Friday, September 29, 2006

 

Quotable Quote

So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men: Voltaire. François Marie Arouet (1694-1778)

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

 

Rise Up Against the Empire

Rise Up Against the Empire

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article15041.htm

Rise Up Against the Empire

President Hugo Chavez, Address to the United Nations

See also - Press Conference: Mr. Hugo Chavez Frias, President of
Venezuela: Video: United Nations Press Conference

09/19/06 "Information Clearing House" -- --

Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all
of you. First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully,
to those who have not read this book, to read it.

Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious American and world
intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, and this is one of his most recent books,
'Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States.
'" [Holds up book, waves it in front of General Assembly.] "It's an
excellent book to help us understand what has been happening in the
world throughout the 20th century, and what's happening now, and the
greatest threat looming over our planet.

The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk
the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about
this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the
world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our
heads. I had considered reading from this book, but, for the sake of
time," [flips through the pages, which are numerous] "I will just
leave it as a recommendation.

It reads easily, it is a very good book, I'm sure Madame [President]
you are familiar with it. It appears in English, in Russian, in
Arabic, in German. I think that the first people who should read this
book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their
threat is right in their own house.

The devil is right at home. The devil, the devil himself, is right in
the house.

"And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here.
Right here." [crosses himself] "And it smells of sulfur still today.

Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of
the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came
here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world.

I think we could call a psychiatrist to analyze yesterday's statement
made by the president of the United States. As the spokesman of
imperialism, he came to share his nostrums, to try to preserve the
current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples
of the world.

An Alfred Hitchcock movie could use it as a scenario. I would even
propose a title: "The Devil's Recipe."

As Chomsky says here, clearly and in depth, the American empire is
doing all it can to consolidate its system of domination. And we
cannot allow them to do that. We cannot allow world dictatorship to be
consolidated.

The world parent's statement -- cynical, hypocritical, full of this
imperial hypocrisy from the need they have to control everything.

They say they want to impose a democratic model. But that's their
democratic model. It's the false democracy of elites, and, I would
say, a very original democracy that's imposed by weapons and bombs and
firing weapons.

What a strange democracy. Aristotle might not recognize it or others
who are at the root of democracy.

What type of democracy do you impose with marines and bombs?

The president of the United States, yesterday, said to us, right here,
in this room, and I'm quoting, "Anywhere you look, you hear extremists
telling you can escape from poverty and recover your dignity through
violence, terror and martyrdom."

Wherever he looks, he sees extremists. And you, my brother -- he looks
at your color, and he says, oh, there's an extremist. Evo Morales, the
worthy president of Bolivia, looks like an extremist to him.

The imperialists see extremists everywhere. It's not that we are
extremists. It's that the world is waking up. It's waking up all over.
And people are standing up.

I have the feeling, dear world dictator, that you are going to live
the rest of your days as a nightmare because the rest of us are
standing up, all those who are rising up against American imperialism,
who are shouting for equality, for respect, for the sovereignty of
nations.

Yes, you can call us extremists, but we are rising up against the
empire, against the model of domination.

The president then -- and this he said himself, he said: "I have come
to speak directly to the populations in the Middle East, to tell them
that my country wants peace."

That's true. If we walk in the streets of the Bronx, if we walk around
New York, Washington, San Diego, in any city, San Antonio, San
Francisco, and we ask individuals, the citizens of the United States,
what does this country want? Does it want peace? They'll say yes.

But the government doesn't want peace. The government of the United
States doesn't want peace. It wants to exploit its system of
exploitation, of pillage, of hegemony through war.

It wants peace. But what's happening in Iraq? What happened in
Lebanon? In Palestine? What's happening? What's happened over the last
100 years in Latin America and in the world? And now threatening
Venezuela -- new threats against Venezuela, against Iran?

He spoke to the people of Lebanon. Many of you, he said, have seen how
your homes and communities were caught in the crossfire. How cynical
can you get? What a capacity to lie shamefacedly. The bombs in Beirut
with millimetric precision?

This is crossfire? He's thinking of a western, when people would shoot
from the hip and somebody would be caught in the crossfire.

This is imperialist, fascist, assassin, genocidal, the empire and
Israel firing on the people of Palestine and Lebanon. That is what
happened. And now we hear, "We're suffering because we see homes
destroyed.'

The president of the United States came to talk to the peoples -- to
the peoples of the world. He came to say -- I brought some documents
with me, because this morning I was reading some statements, and I see
that he talked to the people of Afghanistan, the people of Lebanon,
the people of Iran. And he addressed all these peoples directly.

And you can wonder, just as the president of the United States
addresses those peoples of the world, what would those peoples of the
world tell him if they were given the floor? What would they have to say?

And I think I have some inkling of what the peoples of the south, the
oppressed people think. They would say, "Yankee imperialist, go home."
I think that is what those people would say if they were given the
microphone and if they could speak with one voice to the American
imperialists.

And that is why, Madam President, my colleagues, my friends, last year
we came here to this same hall as we have been doing for the past
eight years, and we said something that has now been confirmed --
fully, fully confirmed.

I don't think anybody in this room could defend the system. Let's
accept -- let's be honest. The U.N. system, born after the Second
World War, collapsed. It's worthless.

