Pass Your Bedtime Prime Minister!

The announcement made by the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry of Malaysia on the increase in petrol prices of RON95 and diesel by 20 sen per litre effective 2nd October 2014 drives me to get up and qwerty my thoughts .

I was just discussing with friends and family about how much I spent on a simple meal at a mamak restaurant. A mamak restaurant is a well known food establishment amongst Malaysians, which serves muslim indian food. They are considered affordable food with an unpretentious, casual and open dining atmosphere by setting up tables on a patio, the shoplot's walkway, or even on the street. I ordered one bowl of Laksa Noodle, a set of two half boiled eggs, one glass of warm water and two glasses of teh tarik. These cost me RM19.00. Cheap you say? Well it all depends who pays for it.

I recall during my trips to overseas, their denomination of 50 note brings me further than a mere meal of laksa and half boiled eggs. A note of £50 to TESCO in UK can buy you 50 loaves of 800 gms white bread at £1.00 each, 33 packs of 6 Gala Apples (670 gms) at £1.50 each, 6 tubs of 900gm SMA Baby Powder Milk at at £7.50 each, 10 bottles of 1 litre Fillipo Olive Oil at £5.00 each and 25 bottles of 2 litre fresh milk at £1.99 each, 13 trays of 30 eggs cost £3.75 each tray. 3 Large packs of Pampers of 64 pieces cost £14.00 each.

and if you take that £50 to Chiltern Firehouse (No.1 London Restaurant by Timeout), will buy you two (2) main courses, two (2) glasses of fresh orange or grapefruit juice and one (1) side order to share.

This would be almost similar if you take A$50 in Australia and US$50 in United States of America. Your 50 note has its worth.

What about RM50? What can you eat in Malaysia for RM50 when a simple poor man's meal costs me a shocking RM19.00! Now..how far does a RM50 takes you at TESCO in Malaysia?

Guess what? One (1).. i repeat... one(1) tub of the cheapest 900 gm baby milk powder is RM63.00. One can't even afford baby milk for a month with 50 domination in Malaysia. Let us forget about other things.. because it will just be wasting my time highlighting the obvious.

So Mr Prime Minister.... tell me what have your grey haired wisdom have done for your people and its citizens of Malaysia? Enough said. You think for yourself if you want to keep running the office. The inflation effect will take long to recover... similarly with the current incumbent government's reputation and vote. Not until the people can take off the pressure from the increasing cost of living and make its citizens' hard earned money worth more than just 62 packets of coconut powder.. Mr Prime Minister, you don't deserve our regard.

It's 7 o'clock, pass your bedtime. Time to go to bed Prime Minister.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's Brilliant Letter to Parliament

THIS LETTER WAS EXTRACTED FROM TENGKU RAZALEIGH'S BLOG, WHICH WAS SENT TO ALL MEMBERS OF DEWAN RAKYAT, PARLIAMENT OF MALAYSIA. 
3 November 2014

Y.B. Member of Parliament.

Y.B. Tuan,

With the utmost respect to you as responsible Members of Parliament duty-bound to serve the interest of our beloved Malaysian people, I am writing to you about some critical economic issues besetting our country today, affecting the rakyat and impacting on our future generations. Avoiding the “business-as-usual” debate on the 2015 Budget tabled by the Government now on-going in the august House, I choose this route in order to underline the seriousness of the matters involved. The negative impact of the current Budget proposals, I believe, will most immediately be felt by our middle-class, recent graduates, first time employees and the poorer income groups. While endorsing the “people economy”, the Budget 2015 does not seem to give them priority over the “capital economy”.

2. From the current perspective, we can only see that the nation is moving headlong in the wrong direction, that current economic trends are not sustainable, which, if not corrected, will lead to a crisis, which we can ill afford, sooner than we can safely anticipate, nor can we get out of it without much hardship to our ordinary citizens. Such a crisis will threaten the future peace, prosperity and security of our nation.

3. The 2015 Budget projects that GDP growth rate next year will likely be around five to six per cent, which is thought to be sufficient as envisaged in the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to push the country forward to achieve developed status by 2020. This forecast may be overly optimistic given the current global economic threats and our own model of growth that depends so much on our external markets and the optimism of foreign interests in our economy. As noted in the 2015 Economic Report, the downside risks are at higher odds that may impel an economic shock through our body politic. More importantly, these figures conceal some forewarnings that are not highlighted. I think the Government has been ignoring these signals towards a global economic reset, begun with the 2008 subprime crisis in the US and sovereign debt issues in the Eurozone, which is now shifting its focus to Asia with the slowing down of the Chinese economy and the Modi government’s recharging of the Indian economy. While rocking all boats, only those prepared with anticipatory reforms will be able to weather the incoming storm.

