May the road rise with you

Technorati tags: Malaysia, Rise, Racism, Bigotry, Politics

There’s a lot to be angry about these days. Not really because of the recent incidences of racism that seem to be on the increase. But because of those who actually think that this is a good thing. Yes, there are such people. They will know who they are should they ever read this.

And anger, as Walski has mentioned at least a couple of times before, is an energy.

We know that we have the ability to shine, but now it’s time to Rise...
(anger – an energy that can be positively channeled, in the full post)

And by Rise, Walski’s not just talking about rising to fight those who think that bigotry and racist sentiments are a good thing. That’s an obvious given.

We need to RISE above the obvious reaction of outrage, above and beyond the deep level of depravity that these motherfucktards would prefer us to join them at. Walski, for one, is not biting.

Simply because Walski knows that he is a much better person. And he’s sure that the majority of you out there are better people than the bigots who try to rile use. Yes, it is infuriating – tell Walski something that he already doesn’t know.

But to play with these bigots on their playing field only means that we have lowered ourselves to their level. In Walski’s eyes, they are merely pawns in a bigger game of hate politics. Whether or not they realize this is a good question. To Walski, this is secondary. If they don’t know, then they should open their eyes. If they do, then in Walski’s eyes, they are the worst of hypocrites.

And Walski is certain that you know you’re better than that.

So, Rise good people… and show these bigots that their way is only damaging to themselves. They may think that riding on their high-horse of racist and bigoted self-righteousness will get them somewhere. Walski thinks that they are dead wrong – it will only eventually make them drown in their self-loathing, and sink into their self-manufactured oblivion.

Getting angry and getting even with higher doses of venomous derision is the easy way out. But it will only cause us to descend to their level. That’s their end-game – to bring us to the brink of chaos.

Walski knows that he can shine above that. And he knows that you can, too.

So, good people, Rise…  

Walski’s musicologized inspiration source reference: Public Image Ltd (or PiL) is the musical outfit formed by John Lydon, better known to some of you as Johnny Rotten, of Sex Pistols fame. PiL was active between 1978 – 1992, which is the period during which Walski became aware of them. Word has it that they have risen from the ashes of their long hiatus. And if they can Rise…

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

The depths of our descent

Technorati tags: Racism, Bigotry, Politics, Education

Still seething from the expected, but nastier than usual, tirade from Ridhuan Tee Abdullah (via The Malaysian Insider) over the weekend, Malaysia was rocked by this bit of unpleasant news yesterday.

As if it weren’t enough that we have to now contend with a weekly dose, almost, of Ketuanan Melayu Celup, we get this wake-up call to tell us that racism is not only confined to the realm of political rhetoric, but exists for real in our everyday lives as well.

And when something like this happens in our schools, Walski shudders to think: just what has become of Malaysia that we’ve descended to such depths of uncivility?
(what The Star didn’t show, what the principal said, and more, in the full post)

The report from The Star hinted that what was uttered by the school principal was shocking and hurtful. What the report didn’t show (at least, not the online version), was what the principal actually said.

Malaysia-Today picked up the same news item and published it yesterday. In addition, it included a copy of an actual police report filed against the school principal by one of the school’s students. Walski has taken the liberty of posting it below, and highlighting a portion of the report.

Image taken from Malaysia-Today

The red-boxed portion of the image above (added to the original image by myAslum) is an excerpt of what the student filed in the report, and is something Walski has duplicated below - minus the ALL-CAPS - along with an English translation.

Beliau memberi contoh yang beliau memiliki 1 kereta Proton Saga dan menumpangkan 2 orang individu iaitu Munusamy dan Chong. Munusamy dan Chong merupakan penumpang sahaja. Mereka tidak boleh menuntut hak ke atas kereta tersebut. Ini sama seperti Malaysia di mana pelajar-pelajar bukan Melayu adalah penumpang dalam konsep 1Malaysia. 70% hak diberikan kepada warga bukan Melayu, 30% kepada warga Melayu. Jika ia merupakan beliau, beliau hanya berikan 30% kepada warga bukan Melayu dan 70% kepada warga Melayu.

