Don’t go to JB tonite

Entertainments outlets in Johor Baru are closed form 7pm today to 7pm tomorrow. Why? Because its Prophet Muhammad’s birthday tomorrow.

Apparently this has been the practice for the past 10 years, courtesy of the JB City Council.

But then until last year, it was 12am to 12am ban on any fun. This year, the 24-hour hedonistic ban is brought forward to start at 7pm.

So what is affected by this ban? Well for starters, no movies tonight, no pubs, discos, bowlings or even karaokes. Who knows, even open food courts, hotel restaurants and even road site stalls could be included in the ban.

What I don’t understand is this:

1. There has been no media coverage on this ban, and
2. Why only in JB and the surrounding areas? If the ban is to revere the prophet, shouldn’t it be across the state? (Not that I agree with it in the first place)

I truly wonder whose fantastic idea this was in the first place.

Let them go to school...

This is a poignant photo of an eight-year-old Indian girl scrubbing the floor of a Kolkata home, where she has worked as a domestic aid since the age of 5.

Millions of children across the world are forced to work up to 15 hours a day as domestic workers. Many are beaten, starved and sexually abused.

A new report by Save the Children estimates that some 218 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are working as modern-day child laborers; of those, 126 million are involved in hazardous work.

Many are bought and sold, pushed into bonded labor or sexually exploited to repay debts. Others are trapped in harsh and dangerous conditions as domestic servants, miners or agricultural workers.

The photo above is part of a series of photos published by the Newsweek website on child slavery worldwide. Click here to see more such photos.

For more info: Save the Children website

Schoolgirls call Ribena’s bluff

Two High School girls from New Zealand have discovered that the truth over the claim by the makers of Ribena blackcurrant drink that the "the blackcurrants in Ribena have four times the vitamin C of oranges."

The students - Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo - discovered that the syrup-based drink made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) contained almost no trace of vitamin C, and one commercial orange juice brand contained almost four times more.

Looks like we were all taken for a ride by the drink makers with their health claims.

I am waiting to see how GSK Malaysia will respond to this news.

Me and the cup with the big ears

First I thought it was a crazy idea – to stand in a long queue to touch and get a photo taken with the UEFA Champions League trophy.

I just didn’t want to stand in the waiting line. And I didn’t but I still managed to touch the trophy and have my photo taken next to it, all thanks to some friends who were kind enough to let me into their party.

I saw the list of clubs that have won this prestigious tournament and when I saw Liverpool’s name etched in the trophy as the winners of 2005, I felt a shiver down my spine.

The friends who were with me near the trophy were hardcore Arsenal and Man Utd fans and I am sure they too felt the power of the trophy.

Anyway, the trophy has travelled out to Asia for the first time for a six-week tour which kicked off on Feb 23 in Tokyo. It was in KL over the weekend – at the Curve.

After seeing the trophy, I understand the lure it has over the players in the European leagues. I just wish it returns to Anfield this summer!

Rafidah does the FTA flip flop

"I like to emphasise that without a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, it is estimated that Malaysia will lose out in increasing exports to the country," said Rafidah.

She added Malaysia will fail to woo crucial investment from the United States and bolster exports to its biggest trading partner without a bilateral free trade deal.

[Rafidah on March 20, 2007]

"The Americans have long been here before the FTA ... To them the FTA is just another bonus, if it does happen," Rafidah told reporters, when asked about the impact of stalled talks on investment.

"It will not have any impact, negative or positive ... The trend has been good even without an FTA," she said.

[This is Rafidah on Feb 13, 2007 - just 36 days before her change in stance]

So what has happened in between for the minister to give us an alarming statement now? Has she managed to convince her cabinet members on her insistence to sign the FTA?

What about the outstanding 58 issues? Will the public ever know what they are? No one outside Rafidah and her ministry people know what is being given away. Neither do we know the full impact of the FTA.

Typical government propaganda this. Strike fear in the hearts of the people and push for something without any public feedback or participation.

Arabs and their women

The Arab press had some interesting editorial cartoons to depict the plight of women in the Arab world in conjunction with the International Women's Day on March 8.

