The truth, the whole truth, and only my version of the truth

Technorati tags: Censorship, Film, Malaysia, Apa Khabar Orang Kampung, Village People Radio Show, Propaganda, Censorship Board, Thought Control, ZAM

This is not news, per se, but Amir Muhammad's sequel to Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (The Last Communist), Apa Khabar Orang Kampung has been banned. Read Amir's blog entry for the "official" reasons why we cannot view this film.

History, it seems, has repeated itself
(original image taken from the AKOK blog)

Then after that, read Amir's letter of appeal. Walski couldn't help but snicker a little. Sock it to 'em, Amir.

In any case, after almost two decades of the Berlin Wall's falling, despite the obvious failure of the communist world, despite China no longer having any expansionary visions (except for being a global economic power), it seems that even the perceived spectre of communism still sends shivers down the spine of those in government. Or even a shadow of a spectre. Or even a whiff of a shadow of a spectre.

An advanced nation by year 2020? At this rate, we'd be lucky to scrape even the top-rung of Advanced-Infrastructured Third World.

And given a chance, the powers that be would prefer that any memory of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) be stricken from the minds of all Malaysians. Historical "truth", it seems, can only have one version - the official version.

Surprisingly (or maybe not), this time, Amir's sequel didn't even make it past the Censorship Board, unlike The Last Communist, which was passed by the board, but shot down no thanks to a Malay language press crusade led by none other than Jabba the Newsman.

It's almost as though the forward-thinking board from last year was totally removed, to be replaced by a regressive ultra-nannified one. To borrow some thoughts from what Amir wrote, it appears that movies about Mat Rempits are okay, but not an alternative view of history, seen from those that lived it - what about the respect for the victims of the Rempiteers?

History is rife with those who have led persecutions of those professing communistic ideals. The National Socialist German Workers Party of Germany (1933 - 1945), for example, was very anti-Communist. Oh, you probably know them better as the Nazis. Nice company to be in, huh? But even in the America of the 50's, Senator Joseph McCarthy led a witch hunt of anything and everything deemed 'commie'.

Incidentally, the Nazi's Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, throughout Hitler's Nazi Germany, was another Joseph - Dr. P. Joseph Goebbels.

Walski really wonders if there's anyone named Joseph on the Malaysian Censorship Board. All good things, as the Chinese would say, come in three's.
(more monocular truth in the full post)

But even if there weren't, there is one person in the Malaysian Cabinet (which might as well be a faux wooden cabinet) who should really change his name to Joseph. Or Joe, for short.

Came across this interesting article posted by Bibliobibuli in the Manuscripts Don't Burn collective last week. Essentially about another case of book-banning, the first two paragraphs read thus (emphasis by myAsylum):

I learned about Shamsiah Fakeh's memoir when I was at the IIU seminar recently and Prof. Dr Ruzy Suliza Hashim was talking about the paucity of memoirs written by Malaysian women. She referred to Shamsiah Fakeh's book as one very important example: the author was former head of Communist Party Malaysia's Women's Wing. Dr. Ruzy mentioned that the book was now banned, and of course I was curious to hear another Malaysian banned book story.

But this time there's a twist - it isn't the KKDN (Ministry of Home Affairs) that's the villain of the piece, it was the Minister of Information who ordered the publisher UKM (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) to withdraw the book from sale.
(source: Manuscripts Don't Burn)

Malaysia's very own Minister of Propaganda
(click on image to view original Goebbels pix)

Yes, folks none other than our own Zainuddin "call me Joe" Maidin, or Goebbels, as my good blogger friend KTemoc is fond of calling him (for damn good reason, too). The Minister who wants everybody else's portfolio (by being his meddlesome self). And this is one individual that has been very antagonistic in trying to obfuscate the role of the CPM (Communist Party of Malaya) in Malaysian history. Granted, it's not a very pleasant part, but a part of history nevertheless. Unless Joe has his way.

This is the man that accused memorials remembering Malaysians of Chinese ethnicity who fell to the Japanese during WW2, as being dedicated to communists. Not to mention being one of the ones very supportive of the Government's decision to uphold the ban on The Last Communist.

And today, The Star reported that Joe announced RTM will screen "official" documentaries depicting the role of non-Malay freedom fighters. And likely, only pertaining to those that fit into the official version of history. And so, trudge along the Propaganda Machine continues.

The clincher, however, is a statement that Joe himself made, which Walski had written about earlier in a post entitled "Unclear on the concept...":

"As information minister, I am part of history, I bear witness to history, I understand history. Therefore I definitely haven't made a mistake or misunderstood history," he said.
(article source: The Sun, Thursday, December 21, 2006)

And in all likelihood rewrites history in the process as well.

Well, Walski for one hopes that his fantasy does come true - and becomes history (see important disclaimer at the end of the post). Soon. Otherwise, in time to come, we may have a totally different picture of our own nation's narrative. Seen only from one viewpoint. The officially sanitized one.

But Joe's not the only problem. This sort of protectionistic myopia is rife among the civil service and body politic. Too quick to ban things for the sake of appeasing grassroots grumblings, nary a thought for the serious repercussions to Malaysian minds in general.

And in reality, banning this, that and the other is futile. Information is freely available on the Internet. Wanna know why Shamsiah Fakih's story is so unsavory? Read about who she is. For the benefit of those unable to read Bahasa Malaysia, Walski's translated it below.

Shamsiah Fakeh was the leader of AWAS (Angkatan Wanita Sedar), a right-wing political party formed in Malaya, in February 1946. The party's purpose was to fight for independence from British colonial rule. Her cooperation with Ahmad Boestamam, head of API (Angkatan Pemuda Insaf) inspired a number of youth to take up arms in their fight against the colonizers. Because of this, AWAS was banned by the then government, in 1948.

Shamsiah then entered the 10th Regiment, which was the Malay wing of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). She led a very trying and difficult life. Her struggle was carried out in many places, from the jungles, to the international arena. With her husband, Ibrahim, she was stationed in China, Indonesia and Vietnam, in her efforts to fan the flames of nationalism among the peoples of South East Asia who were still under colonial rule.

After separating from the CPM, she continued to reside in China, working in a steel mill. She and her family finally returned to Malaysia on July 23, 1994, after the solemnization of the Peace Agreement between the CPM and the Malaysian and Thai governments, which was signed in Haadyai, Thailand, in 1989.

And it's this kind of history that is likely to get swept under the carpet.

What Apa Khabar Orang Kampung (or its English title Village People Radio Show) is really trying to do is simply to give us a glimpse of another view of history, from the eyes of the people we once considered "the Enemy". Not to rekindle the spirit of Communism (which is as unresurrectable as squashed roadkill), nor to glorify the CPM, as the Censorship Board and people like Joe would want us to believe.

But not if these self-appointed guardians of Malaysian thought have their way. Nope. For them, there is only one historical truth - the one seen from their eyes, and their eyes alone.