4. In terms of government fiscal management, the tipping point, induced by an external economic collapse such as a crash of the US Dollar or a debt default by 1MDB, would throw our financial sustainability into a spin. The rule of thumb for sustainability (whether it can be funded by current output together with net foreign inflow) for any given year is that the sum of government debt (in 2014 around RM41billion) plus outstanding loans of commercial banks and households (now totaling RM1,273 billion) - making up to RM1,314 billion - must NOT be more than five times the sum of government revenues (that is, 5xRM225b=RM1,125 billion). Clearly this rule of thumb has been breached!

5. A good part of this deficit and the national debt overhang arises on the operating budget side from tax expenditures to support consumption to achieve growth, for example through the BRIM awards, and to finance the public wage, subsidies and pension obligations. This consumption-based expenditure, together with the high energy and food subsidies given to industry and the public to sustain aggregate demand, is itself not sustainable. This type of expenditure to boost the economy does not add to the capacity building through investment that is necessary to enhance future economic growth. But the Government still persists over the last five years in driving a consumption-based pump-priming to compensate for the weakening growth fundamentals on the revenue side, including exports. I believe it is more fruitful to provide allocations for the growth of the agricultural sector to enhance food security and stop foreign exchange outflow through the import of food. This is more beneficial in the effort to support the cost of living of the masses in times of economic emergencies.

6. The problem with our public finance is not so much on the revenue side, but on the expenditure side. The increase in public sector fixed overhead costs cannot for instance be at the expense of development expenditure, especially when so much more is needed to bring up the economic status of Sabah and Sarawak in terms of social infrastructure and basic amenities compared to the Peninsular states. The share of the latter expenditure has been decreasing as the operating budget increases, from in excess of 30 per cent a decade ago to about 15 per cent of the total budget proposed for 2015. With the Auditor-General exposing wastage, profligate spending, unaccountable losses, and sheer incompetence and intransigent corruption, both petty and in high places, we are excused from any restraint to express our anger and intolerance as taxpayers and ordinary citizens at the current state of affairs. There are efficiencies that can be had to enable cutting back on the secularly rising operating budget over the years. I would have recommended that an Auditor-General office be established in every ministry and government agency to ensure necessary compliance and accountability in public spending. An Office of Ombudsman answerable to Parliament should also be established on the executive side besides the Public Accounts Committee of parliament. At the same time, we need to control and eliminate corruption by strengthening the Financial Procedure Act through its revision and amendment.

7. The rising cost of living is the most urgent issue in the economy. The raft of knock-on price increases subsequently in transport, electricity and food items etc. act to increase the build-up of pressure on the cost of living now facing the people. The issue of the rising cost of living affects everybody, but impacts the middle and lower income classes more than others. The main causes of rising prices are insufficient supplies to meet rising demands. Hence more could be done to liberalize the economy. We must monitor the cost of electricity to ensure its affordability among the people. The same goes for road toll charges. It must be reviewed to ensure that unavoidable cost increases must be reasonable. If a road toll cannot be avoided, then the government must finds ways not to burden the people. More licenses, less quotas, a greater ease of doing business especially for small and medium businesses and traders, should be considered.

8. The cost of housing has been rising in major urban centres, and house prices have been accelerating due to demands engendered by foreign and local investors, not just for higher-end properties but also the lower cost categories. Affordable housing, even with the 1Malaysia Prima Homes Plan, is currently beyond the reach of fresh graduates and the lower middle class who are facing the spectre of unemployment or low wage employment and heavy debt. In this regard, I would like to see the government, through Bank Negara, reviewing the private housing loan programme of commercial banks for houses below RM250,000 which should be based on service charge rather than on compound interest.

9. Next year’s implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), although having a one-time impact and is then dissipated through the rest of the economy, is bound to add to this pressure on living costs. In order to ease the rising burden on the rakyat, I would like to propose that the implementation of the GST be postponed until the economy is consolidated and strengthened. It is hoped that our economy would enjoy a rapid and a long-term high growth. Should there still be a need to implement the GST, it is hoped that the rates will be recalculated.

