Reply to Various Comments on PDRM Allows Mob Justice

Recently I posted a video on my blog which showed the capture of a couple of alledged criminals by a crowd of people and finally the police arrived to bring the alledged criminals into custody. In the process, these alledged criminals were bashed by a mob of onlookers, even though by that time the alledged criminals were securely apprehended by the police. One thug even using a hammer aimed at the head of the man. My gripe was with the police who instead of taking control of the situation seemed overwhelmed with it all and did not stop the mob from attacking the alledged criminals.

The comments received from this post was nothing short of staggering. While I was disgusted with the level of violence these thugs accorded the alledged criminals, many comments applauded the "heros" for taking the law into their own hands and said that the criminals deserved the pulping that they were given, overlooking the fact that these were alledged criminals and have not been found guilty of any crime yet let alone the bashing of a human being using a hammer is attempted murder. Not realising that taking the law into their own hands, being judge, jury and executioneer have far reaching consequences if left unchecked in a civilised society.

Some comments indicated that I did not know the "real" situation in Malaysia because I was sitting on my moral high perch in Perth and living in an idealistic world, not knowing that I've lived most of my life in Malaysia, seen violent crime first hand and suffered the injustices from the lack of police action several times. Well at least I'm not accused of having low morals.

Some comments called me a "coward" without saying why. All I have to say to those is that a coward is a person who bashes a defenceless person who posed no threat at all while being apprehended by the police. Malaysians are good to talk and criticize but when it is time to walk their talk, they can't do it. These are the real cowards who walk away from helping someone who find themselves being in a violent confrontation but magically find the guts to bash the perpetrator in when they get apprehended, pose no threat whatsoever and outnumber them 20-1. Sure real brave.

It is also common and evident from the comments that some Malaysians cannot have a disagreement/ argument without childish name calling and profanities. Their mental maturity and irrational arguments especially when putting it in writing unfortunately do not reflect that of a civil and progressive society.

Anyway back to the crux of the matter and here is my reply:

1. If as some comments say the law is too slack, then the law has to be changed. The people, NGOs, opposition party and so on have to put pressure on the government to change the laws to toughen up on crime. This is hapening in many other countries and laws are changed everyday. Taking the law into your own hands is not the answer and have far reaching social consequences if out of control. If left unchecked and mob behaviour is encourage then it could come to a stage where your neighbour bashes your head in with a hammer if you block his car in or he doesn't like your face. Don't laugh, I've seen people come to blows because of car parking problems.
2. If the government cannot provide basic law and order, then the government needs to be replaced. It's easy to say that the police are not doing their job, close a blind eye etc. etc. but the people can do something about it (apart from bashing defenceless people). They can put pressure on their local ADUN, get the press's attention and vote in elections but many prefer to sit on their arses and suggest violence as a retaliation because they know no better or are just inherently and outwardly violent but are inwardly real cowards. They only talk tough and write profanities but when put to the real test, like helping out a person being mugged, most Malaysians will chicken out.
3. Everyone gets their day in court and cannot be judged guilty without having their basic human right to defend themselves. People who know me well know I'm very much into victim's rights as opposed to the criminals rights but the very least is that they should have their day in court. How many people on the scene or commenting on this blog actually saw the crime being committed. I won't hesitate to guess very few. The problem with mob rule happens due to the fact that these alledged criminals have been judged to be guilty by the mob, even though the majority of them did not see what hapened.
4. Human rights must be accorded to all people, alledged criminals as well. Once they are found guilty by a judge or a jury then it's fair to say that some of those rights will be removed. Even Jeffrey Dahmer, the most notorious serial killer had his day in court.

In all, the comments received on this blog rather surprised me but has shown me a few things.