Walski's important disclaimer: Wanting ZAM to "be history" could be misconstrued, so allow Walski to explain. Walski doesn't wish for any harm to befall the dude, merely that somebody else with a more enlightened mindset take his place as Minister of Propaganda Information. Understanding Walski's statement in any other way, is therefore your own problem.

Click here for the full post......

Emergence & Convergence

Technorati tags: Media, Traditional Press, Malaysia, Emergence, Convergence

Walski is in the process of reading a very important book. It's called The World is Flat, by Thomas L. Friedman. Walski is sure you've at least heard about it, but do try to read it, if you haven't already done so. The progress through this book, however, has been tediously slow, because of time constraints. Where Walski is now, it just finished talking about the emerging technologies that have flattened the world.

More importantly, though, what really made the world flat, according to Friedman is the convergence of events related to the emergence of these technologies, and not merely their emergence in isolation.

Walski sees parallels between this realization and what's happening with blogs, vis-á-vis traditional media, and governmental response, here in Malaysia.

Emergence of blogging has really been explosive in the past two years or so, with the number of blogs worldwide growing almost exponentially. Walski doesn't have the hard numbers for this, but he's read about it somewhere or other. Malaysia-based blogging is no exception.

Blogging provides an avenue for individuals to really have their opinions and voices heard. More so than via the traditional press, which heavily filters its content.

Particularly in Malaysia, where the press, to borrow a phrase from fellow blogger I am a Malaysian, "the mainstream media's hands are tied", as told to Walski in person recently.

But the real power of blogging is only now starting to be felt. Why just now?

Well, first off, this is Walski's own observation, drawn from seeing the happenings in the bloggerhood, and from talking with members of the Malaysian press.

Some in the mainstream press, the archaic and sometimes antagonistic NST, for instance, are of the opinion that blogging is trying to unseat the mainstream print press. This is, of course, a typical knee-jerk view of those who are trapped in a dying paradigm - that of a tightly state controlled press.

But the real power of blogging is in its role complementary to the traditional press, and not against it, and definitely not displacing it.
(more press-ing thoughts in the full post)

Because the mainstream press reporters have a ricebowl to keep filled, and because the prevailing legislation empowers the government to act/react pretty much how they want to act/react (including in very drastic ways), the press generally practices self-censorship, and try not to probe too, too deeply, particularly when it comes to areas concerning the government, or political parties the government is associated with.

There is, however, a situation in which the press can probe deeper (if they wish to) - when there already exist "evidence" in the public domain, with which they can follow up on. And this is where the role of bloggers come in. The mainstream media could, if they found it warranted, follow up on leads provided by the bloggerhood. Particularly in cases of public interest.

This has started to happen only of late. It's what Walski calls the Convergence of the Interested. Examples of this include the recent Government VVIP jet purchase issue, and closer to Walski's heart, the Takaful Malaysia Deepavali greetings prohibition saga last year (because of Walski's involvement in breaking the story lead).

We blog it, the MSM follows up, and hopefully the end result is full disclosure. And this is where the real power of blogging lies, in making sure that transparent governance is practiced, regardless of whether we are talking about the Government per se or even the corporate world.

Gone are the days when facts and figures can be quoted by the relevant parties, and the rest of the country accept it lock, stock and barrel. With Internet access making information more democratically accessible, it is becoming more and more difficult to hide inconsistencies and obfuscate the real story. Letters to the Editor usually just don't work in getting to the truth.

If the end result, which Walski hopes is what all of us want, is to make Malaysia a country governed in a truly democratic, fair and open manner, a convergence between ordinary citizen bloggers and the established press has to further develop. We are only seeing the start of that relationship today.

But change is not without resistance. Change disrupts not only the we-are-so-used-to way that things get done - this change also disrupts the perceived position of power-centers within our society. No longer can claims of this, that and the other go unchallenged. And this has some quarters scared.

The ongoing NST et al suits against bloggers Jeff & Rocky are cases in point. In Walski's view, the NST, playing the role of Governmental mouthpiece, doesn't quite get it when it comes to the potential synergy that could be fostered between the press and bloggers. Instead, they feel they are in the position to dictate how citizen reporters should behave, write or even link - see this analysis done by Walk With Us.

And why the resistance? One can speculate a lot of things, but to Walski, it's because full disclosure means doing the right things the right way, and the Government doesn't seem to be quite ready for that yet.

In flattening the world, the convergence Friedman talks about is between the emerging technologies and the change in the way we do things. IT technology, for example, if used with the same processes we use in an analog, paper-record world, will only go as far as allowing us to store and print better, but not necessarily provide productivity improvements. In other words, the work processes themselves have to change, to take advantage of the possibilities that the new technologies offer.

The same thing goes with the blogger-press convergence - the building blocks are already there, but our collective mindset has to undergo some change as well. And perhaps that's the most painful part. Chaging the way we perceive the role of the press, and the press changing its own processes for its own continued credibility and survival.

Like it or not, the democratization of information has far-reaching implications. For the mainstream media, it's an oppotunity to realign itself to the changing realities of the world around us. Resisting change is, in the long run, counter-productive.

Just ask the dinosaurs. It would probably have been a totally different world today if the dinosaurs knew better to get in from the cold. Or invent central heating.

But that, sahib, is another story, for another day.

Walski's important disclosure & discovery statement: The gist of the thoughts presented here have apparently been voiced by Steven Gan of Malaysiakini, in an earlier editorial, dated February 13, 2007 (read the full article at Susan Loone's Blogger's United site). Walski wanted to disclose this finding and to state that he did not plagiarize Steven Gan's editorial. Sometimes the convergence of independent ideas does occur...

Click here for the full post......

Mindwarped to the rotten Core

Technorati tags: Religion, Islam, Harmony, Teras, Commentary

Got this thru Harakah some days ago. With the goings on elsewhere, and with Jeff & Rocky's ongoing ordeal, this is one of those news bits that kinda slipped thru the cracks.

Some delusional characters simply refuse to fade, and neither do the whacked out notions they bring along with 'em.

Teras: Providing a core platform for delusional Malay minds?

The original article is in Bahasa Malaysia, and can be read here. The following is an English translation, by Walski. The article itself is in italics, with commentary in this color - any emphasis is by myAsylum.

Walski's translation note: The term "pendakyah" used in the original article has been translated as protelyzers. The actual meaning of pendakyah is "propogators of propaganda". It's common for some nutcases to label any religious message other than Islam as propaganda. The meaning of teras, incidentally is core or essence.

Teras alleges prostelyzers using new tactics to Christianize Muslims
(by Johari Jaafar)

PARIT, Feb 21 (Harakah) - Teras Pengupayahan Melayu (Malay Empowerment Core, or Teras) urges Muslims, particularly Malays, to be aware that Christian propaganda efforts to apostasize unwary Muslims is getting nearer and is being done very cunningly.