Oh, yes, it's good to bring us together once a year, see each other,
make statements and prepare all kinds of long documents, and listen to
good speeches, like Abel's yesterday, or President Mullah's . Yes,
it's good for that.

And there are a lot of speeches, and we've heard lots from the
president of Sri Lanka, for instance, and the president of Chile.

But we, the assembly, have been turned into a merely deliberative
organ. We have no power, no power to make any impact on the terrible
situation in the world. And that is why Venezuela once again proposes,
here, today, 20 September, that we re-establish the United Nations.

Last year, Madam, we made four modest proposals that we felt to be
crucially important. We have to assume the responsibility our heads of
state, our ambassadors, our representatives, and we have to discuss it.

The first is expansion, and Mullah talked about this yesterday right
here. The Security Council, both as it has permanent and non-permanent
categories, (inaudible) developing countries and LDCs must be given
access as new permanent members. That's step one.

Second, effective methods to address and resolve world conflicts,
transparent decisions.

Point three, the immediate suppression -- and that is something
everyone's calling for -- of the anti-democratic mechanism known as
the veto, the veto on decisions of the Security Council.

Let me give you a recent example. The immoral veto of the United
States allowed the Israelis, with impunity, to destroy Lebanon. Right
in front of all of us as we stood there watching, a resolution in the
council was prevented.

Fourthly, we have to strengthen, as we've always said, the role and
the powers of the secretary general of the United Nations.

Yesterday, the secretary general practically gave us his speech of
farewell. And he recognized that over the last 10 years, things have
just gotten more complicated; hunger, poverty, violence, human rights
violations have just worsened. That is the tremendous consequence of
the collapse of the United Nations system and American hegemonistic
pretensions.

Madam, Venezuela a few years ago decided to wage this battle within
the United Nations by recognizing the United Nations, as members of it
that we are, and lending it our voice, our thinking.

Our voice is an independent voice to represent the dignity and the
search for peace and the reformulation of the international system; to
denounce persecution and aggression of hegemonistic forces on the planet.

This is how Venezuela has presented itself. Bolivar's home has sought
a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council.

Let's see. Well, there's been an open attack by the U.S. government,
an immoral attack, to try and prevent Venezuela from being freely
elected to a post in the Security Council.

The imperium is afraid of truth, is afraid of independent voices. It
calls us extremists, but they are the extremists.

And I would like to thank all the countries that have kindly announced
their support for Venezuela, even though the ballot is a secret one
and there's no need to announce things.

But since the imperium has attacked, openly, they strengthened the
convictions of many countries. And their support strengthens us.

Mercosur, as a bloc, has expressed its support, our brothers in
Mercosur. Venezuela, with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, is a
full member of Mercosur.

And many other Latin American countries, CARICOM, Bolivia have
expressed their support for Venezuela. The Arab League, the full Arab
League has voiced its support. And I am immensely grateful to the Arab
world, to our Arab brothers, our Caribbean brothers, the African
Union. Almost all of Africa has expressed its support for Venezuela
and countries such as Russia or China and many others.

I thank you all warmly on behalf of Venezuela, on behalf of our
people, and on behalf of the truth, because Venezuela, with a seat on
the Security Council, will be expressing not only Venezuela's
thoughts, but it will also be the voice of all the peoples of the
world, and we will defend dignity and truth.

Over and above all of this, Madam President, I think there are reasons
to be optimistic. A poet would have said "helplessly optimistic,"
because over and above the wars and the bombs and the aggressive and
the preventive war and the destruction of entire peoples, one can see
that a new era is dawning.

As Sylvia Rodriguez says, the era is giving birth to a heart. There
are alternative ways of thinking. There are young people who think
differently. And this has already been seen within the space of a mere
decade. It was shown that the end of history was a totally false
assumption, and the same was shown about Pax Americana and the
establishment of the capitalist neo-liberal world. It has been shown,
this system, to generate mere poverty. Who believes in it now?

What we now have to do is define the future of the world. Dawn is
breaking out all over. You can see it in Africa and Europe and Latin
America and Oceanea. I want to emphasize that optimistic vision.

We have to strengthen ourselves, our will to do battle, our awareness.
We have to build a new and better world.

Venezuela joins that struggle, and that's why we are threatened. The
U.S. has already planned, financed and set in motion a coup in
Venezuela, and it continues to support coup attempts in Venezuela and
elsewhere.

President Michelle Bachelet reminded us just a moment ago of the
horrendous assassination of the former foreign minister, Orlando Letelier.

And I would just add one thing: Those who perpetrated this crime are
free. And that other event where an American citizen also died were
American themselves. They were CIA killers, terrorists.

And we must recall in this room that in just a few days there will be
another anniversary. Thirty years will have passed from this other
horrendous terrorist attack on the Cuban plane, where 73 innocents
died, a Cubana de Aviacion airliner.

And where is the biggest terrorist of this continent who took the
responsibility for blowing up the plane? He spent a few years in jail
in Venezuela. Thanks to CIA and then government officials, he was
allowed to escape, and he lives here in this country, protected by the
government.

