Posts Tagged ‘Politicians’

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You want to be Indian or Muslim?

December 28th, 2009
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Hey, don’t look at me! That’s what ex-PM Mahathir said to the Indian Muslims at their function (dinner organised by the association of Muslim Kadayanallur in Penang). Yup, he was their invited guest, and I think they are regretting that now! 🙂

To a claim that the Indian Muslims in the country have been neglected, Mahathir said they should choose to either become a Muslim or an Indian.

“The country is very liberal and I think they (Indian Muslims) will be accepted by all if they can pick either to become a Muslim or Indian,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Mahathir said there was no difference between the various races as everyone is a Malaysian.

“The federal constitution also defines a Muslim very clearly. If they want to become a Muslim then just follow the constitution,” he added.

The former premier said if Indian Muslims in the country still call themselves as such, others might think that they still have links to their country of origin.

“The problem of Indian Muslims will be resolved if they can decide and choose to become either a Muslim or an Indian,” he added.

Maybe he’s confused (well, he is 84 after all) between race and religion. Obviously these folks are Muslims (and maybe even better ones than some of the majority race Muslims), so people would be confused with his call. Would JAKIM or the police investigate him for maybe trying to mislead the ummah or something? I don’t know much but I think that a crime has been committed here under some law for saying Indian Muslims are not Muslims. The federal constitution (Article 160, I think) defines a Malay, not a Muslim.

Maybe he just saying drop either Indian or Muslim from their association so that things are clearer for this community. So, the option is to assimilate, rather than integrate. The rational (and beneficial) choice would be to opt for Muslim (and also Malay).

He also asked Chinese and Indians to call themselves Malaysians instead of Chinese or Indians. Says that the Indonesians and Thais do the same. Yup, but they still end up killing each other at the slightest problems, so its just rhetoric.

So, the Indian Muslims need to choose now. What would be? Indian, Muslim or some choice words for our ex-PM?

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Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian

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What color are you?

December 28th, 2009
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MIC has color coded us! There’s green, yellow, red and white. So, pick your choice folks!

He also said that the Indian voters would be classified under four colours, namely green (which would group the BN’s “fixed deposit” Indian voters), yellow (for those who would likely abandon the BN if poorly managed), red (for party members and people whom the MIC has lost and has to win back) and white (which would group potential members and voters).

“Through this classification, we will be able to plan our strategies and focus on each group in a bid to win them over for the BN,” he added.

He (Samy) was speaking at a function on the list of “re”s to do.  He did admit something this time – that the party had taken for granted that the community would support them.

MIC president S Samy Vellu has urged party leaders to “reconnect” with the Indian masses who had been the “vote bank” of the Barisan Nasional since the party’s formation in 1946.

He said this was because in the March 2008 general election, they had taken for granted the support from the Indian masses who had been traditionally voting for the BN and ensuring a huge victory for the ruling coalition.

“Our task has been to win them back. This has been our priority. We have made a lot of progress over the last 18 months or so, and we must keep moving and not look back,” he said when opening a workshop on ‘Reinventing and Reconnecting’ for MIC leaders.

He stressed that it was the duty of every party leader, “right from the president to the branch chairmen”, to maintain a close and cordial relationship with the Indian masses without compromising on their effectiveness to deliver.

“The Indian community has placed their hope on us to deliver and we must work hard to regain their trust,” he said.

Samy Vellu said the party could not afford to have “complacent leaders” who did not take seriously their role and responsibilities to the party and community.

“I have noticed that there is now a political reawakening among many party (MIC) leaders. They feel the need to reshape their mind and responsibilities to better serve the community,” he said.

Samy Vellu attributed this to the series of workshops and rejuvenation efforts undertaken by the party and the “hard stance” taken on many issues involving the Indian community.

I would like to see a refined KPI for MIC. They presented a general one, with another added by PM Najib. The party is putting up KPI for branch leaders, but what about the party as a whole? It would be interesting to see how that turns out.

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best Christmas gift for Christians in Malaysia

December 24th, 2009
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This is the same minister who sent a memorandum together with nine others to ex-PM Badawi in 2006 about the issue of  conversions and conflict between civil/syariah court.

Asked if he still stood by the memorandum, he said: “To my mind, the memorandum was not at all provocative. As a matter of principle, I stand by it.”

– The Sun.

I’m not sure what this guy is trying to say now. That’s politics for you.

The people, regardless of race and belief, can be assured that their interests will always be the concern of the government, says Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the sensitivities of certain quarters would always be looked into and there was always the possibility of the people’s requests being fulfilled in line with the 1Malaysia concept.

“Many people find it hard to believe that freedom of religion works in Malaysia.

“Non-Muslim religious bodies in this country should never feel that their interests are given little attention by the government,” he said at the Penampang district-level Christmas celebration, near here, last night.

Dompok, who is also Penampang member of parliament, said the government had proven that it cared for all races and religions, especially in the recent cabinet’s approval of allowing Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination students to take two additional subjects of their choice next year.

This, he said, allowed the students to continue to improve their mother tongue if they chose an elective language subject, or to practise religious teachings, if they chose an elective religious subject.

“Many Christian organisations were elated with the announcement, even though it would not be accounted for in the overall examination result.

“But allowing Christian students to have the freedom to take up Bible Studies as an elective subject in a national examination is proof that the government understands the concerns of the Christians.

“This is the best Christmas gift for Christians in Malaysia this year,” he said. — Bernama.

I suppose the sane Malaysian will ask why this problem occurred in the first place, thus creating the need for the gift. But hey, who wants sane persons? 🙂

Enjoy your gift folks!

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Posted in BornInMalaysia, Religion

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incomplete Fabulous Food 1Malaysia

December 24th, 2009
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The discontent is there. Some people are asking why the Tourism Ministry’s Fabulous Food 1Malaysia website doesn’t have Indian food in it. If you visit http://www.fabfood1malaysia.com, you’ll find Nasi Lemak, Laksa, and Bak Kut Teh (cunningly renamed as Meat Bone Tea). As it is, the ministry is in hot soup over the “halal” bak kut teh term, as the Islamic scholars say it may lead the Muslims astray.

The minister, Ng Yen Yen had mentioned previously that more items would be added into the list. So, maybe there’s still hope for thosai, capati, idli, putu mayam, vadai, kesari,  etc to be added. And how in the world can “roti canai” be left out? That’s like heresy!

Food is supposed to unite people, but not necessarily the case in our country, due to various religion and culture.

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low ranking staff involved in military theft

December 23rd, 2009
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The Defence Minister said this:

He said investigations had so far revealed that low-ranking officers were involved in the crime.

“Those directly involved in the case were enlisted men with the rank of sergeant and below.

“So far, no high-ranking officers have been implicated but should any be found to be involved, action will be taken,” he told reporters after launching buses of the National Service Training Department at Wangsa Maju here yesterday.

I don’t really agree with the idea of low ranking staff being involved. This would be the audit team did not do its work properly, there’s no proper measures to check inventories, etc. Definitely someone should be in charge of all this procedures.

He also clarified on the cost of the engines:

Dr Ahmad Zahid also confirmed that two engines were stolen, with each costing RM50mil if they were new.

“But since they are not new, the value has depreciated,” he said.

It was pointed out that the plane may cost less than the engine itself if it was indeed RM50 million. Not sure how true that is.

And then, he focused on bloggers:

“I do not want bloggers to try to distort any facts with all sorts of speculation and analysis on the matter.

I think he should first ask the media to report properly. He should also ensure the official statements are accurate and detailed. Who mentioned the engine costs RM50 million? Was it bloggers? Who said brigadier general and 40 others were sacked? Bloggers too?

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