10. Beyond that macro-picture, I am seriously concerned about the high personal and household debts that are reaching critical levels, now in excess of 87 per cent of GDP, due to housing mortgages and car loans, study loans, credit card and personal (through Ar-Rahnu or Ah-Long) consumption charges that are pushing debt repayment ratios close to 30 – 40 per cent of household incomes. This situation has led to the acceleration of personal bankruptcies and mental pressures on families, and is not sustainable in the best of times, what more in an economic crisis. Yet, while it is most needed now, along with unemployment insurance, the government has been tardy in amending the bankruptcy laws and provisions, and the enhancement of other safety nets such as for medical expenses.

11. In as far as bankruptcies are concerned, it is worthwhile for the government to limit the bankruptcy period to, say, 12 months. This will ease the pressure against the bankrupt apart from sparing him the embarrassment of his situation. In striving for equity, the loan providing institution should provide a breather through moratoriums meant to postpone the application of the provision of the bankruptcy law while the borrower makes the effort to repay the loan. This would certainly be helpful to families with limited excess savings when they face unexpected emergencies. It should be noted that many government pensioners and private sector retirees are hard put in making ends meet now in the effort to face the ever-rising cost of living on their limited pensions and EPF savings.

12. Corruption itself adds to the cost of living and is a burden to all. When development projects, big or small, have a political mark-up imposed on contract awards and taken up front, little much is left to contractor profit margins that can only be charged to end-users, that is the taxpayers and consumers. To quote a columnist recently, the insufficient checks and balances continue to dog the country’s economy, thus leading to increasing concentration of power within the executive branch and persistence in rent-seeking behaviour, patronage politics, opaque governance practices and pervasive corruption. Is it any wonder then that Malaysia is perceived as among the world’s worst countries on integrity?

13. Besides corruption, we also need to be vigilant against the occurrence of any and all forms of economic sabotage to the detriment of our national resources and wealth to benefit our future generations. It is for this reason of instituting checks and balance that reforms of the Official Secrets Act and the Universities and University Colleges Act, a freer press, and a freedom of information legislation are required. The restoration of the reputation of the courts and the enforcement agencies, including independence and enhanced power of the anti-corruption agency, SPRM, must be set in train if we are serious about tackling this cancer in our political system, bureaucracy and society in general. Even the Standing Orders of Parliament and the structure of the Senate may have to be reformed in order to respectively allow for private members bills and greater independent representation of the states in our system of fiscal federalism.

14. Worse, whether it is a consequence of government policies or not, the distribution of wealth in the country, as expected, is extremely skewed. The wealth of Malaysia’s top 10 per cent exceeds those of the bottom 70per cent, and about 12 per cent of Malaysian households have no wealth at all. In fact, the wealth of the top one per cent, in 2012, is much higher than the whole of the bottom 40 per cent combined.

15. The government’s position as reflected in the Budget address is to divide the country into two economies: the capital economy and the people economy. The latter refers to the world of capital, enterprise and big investment, while the latter consistent with the New Economic Model refers to the bottom 40% of households in terms of income distribution. This is an unfortunate even dangerous classification. To solve the issue of inequality and achieve social justice in a rich and favoured nation such as ours requires treatment of all classes of stakeholders in the nation. Economic growth must involve and benefit all, not through distinctions of capital and work.

16. The status of inequality and imbalance, and the issue of fairness in economic benefit remain the main faultline in our society. These economic cleavages tend and can lead to dissatisfactions among the communities and the breakdown of social cohesion built over the decades of our now maturing nation. They take on emotional overtones and extremism, and have led to racial envy and biases and prejudice that undermine the underlying and potentially unifying values of our ethnic diversity. In view of the issue being closely linked to economic activities, I would like to suggest that the government and relevant agencies draw up policies favouring local contractors and suppliers, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, in the awards of contracts, both major and minor.

17. Going forward, the challenge of achieving a high-income economy is our ability to create quality and high-paying jobs, especially for new entrants into the labour force who have higher post-secondary and tertiary qualifications; not the low paying jobs that are now being filled by foreign workers in plantations, construction business and assembly-based manufacturing. Shifting to a service-oriented economy may be part of the answer to this economic restructuring, but we cannot abandon higher-valued manufacturing altogether while maintaining our industrial competitiveness by importing such foreign labour to keep our unit labour costs down. Longer term sustainability of economic growth requires the enhancement of the knowledge content of our manufacturing and service industries, which require innovation, technology and new entrepreneurship. This will increase productivity which, in turn, will raise wages and salaries. This involves not just the up-skilling of our labour force, but also the provision of correct incentives and institutions to support such value-added growth. I wonder whether the New Economic Model is sufficiently geared towards the above tasks.

18. Achieving social justice and fairness is where the work of economic reform is most important and most urgent. These involve reform of the tax system in its separate treatment of capital and labour, the handling of labour market discrimination in the public and private sector, policies that improve the wage share of gross national income, and practices that achieve equality of opportunities and outcomes. Moving to a higher wage regime and away from a cheap labour policy involving guest workers in order to maintain our competitiveness is not an insurmountable task. This is so because data show that productivity, especially in the manufacturing sector, has been rising steadily over the years, but the wage-productivity gap has also been widening. As an immediate remedy, on top of the minimum wage law, I would suggest that a productivity-indexed bonus system be implemented by both the government and private sector employers. This is one of the more critical issues if the goal of inclusive development for Malaysia is to be achieved.

19. In spite of criticisms in the House, civil society and the media, especially social media, the Government leadership has continued to ride over these critical faultlines in our economy in the proverbial “three-monkeys” fashion, pushing through a “roll-over” budget that routinely moves the tough questions that need to be addressed immediately further down the road to the next budget and five-year plan. The critical issues involved are of a structural nature not easily tackled via routine annual provisions.

20. I would submit that the national task to address the economic faultlines above will require new and bold ideas. These ideas need to be implemented over the next five to 10 years with supporting institutional reforms to reset the nation on the right path as promised by our founding fathers. These reforms require considerable political will to put them into effect; they cannot be undertaken piecemeal.

21. I am afraid for our economic situation. In truth we urgently need comprehensive economic reforms and institutional adjustment for resetting the economy in order to put our people out of harm’s way.

22. The people expect bold changes and even bolder leadership. We certainly cannot deny them the answers to their concerns and aspirations. Leaders should be more sensitive to the demands and feeling of grass roots. We must always be concerned about their worries and aspirations. The reality is that there is a need for change now; otherwise, as a nation, we are doomed to the status of a failed state. This is what we have to answer for to our future generations.

23. You may think that I am a pessimist. No, I am not. I am a passionate believer in the capacity and capability of our people and especially of our youth who are going to inherit this beloved country, lead it to the global stage and sit hand in glove with countries of the first world. This, then, is the challenge before us and I know we can rise to it tackle it with our collective wisdom.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

(Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah)

Member of Parliament Gua Musang

"O Captain! My Captain!"

Reading Tengku Razaleigh's letter above to the members of Parliament from his blog dated 3 November 2014 inspired me to qwerty my thoughts after such a long time. Please click on the link http://tengkurazaleighhamzah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=345:letter-to-members-of-parliament&catid=50:blog&Itemid=131 or read my posting above to read the full letter.

"The people expect bold changes and even bolder leadership. We certainly cannot deny them the answers to their concerns and aspirations. Leaders should be more sensitive to the demands and feeling of grass roots" - Ku Li.

Yes! Yes! Yes! I am so glad Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah ("TRH") wrote that letter to his members of Parliament. Every point on his 23 pointers in his letter I would give a standing ovation. I never thought any leader in UMNO really understands the predicaments and struggle the normal citizen who lives within the lower 70% of the population faces. What more TRH, who comes from a royal family amongst the rich would feel the agony of the middle to lower income society.


He is a true leader. A protector of his people. A leader that is deserving to be at the helm and the pinnacle of this country, Malaysia.

TRH carries the incisive manifesto that any government, present or future must keep in guide. I almost lost hope in the incumbent government. I hope his suggestions will be catalyst to change within the government. TRH is a savior.. It is time to be bold as you suggest and lead this nation, "O Captain! My Captain!".

Motorcycles out of KL City Streets

It is high time for the government to start looking into eradicating usage of private owned motorcycles of certain engine capacity like those "cup chai"out of Kuala Lumpur City's streets, at least for now. Until our transportation system has grown to become efficient, we then can banned the usage of private owned motorcycles below 1000 cc altogether.

