Last 2010 CSM for socialist matey Chong TS of Gerakbudaya/SIRD:)

• GB Gerakbudaya Booklist 2010.xls

Subject: New books from Gerakbudaya – Final Release for 2010

Dear friends and customers,

We wish you successful ventures, inspiring moments and meaningful relationships in the days ahead.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

SELAMAT TAHUN BARU

The following books are now available.

Perak: A State of Crisis

Audrey Quay

Publisher: LoyarBurok Publications

Year: 2010

ISBN: 9789670102009

170 Pages

RM45.00 / SGD31.50

This book is a record of a crucial point in our nation’s history: the 2009 Perak crisis. It contains several commentaries and critical analyses, some penned during the times when events were still unfolding and the final outcome unknown. That crisis had all the hallmarks of a Hollywood movie: intrigues, unpredictable twists, temptations, betrayals, courtroom dramas, violence and even sex. Despite the significant legal, political and societal repercussions, that crisis was only one battle lost in an on-going political war. More worrying is that the success of such strategies would undoubtedly tempt repetition. If Malaysia and Malaysians are to learn anything and emerge from that dark and deplorable episode, it is important for every Malaysian to gain a better understanding of what really transpired and the reasons why they happened. This book enables that better understanding with its critical approach. It is a torch showing all Malaysians the way to greater awareness and rising resilience. The rest is up to us. – Yeo Yang Poh, former President of the Malaysian Bar

Reclaiming the Conversation: Islamic Intellectual Tradition in the Malay Archipelago

Rosnani Hashim

Publisher: Islamic Book Trust

Year: 2010

ISBN: 9789839541748

288 Pages

RM45.00 / SGD31.50

The area once known as the Malay archipelago, which is now Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, southern Thailand, parts of Cambodia and parts of Southern Philippines, once boasted of a glorious intellectual tradition which was central to Islamic discourses in the early twentieth century. While most works on the history of Islam in this region tend to focus on differences and debates between traditionalists and modernists, few have addressed the topic of educational reform in the Malay world, which underlined the role of the 'ulama' in facing the challenges of colonialisation and the social changes it heralded. The ideas of these scholars which did not fit the conventional dichotomy of the modernist and traditionalist schools have also been neglected.

This book brings together writings by academics from around the region highlighting the efforts of eleven Malay-Muslim educational reformers, and examines the debates that took place on this crucial topic. It aims to show that these scholars were not only teachers of religion, but were those imbued with deep knowledge in both the 'worldly' and 'religious' sciences, and committed both to engaging with the challenges their societies faced at the time and reviving the intellectual tradition among the Malay intelligentsia. As such, the essays in this book represent an effort to revive the discourse initiated by these scholars in the hope of stimulating and informing discussion on the problems faced in the region today.

Within the Boundaries of Islam: A study on Bid'ah

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Ghazali (translated and introduced by Aslam Farouk-Alli)

Publisher: Islamic Book Trust

Year: 2010

ISBN: 9789675062650

269 Pages

RM45.00 / SGD31.50

This modern study of bid'ah, or heretical innovation, critically explores the boundaries of normative Islam and outlines the legal debate surrounding the subject. It also examines the influence of foreign elements in Islamic thought, focusing on corrupt religious practices, as well as distorted beliefs, acts of worship and customary practices pertaining to religious expression. It emphasizes the importance of embracing normative Islamic practice, even if one has to "walk the solitarity parth" as a result. Muhammad al-Ghazali argues for a 'Sufi core' in the reformist tradition, but one that has been stripped of the foreign accretions that have corrupted many Sufi movements. Like Ibn Taymiyyah, he advocates at-Tassawuf as-Sunni, a regime of Islamic spirituality and aesthetics based on the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

The list of Gerakbudaya titles for the YEAR 2010 is in the attached Excel file.

To purchase these or any Gerakbudaya/SIRD title, you can:

a) Drop in at the following address:

No. 11, Lorong 11/4E

46200 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor, Malaysia

Tel: (603) 7957 8343/8342

Fax: (603) 7954 9202

b) Send us an email at sird@streamyx.com or gerakbudaya@pd.jaring.my

c) Buy it online at bookshop.gerakbudaya.com or bookshop.gbgerakbudaya.com

d) Get it from all major bookstores in Malaysia

Thank you for your kind interest and support.

GB Gerakbudaya Enterprise Sdn Bhd

Year-end Resolution -- UNCIVIL visitors will be thrown Ooooch!

Desi is NOT going to entertain any FIRST-TIME VISITORS to this blog and as guests, don't behave civilly to the host. Such creatures don't stick to the TOPIC under discussion but instead throw profanities and labels at the writer.

I received some of these visitors because of my post wrt Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) who had responded with a CHALLENGE TO A "FIGHT". I thought Malaysians are aiming for "developed" nation status by 2020 -- with Bloggers and readers -- and RPK disciples too who come in to replicate their masters' profanities and playing doctor like ZORRO who I once respected -- Not Anymore! I am afraid Singaland continues to leapfrog ahead whileMalaysia remains or slides backwards with socalled civilleaders leading unciviltroops. HOW? To these nincompoop-visitors to Midnight Voices' abode, I say: hey, GO TO HELL!

So my year-end resolution is to tell Readers to practise some courtesy which Malaysians are noted for, especially worshippers of Zaid Ibrahim, RPK and co-founder of MCLM Haris Ibrahim.MCLM stands for Malaysian CIVIL Liberties Movement, and these socalled followers of "men of integrity" don't even understand the meaning of the core word "CIVIL". I advised one such commenter to go back to his sifu/s to learn CIVILEDUCATION101, and I have DELETED his comment. Just for the record, I republish it here and you be the judge: *************************

“"********************************

This portion enclosed within **************************** will be retained just for the next 24, and then will be DELETED after serving its purpose of what I mean by:

UNCIVIL VISITORS TO THIS CYBERHOME OF MINE WILL BE THROWN OUT/Oooch! WITH NO HESITATION. ~~ YL, Desi @7.18AM Dec 31, 2010

______________________________________________

TO fRiends of Desiderata who have been having decent conversations here occasionally with me, wishing YOU "ap AP ap New Year 2011".