Some of these cartoons criticized the hypocrisy of the male-dominated establishment, ridiculing male public figures who give lofty speeches on Women's Day, but in actuality do nothing to promote women's equality.

Here are two examples: on one a man, standing on the woman's back, is writing: "International Women's Day", while on the other the text on the TV screen says: "International Women's Day."

Click this link to see more cartoons like this.

But then, this is not just happening in the Arab world. It’s the same in Asia, Africa, maybe even in some parts of America.

Only certain European nations can proudly say that they treat their women equally.

Hijacked by a new Islamist agenda?

“Malaysians should also remember that three years ago, the High Court told S
Shamala, a Hindu, that she could not seek redress in the civil courts to declare
null and void her children's unilateral conversion by her Muslim-convert husband, and advised her to seek the Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan's help instead.

Out of desperation, Shamala fled the country with her two children.

Following that, M Moorthy's family was also told they could not seek justice in the civil courts because Moorthy had allegedly converted to Islam.

In Subashini's case, however, the civil court has gone one step further by telling a non-Muslim to submit to the syariah court. Not only is the Court of Appeal abdicating its responsibility to protect a citizen's rights and interests as provided for by good law, it is also ignoring the Constitution by enlarging the syariah court's jurisdiction where none can exist unless there is law to that effect.

Such a judgment not only undermines the Constitution that this nation was founded on, it also fuels the fear that our Constitution is being hijacked by an Islamist agenda.”

Feeling worried over this development? You should be. Read more of this excellent article here.

Rising crime mars govt's rosy picture

"Kuala Lumpur resident Simonetta Roma, 35, was returning from church one
evening when two men on a passing motorbike grabbed at her handbag. The next moment, she was being dragged along the street.

"I saw these two guys passing by on a bike, and the next time I saw them I
was on the road," said Roma, an Italian who was seven months' pregnant at the
time. "It all happened so fast."

She escaped with just cuts and bruises, but many are not so lucky: often
bag-snatch victims are dragged head-first into the pavement with such force they are either killed or left with injuries such as skull fractures or broken bones."

This is not a fiction. It’s real life. International news agency Reuters quoted this victim in their timely analysis on the rampant crime spree in Malaysia.

Read the full article - Malaysia's rising crime mars govt's rosy picture - here.

joke: An Indian boy in an American school

This is an email which is making its circulation now. There is an older version too, involving a smart Japanese kid. Anyways, read and enjoy the fun.

An Indian boy in an American school

It was the first day of school and a new student named Chandrashekhar Subramanyam entered the fourth grade.

The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History.

Who said "Give me Liberty, or give me Death"?

She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrashekhar, who had his hand-up: "Patrick Henry, 1775" he said.

"Very good!" Who said "Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?"

Again, no response except from Chandrashekhar.

"Abraham Lincoln, 1863" said Chandrashekhar.

The teacher snapped at the class, "Class, you should be ashamed.

Chandrashekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do."

She heard a loud whisper: "F**k the Indians,"

"Who said that?" she demanded.

Chandrashekhar put his hand up. "General Custer, 1862."

At that point, a student in the back said, "I'm gonna puke."

The teacher glares around and asks "All right! Now, who said that?"

Again, Chandrashekhar says, "George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991."

Now furious, another student yells, "Oh yeah? S*ck this!"

Chandrashekhar jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, "Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!"

Now with almost a mob hysteria someone said "You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you."

Chandrashekhar frantically yells at the top of his voice, "Gary Condit to Chandra Levy, 2001."

The teacher fainted. And as the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, "Oh shit, we're f**ked!"

and Chandrashekhar said quietly, "George Bush, Iraq, 2005."

p/s: much thanks to premi for the forwarded email

One more exotic meat for the pan

Scientists have discovered a new species of big cat in the jungles of Borneo. Genetic tests revealed the clouded leopard of Borneo to be new species of big cat family.

This rainforest animal was originally thought to be the same species as the one found in mainland South-East Asia.

