It is just the beginning

It nearly overthrows the Abdullah govt, but done enough to put it in a crisis. Now it is reshaping public opinion in South Korea on a very popular and generous President. The South Koreans are changing their support for the President to a low approval rate of 20%. Despite donating his fortune for the poor, President Lee Myung Bak's political fortune is now in a tailspin. Public opinion of Lee Myung Bak has changed drastically because of his perceived compromise with the US to allow import of American beef feared to contain mad cow disease. And the internet played a huge role in disseminating all kinds of information and reports and struck fear in the minds of the Korean populace. The old media, TOM, tried its best to spin different stories but lost out to the internet as the people have lost confidence in what the TOM says. The internet and sms are two new tools that have transformed the politics of Malaysia and South Korea. They have also transformed the lives of many around the world where freedom of expression has been limited. Information and news are now flowing freely in every nooks and corners of the world. Plugging this is near impossible except with draconian laws that will violate human rights and internationally accepted norms of what is acceptable or unacceptable govt actions. We are all standing at the doorstep of a brave new internet world, watching and participating in it. The change that will come along is difficult to envisage.

Have no mercy

A kidnap scam schemer, Ren Tin Ming, was caught and jailed for a maximum of 9 months. This is definitely too lenient. A kidnap scam is a very cruel crime against the innocents. Be it a scam or a real kidnap, the parents of the 'victim' will suffer the same agony of going through the whole ordeal. We have placed a mandatory death sentence for kidnapping. The law must be amended for mandatory caning of at least 24 strokes for such crimes. It is not a simple scam. It is very upsetting emotionally, and very traumatic. People can die of heart attack for it. Cane the bastards! Paradise is turning into a playground for criminals, con men and tricksters. And the victims are mostly its citizens. And the criminals are foreigners. How can we let this go on like this. Make it be known that guests to paradise are welcomed but will be severely dealt with if they violated our laws and turn to crime against the citizens.

What is National Service?

Many will simply brush it off as wasting two years in uniform. Many see it as a necessary chore. What does the govt think of the NS men, some digits to be used to fill the needs of the armed forces? Some cheap labour that the citizens must return to the state on demand? Something to be taken for granted from the people they called citizens? OCT Clifton Lam Jia Hao did not don the uniform to waste 2 years with the Air Force. He gave his life, his everything. His parents/family gave up their hopes, their future and their precious son. Fortunately they have two more sons. For many parents with a single child, in such a situation they will have to look towards the Medisave and CPF Life for their retirement support. And that's the end of their life journey. There is no one else to carry on, to inherit whatever material possessions and their memories of life. With the death of their sons, everything is no more. NS means a lot of sacrifices on the part of the citizens. This must not be taken for granted. The citizens have a bigger right and say of what this country should be and what this country meant to them. They must not be treated less well off than non citizens.

The Master and Student

There is a Buddhist teaching that the person that gives you the most trouble, makes your life miserable and challenging, that person is your master in life. Through all the pains and suffering inflicted by that person, you grow stronger and experience more of the ups and downs of living. The Lees versus Chees case presents a great opportunity for both parties to grow and become better people. From one party, there are great lessons to be learnt in humility, magnanimity, kindness, and generosity. From the other party, there are lessons in forgiveness, lessons in abrasiveness, graciousness, and lessons in accepting fate. There are many other lessons to be learnt by both parties. Who is the master and who is the student? Maybe both are masters and students at the same time. They are definitely masters, dishing out lessons. But were they students, learning from the lessons and coming out better at the end?

Police officer beaten in lockup

Police officer beaten when passing a cup of water to two detainees arrested for robbery with hurt. The poor officer was violently attacked, punched and kicked real bad. And when the detainees pressed the buzzer for the door of the lockup to be opened, no one bother to check on the CCTV and simply unlock the door to let them out. We could have a nation wide hunt for the two escaped men if they were not arrested immediately. We are not complacent. Just a bit slack that's all. Unbelieveable that this could happen after Mas Selamat.