"Let's march forward to toppling the BN-UMNO Government at Putrajaya with confidence and commitment the 365 days ahead! If thou art down Furong way, email me or call and we will taste Temiang Corner tehtarik at recently raised price of RM1.30; or have the BESTa kambing at Lingam's,where prices remain same for most times even with sugar price increases....."

CHOW,

which can mean:

*** Come, let's eat!

OR

*** Seeya later!

Godbless,however you deem that God to be. ~~ GreAtings from YL Chong, journalist, Desiderata, Blogger

Postscript @7.41:

Two nuggets recalled:):)

Narrative 5 -- Desi's own narrative but the content is NOT original!

Yeh, finally, here’s MyStory, definitely embellished and dis-membered, with apologies to the original storyteller! I heard it on the cigarette maker Camel’s grapevibes.

The Bedouin master in the wintry night out in the Zahara desert took pity on his Camel. He took the animal’s two feet into the cover of the small tent, as the cold outside was becoming more bitter.
After some time, the Bedouin felt the cold biting into him, and being a kind soul, pulled in the Camel’s body so that one half was able to enjoy some warmth of the inside of the tent.
After more time had passed, the master felt his body chilled, so he pulled the Camel further in, with only the Camel’s neck and head now jutting out of the tent.
The cold blasts of winter wind and hailstorm became furiouser and curiouser. And being a warm-heArted soul, the Bedouin felt it was cruelty to animals to have his Camel freeze outside. So he pulled with all his might the last exposed anatomy of his Camel into the tent.
He then qietly went back to sleep.
Then suddenly there was a big and loud THUD from the tiny tent, inside!
The Camel had kicked its hind-leg so hard that the Master was sent flying out of the tent, and into the open arms of the Zahara desert, outside!

**********************************

Friday, October 01, 2010

Kim Quek fights for his rights -- and Malaysians' freedom of speech

Press statement by Kim Quek

on banning of his book “The March to Putrajaya”



1st October 2010



I refer to the banning of my book “The March to Putrajaya” and the various reason given by the Home Ministry’s Secretary General Mahmood Adam as reported by Bernama and relayed by various web portals and blogsites on Sept 30.



The ban was effected by invoking Subsection 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, and as such, Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein was supposed to have exercised his personal judgment upon satisfying himself of the pertinent facts before signing the order. And hence, in respect of the various grounds advanced by the Secretary General, I will address my response to Minister Hishamuddin, as he is the elected representative who should account to the people for this act including the various reasons given to justify it.



What hatred against the Constitution?



You said my book has “incited hatred against the Constitution”. This is a sick joke. Throughout my book, one consistent theme is my appeal to everyone to be faithful and to defend the Constitution. Even on the much politicized Article 153, which has been deliberately and dishonestly misinterpreted to carry out all sorts of racist agenda and therefore has attracted much misgiving, I have only words of praise for it. I quote from my article titled “The Constitution and Malay Rights” in page 27l of my book:



“The center of controversy is Article 153 of the Constitution which provides for what is popularly known as Malay ‘privileges’. Due to misrepresentation by Umno in the past, many have come to identify Article 153 – and even the entire Constitution – as racially discriminatory. This is not so. In spite of numerous constitutional amendments, the egalitarian spirit of our Constitution in respect of racial equality remains largely intact. Public misunderstanding is attributed to Umno hijacking Article 153 to practice unbridled racial discrimination for self-enrichment in the past few decades”.



On the subject of the Constitution, I have only advocated adherence – not defiance, and if at all I made criticism, these are always directed at the people who betrayed it, like the masterminds who engineered the unconstitutional power grab in Perak, the judges, prosecutors and police who trampled on the Constitution in order to protect and preserve the unconstitutional state government.



I would therefore request Hishamuddin to name one example – one single example would do – where I show disaffection to our Constitution, not to mention “inciting hatred”. If he can’t, he should apologise to me and withdraw his statement.







Baseless accusation?



You also said my book contains “baseless accusations and speculations against national leaders and incite hatred and anger among the people”.



Yes, I have criticized leaders who are corrupt and who have abused power, but these are based on facts that are well known and not having been satisfactorily rebutted. If I have told lies and defamed people, why hasn’t any one sued me or denied to me the veracity of my articles, which after all have been well publicised in many popular web portals and blogsites and party organs, and hence such information has been in public domain for a long time. I have not received a single complaint from any one claiming to be injured.



Again, I invite Hishamuddin to cite instances where I have indulged in “baseless accusation and speculations against national leaders”. I will be only too happy to give my clarification to any example he might bring up.



When the corrupt acts of leaders are exposed, how do you expect the people will react? Of course they will be angry. But who should take responsibility for having caused the people’s anger? The one who betrays the people’s trust by stealing public funds or the one who inform the people of such public frauds? The blame rests squarely with the corrupt, not with the whistle-blower.



Not by the wildest stretch of imagination can you accuse me of “inciting hatred”!



My message of reforms



If there is one dominating theme that persists throughout my book, it is the message of reforms. The country must undertake serious reforms and it must be done now, lest we will have to pay a price that no one would like to bear.



I consider myself a patriot for pointing all the ills of our current political status quo, and in fact Umno should thank me for doing that, for isn’t it true that all its top leaders of Umno have been singing the tune of reforms since the 2008 general election? Why not take the hard medicine from me – medicine that will do you good?
and read. EXCEPT for UMNO ilks who want the Rakyat to remain ig ognorance so that their masters can continue to plunder, rape and even murder:(:(:( ~~ YL, Desi

KIM QUEK'S PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED 1 OCT 2010

I welcome any criticism and open dialogue over any part of my book, as it is through honest discourse that we will bring benefit to the nation.



