To be or not to be grateful...suddenly became THE question....

First there was that letter written by Anas Zubedy published in TMI, an open letter to Lim Guan Eng, in response to his query as to how to attract Malays to join DAP, read it HERE.

TMI, not long after publishing the letter, responded, read it HERE.

Then Zorro Unmasked posted THIS in his blog.

And the latest, posted below is Anas's reply to Commander (Rtd) S. Thayarapan , or you can read it in it's original blog , HERE..

CLICK UNTO LINK TO VIEW LETTER IN IT'S ENTIRETY...

Commander (Rtd) S. Thayaparan,

Thank you for your letter. It is nice to see that you started your letter with a salam, although in zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com, they took out the earlier parts of your letter.

I would like to make a few comments.

1. Like you, I am not for race-based political parties. I have, on many occasions, in my blog, full page ads, and talks, proposed that BN and PR slowly but surely work to make themselves one big party each which is non-race or religion based.

2. Like you, I too believe strongly that all socioeconomic policies must be based on needs, not race or religion.

3. I also agree that truth has been manipulated by people in power and some have used race wrongly to divide our country for the purpose of clinging onto power. I see this in both in BN and in the opposition.

4. I’m glad that we are on the same page on the new found cordiality between DAP and PAS.

5. On your question if I have forgotten YB Karpal Singh and the other races in DAP, I have not. Perhaps it was my mistake not to clearly state that my letter was a response to the DAP’s specific endeavor to focus and attract Malay membership. That is why in the letter I only focus on the DAP and the Malays.

A few weeks ago, the respected Tunku Abd Aziz lamented that he has failed to bring in Malay support. The DAP also launched Roketkini.com with the purpose of engaging the Malay segment. Thus my letter was a response on how the DAP can get Malay support and become multiracial.

For your information, YB Karpal Singh is one of my favourite politicians. I admire his stance on anti-frogging. If you browse through my blog, on many occasions I have supported him.

6. I have to respectfully disagree with you that the only legitimate natives are the Orang Asli and the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak. The Malay stock is an entity that includes the inhabitants of the whole Malay Archipelago, including the Phillipines and Indonesia. A biography of Jose Rizal by Rafael Palma lauded him as ‘The Pride of the Malay Race’, though he had Chinese blood and was a Christian.

The early inhabitants of the Malay Archipelago came in waves of migration between about 3000 to 1500 years ago. The first theory is that they originated from Indochina, flowed down the Peninsula and then crossed to the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and the Phillipines. The second theory is they originated from South China and moved across to Borneo and the Phillipines. These theories are based on archaeological evidence. This you can read from former PKR deputy president Dr. Syed Husin Ali’s book, ‘The Malays – Their Problems and Future’. He writes that the people living in the Peninsula for thousands of years are undoubtedly the true ancestors of the present-day Malays, the Neolithic groups often being described as Proto-Malays.

The book ‘The Malay Archipelago’ was published by Alfred Russel Wallace in 1869. Wallace was a naturalist who is best known for independently proposing the theory of evolution that Charles Darwin later published. ‘The Malay Archipelago’ is an account of Wallace’s scientific exploration through the archipelago from 1854-1862, where he found more than a thousand species new to science in the zoogeographical boundary now known as the Wallace line. It was this exploration that gave him his insight on natural selection. ‘The Malay Archipelago’ was one of the most popular journals of scientific experiment in the 19^th century.

However, in no way I will condone anyone who says that the non-Malays after 1957 are ‘pendatang’. Those are bigots and we cannot allow them to hurt the non-Malays like that.

I agree with you that our history text books are myopic. They do not highlight all the great contributions of the non-Malays towards this wonderful land of ours. I am glad that there is a group of people who are now remedying this.

7. I also respectfully do not agree with you that the Malays did not have any other choice in sharing Tanah Melayu. They could have decided to go to war but they did not. That is because by nature, they are gracious. By saying the Malays are gracious, in no way do I mean that other cultures are not. I believe those who have lived among Malays would understand what I mean by the Malays being gracious.

8. On the point of who is the one to have disrespected Malay rulers, I am not going to debate whether it is UMNO or not. I am not from UMNO; you may want to deal with them directly.

9. On the point that DAP has to say thank you to the Malays, please understand that the purpose of this suggestion is to help DAP win the hearts of the Malays. You need to understand that in Malay culture, when you say sorry and thank you, it is the Malay culture to return it. I have strong convictions that if the DAP says thank you, the Malays will say thank you in return.

In no way would I suggest that we should not say thank you to all Malaysians, especially those who pay taxes. In my open letter I was talking specifically to DAP and addressing their endeavour to attract Malays into their fold.

10. Personally I do not know if YB Lim Guan Eng understands the Malays, but it is obvious that the DAP does not understand Malay sentiments. The recent refusal of Sarawak DAP to use the songkok in the Sarawak assembly is a case in point. I also do not think the DAP understands that for the Malays, even if you give them food, shelter, money and everything else, it counts for nothing unless you respect their adat. It counts for nothing unless you respect their culture. The Malay pepatah – ‘biar mati anak, jangan mati adat’ explains the position of the core Malay group.

11. Your comments on not understanding what I meant in my letter by practicing Malay adat and peribahasa shows that you do not really understand what is important to the Malays. At the same time however, I agree it is of course good to concentrate on the social needs of the community.

