PETALING JAYA, April 20 — Most of the time, fish head noodles are sold in coffee-shops or even stalls... it can be hot and sweaty work eating this popular noodle dish.So it was a relief to find a cool ... Read More
PETALING JAYA, April 20 — Most of the time, fish head noodles are sold in coffee-shops or even stalls... it can be hot and sweaty work eating this popular noodle dish.So it was a relief to find a cool ... Read More
NEW DELHI, April 24 – World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei headed a list of Malaysian shuttlers who advanced to the second round of the Yonex-Sunrise Indian Open, here, today.
Apart from Chong Wei (picture), both men's doubles pairs, Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong and Hoon Thien How/Tan Wee Kiong and another men's singles player Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin advanced to the second round.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong beat Thailand's Songphon Anugritayawon/Pootchalat Pisit, 21-15, 21-18 to set up a date with Indian pair Surender Rathee/Neeraj Vashit when action continues at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, here, tomorrow.
Iskandar Zulkarnain, who toppled India's Subhankar Dey, 21-17, 21-11 will play against India's Sai Praneeth in the second round.
Meanwhile, Thien How-Wee Kiong stumped Indian pair Ketan Chahal/Deepak Khatri in straight sets, 21-2, 21-11 to book their berth in the second round.
They will play Indonesia's Angga Pratama/Ryan Agung Saputra.
Malaysia's mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying received a first-round bye and will meet Japan's Hirokatsu Hashimoto/Miyuki Maeda in the second round. – Bernama
Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic (R) challenges Liverpool's Luis Suarez during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, in this April 21, 2013 file photo. Suarez was handed a 10-match ban by the Football Association on April 24, 2013, following his bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic at the weekend. – Reuters picLONDON, April 24 – Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was handed a 10-match suspension by the Football Association (FA) today following his bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic at the weekend.
Suarez accepted a charge of violent conduct after the incident in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield on Sunday but disputed the FA view that it merited more than a three-game ban.
An Independent Regulatory Commission met in London today to decide the Uruguayan international's fate and added seven games to the usual ban for violent conduct.
The suspension begins immediately meaning Liverpool's leading scorer will miss his side's last four games of the season and the first six at the beginning of next term.
Liverpool, who expressed their shock at the Commission's decision, have until Friday (1100 GMT) to appeal.
"Both the club and player are shocked and disappointed at the severity of today's Independent Regulatory Commission decision," Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said in a statement on the club's website (http://www.liverpoolfc.com).
"We await the written reasons tomorrow (Thursday) before making any further comment."
Suarez's bite on Ivanovic's arm at Anfield was missed by referee Kevin Friend but television replays showed him sinking his teeth into the Serbian.
WIDELY CONDEMNED
The 26-year-old Suarez, who was banned for biting an opponent while with Dutch club Ajax before joining Liverpool in 2011, apologised for the bite after the game and was fined a reported £200,000 (RM932,079) by the club.
However, he was widely condemned for his behaviour with some media suggesting he was in danger of being sacked by the club.
Former Liverpool player Graeme Souness said Suarez's latest misdemeanour had left him in the "last chance saloon" although the Merseyside club said this week that they wanted the Uruguayan to see out his four-year contract.
The FA said a three-match ban was "clearly insufficient" for the serious nature of the offence.
Controversy has followed Suarez since he joined Liverpool, with his antics often overshadowing his impact on the pitch.
He served an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra last season and later angered United manager Alex Ferguson by failing to shake the French defender's hand before their league match in February last year.
He has also been regularly accused of diving to win penalties and free kicks, while in an FA Cup tie this season against minor league Mansfield Town he was again criticised for scoring a goal despite a blatant handball.
Until Manchester United forward Robin Van Persie's hat-trick against Aston Villa on Monday that secured the title, Suarez was leading scorer in the league with 23 goals – a record that saw him included on a six-player list for PFA Player of the Year. – Reuters
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is welcomed by elderly residents during her visit to a retirement home in Melle, April 12, 2013. — Reuters picRIGA, April 24 — Long after the debt crisis is over, Europe will be grappling with an even more serious problem — how to pay for growing numbers of old people.
The population of some countries is stagnant or already shrinking, notably Germany's. That will reduce savings and potential economic growth.
The workers who remain are getting older and so are less productive. That will hold back living standards.
And the ranks of retirees are swelling. That will threatening the financing of pensions and health care.
