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Bjorn helps to banish 2003 memories by snatching early lead Posted: 14 Jul 2011 04:48 AM PDT Thomas Bjorn of Denmark tees off on the 18th hole during the first round of the British Open golf championship at Royal St George's in Sandwich on July 14, 2011. — Reuters pic SANDWICH, July 14 — Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, cruelly denied his first major win when the British Open was last held at Royal St George's, went some way to banishing the demons of his late 2003 collapse by snatching the early lead in today's first round. The 40-year-old Dane, handed a last-gasp place in the 140th edition of the oldest major championship in golf when Fiji's Vijay Singh pulled out on Monday, made light of windy conditions on the Kent coast to fire a five-under-par 65. While Bjorn was flying high after reeling off four birdies in five holes on the back nine, tournament favourite Rory McIlroy was struggling to make an impact on one-over-par after 12. The 22-year-old Briton, the subject of 'Rory-mania' at Sandwich as a result of his commanding eight-shot win at the US Open last month, prompted groans from his army of fans when he three-putted the first hole. McIlroy dropped another stroke when he failed to get up and down from off the green at the third but he then hit a mid-range iron at the eighth and drilled his ball under the 20-mph breezes to within eight feet of the flag and sank his birdie putt. Bjorn was three strokes ahead with four holes to play in the 2003 Open before a calamitous bogey-double bogey-bogey run effectively handed the Claret Jug trophy to American Ben Curtis. His main blunder came at the 16th where he needed three attempts to get out of a greenside bunker. Eight years on it was a different story for the Qatar Masters champion as he peppered the flags on the inward half. At the par-three 16th he struck a majestic tee shot to eight feet before his curling birdie putt disappeared into the cup. Bjorn spoiled his run of birdies when a poor chip at the 18th led to a bogey but he was still delighted to be leading by two strokes from Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, who was three-under after 16 holes. Britain's Simon Dyson, playing in the same threeball as Bjorn and also the recipient of a late ticket to the Open following the withdrawal of American David Toms, was in the clubhouse on 68, two under. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Adebayor waiting for call from Real coach Mourinho Posted: 14 Jul 2011 04:31 AM PDT Real Madrid's Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates his goal against Real Sociedad during their Spanish first division match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on February 6, 2011. — Reuters pic MADRID, July 14 — Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor is waiting for Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho to call so he can return to the club where he had a successful loan spell last season and has ruled out moving anywhere else. The Togo international told today's Spanish sports daily As he would "get on the first plane to Los Angeles" where the Spanish club are on the opening leg of a pre-season tour. "I am not interested in looking for any other move that is not going back to Real Madrid," said the 27-year-old, who slipped down the pecking order at City after they signed Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko in the January transfer window. "I am waiting for his (Mourinho's) call and I hope it comes. If it was up to me I would play three or four years for Madrid and then retire in the white shirt." Adebayor, African Player of the Year in 2008, moved to Real in January as cover for the injured Gonzalo Higuain and scored on his home debut against Sevilla in a King's Cup semi-final. He netted twice against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League and scored a La Liga hat-trick against Almeria, helping lift his overall tally to eight goals in 22 appearances. Mourinho said this week that big-spending Real were still in the market for a forward and hinted Adebayor was more likely to fill the gap than potential targets Sergio Aguero of Argentina and Brazil's Neymar. Adebayor told As Mourinho was "without doubt" the best coach he had worked with. "I would say to him: 'Here I am if you need me'," Adebayor said. "He gave me the confidence I was lacking, he made me believe in myself and enjoy football again." — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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It’s tough to be a dog in Korea Posted: 14 Jul 2011 04:02 AM PDT Protesters from the Korea Association for Animal Protection participate in a demonstration near the Seoul city hall in this file photo of March 25, 2008. The dog collars read: 'My name is Choonja. Please don't eat Choonja' (R) and 'My name is Hosoo. I'm your friend'. – Reuters pic SEOUL, July 14 – Thursday was not a good day to be a dog in South Korea. That's because it was one of the three hottest days according to the Korean lunar calendar – and dog soup is one way to beat the heat. People seeking to protect the body from overheating eat traditional healthy foods such as ginseng chicken soup, broiled eel, and "bo-shin-tang," literally "body preservation stew." Dogs are bred to be eaten in South Korea, and advocates say bo-shin-tang, which