Patriotism & the Little Napoleans

In 1995/6 after my STPM exams I went to the Penang Police HQ (Penang Rd) to apply for the post of Police Inspector. The requirement was a STPM qualification at that time.

Once there we were given a physical routine check up and those who were qualified were given the application form. Simple as that!

But went it came to my turn the officer in charge refuse to hand-over the application form to me on the basis that my STPM results were good. My physical check up was fine.

He said “kamu tak payahlah masuk polis. Buang masa aje dengan result yg bagus cam tu”. (You don’t need to enter the Police Force. Just a waste of time since you have a good STPM results.)

What the hell? Still, I tried to reason with him that I really wanted to be in the police force and wiling to sacrifice my public university entry for this. He said better don’t waste your time here!

Undeterred, I went to see my relative who was a clerk in the police force then. He told me it’s a dead end and there is no way they will ever hand over the application form to me! That was truly a bombshell!

Here am I trying to give my best to the country but my country refuse my service. And all because the application was ‘hijacked’ by a certain police officer.

I love Law but my STPM result did not allow me to pursue a degree in this line. So, the next best thing for me was to enter the Police force which was about upholding the rule of law.

Now Zahid Hamidi let me ask you this. Who is the un-patriotic one? The police officer or me?

It was those Little Napoleans who stood in my path to serve my country the way I know best. In fact, there could be many others who have had the same experience like I did and I hope you could start to share about it as well.

Let me say this again to you Zahid Hamidi do not underestimate our sense of patriotism to our country. Do not think that we will just stand by idly and do nothing when our country is in danger.

And one of the greatest dangers in Malaysia today is politicians like you who downplay the contribution of other races in nation building. Also, let us not forget that our country is being plundered to the maximum by thieves from your own party and you still have the cheek and gall to talk about patriotism.

It’s total bull-s and your hypocrisy really stinks to the highest heaven. And please do us a big favor by looking at yourself in the mirror before you ever talk about the meaning of patriotism.

Even at that age my sense of duty and patriotism to my country was strong and still is. But when the moment of truth arrived the first step to serve my country was dashed just like that!

Over to you Zahid Hamidi.

A Malaysian Tale 3

1) Rafidah, Shahrizat & Jean Abdullah meet GOD onJudgement Day.

GOD says 'I understand all of you are from Malaysia , which
to the Bumis, is also known as 'heaven-on-earth'. Here too you all shall
be treated according to status. You shall meet the who's who of the
Malaysian cream of the crop.

You can see two giant gates over there. On one is stated Bumi & the
other Non-Bumi. Just go to the respective gates & mention your name. BUT
remember, should your claim turns out to be false, you shall be condemned to the
tortures of hell for all eternity and lose any chance of
redemption whatsoever."

Jean goes over first. She stands outside the Bumi
gate and mentions her name. The digital display flashes "DLL" and a ear-
piercing alarm rings out. The gate opens to reveal a chamber of raging fire of
intense heat. 'Welcome to hell' booms a burly turbaned Sikh as he pulls her
in. His name tag reads as Irwan Shah Abdullah@DJ Dave@Sukhdave Singh.

Rafidah & Shahrizat are caught by surprise but smile at each other
knowingly. Next goes Shahrizat. She too stands outside the Bumi gate &
mentions her name. The digital display screen flashes "MAMAK" and
another ear-piercing alarm triggers. The gate opens to reveal an icy
cold chamber way below freezing point. 'Welcome home, I'm Mamoothy', says
a sarcastic voice who's name tag reads as Mahathir s/o Mohd Kutty.

Rafidah who is very sure of qualifying, walks over haughtily to the gate
which she feels is her birth-right. Just as she mentions her name, the digital
display flashes "INDIAN" .There is a thunderous flash and the gate opens to
reveal a pot-bellied figure with a trident in hand & nothing else on
except a wig. A familiar voice rings out 'Selamat datang Paduka, Kemaluan saya
amat besar, tetapi walaubagaimana pun.......'.He can't go on as he is
salivating and panting heavily. She is too shocked for words and turns
around in time to hear GOD say just before the gate closes forever "Your
particulars in our record shows your middle name to
be AP instead of binti....."

2)  AP birthday to you
AP birthday to you
AP birthday to rAPidah
AP birthday to you

Many AP returns of the day, rAPidah!

