"Do You Really Want Me to Unzip My Trousers, Sir?"

Hantu Laut

The professions of religiosity are no guarantee of moral behaviour.

Some used religion to camouflage their licentious behaviour and portray themselves as morally upstanding in the eyes of society. They crow devotion to traditional morality while pursuing their perverted scheme more rapaciously than the ordinary libertines and infidels.They can keep their clandestine relationship in a shroud of secrecy without a hint of its existence even to their marital partners.

They are not the Romeos or Don Juan that conspicuously display their wares and ways without an ounce of guilt.They are the morally upstanding and distinguished gentlemen of society with a closet full of skeletons hidden deep in their cloistered and abominable lairs. 

They are the hypocrites !

They are the thieves,corruptibles, adulterers,pedophiles and sodomites. The scums of the earth who hide their perverted behaviour and pretended to be the jewels of society.

I have nothing against gay people who came out in the open, at least we know their social attributes and sexual inclination and should be respected for their boldness in coming out of the closet. The worst type is the one that have no semblance of moral integrity and fool the whole world of their hidden devious and dubious double life.They are the congenital liars, born with intelligently skewed brain making them skillful masters of deception.

They are the hypocrites !

The world is not short of them, from the phallocentric pruriences to the perverted fiends,they have walked the corridors of power.

They are the hypocrites !

In English or more appropriately in Christianity we called such person a hypocrite, derived from a Greek word "hypokrisis".

In psychology such person is considered having character faults.

In Islam the person would be called a "munafiq".

The Koran says "When the hypocrites come to thee, they say, 'We bear witness that thou art indeed the Apostle of God.' Yea,God knoweth that thou art indeed His Apostle, and God beareth witness that the hypocrites are indeed liars." - (Qur'an 63:1).

They are the hypocrites !

Some of the worst examples of hypocrisy walking the corridors of power are shown below:

1. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A former speaker of Puerto Rico's house of representatives had been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape and two counts of giving alcohol to minors.

Edison Misla Aldarondo was convicted Tuesday of intoxicating his stepdaughter and her 17-year-old friend and attempting to rape the friend. He was sentenced to 10 years for attempted rape and received a pair of three-year sentences for the lesser charges, to be served simultaneously.

2.WATERBURY -- A previously undisclosed corruption investigation took a dramatic and unexpected turn Thursday with the arrest of Mayor Philip A. Giordano on federal charges that he enticed a child into a sexual relationship. 

Giordano, 38, the three-term mayor and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate last year, was arrested by FBI agents in New Haven at 7:45 a.m. and ordered held without bail as a flight risk and public danger. 

Within hours of the arrest, FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents seized records at city hall and searched the homes of Giordano and Thomas Ariola, the chief financial officer of city schools and a former city budget director

3.The Honorable Donald "Buz" Lukens was indicted in 1989 on a misdemeanor charge that he had sex with a teenage girl.  At a meeting, secretly taped by a television station, Lukens was confronted by the girls mother, who accused the BadBoy of paying for sex with her 16-year-old daughter.  Lukens was charged with contributing to the unruliness and delinquency of a child. (The prosecutor had wanted to bring a charge about an alleged incident between Lukens and the girl when she was just 13, but jurors determined that there was insufficient evidence.)

Lukens also got in trouble because of alleged fondling of a house elevator operator.

Then . . . in 1996, Lukens was convicted of accepting $15,000 in bribe money from operators of an Ohio trade school chain.  The two counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy could have meant 12 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

4.SANTA ANA, Calif. -- In his glory, Michael S. Carona appeared to personify the righteous virtue of Orange County, the famously conservative bastion that three times elected him sheriff.

So it was a steep fall from grace when Carona was charged with corruption and mail fraud last October. Read the story here. 

We are always under the impression that those we love or those that we took a liking to are incapable of such hideous act.We believe and trust them without any questions asked.We are prepared to defend their integrity and moral values,believeing them to be true, against anyone who thinks otherwise.

History has shown that nobody is infallable including those who pretended to be so. We are divine creation and to err is human.

Very few politicians can claim they are spotless.

Anwar, maybe, is just one of them.

DEMOCRACY AT ITS WORST

Hantu Laut

This has nothing to do about politics in Malaysia. This is about a bizarre official guidelines for sentencing of desperate criminals in the United Kingdom. A new official guidelines for judges to give lighter sentences to burglars and thieves who steal to fund their addiction to drug, gambling and booze even if they target vulnerable victims.

The recommendations were issued by the authority due to serious over-crowding in prisons. It is asking judges not to impose prison sentence on criminals who committed crimes under the guidelines.

So if you are pick-pocketed or they came to your shop to rob you, they would get away with just doing community work. What a pleasant and polite way to treat criminals. Wouldn't it be better if you can ask them to do your housework to repay what they stole from you?



Wouldn't it be nice to be such criminal, you can rob to get your fix and as punishment all you need to do is sweep the streets in your town for a few weeks or so and that's it, you have paid for your crime. You can repeat doing it if you wish.

What's happening to the Brits? Have they gone bonkers ? Read here.

MOSQUITO PARTY NOMINATED ALL NEW FACES

Hantu Laut

The smallest politicial party in Sabah, LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) formerly headed by former Chief Minister Chong Kah Kiat has fielded all four new faces. The biggest surprise was that of incumbent Liew Yun Fah, the assemblyman for Merotai, who was dropped in favour of a newcomer.Liew who is very popular with the electorates in Merotai is expected to stand as independent against the LDP choice. Due to his popularity, many has given him an edge over his opponent, if he takes up the challenge.

