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| Monday, January 29, 2007 |
| Chinese Mosque in Malaysia |
Let the Chinese build mosques in Malaysia ... NST, 28 Jan '07 - KUALA LUMPUR: It’s time for Malaysia to have Chinese mosques run by the Chinese for the Chinese community - says Mufti.Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said state governments, particularly religious departments, should allow Chinese Muslims to build mosques and surau for their community. He said it was unfair of state governments to deny the right of the Chinese Muslims based on the misunderstood conception that Islam could only mean Malay language, customs and traditions. "The idea that Islam in Malaysia must be Malay in all forms is wrong. It discourages non-Muslims from wanting to know about Islam and at the same time denies the non-Malay Muslims the right to worship in their mother tongue. "Chinese from China have been Muslim hundreds of years before the Malays accepted Islam. I believe state authorities should give permission for Chinese Muslims to build their mosques." He also said the current situation made it difficult for Chinese who converted to Islam because they had to "masuk Melayu" (assimilate into the Malay culture), too, alienating them from their non-Muslim family and friends. "If a mosque or a surau for the Chinese is allowed to be built, their non-Muslim community will still accept them as they are still considered Chinese by continuing to practise their language and traditional customs, which are not at odds with Islam," he said.What an exceptional idea, brilliant!! This is the kind of Mufti we need to see in the 21 century .. progressive, level headed and definitely a step in the right direction. He forgot to mention that the Indians have this set-up already such as the Masjid India in KL and also in Penang. Even sermon are delivered in Tamil. You should see their donation box, there is no slit to put your money in, just a small hole .... so you have to roll up your one Ringgit note into a 'small cigar' and slot in it. Very clever ... the least donation is the RM1.00 ... a definite ethic strategy ... aiyaaa.. tak tau lah ...
Been to China and even prayed in one of the Mosque in Shenyang ... see more om Mosques in China .. Xian, Beijing ..
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posted by Rozhan @ 1/29/2007 12:23:00 PM   |
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| Monday, January 22, 2007 |
| Malaysian Shoppers I |
NST - 22 Jan '07 - The Ugly malaysian Shoppers .. Snot smeared on chairs, urine and faeces on the floor and dirty diapers on top of shelves — these are the ‘souvenirs’ left behind by Malaysian shoppers for retail staff to clear up every day. TAN CHOE CHOE, CHAI MEI LING and MALINA JEYA PALAN reveal some shocking Malaysian shopping behaviour.
Hmmm .. oh deary me ... what have we uncovered? Something new?? What has the study uncovered? Here is a short list (get the full version from the link);
- Some customers also open pre-packed items to try them out. Sometimes spillage occurs and our staff have to clean up after them
- You can find torn books to crumpled origami figurines and carpets stained with urine and feaces. I’ve seen a teenage boy cutting out a picture from a book and his parents just looking on without saying anything
- Children as young as four years old have been left behind for hours in MPH’s Kidszone by parents who go off shopping
- A child also once defecated at the Kidszone and a member of the staff had to clean up the place and replace the carpeting
- Chong, 38, who works for a giant toy store in Bangsar, said she noticed a couple with a baby entering the store and later discovered "a poo-filled diaper" after they had left.
No sir, you are not in an uncivilised country, you are in Malaysia!! Personally, I have seen children pressing on cakes and spoiling it, breaking the cling film cover of frsh chicken on the shelf, and lo and behold, the parents just don't seem to want to know about it. Naturally, I told the child not to do that, in front of the father .. and lucky enough he did not say anything to me either ...
But, honestly, our Third World mentality is simply overpowering. Why is this so? Are we uneducated? Do we not have religion that uphold cleanliness and civic mindedness? What is wrong? Anybody know? Aiyaa .. tak tau lah ...
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| posted by Rozhan @ 1/22/2007 01:01:00 AM |
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| Wednesday, January 17, 2007 |
| Education Blueprint - I |
 National Education Blueprint 2006-2010: Free hand for ‘clusters’ to excel - 17 Jan '07 (NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: "Short of giving them 14-carat gold-plated taps, I am willing to give them anything they want," Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has said of schools to be included in the "clusters of excellence" - And the blueprint details how the ministry aims to provide 300 selected schools with the autonomy meant to help them boost their standards sky high ... I need to get hold of that blue print!!
