Charity is popular business

Why is charity or setting up a charity is such a good business, or popular thing to do? Bankrupts are doing it, kids are doing it, jobless people are doing it, religious people are doing it, and officials are doing it? There must be something very attractive about doing charity. Good for the heart, good for the image. Or is there something more to it? Looking at the number of charity organisations or funds that are being set up every month, it has truly become a business, with many people being employed and working. Don't be surprise soon one of these entrepreneurs will be receiving the businessman of the year award.

The perceived fear of the internet

The internet is seen as a destructive or unfriendly force by most govt. They see internet as undermining whatever they set out to do. They see internet as critical, cynical and opposing whatever they say or whatever they want the people to believe. So internet is misinformation, biased information. Msm is genuine information and unbiased. What kind of tooth is this? Actually the internet is just a neutral tool, a new way of communication. The power of the day has been using and monopolising the msm to serve their own agenda all the time. With msm, they can say what they like without being challenged. Now they are uncomfortable with the internet for they no longer have control, they cannot say what they want to say and hear what they want to hear. This is the perceived fear of the internet. And in a way it is true. For only the contrarian views are expressed in the internet. The views of the authority or govt are seldom heard or expressed in the internet. But this is not the fault of the internet for having a skewed view. The internet is gaining this reputation by default. The govt and authority stay away, shun the internet as a matter of choice. The reasons is best left to themselves to explain, but pretty obvious. And the internet is branded as a misfit. Why blame the internet when the authority refuses to engage the cyber citizens? Internet is fair game to all. If you have a good point, it will be accepted by the logical and reasonable. And this is the group that the authority should be talking to. Not the cuckoos and the mentally disturbed. There are many in cyberspace but they should simply be ignored. The internet is there and everyone is invited to have his say, freely. Everyone can have a view.

Dialect teaching - Going forward or backward?

I was brought up as a dialect speaker. I still feel the same sense of intimacy when conversing in my dialect with another of the similar kind. In the name of culture and roots and connection with Ah Ma and Ah Kong, some want to bring back dialect officially. The idea is seductive. Mandarin is a little alien and a little uncomfortable to many. The key question is whether we should go back to dialects. We have come so far, after the initial resistance and pain, to have Mandarin fully established among the young. The days of the old hags are over, or numbered. I too will be over in no time. Any attempt at this stage to reverse the direction will be a big waste of effort. For before the dialect is acquired, the old generation of old hags will be gone and the new generation of old hags will be Mandarin or English speakers. There will no longer be any anguish for not being able to communicate with Ah Kong and Ah Ma. Mandarin and a standard Chinese script have done immeasurable good to a huge country like China, a country that is so diverse in culture and ethnicity. Imagine what would China be like without an official language. Maybe they will have to adopt English as the common language. Do not underestimate the power of language. English is the lingua franca of the West. It has slowly evolved and become a language of choice in science and technology, in trade and commerce, and in diplomacy. Most important, it allows the world to speak to one another. Do we want to dilute our effort in having one common language for a group of diverse Chinese just because we want to talk to a few old hags at home? Think very carefully. Think with the head and not the heart. My heart says yes to dialect. My head says no. OK, it is only for a few in schools. An elective subject for those who want. Can we afford the resources if every 3 person want to learn their mother tongue? If we are going ahead with this experiment, we must be prepared to give in to the request of all racial groups who are emotionally attached to their mother tongue. My personal choice, let's don't turn back and undo all the things that have been done. We will create a bigger mess. Talk cock sing song is ok. When talk cock and sing song are taken seriously and implemented as official policies that will affect the whole people and the future generation, let's be more careful.

The awakening

Like it or not, believe it or not, the Malaysian GE has brought new light into Cyberspace. Hsien Loong had talked about it, and has hinted that new regulations will be put in place to match the developments of internet news and gossips. Then TOC is taking the initiative to think ahead and has came out with a list of proposals to preempt what the bright guys and gals would come up with to fix the cyberspace challenge. And Loh Chee Kong also wrote an article questioning the relevance and the role that the msm should play before it becomes irrelevant. Actually all the professional journalists have been very uneasy with what they were doing and wanted a change. But they are just too smart to talk about it. Many would want to express themselves differently, write about issues they feel passionately about, the way they really see them. Poor buggers, trying to earn a decent living and constantly bug by their conscience, and having sleepless night. Then having to put up a brave front in cocktail parties explaining why and what they did are the tooth. And having to bear with the cynical smiles around them.