As reported in the Daily Express:

Contest as loners? Keningau: The State Barisan Nasional faces the prospect of dropped incumbents contesting the 12th general election on March 8 as Independents. At least two have so far hinted they would consider such alternative as an act of retaliation against their respective party presidents over their exclusions. Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liew Yun Fah arrived to a rousing welcome by some 2,000 supporters at the Tawau Airport, Friday. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership had earlier dropped him from the party candidates' list for the Merotai state constituency which he won in 2004. He had barely warmed his seat as Youth and Sports Minister several months ago. LDP President Datuk VK Liew had announced party secretary Pang Yuk Ming for the seat, instead. While declining to specifically reveal his next cause of action, Liew said that in the event he decides to contest as an Independent, it would not mean that he would be against the Barisan Nasional, "but against any outsider trying their luck in Merotai". Liew said he was still toying with the idea and that his fortune would depend on the wisdom of the electorates in the area. He regretted at not being aware of the decision to drop him from the fray, contrary to a statement by VK Liew. While stressing that he had nothing to lose for having been dropped, he regretted that the party seemingly does not appreciate the level of support accorded by the electorates in the Merotai area. Supporters turning up at the airport displayed banners expressing their support for Liew as their elected representative. Balung candidate Datuk Syed Abbas Syed Ali, Nilwan Kabang (Kunak) and Datuk Haji Harman Haji Mohd (Sulabayan) arriving at the same time at the airport, were also given a rousing welcome by their respective supporters. In Keningau, Pensiangan Parliamentary incumbent Datuk Bernard S Maraat declared his stand to contest both the Pensiangan Parliament and Sook State seats as an independent candidate. Bernard, who is also Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) Secretary-General, told supporters gathered at his Taman Jutaya residence, Friday, that he would be relinquishing all positions in the party and the Government. As speculated, the PBRS list showed party President Tan Sri Joseph Kurup contesting the Pensiangan seat, while Deputy Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin has been allocated the Sook seat. Both constituencies were secured by PBRS in the 2004 general election. Friday's gathering included 50 local community leaders, comprising village heads and native chiefs. Bernard pointed out that his winning the Pensiangan seat in 2004 was the result of solid support from the BN component parties, his supporters and family members. In Kinabatangan, parliamentary incumbent Datuk Bung Moktar Radin warned that the BN would not hesitate to take stern action against any BN or Umno leaders contesting as independents. They would be dubbed as traitors acting contrary to the struggle of the coalition and party, he said. Bung Moktar, who is Kinabatangan Umno chief, urged all members of the BN component parties, including Umno, to accept the decision of the BN leadership in the choice of candidates. Foremost on their minds would be to ensure a convincing electoral victory for the coalition, he said.

Happy new year

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS,READERS AND FELLOW BLOGGERS.LET US MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER AND SAFER PLACE TO LIVE IN.

"If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were."

"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit."

"Life without liberty is like a body without spirit."
Kahlil Gibran

THE FOUR TRILLION DOLLAR MAN

HANTU LAUT

The claims by HINDRAF for compensations from the British Government for the economic miseries of Indians in Malaysia, can only be the imagination of a man suffering from an extreme form of psychosis. A man, a lawyer, an educated fool who gives false hope to his community and an attempt to gain popularity at the cheapest and shortest possible way.A cheap shot at stardom.

Being a lawyer he should know better how vexed and insurmountable the problem is. In spite of the odds and improbable chance of victory, he has no qualms, to lead his fellow Indians up the garden path and used them to fulfill his own selfish agenda.

Meet the Pied Piper of the Indian community, P.Uthayakumar, the man who is going to put US$2 million in every Indian's pocket.He has brought a class-action suit against Britain for bringing Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourers and exploiting them for 150 years and abandoned them at the mercy of the Malaysian government. Would anybody, let alone a lawyer, attempt such complex,vexatious and impossible to win legal action against what happened 150 years ago.

The grievances are against Britain, why demonstrate on Malaysian soil, why not take his fellow Indians to London and demonstrate in front of Buckingham Palace or No.10 Downing Street, after all each Malaysian Indian will get US$2 million and they can well afford the fare and the stay in London.It would also be a good opportunity for them to meet their former masters.

Did P.Uthayakumar ever asked himself whether the Indians were better off if they were to stay in India with the kind of poverty that existed in India at that time?Did he ever consider the fact that Indians are still coming to work in Malaysia, in spite of what he contended? Was he such a lousy lawyer than he can't earn a decent living and felt discriminated and deprived of the good things in life because his forefathers were indentured labourers then?

To fan racial sentiments is dangerous to the peace and harmony of this country.To take to the street using race as an issue should not be tolerated and must be stopped.I hope the Indian community are not easily fooled by this selfish man.

Is this the work of a depraved mind?

Going to the streets to vent your anger and frustrations are not going to help resolve the problems.It may cause civil unrest. I am getting sick of all this talk of freedom that some Malaysians think they have been deprived of by the government.

The ex-Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohammed should come out and defend the government policy against street demonstrations unless he agrees that Malaysia needs this kind of culture now as things had changed from the time when he was at the helm, when such behaviour was not tolerated at any cost.

Anwar Ibrahim of PKR has given his qualified support for the rally to go on.

LAND OF THE YAHOOS ?

HANTU LAUT

Should Malaysia always be in the news for the wrong reason ? Malaysians have been known to display the ugly sides of their purportedly civilised and modern outlook. A 'bodoh sombong' , a regressive behaviour that have made them looking more stupid, uncivilised and a laughing stock to their neighbours and the rest of the world. Since Hitler's vision of the Aryan race and apartheid in South Africa no other country in the world had ever institutionalised their race as being supreme.No government had the balls to dare incorporate it as a government policy, if it exists, it would be unspoken. In Malaysia, the Malay politicians openly speak about ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy). Those, who believe innately so, had thrown caution to the winds and behaved appallingly.

The recent arrest and detention of an Indonesian diplomat's wife speaks volume of the intelligence of the people at RELA, a government appointed vigilante,whom in the first place should not have been given the power to arrest illegal immigrant. These are lowly educated, half-trained and half-baked enforcement personnel who would be more suited to clear the streets off stray dogs. Putting power in the wrong hands are likened to putting a gun in the hand of a five-year old child. This is RELA doing police's work.

