March 2011
4 posts
6 tags
"Parlimen 50 Tahun" Simpang Dari Sejarah Sebenar!
Oleh Faisal Mustaffa Usaha Parlimen Malaysia menerbitkan Parlimen 50 Tahun, buku yang memperingati ulang tahun Parlimen ke-50 pada 2010, amat disanjungi. Tetapi kandungannya mengelirukan fakta sejarah dan semangat demokrasi berparlimen. Cetakannya juga tidak kemas — untuk sesuatu yang sepatutnya menjadi dokumen rasmi yang bersejarah. Buku ini (yang diedarkan kepada senator-senator dan...
Mar 7th
6 notes
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 4 Mar 2011
It’s the weekend! Woot! But, before we head there, the news: Dr M rejects the notion that Malays are also immigrants — saying that people of Arab, Indian, or Indonesian origin become constitutional Malays through assimilation. Hang on. Hasn’t he just proved the idea that Malays are a people with a migrant ancestry? (The Malaysian Insider) Deputy PM Muhyiddin Yassin:...
Mar 3rd
4 notes
9 tags
NEWSFEED: 3 Mar 2011
Hello dear Malaysians (dan lain-lain): Last year, the top 40 richest people in Malaysia increased their fortunes by 18%, to RM186.3bil. Meanwhile, a third of our households survive with under RM2,000 per month. (The Malaysian Insider) Has your elected rep died? Awesome! This means there’ll be a by-election, and the BN ruling coalition will have many gifts for you! Surprising that people...
Mar 2nd
February 2011
12 posts
9 tags
NEWSFEED: 1 Mar 2011
It’s a new month! Former Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy has been charged with cheating in the PKFZ scandal. He’s claimed trial. Justice is sooo slllooowwww … Hopefully, it won’t be denied. (The Star) Opposition to the KL MRT megaproject continues, with Kajang residents saying that it’ll make their traffic jams worse. (The Malaysian Insider) The treatment of...
Feb 28th
1 note
5 tags
Kenapa Kes Tembak Mati Polis Berterusan?
sehingga meragut nyawa. Modus operandinya sama: yakni, “bagi menyelamatkan diri”. Tetapi, apabila dikaji mengenai satu-satu kes, mangsa yang ditembak mati rupanya remaja belasan tahun — contohnya, kes Aminulrasyid Amzah. Allahyarham adik Aminulrasyid, seorang remaja berusia 15 tahun, maut ditembak di bahagian kepala pada 26 April 2010 yang lepas. Adakah logik bagi fikiran waras menerima...
Feb 24th
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 24 Feb 2011
Hey folks: Here’s an article with people whining about how the new MRT project isn’t going to be seamlessly integrated with the rest of KL’s public transport services. Wish it had a town-planner to comment about how the project could be improved; that would actually be helpful. (The Malaysian Insider) International campur-tangan: the Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak,...
Feb 23rd
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 22 Feb 2011
Hey everybody! Kuala Langat South forest reserve and the Selangor State Park are under threat! Can environmentally-concerned Selangorians make preserving these forests an election issue? (The Nut Graph) Mysterious goings on in the Universiti Malaya campus elections: “pro-Mahasiswa” candidate Masturah Abu Bakar went missing for 30 hours, and was suspected to have been kidnapped....
Feb 21st
8 tags
INTERVIEW: Stop Motion Project's Ong Jo-Lene
(By Zedeck Siew) Awareness campaigns about social issues are usually the result of NGOs, not individual endeavour. (Not to say that NGO types aren’t individuals, but you get what I mean.) So here’s a nifty thing: a bunch of kekawans who got together and started working on a video campaign, designed to get people talking about violence against women. Introducing the Stop Motion...
Feb 17th
1 note
9 tags
NEWSFEED: 18 Feb 2011
Da weekend! Everything that is wrong with the proposed KL MRT megaproject. No integration with existing public transport; subpar station placement. (The Malaysian Insider) Student power! Universiti Malaya (UM)’s “pro-mahasiswa” faction holds protests on campus against the barring of their candidates from upcoming student-body elections. (Malaysiakini) Dr M claims he tried to...
Feb 17th
10 tags
NEWSFEED: 17 Feb 2011
Hello all: PM Najib Razak insists that there is democracy in Malaysia. “Sometimes I feel like there is too much democracy in Malaysia,” he says. (The Malaysian Insider) Awesomesauce: the stupid coal plant in Lahad Datu has been scrapped. Congrats, Green SURF! (Free Malaysia Today) Pubic hair makes its debut at the Sodomy 2 court proceedings. (Malaysiakini) KL’s MRT: the...
