UK Riots: The Necessity of Inclusive Governance

I cry every time I read about the UK Riots on The Guardian - seeing familiar sight of places and people, once warm enough to thaw the wintry wet English weather - coming together to bring back civility to their community after days of calamitous riots that broke in places, well defined with high rates of unemployment and crime. My prayers are with them now, wishing hard they would be given the strength during this perilous period in their lifetime.

How could megalopolis like London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester succumb to such riotous incidents that claimed 5 lives and caused scores of properties and businesses doomed? Why not people who live in the enchanting Lake District, leafy Hertfordshire or idyllic Shropshire? Does urbanity silent humanity, I wonder.

How could a nation, as developed as the UK, wasn't prepared to curb the infectious riots? Was it purposely let to be out of control that when it went totally out of control, extreme forces could be used to stop them?

It is easy to see, over this riotous incident, that poverty, in all forms and faces, could bring out the worst in a human being, turning one inhumane. If Martin Luther King described "riots are the language of the unheard", we are wrong to say that those rioters are inhumane and cruel because we, the bystanders, haven't been standing up for the social rights and justice we all deserve from our Government of the day. The government is not at all hesitant to bail out corporations but never think twice about cutting the public spending.

The purpose of poverty abolishment isn't about making all the poor people rich but to ensure that they are never alone in time of need. People need rewarding job. People need affirming roof over their head. People need enlightening education. People need effective healthcare. People need real opportunities to grow. People need assurance that they will not be left behind, no matter what happens. Hence, there is an urgent need of an inclusive government - that genuinely serve the people, understanding and taking care of their concerns and needs.

Of all the articles I read on UK Riots, the best would have to be the one written by Mr. Katy Perry aka Russel Brand - a real tongue-in-the-cheek!

UK Riots: Big Brother Isn't Watching You

I no longer live in London. I've been transplanted to Los Angeles by a combination of love and money; such good fortune and opportunity, in both cases, you might think disqualify me from commenting on matters in my homeland. Even the results of Britain's Got Ice-Factor may lay prettily glistening beyond my remit now that I am self-banished.

To be honest when I lived in England I didn't really care too much for the fabricated theatrics of reality TV. Except when I worked for Big Brother, then it was my job to slosh about in the amplified trivia of the housemates/inmates. Sometimes it was actually quite bloody interesting. Particularly the year that Nadia won. She was the Portuguese transsexual. Remember? No? Well, that's the nature of the medium; as it whizzes past the eyes it seems very relevant but the malady of reality TV stars is that their shelf life expires, like dog years, by the power of seven. To me it seems as if Nadia's triumph took place during the silver jubilee, we had a street party.

Early in that series there was an incident of excitement and high tension. The testosteronal, alpha figures of the house – a Scot called Jason and a Londoner called Victor – incited by the teasing conditions and a camp lad called Marco (wow, it's all coming back) kicked off in the house, smashed some crockery and a few doors. Police were called, tapes were edited and the carnival rolled on. When I was warned to be discreet on-air about the extent of the violence, I quoted a British first-world-war general who, reflecting on the inability of his returning troops to adapt to civilian life, said: "You cannot rouse the animal in man then expect it to be put aside at a moment's notice."

"Yeah, that's exactly the kind of thing we want you to say the opposite of," said the channel's representative.

This week's riots are sad and frightening and, if I have by virtue of my temporary displacement forgone the right to speak about the behaviour of my countrymen, then this is gonna be irksome. I mean even David Cameron came back from his holiday. Eventually. The Tuscan truffles lost their succulence when the breaking glass became too loud to ignore. Then dopey ol' Boris came cycling back into the London clutter with his spun gold hair and his spun shit logic as it became apparent that the holiday was over.

In fact, it isn't my absence from the territory of London that bothers me; it's my absence from the economic class that is being affected that itches in my gut because, as I looked at the online incident maps, the boroughs that were suffering all, for me, had some resonance. I've lived in Dalston, Hackney, Elephant, Camden and Bethnal Green. I grew up round Dagenham and Romford and, whilst I could never claim to be from the demographic most obviously affected, I feel guilty that I'm not there now.

I feel proud to be English, proud to be a Londoner (all right, an Essex boy), never more so than since being in exile, and I naturally began to wonder what would make young people destroy their communities.

I have spoken to mates in London and Manchester and they sound genuinely frightened and hopeless, and the details of their stories place this outbreak beyond the realms of any political idealism or rationalisation. But I can't, from my ivory tower in the Hollywood Hills, compete with the understandable yet futile rhetoric, describing the rioters as mindless. Nor do I want to dwell on the sadness of our beautiful cities being tarnished and people's shops and livelihoods, sometimes generations old, being immolated. The tragic and inevitable deaths ought to be left for eulogies and grieving. Tariq Jahan has spoken so eloquently from his position of painful proximity, with such compassion, that nearly all else is redundant.

The only question I can legitimately ask is: why is this happening? Mark Duggan's death has been badly handled but no one is contesting that is a reason for these conflagrations beyond the initial flash of activity in Tottenham. I've heard Theresa May and the Old Etonians whose hols have been curtailed (many would say they're the real victims) saying the behaviour is "unjustifiable" and "unacceptable". Wow! Thanks guys! What a wonderful use of the planet's fast-depleting oxygen resources. Now that's been dealt with can we move on to more taxing matters such as whether or not Jack The Ripper was a ladies' man. And what the hell do bears get up to in those woods?

However "unacceptable" and "unjustifiable" it might be, it has happened so we better accept it and, whilst we can't justify it, we should kick around a few neurons and work out why so many people feel utterly disconnected from the cities they live in.

Unless on the news tomorrow it's revealed that there's been a freaky "criminal creating" chemical leak in London and Manchester and Liverpool and Birmingham that's causing young people to spontaneously and simultaneously violate their environments – in which case we can park the ol' brainboxes, stop worrying and get on with the football season, but I suspect there hasn't – we have, as human beings, got a few things to consider together.