1. Some Malaysians still have very narrow minded and childish views especially when making comments. They get very personal and criticise the author and bring his family in the fray instead of sticking to the topic at hand.
2. Some Malaysians talk rather gung ho with profanity laced language but very few are like that in a real life situation preferring to instead hide behind the veil of anonymous in cyberspace feeling braver that way.
3. Some Malaysians are very uncivilised and know only one way to solve a growing problem. They get frustrated and suggest violence (or at least they say that they will) instead of putting pressure on the powers that be to provide better law and order in the country. They talk and criticize a lot but actually do nothing to contribute to the society they live in.

Anyway enough said and I'm actually very dissappointed with seeing the feedback from the posted video. If Malaysia is going to be a developed nation by the year 2020, a lot of things need to change (read: "Malaysia 2020 Where Art Thou" on the previous post) not least the backward and uncivilised mentality of some of it's people.

PDRM Allows Mob Justice

For those who do not know PDRM is the acronym for Polis Diraja Malaysia, and if you still do not know it is the Malaysian police force. I think this video explains itself, nothing less than a sickening act of violence against a couple of robbers right under the noses of the police who allow it all to happen. What a fantastic police force we have. How are we suppose to feel safe when we have these kind of police working for us?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYxj93jGJsY

Enjoy and I hope you're not watching and having a meal at the same time.

Malaysia 2020 Where Art Thou?

How is it that the man who holds the country’s top post, a post that demands the most ethical and integral a person to occupy can so far avoid scrutiny against a very serious charge of murder?

Ever since the days of our much loved 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia and Malaysia’s longest serving dictator, Mahathir Mohammad, we have been touting the idea of a Malaysia being a developed nation by the year 2020. That’s just over 10 years away, a very short time. Let’s see, 10 years is like how long my daughter has been on this planet. She was born in the year 1999 and it’s now 2009 and unfortunately nothing much has changed to make Malaysia a developed nation in this past 10 years. How is it then that Malaysia and its esteemed leaders still think this goal is achievable in the next 10 years when we have hardly made any progress in the last 10 years?

On my recent trip back to Malaysia I noticed nothing much had changed over the years. Here are just 10 reasons why I think Malaysia will struggle to achieve developed nation status by the year 2020:

1) Malaysia’s public transportation is still in utter shambles. The buses are never on time, the services are mediocre to say the least, taxi drivers are still ripping off passengers under the noses of the authorities, usually at world renowned landmarks like the Petronas Twin towers and the international airport. The rail system usually cannot cope with the demand and experience frequent downtimes due to a lack of proper maintenance. It is also inadequate and proposals to extend it to more populated areas like Subang and Cheras have not come to fruition despite years of talking (usually during election time).

2) Traffic on the roads seems to be getting worse, especially during rainy days where you can be caught in a jam for hours before getting to your destination. The government have not been able to build sufficient roads which are toll free for the masses to use. What roads that have been built using private/ public companies are charged heavy toll fees and are under utilised. The drainage system on most roads has not been improved and it’s not uncommon during heavy downpours to have sampans (boats) on the roads in addition to the cars. The road rage bullies are also all over the roads and as usual think that the roads belong to them and no other. There is little chance of these bullies getting caught by the authorities either or nothing a RM50 note won’t be able to “solve”.

3) Malaysia is still using manual toll collectors instead of scanners or readers to deduct the toll monies. The automation or a lack of automation of such straightforward processes like toll collection reflects a lack of technology, lack of willingness to use the available technology or it could be a matter of keeping these people employed in the highly skilled job of putting their hand out to collect coins or a combination of these. Whatever it is, having people at toll booths to manually collect coins are the distinct characteristics of a third world nation and not a developed one.

4) The scourge of illegal workers loitering around our greatest landmarks like Bukit Bintang and KLCC has made these places dangerous especially late at night. The Malaysian authorities do not seem to have the resolve to address this issue satisfactorily.

