KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 ― Would you believe me if I told you that what you see in these pictures are not really sushi? If your second guess was cake, then you'd be correct.Have you ever wondered how ... Read More
KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 ― Sometimes the most satisfying dishes are made using the most simple ingredients. The ingredients of this soup come from humble backgrounds, and are easily available to everyone ... Read More
Barcelona players celebrate a goal against Paris St Germain at the Nou Camp in Barcelona April 10, 2013. — Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — Spanish giants Barcelona will play a friendly against a Malaysian XI at the 100,000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, organisers said today.
Barcelona managing director Antoni Rossich announced the August 10 fixture alongside Asian Football Confederation vice president Prince Abdullah Ibni Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah in the Malaysian capital.
It will be the four-time European champions' first fixture in Malaysia, where they will face a side led by the country's national team coach K. Rajagopal.
Tito Vilanova's side, who are closing in on another La Liga title and Champions League honours, have already announced plans to play in China (August 3) and Thailand (August 7) during their pre-season Asian tour. — Reuters
Dortmund players celebrate after defeating Malaga to win their Champions League quarter-final, in Dortmund April 9, 2013. — Reuters picBERLIN, April 18 — Borussia Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl has agreed to a one-year extension on his current deal that will keep him at the Champions League semi-finalists until the end of next season, the club said today.
"The club, the team, the fans and the city have long become my home," the 33-year-old former Germany international, who has been at Dortmund since 2002, said in a statement.
"I am happy that, at least until 2014, I will be part of this sensational club and be allowed as captain to continue making history."
The injury-prone defensive midfielder had to wait almost a decade after winning the Bundesliga in his debut season with the club to taste success again, claiming consecutive titles from 2011 as well as the German Cup last year.
The 1997 European champions host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final next Wednesday. — Reuters
Britney Spears will be recording "Ooh La La" for The Smurfs 2 movie. — Reuters picLOS ANGELES, April 18 — Britney Spears is going "Ooh La La" for the Smurfs with a song for upcoming summer movie "The Smurfs 2," movie studio Sony Pictures said yesterday.
"I have always loved the Smurfs as a kid and now my boys are the biggest Smurfs fans EVER. I wanted to surprise them with a song in the movie," the pop singer and mother of two said in a statement.
Her recording "Ooh La La" will play at the end credits for "The Smurfs 2," a part animated, part live family comedy due for release on July 31.
Spears, 31, is working on a new studio album following her "Femme Fatale" release in 2011, and is in talks for a long-term contract to perform in Las Vegas.
She released her latest single "Scream & Shout" in November last year in collaboration with rapper Will.i.am and quit her job as a judge on "The X Factor" earlier this year after failing to boost the audience for the TV talent show. — Reuters
Meat Loaf: Second cancellation in four days. — Reuters file picLONDON, April 18 — American rocker Meat Loaf pulled out of a second concert in Britain yesterday as health problems continued to dog the 65-year-old singer.
Meat Loaf, whose 1977 "Bat Out Of Hell" remains one of the biggest-selling albums, is travelling around Europe on his farewell "Last At Bat" tour, which he claims will be his last after struggling with health problems in recent years.
On Sunday he cancelled the fifth of eight concerts in Britain hours before he was due on stage, saying several members of the band were ill. Now he has cancelled a concert due to be held in the northern English city of Manchester yesterday evening.
"Unfortunately not all band members have recovered and the doctors have not given us the green light to go ahead," said a statement on the singer's Facebook page. "We fully expect the tour to continue on Friday in Sheffield."
Meat Loaf, whose real name is Marvin Lee Aday, cancelled a European Tour in 2007 after being diagnosed with a cyst on his vocal chords, and sparked further fears for his health in 2011 when he collapsed on stage.
Last year he underwent a knee replacement operation and is due to have an operation on his other knee shortly. — Reuters
NEW YORK, April 18 — Regular aerobic workouts help counteract some of the damaging effects of drinking too much alcohol, a new US study finds.
