Finally some calm and peace for now. Another 8 minutes till the day ends. Today wasn't exactly spectacular. It's just that I didn't get to finish what I want to do. Instead, I ended running around college in the evening looking for my advisor, only for him to tell me that I can't accelerate my program because of some ABET ruling. Looks like I'll have to find a way to get around the system. I hope it works.
I wonder what happened to the perfectionist in me? I have to stop doing something 3/4 way and be happy with it. So not cool.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
:(
me: I don't mind staying here for the summer, find a job and maybe come back next time.
Try being 10000 miles away from sanity...
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :(
Mustang
I finally rode in Ford Mustang GT!! It was the most awesome experience I ever had in a car. Imagine accelerating all the way up to 160kph on a satellite road! Everything about the car was amazing. Eventhough I was only a passenger, the experience of riding in a muscle car is just tremendous. The rumble of the V8 engine is solid and sounds like it wants to eat humans for breakfast. The acceleration seemed almost effortless. The grip levels were insane, and the braking power is just madness. Imagine coming from 120kph to a complete standstill in less than a few seconds?? At one point the experience was so scary, that I had to tell Ramon to cool it down. He was going very very quickly through the narrow roads leading up to the place where Steve lived. But it was an awesome experience. I can't wait to get behind the wheel of one. V8 blocks are just awesome!!
Anyways, we had a great time watching the race yesterday. Before the race, Stephen, Ramon and I were talking about the Mustangs which Steve and Ramon had. We popped the hoods open, revved the engines at 1.30 in the morning, and then went back in for some beer and chips fueled Formula 1 session. I can't wait to do it all over again next week.
Anyways, we had a great time watching the race yesterday. Before the race, Stephen, Ramon and I were talking about the Mustangs which Steve and Ramon had. We popped the hoods open, revved the engines at 1.30 in the morning, and then went back in for some beer and chips fueled Formula 1 session. I can't wait to do it all over again next week.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I Want To Win
It feels weird. Just two years ago, around this time, I was thinking of giving up. The challenges were enormous. I wanted to just lay everything down and look for a new direction. Something where I didn't have to wake up and face the fact that I have failed despite my best efforts and that no matter what I do, I will not be as good at it as I thought I would be, or should be. I wanted something where I knew I was good at. Something easier.
It feels weird that, two years down the road, all those feelings are slowly making their way back into me, pointing at me again, while saying "I told you so." Every morning, for the past 2 months I have always woken up feeling like I had just been hit over the head by something hard. Despite my best efforts to want to stay positive, something, somehow will always bring me through a left turn. A turn that I am just so tired of taking. Along the way, there were good ones, but when I do the math and look back to reality, I started to realize just how little my victories are in comparison to my defeats.
They say that a war is won by winning battles first. But how can one sustain when his men are dying, equipments running low, when there is a shortage of food, when territory is being snatched away, and when it seems like there is nothing left to boost the morale of his army?
Back then, I had the chance to change. The chance to carve a new path into something new. A chance to swallow my pride and say that maybe this wasn't meant for me. But now, it is different. Thinking of those words alone is like putting a knife through my heart. Imagine what it would be like to say it? Right now, that chance is gone. It will never return.
I know that the road I am on, I must stick to it. I can no longer turn around and walk away. Doing this would be suicide. It would be the betrayal of the trust, blood, sweat, tears and all the confidence of those who have put their weights upon my shoulders.
Sometimes I look up those who have, and I ask myself about what separates them from me. Deep down, I know the answer. But somehow...
I want to win. I want to win so badly.
But when I think about it. It is all relative. I realize just how small my challenges are in comparison to the millions of others who have it q whole lot worse. For that alone, I owe then an honor of at least trying harder.
I will win.
It feels weird that, two years down the road, all those feelings are slowly making their way back into me, pointing at me again, while saying "I told you so." Every morning, for the past 2 months I have always woken up feeling like I had just been hit over the head by something hard. Despite my best efforts to want to stay positive, something, somehow will always bring me through a left turn. A turn that I am just so tired of taking. Along the way, there were good ones, but when I do the math and look back to reality, I started to realize just how little my victories are in comparison to my defeats.
They say that a war is won by winning battles first. But how can one sustain when his men are dying, equipments running low, when there is a shortage of food, when territory is being snatched away, and when it seems like there is nothing left to boost the morale of his army?
Back then, I had the chance to change. The chance to carve a new path into something new. A chance to swallow my pride and say that maybe this wasn't meant for me. But now, it is different. Thinking of those words alone is like putting a knife through my heart. Imagine what it would be like to say it? Right now, that chance is gone. It will never return.
I know that the road I am on, I must stick to it. I can no longer turn around and walk away. Doing this would be suicide. It would be the betrayal of the trust, blood, sweat, tears and all the confidence of those who have put their weights upon my shoulders.
Sometimes I look up those who have, and I ask myself about what separates them from me. Deep down, I know the answer. But somehow...
I want to win. I want to win so badly.
But when I think about it. It is all relative. I realize just how small my challenges are in comparison to the millions of others who have it q whole lot worse. For that alone, I owe then an honor of at least trying harder.
I will win.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Darkness
Ahh...Finally. A bit of darkness around me. My roommate just went to sleep and he turned all the lights off. I don't know why, but I just love being in a dark place. I enjoy taking long walks out at night, at places where there are very few people to interrupt. I enjoy listening to the sounds of the night. If you listen closely, you can hear mother nature speak. She speaks through her insects, her breeze, and somewhere in the distance, humanity talks back. They talk back with their cars, their aeroplanes, and the sound of their feet as they walk along their paths. Bit the best sound that night produces is silence.
I know I'm not making any sense. I don't blame you.
I finally got assigned to a room for the fall semester. I've got three other roommates, and all three of them are internationals. Well, at least, one of them used to be, until he got his citizenship. Apparently, we got a room in the most poplar floor of our building. The third floor. You see, though the building I'm about to live in is brand new, about a year or so, there have been problems with its pluming system. Sometimes, warm water never reaches the higher floors, and occupants are forced to take their showers in cold water, something which I'm glad will not happen on my floor...I hope.
Anyways, I want to sleep now. I've got a potentially long day ahead of me.
I know I'm not making any sense. I don't blame you.
I finally got assigned to a room for the fall semester. I've got three other roommates, and all three of them are internationals. Well, at least, one of them used to be, until he got his citizenship. Apparently, we got a room in the most poplar floor of our building. The third floor. You see, though the building I'm about to live in is brand new, about a year or so, there have been problems with its pluming system. Sometimes, warm water never reaches the higher floors, and occupants are forced to take their showers in cold water, something which I'm glad will not happen on my floor...I hope.
Anyways, I want to sleep now. I've got a potentially long day ahead of me.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Stare
I call this daily exercise the pointless stare. Seriously.
Coming up with one liners day in day out isn't exactly the most fun thing to do. I bore myself out, and I bore everyone else out there who is just as if not more bored than I am.
My apologies.
Anyways, let's try.
Hmm... Where do I start? I know... I will start with... errr....
You see??
That's exactly why I call it the pointless stare.
I apologize for wasting your 30 seconds.
You ain't going to find anything of worth here, so I suggest you be on your way, and only come back when there is something of worth.
Toodles!
Coming up with one liners day in day out isn't exactly the most fun thing to do. I bore myself out, and I bore everyone else out there who is just as if not more bored than I am.
My apologies.
Anyways, let's try.
Hmm... Where do I start? I know... I will start with... errr....
You see??
That's exactly why I call it the pointless stare.
I apologize for wasting your 30 seconds.
You ain't going to find anything of worth here, so I suggest you be on your way, and only come back when there is something of worth.
Toodles!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Not Banned Afterall
I won't lie to you. I had two very bad days in a row. If I could erase them both, I would. But anyways, given the fact that most Americans wouldn't know where Malaysia is on the map, or even if it exists, reading about it in one of its major news papers is certainly surprising. While innocently minding my own business, going through the New York Times, I found this.
-Start of article-
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A slew of political scandals gripping Malaysia and a transfer of power fraught with uncertainty have shaken the elite here, with exquisitely poor timing.
As a major trading nation, Malaysia has been slammed by the global downturn. Its exports have collapsed by nearly one-third, and current projections show that its economy will shrink by as much as 5 percent this year.
Yet the main preoccupation of the government and opposition parties appears to be what analysts say is an increasingly dysfunctional political system. The man in line to become prime minister has been linked to the murder of a Mongolian woman whose body was obliterated with military-grade explosives.
The leader of the main opposition party awaits trial on sodomy charges, in a highly politicized case. The government is using draconian laws to prosecute other opposition figures, and last week it suspended a member of Parliament for one year after he called the prime-minister-in-waiting a murderer. And a state legislature has been paralyzed for six weeks by a dispute over who should govern.
“At the rate things are going, we’re going to be a failed state within a decade,” said Salehuddin Hashim, secretary general of the People’s Justice Party, the largest opposition party.
For Malaysia, an oil-rich country with a large, well-educated middle class, the pessimism may seem hyperbolic. But analysts say the current political woes strike at the heart of the functioning of government, damaging institutions like the royalty, the judiciary and the police.
“I see a rough ride ahead for the country,” said Zaid Ibrahim, the founder of Malaysia’s largest law firm, who resigned as law minister in September over the government’s practice of detaining its critics without trial. “The institutions of government have become so one-sided it will take years to restore professionalism and integrity.”
Much of the anxiety is focused on the rise of Najib Razak, a veteran politician in line to become prime minister sometime after the governing party’s annual general assembly, which starts Tuesday. No date for his ascension has been set, and some Malaysians speculate that the incumbent, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, will hold on to power, though he has said he will step down.
Mr. Najib’s supporters say he will reverse the sagging fortunes of the governing party, the United Malays National Organization, and offer decisive leadership, a contrast to the languid style of Mr. Abdullah. But Mr. Najib lacks popular support, and many expect further crackdowns on his opponents if he becomes prime minister. The government already seems to be taking a harder line, shutting two opposition newspapers on Monday while the police used tear gas to break up a rally by opposition leaders in the northern state of Kedah.
In a speech on Wednesday, Mr. Zaid called on the king, Mizan Zainal Abidin, to reject Mr. Najib if the party puts him forward as prime minister, and to appoint someone who would “bring us back from the brink.”
Mr. Najib declined to comment for this article.
The highest-profile scandal to tarnish his reputation is the murder of the Mongolian, Altantuya Shaariibuu, the mistress of Mr. Najib’s foreign policy adviser.
Prosecutors say Ms. Shaariibuu was killed in October 2006 by government commandos who also serve as bodyguards to the country’s top leaders.
Mr. Najib has not been charged with any crime, and he denies having known Ms. Shaariibuu or ever having met her.
According to news accounts, Ms. Shaariibuu had been seeking her share of a commission — the opposition calls it a bribe — worth about $155 million, paid by a French company as part of a deal reached by the government to buy submarines. Mr. Najib, who is defense minister as well as deputy prime minister, handled the submarine purchase.
The huge size of the commission — about 10 percent of the total cost of the submarines — is not being investigated, despite an official acknowledgment by the Malaysian government that it was made to a company linked to Mr. Najib’s aide, who was acquitted in connection with Ms. Shaariibuu’s murder.
Lawyers say the handling of the case has been irregular, and they criticize the prosecution for failing to call Mr. Najib to testify at his aide’s trial.
Perhaps more worrying for the country is the standoff in Perak, a state where since early February the police have barred lawmakers who oppose the governing party from entering government buildings.
Mr. Najib spearheaded an effort to install a new chief minister in Perak by claiming that he had enough defectors from the opposition coalition, the Pakatan Rakyat, which last year took control of the State Assembly for the first time since the country won independence from Britain in 1957.
Both sides remain at an impasse, and the sultan of Perak has rejected a plea by the speaker of the Assembly for a new election, which polls indicate would probably restore the opposition coalition to power.
Ibrahim Suffian, director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling agency, said that as the governing party’s popularity wanes, Malaysia is failing a key test of any democracy: the peaceful transfer of power.