Feb 16th
8 tags
NEWSFEED: 15 Feb 2011
Happy post-Valentine’s Day! Hope your love was free of JAIS intervention: Unlike these 80 peeps, who were rounded up yesterday as part of a JAIS-led anti-V-Day sting. They’ll be appearing before the Syariah courts. Wow, Muslims really are second-class citizens in Malaysia! (Malaysiakini) The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM)’s 13th general election manifesto, by RPK....
Feb 14th
10 tags
“Mereka Pukul Saya Di Balai Polis”
Oleh Faisal Mustaffa Fahmi, 30, seorang pendatang dari Indonesia, ditahan di satu sekatan jalan raya semasa menunggan motosikal di KL. Selepas beliau memeberitahu bahawa dia tidak membawa passport, Fahmi dibawa ke balai polis dan dipukul. Menurut Fahmi, kedua-dua tapak kakinya dihentak dengan kayu cota sehingga pergelangan kakinya petah. Dia terpaksa ditempatkan di rumah sakit. Dia juga...
Feb 13th
13 tags
NEWSFEED: 10 Feb 2011
Hello, dear friends: Utusan Malaysia argues for the appointment of politicians in GLC leadership, saying that this will ensure that the government-linked companies stay true to their cause: helping Bumis. (The Malaysian Insider) The UMNO paper defends the Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad’s appointment as FELDA chairman. Isa is widely believed to be corrupt. (Utusan Malaysia) Does Malaysian...
Feb 9th
13 tags
NEWSFEED: 8 Feb 2011
Right into the news: Why Malaysians should pay attention to climate change: “the changing environment in Southeast Asia is responsible for up to a quarter of all deaths in the region.” The Meteorological Dept warns that we’ll be facing dangerous health risks due to extreme weather conditions. (The Star) Penang’s PR state government makes a laudable move away from...
Feb 7th
9 tags
NEWSFEED: 7 Feb 2011
Hey, hey hey! Malaysian nationals return from troubled Egypt. PS: down with Mubarak! (The Star) Najib threatens Malaysians not to try an “Egypt-style power grab” against his administration. “We will not let it to happen here.” Kenapa takut, boss? (The Star) Meanwhile: we’re spending another RM6 billion on navy patrol vessels. Problem is, there’s no...
Feb 6th
1 tag
Sambutan Hari Wilayah Persekutuan Sebagai Rakyat...
Oleh Faisal Mustaffa Setiap tahun tanggal 1 Februari, Wilayah Persekutuan menyambut Hari Wilayah Persekutuan. Bagi negeri yang tidak mempunyai sultan bagi menyambut hari keputeraan, Hari Wilayah Persekutuan menjadi hari yang penting bagi rakyat di Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya dan Labuan. Malangnya, sebagai rakyat Wilah Persekutuan, mereka tidak mempunyai hak untuk memilih wakil rakyat mereka...
Feb 3rd
January 2011
23 posts
11 tags
NEWSFEED 31 Jan 2011
Woot! One month into 2011. Poskod Malaysia will take a brief hiatus for CNY; see you folks in a bit! Local NGOs and political parties march on the Egyptian embassy in solidarity with the popular uprising against Hosni Mubarak. Marchers had “posters depicting the Egyptian leader with a Zionist symbol on his forehead.” (Malaysiakini)  Meanwhile, BN wins the Tenang by-election. Looks...
Jan 30th
10 tags
NEWSFEED: 28 Jan 2011
Wow, the weekend took me by surprise … Remember A Kugan, the alleged car thief who died in police custody two years ago?  The cop charged for his murder is walking free. Meanwhile, PDRM still operates with impunity. (Free Malaysia Today) More police drama: a cop has been charged for planting a parang and heroin on beat-up businessman Chia Buang Hing. Someone who watched the proceedings...
Jan 27th
4 notes
10 tags
NEWSFEED: 27 Jan 2011
The news! A 33-year-old chef, suspected to be the man abusing his poodle, has angrily denied accusations, pointing out that, unlike the person in the video, he does not have tattoos on his arms. Internets: FAIL lah you. (The Star) Darling filmmaker Liew Seng Tat’s upcoming film, In What City Does It Live, about an African dude freaking the residents of a kampung, has won the Sundance...
