Disparate, Discordant or Congruent Voices...

This Sundae's Inter:Lude is special. Democracy has been much on Desi's mind, mayhaps because of what happend last week in neigbouring Thailand. It made me sit up. Feeling sombre. Reflective. Then wondering. I am confused. I won't write much Prose. Some Poetry maybe. Hence e evn on a weakday I gave thee Wandering. I am glad for some blessings in NegaraKu. Yet there is this disquiet. I have some answers. And Questioning on others.

But this Sundae 'll make do with some Other Voices, and my dear ER, it's again my democratic spirit at work that you pick form these voices ~~ Which is disparate; which is discordant; and which is congruent. I am doing it occasional lest I be accsued of being a brainwashing taiko. I dislike that role, I'd rather be a someimes Mentor, most times Mentee. Or vice versa if thou would choose to be generous in spirit. I strive to.

Again the perennial question troubling my mind lots lately, perhaps on some other Malaysain minds too?: Captain, My Captain -- Quo Vadis?

First serving on CON BF dae, warts and all; typos and awe too in my short Commento~~

Brudder Imran wrote a simple but eye-opening art-ickle recently which I think is worth stealing. I did it in broad dielight, from civil strife-laden Sri Lanka. That's where he's gone MIA!:)


Individual Made for Rapturous Arousing and Naughty Affection
The Individual Says…

posted: Tue 12th Sep, 2006, categories: Rant

What an ungrateful lot we, Malaysians, in general are. Everyday when I blog-hop, all I ever read is people lambasting the government. I agree that the way things are at the moment, it is justified. But as a whole, we should seriously take stock of how far we have actually come under the Grand Old Man’s tenure. No one is perfect. Look at the Tony Blair’s and George W. Bush’s erraneous ways, declaring war on a nation without justifiable proof. Thank god our sandiwara back home has not reached such great heights.

Living in a country like Sri Lanka is such a humbling experience. I have seen with my very own eyes how bad the people have it here. Over 42% percent of them get by on a measely amount of Rs.200, which is the equivalent to RM8 in a month. They are so much worse off in comparison to us. Yet we are not grateful for what we have. I admit that things back home leaves much to be desired, but at least we should be happy we are not struggling to make ends meet. We still have our cars to drive looking at the the ever increasing traffic congestion. We still have many pubs and discos cropping up everywhere. We still have mega shopping complexes coming up at unexpected places, which are filled with shoppers during weekends.

I for one will never compare Malaysia to any other foreign country like most other people who are currently overseas. My argument is that Malaysia is still at an infancy stage, taking baby steps towards becoming a developed nation. Rome wasn’t built overnight, neither will Malaysia. Of course there will be hiccups along the way, of course the will be corruption and greed. But the main issue is are we doing anything to address it?

It is truly heart warming that whenever I mention that I’m from Malaysia, the first thing that comes to the mind of the locals here is Tun Dr. Mahathir. Yes, the local people here wished that their government is helmed by someone as capable as him. I’m not trying to cajole the Old Man’s ego and neither am I a staunch supporter of him, but he did Malaysia proud. There’s no denying that. And it’s a shame that after all he has done, he is treated like a pariah. This is like treating your own parents like dirt. Maybe we will never know why he did the things he did. Maybe he had his reasons. Just maybe. But to condemn a man, who is held in such high regard everywhere else except in his own country is truly mind boggling.

I have never been prouder to be a Malaysian as I am today, here in this foreign country. True I am making a living overseas, but I still am working for a Malaysian company. I still am a Malaysian, as it says on my passport and MyKad. We can be so much worse off, but we are not. So just be grateful for what we have, for our achievements, for our failures. The question is what are we going to do to improve ourselves? Are we just going to foam at the mouth proclaiming that we are capable of doing one better but never walk the talk? I’d rather have someone who has less talk and more walk.

4 Comments but I'm reproducing only Mine. that's simple curt-sey! ~~ DEsi. For other readers' comments, please visit time2rise.wordpress.com...»






Comment by ylchong, September 21, 2006 @ 12:35 pm

I can stand beside you on almost 90% of what you wrote.
Except the subtle point that many Malaysians based overseas “complain” with good faith — that the concerns are genuine and it’s up to the leaders to take note and improve.

Otherwise, Malaysia is a good country, but we can make it Great! Not Mat Rempit style — Nobel prize towering avchievers, yes? ~~ Desi

PS: Good to see you writHing sensitive/sen-sible stuff — I may even bollow this for wickedend, can?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



From Without Fear or Favour writer, a partial extract only, and the highlights (THUS BOLDED) are mine. You are advised to read the full message (to do justice to RPK and thyself!:) @malaysia-today.net:


Thursday, September 21, 2006

Walking the talk

Raja Petra Kamarudin

It was certainly politically incorrect in this day and age for the Pope to utter a statement that would rub the sentiments of Muslims the wrong way. The world of today is not the world of yesterday that the Pope was quoting from. Yesterday’s world had borders, you on one side and me on the other. Today’s world is borderless and you will find many non-Muslims in Muslim countries and vice versa. In fact, there are more Muslims in non-Muslim countries than the other way around, and the Muslim population in these countries is growing at a faster rate than the non-Muslim population, party because the birth rate of Muslims is higher but mainly because of immigration.