12. Again it seems that you do not understand Malay adat. When I urged the DAP to apologize, it is not the kind of apology that has to be warranted which you are talking about. Malays will apologize without asking why. They will just apologize. If you do not understand this, read my letter again – I wrote that the Malays will say sorry even if they did no wrong. For the fact that you asked this question on the reasons behind saying sorry, you do not truly understand the Malays.

13. I did not advocate Malay supremacy. I advocated the historical understanding of the transformation of this land. In no way do I consider the Malays as more supreme than any other culture. All cultures are equal in the eyes of God. But in Malaysia I will put pre-eminence to the Malay and native cultures of Sabah and Sarawak. But in no way would I like to live without the Chinese and Indian cultures around me. My love for these cultures perhaps surpasses many of the people from the cultures themselves.

14. On YB Lim Kit Siang, my suggestion that YB Lim Kit Siang resigns is in context of DAP seriously wanting to attract the Malays. I apologize, I’m in a hurry to help create a non-race based political party, and I see YB Lim Kit Siang’s current active involvement in the DAP as a stumbling block. In no way did I mean disrespect. It is just politics. The Malays will not throng into the DAP as long as YB Lim Kit Siang is still actively involved. That is the Malay sentiment.

15. The reason why I suggested a merger between the DAP and PKR and not DAP and PAS is simple. Both DAP and PKR have a multiracial make up. PAS is Islamist. Until they change their stance, a merger would be very difficult. As I stated earlier, I for one would jump for joy if two main parties would dissolve internal sub-parties and merge together.

Alas, my letter to YB Lim Guan Eng is a respond to DAP’s own endeavor in engaging the Malay segment of the population. Tunku Aziz seems to not have an answer to the problem. I am providing some possibilities. If the DAP is serious and smart (which I do think they are, judging by what they are doing in Penang) , they should test my ideas with the Malay market. Ask the core Malay group that they have failed to attract if this chap Anas got it right.

Once they have the feedback, they can adjust their policies and actions to their own benefit. Failing which, DAP will remain as a party that is dependent on the pendulum swings on Malaysian politics. DAP cannot rule the country with their fixed deposit voters mainly from the Chinese segment of the Malaysian rakyat.

Lastly, Brother Commander (Rtd) S. Thayaparan, I would like to thank you for engaging and disagreeing with my letter in a most empathetic manner. You did not resort to demonizing me, name-calling, or playing God, pretending to know what is in my heart. For that I respect you. It is people like you that we need more of, to make this country a better place - people who know how to agree to disagree; people with care and love; people with the consciousness of God in their hearts.

I would love to have teh tarik with you and discuss more on how we can make this country a better place.

By law I am Malay, by ancestry I am a mixed Malay-Arab, by choice I am a malaysian but in the heart I belong to A Human Race :)

Peace, anas zubedy

This responds is a reply to Commander (Rtd) S. Thayaparan posting on zorro-unmasked

In the meantime..in case the Digi is wondering why there is disrupted service in Lembah Kelang....the picture below may give you a good clue....


..........
...Click here to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.....

In the US, it was 9/11..In Malaysia 9/7 ?

An article from Chandra Muzafar for your perusal:

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is a political scientist who has written extensively on Malaysian politics.

JULY 9 : UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT
by Chandra Muzaffar

It is a pity that almost 54 years after Merdeka there is still a great deal of uneasiness among the authorities about a fundamental right which is so essential to the functioning of a democracy. They forget that the “right to assemble peaceably and without arms” is a freedom enshrined in Article 10 of the Malaysian Constitution. It is a freedom whose observance will not, in most circumstances, threaten the well-being of society.

Nonetheless, like all rights and freedoms, the actual expression and articulation of the Freedom of Assembly has to take into account its context. It is this context that is critical in the case of the planned ‘July 9 Rally.’ There are various dimensions to this context which Bersih, the proponent of the rally, and Perkasa and UMNO Youth, its opponents, will have to take heed of.

Click unto Rabbit Hole for more...


Issues.

- Bersih claims that the primary purpose of the rally is to highlight weaknesses and defects in the conduct of our elections. Since it has had discussions with the Elections Commission on this it should continue to talk to that body. The Chairman of the Commission is prepared to dialogue. He should now publicly invite Bersih to resume the discussions, its July 9 rally notwithstanding. Bersih, in turn, should respond positively to the Commission. In a mature democracy any and every opportunity to dialogue in order to resolve issues should be taken up.

- Some of the issues that Bersih has focussed upon such as the automatic registration of voters (which I endorse) are beyond the purview of the Elections Commission. They would require legislative approval. If Bersih cannot persuade the Barisan Nasional(BN)government to introduce new electoral laws, has it succeeded in getting Pakatan Rakyat(PR) MPs to table a private member’s bill on any of the electoral reforms it is now demanding? On how many occasions have such bills been tabled since March 2008? Were attempts to table such bills thwarted by the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat? Since Bersih includes opposition parties represented in Parliament, it should inform the public in detail on how it sought electoral reform through Parliament in the last three years.

- In making its demands, Bersih has not distinguished the actual conduct of elections from the larger electoral-cum-political process. The actual conduct of elections in Malaysia since 1959, from the maintenance of electoral rolls to safeguarding the integrity of the ballot paper, has been largely fair and just---- given that no electoral system in the world is totally devoid of flaws. This was one of the conclusions that the Election Watch group headed by the late Tun Mohamed Suffian Hashim that looked at the 1990 General Election (I was a member of that group) came to. We also pointed out that the lack of fairness in the electoral-political process was manifested in the incumbent’s misuse of state facilities for campaign purposes and in the biased role of the mainstream media. Since these very legitimate concerns have not been addressed, Bersih has every reason to raise them.

