When I perused the newspapers the other day, I was shocked to learn that two key publications of the opposition, Harakah and Suara Keadilan were suspended for three months by the Home Ministry. The reason given by the Minister was unsatisfactory: the publications were “wrong, sensational and sensitive in nature”. He was also reported by The Star that “But what cannot be tolerated is when the stories confuse and cause anger among the people. We also do not tolerate wrong and sensational reporting. This is detrimental in a multi-racial society like Malaysia.” This order came a few days before the UMNO elections and also before the vital by-elections in April.
His reasons may or may not be justified. However, when I came to know that there exists a blog (bukitgantangbersatu.blogspot.com) that so blatantly and valiantly calls for the death of former Perak menteri besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, and that no actions are being carried out by the Home Ministry, I was and still am appalled and disappointed.
The particular post, entitled, “Kill Nizar”, lists down reasons why he deserves such a sentence. His supposed defiance by not resigning as the menteri besar weeks back was seen as treason by the owner of the blog. The blog also stated that only “dogs, swines and prostitutes would support Nizar.”
My question is why is not the Home Minister issuing any order to bring in the owner of the blog for questioning? Why is not the blog blocked from public viewing? This blog not only perpetrates a murder of a leader but also mocks him as a puppet of DAP. Surely this verges on defamation. And surely this propagates lies and, to borrow the exact words of the Home Minister, “detrimental in a multi-racial society like Malaysia”. So why is not Syed Hamid Albar doing his job as Home Minister? Where are the infamous ISA or Sedition Act?
Saturday 28 March 2009
Monday 23 March 2009
We made it!
My sister and I made it! The people from KLPAC called us today and told us we were succesful in our auditions. We are now officially part of the ensemble. Here's the message posted on my Facebook account:
This year’s manic “One Day Only” session of auditions are done. We would like to appreciate each and every one of you who took time out to audition for a place on The T4YP Ensemble.
The T4YP Team would like to extend a warm welcome to 16 talented young people who are soon to grace the stage as members of The T4YP Ensemble for 2009.
Dinesh Kumar Maganathan
Priyadashini Maganathan
These new members are joined by another 15 Ensemble Members from 2008 that have been made part of the T4YP Alumni.
I didn't include the names of the others due to privacy purposes.
This year’s manic “One Day Only” session of auditions are done. We would like to appreciate each and every one of you who took time out to audition for a place on The T4YP Ensemble.
The T4YP Team would like to extend a warm welcome to 16 talented young people who are soon to grace the stage as members of The T4YP Ensemble for 2009.
Dinesh Kumar Maganathan
Priyadashini Maganathan
These new members are joined by another 15 Ensemble Members from 2008 that have been made part of the T4YP Alumni.
I didn't include the names of the others due to privacy purposes.
Sunday 22 March 2009
On the steps of a knight
Never have I imagined myself or my sister doing what we did today. It was something we have been doing, in the vicinity of our home, for years and also in our school. It was and still is something we aspire to be in some distant future.
Forgive me for being vague. We went for an audition at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre today. And what an experience it was. We had to recite a Shakespearean monologue and a contemporary monologue. My role model was Sir Ian McKellen, the great theatre actor as well as a great screen actor. When you watch him play a Shakespearean drama, it will give you goosebumps and make you appreciate the art of acting.
Then four of us were called for a group session. That was fun. We had to do stuff to test our spontaneity. And man, we scored big time. The judges laughed and had a good time. They even said we were the best lot so far. That was a great compliment.
Tomorrow, we would know if we made it or not. Whatever it is, we had fun.
Forgive me for being vague. We went for an audition at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre today. And what an experience it was. We had to recite a Shakespearean monologue and a contemporary monologue. My role model was Sir Ian McKellen, the great theatre actor as well as a great screen actor. When you watch him play a Shakespearean drama, it will give you goosebumps and make you appreciate the art of acting.
Then four of us were called for a group session. That was fun. We had to do stuff to test our spontaneity. And man, we scored big time. The judges laughed and had a good time. They even said we were the best lot so far. That was a great compliment.
Tomorrow, we would know if we made it or not. Whatever it is, we had fun.
Wednesday 18 March 2009
'I'm a Musicon Celebrity thanks to Maxis Broadband
Wow! Once again, wow!
What an honour and mind-blowing experience would this be to attend the Nuffnang Music Bash 2009! And to be treated like celebrities. Wicked!
