A note on Perak

Perak.

The whole nation's already talking about the 5th February 2009 Perak "Crisis". Thus, I won't be adding much more value talking about it here.

But lessons learnt:
1.) Trust no one, but yourself.
2.) Stop doubting. Your doubts might just come out true after all. But don't be judgemental fools.
3.) Know your worth.

Constitutional monarchy?

I will leave this issue with those Powers while hoping that this country is NOT fast descending into a failed state. Not even slow descending. I want Malaysia to be Fast Ascending into a successful state.

Peace.

I met my cousin in the college library

I was in the college library this morning. I was there for my menial mundane library duty, NOT TO STUDY.

The library is never in total silence. You can hear people whispering, which ironically includes the bimbotic librarian who will ask you to shut up but when she and her bimbotic gang are together, they'll be talking and laughing away like nobody's business. Then there will be people walking in and out of the library.

When you are in the midst of absorbing all the stuff you need for your exams, suddenly....

*some Chinese song starts playing at top volume*

Person: (stops the song and presses the phone to the ear): Hello.. (walks out of the library upon seeing the librarian heading towards him or her).

Then,

*Beep Beep*
The student beside you takes out his or her handphone and starts sms-ing. Message sent. He/she puts the phone on the table. A few seconds later:
*Beep Beep*
(and this continues for the next 10 minutes or so, hence burning up their credits- the telco company should give them shares in the company.)

That's a common scene in the library. Unfortunately, some students do not understand the notice pasted read on the wall which reads, "PLEASE MUTE YOUR HANDPHONE".

You try to regain your concentration but in vain attempt.

The fact that the library isn't sound proof makes my house a somewhat better place to study. It's situated on the 1st floor but you can hear the blaring sound of a car's alarm or voices of an Ah-beng wannabe speaking Hokkien, sounding more or less like this:

"Lu eh chai bor, wa ye chia yeh sound system si be ho ar. Kui pak ko, ar. Lu beh siang sin wa kah, huh, wa ho lu kua." (and the ah-beng wannabe turns his sound system on and you can hear it loud and clear from the library especially if you are sitting near the computers. Trust me, it makes you feel like taking the nail gun and nail their lips to the lamp post).

Sometimes, you would have students who would break out in very random exclamations, quotes and sounds for purposes not known even to me, and the whole gang bolts out, laughing hysterically.

Occasionally, somebody will be sneezing, sniffing or whizzing, thanks to the temperature that is ideal for keeping corpses. Yup, the library can get inhumane-ly cold and naturally, my brain freezes accordingly, hence the inability to study...

That is why I prefer studying at home. No doubt my stupid neighbour was renovating his house in the midst of my exam and I was disturbed by the sounds of drilling and hammering, but that was only during the day and being a nocturnal animal, I do not study during the day. I study late at night, thus resulting in my immune system being battered. At the very least, I have all my books and notes at home. There is no way I am going to lug all my books to college. Books=Excess baggage=extra fuel consumption for the car. Besides that, i can study anywhere i like at home. Thus, during pre-exam period, you can see my books and notes lying everywhere in the house (except the toilet). And if you go there now, my MR and CB notes are still lying on the sitting room table and in time to come, it shall be upgraded to become reading materials for guests (yes, if you do come to my house, you can always read my CB notes if the programmes on ASTRO bores you.). My CB textbook has just been given another task to be my mouse pad while my MR and Leadership textbooks are still lying on table in my room, waiting for its owner to put it into the cupboard that is made from the the hardest of ancient timber, handcrafted to perfection by skilled artisans.....Apparently, its owner is too lazy to finish clearing up her stuff.

Today, the library was no difference. There was a whole bunch of diploma students in the library doing their assignments. Sitting behind at the last table was my cousin. He is also doing his degree from the same university but doing a different major. I'm a business major, while he's an accounting major. Both of us are having our semester break but while I'm still enjoying my newly-found freedom, he is already preparing for next semester. *KJ gasps in horror* The next semester starts on the 21st of this month and my cousin is already reading his textbook- chapter 3. Arrgh... I have just placed the order for my textbooks. He's taking his final subject next sem and I'm taking 3 subjects next sem. He has started reading his sole textbook and yours truly has not even started anything..... Anyway, that's my cousin.