She gave an example where she owns a Proton Saga automobile, and has 2 passengers, Munusamy and Chong. Munusamy and Chong are merely passengers. They have no right over the car. This is similar to Malaysia, where non-Malay students are passengers within the 1Malaysia concept. 70% of rights are given to the non-Malays, 30% to the Malays. If it were her, she would only give 30% to the non-Malays and 70% to the Malays.
(source: Student's police report, as posted by Malaysia-Today)

Almost sounds like something straight out of the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) playbook, if one didn’t know any better. And why this fixation of 30% by the school principal, named as Hajjah Siti Insyak Bte Mansor? Where did she get the idea that in the 1Malaysia concept, non-Malays get 70% of rights, compared to 30% of rights given to the Malays?

Aren’t all Malaysians equal citizens, regardless of ethnicity or creed? What gives?

Frankly, Walski is not really shocked that this kind of bigotry exists in Malaysia. He sees it online day in, day out. What he does find shocking is that people like this are allowed to be school principals. Heck, she doesn’t even have the right to teach, much less head a school. Incidences like this lends credence to the accusation that bigotry in Malaysia is institutionalized.

Granted, Walski acknowledges the fact that this kind of behavior is not condoned by the Education Ministry. But the ministry should do no less than to sack this person. The usual MoE modus operandi of transferring her to another school is only transferring the problem.

But what is the root-cause of such despicable behavior? And sadder still, this school principal has performed the Haj, an important obligation required of a Muslim to perform in his or her lifetime. Is this an example of religion being worn on one’s sleeve, while the soul and conscience remain as rotten as ever? Going by the date stated in the report, what Hajjah Siti Insyak said was on the second day of Ramadhan. Did she really think that her blatant display of bigotry would please God? Seriously, Walski has known many atheists who behave better than this, and have kinder dispositions toward other people.

Perhaps what happened is a symptom of the incessantly belligerent loud screams from organizations like Perkasa, whom we seem to be hearing from on a daily basis, and reported with such gusto and pride by the Malay-language mainstream press, as if Perkasa’s antics and demands are the best thing since roti banjir.

And when online personalities, who openly support organizations like Perkasa, make bigoted statements and threats of violence, Walski cannot help but be concerned. Take, for example, this idiot who goes by the handle Perkasa_Liberal.

Is this the kind of thinking Perkasa promotes?

Not very endearing to your fellow humans, if you were to ask Walski. The tweet above was apparently a reply to former PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin. If the image above is a bit of an eye-test, what the tweet says is this:

YB @zulkiflinoordin, السلام عليكم .... This is how I feel about the Chinese and Indian if they still keep on asking us for more and more and more.... I'm will to go for war....

And this is not just a one-off-kilter tweet from Perkasa_Liberal. His/Her tweets are almost all like that, over-flowing with sheer loathing and hate. Walski dreads to wonder what kind of person this is in real life.

It really stretches the imagination to figure out how someone can have so much vitriol in one’s heart, and be so consumed by bigotry. Is this the kind of ideologically bankrupt individual Perkasa has successfully created?

Because if you live and breathe whatever Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa have to say, and think it the gospel truth, you would probably end up thinking that life is indeed hopeless, and it’s all the fault of the ubiquitous “others”, whom you believe own more than 70% of everything you see. Including, in would seem, your own self-esteem.

Going back to our school principal earlier, how many more of such bigotry-infested individuals are there in our school system? More importantly, why are they allowed to be there in the first place?

Something very interesting, though, is how the school principal understands the 1Malaysia concept. It would really be a useful exercise to find out how such a warped understanding could be arrived at. Again, it is as if her entire world-view has been shaped by the rhetoric of Perkasa and UMNO, and reinforced by what BTN has purportedly been saying during their courses.

But if it is the root-cause that we’re after, perhaps the real answer lies in what writer Kee Thuan Chye wrote towards the end of his response to Ridhuan Tee’s piece, published earlier today at Free Malaysia Today.

"Really, it is this fixation on the issue of race that has brought our country into a fine mess."

Walski couldn’t agree more – especially about the “fine mess” part. We have somehow developed this tendency to view and measure just about everything from the race angle.