- If Bersih is sincere about rectifying them, the political parties who are in the forefront of this coalition, should set the example in the states which are under PR rule by ensuring that state facilities are not misused in any election or by-election. And yet, in by-elections in Selangor, Penang and Kedah, it is alleged that the state government had deployed some of the resources of the state, directly and indirectly, for their campaigns.Similarly, if Bersih wants equitable access to BN inclined print and electronic media, it should also encourage opposition oriented online newspapers to be fair and balanced in their coverage and analysis of political issues. After all, cyber media in Malaysia today is an important source of information--- and disinformation.

- While some of Bersih’s demands are reasonable, its failure to locate these demands within a larger framework has tarnished its credibility. For all the shortcomings in its electoral system, Malaysia is one of the few countries in the Global South that has held regular elections participated by parties with totally divergent ideologies ever since Independence in 1957. It is equally significant that these elections have been completely free of violence--- which is a rarity in the Global South. In the first General Election itself, two states came under an opposition party. Today, four out of the 13 states in the Federation are in opposition hands. There has never been a single moment in Malaysian electoral politics when the opposition has commanded less than 35 per cent of the popular vote.

Security.

- If the issues raised by Bersih should be viewed in their proper context, so should the public give due consideration to the question of security which is expressly stated in Article 10 (2), a, b, and c of the Constitution. There is no denying that with three organisations asserting their determination to hold rallies and marches without police permit, the political temperature has increased by a few degrees. Leaders of two of the organisations have received death threats.

- There is another contextual dimension to the security question which we cannot afford to ignore. In the first Bersih demonstration on November 10 2007, a number of people were injured. There were also similar casualties in the Hindraf demonstration on November 25 in the same year. In almost all the reformasi demonstrations from September 1998 to the middle of 2000, individuals and some police personnel were hurt.

- I had thought initially that Bersih demonstrators should be allowed to congregate in a stadium, in accordance with their constitutional right but I didn’t realise that there was a security issue lurking in the shadows. Apparently, if the stadium option had materialised, certain elements in Bersih, it is alleged, would have turned the stadium to a Tahrir Square, with demonstrators camping there day and night for weeks on end. Of course, the Western media would be there to dramatise the event, especially since both the de facto and de jure leaders of Bersih --- Anwar Ibrahim and Ambiga Sreenivasan--- have such close ties to the Western media. It would be a terrible travesty of justice since the Malaysian situation bears no comparison to Mubarak’s Egypt or to those autocratic Arab monarchies and republics which are now being challenged by their people. None of them is an inheritor to more than five decades of continuous civilian rule legitimised through competitive electoral politics.

Impact.

How the proposed July 9 rally and counter rallies will impact upon taxi drivers, traders, shoppers and the general public is yet another factor that deserves our attention. There is a high probability that the rallies will cause a degree of dislocation especially since three different groups with their own agendas are involved. Traders and taxi drivers in the affected areas will inevitably suffer a loss of income. Here again, the past is a good teacher. In previous demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur, people in various walks of life have had to pay the price.

- It is quite conceivable that July 9 will reinforce yet another unhealthy development which has become more and more obvious in the last two years. Partisan political polarisation is increasing in the country. The BN-PR schism is deepening within the populace. If we do not make a serious attempt to reverse the trend, we may move in the direction of Thai politics which has been severely hamstrung by the cleavage that separates those with the government and those with Thaksin Shinawatra.

Motives.

There are also ulterior motives behind the Bersih plan that any reasonable person would probe. I am very much aware of this partly because of my own experience with demonstrations and the self-serving politics of the prime mover behind July 9. When I was Deputy President of Parti Keadilan Nasional( now Rakyat)(PKR) from 1999 to 2001, the party was solidly behind the reformasi demonstrations. After a while I realized that the demonstrations were taking us nowhere; they were not leading to any democratic awakening among the masses. On the contrary, the people were turning against the party because of the hardship they caused. A number of our activists were arrested, some under the ISA. Most of all, I could see that the demonstrations instigated by Anwar from behind prison walls served only one purpose: to keep him in the limelight, and to get him out of prison. Within the party leadership, I took an unambiguous position against demonstrations. With the exception of Keadilan President, Dr. Wan Azizah Ismail, no one else supported me. The Malaysian public came to know of my opposition to the demonstrations, and the then Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohammad even alluded to it in the media.

- Anwar’s ulterior motive is even more brazen today. He desperately wants to become Prime Minister, and will resort to any means to achieve his ambition. He is hoping that July 9 will help him overcome some of the obstacles he now faces and give him the boost that he needs. A massive mobilisation of his supporters and fence-sitters on July 9, he thinks, will divert attention from his sodomy trial which begins later in the month and from his sex-video scandal. At the same time, he is expecting the demonstration to create the sort of momentum that will erode support for the BN and shore up his own position. If this impresses his allies and endorsers in some Western capitals they may even give him stronger backing to achieve “a regime change”.

- Apart from Anwar’s own party, both his PR partners, the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), are also driven by the desire to gain power through the quickest route. For them also the end justifies the means. July 9--- whatever the arguments against it--- is an important stepping-stone towards that goal.