The police force, enforcer of law and order, have highly questionable integrity and are alleged to be unclean from head to toe.Some policemen have been known to solicit bribes from poor and defenceless immigrants, illegal or otherwise. The recent arrest of a senior police officer, who had amassed almost RM 7 millions in ill-gotten gains was only the tip of the iceberg.Even the IGP (Chief 0f Police) had been accused of corruption and giving protection to underworld crime lords.An allegation that had been cleared and confirmed by the Attorney-General as spuriously untrue. A Deputy Home Minister was also accused of taking a RM5 million bribes to release some organised crime lords.An allegation hastily demolished, for lack of evidence, by the Attorney-General's office.

If the police were not on a good pedestal, what sort of moral integrity could you expect from members of RELA .They have acted like thugs and gangsters and brutalised their victims.

At midnight on 11 February 2006, Rela carried out a raid on foreign workers in the Selayang open market. “According to eye-witnesses, those migrant workers caught were beaten up by the Rela personnel and treated like cattle.” Citing a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report, the memo continued: “...five died while fleeing the raid. Five bodies were found in a small lake near the open market in Selayang Baru.” Further, “Kuala Lumpur Hospital confirmed that four bodies had been taken from the lake in Selayang while another body...was said to be buried quickly.”

It is strange that after such a serious incident involving loss of life, the Immigration authorities and the government remained silent.No inquiry by the government into the circumstances of this raid was made nor was any public statement on it forthcoming.

On 28 February, 61 Indian nationals, cheated and left in the lurch, penniless, by an unscrupulous employment agent, and reduced to sitting and waiting for assistance outside their embassy for a number of days, were also assaulted by Rela. Some of them were badly injured in the attack; but were not been given medical treatment. They were detained, unjustifiably.

Another raid on 13 May in Selayang market and Seri Kembangan at around 2.45 am, involving around 1,000 Rela personnel unaccompanied by police or immigration officers, was carried out in an “indecent and brutal manner”, according to Suaram.

In July, Rela conducted a raid on a refugee settlement in Putrajaya. The Achenese refugees were rudely awakened at 3.00 am and herded into lorries by Rela personnel. They were handcuffed with zip-ties and taken a distance to a partly constructed building in Sungai Merab. They were searched and nine of them detained because they did not have UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) cards on them. At 6.30 am, those not detained were sent back to the settlement to find Rela personnel carting away all their belongings after setting their houses on fire. They were left with nothing but “the clothes on their backs”. What was the reason for this inhumanity? None has been given by Rela or the government.

Three more raids are known to have been carried out so far, two in Selangor and one in Penang. All invariably with violence, destruction of property and commission of theft, discovered after the raids by Rela. Pregnant women and children including babies are not spared in the raids and ill-treatment, lack of proper medical attention or degrading conditions in detention centres common features.

Even more disturbing was Rela chief Khairi Mohd. Alwee’s statement in The Malay Mail on 19 October. Replying to complaints by residents of Taman Anggerik, Selangor that Rela members had broken their door locks and gates to gain entry to search their houses for undocumented immigrants at 5 am on 14 October, he said they had acted according to procedure.

He added, “Rela officers were authorised to enter and search premises without warrants and arrest and handcuff suspects.” Further, he confirmed, “ We are also authorised to carry firearms but we don’t flaunt it to avoid chaos.”

From the arrest and detention of black African tourist to the bashing of an Indonesian rugby coach by police, raid on elderly non-Muslim foreign couples by Islamic Council enforcement officers and many more shamefully stupid actions by those clowns in uniform, the government didn't bat an eyelid on the matter. The senseless actions of these enforcement agencies shows how dim-witted they are and a shame to this country.

What had brought so many illegal immigrants to this country ? Most of the problem had to do with wrong government policies and greed of certain people in power to capitalise on the situation to make money. Most legal recruitment of foreign workers were given to employment agencies appointed by the Immigration Department with some having close connection with certain senior officers in the department. Most of these agencies are run by less than honourable people.The local employment agency worked together with another employment agency in the foreign worker's home country.Both employer and employee paid a hefty sum to the employment agencies. Most of the foreign workers were fleeced so badly, major part of their earning went to pay these unscrupulous agents. To make matters even worse the government imposed high foreign workers levy which can burden certain industry in the country. Not all industries enjoy the same profit margin.For some labour intensive industry, the high cost of recruitment, would eats into their profit margin.

Due to the high cost of coming to work in Malaysia, many foreign workers prefer to take the risk and come into the country illegally and some employer would also take the risk of employing them illegally.

It's time for the government to liberalise the employment of foreign workers, lower the levy and disband the notoriously unpleasant RELA.

They are a disgrace to the country.


Note: Some texts on the incidents by RELA were taken from Aliran.

Latest on RELA:Rela chief instructs officer to lodge police report

THE VIOLENT CITY; 20 WAYS YOU CAN AVOID BEING A VICTIM OF VIOLENCE.

HANTU LAUT

There are multitude of dangers in the city.Do you know you can die in numerous ways in the city, from being robbed and killed in your own home to being run over by a car to being mugged and killed on the streets. You read horror stories of rape, robbery, kidnapping and murder almost every day in the newspapers. You can also die from man made and natural calamities, road rage, pollution, poisoning, fire, earthquake and hosts of other hazard that probably never crossed your mind.

Recently, the whole nation was in a state of shock and anger by the rape and murder of an innocent young girl, eight-year old Nurin.She went missing for almost a month and was later found dead, her body stuffed in a bag.She was kept by her perpetrator for almost a month, probably tortured, repeatedly rape and finally killed. Few years ago was the case of Canny Ong, abducted,raped and killed. Than, there was the high profile murder case of Noritta Shamsudin, a girl who reputedly lived in the fast lane, killed in her own apartment.Her case still remains unsolved.

