Melayu Über Clueless

Technorati tags: Race, Racism, Royalty, BBPM, Clueless

Walski comes home from his most recent trip, fires up the notebook, and finds this.

Now, some of you may view this post as being anti-Royal. If it had been, there would have been a whole tirade against this one Crown Prince, including talking at length about the dangers of close-relative marriages...

Well it's not. It's anti-Cluelessness. And Walski, in truth, doesn't know much about the Kelantan Crown Prince, Tengku Faris Petra - other than that he's the Crown Prince of Kelantan, and that up till 3 years ago (give or take) was the only bachelor crown prince in Malaysia.

But somehow, Walski has a distinct and nagging feeling that the Tengku didn't write this keynote speech. The part in the Malaysiakini article stating an 11-page prepared text was probably the big giveaway. It souded like a speech designed to play to the gallery. Of 1,000 clueless individuals.

Walski also realizes that this newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu (Malay Unity Action Front - or MUAF, which coincidentally rhymes with BARF) probably doesn't speak on behalf of all Malays. Only on behalf of those who just don't get the reality of the fast-evolving world around them. And on behalf of the same people most likely to get left behind, stuck in a paradigm that's quickly becoming fossilized.

Regardless, these racial ultras have just found themselves a new royal patron - not the sharpest tool in the shed, by the sounds of it - but a royal patron nonetheless.

So, why does Walski think that these folks are clueless? Well the Malaysiakini report does provide a few clues... of über cluelessness.
(clueless uber alles, and more, in the full post)

The Malaysiakini article quoted above has since been reworded. The clipping you see is the original, while the one that you'll find online now has been rewritten. Like the first paragraph, shown below, with the altered portion highlighted.

Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had given into granting non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.

The word "coerced" now conspicuously missing. The original, of course, read "... had been coerced into giving..." instead of the new, slightly less contentious wording. But the gist is the same - non-Malays should just accept being unequal citizens.

Clueless.

There is a term where citizens coexist on unequal basis of rights - apartheid.

“Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.

“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text.

However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion.
(source: Malaysiakini - subscription required)

At the end of the day, it's all about uniting the Malays, nothing more, nothing less. Come hell, highwater, or blatant discrimination. But at the same time, the rights of the non-Malays must also be protected.

Huh? Like saying that you can have your cake, eat it and then grab someone else's cake just for good measure.

So, which is it? Confused? So are these clueless people, it appears. But wait, there's more...

“In fact, if Malay rights and special privileges are taken care of and is not disturbed, it would ensure national harmony. It does not just benefit the Malays but all ethnic groups,” he said.
(source: Malaysiakini - subscription required)

Now that almost sounds like a veiled threat - uphold Malay special rights, everyone's safe, but challenge it and watch the fuck out! Slick.

But the comedy doesn't end there. The biggest hint that these people haven't the slightest clue about - well, anything much in the real world of the now - comes later in the report.

In his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority.

“The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and facing other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically,” he said.
(source: Malaysiakini - subscription required)

No, the election results have shown that it's not just about race anymore, but about good governance. Get that into your thick coconuts.

Nevermind that BN is not a Melayu-only coalition... minor detail. Why? To these folk, at least, their viewpoint is that only UMNO matters, and the other components are just there to comply to UMNO's every fancy. Unless, of course, this is actually the reality of the race-based coalition.

In other words, it's okay to have an inept, corrupt and clueless government, as long as its Malay leadership is not challenged. Wake up and smell the globalization, people. Malaysia, for the most part has come a long way. There are those, however, clearly left behind in the glorified, romantic feudalism of the the pre-20th century.

And quite frankly, apart from finding these people funny - both in the ha-ha and bizarre senses - what Walski really feels for these people is pity. Pity that they can only see as far as the limited Melayu sphere - their own comfort tempurung, so to speak. Because, the world is changing, and the inability to accept change is going to be their own undoing.

Them, and whichever royal patron clueless enough to buy into the rhetoric of racial supremacy and limited vision.