Teras chairman, Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid alleges that they (Teras) has obtained information that a new directive has been issued by the church in Rome, for missionary movements to change their tactics, in order to avoid being detected by the authorities.

The "church in Rome" here presumably the Vatican? Pretty serious allegations. Of course, no mention of the source. We are to take his word that there is a source in the first place. But wait, there's more...

He said, following the disclosure made by 'Raja Sherina' that supposedly more than 100 students from Ungku Omar Polytechnic were to be baptized in a church at Silibin, through SMS, the church in Rome has issued a directive to expedite the Christianization, and to make the baptism rituals easier.

Ah, yes... the disclosure about an alleged mass baptism that really wasn't. If memory serves Walski correctly, Teras was one of the organizers of the NGO protest group that ended up protesting a confirmation ceremony instead. It appears, however, Teras maintains its belief that there actually was a mass baptism of Muslims planned, despite evidence to the contrary. Delusional? Or just recalcitrantly stupid? Or both?

Azmi Abdul Hamid stated this during his speech at a dialog session, as part of the launch of the PAS Information Month, at Maahad Tahfiz, 6th mile here recently.

According to him, the 'directive' from the world church is believed to be related to the exposure of 'Raja Sherina', so as to facilitate the baptism of Muslims in a more discrete and systematic manner.

Yes, the exposure of someone who disseminated a dangerous lie, turned in by none other than Fatwaman himself (likely to save his own hide). By the way, does anybody know what ever happened to this Raja Sharina after she was arrested and questioned? There doesn't seem to be any news of her, or even a mention of her name, until now.

These fantatic disclosures, like the one made by Teras in this report has its motive, regardless of how true these claims really are. It has to do with mindshare, and it has to do with a bigger agenda.
(more foundational delusions in the full post)

Among these steps, the baptism ceremony no longer needs to be done in churches, and can be done in homes.

The intention is to avoid information about the intended Christianization of Muslims getting leaked out by certain quarters, as had happened in the case of the Silibin church incident, he added.

Among the targets of the Christian prostelyzers include Muslim Malay girls, including those donning the headscarf, whom after being converted, may continue to don the headscarf, and are not required to wear the crucifix.

"Do not be shocked when those wearing the headscarf have been converted to Christianity, nobody knows, this will really confuse the public", he said.

More like you're the one that's utterly confused. Or delusional. Or both. Even worse, what will be the effect of an overgeneralized statement such as this? Everybody becomes a suspect. Everybody is guilty, until proven guilty. Everybody you don't like, or disagree with, that is.

It's another common tactic to make overgeneralizations - it's the big net theory, you see. Use a big enough fishing net, you're bound to catch something. Even if it's only debris. And why using these alarmist scare tactics now? As Walski mentioned, there's a bigger agenda - more on that later.

Besides those having converted need not change their name, the information of their conversion need only be kept by the church, and no disclosure need be made as to how many have been converted to Christianity.

"More shocking is that the World Church directive states that those whom have been converted to Christianity, when they die, their bodies will not be claimed by the church, to be buried according to Christian rituals, but may be buried according to Islamic ones", he clarified.

Which, of course, is unlike the model Muslims of this country, who prefer fighting over corpses, which is almost becoming a favorite post-mortem sport of "concerned" individuals.

But really, nothing would be more shocking than anyone in their right mind actually buying this crap without even questioning the source of information. Such, however, is the disease prevalent among many Malays/Muslims when it comes to any matters related to religion - blind acceptance out of sheer gullibility. The result of a lifetime being conditioned to listen without question. It is exactly this gullibility that makes what Azmi Abdul Hamid has to say even remotely plausible, without needing to produce a shred of evidence.

The Christian prostelyzers and the church are of the opinion that a dead body is not important, because in their records, they have already become Christians, he added.

Ironically, Islam, too, views ones deeds during their life as being more important than how they are buried. But not to the body snatchers, though - to them how a Muslim is buried is all too important.

According to the information received, the Christians have four target groups, including those that are poor and destitute, especially single mothers.

"When a (Muslim) patient is in hospital, when no Muslims see them and come to their aid, that is when the Christian prostelyzers appear to offer help, and in the end, the patient is willing to be baptized", he said.

Azmi must think that the alleged prostelyzers must have Muslim hospital patient radar devices, or something equally ludicrous. But of course, since anyone is a potential suspect, anything is possible, huh?

But consider this: if Muslims at large were actually charitable for charity's sake, and not for the sake of earning God's brownie points, this whole idea of Christians "preying" on the downtrodden would not arise in the first place.

In addition, wayward (wild) adolescents and youth too are being watched by the Christian prostelyzers, including students at institues of higher learning that are 'wild' and with derelict morals, get the attention of the Christian prostelyzers because this group is easily influenced to be baptized due to the frailty of their (Islamic) faith.

Of course, no delusional press statement is complete without an attack on youth. Don't think like we do? Then you're spiritually fucked. No question about it. Follow our delusional way, and your soul will be saved.

Delusional, delusional, delusional. What else can Walski conclude?

But here's a scary bit of food for thought: what if Azmi is not delusional after all, and all this is part of a bigger agenda, "a cunning plan", as Baldrick would say.

In another article in Harakah on the same day, Azmi Abdul Hamid, who is also the Deputy Director of the Peninsular Muslim Congress (Kongres Umat Islam Semenanjung) was reported to have handed over a resolution to the PAS President, Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang, and PAS Information Chief, Ustaz Ahmad Awang. The resolution was drafted late last year, during the congress gathering in Penang. It is the intention of the congress to present the resolution to the Yang Di Pertuan Agung, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, as the Head of Islam in Malaysia.

Now, it's fine and dandy when it's the Muslims doing the prostelyzing - calling it da'wah - but not when the shoe's on the other foot. Walski has no problems with anyone spreading what they believe. That's what freedom of religion really means.

So, what exactly does the resolution state? Walski has no idea, but the Harakah article states that it touches on challenges facing Muslims in this country. Included, of course, is the issue of apostasy. If anyone can get their hands on the resolution, do forward it to Walski for translation and posting onto this blog.

To Walski, the biggest challenge facing Muslims, not just in this country, but the world over, is getting rid of the intrinsic inferiority complex built up over the centuries, get out of the "I'm a victim" mindset, and then empower themselves by waking up, finally, to the 21st century.

The bigger agenda? Create and maintain a state of mental siege within the Malay/Muslim populace, that their Islamic way of life in under threat, in order that more drastic Islamization of Malaysia can be bulldozed through, and more restrictive legislature introduced. Fear can be a very effective tool of persuasion. Cunning plan indeed.

Walski truly wonders what sort of empowerment Teras is supposed to provide to the Malay/Muslim community. Because, if it's headed by someone like Azmi Abdul Hamid, then even from the get-go, it's only empowering them to be unquestioning, loyal automatons, in the quest to change the Malaysia we know and love into something else.

And that something else is only going to make Muslims more deeply entrenched in their feeling of helplessness.

Click here for the full post......