Statistics have shown that motorcycle riders are the highest casualties on Malaysian streets. If these segments of society can't think for themselves and mostly having no regards for their own life and safety, perhaps the govenrment should interfere and ensure they opt for public transportation. This will not only save lifes hanging free on two wheels without any full protective shell as well as reducing traffic congestion, unruly riders, and the "mat rempit" phenomena.

Motorcycles are the transportation mode of the past.. it is visioned as being a popular mode for the third world countries..

We Malaysians aspiring to become a fully developed country by 2020 wouldn't want to see our streets polluted by these "cup chais"like what we see on the streets of Hanoi, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila and many other ASEAN countries.

We Malaysians aspire to find our streets to be efficient, safe and sytematic like developed countries in Europe, North America and even our neighbour, Singapore.

These small engine motorcycles are just plain nuisance on the streets as well as an eye sore. They gather upfront in flocks up ahead in traffic lights, maneuvering dangerously as they speed off. They rode irresponsibly and oblivious to their surroundings whilst motorcyclist parked incessantly anywhere, be in on the road side, pedestrian's walk and even in between parking spaces meant only for cars.

We see this everyday, yet the authority and government is not doing anything about it. As if they condone these sort of vileness.

Wake up Minister! wake up society! wake up people of Malaysia! We are better than this!

The Ant Killer

2010 marks 13 years of my working experience. My career path has brought me places from my debut blue collar as legal assistant in a medium size Solicitors firm in London to KPMG, Investment Bank and now a government link company that manages the development of Johor State economic region down south of Peninsula Malaysia.

Throughout these experiences, I have worked under 7 different superiors/bosses.

I was exposed to people relation since my first day or work. Being in legal profession I am tasked to meet a lot of people. In fact at a novice age and experience, my previous boss, the partner of the legal firm where i worked in London has given me the trust to deal with his clients independently. I did well and eventually, since the partner is busy with big clients, I was entrusted to deal with the smaller clients with little and at times without senior assistance. That is how well I do with human relations perhaps that the trust given to me was exceeding my expectations. I also grasp well quickly without much taken time to comprehend any instructions, or work given.

Climbing up the corporate ladder, i came back to work with a Malaysian legal firm and didn't last than a year before joining KPMG (one of the big 5 accounting firm then and one of the top Corporate Finance firm in the world) back in year 2000.

I joined KPMG as an assistant consultant due to my degree limitations where most of them are either from accounting or finance background. I was roped in due to the KPMG Partner's plan of having a diversified team and my penchant for numbers helped me to get one of the best jobs currently there was a legal graduate. I took the offer regardless of the ranks for the sake of learning something new.

Then I had no clue what Corporate Finance entails and requires of me but my Partner who took me in was willing to raise me to be a Corporate Finance person. This was my stepping stone... it has brought me to where I am now. I have to thank Allah ultimately for His blessings towards me achieving my success.

There was no looking back and I knew where i wanted to go and be. Corporate Finance! I love the nature of the job and learning curves i ventured. This has encouraged me strongly and stand my belief to pursue my Masters degree in Applied Finance. I came back graduating with MApp Fin from The University of Melbourne in 2005.

In 2006, I joined an Islamic Investment Bank and given the responsibility as the Manager. There I was spoilt with perks of a Manager like department secretary and staffs that I can count on to delegate my responsibilities. Nonetheless, my term there was shortened by an offer for a greener pasteur.

So here I am in this GLC seeking a greener pasteur.... indeed it is with salary by 25% increment and benefits that market couldn't match. All because it is a new entity with big hopes and plans and in dire need for brains in its workforce. Anything to incite and fish out the few talents in the industry. Yet many declined to the fact that relocation to the south was deemed inevitable. This is something many couldn't accept simply because of family commitment in capital city and more due to relocating to an under developed city that only has Singapore as its means of escape to modernisation, luxury and lifestyle living that some are so used to.

I took the offer in hoping for a new challenge and dreams. I am a robust person that consistently need to have new experience in life. To me... learning in life is perpetual. You can never stop learning until the end of life because knowledge is vast and everywhere... unless you are an arrogant man who thinks "I know all" or ignorant who would say "I don't need to know anything more than I already have" then, I feel sorry for you.

I also had hopes for being able to stand out and perform under this new entity with so much potential offered and given hope for. I was taken in by a head of department whom I believe could mould me someday to lead one of the subsidiary entity.

That's the mistake...

Mistake of believing there is someone who will guide you to achieve your dreams. I had assumed my career in this GLC was similar to the previous support I had obtained from my superiors and bosses in my past working experiences.

This is all due to the typical "GLC disease". Power greed and inevitably politics. Change of events in the company had re-mapped by luck in this company. The hopes and dreams I used to have slowly diminishing from my career enhancement horizon as if you catch a mirage and as you get closer... it was never there.


It is a place where cultures, priority, importance and intelligence are different in many ways. Many mismatched talents and lack of manpower support with too heavy on the top. That says something about the company doesn't it? Too many brains makes too many opinions, and only one ant to work.

Now.. I realised, I am no more important. I am just like many other ants that waiting to be pressed on or stepped on to death as there are many other ants that are available. This trend will continue until there are no more ants in the house. Perhaps only then they will realise they have destroyed not just the hopes and dreams of many but the absolute entity of the company.

Those survive may not be the best at what the work requires of them but how well they play their political trump. I don't see any outstanding brain within the company except a few within what I can count with my fingers.

Just when I thought this job is a career enhancement but suddenly I realised to my dismay I am stepping back 6 steps! The Management who lacks human relation and basic emotional intelligence. Selfish enough to make people slaved and wasting the talents that was not meant to be used for. Talents are scarce in this limited world yet this GLC wastes them.

I quench for knowledge and experience yet never allowed to shine. But I somehow still have faith in this company to become better in every way. All I need is time.. and I shall wait and see... what my future holds.. at least for a moment.

The Club Crest of Brotherhood

I was embraced in warmth and bleaming with pride seeing this picture of Paul Scholes (Manchester United Midfielder) and David Beckham (AC Milan Midfielder, former Manchester United player)

The displayal of mutual respect by these two former colleagues, David Beckham and Paul Scholes, shows that once a Manchester United player will always have his heart with the triple crown and victorious club.

As the saying goes, blood runs thicker than water... I believe in this case club brotherhood that they have shared over the years has become part of them in their blood.

Life Balance in 2010

The start of a New Year. 2010 is here.



It had been a meaningful end to 2009 and beginning of 2010 for me. I had managed to spend my holiday break with loved ones, my children and siblings. It was blissful to find myself amongst the companion of my sons, siblings and parents. I couldn't imagine life without them in my life, the joy and laughter and at times the learned agony that they may bring. It brings out the meaning and value of a family. I hope my children will be able to have this feeling of love and loyalty of what a family is one day.

New Year also means the starting of school for my kids. Made me realise how fast they have grown from a baby i used to hold in my palm and arm, now grown to a boy whom I can talk and discuss things with. Sooner or later they will be talking to me about adolescent issues... Hence I have decided to learn to accord my eldest son some level of trust. I bought him a mobile phone with a supplementary line. Let see if he is responsible enough with the trust I have granted him.

I also had my struggle with smoking in late 2009. I had been a smoker again after one and half years quitting. So, this New Year 2010, I have quit once again. Once an addict, will always be an addict. It is this evil that is intruiging to fathom. How something so disgusting yet so wanting.

Nonetheless, the Bugis blood runs thick in me. Bugis are well known fighters originating from the Sulawesi Island of Indonesia. Feared and respected. Some of them have made themselves Kings in parts of Tanah Melayu (Modern days known as Malaysia). Hence I will battle and combat against this evil called "Nicotine" until a day I will find closure, psyhcologically or physically. Whichever gets me first. But again... I wouldn't want to die trying.

2010 has also gave me this urge to make myself independant of stipendiary earnings. I feel it is time to make my first million (in current inflationary terms, doesn't worth much), yet still my first millions to be able to not let myself be enslaved for corporations, partnerships or agencies but only for my own. I am finding ways, and working towards that independence and freedom from control. Being able to be grateful to Allah, provide the very best for my children, family, religion, race and country. At the sametime lavish myself with my dreams, travel the world to places I have never been and seen. Learning cultures, phenomenal panoramic views, diversity that i could appreciate and thank Allah for his blessings to life and make me closer to Him. I need that.... I need that balance in life.