In the 27 countries of the European Union, each pensioner is today supported on average by four people of working age. By 2050, this old-age support ratio will have fallen to just 2:1, according to United Nations and EU projections.
Latvia, which has applied to join the euro in 2014, is but an extreme example of these trends. By 2060 there will be four Latvians of working age for every three aged 65.
Because of emigration and low fertility, the Baltic state's population shrank by 14 per cent, or 340,000 people, between 2000 and 2011, prompting warnings of an existential threat to the nation.
"I don't want to make apocalyptic statements. I hope that the country can manage. But the alarm bell has rung," said Mihail Hazans, an economics professor at the University of Latvia and the county's leading demographer.
Alarm bells
Many European countries are raising the retirement age. And some, including Britain, have favourable population profiles.
But Martins Kazaks, chief economist with Swedbank in Riga, said governments had yet to grasp the magnitude of the policy shifts required.
"If you define the tipping point as the point of no return, then in some respects we have passed it — and not only us, but most of Europe," Kazaks said.
"With an ageing population and the burden of pensions and welfare, the growth rate is going to be lower. If you don't do anything today, the future is going to be a lot more difficult," he added.
Policymakers need look no farther than low-growth Japan to grasp the economic impact of population decline and ageing.
"Europe is the new Japan," said Douglas Roberts, an economist with Standard Life in Edinburgh.
Apart from putting pension systems on a more sustainable footing, investing in education and training so that workers are more productive should be a policy priority, economists say. So should expanding child care to allow more women to join or stay in the work force.
How to share out the cost of ageing spells potential political trouble, pitting cosseted pensioners against younger generations who are overtaxed and overworked.
George Magnus, a senior economic adviser to Swiss bank UBS in London, said it was understandable because of the euro zone crisis that the current focus was on the near-term affordability of welfare.
"But behind that is a very structural issue, which is really about the social model and the rights and obligations of citizens vis-a-vis the state. We are going to have to have that debate," said Magnus, author of "The Age of Aging".
Edward Hugh, an economist in Barcelona, agreed that the sovereign debt crisis gripping the developed world was at root about how to meet implicit liabilities for ever older populations: expectations of future levels of health care and pension provision may prove too optimistic.
As such, Hugh is critical of policymakers in Europe and at the International Monetary Fund for neglecting the impact of demographic change.
"In the absence of policies that acknowledge these issues exist and that then address them, none of the sustainability analyses — debt, financial sector, whatever — are worth the paper they have been written on," he said.
Portugal's population pains
Recession-hit Portugal also illustrates the vicious economic and fiscal circle that Hugh identifies in countries on the periphery of the euro zone as a result of demographics.
Portugal's fertility rate, which stood at 1.32 last year, has been below the 2.1 replacement rate — the number of children each woman needs to have to maintain current population levels — since the early 1980s.
In 2012, only 90,000 children were born, the lowest number in more than a century, as economic fears gave couples pause.
In short, ageing is pre-programmed. By 2050, Portugal is projected to have more people aged 60 or over than any other EU member — 40 per cent of the population against 24 per cent today.
What's more, some 100,000 to 120,000 Portuguese, or 1 per cent of the population, are emigrating every year to look for better-paid work, depleting the tax base and adding to the strain of financing the welfare state.
"One of the biggest problems we have is holding on to employees," said Joao Carlos Costa, general manager of Arpial, a metal-working firm in Lisbon.
Jose Cesario, secretary of state for Portuguese communities abroad, puts a brave face on the drain of brain and brawn.
Emigrants acquire valuable skills and remitted some €2.7 billion (RM11 billion) in 2012. Influential members of the Portuguese diaspora of around 5 million can also act as 'ambassadors' for the country, Cesario said in an interview.
But he acknowledged that both Switzerland and Luxembourg had urged him to slow the flow of emigration.
"It's the fish that bites its own tail," Cesario said, using a Portuguese proverb. "We can get emigrants to come back only if we have economic development, but we cannot do that without them." If he had the solution, Portugal would not be in the situation it is, he added.
Latvian exodus
The same goes for Latvia.
"It's a big challenge for Latvia, both for the economy and for our society." Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis told Reuters. "What we need to concentrate on now is economic growth and job creation so that people see perspectives here in Latvia and so don't have to leave."
The government also hopes to lure back 100,000 emigrants, or a third of those who have left since the turn of the century, by 2030.
