Hantu Laut
The United Nations will launch "Day Off" campaign in Singapore on Thursday to drive home the point that a day off every week for foreign maids working in the city state should be made mandatory.
The gleaming city state of Singapore has one of the highest per capita income in Asia and considered a highly developed nation. Unfortunately, this squeaky clean city has one of the worse working conditions for foreign maids and a government who doesn't care at all for the foreign domestic workers dreadful terms of employment.
Not only are they poorly paid, many are not given a day off for the whole duration of their contracts.Salaries are paid on discriminatory basis based on country of origin and colour of the skin.
Indonesia and Sri Lankan maids are paid up to S$280 a month and Filipinas up to $350.In comparison, Hong Kong and Taiwan employers pay US$500 and US$550 respectively.
There are close to 170,000 foreign maids in Singapore and half of this number are believed not to have a rest day at all according to a United Nation's report and some have to work almost round the clock. The Singapore government has done nothing at all to stop this abuse of human rights.Domestic workers are not included in the country's employment act and are, therefore, left at the mercy of their employers.
How could such a modern and highly developed society behaved in such inhuman, uncivilised and appalling manner.This is nothing less than modern day slavery, getting maximum output on a meagre payment and horrendous working conditions.
There were a few cases of maid abuse before which seemed to have ceased after government harsh punishment on the perpetrators. For fear of losing their only source of income there may be significant number of unreported cases of abuse.
It is obvious most Singaporeans can only be disciplined by force of law, just like littering and breaking of the highway codes.They don't do it out of their sense of civic pride.They don't do it in their country because of the very strict laws.
The moment they come to Malaysia, they treat it like one big trash can and the Malaysian highways as race tracks and for some no need to pay traffic summonses.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
New Version:Ketuanan Melayu
Hantu Laut
Everything with Pak Lah is always a little too late. Now ketuanan Melayu takes on a new meaning.
“So when we talk about that (Malay supremacy), we mean we must be successful in many fields. It is never about ruling over others, or forcing our power upon them,” said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“We are not going to be a race that dominates others. We want to be a party that represents the Malays and that is ready to co-operate for the future of Malays and the people, as Malays will also succeed when all Malaysians are successful.That is Malay supremacy and I hope people will understand it,” he said.
He says Malays must not be coolies but must be tuan. Well, that's what supremacy is all about, isn't it, the tuan lord over the lesser mortals and in the case of ketuanan Melayu, the Malays lord over the non-Malays. No matter how hard he tries to re-define the meaning of ketuanan Melayu, the apprehension of the non-Malays will always be there.
Words are not enough to change people's mind.What the PM should do is to follow up his statement with sincere and credible actions.
“We must acknowledge that we are friends in Barisan. This is Umno’s assurance to the other component parties,” he said.
That assurance came a little too late.
Providing mere lip service is not going to convince people to accept the new version of ketuanan Melayu.In fact there was not ketuanan Melayu, it was all made up by UMNO to frighten the non-Malays and to remind them who are the masters in this country.
The Chinese and Indians have no problem with ketuanan Melayu.They have accepted the fact that being in the majority the Malays would naturally be taking leading roles in governing this country.What they want is fairness and preservation of their rights as citizens of this country and not be constantly reminded that they don't belong here.
Not playing the devil's advocate, I think I prefer the original version of ketuanan Melayu.
There is nothing wrong to rule over others.All we need to do are to learn to be good masters.
Everything with Pak Lah is always a little too late. Now ketuanan Melayu takes on a new meaning.
“So when we talk about that (Malay supremacy), we mean we must be successful in many fields. It is never about ruling over others, or forcing our power upon them,” said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“We are not going to be a race that dominates others. We want to be a party that represents the Malays and that is ready to co-operate for the future of Malays and the people, as Malays will also succeed when all Malaysians are successful.That is Malay supremacy and I hope people will understand it,” he said.
He says Malays must not be coolies but must be tuan. Well, that's what supremacy is all about, isn't it, the tuan lord over the lesser mortals and in the case of ketuanan Melayu, the Malays lord over the non-Malays. No matter how hard he tries to re-define the meaning of ketuanan Melayu, the apprehension of the non-Malays will always be there.
Words are not enough to change people's mind.What the PM should do is to follow up his statement with sincere and credible actions.
“We must acknowledge that we are friends in Barisan. This is Umno’s assurance to the other component parties,” he said.
That assurance came a little too late.