Related posts from elsewhere in the bloggerhood (as of 0933hrs):
►► Full Text of the Speech (in Bahasa Malaysia, via A Voice)

► Bersatu kita Teguh, Bercerai kita Roboh (A New Dawn for Penang)
► Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra is Way Out of Royal Line ... (Aarvidi’s Weblog)
► Spitting Towards The Sky (Aisehman)
► The Malay, non-Malay cat & mouse game (Anak Merdeka)
► Tengku Faris: Don’t question Malay rights (Bangsaku... Bangsa Malaysia!)
► Ketuanan Melayu tercabar - Kaum lain lebih dominan dari segi politik, ekonomi – Tengku Faris (Bangsaku Melayu)
► A case of trying too hard (Beautiful Malaysian)
► Lindungi hak istimewa Melayu (Berita Panas)
► You have GOT to be kidding me. (convicted certainty)
► Racial inequality as a norm (Dai Lan Tong)
► Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality (Edi神's Footprints)
► Kelantan Crown Prince 'slapped' non-Malays in face! (KTemoc Konsiders)
► Many Apples in a Barrel (Malaysia Today)
► Not Rational To Seek Complete Equality Amongst Malaysians For Historical Reasons - Crown Prince of Kelantan (Malaysiana1)
► The New Malaysian Dilemma (Maverick SM - Cakap Tak Serupa Bikin)
► no national unity without malay unity (Lucia Lai - Mental Jog)
► Jika ketuanan Melayu hilang...! (Penyokong KJ)
► Fu*k you Tengku Faris & MCA (Perspective of Monk)
► K'tan clown prince clueless on basis of social contract (Sean The Man)
► A New Patron of UMNO (Seventh Rangers [Mechanized])
► Prince: Not appropriate for other ethnic groups to ask for equality and priviledges (Simply Puteri)
► Tengku Faris Petra... I'm Speechless! (Surind)
►Malays Special (Teh's Tales, Ian's Yarns)
► Perhimpunan Perpaduan Melayu (Teja)
► Non-malays owed Tun Mahathir a big thank you! (Tell You Something)
► Tengku Faris: Non Malays should not seek equality (The Edge)
► Tell Me Which Country In The Civilized World Does Not Accord Rightful Citizenship and Equal Rights After 3 Generations of Residency (The Sensintrovert)
► Tengku Faris: You are WRONG! (Tides of Change)
► Who is creating racial tension now??? (Young Journalist)

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

Gunfight at the KLIA Corral...

Technorati tags: Gunfight, KLIA, Security, Royal Malaysian Police

Walski's currently in Kota Kinabalu (or KK) attending a couple of meetings. The real bad news is that the hotel he's staying at doesn't have internet access - a real bummer for travelling business folk, and a big bummer for this one blogger. This post, therefore, comes to you courtesy of the Warisan Square Starbucks...

Getting to KK requires one to fly thru KLIA...

In any case, to get to KK from Kuala Lumpur, unless you travel on the cheap, you typically would have to fly out from KL International Airport (KLIA) - which, to be fair has garnered quite a number of worldwide awards. And quite frankly, KLIA is really not a bad airport. Except for the toilets - but then again, that's a perennial Malaysian problem.

Being a frequent traveller, however, two recent news items have kinda gotten Walski a little disconcerted. The first is the incident of how a Dhaka-bound passenger managed to get on board his flight with a knife - not sure however if we're talking Swiss Army or bigger size, but knives are a definite no-no on board. Granted, these things do happen, and to their credit, Malaysia Airports has suspended the security officer on duty, pending an investigation.

But it's the shootout story that got Walski a little rattled... now, everybody can become armed robbers...
(how secure is secure, and more, in the full post)

KLIA, however, is not to blame, in this case, Walski feels. Quite frankly, it would be very difficult to screen traffic in and out of the airport area, unless you do what Tokyo Narita Airport does - there, they stop every single vehicle coming into the airport area, and subject each vehicle to security inspections. As far as Walski remembers, they've been doing that since day one, due to the protests when the airport first opened way back when.

A case like this, however, does highlight the fact that the Royal Malaysian Police have really done a lousy job in keeping crime down, particularly in recent years, evidenced by the alarming rise in crime, and in violent crimes, specifically.

The news report doesn't exactly state at what time of day the robbery took place. Another question that crossed Walski's mind: where were the traffic police who are supposed to be stationed at the departure (and arrival) area?

It really makes Walski wonder sometimes - how is it that with the stringent gun laws we have in this country, so much armed robbery is taking place? Yeah, okay - they're mostly probably smuggled from neighboring countries where firearms are more readily available.

Or is there some truth to the allegations that organized crime (as this case has been classified) is being "protected" by members of the very same organization that's supposed to be keeping the country safe? Are incidents like the shootout at KLIA acceptable "collateral damage" - implicit arrangements so that organized crime is kept alive and well for purposes that escape Walski's understanding?

Fortunately, no one was killed in the process of the robbery. But getting hurt by gunfire is definitely no fun either, and 5 people were casualties in this instance.

Walski, by the way, couldn't help to snicker a little at what was written in the Malaysiakini report, right at the end: "The incident did not cause any flight delays".

And in particular, Walski's also pretty sure that the armed robbers' flight was pretty much on schedule, too. Now, if only the airlines could give similar guarantees.

