happy deepavali, first and foremost :D

my deepest apologies for the extended absence! finally, as my hits just past 1,000, i’ve gotten enough of my act together to launch the new home for this blog :)

i’ve had a truly wonderful time here. my first blogging adventure has been deeply gratifying, and a tremendously rich learning process. i believe that writing is one of the only ways to really know what one’s own thoughts are. and i usually don’t know exactly what’s going to come out until i actually start typing stuff.

thank you beloved readers (and wordpress.com) for giving me that chance and space – it’s made a huge difference! (oh, and me and wp have since gotten very intimate :P :)

come visit my writing’s new (wp powered) home! – www.jelas.info

alritey then y’all, see you there i hope :) so long and thanks for all the fish!! :D

Firstly, a real big thank you to whoever you are for reading this. An even bigger thank you if you’ve been coming to this site for a while :)

By way of background, I started this blog to see what would come out if I started writing about things I cared about. You’ve helped me gain some very precious insight.

Perhaps in a fit of arrogance, I think the time has come to take this a little more seriously. By that I mean getting my own site/domain, and doing it up properly. Hopefully then – and if I can attain some standards of content quality – I’d like to plant my own little flag in the Malaysian blogosphere and try to leave a teeny weeny mark in the development of our beloved home.

Anyway, blablablas aside, what that means is that I will probably have to take a break to concentrate on building said site. There’s a whoooole lotta ground to cover, as I’m sadly really not as tech savvy as I wish I were.

Learning all this is inconsistent with spending the time I have daily in writing, so not being the best multi-tasker in the world when it comes to concentrating on big projects, I probably can’t both write and learn web publishing at the same time :(

But! I plan to be back!! (famous last words eh? :) And I’ll be sure to leave a post here saying where I can be ‘found.’ Please feel free to leave an e-mail address if you’d like to be informed via that medium :)
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In the off chance there’s a Malaysian-based net-savvy techie out there with a lotta time on his hands, and a shares a vision with this blog, I’d REALLY appreciate any help :) I’ve actually also got a few other web projects that could benefit immeasurably from some high quality tech support – that’s basically what’s keeping many ideas of mine from getting off the ground.

Anyway, please do get in touch. For now, I can be reached at n at deepthought dot org (yah, just n@, gettit? hehe)

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Lastly, I’d LOVE to hear any feedback you might have on my humble 3 weeks of work. What would you like to see less of? more of? What are you dis/satisfied with? What direction would you like to see this blog go? All comments extremely welcome :)

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Ok then folks, thank you SO much once again :) My warmest wishes to you over this hiatus period. Wish me luck in getting the site running, and I’ll be sure to be in touch. Happy Merdeka!

Looked at one way, Merdeka can be thought to be a rather colonial-centric celebration, much the academic discipline of post-colonialism.

Granted, born over 20 years after the fact, I am in quite a position to take for granted the freedoms that came with independence. With that caveat, I’d say that perhaps there are other – at least equally important – things to focus on, today and every day, with regards to defining moments of Malaysia.

First of all, a forum participant recently made a brilliant comment: “Sarawak and Sabah didn’t join Malaysia, we MADE Malaysia.” All too true :) so let’s not forget that fateful juncture as well.
A less comfortable source – Gen-M, the latest grassroots support for TDM’s cause – lends us another useful axiom: perjuangan belum tamat – the struggle is not over.

So alongside glorifying the day we threw off the yoke of our oppressors and all that, let’s take a moment to remember the things that continue to oppress us: corruption, racism, abuse of power, repression, poverty and unequal wealth distribution, ignorance.. the list goes on. All things I’d like to try and continue writing on.
These many things continue to subjugate Malaysia and all Malaysians, the only difference between these tyrannies and the evil colonials is the “white man.” At the end of the day I believe there is no real Independence without freedom from these afflictions.

The struggle is not yet over, but neither – I’d like to believe – is our fighting spirit. Hidup rakyat!

may be a big (oklah, medium) day for this blog.. i will probably try to spend a bunch of time working on technical issues, so may be ‘down’ for a while. kindly bear with..

i will be sure to provide you with an update soon, as well as probably share a few teeny weeny merdeka thoughts and all :)

thanks, and happy holidays! :)

Also, I heard twice today on the radio Pak Lah’s comments on ‘Sejenak Bersama Pak Lah’ (which I must say has a lovely jingle). Sadly, it went on and on about how precarious our situation was, and how we must never talk about ethnicity, religion, etc etc..

