1 Jan 2011

Happy New Year 2011

%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3EI+was+watching+a+re+-run+of+%22Man+of+the+Year%22+-+remember+that+one%3F+The+one+in+which+Robin+Williams+was+elected+President+of+the+United+States+through+a+computer+glitch.+It+got+me+thinking+about+a+lot+of+things+-+some+of+the+things+he+said+reminded+me+so+much+of+Obama%3F+About+people+wanting+change+and+they+didn%27t+care+what+kind+of+change+it+was%2C+as+long+as+there+was+change.+This+brings+me+to+Bush+and+the+shoe+throwing+incident.+I+don%27t+like+George+Bush+-+I+believe+he+is+one+of+the+causes+of+so+many+things+that+went+wrong+in+Iraq+today.+If+he+had+just+let+Iraq+alone+-+it+wouldn%27t+be+so+miserable+now.+I+don%27t+know+whether+people+in+the+US+understood+what%27s+going+on+there+before+Bush+attacked+the+country.+He+claimed+that+there+were+%22weapons+of+mass+destruction%22+in+Iraq+and+that+it+was+planning+to+attack+Israel.+After+they+had+destroyed+Iraq+and+left+it+in+pieces+which+until+today+could+never+be+put+together+again+%28like+Humpty+Dumpty%29+-+they+found+nothing+incriminating+about+Iraq.+No+weapons+of+mass+destruction+were+ever+found+anywhere+in+the+country.+And+did+he+apologise+to+the+Iraqis+for+destroying+their+country%3F+No.+He+had+%22regrets%22+but+no+apologies.+Why%3F+To+apologise+would+be+to+admit+he+was+wrong+of+course.+So+I+don%27t+blame+the+frustrated+Iraqis+for+hating+him+and+all+he+stood+for.+I+think+at+least+half+of+the+world+hates+him+in+fact.+Hence+the+shoe.+I+only+wish+it+had+hit+him+right+there+in+the+face.+He+would+have+deserved+it.+No%2C+he+deserves+much+more+than+a+shoe+thrown+at+him+actually.%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3EAnother+thing+Robin+Williams+in+his+role+as+Tom+Dobbs%2C+president+elect+in+%22Man+of+the+Year%22+said+was+%22politicians+are+like+napkins+-+they+ought+to+be+changed+regularly%22.+Do+I+agree+with+that+sentiment%21+Especially+here+in+Malaysia.%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Fspan%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Fspan%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3EIn+this+country%2C+once+a+politician+is+elected%2C+he+stays+on+for+ever.+And+do+they+stay+on+and+on+and+on.+Some%2C+even+when+they+are+not+elected%2C+insists+on+staying+on+-+Samy+Vellu+to+name+just+one.+Then+there+are+those+who+do+get+elected+by+fairly+narrow+margins+-+Mohamad+Taib%2C+Najib+and+so+many+others.+I+guess+you+can%27t+blame+them+for+wanting+to+stay+on.+After+all+it%E2%80%99s+all+about+power+isn%27t+it%3F+Oh%2C+of+course+they+all+say+that+they+have+the+country%27s+best+interests+at+heart.+They+all+do+that+but+we+the+rakyat+know+better.+Even+the+opposition+leaders+are+the+same.+Do+we+ever+get+to+see+a+new+set+of+faces%3F+It%27s+always+the+same+-+Karpal+Singh%2C+Lim+Kit+Siang+and+his+son%2C+and+now+Anwar+Ibrahim+and+his+daughter.+We+hoped+after+the+last+election+that+things+would+change+but+I+see+nothing+has+changed.+In+Penang+and+Selangor+and+Kedah+and+Kelantan+where+the+opposition+rule+I+haven%27t+seen+any+substantial+changes+as+yet.+Little+unimportant+things+like+street+names+make+headlines+now+and+then.+They+say+they+will+be+an+improvement+but+once+in+control+they+are+much+like+the+Barisan.%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Fspan%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3EI+wonder+about+the+justice+system%3B+and+the+Altantuya+and+Teoh+Beng+Hock+cases+come+to+mind.+Will+they+ever+get+the+justice+they+deserve%3F+And+the+police+force.+What+are+they+doing+to+rid+the+country+of+crime%3F+Or+as+in+many+cases+now%2C+are+many+of+them+also+involved+in+criminal+acts+themselves%3F+Can+we+ever+trust+the+police+force+to+help+us+or+will+they+kill+rampantly+as+in+the+case+of+the+shooting+of+the+15+year+old+boy+in+Shah+Alam%3F+That+is+a+big+question+mark+there.+Who+is+to+be+blamed+for+the+boy%E2%80%99s+death%3F+The+police%2C+the+parents+%28for+not+knowing+what+their+own+son+is+doing+at+2+am+in+the+morning%29%2C+the+boy+himself+%E2%80%93+for+driving+a+car+without+a+licence+and+then+not+stopping+when+the+police+told+him+to+stop%3F+At+2.00+am+in+the+morning+anyone+would+be+forgiven+to+think+him+a+criminal%21%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Fspan%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Fspan%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3EI+am+not+going+to+talk+about+the+Education+system+%E2%80%93+it%E2%80%99s+too+much+to+even+think+about.