I should here admit that I have been arrested for criminal damage for my part in anti-capitalist protest earlier in this decade. I often attended protests and then, in my early 20s, and on drugs, I enjoyed it when the protests lost direction and became chaotic, hostile even. I was intrigued by the anarchist "Black bloc", hooded and masked, as, in retrospect, was their agenda, but was more viscerally affected by the football "casuals" who'd turn up because the veneer of the protest's idealistic objective gave them the perfect opportunity to wreck stuff and have a row with the Old Bill.

That was never my cup of tea though. For one thing, policemen are generally pretty good fighters and second, it registered that the accent they shouted at me with was closer to my own than that of some of those singing about the red flag making the wall of plastic shields between us seem thinner.

I found those protests exciting, yes, because I was young and a bit of a twerp but also, I suppose, because there was a void in me. A lack of direction, a sense that I was not invested in the dominant culture, that government existed not to look after the interests of the people it was elected to represent but the big businesses that they were in bed with.

I felt that, and I had a mum who loved me, a dad who told me that nothing was beyond my reach, an education, a grant from Essex council (to train as an actor of all things!!!) and several charities that gave me money for maintenance. I shudder to think how disenfranchised I would have felt if I had been deprived of that long list of privileges.

That state of deprivation though is, of course, the condition that many of those rioting endure as their unbending reality. No education, a weakened family unit, no money and no way of getting any. JD Sports is probably easier to desecrate if you can't afford what's in there and the few poorly paid jobs there are taken. Amidst the bleakness of this social landscape, squinting all the while in the glare of a culture that radiates ultraviolet consumerism and infrared celebrity. That daily, hourly, incessantly enforces the egregious, deceitful message that you are what you wear, what you drive, what you watch and what you watch it on, in livid, neon pixels. The only light in their lives comes from these luminous corporate messages. No wonder they have their fucking hoods up.

I remember Cameron saying "hug a hoodie" but I haven't seen him doing it. Why would he? Hoodies don't vote, they've realised it's pointless, that whoever gets elected will just be a different shade of the "we don't give a toss about you" party.

Politicians don't represent the interests of people who don't vote. They barely care about the people who do vote. They look after the corporations who get them elected. Cameron only spoke out against News International when it became evident to us, US, the people, not to him (like Rose West, "He must've known") that the newspapers Murdoch controlled were happy to desecrate the dead in the pursuit of another exploitative, distracting story.

Why am I surprised that these young people behave destructively, "mindlessly", motivated only by self-interest? How should we describe the actions of the city bankers who brought our economy to its knees in 2010? Altruistic? Mindful? Kind? But then again, they do wear suits, so they deserve to be bailed out, perhaps that's why not one of them has been imprisoned. And they got away with a lot more than a few fucking pairs of trainers.

These young people have no sense of community because they haven't been given one. They have no stake in society because Cameron's mentor Margaret Thatcher told us there's no such thing.
If we don't want our young people to tear apart our communities then don't let people in power tear apart the values that hold our communities together.

As you have by now surely noticed, I don't know enough about politics to ponder a solution and my hands are sticky with blood money from representing corporate interests through film, television and commercials, venerating, through my endorsements and celebrity, products and a lifestyle that contributes to the alienation of an increasingly dissatisfied underclass. But I know, as we all intuitively know, the solution is all around us and it isn't political, it is spiritual. Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

In this simple sentiment we can find hope, as we can in the efforts of those cleaning up the debris and ash in bonhomous, broom-wielding posses. If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.

As we sweep away the mistakes made in the selfish, nocturnal darkness we must ensure that, amidst the broken glass and sadness, we don't sweep away the youth lost amongst the shards in the shadows cast by the new dawn.

Lessons From The Belly: The Story of Prophet Yunus (PBUH)

One day, Mak caught me watching Prophet Yunus' story on TV Al-Hijrah's Al-Quran: The New Dawn, as others were busy breakfasting. I was so touched by the way the story was explored as it drew a lot of relevance to what's happening around us these days, it brought tears to my eyes.

I promised myself that I wouldn't give sadness or anger a chance to dwell and extinguish the fire in my belly. Too often, their reign hurts those I care more than they ever hurt me. If there is to time to spend on this world, instead of taking everything personally, we should all get personal with everything that crosses our path.

Here's the story that somehow gives me a lot of comfort when things are uncertain and I hope you too could draw strength and comfort from it.

In the Belly of the Whale

Have you ever felt as though things are just too much for you, that you are in a situation you see no way of getting out of? Do you look at problems in our world today and wonder how they can ever be solved? All this, and more, is the story of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him). The mission of Prophet Yunus is a timeless story that tells us there is a way out, if only we have faith.

Almighty Allah called Yunus to preach to the people of Nineveh. Nineveh was a great city, the capital of Assyria, and it had become a very wicked place. Yunus went to the people there and told them to give up their bad ways and to turn, instead, to Allah. But they wouldn't listen to him and so Yunus left them. This is the first very human touch in the story of Yunus. Even though he was a prophet, Yunus was still a man and he stormed off out of the city when he didn't achieve what he had hoped. He even felt that he knew what these people deserved. We can identify with Yunus here, can't we? On a human level, we often give up too soon, and we often stomp off when we don't get what we want. On a spiritual level, we see lots of wickedness in the world and think we know how the evildoers should be treated. Some people even take it upon themselves to punish them.

Having left the city behind, Yunus boards a ship. He has had enough and he sets sail far away from the scene of his failure. Once at sea, though, a storm grows up and the crew are terrified. These pagan sailors feel that the gods of the sea must be displeased with them, so they draw lots to throw one man overboard to calm the storm. They draw the lot indicating that Yunus should be thrown overboard. This happens not once but three times, and the terrified crew throw him overboard thinking that in doing so they will be protecting themselves and their ship.

Once in the water, something extraordinary happens. Allah sends a great fish, some describe it as a whale, to swallow Yunus whole. Once in its belly, Yunus descends to the bottom of the sea, filled with total despair. How can he possibly survive this disaster? What way out of his situation could there possibly be? He is engulfed by darkness: the darkness of the creature's stomach; the darkness of the deep; and, worst of all, the darkness of despair. Even though he was a religious man, called upon to be a prophet, he experiences doubt, and it is when he is in the depths of despair that things change for him. In the noble Qur'an, we read that Yunus "cried through the darkness." He realized that Almighty Allah, not he, was in control of things. He cries out, "there is no god but You," and asks for help. In asking for help, his prayer is heard.