Conservationists are saying these secretive clouded leopards are the biggest predators on Borneo but sadly they too have joined the growing list of endangered species in Southeast Asia.

CNN reports that a total of 5,000 to 11,000 Bornean clouded leopards are estimated to live in the jungles of Borneo.

The total number in Sumatra could be in the range of 3,000 to 7,000 individuals. The cats' biggest threat is destruction of their habitat.

However there is also another threat - exotic meat lovers.

It won’t be long before enterprising restaurant owners in Malaysia, Indonesia and even Thailand start serving the fresh taste of the secretive clouded leopard.

Lies, damn lies and statistics

I expected this to happen even as the shocking result of the UKM survey on 887 high-risk female students in Selangor was announced.

Flashback: On Feb 26, Bernama released the result of the survey by UKM's Children and Youth Psychology specialist Dr Khaidzir Ismail.

His finding was shocking indeed - that all the 887 high-risk female students except for one confessed to have had experienced sex.

Then, as predicted, the condemnations followed. Selangor MB Mohd Khir Toyo led the charge against the survey, saying that his officers had interviewed the survey participants and they found a different result!

Now, two days ago, Bernama ran another report, claiming that there was an "input fault" in the survey. The latest finding is that only three percent of those surveyed had admitted having sexual experience!

The funny thing is that the new result was not announced by the don who conducted the survey but by the Selangor state agency which commissioned it.

Strange indeed. It looks like the state government managed to manipulate the survey results so that its female adolescent students do not look promiscuous and indiscipline.

I wonder if Dr Khaidzir will be thinking of the famous quotation which goes "lies, damn lies and statistics".

Joke: meatloaf, macaroni and Mary

A blind man walks into a restaurant and sits down. The waiter, who is also the owner, walks up to the blind man and hands him a menu.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I am blind and can't read the menu. Just bring me a dirty fork from a previous customer. I'll smell it and order from there."

A little confused, the owner walks over to the dirty dish pile and picks up a greasy fork. He returns to the blind man's table and hands it to him. The blind man puts the fork to his nose and takes in a deep breath.

"Ah, yes, that's what I'll have -- meatloaf and mashed potatoes."

"Unbelievable" , the owner thinks to himself as he walks toward the kitchen. The cook happens to be the owner's wife, so he tells her what had just occurred.

The blind man eats his meal and leaves.

Several days later, the blind man returns and the owner mistakenly brings him a menu again.

"Sir, remember me? I'm the blind man."

"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. I'll go get you a dirty fork."

The owner retrieves a dirty fork and brings it to the blind man.

After another deep breath, the blind man says, "That smells great. I'll take the macaroni and cheese with broccoli."

Walking away in disbelief, the owner thinks the blind man is screwing around with him and tells his wife that the next time the blind man comes in he's going to test him.

The blind man eats and leaves.

He returns the following week, but this time the owner sees him coming, so runs to the kitchen.

He tells his wife, "Mary, rub this fork on your panties before I take it to the blind man."

Mary complies and hands her husband the fork. As the blind man walks in and sits down, the owner is ready and waiting.

"Good afternoon, sir, this time I remembered you and I already have the fork ready for you."

The blind man puts the fork to his nose, takes a deep whiff, and says, "Hey, I didn't know that Mary worked here!"

Banned movie gets a reprieve

A Taiwanese movies which was banned by the Malaysian censorship board for its negative portrayal of Malaysian lifestyle has been given a reprieve.

The censorship board has allowed the movie to be played, with some conditions and enforced scissor-works.

The movie - I don’t want to sleep alone - is now on a limited showing in KL and two other cities.

According a letter from the Home Affairs Ministry to the producer, the movie can be played only in selected ‘art-houses’ in KL, Penang and Johor Baru. The ministry also wanted to producers to snip out 5 scenes.