And he was convicted. He has confessed to his crime. But the U.S.
government has double standards. It protects terrorism when it wants to.

And this is to say that Venezuela is fully committed to combating
terrorism and violence. And we are one of the people who are fighting
for peace.

Luis Posada Carriles is the name of that terrorist who is protected
here. And other tremendously corrupt people who escaped from Venezuela
are also living here under protection: a group that bombed various
embassies, that assassinated people during the coup. They kidnapped me
and they were going to kill me, but I think God reached down and our
people came out into the streets and the army was too, and so I'm here
today.

But these people who led that coup are here today in this country
protected by the American government. And I accuse the American
government of protecting terrorists and of having a completely cynical
discourse.

We mentioned Cuba. Yes, we were just there a few days ago. We just
came from there happily.

And there you see another era born. The Summit of the 15, the Summit
of the Nonaligned, adopted a historic resolution. This is the outcome
document. Don't worry, I'm not going to read it.

But you have a whole set of resolutions here that were adopted after
open debate in a transparent matter -- more than 50 heads of state.
Havana was the capital of the south for a few weeks, and we have now
launched, once again, the group of the nonaligned with new momentum.

And if there is anything I could ask all of you here, my companions,
my brothers and sisters, it is to please lend your good will to lend
momentum to the Nonaligned Movement for the birth of the new era, to
prevent hegemony and prevent further advances of imperialism.

And as you know, Fidel Castro is the president of the nonaligned for
the next three years, and we can trust him to lead the charge very
efficiently.

Unfortunately they thought, "Oh, Fidel was going to die." But they're
going to be disappointed because he didn't. And he's not only alive,
he's back in his green fatigues, and he's now presiding the nonaligned.

So, my dear colleagues, Madam President, a new, strong movement has
been born, a movement of the south. We are men and women of the south.

With this document, with these ideas, with these criticisms, I'm now
closing my file. I'm taking the book with me. And, don't forget, I'm
recommending it very warmly and very humbly to all of you.

We want ideas to save our planet, to save the planet from the
imperialist threat. And hopefully in this very century, in not too
long a time, we will see this, we will see this new era, and for our
children and our grandchildren a world of peace based on the
fundamental principles of the United Nations, but a renewed United
Nations.

And maybe we have to change location. Maybe we have to put the United
Nations somewhere else; maybe a city of the south. We've proposed
Venezuela.

You know that my personal doctor had to stay in the plane. The chief
of security had to be left in a locked plane. Neither of these
gentlemen was allowed to arrive and attend the U.N. meeting. This is
another abuse and another abuse of power on the part of the Devil. It
smells of sulfur here, but God is with us and I embrace you all.

May God bless us all. Good day to you.


Monday, September 25, 2006

 

17 tahun dan buta huruf!


Utusan Malaysia Online, 17 September 2006 melaporkan bahawa ada pelatih Program Latihan Khidmat Negara(PLKN) yang buta huruf! Bagaimana boleh perkara sedemikian berlaku jika mereka telah melalui prosess pendidikan negara? Itulah persoalan yang berligar-ligar dalam fikiran yang waras. Menulis namapun tidak tahu? Adakah Timbalan Menteri Malaysia, yang juga bekas Menteri Pendidikan, tidak tahu keadaan buta huruf rakyatnya sebelum ini?

Apakah penyelidikan dan rancangan terperinci untuk mengatasi fenomena buta huruf di kalangan rakyat? Saya rasa, untuk mengajar anak-anak membaca bukanlah suatu kesulitan. Jika ia menjadi suatu beban dan kesulitan kepada yang bertanggungjawab untuk melaksanakan amanah memastikan anak-anak boleh membaca, maka eloklah guru-guru dan pegawai-pegawai berkenaan berhenti bekerja dalam arena ini dan mencari pekerjaan lain, agar memberi laluan kepada yang benar-benar berminat untuk mendidik generasi masa depan.

Kurikulum pendidikan pra-sekolah menghendaki anak-anak boleh membaca apabila berada di tahap akan mengikuti tahun satu di sekolah-sekolah rendah. Tidakkah ada usaha-usaha penyeliaan dan pengawasan dalam membasmi buta huruf di kalangan anak-anak kecil?

Saya mendapati bahawa usaha-usaha pemulihan di peringkat sekolah rendah dilakukan di tahun dua. Saya rasa itu sudah agak lewat. Pemulihan wajar dilaksanakan di peringkat pra-sekolah lagi. Sebarang kelembapan dalam kemahiran membaca perlu ditangani lebih awal kerana umum mengetahui bahawa tahap keupayaan anak-anak untuk menggarap ilmu paling pesat ialah di antara umur 0-6 tahun.

Produk-produk dasar pendidikan negara yang buta huruf ini membawa implikasi bahawa seolah-olah tiada “synchronization” di antara jabatan pendidikan pra-sekolah, kementerian pelajaran dan kefahaman para penggubal dasar mengenai masalah buta huruf. Dengan sebab itu, dasar-dasar dan pengoperasian yang diwujudkan tidak membasmi buta huruf, bahkan mungkin meneruskannya dan ini menimbulkan tanda tanya yang mendesak di kalangan masyarakat prihatin.