5) Crime in Malaysia has worsened over years. From triads to illegal gambling dens to snatch thefts, not a day goes by without a headline or two highlighting the worsening crime conditions in Malaysia. Imagine what hasn’t been reported. The Home Minister mentioned that crime has worsened because of the public’s demonization of the police. Can we not blame the public for being pessimistic that the crime situation is not going to get any better in Malaysia if we have goons like that in charge? It is also widely rumoured that the Malaysian police force is in cahoots with the triad bosses dealing in illegal activities. The link goes all the way to the top, the Chief Inspector of Police. The Malaysian police are also perceived by a vast amount of the Malaysian population to be a tool of the government to stifle dissent and to put political opponents in jail. Anyone blowing the whistle against government corruption will be interrogated and harassed by the police instead of them focusing on the alleged perpetrators of the crime.

6) The country is still corrupt, from our politicians to our police and even our lawyers and judges. What is more worrying is that as a country Malaysia have fallen 9 places in the corruption index from last year. Whatever happened to the drive by the police to rid their officers of corruption by getting them to wear a badge saying “no to corruption”? Just symbolic without any conviction, one would guess.

7) Malaysia still practices institutional discrimination where “bumiputras” are accorded preferential treatment in business, education, housing, politics and banking to name a few. For example, a multi millionaire “bumiputra” will get a 7% discount on housing when a less financially accomplished non-bumiputra cannot. There are many universities in the country that reserve places to majority Malays, placing hardly any relevance to grades or academic accomplishments. Needless to say, as these students were gifted their places in their universities, they are less able to fulfil the requirements of the real working world so employers are reluctant to hire these graduates when they come out. Those who missed out on a place because of the colour of their skin are forced to go to foreign universities. Very few bother to come back.

8) Malaysia’s per capita GDP is in the region of $7,000. Most developed nations are close to $30,000. In a stumbling bumbling statement to the media, Malaysia’s Prime Minister mentioned his intention to grow Malaysia’s per capita income by 9% per year to more than double to $17,000. Many have rubbished this as the country is only growing between 3%-6% in recent years and Malaysia will have to achieve China like growth for the next ten years to realise this unrealistic goal. In a later retraction, Najib mentioned it was more like 6% and that there was some miscommunication in the media. By the year 2020 most developed nations will be approaching $50,000 per capita income.

9) The Malaysian press and the judiciary have been seen to be siding with the government. From selective reporting to self censorship, only “good news” about the government is reported and “bad news” kept hush hush. Of course any bad news about the opposition parties and their members are prominently broadcasted. The top circulated English, Malay and Chinese newspapers in Malaysia are all government owned. It’s hence not surprising that it’s news and it trustworthiness will fail to meet any country’s minimum standards of journalism bar a few like Burma and Zimbabwe. The judiciary is no better, siding with the government to persecute political opponents, hence eliminating them as threats. With the help of draconian laws like the Internal Security act, the Official Secrets Act, Sedition Act, Criminal Defamation, Printing and Publisher’s Act and a host of other outdated and suppressive laws, the judiciary has been successful in bringing this once unflappable pillar of justice to the prejudiced and corrupt institution it is today.

10) Malaysia’s Prime Minister has been repeatedly implicated in the murder of his alleged Mongolian lover and until now, neither the police, nor the courts or the parliament has had the resolve and conviction to get to the bottom of this. Any thoughts of linking the Prime Minister to this murder have been briskly addressed by the government machinery by threats of jail or violence against the instigators. How is it that the man who holds the country’s top post, a post that demands the most ethical and integral a person to occupy can so far avoid scrutiny against a very serious charge of murder? In most developed nations, the top man cannot even have an outstanding parking fine. As they say in Malaysia, “Malaysia Boleh!”

To be able to achieve developed nation status, you cannot just build tall buildings and tolled roads. It’s also not about breaking the Guiness Book of Records for baking the longest pizza or spending millions of ringgit of tax payer’s money to tag along with the Russian astronauts to space. It’s about the maturity of the nation in its legislature, executive, judiciary, infrastructure, public services, social services and people. This maturity is in the form of financial, integrity, social, moral and behaviour. It’s not about building a building but maintaining it as well, so generations of people can enjoy using it. It’s not about holding elections once every five years and proclaiming to the world that Malaysia is a democratic country. It’s about having an impartial election commission, free and fair press, freedom of information and freedom of expression. This unfortunately is where Malaysia is left wanting and unfortunately it hasn’t changed much in the last ten years.

