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Post from: EveryJoe

Syabas saya ucapkan buat Sdr Zunar kerana akan mengadakan pameran kartun-kartun politik di London pada bulan Februari depan bertemakan “To Fight Through Cartoon” (Berjuang Melalui Kartun). Pameran tersebut akan berlangsung selama satu bulan di Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, London. Sebanyak 80 karya-karya kartun yang menyentuh isu politik, rasuah, penyalahgunaan kuasa serta pelanggaran hak asasi di Malaysia akan dipamerkan. Ucapan penghargaan juga buat Artikel 19, sebuah badan bukan kerajaan yang memperjuangkan kebebasan bersuara kerana menganjurkan pameran ini dan tahniah buat rakyat Malaysia di United Kingdom yang bertungkus lumus menjayakannya.

Saya difahamkan tema “Berjuang Melalui Kartun”dipilih oleh penganjur kerana kartun-kartun politik Sdr Zunar ternyata mendapat kekangan dan tekanan dari pemerintah Malaysia. Pada Julai 2010, kerajaan mengharamkan tujuh buku-buku kartun beliau dengan alasan kandungannya menjejas ketenteraman awam. Selain tu, pejabat Sdr Zunar di Brickfeilds, Kuala Lumpur sering diserbu pihak berkuasa dan buku-bukunya turut dirampas. Manakala itu kilang pencetak diugut agar tidak mencetak buku beliau atau menghadapi risiko kehilangan lesen. Kedai-kedai di seluruh negara juga diberi amaran agar tidak menjual buku-buku beliau. Pada September 2010, beliau ditangkap dan dimasukkan ke dalam lokap di bawah Akta Hasutan namun dibebaskan atas arahan mahkamah. Buat Sdr Zunar dan seluruh seniman, teruskan perjuangan anda semua, teruskan berkarya dan jangan sesekali tunduk menyerah kepada penguasa yang zalim serta rakus.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

You may have heard of Kaspersky Rescue Disk which can be used to boot up a computer and scans the hard drive for viruses without even loading Windows. This is very useful when the computer is badly infected by malware and causing Windows unable to boot or is really too slow to do anything. Recently I discovered another free tool offered by Kaspersky called WindowsUnlocker which is useful in neutralizing complicated malware such as a ransomware that makes your computer unusable until you follow the on-screen instruction to transfer money[...]

Selepas Come As You Are, satu lagi trek muzik yang ‘berhantu’ dari Yuna ialah “Live Your Life”. Ada satu jiwa positif yang subtle dalam muzik Yuna kali ini, yang disampaikan pada pendengar (atau kami sekurang-kurangnya) yang merupakan kekuatan lagu ini. … Continue reading →

Alololo comelnya 2 orang budak ini. Geram pulak Abang Nara dibuatnya. Tak perlu dibuat perbandingan mana satu yang lebih comel kerana kedua-duanya ada kelebihan masing-masing. Bagi Abang Nara, Nur Aisyah bukannya pesaing Mia Sara kerana Nur Aisyah lebih kepada menjadi … Continue reading →

Mariam Mokhtar | January 27, 2012 Free Malaysia Today The inexcusable translation in our government departments is not just a question of lack of professionalism and education but, more importantly, of attitude, especially of those at the top. Throughout Malaysia’s arms spending history, the government has forked out billions on defence procurement while millions more [...]

by Zairil Khir Johari The Malaysian Insider Jan 27, 2012 27 JAN — Sebaik sahaja enjin pesawat mula bergema tandanya bakal berlepas, saya terus memejamkan mata merenung perbualan di lapangan terbang sebentar tadi. Semasa menunggu di balai perlepasan, saya telah terserempak dengan seorang sahabat lama keluarga. Walaupun sudah lama tidak berjumpa, masa tidak mengizinkan omongan [...]

Another beta Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich XXLP6 Firmware for Samsung Galaxy S II leaked by SamMobile while I was enjoying Chinese New Year Holidays. Wow… I really enjoy the long vacation and just relax at home. And being lazy to update blog. For those who are hardworking and willing to try out latest ICS [...]

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 27, 2012 Free Malaysia Today Malay rights group Perkasa can say all it wants about Islam coming ‘under siege’ in Selangor, but the fact is it’s Umno’s ruinous actions which threaten Islam. COMMENT Is Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim a closet Christian evangelist? Is that why Perkasa is upset [...]

Semalam Menteri Pengajian Tinggi Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin mengumumkan bahawa lima Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam – Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia – akan diberikan autonomi. Walaubagaimanapun langkah ini tidak bermakna sekiranya Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti yang mencengkam kebebasan universiti masih berkuatkuasa.

Selama ini AUKU telah terbukti sebagai penghalang utama autonomi universiti dan kebebasan akademik. Keputusan kerajaan untuk meminda Seksyen 15 AUKU tidak membawa sebarang makna memandangkan pindaan ini tidak mengatasi budaya ketakutan dan pemusatan kuasa yang telah yang disebarkan oleh AUKU selama ini. Mahasiswa, masyarakat sivil dan pihak pembangkang telah secara konsisten menyatakan pendirian ini tetapi hanya keputusan UKM 4 yang membuatkan pihak kerajaan menerima hujah ini.

Kami juga masih menunggu jawatankuasa dwiparti yang diumumkan oleh Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah untuk menjadi realiti. Jawatankuasa tersebut – sekiranya menjadi realiti – akan meneliti akta alternatif kepada AUKU yang telah dicadangkan oleh pimpinan mahasiswa pada 2008.

Pada masa yang sama, KEADILAN kesal dengan keputusan Kolej Universiti Insaniah Kedah (KUIN) untuk menggunakan AUKU terhadap lima mahasiswanya. Kami berharap keadilan akan tertegak di dalam kes ini dan semua negeri-negeri Pakatan menunjukkan komitmen mereka menentang AUKU dengan tidak membenarkan peristiwa tersebut berulang. Kita telah berjuang sekian lama untuk menentang ketidakadilan tersebut.

NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD
PENGARAH KOMUNIKASI
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT
====

AUTONOMY FOR UNIVERSITIES MUST INCLUDE DISMANTLING THE UUCA

The Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that yesterday five public universities – Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia – are to enjoy autonomy. This move however is meaningless as the draconian University and University Colleges Act is still in force.

It has been proven time and time again that the UUCA has been a major hurdle for university autonomy and academic freedom. The government’s decision to amend Section 15 of the UUCA is a lame concession as it does nothing to address the culture of fear and centralisation of power that the UUCA has engendered. Students, the civil society and the Opposition have been consistently arguing this for decades but it took the UKM 4 landmark decision for the government to finally acknowledge this fact.

Indeed, we are still waiting for the bipartisan committee that the Deputy Minister for Higher Education Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, announced in December to materialise. Such a committee — if it does indeed take place — will look at the alternative legislation to the UUCA as proposed by student leaders in 2008.

At the same time, our party deeply regrets the decision by the Kolej Universiti Insaniah Kedah (KUIN) to apply the UUCA on five of its students. We hope that justice will prevail in this case and that all Pakatan states will show their commitment against the UUCA by not allowing a repeat of such incidents. We have fought for too long and too hard to allow such abuses of fundamental rights to continue.

NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT

Merdeka Review
Oleh Lim Hong Siang

Sekali lagi Najib Razak tersungkur di gelanggang internet, apabila terbuka untuk persaingan bebas tanpa sekatan. Apa tidaknya, usaha Najib untuk mendampingi warga internet Cina terus digagalkan, apabila mengundang pelbagai reaksi negatif – yang dijelmakan dengan pendekatan yang cukup “kreatif”.

Bermula dengan laman sosial Facebook versi bahasa Cinanya yang dibanjiri sindiran dan kritikan tajam, seterusnya diperlekehkan pula apabila warga internet menubuhkan laman Ah Jib Soh (makcik Ah Jib, merujuk kepada isteri PM), dan terkini, laman sosial Facebook Ah Wah Gor (merujuk Anwar Ibrahim) – menarik bilangan peminat yang lebih daripada Ah Jib Gor dalam tempoh 24 jam selepas ditubuhkan.