In the study, heavy drinking was linked with damage to the brain's white matter, but only among those who didn't engage in aerobic exercise, such as walking, biking, or jogging. For those who exercised regularly, there was no link between heavy boozing and white-matter damage.
White matter forms "cables" in the brain so that different regions can communicate with each other. But because of the damage to drinkers' brains in the study, "white matter is not moving messages between areas of the brain as efficiently as normal," said study researcher Hollis Karoly, a doctoral researcher in Colorado University at Boulder's psychology and neuroscience department.
Still, the researchers note that their study only looked at white matter, not other parts of the brain, and that heavy drinking damages other organs in the body as well and is best avoided to maintain good health.
The study involved 60 men and women, from nondrinkers to extremely heavy drinkers and from exercise enthusiasts to those who were inactive. Subjects all underwent MRI scans in addition to responding to survey questions. — AFP-Relaxnews
It's all in the attitude: a new study suggests that your views on aging can affect your quality of life. — shutterstock.com picNEW YORK, April 18 — A new study suggests that age is a state of mind, and if you think of yourself as old and frail, your perception may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But seniors who have a more positive attitude about their age stay more socially active and enjoy a greater quality of life, despite having equal levels of physical weakness, the study found.
Lead researcher Krystal Warmoth and colleagues at University of Exeter Medical School interviewed 29 older adults living in England about their views on aging and frailty. Findings also showed that perceiving oneself as frail tended to lead to ceasing activities such as exercise that could reduce the likelihood of frailty. According to an announcement from the researchers, one respondent summed it up by saying, "If people think that they are old and frail, they will act like they're old and frail."
How to avoid this happening to you? Don't get caught in what the researchers describe as a "cycle of decline," and stay active and keep your brain engaged. Prior research shows that staying active and social into your golden years can help keep you agile, strong, and mentally sharp.
Warmoth presented her findings this week at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Harrogate, in the UK. — AFP-Relaxnews
NEW YORK, April 14 — A translation of Biblical psalms that was the first book ever printed in what became the United States goes on auction this November, with an expected price tag of US$15 – US$30 ... Read More
NEW YORK, April 14 — Avant-garde artist and 1960s icon Yoko Ono will have a new book of playful poetry and black & white drawings made available in June via specialist publishing house OR Books."It's ... Read More
NEW YORK, April 13 — Like his international best seller "The Alchemist," Paulo Coelho's new novel weaves a story that takes place in the past while the ideas it explores, he says, are more relevant than ... Read More
NEW YORK, April 13 — One of 11 surviving copies of the first book printed in America is hitting the auction block later this year and is expected to fetch as much as US$30 million (RM93 million), which ... Read More
TOKYO, April 12 — More than 100 people lined up at midnight at a Tokyo bookstore, eager to get their hands on the latest Haruki Murakami novel that went on sale today, the first in three years by the ... Read More
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 April — Tiga pemimpin utama DAP Selangor Ronnie Liu, Teresa Kok dan Jenice Lee tidak tersenarai dalam senarai calon yang baru dikeluarkan hari ini untuk mempertahankan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) masing-masing di negeri Selangor. Setiausaha Agung DAP Lim Guan Eng mengumumkan keputusan tersebut di ibu pejabat DAP di ibukota dan menegaskan keputusan tersebut diputuskan selepas menerima maklum balas daripada ahli akar umbi.
Liu sebelum ini merupakan ahli majlis mesyuarat negeri (Exco) Selangor tidak akan mempertahankan kerusi DUN Pandamaran dan tidak akan bertanding dimana-mana kerusi pada pilihan raya kali ini.
Walau bagaimanapun, Kok hanya digugurkan daripada DUN Kinrara tetapi akan mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen Seputeh yang dimenanginya pada 2008 dahulu.
Lee pula digugurkan daripada kerusi DUN Teratai dan dengan calon baru digantikan Tiew Way Keng.
Calon baru bagi kerusi Parlimen Selangor pula menyaksikan Ahli Strategi Pilihan Raya DAP Ong Kian Ming terpilih sebagai calon Serdang bagi menggantikan Teo Nie Ching yang bertukar untuk bertanding di Kulai.
