The next time anybody asks me why our local universities are producing graduates of such dismal quality (yours truly included), I’m gonna tell ‘em that we don’t have super brainy and totally gorgeous/sexy/beautiful/kawaii part-time model academicians lecturing us, unlike them lucky folks in Singapore universities. Which makes it hard to give 1001% of our attention to them and the subject being taught.
Sorry, links deliberately not given to help protect the career of said academician. But damn :-0…
V for Vendetta is a fictional story of a mysterious hero with superhuman strength and reflexes. This hero, V, is an anarchist, fighting against an oppressive and corrupt UK government whose leaders have perpetrated systematic fraud and committed human rights atrocities on a massive scale in order to usurp and secure complete power over the country.
While the original motion picture was based upon a comic book series of the same name, in reality, the sinister backdrop of V for Vendetta doesn’t seem too far fetched in our current period of national and global turmoil. In the story, it is during an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness that V delivers a most eloquent and stirring speech to his fellow countrymen. This speech was so utterly thought-provoking that I have taken the liberty of posting a video clip of it together with a transcript on this blog for anyone who may come by to peruse and digest. I recommend watching the entire show, as it is really pretty good IMHO, but here’s a clip of the speech I was talking about:
Good evening, London.
Allow me first to apologize, for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of everyday routine, the security, the familiar, the tranquility, repetition… I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with someone’s death or the end of some awful, bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is certainly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.
There are, of course, those who do not want us to speak. I think that even now orders are been shouted into telephones and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because when the truncheon maybe used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who would listen, the enunciation of the truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there?
Cruelty and injustice, intolerence and oppression, and where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillence coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission? How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those who are more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again, truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.
I know why you did it. I know you were afraid! Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease… There were a myriad problems that conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor, Adam Suttler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient, consent.
Last night, I sought to end that silence. Last night, I destroyed the Old Bailey to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than 400 years ago, a great citizen wished to embed the 5th of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words, they are prespectives. So if you’ve seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then, I would suggest you allow the 5th of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me, one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliment, and together we shall give them a 5th of November that shall never, ever, be forgot.
Quoted from “Be honest, politicians told”, The Star Online (January 15, 2008):
Politicians saddled with debts or mixed up in immoral activities should not even think of offering themselves as candidates for the next general election.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said individuals deep in debt or those who have dodged income tax should not offer themselves as candidates as their representation would be a liability to the Barisan Nasional.
Quoted from “You’re in if you can win”, The New Straits Times Online (January 15, 2008):
Dr Khir, the menteri besar and state BN chairman, said fielding candidates who could deliver seats was priority. Whether they were perceived to be corrupt, scandalous or having disciplinary problems, they could be “forgiven” as long as they had a strong base in their area and could win the seat.
If they passed the screening by the Anti-Corruption Agency, their names can be in his list.
“When the election comes, the most important thing is the seat. After that, the system can take care (of itself) and we move on. My judgment is easy,” said Dr Khir, 42, who himself is not free from controversies since taking charge in 2000.
While first statement isn’t much cause for concern (It’s fair, IMHO), I’m quite sure the second one is. Apparently being involved with corruption, abuse of power, breaking the law and generally being an asshole doesn’t disqualify one from being a potential Member of Parliament these days. I wonder what else a potential candidate could do which would disqualify him/her, short of arson, or maybe blowing up someone with C4. The so-called screening by the Anti-Corruption Agency would probably be the least of anyone’s worries, what with the agency’s operative term being NFA (No Further Action a.k.a. He’s-already-paid-us-off-with-his-side-income-so-all’s-good).
This “winning at all costs” mentality is stinks of arrogance and extreme short sightedness, to say the least. A country’s leaders are supposed to be the cream of the crop, the “best of the best of the best, SIR!” kinda people. Letting lowlife with dubious backgrounds run the country is just a recipe for national disaster. Leaving the “system to take care of itself” is unmitigated bullshit from a man who ought to know better but doesn’t, being as he is, a product of the so-called system itself.
Looks like the cat is really out of the bag on the Chua Soi Lek sex video. The matter which was first hinted at in Jeff Ooi’s article on the MoH curse has become a full blown sex scandal saga. Well, although our ex-Minister of Health is an old man, at least nobody can accuse him of not being a man of vigor. That said, it is really none of anyone’s business what the man does behind closed doors. If the matter does not impair his work and duty, then why should the public care what his personal (and private, one might add) life is like? Even his own family has decided to forgive him and stand behind him on the issue. Should the Malaysian public let bygones be bygones?
Well, yes and no, actually. It is true that the leaders of a country should be held to a higher standard of conduct compared to everyone else. After all, that’s why we elect them to lead. It is expected that our “betters” should conduct themselves in a manner worthy of a one who has earned our trust. On the flip side however, it is also true that one must not have double standards when judging/punishing a leader who is guilty of misconduct. All who have erred should be punished in a manner befitting the severity of their transgressions, no more and no less. Which is why it is puzzling that the brouhaha has resulted in the government forcing the MoH to resign, although he has pledged to continue his work.