Sejumlah 14,697 orang warga internet yang menekan butang “like” di laman rasmi Ah Jib Gorpada jam 7.16 petang 21 Januari 2012, longgakan sejak ditubuhkan pada 13 Januari 2012. Sementara Ah Wah Gor, yang ditubuhkan pada 20 Januari 2012, mencatat 18,594 “like” pada masa yang sama. Malah, menurut admin Ah Wah Gor, laman ini berjaya memintas Ah Jib Gor dalam tempoh 19 jam. Sehingga jam 12.26 awal pagi 22 Januari, Ah Jib Gor mencatat 15,418 like, sementara Ah Wah Gor mencatat 24,890 like.

Perlu diingatkan bahawa laman Ah Jib Gor adalah laman sosial rasmi versi bahasa Cina untuk Najib, dikesahkan Setiausaha Politiknya Wong Nai Chee, malah sesetengah soalan yang diajukan dijawab oleh Najib sendiri, sebelum diterjemahkan, menurut Wong Nai Chee.

Ah Wah Gor pula, ditubuhkan oleh penyokong Anwar Ibrahim secara tidak rasmi, menyatakan bahawa tujuannya bukan sekadar untuk memintas bilangan peminat Najib, tetapi ia adalah “pertarungan maya” sokongan kedua-duanya – untuk menaikkan semangat orang ramai. Malah, admin Ah Wah Gormengalu-alukan “perbincangan politik”, dengan peringatan agar warga internet tidak menggunakan ruang itu untuk serangan peribadi, penghinaan terhadap agama dan institusi Raja.

Pengamatan MerdekaReview mendapati kebanyakan komen yang ditinggalkan di laman Ah Wah Gor adalah positif untuk Anwar Ibrahim – luahan sokongan terhadap Ketua Pembangkang Parlimen ini. Malah ada yang menyifatkan pertarungan antara Ah Wah Gor dengan Ah Jib Gor sebagai pemilihan calon Perdana Menteri dalam PRU 13.

Sementara Ah Jib Gor pula masih dibanjiri komen yang negatif terhadap Perdana Menteri, meskipun komen yang emosi telah berkurang (tidak pasti dipadamkan atau kerana disiplin warga internet), namun kritikan dan soalan yang tajam terus diajukan.

Pada masa yang sama, laman Ah Jib Soh pula mencatat 8,018 like pada jam 12.26 awal pagi 22 Januari 2012. Identiti adminnya tidak diketahui, tetapi dengan terang-terang “menyamar” sebagai isteri PM melalui status yang diperbarui. Dengan status yang bernada “sindir” dan jelas untuk memerli isteri PM, Ah Jib Sohkini menjadi “penghibur” kepada peminatnya.

Malaysia Chronicle

My fellow Malaysians in the Land Below the Wind, A Happy New Year and Kong Hee Fa Cai.

This Chinese New Year will usher in the Water Dragon. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. In ancient China, the dragon represents the emperor and power. Today, it is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. According to a Feng Shui master, the year of the dragon is traditionally associated with new beginnings and good fortune.

This year is the year of the Water Dragon. Water symbolizes the ocean. This is an element of power, force and strong energy. The Water Dragon could be the destructive force of nature such as tsunami or earthquake. It could also be the driving force for social, political and economic changes. The water dragon is also a symbol of intelligence, courage, generosity and charity. It is predicted for countries that will hold their presidential or general elections that there will be changes. This is a sign of the bold progress and reforms that the powerful water dragon will bring this lunar year. The Dragon favours the bold. So this year he who is bold and he who dares will win. This is the year for the bold to step forward and bring change.

Putrajaya is UMNO not Malaysians

Firstly, decisions made by the Federal Government more popularly referred to as “decisions of Kuala Lumpur” and now “Putrajaya” have been taken by the people of Sabah as being synonymous as that of people of Peninsula Malaysia. I want to say that this is not correct. The decisions of the Federal Government are not synonymous with the people of Peninsula Malaysia. They are in truth and in fact decisions of UMNO.

The Federal Government’s interest in pursuing the NEP and the promotion of elitist’s interest is not the aspirations of the people of Peninsula, at least not since March 8, 2008. In the 12th General Elections the majority of the people of Peninsula Malaysia rejected racial politics. They rejected the NEP. In the 12th General Elections, 52% of the people in the Peninsula voted for the multi-racial politics of Pakatan Rakyat. They voted for PR’s New Economic Agenda, they rejected the NEP. They wanted affirmative action based on needs not race.

The people in the Peninsular rejected UMNO and BN. Unfortunately and ironically, it was the people of Sabah and Sarawak that kept UMNO and BN in Putrajaya. The brave people of Sabah who changed their state government three times, who we in West Malaysia would be the ones who will lead the change voted for BN. What happen to the people in Sabah?

Looking Back at Sabah’s History

To answer the question, to see what will be Sabah’s future, I look back at Sabah’s past. Sabah’s history is marked by the people’s courage to vote for change. It is the only state that changed its state government three times. We, in Peninsula Malaysia have always admired the courage of the Sabah people in throwing out despots and corrupt governments. However, it is sad to note that despite the people’s valiant efforts, Sabah had fallen from being the second richest state after Selangor in the 1970’s to become the second poorest. With each change the forces that the Sabah people rejected rebounded and took a stronger hold on the government. I note three features that have constantly recurred:-

1) That the Sabah people is strong when they unite under a multi-racial party;

2) That the Sabah people is weak when the multi-racial party is broken up and political parties base on race take over;

3) That the Sabah people’s aspirations are thwarted by the Federal Government who used the Federal government’s power and machinery to remove state Government whose policies are not in accord with UMNO’s.

The Early Years

I wish to refer to some historical facts to illustrate my point on the Sabah people’s need for unity and how critical it is for Sabahans to reject racial politics.

Prior to the formation of these racial based political parties, Sabah had always been racially, culturally and religiously diverse. However, the people of Sabah had never seen themselves as racially or religiously divided. In Sabah many families have relatives who are Chinese, KDM, Malay, Muslims and Christians. Ethnicity was not a feature of Sabah politics. However, this changed in the early 1960’s. Prior to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur promoted the formation of an inter-ethnic alliance in Sabah. The Sabah Alliance was formed just before the first elections in April 1963. The Sabah Alliance consisted of UNKO, USNO and the Chinese parties later to become the Sabah Chinese Association (“SCA”) and later UPMO and SIC.

The first political party in Sabah was the United National Kadazan Organisation (“UNKO”) established in 1961 by Donald Stephens. Its majority support came from no-Muslim Kadazan communities.

The second political party was United Sabah National Organisation (“USNO”), the indigenous Muslim party formed by Datu Mustapha Datu Harun in December 1961. Although USNO was opened to all races in Sabah, a disproportionate number of the members who held senior positions in the party were Suluks as Tun Mustapha himself was of Suluk descent.

The third and fourth parties to be established were two separate Chinese parties namely Democratic Party and United Party. DP was formed in Kota Kinabalu in November 1961 by Peter Chin and UP in Sandakan by Khoo Siak Chew. In 1965, DP and UP they merged to form the Sabah Chinese Association to conform to the Peninsula model of the MCA.

The indigenous peoples in the interior formed their own political party in January 1962, known as United Pasok Momogun Organisation (“UPMO”) led by G.S. Sundang, the traditional Murut chief. UPMO was a breakaway party from UNKO who opposed the Malaysia proposal. UPMO leaders believed that the Malaysian proposal was not in Sabah’s best interests and argued that Sabah should achieve progress and independence on its own first before entertaining any proposal to form a federation with its neighbours. In June 1964, UPMO merged with UPKO to form the United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Organisation (“UPKO”).

To complete the lineup of Sabah political parties is the Sabah Indian Congress formed in November 1962 to represent the Indians that formed 1% of the Sabah population.