“Malaysian democracy hasn’t fully matured, in the sense that those who lost the elections are unwilling to accept the results,” he said. The United Malays National Organization has governed the country since independence but nearly lost power in elections last March, a watershed that put into question Malaysia’s ethnic-based party system.
Mr. Zaid, the former law minister, traces Malaysia’s current troubles to the privileges given to the country’s dominant ethnic group, the Malays. Governments led by the United Malays National Organization have provided contracts, discounts and special quotas to Malays through a far-reaching program of preferences. “We have sacrificed democracy for the supremacy of one race,” said Mr. Zaid, who himself is Malay. “It’s a political hegemony.”
The other two major ethnic groups, Chinese and Indian, have withdrawn support for the governing party in recent years and now largely back the opposition.
Declining support for the governing party has heightened the personal rivalry between Mr. Najib and Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader facing sodomy charges. In a measure of the political nature of the case, Mr. Anwar’s accuser met with Mr. Najib before going to the police.
“Our position vis-à-vis Najib is clear,” Mr. Anwar said in an interview. “He has become so repressive and crude in his methods.”
Mr. Anwar added, “There’s no way we will have any dealing or respect for him.”
-End of Article-
Malaysia under Najib is going to suck majorly...
-Start of article-
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A slew of political scandals gripping Malaysia and a transfer of power fraught with uncertainty have shaken the elite here, with exquisitely poor timing.
As a major trading nation, Malaysia has been slammed by the global downturn. Its exports have collapsed by nearly one-third, and current projections show that its economy will shrink by as much as 5 percent this year.
Yet the main preoccupation of the government and opposition parties appears to be what analysts say is an increasingly dysfunctional political system. The man in line to become prime minister has been linked to the murder of a Mongolian woman whose body was obliterated with military-grade explosives.
The leader of the main opposition party awaits trial on sodomy charges, in a highly politicized case. The government is using draconian laws to prosecute other opposition figures, and last week it suspended a member of Parliament for one year after he called the prime-minister-in-waiting a murderer. And a state legislature has been paralyzed for six weeks by a dispute over who should govern.
“At the rate things are going, we’re going to be a failed state within a decade,” said Salehuddin Hashim, secretary general of the People’s Justice Party, the largest opposition party.
For Malaysia, an oil-rich country with a large, well-educated middle class, the pessimism may seem hyperbolic. But analysts say the current political woes strike at the heart of the functioning of government, damaging institutions like the royalty, the judiciary and the police.
“I see a rough ride ahead for the country,” said Zaid Ibrahim, the founder of Malaysia’s largest law firm, who resigned as law minister in September over the government’s practice of detaining its critics without trial. “The institutions of government have become so one-sided it will take years to restore professionalism and integrity.”
Much of the anxiety is focused on the rise of Najib Razak, a veteran politician in line to become prime minister sometime after the governing party’s annual general assembly, which starts Tuesday. No date for his ascension has been set, and some Malaysians speculate that the incumbent, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, will hold on to power, though he has said he will step down.
Mr. Najib’s supporters say he will reverse the sagging fortunes of the governing party, the United Malays National Organization, and offer decisive leadership, a contrast to the languid style of Mr. Abdullah. But Mr. Najib lacks popular support, and many expect further crackdowns on his opponents if he becomes prime minister. The government already seems to be taking a harder line, shutting two opposition newspapers on Monday while the police used tear gas to break up a rally by opposition leaders in the northern state of Kedah.
In a speech on Wednesday, Mr. Zaid called on the king, Mizan Zainal Abidin, to reject Mr. Najib if the party puts him forward as prime minister, and to appoint someone who would “bring us back from the brink.”
Mr. Najib declined to comment for this article.
The highest-profile scandal to tarnish his reputation is the murder of the Mongolian, Altantuya Shaariibuu, the mistress of Mr. Najib’s foreign policy adviser.
Prosecutors say Ms. Shaariibuu was killed in October 2006 by government commandos who also serve as bodyguards to the country’s top leaders.
Mr. Najib has not been charged with any crime, and he denies having known Ms. Shaariibuu or ever having met her.
According to news accounts, Ms. Shaariibuu had been seeking her share of a commission — the opposition calls it a bribe — worth about $155 million, paid by a French company as part of a deal reached by the government to buy submarines. Mr. Najib, who is defense minister as well as deputy prime minister, handled the submarine purchase.
The huge size of the commission — about 10 percent of the total cost of the submarines — is not being investigated, despite an official acknowledgment by the Malaysian government that it was made to a company linked to Mr. Najib’s aide, who was acquitted in connection with Ms. Shaariibuu’s murder.
Lawyers say the handling of the case has been irregular, and they criticize the prosecution for failing to call Mr. Najib to testify at his aide’s trial.
Perhaps more worrying for the country is the standoff in Perak, a state where since early February the police have barred lawmakers who oppose the governing party from entering government buildings.
Mr. Najib spearheaded an effort to install a new chief minister in Perak by claiming that he had enough defectors from the opposition coalition, the Pakatan Rakyat, which last year took control of the State Assembly for the first time since the country won independence from Britain in 1957.
Both sides remain at an impasse, and the sultan of Perak has rejected a plea by the speaker of the Assembly for a new election, which polls indicate would probably restore the opposition coalition to power.
Ibrahim Suffian, director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling agency, said that as the governing party’s popularity wanes, Malaysia is failing a key test of any democracy: the peaceful transfer of power.
“Malaysian democracy hasn’t fully matured, in the sense that those who lost the elections are unwilling to accept the results,” he said. The United Malays National Organization has governed the country since independence but nearly lost power in elections last March, a watershed that put into question Malaysia’s ethnic-based party system.
Mr. Zaid, the former law minister, traces Malaysia’s current troubles to the privileges given to the country’s dominant ethnic group, the Malays. Governments led by the United Malays National Organization have provided contracts, discounts and special quotas to Malays through a far-reaching program of preferences. “We have sacrificed democracy for the supremacy of one race,” said Mr. Zaid, who himself is Malay. “It’s a political hegemony.”
The other two major ethnic groups, Chinese and Indian, have withdrawn support for the governing party in recent years and now largely back the opposition.
Declining support for the governing party has heightened the personal rivalry between Mr. Najib and Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader facing sodomy charges. In a measure of the political nature of the case, Mr. Anwar’s accuser met with Mr. Najib before going to the police.
“Our position vis-à-vis Najib is clear,” Mr. Anwar said in an interview. “He has become so repressive and crude in his methods.”
Mr. Anwar added, “There’s no way we will have any dealing or respect for him.”
-End of Article-
Malaysia under Najib is going to suck majorly...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
One More Please?
Another thirteen more minutes, and the holidays will be officially over...Son of a...
But hey, at least we got rock and roll and the alcohol covered. The only thing that's left is the sex and drugs. Other than that, I'm all set to go =P
Bahamas was an amazing experience. We set sail on Thursday afternoon at 4pm, and got back on Sunday at around 6 in the morning. The best parts of the trip would definitely have to be the amazing waves on the beach, the main island itself as it reminded me about Malaysia in many different ways, the free flow of food, the comedy shows, the alcohol, some of the crew whom I spoke Malay with, and definitely the clubbing. For the first time ever, I actually liked the club we were in. Why? Because they played rock music, and they even had a live band which did Sweet Child O' Mine!! We spent hours on the dance floor, mosh pitting and screaming our lungs out to the rock songs and pulling some "moves" when they had those rap music on. Plus, I even had a moment which I swear to god, I will never do again. A bunch of friends and I danced on stage! Yes, you read correct. And something really funny happened after that. You want to know? Ask me whenever you see me. I just can't find a way to tell it without swearing my arse off! Hint: *Hey you four mutherfuckers get back on stage now, we'll let the crowd decide who wins!* I died-ed after that. \m/
The capital of Bahamas looks very much like how some parts of Malaysia would. They had villages which were very much like the ones we see back home on the outskirts of the cities, they drove on the left hand side of the road, and even the air and the atmosphere felt like Malaysia. The waves too were awesome. I remember being pulled, pushed, dragged, submerged, and everything else by the waves. At one point this wave which was probably twice my height slammed me, dragged me to the bottom and pushed me a couple of car lengths back to the beach. I thought I was going to die right there. Imagine looking up to a towering wave, which has already reached its critical point, just breaking down and crashing on you. The instant it happened, I got pulled right below the wave, and was completely submerged in it for a few seconds. All I could see was water, and before I knew it, I was already on the beach, facing the next wave that was coming our way. For a while I kind of stayed away, but as soon as the initial shock was over, I went right back in and took on some bigger waves. I remember some of my friends, especially he smaller sized ones, who found it hard to get even a couple of paces into the sea. And even when they did, they got pushed right back out. It was awesome! The trick is to swim toward the waves, and to jump along with them. Try running or swimming away, and it will slam down on you, and you might get hurt.
The bad parts of the trip was me falling seasick twice, and the trip having more sail time instead of land time. But apart from that it was a great trip.
But now that Spring Break is over, it's back to school for me. Back to reality...
But hey, at least we got rock and roll and the alcohol covered. The only thing that's left is the sex and drugs. Other than that, I'm all set to go =P
Bahamas was an amazing experience. We set sail on Thursday afternoon at 4pm, and got back on Sunday at around 6 in the morning. The best parts of the trip would definitely have to be the amazing waves on the beach, the main island itself as it reminded me about Malaysia in many different ways, the free flow of food, the comedy shows, the alcohol, some of the crew whom I spoke Malay with, and definitely the clubbing. For the first time ever, I actually liked the club we were in. Why? Because they played rock music, and they even had a live band which did Sweet Child O' Mine!! We spent hours on the dance floor, mosh pitting and screaming our lungs out to the rock songs and pulling some "moves" when they had those rap music on. Plus, I even had a moment which I swear to god, I will never do again. A bunch of friends and I danced on stage! Yes, you read correct. And something really funny happened after that. You want to know? Ask me whenever you see me. I just can't find a way to tell it without swearing my arse off! Hint: *Hey you four mutherfuckers get back on stage now, we'll let the crowd decide who wins!* I died-ed after that. \m/
The capital of Bahamas looks very much like how some parts of Malaysia would. They had villages which were very much like the ones we see back home on the outskirts of the cities, they drove on the left hand side of the road, and even the air and the atmosphere felt like Malaysia. The waves too were awesome. I remember being pulled, pushed, dragged, submerged, and everything else by the waves. At one point this wave which was probably twice my height slammed me, dragged me to the bottom and pushed me a couple of car lengths back to the beach. I thought I was going to die right there. Imagine looking up to a towering wave, which has already reached its critical point, just breaking down and crashing on you. The instant it happened, I got pulled right below the wave, and was completely submerged in it for a few seconds. All I could see was water, and before I knew it, I was already on the beach, facing the next wave that was coming our way. For a while I kind of stayed away, but as soon as the initial shock was over, I went right back in and took on some bigger waves. I remember some of my friends, especially he smaller sized ones, who found it hard to get even a couple of paces into the sea. And even when they did, they got pushed right back out. It was awesome! The trick is to swim toward the waves, and to jump along with them. Try running or swimming away, and it will slam down on you, and you might get hurt.
The bad parts of the trip was me falling seasick twice, and the trip having more sail time instead of land time. But apart from that it was a great trip.
But now that Spring Break is over, it's back to school for me. Back to reality...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
How About You?
if someone else showed you the way
would you take the wheel and steer?
it hurts me that you're not ashamed
of what you're doing here
if they jumped off a bridge
would you meet them on the ground?
or would you try and claim
that it never made a sound
everyone plays the hand they're dealt
and learns to walk through life themselves
not everything in life is handed on a plate
when people think your words are true
it doesn't matter what you do
i sold my soul to get here
how 'bout you?
so you choose to force your hand
what a strange way to make friends
and you always change the rules
so the drama never ends
and you blindly go through life
judging only by its worth
just try not to forget
that the meek inherit earth
so please don't take offense
this is just a point of view
cuz i'm the only one who
will say these things to you
-Aaron Lewis-
would you take the wheel and steer?
it hurts me that you're not ashamed
of what you're doing here
if they jumped off a bridge
would you meet them on the ground?
or would you try and claim
that it never made a sound
everyone plays the hand they're dealt
and learns to walk through life themselves
not everything in life is handed on a plate
when people think your words are true
it doesn't matter what you do
i sold my soul to get here
how 'bout you?
so you choose to force your hand
what a strange way to make friends
and you always change the rules
so the drama never ends
and you blindly go through life
judging only by its worth
just try not to forget
that the meek inherit earth
so please don't take offense
this is just a point of view
cuz i'm the only one who
will say these things to you
-Aaron Lewis-
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Err..