It may be that from the physical point of view, Malaysia has come a very long way from where we were 53 years ago. 48 years ago, even, when Malaysia proper came into being. But beneath the shiny veneer of physical development, we seem to be drifting further apart as a people, with each passing day.

The Hajjah Siti Insyaks and Perkasa_Liberals around us are clear signs of this. But more than that, they are obvious indications of just how deep we’ve gone in our descent from greatness.

How much deeper and further do we have to go before we say enough is enough?

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

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Technorati tags: Politics, Commentary, Cybertroopers, UMNO

Walski came across this article at The Malaysian Insider on Friday, and he really couldn’t help but laugh. Out loud.

t

Like, exactly who are these “cyber friends” that Tengku Adnan is referring to? Because if it’s folks who Walski thinks the man is referring to, quite honestly, you don’t need enemies. 
(when “friends” do damage, and more, in the full post)

There apparently is a large number of bloggers and twitterers that are pro-BN (mostly pro-UMNO) and pro-anything-resembling-Malay/Islam-rights. These are quite easy to spot: they are vehemently against Pakatan Rakyat, especially toxic when it comes to DAP, call PKR “traitors to the Malay race”, and paint PAS as an “anti-Islamic” party. It would probably be an interesting exercise to compile an aggregated RSS list dedicated to this group of UMNO “cyber friends”.

“Friends”, for example, like the über foul-mouthed Parpukari (pictured on the right), who literally has annoyed so many people on Twitter, that it really is a wonder who he’s trying to convince. Walski’s tried, but there’s simply no rational and intelligent way to engage with this one.

But his most rancid garbage can be found on his blog House PK. The trademark of this blog is that the post titles are usually ALL CAPS, which in the cyberworld is indicative of someone SHOUTING ALL THE DAMN TIME.

It’s one thing if Parps shouts about things factual. Most of the time, his shouting involves spewing conjecture, and when he’s not doing that, it’s screaming outright lies.

Take for example what he wrote last Thursday, accusing DAP of being behind a beer giveaway ad in The Star.

Click image to download post (PDF, in Bahasa Malaysia)

And what does he offer as proof to back his claim? Nothing. Not one single iota of substance to back up his accusation and conjecture. And this posting is considered mild, language-wise, compared to what he’s written in the past.

Lambasting DAP seems to be one of the favorite activities of these UMNO “cyber friends”, and creating untrue stories (i.e. big fat lies) are like second nature. Parps is not alone in this department, however. Another blogger, who goes by the handle Papa Gomo, uses pretty much the same modus operandi.

For example, earlier this month, a former Permatang (Selangor) state assembly member Datuk Abdul Aziz Mohd Noh was found dead, with his personal assistant, in what appeared to be a murder suicide (via The Malaysian Insider). In a posting dated August 3rd, without offering a shred of evidence, Papa Gomo pins the blame for the incident on DAP, stating that the party is responsible (full posting can be downloaded here).

Another interesting example would be The Unspinners, who are themselves wildly spinning yarns. Like their recent posting, in which they claim the reluctance of a number of Malaysian Chinese in providing personal and household information during the ongoing 2010 census being because of a syndicate whose aim is to increase the Malaysian Chinese population illegally.

Proof? None. Conjecture? Plenty. Blatant lies? Most likely.

Interestingly, all of the blogs Walski has mentioned above are part of an incestuous network, where one will reference the posting of another in their own “Must Read” posts. Examples of blogs in this network include Taiping Mali, M.I.M. (Minda Intelek Melayu – ironically), AIDC, and Pisau.net, among others.

It is not very clear if these folks are affiliated with UMNO’s New Media Unit (Unit Media Baru – UMB) or not, but on Twitter there is frequent communications between them and the head of the UMB, Tun Faisal Ismail.

Their idea of “countering” negative reporting or blogging against UMNO and BN is to launch ad hominem attacks, whose end result, Walski feels, is two-fold: it makes thinking Malaysians loathe them and UMNO/BN even more, and they end up preaching to their own choir.

Another interesting characteristics of the bloggers mentioned in this post is their opposition to certain progressive personalities within UMNO itself. For example, they really hate Khairy Jamaluddin’s guts, and insinuate that Khairy isn’t fit to helm UMNO Youth.