- He is a super kuai student and a bookworm. I'm 10 million times more playful as compared to him and his siblings.
- He is a pure Chinese, a trilingual. He can speak our mother tongue very well. On the other hand, I'm a pure banana, a bilingual(???)
- I can't stand dedicating my entire student life to books and academic alone. He can.
- He sells life insurance during his free time while I dedicate my free time to club activities and internet. I earn my pocket money by giving tuition to two primary school students.
- He thinks that joining Extra Co-curricular Activities are a waste of time cos we don't earn any money from it... I joined ECAs in college in hope of getting a scholarship and maybe, like what Mr Adviser said, to give my CV a boost. (Ah, well, I think I shall pay a visit to the office of the honourable DPM to apply for a postgraduate scholarship when I've completed my studies or at the worst, get a letter of recommendation!!! For all I might know, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would be so gracious as to grant me an audience. Well, if Mohd Saiful could be granted an audience with Najib's officer, Khairil Anas, I'm sure I can too, right??? He got a CGPA of below 2.0 while in Uniten, you know..... )
- He is every teachers' dream student. Quiet, smart, and etc. Me?? Let my lecturers be the judge. What can you expect from somebody who 一 定 complain when asked to do tutorials?? Complain 上, complain下, before getting it done!!!
- In short, he and his siblings make me look like a devil. He is one year older than me, much wiser than me and is forever telling me to spent more time on my studies. *Sigh*, I'm not like you. I can't sit resolute on the chair, studying for hours...

Sometimes, I wonder if we are actually related or am I just the odd one out in the entire family?? Maybe I was lost at birth...

Anyway, HOT NEWS here. Ah, how nice is it to be in Malaysia. There's never a dull moment. Our Malaysian political arena offers you all you want for entertainment, ranging from scandals, allegations, fabrications, and quoting Malik Imtiaz, a whole lot of political intrigue in between.
What do I have to say? Discussion suits a contemplative young generation, one that I am part of. We want more openness about the things that matter to us, and the last thing we want to see is blatant sweeping under the carpet. Negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku; we are growing up. Every day brings us closer to the maturity. All I wish for is transparency, accountability, justice, equality. Thus, I sincerely hope you'll grow with us. In two months time, Malaysia, as we sing you your birthday song, please reciprocate by thinking of us as you blow your 51 candles, as much as we think of you. God bless you, Malaysia.

Oh yeah, my cousin isn't interested in social politics....

Reality hits in...

Just when I thought things were going smoothly as planned, reality check puts me back in the front seat of life.

Reality hits in. To think of it, I have got one essay due next week, one assignment due on the 26th, CB Online Quiz 4 opening next week so I must get it completed by the 23rd, CB Online Quiz 5 opening on the 30th and Leadership quiz 3 due end of this month.... **GAH**..Academic stuff aside, I received an email from the president of SCS Student Council saying that I've got to prepare the Student Council I&E statement and promote the YEC during the orientation for the new bunch of babies intake on the afternoon of 24th May...**pukes**...Unfortunately, my preparation for my quizzes and MR assignment have been put to halt due to my Leadership essay..... (and reality hits in that my essay is 40% completed as of today but it has surpassed the word limit by a grand four-figure amount and reality hits in that the list of references is not enough!!!). Preparation for those non-academic matters????????????????????????

Last night (and just now, as well), as I was trying to continue on my Leadership essay, an unpleasant message appeared in my mind: "There are no more ideas inside the brains. Please insert some more ideas into KJ's brains." So I tried to insert some ideas into my brains, but another message appeared: "KJ's brains have encountered a problem and needs to be closed."

