If judges are deaf...

Then most Malaysians are blind. How many more cases do they need to witness before they finally realise that there is no future if Umno remains as it is. What's the point of arguing and complaining if they continue to buy the shit that they are told? We know the legislative and executive are under the thumb of Umno, yet, most folks continue to buy and support the mainstream media and businesses of the ruling moronic party. What for? Is their integrity only worth RM1.50 each day?

Econo-mee next?

Economy rice is a standard Chinese meal with a set of dishes that follows the Chinese everywhere they go. It sounds cheap, but honestly it isn't, not at least in Malaysia. There's nothing really economy about it other than it's fluctuating prices.

Still, if one was to take a peek at Chinese coffeeshops, economy rice is arguably the most commonly found dine-in or take-away. Again, it's not cheap leaving me to ponder what's so "economy" about its name.

However, from the recent price hikes of the festive season, I'm beginning to wonder who's buggering who over a lunch meal? Is it the government's failure to monitor prices or are farmers, fishermen, etc getting desperate that they're raising prices?

Are we stupid enough to pay these exorbitant prices like the sky rocketing prices of prawns and fish during the period of January 2010 to February 2010? In early January, I paid for rm32 per kilo of king prawns and rm35 for a pomfret. By end January they were up to rm40 per kilo of prawns and rm45 for a pomfret.

One week away from the Lunar New Year and guess what? Prawns cost rm55 a kilo and a pomfret can fetch a whopping rm75! No shit! Don't these mongers know that we are the poor folks who frequent them and will continue to fund their grandchildren's education?

Crap! It's no wonder this country is dying faster than it can even realise that its dying. It's people don't save, they rip each other off, and what's worse is that they are so blind to it all that they really believe that it's okay to spend more because the economy is picking up.

Well guess what, the economy is not at all any better than it was. Amidst all the farce of a one this and one Malaysia that, Najib's RM60 billion pump priming is no where to be seen or felt. It is just a make belief to get the common folks (read you and me) to spend more.

It is a line to say, "Hey, go treat your wife to that spa as I'm sure you'll get a bonus', or 'Hey, your child can use a PS3 for his birthday', or 'Why not buy that BlackBerry that you've been eyeing?' Unfortunately, I don't buy these talk.

And here's why I think if Malaysians are not careful they'll be eating Econo-mee kosong instead. I did have that BIG bonus that my company made me believe I would get. Nor did I get an increment after slogging myself for the previous year.

On top of that, my company still thinks that gatherings and say giving out a box of oranges for the new year is too expensive. At the same time it still wants to retain all its manpower to continue as normal but without the frills. Here we can call it no frills employment.

When I look at other companies, the same scenario pops up and one very simple reasoning applies, how come they're not hiring like before the economic crisis? Signs are everywhere, it's just whether one reads it. A glass half full or half empty.

Najib is insisting that 'opportunities are NOWHERE'. Err, unfortunately I read that as 'opportunities are NO WHERE'. Shopping malls are still discounting all their old stock, why? That new bridge or new garbage disposal project hasn't started in your area yet, why? There are no tax breaks and if anything, the government is thinking of taking more of our money away!

Prices of petrol are set to soar again pretty soon. Purchase that new car and sucker your next 5 years income to the crisis. Purchase that new house and sucker yourself to 30 years of serious pain. Of course, if you have tonnes of credit money in your bank account, by all means go ahead and spend, spend, spend!

But unlike the millionaires or those who can afford, who are by the way leaving Malaysian shores at an unprecedented rate in the history of Malaysia. I can only guess that they too see no comfort in the future that lies ahead.

The only thing I can say is that if you had come across any of these 500,000 individuals before they fled, chances are they would have one opinion in common. 'Me, fled Malaysia? No lah, I'm still working my a*& off''.

Only difference is, they started saving their economy rice money earlier in preparation for the worse.

Fuss over wedges

What's the fuss over these wedges?

It was only after reading McCarron's rant about an apparent "cheating" advantage for those who uses the Ping Eye2 wedges, that I began to realise how duh some of us golfers can be. In any obvious reply by Phil, the Ping wedges (below) have been used for many years now and if it was illegal, the USGA and PGA should have done something about it.


The wedge of controversy

Apparently, it was claimed by some that the Ping iron above has a square groove which makes it easier to hit a ball that is either wet or if it was in a rough. Meaning that it gives an advantage to the golfer during tight situations. I see.

More confusing is that clubs with square grooves are all right for amateurs and casual play but they are not acceptable for competitive play according to the USGA.