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 April — Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan (Felda) memohon mendapatkan perintah penghakiman ingkar terhadap Setiausaha Agung Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail kerana gagal memfailkan memorandum kehadirannya di mahkamah dalam satu kes saman fitnah.
Felda menfailkan permohonan itu pada 5 April lepas di Mahkamah Tinggi di sini dan menyerahkannya kepada Saifuddin tiga hari kemudian.
Peguam Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, yang mewakili Felda memberitahu media bahawa Hakim Lee Heng Cheong menetapkan 30 April ini untuk sebutan permohonan itu selepas kes itu disebut di kamarnya hari ini.
Beliau berkata mahkamah menetapkan tarikh itu bagi membolehkan Saifuddin, yang diwakili peguam S.H Tan, memfailkan afidavit balasan.
Pada 7 Jan lalu, Felda memfailkan saman fitnah terhadap Presiden Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) Mazlan Aliman, Setiausaha Agung PAS Datuk Mustafa Ali dan lima lagi berhubung kenyataan penjualan minyak sawit mentah ke Israel.
Felda menamakan Mazlan dan Mustafa sebagai defendan pertama dan kedua manakala Ketua Pengarang Harakah Ahmad Lutfi Othman, Pengarang Harakah Taufek Yahya, penulis artikel Mohd Arif Atan, pencetak Harakah Angkatan Edaran Ent Sdn Bhd serta Saifuddin, masing-masing sebagai defendan ketika hingga ketujuh.
Dalam pernyataan tuntutannya, Felda mendakwa Mazlan telah memuat naik kata-kata fitnah di laman sosial facebook miliknya pada 19 Nov tahun lepas dan empat hari selepas itu (23 Nov), Mazlan pula mengeluarkan kata-kata fitnah dalam satu perhimpunan di hadapan pejabat Felda.
Felda mendakwa kenyataan fitnah yang dikeluarkan Mazlan diterbitkan semula oleh defendan kedua hingga keenam menerusi beberapa artikel dalam akhbar Harakah pada 26 hingga 29 Nov tahun lepas.
Menurutnya kenyataan fitnah itu menjejaskan reputasi Felda dan mendakwa kesemua defendan sengaja berbuat demikian untuk menghancurkan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat demi meneruskan agenda tersendiri dan kepentingan peribadi.
Felda menuntut ganti rugi am, khas, teruk, teladan, faedah dan kos ke atas semua defendan.
Felda juga menuntut satu arahan injunksi bagi menghalang Mazlan dan ejennya berbicara atau menerbitkan kata-kata fitnah tersebut di internet atau media cetak. — Bernama
Uthaya Sankar SB berkarya dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Beliau adalah presiden Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan (Kavyan) dan pemilik tunggal Perunding Media, Motivasi dan Penerbitan Uthaya. Selain menulis, membaca dan bercakap, beliau juga suka menonton filem.
18 APRIL — Oleh kerana undang-undang negara gagal menjatuhkan hukuman setimpal ke atas Zulkifli Noordin yang menghina kaum India dan agama Hindu, maka biarlah rakyat menghukum individu itu dengan memastikan dia kalah di Parlimen Shah Alam dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 (PRU-13) pada 5 Mei.
Demikian ringkasan pandangan dan hujah berani yang dikemukakan oleh ketua pengarang akhbar Thina Kural, P.R. Rajan dalam ruangan editorial akhbar itu pada 17 April.
Sehari sebelum itu, saya menunggu dengan penuh debaran untuk mengetahui siapakah calon-calon Barisan Nasional (BN) dan MIC yang akan bertanding, khususnya bagi kerusi Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) di Selangor.
Pengerusi BN, Datuk Seri Najib Razak menyerahkan surat aku janji dan watikah pencalonan kepada calon-calon BN Selangor di Shah Alam manakala Presiden MIC, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel mengumumkan senarai calon MIC bagi seluruh negara di pejabatnya di Kuala Lumpur.
