The Commonweath Games to remember!

The Commonwealth Games are just a few days away – on October 3, 2010, to be exact - and effects for this great event are not ready yet in India. The Indians are working, frantically, in Delhi, to put everything into place. The facilities are said to be unsatisfactory, both in terms of health and convenience. Add to it, people are also muttering about physical safety, from radicals and activists.

Absurdly, in these frantic times, matters have been made worse by the collapsing and falling of some infrastructures – footbridge, roof, bed - something always seems to go wrong, consistently. Just as I am writing this, the news on TV in the living room is saying that a snake had been found in the living quarters of a South African athlete! What a testing time for the Games organizers!

Looking at the speed of how the mishaps are reported, I have a feeling that the reporters are camped there, gleefully waiting for some new misfortune to happen, to see who reports it first!

Already, many sportsmen have, and are withdrawing from the event. If India manages to hold the Games, and bring them to a successful close, on October 14, the talking point would be not who broke the records, but how India was able to get the Games going, amidst so many problems and sticky situations, not to mention about the embarrassments. These would be the Games that no one would forget. All for the wrong reasons.

Nurul Izzah Anwar- one gutsy lady

-->Nurul Izzah Anwar is one gutsy lady. The daughter of former deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, the well known Anwar Ibrahim (who is now the leader of the Opposition), she has suddenly pushed herself in the front of the political news of the nation, with a daring statement in an online media, on August 31, on the legality and the logic of the nation’s politicians ever harping on the issue of Malay rights.

Nurul Izzah, 30, is the Member of Parliament for the district of Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur. She represents the opposition party, PKR.

Her comment is aimed, especially, as a challenge for a debate or factual argument with the newly formed Malay watch group, Perkasa, which declares itself as an NGO (Non-governmental Organization).

Perkasa, whose members are mostly from the Malay Party of UMNO, the main Party from the ruling coalition, BN, is claiming to safeguard Malay rights in a multi racial Malaysia. It iterates that special rights of the Malays are provided in the Malaysian Constitution in Article 153. Nurul Izzah’s contention is that nowhere in the Constitution is ‘Malay rights’ is stated. What is mentioned is the ‘Special Position’ of the Malays. And she states that Perkasa is misinterpreting the Special Position to an agenda linking Malay rights.

Nurul Izzah, wittingly, concludes her comment in the media by her final question to Perkasa, whether, it will let the nation remain as Malaysia or change it to Malaysaja which, when translated into English, insinuates Malays only.

Well, Nurul Izzah has certainly talked herself into the bad books of many politicians. Already, cries for her to be charged under Sedition Act have been heard. Police have also taken statements from her.

Amidst all these, she just remains calm, just waiting for justice to take its course. Nurul Izzah Anwar is one gutsy lady, indeed.

Muses, amuses - Free coffee, Siti, School of Hope

It's no point putting on show ‘Free Malaysia’ or ‘Free this man or that’ banners. There won’t be any response. You might as well display ‘Free coffee’ banners. At least there will be a lot of activity at your place!

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Before her marriage, Malaysia's favourite celebrity, Siti Nurhaliza, had always been a cute and very talented singer to me. I had been an ardent fan of her. After her marriage, she will always be a husband snatcher to me, no matter how well she sings or performs. She married prominent businessman, Datuk Khalid in 2006, who already had four sons 19, 16, 14 and 8 through his first wife, Tengku Jawiah.

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The Malaysian State of Malacca has started a RM500,000 home in Jasin for unwed teen mothers and latest news is that 5 persons had enrolled yesterday. Among the aim of this ‘Sekolah Harapan’ or 'school of hope', is to help the would-be mothers to continue with their studies and prevent baby-dumping.

I still think this is not the right move as this initiation would be an anti deterrent to the younger generation’s state of affairs.

Suu Kyi? Who is she?

Remember Suu Kyi? The woman of Myanmar who was put under house arrest by the military junta? 

Oh, that woman, the opposition politician. She won the election but was put under house arrest fifteen years ago, wasn’t she? Why, what is she doing now? Retired from politics and living happily in some remote corner of Myanmar, I suppose. 

  No, that’s where you are wrong. She is still confined to the house.

What? Fifteen years and still confined? What is UN doing? 

What has it done? It talked a lot! Why, yes. It has talked and talked. And will talk some more. United Nations is a place for people to talk. It is a place where people can show off their talking prowess. 

 Sure looks that way. One of these days some leaders may ask, “Suu Kyi? Who is she?” 

Ya, such a sad fate for Nobel Peace Prize winner. And the Nobel Prize has turned into a worthless award. It couldn’t get her freedom, just as the UN could not. UN – Useless Negotiations.

Another cow story

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Another cow story happened in Malaysia. No, this is not another cow-head chronicle that occurred last year. Just to refresh your memory, the cow-head chronicle I am referring to is that incident when a few Malays took a cow head to the Selangor State Secretariat to protest against the plan to build an Indian temple near their residential area.