Malaysian Education System in Emergency

After reflecting my schooling years I have to agree with my friends that those who started school in 1983 with the new KBSR format felt like guinea pigs. I do too!

Then, the standard 5 exams were change to standard 6 with the UPSR format. Well, I thought things were fine until they change the year end school holidays from December to October. We had to start our new school year in December. Remember?

I felt that was really weird starting our school term at the end of the year. HHhmmm. Our Christmas holidays had to be cut short and Christmas was never the same again.

And by that time I had a sense that other sort of changes was coming soon and I dread that. We just had to go thru the motions and study hard while thinking what sort of changes was coming next. I resented that feeling.
Later we were in Form 1 under the KBSM thingy and life went on as usual. The SRP was later replaced by the PMR exams and SPM and STPM so far has not been change.

Recently, our Education Minister DPM Muhyiddin Yasin were` suggesting that UPSR & PMR to be scrapped. The reason is our education system is too exam oriented.

For a start why not the ministry conduct an investigation on our Chinese and some of our Tamil schools. What are their strengths and their methodology. We do not need to go far as the solution to our predicament is only a stone's throw away!

And during the UMNO General Assembly he suggested to make History a passing subject.

Why the sudden rush to change our education system again and again? Does he know what he's doing?

Somehow he doesn't inspire confidence to those who really take education seriously.

It was also DPM Muhyiddin who scap the teaching of Science and Maths in English previously.

Well, for one our young minds are not your guinea pigs anymore. We are not your lab rats that you or UMNO think can experiment with. We had enough of this so called changes that actually doesn't make sense to us at all.

Secondly, the less changes by you people make on our education system is better. I know this is one ministry everyone wants to make a mark for themselves. And Muhyiddin you are of no different.

Any changes has to be backed by a proper study which engages all sections of society. What is so difficult in doing that? Plain lazy or for political expediency? I think we all know the answer!

Thirdly, please stop politicising our education system. After all your brand of politics is rotten to the core and I'm afraid our schools are already becoming a sad reflection of that rotteness.

Imagine the kind of students that is being produced from this type of rotten and failed system. Is our system churning out the best or are we producing the rempits, alongs and gangters all the way?

Instead please spend our country's reseouces to train our teachers and recognize them whoever they are. They are guru to our young minds and their contribution to our nation is priceless. I believe this is one step which is very much lacking today and  DPM Muhyiddin you can make a huge difference by doing so.

Finally, I think we all know what needs to be done in our education system. A total overhaul needs to be executed and it must always start from the head. And I believe we will have that opportunity not very long from now. 

A Budget for Poor Lazarus?

Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

It happened that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. He cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame."

But Abraham said, "Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that none may cross over from there to us."

He said, "I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house; for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won't also come into this place of torment."

But Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them."

He said, "No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent."

He said to him, "If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead."
– Luke 16:19–31, World English Bible

Budget 2011 was never a people’s budget. It’s really for “a certain rich” strata of society who has all the fine things in life. Their everyday wants and needs have been taken care off by the numerous “blood sucking” systems without a care for tomorrow. I think we can recognize these groups of people in Malaysia. Can you name some of them?

Not only are they well connected but they are also well protected. From the Executive arm to the AG chambers the powers that be continues to feed them thru various means (nepotism, cronyism, back door appointments, money politics, patronage system, corruption etc) and gets the rich to become richer & bolder but the poor poorer.

The high society of today continues to usurp and be blind to the plight of modern day Lazarus and their intention is to grab whatever that is left from the men and women on the street. Look at PLUS Highway & EPF, 100 storey Heritage Tower & PNB etc.

We could have used this money to build low cost houses for the needy or give scholarship to our poor students. This is what Affirmative Action really is!!!

But as we can see, most of the allocation in this Budget will be or has been given to their families and the well connected cronies of the powerful.

At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what happens to Lazarus or what he feels as he is always kept at the wayside and fringes of society –“ was laid at the gate.” He has neither a voice nor connection to pull any strings except to wait till kingdom comes!

Today’s the rakyat were only given “crumbs” from the budget which doesn’t make much of a difference in our lives.

The Lazarus of today are left to fend for themselves and were in no way taken into account in the BN government plans to become a high income country whatever that means to you.

Who are the modern day Lazarus? Where is he/she today? They are considered to be the Least, the Last and the Lost of our society.