Bloggers United Birthday Bash

Technorati tags: Blogging, Malaysia, Bloggers United, Birthday Bash, Defamation Suit, Going Public

Today, Walski did something unexpected and out of the ordinary - Walski went public. The event? Rocky's hearing to strike out the suit by NST et al.

Luckily, Rocky stands out in a crowd...

The hearing was really a non-event. It was over well within 15 minutes (thereabouts). The verdict? Well, since the plaintiffs had recently applied to restate their claims (via Walk With Us), the hearing could not continue, since it was set to hear the application to strike out the earlier/original claim.

A new hearing date has been set for April 2nd (via Malaysiakini, subscription required). Walski didn't quite get much details, as the short press announcement (pictured above) was just beyond earshot. Walski will update this entry with links to other reports as he finds them.

More importantly... Bloggers United celebrated it's one month birthday, complete with cake, singing of the Happy Birthday song, and of course, one big hearty helping of solidarity.

Update @ Feb 23rd: More pictures of the pre-hearing mee rebus session, the hearing, and the cake cutting (courtesy of Mulah). Jeff Ooi also has a picture-laden update. As does blogger Shahabudeen Jalil.
(more thoughts on today, in the full post)

At least now, the mystery of who the real Walski is has been answered for some of the bloggers who attended today's hearing. For yours truly, finally managing to meet Jeff and Rocky in person, is probably another hightlight of today. And they were among the first to discover who Walski really is.

As for going un-anonymous... well, in due time, perhaps. But suffice it to say, although Walski blogs anonymously, he ain't hiding. And when the time comes to reveal who the person behind the pseudonym is, Walski will probably still continue blogging as Walski... some habits are impossible to break. Heh Heh...

In any case, it was really an empowering feeling today to be with a group of people that care enough for the future of our great nation: Jeff, Rocky, Marina M (it was great meeting you, finally), Nuraina, Sheih, BigDog... just to name a few.

And today was a true showing of solidarity. Walski feels truly honored to have had the opportunity to be part of today's birthday bash. After all, despite the labels that get thrown to us, despite the bad press we continue to get sometimes, one thing is certain. We do this thing called blogging for a reason. Well, many reasons, actually, as varied as the bloggers themselves in real life.

But the most important reason - it's because we care enough to do it.

At least, that's Walski's excuse...

Click here for the full post......

Fast Food Syndrome

Technorati tags: Satire, Fast Food, Social Stupidiy, Social Stupidiy, Politics, Knee Jerk

We want instant results. And we want them yesterday.

Easy and lazy solutions are rarely effective measures to address problems, real or imaginery, but still these are exactly the type of solutions that get put into place time after time.

How to promote a healthy lifestyle? Ban fast food ads, and the knee-jerk support structure that immediately follows - in a fashion best described by the Bahasa Malaysia idiom membabi buta. Or in a "blind-pig fashion", literally translated. Appropriate perhaps for the recently ushered in Lunar New Year.

But is banning fast food ads going to change us into a society that practices a healthy lifestyle overnight? If you think it does, then you certainly are delusional. Seriously fucked in the head, Walski thinks.

Why stop at banning the ads? Why not ban fast foods altogether? And not just the evil-West variety of hamburgers, fries, greasy fried chicken, pizzas... all types of fast foods, including the roti canai - the empty calorie favorite of Malaysians, young and old of all walks of life. And definitely the more deadly canai-mate - the teh tarik.

Speaking of teh tarik. What should be banned off the face of the planet is the uber evil condemned condensed milk. One part dairy milk, 56 parts sugar. Now that's really worth getting hyperactively worked up over. If anything, banning this scourge of culinery expediency is probably going to promote healthier eating/drinking habits a lot more than the banning of McAdverts or Krinkly Fried billboards.

Aisehman probably has hit the nail on the head on why we go for fast foods. We simply don't have the time to eat right. Especially the urban folk. You're either stuck in traffic on your way to work, at work, stuck in traffic coming back from work... 75% of our time is at work or trying to get to/from there, and what's left of the remaining 25% has to be allocated to some sleep at the end of the day. Quality life? Yeah, as much quality as you get nutrition in a can of condemned condensed milk.
(more faster than fast food solutions in the full post)

But the culture of fast-food solution dumping doesn't stop at foods. Nosiree.

The solution to why the bureaucratic machinery is slow in delivering the goods to the people? More bureaucracy, by forming a task force to study why bureaucracy is so bureaucratic. And if that task force doesn't deliver the goods in 6 months? Probably institute another Royal inquiry into the failure of the task force. Fast food solution with fast food expectations. Want an extra helping of lies with that?

Bureaucracy, as they say, makes the world go round. In circles, usually.

In another Star news article (hat-tip to Howsy), Terengganu will implement snoop squads to check "vice". And they're recruiting and training ordinary people to do the snooping for 'em. Walski calls this invasion of privacy. But of course, for these nutcases, the idea of privacy doesn't appear in their vocabulary, and probably should be another thing banned. It's the mentality of everybody is guilty until proven guilty. Nobody is innocent, and everybody should be spied on.

“Mat Skoding” will be part of the voluntary squad, under the guidance of state religious advisors, acting as vigilantes here.

State Islam Hadhari and Welfare Committee chairman Datuk Rosol Wahid said: “Some of these ‘spies’ could be waitresses or even janitors at hotels acting as auxiliary undercover agents for our religious department.”
(source: The Star)

Too politically unpopular for state religious personnel to act as vigilantes? Fast-food solution: get somebody else to do your dirty work, and probably the blame, when something goes wrong. Not if, but when.

In other words, Terengganu may no longer be a safe place to be in, unless you are armed with your marriage certificate. You never know... that waitress serving you.. SPY! Hotel check-in clerk... SPY! Housekeeping person... SPY!

Funny part is that it isn't even the Puny Arab-wannabee Slimeballs promoting this, but the good 'ol BannaNa Republican sponsored Hadharites. Probably another fast-food knee-jerk reactionary plan since the equally (if not more) ludicrous suggestion of implementing chastity belts to prevent the rising incidences of rapes and sexual assault. And belts for females only, of course - since females are the root of all evil after all. Abu Hassan Din Al-Hafiz, the proposer of this rash solution, has since done a turnaround to say that it was all a joke. Yeah, right... believe that, you'll also believe that there are visual physical differences between married and unmarried couples.

“Accurate details are required for the enforcement officers to act, otherwise they would be pouncing on married couples,” he said.

Rosol said the “spies” would keep surveillance at parks and secluded areas to nab dating couples intending to engage in sex.
(source: The Star)

Holding hands? SEX!! Tangkap! Tangkap!

Sitting closer than one meter to each other? SEX!! Tangkap! Tangkap!

Walking in the park in clothing that doesn't cover up every single bit of the body except the face and hands? SLUT! SEX!! Tangkap! Tangkap!