Jan 26th
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 25 Jan 2011
Hey hey hey: Third-force hopefuls Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) names its 3rd and 4th candidates: women’s rights activist Haslinah Yacob and dentist Dr V Nedunchelian. (The Star)  The Human Rights Watch’s 2011 report styles Najib’s administration as “all talk and no action when it comes to human rights”. What’s your response, PM? Any new KPIs?...
Jan 24th
7 tags
EXPIRED: Anti-Mega Tower Facebook Group
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Most Overhyped Public Protest Movement Outrage over the RM5 billion, 100-storey Warisan Merdeka project splashed out like a flash flood in October; much of it pooled online, in the 1M Malaysians Reject 100-storey Mega Tower Facebook page. Membership milestones made headlines; pundits soon began styling it as an important weathervane of Malaysian...
Jan 23rd
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 24 Jan 2011
Hello all! Another week in the endless news cycle: FUUYOH: the Home Ministry has achieved a 100% success rate in meeting its KPIs! Meanwhile, corruption and thuggery by the cops continue. (The Star) Tenang by-election shenanigans: the shadowy, supposedly-non-partisan 1Malaysia NGO has appeared, handing out goodies and posters of Najib. (Malaysiakini) Yesterday’s “Hormati Suara...
Jan 23rd
6 tags
SENTUL: Will They Be Cowed
(By June Low) If you come to Sentul a lot, at some point you must have spotted the cows hanging about. Ah, no need to hide. I’m not accusing you of vandalising cattle. Got no beef with you. Just assuming an observation. It’s not a common sight in KL, so you may have wondered where they come from, who owns them, and which football team they support. Luckily for you, I paid their cowherd a...
Jan 20th
7 tags
CHERAS: Pembangunan a la Pappa Rich
(Oleh Ayam Fared) Bandar Sri Permaisuri telah menjadi kawasan tempat permastautinanku selama hampir 5 tahun. Tidaklah selama mana, tetapi sekurang-kurangnya cukup buat aku untuk melihat perubahannya. (Ibarat seorang bayi, selepas 5 tahun ia pasti sudah masuk tadika dan belajar membaca.) Lima tahun lepas, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Cheras, hanyalah kawasan perumahan yang menempel di antara Bandar...
Jan 18th
10 tags
NEWSFEED:17 Jan 2011
Woot, another week! The Johor Education Dept tries to transfer the teacher husband of PAS Tenang candidate Normala Sudirman for failing to “control his wife”. What? (Malaysiakini) Utusan Malaysia has called off its internal inquiry of journalist (and union prez) Hata Wahari. Why? Hata wanted to record the inquiry proceedings. Kenapa takut? (The Malaysian Insider) Meanwhile: how...
Jan 16th
2 notes
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 14 Jan 2011
It’s Friday! A mosque in Kampung Kerinchi had to turn its azan speakers down after a non-Muslim lawyer from the nearby Pantai Hillpark condos sent a letter directly to the PM’s office. (Malaysiakini) There’s a protest over the issue today at the mosque, obviously. (The Malaysian Insider) Meanwhile, an old face from Anwar’s 1999 sodomy trial is hungry for the spotlight...
Jan 13th
9 tags
RARGH! RADIO RAKSAKSA!
(By Zedeck Siew) Psst. People. Forget all the crap about Internet filters and “Asian values” that our PM is spouting. There’s this new radio station called Radio Raksaksa — a “Malaysian-based non-profit-making Internet radio meant to attract the monsters of independent/underground music scene”. Basically, it’s a pirate station that plays music “that doesn’t suck!” Piratically...
Jan 12th
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 13 Jan 2011
Hello everyone. Here’s the news: UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has officially challenged Anwar Ibrahim to a debate over PR’s pledged “100-day reforms”. This after Anwar challenged Najib to the same. Sheesh, dudes. Dick-waving much? (The Malaysian Insider) Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein says that the new online sedition guidelines will cover offences like...
Jan 12th
8 tags
Perhimpunan Mahasiswa Negara 2011
(By Zedeck Siew) Last Tuesday, being a card-carrying penyibuk, I went to check out Perhimpunan Mahasiswa Negara 2011, the big national student assembly sparked by Fahmi Reza’s Student Power lecture (about Universiti Malaya-based activism in the 1960s) and fueled by 30-odd wide-eyed, idealistic uni-goers. PMN’s aim? To get undergrads to unite under, talk about, and fight for issues...