consists of dog meat boiled in a mix of hot and strong spices and vegetables, is good for the health. It is considered a delicacy by some. "The reason why I eat dog soup is because it boosts my energy, even when I'm most tired," said 56-year-old Shin Gwan-sup, sitting in a dog soup restaurant. "Compared to other meats, it has more protein and less fat. I think it is healthy and clean, a more suitable meat for us." The Korean practice of eating dog has drawn criticism from overseas for its cruelty, with French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot among some of the most vocal critics. But Korean dog meat connoisseurs remain undaunted, with long lines forming today outside dog speciality restaurants. Beating the heat was painful for diners this year, though, with the price of the ginseng chicken soup, or sangyetang, jumping. Severe rain has also pushed up the price of vegetables used in the soups. – Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Family in US TV series to challenge polygamy laws Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:42 AM PDT SALT LAKE CITY, July 14 — The family featured on the US reality TV series "Sister Wives", about an advertising executive and four women he calls spouses, is challenging the government's right to criminalise its lifestyle, the family's lawyer said. Browns in a row: "We only wish to live our private lives according to our beliefs," says papa Kody Brown. The family, in a lawsuit to be filed yesterday, will challenge Utah's bigamy statute. It is not trying to get the government to recognise plural marriage, just to stay out of the intimate affairs of consenting adults. "We are only challenging the right of the state to prosecute people for their private relations and demanding equal treatment with other citizens in living their lives according to their own beliefs," family attorney Jonathan Turley said in a statement. "Sister Wives", which has just concluded its second season, premiered in the US on cable television in September, earning strong ratings while also drawing the attention of authorities in the Utah town of Lehi, south of Salt Lake City, where the family shared a large house. The show documents the world of Kody Brown, then 41, and the four women he lives with — Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn — along with their children, as they seek to fit in with mainstream society while maintaining their religious beliefs in plural marriage. Brown is legally married to just one of the women, but counts the three others as "sister wives", a term in polygamous sects that refers to a husband's multiple marital partners. Turley said earlier this year that the Browns and their 16 children moved from their home in Lehi, Utah, to an undisclosed location in Nevada. Lehi residents had complained about the publicity and felt the show depicted their community in an unsavoury light. Utah law enforcement officials conducted an investigation into the family but no charges have been filed, and their lawyer has previously praised prosecutors for their "commendable discretion and judgment" in the case. He has said that in the past, Utah officials had made it clear to polygamous families that they would not pursue them as long as there were no evidence of another crime, such as child abuse. Plural marriage, an early tenant of the Mormon faith and once common in Utah, was renounced by the church more than 150 years ago and outlawed, as it already was in the rest of the country, as Utah was seeking statehood. But polygamy persists in secluded communities scattered mostly around the west, especially among followers of a Mormon splinter group called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the FLDS. "There are tens of thousands of plural families in Utah and other states," Kody Brown said in a statement. "We are one of those families. We only wish to live our private lives according our beliefs. "While we understand that this may be a long struggle in court, it has already been a long struggle for my family and other plural families to end the stereotypes and unfair treatment given consensual polygamy," he added. Plural marriage was largely overlooked by Utah authorities until 2001, when polygamist Tom Green went on national TV to espouse his lifestyle. He ultimately was convicted of bigamy for being married to five women simultaneously, and of child rape in connection with his 1986 marriage to a 13-year-old girl. He served several years in prison. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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‘Mad Men,’ ‘Modern Family’ to defend Emmy wins Posted: 14 Jul 2011 07:42 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, July 14 — Stylish 1960s advertising drama "Mad Men" and mockumentary comedy "Modern Family" will vie again for the top prizes at the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards in a field packed with newcomers and veteran actors in new roles. "Mad Men," the three-time Emmy winner for best dramatic show, scored 19 nominations today for TV's highest honors, including best drama series and acting nods for its stars Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss. ABC's "Modern Family," which took the top comedy prize last year, earned a total of 17 nominations, including mentions for stars Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara. Other