And you wonder why you see more and more same-sex couples these days? Logical workaround to a mind so warped up over close proximity between the sexes. They legally can't nab you if you're a girl-girl or boy-boy couple.

Better yet, why not ban sex altogether? Since these numbskulls find the prospect of sex so distateful, and for them the real purpose of marriage is, after all, breeding, why not cut to the chaste chase and get everyone to reproduce in vitro?

So the problem, boys and girls, is a fast-food mentality in wanting to get things done for political expediency. It doesn't matter that the solutions are not workable, or worse, give rise to other unforeseen problems in the future, for which more fast-food solutions are implemented.

Hey, let's ban everything. Build more jails for the offenders. "But what am I being arrested for?"

"For living", the men in flowing straightjackets say.

Or, better yet, institutionalized death-squad style execution of every citizen by the age of 21. No people, no complaints, no problems. If life is to be made so unbearable to live, why not just end it all? It's the solution to end all problems once and for all. End of story.

Crush. Kill. Destroy.

Now, if that isn't a final solution, Walski doesn't know what is.

But in the meantime, enjoy the silly insanity of respectable people proposing less than respectable future problems as remedies for current problems. More problems tomorrow means more opportunity to introduce even more further down the road future problems.

That, after all is the fast-food way of doing things. And you don't need advertisements of any kind to remind you of this fast-food nutritious fact.

Walski's important footnote: There is a reason why one of the Technorati tags for this post says Satire... Walski is against any form of violence. But Walski also cannot tolerate stupidity, regardless of whom the committers of stupidity may be...

Click here for the full post......

A Legacy of Not Much to Speak of

Technorati tags: Politics, Malaysia, Pak Lah, Prime Minister, Legacy

About a week ago, Walski put up a poll, rhetorically asking you lot how you felt Pak Lah would be be remembered as the nation's Prime Minister.

Okay, so it was a very loaded survey (nobody said it was scientific. Or fair), designed to bring out the best of the worst results. Big deal. Boo fucking hoo...

Seriously, though, despite being loaded, the survey does show that Pak Lah as Prime Minister will probably leave a very forgettable mark, like one of those forgotten footnotes in the annals of history. The one person (yes, just one) who actually thought that Pak Lah exhibits leadership? Well, he or she was probably not being serious.

Come to think of it though, Pak Lah's stewardship will be remembered for quite a number of things, apart from falling asleep at boring functions (actually, who wouldn't?), and as some would claim, on the job as well.
(the Pak Lah Legacy, or lack thereof, in the full post)

Usually, legacies are identified after a particular leader has relinquished the leadership. Walski, though, believes in being proactive. Besides, the writing's already on the walls - in bright, multicolored, psychedelic, flourescent paint.

First off, never before has Malaysia seen such a bloated Government. For example, while most other countries can only speak of one, Malaysia can boast of two ministries of Education - why higher education needs its own ministry, and what real good it has done, remains a big question. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the bigger something is, the more inertia it exhibits. Bureaucracies are like that, too, if not more so. The bigger the bureaucracy, the more difficult it is to get things done.

So, when there are problems with the delivery system (i.e. how initiatives get translated into real-world action), what's the most logical thing to do? Why, add more bureaucracy, of course, by establishing a task force on how to improve the Government's delivery system. Pak Lah wants results in 6 months. Uh huh... which is probably do-able, if they're willing to dismantle the bureaucracy that's grown almost exponentially in the last decade. Walski understands that the Malaysian Civil Service is disproportionately big compared to the country's population.

Second, Pak Lah's Government has vowed more transparency. With the recent invocation of the OSA, Walski wonders what this vow actually means. Maybe, what's really meant is the use of more transparencies, as opposed to Powerpoint? Remember transparencies? Does anyone actually still use 'em anymore? Heh heh...

But yesterday, the longest serving minister in showbiz, Samy "The Buck Never Stops Here" Vellu, Drama Queen of Blowhards, declared that he's gotten approval to release the toll concession agreements to the public sphere. Hmmm... but, pending the agreement of the toll concessionnaires themselves. Yeah... blame every other party for keeping these lop-sided agreements a secret. Good sign, one supposes, that not every embarassment should be shoved under the OSA carpet, and that the draconian piece of legislation not be invoked so easily in the future.

Third, and it shows up in the survey, Pak Lah may just end up to be remembered as the Father-in-Law. Of KJ - the alleged superpower that's really pulling the puppet strings. For someone who's not been elected, it's interesting that he came out to announce that there's no need to rush to have fresh polls. Oh yeah, he's the UMNO Youth so-and-so... Walski forgets sometimes that UMNO is the Government of Malaysia, for all practical purposes.

But as far as the polls go - as in the General Elections, that is - blog pundits seem to think differently, however. Among others, KTemoc, The Malaysian, and Howsy (and also here) all think so. Walski has no opinion on this, actually - he's just watching and waiting.

And so, in the end, we will still have to wait for history to tell us how Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be remembered. While the Tunku will be remembered as The Father of Independence, Tun Razak as The Father of Development, Hussein Onn as the Father of Unity, Mahathir as the Father of Modernization, many of you (40%) seem to think that he will one day be immortalized in the history books, as The Father-in-Law.

Not exactly very complementary. That being the case, Walski, if he were in Pak Lah's shoes, would probably prefer 'Pak who?'. To Walski, it's better to not be remembered, than to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Or worse, the wrong person.

Click here for the full post......

Everybody Loves Irene

Technorati tags: Music, Independent Music, Malaysia, Everybody Loves Irene, Indonesia, Central Market, Laundry Bar

Including Walski.

Okay, for the uninitiated, you must be wondering:
a) who the heck is Irene, and
b) why does everybody (including Walski) love her?

Well, if you wanna find out the answers to both questions, go see Everybody Loves Irene on Tuesday, February 20th, at Room #3 Central Market Annexe Gallery (entrance is with a minimum of RM 10 donation, per person). Big hat-tip to Joe of Ricecooker for reminding Walski of this event.

Wanna find out why Everybody Loves Irene?

Unfortunately, Walski will still be up in Penang, and won't be able to see 'em. What a bummer! Walski simply loves their sound... dreamy, groovy, and the perfect after-party stuff to chill out and wind down to. Their sound is quite Portishead like - the now somewhat defunct trip-hop group from Bristol, England.

Visit Ricecooker to listen to a full track, "Momento Mori" from their as yet unreleased album "the very first thing you must learn about flying is gravity". The entire album, incidentally, is available for purchase from iTunes.
(more about Irene, and why everybody loves her, in the full post)

Here's a sampling of what Everybody Loves Irene sounds like, from their mySpace page. This is a rough demo of "Gravity Always Wins", which is one of the songs featured on the album.