Ever noticed how sometimes you say something, and it comes back and bites you real hard in the backside? Well, I know I am about to get bitten real soon. I remember saying that I never really fancied going clubbing, or even thinking of going for a session because well, I didn't like it. I didn't see the point of splashing cash out to listen to DJ's play music I don't quite enjoy, nor to do dancing which I never quite got around into accomplishing and worst of all, if I could gain the collective pleasure that clubbers apparently gain, somewhere else, at half the sodding quid, I might as well take it. To sum it all up, I get the drinking, but I didn't understand the whole concept of going clubbing, getting heroically drunk and looking as if your mother just kicked you out of the bloody house for stealing her vases. But yesterday, despite it all, I went for it. And I learned.
Spring Break is one of the very few times of the year where something actually happens at Daytona. The rest of the year would be no more interesting that having dinner at bloody grandma's. Literally. Florida is where all the old people come to retire. Take a walk on the beach anytime other than Spring or Bike week, you're probably going to run into some bikini / swimming trunk wearing old person with their grand kids. But anyways, since it was Spring Break, and there were a couple of things happening down at Beach Street, a bunch of friends and I decided to go to one of clubs, and check it out. In the end, we ended up going into Coliseum. Apparently, there was going to be some sort of a Spring Break "must see event". So anyways, we paid the charge, got our sorry arses in there, and proceeded to collect out free beer from a bartender who was as good as being naked. And after going there, and spending some time experiencing everything, I finally understand just why Daytona got its reputation for being a wild place. If God were to come down to that place, he'd probably faint, write a whole new scripture and send down more angels and prophets to reeducate the people about the meaning of civilization. Seriously.
Or maybe, this could be civilization at its peak? Hey, who am I to say? I'm just a small town dude from a piece of land far away, you wouldn't even think that it existed. But hey, it was an experience. At least now I know what it is all about. Can't say I haven't been there no more. From now on, it is no longer a prejudiced judgment.
But that's not the main point. I now understand it. Loud and clear like the beats of the bass played by the DJ. I now understand the whole rubbing your "arse against another arse" as a dance. I now get it. My legs moved, I chanted with the crowd, I got silly with the crowd, I even got enthusiastic with them. At the end of the day, it really is about the drink. It really is about the sexuality. It really is about the insanity. But most importantly, it really is about the camaraderie and the ability to waste a day's worth of problems over a bottle and a beat. I do get it. But that's me, looking through the eyes of one who see's no dirt, who sees no baggage.
But for me, I should only look at this as something that I should do only for a few times. For the rest of my time, I'd prefer a bang for the quid. A bar, a pub, a roadside stall. Somewhere where I can actually do some talking.
Spring Break is one of the very few times of the year where something actually happens at Daytona. The rest of the year would be no more interesting that having dinner at bloody grandma's. Literally. Florida is where all the old people come to retire. Take a walk on the beach anytime other than Spring or Bike week, you're probably going to run into some bikini / swimming trunk wearing old person with their grand kids. But anyways, since it was Spring Break, and there were a couple of things happening down at Beach Street, a bunch of friends and I decided to go to one of clubs, and check it out. In the end, we ended up going into Coliseum. Apparently, there was going to be some sort of a Spring Break "must see event". So anyways, we paid the charge, got our sorry arses in there, and proceeded to collect out free beer from a bartender who was as good as being naked. And after going there, and spending some time experiencing everything, I finally understand just why Daytona got its reputation for being a wild place. If God were to come down to that place, he'd probably faint, write a whole new scripture and send down more angels and prophets to reeducate the people about the meaning of civilization. Seriously.
Or maybe, this could be civilization at its peak? Hey, who am I to say? I'm just a small town dude from a piece of land far away, you wouldn't even think that it existed. But hey, it was an experience. At least now I know what it is all about. Can't say I haven't been there no more. From now on, it is no longer a prejudiced judgment.
But that's not the main point. I now understand it. Loud and clear like the beats of the bass played by the DJ. I now understand the whole rubbing your "arse against another arse" as a dance. I now get it. My legs moved, I chanted with the crowd, I got silly with the crowd, I even got enthusiastic with them. At the end of the day, it really is about the drink. It really is about the sexuality. It really is about the insanity. But most importantly, it really is about the camaraderie and the ability to waste a day's worth of problems over a bottle and a beat. I do get it. But that's me, looking through the eyes of one who see's no dirt, who sees no baggage.
But for me, I should only look at this as something that I should do only for a few times. For the rest of my time, I'd prefer a bang for the quid. A bar, a pub, a roadside stall. Somewhere where I can actually do some talking.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday
Good news is, my toes don't hurt as much anymore. I can't say what it is, but hey, why worry right? Why worry about what I can't change?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Grr..
Great lah...
I started spring break by messing two toes on my left leg up.
Somebody's going to get a hurt...
I started spring break by messing two toes on my left leg up.
Somebody's going to get a hurt...
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Spring Break
Before I begin, let me offer my congratulations to David for landing a gig ant M&C Saatchi. Awesome dude!! I know that it must mean a bunch to you. Remind me to buy you a round when I get back. I know that it will only be months later, but hey, nothing's too late to celebrate right?? Especially with the crazy bunch you have =P
Moving on, my Spring Break officially began at 2.10 PM when I handed my paper back to Dr. Echeverria, and stepped out of the class room. But before I did, Dr. E, made a good comment about my paper, so I can only hope for the best. Looking good, and actually doing good, are two separate things. So, I'll only start to be happy when I get it back. Astronomy test on Wednesday was good, but we'll see what happens. But on the somehow, I don't feel as good about my Solids paper. Yes, the same paper which I spoke about on Tuesday.
But anyways, enough about all that. I promised to punch anyone who ever mentioned anything about it after my Dynamics paper yesterday. It's Spring Break!! Remember the Ships and Islands post? Well, it was about a small trip that a couple of friends and I were planning. All I can say for now is that the tickets have been paid for, and the planning will commence after a round of Steam Boat with the dudes, tonight.
Where are we going? I'll give you a clue. It starts with a B and ends with an S =P Well we won't depart until Thursday, so it's a couple of days till then, we'll see what happens. I'll have to find something to do till then. Apparently, the only times of the year where Daytona Beach comes alive is during Bike Week and Spring Break. Better enjoy those while it lasts.
Moving on, my Spring Break officially began at 2.10 PM when I handed my paper back to Dr. Echeverria, and stepped out of the class room. But before I did, Dr. E, made a good comment about my paper, so I can only hope for the best. Looking good, and actually doing good, are two separate things. So, I'll only start to be happy when I get it back. Astronomy test on Wednesday was good, but we'll see what happens. But on the somehow, I don't feel as good about my Solids paper. Yes, the same paper which I spoke about on Tuesday.
But anyways, enough about all that. I promised to punch anyone who ever mentioned anything about it after my Dynamics paper yesterday. It's Spring Break!! Remember the Ships and Islands post? Well, it was about a small trip that a couple of friends and I were planning. All I can say for now is that the tickets have been paid for, and the planning will commence after a round of Steam Boat with the dudes, tonight.
Where are we going? I'll give you a clue. It starts with a B and ends with an S =P Well we won't depart until Thursday, so it's a couple of days till then, we'll see what happens. I'll have to find something to do till then. Apparently, the only times of the year where Daytona Beach comes alive is during Bike Week and Spring Break. Better enjoy those while it lasts.
Brawns
Who would have thought? After the end of last year, Honda Motor Company effectively ended its involvement in Formula 1 due to the economic downturn, leaving the future of its race team in limbo. In it, the jobs of almost 700 people and the development of their 2009 racer, were on the line. Just last week, the man who engineered all of Michael Schumacher's Championships, Ross Brawn, bought the ex-Honda team and renamed it Brawn GP. However, with significantly lesser track testing times, they weren't expected to make much of an impact on the pecking order. However, today, about a week after launching, their car is almost 1 second faster than everybody else. I know enough, not to read too much into testing times, but 1 second? That is a huge enough gap to know that something is going on... But of course, I will still be rooting for Kimi. After what happened last year, he needs to win it this year. But deservingly so will be some of the other guys like Vettel, Kubica and the lot.
I hope it turns out to be a great season, just like last year where the championship was won and lost in the last corner.
15 more days...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Gobind and Najib
Taken from Anwar Ibrahim's blog
This made my day =P
(Hrkh) - Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak diherdik dengan kata-kata “Kamu pembunuh!” dalam sidang Dewan Rakyat semalam.
Ahli Parlimen Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo melemparkan kata-kata tersebut terhadap Najib ketika perbahasan peringkat jawatankuasa Rang Undang-undang Perbekalan Tambahan 2009 (Pakej Rangsangan Kedua).
Perkara itu juga berlaku sebaik sahaja Najib menggulung perbahasan peringkat dasar rang undang-undang berkenaan.
Gobind pada mulanya menyatakan kehairanannya kenapa kerajaan membelanjakan wang yang banyak untuk membina bangunan dan infrastruktur sedangkan wang itu sepatutnya digunakan untuk memastikan sistem keadilan berjalan dengan baik.
Beliau kemudiannya membangkitkan isu kematian A Kugan di dalam lokap polis di balai polis Subang Jaya.
Sehingga hari ini, katanya, “tidak ada sesiapa pun yang didakwa berikutan kematian Kugan”.
Meneruskan pertanyaannya, perkara yang sama juga berlalu dalam pembunuhan Altantuya Shaariibuu, kata beliau.
Ahli Parlimen Puchong itu merujuk kepada kenyataan pegawai penyiasat kes tersebut, Supt Gan Tack Guan yang bersetuju dengannya di dalam perbicaraan terhadap Raja Petra Kamarudin bahawa Najib adalah saksi penting dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya tetapi masih belum memberikan kenyataan.
“Seorang pegawai polis bersetuju dengan saya bahawa Najib adalah saksi penting pembunuhan beliau (Altantuya),” katanya.
Timbalan Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee segera mengingatkan Gobind supaya jangan membangkitkan isu tersebut kerana perkara itu sedang dibicarakan di mahkamah tetapi Ahli Parlimen Puchong itu terus menuntut Najib menjawab persoalan yang dibangkitkannya.
Gobind terus diherdik oleh ahli-ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional (BN) termasuk Ahli Parlimen Rompin, Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis.
Ketika itulah Najib hendak bangun meninggalkan dewan. Melihat Najib mahu meninggalkan dewan, Gobind terus memanggil Najib dan menuduh beliau pembunuh: “Saya belum habis dengan kamu. Tolong duduk… Ahli Parlimen Pekan, awak di sini, bangun dan jelaskan.
“Jawab (soalan) saya, kamu pembunuh!”
Najib kembali ke tempat duduknya dan terus berdiam diri. Ketika peristiwa itu berlaku, isterinya Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor dan dua anaknya berada di galeri awam sebagai pemerhati persidangan.
Selepas berkali-kali mengarahkan Gobind berhenti membangkitkan perkara itu, Kiandee mengarahkan Ahli Parlimen Puchong itu keluar dewan.
Keputusan Timbalan Speaker itu dibantah oleh ahli-ahli Parlimen pembangkang dan berlakulah jerit-menjerit antara ahli-ahli Parlimen BN dan pembangkang termasuk menjeritkan perkataan ‘bodoh’ dan sebagainya.
Gobind kemudiannya bangun dan menyatakan kepada Kiandee :”You should be ashamed of yourself (Anda patut malu dengan diri anda)” dan kemudian diiringi oleh bentara keluar dewan.
