MARCH 8 GENERAL ELECTION - REDUX

I was closely watching the general elections as the results were announce late into the night of March 8. Even before the elections as I went about travelling in KLand PJ, I realised that on many of the campaign posters, the BN men were all portly and extremely well-fed looking (especially the MCA fatcats). The DAP and PKR boys meanwhile looked lean and trustworthy by comparison.

Then, on election night, as the winners and losers were announced -- those who won didn't have titles. In contrast, there were tons of Datuks and Datuk Seris and Tan Sris losing in their constituencies and it was obvious that these title-laden lads were all Barisan boys. The rakyat were obviously disgusted with the state of politics of the country where basic needs like safe roads (well lit, WITHOUT POTHOLES, well-thought out etc) and affordable living (fairly priced houses, well-built houses -- too many bastard developers were getting away with building and selling shitholes disguised as houses -- good garden areas within the house compounds, safe playgrounds for children and beautiful parks for everyone to get close to nature AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL SAFE FOOD -- low sugar content in drinks, no artificial colourings in as many food items as possible, no preservatives in veg/fruits and no hormones or chemicals in meat -- AND AFFORDABLE FOOD).

Anyway, the important thing for BN and the Opposition to know is that the rakyat do not necessarily embrace the agenda of the Opposition parties but desperately wanted to teach obnoxious keris-waving/temple-destroying types in BN that the rakyat were sick of the petty, intellectually-CHALLENGED people getting away with their little Napoleon antics.

Now, it is important for BN not to be a bitch about things and start screwing states being led by the Opposition gang. THIS WOULD SURELY WRITE THEIR FORTUNES ON WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION WILL BE: COMPLETE LOSS!!!!!!!!

So, be sensible, and endear yourselves to the rakyat again, BN.

The swines who try to sabotage, lets say the Tourism activities in certain states -- should be given a public lashing. Who do these politicians think they are? Everyone is being financed by the tax payers money and no one has the right to deny any district or state of anything (I am willing to make an exception for Kelantan -- because I truly distrust PAS completely!).

The era of Mahathir-God complex where areas that voted for the opposition had bad roads and no street lighting etc as punishment ARE OVER.

GET OVER YOURSELVES ALL YOU POLITICIANS -- YOU ALL ARE THE PUBLIC'S SERVANTS AND WE JUST WANT YOU TO DO YOUR WORK AND MAKE EVERY ASPECT OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY ADMIRABLE -- FROM THE WASTE MANAGEMENT TO FOOD PRODUCTION, TO RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TO PRESERVATION OF NATURE WHERE IT IS CRUCIAL TO THE MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS TO THE SAFETY OF ROAD USERS TO THE EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!

To the Opposition, I say, you have your ticket. Win people over. Always fight everything with logic and compassion. And if you prove yourselves, the next election will be a breeze.

12th PARLIAMENT SESSION LOOKS TO BE IN GOOD STEAD

It was nice to see the 12th Parliament session and even better to see one of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat MPs coming on a motorbike and another in a Myvi. These guys are adding colour to our political landscape and it is refreshing. The PKR boys are a good reminder that politics is about serving people and not a ticket to vast riches as demonstrated by the many Barisan MPs who lost in the recent General Elections.

KL-SINGAPORE BULLET TRAIN SCRAPPED

This is coming in a bit late, I know, but it is still something I want to talk about. I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THE BULLET TRAIN PROJECT BETWEEN KL AND SINGAPORE HAS BEEN SCRAPPED.

Why should Malaysian taxpayers' dollars be used to build such a thing? The conglomerate that suggested such a thing should have worked out the finances and footed the bill. Walk the talk, man! How dare people suggest things in their cheap little way and try and scrimp and save and keep their fortunes untouched but then think nothing of exploiting the public's money?

I also strongly feel that the younger generation from wealthy dynasties should find ways to make themselves relevant to the society within which they live in rather than think they are head and shoulders above everyone else and only think of devious ways of exploiting others all the time.

SARAS RAMAPILLAI....

I have had the pleasure of knowing my ex-landlady Saras Ramapillai for more than a decade now and I always enjoy our chit chats whenever I drop by to see how she is doing. She is 75 years old now and still doing well in health and her mind is still very sharp.

When I saw Saras last week, we talked politics extensively as Saras is very knowledgeable about the country's politics. We are both very excited by the start of the Parliament sessions. She told me to see her again after the Parliament is in session -- we both enjoy analysing politics in this country and Saras always makes astute observations.

TEMENGGOR IT SHOULD BE

I take great pride in the fact that I am from Penang and I speak the Penang Malay dialect fluently (in case you wondered: Penang dialect is the best in the country!) and I speak the formal Bahasa very flueltly also.