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

HENN: Interview from the Depths of Nowhere

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, HENN, Interview, Politics, Hermit

Q&A with a Prognosticating Hermit Seer
myAsylum managed to catch up with a semi-infamous hermit seer, deep in the jungles of someplace - 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)

Swami Maha Sri Ali-G Ellison Shripashtusaktivel Bassui Basho Bodhi Elektrik Smith is most likely not a household name to most. But preliminary investigations by Hell-on-Earth News Network (HENN), in cooperation with myAsylum's intrepid team of C.R.A.P. (Cybernetic Remote Autonomous Pararoaches), revealed that Swami Smith is renowned in many disjointed circles to be the best authority in prognosticating the future. Particularly when it comes to piecing together current political clues, conjecture and general malfunctionary rumor tit-bits.

HENN despatched its two top-notch investigative reporters, Ben Dover and Thakit Likaman, recently exhumed for this specific task, to conduct an interview with Swami Smith. The purpose? Well, to interview Swami Smith. But more importantly, to get first-hand prognostication as to what the political landscape would look like, both in Malaysia and internationally.

As the Swami's threats for us to keep his location secret were pretty damn clear, our investigative reporters were taken blindfolded on a long journey by trains, planes and broken down mini buses, and finally on foot, deep in the deepest depths of someplace which was deep in the thick of the forest somewhere. The interview, conducted about a week ago, revealed some very shocking hallucinary visions of what the next 12 months would look like.

HENN: First of all, thank you very much for granting us this interview, most reverend Swami Maha Sri Ali...

Swami Smith: Just call me Jack. Or Swami Smith, if you prefer. And you are most welcome. Pardon the mess, but I've just returned from my New York vacation. And careful of the leaches - haven't gotten around to house-breaking them yet...

HENN: New York?

Swami Smith: Yes... you regular folk prefer vacationing in quiet places, no? Well, we hermits prefer the big cities... especially the ones with Starbucks cafes. You wouldn't believe the amount of e-mail that piles up after a few years in seclusion... Free Wi-Fi is just da bomb...

HENN: Oo-kay... So, first off, Swami Smith, being based in Malaysia, we were wondering..........

Swami Smith: ... about the recent political tsunami, and what the next 12 months are going to be like?

HENN: Yes... how did...

Swami Smith: ... I know? Haaa... I see everything... past, present, future.... I am after all, the world's best prognosticator... Liverpool winning the Champions League in 2005? I foresaw that back in 2001.... I see all, I know all.... But back to your question... I see a group of very disgruntled brownish-skin people waving pointy sticks... unhappy... unhappy.... I see one very sleepy old man... I see the phrase... sabun taj... what the hell is sabun taj?

HENN: Oh, you mean sabotage?

Swami Smith: Aah... yes.... sorry... my Oracle vision is a little off... you know... age and all...
(prognosticating for fun and prophet, and more silliness, in the full post)

At this point, a ghostly digital mist appeared behind Swami Smith, revealing a 50-some year old frumpy old hag...

Oracle: You called, Jack?

Swami Smith: What the... not now, you deaf bitch! I told you I call your name three times... then you come...

Oracle: 3 times?

Swami Smith: Is there an echo here? Begone, wench!

At which point the old digitized hag disappeared, like a ghostly image on a broken CRT

Swami Smith: Sorry... she's a little hard of hearing these days... So, where were we? Oh, sabotage... yes, yes... the people of Malaysia are accused of sabotage...

HENN: The people of Malaysia? We thought it was just a few...

Swami Smith: ... party poopers? Noooo.... that's not what the sleepy old man meant.... But babble as he wishes... I see your country is fast being overcome by a beast.... and this fast growing beast is called Achromatopsia... but colorless, for some reason...

HENN: So you mean UMNO's days are numbered? And BN?

Swami Smith: I see many numbers.... 50, 8, 13, 83, 69, 71... I see a bicycle... Ra..liegh? Ya, ya.... But the bicycle has punctured tires... Oh, excuse me..

Swami Smith picks up his mobile phone and calls out the numbers he had just mentioned...

Swami Smith: Sorry... had to call my bookie.... so, where were we?

HENN: We were talking about BN...

Swami Smith: Aaah yessssss.... the white-on-blue scales.... but wait... now I see just a plain blue background... which just turned colorless, too... wait, now it's turned red... oh... colorless again...

HENN: What about race-based politics?

Swami Smith: Ferrari will win the F1 Constructors Trophy again this year much to FIA's displeasure.... oh, you mean racial party politics? Hmmm... wait a moment while I consult the Oracle bones...