A Sunday morning muse

Green Peas asked me if I am a believer. Firstly it is not nice to tell someone you don't believe in him. Secondly it can be a dangerous thing to do. On a Sunday morning, maybe it is good to let the imagination runs wild. Let's create a hypothetical scenario. LKY decides that he had enough of politics for a lifetime. And he feels that Hsien Loong deserves a good break, having worked so hard to look after a Singaporean population that is increasingly more demanding and less appreciative of the sacrifices politicians made for them. So he bought a piece of land in Australia, about 100 times the size of Singapore. And he calls it the state of LKY. Oops, miss out the e. The estate of LKY. He and his family and his extended families are going to retire into this estate that he can called his own. No more politics, just live and enjoy life like a baron. Well, that should be a good and happy ending like in the fairy tales. And they live happily ever after. Now a new chapter of politiking starts in paradise. Overnight, every minister realises that he is a PM potential. Everyone suddenly found the inner calling, that he is cut out to take Singapore to greater heights. All have great plans on the new Singapore that he wants it to be. The amazing thing is that there are more than a dozen ministers vying for the post when none was available yesterday. And everyone look so good and so capable, and so deserving. Let's give it a try. PM Jayakumar, PM Wong Kan Seng, PM Lim Boon Heng, PM Ng Eng Hen, PM Tharman, PM Lim Hng Kiang, PM Teo Chee Hian, PM George Yeo, PM Lee Boon Yang, PM Shanmugam, PM Yaacob, PM Khaw Boon Wan. They all sound so good, so comfortable. Singaporeans, I think, will easily get use to calling any one of them PM. Not that difficult actually. The morning air smells so refreshing.

Why finding the next PM is so difficult?

My earlier suggestion is that no one has the aspiration and ambition to want to be the PM. I clarify, no one in the ruling party or in the cabinet now has that kind of ambition or audacity to want the job. So the present politicians can be totally ruled out. So what's the problem Joe? Actually PAP has created it's own problem for keeping a lid on a potential PM to rise from the ground on his own volition. I remember, one criteria in choosing PAP candidate is to reject those that are too willing to serve or want to come into politics. So no eager beavers. What is happening now is that all the eager beavers will pretend to be disinterested. All will say, 'I am not interested in politics!' And when offer, they quickly say no or want another 5 years to think about it. Another problem that is self created is to look for successful people in the different fields. So all the smart politicians or people with political ambition know what to do. Be successful in their own fields first and wait to be invited for tea. And all are eagerly waiting. Bet you, there will be some wolves in sheep's clothing waiting as well. When the system of picking politicians is such, everyone that is smart enough will want to pretend to be another Zhu Ke Liang, say no three times and let the master wait at the doorstep. In the meantime hide in seclusion and patiently wait for the master to come knocking at the door. The most damaging thing for any PM potential to do is to say 'I want, I want.' Any disclosure of such an ambition is a sure way of an early political demise. So how to find the next PM?

How could so wrong be so right?

The Malaysian govt is compensating 6 judges who were sacked by Mahathir in 1988. Among them was the former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas. There was no admission of guilt but many see this as a compromise way of saying sorry, that the govt had done wrong. And the people who are making the amend are the same UMNO leaders that said nothing and went along with the misdeed. How could something that was so right then, is now seen and acknowledged by all that it was wrong without even a retrial? Or is that the intent, to avoid a reopening of the case to put right what was wrong? How much faith could the Malaysians place on their leaders for such miscarriage of justice, to boot out their eminent people in the judiciary? But this is Malaysian politics. And this is democracy, or is it?