The group hails from Jakarta, Indonesia, and consists of 6 very talented young musicians - 5 guys and a gal on vocals named Irene (whose full name is Yohanna Erine Putri Ana Siregar). The guys that create the beautifully dreamy sonic landscape in which Irene's vocals transcendentally floats thru are Yudhi Arfani (on guitar), Dimas Anindityo (on bass), Aulia Naratama (synths and SFX), Nurendro Siwiaji (keyboards, vibraphone), and Mulyadi Triharsono Imam (drums). If you're in KL on Tuesday, definitely try to catch 'em. Walski thinks it's definitely worth it.

Supporting ELI will be Deepset, Zalacca, and Lord Sunny Day. If you can't catch them at Central Market, Everybody Loves Irene will also be performing on Thursday, February 24 at the Laundry Bar, The Curve. Walski should be back in town by then, and hopefully will be able to catch 'em there instead...

Click here for the full post......

CNY 2007: Penang Bang Bang

Technorati tags: Chinese New Year, CNY, Penang, Pig, Hog, Boar

Supposedly, there is a ban on big-bang fireworks and firecrackers in force. Been that way for many years now. In theory anyway... You wouldn't have known that if you were in Penang last night, or any Chinese New Year's eve.

Not sure about other parts of the country, but likely it would've been similar. Bang-bang-bang till you hear sirens, announcing the arrival of the boys in blue.

Walski's not complaining, by the way. To him Chinese New Year is supposed to be a whizz-bang fireworksy affair. It's just not CNY without it, really. The types allowed are really whimpy ones. And like many bans on other things, sometimes they just aren't enforceable. So why bother? It's simple economics - when there's demand, there's bound to be a supply to meet said demand.

More vids to come, hopefully. Walski's armed and ready with his video cam. Hopefully there's a dragon dance in the neighborhood at some point. Happy CNY, people...

Click here for the full post......

Ushering in the year of the piggy...

Technorati tags: Chinese New Year, CNY, Penang, Pig, Hog, Boar, Green Jellÿ

Since in about 10 hours time, give or take (depending on which time zone you're in), Chinese the world over will be ushering in the New Year - Chinese New Year, that it - Walski thought that it would be a good time to do a couple of things.

First, here's wishing all readers Happy Chinese New Year - Gong Xi Fa Cai, Xin Nien Kwai Ler, Keong Hee Huat Chai, Kong Hee Fatt Choy... Selamat Tahun Baru Cina, in other words.

Wishing everyone a Happy & Prosperous Year of the Pig
(click here to view animated source)

And second, being that it is the year of the Pig, Walski thought that for an aging rocker like himself, no Year of the Pig celebrations would be complete without rehashing this classic music video, from a group called Green Jellÿ (pronounced Jell-O - but for copyright reasons, couldn't be written as such).

It's a rockified re-telling of a classic children's tale...
(more piggy in the full post)

Incidentally, Walski is up in Penang for Chinese New Year, spending it with the in-laws, on the obligatory "balik kampung" once a year exodus. Fortunately, the other half of the parental equation is around KL, so it's only once a year that Walski and the Mrs. have to brave the highway mayhem - which this year wasn't bad at all for us.

And since Penang becomes a literal war-zone during CNY, there's a good chance that Walski will capture the explosive sounds and blistering sky tonight, as Penangites usher in the new year.

Till then, be safe during the holidays, enjoy but be a little wise when you eat and drink...

Happy Chinese New Year!

Click here for the full post......

Polar Bear Convergence

Technorati tags: Humor, Polar Bears, Mat Rempit, Putera UMNO, Skydiving, Satire

Reports have been filtering in through the woodworks that polar bears from various parts of Canada and Alaska have been spotted migrating north. Wild life researchers reckon that a news report published by The Star last Saturday may explain this strange bearish behavior.

Picking up on this lead, myAsylum's intrepid squadron of CRAP (Cybernetic Remote Autonomous Pararoaches) were swiftly despatched to the cold hinterlands to investigate.

And this is what they discovered...
(the mystery revealed... in the full post)

Polar bears from all over simply can't wait for April 19
(original image taken from here)

Okay, so this post comes a lot later than it should have, no thanks to Walski being out of blogging action, for reasons of work.

And do check out mob1900's brilliantly hilarious take on this (despite referring to the wrong pole) - hat-tip to Rocky. Also, the polar bear anticipation does answer shanghai fish's rhetorical question of 'how is a parachute jump (by 10 mat-rempit sympathisers) from 1,500m over the North Pole, on the 19th of April, going to make our "princely youths"(i.e. Putera UMNO) into "glocal human assets"?'

Incidentally, KTemoc thinks that this kind of stupidity (and waste of money) is only possible under a rempit-ish government. Walski couldn't agree more.

But the polar bears seem to think otherwise - they think that what Putera UMNO is doing appears to be very, er, tasteful.

Or did they read it wrongly as "glocal human asses"?

Click here for the full post......

Offbeat Travelogue: 4 aircraft changes, 3 airports, and 2,902 km later...

Technorati tags: Humor, Offbeat Travelogue, Airports, Air Travel, Malaysia

Walski had one of those odd days yesterday. Travelling comes with the territory of work that he does. But yesterday, Walski had an out-of-the-ordinary role - Walski became a courier to deliver a tender package, which didn't make the Friday afternoon deadline mentioned in the last post. And no, certain people have not been whapped on the side of the head. Yet.

Anyway, the day started like any other... leave the house, get caught in traffic... except that Walski's morning drive was to KL International Airport (KLIA), instead of the office. The destination? Miri, Sarawak - to deliver tender documents for a project that his company's bidding for. Deadline - 3pm.

And surprise, surprise (not)... the flight was delayed by half an hour. Which was no big deal, really... since the flight was a direct one, with a short transit in Kuching International for about half an hour, before continuing to Miri. By Walski's calculations, he would arrive just before 2pm, giving him ample time to get to his cutomer's office by 3pm.

In any case, the delay at KLIA was due to aircraft malfunction - not once, but twice. So, that alone accounted for 2 aircraft changes - even before the start of the journey. And a travel delay... albeit a minor one, all things considered. Or so Walski thought at the time.

What a 2,902km trip looks like on a map

Then we get to Kuching, only to find out that once again we had to change aircraft. Apparently the one we flew into Kuching on wasn't 100% either. Which probably accounted for the terrible vibration whenever the brakes were applied (on landing).

One thing about air travel that Walski has come to grips with (having travelled by air so much) - better safe, and slightly delayed, than sorry. Or dead.
(more of the 2902 km adventure in the full post)

Incidentally, the flight to Miri that Walski was on is the one that Walski calls the Kangaroo Flight. The final destination is Kota Kinabalu, via Kuching, Miri and Labuan. Hop, land, hop, land.... What would be a 2½ hour direct flight takes about 6 hours total (including stopovers). And Walski had the misfortune to actually have to do the entire trip once a few years back.

One of the oddities that visitors to Malaysia will find is that there is immigration control between Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak/Sabah, and even between the two states. Walski won't get into the history of this, but for a frequent traveller to these parts, it is a hassle.

"Hi, I'm from Sarawak. Which country are you from?"