The criminals are getting bolder and more ruthless. Bank robberies in Peninsula Malaysia are common occurrences, even the homes of ex IGPs were not spared, they have no fear at all that the occupants have firearms.These hardcore criminals had no fear of the law.They are prepared to kill or be killed

The highest possible way you can die in the city is in road accidents.Malaysia has one of the highest road fatalities in the world.In 2003, we have the highest road fatalities amongst the OECD countries. In that year, Malaysia had 6,286 fatalities and per capita death rate of 26.75 out of a population of 24 million, Japan, on the other hand, had 8,877 fatalities and per capita death of 6.97 out of 127 millions people.Last year, we had 6,287 deaths with per capita death of 23.5. Not much of an improvement, taking into consideration more and better roads had been built.

Malaysians are one of the worst drivers in the world, discourteous, impulsive and reckless. Your chance of you getting knock down while crossing a street in the city is pretty high.The third world mentality are still very much entrenched in the minds of many Malaysians.The so-called friendly and caring Malaysian become a wild beast once he is behind the wheel. Queue-jumping and jumping the red light are common occurrences.Overtaking using the road shoulder or layby are very common when roads are congested. Equally annoying are misplaced courtesy of many motorists in this country had by giving way to these road offenders.My experience on British and American highways were completely different, if you jumped the queue, no one will give way to you till the cows come home, you probably learnt a lesson too late and believe me, you wouldn’t want to do it again for the rest of your life.Malaysians should take a leaf from the this type of driving culture.

Living in the city can be an urban nightmare.You must develop an attitude to urban life that will help you cope with all kinds of situations.The daily stress of driving on choked highways and looking for a place to park your car can be exasperating.Family and financial problems can have a disastrous outcome for those incapable of coping with stress.There are many stress-inducing factors in the city.Attack or robbery, fear if illness, fear of losing employment, financial constraint and many more can all prey on the mind. Money, unfortunately, is most vital for urban survival, without money, staying in the city is next to impossible.In a big city like Kuala Lumpur earning less than RM3,000. per month would probably mean your are living below the urban poverty line.

Kuala Lumpur, together with its satellite towns and suburbs, has about 3 millions people, not a huge metropolis, but have many inherent problems. The gleaming skyscrapers that adorned the skyline, the beautiful looking highways and flyovers are all false facade.The city has one of the worst traffic management system for any modern city.The public transport system is equally horrendous.Flagging down a taxi during peak hours is a game of chance.If it stops to pick you up, the driver decides where he would like to go.If you are lucky, he agrees to take you, you would soon realize, you are not so lucky after all, the fare he demands would be so exorbitantly high, you would very much like to land a punch on him.At this time of the day, the meter is obsolete, the cab driver is king.

During peak hours, at certain locations, policemen are deployed to direct traffic, taking over the job of the antiquated traffic lights.In heavy downpour, flash flood in low laying areas can happened within the hour and immobilize traffic to a standstill.Infrastructure development has not kept pace with the proliferation of motorized vehicle. Tempers can run high on choked highways and are recipes for road rages.

Malaysia can learn a lesson or two from Singapore how to make a city functional.In Singapore all traffic lights have intelligence sensors, it can automatically adjusts, to regulate the traffic flow according to demand.It can adjusts to give more time to the direction with the greatest demand. In Kuala Lumpur, traffic light once installed are left to its own devices.

In Kuala Lumpur, driving alone at night on a lonely stretch of road has its risks.If you are somehow unlucky , you may encounter the Malaysian version of the ‘Hell Angels” called the ‘Mat Rempits’, mostly Malay boys with nocturnal habits and obnoxious personality, riding those noisy little Japanese bikes, invariably looked down upon by their richer cousins on the Harleys.These are the road maniacs of Kuala Lumpur, the kamikaze riders who are prepared to risk their lives for the price of a pittance and a sexual trophy. The later probably gave them the adrenalin to risk their lives.

For many people the greatest threat in the urban jungle is that of violence. Mugging, snatch thieve and other violent crimes have increased considerably in recent years.People are less prepared to go to help others in trouble.There were cases where good Samaritans had been killed while helping those under attack. There is no point risking your life if you can’t really help.

In April 2003, at Kota Kinabalu, a 12-year old boy was stabbed to death in a crowded place in broad daylight and nobody came to his rescue in spite of his cries for help.On Wednesday 19^th Sept 200, a woman in Wangsa Maju was abducted from her house by unidentified men armed with knives.Her fate is not known yet.On 20^th Sept at Kajang, a Datuk and his family were robbed by ten men armed with parang after overpowering two security guards.They escaped with RM1 million in cash and valuables. On 24^th Sept, at Kepong, two women were raped and murdered in their own apartment. Few years back a man was waylaid in the carpark of his upmarket apartment, bundled into his car, driven to a remote area and dumped, the criminals went back to his apartment, gained entrance with his house keys, robbed and gang rape the wife.Crime statistic shows average of 6 rapes a day in Malaysia.

Fear is an element that can cause high mental stresses.It is not something to be ashamed of, as long as we do not lose control of reality.Fear can even be an asset.It can make you wary and more alert at home or on the streets.It can give you a presence of mind in an emergency situation.Fear can also built up the adrenalin rush in your body, giving you that superman’s feats, doing things that seems impossible when you are at ease.It is important that you are able to differentiate fear from panic.Never let your fear turned to panic.Panic will make you act irrationally and in all likely hood endanger yourself and your family.

In a life-threatening situation don’t make yourself vulnerable.Use your common sense.Don’t try to be a hero if you don’t have the upper hand.Those who makes crime their profession are less dangerous than the amateur and the opportunist.The amateurs are more likely to do grievous hurt or kill you if they panic.Any criminal that show sign of nervousness and panic should definitely be handled with care.

There are many ways we can insulate ourselves and reduce the chances of being victim of violence. Below are a few tips I would like to share with my readers.

AT HOME

The first place to make safe and secure are our homes.