There is a very beautiful book, called Stories of the Prophets, written in the Middle Ages by Hafez ibn Kathir. It is easily available and well worth reading. In it, Ibn Kathir has a moving commentary on this part of Yunus's story. He says that once Yunus admits that there is no god but Allah and that only Allah can save him, something wonderful happens. First, the whale begins to sing the praises of Allah, then all the little fish around it, then all the creatures of the sea, each in its own way, until there is a great chorus of praise. The whale swims up to the surface and ejects Yunus onto the shore. Just as Allah had used it to save Yunus from the storm and from drowning in the sea, so He also uses it to bring Yunus safely to land again.

And there is more. Yunus is feeling sick and sore as he lies on the sand in the scorching heat, still not knowing what will become of him. Allah takes even more care of him and causes a plant to grow up over him and to cover Yunus with its shade. Once he has recovered from his ordeal and his skin has stopped smarting from the acids in the creature's stomach, he decides to return to Nineveh, his travels over, to see what has become of the city and its people. When he arrives there, to his great surprise, he sees that the city and its people have not been destroyed, but have all turned to Allah. His message had got through to them. Perhaps when they saw the terrible storm as it grew up in the distance, they saw in it an image of what would happen to them if they did not repent. Who knows why they turned back to Allah, but they did. Yunus, then, after all his adventures, is finally content that his mission has been accomplished.

There is so much that the story of Yunus can teach us. First of all, read it yourself in the noble Qur'an. You will find it in the following verses: 4:163, 6:86, 10:98, 21:87, 37:139-148, and 68:48-50. Ponder over the meaning of the words and listen to what they say to you. Yunus's story is timeless. It is for the whole world and it is for each one of us.

Nineveh, for example, the great city and the capital of a great empire, doesn't even exist anymore. Scholars say it lies in Iraq on the other side of the river from the city of Mosul, but its temples and monuments have gone. All worldly power will go the same way. Even today's superpowers, who behave as though they are Allah, and believe that everyone must obey them, will one day wither and fade and, like all great empires before them, cease to exist. Remember, Allah is in control, not this country or that. Allah will decide the course of events.

Another lesson from the story of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) is that we never know the effect our deeds will have on others. We, like Yunus, are called to tell others about Islam, but the results might never be known to us. A word we say to one person might touch them deeply and yet we may never see the effect of that word. But we must keep trying. We never know what effect our da`wah will have.

What we must never do, though, is to think that we are in control or that it is we who call others to Islam. Allah is in control and He, alone, calls others to Himself. We shouldn't get down-hearted or angry when our efforts seem to fail. Muslims trust in Allah. In His own time and in His own way, He will deal with those who do evil, just as He will reward the righteous:

[No soul knows what comfort is kept hidden for them, as a reward for their deeds.](As-Sajdah 32:17)

Allah uses all things to work out His plan. In the story of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him), He not only uses Yunus, but He uses the sailors and the whale and the plant, to do His will. So we should never presume to know the will of Allah, nor to make decisions on His behalf.

Finally, if you have ever felt as though you are in the belly of the whale, surrounded by darkness and with no way out, do what Prophet Yunus did. [He cried through the darkness](Al-Anbiyaa' 21:87) and admitted that there is no god but Allah and that only Allah can rescue.

Never give up. Trust in Allah. He can use us and all situations to do great things beyond our wildest imagination. It is by Allah's will that we are Muslim. Just as [his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous,] (Al-Qalam 68:50) so we, too, like Prophet Yunus can respond to the call of Almighty Allah and make a difference in our world.

My Response to Common Malaysian

Common Malaysian said...

I have been following the GTP and firmly believe that Idris Jala is not serving anyone’s agenda. I am glad that Najib has started an effort so big to reform the state of our affairs, unlike any of his predecessors.

It is good that the PM has finally recognised the need to fix the foundation and from there work towards building a high income economy in the long run.

The GTP is meant to give the people better access to improved public service delivery and address the social development of the country. Agreed that it is a little delayed but nevertheless, it is happening. The transformation programmes are exactly what we need as all Ministries have specific KPIs to achieve. If they don’t achieve what is promised, they have too much to lose, especially after they have witnessed the power of the people at the polls during the last election.

June 21, 2011 6:42 PM

Fi-sha says,

Dear Mr./Ms. Common Malaysian

Firstly, I must apologise for my very late response. Like love has reasons which reasons cannot understand (Blaise Pascal), I didn't know why I was hesitant to respond (when I am, by nature, a tempestuous person).

Secondly, let me express my gratefulness in finding your words on my “YES” post. You certainly made my day for now I have found some zeal to write (certainly not on such trite matters, definitely). Thank you for the enlightenment (and merci to those who have been kind enough to steer Mr./Ms. Common Malaysian’s wheels to my kick-some-heels post).

Let's get back to business in hand shall we?

Yes, Sir/Madam, Idris Jala of PEMANDU is not serving anyone’s agenda – not those in power nor those outside the corridor of power (that is us, common Malaysians). It's a zero-sum-game set-up that spent RM63.9 M hard-earned public funds (and we are still counting) to hire consultants for PEMANDU and to organize 3 Open Days for GTP and ETP initiatives while our economic competitiveness ranking in 2011 slumped by 6 slots to 16, our Corruption Perception Index score dropped from 5.1 in 2008 to 4.4 in 2010 and our Democracy Index fell from 68 in 2008 to 71 in 2010, just to name a few.

I sense your eyes rolling in disbelief seeing how I attach such non-performing results to Idris Jala's 'economic lab' as you may think it is not at all fair to put the blame of such deteriorating ratings to 'a new boy on the block' like him.

Unfortunately, he isn't a new boy after all. The news of Air Asia-MAS shares swap , that was finalised early this week, opens Idris Jala's cans of worms (now I know why i delayed this response). The 'demise' of MAS reflects his short-sighted business acumen and poor management style. Just read what Gomen Man wrote in TMI yesterday, asking him to return the millions! If he was ever good, he was good at 'sweeping everything under the carpet'.