Kejutan besar yang saya terima adalah apabila dimaklumkan beberapa rakan menerusi laman rangkaian sosial Facebook bahawa Timbalan Presiden Perkasa yang juga bekas Ahli Parlimen Kulim-Bandar Baharu itu diumumkan bakal bertanding atas tiket BN bagi merebut kerusi Parlimen Shah Alam.
Pencalonan Zulkifli tidak mendapat reaksi mana-mana pemimpin MIC.Kejutan terbesar pula adalah apabila saya mendapat pengesahan berita itu menerusi Utusan Online dan Bernama bahawa Zulkifli bertanding sebagai "rakan BN".
Masyarakat pelbagai kaum dan agama pasti ingat bagaimana pada 3 April, Zulkifli "menyusun sepuluh jari mohon maaf sekiranya saya mengguris hati mereka (penganut agama Hindu) kerana saya tak berniat nak menghina agama Hindu".
Bagaimanapun, dua hari kemudian, keluar pula berita mengenai satu lagi klip video menunjukkan lelaki rasis dan ultra kiasu itu menuturkan kata-kata seperti "entah keling mana bawa kitab Hindu dia" dan "keling ni bawa kitab Hindu sumpah" pada 6 Mac.
Apakah agaknya reaksi para pemimpin MIC yang selalu mendabik dada mengatakan bahawa mereka dan parti mereka mewakili kaum India dalam kerajaan dan BN? Mampukah mereka bersuara menentang pencalonan Zulkifli atau hanya tunduk membisu di hadapan tuan (Umno)? Segera saya tidak sabar untuk mendapatkan akhbar-akhbar Tamil pada 17 April untuk melihat "kejantanan" dan "keikhlasan" para pemimpin MIC — khususnya 9 calon kerusi Parlimen dan 18 calon kerusi DUN — bersuara demi maruah kaum India. Tambahan pula, Najib sendiri mengakui bahawa undi kaum India bakal menjadi penentu kejayaan BN dalam PRU-13.
Bukan salah akhbar-akhbar Tamil
Apabila saya meneliti kelima-lima akhbar Tamil pada keesokan hari, saya amat kecewa. Akhbar Tamil Nesan, Malaysia Nanban, Makkal Osai, Thina Kural dan Nam Naadu tidak menyiarkan sebarang "bantahan" pemimpin MIC terhadap pencalonan Zulkifli. Saya tidak membazir masa membaca Senthamil, akhbar keenam yang terbit mulai 1 Mac.
Saya tidak menyalahkan akhbar-akhbar Tamil berkenaan atas "kegagalan" menyiarkan berita yang sangat-sangat saya harapkan dan mahu dibaca oleh orang ramai. Bak kata pepatah Tamil, apa yang ada di dalam periuk, itulah yang akan dapat dicedok dengan senduk.
Pada sebelah malam 16 April, seorang rakan wartawan kanan yang berwibawa dari Makkal Osai menyatakan menerusi Facebook bahawa "tidak ada seekor anak jantan dari MIC berani menyoal Najib mengenai pencalonan Zulkifli".
Akhbar-akhbar Tamil pada 17 April dihiasi berita-berita mengenai pencalonan BN dan MIC. Wajah-wajah ceria Palanivel, Subramaniam, Devamany, Saravanan, Sakthivel, Prakash Rao, Murugesan dan Mogan (lapan calon kerusi Parlimen) serta 18 calon kerusi DUN menghiasi kesemua akhbar berkenaan. Sekali gus membuatkan saya semakin menyampah pada "kedayusan" para pemimpin terbabit.
Sebelum ini, menerusi kempen "Sayangi Selangor, Yakini BN" dalam usaha merampas semula Selangor, Najib kononnya sudah mengakui kesilapan lalu dan berjanji tidak akan melakukan kesilapan. Tetapi "Tokoh Nambikei" kini membuatkan keyakinan/kepercayaan orang ramai (khususnya kaum India) "hancur seperti tembikai" apabila memilih Zulkifli sebagai calon BN.
