Monday 20 April 2009

Apologies

Dear readers (or at least the few loyal ones anyway),

Due to my involvement with theatre, I will not be able to post regularly. I will try my best to give some updates or my thoughts on some issues. But for the next two months, I would be virtually absent.

Till then.

Chiao!

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Good Friday

Tomorrow, Christians will be celebrating or should I say commemorating Good Friday, the day the Lord Jesus Christ was crucifed on the Cross of Calvary. I say commemorate and not celebrate because it is a nostalgic day to remember the sufferings of the Messiah.

Today was the day when He was captured by the Temple guards. Today was the day when the Son of Man was betrayed with a kiss by Judas Iscariot, his disciple. Today was the day the Lord was falsely accused in the council of the Sanhedrin.

I will post more about Good Friday tomorrow.

Till then.

God Bless.

Tuesday 7 April 2009

VICTORY!!!

The results are in and Pakatan Rakyat has emerged as the winner in two of the three by-elections. Both the Bukit Selambau (Kedah) and Bukit Gantang (Perak) is now under the Pakatan Rakyat Government. Batang Ai (Sarawak) of course was taken by Barisan Nasional.

Here are the results taken from Malaysiakini:

9.20pm Bukit Gantang OFFICIAL RESULTS
Mohd Jamaluddin Nizar (PAS) 21,860Ismail Saffian (BN-Umno) 19,071Kamarul Ramizu Idris (Ind) 62
Majority - 2,789 (In 2008, the majority was 1,566)

8.58pm Manikumar wins Bukit Selambau With all 22 polling boxes counted, Manikumar retained the seat for PKR by winning with a 2,396-vote majority, a slightly higher margin than in the 2008 general elections.

Manikumar is already celebrating at the official counting centre SM Teknik in Sungai Petani. Along with him is Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and PKR vice-president Azmin Ali.

(Source: http://malaysiakini.com/)

Monday 6 April 2009

Today is the day ...

The three by-elections that will determine the rise or fall of Malaysia's two alliances (the National Front and the People's Alliance) is happening right now.

It is reported that the results will be out by 10 pm. 

Let us all cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Go Pakatan Rakyat! Go!

President Obama's Address to the Turkish Parliament

President Obama has done exceptionally well in his maiden trip to Europe. His speeches were rousing, inspiring and gave a glimpse into what America would be under his leadership. His address to the Turkish Parliament also went amazingly well. The line that I found, together with countless news agencies, is this: "Let me say this as clearly as I can: the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam".

Watch this short video that I obtained from Reuters and listen to the inspiring words of Mr Barack Hussein Obama.

Tri-by-election

Tomorrow is the day of reckoning for the Pakatan Rakyat government. So much is at stake in all three states (Kedah, Perak and Sarawak), especially Perak as the path to lead the state again depends solely on the victory of Nizar Jamaluddin.

I personally hope that the Pakatan Rakyat would come out victorious. I am a big supporter of the Pakatan Rakyat government.

But then again, what with Tun Dr Mahathir out in the campaign trail and Datuk Seri Anwar's failed revelation of a big surprise, we cannot really predict the outcome.

What we can do is just wait and see.

I urge the people of Perak, Kedah and Sarawak to vote wisely and not be tricked with rhetoric and promises which would not be fulfilled.

Friday 3 April 2009

Maiden Speech of Malaysia's Sixth Prime Minister

ON behalf of all Malaysians, I would like to thank Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his 31 years of exemplary public service to our country, his commitment to strengthening the institutions and fabric of our democracy and for his graceful example as our leader.

I am grateful to Tun for his confidence in proposing my name as Prime Minister to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and I am honoured that His Majesty has consented to my appointment with this morning’s swearing-in ceremony. I feel a deep sense of humility at the opportunity to serve as your Prime Minister at an important time in our nation’s history.

My life has been dedicated to public service.

Growing up, I was inspired by the positive impact of public service in the example of my late father. Four decades on, I remain committed to the goals of tackling poverty; of restructuring our society; of expanding access to quality education for all; and of inspiring a new generation of young Malaysians to work on behalf of this great country.

My own service in government has always been about getting results: to ensure a better deal for teachers, to improve conditions for our brave soldiers, and to strengthen our economy in defence of the people of Malaysia, as we deal with the outbreak of a global recession.

In the coming weeks, I will be consulting with people around our country, as I begin to reshape the leadership and priorities of the Government. I am mindful that we should build on the successes and lessons of the past. It must be a Government with new approaches for new times – a Government that places a priority on performance, because the people must come first.
We must reach out to all parts of Malaysia, to all our diverse communities. In our national discourse and in pursuing our national agenda, we must never leave anyone behind. We must reach out to the many who may have been disaffected and left confused by political games, deceit and showmanship.


We must draw on talented people across our nation, regardless of their position or background, to re-energise a passion for public service. We must sow the seeds of goodwill and understanding in every corner of this land so that we continue to harvest the fruits of progress and prosperity for all Malaysians.

We must seek to include and unlock the potential of our young people who will be the next generation of leaders, business people, engineers, scientists, teachers and doctors. We must give them wings to fly.

And so today, I pledge that I will work tirelessly to serve all of you.

In this spirit, I would like to announce that the Government has decided with immediate effect, to remove the temporary ban on two news publications, release 13 detainees from ISA detention and conduct a comprehensive review of the Internal Security Act. Additional details will be announced by the Home Affairs Ministry shortly.

These decisions are timely as we move to enhance the confidence of our citizens in those entrusted with maintaining peace, law and order, while recognising the need to remain vigilant of the very real security threats we continue to face as a young nation.

I know that for every citizen these are hard times and I remain focused in providing strong leadership to lead us out of this economic crisis and unleash our full potential as a nation. I will be steadfast in my commitment to meet the needs, aspirations and concerns of all Malaysians.

So today, I ask you to join me in this task of renewing Malaysia. I urge us to rise to the challenge of building a 1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.

Let us begin this great journey together.

(Source: The Star Online)

Thus was the speech made by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Malaysia's sixth Prime Minister. It is one filled with optimism, an air of change and reform, and a bundle of generous promises.

Well, let us, as citizens of this country, keep watch of the fulfillment of these promises.