Confucius says that, "Success depends upon previous preparations and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure". Now that he heads PEMANDU, I am more worried than ever as eloquently explained by En Ali Kadir today, questioning the accountability of the office holders, who are being rewarded for their mismanagement, and the deplorable opinions we sought from the highly-paid consultants - over and over again - only to fail us, common people, miserably.

Like a good marriage, success of any plans relies heavily on our willpower to undertake the responsibilities (not merely status and position). If there's a will, there's a way, they say. so, if there's a goodwill towards us, the common people, there is definitely numerous good ways to deliver and most of the time, they don't cost a bomb!

Dear Mr./Ms. Common Malaysia, i personally feel that PEMANDU is useless, especially to common people like me. I don't think you are common enough to see and feel the real hardships face by millions of Anak Bangsa Malaysia in their Ibu Pertiwi, day in, day out (UK riots shed some light of what will happen when these people are left unattended for by the Government).

If you think you are, tell me why Idris Jala has the heart to say that, "GST is a way to fund the poor" when the real problem is lack of enforcement by the government to prevent rampant tax evasion and bloated subsidies structure to IPP, amongst other glaring 'holes in our pockets'?

Please, I must insist, that you assist Idris Jala and his PEMANDU people to visit YES website before they bring our Ibu Pertiwi to its knees (Oh, did you read about Italian Police raided Moody's and S&P's Milan Office?).

I wish you and your loved ones a ma'rifah Ramadhan. While we agree to disagree, I believe we both want the best for this Ibu Pertiwi. Let's not lose hope on that, shall we?

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: Two Songs None The Richer

A song for the government

ABBA - Thank you for the music

So I say
Thank you for the music, the lies you're telling
Thanks for all the sufferings you're bringing
Who can live with it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be, with a wrong or a prance, what are we
So I say, thank you for the music, for giving it to me

A song for all Malaysians

The Carpenters - We've only just begun

We've only just begun
To live
White lace and promises
A kiss for luck and we're on our way
Before the rising sun
We fly
So many roads to choose
We start out walking and learn to run
And yes we've only just begun
Sharing horizons that are new to us
Watching the signs along the way
Talking it over just the two of us
Working together day to day
Together
And when the evening comes
We smile
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow
And yes we just begun
To live
We only just begun
To live

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: To all those broken hearts

Is Bersih 2.0 for the broken-hearted Malaysians? I guess it is for when we are in love - of someone, of some things, of our nation, of our comrades, of our neighbours, of all living things - we care for them. And when we care for them, we always to give the best they deserve. It hurts when we see them being treated otherwise.

Bersih 2.0 is the best shot we could give to our failing electoral and judicial systems. If our DYMM Agung has taken his precious time to calm his Rakyat with his timely edict, I am sure he too has the time to listen to what we feel deep down in our broken heart, in whatever ways possible.

For me, Bersih 2.0 is an emotional rite of passage for a democratic Malaysia. It is a kind of emotional comfort that we have done the best we can NOW for a better Malaysia for our generations to come.

So, I call upon all broken-hearted Malaysians to show your humble solidarity this Saturday. It is time to let your hearts do the talking for God has created humans perfectly that we could sense what others are feeling.

The best anti-dote for a broken heart is to love more, instead of breaking more hearts. So, let's spread love this Saturday!

Fastball's Out of my Head

Was I out of my head? Was I out of my mind?
How could I have ever been so blind?
I was waiting for an indication
It was hard to find
Don't matter what I say only what I do
I never mean to do bad things to you
So quiet but I finally woke up
If you're sad then its time you spoke up too

John Mayer's Heartbeark Warfare

If you want more love,
why don't you say so?
If you want more love,
why don't you say so?

Rob Thomas' This is How a Heart Breaks

This is it now
Everybody get down
This is all I can take
This is how a heart breaks
You take a hit now you feel it break down
Make you stay wide awake
This is how a heart breaks

p.s. to those Muslims, don't forget to do solat hajat and solat taubat before Bersih 2.0.

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: These Boots Are Made For Walking

You keep saying you've got something for me.
something you call love, but confess.
You've been messin' where you shouldn't have been a messin'
and now someone else is gettin' all your best.

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

You keep lying, when you oughta be truthin'
and you keep losin' when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin' when you oughta be changin'.
Now what's right is right, but you ain't been right yet.

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin
and you keep thinkin' that you;ll never get burnt.
Ha!
I just found me a brand new box of matches yeah
and what he know you ain't HAD time to learn.

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

Are you ready boots? Start walkin'!

Judge Wenger Khairy, what the H**ll happened to your YB KJ?

Flip-flopping like his FIL?

Or has he been 'belasah' by his peeps now he attacked Madam Ambiga?

What a sexist, racist bigot he is!

And to Ib-what Ali and Panglima Perang Cyber, you threaten my Chinese brothers and sisters, you threaten me (Leigh Ann Touhy, The Blind Side).

Weekend's Cheer

These days, I will click “Showbiz” first whenever I surf TMI. Yes, it’s better to read about what’s happening in Hollywood, first thing first, than reading our Bolehwood news.

Wednesday came with a bang. It was Cheer Up Keanu [Reeves] Day and The Guardian came up with an article about his new book, “Ode to Happiness” (Keanu is melancholically hot!). Ever lovely and talented Natalie Portman had a baby boy (I must watch “Black Swan”) while Uncle Heff was dumped by his 60-year-old-younger fiancée 5 days before their supposedly big day (and he’s cool about it).

Ingatkan panas sampai ke petang, rupanya hujan di tengahari (I thought it would be sunny till the end but it rained in the afternoon).

As support for Bersih 2.0 gains momentum, so does the opposition from people of all walks like Deputy What-IGP, Muh-what Yassin, Ib-what Ali, Ah-what-Maslan and Yadim’s YDP. And suddenly, YB KJ wants to call for a gathering for UMNO Youth on the same day ‘to strengthen the democratic system’ (whatever is that supposed to mean, YB!). Thank y’all for unintended publicities in BeNd MSM. Sure heboh!

Not that I have nothing to do (women never run short of things to do, guys!) but I want to make Bersih 2.0 a success. So, for coming weeks to Bersih 2.0, I will write on some info on successful protests, the do’s and don’t’s, suggestions to ‘calm down’ our Men in Blue (Tita Cory and inspiring ‘kaum wanita’ in Tahrir Square , thanks for some heads up!), etc.

