MAS: "Mana Ada System" atau "Mesti Ada Salah" ?

Hantu Laut

MAS, true acronym should be "Mana Ada System" or "Mesti Ada Salah", but still a great way to fly, if you fly business or first class and paid for by your company.

Now that I am retired and pay from my own pocket, I only travel economy.

I booked my flight online for 14 November on flight MH 2640 departing 15.50 from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and also booked and paid for two emergency exit seats for my wife and me....... to be precise Seat No.11B and 11C on a Boeing 737-400 configuration. 

I usually booked first row in economy which gives better leg room, but since all seats on the first row were already taken I opted for the emergency exit seats, which also give much better leg room.

Sitting at the holding departure lounge and looking out through the smudged glass ( typical MAB bad maintenance and bad housekeeping. Unlike Changi, where you always see cleaners constantly cleaning the glass panels, MAB never cleaned those huge glass panels at the airport) I can see the aircraft parked at the aero-bridge is not a 737-400 but a bigger aircraft, a 737-800, which I have flown with umpteen times and knew that the seat configuration is not the same.

We boarded the aircraft and true enough our seats were not at the emergency exit. I explained to one of the crew and she told me to wait for the ground supervisor to come to the aircraft, who eventually turned up and apologised for the mixed up. I told him there was no mixed up, it's the airline that caused the confusion without informing me of the change of aircraft.As I have paid extra for the seat the ground crew at the drop bag counter (we kiosk checked-in) should have noticed and moved us to the proper seats.

Next, I was horrified when the ground supervisor foolishly turned to two kampong folks in the seats behind us to exchange seats with us.I politely declined and told him it is not nice to ask them to move since they are already seated. This clueless guy than advised me to seek refund from the airline. I flatly told him I won't want to waste anymore time and spend more money to seek refund of RM40.00, which will take ages to resolve.

I have flown with many other airlines over the decades and I must confess MAS is still a better airline than many that I have flown with, but occasionally they do infuriate you with the "tidak apa" attitude of their staff.

From my past experience some airline would just bump you up to empty seats in business class if they were in the wrong and there were many empty seats in business class that day.

IGP Should Adopt Zero Tolerance On Rogue Policemen

Hantu Laut

What is the responsibility of a policeman?

Undoubtedly, first and foremost, protecting the life and property of the people and responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.

When you are in trouble you look upon the police as your protector and saviour. That's what they are paid to do, to protect the public from criminal elements.  

One would not imagine being taken to a police station and gang-raped by policemen. 

You hear many horror stories of people dying in police custody and yet there have been very few serious internal investigations done by the police to resolve the problem and weed out bad elements in the police force. 

The IGP should take some responsibility of the misconduct of his men. There are just too many complaints against police misconduct for him to sit comfortably in his chair and do nothing constructive to salvage the police image, which have made the public to mistrust the whole police force because of the perverse behaviour of a few.

Though, we don't expect him to police each and every individual in the force, zero tolerance of indiscipline and waywardness by the top brass can drastically reduce shameful police misconduct among the lower rank. 

Obviously, some policemen think they can prey on the weak and the helpless as in the case of the hapless Indonesian girl who was stopped while on her way home in a taxi and practically abducted by three policemen with intent to use her to satisfy their lust. They took her to the police station, instead of giving her shelter and protection, raped her repeatedly. 

I hope justice will prevail for the poor girl and the three policemen if found guilty be given the maximum sentence under the law.

A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing

Hantu Laut

The war of nerves between two forces of over-exaggerated pietism. Islam has become a cause celebre of Malaysian politics. Even non-Muslims are coming out with their unpolished knowledge of Islam. 

Here's one from a chauvinist dickhead who thinks he knows the Koran and the Constitution equally well to make the Constitution more supreme for the Muslims than the Koran. No one can make head and tail of his snafu, a withered and floppy creative writing. 

I have been abroad for almost two weeks, off the beaten track, where Internet connections have been erratic, sluggish or non-existence and sourly missed the excitement of Malaysia's puerile politics. 

Malaysian politicians from both sides of the political divide should have been clowns in the circus or court jesters in the royal palaces. They spent more time on meaningless trivia than on matters of fundamental national interest.

The uproar,  this time,  a controversy over Anwar Ibrahim's daughter Nurul Izzah's version of Islam. Both sides claimed polymathic understanding of the religion and competing to be the champion. Malaysia would soon have new hadiths written by these heretics. 

"There is no compulsion in Islam" what is the true meaning of this phrase in the Koran?

I must profess I am not most knowledgable in the religion, but from my understanding, learning it from my grandfather, who is highly respected for his indepth knowledge of Islam during his living years.......it simply means Islam or Muslims should not compel or force non-Muslims to convert to Islam. Conversion should be by the person own free will. It has nothing to do with allowing Muslims the freedom of choice.

Nurul Izzah's version, which I believe was misconstrued and twisted for political mileage was probably not what she intended to convey..... that Muslims can convert to other religion. Even if she thinks so, right or wrong, it's merely her opinion and one should just consider her wet behind the ears and not politicise Islam solely for the purpose of gaining political mileage.

Without any doubt there are many hypocrites in UMNO, but more dangerous are the bigger hypocrites in PAS playing the same political fire of using Islam to gain political mileage among rural Malays and are prepared to twist and turn the true meaning of Islam whenever it suits their political agenda. 


HAPPY DEEPAVALI TO ALL MALAYSIANS. LET THERE BE WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING AND TOLERANCE  OF EACH OTHER'S RELIGION AMONG US MALAYSIANS.

Why Should Foreigners Care Who Wins the White House?

By Anne Applebaum

“Is this presidential election really the most important in our lifetime?” That was the question asked, in so many words, by a concerned Brit at a discussion in London a few days ago. His words were directed at Larry Sabato, the American political analyst, whose countenance had been beamed onto a screen in a conference room like some giant electronic guru. Sabato didn’t blink. “This presidential election,” he replied, “is definitely the most important since 2008.”  

Appreciative laughter followed, but the audience wasn’t entirely satisfied. For the British—as for most other Europeans, and indeed most other foreigners—that aspect of this election is extremely hard to understand. Is the 2012 presidential race “important”—that is, will it mark a momentous change in American foreign policy and American attitudes toward the world—or will its result make no difference at all?

The source of the confusion is clear. Shards of harsh rhetoric from this nasty campaign do drift across the Atlantic, and many Europeans are aware that some Americans think Barack Obama is a Marxist-socialist bent on destroying America, while others think Mitt Romney is a vulture capitalist who will rob the poor to feed the rich. The British in particular like to “ooh” and “aah” over the stacks of cash Republicans and Democrats are spending in the apparent belief that the outcome matters a great deal.Read more.