In this parable the rich had no name given by Jesus except Lazarus. Do you know who are they or their names?

And do you know what their daily struggles are like? Is it the dubious inflation rate of 2-4%, high cost of living & food, sense of alienation, hopelessness for the future, children’s education, medical, transportation, bills to pay etc. 

Somehow it bothers all of us that this budget gave low or no priority to the majority of people who are struggling for their day to day bread. It’s never a rakyat’s budget after all. It’s a complete farce to all thinking and feeling Malaysians!

But does that mean it’s wrong to be rich? Absolutely no. If not, what is Abraham doing in heaven with Lazarus? As Scriptures says, Abraham was a very rich men with livestock, silver and gold (Gen 13:2).

Does the end justify the means? Well, this is something for all of us to reflect upon.

Charles Swindoll said...

The World Needs Men & Women...

Who cannot be bought;

Whose word is their bond;

Who put character above wealth;

Who are larger than their vocations;

Who do not hesitate to take chances;

Who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;

Who will be as honest in small things as in great things;

Who will make no compromise with wrong;

Whose ambitions are not just their own selfish desires;

Who will not agree just because everybody else does it;

Who are true to their friends through good and evil;

Who are not afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;

Who say “no” with emphasis, although the rest of the world says “yes.”

A Malaysian Tale 2

Say Cheese

Three dead bodies turn up at the mortuary, all with very big smiles on their faces. The coroner calls the police to show them what has happened. A Detective Inspector is sent and is taken to the first body.

'Clinton, 60, died of heart failure whilst in bed with his mistress. Hence the enormous smile, Inspector,' says the Coroner.

The DI is taken to the second dead man. 'Suharto, 70, made a pile from government funds, and spent it all on whiskey. Died of alcohol poisoning, hence the smile.

'Nothing unusual here', thinks the DI, and asks to be shown the last body.

Ah,' says the coroner. 'This is the most unusual one. Dr. Mahathir, 75, struck by lightning.'

'Why is he smiling then?' inquires the Inspector.

To which the coroner replies, 'He thought he was having his picture taken.'


Miracle Failure

After he put Anwar in jail, Mahathir received a lot of criticism from different sources. Everything he did was sure to get the journalists and diplomats screaming at him about corruption and cronyism etc. Finally, he was so fed up that he called all the journalists and diplomats to Johor Bahru.

Now, for all of you, I'm going to do something which you all cannot complain about.' and he magically stepped onto the waters of the straits of johore and walked the full 1 km to the other side without falling into the water. The onlookers were amazed and Mahathir was sure he'd get some compliments in the news tomorrow.

The next day, Mahathir was shocked to find in newspapers across the planet

The Sun 'Mahathir Can't Swim'

The New York Times 'Mahathir crosses borders without going through immigration'

The Straits Times 'Mahathir uses propaganda to curry F(L)AVOR!

Najib, are you afraid of offending Perkasa?

Najib, give us a break and spare us your rhetoric!

Najib, where is your action against the 3 civil service who uttered derogatory words on the Indians & Chinese as far back as 2 months ago? Why the silence? Are you afraid of offending Perkasa?

Who are you to tell Malaysians “to stop being overly communal…” It is you who need to heed these words.

After all, you have not been able to control your own UMNO and Perkasa from being communal and racist. And on top of it you have the cheek to say that UMNO must work with all NGO’s and this would include the racist & primitive Perkasa?

And what are you implying here? That it’s ok for UMNO to be communal but not anybody else. If you want to put a stop to all these racist rant and slant than that it is imperative for you to start with your own backyard. You’ve got no choice Najib!

Najib you said you are encouraging UMNO to fight and help the other races. What’s the big deal? The sun shines on all men and women. Aren’t they Malaysians after all? Haven’t they supported BN enough all these years so that your cronies can milk our land to the max?

Najib for the Chinese & Indians who have made their home here this is our Promised Land. This was our land of milk and honey seen by our forefathers many generations ago. And this country continues to be our home no matter what you or your UMNO/BTN/Perkasa says it is.

So, please stop saying that we are pendatang’s. Because for the simple reason we are not. And we hope that you will put a stop especially to your own UMNO members and the civil service who have become quite un-civilized the last few years as they increased the race rhetoric to Malaysians generally.

Seriously Najib, give us a break lah!!!