Sunday, August 17, 2008

The truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth

It’s a long established practice in courts all over the world to place your left hand on a holy book – in most places, the bible – and swear that you are telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. Apparently doing this automatically makes you immediately lose all pretensions and speak only the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. Bullshit!!

Hardcore criminals will place their hands on any book – Bible, Quran, Bhagavad Gita – and say whatever bullshit they need to say just to get their ass off scot-free. Jack The Ripper’s not going to admit killing all those he killed just because his hands are on some holy book, if he’s got some means of escaping punishment. The only dudes who actually brag about their kills are those who know they’ve got no chance of escaping punishment or the really psychotic sickos.

Now if you not a really psychotic sicko or whatever you’ve done is still open to debate, I’ll bet my bottom dollar that you will also place your hand on any holy book I put in front of you and declare your innocence. You will swear on your God. You will swear on your mother’s grave or your kid’s head. You will swear on your stained underwear if you have to. The simple reason for this is there’s no one to challenge you on what you’re swearing. Your God is not going to. Your dead mother can’t, her grave can’t speak.

Okay, swearing on one’s holy book is all about post-mortem retribution, you say. Who gives a rat’s ass about how your god retributes you after you’re dead and gone. It’s while you’re here is when you’ve caused the damage. That damage could ruin generations. Is your god going to retribute you or your entire generation?

So by swearing on the Quran, has Saiful convinced me that he is telling the truth about being sodomised? Not a chance in hell. The only thing he has successfully done is proven to me how lightly he takes his religion and his belief.

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The outpouring of sympathy, empathy and support Saiful received upon his swearing ceremony was in itself worthy of an Olympic athlete. If only more Malaysians would support our sports and sportsmen and women like this, I’m sure Malaysia can produce our own Phelps and Lin Dans in the mould of Datuk Nicol. But that’s beside the point.

There was this little cicakman who, in his eagerness for Anwar to take up the Quran, said that settling this the legal way was not good enough. Wow! Imagine that. Using the legal route is not the best way to get justice, fairness and equality it seems. All you need is a holy book.
Holy cow! All the printing presses better get prepared for the avalanche of holy book orders soon.

Then there was the PM. He’s like this guy who’s learnt something new and thinks no one else knows it so he wants to show it off. The only problem with that plan is that most folks heard about reverse psychology while he was having one of those snoozes he’s now famous for. He goes around making speeches and in the course of these speeches, inserts quotes like, “it’s up to Anwar whether he wants to swear” and “Saiful’s got nothing to do with PP by-election”. Wow!!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Golden Silence

Silence is Golden. Really? What the heck does that mean? Sometimes silence can speak volumes more than even the most vocal or vociferous voice. So is silence good or bad? You have the bible that advises that a non-reply, ie. silence, can calm down an angry man. Then you have an old saying in Tamil which, when translated, means silence equates to agreement. So what the bloody heck is silence anyway? Is it the absence of sound? Or is sound the absence of silence?

Does silence mean you’ve got nothing to say or you don’t know what to say? Or does it mean you have something to say but would rather not waste your time and energy saying it? Or does silence carry a different meaning in different scenarios? What the bloody freaking hell does silence mean?

Forgive my preoccupation with silence but there’s a whole load of it happening around that’s causing me to wonder “what the f#*k is going on here? “.

A teacher in a government school verbally abuses a bunch of students by calling them and their ancestors all kinds of derogatory names. Yeah, a bunch of angry parents gathered and made some noise and protested. They were definitely not silent. But the response from the people in power has been deafeningly silent, don’t you think? I’ve definitely missed their voices. Voices that are normally blabbering incessantly about one thing or the other under the sky have suddenly become conspicuously silent.

Heck, latest on the grapevine is that the said teacher has been silently transferred to a supposedly better school, nearer to her home and whatnot. Was she given an increment or pay rise for indirectly promoting ketuanan “of-a-certain-race”? Who knows? What I know is that in her letter of transfer, the reason given had no inkling of any disciplinary action. Everything is so silent.

