Kemaruk

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Kemaruk is a Malay word which Kamus Melayu (here) defines as: 1. Selalu terbuka selera hendak makan; 2. berbelanja berlebihan; 3. mahukan sesuatu dengan banyak.
In a simple word or two, I define it as a craze, or obsession for something. Now, that something can be like when one is in love (kemaruk cinta). It can also be like for a new found hobby such as photography. And it can also be for power, like in politics.


But, foremost.
Time to give nature and our natural resources a break, folks. Come this Saturday, March 28, switch off your electrical supply for about one hour, beginning 8.30pm. By reducing usage of power, we will be giving Earth a break from the global warming, as well as stretch our depleting natural resources. At the same time, we will also be giving nature a break to heal itself; between the bulb which consume our natural resources and add to global warming, and the flower plant which is part of nature and in fact, provide oxygen essential to life, which in turn helps to reduce global warming, more and more people are beginning to realise the importance of the plant(s), and the danger of global warming caused by emission of gasses and heat into the atmosphere. So, let us join them by switching of our electricity supply for just ONE HOUR this Saturday. Read all about it here.


Right, now that the convention in KL is about over, we see how 'kemaruk' some people are with power, and how blind many of those attending it are not to see the true nature of aforementioned people are in their craze for power - they spent millions 'buying' it, only to be denied eligibility to stand for office by some other people who, perhaps, work in cahoots with some other people for really are power and money crazy that they have been alleged to commit murder by the foulest manner. But each and everyone mentioned above deny any hand in any crime, whether murder or vote buying (read: corruption). Thus one guy who aspires to be the Prime Minister before or the age of 40, now is one step nearer to his ambition.

I like the way DocTA puts it: ameno is corrupt to the core simply because their delegates voted in a guy by the name of KJ who was found guilty of money politics by the disciplinary committee; need the skeptics more proof of how rotten the party already is? KJ got off scotfree while Ali was barred from the election on the same grounds as KJ, how absurd. Rightly, both should have been handed over to SPRM as money politics is a corrupt practice and all found guilty should be charged accordingly in the courts of law. But since ameno think that the whole of Malaysia, including the courts are theirs to dictate, we hear not a whimper from those (ir)relevant authorities. Think I'm exeggerating about that? Well, the skeptics can read all about it here then figure it out themselves. In other words of those people who were offended by LKS statement that ameno is crazy as well as power crazy, each and everyone of us Malaysians are nothing but serfs to them. Would you blame me then for calling them jackasses, and every other foul and dirty words and names I can think of?

However, despite all that, I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. According to Ku Li here, ameno's convention may well be illegal and run risk of being banned (can't say again, as the previous ameno is dead and buried, while this one is actually ameno baru, for whatever it means, as the mentality and corrupt practices are still the same). Now, all we need is a judge who is not a serf (as alleged by the same statement above).

Its really time to put the lights out for these bunch of people in 'kemaruk'.

Going From Bad To Worse?

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The depression's here already. No, not the financial depression, but ameno's wrangling with the legal system and throwing almost everything back to before The Dark Age. Honestly, when you look at the news these past weeks, we might just one day end up like the Boat People of Indochina soon after the Communist took over the region. To cap it, we will also be either 'shooed' or 'shoot' away, just as Musa Hitam was purported to have mentioned to the media at the height of the exodus. And if the tide Malaysia is in is not reversed, perhaps one day, our people may be swimming to foreign shores in search for a better life.

The week certainly did not begin well with some money matters. While many went fuming when the salary for Puncak Niaga's Chairman was revealed at RM5.1 million, a few actually welcome it citing professionalism has it price. What professionalism, when the company concerned has a debt of RM4.1 billion and at the same faces cashflow problems? That, is a sheer rip off abetted by the previous state government of Selangor. Especially when one compare to the pittance 4.5% dividend EPF may announce for the year 2008 (or has it already?). Pray tell what happened to the money the BN government so conveniently borrowed from EPF early this year in an effort to supposedly support the KLSE? Did not the finance minister promised gains for EPF on the the amount borrowed? Or, has the money mysteriously disspeared as did the RM4 billion the federal government 'saved' when the petrol price was hiked by more than 30 cents last year? The amount 'saved' was meant to improve the public transportation system, but came to a naught.