As for the Ministry’s ban over my book, I reserve my right to take the necessary legal recourse to protect my constitutional rights.





Kim Quek.

FOR THE RECORD wrt to RPK's highly inaccurate acusations of Desi

I had sent off an email just past midnight to raja petra kamarudin and/or web admin of malaysia-today.net to straighten out "totally false and inaccurate" points about my role by RPK in his latest column. I don't look for fights with anyone -- I believe in civil engagement with fellow writers and readers/commenters whether here or at certain, very selective websites I read.

Following is the official email I sent FOR THE RECORD:

_______________________________________________

Below is what YL Chong wrote about me. It appears like he is going out of his way to try to bring me down for whatever reason only he knows. I don’t know what I did to him to make him so full of vile. Anyway, if it is a fight he wants then it is a fight he is going to get.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Maybe YL Chong has forgotten that when he got his hands on those Official Secrets Act documents from the MACC regarding the investigation of Khir Toyo and other matters his portal, Malaysia Chronicle, was too scared to run the story.

Chong then contacted me and I agreed for Malaysia Today to run it while assuring him I would protect the source of the documents -- which was Malaysia Chronicle and himself.

Anyhow, now he and Malaysia Chronicle have declared war on me and have decided to fight dirty and take no prisoners. In that case, since they have decided on the rules of engagement, I am only too happy to take them on...


_______________________________

I'm reprising only the above paragraphs, and if I need to comment further on other parts of your post, I reserve the right to, and I will keep malaysia-today.net posted CC malaysia chroniclesince you have made allegations that I had acted on behalf of malaysia chronicle.

My reply FOR THE RECORD:

WRT: "Maybe YL Chong has forgotten that when he got his hands on those Official Secrets Act documents from the MACC regarding the investigation of Khir Toyo and other matters his portal, Malaysia Chronicle, was too scared to run the story."

How can I forget something that I never did with respect to your reported OSA incident?

WRT: "Chong then contacted me and I agreed for Malaysia Today to run it while assuring him I would protect the source of the documents -- which was Malaysia Chronicle and himself."

WHEN HAD I EVER CONTACTED YOU regarding following up on "documents" -- I had never received any documents I had to refer to you RPK!


WRT: "Anyhow, now he and Malaysia Chronicle have declared war on me and have decided to fight dirty and take no prisoners. .."
I thought we bloggers read each other's writings and have the right to exchange views based on the principle of "Let's be agreeable in our disagreement."

Signing off: YL Chong, Desi


PS: Following is worth repeating as direct response to your allegation that I work for malaysia chronicle from its editor, Ms Wong Choon Mei,viz:

"Malaysia Chronicle wishes to state in no uncertain terms that YL Chong is not in anyway associated with our website other than as a contributor of articles that he has kindly allowed us to publish from time to time.

YL Chong is certainly not the owner of our website nor is he on our payroll.

Raja Petra Kamarddin is free to fight with YL Chong or anyone that he chooses to. However, Malaysia Chronicle will not be part of the fray or allow itself to be used in anyway.

Should in the future YL Chong writes other articles that appeal to the editors at Malaysia Chronicle, we see no reason why we should not publish it - even at risk of angering the Great RPK.

But that still doesn't make YL Chong the owner of Malaysia Chronicle or a staff of Malaysia Chronicle.

We hope Malaysia Today will publish this reply.

Thank you and best regards RPK

Wong Choon Mei"

Nik Nazmi has something to say on the BN appointment

of a half-past-six officer to the Selangor Government against the Menteri Besar's wishes...

I am reproducing the following artilce from malaysia-chronicle.com which I enjoy reading, and to set the record straight, I also contribute to this website occasionally as I am a FREELANCE WRITER. If you read RPK's latest rant in malaysia-today.net, Raja Petra Kamarudin has PRESUMED "WRONGLY" THAT I WAS A SHAREHOLDER OF THE NEWSSITE. ~~ YL, Desi

PS: I also reprised writings from other blogsites like SakMongKol's and Rocky'sBru, and MalaysianInsider; also my PKR buddy KimQuek's articles on a priority basis, plus highly researched essays from cpiasia.net; so do I by association own totally or partially their websites and writings, RPK? I like to think discourse in blogosphere can be expanded for ABETTERMALAYSIA, hence I am an active promoter of BLOGGING in Malaysia, hence my involvement in BUM for four years every May; hence this five-year-old-plus blog! If you have to ask what BUM is, hey, get oouch of hear!:( ~~Desi:)


Wednesday, 29 December 2010 09:11

Nik Nazmi: Grade C Khusrin not qualified to be state-sec

Written by Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

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It looks like Prime Minister Najib Razak has stirred a fresh hornet’s nest by trying to bulldoze through the promotion of his ‘blue-eyed boy’ Khusrin Munawi as the new Selangor state secretary, with dirt starting to hit the fan as both Khusrin’s colleagues and critics alike expose his weaknesses.

Not only has the Pakatan Rakyat administration led by Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim vowed to challenge the appointment, Khusrin’s own peers in the Selangor civil service are seething with resentment over his meteoric climb.

They claim his rise was due to "currying favor" rather than "solid qualifications" and also accused Najib of unfairness and disrespecting them for the sake of furthering his political ambitions in the state.

“Based on track record, Khusrin is not qualified. He is just a Grade C officer, but to force through the appointment, he has been catapulted into Grade A which is the grade a state secretary holds,” Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi (pic above) wrote in his blog.

Currying favor

The PKR leader was sharing the multitude of feedback he has received since Khusrin’s appointment was suddenly announced by the federal government earlier this week. Till now, Najib has not sought the views of Khalid, who has to be consulted as the state secretary will need to work closely with him if Selangor is to function well and prosper.

Pakatan leaders have warned they will not accept Khusrin, who is not only an Umno stalwart, but in the past two years has constantly worked to undermine their interest in favour of his own party.