I have had built castles-in-the-air of being a renowned film director, walking on the red carpet, to the Academy Awards. Perhaps this dream might be actualised in the future but this event might actually give me a glimpse of stardom and the privileges that usually follow suit.
I wouldn't call myself the most accomplished of bloggers but I have always wanted to interact with my fellows as it were in a fun and exciting environment and now apparently I can. Just to think the number of contacts and the networking that would come about ...
So, I shall await the dawn of the 4th of April with much anticipation.
What an honour and mind-blowing experience would this be to attend the Nuffnang Music Bash 2009! And to be treated like celebrities. Wicked!
I have had built castles-in-the-air of being a renowned film director, walking on the red carpet, to the Academy Awards. Perhaps this dream might be actualised in the future but this event might actually give me a glimpse of stardom and the privileges that usually follow suit.
I wouldn't call myself the most accomplished of bloggers but I have always wanted to interact with my fellows as it were in a fun and exciting environment and now apparently I can. Just to think the number of contacts and the networking that would come about ...
So, I shall await the dawn of the 4th of April with much anticipation.
Tuesday 17 March 2009
What a Superb Performance!
Sean Penn was phenomenon in his role as Harvey Milk in the highly acclaimed, based-on-true-life-story, Milk.
For fans of Sean Penn, you wouldn't have recognised him as he played his character as a homosexual man very convincingly. He even has an uncanny resemblance to the actual Harvey Milk. If you were to watche the movie and just observe his acting, you would be stunned! The way he talks, the way he moves and even the way he laughs and smiles. Superb!
And the story was rivetting as well. Based on the true story of Harvey Milk, the film takes viewers into the life of Harvey Milk, a homosexual man, who runs for the position of Supervisor for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. And then ... well ... I won't spoil it for you. Watch it and enjoy.
Bravo to Sean Penn for an outstanding performance and a well-deserved Oscar.
Sunday 8 March 2009
The Journey to the Cross
Dear Readers,
Next month, Christians around the world will be celebrating or should I say, commemorating Good Friday (the day the Lord Jesus was crucified) and Easter (the day the Lord was raised from the dead).
A week preceding these two days, I would post as and when it is necessary the path the Lord Christ took before he was ultimately crucified on the cross for mankind and chronicle as it were whatever He endured.
Next month, Christians around the world will be celebrating or should I say, commemorating Good Friday (the day the Lord Jesus was crucified) and Easter (the day the Lord was raised from the dead).
A week preceding these two days, I would post as and when it is necessary the path the Lord Christ took before he was ultimately crucified on the cross for mankind and chronicle as it were whatever He endured.
Wednesday 4 March 2009
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown:
how pale thou art with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
which once was bright as morn!
What thou, my Lord, has suffered
was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
vouchsafe to me thy grace.
What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for thee.
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown:
how pale thou art with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
which once was bright as morn!
What thou, my Lord, has suffered
was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
vouchsafe to me thy grace.
What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for thee.
Earth Hour 2009
I am glad and I applaud the Malaysian media for bringing Earth Hour 2009 to light. I remember how last year this noble event was kind of in the shadows. I don't remember watching about it or reading about it. But when I watched an ad on local TV station 8TV about Earth Hour, I was much impressed.
Bravo!
And may be as Malaysians unite, as we always do when the occasion calls for it, and turn off our electricity together with the world to save our planet. I'm looking forward for the coming days leading to Earth Hour 2009 to see what else the Malaysian media have in store to propagate as it were this event.
Bravo!
And may be as Malaysians unite, as we always do when the occasion calls for it, and turn off our electricity together with the world to save our planet. I'm looking forward for the coming days leading to Earth Hour 2009 to see what else the Malaysian media have in store to propagate as it were this event.
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Debate on royalty suppressed
Debate on royalty suppressed
3 Mar 09 : 7.01PM
By Yip Wai Fong
POLICE reports, bullets in the mail, angry protests and police interrogations. These are threats that have been expressed and carried out against individuals who have commented and criticised the monarchical heads in Malaysia. The monarchy appears to have garnered more media attention as newsmakers and opinion leaders in the last two years.
As the Head of the Federation and an institution of the Malays, discussing the royalty is largely a taboo for the general populace. Not unlike Thailand's lese-majeste law, the Sedition Act, which was introduced in a period of high ethnic tension, protects Malaysian royalty under very broad provisions against defamation. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy where the rulers of nine states rotate on a five-year basis as Head of the Federation — the Yang diPertuan Agong — and perform legislative, executive and judiciary functions. At the state level, the sultans are guardians of Islam, and Malay language and customs.