The emergence of the next PM

Singaporeans have been sold the idea that the next PM must come from those in the 30s, probably some straight A's kid who is very successful making money somewhere else. See, straight A's and making money are two vital qualities. The heart and the passion to serve the people are of lesser importance. How many Singaporeans really believe that the next PM will be someone in his 30s today? If life is so simple, that we can plan everything to such an extent, we will have peace and prosperity in the world. When JB Jeyaratnam announced the formation of a new Reform Party, I say, geez, he could be our next PM if the force wants him to be. He is available and offering himself to the people. And he, surprisingly named his party the Reform Party. A senior 82 year gentleman with reform in mind. Reform, a milder version of Revolution and change, should be initiated from the young hot heads as many would naturally think so. Now, this octogenarian is going to lead the reform of the new Singapore. And he has a full list of agenda on what he wants to reform. Kids, stand aside. Not your turn yet. JB is here first. A man who has an undying passion to lead and serve the country, with a heart and intention in the right place. He may not have the straight A's and the money making ability, but he wants to serve the country. Who should the Singaporeans choose? Someone who wants to do the job or someone they have to beg to do the job and with offers of a huge salary package? And then the guy comes in and says it is a big sacrifice to take the job? He may even say Singapore and Singaporeans are so lucky to have him for a song. And Singaporeans must forever be grateful. This is the land of possibilities. Don't doubt, anything is possible.