Oracle: [appearing once more in 64 zillion colors] Now, Jack?

Swami Smith: NO! Go! Go! Deaf bitch... [jiggling around his Oracle bones] Naah... they don't say anything... must be some database corruption... oh, wait... yes, yes.... Ferrari will definitely win again this year...

HENN: So you see BN fading away over time?

Swami Smith: No, not over time, over every little reality that goes against their entrenched status quo. They have absolutely no power over time... it's not like they're Hiro Nakamura... as if!

HENN: Oh... you get Heroes here, too?

Swami Smith: Not really... it's this Psychic TV network playing reruns in my head... It's like Yatta! Yatta! Yatta! everytime I try to close my eyes at night... annoying as hell....

HENN: So, back to what we were talking about... how do you see the new coalition of opposition parties? What's their future like?

Swami Smith: I see breasts...

HENN: Huh?

Swami Smith: Yes... huge 36D ones... but with only a 34A bra available.... too much to handle... too much to handle... YATTA! Oh, sorry... ya... their cups runneth over....

HENN: So, what you're saying is...

Swami Smith: One cup size at a time... one cup size at a time....

HENN: Okay... we think we understand... we think... But what about the economy? There are fears that the bubble is now bursting...

Swami Smith: ... not as much as the 34A bra is...

HENN: You seem to have this fixation on breasts...

Swami Smith: It's lonely being a hermit in the middle of fucking nowhere...

HENN: Changing the subject somewhat, do you see the recent election results pave the way to a more harmonious coexistence between people of the different faiths?

Swami Smith: Ahh... my favorite subject... religion... The funny thing about religion, though, is that every single individual thinks they are exclusively right, and everybody else is wrong... [jiggles his bones]... and the bones say that there are a few that want to ensure people of various religions don't get along... it helps their agenda...

HENN: That's terrible. Can you tell us who?

Swami Smith: The bones say... [jiggling his bones some more]... No. But the bones say it should be pretty damn obvious.

HENN: So, back to UMNO and BN... is there a path to positive rebuilding?

Swami Smith: I see a baking dish.... a square baking dish.... and the cook is trying to make a round cake... but sadly, as hard as the cook tries, the cake keeps coming out square...

HENN: Cryptic, aren't we?

Swami Smith: You may think you know me, but you really don't know Jack.

~ to be continued ~

Our investigative reporting team of Ben Dover and Thakit Likaman, at this point, decided to take a break, and despatched the interview immediately thru the trains, planes and broken down mini buses required to get from this undisclosed location, deep in the depths of someplace with a pretty darn thick jungle, back to HENN central. With the raw data, our investigators attached a note, which reads:

More of the interview to come... but the damn Swami was starting to get on our nerves, and the leaches getting into our underpants. We had to take a break... He gets pretty cryptic when it comes to substantiative issues, and downright off the wall at other times. Readers may need some deciphering help, if this is published un-deciphered. Unsure how long we'll be here (it's one long, long trip), but we promise at least one more posting. Assuming we don't croak from anemia first.

Peace, Love & Rockets
B.D. & T.L.
March 31, 2008 - Middle of Fucking Nowhere

And so, on that equally cryptic post-it note, we end Part One of our interview. We at HENN aren't quite sure when we'll receive the next installment, but stay tuned to this see what else Swami Maha Sri Ali-G Ellison Shripashtusaktivel BassuiBasho Bodhi Elektrik Smith has to say about politics, life and the general screwed up universe...
(© 2008 - Hell-on-Earth News Network)

HENN's decrypting the cryptical footnote - since Swami Smith has chosen not to explain many of his answers, HENN will accept any clarifications on any part of the interview. Enquiries may be forwarded via the usual channel, i.e. via the myAsylum comments mechanism. We will attempt to answer your queries as best as we possibly can...

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

Anfield: Liverpool advance to the semi-Finals

Technorati tags: Football, UEFA Champions League, Liverpool, Arsenal

One of the requisites of being a Liverpool fan is having to endure the agony of watching this team falter when you least want them to.

But not today.

Torres celebrates after putting Liverpool ahead (picture taken from BBC Sports)

Winning convincingly over Arsenal, after drawing 1-1 twice in a span of a week, Liverpool upped their game this morning to ensure them a 9th semi-final appearance in the UEFA Champions League, where they'll meet Chelsea, who beat Fenerbahce at home 2-0 (winning 3-2 on aggregate).
(a convincing win for Liverpool, in the full post)

The goal account for the evening was opened by Arsenal through Abou Diaby in the 13th minute. Sami Hyypia equalized at the half-hour mark with a header, from a Gerrard corner kick, that beat goalkeeper Almunia. The second half saw another superb goal from wonder boy Fernando Torres, putting the Reds 2-1 up in the 69th minute.

