Dumb and Dumber over H1N1

Dumb and Dumber over H1N1

Yup! Real dumb when you try to comprehend the ministers that we have and you shudder to think that we have them running the government.

First you have the Information Minister Rais Yatim coming out to tell you that to ensure that people realized the danger of the “Influenza A (H1N1)” we are now going to call it “selsema babi (swine flu)” and he added that it will be easier for radio and television announcers to read selsema babi rather than H1N1 in Bahasa.

I think the ministry should conduct an audit of all the difficult to read words and make it all easier to read for his announcers or is he implying that our announcers are not very good readers or maybe they can’t interpret or pronounce the English word. And does calling it swine flu makes it more dangerous or is he saying that pigs are dangerous?

Heck! He further added that the ministry would monitor programmes broadcasting health-related advertisements to ensure that there was no confusion as to the accuracy of the message as well as the people's understanding of swine flu.
"We should not combine health-related matters with confusing advertisements," he said.

(yea right mr minister, we are now very confused.)

Next comes the Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen who says that the media should not gives too much coverage on the H1N1 virus as it is bad for tourism. At least she did not say its swine flu or is it a different virus? Oh, maybe that is the government’s strategy to use a different name to confuse the tourist.

The media should down play reporting of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus as “energetic” coverage of the pandemic flu had greatly impacted tour booking numbers to Malaysia. she said.

Ng Yen Yen went on to say that the death ratio for the H1N1 virus is low as only one death per 220. (haha only few will die so its ok no problem at all, don’t worry about it.)

“We must not be alarmists in reporting. Let’s be clear here and state the facts.” She said.

So we have not been stating the facts? Who has been hiding the facts? Mr. Health Minister, are you hiding the facts?.

Here comes the Health Minister, Liow Tiong Lai who said the virus is still under control (Don't worry lah) and the ministerial contingency plan in the event of an uncontrollable outbreak need not be implemented as yet. (How do you control the virus? Is it not just spreading by itself? And what the heck is a ministerial contingency plan??? Won’t it be too late for your ministerial contingency plan when the outbreak becomes uncontrollable?ohh now I see ...your plan is to control the uncontrollable! Damn good strategy!)

He said that even though there is an increased of infected Malaysian which had caused the ministry some pressure, it was still manageable. (Lucky that the minister gets lots of free sample of panadol so one or two tablets and presto no more pressure.)

"Of course we have contingency plans. If it spreads within a community, we will close all schools. (School holiday lah but ok still close it anyway.) We will all use our social distancing programme, namely isolation to prevent interaction or large-scale programmes within the community.

"We have not resorted to this yet because we can still control the situation. If not, if there's a wide (out)break, social distancing measures will be implemented," he said. (Wow! They have got good strategies once it goes out of control. Social distancing programme will be implemented, ok I feel very safe already, can sleep soundly now so goodnight everbody).

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Latest News - The number of recorded H1N1 flu cases has reached 70,893 worldwide, with 311 deaths, since the virus was first discovered in late March, data released by the World Health Organisation Monday showed. Read More HERE

Don't Read the

Health Minister HERE

Tourism Minister HERE

Information Minister HERE

The Passing of a Giant - Michael Jackson

Bits of Michael Jackson lives in everyone of us, his tunes are forever embedded in our hearts and mind. Michael is much bigger than his songs or talents due to his many humanitarian efforts and especially through the messages in his music, lyrics and dance to breakthrough the racial divide of the 80s and 90s calling out to reunite the world as one race, that is the human race.

His achievements are astounding as he transformed the arts of music and music video and influenced the modern pop culture whilst breaking down racial barriers and prejudices. This legacy and influence will go down in history as the great master of the arts of music and entertainment.

In 1990, Vanity Fair had describe Michael as the most popular artist in the history of show business and the Daily Telegraph has called him a genius in the history of popular culture. His achievements include multiple Guinness World Records and includes the record for "The Most Successful Entertainer of All Time". His influence has span almost four decades from the 1970s.