1.Make sure all windows and doors are secured against intruder.If you can afford it, installed burglar alarm. They are getting cheaper, more sophisticated and more reliable.If you are staying in a house, keeping dogs would be an added protection.Dogs are the first line of defence, their barking will alert you that an intruder may be nearby.Dogs need to be schooled for obedience training, otherwise you may upset your neighbours, if your dogs bark incessantly.If you have a big compound, it is advisable to keep more than one dog.Most Malays don’t keep dogs, it’s more culture than religion.Islam do not forbids Muslims from keeping dogs.Only the dog’s saliva is considered unhygienic.

2.Iron-grilled windows do not guarantee to keep intruders out but they can be a hazard to the occupants and a fire-trap in the event of a fire. They are also not exactly burglar-proof.The materials used are mostly mild steel bar and plates and can easily snap under pressure.Some buglers used a small hydraulic jack to break the welded joint.It’s fast and noiseless.

3.Burglars biggest enemy are noise and bright light.Most people tend to switch-off their porch and garden lights at night to save electricity.This could be penny wise and pound foolish.A bright situation could deter would be buglers.Used energy-saving bulbs to bring down your power bills.Darkness is burglar’s best friend, if you can afford it,don’t tempt them.

4.If your house is broken into while you and your family are at home, don’t panic or try to apprehend the burglar.Most burglars and robbers come to steal your money and valuables, not to kill you.Stay calm and give them whatever they wanted.Better losing you money and valuables than losing your life or member of your family.Never presume that you see only one burglar and you think he is alone, he may have some friends somewhere in the house or outside.If you have young daughters, if it is possible, ask them to cover up with a bed sheet or blanket and to avoid eyes contact with the burglars.It will not guarantee to stop rape but it would reduce the chances as compared to, if they are fully exposed.

5.If a stranger call at your house, do not open your gate to let him into your compound, go out and speak to him over the gate.If he insisted of coming in under the pretext of coming to inspect something, call the police immediately.Locked your doors and stay in the house until the police arrive.If you are in an apartment always keep the safety chain on and speak through the gap.Never let any stranger in, if you are alone in the apartment.

6.Young children should always be taught not to talk to strangers.Children should also be taught not to follow anyone, including relatives and friends, unless specifically allowed by the parents.Those going to school on a school bus must be back as usual.If your child missed coming home and you don’t know where he is, lodge an immediate report at the nearest police station.Always monitor your child movement at home and when they are out by themselves or out with you.There were cases where children had disappeared from shopping complex due to negligence of parents.Never leave your child unattended in the car, even for a few seconds.Never let your child to go out on their own.

7.Fire, can be your friend or worst enemy.Many house fire are started by carelessness and negligence.Never leave an open flame unattended in the kitchen or elsewhere in the house. The smallest candle can become a monstrous fire.It is good practice to keep some fire extinguishers in the house.To avoid electrical fire, never overload your power points, learn to keep the wattage within the allowed limit and always switch off any appliances not in use.If you are going for a long holiday it is good practice to switch off the main power supply to your TV,video,computer,etc and only keep on the essential one for your refrigerator, freezers and burglar alarm.

8.Keep away all medicine, drugs and poisonous chemical away from children, store them in a place where children can’t reach them.Discard unused medicine.

ON THE ROAD

9.Always check your car for the basic operational and safety requirement, brakes, clutch, tyre and tyre pressure, lights, lubricant, fuel and water in the radiator/windscreen washer.These are basic requirement that will decide whether your car will keep you alive or kill you on the road.

10.Always respect the highway codes.Never jump queue or the red light.Never drive under influence of alcohol.Learn defensive driving skill.Try to be courteous to other road users.Be helpful and give way to those in a tight situation even though it is your right of way.

11.Don’t be a road bully.Likewise, don’t be victim to road bully.If you are caught in an ugly situation, leave the scene as quickly as possible.If you are being pursued, drive to the nearest police station.Always try to remember or jot down the registration number of the car and give it to the police.

12.Always lock all your doors while in the car.If you think you are in imminent danger while waiting at a traffic light, drive away if the course is clear. It is better to pay a fine than being abducted and killed.Stick to the route you know best, especially at night, and do not drive alone on lonely and unfamiliar road.

13.Park your car in an area where there are likely to be more people around.Avoid basement car park in shopping complexes at night. Some can be very deserted after 7 p.m and a potential criminals hunting ground.

14.Never leave your house address, telephone number and house keys in your car.Put all items like laptop, camera , bag, etc in the booth of you car.

ON THE STREET

15.Don’t walk through narrow and lonely lane at night even if it can shorten the journey to your destination.

16.Take the route that you know best or which you think is the safest.

17.Keep an eye on your children if they are with you, don’t let them wander away.

18.Don’t be easily taken in by touts.There are all kinds, hanging around the streets and shops, peddling their wares.Ignore them and tell the persistent ones in no uncertain term, that you will report them to the police if they continue to disturb you.

19.Unless you have to, avoid very crowded place.This is where pickpockets and snatch thieves hang around.You can also lose track of your children in a melee.

20.Lastly, whatever you do, be it shopping, eating and entertainment always be street smart, don’t let greed take over your common sense.

Most of us are creature of habits and take a lot of things for granted.We only blame ourselves after something untoward happened and the damage done.You are what you think you are and you will achieve what you think you will. Your safety and that of your family is your responsibility.Take whatever precautions necessary to protect them.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

HANTU LAUT

The Sabah State Government is toying with the idea of allowing only day trips to the islands around Sabah as a mean of ensuring their pristine beauty, State Tourism Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun said.

From the sublime to the ridiculous.

Can't our Minister look at the bigger picture on how to further develop our tourism industry instead of coming up with such ridiculous ideas that could have negative impact on the tourism industry. How would closing the islands at night help to contribute to the pristine beauty ? Maybe the Minister should expand further how he arrived at this rather unusual conclusion.

It is common knowledge that most of our coral reefs around our islands are destroyed due to the lackadaisical attitude of enforcement by the relevant authorities. Little had been done to police the areas.Fish bombing and indiscriminate trawling are the two biggest culprits to the destruction of our once pristine coral reefs. There is no will and determination coming from the government to arrest this menace other than the occasional lip service coming from our leaders whenever they need to refresh their image. The moment they stepped off the podium every word in their prepared speech vanished into thin air.