Given that Latvia is one of the poorest countries in the EU, that will not be easy. "We're not expecting people to pack their bags and be here on Monday," said Dace Acule, a public policy researcher in Riga who has worked on a proposed package of incentives.
One emigrant unlikely to be tempted back is Datsa Gaile, who has been in Britain since 2006. She left Latvia because, as a single mother, she was unable to bring up her two sons on a wage of about 150 lats a month.
After a rocky start, she learned English, got a string of ever-better jobs and now runs Anglo Baltic News (anglobalticnews.co.uk), a website aimed at the estimated 100,000 Latvians in Britain.
"The main problem at the moment is that there are not enough jobs in Latvia. It's a bit risky if you decide to go back," said Gaile, who lives in Northampton, a town in central England that is home to 8,000 Latvians.
"Also, I have been away for almost eight years and my lifestyle has changed. People are different here. They have more opportunities in this country," she added.
Professor Hazans of the University of Latvia said at most 20 per cent of recent emigrants might return. What's more, his surveys show that the proportion of 'firm stayers', who have no thought of leaving Latvia, has fallen to a quarter from a third since 2010.
As in Portugal, a vicious economic circle becomes hard to break.
"Emigration sends a negative signal to foreign investors. It also sends a negative signal for domestic business startups," Hazans said. "You think about how many potential customers you will have."
The psychological harm of sustained emigration, which has accounted for two-thirds of Latvia's population decline since 2000, is as striking as the economic damage. Women's fertility rate has dropped to 1.1, one of the lowest in the world.
Acule, the policy researcher, spoke of the "demographic sadness" of a country where most people have a relative working abroad.
Hazans added: "The sense of bitterness is still very much there. Why? A feeling that if everyone is leaving the boat, the boat must be sinking. Or if the boat is afloat and others are leaving, why am I staying?"
The imperative, then, is for Latvia to sustain its recovery from a deep recession in 2008/09, when output slumped by 20 per cent as the government opted for austerity rather than devalue its way out of the financial crisis.
Whether it be in Latvia or Portugal — or eastern European countries such as Bulgaria and Romania — only more and better-paid jobs will stop the haemorrhaging of people and perhaps improve longer-term demographic prospects.
"If you get the chance to live and work normally in our country, it's a luxury. It's a luxury to be able to stay," said Dace Beinare, an adviser with SOS Children's Villages, a non-governmental organisation in Riga. — Reuters
Hungry Xbox gamers need only press pause before placing their order for a pizza straight from their console with Pizza Hut's new app. - AFP pic
INDIANA, April 24 — Pizza Hut and Xbox 360 have launched a partnership in the US that will allow gamers to simply press the pause button and order dinner straight from their gaming console.
It's a smart marketing campaign that caters to the behavioral patterns of young predominantly male gamers hardly known for tucking into green salads or munching on carrot sticks while shooting, slaying and bludgeoning their virtual enemies.
To minimize both the hassle of picking up a phone and placing their order and the momentum of marathon gaming sessions, Xbox Live users will now be able to place an order using their game controllers, voice commands or Xbox Kinect hand motions, reports USA Today.
Users must first download the app and link their Xbox Live account with their Pizza Hut account before they can choose their nearest location.
The new feature is also being described as a potentially significant development in the gaming industry, blurring the lines where the virtual universe intersects with the real world, points out Pizza Hut's chief marketing officer to the newspaper.
From now until May 6, those who order via the app will also receive a 15 per cent discount on their order.
Meanwhile, Domino's—which has also collaborated with Xbox 360 in the past—and Papa John's in the US also allow customers to place orders with downloadable apps. – AFP-Relaxnews
LONDON, April 24 — Robert Redford said on Wednesday that the future of London's Sundance film and music festival was by no means certain, as he launched the British version of an event that aims to boost interest in independent film.
Last year was the first time that the US actor-director had ventured outside the United States with a version of the Sundance Film Festival, the world's leading independent film festival, that he set up in Park City, Utah, 35 years ago.
Redford (picture) said last year was "a toe-in-the-water experiment" and had been successful enough to repeat, with this year's line-up including the US rock band the Eagles and the Canadian musician and performance artist Peaches.
But he was noncommittal on its future.
"It is hard to declare a length of commitment until you let it play out and see how it goes," Redford told a news conference before the festival at London's O2 venue from April 25-28.