Once Malaysians understand the context--- especially the ulterior motives--- they will be wary about July 9. They will be able to distinguish the self-serving agenda of a deeply flawed politician from the genuine quest for electoral reform and political transformation. They should not allow such a politician to undermine their future.

27 June 2011.
...Click here to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.....

Empathy....such a lonely word...

Empathy. That is what is severely lacking in our society today. That paired with other lost good traits through time; integrity, honesty, sincerity, the ability to count our blessings, the ability to apologize. What we gain whilst growing as a nation is we develope a self serving culture, (it's a nice way of saying selfishness), ego that needed no viagra boost, amnesia of our own history, discontent, anger over injustice and the list goes on and on.

This my brothers and sisters is the consequences of a solely money driven society. And we all, in muhibbah proportion are guilty as charged. We are not interested in reasoning the facts, but would prefer to listen to things that yields self gain, especially materially. We believe, not so much in the truth, but what benefits us. Human nature.

Let's get back to Empathy. Whether you and me like it or not, history states that the Proto Malays then Deutero Malays came before the Hang Li Poh, the Portugese, the Chinese, and Indians. Here's where empathy lies. Imagine it to be of the reverse. The Chinese and indian came first, followed by the Proto/Deutero malays that automatically go into the "dan lain lain box". Tell me how you feel, honestly.

Chinese/ Indian: Would you have embraced the deutero/proto malays the way they have done so, without claiming that this land is yours forever? Look at the history of China and India. If Malays were to have migrated there, would they be embraced the same way without a fight ? Would you have expected them to assimilate with the present society at the time the way Indonesians, Americans etc had? History of China showed the killing of your own kind so as to unite the kingdom. Ghandi had to fast for long period of time to get the Indians, amongst them, to unite. Look at Singapore. Would you blame the Malays today, for feeling insecure about being a second class citizen on their own soil?

Malays: Imagine if you are being called immigrants even as you are the 3rd descendants born and raised in this country. How would you feel? Is this fair? Islam had taught you that this land is God's land. And that being Islam have no room for racism and injustice. Islam also taught you to rise to the occasion in serving humanity. You cannot claim racial superiority and at the same time claim to be Islamic. That's just a joke.

Malays are irritated with the arrogance of non malays not accepting the fact that they did the non Malays a favor by granting them the citizenship. After all, they could have gone to war and chase the Chinese / Indians out of the country back then. Or would they. Could they? And what would have happen if the Chinese and Indians were sent back? The chinese came to malaya because they wanted to run away from Opium War. Why can't the Chinese appreciate the fact that in Malaya, they found sanctity ? Malays are also irritated at some Chinese/Indian that despite having born and bread here in malaysia, some don't even bother to make an effort to learn the Bahasa Malaysia. But one thing fantastic about the Indians that I note. Almost all Indians can speak English!!

Non Malays are irritated with the arrogance of the Malays for despite contributing to the economy, a huge contribution if I may add and treating this country as their home, they are still treated like "kaum pendatang". (But pendatang halal maaaa..not pendatang haram). But can you blame the Malays for questioning your sincerity towards uniting with them, when you refuse to give up your vernacular schools on the pretext of maintaining your culture. Why? Separating our children from even before puberty ergo impairing unity is less important than maintaining culture? As for the Malays, please...if you want to attract the non malays into joining a One School system, you seriously need to be more sensitive towards making schools that is as competetive, and accomodate the needs of minority to maintain their culture. They are here. What are you going to do about it? Deal with it, but deal with it in a manner complying to the teaching of Islam.


The society we live in today is struggling to achieve unity. We are all swimming in our own racial insecurities, distrust amongst us and for some who had failed to evolve from the nearnandal era, racial hatred. Anyone who dispute this should ask themselves, "who do I have lunch with everyday at work? Is it with my own race or a mix group", there you go, there's your proof.....and it's only because we do not have a ONE SCHOOL system, and i am not talking about the Sekolah Kebangsaan. If we can send an..well, the russians call him cosmonaut, the americans call him astronaut and malaysians call him...gay-or-not?, to the moon, then we can spend good money to build good ONE SCHOOLs. If we cannot come up with a decent ONE SCHOOL, then we should all just shut the f** up...

Of course there are those who have embraced each other and see themselves as just Malaysians. Unfortunately, that is what happens to quality...they come in small quantity and are struggling to find a sense of belonging in society. If anything we are the minority. Heck! I think even the gay community outnumbered us.

But why are we fighting each other? Why don't we make the politicians, all of them, not just LGE apologize to us, the rakyat? Mahathir should apologize for planting the seed to chronism and destroying the independence of the legal system? Anwar for selling anything from under the sun just to become the PM. Let's not forget, he was one of them who fed chronism before he became their foe. Tengku Razaleigh and Musa Hitam for teaming up to illegalize UMNO causing an innocent by stander Tun Salleh Abas to be sacked, and the legal system therein flushed down the Mexico way, only because they did not anticipate Mahathir could retaliate.

These politicians spend too much time in dick waving competition, without even considering what the consequences will be on the rakyat, so just they can show who's dick is larger and deserve that standing ovation. ! They should also apologize to the people of Sabah and Sarawak. These trusting souls voted for BN for a long time and look at how the incumbent government reciprocrated... there are still people in these places who don't know what it would be like to live their lives with electricity. They should also apologize for abusing the NEP which is one of the major contributor to this countries discontent.