See The Video of his song titled "Gone Too Soon" as a tribute to this giant, Michael Jackson. (Lyrics Appended Below)



Gone Too Soon

Like a comet
Blazing 'cross the evening sky
Gone too soon

Like a rainbow
Fading in the twinkling of an eye
Gone too soon

Shiny and sparkly
And splendidly bright
Here one day
Gone one night

Like the loss of sunlight
On a cloudy afternoon
Gone too soon

Like a castle
Built upon a sandy beach
Gone too soon

Like a perfect flower
That is just beyond your reach
Gone too soon

Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight
Here one day
Gone one night

Like a sunset
Dying with the rising of the moon
Gone too soon

Gone too soon

And This Video Dedicated To The Bigots in Barisan National (Hope they can read english)



After more than 50 years as the government they are still talking about Unity, what a failure this BN is and they are destroying the nation and people with their dirty politics. Hope they can learn from Michael Jackson.

Malaysia’s Outdated Laws Aplenty

The Homes Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin acknowledges that his ministry oversees more than 33 Acts and regulations and that most of the Acts are outdated.

“But it doesn’t mean that the laws will simply be repealed because laws like the ISA (Internal Security Act) are needed to tackle current security threats, such as terrorism.”

“The national interest, safety and security of the Malaysian people must not be compromised,” he added.

(Yah, Yah, Malaysia is a major terrorism target and are constantly under threat and attack. The Safety and security of the people have long been compromised and we are constantly under attack by snatch thieves and robberies and worst of all thieving politicians who steal billions. The ISA is needed to protect umno and their barisan so that they can throw their opposition and their critics in to jail when they get too popular or too annoying and act as a tool of fear so that people just keep quiet and hide when they see daylight robbery in progress where they steal billions of the rakyat’s ringgit and the BN government still act ignorant and arrogant and pretend as if nothing has happen.).

Hishammuddin also said “In the past, it was used against the Communist threat. Now we are faced with terrorism and extremist movements and their networks. People are saying that the Act is still relevant to the current situation,”

(What he meant was that in the past the ISA was used against communist and today we have the Pakatan Rakyat threat against Barisan National. And who are the people that are saying we need the ISA? I have not heard of it, have you? Ahh.. Here you see these BN fellows when they say “people” they meant the umno and the BN people the rest of us are not their people).

What about the most famous of the outdated Act, the act that made a joke of our good country and made us famous the world over. The stupid sodomee act is the most stupid of the stupidest of all the laws and as a traveler I hear about it all over the world everytime you introduce yourself as a Malaysian sooner or later you will hear about all the sodomee jokes of Malaysia. And there was once an Iranian executive who enquired whether our government or our police has got a special department or agency that goes around arresting and investigating people for sodomee.

And what about the Sedition Act and the Printing and Publication Act and the Illegal Assembly Act and god know what else they have got in their armory of outdated laws which they will use on the good people of this country whilst the crooks and thieves who steal and plunder anything from 10 ringgit to billions of ringgit walk safely and happily in our streets.

STOP ALL LAWS OF OPPRESSION!

THE RAKYAT IS NO LONGER AFRAID OF YOU!

Read related Post HERE
Read TheSun report HERE
Read TheStar report HERE

Malaysian Voters Worth 5 cent

Malaysian Voters Worth 5 cent

On the June 13 2009 PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) held its Extraordinary National Congress where its members voted for radical change with the aim of enhancing democracy to the party, one of the major changes adopted is the direct election by every members of the party and the tenure of the party president to a maximum of three term or nine years with party election every term of three years.

PKR was established after the umno model of representation system consisting of delegates only given the authority to vote as with all the Barisan National component parties which is susceptible to manipulation, bribery and corruption. As in umno where only some 2000 delegates elect the president which evidently goes on to be appointed the Prime Minister of the country. This system is outdated and has been proven that it is not the best of process or system to get the best able leader to lead their party and country. And this process are easily manipulated as like the BN component parties which on many occasion has even voted (by the small number of delegates) to have party elections being postponed and put off or the delegates voting for a no contest to the incumbent leaders.