But the lead was short-lived - in the 84th minute, Adebayor finished off a great run by Theo Walcott all the way from deep in Arsenal territory. At 2-2, Arsenal would have emerged victors, courtesy of the away goals rule.

That, however, was not to be - captain Steven Gerrard put away a controversial penalty late in the second half, after Ryan Babel was brought down in the box, with 5 minutes to go in the game. Babel, however, provided the fourth and final goal 2 minutes into extra time, putting to rest any controversy, and paving the way for Liverpool to meet league rivals Chelsea in the Semi-Finals.

Waking up at 3am on some mornings is worth every sleepless moment... Watching Liverpool play in key matches is always a guaranteed emotional rollercoaster ride, and this morning's game with Arsenal was no different.

Standing is the way of another Champions League final is, of course, Chelsea, whom Liverpool will meet in the semi-finals.

Time to get some rest until the next rollercoaster ride...

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

Sufiah: Black Magic Woman?

Technorati tags: Sufiah Yusof, Black Magic, Rescue Squad, Superstition, Malays Superstition

Related post: Saving Sufiah

This would have been a perfect post topic for the HENN (Hell-on-Earth News Network) series, except for one annoying fact - that it's true. It ranks as the WTF story of the week, even though it's only Monday.

The Malay Community Association of United Kingdom (Melayu UK) are convinced that Sufiah Yusof is under a magic spell. The following is an excerpt from an entry on their website (English translation in this color, and comes from the same website, bad grammar and all. Emphasis by myAsylum):

Berdasarkan perbincangan dengan pengamal perubatan Islam dan beberapa petunjuk Ilahi, kami yakin Sufiah sekarang dibawah pengaruh sihir. Oleh itu satu delegasi dari Malaysia yang di ketuai oleh Ustaz Trimizi Zainal akan bertolak dari Malaysia pada 19hb April ini khusus untuk merawat Sufiah menggunakan kaedah perubatan Islam. Ustaz Trimizi Insya'Allah akan berada di UK selama 1 bulan dan Insya'Allah beliau akan merawat Sufiah sepanjang tempuh tersebut.

Based on discussion with Islamic medical practitioners and several divine guidance, we are convinced that Sufiah is under the influence of black magic. For that reason, a delegation from Malaysia headed by Ustaz Trimizi Zainal will depart Malaysia on 19th April to treat Sufiah using Islamic Medical practice. Ustaz Trimizi Insha'Allah will be in UK for 1 month and Insha'Allah he will treat Sufiah for the whole of the duration.
(source: Melayu UK website)

Malays and their superstitions... even if it's "Islamic"-flavored superstition, it's still superstition. When all else fails, blame it on black magic. Or anything else intangible... In fact, teen and young-age rebelliousness is very often blamed on black magic. Nevermind the stresses that the young have to endure, nevermind the differences of opinions they may have with their elders, nevermind that most parents don't have an inkling about child and adolescent psychology... it's all the fault of black magic. And this belief is very, very prevalent among the Malays.

The bulletin above was originally posted on April 1st, 2008... yeah, yeah... Walski knows what the date means... but it's definitely not an April Fools joke. Why? Because April Fools pranks are very rarely followed up with an update, a few days later.
(black magic holiday for 4, and more, in the full post)

An update, dated April 3rd, has this to say (it was posted in English, emphasis by myAsylum):

We are trying to fly in a team of 4 persons from Malaysia. Please donate generously. This effort will also enable us to build a more permanent infrastructure for the benefit of the Malay and Muslim community in the UK.
(source: Melayu UK website)

Is this part of the "Save Sufiah Program" Walski mentioned in his earlier post? And how on Earth is Black Magic treatment going to benefit the Malay and Muslim community in the UK - apart from keeping it gullible?

And Walski would also be very interested to see how this team of 4, from Malaysia - it's a nice time to be in the UK, incidentally - is going to get around the very real, no-magic-of-any-color-involved, legal obstacle of forcing treatment on someone who's not given her consent. Unless these morons plan to abduct Sufiah, Rambo-style, to some undisclosed location to carry out their "exorcism" treatment.

Abducting somebody on religious grounds may be (almost) acceptable in Malaysia, but certainly not in the UK.

Seriously, if anyone reading this knows Sufiah personally, please alert her - Walski doubts if any of these efforts are being done with her knowledge or consent. Sorry to rain on you Melayu UK folks' parade, but abduction is serious business... if that's indeed what you people are willing to resort to.