This made my day =P
(Hrkh) - Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak diherdik dengan kata-kata “Kamu pembunuh!” dalam sidang Dewan Rakyat semalam.
Ahli Parlimen Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo melemparkan kata-kata tersebut terhadap Najib ketika perbahasan peringkat jawatankuasa Rang Undang-undang Perbekalan Tambahan 2009 (Pakej Rangsangan Kedua).
Perkara itu juga berlaku sebaik sahaja Najib menggulung perbahasan peringkat dasar rang undang-undang berkenaan.
Gobind pada mulanya menyatakan kehairanannya kenapa kerajaan membelanjakan wang yang banyak untuk membina bangunan dan infrastruktur sedangkan wang itu sepatutnya digunakan untuk memastikan sistem keadilan berjalan dengan baik.
Beliau kemudiannya membangkitkan isu kematian A Kugan di dalam lokap polis di balai polis Subang Jaya.
Sehingga hari ini, katanya, “tidak ada sesiapa pun yang didakwa berikutan kematian Kugan”.
Meneruskan pertanyaannya, perkara yang sama juga berlalu dalam pembunuhan Altantuya Shaariibuu, kata beliau.
Ahli Parlimen Puchong itu merujuk kepada kenyataan pegawai penyiasat kes tersebut, Supt Gan Tack Guan yang bersetuju dengannya di dalam perbicaraan terhadap Raja Petra Kamarudin bahawa Najib adalah saksi penting dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya tetapi masih belum memberikan kenyataan.
“Seorang pegawai polis bersetuju dengan saya bahawa Najib adalah saksi penting pembunuhan beliau (Altantuya),” katanya.
Timbalan Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee segera mengingatkan Gobind supaya jangan membangkitkan isu tersebut kerana perkara itu sedang dibicarakan di mahkamah tetapi Ahli Parlimen Puchong itu terus menuntut Najib menjawab persoalan yang dibangkitkannya.
Gobind terus diherdik oleh ahli-ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional (BN) termasuk Ahli Parlimen Rompin, Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis.
Ketika itulah Najib hendak bangun meninggalkan dewan. Melihat Najib mahu meninggalkan dewan, Gobind terus memanggil Najib dan menuduh beliau pembunuh: “Saya belum habis dengan kamu. Tolong duduk… Ahli Parlimen Pekan, awak di sini, bangun dan jelaskan.
“Jawab (soalan) saya, kamu pembunuh!”
Najib kembali ke tempat duduknya dan terus berdiam diri. Ketika peristiwa itu berlaku, isterinya Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor dan dua anaknya berada di galeri awam sebagai pemerhati persidangan.
Selepas berkali-kali mengarahkan Gobind berhenti membangkitkan perkara itu, Kiandee mengarahkan Ahli Parlimen Puchong itu keluar dewan.
Keputusan Timbalan Speaker itu dibantah oleh ahli-ahli Parlimen pembangkang dan berlakulah jerit-menjerit antara ahli-ahli Parlimen BN dan pembangkang termasuk menjeritkan perkataan ‘bodoh’ dan sebagainya.
Gobind kemudiannya bangun dan menyatakan kepada Kiandee :”You should be ashamed of yourself (Anda patut malu dengan diri anda)” dan kemudian diiringi oleh bentara keluar dewan.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Postponed
Dr. Echeveria: I think I'll be able to do something for you. I'll see how I can accommodate you...Because you are my friend. My Malaysian friend!
Me: Thanks alot sir, I really appreciate it.
I spoke to Dr. Echeveria today about postponing my Dynamics test which I am supposed to sit for this Friday. And he said that if I am still sick this Friday, he will try his best to accommodate me. Which can only mean one thing... more time to study... I hope.
Me: Thanks alot sir, I really appreciate it.
I spoke to Dr. Echeveria today about postponing my Dynamics test which I am supposed to sit for this Friday. And he said that if I am still sick this Friday, he will try his best to accommodate me. Which can only mean one thing... more time to study... I hope.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Flu
Ever had flu drops all over your exam paper? I did. Today! My nose just kept running like a burst pipe, and I ended up dropping drops of mucus onto my exam paper. And the best part is, my lecturer saw it, and just gave me an extremely weird stare. But hey, on the bright side, he wouldn't be tempted to mark my paper, and he would give me full marks for it. Fukin flu..
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Pidato Kebangsan 2009
Taken from: www.anwaribrahimblog.com
“Pidato Kebangsaan 2009” Annual National Address by Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim speech:
We gather today not only to celebrate an auspicious anniversary, but to hail the triumph of an idea, an idea so sublime that people throughout history were willing to give their lives for it.
Its force was so great that we have to be reminded by Victor Hugo of its strength. This great French writer said: “Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come.”
On March 8th last year, an idea with the force of a tsunami landed by way of the ballot box in Malaysia.
This idea was that the people are sovereign, that they are the masters of their political destiny. Their destiny is not decided by autocrats or elites; plutocracies and a controlled media; neither the army, the police, nor by corrupt judges.
Their fate is decided by the free exercise of their choice registered through the power of their vote.
By no means was this choice exercised completely free of fetters. But given the constraints of a not independent Election Commission, a not free mainstream media, and a curtailed campaigning period, Malaysian voters rose to the occasion to register their choice.
And what were the consequences of that historic choice? The previously invincible Barisan Nasional was denied its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
In addition, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat gained control of four state legislatures and retained and extended its control of another state. Only the shortness of the campaign period prevented the political tsunami from rolling into other states considered bastions of BN rule.
Today, a year later, we stand humbled by that expression of people’s sovereignty. In this last year, we have given the people in Selangor, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan a taste of the kind of government we ought to have when the people are sovereign.
We have started to implement a Malaysian Economic Agenda for the nation that is truly Malaysian. Our aim is to build a prosperous country by establishing a stable and clean business environment that is competitive in the global economy. We believe in free markets, but our pro-growth policies are tempered with a dose of state intervention and an emphasis on good governance and social justice. This would ensure that the poorest segments of society including the Malays and bumiputeras have access to economic opportunities and aid that trickles all the way down instead of disappearing long before it reaches them.
The Coalition has grown stronger and our partners have worked in unison to govern in the states. After two by-elections our mandate from the people is stronger than ever.
BN’s fear of facing us in another election is most clearly visible in Perak. The illegitimate tactics they employed to attempt a hostile takeover of that State’s government backfired. In so doing they have alienated the public, which has issued strident calls from over 75% of its population for a fresh election. Petrified of an outcome that would swing the balance in our favour, the BN has abused its power and launched an all out attack on our elected representatives, making a mockery of itself and of the institutions of governance.
Our policies do not seek short-term political mileage nor are they calculated to win headlines. Our struggle is neither to fulfil the ambition of one man nor to settle old vendettas.
We have a comprehensive vision for leading Malaysia and our leadership is rooted in sound economic planning as well as reinstating the principles of democracy, socio-economic justice, equal economic opportunities and religious freedom.
We invest in education. We create jobs and bring foreign investment into our states, and we give everyone an opportunity to benefit from the newly created wealth. From what we earn we share with those less fortunate. And we fought the increase in petrol prices until the BN conceded to reduce the burden it had foisted upon the people.
To rebuild a nation after fifty years of decay and decadence is no simple task. Despite setbacks and false starts we promise that our commitment to the principles of justice, freedom and the Rule of Law will not waver, and we will always take the Constitution as our guide. I promise you that we will not relent and we will not rest until the job is done.
We pose the question to those watching today. Has the BN government fulfilled its promise?
After March 8th, we were told that they understood why the people rejected them. They admitted they had fallen out of the Rakyat’s grace and lost touch with their hopes and aspirations. They admitted that without reform, the people would give them the final boot from office.
But since that moment of reckoning has anything really changed? Have the reforms that were promised been implemented? As Umno muddles through a power transition in which it plans to anoint a new Prime Minister, has its course been righted?
Hardly. The Umno-dominated BN is caught in a warp of its own making. They talk about reform but cannot walk the talk. This is what a half-century in power does to you. It is unable to reform, immune to change, deaf to criticism.
Billions of dollars of public funds are poured into wasteful projects and the unnecessary purchases of military goods. Exorbitant commissions are paid while the perpetrators of these crimes go unpunished.
While the rest of the world braced for the impact of a deep and difficult recession, the Finance Minister seemed oblivious to the imminent economic challenges. While other nations geared for the calamitous conditions we now face, this man watched from the sidelines. In his most decisive act he issued bailouts for a few corporations using money plucked from the retirement savings of the Malaysian people. The earlier stimulus package has gotten stuck in the quicksand of bureaucracy, causing extraordinary delays in the disbursement of funds. The second one, which arrives belatedly in Parliament this week, may be a case of too little too late.
On the issue of justice, there remain two standards in Malaysia – one for those who wield power, and another for those who seek justice and call for the Rule of Law.
After much anticipation and hype we have a new Commission to fight corruption. But it has already proven its true colours. The MACC is no different from its predecessor, pursuing frivolous attacks against the Pakatan Rakyat whilst ignoring the endless supply of abhorrent corruption taking place in the BN government’s own backyard.
Has the judiciary shown any sign of redress? Do Malaysians feel confident that the scales of justice are more balanced and the dispensation of justice more fair? On the contrary, a superficial attempt to restore credibility to the process of appointing judges has fallen flat. The courts remain cluttered with judges whose records speak volumes as to their lack of impartiality and pervasive influence peddling.
Is the Election Commission a fair and impartial arbiter of elections? Or does it plot and scheme against the people and try to stack the odds in favour of the BN?
We have seen the darkest and most evil abuses of power take place at the hands of the police – an institution that has for many years resisted calls for reform. We condemn the tragedy of Abu Ghraib, and yet in our own prison cells victims are tortured and left to die. How manifestly unjust is it that the people of Malaysia must live in fear of those who are entrusted with their protection?
Those whose responsibility it was to safeguard this nation have failed. Years of their polices have left Malaysia at great risk. A lagging economy is on the brink of recession. Crime runs rampant and our streets are not safe to walk. The education that our children receive is substandard and many of our schools lack funding for basic infrastructure. The police and the judiciary are feared for their ruthlessness and their disdain for justice and human rights.
Despite our nation’s abundant natural resources, we see that the rich grow wealthier while the gap widens between them and the vast majority of Malaysians. The poor, the majority of whom are still the Malays and bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak and the Indians in the estates, are scarcely better off today than they were ten years ago. Behind the façade of a first world country we reflect the tendencies of Third World development.
A new Prime Minister waits in the ranks, not as a reformer, but to continue to take this nation down the same destructive path.
I am humbled by your support and your faith in us to set right what has been afoul for so many years in this nation. I promise you that the tenacity of our resolve has never been stronger and no impediment, no matter how great, will deny us our final objective.
The days and months ahead will not be easy.
Our economy is buckling under the pressure of a global recession. Every month that passes more factories are closed and more jobs are lost. 55,000 Malaysians lost their jobs since October alone. Some groups have predicted nearly 400,000 more are at risk in 2009.
The economy stopped growing at the end of 2008 and is now expected to contract at least 2 percent in the coming year. Manufacturing sales slumped over 20 percent in December 2008, a sector of our economy that has lost 68 thousand jobs in just one year.
Not surprisingly the export market has also been battered, registering its largest decline in 15 years. In January alone it contracted 32 percent from the same time a year earlier. It is easy to understand why, when our primary export markets in Singapore, the US and the EU warned of recession months ago.
The question arises then – why did we not act sooner?
The government is encumbered by divisive politics and the underhanded tactics of the ruling party; a party that has placed its own self-preservation ahead of the interests of the people.
Religion and race are manipulated by the powers that be to sow divisions in the country and pit Malaysian against Malaysian. Democracy is itself subverted and the rights of the people are trampled and trodden with no respect for the Rule of Law.
With an open hand and good intentions we in Pakatan Rakyat have reached out to our adversaries in government. Our brightest minds have offered solutions to the problems facing Malaysia and we have shared these openly in Parliament.