Jan 12th
7 notes
13 tags
NEWSFEED: 11 Jan 2011
Right, let’s get to the news: One of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)’s RM67 billion projects is the Malaysian Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC), which will develop nuke energy for our future needs. I’ve been playing Fallout to prepare.  (Malaysiakini) More than 120 civil society groups agree: the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) for Teoh Beng Hock should look into...
Jan 10th
8 tags
INSPIRED: Tutti Frutti FroYo
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Best Brain-freezing Indulgence FroYo, short for Frozen Yogurt, is a tasty and icy dessert brought to urban flabbies primarily via the 20-odd Tutti Frutti outlets in Malaysia. I want to zero in on this franchise in particular, because of their pay-by-weight, self-serve stations: yummehs both visually and to the palate; very devious as a...
Jan 9th
13 tags
NEWSFEED: 10 Jan 2011
Hello, dear friends! Malay-rights group PERKASA surreptitiously co-organises a mod scooter convention, catching bands like Couple, who played at the event, by surprise. “It’s good that politicians are starting to pay attention, but it depends on PERKASA’s agenda.” (The Malaysian Insider) Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj has been fighting for equal distribution of...
Jan 9th
9 tags
NEWSFEED: 7 Jan 2011
It’s the first weekend of the year! The new Royal Commission of Inquiry will not investigate Teoh Beng Hock’s death, only whether his human rights were infringed by the MACC. Dying while in custody seems like a pretty big infringement of human rights to me, Mr PM. (Malaysiakini) Najib’s aide, Hardev Kaur, says she regrets asking for Christian symbols to be removed from a...
Jan 6th
7 tags
INSPIRED: Suzuki Cup Win
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Best Use of LAZOR BEAMS Sure, we have squash queen Nicol David and occasional badminton champion Lee Chong Wei. But Malaysians generally have few sport heroes to look up to — especially in team sports. Since its heyday in the 1970s (we qualified for the Olympics in 1972 and 1980), Malaysian football has been a joke. That’s changing. On...
Jan 6th
9 tags
NEWSFEED: 6 Jan 2011
Shut-in rainy-day web-surfing, commence! The inquest finds Teoh Beng Hock’s death as neither suicide or homicide. So what is it, then, eh? (Malaysiakini) Luckily, the government seems to have clued on to the fact that people aren’t happy with the TBH inquest; Najib is set to announce a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the case. Only time will tell whether justice will actually be...
Jan 5th
9 tags
NEWSFEED: 5 Jan 2011
It’s Hump Day! Utusan Malaysia warns Malays that Selangor might become another Singapore — ie: “a country belonging to China outside mainland China”. And this over the Selangor state versus Putrajaya tiff. Wow, that’s a leap of logic, eh? (The Malaysian Insider) Looks like the PAS-UMNO unity talks have fallen through, again. Why? Nik Aziz defended the right of...
Jan 4th
2 notes
12 tags
NEWSFEED: 4 Jan 2011
Hey all, let’s begin with some new old news: PAS has been meeting with UMNO for unity talks again — this time, with even their own members being kept in the dark! Why so slutty one? (The Malaysian Insider) If you’re having a kid, you shouldn’t be an elected rep and should just stay home. At least, that’s what Kedah GERAKAN Youth chief Tan Keng Liang thinks about...
Jan 3rd
8 tags
EXPIRED: Jho Low
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Least Amount of Plastic In A Paris Hilton Society Photo Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Jho Low can’t have had a face-job. Or he’s got the worst plastic surgeon in the world. Either way, it doesn’t stop this big spender’s face from being expressively smug. Look at him. “Yeah,” he’s thinking....
Jan 3rd
13 tags
NEWSFEED: 3 Jan 2011
Oh goodness, the new year. The past weekend was just — woah. Khairy Jamaluddin taking a break from politics. Betul ke? Why? Internal upheaval, or stunt? (The Star) National Union of Journalists (NUJ) prez Hata Wahari has closely criticised Utusan Malaysia for its editorial policies; thing is, he’s also an Utusan journalist — so now he’s facing internal inquiry....
Jan 2nd
1 note
December 2010
33 posts
8 tags
INSPIRED: UniFi
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Least Slow High-speed Internet Service For a country with a burgeoning online life — my friends who aren’t on Facebook I can count with my own fingers — our Internet speeds are rather leisurely. For total Internet population we are 28th in the world (with 17 million users by 2009); as for fastest Internet speeds we are 38th...