Politicians Screwing Around with our Future

Monday’s Four Corners program was about how Australia’s opposition Liberal party were struggling to keep it’s party members united on the Emission Trading Scheme proposed by the government. The government require the support of the opposition in parliament to pass the law which would see Australian businesses heavily taxed for emitting carbon pollution into the atmosphere.

The problem within the Liberal/ National party is that many amongst them are climate change sceptics and do not believe in the science of global warming. In an obvious political agenda, they have labelled these scientists “Global Warming Alarmist”. They argue that global warming is not real and that Australia’s businesses will suffer unnecessarily and no improvement to the environment will be evident.

From the show, let me list down 2 reasons why I think it is the Liberal/ National party that are playing political games and couldn’t give a hoot about the environment we live in.

• Nick Minchin (a senior Liberal front bencher and leader of the house for the opposition party) mentioned that during 2007 general election, the Liberal party supported a comprehensive ETS because of the public backlash that demanded it. Now, they might not support a comprehensive ETS proposed by the government because the public demand for it has somewhat abated or subsided from the highs of the 2007 general election. This shows the Liberal party do not form policies based on any principles but on where the support and votes can be found. One day here, next day there.
• When Barnaby Joyce (Senior member of the National party) was asked what he thought about the carbon credits which would put money back into the pockets of farmers when they practiced good farming methods which reduced the carbon impact, he gave a flurffy answer which poked fun at the question. The question is plain and simple and a darn good one. One of the main premises by the Liberal/ National coalition against the ETS was that it was going to economically impact the farmers and here we have a serious question put forward to a senior coalition member and one of the main instigators against the government’s scheme that refuted this argument and he could hardly provide an answer let alone a credible one

The opposition are doing nothing but playing politics here. They refute the evidence provided by credible scientist as though they were scientist themselves but their true motives are to appease their constituents for their short term benefit but unfortunately to the long term detriment of our environment.

What we should do is to find out if Global warming is legitimate or a scam as professed by opposition people like Barnaby Joyce. I mean it should not be too hard, just get the data from the meteorological department and if the average temperature has gone up then that is evidence of global warming. If it hasn’t, then global warming is a hoax and the likes of Barnaby Joyce are right. This should put an end to the global warming true or false debate and allow our feared politicians to get on to do the right thing and serve the people instead of the utter waste of time and resources we’re seeing currently, debating an issue they are not motivated and have never been motivated to solve due to the political impact.

Hey Hey It's History

How come it is that a 6 year old kid can know right from wrong and the highly paid executives from Channel 9 did not have a clue? I’m referring to the skit performed on the “Hey Hey It’s Saturday” show during their reunion show not long ago.

In the skit, a bunch of morons painted their faces black and pretended to be the Jackson Five. They called themselves the ‘Jackson Jive’ in the skit. To compound the severity of their misguided judgement, one of the celebrity judges just happened to be American music legend Harry Connick Jr. who gave the performance a score of zero, deservedly so. Harry mentioned during the telecast that if this was aired in America, “:Hey Hey It’s Saturday” would become “Hey Hey It’s History” which I found quite amusing but plainfully true.

What was more interesting to me was when this was aired on TV and instantly my 6 year old daughter saw something amiss and remarked “How rude!” I realised it too and I bet half of Australia did as well. The same skit was done by the same bunch of goons ten years ago but unfortunately these guys were trapped in a time warp and forgot to move on with the times. In this day and age, doing a racially sensitive skit like this? My bet is any other form or future reunions of this otherwise popular show will now never come to fruition because of this stupid blunder. Common sense guys?

More reaction to the skit on the link below:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/tv-radio/articles/2009/10/08/1254701089809.html