Rata-rata akhbar Tamil semalam menyiarkan berita pencalonan MIC/BN.Muka depan Makkal Osai melaporkan, senarai calon MIC menampilkan "50% muka baru, 100% dijamin menang". Thina Kural pula melaporkan bahawa MIC berdepan "ujian besar kerana kurang satu kerusi DUN". Berita penting pengumuman "80% muka baru di Selangor" oleh Najib mendapat tempat di kesemua akhbar Tamil. Senarai penuh calon-calon BN seluruh negara disiarkan di halaman 2 dan 6 akhbar Malaysia Nanban.
Di muka depan Tamil Nesan dan Malaysia Nanban, wajah-wajah calon MIC serta logo parti dipaparkan sebagai berita utama. Muhyiddin Yassin pula mengingatkan pengundi supaya "jangan percaya janji-janji kosong pembangkang". Berita calon-calon BN di Wilayah Persekutuan dan MIC di Perak juga disiarkan di bahagian dalam.
Mengikut data, ada sekitar 15,000 pengundi kaum India di Parlimen Shah Alam, sekitar 31,000 (Kota Raja), hampir 21,000 (Kapar) dan sejumlah 17,000 (Subang). Malangnya tiada berita yang dinantikan pembaca akhbar Tamil mengenai pencalonan Zulkifli.
Palanivel lebih berminat untuk mendabik dada membuat kenyataan bahawa "BN akan rampas kembali Kedah, Perak dan Selangor" (Makkal Osai, halaman 16). Vikneswaran — yang tidak dicalonkan — pula menyeru kaum India supaya "jangan lupa wajah suci Perdana Menteri" (Thina Kural, halaman 5) dan "undilah calon-calon MIC dengan menganggap mereka sebagai adik-beradik" (Tamil Nesan, halaman 15).
Memanglah akhbar Makkal Osai (halaman 3), Thina Kural (halaman 16), Tamil Nesan (halaman 2) dan Malaysia Nanban (halaman 1) menyiarkan foto dan berita lelaki fanatik, rasis, etnosentrik dan ultra kiasu bernama Zulkifli. Tetapi sekadar disiarkan sebagai berita bahawa dia calon BN untuk kerusi Parlimen Shah Alam.
MIC, PPP akan bantu Perkasa berkempen?
Akhbar Thina Kural tampil dengan kelainan (baca: keberanian) apabila menyiarkan kenyataan bekas ADUN Sungkai, A. Sivanesan (DAP) yang mempersoalkan tindakan BN mencalonkan individu rasis seperti Zulkifli. Dalam berita di halaman 5, politikus itu bertanya, apakah pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) India/Hindu dan MIC akan menyuarakan bantahan.
Di halaman 7 akhbar sama, disiarkan analisis menarik oleh Pengerusi Suaram, K. Arumugam bertajuk "Jika BN menang, Rakyat alami kekalahan". Manakala dilaporkan di halaman 16 bahawa "Umno Selangor ketakutan kerana Muhammad Taib sertai PAS".
Pencalonan Zulkifli tidak mendapat reaksi mana-mana pemimpin MIC.Laporan di halaman 8 dan 9 akhbar Nam Naadu secara terang-terangan adalah kempen bagi calon-calon MIC menjelang PRU-13. Bagaimanapun, saya tertarik membaca berita di halaman 3.
Pada 16 April, tersebar berita menerusi Facebook bahawa Ketua MIC Bahagian Shah Alam, Suppaiah mahu meletak jawatan berikutan pencalonan Zulkifli. Tentu sahaja "tindakan berani" itu mendapat sokongan ramai orang di ruang siber. Bagaimanapun, saya terpaksa membetulkan "berita palsu" itu sebelum ia terus menular. Hal ini berikutan Nam Naadu melaporkan penafian Suppaiah. Rupa-rupanya hanya khabar angin di ruang siber!
Di halaman 5 akhbar Tamil Nesan, dilaporkan bahawa "Najib berjaya tawan hati kaum India melalui slogan Nambikei". Sepatutnya ditambah bahawa "nambikei" itu hancur pada saat Najib mengangkat Zulkifli sebagai calon BN.