“Khusrin has only completed 3 out of his 27 years service as an officer appointed at the federal level. The rest of his experience is only at the Selangor state level. It appears that his main qualification in getting promoted to State Secretary stems from his attitude in perpetually opposing the Pakatan state government,” said Nik Nazmi.

“Is it possible for the Menteri Besar, the head of the state government in which Khusrin will be serving as the senior-most officer to accept and work with him? According to the state laws, the state secretary has to take an oath of loyalty to the Mentri Besar. Rightfully, the state secretary must be neutral and be able to work together based on mutual respect with the Mentri Besar for the sake of improving the state administration. Can Khusrin do this?”

Sabotaged the Pakatan administration

Nik Nazmi also pointed to various incidents or acts of "sabotage" where Khusin as the JAIS chief had deliberately undermined Pakatan leaders. At one time, fearful that renowned Islamic cleric Dr Asri Zainul Abdin may join Pakatan, Khusrin even arrested Dr Asri for preaching in Selangor without a ‘licence’. The court case against Dr Asri is still on-going.

“During Ramadan, to curry favour with Najib, Khusrin lobbied to hold an Umno program at the Masjid al-Ihsan in Taman Medan. It was only because of the integrity of the mosque officials there who insisted on upholding the Sultan’s decree not to politicize inside the mosques that this was prevented,” said Nik Nazmi.

“Khusrin also contradicted the Majilis Fatwa Kebangsaan’s decision (to allow non-Muslims to enter mosques) and for playing up the controversy over Teo Nie Ching’s visit to the prayer hall at Surau al-Huda in Kajang (to present a cheque on behalf of the Selangor government). Yet, Khusrin completely closed an eye when MP for Hulu Selangor P Kamalanathan presented a cheque at the Masjid Sungai Tengi.”

My higher-valued contribution as a Blogger!:)

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 16:36

As published by malaysia-chronicle.com:

Mercenaries wanted - Reward is a huge prize!

Written by YL Chong

(0 votes)

When I sighted a news/advertorial item at a popular web portal, I thought it was April 1 cometh early for 2011. But when I saw the same item at a second portal, I know it's for real and serious. Ah, I told myself, there's finally a decent MARKET VALUE for writers, and a collateral benefit for YL as blogger-Desiderata is his rising market value, eh!

I hope readers don't mind my reproducing the whole item as it must be understood clearly with no room for any misunderstanding from a summary:

"Bloggers Wanted
Posted by Cyber Trooper on December 16, 2010 at 17:28:32:

As part of BN Machinery to counter oppostion and pro opposition bloggers. UMNO and PBB has set up a RM10 million Cyber War Fund.

We invited Sarawakians with journalistic instinct to contact or visit any PBB, PRS and SUPP branches to register yourself as an interested party.

Qualified Candidates will be notified within 7 days.

Training will be conducted by NST, Malay Mail (Datuk Rocky Bru) and Utusan Melayu at Pusat Latihan UMNO at Janda Baik.

Every blogger will be given a granted of RM30,000 to set up their blog, whether it is free or paid hosting, besides being paid monthly allowance of RM5,000.00 per month.

We therefore call on all responsible Sarawakians to register themselves at offices of Sarawak BN Component parties.

It is your duty to defend Sarawak from the onslaught by Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak.

YB Abdul Karim Hamzah
YB Fadzillah Yusof

(ends report/advert)

Desiderata the blogger in me knows for a fact that UMNO, especially the youth wing, has on its payroll cyber-troopers who not only write propaganda, but also go into other bloggers' comments to flood with pro-BN stands and even outright condemnations of any pro-Opposition articles or comments, hitting out "personally and under-the belly" too, and most times, irrelevant to the topics discussed. I must admit pro-Pakatan Rakyat supporters also do the same, but to my knowledge, they are small in numbers relatively, and aren't really paid to the level that's indicated openly in the news/advert now reprinted above.

The reality is that whenever any general elections, including the impending Sarawak state elections before July 2011, atre around the corner, like now, the "moneyed" parties will step up the gears, hence the above recruitment drive by UMNO and its East Malaysian allies.

But in the political arena, the newly-minted Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement -- sometimes acknowledged successor to The Third Force Haris Ibrahim had been writing about months ago, but often denied by other backers about its ancestry -- too has emerged with not a small budget. According to MCLM founder-President Haris, who deems himself a man of integrity, also has a start up fund of RM10million to move the movement to come up with some 30 candidates, from so called "men of integrity" from his circle. Okay, also from Founder-Chairman Raja Petra Kamarudin's circle.

A kopitiam mate of mine when told of this "high prize" -- RM30k for starters and RM5k as monthly stipend, that's surely NOT kacang pputih or hitam! -- being paid to bloggers now in demand in Sarawak laughingly told Desi: "Hey, YL, go and apply-lah using a pseudonym!" He knows fully well this is a temptation for any church-mousey writter! But he also knows Desi well enough and often pays for my char kuey tiaw while I pay for the tehtarik. LOL!

But my recent curiousity about the identities of the MCLM's funders is not satisfied because neither RPK nor Haris had indicated details on the sources of funding in their launching talks in London and Kuala Lumpur respectively. At least the UMNO guys are upfront about their mission of recruiting blogger-writers. Hence, I have told fellow PKR comrades that it's easier confronting the UMNO people because at least "I know where they are coming from"!

What's so different with MCLM whose cornerstone policy is stressing "integrity" and yet wishes to maintain ANONYMITY of its financiers? Such anonymity always raises the suspicions they are beholden to "third parties" -- and who's to rule out these third parties could be BN moles penetrating the Third Force to ensure the BN's status quo at Putrajaya.

I had better not go on too long on this money thingy -- another PKR member of parliament may want some space upping his market value before "frogging" in the footsteps of departed "men of integrity" Wee Choo Keong and Zulkifli Noordin. I quote the first three paragraphs from The Star report today:

"Rebel Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan has stepped up his criticism of PKR leaders despite the looming threat of disciplinary action.

He said allegations into party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar should be looked into.