Pak Lah calls them really big problems, but defies logic when he says they must thus be swept under the carpet. May work for a little while, but I’m pretty darn sure our children will really suffer for it. I’d say I already suffer for it.

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Well, maybe we’ll have to look overseas for intelligent discourse? :( Blogger YB Lim Kit Siang points to a pretty good article in the Int’l Herald Tribune concerning a secular vs religious state in Malaysia.

Have a read for full content.

I learnt some things I didn’t know before: Negeri Sembilan is apparently the only state that ‘allows’ apostasy, and (according to lawyer Zulkifli Noordin) 18 people have managed to officially leave Islam in Malaysia.

I would love to know more about these things.

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Back to the matter of free speech, Jeff Ooi posts today on the outcome of his run-in with writer P. Gunasegaram and Nexnews; there’s additional commentary regarding freedom of speech on the internet too, which sparked quite a debate. theSun, which is owned and run by Nexnews, publishes a somewhat disappointing frontpager.

Nonetheless, Jeff appears to be taking the relatively higher ground.

In the post which published the ‘offending’ commenter’s apology, I commented the following:

Dear IImran,

I just wanted to say well done for writing that e-mail. You’ve probably really helped strengthen Jeff’s position in all of this.

Also, you’ve provided an excellent example in the art of appologising. It’s painfully and frustratingly baffling why politicians simply cannot get the hang of it (see Jerlun).

If we say something that’s taken the wrong way, what’s wrong with appologizing? Is the word ‘sorry’ so ridiculously humiliating?

People might say that an ‘unreserved appology’ lessens your credibility – I want to state strongly that it has increased your credibility in my eyes, and further encouraged me to take your opinions as that of a sincere and honorable person.

(that said, I think TDM has had a really realllly sketchy pastlah, heh… but true enough, the Pak Lah administration ain’t doing a whole lot better).

Anyway, that’s besides the point :) just wanted to say good job! I think you’ve set a good example that will do a lot for us in the online community :)

Posted by: nat August 30, 2006 11:09 AM 

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This move is a welcome sign that the police are serious about cleaning up their force. I hope they see that these efforts can exist side by side with, rather than in lieu of the IPCMC.

Also, if this is the effect a video recording has – why not install more CCTV’s in police stations?

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The lady in the nude squat case, meanwhile, has filed a RM250,000 suit against the government.

Again, the lack of an IPCMC would expose the police to innumerably more suits and more importantly, episodes that give rise to such suits.

The PM and DPM order a hush-hush on the Customs-Parliamentarians spat. I appreciate them trying to bring order to this out of control feud, but asking people to shut up (altogether too common a practice these days), doesn’t seem all that convincing a way to menangani the situation?

Chief instigator, Jasin MP YB Datuk Mohd Said obliges, however, and promises not to bring it up any more.

Opposition leader YB Lim Kit Siang weighs in from cyberspace.

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The FTA with America is rousingly defended in parliament, but I’m still a little hesitant. More on this later, I hope.

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Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor gets all defensive about his suggestion to keep nightspots open later:

“I was merely conveying the recommendation made by tour operators. It was not my own recommendation. I did not specify nightclub operators. I asked whether entrepreneurs in our country, specifically those located in certain areas where nightspots and shopping complexes are located, could be allowed to operate beyond the closing time of 10pm,” he explained.

Less than inspiring words for a Minister. Clarifications are ok, but I can’t help but feel that this is being evasive and trying to shift blame? Maybe it’s just me.  

Worth highlighting: theSun carries an article about organizations of disabled peoples calling for more attention to be placed on their needs when designing and planning public transport systems. I couldn’t agree more.

Also, RapidKL apparently gets good marks from commuters.

I understand the new lines are planned to go nearer my house in Taman Tun – if that comes to pass, woo hoo! Always wondered why Damansara – such a densely populated area – had so few train stations nearby.

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Consumerism activist Datuk Dr Anwar Fazal says civil society can be a superpower influence in governmental decision making. I hope he’s right!

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Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop advises the rakyat not to take money out of EPF. Fair enough, but I’d take this advice a lot more seriously if it wasn’t coming from someone so closely involved in the ’97-’98 financial crisis.

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Singer Jamal Abdillah reaches out to patients at a drug rehabilitation center. Himself a recovering drug addict, he took time to share experiences and sing a few songs in the hopes of inspiring hope. Never heard of him, but well done!