Pada Februari 2013, Ketua Publisiti dan Perhubungan MIC, Vell Paari lantang bersuara menentang tindakan Ridhuan Tee Abdullah menghina penganut agama Hindu. Orang kuat akhbar Tamil Nesan itu juga mengancam (kononnya) akan berkempen meminta orang ramai tidak mengundi calon-calon BN dalam PRU-13 jika tiada tindakan diambil ke atas lelaki ultra kiasu itu.
Dalam kes pencalonan Zulkifli pula, saya amat kecewa kerana tiada sebarang kenyataan Vell Paari disiarkan di Tamil Nesan. (Kenyataannya hanya disiarkan di beberapa portal berita dalam talian semalam dan mungkin disiarkan di akhbar-akhbar Tamil hari ini.)
Berbalik pada keberanian ketua pengarang akhbar Thina Kural, P.R. Rajan membidas pencalonan Zulkifli, beliau turut menyebut dalam ruangan editorial akhbar itu mengenai "nambikei yang tercedera".
Agak menarik apabila Rajan mengungkitkan mengenai tindakan pantas Pemuda MIC berkejar ke Sepang dan segera membina semula tempat sembahyang (kuil kecil) yang dirobohkan pihak berkuasa tempatan tidak lama dahulu. Bagaimanapun, MIC hanya mengunci mulut apabila individu ultra kiasu yang menghina agama Hindu dan kaum India dicalonkan atas tiket BN dalam PRU-13.
"Perkasa tentu turun padang berkempen bagi Zulkifli di Parlimen Shah Alam. Apakah pemimpin MIC, PPP dan sebagainya akan turut serta tanpa rasa malu dan terhina?" Rajan bertanya sambil menyatakan bahawa harapan orang ramai adalah agar pengundi kaum India di kawasan Parlimen Shah Alam tidak mengundi Zulkifli.
"Biarlah kekalahan Zulkifli menjadi ubat bagi nambikei (keyakinan) kita yang dicederakan," katanya dengan penuh simbolik dan saya amat bersetuju dengan seruan itu.
* Uthaya Sankar SB tidak menyokong mana-mana parti politik tetapi beliau menentang politikus dan parti politik yang korup dan mengamalkan rasisme.
Dr Kamal Amzan is concerned about where the country is heading, and whether the correct diagnoses and treatment will be able to save us all. He believes that politics is both an art and a weapon, which can be deadly in the wrong hands.Follow him on Twitter at @drkamalamzan.
APRIL 18 — The best things in life are sometimes just around the corner.
For instance, I am very used to being stared at whenever I walk into a Chinese coffeeshop for a drink. It is fine for a Chinese to walk into a Malay restaurant for a meal but when a Malay man steps into a Chinese restaurant, he is immediately treated as an exotic specimen.
The prolonged staring, gawking and the noticeable hush are enough to make one blush.
Sometimes, even the shop owners are caught by surprise. They will stand at the counter watching — sweat on their forehead, clearly unsure of how to handle this Malay man, before taking slow, careful strides towards me. All the while looking confused and concerned.
I have had one shop owner come up to me and say: "Eh, we sell pork here you know?"
Of course, I do not get such treatment at all Chinese restaurants but believe me these things happen, pathetically underlining how divided we are as Malaysians.
We cannot even sit and drink in the same restaurant without being reminded of our differences.
So imagine my surprise when I was treated with no stares, no gawking, no hushed whispers when I walked into a Chinese restaurant last week. The shop owner greeted me in impeccable Malay, rambling on about the specials they have for the day.
He stopped midway after seeing the confused expression on my face. This time, I was the one caught off guard.
"Eh kamu tidak sihat ya? Baik minum air dulu bah."
It hit me then. I was in the "twilight zone" called Sabah.
When Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia are arguing over who is more 1 Malaysia than whom, we do not seem to realise that the Sabahans are already light years ahead in terms of racial integration.They are the living example that Malaysians can be Malaysians first, second and last.