Hypocrisy and danger

hrhPublished on Monday, April 14, 2008 by CommonDreams.org The Hypocrisy and Danger of Anti-China Demonstrations by Floyd Rudmin We hear that Tibetans suffer “demographic aggression” and “cultural genocide”. But we do not hear those terms applied to Spanish and French policies toward the Basque minority. We do not hear those terms applied to the US annexation of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1898. And Diego Garcia? In 1973, not so long ago, the UK forcibly deported the entire native Chagossian population from the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. People were allowed one suitcase of clothing. Nothing else. Family pets were gassed, then cremated. Complete ethnic cleansing. Complete cultural destruction. Why? In order to build a big US air base. It has been used to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq, and soon maybe to bomb Iran and Pakistan. Diego Garcia, with nobody there but Brits and Americans, is also a perfect place for rendition, torture and other illegal actions. When the Olympics come to London in 2012, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu will certainly lead the demonstrators protesting the “demographic aggression” and “cultural genocide” in Diego Garcia. The UN Secretary General, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the new US President and the entire US Congress will certainly boycott the opening ceremonies. The height of hypocrisy is this moral posturing about 100 dead in race riots in Lhasa, while the USA, UK and more than 40 nations in the Coalition of the Willing wage a war of aggression against Iraq. This is not “demographic aggression” but raw shock-and-awe aggression. A war crime. A war on civilians, including the intentional destruction of the water and sewage systems, and the electrical grid. More than one million Iraqis are now dead; five million made into refugees. The Western invaders may not be doing “cultural genocide” but they are doing cultural destruction on an immense scale, in the very cradle of Western Civilization. Why is the news filled with demonstrators about Tibet but not about Iraq? And as everyone knows but few dare say, “demographic aggression” and “cultural genocide” can be applied most accurately to Israel’s settlement policies and systematic destruction of Palestinian communities. On this, the Dalai Lama seems silent. Demonstrators don’t wave flags for bulldozed homes, destroyed orchards, or dead Palestinian children. The Chinese Context The Chinese government is responsible for the well-being and security of one-fourth of humanity. Race riots and rebellion cannot be tolerated, not even when done by Buddhist monks. Chinese Civilization was already old when the Egyptians began building pyramids. But the last 200 years have not gone well, what with two Opium Wars forcing China to import drugs, and Europeans seizing coastal ports as a step to complete colonial control, then the Boxer Rebellion, the collapse of the Manchu Dynasty, civil war, a brutal invasion and occupation by Japan, more civil war, then Communist consolidation and transformation of society, then Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Such events caused tens of millions of people to die. Thus, China’s recent history has good reasons why social order is a higher priority than individual rights. Race riots and rebellion cannot be tolerated. Considering this context, China’s treatment of its minorities has been exemplary compared to what the Western world has done to its minorities. After thousands of years of Chinese dominance, there still are more than 50 minorities in China. After a few hundred years of European dominance in North and South America, the original minority cultures have been exterminated, damaged, or diminished. Chinese currency carries five languages: Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uigur, and Zhuang. In comparison, Canadian currency carries English and French, but no Cree or Inuktitut. If the USA were as considerate of ethnic minorities as is China, then the greenback would be written in English, Spanish, Cherokee and Hawaiian. In China, ethnic minorities begin their primary schooling in their own language, in a school administered by one of their own community. Chinese language instruction is not introduced until age 10 or later. This is in sharp contrast to a history of coerced linguistic assimilation in most Western nations. The Australian government recently apologized to the Aboriginal minority for taking children from their families, forcing them to speak English, beating them if they spoke their mother tongue. China has no need to make such apology to Tibetans or to other minorities. China’s one-child-policy seems oppressive to Westerners, but it has not applied to minorities, only to the Han Chinese. Tibetans can have as many children as they choose. If Han people have more than one child, they are punished. There is a similar preference given to minorities when it comes to admission to universities. For example, Tibetan students enter China’s elite Peking University with lower exam scores than Han Chinese students. China is not a perfect nation, but on matters of minority rights, it has been better than most Western nations. And China achieved this in the historical context of restoring itself and recovering from 200 years of continual crisis and foreign invasion. Historical Claims National boundaries are not natural. They all arise from history, and all history is disputable. Arguments and evidence can always be found to challenge a boundary. China has long claimed Tibet as part of its territory, though that has been hard to enforce during the past 200 years. The Dalai Lama does not dispute China’s claim to Tibet. The recent race riots in Tibet and the anti-Olympics demonstrations will not cause China to shrink itself and abandon part of its territory. Rioters and demonstrators know that. Foreign governments promoting Tibet separatism and demonstrators demanding Tibet independence should look closer to home. Canadians can campaign for Québec libre. Americans can support separatists in Puerto Rico, Vermont, Texas, California, Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska. Brits can work for a free Wales, and Scotland for the Scots. French can help free Tahitians, New Caledonians, Corsicans, and the Basques. Spaniards can also back the Basques, or the Catalonians. Italians can help Sicilian separatists or the Northern League. Danes can free the Faeroe Islands. Poles can back Cashubians. Japanese can help Okinawan separatists, and Filipinos can help the Moros. Thai can promote Patanni independence; Indonesians can promote Acehnese independence. New Zealanders can leave the islands to the Maori; Australians can vacate Papua. Sri Lankans can help Tamil separatists; Indians can help Sikh separatists. Nearly every nation has a separatist movement of some kind. There is no need to go to Tibet, to the top of the world, to promote ethnic separatism. China is not promoting separatism in other nations and does not appreciate other nations promoting separatism in China. The people most oppressed, most needing a nation of their own, are the Palestinians. There is a worthy project to promote and to demonstrate about. Danger of Demonstrations These demonstrations do not serve Tibetans, but rather use Tibetans for ulterior motives. Many Tibetans, therefore, oppose these demonstrations. Many Chinese remember their history and see the riots in Lhasa and subsequent demonstrations as another attempt by foreign powers to dismember and weaken China. There is grave danger that Chinese might come to fear Tibetans as traitors, resulting in wide spread anti-Tibetan feelings in China. Fear that an ethnic minority serves foreign forces caused Canada, during World War 1, to imprison its Ukranian minority in concentration camps. For similar reasons, the Ottomans deported their Armenian minority and killed more than a million in death marches. The German Nazis saw the Jewish minority as traitors who caused defeat in World War 1; hence deportations in the 1930s and death camps in the 1940s. During World War 2, both Canada and the USA feared that their Japanese immigrant minorities were traitorous and deported them to concentration camps. Indonesians fearing their Chinese minority, deported 100,000 in 1959 and killed thousands more in 1965. Israel similarly fears its Arab minority, resulting in deportations and oppression. Hopefully, the Chinese government and the Chinese people will see Tibetans as victims of foreign powers rather than agents of foreign powers. However, if China reacts like other nations have in history and starts systematic severe repression of Tibetans, then today’s demonstrators should remember their role in causing that to happen. Conclusion The demonstrators now disparaging China serve only to distract themselves and others from seeing and correcting the current failings of their own governments. If the demonstrators will take a moment to listen, they will hear the silence of their own hypocrisy. The consequences of these demonstrations are 1) China will stiffen its resolve to find foreign influences inciting Tibetans to riot, and 2) the governments of the USA, UK, France and other Western nations will have less domestic criticism for a few weeks. That is all. These demonstrations can come to no good end. Floyd Rudmin can be contacted by email at Floyd.Rudmin@psyk.uit.no

Outcry over a Peanut

There is huge opposition and outcry in Europe over the proposal to pay the EU President a colossal salary of S$580K a year! Now, what are these Europeans thinking? Their EU President not even worth a peanut? Who else can also be called a peanut president or a peanut PM? George Bush is paid S$670k, slightly more than a peanut. Gordon Brown is paid S$521k, slightly less than a peanut. The French President, Sarkozy, a mere S$469k, can't even qualify as a peanut. The rest of the world, nothing worth talking about. All less than a peanut president and PMs.