In another incident, a bunch of screaming, foaming at the mouth folks violently disrupted a scholarly gathering of people seeking to find a solution to a pressing national issue. And holy mackaroli, would you believe it, the violent protestors were actually escorted into the building (yes, the gathering was held INSIDE a private building) by the police? Yup, the same police who sprayed water cannons and tear gas at a previous group of protestors. I guess it all depends on who’s protesting, isn’t it?

Anyway, apart from our future PM wannabe, Najib, there’s been an absolute and total silence from all other leaders regarding this incident. Actually, come to think of it, even Najib should have just shut the fuck up instead of breaking his silence and further confirming his stupidity. His comment tried to shift the blame for the entire fiasco onto the organizers.
The only voices that could be heard in the aftermath of this were from the ordinary folk. Loads of us were critical of the storming invasion and violence and language used by the protestors. Dozens of NGO’s and other significant individuals are making statements. However, there was not a word of condemnation or otherwise from any leader, government or opposition. A very elegant silence is being maintained, but is that what is required at this point? What’s your stand on this, Mr Prime Minister Badawi? What’s your stand on this, de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim?

The most recent news in theSun today is of a 10 year old boy being tortured Nazi style by our boys in blue. What the fuck? Aren’t our cops who are supposed to be protecting and upholding the law, aware of the law? Don’t they know what to do when investigating juveniles? Well, that’s beside the point of this post. Will there be a golden silence on this issue as well by those in charge? Or will heads roll?

Looking and judging by past and present happenings, I won’t be really looking forward to any noise about this. I would just settle for someone telling me which category of silence this silence will fall into.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Damn Funny Wei....

Came across this article written by Dr Farish Noor and published around the blogs. I think it's an excellent piece of writing which uses humor to pin prick the shallowness of the incident that preceded it.

Read it, laugh til your stomach hurts, then read between the lines for the not-so-hidden message. If you've got even a streak of bigotry in you - racial, religious, or whatever other form - then it's possible the message might just whizz over your head. But within that bigoted frame, if even an ounce of humanity or conscience is evident, Dr Noor's commentary will hit you like a slap in the face.

Enjoy.

No, this 'Babi' will Not 'Balik Cina'

I have just read the reports on the internet about the goings-on that led to the disruption and early closure of the public forum organised by the Bar Council on Conversion in Malaysia over the weekend.

Apart from the other rather offensive remarks that were featured in the various reports that I read, I also chanced upon a rather curious revelation: Apparently during the commotion caused when some of the so-called 'defenders of the faith' had entered the room where the forum was being held, there were calls for a certain 'Babi' to 'Balik Cina'.

Now I have checked and double-checked all the photos that are available on the internet and have seen no image that corresponds to the 'Babi' in question. Therefore for the sake of academic consistency and objectivity, I am compelled to ask the Bar Council this: Was there a pig in the auditorium where the forum was held? And if so, how could the Bar Council invite a pig to attend a forum that was open primarily for Malaysian citizens (who are overwhelmingly human, as identity papers and passports have not been issued to pigs or any other non-human species as far as I know.)

Furthermore I need to ask how the demonstrators knew that the pig (if one was present) was of Chinese origin? Did it carry a Chinese passport, and if so, why was it in KL when the Olympic games were being held in Beijing and the world's attention was focused there?
(*ed. I can only assume that this was a rather anti-social pig from China who had come to Malaysia to avoid the throngs of tourists who have overtaken Beijing, which would be a sensible thing that I would have done myself, so I confess to having sympathy with this mysterious invisible pig.)


Lest there be any offence to pigs from China, I would like to remind the demonstrators who made that remark that there are enough pigs in southeast asia and that pigs are, in fact, a native species in the region (including Malaysia). To ask this mysterious pig to 'Balik Cina' was therefore offensive to say the least, as it overlooks the fact that it could have been a local Malaysian pig and therefore has every right to be in Malaysia. Though what it was doing at the bar council's forum is anyone's guess.