contenders in the best drama series race were HBO's new prohibition era series "Boardwalk Empire" with a total of 18 nods, CBS legal program "The Good Wife," freshman fantasy "Game of Thrones," "Dexter" and "Friday Night Lights." Among comedy series, "Modern Family" will face off for best program against veteran "30 Rock," first time nominee "Parks and Recreation," "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Office." Fox's quirky musical comedy "Glee", which dominated last year's Emmy nominations, got just 12 mentions this year, including best comedy and supporting acting nods for Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch. But it failed to grab any spots in the lead acting categories. HBO's miniseries "Mildred Pierce" had the largest number of nominations with a total of 21, including nods for its stars Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood. First time nominees Five of the 12 nominated comedy and drama series are first time nominees. The acting categories featured a slew of Emmy rookies including Melissa McCarthy in freshman comedy "Mike & Molly," Martha Plimpton for "Raising Hope," Mireille Enos in the AMC crime drama "The Killing" and Timothy Olyphant in the modern Western drama "Justified" on FX. "It is great that we are recognising the spectrum of television. We are here to celebrate television and let our audience around the world know how great TV is," said John Shaffner, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The Emmys will be handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on September 18, hosted by "Glee" star Jane Lynch. HBO was again the most nominated network, despite a controversial decision this year to merge the miniseries and TV movie categories, which the cable channel has traditionally dominated. HBO garnered 104 nominations overall, followed by CBS with 50, NBC with 46, Fox 42, and ABC with 40. Some of TV's favorite stars were recognised today in new roles. They included former "Friends" actor Matt LeBlanc, who plays a version of himself in the Showtime satire "Episodes," and Betty White, age 89, who earned her 17th Emmy nomination for a supporting role in comedy "Hot in Cleveland." Cloris Leachman, age 85, notched her 22nd nod for a supporting role as the ditzy grandmother in Fox show "Raising Hope," while veteran Kathy Bates scored a lead actress nomination for playing a cranky lawyer in the new NBC drama "Harry's Law." — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Montreux fetes Miles Davis with ‘soundtrack’ to his life Posted: 14 Jul 2011 07:09 AM PDT Jazz bassist Marcus Miller (right) performs onstage with saxophonist Wayne Shorter (left) and trumpeter Sean Jones during the tribute to Miles Davis evening at the 45th Montreux Jazz Festival onJuly 13, 2011. — Reuters pic MONTREUX, July 14 — Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Marcus Miller paid tribute to their friend and mentor Miles Davis, performing a "songtrack to the life" of the late American trumpet player whose music electrified the world of jazz. The two-hour concert, which stretched into the early hours of today, was a highlight of the annual Montreux Jazz Festival, where Davis is still remembered for driving along Lake Geneva in a red Ferrari. The jazz great, whose statue stands proudly in a park next to Miles Davis Hall, performed 10 times at Montreux, the last time just two months before his death at age 65 in 1991. "It doesn't feel like 20 years, it feels like 4 or 5. Miles's music is everywhere. This is dedicated to the spirit of Miles Davis, the most beautiful thing he gave us," said Marcus Miller, the gifted bassist who directed the homage at a sold-out Stravinski Auditorium. Miller said it was very difficult to hold a retrospective concert for an artist who never looked back, but that when he had the idea for a tribute to Davis this year he immediately decided to call Hancock and Shorter. At the first rehearsal the three ended up not playing a single note, instead talking about Davis and what they might do to honour him properly. "Wayne said 'what we don't want to do is play in the style in which it was originally done because we figured Miles would hate that. Let's make it like a soundtrack to Miles's life'," said Miller, wearing his trademark black hat. "If there were a movie of Miles's life, perhaps this would be the score to that movie." Hancock, Shorter and Miller all played with Davis, who had a keen eye for new African American talent. Sean Jones on trumpet and Sean Rickman on drums rounded out the quintet. They opened with "Walkin", the title track of Davis's 1954 album, with Hancock alternating on piano and keyboards, and Shorter and Jones playing mournfully on their instruments. "Someday My Prince Will Come", from the 1961 album recorded with John Coltrane, and "Tutu" were other crowd favourites, but some were disappointed not to hear the classic "Round Midnight". After a standing ovation, Hancock strapped on a synthesiser keyboard for an encore of "Time After Time" and "So What". "Marcus produced a great concert," said Claude Nobs, founder of the Swiss festival now in its 45th year. Young talent Quincy Jones, the producer and former co-director of Montreux, hosted a second show billed as "A Night of Global Gumbo", bringing young talent to the famed Montreux stage. Cuban jazz pianist Alfredo Fernandez, a 24-year-old who defected several years ago, played "El Guije" with his trio. "He practices 14 hours a day, he's as serious as they come. His future is so bright it scorches my eyes," said Jones, who produced Michael Jackson's "Thriller", the best-selling album of all time. Emily Bear, a 9-year-old piano prodigy from Illinois, joined Fernandez for "Four Hands", stretching across the keyboard to hit the notes. She also played her own "Bumble Boogie" medley. "Do you believe that?" quipped Jones as the crowd cheered. South Korea's M Plex Band and strong male vocalist Seung-Won Jeong teamed up with Patti Austin for her hit "Baby Come To Me". Esperanza Spalding, the American bass player who won the Grammy for Best New Artist this year, Jordan's Diana Karazon and Canada's Nikki Yanofsky also performed solos. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Penerbit filem Raja Azmi ditahan gagal hadir mahkamah Posted: 14 Jul 2011 02:01 AM PDT SHAH ALAM, 14 Julai — Penerbit filem kontroversi, Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman ditahan di rumahnya 12 tengah hari tadi dan dibawa ke Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam atas perintah waran tangkap terhadapnya kerana gagal hadir perbicaraan kes saman sivil. Ini adalah kali ketiga Raja Azmi, 52, isteri pemain badminton negara Jalani Mohd Sidek, dikenakan waran tangkap bagi kes yang sama kerana gagal hadir ke mahkamah. Laporan Berita Harian menyebit dalam prosiding hari ini, Hakim Datuk Lim Yee Lan membenarkan Raja Azmi diikat jamin RM30,000 dengan dua penjamin sebagai syarat supaya dia hadir dalam perbicaraan kes akan datang pada 22 Julai ini. Pada Ogos tahun lalu, Raja Azmi ditahan kerana kegagalannya hadir ke Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur bagi memberi keterangan sebagai saksi dalam kes saman sivil berhubung penjualan tanah berharga RM5.9 juta. Hakim Datuk Lim Yee Lan mengeluarkan waran tangkap terhadap penerbit filem "Dalam Botol" itu kerana kegagalannya hadir pada 12 Julai 2010 yang menyebabkan prosiding mahkamah terganggu sekali gus mengakibatkan kelewatan perbicaraan kes tersebut. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Selangor PAS mahu Pakatan anjur kempen kekal momentum Bersih Posted: 14 Jul 2011 01:26 AM PDT SHAH ALAM, 14 Julai — PAS Selangor percaya bahawa satu ceramah besar-besaran di stadium di sini akan membolehkan semangat Bersih 2.0 dikekalkan dan oleh itu, mahu Pakatan Rakyat menganjurkannya dalam waktu terdekat. Malah PAS Selangor juga mahu tokoh agama dipanggil memberi penjelasan bahawa perhimpunan Sabtu lalu adalah halal dan tidak bertentangan dengan agama. Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam Khalid Samad (gambar) tindakan itu penting bagi pemimpin-pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat menjelaskan apa yang berlaku pada 9 Julai dan menjawab maklumat tidak tepat disiarkan media arus perdana. "Satu program besar macam ini perlu diadakan secepat yang mungkin, kami mahu Pakatan Selangor menganjurkannya di Stadium Melawati di Shah Alam. "Untuk menunjukkan sokongan PAS kepada perhimpunan Bersih. Kempen bagi pilihan raya yang bebas dan adil tidak berakhir pada 9 Julai, ia perjuangan berterusan," katanya yang juga Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor. Khalid yang juga Yang Dipertua PAS Shah Alam berkata, kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat boleh menjemput personaliti seperti Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir yang menghadiri perhimpunan tempoh hari. "Seorang ustaz seharusnya memperjelaskan mengapa perhimpunan Bersih adalah halal dan mengapa Muslim harus menyokongnya," kata Khalid. Bersih 2.0 telah mengadakan perhimpunan di ibu negara Sabtu lalu walaupun berhadapan dengan siri tekanan dan halangan pihak berkuasa sejak sebulan lalu. Ia mendakwa berjaya menarik 50,000 tetapi dinafikan oleh pihak polis yang mengatakan bahawa hanya 6,000 orang hadir. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Go ahead, have an opinion Posted: 13 Jul 2011 05:31 PM PDT JULY 14 — Every man having been born free and master of himself, no one else may under any pretext whatever subject him without his consent. To assert that the son of a slave is born a slave is to assert that he is not born a man. (Jean-Jacques Rousseau in "The Social Contract") Two things caught my attention in a turbulent Malaysia of the week past. One, a survey and the other an event. Say a little prayer A whopping 72 per cent of young Muslims (25 and below in Malaysia were in favour of replacing the Constitution with the Quran, according to the Merdeka Center survey. This is not going to degenerate into a secular versus religious debate discourse so I'll implore a little latitude before the scorn. However, 71 per cent of those surveyed also confessed to having read the Quran only sometimes or rarely. Is it fair to conclude that a substantial number of young Muslims are keen on the Quran as the Constitution without having an understanding of its implication to government? Conversely, can it be argued that the support of young Muslims to the present British-drafted but rigorously amended Constitution is equally dubious? This might be closer to the truth, the vast majority of them have little appreciation of a Constitution to the integrity of the country. The vast majority, meaning all Malaysian youths, Muslim or not. We are often caught arguing about what is in