The Sabah Alliance modeled on the Peninsular Alliance of UMNO, MCA and MIC won the elections with Tun Mustapha appointed as the Governnor or Yang DiPertua Negeri and Donald Stephens as the first Chief Minister.

Relationship between the state and Kuala Lumpur began to strain when UPKO raised the issue of state rights known as the “Twenty Points” safeguards which were integral to the new federation. Donald Stevens required a strict interpretation of the Twenty Points safeguards for state autonomy. The Federal and state disagreed on Issues such as the Borneonization of the civil service, the use of the English language, the school and education policies. Thus Sabah leaders started to view Malaysia as a distinct and separate country and the Peninsula as the new colonizers of Sabah.

In contrast, Tun Mustapha’s policies were more in line with those of Kuala Lumpur. Tun Mustapha insisted that his post was not just ceremonial and required that the Yang DiPertua be consulted by the Chief Minister.

In the ensuing conflict over the powers of the Yang DiPertua and the Chief Minister, Kuala Lumpur backed Tun Mustapha. Stephens relinquished his post as Chief Minister. Tun Mustapha lured UPKO’s members to defect to USNO. In May 1967, UPKO left the Sabah Alliance and sat on the side of the opposition.

Federal support for Tun Mustapha won the day and this support continued even when Tun Mustapha turned to become autocratic and his excesses became not only well known but even an embarrassment to Kuala Lumpur. Tun Mustapha detained political opponents without trial in Kapayan, Yayasan Sabah which was formed to pursued education and social objectives was transformed into a key mechanism for political patronage. The Yayasan Sabah was used to allocate timber resources to Tun Mustapha’s political supporters.

This is an early example of UMNO providing support to local Sabah political parties and personalities that supported its racial policies and to undermine those that were not in supported of them.

The Rise and Fall of Berjaya

When the people of Sabah could not endure the abuses, they formed Berjaya on 15 July 1975. Berjaya was the first truly multi-racial political party led by Fuad Stephens. In the 1976 general elections, Berjaya ended the 13 year rule of the Sabah Alliance and the 8 year personal rule of Tun Mustapha.

The new Berjaya government was sworn in on 20th January 1976 with Fuad Stevens as Chief Minister and Harris Salleh as Deputy Chief Minister. However, before the new cabinet could settle down in office, almost the entire cabinet was wiped out in the plane crash in June 1976. Harris Salleh was saved because Fuad Stephens asked him to stay behind in Labuan to take a later flight with the Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh. Tengku Razaleigh was there to hammer out the important agreement for Sabah to hand over the oil resources to Federal control. Fuad Stevens and his cabinet were fighting hard to protect the Sabah people’s right to use its own resources.

Harris Salleh signed the petroleum agreement soon after he was appointed the new chief minister. With a stroke of the pen the Sabah people loss its rights to the resource in exchange for a 5% royalty. Harris thus enjoyed support from the Federal Government. During his tenure Harris Salleh brought in migrant workers from Indonesia and Philippines. Power entered into Harris Salleh’s head. The policies of Berjaya started to reflect those of UMNO. Labuan was given to the Federal Government to be turned into a Federal Territory. The 20 Points safeguards in the Malaysia Agreement and the state autonomy were put in the backburner.

The Last Hurrah under PBS

Sabahans increasing frustration with Harris led to a replay of USNO’s ouster. Just before the 1985 general elections, PBS was formed. PBS was formed by Joseph Pairin Kitingan as a multi-racial party determined to fight for the rights of Sabahans that Berjaya had deviated from. PBS snatched a dramatic victory to wrest control of the state government from Berjaya and BN. PBS governed Sabah in 4 general elections from 1985 to 1994.

However, PBS could not maintain state development without the Federal government’s support. After 1986 riots PBS joined BN. PBS entered BN as a component party at the Federal level but remained as the opposition in the state. In 1990 PBS pulled out of BN. PBS retained Sabah in the 1990 general elections and also won narrowly in 1994. Before it could form the state government, PBS was undermined by a series of defections and certain developments by its political rivals engineered by UMNO.

In order to counter PBS, USNO and UPKO dissolved to form UMNO Sabah. Some of the Chinese members of Berjaya restarted the SCA and it became the Sabah chapter of the Peninsula MCA. Other Chinese members formed the Liberal Democratic Party led by Datuk Hiew Ming Kong of Tawau and Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat of Kudat.

In 1990, Mark Koding and Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia (now Speaker Dewan Rakyat) quit PBS and formed AKAR which promptly joined BN.

In 1994, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Tan Sri Joseph Kurup formed the Sabah Progressive Party (“SAPP”), New UPKO and Sabah People’s United Party (“PBRS”) respectively. Datuk Jeffery Kitingan also left to join PBRS, later PKR and now STAR.

As a result of the defections, PBS lost control of the state. An UMNO led BN formed the state government. It was not a Sabah government of the Sabah people by the Sabah People for the Sabah people. It was a government snatched from the Sabah people through defections, lured by promises of power and positions.

In 2002, PBS rejoined BN. Thus ended any form of opposition in Sabah. UMNO through BN ruled Sabah to this day. The Sabah people’s struggle for their promised rights of state autonomy, for a multi-racial government and a fair share of its riches and resources ended. In 2002, the vision of a multi-racial autonomous state was stolen. Although it has been crushed the dream will not die and lives on in the hearts of all true Sabahans.

The Moment in Time Has Come

In a Federal system, theoretically, each level of Government remains sovereign in its own domain. Under the UMNO model, Malaysian federalism the autonomy of the states has shrunk substantially. UMNO using the Federal government apparatus was able to establish legal supremacy and political authority that permitted UMNO to encroach onto the sovereignty of the states without serious hindrance.

In the case of Sabah, UMNO dealt firmly with state leaders who sought to protect state autonomy. UMNO supported only those state leaders who supported UMNO’s own policies and interests. Sabah with its diverse races and cultures does not have any one race that is significantly larger than others. There has never been one group religious or racial that dominated the others. The tension that comes from ethnicity was unknown before 1963. It came with the promotion of ethnic based racial political parties by the model used by then Alliance and now BN.

The lessons learned from Sabah’s history are clear and is there for all to see. The Sabah people’s future and fortune is not with ethnicity, it is not with racial politics, it is not with political patronage. In the name of Malay first Sabah has been raped and looted. Its resources and the riches have been plundered by those who looked after their own personal interest, first, second and last. Sabah’s future lies with Sabahans renewing their struggle for recognition of the 20 Points. It lies is with Pakatan Rakyat. It lies with a truly multi-racial coalition. Pakatan Rakyat respects the state government’s sovereignty. This is clearly set out in the Buku Jingga on the state and Federal relations. It is one of the first things to be done as part of the 100 day Programme. On January 14, Pakatan Rakyat at its convention has unveiled a fund and blue print to give effect to the 20 Point Agreement and to increase the oil royalty to 20%.

The moment has come for the people of Sabah and its leaders to rise up once again. Every ten to twelve years like the Chinese zodiac, Sabah enters a new phase of its political development. In the 12 year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, the Dragon shall rise again and enter in 2012. The Sabah people must like the Dragon that comes once every 12 years seize the moment and rise up for change, for freedom and to recover your rights.

History has taught us that wresting control of State governments is not enough. Penang, Kelantan, Sabah and the power grab in Perak proves that state rights are not respected by UMNO. That it does not accept the democratic choice of the people to choose its state government. UMNO undermines the wishes of the people in the state. Putrajaya only respected the state if UMNO is removed from Putrajaya. Sabahans must not focus only on who forms the state government, they must also look at who forms the Federal Government. The BN model of Federalism has given too much power to the center. To regain your rights under the Malaysia Agreement, UMNO must be swept out of Kinabalu but also Putrajaya. The Dragon favours the bold. It is my sincerest wish and my dearest hope that the Sabah leaders heed the cry of your people. I am sure when you give utmost priority to the people’s interest above all others, all disagreement can be overcome. Disputes over seats, control and position must give way to the needs of the people. The people will appreciate your personal sacrifices and reward you with a momentous decision in the coming 13th General Elections. March bravely forward, your courage will overcome all obstacles and the luck of the Dragon will set you free.