Apparently, this had been reported in the Malay Mail last Friday (April 4th) - Walski has created a PDF of the report, which you can download here. And yes, the Malay Mail report also talks about this "rescue mission" put together by Melayu UK.

For their own sake, Walski hopes that the so-called "rescue team" be very, very careful not to force their good intentions onto Sufiah... just treat it as another holiday in the UK, courtesy of some very concerned, if gullible, Melayu brethren...

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

Saving Sufiah

Technorati tags: Sufiah Yusof, News of the World, Tabloids, Perpectives, Political Opportunism

The story of Sufiah Yusof, child math prodigy - whom at one point in time Malaysia proudly claimed as her own - first came to Walski's attention via Rocky's post.

This post, by the way, is not going to follow all those other reports that you've probably already read, ad nauseum. Walski has a different perspective.

And if you happen to browse thru the various blog posts already done on this story, the sentiments seem to be the same... "oh, she needs to be saved... have to bring her back to the right path... we have to save her" - ya-da, ya-da, ya-da...

Walski wonders if anyone realizes that:

1. She's not a Malaysian citizen
2. She's of legal age, and under British law, has the right to determine what she does to/with her own body
3. Her mother may have been born in Muar, Johor, but apart from that, Sufiah is as much Malaysian as Walski is Zimbabwean

And politicians being politicians, ours were quick to pounce on the opportunity to be seen as saviors of those whom they have absolutely no jurisdiction over (via Bernama):

The Prime Minister's Department and the Malaysian Missionary Foundation (Yadim) will try to assist former child maths genius Sufiah Yusof, now aged 23 and fending for herself as a prostitute in Salford, Manchester.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Zahid Hamidi said they would help the gifted girl to return to the right path through the "Save Sufiah Programme".

"The first thing we should try to do is to contact her mother or arrange a meeting with Sufiah to find out the real reasons for her to turn to prostitution, offering her services through the Internet and using the name Shilpa Lee," he told reporters after attending a biefing by Yadim here Tuesday.

It has been reported in the "News of the World" that Sufiah is now a 130- pound an-hour hooker operating from her dingy back street flat.

The "Save Sufiah Programme" is headed by Deputy Minister in the PM's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim who will come up with strategies to assist Sufiah as soon as possible.
(source: Bernama)

Walski really wonders - exactly what are we trying to save Sufiah from?
(what we think we're saving Sufiah from, and more, in the full post)

Are we trying to save her from a (estimated) £130 per hour, £60,000 per year job (approximately RM 380k per annum - damn... even Walski doesn't make that much)?

Are we trying to save her from doing something she's quite happy doing?
For a different perspective, read this follow-up report, also from The News of The World. Yes, the original expose was shocking, but one-sided. The follow up has Sufiah telling her side of the story.

Are we trying to save her, bring her back (against her will), and then throw her into rehab?

And who's gonna foot the bill for this "Save Sufiah Program"? Most likely, it will be Walski and you - the Malaysian tax payers, that's who.

And exactly what business does the Ministry of Higher Education have in spending our tax money to assist someone who's not even a Malaysian citizen, for starters, and secondly someone who's not screaming for financial aid? Or any help, for that matter.

The fate of maths genius Sufiah Yusof, 23, who created world news by entering Oxford University at age 13 and now selling her body for a living has also drawn concern from the Higher Education Ministry.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said he would ask the Malaysian Student Department (MSD) in London to look into the matter and what drove the gifted girl to resort to prostitution.

"Based on the MSD's report, we will find a way to help her, and see whether it's really because of her financial problem or there are other reasons," he told reporters here Wednesday.

Mohamed Khaled said the early report received indicated that her action was not due to her wanting to finance her studies as she had left her studies some time ago, but could be due to her family problems.
(source: Bernama)

Yes, use the MSD resources, why don't we? To be fair, however, later in the same Bernama report, Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin did add this very important caveat:

Mohamed Khaled said although the ministry was keen to help her, it had its constraints and it would also depend on Sufiah herself.

"She's 23 now and she's also a British citizen. She has the right to do what she wants... so our role is limited," he said.
(source: Bernama)

Walski would add that there is NO role to speak of.

If Walski sounds cold-hearted, he's actually not. The point here is that we need to put things in their proper perspective before jumping in head-first - as "noble" (and Walski's using the term very loosely here) as our intentions may be. Like a lot of things political in Malaysia, there's too much after-thought, and not enough thinking up-front. Sometimes, NO thinking up-front. Like in this case.

So yeah, Sufiah's story does tug at our heart-strings and personal morality... but we're not talking about someone being threatened, trafficked, and forced into prostitution, and walking the streets peddling her wares - you know, the sordid picture that the word prostitution tends to conjure.

