Yeo Bee Yin – DAP latest talent

Subject: DAP's latest Talent

She's from Segamat therefore DAP should consider her a candidate for Segamat North. Yeo will be a SURE win and JOHOR is waiting for such a change. Everyone should read this article by Yeo Bee Yin. It's a personal reflection of how she sees this country that she loves and more importantly she is doing something more than just coffee talk and roadside commenting, like most of us. She's sacrificing herself by joining politics on hope that she can bring positive changes to this wonderful country. All the best to you Yeo. I do hope you achieve your dreams which is also the same dreams of many of us. Cheers!

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About me

Gender
Female

Location
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Introduction
In short: Female, 29, love God, love lives, love Malaysia.
I grew up in a small town in Segamat (Johor) called Batu Anam. I attended SRJK(C)Hwa Nan and SMJK Seg Hwa for my primary and secondary education.
Until I get Petronas Scholarship to study Chemical Engineering in Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), I couldn't converse in English at all (just like any teenagers from kampung). Thank God that I eventually graduated from UTP with a First Class Honours and was the top student for the year 2006.
Then I worked for Schlumberger, a US oil and gas company, as an international field engineer in Turkmenistan. I spent the next 2 years working in a male-dominated industry in the middle of desert or sea.
I then went on to pursue MPhil (Masters in Philosophy) in Advanced Chemical Engineering under Gates Cambridge Scholarship and completed it with a Commendation.
Since end of 2010, I've returned to Malaysia to serve my beloved country. I've been volunteering in DAP social media work since Feb 2012 and still working hard so that more young people will join us to make a change to our nation.

Favourite Books
The Little Prince

"Why are you involved in politics?" I think this is the question my family members, friends, and many others will ask.
It's a long story. I am writing this story today to make sure that, if ever, I forget what am I in politics for, it will serve as a reminder.
Part I: The Beginning - Seed of Love
It all started in 2001 with a prayer movement - 40-day Fast and Pray for Malaysia, organized by NECF (National Evangelical Christian Fellowship). I was a first year student in University Technology Petronas (UTP) when I came across this movement. Not knowing why, I felt the urgency to pray for our nation. Since fasting alone for 40 days is no joke, I managed to persuade my best friend (Thin Thin) to fast and pray with me. So that's the beginning of the story - I sowed the seed of deep love for the country and fellow Malaysians.
One of the prayer items in NECF booklet has always been this: that God will raise more righteous politicians in Malaysia. Being a very practical person, beside prayer, I also tried to persuade some of my righteous male friends to join politics. Well, I have to admit that I was a conservative person then, so to me, politics was the ground of men. I thought my role is to pray and to serve the underprivileged community in NGO works.
I remember I was only 18 years old when I did my first 40-day Fast and Pray for Malaysia. Looking back now, I realized, I too, can be a part of the answered prayer. How marvelous.
Part II: Years on Distant Shores
No, I am not a super patriotic person that nothing else matters to me beside Malaysia. Being a 'kampung' girl, I dreamed of going overseas - to study, to work and to see the world.
Part II (a): Eyes Opened
My dream finally came true in my fourth year in UTP.  I was offered a 6-month internship placement in BASF world biggest chemical site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. As a chemical engineering student, and being the first student in UTP to get the offer, it was indeed was a great blessing to me. So I went.
These photos show the entrance to BASF Ludwigshafen site, which housed about 38,500 staffs. I don't remember the size of the site, what I remember is, you need a bus to go from the entrance to your department building, and of course from one department to another. In 2005, I was a little tiny intern there. :)


Internship in Germany was my first taste of international exposure as they take interns from all over the world to Germany. Here are the pictures of some of my friends there. I spent countless of hours with some of these friends here discussing about socialism, welfare state, capitalism, democracy, war, revolution, religion, and just about anything under the sun.


Due to language barrier (I know little German), I needed an English-speaking church and I finally found one and  attended Rhein River Baptist Church (RRBC). RRBC is a church established to serve the spiritual needs of the American army who are based in Mannheim (a city near to Ludwigshafen). I was one of the few non-military church member there. Through my interaction with the American armies in RRBC, I began to understand what "Democracy", "Liberty" and "Patriotism" really mean. Below is a picture of me and some of my church mates in RRBC.

During my stay in Germany, I also took the opportunity to travel to neighboring countries like France, Italy, Luxembourg and England. It was in these trips that I foster my love for arts and architectures, which remain till today.
Before coming to Germany, as a top student, I thought I knew a lot. After I came here, I realized how little I knew about the world. I began to question why in Malaysia we did not learn a more complete world history, different political systems, different ideologies, arts and culture? Neither have we been taught to think critically and objectively. I began to realize that what we've been taught in the schools have been crafted in such a way that we can be easily manipulated if we are not careful. Our syllabus was (and still is) flawed and politically biased.
I have to admit that before coming to Germany, I was an ardent supporter of Dr Mahathir and his legacy. I read his book, watched his documentary, supported the blind protection of GLCs  and race-based affirmative action, thinking that it's true 'patriotism'. (You can see how brain-washed I was then.)

Six months of internship in Germany has completely changed my world view , my eyes began to open, my previous perceptions shattered and I began to see things very differently. There is actually a much BETTER way for Malaysia.
I was 22 years old then.

Part II (b): A Disheartened Young Malaysian
After the internship, I came back to Malaysia to finish my study in UTP and graduated in 2006. Before I finished my study in UTP, I received offer from my dream university, Cambridge University, for a program called MPhil in Advanced Chemical Engineering. I was so happy! So I started to apply for funding. I wrote to Petronas Education Unit (I was Petronas scholar), JPA, Khazanah, MCA  and many other governmental and non-governmental organizations. I didn't get any. Although disappointed, I wasn't blaming anybody as I understood that nobody was obliged to fund me. Despite financial difficulties in his business in 2006, my dad agreed to fund my study in Cambridge.
However, I still had one problem. I was bonded to Petronas for 10 years and was supposed to serve my bond after I finished my study in UTP. So I wrote to  Petronas again to ask for deferment of service until after I finished my master degree in Cambridge. A few weeks later, I was called to come to the education unit. I really thought things will be settled quickly and I might even had a chance to persuade them to fund my study.
So I went with high hope. There, I saw a nice guy, he told me that the program was great etc and he really wanted to help, but it was in the policy that they couldn't allow any deferment for the bond or I would have to pay up my bond in lump-sump. Hearing that made me realized that I had no way out. My dream had crashed. I did not blame Petronas for that, as they were just following the contract and it would be a havoc if every scholar would come and ask for deferment or for more funding. I understood that.
However, it was a small incidence in the education unit that made me utterly disappointed with how things work in Malaysia. While waiting at the lounge, I met two returning scholars from Nottingham University, UK. I started to talk to them. To my very surprise, they couldn't even speak proper English! After a while, an education unit guy came and met them, I accidentally saw their results - one of them get second class lower and the another one a third class. That blasted my mind. Here I was, with a CGPA of 3.95/4.00 (if it's in 100% scale, it would be a 98%) 'begging' only for 1 year of deferment, not even a scholarship, but was denied. Here they were, spent 4 years in the UK fully sponsored and yet spoke broken English and graduated with at most, mediocre results.
Am I not as much a Malaysian as them? Being a 23 years old, I was utterly disheartened and disappointed.