+But+I+do+wish+the+government+chooses+teachers+more+carefully.+To+me+teachers+should+be+above+reproach+and+very+very+objective+in+their+dealings+with+students.+We+have+uztazahs+%28religious+teachers%29who+tell+8+year+olds+they+are+going+to+hell+when+they+die+because+they+don%E2%80%99t+wear+a+scarf+and+teachers+who+shout+obscenities+at+kids+and+tell+them+to+%E2%80%9Cgo+back+to+their+country%2C+that+they+are+immigrants%21%E2%80%9D+How+can+you+ever+be+a+teacher+if+you+feel+like+that+about+the+other+races+in+this+multi+ethnic+country%3F+Athat%3F+So+why+must+we+have+the+race+thing+at+all%3F+Why+can%27t+we+just+get+rid+of+that+column+and+just+put+one+thing+-+citizenship.+We+shoMalays+are+not+really+%E2%80%9Cbumiputera%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%93+sons+of+the+soil.+They+were+once+from+Indonesia%2C+Cambodia%2C+Thailand+and+generations+ago+their+ancestors+came+to+this+country+to+start+a+new+life.+So+who+is+really+the+bumiputera%3F+The+natives+in+the+jungles%3F%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0+even+have+to+go+that+far.+I+only+want+a+single+education+system+for+us+all+-+one+school+for+all+the+races+in+this+country.+No+vernacular+schools.+Is+that+too+much+to+ask%3F+The+various+languages+will+be+taught+-+just+as+Singapore+has+now.+Mandarin+and+Tamil+are+taught+in+schools+for+those+who+want+to+learn+them.+Malay+should+remain+the+national+language+but+English+should+remain+the+language+of+instruction%2C+especially+for+Science+and+Mathematics.+Then+and+only+then+can+we+slowly+go+forward+towards+unification+and+maybe+in+50+years+hence%2C+we+can+say+we+have+a+bangsa+Malaysia.+But+the+other+races+should+not+ask+the+Malays+to+lose+their+privileges+and+expect+to+keep+theirs.+Having+vernacular+schools+I+feel+is+a+privilege.+What+other+country+in+the+world+ha+2011+for+all+of+us.+Let+us+hope+that+the+economic+outlook+will+improve+and+that+the+world+will+indeed+be+a+better+and+safer+one.%3C%2Fspan%uld+be+proud+to+call+ourselves+Malaysians+first+and+whatever+race+we+are%2C+as+secondary.+Will+we+ever+be+able+to+do+that%3F+And+I%27m+not+talking+of+the+Malays.+I%27m+also+referring+to+the+Indians+and+Chinese+who+jump+a+mile+high+the+moment+someone+mentions+we+have+a+single+education+system.+Why+not%2C+if+we+are+sincere+about+wanting+to+have+a+united+Malaysia%3F+Thailand+has+only+a+single+education+system%3B+so+does+Indonesia.+The+Chinese+in+Indonesia+even+have+Indonesian+names+-+Rudi+Hartono+for+example.+We+don%27t+even+have+to+go+that+far.+I+only+want+a+single+education+system+for+us+all+-+one+school+for+all+the+races+in+this+country.+No+vernacular+schools.+Is+that+too+much+to+ask%3F+The+various+languages+will+be+taught+-+just+as+Singapore+has+now.+Mandarin+and+Tamil+are+taught+in+schools+for+those+who+want+to+learn+them.+Malay+should+remain+the+national+language+but+English+should+remain+the+language+of+instruction%2C+especially+for+Science+and+Mathematics.+Then+and+only+then+can+we+slowly+go+forward+towards+unification+and+maybe+in+50+years+hence%2C+we+can+say+we+have+a+bangsa+Malaysia.+But+the+other+races+should+not+ask+the+Malays+to+lose+their+privileges+and+expect+to+keep+theirs.+Having+vernacular+schools+I+feel+is+a+privilege.+What+other+country+in+the+world+has+this%3F+How+fair+is+that%3F+%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0D%0A%3Cdiv+style%3D%22text-align%3A+justify%3B%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-family%3A+Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+sans-serif%3B%22%3EAnd+what+do+I+wish+for+2011%3F+A+better+world+for+my+grandchildren%2C+that%27s+for+sure.+A+safer+one+too+-+better+quality+air%2C+better-cared+for+environment%2C+a+unified+Malaysia%2C+no+wars+in+the+world.+A+dream%3F+Perhaps%2C+but+if+Martin+Luther+King+can+have+his+dream+-+and+look+at+the+US+now+-+I+think

No comments: