Red Sand in the Promised Land

During the weekend holiday in northern Gaza, indiscriminate Israeli artillery firing have massacred Palestinian civilians having a picnic at a beach in Bait Lahiya, killing seven people, including three children, and wounding 36 others.

Five of those murdered were members of the Ghali family from Gaza. Besides the dead parents, Ali and Raisa, their 3 children aged one, three and 10 all died alongside.

1-year old, 3-year old, 10-year old kids!

Just like those poor Jewish children murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust in WWII. And who have been the modern day Nazis?

The barrage created a bloody carnage on the beach, scattering body parts all over. The sand of the Promised Land turned red on that Bloody Friday.

Ambulance ferried terrified crying children injured in the attack to nearby hospitals in Jabalya and Gaza City, where PM Ismail Haniya visited them.

President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack as the obvious, a bloody massacre. He said: "What the Israeli occupation forces are doing in the Gaza Strip constitutes a war of extermination and bloody massacres against our people."

He asked, probably in vain, the international community, including the US, Europe and the Security Council, to intervene.

There was deafening silence from the US State Department. After all, it was just bloody untermenschen (subhuman) Arabs being killed by their (the US') Masters, the biblical Master race.

UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said London was "deeply concerned by reports of the deaths from Israeli shelling of civilians, including children, on a Gaza beach".

"Deeply concerned"? What if it had been Palestinians killing Israelis?

In addition to the beach slaughter, the same Bloody Friday saw an Israeli air strike near Gaza City that wounded several Palestinian civilians. Palestinian officials said the air strike killed a man travelling in a car. Ah, just more subhumans.

The Israeli attack had the usual excuses that those were in retaliation for rocket firing into Israel. What they didn’t say was the rockets were being fired in retaliation for Israel's killing of Samhadana, a Palestinian government official. Samhadana and three others were killed in an Israeli air strike on a training camp. Israel of course said he was a legitimate target.

For several months, the Israelis have been pounding away indiscriminately at open areas such as fields and orchards in what it termed as an effort to prevent Palestinian militants using them to fire their rockets into nearby Israeli (stolen) territory.

But I reckon it has been an Israeli campaign of terror, knowing full well that innocent civilians would be killed. The aim obviously has been to send a message of intimidation to the Palestinians, just as it had been in the financial blockade of the Hamas government.

Another aim would be to provoke Hamas into retaliatory actions, so that the Israelis could point out to the world that the Palestinian terrorists are terrorising again, while for similar murderous actions by the State of Israel, those would by contrast be only security or pacification campaigns.

When a so-called State targets and murders another State's official as it wishes, without doubt an act of terror, and unsurprisingly minus any restraint or criticism by its principal supporter the USA, so-called paragon of democracy and due process, then we ought not to be surprised that the cycle of violence continues to be perpetrated.

If we traced the chicken & egg trail of violence, we can see that it all started with the Balfour Declaration, when the British, under the influence of the rich and powerful Zionist movement and with the support of a guilt-stricken Europe, took Arab land away to give to victims of European murderous oppression?

So now, the inevitable has come about - Israeli terrorism will undoubtedly provoke renewed Palestinian terrorism. Hamas' military wing has threatened to resume attacks on Israel in the wake of a series of massacres. The group has been observing a self-imposed ceasefire for more than a year.

BBC's Simon Wilson in Jerusalem said that, while there have been Hamas threats of responsing to other Israeli attacks in recent months, the latest announcement is significant because it appears on the official website of the armed wing of the group. Hamas' political wing hasn't yet made any comments.

WARNING: Criticisms* against Israel on the massacre will be deemed as anti-Semitism, and the critics as Dhimmis.

* "deeply concerned" is the maximum allowable before intruding into anti-Semitism

Related:
(1) Who is the terrorist?
(2) Who is the terrorist? (2)
(3) Who are the Untermenschen?
(4) No Big Deal - Just Untermenschen

Sweet & Sour Po ..... litics

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) supported Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s right to criticise PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s leadership.

Ku Li revealed that Dr Mahathir told him the doctor's unhappiness over the way Abdullah Badawi had managed certain issues like the AP scandal, which had threatened Proton, and the trade agreement with Japan which he felt would not benefit Malaysia.

However, Ku Li didn't mention the scenic bridge.

Ku Li said: "We spoke generally as one does when meeting an old friend. He is a man concerned about many things. He is the man who started Proton. He feels strongly about it. Rightly or wrongly, he has a right to air his views. Tun Mahathir is someone who never minces his words. If he has something to say, he says it."

Ku Li added diplomatically: "But, I’m sure Abdullah has his reasons (for pursuing certain policies)."

"Any rift will have an effect on the party and nation. Whether you like it or not, Dr Mahathir has been on the scene for more than 20 years, and has many supporters. Why are we fighting among ourselves? We must try to avoid (a confrontation) and resolve it so that we can move forward."

Ku Li couldn’t help criticising Abdullah Badawi’s lacklustre performance thus far:

"The mandate won by the Barisan Nasional in the 2004 general election made people optimistic about the future. Many statements were made by the leadership and expectations were high."

"But now, they think the economy is not moving forward. They are hoping things will improve. They had experienced a buoyant and vibrant economy before (during Dr Mahathir’s time). But this has not recurred."

Ku Li said everyone needed to co-operate to ensure the success of the 9MP.

So we have Mahathir’s original arch foe defending him, while Abdullah Badawi, once in Ku Li’s camp, had ignored Ku Li like the plague. Now, all it needs for the crazy sleazy world of politics would be for reformasi champion, Anwar Ibrahim to speak up in support Mahathir's right to criticise, but that of course would jeopardise poor Anwar's return to UMNO - better not, I suppose, and screw the principle of the freedom of expression.

Ain’t politics sweet and sour? I'll blog a bit more on this aspect shortly.

Beneath the buah cherry tree

The typical idyllic scene in an older part of Suburbia – a kedai kopi (coffee shop or in reality just a stall) beneath a Malaysian ‘buah cherry’ tree. The customers sit al fresco enjoying their coffee or tea, some nasi lemak, roti canai or kueh, and their favourite hobby, causal conversation.

Ahmad: Muthu, goreng pisang dua, kopi-oh kao
Muthu: OK – dei, you heard about the Australian bananas?
Ahmad: $15 per kilo, that’s almost RM40, like eating gold lah.

Leong: Heard Aussie crime gangs raid the plantations and make away with pisang to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Muthu: Here, crime gangs don’t bother with goreng pisang, they go straight to the Treasury.
Ahmad: And they have their own Treasury keys, or they do it through electricity, water, fuel, real koyak for us.

Muthu: Dei, pundee lah - time for a change of gomen
Ahmad: Leong, lu ai vote PAS boh?
Leong: Aiyah, kena potong, ai takut lah

Muthu: Woi, you can afford to lose some weight hehehe
Leong: Karn Neen Nare, kena that, cannot perform for weeks. If they do it wrongly, mampus lah
Ahmad: Dei, let’s be serious. Will Chinese vote for PAS?

Leong (in deep thoughts): Yeeee …es, maybe, I think, or maybe not. But PAS itself is confused, so why should I vote for its candidates if it can’t even make up its mind.
Muthu: About what?
Ahmad: Leong was referring to PAS’ shambolic confusion on the Chinese support it wants, needs badly before it can even challenge UMNO

Leong: Ya lah. Two factions in PAS now – one wants to open up and modernise, accept Chinese membership, but the other resists ‘religious’ contamination, though both are in agreement that Chinese support is vital for it to be a credible opposition.
Muthu: Same problem as the DAP then.
Ahmad: Slightly different, DAP is open to Malay participation but most Malays have rejected it. PAS, on the other hand, is half-hearted about opening up. But whichever way, that’s how BN continues to be in power.

Ahmad: Leong, what do you think of PAS' proposed associate memebership for Chinese?
Muthu: Associate?
Leong: 2nd class nia, just like UMNO's BN partners.

Muthu: So what’s going on in PAS?
Ahmad: I reckon the party seems to be retreating into conservative mood, based on the members' criticisms of some leaders.
Leong: PAS has been viewed as generally clean which most people like, but Chinese and Indians are still worried about Taliban-like actions once they are in power.

Ahmad: I disagree with the ‘clean’ bit because PAS’ refusal to support the IPCMC has been a major disaster. I am now concerned as to whether we can trust PAS. Once in power, it may be just another UMNO, using the police to suppress the others.
Muthu: What about PKR?
Leong: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, the one most reluctant to admit the non-Muslim Chinese into the party, has been using PKR as an excuse not to open the party to the Chinese.

Muthu: How?
Leong: It says it doesn’t want to poach on its multi-ethnic ally’s potential members.
Ahmad: So the Chinese who want to reject UMNO yet cannot accept PAS are in a political quandary. And PAS who needs Chinese votes but doesn’t want to accord them equal status as Muslims are caught in a similar bind.

Leong: Yes, especially in those constituencies where it'll be a straight fight between UMNO and PAS.
Muthu: Ahmad, who will you vote as your area is predominantly a Malay constituency.
Ahmad: Give me my goreng pisang first and I’ll tell you.

Muthu: Aiyah, lu kwai larn lah! Kong lah, kong lah.

A page from a woman's diary

Dearest Diary,

Tonight I don’t intend to write about myself. ‘Myself”? Have I truly ever? Being his daughter, somehow I have always felt obligated to write about highbrow stuff like women’s rights, the state of AIDs and the endless fight against ignorant prejudice about a disease that could have been inflicted through innocent blood transfusion. How I wish I could just pen my thoughts on dresses, shoes, that cute handbag I saw at the mall, or ….. but what’s the use.

It’s about Dad. People are so against him that we, his children, aren’t exempt from their hatred and vitriol. The ‘sins’ of a dad have been visited on his children. If I write about cosmetics or jewellery, people would comment that it’s typical of his daughter to be just a callous air head, but if I go for issues like AIDS and women's rights, they would claim I am acting above my intellectual level or getting too big for my boots.

My brother is a graduate of Wharton, but being his son, as far as some are concerned, he ought to be just a goreng pisang seller. Even if he is, people would accuse him of using rancid oil and lousy rotten pisang.

But that comes with the territory. Dad has been a one-man bulldozer in his drive to raise the standards and more importantly, the self esteem of the Malays. Many criticised his support for the award of a Datukship to an English Channel swimmer while he didn’t for the Chinese Malaysian who did better. But many don’t realise it’s not the feat itself but the urgent Malay need for self esteem that saw the young boy knighted. The Chinese teenager doesn't need to have his self esteem nurtured.

Oh, Dad might have gotten it wrong but that was what he lamented about at home.

Recently he feels depressed when he saw the treachery of those he had supported, sponsored and uplifted. He admitted to be a poor judge of men. Those whom he had supported and pushed upstairs would eventually turn against him.

Today his arch foe is a man whom he once loved like a son, and nurtured to be his political successor. When that fell through, the next successor on succession has rubbished his record, accusing Dad of squandering everything, while he himself has lined up a few choice mega-projects of his own. But the unkindest cut of all has been the lack of support, or even at the very least, silence of support from Uncle Zig Zag.

Dad has gone into reactive overdrive by nature of his combative self. When he feels people are ganging up on him, his adrenalin flows, and he would react in an uncompromising straight line.

He’s a bit of a Jebat, the fearless rebellious one yet the loyal friend. That’s his second weakness, his enduring loyalty to his people, most of whom didn’t or don’t deserve his total support. In the end, his Tuah will entice Taming Sari away from him to use it against him.

Now, why am I talking Malay legends in reference to his present dilemma? It’s just a Malay Dilemma.

Goodnight, dearest diary.
M

al-Zarqawi killed

photo from Sydney Morning Herald

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed in a US air strike. His identity has been confirmed through facial features and fingerprints.

Zarqawi had been the al Qaeda leader in Iraq. His campaigns of killing had indiscriminately killed many innocent Iraqis which led to al Qaeda’s unpopularity in Iraq. Osama bin Laden virtually demoted Zarqawi's status in Iraq in recent times.

There’s great rejoicing in the camps of the Coalition of the Willing, and among Iraqi authorities. But the insurgency activities have been shifting gradually from al Qaeda initiated to the domestic variety where it's now more of a civil war than pure anti-occupiers. But the foreign troops are not completely exempted from attacks.

A Very Personal Pissed-Off Letter

Kepada

Yang Amat Ber …..(strikeout)
(strike out)
(strikeout)
(strikeout)

Dollah

We’ve been together for quite a while, so let’s cut out the sycophantic bullsh*t – we’ll leave the bodek-ing to our tambis. Besides this is a private and personal letter, unless your s-i-l opens your every mail.

And I am going straight to the guts of the matter as I did at the OIC conference when I called a spade a spade, what those pondan Europeans wanted to but dared not say out – that the problems buggered up by the Americans in the Middle East were all manipulated by people who don’t eat pork, and I am not referring to Muslims.

Karn Neen Nare, and excuse my Chinese profanity – I heard this while mingling with those Penang suckers who were bodek-ing me for increased allocation – but to the matter, you have been f**king sabo-ing me.

OK, go ahead and assume your stoic face like those Zen Masters from Fu Mountain, but listen me out. When I left, I handed over to you a kitty full of money and you have been badmouthing me to everyone that I left the house penniless with my profligate spending. Not only that, you koyak-kan my kiieow (you live in penang so you know what this means) in the south which could have developed up the place for increased economic activity. We could have screwed those kiasu bastards.

You put on airs about no more money so no-more-mega projects. Tighten up the belt and change lifetsyles and all the bullsh*t.

But why then do you go ahead with your PORRAH in the north. Yes, YOUR project! That Raja character published your private involvement on his website. Now I hear Tambi announcing a second link. So, no mega project anymore eh! My bloody foot and PORRAH to you too! Petlo-diam-as has billions so what are you talking about!

And that motorcycle company sold off – hundreds of millions for a couple of ringgit - what, do you think that compnay was kacang putih stuff? And no one knows who’s the buyer – un-bloody-traceable. What a coincidence that even before the “decision” to sell off was made, that “foreign” company was all setup and in position to buy it up. That was real Mah-Fu-Lart for all Malaysians!

Consider this as the first of my flying daggers.

Yours pissed-off

You-know-who

from the House of Flying Daggers

2 Knights & a Sweet Sexy Salsa Queen

In the chess domain, two world’s champions fought it out, not over the chess board, but with fisticuffs. And it’s all over another chess champion.

British chess grandmaster Danny Gormally, world’s No 6, punched Armenian Levon Aronian, world’s No 3, when he saw the latter dancing with his (so he thought) girlfriend, Arianne Caoili, the teenage Australian chess champion.

Caoili has been dubbed the ‘Anna Kournikova’ of chess. Born of a Dutch mum and Filipino dad, she’s really scrumptious, and I don’t blame Gormally for losing it when he saw his belle dancing the sexy salsa with Levon in a Turin nightclub during the World Chess Olympiad.

Gormally had been seeing Caoili and emailing her regularly, thinking he has check-mated his Filipino-Dutch Queen, but he hasn’t reckoned on a castling move which saw the Armenian Knight gyrating his pelvis against those of sweet sexy Caoili.

Zugwang - Castles toppled, Bishops diagonalised, Pawns hentak-kaki (marching on the spot), the King farted, Gormally bashed Aronian!

And the Queen? Caoili’s mum said that her daughter was totally surprised when Gormally punched Aronian.

She said: "She's salsa crazy and was probably dancing salsa and looking a bit sexy and that's why Gormally got upset. It could be jealousy or it could be that he was just a bit drunk and for whatever reason [he] decided to punch Aronian who happens to be the superstar and god-like figure in Armenia. Arianne was a bit scared and shocked and was wondering what was going on.''

But mum confessed that her daughter has become an ‘item’ with the superstar Armenian at the moment because he was such a 'lovely gentleman', which may explain why the Briton lost his cool for which his countrymen have been renown for.

After the punchup, Gormally left the Olympiad early of his own volition. He failed to deal with the Armenian's surprised en passe. He may face disciplinary action from the game's ruling body for the incident, which has sparked a feud between the English and Armenian teams.

Checkmate! Stalemate & oo la la Hot-mate!

Hey, come to think of it, I used to play draughts (with old bottle caps); besides I have been noted as a pathetic Pawn in the feminine world – do you think I could interest Caoili?

Dr Mahathir's Sexy Expression!

My dad used to say what Mahathir had said recently – 'half-past six', about things that were not done properly or not quite right. Well, it seems that there is a sexual connotation in that phrase.

A Malaysiakini reader calling him or herself Tiga Suku did a search of the origin of this phrase because he was quite intrigue by that expression, when he first heard Mahathir described Malaysia as a ‘half-past-six’ country.

He found it in The Double Tongued Word Wrester Dictionary, which describes itself as a "growing lexicon of fringe English, focusing on slang, jargon and more ...”. The tome describes the phase as what I know of it, namely bad, shoddy, or slipshod.

He also told us that The Coxford Singlish Dictionary described ‘half-past-six’ as half-baked or incompetent. The Dictionary went on to suggest that the term is actually a sexual reference to the angle of the dangle of the male organ.

As they used to say, “the angle of the dangle depends on the heat of the meat!”

It seems that ‘half-past-six’ symbolises a weak state of the dingaling, if measured against a vertically positioned body. Why not dormant rather than weak? You know what they say about "never awake a sleeping giant!"

Anyway, the Dictionary describes '3.15' or '9.45' is very strong! Indeed.

You know, I suddenly remember that poor girl who was embarrassed about explaining his boyfriend’s problem of erectile dysfunction (ED) to the predator-medium. I blogged on that unfortunate con in One Born Every Minute (3). She could have employed ‘half past six’ conveniently to explain her boyfriend's ED problem, without suffering the acute embarrassment. Alas, if only she had known of this dangling expression.

If indeed, according to The Coxford Singlish Dictionary, the term ‘half past six’ attributes its origin to a state of the male’s sexual failure, then does that mean we can’t use the expression to describe women's abysmal attributes or shoddy output?

Just imagine - a "Hey, bitch, you’re ‘half past six lah’" would have brought a swift retort of "Buster, try and get yours up first! Nah!" accompanied by the universal gesture of two-fingers at 9.15!

Maybe it would be best not to rile any local Amazons with this insulting expression.

The Coxford Singlish Dictionary has also claimed that it’s of Singapore origin. Tiga Suku asked whether Dr Mahathir could have picked up the expression during his university days in Singapore.

I can confirm that as an emphatic ‘NO’ because my dad had never ever been to Singapore all his life but had used that term rather freely, though fortunately never at me. In fact, it’s used commonly in Penang, among my father's generation.

Based on that, I would be bold as to say it’s of Penang origin, and f**k the Singapore’s claim. They are so kiasu so they appropriately deserve the label of ‘half past six’ ;-)

Singapore & US invade Malaysia?

In an earlier posting UMNO Youth Odd Man Out I lamented the striking absence of UMNO youth from the group of other BN Youths - namely, the MCA, Gerakan and even timid bodek-ing (brown-nosing) MIC, who had had enough of an insubordinate police force and came out of the woodwork to condemn the so-called law enforcers.

The police had objected to the IPCMC and disgracefully dared to make terrifying threats to allow crime rates to rise if the PM permits the IPCMC to be established.

A reader, Anonymous commented that UMNO Youth’s reason for ignoring the insubordination has been racial. He (or she) contended that UMNO youth needs the predominantly Malay/Muslim police to keep them in power.

So far so good. However I was somewhat bemused when he (or she) threw in the Singapore element.

He (I’m going to stop at this point from saying ‘or she’) reckoned UMNO Youth’s main worry had been on how to prevent the non-Malay population in Malaysia from supporting a Singapore armoured column if one advances into Malaysia to secure Singapore's water supply and create a land buffer for the island when the sh*t hits the fan between the 2 states.

Anonymous then explained why the government won’t use the army to prevent the non-Malay population from supporting the invading Singaporeans, because of the terrible May 13 experience. That's why the police force has been important to UMNO's scheme of things.

Then he escalated his theory by adding the US military into the already puzzling equation. He averred that good thing for the government about May 13, was that it was 1969 and not post September 11, 2001, or we would have seen Yankee troops landing at Port Klang in the guise of protecting democracy. That additional invasion would certainly have compounded the Singapore invasion.

I need to ask the following questions:

(1) Why would the non-Malay population support the Singaporeans, who look down on if not despised them?

(2) Why would the US military attempt to occupy our nation?

(3) What is a fully digital armoured column - his description of Singapore’s Armour Corp?

One Born Every Minute (3)

The Star Online reported that an 18-year-old girl slept with a bogus medium so that he could "transfer powers” that could cure her boyfriend of his sexual problems.

The girl sought the help of the medium after her 20-year-old lover developed erectile dysfunction. The medium convinced the victim that the only way to cure her boyfriend was by "transferring his powers” to her through sex.

OK, at this stage, what do you reckon she did?

As I have said, there’s one born every minute. Yes, she agreed to the medium’s recommendation to “transfer power” to her, which was not done just once but several times too. Meanwhile, boyfriend still couldn’t 'rise to the occasion' so the girl began to suspect that the “transference of power” was dodgy.

She ‘fess up to boyfriend that there was a transmission failure even though the “divine connection” was made.

We get the story from the usual source, the police, after the couple reported the matter. It’s the edited version of course. I imagine the uncensored version would be like the following, assuming they were Chinese:

Girl (embarrassed): Ee beh … eh … beh … (he can’t … eh … can’t)
Medium: beh hna mee (What’s he selling?)

The Hokkien word ‘beh’ can mean either ‘cannot’ or ‘sell’.

Girl (shyly): beh choe wah (can’t do it to me)
Medium: beh chwah? (sell paper?)

‘Choe wah’ (do it to me) pronounced wrongly with the wrong accent can sound like ‘chwah’ (paper)

Girl (exasperated): ee beh gnair lah – ee ae lan t’ooi beh gnair kee lai

(no translation required, and if you can’t understand, tough, you’ve miss the best part)

Medium (the penny dropped): ah, parng sim, wa ae thean t’ooi ae parng chor (oh, dinna ye fret, my heavenly wand can help)

Girl: lu ae thean t’ooi?
Medium: wah ae thean t’ooi see kau-teh-thean haw ae, chai boh? che t'ooi kau lart, ee ae lart parng kuai hor lu, lu pun ae khnee tnee ... eh ... hor lu ae tar-poh-peng-eu ae khnee tnee teng peng arn

I am not going to translate this last part - so now’s the time (and motivation) to get to know a Penangite, preferably a female one, to assist with the translation ;-)

Related:
(1) One Born Every Minute
(2) One Born Every Minute (2)

Datuk Criminals, Tan Sri Clown and Mr Opposiiton

I believe the only Opposition bigwig who was ever conferred royal honours by the King was Tan Sri Tan Chee Khoon. Perhaps it was because everyone liked him including the Perikatan (Alliance Party) or BN (Coalition Front).

I am talking about a man who had never ever resiled from his opposition credentials, so that qualification would leave out people like Lee Lam Thye and the various PAS big shots honoured variously by the sultans of the East Coast States.

Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia (Prim) believed it’s time that the King honours Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, perhaps if KTemoc may add, in the coming Merdeka honours. PRIM suggested that Lim be recognised for his efforts and commitment towards upholding the cause of democracy, justice, fair play and human rights.

And for a man who had served his nation as a loyal member of parliament for nearly half a century the minimum he should be honoured with should be at least the title of Tun.

Lim Kit Siang - malaysiakini photo

Prim pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar said: “It is about time the government of the day displays magnanimity and rises above the narrow establishment political mindset and recognise the role of the opposition.”

“By honouring him with a ‘Tunship’ the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would de departing from the conventional establishment mindset.”

Uthayakumar declared Lim as the single most significant opposition political personality whose contributions over the decades has kept democracy alive.

I support Uthayakumar’s proposal immediately when I cannot but help recall the many Datuks who continued to hold their titles while in prison for various crimes including murder. I support his proposal further when I recollect with repugnance the Tan Sri conferred to an UMNO-brown-nosing clown like Koh TK.

Go to any BN political party and spit, and you should consider yourself lucky enough to win 1st prize in any lottery draw if you miss hitting a Datuk, Datuk Seri or Tan Sri. Go to a ........

Hey, I could go on and on and on in this vein, with my memories of unjust & undeserved awards versus none yet for a man who has been consistently resolute and had spun the easy attractions of corruption. And let’s not forget Karpal Singh too.

All types of racism

In my posting IPCMC assumes racial hue I commented that that the police leaders have deliberately turned the IPCMC into an issue of racism. They had cleverly judged that by appealing to the ethnic instincts of UMNO or PAS, sweetened with the promise of police-backing for the party's politics, they could win political support for their insubordinate recalcitrancy.

Some malaysiakini readers noted how UMNO Youth was the odd man out when the other three BN Youth wings condemned the police for threatening to allow crime rates to increase. That UMNO Youth (and even PAS) has been been prepared to tolerate such unacceptable and disgraceful threats from the police force indicated a distinctively racial bias, that the unfettered powers of the police would be vital to its own political dominance.

In another posting PAS = Prinsip Absén Selalu, Anonymous criticised me for just commenting on PAS as a political whore when the more revealing issue has been the racist instinct of PAS. He or she said:

“PAS may claim to be a religious based party but time and again it has demonstrated such as in the sujiu controversy that it is first and foremost a Malay party with religion as a cloak.”

In IPCMC assumes racial hue reader bigjoe99 said “the question that begs to be answered is what issue does not have a racial/religious overtone in this country?” He believes that everything is racist because Malaysia is racist.

He reckons Malaysians “are bounded by only one issue - economic growth. Without it everything will fall apart.” bigjoe99 considers our greatest enemy is not any foreigner, but a prolong recession.

I believe bigjoe99 is quite right as UMNO's power play is not just about Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) per se, but more precisely Malay dominance of the economic cake. Ketuanan Melayu would then ensure UMNO cuts the cake. While that would once be understandable as the Malays had been economically backward relative to the Chinese, the last 50 years have seen only some selected Malay groups benefiting from the lopsided affirmative action.

Failure of the fair distribution of the cake would be conveniently blamed on issues such as, for example, companies 'unreasonably' demanding of applicants for jobs a Mandarin language proficiency.

The fearful thing is, as bigjoe99 warned, when we hit a bad patch of economic recession. Not only will we lose our sole bonding factor, but someone has to be sacrificed to the Gods of Appeasement to calm suffering kampong (village) folks – someone has to be blamed, someone has to be flogged until morale of the kampong folks improves.

But I need to be fair and point out something on racism – we ALL are racist because of a combination of our OWN prejudice and ignorance, coupled with the existing political/social/cultural system.

Once an Aussie Foreign Minister commented on many forms of Asian racism. According to him, the Japanese were ‘xenophobic’ racists, meaning they fear and/or hate anyone that’s not Japanese. Would this be similar to the white South African variety and their inability to deal with other ethnic groups like black Africans?

He went on to say Chinese were ‘supremacist’ racist, which is quite different from those white supremacists like the white South Africans or the Ku Klux Klan members.

So what is 'supremacist' racism?

The Chinese have always consider themselves as people of the Middle Kingdom, the centre of the world that's surrounded by barbarians.

Everyone else was a ‘devil’ which meant uncivilised rather than spooky. The Chinese would be quite happy to eat, drink and socialise with non-Chinese, and even allow their daughters to marry foreign devils because daughters do not contribute nor ensure the family line. But when it comes to their sons, whoa and belay any precipitious actions, dear sons, make sure you marry only Chinese, preferably of our own dialectal group.

Then there’s some orthodox Jews who practise 'religious' racism, where out there, there's a terrifying unclean horde of untermenschen, goyims and kushims.

I recall many years ago when I was a young teenager, I brought Olivia home, not to meet my mum, but to have a cuppa because on our return from our picnic spot, our path passed my house. Mum wasn’t in but a thousand busybodies living next doors were.

Olivia might not have been the most beautiful girl in the world but she certainly was one of the most beautiful. I had the great fortune that she liked me – hey, sometimes even losers like kaytee win ;-)

She was unusually striking in that her natural beauty was greatly enhanced by her sweet cheery smile. Even her beautiful eyes seemed to smile at you. She was absolutely gorgeous, BUT to those kampong busybodies she had one humongous flaw – she was Eurasian!

Needless to say, that evening, mum received a full debrief, chapter and verse on the Jezebel that I brought home. Stern and severe recommendations by those village bitches ran to several copious volumes. Mum looked at me worriedly, and said tentatively:

“Auntie X said you shouldn’t go out with a Eurasian. You know those Eurasians, don’t you? Auntie Z noticed that her eyes are really heow [lecherous]. She said that girl must be heow lah!”

Eurasian. Thank bloody goodness she didn’t use f**king Auntie X's words of ‘half-breed’.

I gave her my most serious disapproving look and said: “I hope so.”

Mum: “Huh? What? What are you hoping for?”

Me: “Her heow-ness.”

Of course all of these were in rapid Penang Hokkien.

Mum (stunned for a while) replied sternly: “Don’t be frivolous. These are serious matters concerning your future. You should be more respectful to your elders.”

Let’s say my conversation with mum ended up with me receiving a tight slap from angry her. But weren’t my village womenfolk and even Mum racists?

Hmmm, was the racism of my village womenfolk like UMNO’s or PAS’? Was it the supremacist, xenophobic, religious, economic type or just plain jealousy of an exceptionally beautiful 'outsider'?

Malaysian Professors sans PhDs

In my previous posting Mister Professor Doctor, I queried why university professors in Malaysia would insist on titling themselves as Professor Doctor So-and-So (apart from other titles and national awards) when only a person with a doctorate can be appointed a professor. Other Commonwealth professors don't bother with the relatively insignificant 'doctor'.

I jokingly asked whether those multi-titled academicians were scared that people might not know they have a PhD. I didn’t realise how close I had been to the truth.

Over at my other blogsite Boleh Talk Reader Malayan Tiger provided a penetrating insight into Malaysian Academia. He said:

“There is a good reason for the title Prof Dr and Prof. The reason being many 'Professors' in local Malaysian universities do not have a PhD but are promoted to Professors. To make this distinction, Professors who have completed PhD's make themselves known as Prof Dr so and so.”

“So the next time you see a Prof Dr, you know that particular person is a Prof with a PhD whereas a Prof So and So is a Prof due to a promotion and does not have a PhD.”

I am shocked that academicians without PhD could be ever promoted to professors! What are we trying to prove? That our universities are full of professors, when in reality there are just half-past six ones.

Then one Anonymous reader here at KTemoc Konsiders said:

“In Malaysia (or UK system in general) a professor does not necessarily has a PhD degree. Not like in USA where a professor is definitely a PhD holder (i.e. Dr.). That is why he put Prof. Dr. bla bla .”

I agree with his or her description of the US system but not so for his/her claim of the UK’s. According to Wikipedia:

“In the United Kingdom the Republic of Ireland and most Commonwealth countries (but not Canada, which follows the North American system), equivalently senior academics to assistant and associate professors are generally known as ‘Lecturers’, ‘Senior Lecturers’ and ‘Readers’, with professorships reserved for only the most senior academic staff.”

Thus unlike the USA or Canada, UK and other Commonwealth countries don’t have Assistance or Associate Prof, but ‘lecturers’ and ‘readers’. Therefore the Commonwealth system is even more stringent.

Now this is what Wikipedia says about the lowest of the 3 US professorships, the Assistance Professor (or the UK/Commonwealth equivalent of lecturer):

“… the entry-level position, for which one usually needs a Ph.D. or other doctorate, sometimes only a masters degree, … In some areas, such as the natural sciences, it is uncommon to grant assistant professor positions to recently graduated Ph.D.s, and nearly all assistant professors will have completed some time as Postdoctoral fellows.

my underlining & bold-ing

The standard is so high that the 3rd level of professorship, that of Assistance Professor or the equivalent of the UK’s ‘lecturer’ (not even yet a ‘reader’) has to be not only a PhD but one who is not a recent one, but additionally has “completed some time as Postdoctoral fellows.”

While there would of course be the rare occasions when just a Master could be considered for Assistance (not full) Professorship (equivalent to the Commonwealth 'Lecturer'), this would not be condoned in the natural sciences.

"A Professor in these countries holds either a departmental chair (generally as the head of the department or of a sub-department) or a personal chair (a professorship awarded specifically to that individual). In that sense, only full professors (North American style) are equivalents of professors."

So we can see that under the UK system, its Professor is the equivalent of the US (Full) Professor. There is no such thing as a person without a PhD becoming a professor. It would be impossible, except in Malaysia!

In fact Wikipedia goes on to elaborate that:

"The title of Professor is a great honour, normally reserved in correspondence to full professors only; ..."

My underlining – it then continues:

“… lecturers and readers are properly addressed by their academic qualification (Dr for a PhD, DPhil or MD, and Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms otherwise).”

Therefore the new Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya whose highest quals is only a Master, should by Commonwealth academic tradition be addressed as only Mrs, Miss or Ms.

How long do you think it'll be before she becomes a Professor?

Lim Keng Yaik: "Half the population not an issue!"

Here’s a man who’s completely out of touch with the common people.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik today claimed that people have accepted the government's decision to increase the electricity rates by 12%. He even spun a thank you to them:

"On behalf of the ministry and TNB. I thank the people for accepting the increase and restructuring of electricity tariff.”

Lim KY is so thick-skinned that he obviously cannot feel the pains of the ordinary people.

It’s one thing to increase the tariffs because one have to (for whatever reasons – inefficient balls-up or unavoidable increase oil price for oil worldwide, etc) but it’s another to claim the ordinary people have accepted it.

He then went on to blame the DAP for harping on the government's decision to raise electricity tariff. But even as a spinmeister he is an abysmal failure because in the same breath he contradicted himself. He said the electricity tariff hike was not an issue as only half of the consumers would be affected by the increase.

So, even assuming his wild assertion has been true, what he has effectively said was that the other ‘half’ of the population affected doesn't matter? What an insensitive unfeeling idiot!

Yugoslavia No More - British Involvement?

Two weeks ago, in a referendum on its separation from Yugoslavia, the state of Montenegro saw just a slim majority of 55.5% of the population wanting independence. But 55% was what was just needed. It has now formally declared independence from its union with Serbia in a special session of parliament in the capital, Podgorica.

While some celebrated, needless to say, the other 45% of the population, mainly Serb ethnic groups, have been very unhappy. Correspondents say Montenegro is today a divided society, with a significant component of the population still backing the union with Serbia. It doesn't look good for its future.

Across the border, Serbian President Boris Tadic put on a brave face and sent a message of congratulation wishing the people of Montenegro ‘peace, stability and overall prosperity’.

He said that "Serbia will be the closest friend. I am in favour of preserving family, historic, cultural, economic and political ties, because they present an unbreakable bond between our two countries."

But Vojislav Kostunica, the Serbian prime minister, was less diplomatic, saying that the parting will be correct but not amicable. He rejected European Union (EU) offers to assist the two countries in a ‘velvet divorce’.

Next week Serbia is also expected to declare its own independence, finally bringing to an end the break-up of the six republics of the former Yugoslavia into six fully-fledged states. Though of course the question about Serbian province of Kosovo is yet to be decided.

The breakup has effectively turned Serbia into a landlocked nation without any direct access to the seas.

I wonder how much influence the British had asserted on the EU’s recommendation of a ridiculous 55% as the percentage allowing a breakaway from Yugoslavia. I believe the percentage is not only questionable for such an important issue but also will fail to provide for a healthy society, where nearly half of them still wants ties with Serbia for cultural, historical, ethnic and emotional reasons. I fear more trouble lies ahead, perhaps like ethnic Serbians demanding for a province of their own within Montenegro, meaning the small nation will fracture further.

Since Churchill's days, the British has always had a phobia or obsession about the Balkans, believing it is the soft underbelly to the European continent. But a strong Yugoslavia doesn't suit their perception of the 'soft' underbelly. It was none other than Tony Blair who ‘persuaded’ Bill Clinton to bring the powers of the USAF to intercede in the Kosovo conflict. Blair did so not out of concern for the Muslim Kosovans but for British strategic interests.

Had there been any British 'interference'?

IPCMC assumes racial hue

Three Youth groups of the Barisan Nasional (BN) condemned the police threats to the government on the matter of the IPCMC as unacceptable. The police had unbelievably threatened to allow crime to rise if the establishment goes ahead.

The MCA Youth had even demanded an apology from the police, which the latter had casually ignored. The reason for the police dismissal of the MCA Youth's demand will become clear shortly.

The following are two viewpoints of Malaysiakini’s readers on the Youths’ support for the IPCMC.

Idealist: Frankly, I welcome the statement made by these three BN Youth components. But without the participation from UMNO Youth, I doubt if the police would take it seriously. Worst still, these three BN Youth wings may soon realise they are too outspoken and idealistic, and eventually will have to retract their statement.

K Narayanasamy: It is very disturbing that the support for IPCMC and the opposition to it have a distinctive racial bias. The ruling coalition's racial partners show it very glaringly. As it may be considered very sensitive to discuss this further, you can make your own interpretations.

They have captured the crux of the whole matter succinctly. The IPCMC has been cleverly converted by the police into an issue with racial overtones. Obviously UMNO Youth has been convinced that the IPCMC, in posing a threat to continuing unfettered police powers, will in turn affect its own position of power, which is vital for its exercise of ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy).

It's not unlikely the other Youth groups in the BN may one day be forced to swallow their pride and retreat from their support of the IPCMC.

UMNO Youth and opposition party PAS have one thing in common - both are courting the police, attracted like flies to the enforcers' strategy of 'divide and conquer', which has been to divide the stupid power-crazy politicians and conquer, without those idiots' realisation, their political powers.

Why Datuk Bandar Honoured

PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ordered the Datuk Bandar (mayor) of KL, Ruslin Hasan to examine its approvals for development on slopes near Kampung Pasir, Hulu Klang.

Utusan Malaysia had expressed its surprise that ere the recent landslide resulting in a number of deaths had subsided, DBKL has approved more projects likely to be facing similar erosion problems.

But that’s precisely the standard and style that has earned its mayor the award of Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN) on the king’s birthday honours’ list.

Malaysia Boleh!

PAS = Prinsip Absén Selalu

DAP Lim Kit Siang had challenged Malaysia’s Islamic party PAS to unreservedly commit itself to the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). As I mentioned in an early posting IGP worried, PM wishy-washy, PAS whoring, PAS has been sneakily coy on the issue of the IPCMC.

What had occurred was when Lim Kit Siang noted PAS’ evasive stand in relation to the IPCMC, he asked PAS pointedly: “Is PAS for or against it?”

“The question is, which opposition would the police throw their votes in support if the IPCMC is set up, if all opposition parties are clear and categorical in their support for the IPCMC?”

“Is this the reason why recently, PAS’ stand on the IPCMC seemed to have become quite wobbly in the hope of benefitting from a police swing against the PM, Barisan Nasional and UMNO over the issue?”

Lim said all opposition parties, PAS in particular, must take a clear and unequivocal stand on the issue and stop the police from becoming a feral force.

As I noted, PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa evaded the issue by declining to comment, when as a deputy president of a party that claims to be for justice and godly rule, he could have easily made a firm statement about PAS commitment to the establishment of the IPCMC.

Then PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaffar spoke out in umbrage against Lim’s allusion to PAS prostituting itself in the hope of police support in the next general election.

Lim responded to Kamaruddin outroar: “Frankly speaking, I asked the question because I do not know what is PAS’ stand on the IPCMC. In fact, the party’s deputy president was also unclear as illustrated in the malaysiakini report.”

Lim then referred to the last parliamentary meeting, when PAS MPs had been conspicuously silent and absent in the push for the government to establish the IPCMC.

Maybe they were away discussing the misyar marriage proposal?

Lim continued: “Maybe this is why it’s quite impossible to search the Hakarah and PAS websites and discover any clear and categorical statement by the party leadership supporting the IPCMC although it was the centre of a prolonged national controversy in the past 12 months.”

“PAS should stop flirting with the reactionary police forces ... to gain political mileage at the expense of the prime minister and UMNO, as the IPCMC is a bigger issue than partisan politics or political gain.”

“I was most irritated by the game played by PAS leaders in refusing to express clear and categorical support for the IPCMC.”

As I have often remarked, silence provides an answer too, and PAS' silence or answer regarding the IPCMC is now quite clear. Well, looks like the party which has been claiming God is on their side has not been so godly in its principles. In fact, I did say that PAS is not above prostituting its principles in the hope of electoral gains. And with kaki kang-kang* too!

* legs spread wide open

whore of babylon - from Wikipedia

"The great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." (Rev. 17:1-2)

We have known who the Malaysian ‘kings of the earth’ have been and are, and we now know who the whore is. Flirting eh!

And I suppose we the inhabitants of the earth would be made drunk with the anger at the treachery of her fornication.

Prinsip Absén Selalu - principles are always absent

Angry Spirits at Yogya, Occult Centre of Indonesia

The Indonesian Javanese who survived the recent earthquake in Yogya (city of Yogyakarta) and cowered under the still potential volcanic threat of Gunung Merapi, fear there could be worse to come. Yogya is so situated between the foot of the still-active Merapi volcano and the mystical Indian Ocean. They are not dismissing the threat of a tsunami.

As the BBC reported, the word tsunami has a special power in Indonesia these days. A year and half ago it was Aceh, so why not the island of Java today? Besides, the same huge offshore fault line runs all the way down the edge of the archipelago.

While those in Aceh who had suffered one of history’s greatest disasters in the Boxing Day tsunami attributed the devastation down to God’s will and perhaps punishment, the Javanese have a different belief to the recent calamities happening around them.

Java's famous Hindu Prambanan temple

As with most Javanese beliefs coloured by centuries of Hindu beliefs, there is much mysticism. The Javanese have recalled the legendary Queen of the South Sea. She is a beautiful creature dressed in green, who controls the nearby sea and sea bed.

She carries the title of Loro Kidul (Queen of the South Seas), or Kanjeng Ratu Kidul (Supreme Southern Queen), or sometimes Roro Kidul (The Southern Maiden). The Goddess of the Sea reigns, naturally, on the southern coast of Java. She has been the traditional protector of the Mataram Dynasty and its current descendants.

The Javanese believe she has the power to unleash a giant wave when she’s pissed off. But what has pissed her off?

Well, it seems that, by traditional belief, the Queen is married spiritually to the descendant of those ancient rulers She had been protecting, making her current spouse today's very mortal Sultan of Yogyakarta. The bloke in republican Indonesia is still revered by the local Javanese as right royalty. He is coincidentally the local governor.

Gunung Merapi on 04 June 2006 - Reuters photo

The Javanese believe the sultan has not been treating his wife with enough respect these days, thus making her mad. Added to the problem of Kanjeng Loro Kidul's divine ire, someone else is angry too, namely the giant who controls the nearby volcano, Mount Merapi. He is Kiyai Sapujagad, and related to Loro Kidul through his marriage to Her daughter.

Hope you have got the family tree all organised by now. Mum-in-law of the spirit of Gunung Merapi is the Queen of the Southern Oceans, while son-in-law of Kanjeng Loro Kidul is Kiyai Sapujagad, the guardian spirit of the volcano. It’s one mighty angry family.

Mind you, that's the simple version because the guardian spirits of Gunung Merapi vary, depending on locality. For example, on the volcano's northern slopes, it's mBah (Granddad) Petruk.

tumpengan ritual with nasi kunyit (saffron rice) to worship mBah Petruk of Merapi

But in the south, facing the ocean, the guardian spirit is our Loro Kidul's favourite son-in-law, Kyai Sapujagad. Other spirits believed to live in or guard the volcano include Nyai Kendit and Dewi Gadung Melati. You can say that there's quite a busy divine community up at the top of Gunung Merapi.

Java’s most famous local fortune teller, who goes by the most un-Javanese name of Madam Lauren, is predicting a massive eruption by mid-June. Why do the locals think that mortal hubby, the Sultan of Yogya, has not been fulfilling his spousal obligations?

Prambanan temple

The Javanese blamed the recent earthly instability on fast-paced modern lifestyle, and that the spirits have been warning residents to lead more simple lives. They reckon people (Javanese) are no longer living sedately, and becoming too preoccupied with worldly things.

Wignyo, a 47-year-old farmer from the village of Kaliadem on the southern side of the volcano said: "We can only surmise that we are being warned. We are used to earthquakes. It only surprised us for a brief moment."

Candi Lorojonggrang dedicated to Lord Shiva at Prambanan

Traditional Javanese beliefs said both Kanjeng Loro Kidul and Her fiery son-in-law Kiyai Sapujagad have protected Yogya, the main city in the region, and the surrounding area for centuries. These two powerful spirits have agreed to protect the royal house of Yogyakarta back in legendary times of the Mataram Dynasty (actually just 16 - 17th Century).

Kraton - palace of Yogya's Kings

In return for their protection, 10 generations of kings in Yogya, holding the title of sultans, are required to present annual offerings of clothes, tobacco, food and flowers, known as the Labuhan ceremonies, to both the spirits of the Southern Sea and Gunung Merapi.

mBah (Granddad) Marijan, the traditional spiritual keeper of Gunung Merapi said: "Javanese believers in spiritualism would see this as a signal, or you can also say a warning, from the Almighty. The problem is whether people understand this warning or not.”

Agustina Ismunjiah, an official guide for foreign visitors to the palace in Yogyakarta, known as the Kraton, added: “I believe that Merapi and the earthquakes are linked, that they are both warnings to the people."

"They are warnings to the people, so that they engage in introspection and review their relations with God, fellow human beings and the environment."

"The sultan has abandoned many of the old ways. The sense of being Javanese is waning."

For example, in accordance with Javanese traditional homage to the Spirits, thousands of pilgrims make offerings to honour Kanjeng Ratu Kidul on the nights before Tuesday and Friday Kliwon (2 sacred days in the 35-day Javanese Wetonan calendar), at the Parang Kusumo beach.

The Parang Kusumo was where Panembahan Senopati, the first legendary ruler of the Javanese Mataram Dynasty received a divine revelation at the southern beach of Parang Tritis (20 km south of Yogyakarta). There, he made an agreement with Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, where the Queen would always protect the kings of Mataram and its people from evil deeds in exchange for the spiritual marriage of every king of the Mataram dynasty to Her.

Panembahan Senopati

The stories of Panembahan Senopati are filled with tales of mystical power and occult feats - hardly surprising when Java was then under the powerful influence of Tantric Hinduism.

One legend surrounding him has it that Merapi symbolized the male world while the South Sea symbolized the female. Thus Merapi eruptions symbolize sexual intercourse between Panembahan Senopati and his divine spouse Ratu Kidul, which will bring wealth to the people. I suppose there's truth in this as the flowing lava would fertilise and enrich the hillside farming land.

His grandson (I think, as he’s the 3rd King of the Mataram Dynasty) Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo was the greatest king warrior in Java. Under his rule Mataram reached its peak, dominating most parts of Java. His grave in the hill of Imogiri is still visited by a lot of pilgrims, who believe in his sacred supernatural power.

The current ruler of the royal house of Yogyakarta, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, does not hold royal status anymore but is still revered by local Javanese as royalty. Thus it was not strange he has been apppointed by Jakarta as the governor of Yogyakarta province as he commands local respect and loyalty. But can he afford to abandon his century-old obligation to heed the warning of his divine spouse and (through his spiritual ‘marriage’) his immortal son-in-law?

Farmer Wignyo has the last word. He cautioned that if people failed to heed the first warning, a second would follow: "It all comes back to us."

Related:
(1) Gunung Merapi - Destroyer of Civilisations
(2) Mysterious Worship of Gunung Merapi
(3) Earthquake hit Yogyakarta

Panglima's Galore

Guess who’s among the 20 people awarded the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) which carries the title Tan Sri?

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan, the man who kept contradicting the DPM during the Squatgate scandal.

Yes, somehow the government saw fit that he deserves such a high award.

Then the Datuk Bandar (mayor) of Kuala Lumpur, Ruslin Hasan, the man responsible for his DBKL enforcement squads pulverising religious icons at Indian temples was also honoured by the King with the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN).

The politicians receiving the PJN as well were Barisan Nasional Executive Secretary Yaakob Mohammad, MCA life members Lo Kong Boon and Tan Kim Leong, and People's Progressive Party vice-president S. Thulukanam.

Lollies for the faithful and the ........

Malaysian Sex Machines (2) - Bonking with responsibility

Dr Harlina Halizah Siraj women’s wing chief of Jemaah Islah (JIM) said the proposal for misyar marriages as discussed in Malaysian sex machines has been wrong in its understanding. It’s not just about fulfilling the sexual desires of either or both spouses. Blast!

Prof Madya Dr Harlina Halizah Siraj

Technically, a misyar marriage is one in which a woman waives or suspends one or more rights to which she would have been entitled in view of the particular circumstances of her potential husband. It is not just a green ticket to bonk (sorry, my choice of word, wakakaka) to one's satisfaction without any family responsibility. She asserted that all the other rules, principles, and obligations of marriage remain as obligations.

She provided an example where a financially independent woman may choose to forego the provision of a house, food and drink, or clothes from her husband which he is normally obligated to furnish.

She averred that’s such a situation is not unusual as it happens in many marriages from time to time whereby a wife sometimes uses her own money for basic necessities in order to free her husband’s resources for use on other expenses.

She was commenting on the widespread rejection of the proposal of Universiti Malaya's Prof Dr Mahmud Zuhdi Abdul Majid, who recommended more misyar marriages. The Prof has said that the difference between misyar and a polygamous marriage was that the husband did not have to provide money or clothing for his other wife but would only be there to satisfy her sexual needs.

He recommended misyar marriage to overcome the rising number of unmarried divorcees and women. In fact Utusan Malaysia had quoted him saying that misyar marriages could also reduce the incidence of vice among Muslim women. Hmmm, 'upstanding' crime fighters!

Subsequently, Prof Zuhdi asserted that he had never called for men to be absolved of their responsibilities, but merely that the women who are financially stronger than their husbands can waive the right to certain provisions pertaining to her own needs.

He expressed his belief that hubby must still provide companionship and family leadership while fulfilling his other responsibilities such as to his children.

In the aftermath of Prof Zuhdi’s proposal, a concerned Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas, director-general of the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding, wanted people to stop f**king around (sorry, kaytee's choice of word, wakakaka) with the sacred institution of marriages. He was disturbed by the debates, which largely touched on the issues of sex and lust.

Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas

And indeed it had been – and for those people coming out after the authoritative slap down by the good doctor to provide clarifications is just too little too late! Why propose something that was quoted by Utusan Malaysia as a solution to reduce the incidence of vice among Muslim women, if it was not about SEX!

Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas said: “We have to ask if the problem relates to Muslim women finding it hard to get married or the women choosing to be single? Then only can we start looking for solutions.”

“We have many unresolved issues affecting Muslims that we need to take care of, such as increasing divorce rates, truancy in schools and universities and girls excelling over boys in their studies.”

UMNO Youth Odd Man Out

The MCA Youth, MIC Youth and Gerakan Youth have all woken up to deliver a warning to the police on its threat to the government about the PM’s wish to establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

MCA Youth chief Liow Tiong Lai said it has been very unbecoming of the police to threaten to allow the crime rate to rise, or to vote for the opposition should the IPCMC be established.

He said: “It is wrong for government officers to do this, they should respect the government of the day. They are enforcement officers who must implement policies set by the government. Don’t even think about this kind of threat.”

Liow demanded an apology from the police. He declared his full support for the IPCMC.

He has been strongly supported by MIC Youth – and bloody FINALLY too, considering most of the victims of alleged police abuses had been members of the Indian community.

For some strange, stupid but undoubtedly sycophantic reasons, the MIC Youth had previously been opposed to the concept of the IPCMC, when one would imagine them, of all people, to be clamouring for such a body to investigate and check the alleged police abuses.

But the unprecedented and unmitigated threats by a public service had been the last straw that gave MIC Youth some balls and backbone to demand for a IPCMC that would accord some justice if not protection for the community they profess to look after.

MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran said the threats from the police suggested the need for the IPCMC: “From someone who supported the police and their opposition to the IPCMC, the latest step taken by the police actually made me speechless and disappointed. Nobody should hold the government to ransom.”

But MIC being MIC, Vigneswaran of course couldn't resist embellishing his declaration with a bit of bodek-ing (brown-nosing) by stating the bloody obvious, that the final decision would rest with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Then, Gerakan Youth chief Mah Siew Keong said the wing had been deeply disappointed with the police threats. He averred:

“We cannot tolerate such statements and threats by police officers. We appreciate the contribution made by the police and the difficulties and challenges they have to go through. However, the police force should not impose any threat on public safety despite their stand to object the proposal on the setting up of IPCMC.”

“Public interest and national security should be upheld in order to maintain public confidence and accountability of the police force.”

Hmmm, I wonder what Gerakan No 1 Bodek-er Koh would say?

UMNO Youth leaders, who opposed the IPCMC, could not be reached for comment.

Mister Professor Doctor

A team from Kolej Universiti Sains Malaysia has discovered a third species of the world’s smallest fish (from the genus Paedocypris blah blah blah) in a peat swamp in the foothills of Bukit Bauk urban recreational forest.

Professor Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Mohammad, who led the team said: "This discovery was the highlight of the Bukit Bauk expedition. We are confident this will attract biologists from around the world to do more research on the bio-diversity of Bukit Bauk."

This posting is not about the fish but about Abdul Latiff Mohammad’s academic title.

Not many realise that in university protocol the title ‘professor’ outclasses a mere ‘doctor’. A professor would normally be appointed from doctors. Usually in the west, it would be just Professor KTemoc or Professor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Yet I see in Malaysian universities the insistence of many professors in including the title ‘doctor’ before their names, as if they are scared that people may not know they have a PhD.

It’s like a military commander titling himself Major General (once) Lt Colonel KTemoc.

General practitioners (MBBS) or doktor ubat, on the other hand, are really not academically entitled to be addressed as Doctors, though society has accorded them this title through common (rather than academic) usage. Afterall, they only have double bachelor degrees, but they are quite happy to call themselves Doctors rather than GPs.

But the real medical postgraduate blokes and lassies, for example the surgeons, who are entitled to be called Doctors insist on calling themselves Misters - hey, what do lady surgeons called themselves - Miss-es?

A surgeon friend explained that the rather common title of Mister remembers their history when the original surgeons were barbers. So for a surgeon, their career paths see them worked their guts out to be called Doctors, then worked harder to return to be Misters again.

In French it’s a different story of course, for the word ‘professor’ just means ‘teacher’ so when a French says he or she's a professor, don't get academically too excited. I wonder what title the French allow their PhDs to carry?