The five scenes which were to be removed are (as in the official letter):

1/ Potong babak lelaki melondehkan seluar lelaki lain hingga punggungnya kelihatan jelas.
(A scene showing a man’s butt)

2/ Potong gambar lelaki berseluar dalam kecil yang sedang dilap oleh lelaki lain di mana kemaluannya kelihatan membonjol.
(A scene where a man with a small underwear is being given a body wash)

3/ Potong gambar lelaki berbogel, mencangkung sambil membasuh kain.
(Scene of a naked man squatting to wash clothes)

4/ Padam perkataan- perkataan “Putrajaya Plantations/Kebun Putrajaya” pada sarikata.
(A subtitle which says Putrajaya Plantations - this is in regards to haze in that area)

5/ Potong babak cumbuam ghairah antara lelaki dan wanita.
(A kissing scene)

Well, there we go then - the real reason for the movie to be banned in the first place! So will the other movie - the communist one - get a similar reprieve as well?

Bonded labourers in our midst

On an evening in August 2005, while some 200 estate workers were gathering for a Hindu festival at the small temple, one man had only one thing on his mind - escape.

It was the best opportunity for P Ramudu and his heavily pregnant wife A Kalaivany to make a dash for freedom, to escape the clutches of their ‘owner’ who has ‘forced’ them to work on the plantation.

The plan was simple. While everyone, including their ‘owner-cum-employer’, was busy praying, the young couple would sneak out on a walk towards a better life.

This is their story - a story of bonded slavery in our midst.

This is our 50th Merdeka anniversary. The country is hoping to achieve a First World status is less than 13 years time. Our standards of life have improved. So has our quality of life.

But still, hidden away from the fast pace of comfort and modernisation, exist families who are still being traded between contractors as though they are chattels.

Watch this 10-minute malaysiakini documentary - based on my special report - for a fuller picture of their plight.

Watch the documentary here.
Read the special report here.

p/s: yes that’s me who is anchoring the documentary!

Kg Medan: Being victims and social outcasts

A bloody racial incident started in Kampung Medan and the surrounding squatter areas in Petaling Jaya Selatan on March 8, 2001.

After almost 15 days of attacks on the local Indian squatters, the final result was this - six killed and more than 200 seriously hurt. Of the dead, four were local Indians, one Indian citizen and one Indonesian.

Talk to the affected people/victims and they will say they were attacked by the Malays. The cause of the incident is still unknown.

Many theories have been proposed since then as to why the attacks took place - from accusing the ruling party to a grand campaign by property developers to get rid of the squatter areas to local tiffs between the Malays and Indians getting out of hand.

To date, no conclusive reason has been found, with the government preferring to let the matter rest. Local level politicians too are only keen to forget and move on.

However for the affected victims, the wounds and fears are still fresh, despite the squatter settlements in the area having a new landscape - gone are many of the squatter houses and slums, replaced with low-cost flats and apartments.

I did a two-part series on the incident which was carried in malaysiakini yesterday and today.

Read them here and here for a complete picture of what’s been happening in that area six years on.

A very generous husband

Found this article in the Star today. I thought it was funny. Is is also very reflective of the world today?

"Sin Chew Daily reported that a Singaporean engineer told his wife
to look for another man to satisfy her sexual urges because he could satisfy
himself by masturbating while playing computer games.

The 30-year-old beautician claimed that her husband preferred computer
games to sex.

The woman from China, who has an eight-month-old baby boy, claimed that her husband stopped having sex with her after their son was born.

She said her husband started playing computer games after she got pregnant.
However, he refuses to give her a divorce."

Banning them all

I Don’ t Want to Sleep Alone is a title of a Taiwanese movie made by a Malaysian director. One look at the poster (see here) and you would know this movie is not going to make it to our cinemas.

Sure enough, it won’t. This movie had been banned for portraying the country in a bad light. There are highlights of how we treat and abuse illegal workers, how our traders are conniving lots and of course, some shades of gay relationship.

AFP reports that among the eight reasons the censorship board listed for the ban were that the movie depicted Malaysians as cold-hearted in scenes showing locals beating up and deceiving foreign workers.

Apparently the movie has some explicit sexual scenes. The Taiwanese government has given the movie a ‘18 and Above’ certificate and has banned the offending poster.

This ban follows a recent trend by the government to tell us how to think.