Anyhow, because of the aircraft change in Kuching, the trip was again delayed, this time by about 20 minutes or so. By this time, Walski was getting a tad worried - by the time of arrival in Miri, there would only be about 25 minutes to get from Miri airport to the customer. Cutting it close, to say the least. In retrospect, perhaps flying in one day earlier would have been better. Hindsight, they say is Vision 20-20, eh? Pun intended.

So, Walski arrives in Miri, rushes to the taxi counter to get the coupon, grabs the first available taxi, and makes his way to the customer's office. Fortunately, what Miri folks call traffic jams are nothing but minor congestions by KL standards. And yesterday, Miri road traffic was very cooperative. Air traffic, on the other hand, wasn't.

By the time Walski arrives, it's just a minute before 3pm. Phew... made it just in time. So, with tender submitted, Walski gets back into the taxi (which was asked to wait 10 minutes), and it was back to Miri airport.

Needless to say, the flight back to KL (non-stop, this time) was delayed. By about half an hour. You're probably wondering which airline, right? Walski won't say, except that it is not the one that enables everyone to fly (and experience flight delays). Figure out the rest...

What's a little worrying is the number of times they had to change aircraft. Which indicates that either maintenance was not done on time, or the aircraft were starting to show their age. The aircraft throughout yesterday's adventure was the Boeing 737-400. Yeah, similar to the Adam Air one that crashed in Indonesia on New Year's day. But one thing that Walski will say is that the airline he travelled on yesterday does not compromise on safety. Which is a good thing. And it has an impressive safety record by international standards to show for.

According to Boeing's report "Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents", between 1970 and 2005, the B737 has one of the best safety records, measured by a very low rate of accidents per million departures (p. 17 of the report shows a comparison chart). All in all, the bird's pretty safe. It's usually the operators that we should be worried about.

You should, by now, know which airline Walski's talking about. If you've been paying attention to the hints along the way, that is.

Just in case you didn't know what a 737 looks like

So, 2,902 km later, Walski's back in KL, a record-breaking 2 hours in Miri total - the shortest trip ever to the "Resort City" (or as Walski calls it, the Last Resort City). All in a day's work, so to speak. Playing courier is an expensive exercise, but in this case, the tender value more than compensates for the added cost of getting the package there on time.

It wasn't the best of days, nor was it the worst of days... it was just the kind of day that lies somewhere in the tepid gray area between boring and mundane. The silver lining is that Walski managed to read about a third of the book he's currently reading - about how the world is flat. But more on that once he's finished the book... It's a must-read book, though, and an eye-opener in many ways.

So today, it's back to the office, and to explain to the boss why Walski had to become an over-paid courier for a day yesterday... and no, the boss probably doesn't read this blog.

Click here for the full post......

So much to say, so little time...

Technorati tags: Filler, Blogging, Time, Work, Cloning, Time Travel

Yeah, yeah... this be one of those filler posts to tell you that Walski's kinda out of action for a bit. Work has been absolutely mad the last few days, and at present, Walski's in the middle of preparing some submissions due on Monday.

The Pan Asian hysteria, and the silly polygamy-as-a-cure-for-AIDS silliness, among other things, has been on Walski's mind lately, but alas, to do a proper posting on these (and other pressing issues that are in our face) requires the one commodity Walski's in really short supply of - time.

There's even a meme Girly IT sic'd on him that's way past due... as much as Walski really dislikes memes, a tag's a tag. Hopefully, the schedule will go back to manageable in a few days... time.

Meanwhile, the Pak Lah survey ends at midnight, so you still have a few good hours left to participate, if you wish.

**Sigh** - it's occassions like this where Walski wishes he could clone himself, or take a ride in a time machine, back a few days to whap some people on the side of their heads to make sure they keep their deadlines.

Oh, well... it's back to the grindstone...

Click here for the full post......

Mistrial declared in Ehren Watada court martial

Technorati tags: Peace, War, Perdana Global Peace Organization, War Crimes, Politics, Ehren Watada

This just in: Reuters has just reported that the court martial of Lt. Ehren Watada, for refusing to be sent to Iraq, has ended in a mistrial (via Yahoo! News).

This, however, does not mean that Lt. Watada is off the hook. A new trial date has been set for the week of March 19.

More on this later today, time permitting.

Related post: The Power of Public Opinion

Click here for the full post......

The Power of Public Opinion

Technorati tags: Peace, War, Perdana Global Peace Organization, War Crimes, Politics, Ehren Watada, Malaysia, Press Freedom

This post begins with telling you about a certain Lt. Ehren Watada, who's currently facing a military court martial, due to his refusal to be mobilized to Iraq.

You may be wondering why Walski is writing about this, when the case involving Lt. Watada is something that is happening half-way across the world. That may very well be, but it has a lot to do with what's happening right here in Malaysia, albeit in a not-so-straightforward way.

In case the name Ehren Watada doesn't even ring a single bell, read this Wikipedia entry about him. The one-sentence summary: he is the first commissioned officer of the US Armed Forces to refuse being mobilized to Iraq, to face the aftermath of a war he says is "not only morally wrong, but also a breach of American law".

Which brings us to what went on yesterday.

Wednesday, February 7th, marked the last day of the EXPOSE WAR CRIMES: CRIMINALISE WAR conference, organized by the Perdana Global Peace Organisation. In his closing speech, former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir made a statement, quoting panelist Dr. Shoji Sawada, that (and Walski's paraphrasing here) "there are 2 superpowers in the world. One is of course the military superpowers, and you know who they are. The other is the power of public opinion".
(more power to change the world, in the full post)

And as much as the US mainstream media wants to spin it, the public opinion in the US, with regards to the Iraq War and the subsequent occupation, is changing. Not that George W. gives a rat's ass, but it is changing.

The courage exhibited by Lt. Watada in refusing to serve in this morally reprehensible occupation, post-invasion, is definitely an important indication that the people of the US are perhaps slowly waking up from their post-9/11 shock-induced fuzzy mindedness. To have an officer refuse to serve is a very big deal.

On January 29, the US Army prosecutors dropped 2 of the charges originally levelled against Watada. What is significant is that this has prevented two journalists from being subpoenaed to testify against Watada, for statements of dissent that he had made to the media sometime last year. It has prevented the US government from using the press, in this case, as a tool to further their attempt to circumvent the rising public opinion against their Iraq policy.

The following short video is from YouTube, talking about the significance of the two charges being dropped. In particular, pay attention to the first 45 seconds or so, and what one of the journalists, Sarah Olson, has to say. It bears much similarity to what Walski sees as the dilemma faced by the Malaysian press.

Change can and does happen - sometimes even for the better. In part, it was the shift in public opinion that forced the US to pull out of Vietnam. A change that jolted the US administration at the time that they were funding a losing war.

And sometimes, all it takes to get the ball rolling is one person, fueled by the power of changing public opinion. Perhaps Watada will be that one. Regardless of the court marshall's outcome, which incidentally should be known within the next few days.