"Our island is beautiful.Tourists like to go to the islands.They will continue to come so long as the islands remain as they are" he said. Not true. Tourists will only come if you have proper and clean facilities on the island. Look at the few islands around Tungku Abdul Rahman Park can you honestly call them proper and clean. Forget about your dear tourists, what about me, I am a tax paying citizen of this country who deserved better, don't you think I deserved a clean environment too.I am equally ashamed to see the filthy conditions of the buildings and even filthier conditions of the toilets. All facilities are managed by the Ministry through Sabah Parks. The park wardens and workers are not trained properly on how to look after the island and to make visitors more comfortable . From the ridiculous to the unthinkable can happen on any of the islands under Sabah Parks.

I was once a regular visitor to one island, Memutik which was the most private of them all, less tourists. One Sunday, I was on the island with some friends. I just couldn't believe whether it was sheer stupidity or a show of some kind by the dim-witted worker. He was mowing the lawn on a Sunday morning when the island was crowded with people. Why can't it be done from Monday to Friday?Call them by any other name if you wish and dim-witted is certainly one of them.

I would like to invite the Minister one day to come on my boat and take him on a journey around the islands and the whole stretch of Sunken Shoal from Mengalum to Mentanani and to North Furious and he can see for himself the amount of fish bombing and destruction to our coral reefs taking place every day without any intervention from the authorities.

Malaysia is a democratic country and the government is not at liberty to stop its citizen the freedom of movement within the country and to its islands, with the exception of highly sensitive security areas.

It's not the visitors that causing the problem to the pristine beauty of the islands.It's the poor management and lack of enforcement.It's the 'tidak apa' attitude of our civil servants and our leaders entrusted to do the job.

So, my Dear Minister 'DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT'

BIKING IN BORNEO - A MISADVENTURE

by Terry R.Mills

Thursday evening, Bryan and I hadn’t been for a ride together for ages. He needed the break, I wanted the fun and we needed to explore new routes for our up-coming bikers.

We’d been looking at the map and contemplating the missing section between Ranau and Kota Marudu. Rumor had it that there was an unmapped route between the Kinabalu Park Ranger Station at ??? and the Ranger Station near Kota Marudu, a good enough excuse for an adventure.

Friday morning we set off over the Crocker Range to Ranau and called in at the Police Station to ask if indeed there was a route to Kota Marudu? Two white guys on motorbikes certainly caused a stir but no knowledge of our missing trail.

Next stop was the JKR (Department of Roads). Their map matched ours, still no missing section. We were given a list of villages to pass through on the way to the end of the JKR maintained trails and told to ask the locals there for directions.

We left their office, it was only 11 o’clock, too early for lunch so we fuelled up, popped 4 bottles of water into the back packs and set off. The first 35 kilometers of gravel road were fine, villagers were great giving directions, asking about the bikes and scratching their heads as two mad white men rode off into the distance.

Things were going well; we had successfully traversed three river crossings and were close to the Ranger Station at the end of the marked trail. The last river was deep. Bryan went first and made it across successfully. I went next, hit a submerged rock and got tossed into an even deeper part of the river. I went under and came up to see the bike, still running, gently sinking out of sight. We pulled the bike out, removed the saddle to see if the air intake was still dry and it was, so (mistake number one) I tried to start it. “Grind, grind, bump”, it hydraulicked. We opened the air box and a gallon of water poured out. Not good. Next we removed the plug and spun the engine over. A big jet of water told us the worst. Half an hour drying the air filter and spark plug under the sun and we tried again. Vroom! She fired and ran like a dream. Yee Haw!

Next stop was the Ranger Station. We signed the very thin visitor’s book and asked for directions.

“Back to the river, turn left.”

“About how far?”

“15 kilometers.”

Great, we thought, this our lucky day, only 15 kilometers to go!

What they actually meant was 15 kilometers back to the last junction, not to Kota Marudu.

We went back to the river and turned left up a logging trail, hard packed clay and spectacular scenery through the foothills of Mount Kinabalu and prime virgin rain forest.

We soon came across a chained but unlocked gate. We went through; (mistake number two.) soon after there was a padlocked barrier across the trail. (By now the alarm bells should have been ringing.) The bikes were low enough to drive under the bar so under we went, 15 kilometers later there was still no sign of habitation or our destination so we pushed on. (Mistake number three.)

Thirty kilometers in there were signs of logging and an abandoned logging truck so we drove even further into the jungle. The trail was still wide and now there were even tire tracks to give us hope. We followed the tracks for a further 5 kilometers and descended into a big logging camp. As we rolled in there were a lot of nervous glances and shuffling of feet. We were obviously not welcome. Our requests for directions were met with evasive answers and suggestions to go back to where we had come from. As it turned out, probably very good advise.

We had lost a lot of time drying out the bike, we were a long way into the jungle and we were obviously not going to get any help in the logging camp so we decided to turn back. We’d covered about 10 clicks when we heard the thunder and a few moments later came the deluge so typical of the micro climates generated by the 14,000 foot mountain towering alongside us. Within seconds our lovely highway of packed clay was turned into a slimy, sticky ice rink. The muck stuck to the tires, jammed under the front mud guards until the wheels stopped rotating and in rapid succession we crashed to the ground. Even regaining our feet was a struggle. We picked up the bikes, sat on the bank and waited for the rain to stop.

It was 4.30, two hours of daylight to go, time to take stock of our situation. We drank our last half bottle of water and refilled our empties with the muddy water running off the nearby foliage. The first aid box was put to use as a rain water collector so at least the dehydration problem was sorted. But being in the jungle with no water was definitely mistake number four. We cast our minds back to our last meal, it was only a light breakfast and we didn’t even have a snack in the back-packs, no flash light or even a cheap cigarette lighter to start a fire.

You have probably gathered by now that I’m not very proud of this story.

