cover up...eh?

What's wrong with these pictures?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And these two worth two thousand. I dunno but Maybank had always managed to piss me off. Tehsin too has an issue with Maybank.

So what's wrong with these pictures? One is an ad for a Takaful product. The other is for the conventional alternative. I have nothing against them products on offer. What irked me is using the same model for both brochures. Cover up and put on a tudung and you automatically associate yourself with something Islamic. Halal. Open up and say ahhh, and you're not kosher. Oh yes, I have nothing against the model. Sweet girl alright. But belittling the tudung is definitely nothing sweet. Couldn't the same tudung clad shot be used on the conventional brochure? Or the one without the tudung be used on the Takaful brochure? Is Islam being stereotyped here? Will the tudung help sell the Takaful product? Will the tudung put off people from buying the conventional product? Is Maybank running out of ideas? Is Maybank's promotional budget been drastically reduced that it could not afford another model? A Chinese or an Indian girl?

Or maybe they had spent too much on the Angkasawan?

This may not be an issue to most but covering oneself for the fun of it and on alternate days is definitely not on. You wanna cover yourself, cool. Learn the whys, the dos and them don'ts. Do it properly, feel good about it and get on with your life. If you feel more presentable without a tudung, that is your choice. Get on with your life too. But you shouldn't give the impression that it is not a religious obligation to cover your aurat(parts of the body which Islam rules as not fit for public viewing) or make fun of the aurat by making the tudung a fashion statement. And don't blow your boyfriends in public places while wearing the tudung or your mother could be watching your acts on YouTube. And the tudung will not make you look kosher when you make your appearance at the mahkamah syariah for being caught by them religious police the previous weekend in some bar or doing the naughty in some cheap hotel.

Personal choices is one thing. A well known government linked company and supposedly the biggest bank in the land messing up is another. But if they have no qualms losing half a billion Ringgit for being stupid, why should they care about the tudung.

banana republic...eh?

Development plans for Pulau Pisang

PUTRAJAYA: The Foreign Ministry will assist the Johor government to draw up a master plan for the future development of Pulau Pisang, the 178.4ha island 8km off the Pontian coast.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said he had been approached by the Johor government to re-examine the island for development.

"This is something that cannot be done unilaterally. We will recommend that the island must not be left to itself, as it has been in the past. We must be pro-active in terms of development."

Rais said the master plan for the island must be drawn up for the sake of future generations.

"In this regard, we will have to work closely with the government. Ideally, Johor should prepare the master plan as the island belongs to the state. The ministry will have no problem assisting Johor in developing the island."

Rais said the joint Malaysia-Singapore technical committee had been instructed to look into allegations that Singapore, which now manages the lighthouse there, had expanded the area surrounding the facility.

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It just tickles me senseless when these banana republicans opened their mouths.

"We will recommend that the island must not be left to itself, as it has been in the past. We must be pro-active in terms of development."

Wow! Certainly all those late nights and weekends spent studying law during the post Semangat 46 days are worth the country's while, eh? Imagine the awesome effort needed to come up with that two sentences. Let's not talk about coming up with fair bilateral agreements for Malaysia yet. That could be paralysing for some of these banana republicans. Doctorate notwithstanding. That too after being constantly prodded by the Johor government, who would rather give away the whole of southern Johor rather than lose another rocky islet, island whatever. Once bitten.

And the foreign ministry is now into island development. I could understand if it's the home ministry as the island is Malaysia's and is in Malaysian waters. The home minister could instruct the guys in blue to do something useful for a change, like safeguarding Malaysia's interests. I could understand if it's the works ministry. They are the experts in development. Or at least experts in inflating the costs of those developments. Look at all their JASA KEPADA RAKYATs. I could understand if it's the tourism ministry. Islands should be for tourists. To make billions for the country. We really need that extra ringgits for all those repairs to the MRR2 and all its cousins and nephews. Who said there is no inter-ministry cooperations?

But I could not begin to fathom why the foreign ministry is roped in instead. Any legalities that we don't know? Is the island still ours in the first place? Or some lowly government servant managed to sell it to Singapore too, to buy himself a red sports car and impress a minah salleh or two? Are them banana republicans just putting up a show until we eventually move on to something more interesting, like Ella finally getting married?