I wish you Selamat Tahu Baru, a Very Happy New Year, Kong Xi Fa Cai,

Semalam Menteri Pengajian Tinggi Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin mengumumkan bahawa lima Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam – Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia – akan diberikan autonomi. Walaubagaimanapun langkah ini tidak bermakna sekiranya Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti yang mencengkam kebebasan universiti masih berkuatkuasa.

Selama ini AUKU telah terbukti sebagai penghalang utama autonomi universiti dan kebebasan akademik. Keputusan kerajaan untuk meminda Seksyen 15 AUKU tidak membawa sebarang makna memandangkan pindaan ini tidak mengatasi budaya ketakutan dan pemusatan kuasa yang telah yang disebarkan oleh AUKU selama ini. Mahasiswa, masyarakat sivil dan pihak pembangkang telah secara konsisten menyatakan pendirian ini tetapi hanya keputusan UKM 4 yang membuatkan pihak kerajaan menerima hujah ini.

Kami juga masih menunggu jawatankuasa dwiparti yang diumumkan oleh Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah untuk menjadi realiti. Jawatankuasa tersebut – sekiranya menjadi realiti – akan meneliti akta alternatif kepada AUKU yang telah dicadangkan oleh pimpinan mahasiswa pada 2008.

Pada masa yang sama, KEADILAN kesal dengan keputusan Kolej Universiti Insaniah Kedah (KUIN) untuk menggunakan AUKU terhadap lima mahasiswanya. Kami berharap keadilan akan tertegak di dalam kes ini dan semua negeri-negeri Pakatan menunjukkan komitmen mereka menentang AUKU dengan tidak membenarkan peristiwa tersebut berulang. Kita telah berjuang sekian lama untuk menentang ketidakadilan tersebut.

The Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that yesterday five public universities – Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia – are to enjoy autonomy. This move however is meaningless as the draconian University and University Colleges Act is still in force.

It has been proven time and time again that the UUCA has been a major hurdle for university autonomy and academic freedom. The government’s decision to amend Section 15 of the UUCA is a lame concession as it does nothing to address the culture of fear and centralisation of power that the UUCA has engendered. Students, the civil society and the Opposition have been consistently arguing this for decades but it took the UKM 4 landmark decision for the government to finally acknowledge this fact.

Indeed, we are still waiting for the bipartisan committee that the Deputy Minister for Higher Education Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, announced in December to materialise. Such a committee — if it does indeed take place — will look at the alternative legislation to the UUCA as proposed by student leaders in 2008.

At the same time, our party deeply regrets the decision by the Kolej Universiti Insaniah Kedah (KUIN) to apply the UUCA on five of its students. We hope that justice will prevail in this case and that all Pakatan states will show their commitment against the UUCA by not allowing a repeat of such incidents. We have fought for too long and too hard to allow such abuses of fundamental rights to continue.

— Ronald Benjamin The Malaysian Insider Jan 27, 2012 JAN 27 — Since Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal, political commentators and prominent intellectuals have made statements that the judiciary has shown independence. Prime Minister Najib Razak has said that the High Court decision is testimony that he has not interfered with the judiciary. Is the PM implying [...]

Siapa yang tak kenal dengan Jacyln Victor? Setiap kali Abang Nara mendengar lontaran padu suara Jac, meremang jugak bulu roma ini dibuatnya. Bagi Abang Nara, suara Jac antara yang terbaik di dalam industri nyanyian Malaysia. Dan ada berita baik untuk … Continue reading →

Four things are clear. First, that there is something very rotten about the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal – what with a RM250 million soft loan at 2% interest to promote cattle production used to buy two units of luxury condominiums in Kuala Lumpur and another condominium in [...]

跟政治人物／機構做合作，不論是國陣或民聯都一定要先收錢。
不論他掛的是羊頭還是狗肉都要認清看楚，天下的政棍都是一樣的。

所以請不要迷信楚河漢界的分野，搞到自己血本無歸後才怨天尤人是無補於事的。

I am having hard time concentrating on works need to be done because I am too busy campaigning to earn more votes. Campaigning is not an easy task, it consumes a big chunk of my time. Haha. Ah well, here’s a postcard I am drawing now for the postcard exchange project.   I don’t really [...]

Beberapa hari ini tersebar gosip yang mengatakan pelakon Shahrizal dan kekasihnya, Miera Liyana telah bergaduh kerana Shahrizal dikatakan curang dengan wanita lain. Sejauh mana kesahihan gosip ini tidak dapat dipastikan, tetapi mungkin juga ada kebenarannya bila pelakon utama filem Azura … Continue reading →

「買單反、窮三代。」
說得出這種話的人想必是那種買名貴皮革鞋子，看電影只看翻版的人吧？攝影為很多人帶來樂趣，也為一些人帶來財富，也為一些人帶來煩惱，當然也為更多人保持著永恆的回憶。

雖然說攝影機新舊不重要，重要的是拍照的人懂不懂攝影，但是手邊有好的器材卻也還是最好的，因為好的攝影機能讓攝影人專注於創作，而不是專注於操作。

昨天出去逛街買相機，再三看好了價格後發了個短訊回吉隆坡通知我們的精明敗家水母老師，不到十秒鐘就接到他的回應：「敗！敗！敗！」這跟好久以前日本轟炸珍珠港時用的「虎！虎！虎！」的暗號有異曲同工之妙。

呵呵～ 感覺真的不錯呢。

尼康 D5100和標準鏡頭，松下的 Lumix GH-2，都是很好的攝影機。
希望這次水母老師不會再遇上以往的悲劇了。

Seriously. The Ministry of Health, Malaysia’s health portal, MyHealth has recently launched some browser based games with health themes. You can check out Health Games for yourself.

Personally, I find the “games” rather lame and don’t see the purpose behind them. A truly interactive game which teaches the user in a subliminal fashion as he or she plays it might be more useful rather than inane “arcade type” games with some health theme which serves little purpose other than fill the time of those who are utterly bored.

The MyHealth portal is one of several Health Portal links in the MMR.

from the Malaysian Medical Resources

MOH wants you to play games

On the 3rd day of CNY, we usually do not go visiting as it is believed that doing so will cause argument.. so we usually go out for movie and makan makan

So we went out with my family and relatives

… and watched I LOVE HK 2012… funny movie.. though the first one (last year) was a lot better.

Then we went for lunch! After that we went to my aunts house to play some .. cards

CHOR 4 updates tomorrow!

dtsv.dtse_post_5437_permalink = 'http://www.smashpop.net/cny12-update-4-i-love-hk-2012'; dtsv.dtse_post_5437_title = 'CNY’12 Update 4: I Love HK 2012!';

這讓我想起很久以前喜歡穿黑衣的林國榮的黑色幽默，他搞了一個甚麼世界和平獎給馬老闆。

在若干年後又見這場鬧劇上演，但是角色已經換了人：

世界華人經濟論壇顧問華總會長蔡細歷和贊助人李金友25日為馬來西亞首相納吉布頒發“終身成就獎”，以表揚他對大馬國家轉型及促進該國和平與繁榮作出的巨大貢獻。

可見擦鞋拍馬屁是保家衛國之道啊。

It's not everyone that celebrates their birthday on some nationwide public holiday. It can suck a little when a lot of places close down because of it. Though in the end, it's about the company that you spend your day with, and not the gifts, nor the celebration that makes it all worthwhile.

So I may not be the best,
I may not that kind.
I may not be just like the rest,
Yet you don't seem to mind.

How we met briefly on a chance,
That day I seemed to forget.
Now we find time to randomly dance,
and munch on a tasty baguette.

It fills me to unbound wonder,
How different we are apart.
Still our bond grows stronger,
As does the feeling of my heart.

And so we fit, the perfect hand in glove,
With another memory on our eternal shore.
Happy Birthday Melissa, my queen, my love,
For a lifetime shall we keep forevermore.