Here are some categories of local pigs (genus: Sus, subfamily species: suinea (Latin)) that have shared our very same bumi for centuries:

In Malaysia we have the babi hutan, babirusa (genus: Babyrousa) and wild boar (genus: Sus Scrofa) that have been long-time residents of the peninsula. In Indonesia, there are also many types of local pigs such as the Sulawesi Babirusa, the Warty pig of Sulawesi (genus: Sus Celebensis), the Timorese Warty Pig (Genus: Sus Timorensis) and the Javanese Warty hog (Genus: sus Verrocosus). In Vietnam there is of course the Sus Bucculentus, otherwise known as the Indo-Chinese warty pig, while in the Philippines there is the local Sus Cebifrons that hails from the Visa yas Islands.

So how dare some people go around making wild allegations about the alleged foreign citizenship and/or origins of a pig that may or may not have been present at the Bar Council forum? To assume the foreign identity and origin of an individual merely on the basis of appearance and behaviour would reek of the highest form of prejudice, and points only to the ignorance of those who simply do not know: PIGS are not foreign to Malaysia or Southeast Asia. They are as localised and normalised as Durians and Corruption in this country.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Olympics vs Politics

There was Dumb & Dumber, I've heard of Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest, but as much as it was anticipated, the decision to charge Anwar must certainly rank in a level of its own. I'm still thinking of a word for it. Dumbester? Dumberest? Give me a hand here, I can't think of any single word that would describe the action by the AG's Chambers to continue with this charade and press charges against Anwar.

What goes through their heads? They know that there isn't a shred of evidence to show Anwar sodomised Saiful, they're still busy trying to coerce honest people into fabricating evidence, they're still trying to collect Anwar's cum so that they can put a few drops in Saiful's undies, so what the fuck are thinking?

Is it a matter of confidence in our 'esteemed' judiciary? Do the powers that be know that the judge will just dance like a fucking puppet on a string? So there is no need for any evidence. If Anwar shows a flight itinerary showing that he was in China during the date of the alleged sodomy, it will be cast aside as not relevant and attempting to confuse the public. If Saiful has a sudden surge of repentance and change of heart and admits to faking the whole thing, instead of Saiful being charged for making a false police report, criminal defamation etc, etc, he will be given sympathy as being under duress and the charge will go ahead. Even if doctors say that nothing was stuck up Saiful's ass, the charge will go on. Oh yeah, that has already happened, hasn't it? Fuck it la, even if God himself were to appear and say Anwar didn't sodomise Saiful or anyone else, the fucking charge won't be dropped.

So what is it that is going on in the minds of these fellows? No one knows. Sometimes I wonder whether even they themselves know. But one thing I know is that from tomorrow, the ante has been upped. What happens from this point in time is anybody's guess, but with more whistleblowers turning up, more trials coming up and more dirt to be thrown around, it's bound to take some of the shine away from the Beijing Olympics definitely.

At least here in Malaysia.

Just Do It

When I was younger, my mom always used to tell us kids that if we never behaved and aouldn't be corrected in the privacy of our home, then we'll most probably be corrected by somebody from the street. It was a phrase that was said in Tamil (and it definitely sounds better in Tamil) but the meaning is somewhat thereabouts what I've mentioned above. But Tamil or English, the meaning it conveyed was very very clear.

The words came rushing back when I saw the headlines of The Malay Mail yesterday. It has taken an international corporate giant to forcefully open our eyes to the plight of foreign migrant workers in our country. But being Malaysian, it's not that we didn't know, was it? It's just that we're always more comfortable with the "tutup satu mata" syndrome....