Some said that with the new Finance Minister, things will improve. Bull! Just take a look at his track record, and one will find nothing but failures littering it. There's the housing for Military Personnel and their family in Lumut Army Base which when completed, were so full of defects that they were not fit to live in. There's the PSNC patrol boats which till date, only one has been completed. And that too way past the dateline given, and the billions paid out may not be recovered. There's also the question mark about his brother being the CEO of a bank, which may raise concerns of conflict of interest. In fact, when one look at it really deep, there has been nothing which the new Finance Minister can be proud of. He, may just be the antithesis of the Midas Touch. The person concerned here, has been, since day one of his return from studies, a total blundering oaf who can never get things right. His latest - the Perak issue - has even received criticism from his mentor (read here). I really do dread this month end should he ascend the post. Here, in retrospect, Pak Lah makes a better candidate. That however, in no way mean he has my allegiance.

Boycott; It Works!

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Only the other evening Ah Chai was telling me how he is beginning to understand the Boycott issue. Rather reluctantly, he might add though. Still, the fact that he does now is good enough for me as we once had a heated argument on the matter. Well, at least, I did. Anyway, when I read the news below at Window Into Palestine, it sort of made my day; The Boycott, is working.

Israelis Are Beginning to See the Power of BDS

Shir Hever, Alternative Information Center (AIC)

A BDS Israel poster by the Palestinian Campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Against Israel. In recent years, there has been a gradual growth in the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement, calling to put economic pressure on Israel until it recognizes the rights of the occupied Palestinian people and puts an end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, starting on 27 December 2008, which lasted for nearly a month, has given this movement a powerful reason to redouble its efforts. Dozens of BDS campaigns have gained momentum and publicity; dozens of new ones were launched during or immediately after Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip. These campaigns range from calls to boycott goods from the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, to calls to stop all economic contacts with Israel altogether. They include protests at sporting events, two countries cutting diplomatic ties with Israel (Bolivia and Venezuela), and many demonstrations around the world, attended by hundreds of thousands of protestors. The growing protest against the atrocities committed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip have begun to change something in the Israeli political discourse, and the first indication of this can already be seen in the Israeli economic media. Although the Israeli economic media doesn't concern itself with the moral dimension of the attacks on Gaza, the economic dimension of recent events have created a rising level of concern. In order to demonstrate this trend, here are summaries of four articles that appeared in the Israeli The Marker magazine for economic news: 1. On 2 February, Guy Grimland warned about a growing phenomenon of boycott of Israeli high-tech companies, and several Israeli companies received letters from European and U.S. companies explaining that they cannot invest in Israel for moral reasons. 2. In 3 February, Nehemia Strassler, one of Israel's most famous economic correspondents, attacked the Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, Eli Yishai, for calling on the Israeli military to "destroy one hundred homes in Gaza for every rocket that falls in Israel." Strassler had nothing to say about the Palestinians living in these homes or about the loss of life, but he warned: "[the minister] doesn't even understand how the operation in Gaza hurts the economy. The horror sights on television and the words of politicians in Europe and Turkey change the behavior of consumers, businessmen and potential investors. Many European consumers boycott Israeli products in practice. Intellectuals call for an economic war against us and to enforce an official and full consumer boycott. Calls are heard in board meetings of economic corporations to boycott trade relations with Israel. So far deals were cancelled with Turkey, the UK, Egypt and the Gulf States, and visits by economic delegations were cancelled. It’s much easier now to switch providers while abandoning Israeli providers. Many company boards are required to take wide considerations into account with regards to the good of society and the environment, and they put political considerations in that slot as well. Of course there is an economic cost to severing diplomatic ties. Qatar cut its trade relations with Israel, Venezuela and Bolivia cut diplomatic relations. Mauritania recalled its ambassador and the relations with Turkey worsened considerably—and this bad ambience seeps into the business sector decisions. Here, just yesterday Dudi Ovshitz, who grows peppers for export, said that 'there is a concealed boycott of Israeli products in Europe.'" 3. On 6 February, Shuki Sadeh wrote about even more companies that have decided to boycott relations with Israel. A Turkish company demanded that Israeli companies sign a document condemning the Israeli massacre in Gaza before they can offer their services for it. Sadeh quoted Naomi Klein's recent call for boycott, the 2005 Palestinian civil society call for boycott and Israeli organizations that support the boycott and provide information for the global BDS movement. Sadeh's article also had concerned quotes by Israeli businessmen who demanded government intervention to protect them from the growing boycott. 4. In 11 February, Ora Koren reported that the Israeli business sectors feel the effects of the attack on Gaza. She reported that Israeli businessmen in Turkey are hiding their names so that the local BDS organizations won't learn about their activities, and that the situation is even worse in the UK. These four articles are a sign that there is a shift in the effectiveness of the BDS movement against Israel, and that if the momentum is maintained and strengthened, Israeli businessmen may decide to move their headquarters away from Israel, or to begin to put pressure on the Israeli government to begin respecting international law, and ending the occupation