Which brings me to my recent work-related assignment to Temenggor Forest Reserve. It must be spelt with a double G (i.e 'gg'). For some strange reason, apparently the Perak state government has sanctioned the spelling of the place with a single 'g' (i.e. Temengor).

This is wrong, obviously. Malaysians spell name places with double Gs always. From TerenGGanu to TemenGGor. These places are spelt as they are pronounced -- we do not say TE-REN-GANU, we say TE-RENG-GANU.

Similarly, we do not say TE-MEN-GOR, we say TE-MENG-GOR.

I have many very dear colleagues and friends who are from Perak itself and no one says TE-MEN (as in the plural of the English word MAN)-GOR.

I suspect the person or group of people who officially sanctioned the spelling TE-MEN-GOR must be the offspring(s) of Indonesian PRs in Malaysia. No one in their right mind speaks Malay the way it is prescribed officially. Malaysians speak Malay with a classy sense of poetry and lilt. Not stiff in the way demanded by the artificiality of the Bahasa Baku format.

(Anyway, just a jibe at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for promoting that dubious policy of introducing Bahasa Baku while he was Education Minister -- the man had better retract that strange linguistic policy. Malaysians should be speaking Bahasa the way we have always spoken it over the centuries and not speak Bahasa as if it is the Indonesian language!)

Many Malaysians in my age group -- the 40s -- are very displeased with Bahasa Baku.

TUN DR MAHATHIR SKEWERED ON HARDTALK

I had the occasion to watch Malaysia's former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on BBC the other day and the old man gloriously stuffed both feet into his mouth to spectacular effect.

The interviewer Stephen Sackur asked all the questions that angry Malaysians like myself have been waiting to ask the old man. The lies Mahathir spouted on television was staggering. Has he not hear of the word KARMA?

In the 23 years Mahathir was the prime minister of this blessed country, he hammered in a dividing wedge between the main races of this country so deeply, that the old man must never ever be forgiven for his stupidity and racist policies.

He could have used his position to bring all the races together and the country would be even more unstoppable than it is now. But he never did.

(Let's face it folks -- Malaysia is what it is today and where it is because of the dynamics of the different races living here and galvanising the country forward. For any one race to think it is ahead of another is stupid. Look at country's around us -- frankly, they are all lesser countries compared to Malaysia.)

Mahathir systematically screwed the country's education policies, encouraged racist hiring policies at public institutions, royally shafted the judiciary and the country's media simultaneously and does not have the dignity to admit what he has done.

Late in his dictatorial political career, only then did Mahathir realise what our most beloved Tunku Abdul Rahman knew from day one: that the country is a dynamic force because of the different races that make up Malaysia and that education is a key point to the salvation of the country (by bringing people together and opening young minds that are full of potential). Dr Mahathir sang praises of the important role played by the non-Malay business communities in the development of Malaysia (as if it was a new thing!) only at the very end of his dictatorial reign but it was too late -- he had royally soured the intra-race relationships in the country.

The concession to Mahathir that English be used in the teaching of Maths and Science also came a bit too late -- being multilingual has always been an asset to any thinking person and during Mahathir's reign, he should have have at least made an effort to safeguard the education institutions so that not-so-bright education ministers under his leadership didn't screw around with the nation's most important asset: EDUCATION!!!!

Most all all, Mahathir should never be forgiven for screwing around with our national anthem, Negaraku. Thank God we have reverted to the stately and dignified tempo of our beloved song under Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership.

Kudos also to our present PM for bringing back Bunga Raya into prominence. I see it being planted everywhere and it is a beautiful sight to behold indeed when the flowers are blooming -- which is throughout the year! Our national flower is a better city-beautification option than the useless non-indigenous palm trees that were being planted everywhere at one point.

BARISAN NASIONAL SHOULD NEVER DESTROY PLACES OF WORSHIP

One thing Barisan Nasional should learn from its stupendous losses in the March 8th General Election is that it must absolutely put a stop to morons in the party from destroying people's places of worship, be it Hindu temples or Chinese temples. If a road needs to be built, build it AROUND the places of worship, giving allowance for the devotees' parking needs etc. Never assume to give temples notice of eviction etc. Who do the local authorities think they are? Mini Gods? Nowhere in the development plans of this great country does it say that you must destroy places of worship to make way for something as stupid as a road. In such cases, the unwritten rule should be that a place of worship wins hands down. Everything else in life CAN give way to places of worship!

And, PLEASE, people of all religion must be of the mindset that the other person's religion is as infallible as one's own religion. This way, people will respect one another's religion. When one thinks another person's religion is fallible, then why should not the other person also think your religion is equally fallible? So, screw you superiority complex when it comes to religion and use your God given brains and respect people's faith.