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While LRT’s are planned, expect an increase in tolls :P The NST is more vague, whereas the Star seems to have more details on this.

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The government’s latest effort to deal with low cost housing is ‘core homes,’ simple one room buildings where extra land is allotted for extensions can be made as the resident’s developing financial abilities allow. Negeri Sembilan will see the pilot projects launched. I’m no expert on these things, but I hope this initiative bodes well.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Malaysians should learn about both good and bad events in the country’s past to understand the proper context of why the events happened, and why certain decisions were made.

I couldn’t agree more DS. I’m not sure we would agree as to the reasons behind every decision, but if what you’re promoting is a culture of greater openness about the checkered history of our beloved country, aku sokong.

In the same paper however, MP YB Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) says that our history books do not reflect the nation’s past accurately enough, basically saying that non-Malay historical personalities were not given enough attention.

Parliamentary secretary for the Min. of Education P Komala Devi’s excuse for things being left out was not encouraging:

“Research showed that students were not interested in history, they had difficulty understanding facts and were only memorising information without appreciating the subject. We decided to consolidate the facts to make the subject less boring,” she said.

That’s because of the way you test them (trust me, I remember), not because of the content. I have this feeling that if you let all the truths out, the last thing Malaysian history will seem is boring. Why would students enjoy history if they don’t somehow feel a part of it?

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On the issue of history, Pas has some very interesting things to say about the Communist party and its role in gaining independence – praising Chin Peng for fighting the Japanese, sleeping under the stars and such. I wonder why they happen to be bringing this up. Looking for Chinese votes? Some more sincere motivation?

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Higher Education Min Datuk Mustapa Mohamed has quite a bit to say about student loans. Apparently the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) has been administered in a fashion that has become increasingly unsustainable.

But despair not, the Star alone (no surprise) also covers an MCA initiative to make available interest free loans to early school leavers for courses in technical and vocational courses. Credit where credit is due: can’t be bad.

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Gerakan Kuala Lumpur chairperson Dr Tan Kee Kwong submitted a memorandum to Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. malaysiakini reports that he requests that DBP

“remove the words keling and cinabeng from the next edition of ‘Kamus Dewan’ or amend their definition to avoid misleading users”

Meanwhile, Education Min DS Hishammuddin prepares to table a memorandum, also involving the DBP, promoting the use of BM.

I wish I spoke and wrote better BM. English is super-useful and I’m thankful for my ability with it, don’t get me wrong; just that it’s good to have a linguistic identity separate from one essentially formed in the aftermath of hegemony.

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Quick point to a good article on autonomy for successfully run schools (a concept with relatively impeccable logic).

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Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed calls for a greater representation of non-bumiputras in academia.

He talks a lot about improving the universities, making them exciting places to work, etc etc.. I think however the Star (predictably) points to a most telling fact:

In Universiti Malaya there is only one non-bumiputra dean among 20. In many of the other universities, there is none. 

If you want more non-bumis in universities, give them the credit they deserve. People will serve locally out of pure love for the country, if only you give them only as much recognition they deserve – no need for special treatment or anything. The rest is pretty much tangential and probably barely relevant.

New Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman chaired his first full-board meeting today (Aug 30, 2006) with a pledge to look into the city’s on-going billboard controversy.

Upon directing the legal and public relations departments to probe into the matter, Mohamad Roslan said he would also investigate the issue.

“It is a serious allegation and we must look into it,” he said.

The matter was brought up by councillor V.Subramaniam.

Yay new blood! But hopefully it’s sincere blood too. After all, Selangor MB DS Khir Toyo also “looked into” the matter, see where that got us? But we must give this new man a chance to prove his worth. We’ll be waiting and watching.

I also liked:

Another councillor Dr Wong Chee Yong was more interested in finding out how minutes of the Dec 22 (2005) full-board meeting managed to leak out.

Part of the minutes that mentioned Wong’s name was published in theSun on Aug 29 (2006).

“Isn’t it classified?” he asked.

For his information, minutes of full-board meetings are public documents.

Citizen Nades also has an article in today’s Sun (see epaper), where he continues lambasting MPPJ. I’d say the language was getting old, except that it won’t really get old until some action is finally taken. Until then, theSun can rant on (online preferably) as much as it likes as far as I’m concerned.

Come on Selangor, come on PJ, the evidence has been shown; now show us you’re serious, show us some concrete action!