The spotlight is now on the northern state of Perak. Its head of state, Sultan Azlan Shah, made a crucial decision to allow the Barisan Nasional (BN) to regain control despite losing the 2008 state election. The decision was made after several state assemblypersons from the elected state government coalition, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), declared their independence from the PR and support for the BN.
However, a public poll by the Merdeka Opinion Research Centre found that 74% of the people in Perak wanted a by-election to sort out the changes in state representation.
Karpal Singh, DAP chairperson — where the DAP is one of the partners in the PR — said that he would be filing a suit against the Perak sultan's decision in a special court. Last year, Karpal also questioned the jurisdiction of the Perak royalty when it reinstalled the head of the state Islamic council, against a transfer ordered by the state government.
In both cases, Karpal's statements attracted death threats and a slew of police reports against him by individuals and members of political parties. In the latest controversy, Karpal received two bullets enclosed in a mailed envelope, spelling threats to him and his family members.
Umno's shifting agenda
Also targeted in this episode were two bloggers: Ahiruddin Attan aka Rocky Bru, also president of the National Alliance of Bloggers, and Jed Yoong, a former writer for the DAP's party organ, the Rocket. Ahiruddin was questioned by police on 24 Feb over comments left on his blog about the role of the monarchy by known and anonymous commentators. A day before that, the police interrogated Jed Yoong over her fiery critique of the monarch in a posting on 12 Feb. Yoong's remarks drew the ire of the "Umno Virtual Club" (Kelab Maya Umno), which lodged the police report.
Mobilised by Umno, the dominant partner in the BN, public demonstrations in support of the monarchy were organised in Selangor, Malacca and Perak. The Umno-owned national daily, Utusan Malaysia, branded Karpal and former embattled Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as treasonous and seditious.
Umno's agenda must be treated with scepticism, especially against the backdrop of the constitutional amendments in 1983 when the BN sought to curtail the powers of the Malay rulers. At that time, Umno led a public campaign against the royalty, which included public protests, suggestive movies on state-owned television networks, and exposés of royal excesses. The amendment was successful and royal assent of legislation is now a matter of protocol. A decade later, the BN government again amended the Federal Constitution to establish a special court to prosecute members of the royalty charged with criminal acts in their personal capacity.
The media's role
These contradictions are not highlighted at all in the mainstream media, bringing into question the familiar spectre of political control in the newsroom. It is very clear that public discourse on the issue of the jurisdiction and powers of the royalty is tightly controlled. Umno-linked groups, media, and individuals have the monopoly of setting and swaying the national agenda.
The lack of critical journalism on constitutional and legal provisions means that those who choose to express their disagreements are seen as unpatriotic or worse, deserve to have their citizenship withdrawn. It is time for the public to be more mature in assessing information and their rights. It is also long overdue for the media to play its role to provide adequate and fair space for debate. Certainly, we do not want a situation where the mere mention of the royalty will draw the kinds of reactions we see in neighbouring Thailand.
Yip Wai Fong
Centre for Independent Journalism
(The Nut Graph) - (http://thenutgraph.com/debate-on-royalty-suppressed)
3 Mar 09 : 7.01PM
By Yip Wai Fong
POLICE reports, bullets in the mail, angry protests and police interrogations. These are threats that have been expressed and carried out against individuals who have commented and criticised the monarchical heads in Malaysia. The monarchy appears to have garnered more media attention as newsmakers and opinion leaders in the last two years.
As the Head of the Federation and an institution of the Malays, discussing the royalty is largely a taboo for the general populace. Not unlike Thailand's lese-majeste law, the Sedition Act, which was introduced in a period of high ethnic tension, protects Malaysian royalty under very broad provisions against defamation. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy where the rulers of nine states rotate on a five-year basis as Head of the Federation — the Yang diPertuan Agong — and perform legislative, executive and judiciary functions. At the state level, the sultans are guardians of Islam, and Malay language and customs.
The spotlight is now on the northern state of Perak. Its head of state, Sultan Azlan Shah, made a crucial decision to allow the Barisan Nasional (BN) to regain control despite losing the 2008 state election. The decision was made after several state assemblypersons from the elected state government coalition, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), declared their independence from the PR and support for the BN.
