resign if failed to turn up for parliament

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) says Rafidah Abdul Aziz should be removed as the international trade and industry minister if she remains stubborn and refuses to attend Parliament on behalf of her ministry. "In the 21 days of sitting, she has only attended Parliament twice - the official opening of the session.. and the tabling of the 9th Malaysia Plan by the prime minister," he added in a statement issued in Parliament last week. A little extract from littlespeck.com Talking about Malaysia should be more interesting. Lim Kit Siang tabling a motion to fire Rafidah for not attending parliament session. That is how serious he viewed this as a duty of all politicians. These are people's representatives and elected by the people to represent them. How can they play truant and spend time on other personal matters or their own businesses? If they think representing the people in parliament is not important, then they better resigned. But Kit Siang probably did not know what is happening or going to happen. Maybe Rafidah has already been given the marching order and there is no point for her to be present anymore.

it is always good to talk and listen

throwing challenges, pushing your opponents, punching and breaking jaws, biting ears, etc are often encountered in a contest. at the end of it people regretted what they did. some pretend to regret though. but it is so refreshing to hear nice words being said about your opponents. a bit of levelling down to see eye to eye instead of shouting down from heaven. looking down from that level, everything is so imperfect. no wonder some schools did not want to play ball with neighbourhood schools. yeah, i am talking about schools and sports.

the gutsy little woman

politics aside, and ignoring who is right and wrong, there is this little woman that i feel so sorry for, and so deserving of my admiration. all her stories and pain are deeply etched all over her face. Reticent, hardened, determined, and not breathing a word, and no time for tears. she is fighting bravely, quietly and losing everyday, in a battle that was lost from the very first day. but she plods on, she marches on. she is not going to give up. she rather loses everything fighting. a lonely fighter standing loyally and stoically beside her broken brother. she is an admirable little woman.

sunday is a good time for self indulgence

i had a dream last time. i was in this happy place, a paradise of sort. but eventually i realised it was heaven. everything was white, gleaming beautiful white. white is like a uniform. i too was wearing white too. then i met this grand old man, white hair and white beard. i trembled. there was this feeling of fear. but the old man said, 'fear not, for i am your god, i know you by your name, and you are mine.' and that's god himself. and he said fear not. hey, why am i taught my whole life to fear him? he is such an effable and friendly old man, all full of love. and he showed me a big expanse of high rise buildings. he said i have been allocated a unit there, high up in the sky. wow, that's great. and he handed me a key and pointed to a brand new toyota camry and said 'that's yours.' somehow i knew it was a dream. but never mind, it was a pleasant dream to enjoy even for a moment. then came a fleet of mercedes benz 300e series. and out trooped a bunch of handsome and smart looking young men and women with happy faces. so i wondered to myself that it would be good if i can have one of those benzes. god knew. and he said, they are the rabbis. i asked, 'what rabbis, or rubbish?' 'oh, they are the chosen people. they helped me to manage this place. they are the high priests.' i was getting envious. chosen people, high priests, driving big mercedes benzes. can i also be chosen? god smiled. no, many will come but few were chosen. just then a white Rolls Royce rolled in. and god said, 'ah, that' s my one and begotten son. he had suffered to save mankind. he had done my will. and anyone who done my will shall be rewarded.' i also want to be chosen, to do god's will. then i rose and returned to face life on earth, still cherishing the dream of paradise.

the dearth of internet discussion on the election

On the front page of today's Sunday Times, Hsien Loong is quoted to say this: 'The signal we want to send to the electorate is we want you to speak and debate, we want a good election in which the issues are raised and joined and we discuss the serious matters which face Singapore, and we also discuss who is fit to govern Singapore. But this has to be discussion based on facts, based on logic, based on responsibility and if you say something, you answer for it.' Isn't this is what we have been doing or intending to do? Isn't the blogs and internet forums the most logical, effective and efficient way for such a discussion? You can't have a discussion on the phone, the newspaper or in the coffee shops. On tv, you would not be allocated the time. But sadly the blogs and forums are deserted. The Singaporeans are just too smart and too safe to want to walk around with their pants down. To the ordinary citizens, concerned citizens, what is there for them except to make their views heard. And for that, the sword of Damocles is dangling above their heads, waiting to do its deadly descent. With the Elections Act forbidding discussion on politics during the election period, unless registered, which many rightly refused, the next best thing is to stay away. Why court trouble? Would Li Ao say Singaporeans are smart or stupid now? The internet is techonology at its best for freedom of discussion for a big group of people, in the same platform at the same time. No interruption, no restriction, no censorship. WYSIWYG. Would the dearth of internet discussion on the general election be a testimony of what Singapore is or what Singaporean is? My reading may be right, if you read what Hsien Loong said in the above quote. He wants Singaporeans to speak up, exchange your views and thoughts, but seriously and responsibly. When the intention is not to be destructive, the discussion can be very useful and meaningful. But knowing the Singaporean mentality, for a sensible and robust discussion in cyberspace to take off, Boon Yang needs to come out and say it categorically that it is alright and no need to register. Singaporeans are not dumb and want to invite troubles to themselves. But in so doing, Singapore politics will never grow up and the people will forever be accused of being apathetic and apolitical. Which they are not. But what they are thinking and saying will now be confined to behind closed doors. And the ostrich will feel very safe as it sees nothing and hear nothing.