Menyelitkan usaha pengislahan buta huruf dalam program-program Khidmat Negara bukanlah jalan penyelasaian yang terbaik untuk pelatih-pelatih yang buta huruf. Pakar-pakar pendidikan akan bersetuju dengan pandangan sedemikian. Jika objektifnya ialah untuk membasmi buta huruf pelatih-pelatih tersebut, suatu program yang khusus dan sepenuh masa perlu diwujudkan. Pasukan yang tinggi iltizamnya dan kesungguhannya menjadi kriteria utama dalam memastikan objektif tersebut tercapai. Model-model kejayaan dalam menjadikan anak-anak boleh membaca ada dalam masyarakat, khususnya dari institutsi swasta.

Di peringkat pendidikan anak-anak pra-sekolah, kita ingin gurunya bukan hanya setakat menjadi “nanny” pada anak-anak, tetapi itulah yang berlaku di kebanyakan institusi pra-sekolah tajaan kerajaan. Meningkatkan kelulusan akademik guru-guru tersebut belum mencukupi untuk meningkatkan usaha dalam memastikan anak-anak berjaya membaca. Apa yang lebih utama ialah kesedaran dan rasa tanggungjawab yang tinggi di kalangan guru-guru agar bersedia berkorban dan bersungguh-sungguh dalam mencapai tujuan celik membaca di kalangan SEMUA anak-anak, dengan itu mencapai sasaran sifar buta huruf. Oh, hakikatnya kita belum ada dasar sifar buta huruf!


Friday, September 22, 2006

 

Ramadhan al-Mubarak begins Sunday 24th September 2006

"O Believers, the Fast has been made obligatory on you just as it was prescribed for the followers of the Prophets before you. It is expected that this will produce piety in you...Ramadhan is the month in which the Quran was sent down; this Book is a perfect guidance for mankind and consits of clear teachings which show the right way and are a criterion of Truth and falsehood...
al-Baqarah: 183 & 185

Other related verses:
al-Baqarah: 184, 196
an-Nisa': 92
al-Maidah: 89,96
Maryam: 26
al-Ahzab: 35
al-Mujadalah: 4

Thursday, September 21, 2006

 

Climax at the Global Intellectual Production

The good, the bad and UPM
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng and Bede Hong


In several universities malaysiakini visited today, the campus polls went without a hitch, although several universities displayed underhand tactics in ensuring that the pro-establishment group wins.

In Universiti Putra Malaysia, the e-voting system was down for more than three hours this morning, from 9am to 12.30 pm.

By after lunch, malaysiakini found that the polling stations began to recover.

Students who were unable to vote expressed their resentment against the university. At Hostel 13, for example, it was found that many students were forced to queue up in a long line the stretches to outside the hostel. It rained at 12 pm, and students without umbrellas had to bear with it.

UPM authorities has made it compulsory for all students to vote. Students who did not register to vote, are required to write an explanation letter to the authorities.

Today, the UPM hall is under tight security, with guards placed at every hostel entrance. Each vehicle is subjected to checks and the media are prohibited from entering the university compound.

In Universiti Malaya (UM), the election ran smoothly despite a quarantine for hostel students who were required to vote before leaving the hostel. All main gates to colleges were found to be closed.

In this year’s election, the UM election committee no longer records the serial numbers of each ballot as the voting process proceeded at the main auditorium. However, malaysiakini could not confirm that the same practice is carried at other universities.

When approached, several anti-establishment student leaders alleged that the university’s hostel management limited students from campaigning in the college. The campaigning period was reduced to half an hour and speeches at five minutes each.

Power cut off

Student leaders said they had trouble with audio system. “But when the pro-establishment students speak, the system is okay again,” claimed one student.

There were also allegations that pro-establishment students were handing out free t-shirts while they were campaigning.

Students residing at hostels also alleged that they were called up by the hostel quartermaster to attend a dialogue.

“When some students refused to come down, the hostel authorities cut off the power,” said second-year business administration student Fou Hou Thek.

In the dialogue, the students were asked to vote for Aspirasi candidates. Students claimed that authorities cut the power of at least ten colleges to get students to come down. There were at least four kinds of dialogues; one conducted in Mandarin, one in Bahasa Malaysia, one for senior students and one for first year students. The dialogue were conducted by students, who said they had the authority of the hotel quartermaster.

It was also alleged students were told that if the voting turnout exceeds 90 percent, the hostel management would reduce the hostel rent from RM6.50 per day to RM5.50 per day. Students said the information was found on notices placed in College 12, in which students were also advised to vote for Aspirasi candidates.

Meanwhile, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA)’s Gombak anti-establishment group, ‘We United for Islam’ (WUFI), is expected to win today, as the university’s Aspirasi camp has only sent six candidates to contest for a total of 26 seats.

WUFI has sent 16 candidates, including four international students (two from Palestine, two from Afghanistan) to contest. WUFI has won 4 seats uncontested while the pro-establishment students won four on nomination day.

In UIA’s Kuantan campus, the election will only be contested by individuals. Aspirasi has not sent any candidates to the Kuantan campus.