Congratulations to PKR for this milestone as a step towards true democracy for Malaysia. The process of direct election is the fundamental structure and the basis of the philosophy of democracy where the right to lead lies with the people. It is in recognition of the most sacred rights of a one man one vote principle of an election in a democracy and to maintain that every individual vote is of fair and equal count or value. And once this principle is breach it is usually where and when the process of democracy has been compromised and the objective of democracy which is to uphold the universally accepted human rights to basic freedom and liberties will be derogated and only to further degenerate as once your vote losses its fair value that is when you know you have been cheated of the most basic right of the sacred of being a citizen.

Malaysia has much to do to reinstate this sacred right to its people as over the years under the Barisan rule there has been much degeneration of this fundamental basis of preserving the value of vote in an election. The parliamentary seats are not fairly allotted and has outrageous discrepancies, just look at the seats in the last general election of 2008 where the Parliamentary seat of Kapar in Selangor has more than 118,000 voters and the seat of Putrajaya only has 7000 voters or PJ Utara in Selangor with 76,000 voters and Kota Samarahan in Sarawak with 28,000 voters. And look at the disparity in the number of parliamentary seats between Selangor with a population of about 5 million people is allotted 22 parliamentary seats and Sarawak with a population of about 2.5 million people and is allotted 31 parliamentary seats.

So if the fair value of vote is 1 ringgit, the people of Selangor is only worth 30 sens as compared to the people of Sarawak or the voters in Kapar, Selangor are only worth maybe 5 sens as compared to the voters of Putrajaya.

(do your own maths there is a calculator on the side bar)

Related Post HERE

No To Third Bridge

Najib's idea of a third bridge to Singapore is inappropriate says Datuk Sharir Abdul Samad who is the Member of Parliament for Johor Bahru.

"My view is that construction of the bridge is not necessary. Instead, the government should improve efficiency of the ferry service or encourage the use of ship and boats as a mode of transport between the two countries.

"The government should make it a priority to build a new bridge to overcome congestion at the Johor causeway," he told reporters at a function here.

He said this in response to a statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who met Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in Putrajaya several days ago, that Singapore was keen on the construction of a third bridge linking the republic to Malaysia.

"The concept of the third bridge on the eastern side of Johor is something which we will pursue, and Singapore is quite keen on having the third bridge.

"When we have a third bridge, we can develop the whole of the eastern side (of Johor) up to Mersing and onwards to Desaru".

"Singapore did say that it (the area) has the potential to be another Nusa Jaya like in Bali (Indonesia)," Najib said in his opening address at the 2010 Budget consultation meeting at the Finance Ministry.

Looks like the making of another mega multi billion ringgit project! Has Najib strike a deal with Singapore and can we afford it as there is already a big strain on our national deficit. But what the heck we have already thrown away 12 billion or more into the sea of Port Klang and throwing more billions to the straits of Johor might just balance things up.

Read Najib HERE
Read Sharir HERE

Another Rating Downgrade

FITCH Ratings has cut Malaysia's long-term currency rating from "A+" to "A" due to concern over the country's growing budget deficit.

It also revised its outlook from negative to stable and maintained Malaysia's long-term foreign currency rating at "A-minus" with a stable outlook.

Fitch, in a statement yesterday, said that it expected Malaysia's budget deficit to increase to 7.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year.

Last year, the budget deficit peaked when a RM67 billion stimulus package was announced to counter the effects of a global economic slowdown.

Fitch said that by next year, Malaysia's general government primary deficit of -6.4 per cent of GDP would be among the worst of all Fitch-rated sovereigns, after only Latvia, Bahrain, Ireland and Vietnam.

It noted that the ratio of Malaysia's revenues as a proportion of GDP was just 21.6 per cent, and that the ratio could worsen to 19 per cent by next year.

Read more HERE

Indonesia - The Rising Star of Asean

Indonesia ~ The Rising Star of Asean

Gross domestic product in Southeast Asia’s largest economy expanded 4.4 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, compared with 0.4 percent in the Philippines and contractions of more than 6 percent in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Foreigners are plowing money into the nation’s stocks and bonds as the economy outperforms its regional peers on optimism President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will win re-election in July. The central bank cut borrowing costs on June 3 for a seventh straight month and Deputy Governor Hartadi Sarwono signaled room to reduce them again as inflation slowed to the least in 23 months. The rupiah is “still undervalued,” he said.