However, a public poll by the Merdeka Opinion Research Centre found that 74% of the people in Perak wanted a by-election to sort out the changes in state representation.
Karpal Singh, DAP chairperson — where the DAP is one of the partners in the PR — said that he would be filing a suit against the Perak sultan's decision in a special court. Last year, Karpal also questioned the jurisdiction of the Perak royalty when it reinstalled the head of the state Islamic council, against a transfer ordered by the state government.
In both cases, Karpal's statements attracted death threats and a slew of police reports against him by individuals and members of political parties. In the latest controversy, Karpal received two bullets enclosed in a mailed envelope, spelling threats to him and his family members.
Umno's shifting agenda
Also targeted in this episode were two bloggers: Ahiruddin Attan aka Rocky Bru, also president of the National Alliance of Bloggers, and Jed Yoong, a former writer for the DAP's party organ, the Rocket. Ahiruddin was questioned by police on 24 Feb over comments left on his blog about the role of the monarchy by known and anonymous commentators. A day before that, the police interrogated Jed Yoong over her fiery critique of the monarch in a posting on 12 Feb. Yoong's remarks drew the ire of the "Umno Virtual Club" (Kelab Maya Umno), which lodged the police report.
Mobilised by Umno, the dominant partner in the BN, public demonstrations in support of the monarchy were organised in Selangor, Malacca and Perak. The Umno-owned national daily, Utusan Malaysia, branded Karpal and former embattled Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as treasonous and seditious.
Umno's agenda must be treated with scepticism, especially against the backdrop of the constitutional amendments in 1983 when the BN sought to curtail the powers of the Malay rulers. At that time, Umno led a public campaign against the royalty, which included public protests, suggestive movies on state-owned television networks, and exposés of royal excesses. The amendment was successful and royal assent of legislation is now a matter of protocol. A decade later, the BN government again amended the Federal Constitution to establish a special court to prosecute members of the royalty charged with criminal acts in their personal capacity.
The media's role
These contradictions are not highlighted at all in the mainstream media, bringing into question the familiar spectre of political control in the newsroom. It is very clear that public discourse on the issue of the jurisdiction and powers of the royalty is tightly controlled. Umno-linked groups, media, and individuals have the monopoly of setting and swaying the national agenda.
The lack of critical journalism on constitutional and legal provisions means that those who choose to express their disagreements are seen as unpatriotic or worse, deserve to have their citizenship withdrawn. It is time for the public to be more mature in assessing information and their rights. It is also long overdue for the media to play its role to provide adequate and fair space for debate. Certainly, we do not want a situation where the mere mention of the royalty will draw the kinds of reactions we see in neighbouring Thailand.
Yip Wai Fong
Centre for Independent Journalism
(The Nut Graph) - (http://thenutgraph.com/debate-on-royalty-suppressed)
The Reader
Her portrayal of the character Hanna in The Reader was superb and awe-inspiring. It was like looking at a different person and she made me connect with the character.
And then, there's the movie itself. What a great movie! I loved it beginning to end. Very engaging, intense and wow weren't those sex scenes delicately filmed!
So for those of you who have not watched The Reader, I would advice you to watch it. You won't regret it.
Monday 2 March 2009
Walk and think of Behind
I am really irritated and annoyed by those people who walk in the middle of pathways which are already narrow. Think of the people walking behind you. They might be in a hurry to catch a bus or they might be late for work or an appointment. Think about such things and start walking at either side of the pathways. At least those people at the back can get on their way without anyone blocking their path.
Sunday 1 March 2009
Musings by MM
I was much privileged to attend the launch of Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir's book 50 Days Rantings by MM at MPH Bookstores in Midvalley yesterday. I was actually working on that day (my last day of work as a promoter at Robinsons) and went to the launch (at 3 p.m.) during my lunch break.
I quickly grabbed a bite and rushed to the launch only to find that it has not begun (thank God for the notorious Malaysian sense of puncuality ... No offence Datin Paduka). Also present at the launch was newly elected blogger-turned-MP YB Jeff Ooi. He was the guest of honour.
It was a rather interesting event and I got my copy of the book autographed by the author!
For those of you who don't know what this book is about, it is a compilation of Marina's blog posts over the fifty days her father was admitted at IJN for a surgery.
I have already read 15 pages and cannot wait to finish it
Get a copy. It's worth it. And it's affordable.
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