Screenshots

I can't wait.

Can't wait for what revelations may be revealed about the alleged dealings linked to Khairy and Co.

Can't wait for the counter-allegations and resultant revelations about dealings linked to Dr M, sons, cronies and Co.

What sort of smelly fishes will surface?

Has Lee Kuan Yew gone senile? At his age, he should be talking of unity amongst the different races & not preaching diversity inorder to create racial tensions.
As for Mahathir telling Lee to take care of his own rice bowl - S'pore must be importing all its grain stock & S'pore's economy flourishes well due to foreigners using S'pore as a conduit for 'all kinds' of transactions - both over & under the table. If Malaysian politicians were to seriously pursue the 'Isthmus of Kra' alternative, only sampans will be calling into S'pore's port. What then will be the actual status of S'pore?

DJZ: Gov't breaks promise on vernacular schools

Sep 22, 06 7:53pm

The government has allegedly broken its promise by pulling the plug on the construction of new Chinese and Tamil primary schools under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

According to Chinese education movement Dong Jiao Zong (DJZ), Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had promised to build more vernacular schools.

However, Deputy Education Minister Noh Omar revealed two days ago that under the 9MP there would be no more new vernacular schools.

Expressing disappointment with this, DJZ urged Barisan Nasional's Chinese-based parties such as MCA, Gerakan and Sabah's Supp and LDP to clear the air on this issue.

DJZ said the government should understand the people's need for education and provide fair treatment to all schools.

"Based on the funds allocated by the government, it is obvious that they have placed more emphasis on SK (national schools) and have marginalised SJK (vernacular schools)," the movement said in a statement.

Meeting the demand

From 1970 to 2006, it is estimated that the country saw an increase of 2,900 national schools. During the same period, a total of 193 vernacular schools - 58 Chinese schools and 134 Tamil schools - closed down.

According to DJZ, there is a demand for 134 Chinese schools nationwide at present.

"If the government only builds five or so Chinese schools every four years once when an election comes, then it will take 188 years or 47 elections before the 134 schools will be completed

"But by then, the population will increase and more schools would be needed," said the movement.

DAP agrees with LKY, slams BN leaders

Sep 23, 06 5:11pm

Politics of denial!

This is how opposition party DAP views the objection raised by Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders to Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's claim that
Chinese Malaysians are marginalised.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng xpressed 'disgust' with MCA president Ong Ka Ting and Gerakan top leaders Dr Lim Keng Yaik and Dr Koh Tsu Koon for denying an 'obvious fact'.

"... The Chinese and other non-Chinese have been systematically marginalised
by discriminatory government policies that only favour the rich and politically connected," he said in a statement today.

"Such politics of denial is dishonest as BN leaders themselves have stated that discriminatory policies such as quotas and the New Economic Policy (NEP) are necessary for racial harmony and national stability," he added.

He said as long as BN leaders, including former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, cannot rely on reason, facts and logic to disprove Lee's claim, then "their emotional denials are like empty vessels making the most noise to cover up the politics of Umno dominance and discrimination."

Perverse logic

The DAP leader also took Koh to task for saying that the minister mentor did not understand and appreciate the challenges in administering a country bigger, more complicated and diverse than Singapore.

"This is perverse logic. If so, then can we support the apartheid policies of South Africa in the 1980s just because South Africa is bigger, more diverse and complicated than Malaysia?

"How can Koh (who is also Penang chief minister) be so thick skin to say the Chinese are not compliant when he was compliant towards Umno by not daring to even respond to the attacks by Penang Umno Youth leaders who humiliated him publicly with demonstrations and banners?" he asked.

Lim then trained his crosshairs on the MCA president, who argued that it was unfair and subjective to say the Chinese in Malaysia are marginalised because any injustices will be resolved by MCA.

"If that is the case, why is it that in cabinet, four MCA ministers could not convince but had to submit and bow to one Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein?" he asked.

He was referring to Hishammuddin's public admonishing of Deputy Higher Education Minister and MCA vice-president Ong Tee Keat over a disclosure that Education Ministry officials had allegedly pocketed funds meant for vernacular schools.

Tee Keat was also reprimanded by the cabinet for his action.

"(What is) worse, Ong has not explained why he supported the Ninth Malaysia Plan's refusal to build a single Chinese or Tamil school out of the 180 new primary schools proposed," he added.

'Selfish acts'

As for Keng Yaik's statement that the "Chinese here will not follow and listen to what he says", Lim said it reflected how out of touch BN leaders are with the feelings of ordinary Malaysians.

At a press conference yesterday, Keng Yaik, who is Gerakan president, urged journalists to report that what Lee had said "was wrong, wrong."

Meanwhile, Lim described the 'false denials' by BN's Chinese leaders as 'selfish and politically motivated' to enable them to cling on to their government posts.

Lee ruffled feathers recently when he said that the Chinese in Malaysia and Indonesia have been systematically marginalised.

He said this was because Malaysia and Indonesia had problems with the Chinese because the community was successful through their hard work.

"In fact, Lee is half right in that it is not only the Chinese who are marginalised. The Indians and poor Malays are also marginalised," said the DAP secretary-general.
___________________________

DAP Forum - NEP vs Vision 2020, Where Has All Our Money Gone?

Date: 26 September 2006 (Tuesday)
Time: 7.30 p.m.
Venue: The KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, (No. 1, Jalan Maharajalela, K.L.)

* Click here for LIVE Audio Webcast * Limit to 100 people!

DAP will host a Live Audio Webcast for the first time and you are required to register before login to listen the forum. Please send your feedback at info@dapmalaysia.org, and we look forward to providing you a better quality of live audio webcast in coming forum event.

Speakers

Prof. Dr Lim Teck Ghee
(Former UN and World Bank Economic Advisor & Director of Centre for Public Policy Studies)

Prof. Dr Ramasamy
(Prominent UKM Professor)

YB Lim Kit Siang
(Parliamentary Opposition Leader)

Tan Sri Dato' Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
(Former Group CEO of Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd. & Former Chief Executive of Permodalan Nasional Bhd.)

For queries, please contact

DAP HQ (03-79578022/8127),
Ng Wei Aik (019-2459305) or
Lau Weng San (016-3231563)

"The Chinese don’t respect him because he has been marginalised by the Chinese around the world"

Chuckles.

When China/Taiwan talk about corruptions eradiction, they use Singapore and HK as reference

Although Taiwan and HK people don't agree on Lee ways of media control, it doesn't mean there is lack the respect on Lee economies and anti-corruptions policies.

corrections, the last paragraph should read as

it doesn't mean there is lack of respect on Lee economies and anti-corruptions policies.

There was an economist by the name of Goh Keng Swee who was the advisor to China's "One-Country-Two-System" master plan that Deng Tsiao Peng initiated. From whom did this Chinese president obtain the expertise of Goh? Would the Chinese government and people have given high or low regard to Goh's country of origin and its leader, if they had accepted (and still do till this day) such foreign expertise from such a country?

regarding tun's comments on singaporean malays, i think that those who are unambitious and prefer living on handouts might prefer living in malaysia.

but if they are ambitious and wish to go far globally, singapore is a better lauch pad for them, or any race for that matter: more cosmopolitan environment, english medium education, better schools, more exposure/access, better facilities etc.

singapore is certainly more equipped to launch global citizens for anyone who will take the opportunity and make good on their own talents.

and let's not forget that many malays and all other races living in johor travel daily to singapore to work. so despite the supposed 'marginalisation', they still think it's better to work in singapore than in malaysia?

If you read the Edge this week in its interview with Tengku Razaleigh, what Tun MM said has some truth. Tengku was so frustrated in that allocation for his constituency was approved by the "boys" at 4th floor without his knowledge.It is as though these young boys know better than him and control the Govt's budget. Don't you think it is pure arrogance and kurang ajar? What does the PM has to say? Sue Tengku or tell him to shut up? Maybe take a longer rest.....

This issue of whether what LKY has said is true or mere bullshit is best to be left to ordinary Malaysians themselves -- people like you and me. Not according to the versions of story-tellers and mass mesmerisers. Nobody in the world knows the truth as clearly and as purely as we Malaysians experiencing our lives here.