But in another typical-Malaysian-style response, our Minister of Human Resources came out with guns blazing. He defended the Malaysian Way of doing things. He attacked the Western media of trying to sabotage investments in Malaysia. He was practically seething with rage at the utter unjustness of the whole thing. NOT the inhumane way the workers were being treated, mind you, but the way Malaysian companies were being portrayed.

"All false. All false." That was the rallying cry of our imbecile of a Minister. Another prime example of the calibre of excellence that is in charge of leading our nation today. He unfortunately shot his mouth off too quick. He should have done his homework or at least gotten somebody in his ministry to do it for him. As is the norm with almost all our politicians, this dickhead was caught with his pants around his ankle and his foot in his mouth (wow! imagine that...) when the newspapers showed still images of the exact living conditions of these workers.

Now, serves us right, NIKE has threatened to remove or cease all operations from Malaysian shores until and unless the Government can compel companies and factories to ensure workers are given basic dignified living and working conditions. Does this mean there will be no more tutup mata by the authorities?

Naah! This is Malaysia. Bolehland. Everything also boleh. "Fuck Nike la, if they don't want to operate here, we can always get other companies to. So many companies are on our waiting list, it's only we haven't given them approval to start operations." Be prepared for spin like this - minus 'fuck' of course - from our leaders in all the major newspapers soon.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Petition

One of the most sacred institutions a country has with which to safeguard her citizens is the Judiciary. The courts of law. The judges. If I want somebody to judge a dispute I have with someone, I want that judge to be fair. I want that judge to be impartial. I want to be able to believe that that judge is fair.

It's a bit like playing football. What's the point of getting yourself all kitted up, and prepared, when you know that the referee has been paid to give your opponent 6 penalties? You'r going to lose anyway, so why bother.

Your trial is going to be a sham anyway, so why bother?

Sad state of affairs? Well, that's how it is here. Judges are appointed who can deliver one-sided judgements. Assholes are appointed to the highly respected position and title of JUDGE, bringing the title and position into disrepute.

This has to end. NOW!!

Below is a petition to our Royal Highness, Tuanku Mizan to look into the proposed appointment of some criminal into the position of Chief Justice. The petition can be accessed at the web address below. Please read and sign and pass it on.

God Bless You!

http://www.petitiononline.com/6ai18u26/petition.html

Doctor, Doctor

So what will it be? MONEY? POWER? POSITION? THREATS? How are the doctors and chemists going to be convinced to "doctor their reports accordingly"? It may take a cocktail of the above to create a cock-tale that will stand strong in court. But then again, the cock-tale may not have to be very strong because the judge can be bought, bribed, threatened or coerced into giving a favourable judgement. Anything's possible. Or, to put it in a sportswear company's words, impossible is nothing.

Yup, no stone will be left unturned, no crooked avenue will be left unchecked, no person or profession will be left in place, just to ensure that Anwar Ibrahim is locked up and put away for good. The folks in power don't give a rat's ass about the due process of law. They're not bothered about the evil they propagate. The voice of the people means nothing to them. (Don't believe me? Check out what Badawi has got to say about his opinion polls results here)

They will do anything, stoop to any level, just to ensure that they remain at the top of the political heap. Doesn't matter to them that that heap is a pile of dung that smells worse than any human or animal excretion put together. They want to be up there. They need to be up there. And pity anyone or anything that stands in their way.

Right now, Anwar stands in their way. He needs to be sent away, for a long time preferably. And the doctors and chemists from the Kuala Lumpur hospital (HKL) stand in the way of that happening. The report must come from them. They are being forced to doctor the report to suit the conspirators. Let me refer back to my plea in my previous post and send this request to the doctors and other staff at HKL. We are not all doctors. We are not all chemistry experts. YOU ARE. You hold the future of our country in your hands.

Our warriors of old held guns and cannons to defend the honour of our country. The Tugu Kebangsaan stands testament to this. Today you have the chance to defend the honour of our nation. Don't sell it for whatever these goons throw at you.

If you make your stand, millions of Malaysians will stand beside you. Make a stand. Please....