Or to use the politically approved term, "1 Malaysia."
They are the home, the capital and the epicentre of everything we Peninsular Malaysians refer to when we say 1 Malaysia.
No wonder all the political parties are vying for it. No wonder the foreigners are crazy over it and want to stake their claim for it. And no wonder they are anxious to keep Peninsular Malaysians away from their shores.
Whether it was the PM or his deputy at that time, we were the ones who initiated Project IC granting citizenships to immigrants, which has resulted in the rise of many social ills, crimes, etc. The many, many Filipinos with IC have complicated the security situation even more.
One would have thought that we have done enough to this beautiful state but as our general election draws near, I fear this is only the beginning.
The politicians have again started to promise Utopia to Sabahans. Sabahans are spoilt for choices from free laptops to even bigger, annual cash handouts, to more autonomy within the federation of Malaysia.
And as if on cue, the promise of a better tomorrow was accompanied by fights between supporters of opposing political parties in KK airport, showcasing first hand the kind of politics setting foot in Sabah.
What do ordinary Sabahans really want?
They want better constructed and lit state roads that are not riddled with potholes. They want an uninterrupted supply of clean water and electricity. They want educational opportunities for their children to enable them to compete fairly. They want a bridge built to Labuan, and more employment opportunities.
At least this is what the Sabahans in Sipitang want.
But most importantly, and this applies to all Sabahans, they do not want their way of life dictated to, changed or resemble anything Peninsular Malaysian. Economically fine. But not when it comes to our brand of racial, religious tolerance and integration, nor the way we use politics to gain support at the expense of national unity, integrity and the future camaraderie of young Malaysians.
And rightly so because why should they? It is us Peninsular Malaysians who should be adopting their way of life.
I have been here less than a month and it is apparent that this state is the closest we will ever have to a social, cultural and religious utopia. I can only hope they will safeguard their heritage and way of life, preserving it for the benefit of our future generation from unscrupulous individuals bent on separating Malaysians for political gains.
This state has quietly achieved what Peninsular Malaysians have tried but failed — the creation of one Bangsa Malaysia.
The Malaysian Insider :: Food
KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 ― Would you believe me if I told you that what you see in these pictures are not really sushi? If your second guess was cake, then you'd be correct.Have you ever wondered how ... Read More 
KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 ― Sometimes the most satisfying dishes are made using the most simple ingredients. The ingredients of this soup come from humble backgrounds, and are easily available to everyone ... Read More 
NEW YORK, April 18 — Regular aerobic workouts help counteract some of the damaging effects of drinking too much alcohol, a new US study finds. 
NEW YORK, April 14 — A translation of Biblical psalms that was the first book ever printed in what became the United States goes on auction this November, with an expected price tag of US$15 – US$30 ... 
NEW YORK, April 14 — Avant-garde artist and 1960s icon Yoko Ono will have a new book of playful poetry and black & white drawings made available in June via specialist publishing house OR Books."It's ... 
NEW YORK, April 13 — Like his international best seller "The Alchemist," Paulo Coelho's new novel weaves a story that takes place in the past while the ideas it explores, he says, are more relevant than ... 
NEW YORK, April 13 — One of 11 surviving copies of the first book printed in America is hitting the auction block later this year and is expected to fetch as much as US$30 million (RM93 million), which ... 
TOKYO, April 12 — More than 100 people lined up at midnight at a Tokyo bookstore, eager to get their hands on the latest Haruki Murakami novel that went on sale today, the first in three years by the ... 
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 April — Tiga pemimpin utama DAP Selangor Ronnie Liu, Teresa Kok dan Jenice Lee tidak tersenarai dalam senarai calon yang baru dikeluarkan hari ini untuk mempertahankan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) masing-masing di negeri Selangor. Setiausaha Agung DAP Lim Guan Eng mengumumkan keputusan tersebut di ibu pejabat DAP di ibukota dan menegaskan keputusan tersebut diputuskan selepas menerima maklum balas daripada ahli akar umbi. 