In the mean time though, while the self-policing game of golf continues on a lesser note now that Tiger is no where to be found, let's hope that the pricing takes a tour south and we lesser mortals can play the game with ease.

What is the government so afraid of?

Scene: at a local Chitty tea shop in downtown KL

Ah Tuck, Muthu, Ahmad and Stephen are having a casual discussion on current affairs...

Promote Islam and supposedly Arab culture from thousand of miles away? YES. But try asking the government to promote something that is within its reach like the finding of many historical artifacts from China that are found in Malaysian waters. NO! What about the schools that Christian missionaries set up which benefited ALL Malaysians? NO! Or why not promote the living heritage of our cultural diversity, as in the descendants of Portuguese, Peranakan, Chitties, and so on? NO! NO! NO!

Why?
Because these are superior cultures. They came and conquered us! Who's us? (Don't pretend you don't know?) But what about the fact that this entire nation was once a Hindu/Buddhist empire? NO! Stop it! You are being insensitive and hurting our feeling. Respect the "social contract" that is not in ink but a myth like Hang Tuah and the princess of Ledang mountain.

But why can't you even try?
ARgghhh!!! Beggars! Prostitutes! Arrghh!

Pause
Amno-man then runs amok. The rest is history.

End.

Use Hotel Lisbon to showcase Portuguese culture

republished from the Bintang.

I REFER to the letter “Give community a say on Hotel Lisbon” (The Star, Jan 28).

As a former resident of the Portuguese Settlement in Malacca, I had grown up witnessing the development and transformation of this unique tourist area. Years ago, it was the introduction of the Portuguese Square which allowed for the setting up of restaurants serving local cuisine. This was and still is a big hit with tourists.

More recently, there was the development of Hotel Lisbon next to the square, and after that was the setting up of food stalls and restaurants facing the waterfront. This was to relocate and accommodate more stalls and restaurants to cater for the growing number of visitors, especially during the holidays and festive seasons.

Of the above, I think the hotel is probably the least utilised. To put it bluntly, it has been a failure since day one.

It would be easy to lay the blame on the present management or the state government for awarding the management contract to the wrong company.

But I think what is important now is not to make the same mistake by selling off the hotel to a private entity, which could end up running the hotel the same way.

This is where I fully agree with what the President of the Malacca-Portuguese Eurasian Association (MPEA) had to say about the matter.

In order to ensure that Hotel Lisbon fulfils its potential as a viable tourist attraction within the Portuguese Settlement, I suggest the state government arrange a dialogue with representatives of the Eurasian community in order to hear their views and suggestions on what could be done next with regards to the future of the hotel.

As the hotel is situated within the Portuguese Settlement and the structure is considered part of the settlement now, surely a dialogue isn’t too much to ask.

To get things started, I would like to suggest that the hotel be turned into an exotic boutique hotel showcasing Malaccan Portuguese culture, music, arts, handicraft and cuisine as well as an entertainment centre.

I am sure there are other ideas which could and should be considered.

CAPT KENNETH KHOO,

Brunei.

Only BS

All these accusations and condemnation of the Christian faith is one-way traffic from the government and its Muslim NGOs. Talk is cheap, and right now it stinks! They NEVER consulted or opened any discussions on inter faith. Yet, they conveniently accuse the Christian God of being '3 in one', 'trying to convert Muslims', and even questioning how the son of God can be 'Al-lah'.

All these are down right insensitive and degrading! All these false accusations are wrong and hint on inferior complexities. Hey, do other politicians or religious scholars and leaders insult the Muslim faith? No, yet so many of these so-called Malaysian Muslim experts have no problem insinuating names such as '3-in-one' or insisting that 'God never had a son', and so on. Did God ever tell them that?

Then some ultras and bigots go as far as claiming that Christians are out to confuse Muslims? Again, why make such a wild and BASELESS accusation? Aiyoh, for crying out loud. What is wrong with these people who think this way? It is a known fact, that the ones who are prone to forcing others to convert as per cases highlighted in Malaysiakini are NOT Christians but government controlled religious bigots and agents.

Finally, the government bans the usage of a word but does not even want to hear what the religious experts have to say. When did the politicians become religious experts? What is so wrong with Malaysia that her leaders are stubborn, shallow minded and mentally inferior to the minority?

Malaysia is probably the first and only country in the world that has apartheid policies to protect the MAJORITY from the minority, enforcement of taxation by the MINORITY for the benefit of the MAJORITY, and enforces laws to suppress the minority for the convenience of the majority. This is truly sickening man!