Walski found it hilarious to think that these are the kind of “cyber friends” that Tunku Adnan is possibly hoping for, to help uplift UMNO’s image. Granted, the article was talking primarily about UMNO’s presence within Facebook, but these blog cybergoons have been wreaking their own kind of mayhem for far longer.

Seriously, with friends like these, who the hell needs enemies?

Walski’s Freedom of Speech disclaimer footnote: In no way is Walski implying that the bloggers and cyber-personalities mentioned here don’t have the right to say what they wish, no matter how skewed their opinions may be. Without proof, one can claim all sorts of things… innuendos, conjecture and lies should be recognized for what they are, and not regarded as “truths” – half, or whole. But the question remains: if other folks have been prosecuted and persecuted for stating things more factual, why aren’t these people subjected to the same stringent scrutiny?

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

Poll Position: If it weren't for double-standards, we wouldn't have any standards at all...

Technorati tags: Poll Position, Opinion Poll, Police Action, Anti-ISA Vigils

This was something of an obvious poll, in the sense that Walski already knew what the majority of participants’ response would be.

And 73% is pretty much a majority whichever way you wanna cut it.
(the natives are restless, and more, in the full post)

What was most telling was the fact that NOBODY picked the response that the government is serious in improving law enforcement. Not one single person. It’s an indication that the public has serious trust issues when it comes to the police and what they do. And it also is an indication that the people feel the police are being deployed not to keep the peace, per se, but to quell healthy dissent.

The ISA was introduced in 1960 to the then government’s bid to combat the Communist Party of Malaya. According to historical record, though, it was an act that was very reluctantly introduced.

When the ISA was introduced in 1960, solemn promises were made in Parliament by then prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, his deputy Tun Abdul Razak and the Minister of Home Affairs Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, that the law will be used judiciously and only against communists, terrorists and subversives.
(source: Centre for Policy Initiatives "FAQs on ISA")

August 1st, two Sundays ago, marked 50 years of the ISA being in force. But over the years since its introduction, the ISA has been applied beyond its promised scope of use. In particular, it has been used against political dissenters, particularly during the years of the Mahathir administration, most notably Operasi Lalang in 1987.

But calls for its repeal have pretty much fallen on deaf ears. The best that the government is willing to do is to review it. Which is not what Walski thinks the majority of Malaysians want.

As can be seen from the results, there is a small minority of folks who actually believe that the ISA is an unalienable Malay right. Strange, but unfortunately true. These are probably the same people who think that Perkasa is the best thing since instant nasi lemak.

There were two Other responses that the poll participants provided:

• fcuk
• The cops are like cows

Now, Walski reckons that “fcuk” doesn’t refer to the popular fashion brand, but rather a more polite way of the poll responder expressing his/her outrage.

“The cops are like cows” response? Well, that’s a clue indicating what 3% felt – that “cows don’t have feelings”. Walski’s not exactly sure if the 3% actually caught on to what he was trying to imply, however.

Another thing that was telling was how 11% responded, that “Malaysia is beyond redemption and it’s time to leave”. Telling of the fact that how fed up some folks are, and not just with how the police seemingly practise double-standards either. The proverbial natives, as they say, are restless.

But will the BN/UMNO-led government take heed? Or will they continue to live in their own realm of denial, convincing themselves “semuanya OK”?

On a related note, to end this post, is this news item from a few days ago.

The impression that our Foreign Minister was desperately trying to give is that the crackdown had nothing to do with BN. It’s a position that many thinking people would be very skeptical of. Nice words and promises, nevertheless.

The question Walski has, though, Anifah – what the fuck are you waiting for?

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

The second coming of 2nd COMING

Technorati tags: Music, Antares, 2nd Coming, Independent Music

Walski got an e-mail a few days ago from someone he’s not heard from in a while. Many of you probably also know this particular someone, by the various names he's gone by over the years.

In any case, the someone who e-mailed Walski was Antares, the eclectic mind behind Magick River (among other things). And essentially, the e-mail was to alert Walski about the second coming.