One Born Every Minute (2)

A 23-year-old housewife told her aunt about her marital problems. The aunt suggested she sought occult assistance from a bomoh, (Malay witch doctor) so together with her encouraging aunt, she went to the man’s house. Dr Red-Eye Toyol* said no worries, that he could solve her problems.

* see Return of the Red-Eye Toyol

He instructed her to wear just a sarong and lie on a bed in the treatment room. And to obtain the correct spiritual atmosphere the bomoh filled the room with kemenyan (incense) smoke. Then he brushed his body against hers, just as a warm-up because there's more to cum, eh I mean, come. He then fondled her.

She claimed that she initially resisted but heeding advice from her aunt not to, or even scream when the bomoh touched her, she submitted to his inevitable rape.

Later, the woman, feeling suspicious about the way she had been treated by the bomoh who used his ‘divine wand’ on her, told her husband about the incident, which led to her lodging a police report.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, that she subsequently felt ‘suspicious’ of the treatment.

Related: One Born Every Minute

Wish IGP was Japanese!

Even the powerful arrogant IGP realises by now he has gone too far, with blokes like KTemoc and a host of others instigating the PM to sack him. For a public service like the Police to defy M on the IPCMC for a start, then shamelessly admitting it was ensuring the BN’s stay in power, and finalising its unmitigated feral behaviour with a threat to vote the opposition and let crime rates soar, even the rubbery Malaysian boundaries of proprietary were exceeded many-fold.

The IGP is the No 1 person in the police. He is responsible for what the police do, and they have been doing f**king badly. Their controversies have not yet ended when they pulverised peaceful protestors in a so-called democracy. They viciously kicked a man who was already hammered down onto the ground by them.

photos by Jeff Ooi at Malaysiakini

So what did he do in the midst of a disgraceful unprecedented open revolt by his organization?

The same old f**king formula.

His investigations found, surprise surprise, that a corporal had uploaded the seditious, yes, SEDITIOUS document without consulting her superior. Not only that, the corporal admitted to it. She has been transferred to another section.

Any of you who are familiar with the management of organizational websites and the protocols of webmasters would puke to listen to his bullsh*t. A mere corporal loading up an outrageous threatening and SEDITIOUS warning to the elected government on to the Police official website, without an OK from her superiors?

What a lot of crock. What a most shameful and cowardly act to pile the blame on a defenceless woman corporal, who by virtue of her low rank remains denied of speech, defence and justice.

It has been the most cowardly exhibition of (lack of) officer quality. It was only the PM’s lack of backbone that he has been allowed to get away again.

But I suppose there’s no harm in that pathetic man bodeking (brown-nosing) the PM in the usual Malaysian way, in what he said:

“We never said we will or can ignore the Government. The Government has the final say in whether or not to set up the IPCMC.”

“I will leave it to the Prime Minister to decide. He had on many occasions mentioned that he has left it to the Attorney-General to study the matter before making a decision.”

“As far as I am concerned, there is nothing much that I can do now. I am so sorry for what has happened. I am personally most grateful to the Prime Minister for his caring attitude towards the force. He has done much and has provided us with much-needed logistics, housing and infrastructure, as well as for the welfare of our men. I really feel very sorry for what has happened.”

Utterly pathetic. He makes me sick. I wish he was Japanese – then he would know what to do with his dishonour.

the P

My Lai, Fallujah, Haditha - USA's Slaughterings, Sins & Shame

Call me analytical or what, and I say this with a heavy heart, but last year on 08 August I posted Haditha another Fallujah?

I recall the tragedy of Fallujah as “a truly disgraceful exhibition of American military might used in the most barbaric fashion with nationalistic angry vengeance, unbecoming of any civilized nation. Many innocent women and children were killed, and homes of innocents were pounded to debris. Red Cross ambulances were prevented from rescuing any injured. A Marine cold bloodedly executed unarmed and wounded Iraqis in a mosque. All to satisfy a need for revenge.”

Based on the feral barbaric behaviour of the American military’s propensity to punish every Iraqi in sight in a particular area where Americans had been killed, without careful application of conventional rules of engagement or regard for the treatment of civilians under international laws, I had worried for Haditha’s citizens.

My concern was relevant vecause at that time a 1000-strong joint US-Iraqi force launched a third attack against the insurgents at Haditha. The US aim was to interdict the insurgents, meaning, seal off all entries and exits to/from the area, and finished those trapped within. The usual civilians including women and children would also be ‘within’.

Haditha!

On 21 March this year I sadly posted what I had feared all along, Another My Lai!. I referred to the morning of 19 November 2005 when the vehicle of a group of US marine troops was struck by a roadside bomb near Haditha. One man, Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas died from that blast.

According to eyewitnesses and local officials interviewed by the Time magazine over a period of 10 weeks, the Marines sought revenge for their dead comrade by going on a bloody murderous rampage in the nearby village after the attack, killing 15 unarmed Iraqis in their homes, including seven women and three children [this figure has since increased to 24]. They then falsely reported the murdered villages were killed by unknown armed men.

Thanks to the report by Time magazine, and the reality that currently the Iraqi war has become extremely unpopular for Americans, President Bush has decided to add his concerns on the killings. He has promised to make public all the details of inquiries into the alleged massacre.

Now, other witnesses have come out to tell of four Iraqi university students in a taxi being summarily executed by US troops, despite pleas for mercy from the taxi driver.

Samir Sumaidaie, the new Iraqi ambassador to the US, after presenting his credentials to President Bush, told CNN that his cousin was unjustifiably murdered by US marines in his home in Haditha last July. He lamented that the US military had failed to adequately investigate his death.

When asked whether there was a pattern to the way marines operated in Haditha, Mr Sumaidaie said there might be and that he knew of a case where three unarmed youths in a car had been shot by US forces shortly after his cousin.

There are three issues for the Americans to resolve, namely (1) the truth of the massacres and those responsible, (2) the attempted cover up that led all the way to the top of the military, possibly at the Joint Chiefs level, and most important of all. (3) will those responsible/guilty be appropriately punished? Let's hope it won't be another bullshit Lt Calley-type gloved treatment for the Haditha murderers.

Mind you, if the war had gone President Bush’s way, he would have brushed the Time magazine report aside, probably forcing the ‘unpatriotic’ editors, like those at Newsweek related to the case of US troops desecrating the Koran, to apologize.

Mandarin masks "mei yu gongzuo"

Many bloggers have been pissed off with DPM Najib for having the double-face and double standards to criticise some in the private sector for discriminatory practice in recruiting only those who are proficient in Mandarin (the language, not the orange).

Not unexpectedly, they fall into two camps.

Camp 1 would demand of Najib to criticise the government’s own discriminatory recruitment practice as well.

Camp 2 attempted to discredit his criticism as misplaced by the argument that employers advertised for Mandarin speaking staff as a job-related requirement rather than for specific ethnicity.

I feel the latter presented their case in a better light. On the face of it, Najib has been incorrect to make such an accusation. As an example of his error, if one were to look at advertisements for some United Nations positions, specific language(s) requirements are stated.

But the problem with Najib’s allegation is not that he doesn’t know. Like all top UMNO policy pronouncements, there is a subtext to his statement.

He was putting on the best political spin in the light of unemployed graduates almost doubling from 45,000 in 2000 to 85,000 last year. Most of them are Malays, so bloody blame someone else. And who better than the good ole faithful Chinese punching bag. Yes, someone has to be the scapegoat, and Mandarin seems convenient as the whipping boy.

It’s the usual UMNO tactic.

In the old days, the Chinese would be dragged out to be flogged as unpatriotic potential communists, to divert attention from government failings.

Then, those China-peks would be sacrificed on the altar of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) to ensure other wannabe leaders in the Malay community, like PAS or Semangat 46, were chopped down as unnecessary divisive forces in the face of a threat to Bangsa dan Agama (race & Islam). Long keris (Malay dagger), short keris, tebuans (hornets) and whatnot would be coopted into the distracting or more-Hang-Tuah-than-thou spin.

Oh, talking about that, remember May 13?

* mei yu gongzuo = no job