---
Here are some more related posts for your reading pleasure:

• WordPress, The Country And The Girl
• Happy Birthday Melissa
• Happy “Multiple Celebrations In A Day” Day!
• Dreadful December
• Wishing Well

Rancangan Pilih Kasih 3 yang kini sudah mula ditayangkan di TV2 sememangnya sangat menarik untuk ditonton. Bukan senang nak melatih mereka yang bercita-cita untuk menjadi pelakon. Namun, kalau cikgunya adalah Rosyam Noor, Umie Aida dan Erra Fazira, sudah pasti banyak … Continue reading →

Demi Rakyat

27 Januari 2012 (Jumaat)

9.00 – 12.00 malam

Lokasi: Dewan Orang Ramai Kampong Ahmad Razali, Dengkil

Penceramah:
1) YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim
2) YB Azmin Ali
3) YB Zuraida Kamaruddin
4) YB Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad
5) YB Dr Rani Osman

In the story of Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) having filed a suit against AirAsia for its misleading pricing in its website, AFP has stated that AirAsia could not be reached for comment. This was most unusual by AirAsia’s standard. Read in HERE. However, a few days later, AirAsia has responded with a press [...]

自胡某去年三月寫了胡某十法之【完全交往指南】以來，身邊的一些朋友依然不能守到桃花爭艷，反而獨守空閨默默地面對滿地地爛桃花。有鑒於此，在這年初五，接了財神爺後的一天，我們稍微討論一下守住桃花的十個妙方。

1。自由：自由這個概念是很虛無縹緲的，尤其是男人，要綁住男人的最佳方法，就是完全給他自由放任，這樣在心理上他就會以妳馬首是瞻。

2。空間：空間跟自由這個概念是一樣的，妳給他越多空間，他越想拉近距離。男人，有時真的很賤的。

3。面子：面子書是現代人的現實分身；妳在上面的言行舉動會直接影響他對妳的看法。

4。態度：如果妳真的珍惜對方，妳知道妳對他的態度不能像對路上陌生的路人甲乙丙丁那樣冷淡，但是要注意不要太過於熱情，分吋拿捏的準繩很重要。

5。語氣：語氣真的很重要咯。這跟寫電郵時用 72point 紅色的字體的效果是一樣的，要知道對方不是欠妳的，有時候說話客氣點真的是可以取到國泰民安的效果的。跟妳一樣，男人也是面子動物。

6。專家：千萬不要把自己搞到像感情事故專家，妳如果喜歡看光頭主持佬的彩虹書的話，請不要輕易拿書上的理論來和男人爭辯，因為妳不知不覺地在跟妳的男人說妳相信那個光頭佬多過相信他。

7。自信：對妳的男友而言，妳的女性朋友都是妳的兄弟，而他的男性朋友都是妳的姊妹。

8。情趣：不論妳是多麼沈悶的女人都好，妳的男人都會對妳的一切感興趣，給自己一些變化，增添一些色彩是調劑兩個人之間的感情的最佳方法，當妳一臉倦容地對著妳的男人說：「不用做啊？」是遠遠不比妳對他說；「累，我們一起找個地方聊？」有趣多了。

9。分手：除非妳真的想分手，不論妳有多憤怒多少個理由都不能先提這兩個字，因為這兩個字說出口後，分手就或多或少已成事實。

10。尊重：有時候太過大女人反而顯得妳不尊重對方，兩個人的事情很多時候是不講輸贏的，而且大女人也有軟弱的時候，在妳的男人前面何必賣弄妳的堅強？

後話：
亡羊補牢真的不是最好的對策，所以在事情還沒變得無法挽回時就作好應對的準備是最好的。這裡預祝妳桃花朵朵開，艷紅染遍天。
有這個需要的話，不妨留言，讓胡某幫妳想想辦法？

Harakah

Presiden Teras Pengupayaan Melayu (Teras) menafikan laporan akhbar Umno, Utusan Malaysia 25 Januri lepas dan menyifatkan ianya sebagai tidak benar dan tersasar.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid (gambar) dalam kenyataannya hari ini berkata, “Kenyataan itu sangat menyimpang daripada kenyataan asal saya dan ianya sungguh dikesali.”

Teras merujuk laporan akhbar dalam Utusan Malaysia bertarikh 25 Januari 2012 yang bertajuk ‘Bersih 3 berniat kelirukan rakyat’.

“Laporan itu yang kononnya memetik kenyataan saya adalah tidak benar dan tersasar sepertimana yang saya nyatakan.

“Kenyataan itu sangat menyimpang daripada kenyataan asal saya dan ianya sungguh dikesali,” kata Azmi dalam kenyataannya kepada Harakahdaily hari ini.

Azmi menjelaskan, dalam kenyataannya kepada utusan Malaysia, beliau berkata pihak Bersih 3 berhak untuk memilih saluran samada melalui perundingan dengan pihak yang berkaitan atau melalui demontrasi aman yang di benarkan oleh undang-undang untuk menuntut pilihanraya yang bersih dan adil.

“Saya juga menyatakan bahawa adalah tidak salah salah bagi mana-mana pihak samada pihak kerajaan atau pembangkang untuk melakukan sesuatu tindakan dalam menghasilkan momentum berterusan untuk memenangi hati rakyat bagi memghadapi pilihhanraya umum ke 13 ini,” katanya.

Bagi beliau, tindakan menghasilkan momentum sokongan rakyat adalah lumrah dalam demokrasi di mana-mana negara.

“Saya menegaskan bahawa sesuatu perhimpunan awam yang aman dan mengikut saluran undang-undang adalah sesuatu yang sah dan pihak kerajaan tidak boleh menghalangnya kerana ianya adalah hak rakyat yang termaktub dalam perlembagaan negara serta tidak bertentangan dengan syariat Islam,” katanya.

Beliau juga menegaskan bahawa perhimpunan aman yang bertujuan baik untuk menuntut sesuatu hak oleh rakyat akan diterima oleh rakyat Malaysia sebagai suatu proses pembinaan negara yang akan menghasilkan sebuah kerajaan dan pentadbirannya yang lebih adil, saksama dan bebas dari pengelewengan serta rasuah yang sangat dibenci oleh rakyat.

Berbeza dengan laporan akhbar Umno itu, Azmi berkata, tindakan sebegini tidak ‘mengelirukan rakyat’ bahkan akan mematangkan lagi mana-mana kerajaan dan rakyat untuk terus membangunkan negara ini dengan penuh amanah dan tidak mengkhianatinya dengan amalan politik yang korup dan zalim kepada rakyat.

Keadilan Daily

Umno mengguna pelbagai helah untuk mengelak debat antara Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mengenai isu membabitkan rakyat, kata Ketua Angkatan Muda KEADILAN (AMK), Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

Beliau berkata demikian mengulas kenyataan Ketua Penerangan Umno, Datuk Ahmad Maslan bahawa debat merupakan ‘budaya barat’ yang masih belum diterima di negara ini.

“Ini satu lagu helah politik umno untuk elak debat dan kenyataan ini sungguh dangkal dalam keadaan kita menuju budaya politik baru,” kata Shamsul ketika dihubungi Keadilandaily.com hari ini.

Shamsul turut menempelak kenyataan Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek yang memberi alasan kononnya debat Anwar-Najib tidak relevan kerana bukan melibatkan kepentingan umum.

Menurutnya, debat antara kedua pemimpin itu sepatutnya dilihat dalam konteks lebih luas dan bukan atas pertimbangan politik semata-mata.

Sehubungan itu, beliau mendesak agar debat Anwar-Najib disegerakan bagi membolehkan rakyat menentukan siapakah lebih layak mentadbir negara ini pada pilihan raya umum kelak.

Beliau juga mencadangkan sekiranya debat itu diadakan, ia perlu disiar secara langsung bagi memberi peluang rakyat menilai secara adil dan bebas.

“Saya juga ingin menjawab dakwaan pemimpin Umno kononnya debat boleh diadakan di Parlimen.

“Soalnya Parlimen terhad dengan Najib mendapat kelebihan melalui Speaker BN yang menyokongnya selain tidak semua rakyat dapat melihat debat itu,” katanya.

Baru-baru ini, Pengarah Eksekutif Merdeka Center, Ibrahim Suffian menggesa Perdana Menteri dan Ketua Pembangkang mengadakan debat terbuka berkenaan dasar dan pendekatan kerajaan menguruskan negara.

Menurut Ibrahim, maklumat yang dikumpulkan hasil perbincangan kumpulan berfokus melibatkan profesional-profesional Melayu menunjukkan, mereka berminat untuk melihat debat membabitkan kedua-dua pemimpin berkenaan.

By Marie Chêne Senior Research Coordinator Transparency International New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have been consistently ranked at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index and are perceived to be the least corrupt of all the countries surveyed. They are not perfect – still falling short of the target 10 out of 10 on [...]

Yesterday, just like many other times, I woke up to the beeping sounds of Facebook chat, alerting me of incoming messages.

It was a film festival programmer friend of mine, his message was this:

Edmund, this has to do with one of your favourite film topics, Theo Angelopoulos. He had just died in a traffic accident, ran over by a motorbike!

I sat up, suddenly wide awake, and started retrieving more news of his sad passing just hours earlier. The Greek master filmmaker had indeed died of heavy injuries after being hit by a bike near his film set. He was in the middle of finishing his trilogy that started with THE WEEPING MEADOW and THE DUST OF TIME. Angelopoulos was 76 years old.

The motorcyclist, who was hospitalized too, is an off-duty cop.

To be hit by a bike near your film set while you were in the middle of a shoot, how horrible!

This brings my mind back to THE DUST OF TIME, a 2008 film that will end up, sadly, as Angelopoulos' last completed film.



That was the very first Angelopoulos film I've ever seen that introduced me to the rest of his filmography. It was in February 2009, I was at the Berlin Film Fest for the Talent Campus, just two weeks after I've completed the shoot of my short film KINGYO, and a couple of months before I would edit it. It was also a couple of weeks before I would launch myself into Woo Ming Jin's WOMAN ON FIRE LOOKS FOR WATER (the very first feature film I produced and edited in its entirety)

Desperate to learn, I attended numerous workshops at the Talent Campus, one with Wim Wenders, another with Janus Kaminski, the famed cinematographer who had shot all of Spielberg's films since SCHINDLER'S LIST. Then, one more with Tilda Swinton, who remains one of my favourite actresses today.

Aside from these workshops, I tried my best to attend as many screenings as I could. After all, to me, one of the most essential education in filmmaking is to watch as many bloody films as you can, especially in a film festival, where you were able to discover gems that you never would do so under different circumstances.

I remember going to the gala screening of AN EDUCATION and watching Carey Mulligan from afar, and then, witnessing for myself, the birth of a star. I even ran through half the city of Berlin, and then hitchhike my way (a nice young German couple offered me a ride when I asked for directions) to another cinema where I could catch ECCENTRICITIES OF A BLONDE-HAIRED GIRL by then-101 year old Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira (he turns 104 this year). I saw him deliver his opening speech, but was already so exhausted that I passed out during the first scene of the film, and woke up by the sounds of clapping during its end credit. A fact that I feel ashamed of until this very day.

The press screening of Theo Angelopoulos' latest occurred in the afternoon. I arrived early to queue up for a seat. Intrigued by the synopsis of THE DUST OF TIME that I read on the festival catalogue. Being highly ignorant, I have only heard of Angelopoulos' name a few months earlier, when a Greek friend of mine who saw my old showreel told me that my visual style reminded him of the works of Angelopoulos. Being highly prideful, I remembered the name because I was curious to know why my humble little short films like LOVE SUICIDES and FLEETING IMAGES would invite comparisons to the oeuvre of a master!

I managed to secure a seat to the press screening. The film began and within its first ten minutes, as Willem Defoe launched into another one of his strangely-worded long monologues, I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Darn," I thought. "I should have drank some espresso before the film started."

A film-viewing experience without popcorn to munch on can be every intimidating. Alas, most film festivals disallow popcorns during their screenings, in order to preserve the PURITY of that viewing experience, to hear every single detail intended by the filmmaker without being drowned out by annoying crunching sounds of popcorn munching.

Around me, at the DUST OF TIME screening, were faint sounds of people snoring. The images onscreen became increasingly bizarre, like a half-remembered dream.

A half-remembered dream...

Ironically, this is how some people would describe an Angelopoulos film.

I feared, briefly, that I would doze off through the entire film like I did a night earlier with the de Oliveira film. My wounds were still fresh.

That was, until I reached a scene where a huge crowd converged at the city square after Lenin's death. The images were majestic, the score was haunting, I was suddenly very much awake.

I would remain awake through the rest of the film. Occasionally rolling my eyes at the "stylized" dialogue and maudlin histrionics, occasionally mesmerized by the poetic images I witnessed. Some scenes were indeed beautiful, some of his trademark long shots were indeed awe-inspiring. Seeing a long tracking shot where a character wanders in and out of his own memories, from present to past and then present again, speaking to people who could be ghosts or just conjurations of their own memory or imagination. How very art house! Or perhaps Art house with a capital A since it had so solemnly announce its own importance!

Seeing Willem Defoe in it, I thought of Carson Clay, his character in the second Mr Bean film. A parody of Art house filmmakers in film festivals filled with pomposity and pretensions. My mind wandered a little to the film within a film in Bean 2 and felt a little amused. That made me enjoy DUST OF TIME more.

Throughout the screening, some snickered, some continued to snore, a few seats away from me, a man was sighing a lot while scribbling on his notepad. A displeased film critic, it seemed.

"What was THAT?" I thought as the screening ended and I left. I was dazed. Until this day, I grimace at the mention of THE DUST OF TIME. But nonetheless, images from the film lingered in my mind for a long time, and I was adamant to find his earlier films, most master filmmaker have a, er, clunker. It would be stupid to write him off just because one of his latter-day works didn't turn out to be that good. That's like condemning Antonioni after watching his segment in EROS, or damning Kubrick for EYES WIDE SHUT (which to me, is still a bloody good film).

And because of this, I began seeking out other films by Angelopoulos. I started with LANDSCAPES IN THE MIST, followed it with the Cannes second place winner ULYSSES' GAZE, and then, the Palm D'or winning ETERNITY AND A DAY. Although I liked them to varying degrees, they all bowled me over by their scope, ambition and poetry.



Just look at that scene with Lenin's statue in Ulysses Gaze.



The flashes of brilliance I saw in THE DUST OF TIME were in full display in his earlier films, his style was very distinctive, somewhat Tarkovskian because of his meditative long shots and contemplative tone, yet different at the same time in terms of the recurring visual motifs and themes. Less bleak and more wistful and melancholic, maybe.

He, along with Tarkovsky, Bela Tarr,Wong Kar Wai and Edward Yang, are the few filmmakers I referenced most when I prepare for my film shoots.

Over and over again, as I find myself stuck while writing a script, I would pop in a dvd of an Angelopoulos film and study his craft, his tone, his rhythm.



I cannot count the amount of times I've watched bits and pieces of ULYSSES' GAZE and ETERNITY AND A DAY in the past two years, or the amount of times I've shown people one of his long takes, and then ask loudly "how did he do that??"

How indeed.

I would shake my head at parts of his films that didn't seem right to me. Even his masterpieces of the 80s and 90s (prior to that, his films were more emotionally distant, ALEXANDER THE GREAT is an example) The stylized acting, the stylized dialogue, the overblown melancholy, the manly monologues of melancholy delivered by his angstful protagonists.

And then I would smile, like how one would smile at the familiar antics of a fond one. "How very Angelopoulosian."

Yet I know that I would always revisit his works. Again and again. Perpetually studying. Perpetually seeking inspiration. There's always something new to discover.

Rest in peace, Theo Angelopoulos.