So I decided to go online to read some blogs. My first stop was YB Wong Ho Leng's blog that presents a daily summary of Sarawak's DUN meeting. On most days of the sitting, the meeting convened around 5-10 minutes later because there are insufficient number of assemblymen in the Hall for a quorum. This left me wondering, how do you expect us to keep time when our leaders do not keep time even?? But anyway, reality hits in that I'm leaving in a society where the practice of the polychronic-time culture is a norm. Wait a minute, this website says that polychronic people are easily distracted and subjected to interruptions... ***Reality hits into KJ's head that that is why she chucked her essay aside again. She is just NOT DISCIPLINE at all***

After that, I went to YB Lim Kit Siang's blog for some political updates and spent around 20 minutes enjoying 2 YouTube footage on our YB Lim's debate on why the DAP MP for Kota Melaka, Sim Tong Him, and two DAP assemblymen, Goh Leong Sin (Kesidang) and Lim Jak Wong (Bachang), in Malacca last week were arrested by the police. I also watched the footage about the world's richest unemployed that was uploaded today..Then I stumbled upon Din Merican's blog that contained 3 YouTubes videos of our fiery and articulate Ipoh Timur MP raising the issue about RPK's arrest when it was his turn to hold the floor in the debate on the royal address. He took two hours to deliver his speech, which was of course filled with endless interjections, clarifications, demands for rebuttals mostly from BN backbenchers. (Thank you YB Lim for raising all those issues up in the dewan Rakyat. You are really the people's eyes, ears and mouth in the Dewan Rakyat.) Reality hits in that I must agree with Azmi Anshar's write-up about our DAP stalwart.

How I wish that I am the world's richest unemployed. How I wish I am one of the advisers to the Prime Minister of Malaysia...Read this to find out how much Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the adviser on women and social development affairs, and Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Othman, the adviser on religious matters earn per month. It makes Tun Dr. Mahathir's salary as the adviser to Petronas look little... A big thank you to the PKR's Member of Parliament for Kulim Bandar Baru, YB Zulkifli Noordin, for posting the questions, and to our Prime Minister for his written reply...By the way Datuk Seri Prime Minister, is there any vacancy for me as an adviser to you???

The DAP MP for Taiping cum assemblymen for Pantai Remis, YB Nga Kor Ming, is a great orator too. It reminds me of a Malaysian version of Barrack Obama. All praise to the other MPs too, be it from the Barisan Nasional or the Opposition side. Most of them speak very well with beautiful Bahasa Malaysia....***reality hits into KJ's head that she has to improve her command of the BM language*** Unfortunately, the act of the Independent MP for Pasir Mas, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, apologising to the physically challenged BUT NOT to YB Karpal Singh has irked me. ***Reality hits into KJ's head that not ALL Member of Parliaments in Malaysia are professional to differentiate between work and play...***

After that, I visited several other social-political blogs for more updates about Raja Petra Kamarudin, only to feel happy that he has finally agreed to post bail and has been released. Life must have been tough for his family members too. This posting on Susan Loone's blog touched my heart. Though I'm across the South China Sea, I stand with solidarity with everyone who participated in the RPK's candle vigil at the Sungai Buloh prison and Dataran Merdeka for the past two nights.

Then I stumbled upon the DAP MP for Rasah, YB Loke Siew Fook's blog and I was shocked when I read this. (Thank you, YB Loke for posting this)

Total undergraduates in local universities (2007) : 382,997

Bumiputra - 79.7%
Chinese - 12%
Indian - 3.2%
International - 3.7%

Is this a real reflection the meritocracy system??? Why is the Indian admission to local universities 3.2% while the admission of International students 3.7%??? *KJ gasps in horror* Aren't Indians Malaysians too??? ***Reality hits into KJ's head that this is MALAYsia***. Anyway, I strongly agree with the Barisan Nasional MP for Alor Gajah, Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn's proposal that the government should adopt a single entry system into local universities. (Excellent proposal, Datuk Seri Dr Fong. Keep it up.)

Okay, I feel that there are some space in my brains now so I shall take advantage of this rare opportunity to continue on with my never-seem-to-finish essay. Hope it's not another false alarm.

Have a great weekend, people...

Leadership essay beckons... this calls for concentration.

Reality hits into KJ's empty head that she has to concentrate.
and reality hits into KJ's head that it is already Saturday morning....

...and what do we get for speaking our minds out???