Last year he told reporters that he hoped Sundance London would prove a success with audiences and allow him to expand the festival to other parts of the world as a counterweight to the Hollywood blockbusters that dominate cinemas globally.
When asked on Wednesday if he still planned to take Sundance to other countries, he replied with a curt "No".
Redford, 75, set up the Sundance Institute in 1981, which led to the film festival, to encourage emerging and aspiring filmmakers working outside Hollywood's major studios. But he said the sector continued its uphill battle.
"Independent film has always had to struggle for a place in the universe ... overall mostly due to the economy it is difficult," he said.
A slate of 119 films from 32 countries were shown at Sundance in January, and 21 U.S. and British films were selected for London as well as musical performances by Peaches and indie rock band British Sea Power. The Eagles are not performing.
This year's films include nine documentaries, which focus on a variety of themes ranging from a struggling British dairy farmer in "The Moo Man", the ill-fated 2008 K2 climb in "The Summit", and the "History of The Eagles Part One".
Others British premieres include Michael Winterbottom's "Look of Love", in which Steve Coogan plays porn king Paul Raymond; Lynn Shelton's comedy "Touchy Feely" about a massage therapist; and Barbara Kopple's documentary "Running From Crazy" about Mariel Hemingway.
Redford said he was particularly fond of documentaries and proud of the advances made in this genre in recent years, which he attributed to encouragement by the independent film sector.
"We kept pushing documentaries forward so that now in our festivals they take up pretty much the same space as others films do," he said. — Reuters
Play-back singer Shamshad Begum (C, on wheel-chair) receives India's civilian award, Padma Bhushan, from Indian President Pratibha Patil. MUMBAI, April 24 — Indian singer Shamshad Begum, whose lilting voice charmed fans of Bollywood films for more than 60 years, has died at the age of 94.
The singer's daughter Usha Ratra told local media that Begum died in Mumbai on Tuesday after a period of declining health.
"The golden voice of Shamshad Begum, play back singer of great eminence in some of the most historic film songs .. now silent .. RIP," Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan said on Twitter on Wednesday.
Begum was born in Amritsar, Punjab, and started her career on radio in 1947 before singing for the movies.
Her most memorable songs include "Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon" from the 1949 film "Patanga" and "Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar" from the 1956 hit "C.I.D.".
"Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat", her duet with Indian's most famous most famous playback singer Lata Mangeshkar in the 1960 blockbuster "Mughal-E-Azam", is still often played on Indian radio.
"I am saddened to hear of the death of Shamshad Begum. I have sung with her in several films and she had a pleasant and simple personality," Mangeshkar wrote on Twitter.
Begum received the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian awards, in 2009. — Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR, 24 April — Ketua Umum PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mencurigai insiden pengeboman dan melontar bahan letupan yang berlaku hari ini dan semalam, menegaskan tindakan tersebut bertujuan untuk mewujudkan ketakutan.
Anwar menggesa pihak berkuasa untuk membuat siasatan menyeluruh dan mencari dalang yang bertanggungjawab mencetuskan insiden tersebut.
"Masa letupan dan lokasi alat-alat ini adalah sangat mencurigakan dan jelas bertujuan untuk mewujudkan ketakutan dan gangguan memprovokasi," kata Anwar (gambar) dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini.
Pemerhati dan ahli politik sebelum ini memberi amaran tentang kekacauan dan keganasan menjelang pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13) yang dianggap paling sengit sejak kemerdekaan negara pada tahun 1957.
"Saya memuji Pasukan Polis Pulau Pinang kerana bertindak cepat. Siasatan ini perlu dilakukan tanpa rasa takut dan tanpa gangguan," kata Anwar lagi.
Di samping itu, beliau juga mengecam tindakan tidak bertanggungjawab tersebut kerana membahayakan nyawa orang awam dan pada masa sama berharap rakyat Malaysia khususnya Pulau Pinang supaya sentiasa berhati-hati dan tidak terpengaruh dengan khabar angin.
"Kami tidak apa mahu dikatakan selain mengecam tindakan mereka yang cuba membahayakan nyawa orang awam di Malaysia.
"Saya merayu kepada semua rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya mereka yang dari Pulau Pinang, untuk sentiasa berwaspada, bertenang dan tidak terpengaruh dengan khabar angin yang mungkin timbul," ujarnya lagi.