Part II (c): The Only Way out
It was just a few days after I came back from Petronas education unit that I received a call from an American oil and gas company informing me that I was recruited. How did I get the job? While searching for scholarships to Cambridge, I casually attended 5 stages of job interviews with this company as my mom adviced me to go for job interview experience. I really couldn't remember what I did during the interview. So being able to get the job, I would say that it's God's open door, or some may say that it is by 'accident'.
Anyway, going back to the story, I was given 2 options from the recruiter: one is to be a local staff and another one is international staff. Of course, there's a huge difference in term of compensation between these 2 options. If I were to choose the latter, I'd have to go to a country called "Turkmenistan", and the salary would allow me to pay up my Petronas bond in just a few months! Turkmenistan might sound scary to many, but I was so excited! I really wanted to see and know more about this part of the world! Since the offer was great and there was no way that I could attend Cambridge anyway, I decided to take up the international assignment.
Turkmenistan was where I spent most of my next 2 years. I was 24 years old when I left home for Turkmenistan.

Part II (c): When Money Rules

My life in Turkmenistan was summarized here.
Not only in Turkmenistan, I also spent 3 months in Alexandria, Egypt and some time in Baku, Azerbajian for work related assignment during my 2 years in oil and gas industry.
Being paid in a salary comparable to at least the general manager in Malaysia, I managed to settle my bond with Petronas very quickly and saved some for myself. With the traveling allowances from the company, I traveled to many other countries too during the holidays. Life was great, I worked hard, played hard. Because of the good compensation scheme, I did not really think much about what I really want to do in life, my dream or my passion for the country. What I went after were money, bonus and performance. I became terribly self-centered. I just didn't care anymore.
It was until 9th Mar 2008, when I opened The Star online and saw the news on the political tsunami that I realized how I still love and care about my country. They were just buried very deeply under my frustration and disappointment. How I wished I would be able to contribute to the change no matter how small the contribution was, instead of just seeing it as an outsider.
I began to question, why am I here? Is this really what I want to pursue? Do I do this because there's no more option? Do I do this just because of money? If I were born in the US with many other opportunities, would I still do what I am doing now? How many more Malaysians out there left Malaysia because they went for better opportunities, just like myself and many other Malaysians abroad I've met throughout the years?
My dream for a better Malaysia has re-ignited, click here to see what wrote back in 2008. After more than half a year of consideration, I quit the job just months before my second promotion (when I still could resist the temptation). I wanted to be back to make a change to my nation, so that our next generation do not need to wander around the world for a better future, because the better future IS in Malaysia. I knew that I am a nobody and of me coming back would not help much, but I thought I should just do my part as a Malaysian, to serve our nation, regardless.
However, before I was back for good, I wanted to fulfill my childhood dream first, that was, to study in Cambridge University. I did not need to worry about my finance anymore now as I could afford to pay for everything. So I re-applied and got the admission offer within a month.  A double blessing to me was that Cambridge Gates Scholarship, the most prestigious post-graduate scholarship in Cambridge University, also offered me a full scholarship! Everything was paid for including air tickets, living expenses and school fees! I was and always will be grateful for Bill and Merlinda Gates Foundation. 
With that, I went to Cambridge University at the age of 27 years old, a long-delayed dream finally came true.

Part II (d): Living Cambridge Dream

I had a great and fruitful year in Cambridge. It was an intellectual challenging year and I had countless of sleepless nights to finish up my writings etc. I enjoyed most of the lectures, which were usually delivered by the professors who are top in their respective fields in the world. Many of the lectures had greatly inspired me especially in the field of sustainable development and renewable energy. I just so enjoyed the abundance of knowledge there.Here is a picture of my friends and I in my college (Corpus Christi College) in Cambridge.

Putting personal development aside, what I had experienced in Cambridge continued to make my burden for Malaysia even stronger. Throughout the year, I've met with many brilliant Malaysian students or working adults from top universities in the UK. I usually asked if they will one day be back to Malaysia. For those with JPA or Petronas bond, they said yes because no choice, whereas for those who are not bonded, almost 80% said No or they'll only be back to Malaysia if they can't find a job in UK, Europe or US. Malaysia has become the last resort.  For the Gates scholars, it's even more dismal. Out of the 10 who have received the scholarships from 2001 to 2010 (unfortunately none received the scholarship in 2011 and 2012), I am the ONLY 1 who is back. Where do these people go? There are all at the foreign land seeking for better opportunities and a better future. Can we blame them for not coming back? NO, absolutely NOT. Malaysia has just too little to offer them.

Part III: Hello Malaysian Politics

After pursuing my personal dream, as I've promised myself, I was finally back to Malaysia to pursue my dream for the country. Even with a strong burden for the country, it hadn't crossed my mind that I should be in politics, mainly because to me, being a politician was too far-fetch. I had no idea as in where to start, what to do, and which party to join. Also, I had been bipartisan all my life. What I thought I would do to make a change was probably community works and joining NGOs.
Until my company did a project with Democratic Action Party (DAP) in their general election social media campaign that I was exposed to politics first hand. I finally came to realization that if I want to make a good impact in this nation, with the limited things I have, it can only be done effectively through politics.
So joining politics? It was a tough decision, especially this year, only 1 year plus after I started my own business. I am not a person that go after fame and power, why bother to join politics? In addition, I am already 29 years old, isn't that better for me to find a husband and start a family? (God knows, when I was young I wanted to get married at 25!). Why waste time fighting for a job, of which I'll risk losing every 5 years and getting a pay that is not even half of what I used to get? Will I be able to survive in politics in the long run?  As my mom has so rightly put it, "you can have a decent and comfortable life now already, why choose such a hard life?".
However, what my mom did not know, is my love for this nation since I was 18 years old, and my desire to see a better Malaysia.
As I look back my life, by the grace of God, I was blessed with good (and free) education, MNC job training as well as so many different opportunities of exposure. What I want to do now is really to be a faithful steward to the gifts of God and use them to bless more people, especially fellow Malaysians.
"For everyone to whom much given, of him shall much be required" Luke 12:48
So I've made up my mind to join politics.
Even after I've decided that I should join politics, I wasn't quite sure of which party to join. I was still a bipartisan by then, although I did hope that DAP will win more seats in the GE. So I examined through the ideology, history and leadership of different parties, and had finally come to a conclusion that DAP is the best choice for me.
Ideologically, I have always been a democratic socialist, so it fits just well.  Historically, DAP stood the test of time and never wavered in its principle. Thirdly, I think I can follow the leadership of DAP without worry for 2 reasons:
1. they usually make decision based on number and facts and not rhetoric, so most of the time they make sense to me
2. they uphold integrity and righteousness
One setback of DAP to me was the party ethnicity-mix. It is still made-up of mostly Chinese and I am definitely not very into a race-based party. However, as I was involved in the Roketkini (DAP Malay news portal) Facebook page promotion, I could see the effort of DAP to reach out to Malay population and a genuine intention top down to make DAP a multiracial party. No party is perfect anyway. So I decided to join DAP and believe that through hard-work and time, we can build a true multiracial party together.
Part IV: Hope for the Future
So now, I am in politics and volunteering in DAP. What am I going to do for the next 20-30 years in politics?
Firstly, my heart is to use my gifts to serve the people regardless of income, race and religion. I believe politician is in fact public servant, we should always work towards maximizing the interest of the public.
For the long run, my hope for Malaysia is very simple. I hope that through the hard work of our generation, we'll make sure that Malaysia can be a land of opportunities and equality for our children.  I hope that Malaysia can be a land where, no matter how big and what your dreams are, they can be fulfilled here; and no matter what your potential are, they can be reached here. I hope that our children, no matter where they study outside of Malaysia, they will so look forward to come back to Malaysia, not because of the scholarship bond, not because of other considerations, but because this is the best place for them to be. I hope for a Malaysia that is free from corruption, united regardless or race and religion as well as competitive in the global economy.
And now, I shall work hard for it. May God bless the works of our hands.
~END~
Sent from my iPad

Good News - UMNO BN is trashed

Look at this photo. It fits the state of UMNO/BN at current time exactly, bruised, battered, trashed:

Let's pray that this would be their status (trashed) post General Election 2013 for we just cannot wait to get rid of them.