He said allegations that Anwar and his associates were involved in manipulation during the recent party polls should be investigated and that action should also be taken against Dr Xavier for allegedly resorting to gangsterism during the recent elections."

Like the law of nature that says "Nature abhors a vacuum", so soon after Zaid Ibrahim and RPK had vacated the MSM's Flavour of the Month chair, another dissident like Gobala quickly steps in to criticise PKR and its defacto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Were these people born just yesterday -- they came on board PKR's party knowing full well Anwar's past, and only after a two-three years failed attempt to get what they wanted/want from PKR and Anwar, thy do the hatchet job for BN-UMNO.

As I wrote recently, "With Friends like RPK and Haris Ibrahim, PKR doesn't need enemies"! After Gopala, who's next to become the MSM's Flavour of the week? Sabah PKR leader left in the wilderness with Zaid's departure Jeffrey Kitingan maybe? The time span is shortened from a month to seven days because the value falls with each departing frog. Or is it already departed toadie hanging on to party membership to negotiate for a higher price?

- http://desiderata2000.blogspot.com

'tis the Season to be Glad, Young&Old

WE ARE STILL ALIVE&KICKING
And most important of all,
WE ARE STILL GOING, RISING, FLOWING
With the changing SEASONS IN THE SUN...God bless, YL, Desi

BEACH BOYS
"Seasons In The Sun"

(Rod Mckuen and Jacques Brel)

Adieu Emile, my trusted friend,
We've known each other since we were 9 or 10.
Together we climbed hills and trees.
Learned of love and ABCs
Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.

Adieu Emile it's hard to die,
When all the birds are singing in the sky.
Now that the spring is in the air
Pretty girls are everywhere
Think of me and I'll be there

We had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun,
But the hills that we climbed were just seasons out of time.
We had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun,
But the hills that we climbed were just seasons out of time.

Adieu Papa please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family
You tried to teach me right from wrong,
Too much wine and too much song,
Wondered how I got along,

Adieu Papa it's hard to die, ( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
When all the birds are singing in the sky. ( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
Now that the spring is in the air, ( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
Little children everywhere, ( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
When you see 'em I'll be there. (ba ba)

We had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun, (ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
But the wine and the song, like the seasons have all gone. (ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
We had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun, (ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
But the wine and the song, like the seasons have all gone. (ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)

Adieu Francoise, my trusted wife,
Without you I'd have had a lonely life.
You cheated lots of times but then,
I forgave you in the end,
Though your lover was my friend.

Adieu Francoise it's hard to die, ( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
When all the birds are singing in the sky. ( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
Now that the spring is in the air( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
With your lovers everywhere, ( ahhh, ahh, ahh)
Just be careful I'll be there. (ba, ba)

All our lives we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, (ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
But the stars we could reach were just starfish on the beach. (ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
All our lives we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, (ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
But the stars we could reach were just starfish on the beach. (ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)

(ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
(ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)

(ba ba ba, ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)
(ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba)

************************************************

Dear fRiends of Desi,

Happy Christmas &

A Great New Year

IF thou be at peace
then God is wit' Thee
If there is some worry
WORRY NOT, Desi is wit' Thee

IF
thou chooseth to be my fRiend

Don't drop the R ever!

Be lasting, Be trusting

and Desi will be that

Bridge O'er Troubled Water

"I'll ease your mind, MIND,
yours&mine, mind":)

DS Anwar Ibrahim's Statement on APCO

APCO: DISCOURSES MUST GO BACK TO THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES OF
ACCOUNTABILITY AND DUE PROCESS



APCO’s deep involvement in the Prime Minister’s administration is the
clearest proof of UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s hypocrisy.



For more than a decade, it has deafened the country with incessant
propaganda to portray me as a Jewish agent when surreptitiously it
hires a firm known for its strong link with the Israeli intelligence
and political establishment to manage one of the most influential
functions of the administration i.e. messaging and communication.



Therefore, the bulk of my contention when I first raised this issue in
Dewan Rakyat was directed at the Prime Minister’s hypocrisy and
carelessness in hiring a firm with a track record such as APCO’s. It
is only natural that Pakatan Rakyat MPs requested for the government
to come clean on the extent of APCO’s involvement in the formulation
of policies and messaging under the current Prime Minister.



There are numerous records available publicly to substantiate APCO’s
unhealthy track record of working for regimes with penchant for
stifling human rights and democratic space. YB Tian Chua (Member of
Dewan Rakyat for Batu) had written extensively on this in two articles
(“APCO: In Mercenaries We Trust” and “APCO & Najib: Beneath the PR
Veil”). Both articles; published by Malaysiakini provide insights into
the workings of APCO and its cosy relationship with regimes or causes
that are deemed to be detrimental to the promotion of democracy and
public interest.



Thus, the issue was never about the simplistic question of who came up
with 1Malaysia. It is about holding the government of the day
accountable for its haphazard behaviour in spending the public money
(to the tune of RM77 million for a one-year service) to hire a firm
for its own image building. More importantly, it is about the lack of
responsibility of a Prime Minister in ignoring APCO’s track record and
potential security risks posed by the latter.



Unfortunately, UMNO/Barisan Nasional was never prepared to be engaged
on these two critical issues. It went on an over-kill drive from the
beginning which culminated in the suspension of four members of Dewan
Rakyat recently. It trampled on every known ethics and norms including
the natural process of allowing an accused to present and argue his
case before a fair and just panel.



The fact that I was not allowed to present evidence to the
Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee speaks volume of Prime
Minister’s intention to avoid the fundamental issues of accountability
and negligence on his part in hiring APCO. In the end, UMNO/Barisan
Nasional created another first in the history of Dewan Rakyat when it
orchestrated our suspension without a debate and based on a simple
letter of denial from APCO.