In the meantime, let me share with you this weekend’s cheer. It’s about a successful rescue of 3.5 m- whale stranded on the beach of Mabul Island, in Semporna’s water. The whale could be dead – just like the one stranded in 2006 – but thanks to urgent and concerted efforts from public community, resort staff and tourists, it resurfaced twice, as if giving out signs to its heroes that it is thankful and glad to be back to where it really belongs, before disappearing.

What a perfect antidote to Anti-Bersih 2.0 and another great weekend. Happy weekend y’all!

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear” ~ Ambrose Redmoon

p.s. I'm delighted to know that Bindi Irwin stars in Free Willy : Escape from Pirate's Cove. You go Girl!

Your Women

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater.

If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit'

:D

I received this quote in my Mailbox this morning. Thanks to Mr QS.

Morals of this quote are: -

1. Who needs those transformation plans when you have us, women (yes, if we have more women in decision-making positions, perhaps we don't have to spend RM1.8 M on FA page, or RM60+++ M for ETP ;) )?

2. Who says women are high-maintenance beings? If we are ever one, maybe it's all because of you having no more interest in us.

3. So, Men, treat your Women right. Or someone else will?

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: Fields of Gold

"Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in the fields of gold"

"I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in the fields of gold"

p.s. Will you walk with me in the fields of golden-hued Malaysians on 9 July 2011?

p.s. Thanks to Monsieur Art Harun for introducing the great dame of Irish singers, Mary Black to me - an ardent fan of celtic art scene. I find Mary Black's rendition of Sting's Fields of Gold as hair-raising experience. Hope you'll feel the energy.

In Your Death Do Us Fight

Morning brings the best spiritual side of me. In the blackest, quietest dawn, my mind wanders ‘far and wide’, sending out prayers to those I loved, those meaningful to those I loved, and those strangers I come across in our many bizarre headlines – in life and in death. Those moments reinforce my belief that I live this day and the rest of my life for a purpose greater than my own interest. These people are my pillar of strengths in my tumultuous life.

This morning, I made a mental note to search for the names of the 3 youths, who were shot dead by our Men in Blue in November last year as they are amongst those departeds whom I extend “Al-Fatihah” on daily basis. This afternoon, it’s a search made easy as I read this with great sorrow what their post-mortem results tell. Two of these youths - Adik Muhammad Hanafi Omar, 22, Adik Muhammad Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, 15, and Adik Hairul Nizam Tuah, 20 - were shot, based on the angle of the wounds, while kneeling in front of the perpetrators, our Men in Blue.

Please tell me if we have the heart to say that they deserved to die under such brutal circumstances? Friends of foes, no one deserves to be ‘mauled’ senselessly.

Three days ago, hundreds of Egyptians celebrated the first anniversary of Khaled Said’s death. His death sparked the monumental Egypt Uprising - thanks to educated and liberated Egyptian Youths like Wael Ghonim, who have had enough of Hosni Mubarak’s brutish antics and kept the spirit of People Power high till the overthrown of the dictator on 11 February 2011 – which has now spread like a wild fire across the Middle East, once known throughout its history as the epicenter of world affairs. While they are still grappling with the aftershock of the uprising, In his death, Khaled Said has liberated his fellow Egyptians.

Have the torturous deaths of Adik Kugan, Adik Teoh Beng Hock, Adik Amirul and Encik Sarbani at the hands of our Men in Blue and their likes set us free?

Perhaps, their ends should be our beginnings. Perhaps, in their deaths should us all fight. So, one day, there will be no more government which would trample humanity at its mercy.

Let me leave you with this quote from Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, in case you feel that we should not be seriously alarmed of what’s happening around us: -

“Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free”

Searching for the Real Good Men

Michelle Obama confesses, “Marriage is hard” and I was advised a few months ago to seriously consider getting married if I want to climb up the corporate ladder. Blimey!

Not too long ago, I was thinking that I should ‘hire’ a husband because in most corporations, married women enjoy various benefits, especially medical coverage for their spouses and children. Since I am single, shouldn’t I too enjoy such coverage for my parents, for instance?

But lately, I was told, married women too suffer in their corporate climb. In some conglomerates, women who went on maternity leave will have their performance rating downgraded by one notch. In some other companies, mothers are not entitled for a bonus for the financial year they went on the maternity leave. I wonder why we must penalize mothers for giving birth to our bundle of joy.

While writing this, I wonder if our social activist, Fahmi Fadzil, deserves to be penalized in such a manner (that is to make public apology over Twitter for 100 times a day for 3 days) because the corporate world out there is indeed so cruel!

It is not marriage or being a mother that is hard, being women is hard in this modern world. With the rise of baby girls being born for the last few decades, boys are regarded as heaven-sent to most parents. As a result, most boys grow up into irresponsible men.

So, what do I mean that we have more irresponsible men.

Irresponsible men are emotionally handicapped. They grow up, expecting to have their material needs fulfilled and their messes to be cleared by others. They are so self-centred, they forget about the sacrifices made by their parents. They feel it is acceptable not to give a monetary token to their parents on monthly basis. The world revolves around them, without no care at all about their family member. The saddest part of this sexist upbringing is the rise in divorce rate and marital abuses. More and more youths run away from their broken homes while more and more old folks living in poverty while others are being abandoned in old folk establishments, under the care of strangers. By and by, social ills become permanent stumbling blocks, inflicting the young ones right up to our golden-aged folks.

Irresponsible men lack drive to excel. It shows in the declining number of boys getting into tertiary education system. This further proliferates into a strong force of women entering both our public and private sectors. Still, in the name of survival of purely egoism, women hardly make half of total workforce and mostly earn lesser than their male counterparts. No wonder our nation has fallen from its previous ranking of 72 to 98 in 2010 Global Gender Report, produced by World Economic Forum.

Irresponsible men think life is that simple - Just take care of their own needs and everything will be alright. It is never a case. Life is a wheel. What goes around comes around. I stand on these words that men, no matter who they are, should learn to be good sons before turning into good workers, husbands, fathers and leaders.

Only then, this nation will be a good one for everyone.