Whither 'kesopanan dan kesusilaan' on 'Allah' issue?

I have the honor of meeting some Malays who are so hospitable, well mannered and gentle that are real examples of the gentle and generous Malays. I admire them for that.

But Ibrahim Ali? Read below what Mohamad Tajuddin Mohammad Rasdi has to say courtesy of Malaysiakini:

Whither 'kesopanan dan kesusilaan' on 'Allah' issue?

• Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi
• 11:46AM Jan 21, 2013

COMMENT I wish to comment on the irresponsible statement of Ibrahim Ali (purposely NOT using any titles) on the burning of Malay language Bibles with the name Allah. I think such statements, if left unchecked by the Malaysian public, elected representatives and especially, the prime minister himself, would create a culture of extreme violence and victimize many innocent Malaysians.
I urge peace loving and sensible Malaysian of all religious faiths to come together and denounce such ‘grandstanding statements’ that clearly violate our ‘sacred’ Rukunegara tenet of ‘Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan’.
Our forefathers have worked hard to build this nation of diverse communities, race and religions and derive the principle of ‘Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan’. I am convinced, as a Malaysian, as an academic and as a Muslim, that the May 13 tragedy that saw many innocent lives lost was not due to the ignorance of ordinary Malaysians but by politicians trying to be popular by using such fiery instructions in order to incite racial hatred.
I have read the book ‘A Singapore Story’ and some other critical writings that indicate that the culprits of our racial mistrusts and clashes were in no small part due to self-serving politicians and a media which has no sense of honour whether in the Islamic spirit or in any religious spirit.
Have we Malaysians, and especially Malays, forgotten our own principle in the Rukunegara, crafted in our own Melayu Language. Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan. As good  am I with English I can’t translate properly the word ‘kesusilaan’. The word, and I am not a scholar in Lingusitics, connotes to me such softness, tact and, politeness, concern and humility. Is there a better word than this to reflect such a great culture of the Malays?
I dare say that the Prophet Muhammad, if Allah had not intended for him to be born in Arabia, would have been a Malay. Why? Because the Prophet was the softest and most humble, polite and considerate of men.
I have read through over 20,000 hadiths from the compilations of Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi and Ibn Madjah along with the Muwatta and the Sirah Ibn Ishaq to conjure up a man which a hadith says that the Prophet was so ‘shy’ and gentle that even a small slave girl can lead him.
This characteristic of gentleness is totally unheard off in the boisterous, rowdy and all man’s world of the Arabs. When the Prophet Muhammad stood on the fields of Ta’if with a bloodied and scarred body after being stoned by children and adults of the settlement, he still forbade the Angel Jibrail from taking any retribution and destroy the community. Why? For ‘I am sent as a Mercy to mankind’ said the Prophet.
When Aishah asked him ‘What was your greatest fear, O Rasulullah?’ He replied that he feared of giving in to his feeling of vengeance and destroying the community with a single command. The Prophet did not fear death or bodily harm. He feared giving in to his ego and vengeful feeling that all humanity possess.
Who are we Malays then?
I, therefore ask, who are we Malays then? Are we better than the Prophet? Look at our examples. The mufti and other higher authorities have INSTRUCTED, ORDERED and DECREED that non-Muslims MUST NOT use the word Allah. The PAS Syura Council that has all the so-called great Islamic scholars went round and round their wordings until settling on almost the same tone of instruction, order and decree.
Now we have the person of Ibrahim Ali calling on the burning of the Bible or the Injil. Unless I am mistaken, Allah called on all Muslims to honour the Books of Allah in the past and its PEOPLES. Yes... yes...we can argue about what book and which Bible that have been ‘tampered’ with and all that stuff but I have read the Bible in English and I, for one, found many enlightening things that Nabi Isa says that has helped me get closer to Allah The Most High.
I think I am honouring what the Qur’an says in Surah Al-Baqara to believe in the Books. I also read other books of our great religions that have given the first idea of humaneness to human civilisation.
The whole Allah issue to me was handled as badly as it can be handled. Why? It is simply an instrument of political influence. If the so called scholars and politicians of Islam were sincerely concerned about such confusion on the Malay usage of the word Allah, there should have been a courteous call for discussion with our brothers and sisters of the Christian faith. Not instruct, order and decree first... and... then call for discussion.
What discussion? It seems that the decision has already been chiselled into stone. Where in heavens name is the Rukunegara? Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan?
Ibrahim Ali has called for the burning of the Bible. What next? Let us Malays go burn a church at 4 pm next week? Oh... while we’re at it why don’t we burn a few Christians... if we have time!
What talk is this? What country is this? Have we forgotten the decency to discuss cordially. “This is an Islamic Country and I am a Malay and so you better do as I say!” Is that the line we are taking now as Malays? Perhaps that is a Malay cultural trait... I do not know. But I DO KNOW it is NOT what the Prophet would say or do. It is NOT within the Islamic Spirit as shown by the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him).
I can quote pages and pages of hadith showing the generosity and magnanimity of Muhammad Rasulullah. I can’t seem to find any of the same characteristics in Malay politicians in Malaysia.
My wife and I have raised five children and now we have a grandson. I am sure all Christian parents and Muslim parents are concerned about where this country is going and would it be safe to be a place to stay. Just because I am a Malay, with a million-strong mostly Malay civil service, and an equal number of police and military personnel of my race does not give me the right to frighten my brothers and sisters of the Christian faith... or any other faith for that matter.
So, before such volatile statement turn into regrettable actions, I call upon the last strand of decency from the politicians of the ruling party, and especially the prime minister, to denounce Ibrahim Ali and his war-mongering words. Or else, we would have to change our Rukunegara from ‘Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan’ to ‘Kekasaran dan Kegila-gilaan’.

---

MOHAMAD TAJUDDIN MOHAMAD RASDI is professor at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's School of Architecture. An eloquent writer, he has authored over 30 books, including his latest, ‘Why Listen to the Vice-Chancellor?'

Parents don Bersih's yellow for RM100 school aid

Parents don Bersih's yellow for RM100 school aid

• Abdul Rahim Sabri
• 10:03AM Jan 18, 2013

A group of parents at a Chinese secondary school in Seremban caught the eye of the crowd when they turned up in bright yellow Bersih T-shirts to receive the RM100 school aid from the federal government.
Photographs of the 15 parents who coloured the aid award ceremony at Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Chan on Wednesday evening are circulating widely on social media.
"I wore the Bersih T-shirt to make a point to the powers-that-be that the gift of money won't necessarily make us bow down and agree with them," one of the parents, Wong Chai Soon, told Malaysiakini yesterday.
"Instead I received the cash with great trepidation, as I worry what the nation would be like in the future."
According to Wong, the idea to wear the yellow Bersih T-shirts at the event was sparked by a friend of his and this later spread to others in the group.
"I received an SMS from my friend and forwarded it to others. I also asked my friends at my office to wear yellow."
Asked about the reaction of the teachers and other parents to their yellow initiative, he said no one seemed to take affront.
"Some looked at us, some spoke to us. Those that I knew agreed with us. The teachers, they were just normal. Maybe they were too busy attending to the many parents there."
'Bersih Mama'
The RM100 aid to parents with schooling kids - the second time in as many years - was one of the provisions of Budget 2013 tabled in Parliament by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last year.
The campaign to wear yellow when collecting the cash aid was initiated by a group of mothers who called themselves 'Bersih Mama'.
In a statement on Wednesday, the group called on parents to make use of the occasion to reiterate poll reform movement Bersih's demand for clean and fair elections.
"Currently, what is most needed by the people in this country is not RM100, RM250 or RM500 in financial aid.
"If this country has no fair and clean election, it would not be truly democratic," it said.
Besides Wong, many other parents have heeded the call and uploaded on the Internet photographs of them wearing yellow when

People's Uprising Rally #KL112 photos & videos

Left home early, 10am, and got a lift to the nearby LRT station on the way Pasar Seni to add to the numbers for Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (People's Uprising Rally) also referred to as #KL112.