I must also respond to UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s latest claim that a
mere letter of denial from APCO and a statement from one Robert M
Shrum constitute an undisputable proof that APCO was not involved in
the conceptualisation of 1Malaysia; neither was 1Malaysia adopted from
One Israel campaign. In a normal court of law, such “evidence” would
have to stand the scrutiny of cross examination to ensure that they
are credible and acceptable for the purpose of a case. No court or
parliamentary committee of a respectable standing would have dismissed
a case and arrived at a biased verdict purely on an account of two
letters produced by the prosecutor.



Going by the same UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s logic, a statutory
declaration made by P Balasubramaniam on his allegation of the Prime
Minister’s relationship with Altantuya Sharibu would have been taken
as an undisputable proof. Likewise, the two contracts signed by APCO
with the governments of Malaysia and Israel respectively that are in
my possession would have to be taken as an undisputable proof of a
link between the 1Malaysia campaign with other campaigns that APCO or
its personnel had worked on previously.



Fortunately, the due process of law and natural justice administered
in the fairest manner will dictate that any evidence produced will be
subject to the highest scrutiny. It is in this respect that I have
been vocal in my criticism because UMNO/Barisan Nasional is determined
to avoid any scrutiny of its relations with APCO to the point that it
would not allow the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee from
going through the proper motion of its proceedings.



Therefore, UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s release of the two documents is
nothing more than an orchestrated media play that ensures no scrutiny
of the “evidence” it claims to have. Anyone who is familiar with
UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s history in orchestrating character
assassination campaigns that often involve the manufacture of “false
evidences” would naturally be sceptical of the latest trial by media.



In the end, the country must go back to the fundamental questions that
Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak is so keen to avoid.



The most fundamental question arose from a report by news portal The
Malaysian Insider dated 28 July 2009 entitled “Money Being Splurged To
Boost Image of Najib’s Administration”. I reproduced here the key
contents which had never been denied officially by the Prime Minister:



“It is understood that the services of Apco Worldwide was brought in
by Omar Mustapha, the close aide of the PM who was recently embroiled
in controversy over his proposed appointment onto the board of
national oil company Petronas.



Apco Worldwide is understood to have had an official based in Najib’s
office since the early days of the administration.



Apco and other public relations specialists from the United States
have also been helping Najib craft his 100 days strategy. This
includes his 1 Malaysia message and other key platforms of his
administration.”





If this is indeed true, the Prime Minister must then be prepared to
explain the other fundamental issue – his trigger happy attitude in
using taxpayers’ money to hire a firm for the sole good of his party;
especially one with such a questionable track record that could have
compromised the country’s security.



DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

LEADER OF OPPOSITION

24 DECEMBER 2010

Dihantarkan kepada anda melalui / Delivered to you by:

BIRO KOMUNIKASI
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT
A-1-09, Merchant Square
No. 1, Jalan Tropicana Selatan 1
47410 Petaling Jaya

Tel: +603 7885 0530
Fax: +603 7885 0531
E-mail: komunikasi@keadilanrakyat.org
Web: www.keadilanrakyat.org

Heartening survey findings on PR Selangor Government

thus far, which won't make the sceptics like RPK, Haris Ibrahim and MCLM diehards and other biased critics happy.But I urge MB Khalid Ibrahim and his state cabinet and PR Aduns to continue to improve their performance; this challenge holds true for the PR-controlled state governments of Penang, Kedah, Kelantan as well, and the"overthrown" PR opposition in Perak which was robbed of its "duly elected" government by undemocratic means aided by undemocratic BN institutions.

From the Malaysian Insider:

Mid-term poll suggests Pakatan can keep Selangor

By Clara Chooi

December 23, 2010

Khalid’s administration was losing its hold on the Malay vote. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — A Merdeka Center mid-term survey of voters showed that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was likely to retain Selangor in an election, despite a marginal decline in Malay support.

According to the survey report obtained by The Malaysian Insider, 57 per cent of the 1,214 respondents polled believed that Selangor PR was heading in the right direction while 28 per cent thought otherwise.

There was a slight dip in Malay confidence, however, from 63 per cent agreeing in June 2009 that the state was on the right track to only 55 per cent in August this year.

Support from the Chinese community was maintained at 53 per cent in the same period despite a small decline to 47 per cent in January this year.

The PR government scored the highest with the Indian community, with a steady increase in support from 63 per cent to 72 per cent across the same period.

Sixty-seven per cent of respondents also said they were satisfied with the state government’s performance with 55 per cent claiming they were either very confident or quite confident in Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s leadership while 26 per cent said they were less confident or not confident at all.

Of the three races, however, Khalid scored the lowest among the Malay community with 38 per cent saying they were not confident in his leadership, compared to the 14 per cent and 17 per cent of the Chinese and Indian communities respectively which said the same.

The survey, commissioned by the Selangor government, polled constituents aged 21 and above through telephone interviews.

It was, however, conducted between July 27 and August 23 this year and did not incorporate any changes in voter perception after PKR’s fractious party polls last month.

PKR’s first-ever direct elections, held between September 17 and November 21, was mired in controversy following reports of relentless infighting, voting irregularities and alleged malpractices in the polling process.

A DAP leader admitted to The Malaysian Insider yesterday that if the survey had been conducted after PKR’s elections, the results would have likely reflect a less enthusiastic response for the PR government.

“It would have affected us significantly. But we cannot tell the extent of the effect, so for now, we are hoping that PR can recapture whatever support we lost because of the party elections,” he said.

The leader added that other national issues like the latest price hikes for fuel and sugar and the recent suspensions of PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and three other PR MPs from Parliament could help dissuade voters from leaving the opposition fold.

“These issues could help cancel out what we have lost. But like I said, it is hard to gauge how much we have lost or gained after the survey was done,” the source said.

The survey also showed that the Najib administration had failed to impress Selangor voters despite its attempts to combat corruption and promises to be more inclusive.

It revealed that 49 per cent still believed that corruption in the federal government was on the rise while 15 per cent claimed that nothing had changed and 22 per cent said it had declined. A total of 14 per cent said they did not know the answer.

The Malays differed considerably in their perception of corruption in comparison with the Chinese and Indian communities.