Judging from her own side of the story, it would appear that Sufiah is a much happier individual today, compared to the hell she went through growing up in an abusive environment, driving her to run away from home at an early age. Her father, incidentally, is at present serving time for sexual assault on two of his students. The original expose by News of the World had this to add (emphasis by myAsylum):

One message to her sister read: "I've finally had enough of 15 years of physical and emotional abuse. You know what I am talking about."

Sufiah was missing for two weeks before being found in an internet café in Bournemouth where she had been working as a hotel waitress.

She refused to go back to her parents and instead was taken into the care of social services.
(source: News of the World - CAUTION: contains NSFW images)

Walski won't speculate as to exactly what kind of physical abuse Sufiah went thru. And here we are trying to "save her"... when it's pretty obvious that she's managed to save her own self, on her own accord, and on her own terms.

We've got loads of folks who prostitute their souls to the highest political bidder, right here in our own backyard... you don't see the multitude of folks crawling out of the woodworks to save them, now, do we?

Don't get him wrong - Walski is not promoting prostitution as a viable career. Bottom line is that this is what Sufiah has chosen, and it really is not up to us to force her to do something else, especially if what she's doing now helps her have a better life. Still, Walski can't help but feel obligated to add this warning message displayed at the end of the video interview, from News of the World.

And in Malaysia, the criminality associated
with prostitution will probably "kill" you faster...

And no, Walski doesn't know which experts say this....

Walski may not have the highest of opinions of sleaze tabloids such as News of the World (they have had their fair share of false reporting), but in this case, the story that they chose to highlight, sensationalized as the original may have been, was followed up with the subject of their exposes being given a chance to tell her side of the saga. At least they practice fair "journalism" (some would use that term loosely when talking about these kinds of tabloids).

But finally, back to our motherland, and the brouhaha that this story has conjured, with the politicos scampering to make themselves look good - if you were to ask Walski, this Save Sufiah Program suspiciously sounds like a get-rich scheme that's going to benefit a few well-connected people - none of them being Sufiah Yusof herself.

Walski's post title afterthought footnote: Originally, Walski was going to call this post "Saving Sufiah's Privates", pun-ting on a famous film title. But after thinking about it, that would've been a little crass on Walski's part. Still, it would've been a nice 'n naughty post title... Also omitted was a racy shot of Sufiah, from taken from the News of the World video interview... it would've just been a bit more exposure for Sufiah than necessary (pun intended)...

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

Plausible Denial Ability

Technorati tags: Politics, UMNO, Denial, GE2008

If the hit TV series X Files, some years back, introduced the term plausible deniability, Malaysians today were introduced to a totally new twist to the phrase. Or at least Walski thinks so.

To him, this phrase now also means a plausible ability to be in denial. Oh, and written a little differently, as plausible denial ability. Because what Walski witnessed UMNO/BN say today was exactly this.

Like... Why did BN fare so badly in GE 2008?
Answer: SABOTAGE!

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi might as well have said that aliens ate his phantom voters... Nevermind that it was the people who voted... minor detail. Yes, folks, BN was sabotaged...

If anyone ever had any doubts about just how deep-set denial is within UMNO, today more or less set those questions to rest. Permanently.

Walski wasn't sure whether to laugh his head off, or lose his breakfast and lunch... and now that he's had dinner, maybe that too.
(Mat Tyson saves AAB's ass, and more, in the full post)

Also present was UMNO Communications supremo, Muhammad x2 Taib, who apparently played a big role in making a question and answer session disappear during the briefing, conducted for approximately 1,000 grassroots leaders, at the UMNO HQ at the Putra World Trade Center in KL.

The same Malaysiakini news report had this to say:

Delegates who attended the briefing told Malaysiakini that the two-hour party briefing however did not include a question-and-answer session despite that it was on the agenda.

"Although microphones were there but when it came to the Q&A portion, Muhd Taib said that Abdullah's clarification was very good and asked if the Q&A session could be scrapped," said the grassroots leader.

"Although some disagreed, after a quick show of hands, he quickly announced that the majority of the members did not want to ask questions. And that was the end of it."

Similarly, questions posed to Muhd Taib on the recent calls for the abolition of Umno quota system as well as the demand for an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the polls setback were quickly dismissed.

According to Muhd Taib, you don't change the rules while in the middle of a football game.
(source: Malaysiakini - subscription required)

Mat Tyson need a new nickname? Walski thus christens him The Silencer. What better way to be the Communications Supremo than to make sure no one else talks, eh?