Among the Highlights and Weaknesses put forth are shown in the news print-out provided.
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| posted by Rozhan @ 1/17/2007 03:24:00 PM |
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| Monday, January 15, 2007 |
| Shape Up or Ship Out |
15 Jan '07- PUTRAJAYA: Rule-breakers, under-performers and errant officials cannot take things for granted any more... Civil servants who break the rules or under-perform will get the boot.
A no-nonsense Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, had this message for civil servants yesterday: Shape up or ship out. He debunked the myth that civil servants could stay in service until retirement despite wrongdoings. Sidek, putting an end to the practice of promotion based on seniority, said advancement in the civil service would only be based on performance.
Hmmm .. all I can say is, it is easier said than done.What ever the case may be, I feel we are again missing the point. Aiyaa, Malaysians always miss the point .. is it ALL about promotions? So ... if civil servants (CS) do not shape up, they are shipped out .. really?? Where are they going to be shipped out to?? Out of the service altogether OR shipped out to some other Department that will receive this character. We are always about punishment and not much in terms of solving the problem in the long term. This knee-jerk reaction has become a classic.
So .. what if a high proportion do not perform? ..want to ship everyone out? Who is left to do the job. So .. even if one is not shipped out and is NOT promoted or even noticed, who is going to bother shaping up? One is not going to be promoted anyway, come the end of the month and one will get one's salary.
One thing is very strange ... why must we wait to discover that that particular person has stagnated for the last TEN YEARS? Don't we have our SKT and the usual checks?? How can this be? No one should stagnate .. if anything, it is the BOSS who should stagnate for not implementing proper monitoring and evaluation processes. As a matter of fact, I can bet, and I will dare anyone on this, not many organisations implement the review system well and even know how to do it. Any takers ??
Come on .. there is blame ALL ROUND ... and the problem is all emcompassing .. and the problem is, it is TEAM WORK when a good job is done. It is not so when rewards is awarded. Only a few get rewarded. There is aslo this strange fenomena that one person gets an Excellence Award every time!! Is that person the ONLY one functioning in that place??
I might even want to suggest that for those who have obtained EXCELLENCE or CEMERLANG, a more stringent check on the should be conducted so that they are excellent again and again and if they slacken, the excellence status can and should be revoked and they have to start again, just like everybody else. WHY IS THIS SO, YOU SAY? Very easy, this is because of the fact that the increase in salary obtained for one instance of excellence is enjoyed until you die ... and you may never be excellent again but still enjoy that salary ... that is why one must continue to be excellent or be revoked and can be rewarded again when one is excellent again. In fact, when you have achieved that excellence stage, you are EXPECTED to be excellent then on .. But nooooo, that person will get it again, and again, and again .. Crazy??, try it, revoke his rank if he does not perform the following year ... and everyone will get a chance to be excellent and continue to be excellent .. aiyyaa .. tak tau lah ...
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| posted by Rozhan @ 1/15/2007 09:10:00 AM |
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| Tuesday, January 09, 2007 |
| Good ole Teh 'O' |
Hmm .. found this interesting post in the The Guardian, 9 January 2007 (used to read this newspaper while in the UK) - Tea is good for the heart - but adding milk to it wipes out the benefits, say researchers. Tea drinkers enjoy some protection against heart disease. But the benefits are completely wiped out if, like most of the British population, they add milk, researchers reveal today. Tea has long been thought to have health benefits for the heart and in the prevention of cancer. But researchers from Germany, writing in the European Heart Journal, suggest that their findings about milk ought to lead to an urgent reassessment of the effect of tea on cancer prevention. The team suggests that tea drinkers who usually add milk should drink it black for some of the time. Flavonoids in tea, called catechins, are thought to be responsible for its beneficial effects on the heart. The study found that a group of proteins in milk, called caseins, interacted with the tea to reduce the concentration of catechins. The researchers measured the effects of drinking black tea, tea with milk and plain hot water on 16 women volunteers. Regular tests on the brachial artery of the forearm for two hours after drinking showed that black tea promoted dilation of the blood vessels. "We found that ... the addition of milk completely prevents the biological effect," said the lead author, Mario Lorenz, a molecular biologist. Yeehaaa ... looks like we are up here as Malaysian enjoy teh 'o' panas, teh 'o' ais ... skip the milk people ... No wonder our pakcik and makcik in the kampung are strong as an ox and live long too .. now we know the secret .. teh 'o' ... aiyyaaa, tak tau lah ... |
| posted by Rozhan @ 1/09/2007 03:44:00 PM |
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| Friday, January 05, 2007 |
| Malaysian Style Forever IV - Bloopers |
Hah, bloopers indeed, even the Prime Minister is not spared by the in-grained Malaysian traits .. NST 5 Jan '07 - it was reported that although our current Prime Minister's plans are excellent and practical, he is being let down by poor implementation. This was the view of academicians, political analysts and politicians at the "National Seminar on Abdullah Ahmad Badawi: Three Years in Putrajaya: Tracking the Country’s Future".Hellooo ... is anybody there?? Is there anything new in the whole charade of Malaysian human nature? Just look at how Malaysians behave at Open Houses .. have you seen them pile up the food at Buffets and the amount left for the garbage bin. Until today we can see (including luxury cars) ash trays being emptied on the road and a piece of tissue or cigarette butt flying out of the car window is considered nothing!! And the queue jumpers, whether on the road on in a line somewhere ... and parking at yellow and double yellow lines .. you can put triple yellow lines and they will still park. Who cares?!!