“The rupiah is still one of our picks because the Indonesian economy is fairly robust,” said Emmanuel Ng, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. in Singapore. “The way the political climate is evolving is positive from an offshore perspective. Inflation continues to come off and Bank Indonesia continues to keep the door open for rate cuts.”

Indonesia’s budget deficit may narrow to 1.3 percent of gross domestic product next year, Sri Mulyani said June 3. This year’s shortfall is estimated at 2.5 percent of GDP, the government has said. (Malaysia’s shortfall is at 8.5% of GDP).

How did Indonesia do it?

Indonesia has gone through radical political reform and is now the most democratic country in Asia. They have completely revamped the executive, judicial and legislative branches and are independent of each other. The Anti Corruption Agency is establish through an act of parliament and is made totally independent. They now even have direct Presidential appointment unlike in Malaysia where its still being handed down by umno or through appointment from one Prime Minister to another.

Unlike Malaysia, Indonesia has rectified all international treaty in respect of Human Rights and they have enacted basic laws to protect the rights of its people as seen through the enactment of Freedom of Information Act and the Freedom of Expression Act. Indonesia is today a nation of international standing and repute. (Sigh.. when can we see the day when we can say the same for our beloved country now being labeled a pariah).

Malaysia does not have the political infrastructure which is the structure of good laws, clear separation of powers of government and the respect of basic human rights instead we have bad and outdated laws that oppresses the people, dictatorial control and influence over all the branches of government.

Indonesia today does not have any sedition act, sodomy act, does not criminalize the printing and publication act, illegal assembly or gathering, detention without trial (isa) in short the government does not bully or oppress its own people and in fact have all the necessary laws to protect its people… Freedom of information!…Freedom of expression!

“Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death” -Patrick Henry (1775)

Read Earlier Post on Indonesia HERE

Stories From Bolehland

(Pic By Mob's Crib)
(More Pic HERE)

How To Succeed In Business

In Bolehland, this is how you start a business. Take a bank loan for $4 billion. Pay above market price for the land and everything else. Build the buildings regardless of the demand. Rent out 20% of the completed buildings. Make sure the other 80% empty buildings are painted white to make it “look nice from afar”.

When people ask “how come so many empty building?” you tell them “this is just phase one – the empty buildings are phase 2 and 3”.

When the banks start asking for money, take out another $4 billion in new loans – except this time, the Bolehland government will act as guarantor. No wonder people say Bolehland government is business-friendly.

When you have spent the money, hire a forensic accountant and issue a 1000-page report. Blame it on the previous management. Hold a press conference and tell Boleahlanders that you are going for transparency and accountability. Wait for six months. Bolehlanders “muda lupa”.

One year later, start a new project. This time, apply for bank loan of $8 billion.

Must read stories from bolehland by James Chin. For Full Story Go HERE (make sure you read all 3 parts)

PAS and UMNO Unity

PAS and UMNO Unity

Go ahead PAS, make my day, go unite with umno and than you can both start banning everything you don’t like in this country. Go ahead! Shoo Shoo get out of Pakatan Rakyat. Stop talking until the cow come home as you are becoming like umno talk, talk talk and talk and ban, ban, ban, ban this ban that ban every damn thing.

And it will be fun to watch as you start to collapse with umno, don’t you see the signs? Collapse stadium, collapse buildings, collapse highway, collapse bridges, and very soon you can unite and collapse with them.

There are just some people that just can’t take a little bit of success, win a few seats here and there and you start behaving arrogantly, you are now behaving like umno, a lot of arrogant talk from your own leaders just to win popularity. Let me remind you that you can’t even win back Trengganu the last time.

We don’t need any more arrogance, we had umno for the last 50 years and so if you need to join them in unity, please go and thank you very much for not wasting our time further.