So bloody hell....they should be the ones apologizing to us!!!

What a mess we've made of our country!! But the solution is not so much as to look back, but to look forward. If being humble and apologizing is seen as something that is so difficult to do, then perhaps unity is not seen as a pritority after all, so much so, we cannot disable our ego to make way for unity. What is the point of being intellects when we have lost our basic virtue of being human? Like love, sometime we should let our hearts do the talking.

Take a moment and ponder on how lucky we are to be living in this country. It's a blessed land, a blessed country. The people on the other hand.............. Well, we don't have major catastrophes like earthquake, major typhoon, monsoon, we don't have absolute poverty, we only have relative poverty. If you have the time to check up on the people who lives in the squatters area, you'd be surprised to see Astro Arial sticking out of most of their houses, not to mention cars. So we are blessed. Start counting our blessing more than we whine about what we don't have.

Of course there are issues that needed to be ironed out. Ironed them out,by all means, for that we must. But only if we do it with love and respect for each other and with unity as the ultimate destiny, and not with hatred and deception. Remember that the race, religion and idealism ticket are of the most powerful tools for the politicians to manipulate society. Let's not be pawns in their chess game.

Why don't we all stop talking about unity, and start living it. Is preserving culture more important than preserving unity? After all, culture is something humans create and pass it down to the next generation. Why don't we make unity, our future culture??? Let's share this beautiful country, voluntarily....

Open letter to Lim Guan Eng — Anas Zubedy

This post is a feedback to LGE's and Tunku Aziz's sighs on why the malays do not join DAP. It's to explain the insights of the Malay community...



Open letter to Lim Guan Eng — Anas Zubedy

June 24, 2011

JUNE 24 — Dear Lim Guan Eng,

Peace be with you.

Let me state my position very clearly. I am a centrist. I do not work for Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. I do not belong to any political party. I am a rakyat. I am a voter. I vote for the best person for my constituency, not which party the candidate is from.

I firmly believe that what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong, no matter who does it. I care about unity and work to promote unity. I will render my service to any party that will work for unity.

I am one of those people who were glad to see the growing co-operation between the DAP and PAS. I see it as the best gift March ‘08 has given to our nation. When two Malaysian blocs who have avoided each other for decades can now sit down together and share a meal, it is reason to celebrate.

I am glad that the DAP is looking forward to become more multiracial in its membership. If you and the DAP are serious about this, we may have an alternative to race-based politics. I would like to share with you some ideas on how the DAP can make it happen.

1. Openly acknowledge that we were sired from a Malay polity

Without an iota of doubt, make it clear that you completely accept history that this country is sired from a Malay polity; with a history, religion and way of life that are from the Malay-Islamic tradition. Only when you make it very clear that you acknowledge this history, communication lines will begin to open.

2. Appreciate that the Malays shared the land

Generally, the Malays are a gracious people. They are more inclined towards giving than taking. They showed this when they agreed to share Tanah Melayu. They see it as a sacrifice. You must learn to understand why they feel that way.

They agreed that from 1957 onwards the communities who came here initially to earn a living were automatically promoted from “immigrants” to co-owners of the land. They welcomed millions as fellow citizens. By doing so, the Malays agreed to become a community among communities. All they asked was to be assured of two things — that their Malay Rulers and that their religion Islam are respected.

A show of appreciation for this act of sharing will make a big difference to the Malay community. If you and the DAP set the example to appreciate that the Malays shared the land, the hearts of the Malay community will open to you. Just a simple acknowledgement, a simple thank you, would have warmed their hearts.

3. Get to know the Malays

You and the DAP need to get to know the Malays and get to know Islam. Embrace both the good and bad within the Malay community. Learn to accept their idiosyncrasies, just like there are idiosyncrasies in any other culture.

If the DAP really wants to represent all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, you need to understand all Malaysians. And the Malays need to know that you understand them. Fifty-four years after agreeing to become a community among communities, they are naturally concerned that those in authority are people who will not understand their needs.

The best way to become familiar with the Malay worldview is to experience Malay-ness. Practise Malay adat and encourage DAP leaders and members to do the same.

As a basic start, it would be good to learn and practise Malay peribahasa. Peribahasa has been a part of Malay culture for many generations and it reveals many insights into the values of the Malays. If you use it in your daily conversation, it will give you a medium to gently communicate with the hearts of the Malays. Another simple thing to cultivate is the habit of wearing traditional Malay wear, especially during official functions. Perhaps you can also organise programmes for your leaders to stay in a Malay kamping. It will be a good eye-opener for them to understand how to relate to the Malays.

If the DAP practises simple gestures like this, it is an opportunity to show that you respect and value Malay culture. It will demonstrate the DAP’s inclusiveness. A good example of inclusive culture is shown in the Peranakan community who draw from both Malay and Chinese traditions. By being inclusive, they do not lose out anything but become a richer people for it.

4. Say sorry

Some of the DAP’s actions in the past, rightly or wrongly, may have hurt the Malay community. For the Malays to stop seeing the DAP as an antagonist, the DAP has to acknowledge the hurt they have caused the Malays and say sorry. If you look at the practice of asking for forgiveness every Aidilfitri, you will realise how important this act is to the culture. The Malays will say sorry even if they did not do wrong. They will ask for forgiveness simply as a good gesture out of respect. They say sorry all the time. That is embedded in the Malay culture. The Chinese may see saying sorry as “losing face” but for the Malays, saying sorry it is to give the other party “face” — an act of high culture.

