An extract : Farewell, MGG - Malaysiakini

I've since the late 1990s been following the late MGG's articles and the sang kancil site. They were enlightening. Here was someone who wrote what he thought,no holds-barred. No kowtowing, no posturing and ball carrying, so unlike the local print media. The following is a letter that was posted in the malaysiakini site. I thought i would keep a copy here for old times sake. Something to remind myself of the ideals of a person and how he went about fighting for his beliefs. The last line of the letter, is a gem.

He was from English College.

May God bless his soul.
Farewell, MGG - Malaysiakini: "Farewell, MGG
Jonathan Kent
Apr 28, 06 4:10pm

MGG Pillai was a kindred spirit for any journalist in Malaysia, whether local or foreign, who believes that our calling is to report without fear or favour and that, to quote the 19th century American journalist Finlay Peter Dunne; 'The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.'

MGG was a lion amongst Malaysian correspondents. I won’t say that he was without his quirks, nor would I claim that everything he wrote was entirely right. There were times when I fancy he misread the shadows from the ‘wayang kulit’ of Malaysian politics. But he was fearless, he was true to himself and his convictions and he did his damndest to bring the facts, as he saw them, to his readers.

He became, through his work, a living link to just about every actor of note in Malaysian public life since the country won its independence some 49 years ago. He would wistfully recall chatting with the Tunku at his official residence, sitting at dinner with Abdul Razak or Hussein Onn, or tussling with Mahathir Mohamad.

I last saw MGG a month or so ago. We sat together over dinner and he told me about his unfinished memoirs and shared some of the gems that would have made them glitter. Had he lived to finish them they would surely have been required reading for any student, not just of Malaysian history, but of the region’s history over the last 50 years because MGG was there to witness much of it not least as a Reuters reporter during the Vietnam war.

His death leaves us all the poorer, his friends, among whom I’d like to count myself, immeasurably sadder and young Malaysian journalists with one less redoubtable role model. His baton now passes to those braver spirits in the media who could pay the man no greater tribute than to try to fill his great shoes by making sure that none in power can both fail the people and count on a sound night’s sleep.

Rest in peace, MGG."

Guns come out blazing: Malaysian National News Agency :: BERNAMA

HEREWITH IS THE FULL TEXT OF TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD’S RESPONSE TO THE STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE TAN SRI FUZI ABDUL RAZAK

YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s response to the statement by Ambassador-at-large Tan Sri Fuzi Abdul Razak



1. Tan Sri Fuzi’s rambling explanation about the Bridge over the Tebrau Straits on April 25, 2006, serves only to convince that the Government’s priority and intention is to sell sand to Singapore. If it is not allowed to do so then Malaysia will not get its bridge. The reasoning why the bridge cannot be built comes later and it was not convincing at all.

2. The Tan Sri, as a seasoned diplomat must know that treaties or agreements solemnly entered into by two countries, as are agreements between two parties can only be modified, changed or added to if both sides agree. If there is a dispute regarding the provision or interpretation of the agreement, then there should be arbitration or reference to courts. This is a part of International Law.

3. The provisions of the Wayleave Agreements are precise and clear. There is no specific provision for consulting and obtaining the necessary approval of Singapore for the relocation of the PUB water pipelines.

4. In case the Tan Sri has not read the Wayleave Agreement, I quote below the relevant paragraph; > > “That the Licensee (i.e. Singapore) shall take full responsibility financially or otherwise for any alteration to the pipeline that may become necessary by reason of any alteration or improvements made or to be made on the Johore Causeway and on receiving not less than six months previous notice in writing from the licensors (i.e. Malaysia) shall thereupon carry out the alteration in accordance with such notice and shall have no claim for any compensation.”

5. The provision is specific for the causeway. Singapore can claim it does not apply to pipes laid on land, (although the normal practice is to regard Wayleave Agreements to apply all the way) but it cannot claim that the Agreement does not apply to the Causeway. There can therefore be no reason for not complying with the Wayleave Agreement with regard to the causeway.