Face-saving tactic

This year, the voting is done via e-voting, and a total of 11 polling stations were opened throughout UIA Gombak today. After allegations of vote tempering last year, a WUFI spokesperson said it has assigned three students to monitor the polling stations.

“We know the number of students who voted. We want to make sure the figures are not inflated,” said Zikul Amin WUFI election co-ordinator.

There were also allegations by WUFI of a last-minute smearing campaign by the Aspirasi camp.

“Around six this morning, we found some students distributing pamphlets, which had the WUFI logo on it” said one student. The official cut-off time for campaigning was 12 midnight last night.

“The pamphlets stated that those who vote for Aspirasi candidates are infidels and if WUFI wins this election there will be stricter curfew rules, and that male and female students will be separated at all times,” said the student.

Students said that the low turn-out by Aspirasi this year was due low academic performance. It is a requirement that candidates achieve at least a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 2.8.

However, former WUFI student leader Amin Idrus felt otherwise: “They didn’t contest that many seats because they knew there are going to lose. It’s a face saving tactic.”


Wednesday, September 20, 2006

 

The Meaning of Sacrifice

I'm taking this @ face value.
Rozaini M R
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

China Muslim Activist: From Unknown to Nobel Nominee

By REUTERS Published: September 11, 2006
BEIJING (Reuters) - China counted on Rebiya Kadeer, a Muslim businesswoman-turned-activist, fading into political irrelevance like most exiled Chinese dissidents when she left for the United States last year. But it may have miscalculated.
Kadeer, 58, an ethnic Uighur jailed for more than five years in China for providing state secrets to foreigners before her exile, won a Rafto Prize for human rights in Norway in 2004 and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
``Rebiya Kadeer champions the rights of western China's Uighur ethnic group and is one of China's most prominent advocates of women's rights,'' Annelie Enochson, a Swedish parliamentarian, wrote in nominating Kadeer for the prestigious Nobel award.
``Kadeer has also used her resources as founder and director of a large trading company in northwestern China to provide fellow Uighurs with training and employment,'' Enochson wrote in the nomination, a copy of which was sent to Reuters by e-mail.
This year's winner is due to be announced in Oslo on October 13. Kadeer is probably only one of many nominees as any member of parliament worldwide can put forward a name.
Four Rafto laureates have gone on to win the Nobel prize. Only 12 women have won since 1901, upsetting many feminists.
The director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Geir Lundestad, said in 2001 the committee should ``sooner rather than later'' speak out about the lack of democratic rights in China. He said China was the main exception to a global move to democracy.

ONE-TIME LAUNDRESS

Tibet's god-king, the Dalai Lama, won the Nobel prize in 1989, almost 40 years after Chinese troops marched into his homeland. He fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese Communist rule.
Kadeer, a one-time laundress, was little known outside China before her exile but a win would raise the profile of militant Uighurs' hitherto faceless movement to make the restive region of Xinjiang an independent state called East Turkestan.
``Rebiya has undisputed legitimacy and the capacity of uniting Uighurs in exile,'' said Nicholas Bequelin, a China researcher in Hong Kong for the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
Kadeer, president of the Uighur American Association, is tipped to be elected president of the World Uighur Congress in October, a source close to her said.
Her biography in German, ``A Woman's Struggle against the Dragon,'' will be published next year.The Chinese Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the nomination but denounced Kadeer for ``frequently engaging in anti-Chinese splittist activities.''
``This kind of person is not qualified to represent Chinese Uighurs,'' the ministry spokesman's office said in a statement.
China keeps a tight grip on oil-rich Xinjiang, which shares borders with three former Soviet Central Asian republics, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and Mongolia.
China calls Uighur militants terrorists and blames them for a string of bombings and assassinations in the 1990s.
But human rights groups say China has used its support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism to justify a wider crackdown on Uighurs, including arbitrary arrests, closed-door trials and use of the death penalty.
Kadeer was once a member of the top advisory body to China's parliament but fell from grace and was arrested in 1999 while on her way to meet U.S. congressmen visiting Xinjiang.
Her assets were worth 270 million yuan ($33.8 million) at the time of her arrest but her trading firm and other businesses in real estate are now almost bankrupt due to official harassment.
She said two of her sons were beaten up by Chinese police when they were detained in June and accused of tax evasion.
The whereabouts of a third son who faces subversion charges are unknown and a daughter has been put under house arrest.``Wang Lequan rushed to arrest my sons but Beijing may not rush to sentence them,'' Kadeer, a mother of 11, told Reuters by telephone from her office in Washington, referring to Xinjiang's Communist Party chief.
She insisted her children were innocent.Kadeer pledged to champion the rights of Uighur women and children at any cost, lamenting that many girls ended up working as prostitutes in Chinese cities and boys became thieves or pickpockets.``I'm ready to pay the price,'' she said. ``The more the Chinese government tries to destroy me, the more respect and influence I will have from my people.'
'

 