We don’t need any more leaders that talk with false tongue; we need leaders of virtues that are leaders that speak the truth, of integrity of righteousness, of purest sincerity and most of all of humility and respect for the basic rights of all its people. We don’t want any more bullies as we had for the past 50 years, we have had enough!

And one more thing please stop emulating umno, the position of Prime Minister Ship is not to be demanded or to be given like in umno and their barisan. We the people would like to see their own Prime Minister being elected or endorsed by the people. It is not yours to be taken or demanded like it is your birth right, the PM belongs to the people and must respect and serve the people and the nation with the utmost sincerity.

If you like talking so much why not talk to the people instead as you might learn so much more and will not be in danger of some of your leaders and members being enticed and entranced by the absolute power of the wicked and the cunning.

PAS call to ban Sister In Islam Read HERE

PAS unity talk Read HERE

PAS needs to explain to Pakatan Read HERE

Thai Militants Given Citenzship?

Pic from Bangkok Post.
(Nine soldiers providing teacher security were wounded when a bomb was detonated under their patrol vehicle in the southern province of Narathiwat this morning).
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Thailand had claimed that there were between 50,000 and 100,000 people holding dual citizenship, and many militants were hiding in Malaysia after committing violence in the restive south.

Malaysia and Thailand had previously agreed to present the number of suspected people holding dual citizenship before their respective authorities and make comparisons to determine if they had such status.

THAI Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is making his first official visit to Malaysia since assuming power last December, said the southern issue would definitely be on the agenda with Datuk Seri Najib.

'We hope Malaysia will continue with its cooperation to solve the southern issue and help us maintain peace in the area. This includes asking for intelligence-sharing,' he said.

Is the government giving citizenship to Thai militants?

Read HERE

Malaysian Government Needs to Borrow Money

Standard & Poor has rated an A-minus for Malaysia and said that its credit standing was constrained by a weaker fiscal position and the government’s contingent liabilities.

One or two more notches downwards and we will be close to junk bond status, S&P ratings are from AAA (best quality) AA (good quality) A (can be affected by changing economic situation) and BBB (just satisfactory at the moment) and any other grades lower are known as non-investment grade also called junk bonds.

You can read the full report in the link below but let me translate it for you here in layman’s term is that the rating agency (S&P) is concerned with the ballooning budget deficit which is at 8.5% of GDP as per the budget for 2009 which will see a budget deficit of RM.53.8 billion for the year or more if we were to include earlier and other stimulus packages which might be announced if the GDP continues to decline in coming quarters. And the debt servicing for the year 2008 alone amounts to about RM 30 billion.

And it said that gross government debt would rise to 47.9 percent of GDP (GDP is approximately RM 740 billion for the year 2008) which is the sum total of our national debt. The National Debt as at 2008 is over RM300 billion as compared to the RM 80 billion in 1997 which has more than tripled since than and about 2/3 of the national debt was incurred during the last 10 years and since 1970 we have had budget deficits every year except for 5 years of surplus from 1993 to 1997.

'The stable outlook reflects S&P's expectation that, despite the increase in Malaysia's fiscal deficit and the delay of fiscal consolidation in near term, the government will be able to refinance without a significant increase in interest rates or negative implications for the economy,' it said.

S&P said it was because of Malaysia's reasonably deep financial market, the public pension fund and social security funds, which could absorb some of the new government securities, and the country's net external position.

When there is a budget deficit than you would need to borrow to cover the deficit and our government will presently turn to the domestic market for most of its funding needs but for this huge sum it will mop up liquidity in the system and less funds will than be available to the private sector which might restrict the financial efficiency of doing business. When S&P says public pension funds and social security funds they are referring to EPF, Petronas, PNB and etc.

One thing that worries me are the contingent liabilities (Contingent Liabilities are hidden or uncertain liabilities), we don’t know how much federal government guarantees are out in the market as the Malaysian government seems to be extending guarantees to both privateers and government link companies (GLC) like the PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone) with its RM12.5 billion losses and how much of it has been accounted for? And don’t forget the Trengganu Investment Fund of RM 10 billion set up on the back of a federal government guarantee. What about the adventurous multi billion ringgit development of the Iskandar development region of the state of Johor and the Bakun project of Sarawak and how much of federal government guarantee or liabilities are we exposed to?