So what if Pulau Pisang is to be Singapore's? I'm no military strategist but reckon they don't need that island to be well informed about us. At the rate it's going, reckon SGD40 is sufficient to get them what they want to know. Secrets protected by the OSA you asked? Well, methinks most of the secrets covered by the Act is not even sensitive to the state. They are only sensitive to some of them banana republicans. As in unfair deals between the state and some of them puppet masters' companies and proxies. As in why government contracts are bloody expensive and the results are bloody fucked-up. Military secrets you asked? What military secrets? All those felled Nuris, the sell-out of Majidee Camp, them submarines, them fighter jets you read in the paper. Reckon the number of commandos is still a secret. Only to be used during elections in say Rembau or Kepala Batas.

Malaysia would not fall because of that island. People outside Pontian don't even know about it. Just look after what we've got, both here in the Peninsular and in Sabah and Sarawak. Check on foreign ownership. Reckon it's quite substantial and growing. Do we call that foreign investment, development or menang sorak kampung tergadai? Learn to look after your own mister foreign minister sir. Learn to look after us Malaysians, y'all banana republicans. It's definitely better than giving milk to them monkeys or menyusukan kera di hutan.

speak now...eh?

...or forever hold your peace...huh?

Don’t contest, says another Umno leader

KOTA BARU: A second Umno leader has come out to suggest the Barisan Nasional not contest in the Permatang Pauh by-election.

The first to do so was Kelantan Umno liaison committee chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa. Now, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad is saying it's pointless to contest since, on paper, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim could win handsomely.

“If the leadership insists on contesting as what Pak Lah (Prime Minister and Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) said earlier, I suggest we put an accounts supervisor or a local divisional committee member.

“There is support for Barisan but not enough. Anwar is a good orator. He sways the audience.”

Anwar would use the by-election campaign to defend the allegations of sexual misconduct, Dr Abdul Latiff claimed.

Dr Abdul Latiff, however, asserted he was presenting his personal viewpoint and that the final decision rested with the top leadership.

“If we give a walkover, the Election Commission would save a lot. There would not be any slander and more importantly, we will not fall into Anwar’s scheming ways.

“For me, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s move to resign from the seat is more of a surrender of power from wife to husband. Nothing great.

“He chose to contest in his stronghold at the expense of his wife,” Dr Abdul Latiff said yesterday at the launch of the state-level health carnival.

On the increase in tuberculosis cases, he said the rise, was connected to the flood of foreign workers.
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Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Yes, we need to speak out. Reckon that is why more and more people are speaking now rather than letting their grudges simmer to a boil within. Rather than begrudgingly holding their peace, whatever that means. Everybody has an opinion. Everybody is against or for something. And they do not shy away from voicing out their arguments. Pro-government bloggers had voiced out their arguments. Pro-opposition bloggers had had theirs. Those in between also jumped on the bandwagon. Politicians from both divides scrambled to be heard. So the question is, are we truly becoming an opinionated society or are we speaking just for the sake of speaking? As some of the things that came out of our mouths are truly amazing that they are beyond comprehension or belief. Some people are just not using their gray matter prior to using their vocal cords.

So what do you make of them comments by the good doctor? That Anwar will win Permatang Pauh regardless? That the oh-so-efficient-machinery of the Barisan Nasional government would rather do an ostrich than put up a decent fight? Would that impress those foreign investors the government is trying hard to woo in this very trying period?

Accounts supervisor? So what if he or she won? Will the good doctor vacate his ministerial position as an appreciation for the back from the dead win? At least when that future deputy health minister speaks, we won't be expecting that much.

And tuberculosis was connected to the huge influx of foreign workers? So what is FOMEMA doing? Why are these sickly foreigners being hired in the first place? Are we that desperate for workers that we just let all and sundry into our country? Let the Barisan Nasional politicians use their scheming ways on the people, rather than let us fall for Anwar's scheming ways. It's easy to point the blame elsewhere but it's definitely very difficult to own up.

So how much would the Election Commission save from a 'walkover'? Enough to fully subsidise petrol and diesel again? I remember that St Paul Institution rugby team in 1982. They would rather be trashed 0-84 than humiliate their school by giving us a walkover. But we were just schoolboys then. What do we know about politics? We were just doing what our teachers and coaches told us to do. Train hard and play our hearts out. For the school's honour. We did that. Them Saint Paul dudes did just that. Personal injuries notwithstanding.

And that the good doctor is also a product of the same school made me heart bled. At least the information minister managed to face the music and danced his dance. And not forgetting that other guy, God bless his soul, who came out the worse against Mona Fandey. Wonder if these are the best the school has to offer UMNO. But then again, maybe UMNO deserves them.

Reckon I should hold my peace.