Raja Nazrin extols virtues of a ruler

I watched the occassion(below) yesterday evening on Brunei TV (we get to watch Brunei TV from Labuan, see). It is a good forum which can be emulated by the Malaysian society. What struck me most was the nature of Raja Nazrin's speech, a part from the extensive research, I thought it was a direct tazkirah for kings and rulers and that the Sultan of Brunei ( and the Brunei royal family) sat to hear all of it. I thought it should have moved those who understood his speech to tears. The extent of the duties of a Muslim ruler surpasses many other responsibilities on this earth.
Raja Nazrin, however, did not in depth compare the realities of present monarchs, esp. those in the South East Asian countries where Monarchs' independence of thought, influence and action starkly varies. In particular between the Thai and Malaysian monarch.
Prof Emeritus Datuk Khoo Kay Kim was also invited to speak as a panel in a forum, after Raja Nazrin's speech. He said that a lack of importance placed in social research has retarded in depth knowledge of social sciences, including knowledge of the Malay Sultanate and its history and influence in society.
The quintessential of science and technology have been overemphasised, consequently, the present generation, and for sure the future generation, will not think social sciences is relevant anymore.
After hearing Raja Nazrin's speech, might we expect a reformation in the royal circles in Malaysia in the time to come? One can always be hopeful.

Oh, RN's Malay was simply exquisite.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Raja Nazrin extols virtues of a ruler

KUALA LUMPUR: The role of monarchs should not be merely symbolic, restricted to carrying out ceremonial and traditional duties.

In making this observation, the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah said a king was not “a frozen decorative monument without life.”

Raja Nazrin: ‘A king should exhibit a firm, intelligent and just character’
“A king should exhibit a firm, intelligent and just character, be rich in knowledge and experience,” he said yesterday at a special forum on the Muslim Malay monarchy system in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.

The forum was held in conjunction with the 60th birthday celebration of the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Raja Nazrin said a king should be able to bridge the old and the new and bring about reforms as well as retain traditions and be ready to institute changes by allowing modernisation to take place without discarding the richness of inherited customs.

For the king to act wisely, intelligently, fairly and equitably, he must have officials and advisers who are knowledgeable and do not have hidden interests, he said.

“A king should never feel pressured and should not have to give his assent if any advice presented contradicts the spirit of the Constitution, contravenes the rule of law and is in breach of the global principles of justice.

“A king should never favour actions that do not symbolise justice or accede to actions that do not reflect the truth,” he said.

Raja Nazrin said administrators appointed to govern a country must prove their loyalty to the king by carrying out their responsibilities honestly, sincerely and with full determination and commitment.

“A king falls because of the collapse of a country, and the country crumbles because of the people's anxiety.

“Weak governance causes the people to be anxious. Defective governance damages the country and, in the end, weakens the king,” he said.

The strengths and weaknesses of a king, he added, were dictated by the strengths and weaknesses of those entrusted to be his officials and advisers.

“Those given the trust and responsibility to advise the king must speak the truth however bitter it may be,” he said.

Raja Nazrin said a king should not underestimate the role of the media, which was becoming more open.

“Managing the media is an art that requires skill, charm and prudence,” he said.

He suggested the creation of a website on the monarchy to allow the world to understand the institution of the monarchy from the palace's perspective.

Raja Nazrin also said monarchs had the responsibility to help overcome terrorism.

He said they could, for example, initiate inter-religious and inter-cultural discussions, enhance the understanding of Islam, voice humanitarian demands and help those who were suffering, especially in Palestine, Afghanistan and Lebanon. –Bernama


 

Quotable Quote

And that we owe it to ourselves and our fellows to follow the dictum of the great philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russell:
“Be isolated, be ignored, be attacked,
be in doubt, be frightened, but do not be silenced.”


Tuesday, September 19, 2006

 

Developments from where global intellectuals to emerge

Free hotel stay for pro-gov’t candidates
Alvin Yap, Bede Hong and Kuek Ser Kuang Keng





Want to dine and spend a night at a luxury hotel? Here’s one way to do it - become a pro-government candidate in the campus polls.

Malaysiakini learnt that scores of university students were booked into a four-star hotel in Petaling Jaya last weekend as part of a gratuitous gesture by the government.

The 42 students from Universiti Malaya (UM) are running as pro-government candidates in this Thursday’s nationwide campus elections.

A check revealed that the bill, which passed the RM5,000 mark, was footed by the Selangor Menteri Besar’s office, or in other words, taxpayer’s money.

Malaysiakini was able to verify that the students checked into the Crystal Crown Hotel on Sunday. They later dined at the hotel restaurant.

Thirty-two rooms - including several located on the highest level known as the ‘executive summit floor’- were booked.

However, it could not be confirmed if any progammes had been conducted for the students.

This development is the latest in an organised effort on the government’s part to ensure that the opposing faction, or anti-establishment students, lose all seats in the campus polls.

Workshop for students

Sources also confirmed that a character-building workshop was organised by UM administration on Sept 12-13 at the Pearl International Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Called the ‘entrepreneurship workshop’, it focussed on public speaking skills and the importance of teamwork.

According to sources, the vast majority of those present at the workshop were from the pro-government faction, including those shortlisted as candidates.

UM deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs and alumni) Prof Dr Mohd Razali Agus and other officials , including from Umno Youth, were also present. In all public universities, these deputy vice-chancellors double as the election committee chairperson.