So, will the real good men please stand up?

p.s. A survey done on Fortune 500 companies shows that those with the highest representation of women on their top management team have better financial performances. In Malaysia, women only make up around 14% of decision-making positions and with this representation, instead of standing up for other women under them, these female decision makers will try to outdo their male counterparts by often showing others that their harshness signifies power. For a nation to truly push itself into a greater height, it is imperative for it to foster greater understanding and respect towards each gender.

YES!

Nah, I am not trying to promote YTL’s YES but here I am dying to introduce you to my spanking hot knowledge magnet – YES magazine.

With its tagline, “Powerful ideas, Practical Actions”, it carries articles on pertinent segments of life – peace and justice, planet, new economy, people power and happiness.

My favourite segment is New Economy (in fact, I was directed to this website upon searching for Madam Elinor Ostrom). Having read them all while listening to what our government announced under their whatever-Ps (ETP, GTP, EPP, IPP, etc.) just make me resolute that there is no other way to a better life than to change this government.

I thought I was underrating my expectations by going simple and resourceful but under the topic of Beyond Money, you’d see money isn’t everything. Under Cooperatives, YES shows that sharing is indeed caring and never at all burdening. While we all know money doesn’t grow on trees, Global Trade Justice tells us the real stories behind our myriad of crises and all. Go Local is simply breathtaking because it teaches how we can create and manage our own economy, instead of relying to global market. They say you should measure a man by his bank account and they forget to ask whether the credit balance derives from legal or illegitimate sources. In Measuring Real Wealth, you get to know what makes a man is hardly what he has in his pocket but what goodness he has in him for others. Social investment makes my heart glow because it stresses the importance of moral and social contributions in life. Work encompasses on matters that matter to create a conducive working environment.

This is a must-read site!

Perhaps, someone should direct Idris Jala and his team to this site. It will save us from all those monstrous economic 'reforms'.

Dia, Kau Dan Aku

Like Capt Iskandar Dzulkarnain, A Bumi speaks my mind succinctly. I said so because I, like a selected fews, spent my formative years around non-Malays and worked with non-Malays (to their astonishment that a Malay could be as competitive as they are). I have seen enough but instead of trying to get even with them and trying to be one of them, I vow that I should never manipulate another human being to my advantage. I vow that a person next to me is a human being so I must treat them with dignity. I vow that me being a Muslim would not make me an enemy to a believer of another religion because I believe all religions in the world advocate for the best interest of humanity.

I was scared of tormenting the real facts that we are who we are because of which race and religion we belong to. It IS a matter of survival and to survive, most of us adopt ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions’ attitude. As a result, here we are, divided more than ever because we know too well of our Achilles Heels. If you go through the History of our Ibu Pertiwi, you would see clearly the tactics employed, not to survive, but more of to thrive, at the expense of sweats, blood and tears of others. More than 600 years later, here we are, living “Dia, Kau and Aku” adage. We are comrades on certain issues and we are each other’s antagonists on the other issues.Without us realising, we are also at faults playing the dirty games – the ones played by our real enemy, BeNd and its allies.

Thank you A Bumi for yourlist. If there is one person I could hate now, it would be me – the woman in the mirror – for I didn’t change for us to live in harmony all these years.

“Shifts (of angels) take turns, staying with each one of you - they are in front of you and behind you. They stay with you, and guard you in accordance with GOD's commands. Thus, GOD does not change the condition of any people unless they themselves make the decision to change. If GOD wills any hardship for any people, no force can stop it. For they have none beside Him as Lord and Master” – Al-Ra’ad (The Thunder, Verse 13, Ayah 11).

Why I work and stay overseas — A Bumi

I am a Malay working overseas. I find working in Malaysia unattractive due to the following reasons. I don’t want to belabour the points, so I list them down in point form:

Chinese chauvinism/racism

• Most private organisations including TMI are dominated by the Chinese and/or their political agenda.

• Chinese people have a tendency to assign negative stereotypes on other races (especially the Bumiputera races).

• They exhibit cliquish, insular, secretive and calculating behaviour.

• Chinese people favour fair-skinned people even though fair skin is disadvantageous in Malaysia’s sunny climate.

• They admire China’s achievements, despite China’s oppressive regime.

• Malaysian Chinese use the Chinese languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien etc.) to isolate their discussion from others while in their presence.

• The Chinese are not honest about failures of ethnic Chinese leaderships in Philippines and Thailand.

• Tokenism is rife in Chinese companies.

• Chinese will use changing criteria to judge people of other ethnicities; one day it is academic merit, another day it may be “character.”

• The Chinese favour their own kind over others, even when other kinds are of equal stature.
• Malays fear to voice out against Chinese for fear of repercussions especially with respect to their employment prospects in the private sector.

• The Chinese still hold strongly to their ethnic heritage.

• They diminish the achievement of other races, especially the Malays.

• Harp on Bumiputera affirmative action even though Chinese people still continue to succeed at all levels of Malaysian life (even government).

• Any Malay who has strong academic background is denounced as attaining it due to “Bumiputera privilege”, even though he graduated overseas with his own money.

• Use their overseas Chinese connection to gain unfair advantage, but pretend the advantage is minimal.

• The Chinese always make unfair comparisons of Malaysia with other non-Muslim, post-industrial countries.

• Chinese people don’t recognise the special position Islam has in Malaysia.

• Enjoy talking bad about Malaysia (even when working/living overseas) as if Malaysia is on the same level as Zimbabwe even though Malaysia is far from it.

• Highly critical of institutions that are Bumiputera-dominated (ie. government), but non-critical of institutions that are Chinese dominant (like gambling).

• Show no desire to partake in patriotic activities (e.g. serve in army), but cry foul when other people point out their lack of patriotism.

• Show lack of understanding about Islamic religion, but enjoy taking Quranic verses out of context to further their argument.

• If pushed to think “outside the box”, the Chinese would favour Western ideals above Islamic ideals.

• The Chinese show lack of respect toward Malay leaders, but accord unnecessary respect to their Chinese community leaders, even though they hold no significant position in government.
• Always speak about “brain drain” but still keep Malaysian passports.

• Willing to spread disingenuous claim that Bumis have already achieved economic parity with the Chinese.

• Use Indians who have achieved to further their claim that Indian community is ahead of the Malay community.