(I started to write this while I was in the middle of my 13-hour flight to Amsterdam. I continued fine-tuning this after reaching Rotterdam. When I was done with the entire entry, I realized the screening of my short films was an hour and a half away.)

Bintang filem Hollywood, Liam Neeson berkata dia sedang mempertimbangkan untuk meninggalkan kepercayaan Roman Katolik yang dianutinya untuk memeluk agama Islam. Pelakon itu yang kini berusia 59 tahun mengakui yang Azan “telah meresap ke dalam jiwanya” semasa menjalani penggambaran sebuah filem … Continue reading →

By Yow Hong Chieh The Malaysian Insider Jan 26, 2012 KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak should use his powers as prime minister to expedite the probe into the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), a former senior police officer said today. Former city CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim said Najib could instruct [...]

Patrick Lee | January 26, 2012 Free Malaysia Today Let the media roam free during elections, the National Union of Journalists tells government. PETALING JAYA: As the general election draws nearer, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has demanded that the government let go of its iron grip on the country’s media. In a letter [...]

It is most deplorable and the height of irresponsibility that at this late stage, after three months of continuous almost-dailyh adverse publicity, the family of Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, is still trying to shirk accountability with her husband, Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail, the chairman of [...]

Sedih sekali saya melihat keadaan anak-anak muda yang terpaksa ditidur di atas lantai yang bertikar plastik .Walaupun, Perdana Menteri memperuntukan RM 1 billion melalui Tabung Khas Pembinaan, Penambahbaikan dan Penyelengaraan Sekolah akan tetapi  Jabatan Pelajaran Daerah Klang mendakwa tidak ada sebarang peruntukan untuk menganjurkan program latihan Pusat Acara Merentas Desa. Lebih menyedihkan apabila En Badrul [...]

Font that is used on any websites can be identified using Firebug or Web Inspector. However that can be too complicated for some users. I have posted two Firefox plugins that is able to help you identify the font on a webpage but that restricts you to use Firefox and installing plugins. Here is WhatFont bookmarklet tool, created by Chengyin Liu, an undergraduate Computer Science student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign which will probably offer the easiest and cleanest way to help you easily identify fonts on webpages. All you[...]

Sangat simple dan sangat sweet. Itu perkataan yang terkeluar daripada mulut Abang Nara apabila melihat kad kahwin Yusry dan Lisa Surihani. Abang Nara respek sangat dengan pilihan mereka berdua kerana bukan senang untuk memilih kad yang simple kerana taraf selebriti … Continue reading →

Last Saturday, when two young Malay professionals from Perak both of whom UiTM law graduates, Fairuz Azhan and Dyana Sofia announced joining the DAP, close on the heels of similar announcements by Hata Wahari, former President of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and two wellknown bloggers Mohd Arif Sabri or known as Sokmongkok AK47 on [...]

– Oleh Fairuz Azhan Roketkini 25 January 2012 25 JANUARI – Baru-baru ini satu sidang media telah diadakan di Ipoh untuk memperkenalkan saya dan saudari Dyana Sofya yang membuat keputusan untuk menyertai DAP. Berita tentang kami sebagai dua orang graduan undang-undang dari UiTM menyertai DAP bagaikan telah mencetuskan fenomena dan pelbagai reaksi daripada pelbagai lapisan [...]

— Aspan Alias The Malaysian Insider Jan 26, 2012 26 JAN — Khairy Jamaluddin, Ketua Pemuda Umno Malaysia, telah meminta DAP mengeluarkan senarai ahli-ahlinya dari kaum Melayu jika benar DAP sekarang sedang mendapat sokongan dari kaum Melayu. Khairy berkata setakat tiga orang Melayu yang menyertai DAP itu tidak melambangkan yang parti itu sudah diterima oleh [...]

— Abd Shukur Harun The Malaysian Insider Jan 26, 2012 26 JAN — Tidak syak lagi bahawa generasi baru, malah sesetengah generasi lama juga, telah dengan jelas menolak politik perkauman. Dengan itu parti politik yang berasaskan kaum, atau tebal dengan perkauman sedang menghadapi zaman gelapnya. Dengan itu, tidak mungkin lagi politik perkauman akan terus mendominasi [...]

一个人拥有工作能力、建设能力，才能得到与其能力相符的回酬。工作能力越高，或者对组织的建设越大，回酬也就成正比的越多。这是台面上的酬庸法则。

一个组织或单位要能产生某种服务，或生产某种货物，才能以有关服务或货物，交换价值相等的偿付。这是符合商业原理的交易法则。

但是，在任何社会，除了那些摆在台面上、符合正常原理的法则之外，还有一些藏在台面下、不符正常规范的法则。

这类台底下的法则，其中一种，叫做破坏力法则。这道法则与正常的酬庸法则和交易法则的逻辑，刚好背道而驰。

酬庸法则和交易法则的逻辑是，我付酬给你，是要你做某些事情；而破坏力法则的逻辑是，我付酬给你，是要你不做某些事情，就是不要搞破坏。正常酬庸法则和交易法则的原则是，建设能力越大，获得的报价就越高；而破坏力法则的原则是，破坏能力越大，能够换取的赏金就越高。

私会党向店家小贩索取保护费，被勒索店家小贩之所以愿意付钱，并不指望私会党人真的能提供什么保护，而是用钱换取他们不搞破坏。私会党人马越众多、武器越精良、作风越凶悍，破坏力也就越大，能够勒索到的保护费就越多。

每个政党里也总有那么一些乱人，每逢党选开打，依例向各候选人讨要利益。候选人明明知道这些人根本一票都没有，也绝帮不上什么忙，但也不能不给一点好处，最起码不得罪他们，怕的就是他们造谣中伤、挑拨离间的破坏力，一个不小心，可能就影响到自己的胜算。乱人造谣功力越强、造谣内容越惊爆，破坏力就越大，候选人就得付出越多去讨好他们。

吴思《潜规则》里有一篇“身怀利器”，写道：“人们怕那些吏，一定要贿赂那些吏，并不是指望从他们手里捞点好处，而是怕他们祸害自己。”

所以，一个希望提升自己影响力的人，如果自觉无法从提升建设性能力着手，还可以从提升自己的破坏力开始。


（本文刊登于1月26日《中国报》人人咖啡店）

矢口史靖導演的片子都是胡某喜愛的電影，尤其是 Swing Girls 更是我每年必定重看一次的好戲。他對喜感、節奏鏡頭感和有時候幽自己一默的電影語言掌握得很好。

「ロボジー」在日本上映中，而新年是看電影的季節。正在糾結著要不要花 1800円 去挑戰我的日語聽力。

In October last year we were commissioned by Emas Sri Pinang for a photoshoot. The photos are for a campaign to promote their newest branch opening in Danau Kota, Kuala Lumpur.

Why only I share it now? Well, it doesn’t look good to “scoop” (to use a journalism term) one’s own Client no? For commissioned commercial work from a Client, there’s usually an embargo between 3 to 6 months. After the Client has done using the images in the final format (be it print or electronic usage) then I’ll share it here in this blog.

No, I don’t rush to “published” the said work in Facebook, which is strictly a social networking site with unfavourable T&C for photographers. “Budak-budak berkampung di Facebook” dontch nor wanted to unerstand that bit, when their artwork got “stolen” by a 3rd party of course they cried foul but read the T&C then you know you already given your “rights” away lah bro.

Enough rant, it’s early in the Day and I am currently enjoying my tea while typing this blog. A picture sure tells a thousand word, so let the pictures do the talking leerrr….

 

 

You must be wondering, where can you see the work lah? Well, if you at The Setiawangsa, Jelatek and Danau Kota LRT station you can see the lightboxes featuring Ms Faezah Elai and there’s a big 10′x40′ billboard at Danau Kota Uptown site too..