Like their counterparts in other public universities, UM’s anti-establishment faction - known as GMUM (Gagasan Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya) - is expected to face an uphill struggle.

Out of the total 41 seats, the pro-government faction has won six uncontested while their rivals took two.

Unlike last year, where ‘anti-establishment’ students boycotted the polls in five top universities after complaining about unfair election rules, this year only Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) will see a boycott.

When contacted Mohd Razali said he was busy and will only be able to comment next week.

Malaysiakini.com


 
I walked into the Labuan KWSP office to do a transaction last week. One of the personnel accosted me and asked if my application to withdraw money was approved. It was a proactive gesture on her part. I must say that the management of the KWSP office is one of the best if not the best in Labuan. I also believe they have the best monitoring system of payments (unlike SOCSO! One can never get a current update of one's monthly payment! Beware, though the fines come very swift!).
Personnel are not allowed to speak unnecessarily before afternoon. Yes, the offfice is very quiet when clients come to visit in the morning (unlike in some departments, one can hear chattings and laughter like its some place else, not an office).
They are attentive and try to help as much as they can. Most importantly, they follow-up unfinished clients' transactions (this is extremely rare, if not unheard of, in a governmental organisation).
On one of the walls of the KWSP office, I saw a statement that says something like this:
To become the best organisation in the world(I'll check again the exact words).
Go for it, KWSP people!
Of course, management of office and day-to-day transactions are completely different from management of the funds. Well, I may research on KWSP's good governance when I have the time later.

Monday, September 18, 2006

 

What's the cost to be an intellectual?

When Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called for intellectuals to be globally outstanding, it seems so far fetched, to me, for a great number of Malaysians to achieve that. From tax incentives and prices of educational materials to the freedom of intellectual discussions everywhere in Malaysia, the environment to produce intellectuals, let alone globally competent intellectual remains a myth.
One global survey found that in Malaysia, less than 15% of the population received higher-level education. A lesser percentage of that pursues further academic level. Highly intellectual people are a rarity in Malaysia. When such people enter politics, most of them rarely hold the reins but are reined in by their voters who put them in power. Such is the soulless intellect and intellectual.
From another perspective, to produce intellectuals, reading should be a habit. It is a very expensive activity to read the latest title in the market to keep abreast of world developments in every human and non-human endeavour. Simply, because quality books are a rip-off.
Students in higher learning institution can easily spend up to RM500 per semester (3 months). That makes a total of RM2000 per year. A family who has several children at higher educational centres will probably incur at least RM5000 per year. Schoolchildren need books, too. They may spend several hundred ringgit per month to buy new activity books, magazines, storybooks, etc. Parents who study further may also spend money on reading materials. One tends to question, why only books? Why are not included all other educational materials, like CDs, software, magazines, newspapers, etc. for tax exemption? The meagre RM1000 allowance for book purchase does not reflect a serious and whole-hearted intention of the government to produce a knowledge-based society that will face the challenges of the coming competitive years and global era. It is truly a high-priced venture to become an intellectual in Malaysia for the not so well to do lay people.
To become an intellectual, one needs to read, read, and read, and to do more reading. Yes, other than book purchase, one can visit the library. Most public libraries offer old edition books. Alternatively, one can be an outside member of a university library. Such libraries are now under private management. One has to subscribe at RM100 per year with RM150 deposit per book to borrow. If one wishes to borrow four books at a time, then one needs to deposit RM600. In some areas, the government is not intimate with what the people are experiencing. It is pointless to urge people to accomplish various expectations when the environment for the said expectations is not provided for.
In Malaysia, what is discussed within the classroom in campus is not supposed to be repeated outside, particularly regarding topics under Malaysian Studies/History/Politics or the like. What touches the sensitivity of the status quo is to remain untouched even when it does not help the understanding of our history and perspectives. Therefore, students are often unaware of the depth and factual aspects of some topics in discussions. We see lecturers and teachers unable or refusing to engage in controversy, that is, playing safe, for they will be monitored and their lectures and discussions taped by camouflaged students working for those that have a stake in keeping students uninformed about the real events of history. Therefore, we see the negligibility of free intellectual thinking.
The internet is truly a source of information. Where in some countries the rate of charges is minimal, Malaysia, via Telekom Malaysia, is charging a rate that puts off whole-hearted research by those with average means. Of course, the hikes in petrol price have also diminished the intellectual quest of the lay people. How can that be happening? For sure, this question suggests that no such consideration (the erosion of intellectual quest) was evident when the price hikes occurred.
Harvard University, the top ranking global university, waives fees for low and middle-income families. Such move is exemplary, for great brains can come from all sections of the society. One of the stepping-stones to become globally competent is a great education from a great university. Therefore, really, I have a pessimistic view about Malaysians achieving globally outstanding status in great numbers unless the real aspects that propel the production of such globally outstanding intellectuals exist.


Saturday, September 16, 2006

 

What "Retreat"?

What “Retreat”?