We looked at our cell phones. Mine was dead from its bath in the river and Bryan’s registered no signal. The satellite phone was comfortably sitting in its charger at home.

We gave it half an hour and tried to ride the bikes again. A few hundred yards of slipping, sliding and falling convinced us to stay put and hope the road would dry out before dark.

Being the eternal optimist I was convinced help would come and then I heard it in the distance, a vehicle was coming our way. The battered 4X4 pick-up truck came slithering and skidding round the corner and the two wide eyed occupants pulled up beside us. They were headed to the logging camp. No amount of pleading or bribery would convince them to take us back to the Ranger Station or on to their Logging Camp. They drove off, we were on our own.

We now had only two choices left, try to walk out, in the dark on a deadly slippery surface or hunker down for the night. We weren’t sure how far we had to go, probably 15 kilometers to the river and a further three through overhanging forest to the sanctuary of the Ranger. It was over cast, there was no moon and it was going to be a very dark night so hunker down it was.

We found a flat patch of ground with a big felled log across it that was to our head quarters for the night. Darkness comes very quickly at these latitudes and within a few minutes of removing the saddles from the bikes and propping them against our tree it was pitch black.

Up until now I had seen no danger in our situation but the next event really shocked me. A few more claps of thunder heralded another torrential down pour but unlike the balmy warm rain we are used to at sea level this was icy cold. Then it dawned on us, we had left Ranau at 6,000 feet, traversed four rivers at increasing altitudes and continued to climb into the forest. We were at an altitude of at least 7,000 feet. It was so cold that neither mosquitoes nor leeches could survive. We were in for a very long and very cold night. Our situation was worsened by Bryan being soaked from the waist down from his exertions extracting the bike from the river and I was still soaked from head to toe. Exposure became a real threat.

Both of us managed to doze off for a half hour or so but each time woke shivering violently from head to toe from the pervasive cold. We’d then spend ten minutes marching up and down flapping our arms to try to get life back into or bodies. To our surprise neither of us was hungry or thirsty, just as well I suppose. It became so dark we literally couldn’t see our proverbial hands in front of our faces, only the flashing red LED’s on the bikes gave us an idea of which direction to walk in.

We’d each fall into a fitful sleep only to wake in shuddering agony as the cold worked its way through us. Then Bry came up with the idea of running a bike engine to keep us warm. Wow, an exhaust box had never felt so good. And when the engine got hot enough for the radiator cooling fans to cut in we both ducted the hot air up our jackets. Heaven!

It stays dark here for eleven hours. Do you know how long eleven hours is? It’s YEARS! I don’t suppose it got any warmer as dawn arrived but the psychological difference was amazing. We could see the road again. We now had twelve hours to walk or ride out. For sure we couldn’t survive another night without food in these conditions.

We waited till 7o’clock to give it a go, one section at a time, down hill with the engine off, in gear but with the clutch in so that we could use the engine as a back brake whilst paddling along with both feet on the ground to catch the bikes each time they slipped away from beneath us. It was slow and painstaking progress. Both mirrors were eventually snapped off of Bryan’s bike in falls and the radiators on both machines sheared their mounting points. First my back pack was cannibalized and used to re-attach a radiator then my rain suit trousers were shredded and called into service to fix the second one into place. My rear brake lever got bent so far out of shape that the push rod displaced from its piston. It’s amazing what you can do with a Leatherman!

As the surface gradually dried out it reached “super glue” consistency and clogged up the front wheels every few hundred yards. The shaft from a broken mirror proved a perfect tool to repeatedly prize the goo from under the mudguards.

By 9.30 we were exhausted from continually picking up our bikes. The sun was getting hotter and the road visibly drying out so we decided to rest for an hour then try again. Our big fear was another rain storm and we would be literally stuck once more but the gods smiled on us. The heat of the sun warmed our spirits and we slowly inched our way out of the quagmire. We sidled under the padlocked barrier and prayed that our two truck drivers from the night before had not re-locked the chained gates. Luck was on our side and we carefully descended the last rocky incline to the river crossing where our troubles had begun. This time we picked out a shallower crossing further down stream and with my heart in my mouth I forded the torrent without incident. Bry gave me a rousing round of applause as I reached the far bank, probably elated that he didn’t have to retrieve the bike yet again.

Now we were on gravel and just another hour from civilization and phone contact with loved ones at home. All together it took us five and a half back breaking hours to get out.

Have you ever seen a mother in a supermarket when she finally retrieves her lost child? You would think that the first thing she would do would be to pick up the kid and give him a big cuddle but, no they don’t They invariably give their off-spring a might clout around the ear. Don’t ask me why they do it but they always do.

And that is just the reception I got when I finally phoned my wife. Not “Oh I’m so glad you’re safe darling.” Just “Where the hell have you been?” and a list of expletives deleted!

What caused our problems?

Simply; complacency. We have been doing these adventures for three years without incident. Our emergency kit gets smaller and smaller as we decide we can do without various items. We thought we were invincible, we even dispensed with the support truck that we always take on off-road jaunts but never previously required in an emergency. No food, no water, no flash light, no matches, no flare, not telling our family where we were going, no satellite phone, the list of errors goes on and on.

Fortunately we didn’t break our unwritten rule of never taking clients on routes that we have not reconnoitered ourselves. Can you imagine trying to explain to gang of knowledgeable, seasoned bikers why they are spending a night in a muddy jungle freezing to death? At least we were spared that embarrassment

What lessons have learned? Expect the best prepare for the worst.

We have really taken stock of what we do and how we do it. We have a responsibility to our clients, to our families and to ourselves to conduct a professional and well thought-out adventure business. We are proud of our riding skills, our machinery and the beautiful country in which we conduct our tours. It’s time for us to up our game.

Terry Mills can be contacted at terrymills@hotmail.com or http://www.borneobikingadventures.com

HELICOPTER CRASH SIX KILLED

HANTU LAUT

Skorsky S61 Sea King
Built: 1959
Maiden Flight:September 1961

Heartfelt condolences to the families of the six RMAF personnels killed in the helicopter crash at Genting Highlands.May their souls rest in peace.