Choosing a new god

In the assembly of gods, God said, 'Ye are gods.' A new god will be chosen by the existing gods, in their own image. If we look at this as a leadership renewal, is it heartening to know that our new leader will be chosen, like companies head hunting for a new CEO? I remember Shakespear's famous phrase in the Twelveth Night, 'Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.' Now I shall add, 'Some are chosen to be great.'

Top brains for the Premiership

The concept of having the top academic brains in govt was a practice in Imperial China for centuries. But if historical records were anything to be trusted, they failed over and over again. Also, the top academic brains were best only in administrative roles. Many were not real leaders or did not make it to the top post, ie the Emperorship. The Emperor was our equivalent of the PM. Many top scholars reached the premiership in their career. But the premiership then was at best a top civil servant. The Emperor was the ruler akin to the PM today. A ruler. The type of leadership in a ruler is very different from those of top civil servant. A top academic brain or a top professional is not necessary the right guy for the job. Political leadership demands more than academic or professional excellence. Otherwise all the deans of universities or top scientists, doctors, lawyers, engineers will all end up as the top man. Historically, many leaders were not top academic brains or top professionals. We have librarian, soldiers, businessmen, football club manager, actors, farmers and of course lawyers and mathematicians. The real leaders are not simply just because of their academic prowess. And a good leader is something else. It is the heart that is more important.

PAP Kindergarten fee up

The PAP kindergarten is a national institution. Its existence around the heartland and for the last 30/40 years mean that whole generations of Singaporeans have benefitted from them. Many Singaporeans see the National Service as a national institution for male bonding, a phase of life that all young Singaporeans have in common. A common background to share and talk about. The kindergarten's impact is even more pervasive. Young boys and girls went through them in the early foundation days of their lives. And it was education and upbringing at a very affordable cost. But affordability is now an issue. In 2006, the monthly fee was $30.50. It went up to $50.60 in 2007. It is going to be $95 a month starting 1 Jul 08. Some parents are crying foul. Some thought that the increase in fee was due to the provision of airconditioning in the classroom as some richer parents have requested for it. So they have appealed for a lowering of fees rather than the comfort of aircon. It is true that many Singaporeans are getting more affluent and would like to live in a more comfortable environment. And airconditioning is becoming a necessity. But is aircondition so desirable? Nothing wrong with pampering our young in such comfort. But with the high fuel cost and electricity bill, not many hardlanders are going to be able to afford such comfort for long. And for those young pampered boys, they will have to get used to life without aircon when they enter NS. Unless military training camps will have aircons in time to come. The jungles surely have no aircon. Another problem with the high fees is that it does not gel well with the push for bigger families. The high education cost and now the high kindergarten fees are going to deter parents from having a brood. Then again, maybe hardlanders who cannot afford it should not have too many children. It is going to be very tough on their pockets. And many will pooh pooh the little increase as another affordable thing. For those who can afford it, what is $95 a month.

Plans afoot to ease Jalan Kayu congestion

This heading was followed by a letter from Yam Meng Keng, Chairman, Jlan Kay CCC/EUP Working Committee in the Today paper. He thank George Pasqual and Jayandran Sandra Alison for their letters on the condition of Jalan Kayu Estate. It seems that the estate is also faced with congestion problem and this will be resolved soon. Who knows, ERP gantries could soon be erected in Jalan Kayu. For solving traffic flow problem, nothing is more effective than ERP. I would not dare to complain about congestion in my estate. It could be an invitation for more ERPs.

CNN's apology is more insulting

CNN has apologised for the comment by its commentator Jack Cafferty for calling the Chinese people goons. Now with the outcry in China and a demand for an apology, they said he or CNN meant 'Only Chinese leaders are goons, thugs.' And the sickening thing is that they think that will get them scotch free, that it is ok to call the Chinese leaders derogatory names and the Chinese people would not mind. It is like believing that people can call their father and mother dogs and bitches and they will not be offended. Maybe the CNN people will accept such remarks on their parents. But this is what a reputable msm standard of conduct and ethics is all about. OK it is freedom of expression without responsibility and propriety. If any Chinese media would like to pay me a small sum of money, I will be the equivalent of Jack Cafferty and let go my pieces as flowery as can be. I think I can do no lesser than Cafferty.