Sometimes, to achieve bigger purposes we know that we have to humble ourselves and take the wiser path. In this spirit, I suggest that you apologise for the chauvinistic actions the DAP has taken in the past. For example, the DAP’s attempt to forge a “Malaysian Malaysia” in the way of making the Malay culture and all cultures of Malaysia equal. That is wrong to our history. They are inconsistent with the DAP’s objectives as an inclusive Malaysian party.

Once you say sorry, it will not be difficult for the Malays to forgive and to forget. It is part of the Islamic principles that are ingrained in the Malay worldview. Prophet Muhammad also showed the example of a forgiving spirit. The Quran in 8:61 commands: “But if they incline to peace, you also incline to it, and (put your) trust in God.”

5. Lim Kit Siang must retire

If the DAP is serious about being a multiracial party, it needs to re-brand public perception towards it. There must be fresh leadership so that the DAP is no longer judged based on past actions. The old must make way for the young.

I acknowledge that Lim Kit Siang, in his many years of service, has made tremendous contribution. He has done well as an opposition leader. His background research has given us the precedence that we can now build on as we move forward. But it is time to move on.

As long as Lim Kit Siang remains in power directly or indirectly, I feel that the DAP will continue to be perceived as a Chinese-exclusive party. Detractors will use his past actions as a scapegoat to disrupt the DAP’s multiracial aims. This is why I believe that it is good time for Lim Kit Siang to pass the baton to new leaders.

The government should bestow him at least a Tan Sri-ship and he should accept it with open heart from a Malaysian royalty.

6. Be willing to lose out a considerable portion of the Chinese voter base

I am glad that in terms of theory and constitution, the DAP welcomes all as equal members regardless of race and religion. But to really have this in practice, the DAP has to be prepared to lose out the portion of the Chinese voter base who wishes to remain exclusive.

The DAP can be a positive alternative to race-based political parties. To do this you need to let it be known that the DAP is serious about being inclusive to all. Make it clear to the rakyat that you are willing to give up ties with the chauvinistic Chinese, and all Malaysians will feel assured that you will fairly represent all.

7. Merge the DAP and PKR

The fastest way for the DAP to be a formidable alternative to race-based politics is to merge with PKR. Once you do that, automatically you become a multiracial body — a truly Malaysian party.

Let us be honest with ourselves. The loose coalition of the DAP, PKR and PAS seems similar to the BN formula of Umno, the MCA and MIC. Before long, the rakyat will begin to see you as a copy of BN.

The real issue that needs to be solved here is trust among leaders. When it comes to the membership, the majority will follow the leaders. If you and the DAP leadership make a clear stand to merge with PKR, the majority will follow suit.

It is time to put aside internal struggles. Whoever becomes the leader is secondary to the point that once the DAP and PKR merge, immediately you will be in a better position to be an alternative to BN’s race-based formula.

Thank you.

Peace.

______________________________________________________________

And THIS is the response of TMI ...

Finally, the Ultimate Solution to the Middle East Crisis.....

I have stumbled upon the Middle East solution, yes, finally. I'm sure the Zionists ( I said zionists, not jewish...), would be delighted if this resolution becomes a reality. Well, the zionists and probably Arab women who not only can't drink (alcohol) but can't drink and erm..drive...

Before anyone starts screaming "AllahuAkhbar!!!" and charge at me with a whip, or stones, or sword just so they can kill in the name of the same God I submit to, please halt, and do something that differs us humans with animals..it's called "thinking".

We Muslims should not get instantaneously angry when non Muslims mock our religion, until we can justify whether do we deserve to be mocked in the first place. Laugh if you may in the name of humour upon watching this video, but if you think about the state of Islam today, you may end up crying, especially if you're a Muslim women and homosexuals.......

For my FB readers, please click HERE to view video

Serve you (?)...riiiiiiigggght...

When you hear men blaming women for anything, from their inability to control their copulation gadget, to the earthquake (or rather BoobQuake), you can still understand where it's coming from, hence the addition of the term "Male chauvenist pigs" into our common daily language. But when women blame her own kind for men's faults or for faults shared by both parties, that's when another new expletive, simply known as WTF in the cyber world (in case you don't know what WTF stands for, well, depending on the context, it can mean World Tennis Federation, only when it's devoid of the moans and groans that may cure men's impotence problem. Otherwise, it simply means "What... the... Fish...").

In case it escapes our minds, the word "oppression" includes it's mental component. Then again, you need at least a simple organ called the brain to be able to experience mental oppression. So, sometimes, it is a bit difficult to achieve a plausible diagnosis when faced with such situation whereby the women blame themselves when clearly it's not completely their fault to begin with. You are torn between the differential diagnosis of oppression, ignoramus, desperately insecure or simply brainless to even experience the former differential diagnosis. If a person is told that they're not good enough everyday constantly and tenaciously, he/she will begin to believe it at some point. That is mental oppression. Ask the British Empire how this works, they'll tell ya.

So when a friend emailed us this link, we had a great time bitching about it..But after the laughter and the witty exchange of comments had simmered down, some of us if not all, were left with one uneasy feeling, alarmed. As for me, I do not know whether to laugh,or to cry. To me, this club perhaps marks the completion of a repetition of history. The Jahiliyah Era (Ignorance), . It's when women ourselves, fall into an abyss of acceptance of men's oppression.