Providing mere lip service is not going to convince people to accept the new version of ketuanan Melayu.In fact there was not ketuanan Melayu, it was all made up by UMNO to frighten the non-Malays and to remind them who are the masters in this country.
The Chinese and Indians have no problem with ketuanan Melayu.They have accepted the fact that being in the majority the Malays would naturally be taking leading roles in governing this country.What they want is fairness and preservation of their rights as citizens of this country and not be constantly reminded that they don't belong here.
Not playing the devil's advocate, I think I prefer the original version of ketuanan Melayu.
There is nothing wrong to rule over others.All we need to do are to learn to be good masters.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I Came,I Saw, I Shall Conquer
Hantu Laut
Veni, vidi, vici or in English I came, I saw, I conquered was what Julius Ceaser told the Roman Senate after his victory at the Battle Of Zela.
I came,I saw,I shall conquer should be the parody for Anwar Ibrahim after his recent visit to Sabah if he can hoodwink the frogs with his bluff.
I have the numbers he says but I am not in a hurry to take over the government. Really?
"I don't think we have established a definite clear time frame when I will take over as prime minister but it certainly wouldn't reach three years" he said to a crowd of benighted Sabahans. Than in complete contrast he said it could be next month, the month after that, it could be in July or it could be during Merdeka... but I think it should not exceed Merdeka day.Than he chose the 16th of September as a date of the highest possibility for the coup to take place.
Anwar Ibrahim is a man always in a hurry and sometimes he trips, stumbles and falls as was the case when he tried to topple Mahathir with his stealthy campaign against the then prime minister. He became very popular with the younger members in UMNO at that time and it was even rumored that many of his supporters wore rings given by him to show their royalty to him, the making of a personality cult. His allegation of trump up charges against him could have been the result of his disloyalty and treachery against his boss who was not yet ready to hand over power to him at that time.
Mahathir is a man who doesn't take kindly to disloyalty and treachery. He had been responsible for the meteoric rise of Anwar in the party hierarchy, at the expense of more senior party stalwarts. He believed Anwar would make a good leader and prime minister until he found out the dark side of Anwar Ibrahim. The man who just couldn't wait his time to get to be prime minister of the nation.
This time he wanted to steal the premiership from Abdullah Badawi, a weaker opponent compared to gutsy Mahathir.
Anwar is back in his element after the minor windfall his party won at the recent polls. His party and his position can only survive politically as long as the coalition with PAS and DAP stays intact.Any discord and dismembering of the coalition could put Anwar back in dire straits and a miss as good as a mile at the coveted title.
The emergence of stronger oppositions at the last elections was more accidental rather than a true reflection of the wishes of the masses. The shift was more due to disillusionment and disdain for Abdullah's weak and incapacitated leadership.
The shift towards Islamisation underwent a major change under his leadership and one of the many reasons for the non-Malays to abandon the BN. His openness had opened the Pandora's box where act of corruptions were nicely locked up before under previous administration.
In trying to compete with PAS Abdullah had fallen victim to radical Muslims in his government.He allowed them free reins in strengthening of the Sharia and its interpretation and brought it into conflicts with other religions. Even Muslims are beginning to wonder and worry where the Islamists in the government are going to take the nation to next. This was done in the hope of keeping the Malay votes with UMNO and away from PAS.The whole exercise of getting the Malays to close rank under UMNO backfired. Internal squabbling in the party, lack of consensus in selection of candidates and sabotage aggravated the situation.
To show what a staunch Muslim and a Malay nationalist he is, Abdullah theatrically took over the role of Imam and led worshippers at mosques when ever there is a need to remind the Malays where their faith and their future lies.
Abdullah's myopic view of the changing political landscape has done extensive erosion of support for other coalition partners in the BN.The Chinese and Indians almost completely abandoned the BN in favour of DAP and PKR. Majority of Malays are still with UMNO and pockets of very disgruntled Malays voted for PAS and PKR in other states with the exception of Kelantan which is its stronghold.
The Malay support for UMNO will continue to erode if Abdullah doesn't change his style of leadership or step down as prime minister.
His recent announcement of making the ACA fully independent is typical of the Badawi's syndrome.Next day he qualifies his previous statement by saying although the Commission would be required to table its annual report to the parliamentary committee, he would be responsible for the Commission. In other word they would still be taking directives from him.
Has he got a kitchen cabinet that advises him to change his statements after having made them or it is just his style ?
What's the point of making such announcement when you are only playing with words thinking
Malaysians are such an ignorant bunch that we can't differentiate between fact and fiction. It makes one wonder when will Abdullah be able to speak in a frank, honest and unambiguous manner.