At this early hours. there was already a sizeable crowd. Had a photo taken at Pasar Seni:

On the way saw participants holding up placard that reads "Justice for "Teoh Beng Hock", hawkers selling yellow T-shirts from motorcycles, others selling mineral water and cold drinks:

At 11am, the road to Stadium was already very crowded:

Outside Merdeka Stadium, posed for a photo with a DAP flag bearer:

Inside the stadium at 12pm, it wasn't that crowded, but the crowd keeps flooding into the Stadium until it was very full and the rest has to stand outside to listen to the speeches:

In front of me, I can see the crowd packed like sardines (well, almost lah) with the familiar Victoria Institution where I spent 2 years for Form 6 in the background:

And last, participants singing Negara Ku to signal the start of the rally and later, a singer singing "Ubah Sekarang" (Change Now) (videos):

Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat - Negara Ku

The participants of Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (People's Uprising Rally) singing Malaysia's National Anthem "Negara Ku" (Our Nation):

Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat - Ubah Sekarang

Here is a song "Ubah Sekarang" (Change Now) by a singer whose name I do not know.

Update: found from Malaysiakini that the singer is Ito from the rock group Blues Gang and the song title is ‘Ubah ini kali lah’ (Let's change this time).

Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat marches to Stadium Merdeka

Here are details of plans for 7 marches from 7 different locations to Stadium Merdeka for the Himpunan Kebankitan Rakyat (People’s Uprising Rally) courtesy of Malaysiakini:

Seven marches to Stadium Merdeka planned

4:51PM Jan 10, 2013

Organisers of the People's Uprising Rally are calling on participants to join seven processions towards Stadium Merdeka before the Saturday rally officially gets underway.
According to the latest instructions by rally organisers, the seven rally points for the procession and the respective leaders of the processions are as follows:
Universiti Malaya mosque
Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR)
Ng Suee Lim (DAP)
Adam Adli (Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia)
Brickfields
Maria Chin Abdullah (Bersih 2.0)
S Arutchelvan (PSM)
Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque @ Zunar (cartoonist)
M Kulasegaran (DAP)
KLCC
Husam Musa (PAS)
Teo Kok Seong (DAP)
Mazlan Aliman (Anak, PAS)
Jalan Sultan
Ishak Surin (Muafakat)
Tan Kok Wai (DAP)
Wong Tack (Himpunan Hijau)
Central Market
Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (PAS)
Teresa Kok (DAP)
Elizabeth Wong (PKR)
Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Baru
Badrul Hisham Shaharin @ Chegubard (Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia)
Masjid Negara
Azmin Ali (PKR)
Muhajid Yusof Rawa (PAS)
Khalid Samad (PAS)
According to political activist Hishamuddin Rais, who is on the organising committee, the announcement of designated procession leaders was requested by the police.

He told Malaysiakini that the organisers will also be heeding a police request not to march from Dataran Merdeka.

Hishamuddin (far right) also announced that organisers strongly discourage the use of private vehicles by rally participants and urged them to use public transport to reach the rally points.
He said those setting up stalls to cater for the participants are only allowed to operate at the Maharajalela monorail station, the vicinity of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and the Hang Tuah LRT station.
Once the stadium reaches saturation point, late-comers are required to sit outside the stadium.
He also urged all participants to behave appropriately during the rally.
"This is a peaceful assembly. Please avoid all forms of provocation. Don't create chaos," he said.

UBAH Gangnam Style English version with lyrics

UBAH Rocket Style (Malaysian Gangnam Parody) English Version

You're walking down the street
Looking right looking left
Fearing for your money, your loved ones and your life
Let's make our cities safe, more police fighting crime
Bad guys got to do prison time
Wanna buy a car
You can't find buses on the road
and you're no movie star
Cars are pricey, taxes are high, your bosses underpay
You need to buy a house to stay, to pray and also to play
But you must pay, pay, pay

No more corruption, give us transparency
Lower prices, hey, Can we lower prices, hey
End of abuse of power, need accountability
Lower prices, hey Can we lower prices hey
We can change to make things right, let's make history

Ubah Rocket Style
Rocket style
Ubah Rocket Style
Rocket style
Ubah rocket style
Eh... Malaysia
Ubah Rocket Style
Eh... Malaysia

The sheep is in the meadow
the cows are in the condo
Where's that boy who looks after the cows? He's a no cshow
MACC, AG Chambers, CCM, Malaysian Police
Please catch the culprit who stole my cheese
A sinking submarine
Commission taker, Mongolian murderer
right no where to be seen
Naval ships, APCs, helicopters, cronies' cash machine
LRT, MRT, take my way or the tolled highway
And you must pay, pay, pay

No more corruption, give us transparency
Lower prices, hey, Can we lower prices, hey
End of abuse of power, need accountability
Lower prices, hey Can we lower prices hey
We can change to make things right, let's make history

Ubah Rocket Style
Rocket style
Ubah Rocket Style
Rocket style
Ubah rocket style
Eh... Malaysia
Ubah Rocket Style
Eh... Malaysia

Oh Lynas dear
Tell us why are you here?
Please please we don't want you here, are we crystal clear?
What cyanide mining?
Nuclear power building?
Please please can you disappear
(so you know what I'm saying?)


Ubah Rocket Style
Eh.... Malaysia
Ubah Rocket style
Eh.... Malaysia
Ubah Rocket Style

Executive Producer:
Tony Pua

Directors & Videography:
Jack Wong
Ooi Leng Hang

Assistant Producers:
Teo Nie Ching
Junz Wong
Yeo Bee Yin

Lyrics & Storyboard:
Tony Pua

Recorded & Mixed by:
Oseven Production

Parodied Music by:
PSY

Editing:
Ooi Leng Hang
Jack Wong
zeon.Lim

UBAH Mascot Stars:
Henry Sim
zuoli King

Rosli Dahlan - what UMNO/BN wants to hide from you

Raja Petra is at it again, exposing hidden dirt. In this case, Rosli's Dahlan affidavit and court testimony. Read all about it at Why is the court trying to block Rosli from giving his statement?

Raja Zarith Idris message regarding Christmas celebration

RAJA ZARITH IDRIS (Sultanah of Johore)

_______________________________________________________________
Season of goodwill
MIND MATTER by RAJA ZARITH IDRIS (Sultanah of Johore)

If Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Isa (Jesus), a prophet respected and revered in Islam, is it so wrong to wish a blessed day for those who celebrate it?

DURING the days before Christmas last year, I wished my friends who were celebrating it "Merry Christmas" in much the same way they would wish me "Selamat Hari Raya" or "Happy Eid".

I find it rather sad that such a simple greeting – one which I grew up with and which I have never regarded as something that would compromise or de-value my own faith – is now regarded as something so religiously incorrect for us Malaysian Muslims.

When I was at boarding school in England , I had to go to church every Sunday because it was part of the rules. My father advised me to consider it as part of my "education" and he had no doubt that the experience would strengthen rather than weaken my own faith.

I was able to see the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam. I learned more than the average Malaysian Muslim would about Christianity. I learnt that just as we Muslims categorise ourselves according to the four different schools of thoughts of the four Imams (Imam Malik, Imam Al Shafi, Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ahmad Abn Hambal) and are either Sunnis or Shias, so Christians too are divided into different sects or churches.

