off the market, international oil prices were supported and company profits benefited. The US and the UK declared their goal to oust Saddam and their intelligence services made many efforts to assassinate him or to overthrow his government by military coup. The US-UK also established “no-fly” zones in much of Iraqi airspace, using air patrols to launch periodic attacks on Iraqi military targets. Four times, the US-UK launched major attacks, using scores of strike aircraft and cruise missiles – in January 1993, January 1996, June 1996 and December 1998. Though oil companies from a number of other countries negotiated with the Iraqi government for production deals, none dared to challenge the sanctions (and the Anglo-American companies) by beginning production under such risky circumstances.

7. Iraq War (2003).
This war, launched by the US in spite of strong opposition at the UN, overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein and brought the US-UK coalition into direct rule over Iraq and in direct control of the oil fields. The war caused further deterioration of Iraq’s infrastructure, many casualties, and a chaotic and dysfunctional economy. Though the coalition rules Iraq, it has faced a tough armed resistance during many months following the main conflict. War number eight, the coalition’s war of pacification, has already begun.

Lord Curzon, a member of the British War Cabinet, concluded;-
“The Allied cause has floated to victory upon a wave of oil.”

-The Man Who Sold The World-