the dish without thinking if the residents believe in nourishment. Because the same survey yielded 92.5 per cent being in support of the death penalty. Statistically, it is an aberration. From the moderate to the most liberal nations, societies are divided closely on the issue simply because of its primal, absolutist and irretractable nature. Yet almost all these Malaysians are certain of their views. I use the death penalty stat to give an insight into the poll and those polled. In a country where for decades people have been arrested, ostracised and denied for their convictions, and agreement with the government is expected of every citizen, will citizens speak their mind to pollsters? "Hello, my name is W_____. I'm from _____ research. You've never met me, but I know things about you like your phone number and name, but please be assured your information will be confidential. Now, can you tell me honestly, do you think our prime minister is doing a good job?" "Why of course I'll tell the truth. I'll also send you a photograph of me in yellow last weekend at the Bersih rally." Until speaking your truth is not a social crime or in some cases an actual crime in Malaysia, take all polls with a pot of salt. The young are trained, when in doubt or in ignorance, to go for default answers. What do you think your SPM (O-levels) examination was about? Saudi Arabia is the only country which has the Quran as its Constitution. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq have extremely strong foundations of Quranic principles in their constitutions. The other Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) members have degrees of theocracy in their basic laws. Indonesia's largest Islamic parties voted against a religious state. A similar co-ordinated survey in Indonesia yielded only 20 per cent of young Muslims want a Quranic Constitution. In the bowl Malaysia sits in apparently, the political parties and the young are seeing eye to eye when it comes to religion and its place in laws. Constitutions are difficult and challenging because countries and its peoples are difficult and challenging. This is not a Muslim problem per se, it is a human problem. To reduce the complexities, perhaps the survey could have had the following non-threatening but revealing control question. Would the young Muslim respondents prefer to live in Riyadh or New York? Teheran or Melbourne? Karachi or Paris? The answers would be forthcoming since they are not asked to transgress from their conditioning. Again, this is not to examine the value of the Quran as a Constitution, but to examine the Malaysian as a person who appreciates his Constitution, or not. The Constitution has already been altered so many times over half a century, resulting in discomforting grey areas. So yes a broad discussion of it in classrooms, law theatres and media — with adequate space for Quranic attributes to law not to just promote goodness and to feel good — would help all of us forward. Going Bersih to where? The second is the Bersih rally in principle. The resilient crowd was brave, caring and committed to peace. They would have ticked all the boxes of the Satyagraha manual. They were largely moved towards an intuitive ideal of expression. They felt the time had come to say something, but the crowd, as the Barisan Nasional leadership would have pointed out, lacked a clear cogent political view. The fault must lie with those who've run this nation since independence and formation of Malaysia. They've denied a nation — young and old, Muslim and not, pale and sunburnt, Windows and Mac users — the space and encouragement to seed its thoughts. Both the respondents of the survey and Bersih participants have been denied their liberty. Wittgenstein said that knowledge is limited by language — what is not articulated I suppose cannot be acknowledged by the mind and other actors. The Malaysian political discourse language has been withdrawn from public consumption for decades. When I first interacted with students abroad, I often felt short-changed (well, maybe not Singaporeans). Those who came from developed democracies — with academic freedom, campus activism, free mainstream media, porn channels, etc — always talked about broad issues concerning their society with ease, awareness and confidence. Be it about abortion, government social programmes, human rights or city waste-collection processes, it seemed they were continuing a conversation. This is not to say they were great conversations with meaningful conclusions marked by fireworks in the background. I've come from a place where these conversations rarely take place. Most of my school teachers would have rather swallowed arsenic than facilitate a classroom discussion about what is faith and where do we draw the line between what we believe and what we want others to believe. The unrestrained manner and the commonness of the discussions abroad made me feel like a football player who played all his life on a dirt pitch and now had to make do with a proper playing surface. There were adjustment issues, not skill issues. This is not me apeing the West, or glorifying the Western experience. Our people are smart, savvy and amazingly adaptive to all climates. There is just potential over potential across this country, I've seen it. We can have conversations, debates, exchanges, radio forums, movies and books just as