• Comments in support of Chinese chauvinistic agenda are allowed to be posted in TMI, while others are censored.

• I can go on and on with more example, but I grow tired and annoyed.

PAS religionism

• Holds only their interpretation of Islam to be the truth.

• Willing to associate themselves with and be used by non-Muslims while creating enmity toward other Muslims.

• Use religion as a political tool to win arguments and foment discord.

• Ritualistic mentality.

• Have a simplistic idea/concept of the world and its affairs.

Umno nationalism

• Partake in bully politics.

• Enjoy seeing minor issues such as sexual improprieties take over the national discourse.

• Willing to give in to fervent Malay nationalism.

• Must “ampu” within Umno hierarchical structure to get to higher positions.

• Anti-intellectualism.

• Unwillingness to adapt and change to satisfy changing political climate.

Indian shiftiness

• Willing to change their allegiance due to changing political tide.

• Belief that Indian subcontinent will help them, like mainland China helps Malaysian Chinese.

• Dishonest about their caste and other internal problems.

Malaysian culture as a whole

• No proper understanding of logic and reason.

• Has not understood to segregate religious thinking from secular reasoning.

• Lost sensitivities towards other religions/races.

• Still admire Western culture, without studying their obvious weaknesses.

• Always sidetracked by minor issues rather than seeing bigger picture.

• Media not mature to show all sides of the story, media is all very partisan.

• Partisanship is being promoted at all levels from the family microcosm to the national level.

* A Bumi who chooses not to provide his identity, and who has worked in a China-man company as a token executive.

Caged Morality

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Gandhi

Early this month, The Star reported on beastly conditions of our animal enclosures. This is definitely not the first report on inhumane treatments to animals and deplorable states of our animal enclosures as such plights have been highlighted by many parties for so many years. If I could point a finger or two on this on-going animal cruelty, I would point it to our government. You may say why we should make fuss about animals when we still have people living in dire straits in Klang Valley. It does matter because once we have the hearts (or the stomachs) to inflict such sufferings to animals, we will do that to other people. And for me, that is where we have been very wrong so far and thus, explains why we are burdened with our current corrupted, power-bloated government, as we are being treated like animals, reducing ourselves to mere commodities.

Being an overtly sensitive person, I am hurt whenone asked if I keep my cats in the cage at home, whenever I told them that I have 3+2 (mine plus my sis’) cats. While my sister feels that if I love my cats I should cage them so they won’t run away, I always believe that my cats deserve their independence, to roam the land and socialize along the way (yes, without much worries, I have neutered and spayed them). I could take these cats away from the alleys, but I could never take the cat out of them!

What if I were to put myself in my cats’ paws, would I be jolly happy, thinking my loved one cares for me so much I am now languishing behind bars? Well, lest, I am just like Syed Hamid Albar, my orang kampong, who detained Ms Tan Hoon Cheng under ISA for her safety reasons back in September 2008.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “For what avail the plough or sail, Or land or life, if freedom fail?” So, what is the purpose of having everything according to our heart’s desires at the expense of others’ liberty? So, if I may put my curiosity to you, why do we have this penchant to cage and chastise? Do we do so because we are concerned for their safety or is it more of us not wanting to allow freedom takes place as we tend to associate freedom with troublesome?

Such cruelty to animals reflect our insensitivity to our surrounding.

We are willing to pay to see animals in agony, as we thronged our animal enclosures during school holidays to show our children the beauty of nature while they see the harsh reality of being animals.

We are willing to threaten a lawyer (in the case of Cik Fadiah Nadwa Fikri who was threatened by our Men in Blue when she requested to talk to her Anak Guam in private) from carrying her duties. Based on my brother’s personal experience, this is definitely one of our Men in Blue’s trick to cut short their investigation, as herAnak Guam, out of desperation, would admit guilty. These Men in Blue would rather put people behind bars, without prima facie. They caged their morality in return for their livelihood.

We are willing to see people, for generations to come,dying from exposure to toxic effluents. Last weekend, 4 DAP members were detained by these Men in Blue again, during an Anti-Lynas protest. Yes, they were being held because they protested for the safety of the local people, who would suffer as much as Bukit Merah’s folks, if Lynas comes to Gebeng. Our government is more than willing to cage their morality so that our FDI improves.

But the worst of all is that we are willing to continue voting BeNd, which is now busy cashing in their ‘Fixed Deposits’ to finance their campaign for the next GE (cutting vital subsidies) without any care at all for detrimental socio-economic impacts to many of us.

Perhaps, our ego is too hard to be massaged or our heart is already dead.

Perhaps, we never realized that the door to liberty is unlocked, ready for us to open and make better changes to our Ibu Pertiwi.

My Case of Brain Drain

Thanks to World Bank’s report on Malaysia’s alarming brain drain – I think I too suffer from a brain drain.

Last year, I saw exodus of my buddies to OECD. They left our Ibu Pertiwi because they know they are destined to live a larger life, than surrendering themselves to our pariah-state socio-politics. They know their life and those of their next generations will remain meaningless even if their races are being represented in our August House for as long as we continue to elect the racist and sexist smart alecks. As much as they want to, I wonder if they see our Ibu Pertiwi and its people are those of beyond repair, that any of their helps to bring positive changes won’t be good enough.

Their exodus to greener, freer and wiser land makes me numb. I lost my appetite in digesting matters shared on our Blogosphere because with their departure, I have not been able to sniff anintellectual discourse, a rational justification and a thoughtful reflection on any given matters.

Blogs have been a den for rumour mongers, whom have lost, their sanity, humanity or ‘kejantanan’, for they hit below the belt most of the time. My buddy once told me that we should not hit one when one is down. During this intense mud-slinging moment, I sorely miss my buddy.

Bloggers are like congregation of EPL club fans on Saturday night, who would cheer up their club, jeer down their opponent and close their eyes to biased referee treatments. Another buddy said that what maketh a man is his manners and never is his popularity. During this maddening prelude to GE, I yearn for my buddy’s wisdom.

As much as our Ibu Pertiwi is losing from their exodus, my case of brain drain clearly show that what maketh a nation is not how many people it has (or how many BeNd supporters do they have) but how many people it has to maketh it a nation.

