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

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

HANTU LAUT

Why are Malaysian, especially, those from the bumiputra community are so easily ruffled by what other people say ? Making a storm in a teacup seems to be a common phenomenon in this country.

Most of our politicians aren't hardy enough to take criticism in their stride and, more often than not, they came out looking like they have a serious inferiority complex. Full distinction should be given to our Minister of Information, Zainuddun Maidin.He has lambasted anything and everything from local bloggers to BBC to the Indonesian press. Do we have to react like little children every time the foreign press or foreign leaders said something about Malaysia.

A recent statement made by Singapore Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew caused an uproar and started tongues wagging particularly with the Malay community. The remark by Lee wasn't, a tongue in cheek, but a serious advice to Singaporean investors to be extra careful and not rush to put their money in the Iskander Development Region (IDR), in view of numerous objections from Malaysia, particularly from Johor.

It was the Malaysian side that first run the gauntlet by admonishing the Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he and his counterpart from Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong suggested the formation of a Joint Consultative Committee to overlook the development of the IDR.Political writers, politicians from both sides of the political fence and many smart-arse bloggers jumped on the bandwagon and made scurrilous attacks on the Prime Minister, accused him of selling out to Singapore.

Lee Kuan Yew, known for not mincing his words said "On one side Pas is trying to topple the Prime Minister but when UMNO leaders, particularly from Johor are doing the same, Singaporean investors must seriously ask themselves when this attitude will change and when they welcome us in IDR". I would say it was a very profound statement coming from a veteran statesman.A man, even at his ripe old age, can be so meticulous in his perceptions of the political situation in this country.

Who can deny the fact that there is a concerted effort by certain group in UMNO to remove Abdullah as Prime Minister.How serious is the threat to Abdullah's leadership is at best, a guessing game.Whether the plotters will succeed is a million dollar question.The only one honest about it was Mahathir.He publicly declared that he had made mistake and deemed Abdullah not suitable for the job. Although, I don't agree with him, I respect his honesty. There are those who pretended to be nice but worked secretly behind his back to sabotage his policies and his support within the party. Some, from the bloggers community, out of control and in overdrive, with their smear campaigns and uncalled for attacks on his personality was proof enough that some politicians are working behind the scene to weaken his power base.Even his new wife was not spared the unkind cut.

Those who are most worried and against the proposed collaboration with Singapore are mostly UMNO politicians. Their worries and objections had nothing to do with national pride but more out of preconceived fear of missed opportunities if greater part of the project were given directly to foreign investors without inclusion of the compulsory bumiputra equity. The habits of making it easy and taking it easy are too deeply entrenched in the their psyche. For them, that's the only way they know, how to make money.

Singapore, is the devil that we know. The tiny island nation can only survive by being competitive.There is no room for complacency and passivity.We have dealt with them for over forty years and should by now know their strength and weaknesses. If they can still outdo us than we have only ourselves to blame.

'Forewarned is forearmed'. Lee Kuan Yew wasn't wrong when he forewarned Singaporean about the danger to their investment, he was just being honest about what he perceived to be true. His opinion stays his and have no serious impact on ordinary Malaysians.

RUBA'IYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM

A religious man said to a whore, 'You're 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

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"