well as other nations. But we will have to have them to grow. To continue the engagement of 28 million Malaysians. The roundabout Malaysian development model — all areas OK for upgrades and collaboration except for open, unfettered and protected political discourse — has caused a nation to be handicapped politically. Which is why the Arab Spring has met dead ends. These countries are not wrong to seek a future without dictators, tainted elections, partisan politics and widespread malfeasance. They know what they do not want, but those they wish to rid have spent their time in power to rid the population's ability to shape its own political narrative. So they are uncertain, too circumspect. This is not new. The French Revolution in 1789 did end tyranny, but the lack of a broad political narrative due to centuries of absolute rule caused a period of darkness. The take-home point here is if Malaysian democracy fumbles, far more than most nations, when the time for change comes then the blame falls squarely on those who engineered our handicap for decades. That's that. Have a good cheerful and brilliant Bastille Day. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

How democratic elections still failed Sabah Posted: 13 Jul 2011 05:16 PM PDT JULY 14 — "How can you say our elections are unfair when BN lost five states in 2008?" I hear that refrain over and over again to the point I want to scream. And stage my own private rally in front of Putrajaya. Let me tell you a story, of a 16-year-old girl witnessing the 1994 Sabah state elections. I was that girl. Imagine turning on the television to watch a video showing derelict shacks, illegal immigrants (who Sabah natives recognise on sight) living in squalor while in the background a refrain plays, calling on viewers to "Binalah Sabah baru (Build a new Sabah)!" Nearly two decades later and I still want to punch whoever made that video in the mouth. Thank you, Peninsular Malaysians, for insulting us so blatantly with your propaganda. Thank you for demonstrating that you can't tell locals apart from illegal immigrants. Is that why the latter get issued ICs around election time when most local women can't get PR status for their foreign husbands? A little back story: PBS was the ruling party at the time and despite the propaganda and dirty tactics employed by Barisan Nasional, PBS still won. This despite BN spreading nasty rumours that PBS had a Christian agenda and was planning to shut out Muslims from the government. Even when a former prime minister launched his own campaign to beggar the state into submission, shut off allocations, allowed infrastructure to fall into disrepair and engineered a smear campaign against then-Chief Minister Pairin Kitingan that has only ever been surpassed by the anti-Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim propaganda. Though perhaps for Anwar it is a case of karma. For it is believed he was among those behind one of Sabah's darkest periods: the great frog exodus. PBS politicians betrayed not only their party but the people who voted for them. Who voted to keep PBS in power despite being denied federal money, despite the smear tactics. I remember watching the results on television, watching in disbelief as PBS members announced they were jumping ship and giving their allegiance to BN. For years after, those politicians were called traitors and shunned by the locals. No matter; Putrajaya rewarded them with ministerial seats anyway. Years later, one of the frogs, Datuk Lajim Okin, had the nerve to claim he did it (jumped) for the people. And the result was Sabah being given its own university, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. So, fine, we have a university now. But why is Sabah the poorest state in Malaysia? Why, according to UN statistics, more than half of Malaysians living below the poverty line Sabahans? Why did a little boy commit suicide because his mother couldn't afford to give him 20 sen for ice cream? And what breaks my heart is that so many of the rural folk have stopped believing in the electoral process. "Buat apa bah aku mahu mengundi? Diaorang semua boleh kena beli." (Why should I vote? All of them can be bought.) Once, before, the Kadazan Dusuns were willing to come out to vote for Pairin, their Huguan Siou (paramount leader), despite him not having the resources to give them sewing machines and "goodies". 1994 crushed Sabahans' belief that their votes mattered anymore. Is that the future you want for Malaysia? For citizens to become so disenchanted with polling they don't bother to turn up? Is this the ideal we fought for? A country where our "leaders" send their children overseas, pay millions for Facebook pages and sic water cannons on dissenters? I am sorry to say this but our leaders need to understand that a democracy requires respecting due process, upholding ethics and fair play and serving the people, not some overfed politician. It is not a game of Monopoly where the winner takes all; the ultimate losers are, in the end, the rakyat. It is high time our leaders learned to stop shouting and start listening. If there is one thing to learn from Sabah it is that those in power have no qualms to crush ideals with might and subterfuge. Sabah, and this nation of ours, deserves better. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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