6. In fact there had been many alterations to the causeway and pipelines in the past without any objection by Singapore or Malaysia.

7. Because Singapore was unwilling to make a decision on building its side of the bridge to replace its side of the causeway, I informed Singapore that Malaysia intended to build a bridge on its side to land on a part of the causeway also on its side. The Singapore side of the causeway will not be touched. The connection will continue to be between the retained portion of the Johore Causeway and the Singapore half of the causeway.

8. The Singapore PM, Goh Chok Tong in his letter to me clearly stated that “ …… if you wish to proceed immediately to replace just your side of the Causeway with a bridge, I shall accept it, though I think this is not ideal.”

9. There was no condition attached to this acceptance, no mention of sand or airspace.

10. Although the exchange was in the form of letters, it was clear and recorded in writing that I proposed to build a bridge on the Malaysian side and the Singapore PM accepted it. Thus a unilateral decision became bilateral when Singapore acceded and accepted. Any change must similarly be agreed to by both sides.

11. For Singapore to add conditions more than two years later for the supply or 50 million cubic meters of sand for 20 years and to allow the Singapore Air Force to fly in Malaysian Air Space would constitute unilateral change. Malaysia can reject the new condition and insist on Singapore honouring the agreement between the two Prime Ministers.

12. It is the Malaysian Government, which tacitly agreed to the Singapore unilateral condition when it decided that it would not build the bridge because it is not in a position to supply sand or open its airspace because of opposition by Malaysians.

13. The proper thing to do if the Government wants to build the bridge would be to seek arbitration or refer to a court if Malaysia is uncertain as to the right of Singapore to impose new conditions unilaterally. Actually there is no need to doubt Malaysian rights in its own territorial waters. But the Government of Malaysia did not do its best to reject the condition. It gave in supposedly because the Malaysian legal authorities believe Singapore is in the right. It would be interesting to read the grounds for the A.G. to conclude that Singapore has what amounts to extra territorial rights and Malaysia has no sovereign right within its own territorial waters.

14. Talks about the possibility of Singapore refusing to allow the bridge to connect with the Singapore half of the causeway is sheer nonsense. The Malaysian bridge will land on the Malaysian portion of the causeway. The only way Singapore can prevent traffic from the bridge from passing through from the Malaysian portion of the Causeway into the Singapore half is to put a barrier across the causeway border. This would certainly constitute an unfriendly act. It would be Singapore cutting its nose to spite its face. The damage to Singapore businesses would be at least as bad as that which Malaysia may suffer. But in reality Singapore needs Malaysia more than Malaysian needs Singapore. We have our ports and airports to replace Singapore ports, airports and other services.

15. All in all it is clear that the Malaysian Government is more interested in selling sand to Singapore than to build the bridge. This keenness to sell sand is strange for Malaysia does not need the proceeds from sale of sand. Despite my alleged profligate ways when I was PM Malaysia is not so bankrupt that it has to depend on selling sand.

16. That any Malaysian leader should not shudder in horror at the idea of scraping ONE BILLION SQ. METERS from Malaysian sea-beds continuously over a period of 20 years, thereby destroying all the fish breeding grounds of Malaysian seas, depriving Malaysian fishermen of their livelihood, destroying Malaysia’s marine ecology defies the imagination. That there should be any Malaysian leader willing to entertain this idea, to destroy Malaysian seas to satisfy Singapore speaks badly of his love for his country.





Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad

Round 2 is off the blocks. TDM looks good in this. Wonder what happens next.

This kind of stuff as usual almost always happens when there is a change of leadership, and the new fella starts dismantling or reversing decisions made by the previous guy.

I say we build the bridge BUT we issue an open international tender, and we see if it really costs more than RM1 billion!!!!!!

The perfect Butt

FOXNews.com - Academics Develop Formula for Perfect Butt

FOXNews.com - Academics Develop Formula for Perfect Butt - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment: "'The perfect female derriere has firmness to the touch and a resilience that prevents undue wobble or bounce, yet looks soft with flawless skin,' said Dr. David Holmes, a psychology lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, who devised the formula for measuring one's moons.