We have offered a detailed budget recommendation with sound proposals to create jobs, retrain workers and stimulate sectors of the economy that will contribute most efficiently to growth in the short term.
Sadly our efforts have been rebuffed. We have encountered in Umno politicians who are insecure and paranoid, desperate to hang onto power and oblivious of their responsibility to the people.
The Federal Government has been an unwilling partner to our states. Projects have been cancelled or delayed and development funds withheld. Efforts to limit the power of monopolies so that the people may have cheaper access to basic utilities have been thwarted. The attempts to undermine our leadership continue unabated.
We are not surprised by their intransigence. A party that has grown so out of touch with the plight of ordinary Malaysians can easily and without guilt abandon them in this moment of their greatest need.
But we have not allowed these selfish actions to dampen our resolve. Our Menteris Besar and Chief Minister have met to discuss avenues of cooperation among our states and our members of Parliament are vigilant in watching over the Rakyat’s wealth. Pakatan Leaders will soon announce shadow committees to monitor and report on the BN government’s spending and to evaluate the impact of its policies. Our policy committees will articulate more clearly the Pakatan Rakyat position on key areas including land reform, education, youth development and Sabah and Sarawak.
We believe it is not too late to act boldly to address the challenges of the global economic crisis. Our government must spend money to stimulate growth and create jobs – but the question of how much we spend is superseded by the question of how we spend. If we allow more bailouts for crony companies and look the other way as billions of dollars in economic stimulus are funnelled back to these companies then our nation faces serious peril.
It is imperative that with any economic stimulus package, a strong and impartial regimen of oversight and public disclosure also be implemented. This government has a dismal track record in disbursing funds – every year according to Morgan Stanley an estimated USD 10 billion is lost to corruption. We have every reason to believe that unless monitored carefully the money will once again end up in the wrong hands, and the country and the people will suffer the consequences.
If we address the crisis of confidence in our judiciary and take real steps to combat corruption, ensure the professionalism of the police and make our villages and streets safe, foreign investors will again find Malaysia an attractive destination. With continued investment in education, infrastructure and health care we can create the jobs we need and emerge from this recession stronger than before.
Our commitment to good governance is sacrosanct and the signs of its implementation can be seen throughout our states. Contracts are awarded more efficiently and with open tenders. Zero tolerance of corruption has saved us 100s of millions already, while giving small businesses and entrepreneurs the confidence to invest and create jobs knowing that the system works for them.
The benefits of an accountable and efficient government guided by prudent management, such as the one which has been in place in Kelantan under Tok Guru Nik Aziz, is now being seen throughout the Pakatan States. Kedah, which like Kelantan is one of the more economically challenged regions of the country, has dramatically increased its savings through greater efficiency and transparency, freeing up much needed resources to allocate to development projects and social welfare activities.
This has also created an environment more attractive to foreign investment, which in Penang doubled in just one year and in Perak increased to RM 3.4 billion. In Selangor it has reached its highest point in nine years, RM 11.87 billion, creating 30,000 new jobs for Malaysians.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has announced a bold agenda in Selangor to create thousands more jobs and to attract billions of investment focusing on the restoration of affordable housing and improving public transportation to alleviate the increasing problem of traffic congestion.
His administration has allocated energy and resources towards developing more liveable cities and Green Zones within Selangor and has, following the example of Kelantan, launched a first-ever senior citizens insurance scheme. RM 40 million has been allocated to facilitate medical care for 365 thousand of the state’s elderly citizens.
Under the Tawas scheme in Selangor all newborn children will be guaranteed insurance through the age of 18. A number of programs have been implemented to award low-income families with grants to aid in the cost of education and health-care.
In Penang, foreign investment in 2008 totalled RM 10.2 billion, a 117 percent increase from the previous BN government. This is a remarkable achievement given that the recession has already begun in other parts of the world last year. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s stewardship of the Penang economy, guided by the principles of Competency, Accountability and Transparency is credited with creating programs to retrain and employ thousands of Penangites. Knowing that it takes time for these investments to increase incomes – the Pakatan Leadership in Penang has already awarded RM 17 million in water grants to over 170,000 households to provide direct relief to low-income families during these difficult times.
Selangor and Perak have done their part in reducing the burden of the recession by granting free water to the poorest households. The Perak government has provided land titles to deserving families in the state, including Malay, Orang Asli and Chinese, a credit to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin’s visionary leadership and his tenacity in defending the rights of the poor and marginalized.
And we promise that in Selangor we will remain firm in defending the rights of the people against the monopolies and conglomerates. Now is not the time to sacrifice the welfare of the people in the interests of excess profits or political gamesmanship. In our negotiations with the water companies we will maintain our ground and not repeat the historic blunders that were made in dealing with the IPPs.
We believe that the most important contribution we can make is to ensure that our children receive a good education. We want the future generations of Malaysians to compete regionally and in a global economy. Selangor has invested in the development and infrastructure of schools that cater to all the ethnic communities. In Perak 1,000 hectares of land has been granted to the religious schools (SAR) and to National type Chinese schools.
Pakatan States are redrawing programmes aimed at lessening the pain the inevitable economic slowdown will bring. Our priorities are to create jobs and combat poverty. Housing projects, particularly for lower-income groups will be announced. These developments will be liveable and affordable, and we will also identify ways to improve the living standards in existing low-income residential areas.
What was a year ago described as a marriage of convenience has proven to be much more than that. This Coalition is strong and has proven its resolve time and again against a formidable opponent. The time has come to strengthen the bonds amongst our parties. Greater confidence in the Pakatan Rakyat’s ability to govern is achieved not only through the implementation of sound public policy in the states but also in cementing our cooperation in the form of a Common Agenda.
March 8th restored hope to many who had given up on our government. Throughout the country I meet Malaysians inspired by that day. They envision a future that is more prosperous and a nation more united. With the Pakatan Rakyat they envision a time when schools will be better, where cities and villages will be safer and where good jobs will be plentiful and where honest people can earn a decent living.
If you voted for us in 2008 you were a part of history. Know that in the next election your vote will determine the future course of this nation. Don’t let that opportunity pass. I ask of all Malaysians who share in this dream to be part of the movement for change.
To the brave members of Keadilan, we are embarking on a major exercise to reorganize and refocus the party. Our mission, and that of our partners in the Pakatan Rakyat, is simple. Show the people what we have accomplished. Invite them to join us in this effort.
Call the people to be a part of this new birth of nationalism; to build this nation upon the principles of justice, fair play and opportunities for all.
Call them to join us in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau, and Batang Ai where we will once again show that the people of Malaysia are united for change.
To our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak, I know that this belief and hope for a better tomorrow is hard for you. Your hopes and aspirations have been betrayed many times already. Give us a chance. This Coalition has proven it has much to offer you and that together we can build a better Malaysia.
To the bumiputeras – this nation is our home and in Malaysia our customs and traditions are secure. We believe that the best way to safeguard our values is to reject socially divisive approaches and uphold Constitutional guarantees. In doing so we will work to ensure that you remain pillars of this society and that your contributions in all fields are recognised and your excellence rewarded.
This spirit of togetherness was rediscovered on March 8th and it is a reflection of what our founding fathers envisioned when they secured our independence years ago. It is manifest in businesses and factories where Malaysians work together to build the goods that are exported to countries around the world. It is visible throughout this country in schools where Malays, Chinese, Indian, Dayak and Kadazan students learn side by side.
The spirit lies at the heart of the great civilisations that make up the fabric of this land. Muslims adhere to the Qur’anic injunction, li-ta’arafu, that we must recognise God’s wisdom in understanding our differences and showing compassion and care for all. The Chinese have a saying that conveys a similar message: si hai zhi nie jie xiong di; that within the four seas all men are brothers, a sentiment equally reflected in the Tamil proverb ontre kulam oruvane thevan, one humanity one spirit.
Let it therefore be known that on this day, when we celebrated the victory of March 8th, we came together and in one sovereign voice declared that we will together write a lasting chapter of peace and prosperity in our nation’s history.
My fellow Malaysians, we are all travellers on the same road, striving towards one dream. This is the road that has not yet been travelled by in the history of our nation. It is long and winding and fraught with the greatest of hazards and impediments. We will be waylaid and abducted from our journey but yet we shall not be strayed.
And no matter what we must keep our faith and our resolve with the greatest of patience and fortitude. By God’s grace we shall succeed.
Thank you.
PEJABAT DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM
“Pidato Kebangsaan 2009” Annual National Address by Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim speech:
We gather today not only to celebrate an auspicious anniversary, but to hail the triumph of an idea, an idea so sublime that people throughout history were willing to give their lives for it.
Its force was so great that we have to be reminded by Victor Hugo of its strength. This great French writer said: “Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come.”
On March 8th last year, an idea with the force of a tsunami landed by way of the ballot box in Malaysia.
This idea was that the people are sovereign, that they are the masters of their political destiny. Their destiny is not decided by autocrats or elites; plutocracies and a controlled media; neither the army, the police, nor by corrupt judges.
Their fate is decided by the free exercise of their choice registered through the power of their vote.
By no means was this choice exercised completely free of fetters. But given the constraints of a not independent Election Commission, a not free mainstream media, and a curtailed campaigning period, Malaysian voters rose to the occasion to register their choice.
And what were the consequences of that historic choice? The previously invincible Barisan Nasional was denied its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
In addition, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat gained control of four state legislatures and retained and extended its control of another state. Only the shortness of the campaign period prevented the political tsunami from rolling into other states considered bastions of BN rule.
Today, a year later, we stand humbled by that expression of people’s sovereignty. In this last year, we have given the people in Selangor, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan a taste of the kind of government we ought to have when the people are sovereign.
We have started to implement a Malaysian Economic Agenda for the nation that is truly Malaysian. Our aim is to build a prosperous country by establishing a stable and clean business environment that is competitive in the global economy. We believe in free markets, but our pro-growth policies are tempered with a dose of state intervention and an emphasis on good governance and social justice. This would ensure that the poorest segments of society including the Malays and bumiputeras have access to economic opportunities and aid that trickles all the way down instead of disappearing long before it reaches them.
The Coalition has grown stronger and our partners have worked in unison to govern in the states. After two by-elections our mandate from the people is stronger than ever.
BN’s fear of facing us in another election is most clearly visible in Perak. The illegitimate tactics they employed to attempt a hostile takeover of that State’s government backfired. In so doing they have alienated the public, which has issued strident calls from over 75% of its population for a fresh election. Petrified of an outcome that would swing the balance in our favour, the BN has abused its power and launched an all out attack on our elected representatives, making a mockery of itself and of the institutions of governance.
Our policies do not seek short-term political mileage nor are they calculated to win headlines. Our struggle is neither to fulfil the ambition of one man nor to settle old vendettas.
We have a comprehensive vision for leading Malaysia and our leadership is rooted in sound economic planning as well as reinstating the principles of democracy, socio-economic justice, equal economic opportunities and religious freedom.
We invest in education. We create jobs and bring foreign investment into our states, and we give everyone an opportunity to benefit from the newly created wealth. From what we earn we share with those less fortunate. And we fought the increase in petrol prices until the BN conceded to reduce the burden it had foisted upon the people.
To rebuild a nation after fifty years of decay and decadence is no simple task. Despite setbacks and false starts we promise that our commitment to the principles of justice, freedom and the Rule of Law will not waver, and we will always take the Constitution as our guide. I promise you that we will not relent and we will not rest until the job is done.
We pose the question to those watching today. Has the BN government fulfilled its promise?
After March 8th, we were told that they understood why the people rejected them. They admitted they had fallen out of the Rakyat’s grace and lost touch with their hopes and aspirations. They admitted that without reform, the people would give them the final boot from office.
But since that moment of reckoning has anything really changed? Have the reforms that were promised been implemented? As Umno muddles through a power transition in which it plans to anoint a new Prime Minister, has its course been righted?
Hardly. The Umno-dominated BN is caught in a warp of its own making. They talk about reform but cannot walk the talk. This is what a half-century in power does to you. It is unable to reform, immune to change, deaf to criticism.