Dalam pada itu, Anwar berkata individu yang didapati bersalah tersebut boleh didakwa serta dibicarakan di bawah Kanun Keseksaan (Seksyen 326/327) kerana "secara sukarela menyebabkan kecederaan parah dengan senjata berbahaya atau cara", dan "khianat dengan api atau bahan letupan dengan niat untuk memusnahkan rumah"; DAN / ATAU Akta Bahan Letupan (1957) untuk "menyebabkan letupan yang mungkin membahayakan nyawa atau harta".
Media melaporkan semalam satu kejadian letupan berhampiran lokasi bilik gerakan BN di Nibong Tebal dan pihak polis menemui bahan letupan ubahsuai (IED) dalam timbunan sampah berhampiran lokasi sama pagi ini.
Awal hari ini, satu lagi kejadian insiden sama berlaku di bahagian depan bangunan Bilik Gerakan BN di Parit 9, Baroh, Sungai Leman, Sekinchan dekat sini, terbakar setelah dipercayai dilempar dengan dua bom petrol oleh orang tidak dikenali pagi ini.
JOHOR BARU, 24 April — Insiden letupan bom ketika majlis anjuran Barisan Nasional (BN) Nibong Tebal malam tadi diharapkan bukanlah sebagai petanda kepada perkara yang lebih buruk, kata Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Sambil meluahkan rasa kesal terhadap insiden berkenaan, timbalan pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN) itu memberi amaran ia adalah cubaan untuk menakut-nakutkan pengundi daripada hadir ke majlis-majlis anjuran parti politik yang berkempen untuk pilihan raya.
"Jadi bila perkara ini tercetus pasti akan memberi kebimbangan kepada pengundi.
"Kalau begitu mesej yang nak disampaikan ... kita harap ini bukanlah permulaan kepada banyak lagi perkara buruk yang akan berlaku," katanya ketika sidang media selepas merasmikan majlis perhimpunan rakyat dan penawaran rumah mampu milik kepada pengundi di Parlimen Pulai di sini.
Malaysia, jelas Muhyiddin (gambar) selama ini melalui setiap pilihan raya secara aman, namun beliau kesal kerana perkara seumpama itu berlaku disaat negara sedang bersiap sedia untuk mengahadapi "ibu pilihan raya".
"Malaysia melalui proses pilihan raya aman tiada luar biasa, apa lagi perkara ini berlaku ketika kita menghadapi pilihan raya.
"Ini pilihan raya penting daripada biasa ... suasananya berbeza, cabaran dihadapi banyak pihak lebih daripada biasa," katanya.
"Ini satu perkara amat serius. Tentulah tidak merupakan perkembangan yang sihat kerana kalau benarlah ini petandanya, kita mahu cari jalan ia tidak berulang," katanya dan menambah tindakan tegas perlu diambil dan membawa mereka yang didapati bersalah ke muka pengadilan.
"Saya harap polis ambil tindakan tegas. Kenalpasti penjenayah melakukan perkara itu dan dibawa ke muka pengadilan."
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak juga meluahkan rasa kesal dengan kejadian berkenaan serta menasihati semua parti agar sentiasa menjaga tata tertib dan mematuhi undang-undang sepanjang tempoh berkempen.
"Sepatutnya semua bersaing secara sihat dan menunjukkan amalan demokrasi," katanya.
Ceramah BN di Nibong Tebal malam tadi dicemari insiden letupan yang berlaku di belakang pentas bilik gerakan parti itu semasa Pengerusi Gerakan Pulau Pinang Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan menyampaikan ceramah.
Kejadian itu menyebabkan seorang petugas keselamatan cedera di kaki kanan selepas bahan letupan rekaan (IED) itu meletup.
Ketua Polis Pulau Pinang Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi berkata polis percaya bahan letupan IED yang diletakkan dalam longgokan sampah di kawasan ceramah itu adalah perbuatan khianat yang dirancang sekumpulan profesional.
Polis turut menemui dua IED dalam longgokan sampah dan percaya ia bertujuan menakutkan orang ramai dan menimbulkan suasana tidak tenteram serta huru hara di kawasan ceramah, katanya kepada pemberita selepas melawat tempat kejadian hari ini.
Beliau berkata berikutan kejadian itu, polis menubuhkan satu pasukan khas diketuai Ketua Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Pulau Pinang SAC Mazlan Kesah bagi menyiasat kejadian itu dan mengesan mereka yang terlibat.