Only deep in the hearts and minds of us Malaysians will we truly know the answer. We live in that truth day in and day out.

Ask yourself. Recall what you normally talk to others about. Remember the latest ten most frustrating things you complained to your spouses, friends, and work collegues. Notice what people discuss in coffee shops, pubs, restaurants, and elsewhere. Recall what you read in blogsites and various channels of expressions that try to echo peoples' plight and difficulties.

The Malaysian psyche cannot void itself of this truth. We really don't need the likes of the LKYs to put mirrors in front of us.

Comments on LKY and how we should truly and objectivity look at ourselves:

From the economics lens and when extentiated in its raw form, a person or groups of person is/are marginalised (either socially, economically, politically or combination thereof) when basic rights to living is being denied, either directly or indirectly, by those who hold resources and power.

When we view this from a more holistic angle, and lets say we view from the economics sense alone, for example, we will find that the the concept of marginalisation ties up pretty well to dependancy, and the need to dispense a fair amount of justice to remove this dependancy, by adding or opening resources so that the gap is reduced, in the spirit of preventing and avoiding social outbursts.

Marginalisation in societies is hardly economics alone; it is bigger than that.

When we view societies being marginalised from the humanity point of view, issues based on race, skin color, and geographical location becomes minute and insignifant.

Lets us conjure up a few scenario here closer to home as to what the above rationale implies:

Victims of marginalisation:

+ A Chinese student who score straight A's is denied entry to local university.
+ Indian workers in the rubber estates have long suffered and denied basic quality of life.
+ Malays and other bumiputeras living in the rural areas especially in Sabah and Sarawak has never tasted development.
+ School-age children who little access to good education and nutrition.
+ Non-Muslims who are denied to open up more prayer places.
+ Single mothers who fail to find jobs and denied jobs.
+ People who strive to fight corruption but are held back by the system.
+ Add your own example, depending on your own world view.

How much one feels marginalised is really an emotive response; and, as usually the case, when too big a group becomes marginalised, we will then see social and political outbursts, and societal meltdown.

Are they serious pockets of marginalised societies in Malaysia? Who are they and what are the demographic composition and characteristics?

Which are the marginalised pockets of societies that we should seriously pay our attention to?

Lets digress.

With due respect to the Chinese community -- whom I have no doubt that they are the true engine of economic growth in Malaysia -- and Indonesia, and the Phillipines, and Thailand -- are nowhere victims of economic marginalisation, viewed in aggregate, and from this angle alone. Hold back your prejudice, can you say a big Towkay driving a Mercedes and owning two to three bungalows, a marginalised citizen? What dependency does he have? Is the Chinese community in Malaysia deprived of political representation, and hence is dependant to have greater political power, and to what extent? Is the Chinese community socially deprived that they cannot register at the ROS, visit temples, celebrate CNY and pay respect to the ancestors?

The son of a Chinese cab driver who needs pocket money to go to school is much more marginalised than the son of a big Towkay.

Moving along.

What dependency is there when you have a son of a filthy Malay Tan Sri getting a MARA scholarship to study in the UK?

What dependency is there when wealth circulates amongst the rich in the Malay community, and the rich demands more wealth? The already rich Malay families in Malaysia is dependant for more wealth? How absurd can reality get?

Is the NEP a tool to reduce dependency or create wider dependency, amongst the Malays? Who truly benefit? The supposedly-marginalised and ever dependant Malay majority, or those elite who create the dependency and pockets in the profit?

Whatever foreigners say about our society is immaterial. This is our society. Not theirs.

What is important is that we Malaysians need to look at ourselves in a different way, free from rigid influences of history, our racial composition and ugly racial politics. If not we will more and more deeply marginalised in breaking the yoke of our thinking.

"You (Lee) take care of your own rice bowl" - Old man not so senile after all.

So all of us are just the coolies sweating for the master over us. But I think Lee is a better master as the system he created is sustainable. Here the rotating master each over-do their screwing that the system is at the verge of collapse. But Lee also need to jaga his bowl since the collapse of the rotating master system here will affect his rice output.