Billions of dollars of public funds are poured into wasteful projects and the unnecessary purchases of military goods. Exorbitant commissions are paid while the perpetrators of these crimes go unpunished.
While the rest of the world braced for the impact of a deep and difficult recession, the Finance Minister seemed oblivious to the imminent economic challenges. While other nations geared for the calamitous conditions we now face, this man watched from the sidelines. In his most decisive act he issued bailouts for a few corporations using money plucked from the retirement savings of the Malaysian people. The earlier stimulus package has gotten stuck in the quicksand of bureaucracy, causing extraordinary delays in the disbursement of funds. The second one, which arrives belatedly in Parliament this week, may be a case of too little too late.
On the issue of justice, there remain two standards in Malaysia – one for those who wield power, and another for those who seek justice and call for the Rule of Law.
After much anticipation and hype we have a new Commission to fight corruption. But it has already proven its true colours. The MACC is no different from its predecessor, pursuing frivolous attacks against the Pakatan Rakyat whilst ignoring the endless supply of abhorrent corruption taking place in the BN government’s own backyard.
Has the judiciary shown any sign of redress? Do Malaysians feel confident that the scales of justice are more balanced and the dispensation of justice more fair? On the contrary, a superficial attempt to restore credibility to the process of appointing judges has fallen flat. The courts remain cluttered with judges whose records speak volumes as to their lack of impartiality and pervasive influence peddling.
Is the Election Commission a fair and impartial arbiter of elections? Or does it plot and scheme against the people and try to stack the odds in favour of the BN?
We have seen the darkest and most evil abuses of power take place at the hands of the police – an institution that has for many years resisted calls for reform. We condemn the tragedy of Abu Ghraib, and yet in our own prison cells victims are tortured and left to die. How manifestly unjust is it that the people of Malaysia must live in fear of those who are entrusted with their protection?
Those whose responsibility it was to safeguard this nation have failed. Years of their polices have left Malaysia at great risk. A lagging economy is on the brink of recession. Crime runs rampant and our streets are not safe to walk. The education that our children receive is substandard and many of our schools lack funding for basic infrastructure. The police and the judiciary are feared for their ruthlessness and their disdain for justice and human rights.
Despite our nation’s abundant natural resources, we see that the rich grow wealthier while the gap widens between them and the vast majority of Malaysians. The poor, the majority of whom are still the Malays and bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak and the Indians in the estates, are scarcely better off today than they were ten years ago. Behind the façade of a first world country we reflect the tendencies of Third World development.
A new Prime Minister waits in the ranks, not as a reformer, but to continue to take this nation down the same destructive path.
I am humbled by your support and your faith in us to set right what has been afoul for so many years in this nation. I promise you that the tenacity of our resolve has never been stronger and no impediment, no matter how great, will deny us our final objective.
The days and months ahead will not be easy.
Our economy is buckling under the pressure of a global recession. Every month that passes more factories are closed and more jobs are lost. 55,000 Malaysians lost their jobs since October alone. Some groups have predicted nearly 400,000 more are at risk in 2009.
The economy stopped growing at the end of 2008 and is now expected to contract at least 2 percent in the coming year. Manufacturing sales slumped over 20 percent in December 2008, a sector of our economy that has lost 68 thousand jobs in just one year.
Not surprisingly the export market has also been battered, registering its largest decline in 15 years. In January alone it contracted 32 percent from the same time a year earlier. It is easy to understand why, when our primary export markets in Singapore, the US and the EU warned of recession months ago.
The question arises then – why did we not act sooner?
The government is encumbered by divisive politics and the underhanded tactics of the ruling party; a party that has placed its own self-preservation ahead of the interests of the people.
Religion and race are manipulated by the powers that be to sow divisions in the country and pit Malaysian against Malaysian. Democracy is itself subverted and the rights of the people are trampled and trodden with no respect for the Rule of Law.
With an open hand and good intentions we in Pakatan Rakyat have reached out to our adversaries in government. Our brightest minds have offered solutions to the problems facing Malaysia and we have shared these openly in Parliament.
We have offered a detailed budget recommendation with sound proposals to create jobs, retrain workers and stimulate sectors of the economy that will contribute most efficiently to growth in the short term.
Sadly our efforts have been rebuffed. We have encountered in Umno politicians who are insecure and paranoid, desperate to hang onto power and oblivious of their responsibility to the people.
The Federal Government has been an unwilling partner to our states. Projects have been cancelled or delayed and development funds withheld. Efforts to limit the power of monopolies so that the people may have cheaper access to basic utilities have been thwarted. The attempts to undermine our leadership continue unabated.
We are not surprised by their intransigence. A party that has grown so out of touch with the plight of ordinary Malaysians can easily and without guilt abandon them in this moment of their greatest need.
But we have not allowed these selfish actions to dampen our resolve. Our Menteris Besar and Chief Minister have met to discuss avenues of cooperation among our states and our members of Parliament are vigilant in watching over the Rakyat’s wealth. Pakatan Leaders will soon announce shadow committees to monitor and report on the BN government’s spending and to evaluate the impact of its policies. Our policy committees will articulate more clearly the Pakatan Rakyat position on key areas including land reform, education, youth development and Sabah and Sarawak.
We believe it is not too late to act boldly to address the challenges of the global economic crisis. Our government must spend money to stimulate growth and create jobs – but the question of how much we spend is superseded by the question of how we spend. If we allow more bailouts for crony companies and look the other way as billions of dollars in economic stimulus are funnelled back to these companies then our nation faces serious peril.
It is imperative that with any economic stimulus package, a strong and impartial regimen of oversight and public disclosure also be implemented. This government has a dismal track record in disbursing funds – every year according to Morgan Stanley an estimated USD 10 billion is lost to corruption. We have every reason to believe that unless monitored carefully the money will once again end up in the wrong hands, and the country and the people will suffer the consequences.
If we address the crisis of confidence in our judiciary and take real steps to combat corruption, ensure the professionalism of the police and make our villages and streets safe, foreign investors will again find Malaysia an attractive destination. With continued investment in education, infrastructure and health care we can create the jobs we need and emerge from this recession stronger than before.
Our commitment to good governance is sacrosanct and the signs of its implementation can be seen throughout our states. Contracts are awarded more efficiently and with open tenders. Zero tolerance of corruption has saved us 100s of millions already, while giving small businesses and entrepreneurs the confidence to invest and create jobs knowing that the system works for them.
The benefits of an accountable and efficient government guided by prudent management, such as the one which has been in place in Kelantan under Tok Guru Nik Aziz, is now being seen throughout the Pakatan States. Kedah, which like Kelantan is one of the more economically challenged regions of the country, has dramatically increased its savings through greater efficiency and transparency, freeing up much needed resources to allocate to development projects and social welfare activities.
This has also created an environment more attractive to foreign investment, which in Penang doubled in just one year and in Perak increased to RM 3.4 billion. In Selangor it has reached its highest point in nine years, RM 11.87 billion, creating 30,000 new jobs for Malaysians.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has announced a bold agenda in Selangor to create thousands more jobs and to attract billions of investment focusing on the restoration of affordable housing and improving public transportation to alleviate the increasing problem of traffic congestion.
His administration has allocated energy and resources towards developing more liveable cities and Green Zones within Selangor and has, following the example of Kelantan, launched a first-ever senior citizens insurance scheme. RM 40 million has been allocated to facilitate medical care for 365 thousand of the state’s elderly citizens.
Under the Tawas scheme in Selangor all newborn children will be guaranteed insurance through the age of 18. A number of programs have been implemented to award low-income families with grants to aid in the cost of education and health-care.
In Penang, foreign investment in 2008 totalled RM 10.2 billion, a 117 percent increase from the previous BN government. This is a remarkable achievement given that the recession has already begun in other parts of the world last year. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s stewardship of the Penang economy, guided by the principles of Competency, Accountability and Transparency is credited with creating programs to retrain and employ thousands of Penangites. Knowing that it takes time for these investments to increase incomes – the Pakatan Leadership in Penang has already awarded RM 17 million in water grants to over 170,000 households to provide direct relief to low-income families during these difficult times.
Selangor and Perak have done their part in reducing the burden of the recession by granting free water to the poorest households. The Perak government has provided land titles to deserving families in the state, including Malay, Orang Asli and Chinese, a credit to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin’s visionary leadership and his tenacity in defending the rights of the poor and marginalized.
And we promise that in Selangor we will remain firm in defending the rights of the people against the monopolies and conglomerates. Now is not the time to sacrifice the welfare of the people in the interests of excess profits or political gamesmanship. In our negotiations with the water companies we will maintain our ground and not repeat the historic blunders that were made in dealing with the IPPs.
We believe that the most important contribution we can make is to ensure that our children receive a good education. We want the future generations of Malaysians to compete regionally and in a global economy. Selangor has invested in the development and infrastructure of schools that cater to all the ethnic communities. In Perak 1,000 hectares of land has been granted to the religious schools (SAR) and to National type Chinese schools.
Pakatan States are redrawing programmes aimed at lessening the pain the inevitable economic slowdown will bring. Our priorities are to create jobs and combat poverty. Housing projects, particularly for lower-income groups will be announced. These developments will be liveable and affordable, and we will also identify ways to improve the living standards in existing low-income residential areas.
What was a year ago described as a marriage of convenience has proven to be much more than that. This Coalition is strong and has proven its resolve time and again against a formidable opponent. The time has come to strengthen the bonds amongst our parties. Greater confidence in the Pakatan Rakyat’s ability to govern is achieved not only through the implementation of sound public policy in the states but also in cementing our cooperation in the form of a Common Agenda.
March 8th restored hope to many who had given up on our government. Throughout the country I meet Malaysians inspired by that day. They envision a future that is more prosperous and a nation more united. With the Pakatan Rakyat they envision a time when schools will be better, where cities and villages will be safer and where good jobs will be plentiful and where honest people can earn a decent living.
If you voted for us in 2008 you were a part of history. Know that in the next election your vote will determine the future course of this nation. Don’t let that opportunity pass. I ask of all Malaysians who share in this dream to be part of the movement for change.
To the brave members of Keadilan, we are embarking on a major exercise to reorganize and refocus the party. Our mission, and that of our partners in the Pakatan Rakyat, is simple. Show the people what we have accomplished. Invite them to join us in this effort.
Call the people to be a part of this new birth of nationalism; to build this nation upon the principles of justice, fair play and opportunities for all.
Call them to join us in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau, and Batang Ai where we will once again show that the people of Malaysia are united for change.
To our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak, I know that this belief and hope for a better tomorrow is hard for you. Your hopes and aspirations have been betrayed many times already. Give us a chance. This Coalition has proven it has much to offer you and that together we can build a better Malaysia.
To the bumiputeras – this nation is our home and in Malaysia our customs and traditions are secure. We believe that the best way to safeguard our values is to reject socially divisive approaches and uphold Constitutional guarantees. In doing so we will work to ensure that you remain pillars of this society and that your contributions in all fields are recognised and your excellence rewarded.
This spirit of togetherness was rediscovered on March 8th and it is a reflection of what our founding fathers envisioned when they secured our independence years ago. It is manifest in businesses and factories where Malaysians work together to build the goods that are exported to countries around the world. It is visible throughout this country in schools where Malays, Chinese, Indian, Dayak and Kadazan students learn side by side.
The spirit lies at the heart of the great civilisations that make up the fabric of this land. Muslims adhere to the Qur’anic injunction, li-ta’arafu, that we must recognise God’s wisdom in understanding our differences and showing compassion and care for all. The Chinese have a saying that conveys a similar message: si hai zhi nie jie xiong di; that within the four seas all men are brothers, a sentiment equally reflected in the Tamil proverb ontre kulam oruvane thevan, one humanity one spirit.
Let it therefore be known that on this day, when we celebrated the victory of March 8th, we came together and in one sovereign voice declared that we will together write a lasting chapter of peace and prosperity in our nation’s history.
My fellow Malaysians, we are all travellers on the same road, striving towards one dream. This is the road that has not yet been travelled by in the history of our nation. It is long and winding and fraught with the greatest of hazards and impediments. We will be waylaid and abducted from our journey but yet we shall not be strayed.