We celebrated World Press Freedom Day on 3rd May, 2008. Yesterday, we were greeted with the news that Raja Petra Kamarudin, the editor of Malaysia Today, has been charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 for his post here. Businessman Syed Akbar Ali was also charged under the same act for posting a comment on Raja Petra Kamarudin's site on 5th June, 2007.

Though some quarters aren't happy with his bravado, I got to respect RPK's rectifying actions. He has the guts to post allegations(??) against high-ranking officials. He is a victim of sadistic victimization. This is a political outrage to all bloggers....

This left me wondering...
-where is our freedom of speech as provided by Article 10 of the Federal Constitution??
- With regards to the Malaysian Bar Council statement that the use of the Sedition Act shows a severe encroachment on the fundamental freedoms as stated in the Federal Constitution, do these opressive legislations still have a place in a democratic country like Malaysia??


, left me hoping...
- that the Government of my beloved democratic country, Malaysia, would one day, repeal the Official Secrets Act 1972, Sedition Act 1948, Internal Security Act 1960, other opressive legislations and not forgetting, detention without trial.

, and left me wanting......
- to leave in a peaceful and multi-racial country where criminals are given a fair trial, and innocent people do not have to live in fear of being charged for expressing their thoughts and opinions.

But is there such a country in this world today?
I do not know because I am not well-versed in International Politics and Law.

But what I know is that this articulate man who spoke without fear or favour, but with proof, has chose to stay behind bars instead of posting the RM5000 bail to prove his point while pending the trial on his case on 6th October, 2008.

Like all brave bloggers, he is a man of words..He stood up for what was right.....

Nevertheless, I believe that ONE DAY, truth will prevail and justice will be done....

And we shall never be vilified, subdued, or subjugated by threats of intimidation.

Towards a BETTER Malaysia.

Side note- Taken from Malaysia Today: The Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and the Civil Society Initiative for Parliamentary Reform (CSI-Parliament) have prepared 4 documents supporting the Private Member’s Bill on Freedom of Information in Parliament. These documents are available for you to read here. There is also a petition calling for a Malaysian Freedom of Information Act. Please support the petition by signing it. Link here to find out more...Thank you.

Update on 8/5/2008: RPK has agreed to post bail.

Yay, we are not monkeys and cowards after all....

Candidates wanting to contest for any posts in Umno Youth in the coming party elections will have to set up their own websites or blogs first. It looks like our BN government is embracing the blogosphere...

It’s also good to know that the government wants to meet bloggers now. Quoting Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek on 10^th April 2008, "Actually, I'm sincere in wanting to meet them (the bloggers), just like any of my constituents. The bloggers are also part of my constituents. In my kampung, if they are not happy with me, they transmit this through the kedai kopi. So, I will meet them there to find out the problem. Every night, I will spend almost an hour to read blogs……."

Hold on, I thought blog writers are cowards, monkeys and gobloks.....

Thus, like what DanielYKL said, I guess we bloggers are no longer monkeys and cowards running wild in the jungle, right???

Hey, it's Friday night.... Let's go for a karaoke session together with our fellow bloggers from UMNO since we, bloggers are likened to karaoke singers........

At least the Malaysian political arena and "karaoke singing" are MUCH MORE ENTERTAINING than reading those boring empirical journals for the much-dreaded assignments, though the events surrounding our political arena leaves me dumbfounded and dissatisfied at times......

Okay, to reconcile with what our Sejarah, Pengajian Am, and Pengajian Malaysia textbooks have been preaching about our CURRENT government being good and etc., yes, at least our BN government has accepted the truth about bloggers to the extent that they are even embracing it. I just hope that they (and the other MPs and YBs who are already bloggers) would update their blogs regularly, NOT just for the few months and leave it stagnant for the next 4 years.

On a seemingly random topic, I personally commend YB Tony Pua, the Member of Parliament for PJ Utara, for compiling his 15 questions for the 12^th Dewan Rakyat sittings based on his readers' response and feedbacks. He did not take the people for granted, he listened to us….This is exactly what we want our elected representative to do- to be our eyes, ears and voice in the Parliament.