Anyway, the point of this post here is that without the input and assistance from everyone involved, this photoshoot won’t happen. Remember, there’s no “I” in the word “team”, as such, I am forever grateful to the Client Mr Ghulam and Mr Amin from Emas Sri Pinang, Ms Faezah Elai a up and coming, nay, popular Malaysian female actress, the MUA, Stylist and Wardrobe team (sorry ya?Ttheir names escape me at the moment, nanti lah I look for their business and amend this post oso ler) and last but not least, my crew for the day Mr Firdaus and Mr Faiz (both attended a few of my lighting workshop and talk/outing previously oso) for assisting me in the photoshoot for Emas Sri Pinang Sdn Bhd at The Barebone Studio, Saujana Impian, Kajang, Selangor.

Well, that’s all for today’s “marketing” post lah folks. Thanks for reading today’s entry lah!

 

 

像日本這樣的一個高度緊張的社會，如果沒有一點精神上的支持的話，就真的很難想像他們能夠如何支撐下去。

這些可以從他們那些人潮絡繹不絕的神寺、廟宇看出，他們的誠心參拜不是裝出來給大家看的。自結婚後，我被允許參加他們的一些過年的傳統儀式，在半夜寒冷遙遠的廟裡觀察他們傳承數百年的祈福過程。

由於日本人相信最好不要去拍他們神明的照片，我只好帶了錄音機去錄音。

後來一直很想拍一系列跟這個有點關係的照片，但是對他們的現代神明觀有點不太理解，想看點書後整理出來，碰巧今天凌晨跑出去吃拉麵時發現了這本書。

好好學習後再弄照片。

（是的，攝影使需要知識的醖釀才能發酵出好的內容。這跟器材沒甚麼關係的。）

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By Dr. Ong Kian Ming BSc (LSE), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Duke) Teh Chi-­-Chang, CFA, BSc (Warwick), MBA (Cantab) Refsa | 25 January 2012 RM48,000 in 2020 is not real income. The ETP promises to double gross national income (GNI) per capita to RM48,000 by 2020 from RM23,700 in 2009. However, RM48,000 in 2020 will be [...]

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 25, 2012 Free Malaysia Today The ‘Che Det Consensus’ is an economy built around problem solving that is ‘practical’ only for the Malaysia’s business and Umno political elite. COMMENT I found it odd the statement from Khazanah Nasional Bhd that it didn’t make profit from its sale of Proton [...]

Berhubung entri di BeautifulNara yang memaparkan Wilma Muhammad sebagai penghias kulit hadapan, pelbagai reaksi yang diberikan berkenaan keputusan wanita itu untuk kembali ke dunia hiburan. Ada yang positif dan ada yang negatif, namun adik kepada Wilma yang bernama Nurain Muhammad … Continue reading →

Dalam filem Harry Potter, ketiga-tiga bintangnya, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, dan Emma Watson digambarkan sebagai tiga sahabat yang selalu bekerjasama. Mereka saling bantu-membantu dan menyokong antara satu sama lain.Namun, itu tidak berlaku dalam kehidupan nyata. Hubungan ketiganya tidak serapat apa … Continue reading →

The big news yesterday, which came somewhat as a surprise, it that the Malaysian Medical Council, the governing body which maintains the medical register and also is responsible for overseeing medical standards and ethics, is to be corporatised according to the report in the Sun Daily

Health Deputy Director General (Medical) Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told theSun recently that once the amendment is passed, the MMC will be a professional body responsible for maintaining medical standards in the country, and more significantly, for performance monitoring of doctors.
The amendment is expected to be tabled when the Dewan Rakyat reconvenes in March.
“The corporatisation of MMC is to emulate the General Medical Council (GMC) in the United Kingdom, where it functions not only to set and monitor standards of the medical profession, but also the competency of doctors registered with it,” said Noor Hisham.
GMC is a fee-based registered charity which maintains a register of its medical practitioners, and functions to protect public interests by ensuring compliance to medical standards.
Noor Hisham said the monitoring of doctor’s performance is the way forward for quality healthcare.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told theSun that the move is to make the council more efficient in its daily administrative work, as well as free it from government bureaucracy.
“MMC is growing by leaps and bounds, it has registered around 35,000 doctors now, so we have to look into making MMC more efficient and not tie it down with government bureaucracy or circular,” said Liow.
He added that corporatising the council will ensure that it operates as a stand-alone, independent professional body, akin to the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, the Bar Council and the Institute of Engineers Malaysia.
Under the purview of the Health Ministry, the MMC currently functions under the same principles as the GMC, and also acts as a disciplinary body for the medical profession.
A long serving member of the council, who is also a senior doctor in a public hospital, told theSun the move will resolve the occasional conflict between the functions of the council as the ‘whip’ of the medical profession, and its role as advisors to the Health Ministry.
“The very fact that the council is funded and run by the ministry, there will be some conflict of interest between the two,” the doctor, who declined to be named, said.
He said there were also occasionally some difficulties for the MMC to exercise its disciplinary roles, especially when involving ministry-employed doctors, though he did not give specific examples.
“The move has of course been welcomed by the MMC, and hopefully with its corporatisation it will receive more funding, be more efficient, and able to function independently and with professionalism,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Medical Association also welcomed the move, although it admits that it was not consulted on the matter.
“However, the move is a good as it will make the MMC an independent body and there will be no potential conflict of interest, since currently the Health Ministry director general is also the chairman of the MMC,” said MMA president Dr Mary Cardosa.
She added that in the interest of good governance, the MMC must have representatives from all stakeholders who will be responsible for the registration of doctors and maintenance of standards of practice and ethics among doctors.
However, Cardosa disagreed that there may be an increase in fees paid for annual practising certificates (APC) with the corporatisation, and that it may be passed down to patients. Doctors in private practice currently pay RM50 per annum.
“Currently government doctors have their APC fees waived, but even if the APC fees are increased, it will not burden the patients as the fees are not high, and doctors’ fees are closely regulated by the law,” she said.

I am not really sure how corporatisation was entirely necessary in the first place if the MMC were to achieve the goals of registration of of doctors and also continuous monitoring of doctors’ performance. I guess the powers-that-be acknowledged that Government bureaucracy would be too much an obstacle for the MMC to progress in this direction. The article did not state where the funding of the corporatised MMC would come from but my guess is from it’s monitoring activities. I foresee that there will be:
- compulsory CME
- compulsory specialty registration
- compulsory re-accreditation
and all these exercises will require “fees” which will generate income for the MMC. I am not as confident as Dr. Cardosa on the APC fees – I suspect that there will be a substantial increase in this as well.
Together with the hefty subscription rates that Malaysian doctors already pay for medical malpractice protection (O&G doctors for instance have to fork out RM57,000 per year which is not even tax-deductible), practicing as a doctor in Malaysia will become increasingly expensive for sure.

from the Malaysian Medical Resources

MMC to be corporatised

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Exciting news as Enyo, the framework that powers webOS, is now officially Open Source and also cross platform – it can run in any Desktop and mobile browser (and via Phonegap can be easily ported to native code for the different platforms too). I really look forward to this as I have had a taste of web app development with NSB/App Studio in creating apps in medwebapp.com and oncopda.com. With EnyoJS, I now have another web app development alternative. EnyoJS is modular with UI widgets and is highly scalable (being able to run your apps in devices different screen sizes) and when Enyo comes to Ares 2.0 (the browser based IDE I used in many of my medical webOS apps) sometime in April, I foresee it will get even easier to develop in Enyo.

If you are interested, you can head over to:
HP webOS Developer centre
and the new EnyoJS website which has some cool samples which you can run in your webkit browser (e.g. Chrome or Safari desktop, iOS or Android device):
Flicker search
Canvas sample

More articles:
HP outlines schedule for full WebOS open source release
Enyo is all up in your browsers, and there’s nothing you can do about it

from the Palmdoc Chronicles

Enyo goes Open source and Cross platform

Picture tells a thousand words. Indeed, Anwar Ibrahim is like a boss, isn’t he? DISCLAIMER I’m not a supporter of Anwar Ibrahim nor a member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat. I just admire this picture. This picture isn’t mine, I found it on Facebook but I forgot the original URL. If you know the original owner, [...]