Of what, you may ask? Well, not of any deified prophet, nor of the second coming of an anally-inspired exercise in faux justice. Nope. Quite simply, it is the second coming of this:

Soon to be reissued: 2nd Coming (on limited release CD)

2nd Coming was Antares’ second solo album first released in 1986 on cassette. For you kiddos out there, cassette tape was a popular means of music distribution, particularly among independent musicians. CDs, which were already around, were still prohibitively expensive for many, and so cassettes were at the time the de facto independent music distribution medium.

But that was then, and this is now – and the time for Malaysians to be reintroduced to this fantastic piece of work. On CD this time around. 
(exploring 2nd Coming, and more, in the full post)

2nd Coming was release under the name E. Manu Eel, as you can tell from cover image above. Antares explains the reason this name was used instead of his own, in a blog posting announcing the reissue.

The posting also talks about the first-time release back in 1986, and what moved Antares to reissue 2nd Coming. Or, in Antares’ own words, “to unleash it on a whole new generation”.

Unfortunately, Walski has not had the opportunity to listen to the whole album in its entirety. But going by the one track that he has heard, 2nd Coming promises to be an interesting aural adventure into mystical sonic soundscapes.

The one track that Walski has listened to can be found here (via Reverbnation) – look for the track entitled Terminal Hierophantiasis. It starts off with a slow orientalish intro, which lulls you into believing you’ve been transported to a surreal hymnic tea garden, before fuller rhythmic orchestral-electonica waves wash you over for the rest of the almost 6-minute journey into the exoteric realm of the digital rainforest. Part Kitaro, part Negativland, but all Antares, the track left Walski wanting more of this surrealistic aural experience.

Frankly, bearing in mind that this was from 1986 originally, Terminal Hierophatiasis is impressively ahead of its time. And being that the entire album has been digitally remastered (by Daniel Schwörer - aka DJ Sanuk), this is one release that Walski can safely say he’s really looking forward to, slated for sometime early September.

For those interested, Antares has provided instructions on what you need to do to pre-book your copy. Antares has indicated that he intends to press only a few hundred copies, so you may want to make sure you reserve yours.

Walski missed 2nd Coming the first time around – primarily because he was in a far-away land at the time. But rest assured that he has no intention of missing the second coming of 2nd Coming.

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

Poll Position: The Potential Destructiveness of Politicizing Islam

Technorati tags: Opinion Poll, Poll Position, Results, Commentary

Based on the last poll done, the results are overwhelming – the politicization of Islam in Malaysia is NOT a good thing.

It’s a result that Walski personally agrees with.

Any time religion is politicized – any religion – it’s never good news. And when a particular religion gets irreversibly intertwined with governmental policy, and then gets politicized, you know it’s REALLY bad news. 
(poll analysis, and more, in the full post)

The politicization of Islam that Walski alludes to is the fact that UMNO has been increasingly been using Islam as a means to garner Malay support, which the party believes it has lost to rival PAS.

Evidence of this includes the recent recruitment of 40 or so young clerics (ulama) into UMNO that was heavily publicized. But the most obvious is how various personalities within UMNO incessantly dredge up the idea of unity talks between the party and PAS, despite the latter’s insistence that it ain’t gonna happen. Even the Mufti of Perak recently got himself into the limelight over this, when he claimed that he was approached by individuals within PAS to broker unity talks, a claim that has since been denied by PAS.

So, despite whatever Ibrahim Ali says, you can’t deny the fact that Islam is being used as a political leverage. Because the reality is like the proverbial elephant – it’s in the room, but Ibrahim Ali simply refuses to acknowledge its presence.

As if on cue, Perkasa now seems to be talking more about insults against Islam, rather than their usual Malay rights diatribe. One really has to be several bricks short of a full house to not see this. In doing so, whether sanctioned by the party or not, Perkasa is also portraying itself to be UMNOs mouthpiece.

Be that as it may, an overwhelming 86% agreed that that the increased politicization of Islam in Malaysia will lead to more polarization, which in turn won’t lead to anything good.

There were three other responses that were offered by 6% of the poll participants:

• a sign that Malaysia will end up in the longkang (drain)
• spur the secularists to join forces. Yeehaaawww
• a desperate attempt to cling on to power

And consistent with the 86%, none of the Other respondents thought that the increased politicization was a good thing either. Or, at least, that’s how Walski looks at it.