Of the total polled, only 39 per cent of the Malays claimed that corruption had increased, while 60 per cent and 54 per cent of the Chinese and Indian communities said this was true.

Correspondingly, 28 per cent of Malays believed that corruption had declined in the federal administration while only 16 per cent and 13 per cent of the Chinese and Indians agreed.

In its summary, Merdeka Center claimed that the non-Malays were more “realistic” in their views, adding that the community was resigned to the belief that corruption was the government’s “lifeblood”.

“They also believe that the government is not serious in fighting corruption,” it said.

Another significant finding in the survey was that the federal government had suffered a severe backlash in Selangor for its first round subsidy cuts for petrol, diesel and sugar in July this year.

Fifty-five per cent of respondents saw red over the government’s decision to slash subsidies while 22 per cent said that they were not so agreeable.

Only 17 per cent said they were slightly agreeable while four per cent claimed to be in full support of the cuts.

A total of 72 per cent said they were dissatisfied with the government’s reason for cutting subsidies, while 23 per cent were satisfied.

In explaining the cuts, Putrajaya had reasoned that the move was to reduce government expenditure, pledging that the funds would be used to boost development and turn Malaysia into a high-income nation.

A majority of the Selangor constituents also claimed that the country’s national leaders were not aware of the people’s problems, with 37 per cent saying that the ruling administration “does not really understand” them and 20 per cent claiming that they “do not understand them at all”.

Thirty per cent of respondents said the government understood them “a little” while six per cent said they were completely understood.

In comparison, the Selangor PR government scored better than Barisan Nasional among respondents, with 53 per cent agreeing that they were either extremely confident or quite confident in how the state government had managed its economy.

About 36 per cent said they were either less confident or extremely not confident in the PR government.

A majority of respondents also expressed confidence in PR’s management of the Selangor economy in the year ahead, with 48 per cent saying they were confident while 31 per cent disagreed.

A total of 54 per cent of the respondents claimed that BN had not treated the PR government fairly while 26 per cent said that they had been either very unfair or less than fair. Eighteen per cent said they did not know.

From the results, the centre recommended as “immediate action” for the Selangor PR government to tackle its declining Malay support, pointing out that the community had been greatly affected by negative news reports.

SakmongolAK47 sometimes maketh SENSE though he's pro-UMNO!

and Desi is pro-PKR!:); hence I pick up his write! (Thanks, Datuk...from Desi:)

But it doesn't mean representatives from two parties across the divide cannot have a CIVIL DISCOURSE...The past four BUM events proved this.......C REF: bum4msia.wordpress.com!

So today I reprise the writing by an UMNO veteran (I believe he's a former WAKIL RAKYAT in Pahang, will check out his credentials in detail later, can?) YL, Desi

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

3rd Force: between the concept and the actual.

Malaysians on the whole have more affinity with actual political entities. They are more confident and comforted with a materialized organizational form like a political party. Something that has structure, policies and agenda. On the whole, they are less likely to be attracted to pure concepts such as for example the so called 3^rd force in Malaysian politics?

Who or what is the 3^rd force in Malaysian politics? Does it exist in materialized form with structure, policies and agendas? Or is the 3^rd force more of the projection and extension of personal ideals and beliefs which are not unique anyway to the beholders. The same ideals and belief are better articulated and fought for by organized corporeal political parties.

I seriously doubt if RPK and his band of merry men, will make any impact on Malaysian politics. How does it exist? In a substantive corporeal form as a political party or just a 3^rd force in concept form?

MCLM or the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement is at the moment a loose association of likeminded individuals moved by the concept of civil liberties and some understanding of what it means to be democratic. And at the moment, democratic means anything BUT Barisan Nasional or UMNO's policies.

I am not trivializing the motivations of these well intentioned individuals. The issues raised and the concerns voiced are undoubtedly pertinent and very relevant. But perhaps more suited to discussions in the PJ civic center or maybe in the private rooms at Le Bodega or the terraces of private clubs in Kuala Lumpur. Or in the forums attended by starry eyed university students.

And where will the likely constituencies of the MCLM be? Probably more suited to urban constituencies in small pockets of socially conscious groupings such as NGO movements, liberal PTAs, something like that.

They will face formidable competition from established political groupings such as PR, which is something more solid than just some intellectualized concept.

Malaysians with a well-grounded political experience based on political parties that exist in form and substance are likely to stay away from a nebulous concept of a 3^rd force. What are its agendas? Its plans? Other than a coalition of individuals with a pronounced disgruntled objection to UMNO and BN.

Even the re-emergence of Zaid Ibrahim in a renamed political party will not make any difference in Malaysian politics. Zaid Ibrahim and his self-sustaining politicians and candidates will not stand a chance in the coming elections.

The optimism of 3^rd force entities and Zaid's party is based on a misreading of our political mood.

The misreading stems perhaps fro over reading and unbounded optimism attached to the results of the 12th GE. I say perhaps we have over read the support for opposition parties as being a permanent shift. As such I think, there will a shift back of allegiance to BN and notably UMNO. When that shift happens, the casualties will the MCLM and parties such as headed by Zaid IBrahim.

UMNO and BN will not be able to recapture old political territories but they may be able to recover some lost ground. UMNO's success at that will depend on several factors but that will not be discussed here.

Where is the 3^rd force really? In my opinion the actual 3^rd force in Malaysian politics are the political parties in Sabah and Sarawak. They have tasted blood and they now know they can be the kingmaker in Malaysian politics. Whichever political parties win in Peninsula Malaysia will have to factor in the Sabah and Sarawak politicians and will have to accommodate them.

DESIDERATA: I concur with most parts of the fellow Blogger's writup above; willpen some of my own thoughts later. Cheers, CHOW,

which can mean "Come,let's eat!":)

OR

Yeah,seeya later!:):)

WHY NAJIB IS UNFIT TO BE OUR PM...

powered by

Fellow blogger up my alley Sdr Hussein Ahmad counts the ways!:)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Unfit to be Prime Minister....of any country!