It is most imperative that the government seriously consider replacing the ageing fleet of Nuris with newer models. These helicopters were built in the fifties and would have exhausted their serviceable lives. There had been 17 crashes between 1969 and now and the safety of the others still in service would be highly doubtful. It is contemptuous of the government not to take remedial action to protect the lives of the servicemen. By allowing them to use those antiquated machines, it's like sending them on a suicidal mission.

It is absurd that our government could think of building a sport complex in London but wouldn't replace the ageing Nuris. Even worse, was the purchase of the submarines. Do we really need them ?

MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL - SAME OLD STORY

HANTU LAUT

Whether the Sultan resign or not is not going to make a huge difference. I have never been a great fan of Malaysian football.Like most sport bodies in this country, they are crowded with politicians and political appointees, people who had no business to be there in the first place and have very little interest in the sport other than adding some prestige to their names.

They were quick in putting blame on the players without apportioning some of the blame to themselves. There is something very rotten indeed in FAM for the team to have degraded to such low level. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks. It's high time FAM is overhauled and the infusion of new and dedicated young blood to sit on the committee.

Players should be selected on merits and their capability, not on cronyism or nepotism, which, unfortunately, plagued many sport bodies in this country.

Most Malaysian footballers are indiscipline and lack conviction. It is quite common for them to be seen at entertainment joints on the eve of a crucial game. Such indiscretion on behalf of the players are the result of poor moral training. Bad coaching plus indiscipline, what would you get? Poor performance with disastrous results.The outcome of the recent games with China and Uzbekistan was reflection of the rot in FAM. The President and officials should take bigger share of the blame.

I see no point in indulging too much into the problem as I can't see any imminent improvement.

Frankly, I think the Sultan should resign too.

SIAPA NAJIS, ANAK PEREMPUAN MELAYU ATAU LELAKI MELAYU?

HANTU LAUT

A religious man said to a whore, 'You are drunk,
Caught every moment in a different snare.'
She replied, 'Oh Shaikh, I am what you say,
Are you what you seem ?'

Omar Khayyam 1048-1122

A message for the 'God of Virtue' at the Perak Religious Department.
A message to all the Sultans to excerise some control over the 'God of Virtue' in their respective state.
A message to the Prime Minister to disband the 'Gods of Virtue' before they destroy this country in the name of Islam.

"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil;
in its worst state, an intolerable one"

Thomas Paine, Common Sense 1737-1809

SOMETHING TO LEARN FROM SABAHAN ?

HANTU LAUT

Surely the Indonesia Press are doing its job ? by Farish A.Noor.

I hope our Minister of Information, Zainuddin Maidin would not accuse him of being unpatriotic for his open support of the Indonesian press report of ill treatment of foreign workers in Malaysia. Any civilised nation should be concerned and take care of the welfare of its citizens where ever they may be. The Indonesian media would be totally irresponsible if they didn't highlight the story. In the recent Lina Joy's apostasy case, Maidin slammed the BBC and accused them of trying to run down Malaysia and said "There is clear proof that the Western media will use any opportunity for 'Islamic bashing' without regard for any country as long as it practises Islamic law". Maidin, for reasons only known to himself seemed to be always in conflicts with the media.

Many Malaysians are in dire need of moral education to teach them how to treat the less fortunate with dignity and respect. The Nirmala Bonat case was the first exposure to Malaysia's hidden sham and hypocrisy. Even more shameful is the snail pace her case is moving in our hall of justice. It is over three years now and no attempt has been made to speed up the case to bring justice to the victim. Many Malaysians were equally shocked and were in disbelief when cases of maid abuse surfaced and reported in the media.What had been reported could just be the tip of the iceberg, there could be many more unreported cases where victims maybe afraid of losing their source of income and further retaliation if no evidence could be found to bring criminal charges against the perpetrator. The recent case of Ceryati Dapin, who did a death defying flight by going down through a window at the 15th floor of her employer's apartment by using a makeshift rope was another showcase of the monstrous capacity for cruelty of some Malaysian.She lost her nerve on the 12th floor and was fortunate enough to be rescued. She could have fallen down and killed herself. She must have been treated so badly, with physical and mental abuse, for her to risk her life, in order to escape from the clutches of her psychotic employer.

Even more serious was the case of R.Ganesh, an Indian national who was so badly abused and starved without food by his employer. He eventually died and went home in a coffin, to a heartbroken family.

How could some of our fellow Malaysians behaved in such a beastly manner and have no compassion whatsoever for the weak, the helpless and the poor. Was it the environment or bad upbringing that was to blame for those who meted out such inhumane treatment to another human being ?

West Malaysia and Singapore seemed to be more prominent with cases of maid abuse and seemed to be contagious to all ethnic group. Other than suffering at the hands of their employer they are also at the mercy of other predators, in the names of law enforcement. These vultures have no compassion, those that can be fleeced will be fleeced, and those who can't afford to pay, will be arrested, irrespective of whether they have proper papers or not.

In Sabah, abuse of maids or foreign workers are unheard of. Are Sabahans more civilised and more humane than their counterparts in West Malaysia ? Sabahans may not be more civilised but they certainly have more civilised manners, are more hospitable to foreigners and do not have social hang-ups about maids and labourers as being inferior to them. Middle class Sabahans have much longer history of having maids than most West Malaysians. This, maybe, was due to the close proximity to Indonesia and Philippines where vast pool of cheap labour were readily available.It is quite common to find maids working for the same employer for over twenty years or more. Most long serving and loyal employees are treated as part of the family. Even in Chinese homes, children are thought by their parents, to address their maids as kakah. In most households they are also allowed to help themselves to the same type of food that their employers eat.

In Sabahan homes, it is highly improbable, to force a maid to stay if she is not suitable for the job or if she wishes to leave voluntarily.

Empathy, is probably better understood in the "Land Below The Wind"