There will come a time when the Muslim and non-Muslim population will be delicately balanced and almost equal. Malaysia is one case in point where this has already happened. The only way to distinguish whether the country is a Muslim or non-Muslim one would be based on what its Constitution says. Countries like Malaysia have written into its Constitution that Islam is the official religion of the land. But does this make Malaysia a Muslim country, or rather an Islamic country?

The jury is of course out on this one.


:
:
:


Muslims are passionate about their religion. But this is not a ‘crime’ confined to just Muslims. Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christians, and all the others are equally passionate about their religion as well. Maybe the only difference between Muslims and those of the other religions is that Muslims like to demonstrate this passion openly.

:
:
:




Indians, Pakistanis, Turks, Persians and of course Malays are passionate people as well. Just see the way they write, observe how they debate and ceramah, read their poetry. The finer side of these people can be seen in their creations. And it is a piece of work filled with passion. But it is not just passion at play here. Malays, Indians, Pakistanis and people from the Middle East are not ashamed of being emotional as well. They would cry openly, wailing at the top of their voices. A Caucasian would find this most unmanly and not something you would do in public. But a public demonstration of breaking down and losing control of one’s emotions is not something that a Middle Eastern or someone from the greater continent would consider anti-social behaviour.

We see many Muslims demonstrating, running riot, and losing control of their emotions at their objections to the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad or more recently the Pope’s speech. This appears to be the Muslim response to those who insult Islam or the Prophet. But it is not a Muslim response. It is an Arab, Persian, Turk, Indian, Pakistani or Malay response. It is not the Islam in them that makes them retaliate violently. It is the fact that they are Arabs, Persians, Turk, Indians, Pakistanis and Malays.

This of course sounds very racial of me to say this but it is not meant as something racial. In fact, there are many non-Muslim ethnicities that are very passionate or emotional as well. I suppose only the British can claim to have a ‘stiff upper lip, always cool under any situation and never allowing their emotions to get the better of them. But then this is how they were raised. They read history books about how Sir Walter Raleigh (or was it Sir Francis Drake) bowled while the Spanish Armada sailed up the English Channel. He did not panic. He was not emotional or in a huff. He coolly continued his game until the end then took care of the Spanish Armada. And the Spanish Armada was burnt before it touched British shores in what is now known as the ‘singeing (burning) of the King of Spain’s beard’.

:
:
:


Anyway, now that we understand that the Muslim passion and emotion has nothing to do with Islam but with who they are, let us go back to what the Pope said recently and to the earlier cartoon outrage. How should Muslims respond to these situations?

My sentiments on this whole thing would certainly be the minority view. And it is based on logic and common sense rather than emotions or passion. Muslims say that Islam is a peaceful religion. We say that our God, Allah, which we claim to be the God of all mankind and not only of Muslims, is most kind, merciful and ever forgiving. In fact, we have 99 names for Allah, all positive. Would it not then be better that we demonstrate what Islam stands for by preaching peace instead of war and by forgiving all those who we perceive as having insulted Islam and our Prophet? I mean, if Islam stands for peace should we then not practice what Islam preaches? When we meet a fellow Muslim we do say ‘peace be upon you’. But then we talk war.

Allah is kind, merciful and forgiving plus 96 other ‘characteristics’. If our Allah can be all these, then why can’t we too since we too are his creation? When we say Allah is kind, to whom is He kind? When we say merciful, to whom is He merciful? And the same goes for forgiving as well. Who do we forgive if not those who transgress? We do not forgive our friends or those who have done us no wrong. It is our enemies we forgive.

I would rather demonstrate what Islam stands for by practicing its tenets. And what better way to do this than to show compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and much more to those who we regard as having insulted Islam and our Prophet. That would be living testimony to the goodness of Islam, something no one, even how critical they may be of Islam, would be able to dispute or deny. But then, as I said, I am the minority view here. Or am I?

posted 12:30 PM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And from an MSM (I Apologise here I did NOT properly record the particular paper...~~ Desi)

Tun DrM to Muslims: Don't go overboard


CYBERJAYA: Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called upon Muslims not to go overboard with their reactions on the comments made by Pope Benedict XVI linking Islam with violence.

He said the reaction by Muslims should not go to the extent of them getting physical about it.

"It should not (be) to the point of burning embassies and like that," he told reporters today (Sept 22, 2006) after delivering a talk at the Multimedia University here titled "Universities For Vision 2020".

On improving the relations with Muslims following the statement of the Pope, Mahathir said more should be done (by the Vatican) instead of just pointing fingers.

Earlier in his talk, Mahathir said a university which promotes and inculcates a desire to learn among its students will be at the forefront of becoming a premier university.