Are you brain-dead or half twisted?

From feudalism to sustainable economics (which is a destination than a steady equilibrium point) to breakdown of capitalism to international trade dependencies that connects all above systems, with dire phophetic regional economic meltdown.

Tiga suku ka?

"So all of us are just the coolies sweating for the master over us. But I think Lee is a better master as the system he created is sustainable. Here the rotating master each over-do their screwing that the system is at the verge of collapse. But Lee also need to jaga his bowl since the collapse of the rotating master system here will affect his rice output."

I think it was Walter Runciman who talked about a social happening which he called RELATIVE DEPRIVATION -- to be deprived of some things "relative" to other people being able to access those things.

I am just a student, and I am not a social scientist, but I think what "bohemian grove" is arguing is the notion of ABSOLUTE DEPRIVATION. He/she is saying that there is no absolute deprivation in any community in our country, especially amongst the Chinse and Indians. If there is, then the real situations of having a good life and oppurtunities, and the abundance of conspicuous consumption amongst these two communities will not be possible. On this point, I think he is absolutely right.

But could the idea of marginalisation be "Absolute Deprivation", or do you think it refers to relative deprivation?

Bohe,

Neither of your suggestion but maybe over generalization of words. Still trying to understand your mouthful ... I guess you really believe you're truly free.

malays in singapore support the PAP and chinese in malaysia support the dap. perhaps there is hope yet of a merger.
Singapore goverment abolished chinese vernacular education eons ago without any problems. In malaysia that is impossible.
there is no corruption in singapore as kickbacks are termed as brokerage fee/marketing fee apart from being a money laundering centre (world bank statement) for ill gotten gains in South east asia. The brains behind major hijackings in the malacca straits/south china sea are based in singapore.
chinese and indians are marginalised in malaysia because they cannot speak the local language. The sad part is that even malays are not able to converse in the local language anymore.
And who the hell is Goh Keng Swee. We need him to advise on similar one country-two system for singapore and malaysia.

*yawnz* y bother arguing with pointy heads? All barisan nasional pointy-heads just have to look at the disparity of wealth, technological advancements, standard of living and also the level of corruption between both countries before making making their remarks.

Most readers here whom I believe are matured enough to know that it is not only the chinese and indian communities that are marginalized. Its the rural and poverty-stricken Malays who have missed out on the NEP train when it came chugging along. Did the govt bother about them?

Besides all these rethorics on in Malaysian unity would never come into practice as long communist-style propaganda continue to exist in this country. The gmen can talk about racial-unity, how they help all races and bla bla bla, yada yada yada but in the end its all talk and as long hard-core poverty exists and other races feel marginalise, they can kiss my @$$. Most politicians in this country are in for their own self-personal glorification and not for their rakyat. So don't condem old-man Lee for placing the mirror in front of us. Anyone who wants to refute Lee's facts please go and do some fact-finding in that country and compare it with ours.

“As for the great silent majority in this country, they should now ponder what would serve their interests best: to save face by angrily rebutting Lee Kuan Yew OR to stare at the ugly TRUTH bravely and institute CHANGES that will put the nation on the right path?” More reactions at:

http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2006/09/reactions-to-harry-lees-marginalized.html

Dr M slaps himself hard, real hard.
Whislt he was feeling sour that Kamal was reveing business favour from all direction. He was actually saying that: "When I (highlight this) was the PM, my son get hell lot of business offerings.... now all these offernings go to Pak La's son.

Really, do I have to elaborate... for this matter, does anyoneelse needs to elaborate??????

He slapped hinself hard this time.

Enough is enough, Dr M, you, your son and everyone of your family had eaten enuff!!!

I m not saying that its time for Pak La and his family to feast.

You all, are just like the crows all over the wold:- just as black!

Pot and cattle, plssssss dont mock on each other!

Having said that, I think Pak La has done far much damage than you have done.

Nonetheless, pls keep shouting, WE all love to learn more of your scandals!!

Dear "kacang_inc",

Has anyone in the preceding comments refuted LKY's impressions?