And the Rosetta Stone of bootyliciousness is: (S+C) x (B+F) / (T-V).

While it may look complicated, getting to the bottom of the formula is easy, Holmes insists.

First, a woman assesses her assets on a scale from 1 to 20 (1 being worst and 20 best) in the following categories:

* S = overall shape (a ripe peach being just about right)

* C = circularity (rounder is better)

* B = bounciness (less wobble is preferred)

* F = firmness (too much push to that cushion loses points)

* T = skin texture (no cellulite, please)

Then calculate this:

* V = the ratio of one's hips to waist. Finally, do the math.

While everyone may aspire to cans of J.Lo or Jessica Simpson proportions, balance is key to achieving the perfect score of approximately 80.

'Slender thighs and hip-to-waist ratio of 0.7 will frame the perfect bum, well, perfectly,' Holmes said.

'Kylie [Minogue] would score amazingly well on sphericality and symmetry. Her bottom is perfect in those categories, more so than the likes of . . . Jennifer Lopez, who has a more curvy posterior,' he said.

Interestingly, a poll of 2000 people across England found that while women sided with J. Lo's rump as the best, men preferred Minogue's.

But science really settles nothing, says booty expert Sir-Mix-A-Lot.

'They got to be juicy, round, with a little jiggle to it,' the 'Baby Got Back' rapper told The Post yesterday, laughing hysterically. 'The bubbliness does matter.'

But there's only one way to measure the most desirable derriere, he said.

"You know it when you see it," he said. "We could debate this all day."

Enlightening attempt to quantify what we normally assess based on personal taste and sight.

Godfathers

Won't say a thing about work, apart from the fact that have been swamped by it of late.

But i did manage to watch the Godfather trilogy over the past few nights. Its been a refreshing watch. Al Pacino and the rest were outstanding. The first part was released in 1972. See here for more of this trilogy.

Watching it, one realises that one isnt born evil or bad. One either chooses to be, or is forced into it. In his case it was mostly of the latter.

How would you feel if your father lost his teenage elder brother and father at a tender age. And that you had to escape the country cos the hood wanted to kill you, to prevent you from coming back years later to exact revenge. While one toes the line, one then gets trampled all over by the bad guys in life. For everyone theres a limit, beyond which rational thinking and patience is thrown out of the window. When youre down and almost out, you wouldnt normally think straight, unless you're a saint. And so, a rational, god-fearing person bent on being good, can be forced to be the exact opposite in certain circumstances. In Michael Corleone's case, it involved the family. The bad guys were out to wipe his family and he stepped to the front to take responsibility.

One also realises the fundamental point that comes across in this movie. Never react emotionally, especially when dealing with enemies. Never react with anger. Love your enemies and keep them close. Only when you need to, act and wipe them out.

The third and final part was my favourite. Perhaps cos Sofia Coppola was good looking.

As for those who choose to be bad, which by the way is a relative/subjective term, perhaps this sexist term sums it up : "Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere".

It's hard

Watching the scenes was quite heartbreaking. Imagine being involved in a bad accident. And as a result having a long pipe puncture right through your back, and through another woman who's facing you. You're barely inches away from her. The pipe punches cleanly through both of you and youre both numb of the pain. The bodies are slowly dying and yet she keeps her spirits high and jokes around with the you and the rest of the people around.

And you tell things like... "wait till my wife sees this. She would normally kill me for being this close with a pretty lady, but in this case, i'm sure she wouldnt mind." Or she saying.. "Can i have breath mints?... Err, no, not for him, but for me". Or something to that effect.

And while medical staff wonder and suffer in their predicament, these two become emotionally attached. When its realised that one of them will surely not make it after removal of the pipe, the emotions were a killer to watch. For he wanted her to live. And she wanted him to.

Its a hard watch. Yes, its just a drama series on tv. But watching how the medical staff try to save them, was somewhat a heartbreaker. Men dont show enough emotions, too cold, women say. Men who show emotions and cry, are weak, some women and men say. For me, it was a sense of deja vu. Dad's passing away was still fresh in my mind. The issues at hand were death related.