This time, it is a different story, about cows and nature, and hypocrisy. Let’s talk about the cows and nature first. In the early morning of Monday September 6, 2010, at Sepang, lightening struck at a group of cows grazing under an oil palm tree killing seven of them. Farmer, Kanapiraan, to whom the cows belonged to, dejectedly said that he had planned to sell the cows for the Hari Raya celebrations and that they could have fetched him some RM15, 000.

Well, Kanapiraan is an Indian and he is selling the cows to the Malays for their festivity. No, I am not talking about racial harmony, 1Malaysia or anything of that sort. I wish I am, though. But I am sure 1Malaysia was not entirely on Kanapiraan’s mind when he wanted to sell the cattle to his Muslim friends. Most likely it’s that RM15, 000. Ha! Ha! Sorry about that, dear PM. I know 1Malaysia is very close to your heart.

Now, we know that Indians of the Hindu religion don’t consume cows because cows are sacred to them and all that. But is it okay for them to nurture the cows and sell them to others for slaughter and consumption? This issue has been bothering me for a long time. I am sorry, but this seems close to hypocrisy to me.

Moving away from that issue of hypocrisy, it was said that Kanapiraan later lodged a report at the police station, regarding the death of his cows, at Tanjung Sepat. Well, are the police going to arrest the lightening or what? Let’s have a few more guesses for what the report was for.

1. It was for insurance claim.
2. It was to make it clear that he did not kill the cows.
3. It was in the hope that the police will prevent future lightening deaths of cows.
4. It was to keep the report as a remembrance of the tragedy.

Ha ha! Any more guesses?

Viva English soccer!

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I know in my post earlier, I had said that I have lost interest in English soccer or something of that sort, due to their lackadaisical performance in the world cup finals. I am swallowing humble pie now, as I am finding myself using my TV remote to always check on the EPL games schedules and the scores! 30 years habit is not that easy to lose. I realize that now. 

 To all those England fans, I just want to say that I regret to have said all those things that I said, in my earlier post. And I just want you know that I am back! Viva, English soccer!

Cambodia on a high

News in The Star Online of September 1, 2010 mentioned that Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen had approved a master plan for the construction of the tallest building in Asia.

Well, good for him. At least people will then know how poor his country is, and also about the atrocious ‘Killing Fields’ where over 2 million people have died!

The skyscraper would be 555 meters high, surpassing the present tallest man-made structure in Asia – the Taipei 101, in Taiwan, which is 508 meters high. The structure in Taiwan is now the second highest in the world, the tallest being the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai of United Arab Emirates, with a height of 828 meters. Our own Petronas Twin Towers is 452 meters high is ranked among the top ten in the world, with the debates going on about the spiral wires, antennas and whatnots.

Coming back to Cambodia, one wonders why, a nation, with a population of just over 14 million and which is one the poorest in Asia, would want to build the tallest building in Asia. Wouldn’t it be better if it could use the money to improve the living conditions of its people?

Well, perhaps, after having his country being looked down on for so many years Hun Sen desires his country to be looked up!

Watch out! Your things can be snatched!

“Ammoi, don’t wear your necklace, here. Wear it when you reach the hall. You too, Bathma, don’t wear that gold chain, now,” the grandmother was giving instructions to her grandchild and daughter-in-law. “And keep all your things in one bag and give to appa,” she added, “let him carry it.”

“Aw, come on ma, don’t let me carry a woman’s bag,” grumbled dad, but he carried it, anyway.

This has been the norm now, whenever the family wanted to go to some occasions or festivals. Today, they are going to their friend’s wedding ceremony, being held in the town hall.

I am sure banters of similar kind occur in many houses in Malaysia, what with the rampant cases of bag and chain snatchings being carried on, by the scoundrels of Malaysia, simply termed as ‘snatch-thieves'.

Gone are the days when ladies can, bravely, venture out of their houses, holding bags or wearing their normal gold jewelry. They can no longer show off their stylish bags, or proudly display their eye catching valuables. No, this is not an exaggeration. My own family had the nasty experience of two such cases. My wife had her gold chain snatched from her, right in front of the neighbour’s house (we are staying in terrace house), while she was walking back from the shop nearby. Not that she was exhibiting it. It was just a small chain, to sling around her neck to accompany her thali (the sacred string that all Hindu women have after marriage, around their necks). She had screamed but no one was in sight at that inopportune time. The culprits were two helmet-wearing youngsters on a motorbike. About two months later, my unfortunate elderly mother had her shopping bag snatched in front of a shop in town (Taiping), by another rascal on a motorbike. It just had about eight ringgit and some betel leaves for chewing.

Of course, police reports had been made duly, and assurance of frequent patrols had been received. But the snatch-thefts still do occur. Looks like the thieves are always one step ahead of the police.

It is certain that looking at the frequent, if not daily, reports of snatch-thefts, almost all the Malaysian readers of this post, would surely, at one time or another, had themselves or someone in their family or friends been affected by such snatch-thefts.

I wonder whether such bag and chain snatching goes on in other parts of the world. I hope not. Or is it just wishful thinking?