Dec 29th
5 tags
SENTUL: The Unhelpful Food Guide
By June Low Whenever people find out I live in Sentul, the first thing they ask is not: “So, how many experience points does it take to advance to the next level in Mooville?” It’s always something dull and predictable like: “Where got nice food ah?” Under pressure, I never know what to recommend and always end up looking like I don’t really know my ‘hood. So, in retaliation, I’ve...
Dec 27th
10 tags
NEWSFEED: 27 Dec 2010
Hey all: Malaysia beat Indonesia 3-0 in last night’s Suzuki Cup finals. But Indonesia is crying foul: apparently, Malaysian fans were shining laser beams into Indonesian players’ eyes. (BBC News) Two cops have been arrested for the horrific assault and robbery of businessman Chia Buang Hing. The impunity of the police is just ludicrous: you’d expect the fuzz to be smarter at...
Dec 26th
11 tags
EXPIRED: Glambert Protest
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Most Ingenious Ploy To Get Into A Concert For Free For most of us, Adam Lambert was the steak in a mostly-sizzle American Idol 8th season. Glambert’s vocal chops aside, it was his penchant for theatrics — like his infamous onstage kiss — that really got tongues wagging. So, when news broke he was performing in Malaysia on 14...
Dec 26th
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 24 Dec 2010
Happy Christmas Eve, folks. The Tenang, Johor by-election is set for 30 January 2011. (The Star) HINDRAF asks Indian Malaysians to abstain from voting in the next general election. (Free Malaysia Today) Good to remember: the Agong lost his authority to veto Parliamentary bills during the Mahathir era — through a Constitutional amendment done behind the rulers’ backs! Wither checks...
Dec 23rd
10 tags
NEWSFEED: 23 Dec 2010
Wait. It’s not Friday yet? The best PMR results in four years, with 30K students scoring straight As. But we all know how the exam stats are tampered with, so this sort of news means nothing … (The Malaysian Insider) The Malaysian population now exceeds 27 million, with males outnumbering females, according to the Census 2010. (Malaysian Digest) The Malaysian Civil Liberties...
Dec 22nd
7 tags
INSPIRED: Sex Cream & Adult Toy Banners
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Most Overt Sign of Secret Society Conspiracy We’ve always seen minyak lintah or pill ajaib ads around town — but these usually came in stencil or sticker form. Now they are colour-printed banners, typically hanging from road signs: advertising “ADULT TOY” or “MANN CREAM” or “UBAT KUAT LELAKI”. Now,...
Dec 20th
10 tags
NEWSFEED: 21 Dec 2010
Good afternoon Tuesday people! The ex-Sime Darby manager charged with corruption of up to RM200,000 has alleged torture at the hands of MACC officials. (The Malaysian Insider) A bus overturned on its way down Cameron Highlands, killing 27. It’s being called the worst accident in Malaysian history. (The Star) Decades since the demise of the 1960s and 1970s Malaysian student movement, a...
Dec 20th
6 tags
EXPIRED: UglyDoll + Knockoffs
THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS Category: Most Mediocre Cute Toy Trend As the antithesis of model-esque, plastic-looking, blonde-haired rubber dolls, the UglyDoll had some appeal. It trended, spawning imitators and storming into Malaysian homes, cars (ugh!) and keychains. The dolls squeaked in at the tail-end of the Japanese anime plushies craze, and meeped through the year of Spike...
Dec 19th
11 tags
NEWSFEED: 20 Dec 2010
Hey all. Noon greets us with frowns: Malaysia plans TWO nuclear power plants. Doesn’t a combo of nukes and Malaysian-style incompetence worry you? (The Star) Ganyang Malaysia! Anti-Malaysian hackers deface the Yayasan 1Malaysia website. (Free Malaysia Today) Pundits: the Third Force movement may results in three-cornered fights in the looming general elections — splitting votes in...
Dec 19th
10 tags
NEWSFEED: 17 Dec 2010
It’s nearly the weekend, meatbags! Stay off the sugar, or you might end up like: Sulaiman Taha, the state rep for Tenang, Johor. He passed away due to “complications from diabetes” — not the only one in 14 by-elections since 2008 caused by kencing manis. (The Malaysian Insider) The current Sejarah textbooks will not change until 2017. Good thing: no further distortions...
Dec 16th