Setakat ini polis telah merekodkan keterangan dari tujuh saksi, katanya.
Abdul Rahim berkata kedua-dua bahan letupan sebesar kotak rokok yang disembunyikan dalam sampah itu telah ditetapkan masa berbeza untuk menghasilkan dua kali letupan.
Selepas letupan pertama, sepasukan anggota polis dan forensik polis menjalankan siasatan di tempat kejadian dan menemui satu lagi bahan IED itu yang kemudian diletupkan pada pukul 3 pagi, katanya.
Beliau berkata berdasarkan siasatan, bahan letupan itu bukan untuk mencederakan orang tetapi bagi menghasilkan bunyi yang kuat untuk menakutkan orang ramai dan menimbulkan suasana huru hara di tempat ceramah.
Polis memandang serius kejadian itu dan memberi amaran akan mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap mereka yang cuba menimbulkan keadaan huru hara di negeri ini.
"Terdapat kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) berhampiran tempat kejadian tetapi ia tidak berfungsi dan polis menyiasat kes itu mengikut Seksyen 6 Akta Bahan Letupan 1957," katanya.
Dina Zaman writes to find answers. Sometimes she doesn't. If she's not spending too much money on books, it's household items. She would like everyone to be happy.
APRIL 24 ― A friend and I were up on the highest level of the Thean Hou Temple, in Seputeh, two weekends ago.
We were up there for two reasons: my friend, a social worker wanted calm, and I was there for my research. Instead, we sat on a bench and looked up at the sky, while a porcelain figure of the Goddess Kuan Yin poured water from a fountain attached to her nearby.
We were both exhausted by the campaigns, the anger and bitterness, and yes, excitement. The latter is high octane energy but it can sap you. Facebook, Twitter, emails are all harping on about what's right and wrong, who would win, everything and anything that is political in the country.
Our politics is about extremes; you're either with us or not. You cannot be objective, you cannot see the truth for what it is. It is their truth, not yours, that matters. Anger, righteousness and sneers are virtues these days. For some, posturing and a lot of swagger.
We all want change. I certainly do. But I wonder if this desire for change can be detached from the bitterness and spite. Yes, many of our policies, however well-meant they were at the time of creation, have fallen to abuse and corruption. There is so much to be angry about, and with the kind of politics we have been experiencing since 1998, can we be forgiven for being jaded?
My friends and I have been engaged in rather unsettling conversations with friends. Whether they are Barisan Nasional supporters or not, you cannot question or even think aloud some of your misgivings.
One example is this, which was bandied about among friends of all political leanings. If Pakatan Rakyat takes over Putrajaya and implements new economic policies or revises and strengthens current developments and policies, and in four years they are voted out, will the new government disregard all the work they had done and start afresh? The same question was put to a few friends who support BN.
In the end, who loses in this ping-pong match? The rakyat.
I have learned my lesson: my poor ears were singed good and proper. And I have learned another lesson from expressing other views about other things that will affect Malaysia in the future: if people don't consider these issues, and you, seriously enough, they'll brush you off.
Karen Armstrong, in her book, "12 Steps to A Compassionate Life", states that we are addicted to egotism.
"We cannot think how we would manage without our pet hatreds and prejudices that give us such a buzz of righteousness."
Armstrong's book pinpointed what I feel is missing in our landscape: Compassion.
You see, anger, salaciousness, cynicism sell. They sell especially well in the media, and the media needs them to thrive. It's not just advertisements that keep the media afloat.
And because of what many Malaysians have gone through, they feed on these, to feel justified in their anger.
When we vote on May 5, 2013, we will vote with many emotions and thoughts. The first-time voters I interviewed will be excited. Everyone who votes on that day, will have a special place in Malaysian history and change.
Perhaps, prior to voting, we should ask ourselves what power is to our country and us. What kind of power do we Malaysians want?
The Vietnamese Buddhist Zen master, poet, scholar and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, wrote in his book, "The Art of Power": "Our society is founded on a very limited definition of power, namely wealth, professional success, fame, physical strength, military might and political control. My dear friends, I suggest that there is another kind of power, a greater power: the power to be happy right in the present moment, free from addiction, fear, despair, discrimination, anger, and ignorance. This power is the birth-right of every human being whether celebrated or unknown, rich or poor, strong or weak. Let's explore this exact kind of power…"
Do you want a dogmatic government? Do you want a heavy-handed government? What and how would you like the government post GE13 to exercise power?