Read it yourself HERE. And here's the latest updates: Perak Mufti support Obedient Wives Club (of course...why wouldn't he?) and here's Malaysia, mentioned in the international media The Forbes...(except this goes under the Un-Fortune8 of 500), read it HERE. Frankly, I think they should consider naming their club Club Obedient Wives, or COW for short.. so it is fitting to call the COWs.....4 stomach and 1 sad excuse of a brain....

You know that sensation you get when you ingest a sudden bulk of frozen ice cream? Yes, these folks are suffering from a similar kind of brain freeze, except that this looks to be of permanent nature.

Some excerpts plus my comment (in red):

"When husbands come home from work, wives do not welcome them with warm alluring smiles and sexy dressing sprayed with beautiful fragrance to stimulate sexual arousal - but with stale saliva. This is the reality today."

With that halal perfume lingering that can make a nostril hair drop off from the irritation? I don't think so.

This is one difference between men and women that these bunch of nitwits should comprehend. Most women cannot have sex when they are tired doing the house chores or when they are pissed with the man while men can have sex as long as they can still carry their balls around, unless they have a longstanding non-standing problem. They're angry, they have angry sex. They're sad, they have mercy sex. They're gay, they have sex, although depends on the definition of gay, on both accounts they all still manage to have sex. Make no mistake about it. The two heads may share the same name, but totally different governing bodies.

Furthermore, has it occurred to men that women too need to have a good visual input as foreplay and a romantic mood set in order to have the need for sex? So why can't they harp on men to reciprocate by taking the trouble to woo ( I said woo not woe) their wives instead of putting the responsibility of their sexual relationship solely on themselves? Why not have a "Kelab mengorat Bini" where they have classes for example teaching men how to cook romantic dinners for their wives, or at least learn some foot massage if study on GPS (that's G-spot positioning System by the way) is too much to handle?

Of course there is some truth in the the allegation that women sometimes take their hubbies for granted the moment they have secured the title "wife", only but minute of quantity. Again, it takes two to tango. The problem with society today, is that I dare say majority, both husbands and wives, have this perception that marriage is the end of dating, so couples tend to take each other for granted, consumed with the contentment of the false security of an institution called marriage.

If so, there is some truth in the statement whereby women before marriage is an economist in the kitchen, an artist at home and a devil in bed and after marriage become artist in the kitchen, devil at home and an economist in bed, these things work both ways. When women are not happy with how they are not appreciated as a companion, that's when counter phrases like, "Men are root of all women's problems: MENstrual pain, MENtal illness, MENopause...." comes by.

"Much of the problems in society are caused by disobedient wives who do not bring joy and happiness to their husbands and do not serve their husbands well," she said."

Ya, I bet these bunch of neurotics would have no qualms blaming the disobedient Japanese wives for causing Japan's recent tsunami too.

I thought the only one to SERVE is God... You don't "serve" your husband, you love him. And when a woman loves a man, she will do almost anything for him, that's a given. But men need to reciprocate in order to earn a woman's love, respect, honor and of course vice versa, in order to make a marriage work.

(30:21) "Among His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves, in order to have tranquility and contentment with each other. He places in your heart love and care towards your spouses. In this, there are signs for people who think."

But the problem is people DON'T LIKE to think. It's too time consuming and tiring for a brain of pea sizes.

"Happy husbands won't abuse wives"

I'm sure they didn't even find this true in "Happy Feet". So, basically, these ignoramuses are saying that a man is abusive because it is a woman's fault, and not because he needs a psychiatric evaluation. No wonder our Psychiatry wards are full of women suffering from the consequences of abuse rather than the men who abuses. I'm sure these are the same crowd who victimizes the rape victim by blaming the rape on the raped and not on the rapist. What does it take for society to decipher rape victims...be raped to attain such empathy? I'm beginning to wonder where these women's heads have been? Up Saifool's arse? I mean so far what is there that's not up his arse come to think of it. But I digress.

_________ end of article excerpt and comments________

When a wife is reduced to the word "obey", she is no better than the dog who is taught tricks of fetching a thrown bone, roll over and play dead (except with women, we are expected to roll over and play anything but dead) while our tongue hang out and dribble saliva, a sign of eagerness to please it's master.

Here's to give you a scenario of how women, in the eyes of these mentally challenged species, are expected to dance to men's tunes. Obviously the Hippo is the man and the dog is the woman according to this Club. Maybe they should make this their official video or something...

Click HERE to view this cute video for FB readers.




What happen to women are garments to men as they are to women?

[2:187] " Permitted to you, on the night of the fasts, is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments. "

So what's up with women being treated like disposable undergarments? Isn't that what the word "obey" strongly suggested.

This is nothing new, because most culture, throughout history, have proven that men do their best to feel good by making the women feel inferior than themselves. It's to do with that extra appendage hanging in between their hairy thighs and the ego that comes with it. But when women accepts the fact that she is created solely for the purpose of becoming men's muse, then I suppose, we don't have to wait for 2012 when the world is prophesied to end, because the "civilization" had already ended.

The only time women are put in a pedestal in Islam today, is probably when the symbol of the entrance to our reproductive organ is kissed by millions during circumbulation of God's House. I mean, otherwise, why are we kissing the Hajaral Aswad?