Teh O Limau Panas and Teh Tarik

My personal blogging is now at My Neverland; do visit it.


"You ar, you see things only one way!" said Ah Chai as the two of us sat over tea trying to kill time in a coffee shop, while the clouds let drops a heavy downpour. The chilling wind that comes our way every once so often, helped to cool the hot drinks, but cooled them too fast for our liking.

"Pren," Ah Chai continued "life is like a 2way street, you know. What you see from your side, other people see from the opposite. Sometime, the view not nice from your side; sometime, the view better from opposite, you know. Por instance, you like to call people clowns in your blog. Not nice, my pren, not nice."

Not surprisingly, Ah Chai has been following my Talkonly blog for a long time but hardly ever commented. Why he does not, I never did have chance to ask him. But perhaps, I do not need to for that night we were together, he gave his mind about my blogs, especially the name calling, "You like small boy, you know", he lets out.

I admit, yes, the name calling is childish. Having grew up in politics since one can remember when, one can, and does, feel sick with the antics of the other side that one feels frustrated and angry at the wrongdoings blatantly carried out by those same said people. Having said that, it does not give one the right to call names, stooping to the level where these people are.

"Pren, do yourself a favour, wlite ploperly. Then ar, when people read your blog, they will peel better. Op course lah, plovided they oso aglee with you." " Ah Chai went on ranting, sometimes mispronouncing the letter 'r' and sometimes not.


Ah Chai and I goes back a long way after having met for the first time in a building that no longer exist now. We are both of the same age, and was in our late teens when we met. A year after that first meet, we went different ways and met again in our late twenties. Since day one however, our views on many subjects may be opposite end of the other.

Being the legal-trained person, I admit he is more articulate in his thoughts than I will ever be. But that does not mean he is right all the time. And at times such as that this, we exchange words. Like our conversation that evening. Being the more uneducated barbarian of the two, I just let my tongue have its way, which, actually proved his point. And thus, I agreed not to make anymore name callings in my blog. Well, perhaps exceptions can be made for jackasses from time to time.

Then, in what think may be an effort to compensate for any hard feelings that may have been caused during our conversation, Ah Chai made one admission to a point I made in this blog not so long ago.

"You lemember that boycott thing," he suddenly mentioned as we were walking towards the car. "I think, you are light, my pren. Now, I no longer feel nice walking into McD or all those places."


Well, at least, now I can really say that that life indeed, is a 2way street. And it gets richer by the minute.
By the way, Ah Chai is not my friend's real name, and neither is he a Chinese. He is, in fact, a Malay. Well, lets make it of Javanese descent, though he will swear to you he is an English thoroughbred. What, with an almost flawless command of the language, many would find it hard to argue. Much to his liking, off course.

The reason for my calling him Ah Chai tonight, is an incident which happened soon after our first meet, though he may well have forgotten about it. As he himself told me then, he went for an interview for a University entrance. As he was walking out of the hall, a stranger tapped his shoulder and asked him "Are you a Chinese?".
It took him a couple of seconds to reply "Yes, from Jamaica".