Let us take a closer look at the 'findings';- "There are parties who try to take advantage of the prime minister’s soft and accommodative administration.
- "They try to manipulate the plans to their own advantage to serve their needs.
- "They interfere with the time-frame of the implementation of the policies by making their own claims on the government, slowing down or even putting a stop to the implementation."
Come on guys, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to get to this deductions .. Malaysian have always been like that ... don't you think? And do we really need a bunch of academics and analysts to tell us what we already know? They are also the same .. academics may have a PhD (in Malay we say it is Penghasut, Hasad & Dengki) .. but their behaviour is still Malaysian. They say a leopard may change its spots, but it is still a leopard!! Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid said later it would take time to change the mindset of implementers. Ahah .. we have the solution .. but do we have the means and guts to see it through? If there is one thing is is severely lacking or just something that appear haphazardly is ENFORCEMENT!! We may have fantastic laws and rules and regulations, but without ENFORCEMENT, it will amount to nothing. How many people now drive and while speaking on the handphone?? Have you noticed?? No enforcement!! Without enforcement, we can continue to talk and analyse and the same S*** will continue forever more. If the violators are your own kin, what will you do? Best friend? Rich friends? Aiyyaa ... tak tau lah ..
Labels: enforcement, Malaysian |
| posted by Rozhan @ 1/05/2007 04:26:00 PM |
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| Malaysian Style Forever III- Chaos |
Chaos as RM200 aid given out - NST Online, 5 Jan '07 - Here we go again ... and this is getting quite ridiculous and alarmng when you suddenly realise that this happens ALL the time .. now it is in Malacca when about 10,000 people (not a small number) from Malacca Tengah district came to collect the RM200 aid per family offered by the government. .. aaaaaand as usual, choas reigned!! Where is the planning (please shout .. ). As early as 8am flood victims began arriving at Dewan Seri Negeri but they had no idea where to go and what to do to get their money.
Can something be done to address this recurring Malaysian trait? This is so, so shameful and does not reflect any discipline at all. Must we be like? Here are the classic moves;- "There were no signs telling us where to go or what to do," said 31-year-old Gursatvinder Singh, a flood victim from Taman Merdeka.
- Simon Anthony decided that the Rela volunteers sent to control the crowds needed a little help. "Abang Rela, dia potong barisan, keluarkan dia...! (Mr Rela, he’s cutting queue, take him out!)," shouted the 36-year-old from Taman Merdeka.
- "It’s chaos in here ... no one knows where they’re supposed to go and everyone is everywhere. There are no proper lines ... No proper counters, and there are no ushers to help us... that’s why I’m playing usher now."
- He told the New Straits Times that it took four trips to four locations just to register as a flood victim because his "name did not get keyed into the computer".
- They said you’re supposed to get RM200 per family, but I see a few families from my neighbourhood getting RM200 per person," said Simon.
- Sixty-six-year-old Gan Hock Siew from Pantai Peringgit had to stand, supporting himself with his crutches, for almost five hours waiting for his turn to collect the money.