In fact, only 8% didn’t see the increased politicization as negative – 6% felt that it was actually a good thing, while the remaining 2% thought that it was a figment of Walski’s imagination. In other words, taking the Ibrahim Ali denial approach.

At the end of the day, both UMNO and PAS are political parties, nothing more and certainly nothing less. As one poll participant quite succinctly put it,

"It’s not peace in heaven that religion is after, but political power here on Earth...."
(source: Poll commenter Siti Kasim)

Malaysian politics on its own can be quite volatile. Add religion into the mix, and what you create is a situation that can be downright capricious… and definitely not something any Malaysian would want to look forward to.

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

HENN: STiG nominated for prestigious award

Technorati tags: HENN, Humor, Politics, Perkasa, STiG

Perkasa rep named as BUFFOON’s innaugural award nominee  
myAsylum provides another exclusive story on the nomination of Malaysia’s favorite tall hat rebel-rouser for an international award - reporting straight from Hell, and soon-to-be Hell-on-Earth, Malaysia. Another episode in the continuing series from the Hell-on-Earth News Network (HENN)

News has surfaced that prestigious international organization, the Bureau for the Ubiquitously Foolish, Flagrant, Obnoxious, and Odiously Nonsensical (BUFFOON) has nominated STiG – (aka Perkasa’s Songkok Tinggi Guy, aka Arman Azha Hj. Abu Hanifah) – for the prestigious Mirage Award.

According to BUFFOON Asia Pacific representative, Ms. Heeza Dumaaz, the Mirage Award was set up to recognize outstanding achievements in certain extraordinary, if obnoxious, skills.

“Over the last several months, BUFFOON has come to recognize STiG’s innate skills in extrapolation, and articulating imagined elements found in the writing of others”, Ms Dumaaz told HENN during a telephone interview earlier today.

“Take for example how irate STiG became by superbly imagining all kinds of insults in Helen Ang’s recent CPI Malaysia article – it’s amazing! How does he come up with this fantastical nonsense?”

The Mirage Awards, scheduled to be awarded sometime later this year, will see BUFFOON honor the first time winner with an imaginary trophy and cash prize, whose amount has yet to be thought up.
(more reasons why STiG was nominated, in the full post)

“There are a few other reasons why we have nominated STiG,” Ms. Dumaaz explained. “One of them is that the guy has no qualms whatsoever in denying others what he himself practices, namely freedom of expression.”

Ms. Dumaaz was, of course, referring to the incident in May this year when STiG led a delegation of Perkasa members to protest against former Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim, at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) headquarters in Petaling Jaya.

Ms. Dumaaz added, that while STiG freely expresses himself in whatever way he wishes, often provocatively, the same allowance is not accorded to others when views contrary to his own are expressed.

“This was also an important criteria in why BUFFOON nominated STiG,” she said. “Granted, this is very characteristic of the organization he belongs to, but STiG has consistently shown how attuned he is in practicing the highest of double standards”.

“The fact that the delegation, led by STiG himself, managed to burn an effigy using beer as an ignition agent, also caught our attention. This is another amazing feat responsible for STiG’s nomination,” Ms. Dumaaz added.

Lastly, there’s the element of fashion.

Ms. Heeza Dumaaz added that the larger than normal songkok (traditional Malay hat) strategically fits STiG’s larger than life personality.

“It’s difficult to find individuals who accessorize themselves according to their personality, but we feel that we’ve found such an individual in STiG,” Ms. Dumaaz said.

HENN attempted to reach the big-headed-hatted Perkasa youth chief, but STiG could not be contacted for comment. We have been informed that at the time, he was busy gloating on his Facebook page, and preparing to submit yet another needless police report, this time against journalist Helen Ang.

Will STiG manage to beat all the other imaginary nominees, and make Malaysia proud for having one of its citizens win the prestigious Mirage Award? Granted he’s a very annoying Malaysian citizen, but HENN believes that all and sundry should be proud when one of their own achieves something. Even something as nonsensical as the Mirage Award.