It is also my fervent hope that all the other MPs, be it from Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional, would emulate the action of YB Tony Pua and YB Fong Po Kuan of releasing the questions that they are going to raise during the Q&A session (NB: I do commend and applaud the actions of the other YBs who released their questions on their blogs too... Keep it up, YBs). This will give us the opportunity to evaluate our respective elected representatives objectively. No doubt the cabinet has permitted RTM to telecast live over RTM1 channel the Dewan Rakyat’s Q&A session FOR 30 minutes uncensored from 10am beginning April 30^th when the House meets, but I personally feel that those half an hour live telecast are insufficient to conduct a true evaluation since the Q&A session are held for around 1 1/2 hours. Wait a minute, what am I complaining about???? After all, a half-an-hour viewing is much better than the two-minutes slot during the 8pm Warta Perdana. Now, I’m hoping that the coverage will be extended to include the debates. Well, Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek did not rule out that possibility…

Anyway, as I was going through YB Tony Pua’s list of questions that he has submitted to the Parliament office, I was happy to note that most of it are ongoing political issues that are close to the peoples' heart. FINALLY after 5 years of wondering and some soul-searching exercises, I will be getting the answers to his oral questions 4 and 5 as well as written question 3 soon……. Okay, I know some MPs such as the MP for Batu Gajah, YB Fong Po Kuan, have raised these issues during the previous Dewan Rakyat sittings but back then, their voices were feeble..... But not anymore.. 82 vs. 140

May God bless those noble and humble politicians, elected representatives and leaders who are brave enough to stand for what is just and right with the strength, wisdom and health to pull through it all….

Towards a BETTER MALAYSIA… MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!!
______________ ______________________

Assignment's calling.... back to work... -> screw assignments.....

*KJ prays fervently*

-Towards a BETTER ASSIGNMENT OUTCOME….

but my brains aren't cooperating with me....*sigh*.

In my humble opinion.....

In my humble opinion, the “history” on 8^th of March, 2008 was created because most Malaysians were frustrated with the way the previous government was managing the country that they vented their frustrations by voting the ones who they believed could bring a change and hopefully, “a new dawn for Malaysia”-adapted from PKR’s tagline. According to Chok Suat Ling of the New Straits Times on Sunday, 9^th March 2008 (pg. 6), the Chinese were unhappy about the rising cost of living, crime rate, racial and ethnic inequality, and other economic problem.

Malaysia is blessed with bountiful of natural resources including petroleum and a relatively peaceful nation. We should be one of the top destinations for foreign investment around the world, and we should be registering a higher economic growth rate, right? Unfortunately, our growth rate of 5.6% per annum is falling behind many countries including Philippines who registered an economic growth of 7% per annum. -Does this explain why some people think that Malaysia has economic problems???

Our government must sincerely work for the benefit of the people, regardless of race, religion and whether the people voted for it. If the government wants the people to give them a big mandate, they must firstly prove to us why they deserve it in the first place. A government that works ONLY for those who support them is a government that (I am sure) all of us cannot accept. If you want people to vote for you, do not use the “fear appeal” by threatening those who did not vote for you. Remember, you need to win their hearts, so don’t be mean to them. We want a competent government. In terms of competency, we want a government who not only has a vision for the country, but also concrete and practical plans for making this vision a reality. Remember STRATEGY, the plan of action that prescribes resource allocation and other activities for helping the organization achieve its goals???

I admitted in my previous post that all the political manifestos were compelling. However, the difference is that DAP; PAS; and PKR were quite concrete in identifying how they were going to address the problems confronting our nation. Both the DAP and PKR have proposed measures to reform the judiciary, promote whistle blowing, and create a business-friendly environment. (Eg: DAP proposed to set up a Research and Development International Action Team, an executive council of internationally renown academics from the scientific community to steer the R&D direction, innovation and entrepreneurship focus for Malaysia.) On the other hand, Barisan Nasional’s manifesto stressed on national unity, economic growth, fighting corruption and keeping the peace but it was a pity that they did not include HOW they were going to achieve their goals or implement their promises.