- "A few people started kicking the doors when they heard an announcement that there was insufficient money for everyone and the officers had to make a trip to the bank to get more cash".
The unruly crowd began to calm down in the afternoon, when a few officers divided the crowd by districts to systematically distribute the aid. Malacca Tengah district Officer Kadir Yaakob, who was at the hall, declined to comment.
I can only come to the conclusion that our administration personnel are hopelessly and totally UNTRAINED in any management skills .. aiyyaa tak tau lah ...
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| posted by Rozhan @ 1/05/2007 11:35:00 AM |
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| Wednesday, January 03, 2007 |
| Malaysian Style Forever II - Unprepared |
Visit Malaysia Year 2007 - Cheng, Cheng, Cheng ... I am repeating myself, but I was in Singapore and Hong Kong recently and can honestly say that we are actually very far behind these two countries in terms of handling tourists ... even Bangkok has caught up and doing very well (was there a few times in 2006). The infrastructure, conveniences, special treatment, well-trained people, well-planned, well documented, well signposted, appear and behave professionally and very clean (even Bangkok is now clean).
 Our own KL Hop-on-Hop-off bus service did note fare too well. Aiyyaa .. why is this so? Why? Why? What is so difficult?
The Hop-On-Hop-Off bus service is a noted tourism tool in many countries with the on-board commentaries highlighting the city’s history, information on landmarks and cultures. The service came into effect yesterday and it covers 21 stops in Kuala Lumpur which, among others, comprise KLCC and the KL Tower.
- The much anticipated KL Hop-On-Hop-Off bus service saw long delays and on-board commentaries were not functioning.
- Several tourists also complained about the poor language of the bus drivers and guides and swore that they would not recommend the bus service to friends.
- Some tourists also complained that they had to wait under the sun for an hour before the "every half hour" bus arrived.
Here is the solution: Tourism Ministry director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab was confident the shortcomings would be addressed soon and was upbeat with the increased arrivals.
Oh my God, when did we start to prepare for VMY2007, yesterday? Surely, surely this was planned much earlier. Was any trial run conducted to test whether the on-board commentaries of the buses were functioning or not. Did they audition the language proficiency of the guides or conductors? Come on man ... this won't do .. and these are the first-impressionists that is representing MALAYSIA to the eyes of the world, for goodness sake. Tourism is a big revenue generator for the country and even individuals. We have been doing this for a long, long time. Have we not learnt anything from past experiences? Have we not seen how other people do things - and we do not really have to go too far, just across the causeway is sufficient. Aiyyaaaa .. tak tau lah ...
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| posted by Rozhan @ 1/03/2007 04:09:00 PM |
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| Malaysian Style Forever I - Unmanaged |
 NST Online - 02 January 2007 - Here we go again, and again, and again and forever more ... I honestly believe we will never be able to change, never! Youths going for National Service training had a taste of a recurring problem — a foul-up over transport to the camps;In Kota Bharu - more than 1,000 NS-bound youths returned to their homes after buses arranged to transport them to their camps failed to turn up at the pick-up point at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium.In Penang - 352 trainees were stranded when eight schoolbuses chartered to ferry them were "grounded" by Road and Transport Department officers for not having temporary permits.Milestones:- Thousands of parents who had accompanied their children almost had a showdown with NS secretariat officers after having waited for more than three hours from 7.30am.
- "I cannot understand why they only opened seven counters despite knowing that there will be 800 trainees reporting at this pick-up point. We arrived here at 8am and my son took almost three hours to register," said Alias, from Jelutong.
- The trainees and their parents were also confused as there were no signboards at the counters to guide them.
- They were told by the RTD officials that eight of the 15 buses did not have permits to ferry the trainees.
- The officials claimed that they had told the operators to apply for the permit a month ago but the latter claimed that their services were only sought several days ago.
- Abu Bakar Mohd, told them the NS secretariat officers were there only to register the trainees and that the transport was arranged by a contractor who had not shown up.
- The buses were also in poor condition.
Aiyaa ... we will never learn, never learn .. why was prior arrangements not made and checked. Talk about quality management, work ethics, planning and responsibility ... all down the drain .. this is so typically Malaysian ... tak tau lah ... |
| posted by Rozhan @ 1/03/2007 12:31:00 AM |
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