So lets recap. And hopefully you'll begin to see the coming together of several seemingly disjointed occurences and ideas. Trust Walski on this one - they are inter-related.

Public opinion plays an important role in shaping public policy, provided of course the government of the day gives a shit, and wants to listen sincerely and do things truly for the benefit of the people. It is this same public opinion that has the power to stop governments from going to war. Again, provided they aren't to wrapped up in themselves, pursuing self-serving agendas.

And the press, in being one of the mechanisms that helps the shaping public of opinion, needs to be seen as non-partisan when reporting on issues, and not seen as being merely the instrument of government propaganda, which, in fact, is the common perception of many Malaysians today with regards to our own MSM. Unfortunately, there are active laws preventing true press freedom in this country, and the government uses them without hesitation, when they deem it necessary.

So, the two big questions that Walski must now ask:

1. Where do the Malaysian mainstream media and press stand? and

2. Does the Malaysian government truly give a fuck and listen to the real Malaysian public opinion, on any matter, or are they just way too wrapped up with themselves to even bother?

Click here for the full post......

Declaring war on War

Technorati tags: Peace, War, Perdana Global Peace Organization, War Crimes, Politics, Botero

No doubt about it, the initiative of the Perdana Global Peace Organisation must be applauded. While Walski couldn't personally attend, he managed to catch most of the proceedings today over the live webcast of the forum. Isn't technology wonderful?

It's no secret that a war effects entire nations involved in the conflict. There are always reasons used to justify why a war is declared. Sometimes the most ludicrous of reasons. The ongoing occupation of Iraq, as a result of a war declared by Dubya and the [sic] Coalition of the Willing. Or, depending on your point of view, the Coalition of the Gullibly Threatened.

And the main aim of the organization is to criminalize war. To hold the attacking party, or country, accountable as criminals. Definintely a justified cause in the case of the Iraqi invasion led by the US, who came, kicked ass, and refused to leave. A "swift" operation that has lasted a good part of 4 years now.

War today is very different from the historical wars we grew up learning about. War today is brutal, and in many cases indiscriminate. Carpet bombings of entire neighborhoods don't discriminate between the civilians from the combatants. And in the case of Iraq, the civilian casualties were tremendous. But the suffering frequently doesn't just stop with the actual war itself.
(more on the war on War, in the full post)

One of the most moving sessions today was the testimony given by Ali Shalah, a survivor of the infamous Abu Ghraib prioson. With the help of an interpreter, he recounted the hellish torture he endured during his stay at the prison, not long after the fall of Baghdad, including being electrocuted during interrogation. Ali Shalah is now helping torture victims in Iraq through the organization "The Man in the Hood".

History, they say, is written by the victors. In the case of Iraq, Dubya would probably want himself to be imortalized in the history books as the courageous US President that liberated Iraq. The millions of Iraqis, still suffering daily from the war and subsequent four year occupation, would probably beg to differ.

To Malaysians, it may be ironic that such a conference is being held here. It's a conference, whose primary driver is the sanctity of human life, held in a country that supports the death penalty. A conference that promotes speaking out against attrocities worldwide, when opinions of it's own citizens continue to be repressed. A conference that is based on dissent against the criminal act of war, in a country where it's own citizens dissent against injustice is being punished.

All Walski can say is that we live in a wonderfully fucked up world, full of irony and contradictions.

But speak out we must. Against the attrocity of war. And against injustices, in general, nevermind where, and nevermind who the victims are.

One interesting facet of the sessions Walski managed to catch today was that while the speakers were predominantly Muslim, their message was crystal clear - we have to put aside our differences in faith, or even within the same faith, sectarian differences, and speak in a united voice against injustices.

This key take-away is not just a message to the world, it should also be a wake-up call to all Malaysians. We may be different, but we are Malaysians, and what matters most is the future of our nation. We know what injustices there are, and institutionalized or not, these injustices must be fought.

Let's face it. God created us different from one another. As one of the speakers, Mr. Muhammed Umar (Chairman, The Ramadhan Foundation, UK) said, the world would be a terribly boring place if we were all created exactly the same. God created us diversely, so that we could know, respect and cherish one another, in a global community called humanity.

And war threatens that very thing called humanity. War, and it's bastard cousin, violence, is something that all humans must strive to avert. There are, and will always be, differences of opinion, and ideologies. But these differences can be dealt with in other, non-destructive ways - and this is also another key message of the conference - violence and wars are never constructive ways to settle differences.

Tomorrow will be the last day of the conference, and is definitely going to be very interesting. It is a day when the War Crimes Commission Preliminary Proceedings will be convened. It will be a day when the aggressors responsible for the mayhem that is Iraq will be put on trial. And if you can't be there yourself, be sure to watch it online (go to the Perdana Global Peace Organisation homepage and click on the webcast link).

Associated with the conference is an exhibition bearing the same title as the conference - "EXPOSE WAR CRIMES: CRIMINALISE WAR" - which will continue until February 11, 2007. This can be viewed at Dewan Tun Razak Hall 4, at the Putra World Trade Center (PWTC), where the conference is being held. So, even if you can't make it to the conference itself, the exhibition should also be worth the trouble fighting through KL traffic, to get to PWTC.

Walski will end this post on an interesting side note. One other very important idea that was brought up during the sessions today was the importance of your individual voice being heard. And that the one very effective way of doing it is through blogging. Blogging has become a flat world enabler for individuals to voice their thoughts and opinions, and is an important factor towards the world getting to know one another, individual to individual. Blogging was mentioned as a factor enabling putting a face to the suffering of the citizens of Iraq, due to the invasion and occupation, through blogs such as Baghdad Burning, and A Family in Baghdad.

Thought that Walski should mention this. Why? Because, if the Malaysian powers-that-be are reading this, take heed. Hear our voices, 'cause all is not well with the state of the nation, and you should listen to what we have to say. Just as the Baghdad blogs have opened the eyes of the world to the real suffering in Iraq, to not listen is to do so at your own peril. Ignorance may be bliss, but even the most blissful of slumbers has to end sometime.

Just like this important conference and exhibition has, hopefully, jolted the world up from its obliviousness to the most attrocious and dasterdly of human crimes - war.

o O O o O o O o o

Walski's stolen art note: One of the images used in the post above (and also the one on the left) is from a series of paintings by famous Columbian artist Fernando Botero, depicting the Abu Ghraib prisoner torture and abuse.

Botero, if you recall, was the artists whose works were implicated in the Malaysian Airlines' "Flying Buffet" scandal towards the end of 2005, in which the national carrier was said to have spent exhorbitant amounts of funds in less than judicious manners.

The Columbian artist's is characterized by the exaggerated rotundness of his subjects. The Abu Ghraib series was exhibited between October 18 and November 21 2006, at the Malborough New York art gallery.

Some of his other works in the same series can be viewed here.

Click here for the full post......