Bacon,Ham And Bah Kut Teh, Who Moved My Cheese?

Hantu Laut

When I was young and stupid, every time I passed a Chinese eatery selling 'bah kut teh' I always thought it was some kind of tea but didn't really bother to find out what it is until in my later teens when I learned what it really is from a Chinese girlfriend .Literally, translated into English it means "Pork Rib Tea Soup" or "Pork Bone Tea Soup." In Malay, it would repulsively be called "Sup Tulang Babi"

Now, some smart guy have decided that Muslims should also enjoy this succulent hawker's fare by substituting the pork with some halal ingredients but keeping the same name.

As usual Muslims can’t be left to think for themselves.We are so stupid we can’t tell the difference between the negative and positive pole.

Below is a statement from Jakim.

“Walaupun mereka mungkin akan membuat permohonan, Jakim tidak akan meluluskan makanan bak kut teh halal itu kerana sudah jelas ia tidak mengikut hukum yang telah ditetapkan di dalam Islam,” katanya.(Jakim will not issue the halal certificate to those who apply as we deemed they have not complied with the rules set out under Islam)

Tegas beliau Jakim bimbang masyarakat Islam akan salah faham dengan membuat tanggapan bahawa makanan itu sudah halal dimakan jika Jakim memberi pengiktirafan halal.(Jakim is worried that Muslims may be misled that the food is halal if Jakim issued the certificate)

The questions I would like to ask.What about turkey ham and beef bacon served at every breakfast in every luxury hotels in this country some of which are owned by the government. Is it not the same, against Islam too, to give halal labels to haram names. Ham and bacon are exclusively made from pork meat, the same as 'bah kut teh'.

Than what about hamburgers used by MacDonald and other burger chains in this country. Why are they given the halal label? What about hot dogs? Is it not against Islam to think one is eating dog meat even if it is not dog meat?Shouldn't the name hotdog be banned from being used in this country?

In Islam, which is haram the animal, the name or both?

Can someone tell me?

Who moved my cheese?

Anwar's Contradictions

Dr Jeffrey (far left), Anwar (third left) and PKR leaders during the press conference.

Anwar Ibrahim says PKR wovs in Sabah are over and Jeffrey Kitingan is happy and has accepted to stay in PKR.Read the story here.

Read the contradiction below.
Sabah Times

PENAMPANG: Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan remains unhappy with the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) central leadership’s way of selecting party leaders in Sabah.

“I’m just unhappy with the way the appointment was made, that’s all,” he said of Ahmad Thamrin Jaini’s appointment as the state liaison chairman.

He insisted that both Sabah and Sarawak PKR should be given the autonomy to pick their own leaders.

“For me, one of the things I want is that PKR Sabah and Sarawak should be given the autonomy, so we can be a local national party,” he told reporters after the closing of the Sabah PKR Convention 2009 yesterday.

Contrary to his sentiment, party advisor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that internal problems bogging the Sabah PKR have been resolved and members have expressed the state party line-up.

“I am glad to say at least now they support the party line up in the state. At the same time, we want to make sure the national leadership which includes Dr Jeffrey, Christina Liew and Ansari Abdullah to be given a chance to perform in Sabah and Sarawak,” he told reporters after closing the Sabah PKR Convention 2009 here yesterday.

Anwar said however that he was sticking to the decision to appoint a second-liner of leadership to spearhead the party and hoped that the senior leaders would support and provide guidance to them like how it is being done in some states in the peninsula.

“Since it is spelt out very clearly in the PKR policy statement, I think we should adhere to that,” he said.

Dr Jeffrey, when asked for comments, said he had no problem with the second-liner rationale and without elaborating said, “but you have to ask the others.”

“For me it’s okay. I do what I can to bring up the Borneo issue of Sabah and Sarawak. I am happy to have seen the PKR policy already. But you have to ask the others, it is not just me,” he said.

Anwar had earlier said that the party leadership had received a lot of feedbacks from members and had explained the decision-making process to them.

He clarified that although Ahmad Thamrin’s appointment had caused controversy, it was a mandate given to him just as what the central leadership had done for party divisions in Sarawak and the peninsula.

The State PKR had been bogged down by internal problems when Dr Jeffrey’s announced his resignation as the vice president in October following the appointment of Ahmad Thamrin Jaini as the state liaison chairman by the party’s central leadership. Soon after, Liew relinquished her post as supreme council member.

The party however did not accept their resignations.

“As far as I’m concerned, he (Dr Jeffrey) is (still) the vice-president and I didn’t see his resignation letter,” Anwar said.

Meanwhile, on reports that he would join Party Cinta Malaysia, Dr Jeffrey said: “As far as I’m concerned there is none.’

He said the PKR leadership had also given him the assurance that all his ideas had been accepted.

“That is important, because that is what I am about, I want some real changes and I am banking on their sincerity,” he said.

Here's another contradiction on PAS Hadi Awang's statement that PAS was in no hurry to register Pakatan Rakyat that got Anwar putting a new spin to it.

Are KL Cabbies Worse Than Dirty Toilets?

Hantu Laut

This is one rare occassion that I agree with Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

Yes, I agree the cabbies in Kuala Lumpur are more offensive and worse than dirty toilets and he needs not apologise to this bunch of extortionists.I have personal experience, not once, but on many occasions, the uncouth behaviour and crookedness of KL taxi drivers.They are disgrace to the nation.