Why can't our government be more prudent with money and balance its budget or be like China or like its little neighbor Singapore that generates surplus budgets and have created a huge reserve of savings which they can dip into in times of crisis like this.

Barisan National don’t have to pay the debt and all this huge deficit that they have created will have to be paid by its citizen and future citizens to come which is all our children and their children.

Read S&P report HERE

note: all figures quoted are only estimate and approximate.

One Black Durian

(Pic from the Star)

One black durian anyone.... think this will make a good symbol for Chin Huat's 1black Malaysia. The durian mysteriously turned black at Dataran Tanjung Emas and gave a shock to the Muar Municipal Council.

And it appeared smack in the middle of the state of Johor, the stronghold of umno.

Is this an omen like black clouds portending a storm?

The Star Story here.

WHY IS RPK IN AUSTRALIA?

Raja Pete was granted a research fund by the WWF and the ICJ to carryout a research on the Kangaroos which is endemic to the land of Australia. He has been commissioned to accomplish this research due to his many experiences with this species which have recently been seen out of their native soil.

This endemic species seems to have evolved and turned cosmopolite and have been sighted briefly in various countries mostly in big cities. And they normally settle in cities with third world mentality, these cosmopolite specie are neoendemic (refers to species that has diverged and become isolated or one that has formed through hybridization) and isolated to the judiciary and they thrive on a diet of the greed foliage.

RPK was seen in Brisbane as he was there with his research team at Kangaroo Point Cliff studying a past event where some kangaroos blinded by the sham virus which caused blindness jump off the cliff at Kangaroo Point Cliff also known as Kangaroo Jump.

RPK was also seen in Jakarta, Indonesia where he was having tea with President Susilo Bambang apparently trying to find out how the Indonesian successfully purges the Kangaroo out of their courts.

RPK was last seen tracking a large pack of wild kangaroos running across Woolloomooloo with Marina tailing along carrying a laptop in her arm as reported by the Finger Wharf of Australia.

Hopefully we could get access to his research findings and report further.




Note: WWF = World Wildlife Fund
ICJ = International Court of Justice

Sick and Tired of Crime in this Country!

(Pic from zorro)

Zorro was a victim of an attempted snatch thief today.

Just a week ago Pat walk in to the wharf and complained that his wife’s handbag has been snatched in the crowded vicinity of old town PJ and the week before another friend’s old Aunty was a victim of another snatch thief and she was knocked unconscious while walking to work in the morning and had to be admitted to the hospital all bleeding on the head.

We all had friends and relatives who have been victims of crime and from the scary stories going around you can easily estimate that at least ½ of the population in the cities of Malaysia were at one time or the other been victims of crime. I myself had my apartment broken into and my project sites had countless incident of crime from snatch thieves, burglaries, break in, stolen site equipments, and one of my managers held at gun point, stole his Storm vehicle and emptied his pocket right down to murder during a robbery at one of the mini market in the township development where the proprietor of the mini mart was stab to death.

One of my business partner had his apartment completely cleaned out and another friend was victim in an upmarket condominium in Bukit Damansara right in her condo when two guys jump on her right at her doorstep and rob her apartment, she had develop such psychological fear that she now has moved to Singapore with her children but the husband had to stay as he work here in this city.

Crime is a reflection of bad governance where the government had failed to provide for the basic necessity of protection and security for its people. Our government and the police is either at a loss or not bothered to put a stop to this crime frenzy in this country. In countries of good governance you don’t hear much of snatch thieves and such incidents are very rare and I recalled a very rare incident of a snatch thief in the city of Singapore as reported in the local media and immediately the following day the thief was caught and the stolen items returned to the victim and this is the difference of a developed nation and a third world country.