"A university should be a place not only where knowledge is acquired but where such knowledge is increased," he said.

Thus, in order to achieve this, research papers and studies conducted on various branches of academia, particularly Science, are quite essential to chieve this first class status, he said.

"In 2020, a quality university is not a place to obtain a degree, but a place where you can gain and seek more knowledge," he said.

Mahathir added that in 2020 when the country would have achieved a developed status, the universities themselves must strive for this goal, so as not to be left behind.

:
:
:

Mahathir also hoped that with improving academia quality, the country would be able to produce its first Noble Laureate by the year 2020.


Updated: 02:00PM Fri, 22 Sep 2006

~~~~~~~~~
And from Page 2, Sunday Star, from your PM, okay my PM2, and yes, from Prime Minister of the whole of NegaraKU, two voicings~~

V1:

I want to get an explanation from Lee, says Abdullah

SEPANG: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will write to Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew asking him to explain his statement that Malaysian Chinese were being marginalised.

The Prime Minister said he agreed with his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that Lee's statement was “naughty,” and would seek clarification over the matter.


“I want to get an explanation from him on what he said and the reason for making the statement,” he told reporters upon his return after a two-week trip to Finland, Cuba, the United States and Britain.

On Sept 15, Reuters quoted Lee as saying that it was vital for the predominantly ethnic Chinese state to stand up to its two bigger, Muslim majority neighbours.

Abdullah said Lee's statement was not supported by any specific analysis.

He added that race relations in Singapore was not 100% good either.

Stating that Lee’s statement was not fair and inappropriate, he said the statement was tantamount to instigating the Malaysian Chinese.

He said if Malaysia were not stable, Singapore would also be affected as the island republic had economic interests in the country.

During a press conference in London on Friday, Abdullah said no community in Malaysia was being marginalised.

Stressing that this was a fact, he said the progress achieved by the country’s multi-racial community showed that no one had been sidelined.

Abdullah said the success of the Chinese community, for instance, was clearly reflected through its participation in various fields.

The Barisan Nasional, he added, was a responsible government that looked after the interests of all the communities and the Chinese, through the MCA and other parties, were involved in the Government’s power-sharing process.

Earlier, Abdullah likened the comparison in economic development between Malaysia and Singapore to that of a ciku and durian.

“It’s not for comparison. Singapore did well because it is only a city-state specialising in areas such as its airport as well as financial and banking services,” he said, adding that the Klang Valley could be compared favourably with the republic.
::
::

V2:



Overseas grads can help check brain drain

LONDON: Overseas Malaysian graduates have been told to help check the brain drain by providing input on what makes their alma mater tick.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said they could give a fair assessment of what they had seen and experienced during their university days.

He said their feedback on the foreign institutions' long-established academic systems and teaching methods would benefit universities back home.

“For instance, we cannot allow university bureaucracy to frustrate our top brains and force them to seek work overseas,” he told more than 150 Malaysian students during a dialogue at the Malaysian High Commission on Friday.

The students, from about 40 British universities, had come from all over Britain including Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton and London.

Abdullah was replying to a question on the brain drain issue from postgraduate student Dr Syed Nasirin Syed Zainol Abidin who said Malaysians could tolerate low salaries but not bureaucracy.

The Prime Minister said Malaysian graduates here could hold regular discussions about their experiences studying in top British universities.

Abdullah said he would instruct Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed to give priority to PhD holders to give their input on the university systems in developed countries.

“We don’t need to listen to experts who tell us what to do with our curriculum development and other aspects. We can harness the experience of our post-graduate students to help us improve our academic systems,” he said.

Abdullah said the government wanted to seek the best way to study as well as the best curriculum and training for its teachers and professors.

He asked: “What’s so different here from what’s back home? Are we doing better or them?

“If they’re better, there must be something we can learn from what they have provided in their universities where our students have been studying for years,” he added.

Earlier, another student urged the government to instil a sense of awareness, patriotism and religious obligation among Malaysians overseas to help curb the brain drain.


Just a short PS, can?~~~~~~~:)

There is some resonance or congruence in my Commento to brudder Imran's leading piece earlier, is there not. A pat on Imran's back and Desi's piggie-back!
Mayhaps Pak Lah has time for Blog-rolling in between his naps in London and had spied Imran's art-ickle and Desi's thinking allowed? Mayhaps brudder Imran has a hotline to PuteriJaya, I dunno who I'm inter-acting with in blo=GO=spear!:)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


And finally, on a Note of Peace and Rumination on GOoD, Beautiful Sunday, I stole this Gem, or Witstaker Choc, from sabbie @pavlova.blog.co.nz
Sunday | September 17, 2006

"Do It Anyway "

This poem is on the wall of the late Mother Theresa's office, but it is NOT written by her. Apparently is written by Professor Kent who is teaching at University of California.



People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will
forget tomorrow,
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and
it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got ... anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is
between you and God,
It never was between you and them anyway.


"PeAce to Awe",

I:
S:
A: men/min. ~~ Desi