Some people said that the Oppositions would not be capable to run the country. I know some Opposition leaders do not have a track record but remember, they did not have a chance to prove their capabilities before. Anyway, education is one of the best proxies, as is success in the field these candidates have chosen. DAP's newly elected Member of Parliament for P106 Petaling Jaya Utara, YB Tony Pua, for instance, was a Raffles and Shaw Foundation scholarship holder and he has a Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree from Oxford University. He was a former CEO of a public-listed IT company and retired young because of his business prowess. PKR's MP for P107 Subang parliamentary constituency, YB Sivarasa Rasiah, was a Rhodes Scholar and PKR also fielded Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, a promising young leader with a King's College London degree, in the N32 Seri Setia state seat (YB Nik Nazmi, I mean since he's now the DUN member for Seri Setia). On the basis of these records alone, I think it is wrong to say that the Opposition is incompetent to govern. DAP and PKR have certainly fielded a new breed of well-educated and successful professionals as candidates. I am sure their erudition will help them administer the country well.

Personally speaking, I do not see the DAP, PKR and PAS coalition as a marriage of convenience. No doubt there were some misunderstandings at first...but like what Maverick SM said, "which international company set up within 2 weeks can be expected to form a team which could cooperate immediately without any hitch?". It requires the 4-stage processes of Forming, Norming, Storming and Performing to form a team and this is the same process that DAP-PAS-PKR is going through (wow, I still remember what what I learned during Managing Organizations last semester... My M.O lecturer is sure going to be proud of me if he ever reads this!!!).

Yeah, some people still stereotype PAS to be a radical party but in actual fact, PAS has adopted a more moderate leadership. They dropped their concept of an Islamic state from their agenda. Pork is sold freely in Kelantan, and non-Muslim houses of worship are tolerated, rather than being demolished (Remember the demolition of the Sri Maha Maraniam Temple in Shah Alam and Siva Bala Muniswarar Temple in Setapak which lead to the public protest by Hindraf??) .. Anyway, it was not PAS, but the BN government that declared that Malaysia is an Islamic state and it was the UMNO Youth Chief in 1987 who threatened to bathe the keris in Chinese blood.

Well, no matter what, BN still secured a majority in Parliament to be the next Federal government and they managed to reign supreme in 8 states (including Sarawak, earlier on in 2006). Congratulations for that…..Unfortunately, they saw the defeat of some of its “big guns”. Some of its margins shaved from the 11^th General Election in 2004. They failed to wrestle Kelantan back from PAS and loss Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Perak to the Barisan Rakyat coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS.

Though DAP, PKR and PAS had a better manifesto as compared to BN, will they “walk the talk” or are they just making empty promises??? From the way I see it, they are starting to “walk the talk” NOW but I know that it is still too early to comment. So to anyone who cannot accept the election results, just give them a chance and let them prove their worthiness. In a democratic country like Malaysia, if anyone of you is dissatisfied with their performance at the end of their 5-years tenure, you can always vote them out on the 13^th General Election.

Meanwhile, TOWARDS A BETTER TOMORROW…… MALAYSIA BOLEH….

Desperate to be heard

One of the reasons why I decided to blog is because I want my voice to be heard. My blog has became my major channel for expressing my views, thoughts, opinions and off course, my grievances [Though I don’t think I have achieved my objectives of blogging as I doubt my voice or the voices of the younger generation in general actually matter to those who were (or are going to be) in power and those current state assemblymen who aspire to be members of the House of Representatives too as part of their strategy to be able to fight for the peoples’ rights in the two August Houses [well, that is what they say, but to me, these people are just selfish and power-hungry. Take Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, the incumbent for the Bintulu parliamentary seat, for example; did he need to be members of the State Legislative Assembly and House of Representatives to bring up the gangsterism problem that have been plaguing Sarawak?? The answer is no, he only brought it up in parliament and the next thing we knew, actions were taken].

Okay, I am thankful that I am able to air my opinions at home. The tradition that dictates that the elders knows best and hence, have the final say does not really appear at home. I can engage in debates about anything with my father anytime [though I often emerge as the loser... (Thanks sis for correcting me... I am really a loser..)].