Has Anwar the numbers or is he pulling the bluff ? I would say a bit of both.
Anwar would have formed the government yesterday if he had enough of those kataks. He probably has a few disgruntled BN MPs shopping around on what he has to offer if they cross over. The number is no where near as many as he made it out to be. Anwar is putting the cat among the pigeons.
Anwar is using psychological warfare to entice those MPs not happy with the BN but were afraid to make a move individually. Without solid proof from Anwar on the number of BN lawmakers that have confirmed to cross over very few will take the risk of leaving the BN and end up in a worse position. In the case of Sabah the state can only benefit if the whole status quo changed completely.
The only way Sabah can benefit from this 'katak' exercise is to ditch the BN completely and all elected assemblymen and members of parliament move to one multi-racial party. It means the end of UMNO in Sabah.
Sabah alone is not enough to form a simple majority for Anwar to grab the trophy.He would need additional number from Sarawak or the whole of Sarawak to follow suit to give him a comfortable majority.
Both Musa Aman and Taib Mahmud are BN loyalists.Would they dare make such a move ? Would they be deserted by their elected representatives in favour of Anwar?
Would Sabah gets the 20% oil loyalty and all the other promises made if Anwar succeeded in forming the central government?
There are many questions but can only be answered if Anwar formed the government.
"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain
Latest release: Anwar is now not sure of the numbers.
Sabah MPs joining Pakatan Rakyat only a possibility: Anwar
Veni, vidi, vici or in English I came, I saw, I conquered was what Julius Ceaser told the Roman Senate after his victory at the Battle Of Zela.
I came,I saw,I shall conquer should be the parody for Anwar Ibrahim after his recent visit to Sabah if he can hoodwink the frogs with his bluff.
I have the numbers he says but I am not in a hurry to take over the government. Really?
"I don't think we have established a definite clear time frame when I will take over as prime minister but it certainly wouldn't reach three years" he said to a crowd of benighted Sabahans. Than in complete contrast he said it could be next month, the month after that, it could be in July or it could be during Merdeka... but I think it should not exceed Merdeka day.Than he chose the 16th of September as a date of the highest possibility for the coup to take place.
Anwar Ibrahim is a man always in a hurry and sometimes he trips, stumbles and falls as was the case when he tried to topple Mahathir with his stealthy campaign against the then prime minister. He became very popular with the younger members in UMNO at that time and it was even rumored that many of his supporters wore rings given by him to show their royalty to him, the making of a personality cult. His allegation of trump up charges against him could have been the result of his disloyalty and treachery against his boss who was not yet ready to hand over power to him at that time.
Mahathir is a man who doesn't take kindly to disloyalty and treachery. He had been responsible for the meteoric rise of Anwar in the party hierarchy, at the expense of more senior party stalwarts. He believed Anwar would make a good leader and prime minister until he found out the dark side of Anwar Ibrahim. The man who just couldn't wait his time to get to be prime minister of the nation.
This time he wanted to steal the premiership from Abdullah Badawi, a weaker opponent compared to gutsy Mahathir.
Anwar is back in his element after the minor windfall his party won at the recent polls. His party and his position can only survive politically as long as the coalition with PAS and DAP stays intact.Any discord and dismembering of the coalition could put Anwar back in dire straits and a miss as good as a mile at the coveted title.
The emergence of stronger oppositions at the last elections was more accidental rather than a true reflection of the wishes of the masses. The shift was more due to disillusionment and disdain for Abdullah's weak and incapacitated leadership.
The shift towards Islamisation underwent a major change under his leadership and one of the many reasons for the non-Malays to abandon the BN. His openness had opened the Pandora's box where act of corruptions were nicely locked up before under previous administration.
In trying to compete with PAS Abdullah had fallen victim to radical Muslims in his government.He allowed them free reins in strengthening of the Sharia and its interpretation and brought it into conflicts with other religions. Even Muslims are beginning to wonder and worry where the Islamists in the government are going to take the nation to next. This was done in the hope of keeping the Malay votes with UMNO and away from PAS.The whole exercise of getting the Malays to close rank under UMNO backfired. Internal squabbling in the party, lack of consensus in selection of candidates and sabotage aggravated the situation.
To show what a staunch Muslim and a Malay nationalist he is, Abdullah theatrically took over the role of Imam and led worshippers at mosques when ever there is a need to remind the Malays where their faith and their future lies.
