new gag order in malaysia

non muslims were told by the minister in pmo office, mohd nazri, that they should not talk about islam and muslim matters.. what if islam and muslim matters violated the rights of the non muslims? shut up as well? what if islamic laws and way of life are imposed on the non muslims? shut up as well? in any issues, whether religion or politics or race, when there is a gag order, there is something smelly.. the harder the order comes down, the more the people must beware.. truth shall not be afraid to be aired.. goodness has nothing to hide. i am sure the non muslims must be celebrating their latest new found status.. being less equal by another level.. and they will keep quiet just like the other issues affecting their livelihood and way of life, their jobs etc. they have grown to accept that they are second class citizens and be quietly happy about it.. they are so blessed.

ge round twelve

the high stakes involved in pledging the reputation of choktong to win back potong pasir and hougang is seen as a brilliant strategy.. a well thought out plan, to win all.. and the pap is not apologising for winning all 84 seats. the assumption here is that people will vote for choktong in potong pasir and hougang, and the pap candidates of sitoh and eric are inconsequential.. so it is a contest between choktong pitting against low thia khiang and chiam see tong.. would the electorate really vote for a proxy, or someone who is not going to represent them in parliament? that is quite a strange logic.. anyway it is all a great strategy. if pap win a clean sweep, all 84 seats, personally i think that is bad, very bad for the country.. it would mean a unanimous endorsement of all the govt policies. we have seen something like 6 or 7 billion dollars being dished out during this period, as handouts and upgrading programmes. gosh, that is helluva lot of money.. didn't we hear bad times and the need to increase this and that fees? if all these monies were from profits overseas and not from profits made from the people, higher fares, fee etc then there will be a compelling case to support a clean sweep for the pap.

ge: round eleven

the stakes get higher.. choktong is now putting his weight behind two grcs and also to help eric and seetoh to win back hougang and potong pasir.. fortunately he did not commit to resign if he did not achieve what he sets out to do. unlike choktong, steve chia said he will quit politics if he did not win.. what happens if all politicians adopt the same approach, quit if lose? we would not have many politicians left. maybe i will volunteer when all quits and no one else is left standing : )

crooked bridge: how easy to raise tension

what can really happen if things are allowed to go wrong? no agreement after several rounds of negotiation on the bridge.. malaysia continues to build the bridge and went ahead with the u shape crooked bridge, and its end is reaching the causeway. increasing noises to cut causeway to join up with the bridge. tension rises. strong words were said. malaysia awarded contract to cut causeway.. singapore side protests and bring matter to the international court. malaysia ignores and claims that they are cutting causeway inside their territory.. it is their right to do what they want to their part of the causeway. contractors sighted at the causeway. singapore protested strongly.. more heated words on what actions singapore will take to defend the causeway. contractors seen cutting the causeway.. singapore send police to chase away contractors. contractors reappear with police protection and continue to work.. singapore send soldiers to the causeway.. tension builds up. malaysia also sends troops to the causeway.. contractors continue to work and warning shots were fired. both sides mobilised troops and state of emergency declared. could all these happen? a potential for war, all because of a crooked bridge to benefit a few people.. has anyone asked how much it will cost the commuters once the bridge is operational? $10 ringgit on the malaysian side and $5 on the singapore side per trip?

the english media's world view

reading any english newspaper, locally or overseas, one cannot run away from the fact that all the reportings, or the majority of the reportings on international issues involving the superpowers, were written by europeans and americans.. not that there were no asian writers or asian views.. but either these views were not considered worthy, or they were consciously not reported to avoid giving them an airing.. another reason is that the english media, including many asian local english media, are more comfortable with views articulated in english by westerners.. mentally most of them are western biased as many have been bred in a western intellectual environment. then there is also the reason of paying to be published, for certain official views to be heard.. and you need a rich agency to do that. so what happens in the english media world today is the same song being sang by the same group of writers, journalists, reporters and editors.. some editors just borrow or buy articles that are readily available and for convenience. but they would not borrow or buy articles from other asian news agencies.. the favourites are of course nyt, washington post, reuters, afp, and all the broadcasters. and the english reading world is led to believe that the usa is the ultimate model and the paragon of goodness. it can never do wrong and nothing it does is wrong.. or simply no western writers or news generator would want to talk negative things about it.. it is a one way process, a whole propaganda machinery in support of the american empire. there were a few voices in the wilderness that were heard once a while.. but not often enough, and not many to present a fairer and more balance treatment of the evils of empires.. how could it be fair and balance when many of the writers were paid just to do what they are doing.