For the last 6 months, I find myself sitting at one particular Pizza Hut Restaurant, at least once a month. Over steaming hot pasta and extra cheesy pizza he personally delivered, I steal a look or two at the Manager (if you really know me, I am rather infamous for walking around blindly with my eyes wide open – Yes, I don’t fancy making eye contacts unless I’m in a conversation or a meeting) – one whom I complained to too many a time before for black-hued prawn fritters and running roaches over their tables (I wonder if he finds my complaints amusing to him as he just gets friendlier). While I douse my thirst and hunger over the meal, I too douse my missing for my buddy (he’s a mirror image).

Looking at the Manager, I cannot help but realized that by us continuing to drive away valuable human capital and human beings, like my 2 buddies, our nation will end up like a Pizza Hut – cooking steaming, cheesy meals but of no real values, fresh ideas and authentic identity.

p.s. I laughed till I cried reading Talent Corp’s CEO saying this to the Little Red Dot's media, “Ultimately, what gets implemented are the policies of the prime minister and the government”, in his plea to professional Malaysians overseas to ignore race rhetoric and come back to serve the country. Isn’t PM = UMNO = PERKASA? I want to convince myself that our Talent Corp is running some Talent Time Shows, with contestants the likes of Sarah Palin (she surely doesn’t know about so many things before and after running for VP).

p.p.s.Most fast foods serve our guilty pleasure foods. The growing fad of fast-fooding reflects our ‘Fast-Food’ approach to life.

p.p.p.s. I believe in foods cooked in our own kitchen, with tender, loving thoughts and care. It takes a lot of efforts but we’re worth it.

Utusan _____(sia)sia

As I bent over, lining my dustbin with UtusanMalay(sia)sia last weekend, I saw “Blog BigDog”. Wow! Those words immediately gave me a model-like upright posture. How could this blogger, who is famous for his foul words and scanty photos all over his ‘dog house’, got his name entombed on this good-for-nothing daily? Damn it! I need to read the headline!

What! Shit! (shamelessly countlessly uttered). Phew, I was glad I had finished cooking for the day or if not, with those shits I bet those dishes would turn bad instantly.

What an ironic that a Malay ultra-UMNO guy, who calls himself Big Dog in his blog, divulged to that good-for-nothing daily that our Malaysian Christians are ‘conspiring’ to fight for Christian be made the official religion to our nation and that a Non-Muslim could be appointed as the Prime Minister. If I am a true Malaysian Malay Muslim, like he professes to be, I would have, not just second thought, many thoughts in fact, before believing his absurd allegations when he called himself “Big Dog” when dogs are amongst those ‘panic buttons’ to many ultra-Malay Muslims.

I am not questioning his nom de plume. I am questioning how a good-for-nothing national daily could rely on one Malay Muslim Blogger called Big Dog for such ‘all hell broke loose’ headline.

Heck! I later found out that my shitty worries are unfounded for my parents, who read Utusan _____(sia)sia, think they should not listen to someone called Big Dog to talk about ‘menegakkandanmemartabatkan agama Islam’. With another episode of shooting their feet off by Utusan _____(sia)sia, I wonder if you out there are still not convinced enough that it is such an urgent NEED to get rid of B(e)N(d) and its allies. When Pakatan Rakyat is pushing for Freedom of Information (“FOI”), B(e)N(d) and Utusan _____(sia)sia are pushing for Freedom of Lies.

I remember those evenings I spent on Ayah’s laps learning to read from once-credible Utusan Malaysia when I was still a naïve and sweet little girl. As I turned into a vile and riled old woman, it too has changed into a meaningless Utusan _____(sia)sia.

Here’s Muse’s “Uprising” for you to get energised and kick some butts and buts.

p.s. If I ever be a mother, I want my child to grow up learning about his people and nation from our local newspaper. It is high time Pakatan Rakyat comes out with its own daily to feed the mind, the heart and the soul of Malaysians.

p.p.s. A few of my buddies complained that they could not accept Pakatan Rakyat’s leaders giving talks and interviews overseas on our government’s misdeeds. I hope they’d realise by now that telling the truths should be considered courageous and admirable compared to spreading lies after lies just to stay in power. May we be reminded that having power isn’t about being powerful but having the power to carry out the responsibilities entrusted in our hands.

Election Mood: Who Do You Think You Are?

"I know I can't take one more step towards you
Cause all that's waiting is regret
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore?
You lost the love
I loved the most

Who do you think you are?

Runnin' round leaving scars

Collecting your jar of hearts

And tearing love apart

You're gonna catch a cold

From the ice inside your soul

So don't come back for me

Who do you think you are?"

~ Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts"

"I know I can't take one more step towards you
Cause all that's waiting is regret
And don't you know I will never vote for you anymore?
You lost the love
I loved the most

Who do you think you are?

Running around telling lies

Collecting your jar of votes

And tearing us part

You're gonna make a lot of dole

From the vice inside your soul

So don't come for me

Who do you think you are?"

~ Fi-sha

Going into Election Mood: Revisiting Thoreau's Civil Disobedience

Civil Disobedience (Resistance to Civil Government) is an essay by Henry David Thoreau that was first published in 1849. It argues that people should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences, and that people have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice.

Resistance also served as part of Thoreau's metaphor comparing the government to a machine: when the machine was producing injustice, it was the duty of conscientious citizens to be "a counter friction" (i.e., a resistance) "to stop the machine".

The word civil has several definitions. The one that is intended in this case is "relating to citizens and their interrelations with one another or with the state", and so civil disobedience means "disobedience to the state.

Thoreau asserts that because governments are typically more harmful than helpful, they therefore cannot be justified. Democracy is no cure for this, as majorities simply by virtue of being majorities do not also gain the virtues of wisdom and justice. The judgment of an individual's conscience is not necessarily inferior to the decisions of a political body or majority, and so "[i]t is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right... Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice.

"That government is best which governs least" ~ Henry David Thoreau

What's Your Price Tag, People?

Fill your Ka'ching Ka'ching yet always kena 'kencing' [tipu]

Wear your Bling Bling yet always pening

Forget your price tag, low blows and videos hos

It's HIGH time to UNITE!

p.s.s. Please extend your monetary goodwill for a better future of our children here.