Abdullah's myopic view of the changing political landscape has done extensive erosion of support for other coalition partners in the BN.The Chinese and Indians almost completely abandoned the BN in favour of DAP and PKR. Majority of Malays are still with UMNO and pockets of very disgruntled Malays voted for PAS and PKR in other states with the exception of Kelantan which is its stronghold.
The Malay support for UMNO will continue to erode if Abdullah doesn't change his style of leadership or step down as prime minister.
His recent announcement of making the ACA fully independent is typical of the Badawi's syndrome.Next day he qualifies his previous statement by saying although the Commission would be required to table its annual report to the parliamentary committee, he would be responsible for the Commission. In other word they would still be taking directives from him.
Has he got a kitchen cabinet that advises him to change his statements after having made them or it is just his style ?
What's the point of making such announcement when you are only playing with words thinking
Malaysians are such an ignorant bunch that we can't differentiate between fact and fiction. It makes one wonder when will Abdullah be able to speak in a frank, honest and unambiguous manner.
Has Anwar the numbers or is he pulling the bluff ? I would say a bit of both.
Anwar would have formed the government yesterday if he had enough of those kataks. He probably has a few disgruntled BN MPs shopping around on what he has to offer if they cross over. The number is no where near as many as he made it out to be. Anwar is putting the cat among the pigeons.
Anwar is using psychological warfare to entice those MPs not happy with the BN but were afraid to make a move individually. Without solid proof from Anwar on the number of BN lawmakers that have confirmed to cross over very few will take the risk of leaving the BN and end up in a worse position. In the case of Sabah the state can only benefit if the whole status quo changed completely.
The only way Sabah can benefit from this 'katak' exercise is to ditch the BN completely and all elected assemblymen and members of parliament move to one multi-racial party. It means the end of UMNO in Sabah.
Sabah alone is not enough to form a simple majority for Anwar to grab the trophy.He would need additional number from Sarawak or the whole of Sarawak to follow suit to give him a comfortable majority.
Both Musa Aman and Taib Mahmud are BN loyalists.Would they dare make such a move ? Would they be deserted by their elected representatives in favour of Anwar?
Would Sabah gets the 20% oil loyalty and all the other promises made if Anwar succeeded in forming the central government?
There are many questions but can only be answered if Anwar formed the government.
"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain
Latest release: Anwar is now not sure of the numbers.
Sabah MPs joining Pakatan Rakyat only a possibility: Anwar
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Saving PM Abdullah
Hantu Laut
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is moving at the speed of light to save himself by introducing radical reforms never seen before under the UMNO led coalition.With radical changes he hopes to endear the people and the oppositions to him.This sudden change of heart although may be seen as flippant by some people could actually restore Abdullah's lost credibility.
Within a span of one week he has announced three glistering changes.
At the end of last week he feted former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and the other sacked judges at a dinner hosted by the Bar Council where he, short of an apology, announced ex-gratia payment to Tun Salleh Abas and all the judges who had been wrongfully dismissed by the previous administration. He also promised the setting up of a judicial appointment commission but with him still having the last say if he finds the recommedation unacceptable. He was given a standing ovation for the speech he delivered that evening.
Another small surprise announced through his Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar was the granting of permit for PKR's own party's paper.Although not a permit for main stream and full-fledged newspaper it is a good start towards more freedom of expression.Whether his government would give a permit for a full-pledged newspaper to the oppositions is any body's guess. The oppositions should give it a try and see whether his giving more freedom of expression is sincere and extend to a full-blown media for the oppositions.
The most welcome announcement this week is the proposal, which he has accepted in principle, to make the ACA fully independent and report directly to Parliament.It also proposed remodelling of the ACA in ways similar to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong, which is seen as the best in this region.
A Select Committee should be formed in Parliament to oversee and monitor the functions of the ACA. It should also be the watchdog to ensure it is administered judiciously and with the highest integrity. There had been cases of corruption in the ACA before and a vicious watchdog committee is imperative to keep the place squeaky clean. Members of the committee should come from both the ruling party and the oppositions.
Giving away the Anti-Corruption Agency to Parliament is a big sacrifice for the prime minister.Former prime ministers have used this agency to keep party members in line or those who opposed them.As there are not many clean politicians in this country the ACA is a good weapon for the prime minister to keep.As an independent body it can also investigate the prime minister. Well done Pak Lah !