And no matter what we must keep our faith and our resolve with the greatest of patience and fortitude. By God’s grace we shall succeed.
Thank you.
PEJABAT DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM
Friday, March 6, 2009
Najib Plays CS!!
Great Lah...
The Altantuya Shaaribuu’s case: how and why she was killed
Published in the Liberation French newspaper on 5th March 2009
This is the English translation of the Liberation French article:
Shaaribuu Setev is a bitter and disappointed man. Yet, behind the saddened face of this Mongolian lies a fierce determination. Seated in a sofa in the lobby of an Ulaan Baataar hotel rattled by gushes of a freezing wind, this sixty years old man is ready to fight. His face features, hardened by the suffering and the stern climate, and his intense gaze tell all. “My daughter has been murdered by Malaysians on Malaysian territory. And they did not have even offer a word of apology,” states this professor of psychology at the National University of Mongolia.
The assassination of his daughter, Altantuya Shaaribuu, took place in October 2006. This was a murder unlike others in a region where business conflicts or petty politics are often settled with a gun. Everything in this case, which started in 2002 when the French Spanish company Armaris concluded the sale of three submarines to the Malaysian government for the amount of one billion Euros, is out of the ordinary.
The impact of the “Altantuya case” in France, Malaysia and Mongolia has yet to reach its climax. The murder of the 28 year old Mongolian was the result of a “commission” at the price of 114 million Euros by Armaris to its Malaysian counterpart. This “commission,” which was acknowledged by the Malaysian government in front of the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, has triggered a chain of events that has led to the assassination of Altantuya and the disappearance of several key witnesses in the case.
A report from the Malaysian police, written on 19th november 2006 and which has been kept secret until now (can be read below), reveals dry and precise descriptions as to how this young woman, a member of Asian high society, has been killed. In this document, one of the killers, a policeman of the Malaysian Special Branch named Sirul Omar, replied to the questions of an officer at a police station close to the murder scene. “When the Chinese woman saw that I was taking a gun, she begged me to spare her, saying she was pregnant. Azilah (the commanding officer of Sirul) grabbed her and [threw] her on the ground. I immediately shot the left side of her face. Then Azilah took off her clothes and put them in a black plastic bag. Azilah noticed that her hand was still moving. He ordered me to shoot again, which I did”, said Sirul. This is the first confirmation of Altantuya’s assassins’ identity. “Then we carried her body into the woods. Azilah wrapped the explosives around her legs, her abdomen and her head, and we exploded her.”
The revelation of this report in the French newspaper Liberation is the latest chapter in this colourful and dramatic saga featuring French weapon sellers, Mongolian Shaman, and Malaysian politicians. This case is explosive not only for the Malaysian government, since the deputy Prime minister Najib Razak (who is scheduled to become Prime minister at the end of March) is suspected of having links to the case, but also because it could embarrass the DCNS, this French company specialising in military shipbuilding. The French Spanish company Armaris, which sold two Scorpène and one Agosta submarines to Malaysia in June 2002, was bought by DCNS in 2007.
With her magnetic beauty and sophistication, Altantuya is reminiscent of the troubling image of a Far East Mata Hari. She grew up in Saint Petersburg (Russia), then studied at the Institute of Economic Management in Beijing. Besides speaking English, she is fluent in Russian, Chinese and Korean. The fateful cycle for Altantuya came into gear when she met Abdul Razak Baginda in Hong Kong in 2004. Baginda is a security expert and the director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, a pro-government think-tank. The two quickly became romantically involved. Altantuya, nicknamed Tuya by her friends, proved to be a useful assistant, helping Baginda translate from Russian to English.
Whereas Altantuya is young and beautiful, the rich and alluring Baginda is a well known figure of the Kuala Lumpur’s elite, notably because of his proximity to the Malaysian Deputy Prime minister and minister of Defense Najib Razak (he is also his security affairs adviser). Baginda parades in the most exclusive circles of Kuala Lumpur, sometimes accompanied by his legitimate wife.
In March 2005, Altantuya and Baginda departed for Europe, touring France, Germany, Italy and Portugal in the red Ferrari of Baginda, staying in posh hotels and dining in the finest restaurants of the old Continent. This trip, however, was not only for tourism: the contract for the sale of the submarines had been signed in 2002, but important details had yet to be settled. “We knew that Baginda was used by Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak as an intermediary for weapons systems deals, especially the high level ones,” says a regional security affairs expert.
At the end of March 2005 the couple was in Paris, where they met with Najib Razak. A picture shows the threesome in a Parisian private club. “Tuya showed me the pix. She said that one of the men was her boyfriend, Abdul Razak Baginda, and the other the “big boss”, Najib Razak. I asked her if they were brothers because of the names, but she said no, and that Najib Razak was the ‘prime minister’”, said Amy, Altantuya’s best friend (Najib Razak has sworn on the Koran that he has never met Altantuya). According to a private detective, now in hiding in India, the beautiful Tuya was also the occasional mistress of the deputy Prime minister, who was introduced to her by Baginda at the end of 2004.
The story became dramatic when, in October 2006, Altantuya was informed that the commission paid by the French-Spanish company Armaris had arrived on a Kuala Lumpur bank account. It had been paid to Perimekar, a company owned by Baginda. Altantuya rushed to Kuala Lumpur, in order to claim her share of the commission from Baginda ; she said she was entitled to 500,000 dollars. Baginda and Altantuya broke up prior to this. A jealous Rosmah Mansor, the feared businesswoman and wife of Najib Razak, objected any payment to Altantuya. Altantuya arrived in Kuala Lumpur with two other Mongolian women, one of them was a Shaman responsible for putting a spell on Baginda if he refused to pay. For several days, Altantuya harassed her ex-lover.
On the 18th of October, Baginda could no longer tolerate the daily scenes made by Altantuya in front of his house. He contacted the Director of the Special Branch, Musa Safrie, who happened to also be Najib Razak’s aide de camp. On October 19th, 2006, a little before 9 pm, two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah Hadridan and Sirul Omar, were sent in front of Baginda’s house where Altantuya was gesticulating and shouting. They had the order of “neutralising the Chinese woman.” They kidnapped her, and drove her ten kilometers away and shot her several times. Then, they destroyed her body with C4 explosives, a type which can only be obtained from within the Defense Ministry. Her entry into Malaysia was erased from the immigration records. It would appear that Altantuya had never come to Malaysia, because there is no trace left of her.
There is no perfect crime. The taxi driver hired by Altantuya for the day did not appreciate that his passenger was kidnapped under his eyes without payment for the fare. He took note of the registration plate of the kidnapper’s car and filed a complaint at the local police station. In a few days, the police identified the car and realised that it was a government vehicle.
Events unfolded that even the Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak could not impede. He tried to cover the case. A few hours before the arrest of Baginda, he sent him a SMS: “I will see the Inspector General of Police at 11 am today… The problem will be solved. Be cool”. A few hours after, Baginda was arrested as well as the two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah and Sirul.
After a trial considered dubious by many observers, Baginda was acquitted with the accusation of having ordered the murder and released in November 2008. Accused of having perpetrated the murder, Azilah and Sirul appeared in front of the Court last month. If convicted, their sentence is death. The verdict is scheduled for the 9th of April.
Thousands of miles from there, in the Mongolian capital city Ulaan Baataar, Shaaribuu Setev, Altantuya’s father, is trying to control his anger. To him and his family, the acquittal and release of Baginda is symbolic of the unfairness of the Malaysian judicial process: “The Malaysian government is not even answering to the letters from the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Ministry,” he says.
When Shaaribuu came to the Malaysian Parliament to meet Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime minister had to escape through a back door in order to avoid an embarrassing encounter. The Altantuya case has become a key element of the Malaysian political game between Najib Razak (who is expected to become Prime Minister after the United Malay Nation Organisation (UMNO) Congress in March) and the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. So far, Najib Razak has navigated around the obstacles, but the murder of the young Mongolian remains a sword suspended over his head.
One of the most obscure aspects of the Altantuya case is the role of the Armaris company. In October 2007, the Malaysian Deputy Defense minister, Zainal Abdidin Zin, acknowledged in front of the Parliament that Armaris had effectively paid 114 million Euros in commission to Perimekar. He maintained that it was not a bribe, but a payment for “support and coordination services.”
Was there corruption as in the case of the Taiwanese frigates in which the French DCNS was also implicated? DCNS, a private company with public financing, has declined our request for a meeting. “Nobody can comment on this case,” was the sober reply of the DCNS Press relations officer in Paris. A document, which could establish a link between Altantuya and the French company is the guarantee letter written by Abdul Razak Baginda so that his mistress could obtain a visa to enter the Schengen zone (of whom France is a member country). The French embassy could not refuse this service to a man decorated with the Legion d’Honneur. But the role of Altantuya in the submarines negotiations is still not clear. Intelligence agencies find her background intriguing and the Russian FSB (ex-KGB) is following closely the case.
In Ulaan Baataar, Mungunshagai, the eldest son of Altantuya, who is 12 years old, is traumatised by the death of his mother. Altanshagai, the youngest, who is five years old and mentally handicapped, has not understood that he will never see again his mother. “He is asking for her all the time and is staying the whole day prostrated on his chair. Every evening, I bring him sweets and I tell him that his mother gave it to me for him”, says Shaaribuu Setev, the grandfather of the two boys. As for Baginda, he settled down in the United Kingdom with his family. He never uttered a word of regret on the deadly fate of the one who shared his life for two years.
Arnaud Dubus (in Kuala Lumpur, Ulaan Baataar and Paris)
Arnaud did extensive research into this story and travelled the world in search of the truth. I met him in Kuala Lumpur soon after my release from ISA detention after he returned from Mongolia.
The Altantuya Shaaribuu’s case: how and why she was killed
Published in the Liberation French newspaper on 5th March 2009
This is the English translation of the Liberation French article:
Shaaribuu Setev is a bitter and disappointed man. Yet, behind the saddened face of this Mongolian lies a fierce determination. Seated in a sofa in the lobby of an Ulaan Baataar hotel rattled by gushes of a freezing wind, this sixty years old man is ready to fight. His face features, hardened by the suffering and the stern climate, and his intense gaze tell all. “My daughter has been murdered by Malaysians on Malaysian territory. And they did not have even offer a word of apology,” states this professor of psychology at the National University of Mongolia.
The assassination of his daughter, Altantuya Shaaribuu, took place in October 2006. This was a murder unlike others in a region where business conflicts or petty politics are often settled with a gun. Everything in this case, which started in 2002 when the French Spanish company Armaris concluded the sale of three submarines to the Malaysian government for the amount of one billion Euros, is out of the ordinary.
The impact of the “Altantuya case” in France, Malaysia and Mongolia has yet to reach its climax. The murder of the 28 year old Mongolian was the result of a “commission” at the price of 114 million Euros by Armaris to its Malaysian counterpart. This “commission,” which was acknowledged by the Malaysian government in front of the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, has triggered a chain of events that has led to the assassination of Altantuya and the disappearance of several key witnesses in the case.
A report from the Malaysian police, written on 19th november 2006 and which has been kept secret until now (can be read below), reveals dry and precise descriptions as to how this young woman, a member of Asian high society, has been killed. In this document, one of the killers, a policeman of the Malaysian Special Branch named Sirul Omar, replied to the questions of an officer at a police station close to the murder scene. “When the Chinese woman saw that I was taking a gun, she begged me to spare her, saying she was pregnant. Azilah (the commanding officer of Sirul) grabbed her and [threw] her on the ground. I immediately shot the left side of her face. Then Azilah took off her clothes and put them in a black plastic bag. Azilah noticed that her hand was still moving. He ordered me to shoot again, which I did”, said Sirul. This is the first confirmation of Altantuya’s assassins’ identity. “Then we carried her body into the woods. Azilah wrapped the explosives around her legs, her abdomen and her head, and we exploded her.”