Let me put this into perspective. On one hand, we have the ex-MoH, Chua Soi Lek, who is guilty of having an affair and forced to resign from all positions. However, he has broken no laws and it is unlikely that his affair would have affected his work and duty to the general public. On the other hand, we have the likes of the MP of Jasin, Said ‘Close-One-Eye’ Yusof who abused his power and position by demanding that the Customs release lawfully and rightfully confiscated timber belonging to his company. The timber consignment was earlier confiscated for exceeding regulated size limits. When the affair blew up, he was let of with barely a slap to the wrist before the matter was closed. At the same time, we also have Works Minister Samy Vellu, who has presided over a host of serious and potentially lethal disasters in projects commissioned by his ministry. Disasters such as defective, cracked and landslide-prone highways (MRR2, Karak etc), as well as shoddy workmanship in buildings and other structures (Parliment, Jalan Duta Court Complex, Immegration Department HQ, Hospital Sultan Ismail etc), all the time putting the blame squarely on “God” for the sending down such disasters. Samy Vellu is still the Works Minister the last time I checked.
It appears that while others in authority have done far worse things than sexual misconduct, they have been let off with little or no punishment in spite of their actions being criminal or having directly put the welfare of Malaysian citizens at risk. Why then, the selective punishment for Chua Soi Lek because of something so personal with no direct bearing on the nation? Why not catch whoever was behind the recording anyway? Looks like once again, emotion has won over our mental faculties, and saving face is the order of the day. Or was it something else?
To provide the public with information about how their tax dollars are spent. Citizens have a right and need to understand where tax dollars are spent. Collecting data about the various types of contracts, grants, loans, and other types of spending in our government will provide a broader picture of and much needed transparency to the Federal spending processes. The ability to look at contracts, grants, loans, and other types of spending across many agencies, in greater detail, is a key ingredient to building public trust in government and credibility in the professionals who use these agreements.
In detail, the most crucial part of the act is:
Not later than January 1, 2008, the Office of Management and Budget shall, in accordance with this section, section 204 of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–347; 44 U.S.C. 3501 note), and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403 et seq.), ensure the existence and operation of a single searchable website, accessible by the public at no cost to access, that includes for each Federal award—
the name of the entity receiving the award;
the amount of the award;
information on the award including transaction type, funding agency, the North American Industry Classification System code or Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number (where applicable), program source, and an award title descriptive of the purpose of each funding action;
the location of the entity receiving the award and the primary location of performance under the award, including the city, State, congressional district, and country;
a unique identifier of the entity receiving the award and of the parent entity of the recipient, should the entity be owned by another entity; and
any other relevant information specified by the Office of Management and Budget.
If the Malaysian government were really serious about transparency and curbing corruption, I think this would be one of the first things to be looked at. Such check and balance mechanisms are surely required to control the atrocious spending of our government.
Personally, I find it hard to show any sort of enthusiasm about the first Malaysian in space. Call me a wet blanket if you will, but I see no point in hurling a man into the stars just for the hell of it. Yes, let us say it as it is. We launched a Malaysian into space Just-For-The-Hell™ of it. Let’s not be addled by whatever so called “experiments” which are to be conducted up there, as they were merely tacked up to give some measure the legitimacy of the mission. The truth remains that these experiments were concocted to give a purpose (any purpose!) to the space mission. After all, I’m sure that many people still remember the brouhaha that followed after we Malaysians started bandying around about making “teh tarik” and throwing “roti prata” in space when this “project” was announced. Apparently the Russians balked at that one (Throwing tea and bread in the ISS??? Yob tvoyu maht tovarisch, no!!!), and we had to go back to the drawing board to see what else we could do. Sounds just like putting the cart before the horse, no?
So why did we launch our Malaysian into space anyway? It wasn’t as if we had anything to boast of, since we did not contribute any technology or knowledge to the mission. There also seemed to be no specific purpose for the mission, since we had to look for something for Dr. Sheikh to do once he actually got to the space station. This whole thing stinks of us just wanting to get bragging rights and say “Been there, done that, got the fuckin’ T-shirt”. Well, excuse me. While we’re busy bragging to the world how big our balls are, the world is laughing behind our backs at this foolishness and wondering how much money were we conned of for this space tour. Yes, it is a space tour, since we went there just for kicks and paid good money for it. Sorta like taking a holiday to the Caribbeans or Maldives. Money which would like have been better spent on actually developing the country instead of being pissed away like this.
Wake up Malaysia. There are only so many mistakes we can afford as a developing country. While we’re busy shooting people off to space, our national unity is being shot to hell. Crime and corruption are spiraling out of control, and the transparency of the current administration is as crystal clear as a brick wall. Let’s have some common sense here and not be carried away with such inane things in future. We need FOCUS on the more IMPORTANT things. Let us be proud of our very own Malaysian Astronaut when we ourselves have the technology and knowledge to blast our own country men to the great beyond, and not before.