The rise in crime is also an indication of a breakdown in the social structure and in line with the rise of poverty and economic hardship to the populace and a failure of the government’s focus on the overall economics to provide for basic necessities and at times especially in developing and third world countries where they overlook the contributions of the shadow economy (is also known as the underground economy and usually at a higher proportion in lesser countries) in providing stability to the social order when laws and governance are weak (usually encouraging corruption) and not with the times (outdated laws) and thus creating a psychological mentality of being deprived of the basic right for survival made worse by bad laws that oppresses the society at large.

It is funny that high crime rate are also associated with oppressive governments (oppressive governments are also associated with corruptions as an oppressive rule is devoid of love for its people) when you would expect that with harsh laws there will be lesser crimes but that is not the case every time. Which reminds me of the Confucius doctrine of ruling with virtue and not with force and that one must rule with love as a father loves his child.

“If people are inspired by a moral and virtuous government than people will want to be good because they have a sense of shame in doing wrong” ~ Confucius


Read zorro's story HERE

Who Said Election Is A Waste Of Time?

Who Said Election Is A Waste Of Time?

The Election system is the most sacred of any democratic institution and the fundamental of all decent human actions towards the creation of peace, prosperity and progress of a country and to say that it is a waste of time and or money is an insult and a show of disrespect to the very constitution enshrined into the charter of all responsible nation.

Any dim wit attempt to ridicule this very humane process is a transgression of basic human and constitutional rights towards its people and the nation. Its a shameful insult to the voters and the people.

The nature of the voting system in an election process is for the elected officials or political parties to be made accountable to the very people of the country that they serve and to return to the people at fix interval for their approval and endorsement to continue or otherwise.

The act of casting a vote is a sacred act in this modern world and all votes so casted must bear equitable count as in one man one vote count so as to reflect a clean, open and fair electoral system and in so doing preserve the sanctity of the democratic institution of being human, of being a citizen, of embracing the spirit of integrity of loyalty and of morality.

Any attempt to gerrymander the electoral system is an act of evil that cheats your fellow man, your brothers and sisters, your children and grandchildren and their children and your mother and all mankind in depriving him the sacred vote of one vote count.

Gerrymandering is the act of unfairly redistributing the electoral district or constituency boundaries and in the apportionment of voters per district whereby where there is an opposition area the district is adjusted to pack in more voters and thereby reducing the opposition representation and if it is an incumbent district it is further divided into two or more constituency containing less voters and thus giving more numbers of representation. A reflection of a fair election is when the political parties garnered 51% of the votes than their representation should equals to 51% in the house. Gerrymandering attempts to gives the incumbent an unfair advantage and is a despicable act of thievery.

She said election is a waste of time HERE

TECHNICAL RECESSION?

TECHNICAL RECESSION?

The Malaysian Government released the first quarter GDP (Gross Domestic Product) result for 2009 which showed a worst than expected decline of -6.2% forcing the Central Bank to again revised its outlook for the year to a negative growth of between -4 to -5%.

"The revision is due to very weak external demand as well as falling private sector investment and FDI (foreign direct investment) flows," says the Prime Minister.

The condition of the external environment was "far worse than expected," he added. The Government had earlier estimated GDP to grow at 1% or to contract up to 1%.

"Although the fourth quarter is likely to be positive, the overall growth for the year is still negative because the first quarter is negative and the expected negative growth in the second and third quarters," he told a media briefing at his office here.

The Prime Minister had also said that two quarters of negative growth would translate into a technical recession. And it was also reported by Bernama (National News Agency) that the PM says that we are now in a technical recession.

Ok I am lost here.. Can you guys help me to interpret this statement on the technical recession as we don’t yet have two quarters of negative growth (the gdp quarterly table for 2008 as above)?

My interpretation of his statement is that we are now in a technical recession but is short of a real recession, is that what the PM is saying?

The general consensus among economist in the definition of an economic recession is two consecutive quarters or six months of GDP contraction or decline (be it negative or otherwise). And with this definition Malaysia has long been in a recession since 2008 as you can see from the table above that every quarter in 2008 has been declining.

The Malaysian government has not yet declared an official recession and has denied on many occasion by proclaiming that the country could avoid a recession.

Earlier Post on Recession HERE.