A report here shows that in spite the recent increase in taxi fare the KL taxi drivers haven't mend their ways.

At least, dirty toilet only stinks, it doesn't cheat you.

I wrote this more than a year ago on one of my visits to Kuala Lumpur.

A Letter From Sabah To The PM

Hantu Laut

The letter below has been published in Lim Kit Siang's blog with only one purpose, to revile the Prime Minister to gain political mileage.

I am putting the same letter on this blog as an appeal to the Prime Minister to strongly consider a clean alternative energy source instead of coal, which even with so called clean technology would still emit some greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Coal is dirt that burn.Carbon emissions from burning coal are one of the leading causes of global warming and acid rain.Sabah has alternative source of cleaner energy ...why not use it? Carbon content in coal can reached as high as 90 percent and double the amount of carbon emission as compared to natural gas.

Tenaga claimed that their using of clean technology can't be verified.The only way coal can be considered less dirty is when it is refined.

Refined coal is the product of coal upgrading technology that removes moisture and certain pollutants from lower-rank coals such as sub-bituminous and lignite (brown) coals. It is one form of several pre-combustion treatments and processes for coal that alter coal's characteristics before it is burned.The goals of pre-combustion coal technologies are to increase efficiency and reduce emissions when the coal is burned. Depending on the situation, pre-combustion technology can be used in place of or as a supplement to post-combustion technologies to control emissions from coal-fueled boilers.Even than it would not be clean as clean.

The letter is substantive and shows the tenacity of Sabahans not wanting burning coal in their midst.

I hope the Prime Minister would read the letter and give serious consideration to the plea of Sabahans to save their health and natural heritage from destruction and to reduce greenhouse gases as promised at the Copenhagen Conference.

From Copenhagen to Sabah: 1Earth, 1Climate Change; 1Najib?

Dear Prime Minister Najib Razak,

Once again, we welcome your serious and determined efforts to reduce carbon emission to help halt global warming in the interests of our future generations.

Surely, the first important step to CUTTING (rather than increasing) carbon emission is to cancel the proposed coal power plant to be built in Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu, which is very close to the various pristine, precious natural paradise of Darvel Bay, Coral Triangle Initiative, Tabin Wildlife Conservation area and so on, which make the East Coast of Sabah one of the remaining natural treasures of the world.

You have asked for our views “on what more we can do to ensure a greener Malaysia, so that we can learn from each other.” Great! Here are some. We do not dream that you would actually ‘learn’ from humble Sabahans like us, but we would be very grateful already if you could at least be consistent in your position on climate change and coal.

You have asked Sabah to accept the “dirty, environmentally not friendly” coal power plant even though:

a) Sabah does NOT produce coal, and all the coal used for the proposed power plant would have to be IMPORTED all the way from Indonesia.

We can understand why countries like China and USA use coal — because coal is produced locally in these countries; but we are puzzled by why we are forced to import toxic trash like coal when we don’t need it nor want it here in Sabah!

b) Sabah has ALTERNATIVES to generate electricity without resorting to dirty coal.

As a major palm oil producer, we — especially in the East Coast of Sabah — have plenty of empty fruit bunches left over everyday, a natural waste product of cultivating palm oil, which could be easily used for generating bio-mass power. All it takes is for your government to take steps to tap into this abundantly and easily available resource of Sabah. Yet, it does not seem that your government is serious about taking any other initiative which would save Sabah from coal.

Or, we could either use the natural gas produced in Kimanis, Sabah itself or — if your government insists on depriving Sabahans of their own natural resources by exporting it all the way to Sarawak — then at least exchange the export of our natural gas to Sarawak with hydro-electricity power from Bakun Dam, Sarawak, which your government now plans to export all the way — across the mountains, forests and even ocean — to West Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Anywhere but Sabah, even though it is feasible to supply to the East Coast of Sabah.

Basically, your government has:

(1) forced us to give up our own natural gas from Kimanis, Sabah,

(2) refused to at least give us clean hydro-power from Bakun, Sarawak in exchange,

(3) exporting Bakun hydro-power to everywhere EXCEPT Sabah, and then

(4) forced us in Sabah to IMPORT DIRTY COAL from Indonesia!!

Why is it that when it comes to DIVERTING clean energy sources AWAY FROM Sabah, your government is willing to leave no stone unturned regardless of how difficult it may be, but when it comes to POLLUTING Sabah with dirty, environmentally unfriendly coal, your government is determined to force it down our throats and even ask us to sacrifice?

This basically sums up Sabahans’ bewilderment with your decision to force us to accept coal:

“The bottom line is Sabah has alternatives to having a coal-fired power plant and the technology is available now, what we seem to have is a lack of will from certain parties who say that there is no alternative but this is not true, we have alternatives. Imagine what a great model for the world Sabah will be with this!”

Whether the proposed coal power plant passes the so-called “Environmental Impact Assessment” and whether there really is such a thing as “clean coal technology” are completely beside the point — because Sabah DOES NOT NEED COAL IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Therefore, we are still very puzzled by why you must FORCE us to accept coal, given your own apparently strong stand on climate change and dislike of coal whenever you spoke OUTSIDE of Sabah.

In Paris, when addressing the Unesco General Conference on 6 October 2009, you have said:

“…The forthcoming summit in Copenhagen must reflect a strong commitment and action to reverse serious deterioration of planet earth.Read more..