The news about Labuan’s prospective future was made public in the papers on Friday 18th August 2006 (‘Labuan’s population too little’, Daily Express). There is no untoward implication mentioned of its “u-turn policy,” from being a duty-free to a non-duty-free island. It is far from unusual, as a culture on the island, to let the public know a little at a time until the grand plan is all ready for implementation. Only a handful of elite will know exactly what will be on the menu for the future. There is no document on the “Retreat Halatuju Pembangunan WP Labuan” published anywhere in the relevant website. No such or related document is available for public access.

This writing is not primarily about contending whether a U-turn is good or bad for Labuan. It is the way a policy about the island is ascertained, that is, without much public awareness and absence of a concrete feasibility study available for public scrutiny. After all, it is the public’s fund that will be utilised.

There is also the question of who will benefit from a drastic change in the direction of Labuan’s future, especially from the building of a bridge from mainland Sabah to Labuan?

Some welcomed the idea (building the bridge) because they say, there will be ease of mobility for people and goods; that encourages trade and population increase within the island, and that the price of cigarettes and liquor will be high so consumption (and smuggling) of such products will be heavily reduced. Is that supported by any study on the matters? How will ease of mobility increase Labuan’s population? Population does not increase purely on enhanced mobility.

The seminar on “Retreat Halatuju Pembangunan WP Labuan” held at Magellan Sutera, Kota Kinabalu (why should such an important event for all Labuan to know is held outside the island is beyond my comprehension as Labuan has all the facility needed for an international function.) suggested that the development concept previously adopted had failed to develop Labuan according to its objectives. That means, at least 22 years of policy implementation had come to nothing for Labuan; not to mention the billions of ringgit spent by the authorities on various projects on the island. At this stage, too, obtaining clean water for all Labuan citizens is still an issue. Has there been a lack of priority thinking on the part of the policy makers? Basic utility comes first before mega projects.

The Federal territory Minister said “… we need to look back on what we have done and what needs to be done.” What HAD been done? Where are the statistics, figures, yardstick/measurement to measure the success/failure of the administration of the island? Is it true that a small population was the only cause for wanting a U-turn in policy? What may happen if job opportunities are improved? What if more niches are created for Labuan? What will happen if the skilled labour sector is improved?

There was also mentioned that Labuan can be developed as a regional educational centre and a halal food hub entails? Has there been any successful venture in both the areas? Reactivating Sabah Shipyard to its glorious past had been a promise made for almost a decade without any success.

The long-proposed bridge is thought to improve the economy of the island. What are the rationales for that opinion? How in specific terms the bridge will significantly contribute to improve the island’s economy?

Perhaps, first, the island needs a reform in its administration. There ought to be a professionally run local authority to achieve the highest standard of administration that concerned itself mainly with the interest of the people by simultaneously being a sustainable organisation. A different mindset is needed to upgrade the quality of the workforce that make the island functions as the IOFC, tourist attraction and a duty free island. We cannot be continually building infrastructure, bricks, and walls to sustain the economy. Purchasing power can be obtained other than through increased population. There should be in place strategies to ensure that the buying powers stay to support local businesses.

What research has been done to justify a change in policy? These and many more questions are imperative to be answered by the authorities to put the citizens' mind and soul at rest.

In addition, I believe, the principles of “participation, transparency, responsiveness, equity, accountability, and good governance, rule of law, efficiency, and effectiveness” will serve as excellent guidelines to begin a new administrative era on the island.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above article first appeared in the Daily Express (Forum section) on Sunday 3rd September 2006 with a different title.




 

Anih, sapak Menteri MCA yg bartangkar dangan Hishamuddin tok?

Good question from a MakCik I met at a feast late yesterafternoon. Yes, I speak a bit Brunei Malay. I need to...if I must communicate with my husband's family.
Lately, there's always a scoop for journalists. A scoop which can always turn to a sensational prolonged item in the papers if not managed properly by those in authority.
Its about the spat between the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Ong Tee Keat and the Minister of Education Dato' Sri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein. Tee Keat has been perceived to trangress the boundary of a minister by commenting on the weakness of another ministry in handling certain budget allocation. I guess, if I put myself in Hishammuddin's shoes, I would say to Tee Kiat,"Thank you, Datuk. I will check the allegation and take appropriate action if it was found to be true. In future, please let me know personally if there are similar or new cases or suspected cases in the misappropriation of public funds." However, that was not to be the case. Now, MCA, too, must apologise to Hishammuddin. As a layman, I can only look at events on its face value. Perhaps there are reasons why Hishammuddin reacted the way he did, but I don't have that information. Neither do those people that talk, talk and talk in coffee shops. I think, politicians of the status quo must also be extra conscious about their face value actions and words. They are supposed to be role models of the nation . I think they have failed.

 

The day I decided to become a blogger

With the help of my second daughter, I am finally writing to the world. There seems so much to respond to, especially when I read the papers, digital or not. This blog will certainly contain issues that I am passionate about. Readers will get to know me as they read my postings (I hope!). Ah,yes, I should gladly entertain queries (bearing in mind that TIME is the one limited resource in this life). I believe, we can learn from one another when we share our thoughts. Please be well-informed that "to the point" (hence the blogname:2dPoint) is the prevailing culture in this blog."To the point", yes, but laden with the ethics of seeking to understand others and having the patience to be understood by others.RMR

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?