Diminishing Fervour

Losing interest in something is a strange experience. Recently, for example, I have been struggling to maintain interest at work. There have been other things too, and I suspect they are related. It happens slowly, but it's interesting how you can have a progression from something which really motivated and excited you, to finding that same thing an indifferent pleasure at best.

What is it that happens inside someone's head when they find their interest on the decline. Ignoring things like depression or stress as underlying psychological problems, it still seems well within a person's natural thought processes. I think that this phenomena is a powerful piece of evidence from introspection into human nature.

It is an example of, Heidegger's idea of thrown-ness. That is to say we find ourselves thrown into the world in a particular state of mind, without having particularly much control or understanding of it.

There is no simple effort of will which can bring back the enjoyment of an activity, nor make us happy, nor sad. Of course there are some things we can do to improve ourselves, but what those things are need to be identified and studied. They are not apparent to us. Disclosing what will make us happy, or motivated, or whatever is one of the tasks of philosophy or psychology, and would make rich ground for further study. It is interesting that few philosophers take very seriously the connection between happiness and philosophical correctness, even those who rank philosophy as being a very important thing.

In so far as my position goes, I am barracking for Plato's position that an unexamined life is not worth living. Nonetheless, my examinations have not as yet revealed to me the fundamental nature of my own changing motivations. Perhaps it does all boil down to evolution, but even so, that is not a functional analysis of great use.

Oh well... Perhaps I will work it out tomorrow.

What makes a leader for Malaysia?

The problem with Malaysian politics is that, we have nincompoops running the administration of the country. We had "jokers" like Ghaffar Baba, Anwar Ibrahim, Abd Badawi, Nik Aziz and many more.. who doesn't have the right academic qualification, education and learned status to become our leader. A bunch of laughing stock to the world's best leaders.
What we lack in Malaysia is a leader with utmost calibur. A leader who is not just highly educated, e.g from Harvard, Oxford, and many other ivy leagues but also a leader who has accumulated his own personal wealth before joining any political stand.
I always believe a leader must not only be wise, intelligent and smart but he is also able to help himself before wanting and being able to help others.
I do not condone or agree to those who is wanting to enter politics just because.. when he himself surrounded by housing, car and business loans around his waist. To make it worst, he graduates with a form 6 education.
A leader must also possess a high moral standards for our society could give any respect and mandate to thy leader.

A Place Where Pork Shouldn't be

I am disgusted and appalled by the tolerance and permisiveness given by our local authority and Jabatan Agama Islam in allowing non-halal restaurant to operate like mushroom in our city for the past recent years.

"Pork" by definition means a meat from a domestic hog or pig. A meat that is forbidden to be consumed in Islam. In Malay, the word pork is referred to as "babi" or "khinzir" has been a taboo in the Malay culutre and society. The word "babi" is seen as profane and offensive, what more having our eyes on the pork meat pictured in our newspaper (Metro Section, The Star, Wednesday, 28 May 2008. An article by Debbie Chan) and having to eat in a pork selling environment.

Malaysia by statutory declares Islam as it's main religion in the country somehow condone pork selling in public? Is this the Islam Hadhari that is being promoted and psyche to the muslim mind?? How low can we muslims be to tolerate to this extend all for the sake of race tolerance? What about the non-muslim's tolerance towards the muslims by not blatantly eating pork in our shared public malls, restaurants and revealing the pork dishes to the muslims' eyes?

Never before I have seen pork being advertise so blatantly and restaurant so blatantly discriminates it's customers by selling non-halal food in our public malls and restaurants in Malaysia until recently. For an example, this non-halal restaurant, Fong Lye Tea House in The Gardens Mall pictured above amongst many others. I am very disappointed by this liberality of the local authority and futile Jabatan Agama Islam ("JAI") to monitor and curb this nauseating and disgustful activity that transgresses Islamic moral or Islamic law.

More disappointingly, during holy month of Ramadhan, I find we muslims have lesser options to places where we can eat in our public malls where at least half of the restaurants are categorised as non-halal. I personally view this as a race or religion discrimination when non-halal food is sold in public places. It is frustrating when I as a Muslim living in a Islamic country finding myself restricted to the choices of what and where I can eat.

Something must be done to correct this iniquity by the local authority, government and JAI. It is shameful as a country whereby Islam being helmed, mosque of grandieur built all over the country, having our PM as the Chairman of OIC, being the advocate of race tolerance.. we breach our most basic ethics.