HENN will keep close tabs on how this story develops, and if Malaysia once again graces its name in the record books. 
(© 2010 - Hell-on-Earth News Network)

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

Opinion Poll: Police action against anti-ISA vigil

Technorati tags: Opinion Poll, Poll Position, Anti-ISA Vigil, Police Action

The previous poll, about politicization of Islam in Malaysia and its possible effects, has closed. We’ll discuss the results in a later post. Walski thought he should let you folks know about the new poll first.

Unless you’ve been living under a cyber-rock, or have just chosen to ignore it, you’ll know that Sunday, August 1st marked 50 years that the Internal Security Act (1960), better known as the ISA, has been in existence.

And predictably, the police issued a statement warning folks not to attend the vigils, which were declared illegal. Also, predictably, the police were present in full riot garb at the vigils in Petaling Jaya and Penang. Several people were arrested at both vigils, and were later released on police bail. As far as he can tell, no arrests were made at the Ipoh vigils, nor at other vigil locations.

But then, the same kind of action was not applied in a few other protests and “illegal assemblies”. Those that come to mind would be the Cowhead Incident, the protest against the Australian MPs, and several other public rallies and protests, including yesterday’s Perkasa-led protest memo event (which wasn’t much more than just a PR exercise, from Walski’s perspective).

Being a reasonable person, Walski has to ask, why so? Why the difference in police response? It would also be helpful to note that the Aussie MP protest was also declared to be an illegal gathering by the police (via The Malay Mail). And as we now know, the eventual police response was VERY different.

When Walski asks such questions, you know an opinion poll can’t be all that far behind… and therefore, predictably, he put one up this past Monday, asking exactly that: why the difference in treatment and response by the Royal Malaysian Police.
(the poll details, and more, in the full post)

The poll will be up until the end of this week, Sunday, August 8th. As with previous polls, Blogger sites can easily embed the poll by clicking on the Add to Blogger button, located below the poll (on the sidebar). Wordpress blogs, too, can easily add the poll by using the short-code [polldaddy poll="3558004"]. Other sharing/embedding options are available at the Polldaddy.com poll location.

Walski strongly encourages you to do this for the simple reason that he’d like opinions from across the political and (if possible) social divide. It’s no fun to do these polls when you know your audience is of a particular leaning, and therefore will have predictable results.

Once the poll has closed, Walski will discuss the results, and only THEN will he disclose what he personally thinks. It’s only fair that way.

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

Changes are 12 inches...

Technorati tags: Blog Makeover, Under Construction, Work In Progress

Update August 1, 2010: Massive changes planned have been put on hold for now. See full post for details.

And for most people, 12 inches make a foot...

So, look at the picture below, then do the math.

(explaining the obvious, and more, in the full post)

Kidding aside, Walski has decided that a blog makeover is overdue. It’s been, what, over a year since he’s done any major layout work? Well, whatever the duration, it’s high time.

So, over the course of the next few days, you’ll be seeing this blog transform. Not into Optimus Prime or an 18-wheeler, but transform into a new template. During that time, certain blog elements may seem askew and out of place.

Key thing is – DON’T PANIC. It will still be pretty much the same myAsylum you’ve grown to love. Or loathe, as the case may be. Except that it’ll be in new clothing.

And this time around, Walski has decided that the new clothing this blog wears will be something tailored by Blogger (courtesy of their recently introduced Template Designer). Just so that things Walski adds later work the way they should.

3rd party templates (like the current one) don’t always behave predictably when you add stuff, and quite frankly, Walski doesn’t really have the luxury of time to do troubleshooting these days. The last thing he wants is for visitors to have to put up with a broken, semi-functioning blog.

Except during this brief period of construction, of course.

Finally, in the interest of safety, kindly observe the caution signs while you navigate through the blog while it’s undergoing re-constructive surgery. And please try not to topple the side bars…

Update (August 1, 2008)
Having done some preliminary template tests live on myAsylum, Walski has found that there are a number of unexpected problems that have emerged in deploying a new template. That, and the templates he’s found just don’t reflect the feel Walski’s looking for. Therefore, after due consideration, he’s decided that there should be further testing and analysis done before going live with the new look. And the testing ground for this, as it has traditionally been, will be over at myAsylum reLoaded.

It also means that for the time being, you are gonna be stuck with this template for this blog. Which isn’t all that bad, all things considered…

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