And don't forget. When we vote, we are exercising our own personal power.
Hafiz Noor Shams sometimes swears a little at maddruid.com .
APRIL 24 ― Life in Kuala Lumpur in the past few weeks has been a constant reminder of our flawed democracy.
If you are in the city, look all around you. You will see banners and posters of political parties almost everywhere. Superficially, the colourful show of political flags is a sign of democracy. Now, look closer at those belonging to Barisan Nasional and especially those with Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin on it. Be mindful of their messages.
Those messages celebrate the achievements of Raja Nong Chik as a minister. It highlights what he has done over the past few years, with him heading the Ministry of Federal Territories.
It appears like the all too admirable democratic judge-my-record, thank-me politics. He even thanked himself in many of his political banners and posters for stuff he did in the city.
Yet underneath this veneer is acid corroding the pillars of our democratic institution.
The campaign narrative told by BN to the voters in the city implicitly makes one think that Raja Nong Chik is the mayor of Kuala Lumpur. This is all the more so in Bangsar where he is contesting in the general election.
If those messages are to be believed, it would appear that he was both the mayor of Kuala Lumpur and the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, the parliamentary seat which Bangsar is a part of.
If all those achievements highlighted for electioneering purposes are truly his, then he must have directed the very public resources belonging to the city to do what he did. He takes credit for things that are the normal function of City Hall, like the maintenance of drainage around the city, which is funded by taxpayers' money.
There is a problem with this if one views it through a democratic lens.
Truth is that Raja Nong Chik is an unelected senator appointed as the minister for the Federal Territories. He is not the elected mayor of Kuala Lumpur and he is not the elected representative for Lembah Pantai.
The 2008 general election saw BN win only one out of 11 Parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur. While Parliamentary seats are an inadequate proxy to the will of the majority in the city, it is the best proxy we have got since there is no local election. Based on that proxy, the majority in the city conclusively rejected BN candidates and BN itself then in March 2008.
In spite of that, BN continued to control City Hall through the Ministry of Federal Territories as if they had the moral mandate to do so. With that, the party was the one that determined the development agenda of the city. Or perhaps, more importantly, BN controlled the spending priority of City Hall.
Add in the fact that the actual mayor of the city also is unelected, voters of Kuala Lumpur are quite simply unrepresented in the very authority that governs the affairs of their home. The elected representatives are dependent on the goodwill of City Hall and the ministry to execute the normal functions of an elected representative.
It is Putrajaya with its pretentious grandiose buildings that dictate the affairs of Kuala Lumpur. The city of millions is being governed from a desolate town erected in the middle of nowhere.
That is undemocratic. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly the premise that BN's campaign messages rest upon.
How long more will the Kuala Lumpur electorates continue to be politically unrepresented in the running of the city?
There is no reason for BN to change the status quo because it is the beneficiary of things as it is. If BN continues to be in the minority in the city, it is in their favour to keep the whole undemocratic structure intact. Even if BN somehow miraculously wins a majority of Kuala Lumpur Parliamentary seats and by proxy, the will of the voters of Kuala Lumpur, the moral authority BN might gain through this democratic process is only a redundant bonus.
That begs a question. If Raja Nong Chik and BN do not require a win to do what he did in the next Parliamentary term, why vote him in at all?
The Malaysian Insider :: Food
PETALING JAYA, April 20 — Most of the time, fish head noodles are sold in coffee-shops or even stalls... it can be hot and sweaty work eating this popular noodle dish.So it was a relief to find a cool ... Read More 
NEW DELHI, April 24 – World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei headed a list of Malaysian shuttlers who advanced to the second round of the Yonex-Sunrise Indian Open, here, today. 
LONDON, April 24 — Robert Redford said on Wednesday that the future of London's Sundance film and music festival was by no means certain, as he launched the British version of an event that aims to boost interest in independent film. 
KUALA LUMPUR, 24 April — Ketua Umum PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mencurigai insiden pengeboman dan melontar bahan letupan yang berlaku hari ini dan semalam, menegaskan tindakan tersebut bertujuan untuk mewujudkan ketakutan. 
JOHOR BARU, 24 April — Insiden letupan bom ketika majlis anjuran Barisan Nasional (BN) Nibong Tebal malam tadi diharapkan bukanlah sebagai petanda kepada perkara yang lebih buruk, kata Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.