At the end the obvious happened. Somehow i felt the episode wasnt done effectively. Perhaps cos the drama was about interns and surgeons. Not so much about patients. It was mostly about the workings of the latter and how they steadfastly go about doing their job i.e. saving lives (and making money, for those in private practice here). Not an easy life.

FC United

ESPNsoccernet - England - Breakaway rebels FC United win promotion: "Breakaway rebels FC United win promotion

Rebel club FC United confirmed the first promotion of their short history by recording a 4-0 win over Chadderton at Gigg Lane.

Launched only last summer in defiance of Malcolm Glazer's takeover of Manchester United, FC United have taken the North West Counties Second Division by storm.

The win was their 25th in 33 league outings this term which have yielded a staggering 106 goals and, while the title is not yet guaranteed, it"

Incompetent rule

We are definitely reminded again that we have incompetent people ruling this country.

The cynic or scenic or crooked bridge is OFF, again!!!&*^%$$%@#

The PM's Department has put up a notice here, and The STar has picked it up here.

Kerajaan Malaysia telah memutuskan untuk tidak meneruskan pembinaan jambatan bagi menggantikan Tambak Johor. Keputusan Kerajaan ini dibuat setelah mengambil kira suara dan sentimen rakyat Malaysia keseluruhannya terutama berkenaan bekalan pasir dan ruang udara. Kerajaan juga membuat keputusan untuk memberhentikan semua rundingan bersabit dengan jambatan tersebut.

Loosely translated it means :

"The Malaysian Government has decided not to continue with the construction of the bridge to replace the Johor Causeway. The decision of the Government was made after taking into consideration the voice and sentiments of the Malaysian people as a whole espectially with reference to the supply of sand supply and air space. The Government has also decided to stop all negotiations related with the bridge"

Eh. Why talk if you cant walk the talk. Why behave like cowboys in wanting to build without mutual consent if you know legally you may not win. Who was the legal advisor. Got scared when Singapore threatened to report to the ICJ / UN ? But then again, seeing how he seems to be backtracking a lot these days, am not at all surprised.

What surprises me is since when did the voice and sentiment of the Malaysian people count? Petrol prices rise and people complained, they didnt listen. Tol prices went up, they didnt listen. People complain about corruption, they dont act upon.

And whats the deal with "supply of sand and air space". Whats sand and airspace issues got to do with a decision to stop building a bridge?

IMHO, this is one heck of a bad press release. But then again, why am i not surprised.

The turning point in the history of this country

I had followed these events as they occured in the late 1980s. But being young and dumb back then, the implications of such events were not understood. Being old and none the wiser now, what i make out of the entire episode is the country had lost its soul. The right was all too easily brushed aside by the opposite.

The fall of our judiciary is mandatory reading. This here is the account of one of the key players in that sad episode.

I was surfing around and came across his writing in the Malaysian Bar website.

I wonder now if things would have turned out differently for this country if justice had prevailed during those times.

patience in the face of...everything

The story starts a few years back....

"I want to sell my bungalow plot. How much do you think its worth?"
"Perhaps in the region of $70-80 per square foot, without any approvals for development"
"That much only? Youre out of touch with the market. You guys cant just go determining the value based on historical data of how much others paid for similar lands in the past. I've put up plans to put up a townhouse etc. No approvals yet, but there shouldnt be any problems. Its definitely worth much more. Even $90 - 100 dollars per square foot"
"Well, historical data is just but a basis to arrive at a decision. You have to see present conditions. And you have got to foresee what is going to happen at least in the immediate future. If one was to look purely on the basis of infinite possibilities of a property without considerations for prevailing market conditions and demand, specifically, then the end result opinion wouldnt be a considered opinion. Anyone can put a high figure estimate, but whether the market will accept that figure is a different matter. We come in to estimate what the market will reasonably pay for it."

"You guys dont know what the market is/want"

A couple of years later.