He has undoubtedly placed a mirror in front of us. But do we need his mirror or anyone else's to know this particular Truth we have all the while been experiencing?

Any mirror-ing is irrelevant, and has no significance. Only our real experience counts. Why do we need to react to someone's mirror-ing? Only the real truth counts. What then is the real Truth?

Got it?

Bohemian Grove:

I fully agree with your analysis. It is well presented and unbiased.
One thing that I would like to elaborate is your comment that the chinese are the engines of growth in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia.
Many would attribute this to skill and hard work and knowledge. I beg to differ. These 4 countries have corrupt governments and anything can be "negotiated", and the chinese businessmen are experts in getting on the better side of corrupt government officials and politicians, and thus their "success" in business.
I have travelled to many parts of the world, and I do not see any very successful chinese other than in the 4 countries that were mentioned, and of course HongKong and Taiwan. Even if they have invested in Australia, Canada or anywhere else, the funds would have come from earnings in Hong Kong, Taiwan or the south east Asian countries. Many go overseas to work and later open their own restaurants and grocery shops. We don't see the likes of other Asians like Lakshmi Mittal or Mohamad Fayed who took on the best in the business and succeed. Instead, we see lots of Chinese running restaurants in Lecester Square or the Chinese quarter in Sydney and San Francisco.
In Malaysia, they are very influential with the elites, getting govt deals that even the governement agencies do not get. For example, YTL is the only IPP that has a special clause that forces TNB to buy,from them , and pay for the unused electricity. That YTL's phenomenal growth and profitabilty is due to this single contract is an understatement. Similarly, Berjaya Toto (which used to be owned by the government and sold) has been the cash cow of another malaysian conglomerate, and if one were to scrutinise the finances of this group, we can see that the the group is heavily dependent on this one company and they have for the last few years been grappling with all the inter company advances.
So, rather than attribute success to racial factors, it is best to look beyond and not be too myopic and emotional.

LJ

Dear child of the universe :)(or COTU for short),

Of course we don't need the mirror. It's the politician that needs it. The emperor doesn't realize that his new clothes are an embarrasment to the people. Only his cronies and pointy heads are saying everything is fine. Let me emphasis that the mirror is not for us (the rakyat) but rather for the politicians who are too blind, too deaf, too ignorant or just simply too stupid to see the real truth.

As we all know,sweep everything under the nice looking carpet and assume nothing happend is a standard practice in Bolehland under the rule of "sensitivity".
Matter of fact,a problem is still a problem without solution given.I bet we will still be talking on all these craps even 20yrs or 30yrs down the road if we carry on the way that we have been doing.
Indeed,we lack of the kind of leaders with guts to bring the problems up and get everyone whom concern to sit down to discuss and come out with soluation to all these problems.
I don't believe there is problems without their solution in the world.
To our "Smart" leaders,pls think carefully for the fate of this country.

@longjaafar

Let's see, Lakshmi Mittal had a head start with his family already owning a pretty well-established steel business before he took over the foreign operations.

Mohammad Fayed's career didn't really start until he married a rich Arab arms exporter's sister.

By contrast, you have techies like Jeff Yang (Yahoo!) and the Asian-American founder of Nvidia, the brand of my favourite GPU.

Things aren't always obvious.

Vince,

Those two are just examples. My point is that success comes from hard work and many a time hard work is generated by social factors. Is it any surprise that many displaced persons are more successful entrepreneurs than others? Many chinese are successful because they have no other choice but to survive. However, it applies to other races as well. If we equate success with race, then I'm at a loss as to explain how backward China was in spite of having 1 billion "geniuses" in their midst.

LJ

Longjafaar,
I'm surprised at this age and time, you still think China is backward. Have you been to China, may I ask? Chinese in China was suppressed by its own govt till the last 20 years and see what they have achieved in this short 20 years! One can only imagine where China will be in the next 20 years. The fact that China is the factory of the world proves the point that hard work is in the blood of the Chinese. I agree many chinese are successful because they have no other choice but to survive but I can't say the same for all other races. Some races just do not have the determination and will to succeed as the Chinese do.