Unfortunately, in the Malaysian education system which I went through since Primary 1 to Upper 6 in 2004, students were (and still are) merely taught to absorb facts and figures. When I was in Form 5, my Pendidikan Moral teacher even “forced” us to memorize definition of the moral values verbatim for the sake of passing the Moral paper in SPM. We were trained to be obedient followers since we were taught to meekly obey instructions and anyone who questioned decisions was branded as “no respect for the authorities”.

The higher authorities have failed to understand that youths today cannot accept explanations and excuses blindly as we are now more well-educated, mature and analytical in our thinking. I am sure that if our suggestions and opinions are taken into considerations, Malaysian youths would definitely be more sensitive and aware of the nation’s development issues.

I feel lucky because in College, the learning process was different. We were taught to think for ourselves. All my lecturers gave me the opportunity to give my two cents worth on the topic at hand. At diploma level, we were all encouraged to formulate our own opinions and express them. My Production Management lecturer even went to the extent of making it compulsory for everyone to express their opinions in hope of getting those quiet students to speak out. Some lecturers: my 3 marketing gurus in particular, became my mental sparring partner in business strategies, marketing techniques. and any topic that I wished to debate on. They taught me not to be ashamed to ask questions to seek clarifications. There should be a desire to know more to have a better understanding of the subject. Thus, I am thankful to all my lecturers for giving me the opportunity to interact with them, discussing and engaging in intellectual discourse without fear of being wrong. They taught me that it was okay to disagree in a civil manner. I took that to heart and since have always said to myself never to take anything at face value. My lecturers never mind me (or if they did, they never showed it physically, so I never cared) challenging ideas for the betterment of the idea itself, though sometimes I may decide to be mischievous and start challenging ideas for the sake of arguing! To them, I give my gratitude.

The fear of castigations through the various legislations eg: the University and University Colleges Act, Communications and Multimedia Act 1988 and Internal Security Act (ISA) have curbed me (and many Malaysians) from speaking out publicly. The omnipresence of cyber-patrollers has made me wary that I cannot express my views freely through my blog or any discussion boards. Blogger Nathaniel Tan was detained on 13th July, 2007 over an offence said to be committed under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). Therefore, I usually settle for those highly animated discussions with my family members.

Meanwhile, from today until 5pm on 8th March, 2008, we are sort of assured that our grievances would be listened to since the future of those aspiring MPs and assemblymen are now in our hands. So for those of you Malaysians, who are registered voters, please try your very best to head out on Saturday, 8th March 2008 to cast your votes. Exercise your rights and make a difference. If you do not exercise your rights, you are not standing up for what you believe in. This is because if you do not participate in the process of selecting who will legislate and administer the country on your behalf, you have given up your rights to criticize the manner on how they will subsequently govern you. So VOTE or KEEP QUIET. Even if you do not like any of the candidates in your constituency, just vote for the slightly better one. So good luck and happy voting on 8th March!!!

L.U.R.

I am an LUR@ Local-U reject. Yes, my application to enter local university/ public university (hereinafter referred to as local u) was rejected in 2005. I appealed but got a course which I was not interested in. I did not pass my STPM with flying colours but I managed to secure a CGPA of (far) more than 2.00, which was the minimum entry requirement to enter local university at that time (I'm not sure about now but from what I read on the USM website here, I think it's still the same). I was active in extra co-curricular activities since Form 4 because I was told by my teachers back then that involvement in extra co-curricular activities would come in useful when applying for a place at local universities or scholarships. I was a school prefect since Form 4 until Upper 6 and assumed committee posts in the various clubs/societies that I joined. I took part in inter-school competitions and academic quizzes, hoping that this would give me a competitive advantage.

I withstood the hardship in Form 6. I overcame the "homework pile per day" and weekly tests that increased as STPM was drawing near. Nevertheless, after much perseverance, I passed my STPM with all principle passes (i am such a genius...hahaha) and when my Math teacher heard that I passed my Math with a credit, she said, "Oh, you ACTUALLY passed your math.."

Anyway, I applied for a place in local u immediately after the 2004 STPM results were released in March 2005. I made sure that my CGPA was way above the minimum entry requirements for my 8 preferred courses.