Apa Khabar Orang Kampung (Village People Radio Show) is the second movie by director Amir Muhammad to be banned by the Malaysian government. This latest movie once again deals with communists, just as his first (The Last Communist).

The government wants to continue playing big brother in protecting what we should be watching, or reading for that matter as recently some 56 books were banned for being unsuitable for the local minds. Among those banned was a book on the March 8, 2001 racial incident in Kampung Medan.

And it’s not just movies or books. Even talk shows are being banned. Recently TV3's Sensasi was banned after a guest spoke some disparaging remark about Prophet Muhammad’s first wife. The guest, a drama actor, has also been banned by RTM.

No dissent allowed, no critical thinking allowed and now, more regularly, nothing negative as well.

The spin doctors failed for once

How the government (read: PM Abdullah) should has handled the explosive allegations against ACA chief Zulkipli Mat Noor?

1. The moment the matter was first reported, PM Abdullah should have called all the media which had accompanied him to Syria and explained that he was suspending Zulkipli with immediate effect.

2. He should have then issued a press statement through his office saying that he was forming an independent commission to look into the allegations and to check if there was any cover up in the first place.

3. He will allow for a press conference again in Syrian or Yemen and say the independent commission will also recommend future measures in addressing tainted top civil servants.

4. He will say the usual natural justice argument that Zulkipli is still innocent until found guilt but the suspension was due to the fact that his government believed in transparency and being clean.

5. At the same time he would instruct his IGP to hold a press conference in KL, to explain why the matter was closed, or if the case remained opened, or that fresh investigations have started.

6. The AG too will release a press statement stating that they were re-looking at the charge papers and will institute proceedings, if there is a case.

7. In the meantime, the opposition would have commended the PM for being pro-active and will be jostling for a place in the independent commission.

8. After some time, the matter will come to a rest. Zulkipli will be asked to leave, with his pensions intact, and the independent commission will dish out its recommendations, only to be gathering dust at the PM’s office.

These would have solved the problems for the PM.

But, none of the above happened. PM was silent for three days after the issue broke and then finally did himself some damage by saying that Zulkipli was investigated twice before, and still given the task to head the ACA. How sad for PM’s battle against corruption.

In the meantime, both the IGP and the AG, especially the former, gave comments - and continue to give - to the media as they liked, causing so much of confusion.

And add to this the ministers like Nazri Aziz who blames the civil society for asking for a thorough investigations!

In between, we have the opposition asking for Pak Lah to show that he is serious about battling corruption. So far no news from the premier.

Instead of killing the matter at infancy, government incompetence has now dragged the whole lot - from the ACA chief right up to the PM - into the controversy.

National Service programmed to kill

E Prema – victim number 19 of the government’s ambitious but ill-planned National Service programme.

The reason for the death of the 18-year-old Kajang girl is still undetermined. She was found dead in a public toilet.

Her family says she had no ailment. Her friends at the programme said she looked fine, but had complained of stomach ache.

Her group of trainees had just finished the grueling Hutan Wira Jaya course on Tuesday, but again camp trainers say she didn’t look tired.

So what is this Hutan Wira Jaya course? It is a 21-hour outdoor training exercise in map-reading, jungle trekking and teamwork. The course is conducted on the same day at all NS camps nationwide.

21 hours? For a bunch of young kids with no previous experience in such matters? I think this killed her!

Government says nothing wrong with the Hutan Wira Jaya course, that it won’t be cancelled, but now an additional step to be introduced – trainees will be closely monitored for their safety.

Is this being defensive? Looking for a ready excuse? Will the government own up for pushing the trainees too hard?

Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan is right – the National Service Training Programme should be suspended immediately.

She said:

“Something must have gone very wrong in the running of the Programme because, since the implementation of it in 2003, it has taken away 19 lives.

This is serious because the statistics seems to show that the health and lives of trainees and trainers in the 78 camps may be at risk during the 90 days training. They may be walking into the camp alive but leaving by having her body being carried out.”

p/s: of the 19 fatalities, nine were trainees and 10 trainers.