New Straits Times slammed UMNO

Unbelieveable, the NST slammed UMNO for behaving badly after a bad showing in the last GE. God works mysteriously. This is what NST said, 'People are getting fed up with UMNO's moaning and groaning. The truth is that the people have long been disgusted with the kind of boorish and loutish behaviour that UMNO leaders have exemplified because of their grip on power since independence in 1957.' Finally the journalists who have their views and feelings suppressed all these years just let go their truth. To be fair, many of these journalists are just ordinary beans with family to feed and need to tow the line, cari makan. When the time comes for them to be themselves, they will write what they truly believe in. This may happen in paradise too, one day. God works mysteriously in his own way.

Walter Woon the romantic

A few months back when Chan Sek Keong spoke to the young lawyers, he raised the problem of pay and shortage of lawyers. And as expected, he in a way suggested that the solution is to pay them more, a time tested and no need to sweat the small stuff type of solution. Yesterday Walter Woon made an appeal to young lawyers to work with him in the name of altruism, to serve with a sense of public duty. He wanted 'to attract lawyers who will look beyond financial gains. For saying this, he must be totally out of synch with the great Singapore mentality. Where got smart people work not for money? And lawyers are smart people. But I like this fellow. After so many years in the establishment, he has not been seduced by greed, that money is everything in life. In a way he is a romantic inside, a little like me. It is refreshing and healthy at this point in time to still be able to find such a man in public service. I thought they were extinct. A little idealism and romanticism is good for the soul. Anyway he need not worry that no young lawyers will join him. A big pay rise is on the card and coming very soon.

The mask unveiled

As UMNO fights for its life, to remain in power, the truth of what UMNO really stands for becomes clearer. The speech by the Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Mohammad Faris on the special privileges of Malays and UMNO's unflinching endorsement clearly defined its position. It is no longer a special right but more, Ketuanan Melayu. The criticism of Ong Ka Ting(MCA) and Karpal Singh(DAP) on the same speech tells two different stories. In the case of MCA, they have been supporting UMNO's position all these years and it sounds kind of hollow. In the case of DAP, their stand is quite understandable. The DAP stand is also about recognition of the Special Rights of the Malays but not the Ketuanan Melayu of UMNO. Acceptance of this right has not been questioned by the non Malays. What they are opposing is the extreme interpretation of this right by UMNO. Even PAS is not in agreement with UMNO on this. They are more concern with protecting the rights of the underprivileged, especially the Malays. They are not comfortable with protecting the rights of the rich UMNOs and their corrupt ways. There is a huge difference in what the two camps stood for. UMNO is now trying to sell its extremism to PAS to prevent the erosion of Malay hegemony.

Ridiculing virtues

What are we becoming when all the age old virtues are now only good to con the kids in schools? We used to teach our young about honour, respect, honesty, love, passion, loyalty, country and nation. Today these values are as good as how much one can trade them for. You want honour, honesty, loyalty, country and nation, how much are you going to pay for it? Even the position of public office is not worth anything unless it can command a lot of money. What is so great about being a minister when you end up with lesser money? It used to be a great honour, a place in history, a pride of the family to see a son becoming a govt official, and what honour will that be if that son becomes a top official, a minister? Today, it is seen as a monetary trade off, a sacrifice, a big sacrifice. Actually many would not want to be a minister. Too much of a sacrifice. For goodness sake, lets not belittle the honour of public office. Let's teach our young the right values, let's go back to some of the virtues that we cherish and can live by with pride and honour. Money is good, the more the better. But up to a point, there are things that money cannot buy. Oops, I am talking nonsense again. Anything that can be monetised can be bought. That is Uniquely Singapore. There is a paradise in heaven, there is one on earth. The one above exists without money. The one below exists because of money.

The impending reality of Malaysian politics

While UMNO top brasses are trying to outdo and kick one another out of the cabinet, Anwar is quietly building up his forces. And any time, one month or six months, the whole UMNO cabinet ministers may end up without a job and be opposition backbenchers. What are they fighting for when their days are so limited?