The revelation of this report in the French newspaper Liberation is the latest chapter in this colourful and dramatic saga featuring French weapon sellers, Mongolian Shaman, and Malaysian politicians. This case is explosive not only for the Malaysian government, since the deputy Prime minister Najib Razak (who is scheduled to become Prime minister at the end of March) is suspected of having links to the case, but also because it could embarrass the DCNS, this French company specialising in military shipbuilding. The French Spanish company Armaris, which sold two Scorpène and one Agosta submarines to Malaysia in June 2002, was bought by DCNS in 2007.
With her magnetic beauty and sophistication, Altantuya is reminiscent of the troubling image of a Far East Mata Hari. She grew up in Saint Petersburg (Russia), then studied at the Institute of Economic Management in Beijing. Besides speaking English, she is fluent in Russian, Chinese and Korean. The fateful cycle for Altantuya came into gear when she met Abdul Razak Baginda in Hong Kong in 2004. Baginda is a security expert and the director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, a pro-government think-tank. The two quickly became romantically involved. Altantuya, nicknamed Tuya by her friends, proved to be a useful assistant, helping Baginda translate from Russian to English.
Whereas Altantuya is young and beautiful, the rich and alluring Baginda is a well known figure of the Kuala Lumpur’s elite, notably because of his proximity to the Malaysian Deputy Prime minister and minister of Defense Najib Razak (he is also his security affairs adviser). Baginda parades in the most exclusive circles of Kuala Lumpur, sometimes accompanied by his legitimate wife.
In March 2005, Altantuya and Baginda departed for Europe, touring France, Germany, Italy and Portugal in the red Ferrari of Baginda, staying in posh hotels and dining in the finest restaurants of the old Continent. This trip, however, was not only for tourism: the contract for the sale of the submarines had been signed in 2002, but important details had yet to be settled. “We knew that Baginda was used by Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak as an intermediary for weapons systems deals, especially the high level ones,” says a regional security affairs expert.
At the end of March 2005 the couple was in Paris, where they met with Najib Razak. A picture shows the threesome in a Parisian private club. “Tuya showed me the pix. She said that one of the men was her boyfriend, Abdul Razak Baginda, and the other the “big boss”, Najib Razak. I asked her if they were brothers because of the names, but she said no, and that Najib Razak was the ‘prime minister’”, said Amy, Altantuya’s best friend (Najib Razak has sworn on the Koran that he has never met Altantuya). According to a private detective, now in hiding in India, the beautiful Tuya was also the occasional mistress of the deputy Prime minister, who was introduced to her by Baginda at the end of 2004.
The story became dramatic when, in October 2006, Altantuya was informed that the commission paid by the French-Spanish company Armaris had arrived on a Kuala Lumpur bank account. It had been paid to Perimekar, a company owned by Baginda. Altantuya rushed to Kuala Lumpur, in order to claim her share of the commission from Baginda ; she said she was entitled to 500,000 dollars. Baginda and Altantuya broke up prior to this. A jealous Rosmah Mansor, the feared businesswoman and wife of Najib Razak, objected any payment to Altantuya. Altantuya arrived in Kuala Lumpur with two other Mongolian women, one of them was a Shaman responsible for putting a spell on Baginda if he refused to pay. For several days, Altantuya harassed her ex-lover.
On the 18th of October, Baginda could no longer tolerate the daily scenes made by Altantuya in front of his house. He contacted the Director of the Special Branch, Musa Safrie, who happened to also be Najib Razak’s aide de camp. On October 19th, 2006, a little before 9 pm, two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah Hadridan and Sirul Omar, were sent in front of Baginda’s house where Altantuya was gesticulating and shouting. They had the order of “neutralising the Chinese woman.” They kidnapped her, and drove her ten kilometers away and shot her several times. Then, they destroyed her body with C4 explosives, a type which can only be obtained from within the Defense Ministry. Her entry into Malaysia was erased from the immigration records. It would appear that Altantuya had never come to Malaysia, because there is no trace left of her.
There is no perfect crime. The taxi driver hired by Altantuya for the day did not appreciate that his passenger was kidnapped under his eyes without payment for the fare. He took note of the registration plate of the kidnapper’s car and filed a complaint at the local police station. In a few days, the police identified the car and realised that it was a government vehicle.
Events unfolded that even the Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak could not impede. He tried to cover the case. A few hours before the arrest of Baginda, he sent him a SMS: “I will see the Inspector General of Police at 11 am today… The problem will be solved. Be cool”. A few hours after, Baginda was arrested as well as the two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah and Sirul.
After a trial considered dubious by many observers, Baginda was acquitted with the accusation of having ordered the murder and released in November 2008. Accused of having perpetrated the murder, Azilah and Sirul appeared in front of the Court last month. If convicted, their sentence is death. The verdict is scheduled for the 9th of April.
Thousands of miles from there, in the Mongolian capital city Ulaan Baataar, Shaaribuu Setev, Altantuya’s father, is trying to control his anger. To him and his family, the acquittal and release of Baginda is symbolic of the unfairness of the Malaysian judicial process: “The Malaysian government is not even answering to the letters from the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Ministry,” he says.
When Shaaribuu came to the Malaysian Parliament to meet Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime minister had to escape through a back door in order to avoid an embarrassing encounter. The Altantuya case has become a key element of the Malaysian political game between Najib Razak (who is expected to become Prime Minister after the United Malay Nation Organisation (UMNO) Congress in March) and the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. So far, Najib Razak has navigated around the obstacles, but the murder of the young Mongolian remains a sword suspended over his head.
One of the most obscure aspects of the Altantuya case is the role of the Armaris company. In October 2007, the Malaysian Deputy Defense minister, Zainal Abdidin Zin, acknowledged in front of the Parliament that Armaris had effectively paid 114 million Euros in commission to Perimekar. He maintained that it was not a bribe, but a payment for “support and coordination services.”
Was there corruption as in the case of the Taiwanese frigates in which the French DCNS was also implicated? DCNS, a private company with public financing, has declined our request for a meeting. “Nobody can comment on this case,” was the sober reply of the DCNS Press relations officer in Paris. A document, which could establish a link between Altantuya and the French company is the guarantee letter written by Abdul Razak Baginda so that his mistress could obtain a visa to enter the Schengen zone (of whom France is a member country). The French embassy could not refuse this service to a man decorated with the Legion d’Honneur. But the role of Altantuya in the submarines negotiations is still not clear. Intelligence agencies find her background intriguing and the Russian FSB (ex-KGB) is following closely the case.
In Ulaan Baataar, Mungunshagai, the eldest son of Altantuya, who is 12 years old, is traumatised by the death of his mother. Altanshagai, the youngest, who is five years old and mentally handicapped, has not understood that he will never see again his mother. “He is asking for her all the time and is staying the whole day prostrated on his chair. Every evening, I bring him sweets and I tell him that his mother gave it to me for him”, says Shaaribuu Setev, the grandfather of the two boys. As for Baginda, he settled down in the United Kingdom with his family. He never uttered a word of regret on the deadly fate of the one who shared his life for two years.
Arnaud Dubus (in Kuala Lumpur, Ulaan Baataar and Paris)
Arnaud did extensive research into this story and travelled the world in search of the truth. I met him in Kuala Lumpur soon after my release from ISA detention after he returned from Mongolia.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Heee =D
Congratulations go out to the our International and American student winners of the WORLDFEST 2009 DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST, sponsored by ERAU International Student Services. This year's theme was, "The Beauty That Surrounds Us." Over 80 photo entries were sent to this contest and according to our judges, "it was extremely hard to decide which one was best; there were so many fine photographs."
Our International Student Winners are: a TIE for first place with: Senthil Subramanian and Marga Rico - both Aerospace Engineering students. Subramanian won with his Malaysia National Zoo photo of a big cat. Rico won with a black and white photo of Central Park, New York, NY.
So where's my datukship?? Mengharumkan nama negara what!
haha =P
Our International Student Winners are: a TIE for first place with: Senthil Subramanian and Marga Rico - both Aerospace Engineering students. Subramanian won with his Malaysia National Zoo photo of a big cat. Rico won with a black and white photo of Central Park, New York, NY.
So where's my datukship?? Mengharumkan nama negara what!
haha =P
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
She's Mine
All of us, we've got our own fantasies. The moves we'd love to make, the grunts and screams we'd love to hear, the positions, the rush of adrenaline as your heart pumps faster and faster when you feel the moments of unbridled passion and excitement mixed with the fear of the unknown, and most importantly... the object. I don't usually reveal my inner most desires in public, but some things in life are just to hot to keep to myself. Want to know what mine is? I promise to keep it simple. *She's Italian by the way.*
The Lamborghine Murcielago LP 670-4 Superveloce.
Things don't get better than this.
I'll let you in on the facts:
Engine: V-12
Horsepower: 670 bhp
Torque: 487 lb-ft
0 - 60 : 3.2 seconds
Top Speed : 212 mph (339.2 Km/h)
Top Speed ( Drag factored) : 209 mph (334.4 Km/h
Price: TBA
Still alive??
The Lamborghine Murcielago LP 670-4 Superveloce.
Things don't get better than this.
I'll let you in on the facts:
Engine: V-12
Horsepower: 670 bhp
Torque: 487 lb-ft
0 - 60 : 3.2 seconds
Top Speed : 212 mph (339.2 Km/h)
Top Speed ( Drag factored) : 209 mph (334.4 Km/h
Price: TBA
Still alive??
Monday, March 2, 2009
Pale Blue Dot
Everything we are, everything we've learned, everyone we know, every event we've witnessed, every problem, triumph, happened in that pale blue dot. A blue speck suspended in the dark of space, hung by rays of the sun.
*Image taken by Voyager, 3.7 billion miles / 5.92 billion kilometers away.*
Prcrstntr
I know I should...But I am not. I need the resolve. I need to stop procrastinating and forget that there will always be a tomorrow. A tomorrow to say another tomorrow. I need to put this thing down.
Two more weeks of work, and it will all be worth it. Just two weeks.
Two more weeks of work, and it will all be worth it. Just two weeks.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Mglmncs
I find it funny to watch how some people, even though they know that they are losing, refuse to let go and accept the reality that they are no longer relevant. I find it even funnier how they love to squeeze their way through in hopes that power will get them loyalty and even more autonomy. I ask, where does loyalty come from? Is it induced by fear or does it come from the heart and mind? Will beating people up, locking them up in jail, suppressing, racially segregating, or spraying chemicals on them gain you any more loyalty? At the end of the day, the only way to remain relevant, is to remain transparent, accountable and sincere in your words and actions. Sure, you may be at the helm today. But so was Hitler, and so was Saddam. But in the end, did they last? Was there ever a one thousand year Reich? Of course not. But there certainly has been a thousand year legacy built on the foundations of liberty, justice and the power of the human race. Megalomaniacs never live forever. Someone will always try to poison your potion of longevity. Your legacies will remain tainted, and when those of the future come to study analyze the anals of history, your names will be the first to roll, to be held in contempt. Face it.
I wonder what's the next surprise that I will have to wake up, and read about in the news, 10000 miles away from my tanah tumpah darahku.
Since I got here, I've never been more proud of the land where I came from. Everytime someone asks, I tell them I'm from Malaysia. And when they ask about it, I tell them how the great the land I come from is, how tasty the food is, how wondrous the beauty of the land and its many cultures are. But I also tell them about the government of my country, and let them tell me what they think about it.
At least I'm glad that back home, and abroad, there are Malaysians fighting to save the future of the country, so that the future generations will not have to live under a racist and corrupt system.
I wonder what's the next surprise that I will have to wake up, and read about in the news, 10000 miles away from my tanah tumpah darahku.
Since I got here, I've never been more proud of the land where I came from. Everytime someone asks, I tell them I'm from Malaysia. And when they ask about it, I tell them how the great the land I come from is, how tasty the food is, how wondrous the beauty of the land and its many cultures are. But I also tell them about the government of my country, and let them tell me what they think about it.
At least I'm glad that back home, and abroad, there are Malaysians fighting to save the future of the country, so that the future generations will not have to live under a racist and corrupt system.
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