Going to church did not make me less of a Muslim when I was a young girl, and neither does saying "Merry Christmas" make me less of a Muslim now. My faith has not been shaken just because I wished some friends a time of joy with their families. Neither will I suddenly suffer from amnesia and forget what my religion is.

What I do not wish to forget, however, is that there are good, kind people who are not of the same faith as me.

As Harun Yahya, the Turkish writer (he was selected last year as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Isla mic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan ) noted: "Islam is a religion of peace, love and tolerance".

Today, however, some circles have been presenting a false image of Islam, as if there were conflict between Islam and the adherents of the two other monotheistic religions. Yet Islam's view of Jews and Christians, who are named `the People of the Book' in the Quran, is very friendly and tolerant.

"This attitude towards the People of the Book developed during the years of the birth of Islam. At that time, Muslims were a minority, struggling to protect their faith and suffering oppression and torture from the pagans of the city of Mecca . Due to this persecution, some Muslims decided to flee Mecca and shelter in a safe country with a just ruler. The Prophet Muhammad told them to take refuge with King Negus, the Christian king of Ethiopia . The Muslims who followed this advice found a very fair administration that embraced them with love and respect when they went to Ethiopia . King Negus refused the demands of the pagan messengers who asked him to surrender the Muslims to them, and announced that Muslims could live freely in his country.

"Such attitudes of Christian people that are based on the concepts of compassion, mercy, modesty and justice, constitute a fact that God has pointed out in the Quran."

I do not wish to be a self-centred Muslim who expects friends of other faiths to wish me Selamat Hari Raya or, for those who are not Malaysians and therefore do not know about Hari Raya, a Happy Eid and yet do not return their goodwill when it is Christmas, Chinese New Year, Deepavali or Vesak Day.

Every year, friends who are Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs or those without any faith come to our home to celebrate Hari Raya with us. They do so with sincerity and as a mark of respect for one of the most important days in the Muslim calendar. Why should we not reciprocate their kindness, show them the same mark of respect for their religion and wish them the same joy on their holy days of celebration?

An Islamic scholar and lecturer also reminded me that as Muslims we must remember the importance of both the five Pillars of Islam and in the six Pillars of Iman (Faith), which are:Belief in Allah;

Belief in the angels;

Belief in the revealed Books (which include the Bible, the Torah and the Holy Quran);

Belief in the Prophets (May Peace be Upon Them);

Belief in the Resurrection and the events of Kiamah, the Day of Judgement; and

Belief in the predestination (Qada' and Qadar) by Allah in all things.

The prophets include not just Muhammad (May Peace Be Upon Him) as the last prophet and as the Messenger of Islam, but also in the 24 earlier ones who are mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran. Four of them are Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Daud (David), and Isa (Jesus).

So, if Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Isa (Jesus), a prophet respected and revered in Islam, is it so wrong to wish a blessed day for those who celebrate it?

We are now in the second decade of the 21st century. Surely, we should, now more than ever, be far more enlightened at a time when information of any sort and of all kinds are so readily available to us.

What is most important is that we regard one another as fellow citizens and treat each other with respect, regardless of our race or religion.
The writer is Royal Fellow, School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and holds a BA (Honours) degree in Chinese Studies, University of Oxford .

[The writer is also the current Sultanah of Johor]

Radioactive pollutants migration to Malaysia's environment

Chipmunk, a commentator at Malaysiakini, made a very pertinent comment describing how radioactive as well as non-radioactive pollutants are propagated via air, water, and described very well how extensive it can be. His comment:

In the context of the Malaysian Lynas's LAMP plant the sources of rare earth element exposure would be from air emissions, fugitive dust and contaminated water discharges. Over the projected 10-12 years of operation of the LAMP the cumulative levels of rare earth elements (REE) can be expected to rise in the environment surrounding the plant as the REE migrate through fugitive stockpile emissions and stack emissions. These transport methods will deposit REE on soil and into the sediments of surface water bodies. REE will also migrate through wastewater discharges and leakage from tailings ponds. The Balok River sediment can be expected to act as a reservoir for REE due to deposition from treated waste water discharges.

Here is a summation of Chipmunk's comments in an orderly fashion:

Chipmunk: It is clear that no licence should be issued for the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) to operate until all of the issues related to the long-term management of the factory's waste and construction inadequacies have been resolved.

The issue of the pre-operating licence by the AELB on Feb 2, 2012 ignores this fundamental requirement and places the environment and public health at serious risk.

This proposal would not be approved in Australia without this information. Why the difference in Malaysia? What have the four ministers to say about this matter?

In the context of the Lamp plant, the sources of rare earth element exposure would be from air emissions, fugitive dust and contaminated water discharges.

Over the projected 10 to 12 years of operation of the Lamp, the cumulative levels of rare earth elements (REE) can be expected to rise in the environment surrounding the plant as the REE migrates through fugitive stockpile emissions and stack emissions.

These transport methods will deposit REE on soil and into the sediments of surface water bodies. REE will also migrate through wastewater discharges and leakages from tailings ponds.

The Balok River sediment can be expected to act as a reservoir for REE due to deposition from treated waste water discharges.

The matter of long-term disposal of the radioactive waste from the Lamp must be resolved immediately. When the entire decay chain radioactivity of the waste is accounted for, specific radiation levels are as high as 61 Bq/g.

This clearly places the waste in the low level waste (LLW) category for radioactive waste requiring isolation for hundreds of years.

The environmental and human health risk assessment of this radiation exposure is clearly inadequate and the disposal methods very poor in an inappropriate environment.

Under these circumstances, it would appear that environmental radioactive contamination and human exposure is unavoidable. This proposal would not be approved in Australia and the Malaysian government should revoke the TOL on this basis.

Lamp, which is expected to produce 22,500 tonnes per annum of lanthanum oxide equivalent, can be expected to generate annual waste streams of:

191.25 tonnes of fluoride compounds;
292.50 tonnes of flue dust particulate;
between 216 million m3 and 270 million m3 of waste gas (containing NOx, CO, SO2 ,HF, dust concentrate and H2SO4);
1,687,500 m3 of acidic waste-water and
22,500 tonnes of radioactive waste residue (containing water).
Historically, China has been the main global producer of rare earths accounting for up to 90 percent of global production allowing pollution to occur as a result of rare earth mining and refining.

The result has been severe localised environmental contamination in areas where these activities take place.

In turn, residents of these areas have reported high rates or respiratory illness, skin diseases, cancer and birth deformities.

So tell me Mr Curtis, why isn't Australia taking back this waste?

Lynas Rare Earth Plant: Betrayal by UMNO/BN

Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) had assured Malaysians that the condition for the issue of the TOL (Temporary Operating License) will be enforced. Here is what its Director General says:

5:39PM Sep 9, 2012:  AELB: We will hold Lynas to its waste export pledge

Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan has clarified that the regulatory body will enforce Lynas' pledge to export all its waste in the form of commercial products overseas.  The management and removal of residue is an integral part of the Temporary Operating Licence (TOL) conditions and agreements and is permanently documented in the licence document issued to Lynas on Sept 5, 2012. Issue of removal of residue being non-binding for Lynas, does not arise. It is legally binding and AELB will enforce it,"

But now compare it to what LAMP (Lynas Advanced Materials Plant)factory’s managing director, Mashal Ahmad said:

Marshal said Lamp needed to abide by international conventions which prohibit the export of toxic wastes to overseas countries, according to Guang Ming Daily’s Facebook page.

So again the dastardly UMNO/BN government had betrayed its citizens and have now left us holding a TOXIC baby which will not be exported out of the country and will be dumped somewhere in this country. These bastards deserves a thrashing in the coming General Election.