PS - having said all these, we pray that God will continue to shower his good grace on us all for the benefit of all mankind.

The seeds of Malaysia's diaspora

Thus it so began that in 1965, when Singapore split from Malaysia, a large number of the Chinese and Indian population, and a small fraction of the Malay communities who believed in MM LKY's meritocracy above communal lines made their way south. The seed of Malaysia's diaspora was planted on that fateful day.

In 1987, when the then 'Indian by race but Malay by definition PM' opened the floodgates for another round of ethnic persecution, more middle income earning Malaysians fled their homeland. Obviously after threats of "soaking the keris" in a particular race's blood, many had saw no hope in this country's future.

Therefore the tree of the Malaysian diaspora was taking shape. Year by year since then, many more Malaysians have fled this troubled country. But since the failures of Pak Lah in 2004, that numbers have reached an unprecedented amount of as many as 600 Malaysians leaving the country each day. An estimated quarter of a million Malaysians fled the country in 2008, and a further 300,000 in 2009 alone.

Chances are high that in tomorrow's world, when Malaysia has sunk deep into the gutter, we could find more overseas Malaysians living in almost every corner of the globe. Is that cool or what, I don't know? But what I do know is that these overseas Malaysians have one thing in common?

A sharp hate for Barisan Nasional and disgust for race based politics! To a lesser amount, the people also hate the lies and wallowing pity of the opposition which promises a lot, but have no will power in making sure they deliver on those promises. It is not the ruling party alone who contributed to this great migration, but a combination of failed policies and promises from all the leaders, which begs the question:

Are there any wise Malaysian leaders left in this country?

Give community a say on Hotel Lisbon

republished from the Bintang.


ON behalf of the Malacca Portuguese-Eurasian Association (MPEA), I would like to urge Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam to reconsider the plan to sell Hotel Lisbon, or at the very least to put the tender process on hold until he has looked into our concerns and suggestions regarding this matter.

Contrary to what was said, the community was largely unaware when a tender was called to manage the hotel upon its completion a few years ago. We only knew of it when speculation on the shortlisted contenders began to appear in the market.

In fact, the whole approach was somewhat flawed from the start. Being a major feature of the urban renewal development programme of the Portuguese settlement, a project supposedly designed and targeted to benefit the Portuguese-Eurasian community through the harnessing of its special appeal in the tourism industry, the tender should have been made exclusive to the community to assist them to manage and operate the hotel.

However, no such invitation was extended, no meeting or discussion was called to plan and implement the project, or to gauge the interest of the community. Instead, we were bypassed. The result: the hotel operated minus the involvement of the community and the hotel became a dismal failure.

Now the hotel is suddenly open for sale. Again, the Portuguese community has been sidelined. The speed at which this process is being administered is unbelievable. There was again no effort to invite the community to discuss or give their opinions, or voice their interest on matters concerning the hotel. If not for newspaper reports, they would probably have known nothing about this.

We understand that the building is owned by the state government and the whole develop­ment was government funded, but it is located in the Portuguese settlement and generally meant for the benefit of its people, so why are we being overlooked and treated in this way?

The Portuguese are a unique people with a proud history, whose heritage, both tangible and intangible, is helping to bring millions of tourist dollars into the state. There is valid and legitimate reason for the state government to help the community in managing and operating the hotel. Isn’t this what 1Malaysia is all about?

So, how can a major feature of a government-funded development programme for the Portuguese settlement, with the purpose of helping the community, be sold to a private entity? Why should the hotel occupying three acres of the settlement and engulfing one-third of its vital seafront, fall into private hands?

Around 10 years ago, the Chief Minister, at the height of coastal reclamation issues, assured the coastal communities, including the Portuguese, that the state government would not allow any development to occupy any stretch of their seafront, vital to their cultural heritage, livelihood or character of their village. If the hotel is sold, then the state government will itself violate what it was supposed to protect.

The building was initially planned and projected as a cultural complex with a budget hotel. Small lots in the complex were designated to accommodate small businesses like cafes, and handicraft, florist, costume jewellery, magazine stalls, etc. Many in the community were keen to try their hand in these new ventures. All these, however, flew out of the window when it turned into a hotel, exclusively.

Return Hotel Lisbon to us. The MPEA is always willing to assist in making this venture a resounding success as a proud legacy of the Chief Minister and the state of Malacca.

MICHAEL GERARD SINGHO,

President of the Malacca Portuguese-Eurasian Association, Malacca.