I'm sure that was not what God had meant when He said in Surah 4:1, "...............Respect the womb that bore you".





Compare women today, and the women during the Jahiliyah Era. Can anyone spot any difference? Have the accusing fingers stop pointing at us every time anything bad happens? Are we still not oppressed? (Well, that ex-Al Arqam woman, after just completing her participation in "Jom Poligami" campaign is a living example of mental oppression). Are we not the only gender being punished for crimes when men commit the same crime yet gets away with it? Are our auta-rities not biased towards men? If the answers to the questions above is "NO" on all accounts, then anyone with an acceptable IQ will be able to decipher the failure of the religion itself. The only question left to answer is "Had the occurrence of Islam freed women the way Islam, not it's crooked misinterpretation, had intended it to? " If the answer is again, "NO", then tell me, what is the point of being "enlightened"?


There are many verses in the Quran that shows men and women are equal in the eyes of God.

4:124, which says,

‘If any of you do deeds of righteousness, whether it be male or a female and has faith, they shall surely enter Paradise and not the least injustice shall be done to them."

16:97 which says

‘If any of you perform good deeds, be it a man or a woman and is a believer, We shall give you good life and We should reward you for all your good works"

49:13

‘O humankind, We have created you from a single pair of male and female and have divided you into nations and tribes, so that you shall recognize each other not that you despise each other and the most honored in the sight of God, is the one who is the most righteous

33:35, which says,

"For Muslim men and Muslim women,for believing men and women,for devout men and women,for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant,for men and women who give in charity,for men and women who fast and deny themselves,for men and women who guard their chastity, for men and women who engage much in God's praise,God has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward"

Alas! Despite all these positive surahs, there's One surah some men continue to harp on. Yes, it only takes one surah that they want to hear and in favor of them, to conveniently out shadow the adjuvant surahs that gives us the whole picture.

The famous 4:34:

"Men are guardians of women because God has favored some more than others and because they spend out of their wealth. (In their turn) righteous women are (meant to be) devoted and to guard what God has (willed to be) guarded even though out of sight (of the husband). As for those (women) on whose part you fear ill-will and nasty conduct, admonish them (first), (next) separate them in beds (and last) beat them. But if they obey you, then seek nothing against them. Behold, God is most high and great.

Wow..just in one surah, men gets to be the boss and beat their wives. No wonder Islam attracts many men more it does women (unless they are masochists who enjoy demoting themselves to a second class citizenship by common practice), more so if one is a male chauvinist pig. Otherwise, we need to heavily rely on the Propagating Forth strategy and pass down the religion via hereditary, or via conversion by marriage and hope democracy will help us take over the world, if not to keep the religion alive. Seal the deal with human made "Apostasy" , just in case. Islam is no longer spread via it's beauty, but more so via it's insecurities...

Well, here's food for thoughts (if one cares to feed one's brain), to explain what "guardian" or in Arabic, "qawwamun" is.

It is a plural to the word "qawwam", and the root of the key word, qawwamun is "qama" which means "to stand or to make something stand or to establish something". A related word is qa'im which means "one who stands or makes something stand". Qawwam is an intensive form of qa'im and has a sense of continuity in the action involved. So it means one who is continuously standing over something (as, for example, a guard or caretaker) or one who is continuously making something stand, for example, maintaining a stance.

It is easy to misinterpret this particular ayat, in favor of women, just as what men love to do with the ayat to justify their wars, oppressing women, torturing gays and people having illegal sex or drinks....it can be misinterpreted something like this maybe? :

"Ironically, men are expected to "maintain a stand", so why are these women taking the blame of men's erm.."non-standing problem" when it's clearly men are responsible to "maintain a stand" on their own? They are the caretaker of their own standings, so, if men cannot get it to stand, stand up for it and get viagra lah."

Moving along, but the thing is, the function of qawwam is also understood in the Qur'an to be characterized by fairness. Thus in 4:134 and 5:8, the only other passages in the Qur'an where the word is used, the believers are told:

4: 134 "O you who believe! Be qawwamin with fairness..."

5:8 "O you who believe! Be qawwamin for God as witnesses to fairness..."

As for "beating" the Mrs., bear in mind that the Quranic translators were men, the same species who hardly marry women who are older than them which is ironically the most under-practiced practice of Muhammad by the ummah as compared to say...polygamy. So since they like to marry young women if possible who had just attained menarche, I suppose it is more easier to "beat" the young wives as compared to the older ones, who have at least some knowledge on how to kill their husband and make it look like an accident. Before you gleam , beam, whatever, here.... read what Edip Yuksel's take on men's right to "beat" their wives (?).


In [10:100] God had warned us:

"It is not for any soul to believe save by the permission of Allah. He hath cast a wrath upon those who do not reason."

For the women who do not reason, and adopt the non-thinking that their existence on the planet earth is solely for the purpose of satisfying men's sexual lust, and excepts the fact that men's shortcomings are solely theirs to blame, then by all means, you've made your beds, so go lie on them, naked, alluring with halal perfume, drooling with fresh saliva of lust, drowning in an abyss of insecurity that the inability to serve your husband may yet drive him to the nearest whore house, or worst, polygamy.......waiting, for their fat, pot bellied,-parochial-and-pedantic-headed husband to walk through the front door Sex-pecting you. A case of "serve who right" or "serve you right" ??

Maybe you are lying on the bed of God's wrath... but don't go dragging other women into it...