Read the whole article Wastes won't be exported out of Malaysia, says Lynas courtesy of Malaysiakini below:

Wastes won't be exported out of Malaysia, says Lynas

11:32PM Dec 7, 2012

No residues from the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) would be exported out from Malaysia, says the factory’s managing director, Mashal Ahmad.
Marshal said Lamp needed to abide by international conventions which prohibit the export of toxic wastes to overseas countries, according to Guang Ming Daily’s Facebook page.
The wastes have been a point of contention because they was allegedly contain radioactive materials, which leads to the fear of radioactive poisoning.
Meanwhile, Mashal claimed that Lamp had spent a few million ringgit to counter anti-Lynas allegations, according to a Sinchew Daily report.
He said Lamp had experienced a difficult time in the past two years “because of the anti-Lynas movement’s baseless allegations.”
“They (the anti-Lynas movement) just want to poison the public mindset,” he was quoted as saying.
Furthermore, he claimed that Lamp had to unnecessary spend RM2 million to purchase two radioactive detection monitoring systems - installed at Lamp and at the Kuantan police station - to rebut the allegation.
Meanwhile, Bernama reports that the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) has stationed its officers at the Lynas plant on a full-time basis to regulate and supervise continuously each stage of the trial processing of lanthanide concentrates.
AELB, in a statement in Kuala Lumpur today, said that it needed to ensure that all national laws and safety standards, as well as the international good practice for such operations were being adhered to.
“Continuous regulatory and supervision should also be carried out on the importing activity for lanthanide concentrates to Malaysia,” the statement said.
The statement said Lynas (M) Sdn Bhd had started its trial processing of lanthanide concentrates in stages and in limited quantities in line with the requirements stated in the temporary operating licence (TOL).
“Under Section 22 of the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1994 (Act 304), if the company committed a breach of any of the conditions of the licence or committed an offence under this Act, the AELB may cancel or suspend the TOL issued to the company.
“The company’s operation will also be stopped immediately pending further actions under the same Act,” the statement said.
AELB had issued the TOL to Lynas (M) Sdn Bhd on Sept 3, 2012 after the board was satisfied that Lynas had fulfilled all technical aspects, as well as all regulatory requirements.
Comparison of radiation levels
Bernama also reports that during a briefing, Lynas radiology safety adviser Prof Dr Ismail Bahari also demonstrated to the residents the comparison of radiation levels between the raw materials to be turned into rare earth metal and other raw materials such as monazide and iron ore.
Apart from discovering that the radiation level of the raw materials for rare earth metal was much lower that other raw materials, the residents also had the opportunity to hold and smell the rare earth materials which were deemed dangerous by the opposition.
A resident, Mokhtar Mamat, 63, said he was able to understand the plant’s operation better and would share the information with other residents so that they would get a clearer picture on the issue.
Sariah Awang Ngah, 45, from Kampung Sungai Karang Darat, on the other hand, said she used to have doubts about the safety aspects of the plant.
“Today, I know for sure what rare earth is all about. I used to listen to others, but during the demonstration today, I know exactly what Lynas will be doing at the plant,” she said, according to Bernama.
Lynas chose to operate in Malaysia because of its cheaper production costs compared to Australia while China had tightened export of the product. Lynas, too, had obtained licences to build the factory in the two countries.

Speech by Lim Guan Eng to all Malaysians

I didn't read this in my daily diet of online news website or blogs so copy-paste the speech by Lim Guan Eng which was email forwarded to me with a plea for me to also forward it to 10 other people. For me, the easiest way for me to spread the message is to post it to this Blog for Change blog:

Since Merdeka, two million Malaysians have migrated overseas because they do not see a future for themselves and for Malaysia. It is time that we don't live in our past that is filled with hatred and fear. We should look to the future led with hope and harmony between all Malaysians.

To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion.
To put the past behind us, we must end corruption.
To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedoms.
To put the past behind us, we must demand good governance and performance from our ministers.

To attain peace Malaysians must stand united and reject those who wish to divide us by preaching racial and religious hatred. If we want to benefit from equal opportunities and realize our human potential we must stop extremists from continually degrading others as inferiors so as to uplift ourselves. Why should Allah not be allowed to be used in the Bible when it is used in the Middle East?

We can only achieve harmony together. Despite our differences and diversity, Malaysians can make our common aspirations of freedom, justice, democracy and truth come true if we remember key values.

That it is not who we are that is important, but what we are that is important; not the colour of our skin that is important but the content of our character; and not our past ancestry that is important but how we connect with the present and with each other to face the future.

We can only be prosperous together. The time has come to focus on the economy, in employment, education and business opportunities as the conditions for prosperity. We must build human talent and be performance-based.

For those who say that PR do not know how to govern, the 4 PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have proven our ability by beating the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in investments comprising 53% of Malaysia's total investments of RM47.2 billion in 2010. For the first time in history, Penang is now the new champion of investments in Malaysia, coming out top in 2010 with RM 12.2 billion.

To put the past behind us, we must end corruption. Barisan Nasional cannot reform to end corruption. Remember, if we do not end corruption, Malaysia dies. If we end corruption, BN dies. The choice is clear.

To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedom. How can we have a clean government when we do not have clean elections?

We do not want our children to live in fear of oppressive laws as we have lived. A Pakatan Rakyat government will abolish the UUCA, the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act and restore local government elections.

When can we find justice for Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani and A Kugan? When will we have Freedom of Information & Freedom of Speech? When can we have justice that is not only done, but is seen to be done.

To put the past behind us, we demand good governance and performance from our ministers. Malaysia can be an international and intelligent country. We must have digital intelligence with broadband connectivity. We must also have integrity intelligence, so ensure that only honest people are the decision-makers. We must have institutional intelligence under the rule of law. We demand good governance and performance from our ministers.

Has the Transport Ministry done its duty to run our airports and seaports well? Look at the Penang International Airport whose completion has been delayed more than 3 times. And the Penang Port is to be reduced to be a feeder port and privatized to a 3rd party at the expense of Penangites. Why is there no consultation with the people of Penang to restore the port to its former glory? Instead of looking after airports and ports, the Transport Ministry is more interested in vehicle registration numbers and wants to increase the maximum traffic fines to RM2,000.

Director-General of Tourism is wrongly charged of corruption but the Tourism Minister finds nothing wrong with spending RM1.8 million in doing up her Facebook page, when we all know that it can be done for free.

The Health Ministry wants to privatise healthcare when it should be a public good given as an affordable right to all Malaysians. Why allow the wastage of public funds and affect the quality and affordability of drugs when drugs are bought through a middleman at higher prices when it could be bought cheaper direct from the manufacturers, some of which are operating in Malaysia.

The Housing and Local Government Ministry opposes local government elections in Penang, denying our fundamental democratic right to elect our councillors and our mayors.

We believe that Malaysians deserve better. For the last 50 years, the wealth of the nation has been robbed. Let us protect the future of our children by ensuring we have a people-centric government that protects you instead of harming you, that rewards you instead of stealing from you, that respects you instead of abusing your rights. Let us clean up Malaysia to save our children's future.

We must put the past behind us where profits matters more than our health. Lynas concerns all of us because if Lynas is allowed to operate, Barisan Nasional will proceed with building two nuclear reactors. If we continue to put health above profits, what is the use of having all the money in the world if you cannot enjoy it healthily?

The next elections shall be fought on the economy. We refuse to allow BN to use race as the issue in the next elections. We need to increase the incomes of our poor or else they will fall victims to the Ah Longs. For example, Bank Negara's Annual Report 2010 revealed that Malaysia's household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion or 76 per cent of GDP, thus giving us the dubious honour of having the second-highest level of household debt in Asia.