The local u application results were released in June 2005. I failed to secure a place any in local u despite my involvement in extra-co curricular activities. Some of my friends who obtained a much lesser CGPA than me and were less involved in co-curricular activities managed to obtain a place in the local universities. (By coincidence), they were all Bumiputras.

I cried when I found out that my application was denied. I studied so hard and was active in extra co-curricular activities just for the sake of getting a place in local u. I was depressed and cut of communications with the “outside world” for a few days. I refused to answer any phone calls, fearing that it would be one of my classmates calling me up, asking me what course and which u did I get. I did not reply any smses. My spirits were low and I felt inferior about myself. It was a really traumatizing period for me. However, I felt better when I found out one week later that another friend of mine, who was a head prefect, more active in extra co-curricular activities and got a better STPM result, failed to get a place in local university too. At least, I was not the only one.

Is it because of my stupidity that I was not able to secure a place in local university in my first attempt??? If the answer is yes, then why could my friend who got a worse result than me enter local u???

It was then I realised that there is no way that I can depend on the government for a living. Thank God, with the financial support of an education loan and my parents, I entered private college to further my education and am currently doing my twinning-degree with an Australian university.

Ever since then, I discouraged my juniors, especially the non-Bumis, from entering Form 6 unless they are absolutely sure that they will be able to secure a place in the course that they want in their local university of their choice since the avenue of affordable education to “deserving” non-Bumi students is limited even though the government is implementing the meritocracy system.

To deserving STPM students who failed in getting a course of your choice or a place in the local university, I feel for you because I, too, was a victim. I went through that traumatizing period. We studied so hard, just to hope to get a place to do a course of our interest. Like what former Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan said, you (or rather, we) are not at fault. DO NOT EVER GIVE UP. Nobody can stop us from achieving our dreams..

To MP Fong Po Kuan, you are a symbol for democracy and justice. You have victoriously sailed through against all odds. After reading your blog, I realized that you have done so much not only for the Batu Gajah constituency in Perak, but also to Malaysia. You are an asset to DAP and the Malaysian public. Thank you for fighting for our rights in the Dewan Rakyat throughout your two terms as the MP for Batu Gajah. As much as I would like to see you contest in the Batu Gajah constituency again, I shall respect your decisions. May God bless you always….

12th General Election is coming

12th February, 2008: PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, "Parliament will not be dissolved tomorrow"

13th February, 2008: 11th Parliament (Dewan Rakyat to be more precise) dissolved

14th February, 2008: Announcement of nomination and polling date

24th February, 2008: Nomination day

24/2/2008-7/3/2008: Campaigning period (Don't be surprise if you see all the candidates being extremely friendly to you, wanting/dying to shake your hands at the coffee shop/ mamak stall)

8th March, 2008: 12th General Election. The use of transparent ballot boxes and indelible ink for the first time.

KJ will be eligible to vote this round. However, I do not know who to vote for yet. I do not want the honourable elected representative that I voted for to make off-colour, controversial, provoking, racist, and sexist statements that will offend many people. I hope all the upcoming elected representative will not show their disregard for the parliamentary decorum in the Dewan Rakyat. I hope they will all be civilized and cultured people. I truly agree with what Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said, "BN candidates must be morally clean". In fact, all elected representatives should be credible and morally clean to be in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's efforts of establishing integrity, accountability, justice, and "say no to corruption" in his administration. As a matter of fact, I truly admire Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek for his honesty. Not many people are prepared to be accountable for their wrongdoings. Therefore, in my point of view, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua's actions to own up, admitting to the scandal, not dodging the question, and bowing out gracefully by giving up all his MCA posts and resigning as the Health Minister and Member of Parliament for Labis, has set an unprecedented precedent for other leaders to follow.

To the "Barisan Alternative" parties, I know all of you want to help us, the general public, fight for our rights in the parliament, but I hope all of you would be able to negotiate with each other and compromise. I do not wish to see a three-corner fight in the constituency where I will be voting because if it actually happens (which i hope not), your staunch supporters would be in a dilemma on which party to support.

Anyway, check the Election Commission's website to see if you are eligible to vote.