When I look at Najib, Muhyiddin, Mahathir, Ibrahim Ali - all those bombastic self-proclaimed Ketuanan Malay “leaders,” I do think of Hang Tuah! Huh! All they remind me of are Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada, Mobutu Sese Seko, Robert Mugabe and His Excellency Benito Mussolini Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire. Yes at one time or another they were all leaders of their people, all striding to the sound of brass bands and traveling around in motorcades flanked by armed guards. Leaders they might be but they were all totally oblivious to the look of contempt and disgust from the very masses that they consider themselves to be Lord and Master over. Totally oblivious of the massive harm they have done to the country they ruled. Totally oblivious to the crumbling ruins of their government because all they see are the trappings of power and their personal needs. Never the misery of the people they rule.

I want you all to understand this. When in power these kinds of leaders will do what they want. They would not investigate themselves. MACC, the AG, the Judiciary and PDRM (among other Government entities) are there to ensure that these leaders are given the means and leeway to do what they want. And what they want is to stay in power and make money for themselves and their cronies.
And who are the people who have been in charge in Malaysia? For 22 years of the last 30 years it has been this man call Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. The fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia whose political career has lasted 40 years and still counting.


Just as Singapore has been shaped by one iconic man Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysia too has been shaped by one man, Mahathir……and therein lays a tale. Singapore is one of the world’s most prosperous countries with strong international trading links with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. Malaysia has the most prosperous politicians and strong family links with these politicians will ensure that your personal capita GDP will be equal, if not better than that of many African Politicians with similar inclinations to rob their own country blind. Transparency International Corruption Perception Index of the past 16 years puts Malaysia as the worst country in Asia-Pacific. Malaysia is the 7th most corrupt nation in Asia. Corruption is common among the country's political and business class. Bribery and other corrupt practices pose major problems for companies operating in Malaysia. The business of government is equally corrupt. So while Singapore has taken the high road, Mahathir has taken the low road and he has, unfortunately, taken us along for the ride.


Now we have Najib Tun Razak. This man is unfit to be our leader. Unfit to be the Prime Minister of our country. He would have a hard time holding on to a position as Manager of any decent size organization where decency, honesty and integrity are required of its employees – as it should be of any individual holding a position of responsibility.


But in UMNO he thrives! He is their President! He can fool UMNO, he can fool the Attorney General of Malaysia, he can fool the IGP, he can fool the Cabinet (though one can argue that the closing of one eye and the shutting of the other has the same effect!) – but try as hard as he can, he will not fool us and of course he cannot fool his wife. After all it takes a thief to catch another thief…birds of a feather flocks together…get my drift?


Why is Najib unfit to be our Prime Minister? Let me count the ways…..


Hands down the tragic murder of Altantuya tops the list. Don’t ask me about it because I am bias. Go ask that Indian kachang putih seller, the Pak Chik selling satay by the roadside or that Chinese guy selling Yong Tau Foo at the market in Lucky Gardens each morning. Ask them about Najib and Altantuya. This is what they say:


NAJIB IS GUILTY UNTIL AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY CLEARS HIM.


No need to swear in the mosque, no need to discredit Bala’s SD, no need to say that the murderers have already been caught, gone to trial and have been sentenced. The damming thing is this Najib – YOU know that WE know that YOU are involved somehow and somewhere in that sordid saga of the RM$500 million submarine commission for Razak Baginda and in the murder of Altantuya. Whether the facts are made known during your time, your children time or your children children’s time is to be seen. The truth shall prevail but you will not.
Under your watch MACC murdered Teoh Beng Hock while he was under their custody. PDRM bludgeon Kugan to death and shot Aminurasyid to death! All the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again. You Najib did not even try! A political police force? Is that what PDRM has become? Huh! If today PDRM has become a tool for the survival of UMNO and BN then be assured that after the 13th General Election the people will claim back PDRM and not leave it to be the force of evil that PDRM has now become but cleanse it to become once again a Force for good.


This is also the same Najib that made an offer of RM$5 Million to the people of Rejang Park during By-Election time to elect BN's Robert Lau. Truly a courageous (in politician lingo that means stupid!) and remarkable (in our lingo this also means stupid!) attempt by our Prime Minister to BUY a by-election. An enlightened electorate rejected his offer.






During Najib’s stint as Minister of Defense the procurement of arms and equipment became an ‘art form’ that impacted favorably on the financial well being of his and UMNO's cronies.

Eurocopter.
Ministry of Defense signed a Letter of Intent to acquire 12 Eurocopter EC725 Cougar helicopters for the sum of RM2.3 billion. Brazil paid only RM$1.2 billion for 50 units of the same mode.


Sukhoi Fighters. 18 Sukhoi Fighter Jets were bought for RM3.2 billion. A 12 percent commission of RM380 million was paid to its local agent IMT Defence Sdn Bhd whose Chairman was Adib Adam, former Chief Minister of Malacca. The same Malacca that once had an UMNO child molester as its Chief Minister.


Naval Patrol Boat. Ministry of Defense paid out RM4.26 billion to PSC-Naval Dockyard for only RM2.87 billion of work done. The Malaysian cabinet waived late penalties of RM214 million. 14 progressive payments amounting to RM943 million was paid out to PSC-Naval Dockyard without payment vouchers or relevant documents dealing with the payments. The technical incompetence of PSC-Naval Dockyard to undertake the contract can be confirmed by the fact that PSC had never built anything but trawlers and Police boats before being given the contract by Najib.


Missing Jet Engines Two fighter aircraft engines from the Royal Malaysian Air Force went missing in May 2008. Enough said.


Any individual that is involved in any one of the above truly shameful straight out grab for the Rakyat's money would not be considered for employment at any reputable business entity. In Malaysia he becomes our Prime Minister! Camna ni? Does that not make him an unfit person to be Prime Minister of our country? I rest my case.