In addition, the Malaysian household debt service ratio stood at 47.8 per cent in 2010, meaning that nearly half of the average family's income goes to repaying debts. As a rule, banks would not lend money to those whose total servicing of loans exceeded one third of their income. In other words, we are spiralling into an indebted nation.

According to the New Economic Model documents, the bottom 40% of Malaysian households are living with a monthly average income of RM1,500 (and three-quarters of them are bumiputera) while 60% of the households (of four persons averagely) live with a less than RM3,000 income, which is near subsistence if one lives in the cities.

These are families living in fear. We will help them live with dignity and not in fear, by increasing their incomes and cutting down their costs, with a minimum wage, getting rid of monopolies, expanding internet connectivity and encouraging creativity, innovation and productivity.

South Korea is a very good example of a nation that chose democracy, performance and freedom of opportunity to become a developed country. With a population of 48 million, its GDP per capita of USD20,000 is more than double Malaysia's. But in 1970, South Korea's per capita GDP was only USD260 compared to Malaysia's USD380. We used to regularly beat South Korea at football. And now our children are fans of K-pop culture and their football team are regulars at the World Cup.

Only when we free ourselves of fear of change, can we be free to prosper. BN cannot change. They need to be changed, for BN wants to rule by fear.

Thomas Jefferson has said "When the governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny". The choice is yours, my friends. I urge you - Let us change so we can have liberty and live with dignity.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan

(The above was from an email forward. Don't remember reading it in my regular online news portals so appending a message below. In your case, for the sake of the nation, hope you will let your close ones and friends about this post)

Please remember, by 7th level this email will reach 1 million people and that is only when each of us forward it to 10 people Please do it for the sake of our future. This is a good deed that all Malaysians MUST do.It is our duty to save our nation.

You are going to save 28 million people. Please do so.

A message from Selina for Malay friends

This message from this lady Selina was from an email forward. Read and see if it tugs at your heart:

Selina, a former student of Ipoh Methodist Girls School, took a First Class Honours
degree in physics from Qxford and obtained a PhD in theoretical physics from the
same university.

After a stint with a US investment bank, she now opts to be a writer.

An open letter to my Malay friends

Selina Siak Chin Yoke
3:47PM Aug 31, 2012

August 31 is Malaysia’s Independence (Merdeka) Day. On this day 55 years ago, the Union Jack was lowered for the last time and a new country was born.

Malaysia. She was to be a powerful narrative for multiculturalism. A place where many races – Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasian, Orang Asli (native indigenous people) – would live together, work together as one, to move the country beyond the shadow of colonisation.

Malaysia remains a powerful idea. It’s one I believe in. But it has gone badly wrong. That’s why today, I’m writing this open letter to my Malay family and friends.

I believe Malaysia is fast reaching a crossroad; where it goes next will be determined by you, my dear Malay friends. And where Malaysia goes is important to the world – because it remains one of the more tolerant Muslim countries.

First though, I want to say a big thank you. On this Merdeka day, I want to thank you, my Malay family and friends and all fellow Malaysians of Malay descent, for your historic generosity.

Your ancestors welcomed mine when they arrived. You have shared the land with us, and this in turn gave us opportunities we wouldn’t have had in mainland China.

You provided us safe refuge from the turmoil of China. When I learnt what happened there in the past century, I am so grateful my ancestors left. And that they found shelter in the beautiful land now called Malaysia.

My Malay friends, your own ancestors came from other places. They knew what it was like to be strangers in a new country. They treated my ancestors with that gracious hospitality which I myself have experienced countless times. All this I acknowledge, and thank you for.

But now I need to move on to something else: why I left Malaysia, and why I won’t be returning any time soon.

You may already know that two out of 10 Malaysian graduates live outside Malaysia. This is an astonishing fact for a middle-income country like Malaysia. It was revealed in a detailed study on Malaysia’s brain drain, carried out by the World Bank.

My Malay family and friends, do you not care about this exodus of talent? This isn’t just an abstract number: in our family, half those of my generation live abroad. We are the graduates this World Bank report identifies. We compete happily in the world economy and have no need to return.

Perhaps, my Malay friends, you think the brain drain irrelevant, since most of the people who have left are of Chinese and Indian descent? Certainly, this is what many Malays think, as Nurul Izzah Anwar, daughter of Anwar Ibrahim, has alluded to.

“For me,” she says, “one Malaysian regardless of race, who has left the country…is a loss to us. They should be here celebrating, to improve the economy. I detest many people trying to singularly find out whether they are Malays, Chinese or Indians.”

My sentiments entirely. This fixation on race, race, race, in Malaysia is strangling the country. Yes, 88 per cent of the one million Malaysians estimated to be living abroad are of Chinese and Indian descent. So what? My Malay friends, I ask you: does our race matter more than the fact that we have taken our talents elsewhere?

Yet, should I expect anything else? How could any Malaysian not be fixated on race, when you, my Malay family and friends, are accorded ‘special’ rights solely because of your race and religion?

Imagine if the United States had given ‘special’ privileges to the Pilgrim fathers and mothers and their descendants. Special rights to land, schools, gold mines and everything else – all because they sailed first; yes, just imagine! This is exactly what your special rights equate to. If the US had adopted such a policy, do you think it would have turned into a magnet for talent and skills?

Tell anyone about a Malaysian university reserved for people with ‘special’ privileges based on race, and you will see the reaction. What? People stare in disbelief. You must be kidding!

I’m not. And there have been demonstrations against opening the institute up to other Malaysians. Yet, Malaysians are so used to these oddities that we don’t bat an eyelid. We no longer notice the strange ideas plaguing our country.

Your ‘special’ rights, my Malay family and friends, alienate me. They make me feel unwelcome, unwanted and second-class. They are why I left.

They are also why I won’t be back. Rights are a zero-sum game: for you to have more rights, others must necessarily have fewer. TalentCorp (the agency set up to attract Malaysians back) completely misses the point.

And when I see the culture of entitlement your ‘special’ privileges have led to, and the increasingly racist rhetoric this culture generates, I fear for Malaysia. Outrageous remarks are now commonplace, as former US ambassador John R. Malott outlined in his Feb 8, 2011, op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

Malaysia has once again been called Tanah Melayu (Malay Land). Malay Land was given airtime by none other than Mahathir Mohamed, former prime minister and rabble-rouser extraordinaire, who is himself from a family with Indian immigrants. Malay Land is more than just a name. His is a supremacist concept: a land for Malays, where Malays will be Lords, everyone else their subjects.

Some people say Mahathir no longer matters, but actually he does. I feel less welcome now in Malaysia than at any time in the past. The attitudes of Malay Land are creeping in, and Malay Land is completely the opposite of Malaysia. Malay Land excludes, while Malaysia embraces and includes – a country for all races.

My Malay family and friends, which is it you want: Malay Land, or Malaysia? You cannot have both; you must choose.

On this Merdeka Day, I urge you to think about that choice. Because you, my dear Malay friends, are the only people who can truly change the direction Malaysia takes. Know that we, your fellow-Malaysians who have voted with our feet, are rooting for Malaysia.

We are no traitors as 68 per cent of the Malaysians abroad who were surveyed by the World Bank expressed a strong sense of patriotism or attachment to Malaysia. I am among this 68 per cent. I may have been away for 33 years, but Malaysia continues to be in my dreams.

I left with regret, and I stay away with sadness. I hope Malaysia will prevail.