"I want to sell my (still unsold) land. How much do you think its worth. Try looking for a buyer."
*chuckling within* "Well, its still worth about $70-80 per square foot."
"Nah, its worth more"

A long time later.

"OK, whats your asking price now. Minimum price. I have a party who is interested, but I need to confirm the asking price"

"Err I cant confirm the price now"

*sigh, potong stim cock-teaser case*

A few months later.

"I want to sell my property. Can you guys help out?"
"Sure, sure, we can." *chuckling within* "Whats your asking price?"
"$80 per square foot"
"Eh, your neighbour has put up their property for sale at around $70. How to sell yours?"
"Nah, am sure I can get it for $80. Ok, put it for sale around $78."

"No problem. We will try"

Many many moons later.

"Eh, i heard you sold it"
"Yeah"
"Why so low eh? Thought you wanted much more"
"No lah. I've always wanted to sell at that price. It was on a need-to-know basis"

*kept a straight face,cos thought it was pointless to LMAO there and then*
The End. Finally.

Man U wins!

It was a great victory against old nemesis Arsenal. Man U played well, but could have been better. A victory nevertheless. 2-0 was a fair scoreline though Arse was unlucky not to score. There were too many missed chances by our strikers.

What was Park's position? Most of the time he was in the centre. He should stay more on the flank and link with the overlapping silvestre. The way ronaldo and neville links.

But the night definitely belonged to Rooney.

Spineless government

The independent commission for the police force is not to be, according to that minister in the PM's Dept., cos the police is against it.

What a spineless decision. Any manager will know that when youre trying to clear up an organisation, the members will definitely show resistance.

They should merge the proposed Ombudsman with ACA. Motivate this organisation to go after wrong-doers. To charge and secure convictions in the courts. Dangle the carrot by giving incentives and bonuses for each conviction. But then again, knowing the system, isnt it all too easy to get your files lost, or make a charge disappear.

its not that i dont get it...

This could be a very very long rant. But time doesnt permit.

This one brotherhood stuff which is central to their thinking, overrides nationhood or statehood. It overrides law and order too, to a certain extent. Closing an eye or two when being in the face of wrongdoing. All for the reason of that other party being of the same brotherhood (lack of grey matter to come up with a better term).

Could this be the reason why they seem to be having problems every where...and i mean every single place where they are. The blindness appear to be the root cause of much of our problem The inability to open their eyes and lacking of empathy towards others not in the brotherhood runs in direct conflict with the former's selling point of being an open, caring and loving lifestyle.

More on this another time. Too much distractions at office. And I've been pissed off by the staff. And its only 10am. sigh.

3 wishes and women

This is an email that i received from Chris recently.


A woman was out golfing one day when she hit the ball into the woods.

She went into the woods to look for it and found a frog in a trap. The frog told her, "If you release me from this trap, I will grant you three wishes."

The woman freed the frog, and the frog said, "Thank you, but I failed to mention that there was a condition to your wishes. Whatever you wish for, your husband will get it ten times!"

The woman said, "That's okay."

For her first wish, she wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the world. The frog warned her, "You do realize that this wish will also make your husband the most handsome man in the world, an Adonis whom women will flock to". The woman replied, "That's okay, because I will be the most beautiful woman and he will have eyes only for me." So, KAZAM-she's the most beautiful Woman in the world!

For her second wish, she wanted to be th e richest woman in the world. The frog said, "That will make your husband the richest man in the world. And he will be ten times richer than you. " The woman said, "That's okay, because what's mine is his and what's his is mine."

So, KAZAM-she's the richest woman in the world!

The frog then inquired about her third wish, and she answered, "I'd like a mild heart attack!"

/*Moral of the story : Women are clever. Don't mess with them!* /

Attention female readers: This is the end of the joke for you. Stop here and continue feeling good!

*Male readers: Please scroll down.
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The man had a heart attack ten times milder than his wife!!!

*Moral of the story: Women are really dumb but think they're really smart! *

*Let them continue to think that way and just enjoy the show!*


PS: If you are a woman and are still reading this; it only goes to show that women never listen!!!