Abdullah is fighting back to show his detractors that he is now beyond the diffidence that they have made of him. He has now re-emerged to show those in his party who had been calling for his exit that he would not be belittled and will not take their ignominious and insolent remarks anymore.If more reforms amiable to the people are coming their way Abdullah may be able to save himself from going into oblivion and carry on as prime minister and business as usual.
The diehards in UMNO will continue to cry foul of Abdullah's reformation and would do every thing possible to hinder or sabotage policies that are likely to curtail their tight grip on power and their access to the gravy train.Those who had burned the bridges are most ardent and will continue with their war cry for him to step down. Hot and hard to handle former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir, a perennial pain in the neck, will intensify his campaign to demolish him. Najib, the prime minister in waiting, may have to wait a little longer if Abdullah succeded in re-establishing himself.
It will be a long and winding road with dangers lurking every where before Abdullah can hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Abdullah biggest problem is still dissatisfaction among BN parliamentarians who can, to show their displeasure, cross over to the oppositions and which can either weaken or bring total collapse of his government.
Although his frog-legged protagonist Jefferey Kitingan denied it is going to be a fishing trip, Anwar Ibrahim is going to Sabah and Sarawak next week hoping to cast his net and catch a few frogs.
The next few months would be crucial for Abdullah to find a formula or the help of a bomoh to keep him in office.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is moving at the speed of light to save himself by introducing radical reforms never seen before under the UMNO led coalition.With radical changes he hopes to endear the people and the oppositions to him.This sudden change of heart although may be seen as flippant by some people could actually restore Abdullah's lost credibility.
Within a span of one week he has announced three glistering changes.
At the end of last week he feted former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and the other sacked judges at a dinner hosted by the Bar Council where he, short of an apology, announced ex-gratia payment to Tun Salleh Abas and all the judges who had been wrongfully dismissed by the previous administration. He also promised the setting up of a judicial appointment commission but with him still having the last say if he finds the recommedation unacceptable. He was given a standing ovation for the speech he delivered that evening.
Another small surprise announced through his Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar was the granting of permit for PKR's own party's paper.Although not a permit for main stream and full-fledged newspaper it is a good start towards more freedom of expression.Whether his government would give a permit for a full-pledged newspaper to the oppositions is any body's guess. The oppositions should give it a try and see whether his giving more freedom of expression is sincere and extend to a full-blown media for the oppositions.
The most welcome announcement this week is the proposal, which he has accepted in principle, to make the ACA fully independent and report directly to Parliament.It also proposed remodelling of the ACA in ways similar to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong, which is seen as the best in this region.
A Select Committee should be formed in Parliament to oversee and monitor the functions of the ACA. It should also be the watchdog to ensure it is administered judiciously and with the highest integrity. There had been cases of corruption in the ACA before and a vicious watchdog committee is imperative to keep the place squeaky clean. Members of the committee should come from both the ruling party and the oppositions.
Giving away the Anti-Corruption Agency to Parliament is a big sacrifice for the prime minister.Former prime ministers have used this agency to keep party members in line or those who opposed them.As there are not many clean politicians in this country the ACA is a good weapon for the prime minister to keep.As an independent body it can also investigate the prime minister. Well done Pak Lah !
Abdullah is fighting back to show his detractors that he is now beyond the diffidence that they have made of him. He has now re-emerged to show those in his party who had been calling for his exit that he would not be belittled and will not take their ignominious and insolent remarks anymore.If more reforms amiable to the people are coming their way Abdullah may be able to save himself from going into oblivion and carry on as prime minister and business as usual.
The diehards in UMNO will continue to cry foul of Abdullah's reformation and would do every thing possible to hinder or sabotage policies that are likely to curtail their tight grip on power and their access to the gravy train.Those who had burned the bridges are most ardent and will continue with their war cry for him to step down. Hot and hard to handle former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir, a perennial pain in the neck, will intensify his campaign to demolish him. Najib, the prime minister in waiting, may have to wait a little longer if Abdullah succeded in re-establishing himself.
It will be a long and winding road with dangers lurking every where before Abdullah can hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Abdullah biggest problem is still dissatisfaction among BN parliamentarians who can, to show their displeasure, cross over to the oppositions and which can either weaken or bring total collapse of his government.
Although his frog-legged protagonist Jefferey Kitingan denied it is going to be a fishing trip, Anwar Ibrahim is going to Sabah and Sarawak next week hoping to cast his net and catch a few frogs.
The next few months would be crucial for Abdullah to find a formula or the help of a bomoh to keep him in office.
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