Why Anwar and not Hadi should be PM

Here is a great article by a 22 year old Malaysian who explained why he has great respect and support Anwar Ibrahim. John Lee has traced how Dato Onn Ja’afar’s political career ended when he tried to make UMNO admits non-Malays as members and how the new multi-racial party he founded floundered in failure. And after Dato Onn, only Mahathir had briefly succeeded with his Bangsa Malaysia but it was only NATO (No Action Talk Only),

John Lee has described how Anwar has almost single-handedly created a multi-racial movement and thus I too support Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister when Pakatan Rakyat wins Federal Power.

And why not Hadi Awang as Prime Minister. PAS may believe in multi-racialism but then for them there is discrimination based on religion and non-Muslims has a lower status than Muslims.

Read the article in full by John Lee below:

Hey Guys, I have not read such an interesting article for a long long time.  Amazingly, it was written by a "22 years old".  After reading it, it makes every "sane" person not to choose UMNO/BN as the next government.  Bravo!!!

PLEASE HELP CIRCULATE THIS!!! IT'S TIME "RACE POLITICS" END IN OUR COUNTRY!!!

Great article by John Lee M K.  You will never believe that this is a 22-year-old.

................................................................................

It ignores a simple reality: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has already made history by being the first Malay politician to ever actually win more political support through an explicitly non-racial platform. It is practically impossible to underestimate how Anwar bucked the trend; he has completely turned our understanding of politics in this country on its head.
History has already made it crystal-clear; Malay politicians who try to unite the country by appealing to a common sense of Malaysian-ness inevitably wind up heading into political oblivion.  Dato Onn Ja'afar's political career went up in flames the moment he founded the first multiracial political party in the  country, in spite of it having every conceivable advantage - it was literally the incumbent party of the time because of Onn's towering status in Malayan politics. And it, of course, foundered completely.
Since then nobody has even tried to unite the Malays as Malaysians. Unite the Malays as Malays, of course; Syed Jaafar Albar famously proclaimed in the 1960s that he was a Malay first and a Malaysian second. Syed Hussein Alatas made an admirable attempt to change Malaysian politics through Gerakan, and we all know how that turned out. Literally every Malay leader who has tried to be Malaysian first ever since has risked being branded as a sell-out, a puppet of the non-Malays and a stooge of Lee Kuan Yew.
The one exception was Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who experienced some brief success with his Bangsa Malaysia idea. This only makes sense, considering Dr Mahathir's iron-fisted handling of anyone who dared to oppose him; it is thus a pity that he never took this policy beyond mere words.
The moment Dr Mahathir handed over the reins to his successor, Malay politicians were up in arms criticising Bangsa Malaysia as a 'nebulous' and untenable concept for daring to acknowledge that the non-Malays have a place in this country too.
So here we are today: 51 years after independence, the easiest way to tar a Malay politician next to calling him a Jew-lover is to accuse him of saying this country belongs to the Chinese and Indians too. That is simply how Malaysian politics works; to win the support of the Malays, you need to denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters, who are only here as a matter of privilege rather than right, a privilege revocable at any time.
And what a coincidence it is - that is exactly how the Malaysian government works too. If you're not an Indonesian who can be counted as a Malay, your application for permanent residency or citizenship can never hope to see the light of day. If you're not a Malay, you can expect to hear your fair share of racist remarks in a public national school - and not from students, mind you, but teachers. As a student you can expect a syllabus which teaches you about the meaning of ketuanan Melayu rather than bangsa Malaysia. As an employee you can expect a civil service where you're not welcome unless they need you to fulfil their minuscule quota of non-Malay recruits. As an entrepreneur you can expect a government - and many government-linked companies - which will not give you any business unless you are a Malay. Half a century after independence, and that's what 40% of this country has to look forward to.
And since this is how the government works, up-and-coming politicians and political activists realise this is how politics works too. That is why even though you will never hear the typical Malaysian voicing such sentiments, political activists will readily denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters here at the behest of a social contract which gives them the privilege, not right, to stay and live here.
Since this is how politics and government have worked since time immemorial, we owe Anwar an incredible debt for nearly single-handedly
turning all this - everything - completely on its head. For the past half century, to be a good Malay leader, you have either had to publicly proclaim your support for ketuanan Melayu - and not the mild ketuanan as in strong leadership, but ketuanan as in 'blood will run in the streets if our demands are not met' - or you have had to simply avoid commenting on the issue and just hope you can be all things to all people. Anwar ran on a platform, not of vague meaningless nice-sounding platitudes, but a platform explicitly against everything ketuanan Melayu stands for.
This is a man, mind you, who celebrated the end of his ban on active politics by damning ketuanan Melayu and consigning it to the dust heap of history. This is a man who has publicly and repeatedly proclaimed that his commitment is to the sovereignty of the people - ketuanan rakyat - rather than the dominance of the Malays.
This is a man who has never wavered from his stand that the philosophy of government assistance based on racial origin, rather than economic
status, is fundamentally and morally wrong. This is a man who has repeatedly, wherever he goes, whoever he speaks to, driven home the
same point, again and again: 'Anak Melayu, anak saya. Anak Cina, anak saya. Anak India, anak saya.'
And this is a man who has had everything in the traditional playbook of Malaysian politics thrown at him. He's been labelled a heretic, a sodomite, a liar, a hypocrite, a traitor willing to sell the Malays and Malaysians out at a moment's notice. The ruling coalition has done everything in their power to make it known far and wide that this is a man committed to non-racialism; committed to a Malaysia where everyone belongs.
Regardless of whether you think he deserves it, or if he was just lucky, credit is due to Anwar: where so many brave Malay leaders have fallen and failed, he has won an incredible victory. Onn Ja'afar was vilified simply for opening up his political party to Malayans of all creeds and colours; Anwar has gone above and beyond, explicitly declaring that this is a country for all Malaysians, whoever they might be. And he has won a resounding victory.
It would be one thing if he scraped through with a majority of less than 5,000 votes in the recent by-election, but the fact is, it was not even close - not with a landslide majority of 15,000, larger even than the majority his wife won before he explicitly condemned ketuanan Melayu. Anwar has succeeded where everyone else has failed; he has carved out a broad base of political support, not on a platform of rights or privileges for one community, but a platform of justice and equality of opportunity for all communities.
Criticise Anwar all you like for his inconsistent and wishy-washy stands on other issues. Criticise his coalition for its internal dissension and strange hypocrisy all you want. You can even say you have no intention of trusting a man who might just stab you in the back the moment he gains power.
The fact of the matter is, you do not have a choice between Anwar and your ideal, committed, consistent, sincere Malaysian leader. Your choice, in the here and now, is between Anwar and a regime built on racism, built on stoking the flames of mistrust and hatred. This regime of hatred has delivered its promise of ketuanan Melayu; why should we expect things to be any worse under a regime promising ketuanan rakyat? At the worst, it's the same old shit under a different government; at best, we might finally have a government and a political system which works for all Malaysians rather than whoever yells the loudest and threatens the most blood.
As far as taking power is concerned, this is still a long shot. Anwar may yet turn out to be a flop on delivering if he ever gets the chance to govern. But the simple and stark reality is, as far as we who live in the present are concerned, he is our best and only chance to put a stop to this insanity.
Anwar is not the perfect vessel for uniting the country, but there is a reason he scares the powers that be: he is the first real chance we have ever had to unite the country against the demons of racialism and parochialism. And for now, he is our only chance. He is the only one who can cross ethnic barriers to proclaim a commitment to a Malaysia where Malaysians, not Malays, are sovereign, and actually win more support than before.
I am no huge fan of Anwar, but I recognise what he has done, and how far he has come. I support him, not because I like him as a person, but because I believe in the cause he champions, and because I believe that if there is any person in this country who can make that dream a reality, it is Anwar Ibrahim.