Meanwhile, the PM had this to add about BN's performance during the last general elections (emphasis by myAsylum - inline comments in this color).

"I admit that the last four years, the government under my leadership have not been able to fully accomplish and implement all of the proposals." - to put it mildly...

The government has nevertheless brought many good changes to the economy, he said.

"For without a strong economy, we will not be able to implement other proposals."

He said that steps will continue to be taken to improve judicial integrity, racial harmony, police and public administration. - more promises for the next 4/5 years...

"Despite all this, the voters did not reject us and the opposition is not the government of the day. At the federal government level, we were eight seats short of two-thirds majority - a benchmark for success in Barisan Nasional," said Abdullah.
(source: Malaysiakini - subscription required)

Plausible denial ability? Yeah, more than plausible. And more than capable. Walski, for one, is quite convinced that PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is in big-time denial, backed 100% by supremos from UMNO, who are also in denial - or at least pretending to be.

The same intra-party supporters who are probably gonna turn on him when the time is right and ripe... Et tu, Brute?

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

What's in a name...

Technorati tags: Humor, Wikipedia, Brandnames, Etymology

...or yet another reason why Wikipedia is the tastiest creation since Liquid Paper

This post started with Walski looking up brandnames from the Netherlands - no, not to boycott - to see what everyday products "concerned" Muslims would have to forego if they really wanted to boycott anything and everything Dutch.

Instead, Walski found this Wikipedia entry, which lists the etymology of brandnames - which lead to other pages with general name etymologies. Interesting stuff to read through, if you have a Sunday to kill...

For example, Walski finds out that Bridgestone (as in the tire manufacturer) is actually a literal translation (and transposition) of part of the founder's name Shojiro Ishibashi, from Japanese to English [Ishibashi (石橋) literally means "stone bridge"]. And Walski thought that it had something to do with the English race track of the same name...

DHL, for instance, is not an abbreviation of "Dua Hari Lambat" (Bahasa Malaysia, meaning "Two Days Late"), but is actually something a lot more mundane - the initials of the three founders' last names: Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn. In case you've ever wondered...

You also find out that exotic brandnames, like Häagen-Dazs (one of Walski's favorite ice creams, by the way), has no meaning whatsoever. Or that seemingly meaningless names like Mozilla actually stands for something.

And that TuCows have as much to do with grazing farm animals, as Apache has to do with American Indians. Also, we now know for sure that there's no paper contained in Liquid Paper. None whatsoever.

Walski's Sunday filler-post post footnote: For the record, Walski has never tasted Liquid Paper, but expects it to taste just as awful as turpentine would. And no, Walski's never tasted turpentine, either... Life, in general, is too short to spend being serious all the damn time.

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

HENN: Malaysia's High-Level Exile Package

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, Deposed Dictators, Robert Mugabe, DD2H

Malaysia to secretly unveil the Deposed Dictator's Second Home Program
myAsylum reports on this new high-brow tourism program, in this exclusive expose, 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)

Are you a dictator and have been recently deposed? Or feel you are going to be at any moment? Have you run out of options as to where to escape? If you answered YES to any of these questions, Malaysia may just be the ideal location for your impending exile!

Put on high alert after former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad urged the Malaysian government to grant his buddy Robert Mugabe a new home (via Malaysiakini - subscription required, you cheapskates), if he's hard pressed for one, Hell-on-Earth-News-Network (HENN) stumbled across documentary non-evidence that his accidental disclosure could actually be the tip of a melting iceberg (global warming and all).

In seemingly unrelated (but actually intertwined) news, Minister of Tourism, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, said that Tourism memorandums of understanding with Opposition-ruled state governments will be terminated given the change in leadership (via The Star). HENN has learned that the decision to terminate the MoU's is actually linked to the Deposed Dictators Second Home (DD2H) scheme.

How are the cancelled MoU's and DD2H related? The connection is both mind-boggling and ridiculous... clandetine stuff normally only heard of in pulp fiction spy novels.
(BN revenge tactic via DD2H, and how, in the full post)

In short, it's an elaborate plan hatched by BN to take revenge on the 4 opposition states, lost during the recent General Election, plus 1 already-write off state.

To understand the connection, HENN first reveals the criteria for acceptance into the DD2H scheme. As our investigative reporters, once again exhumed for this assignment, Ben Dover and Thakit Likaman, have discovered 4 criteria must be met:

1. Ex-dictator must preferably have been deposed via democratic means
2. The candidate must have secret funds stashed away, which then must be deposited with a yet-to-be-named quasi-semi-government agency
3. The deposed despot must have a small militia at his/her disposal - death-squad types are a bonus.
4. Must have a former high-ranking Malaysian government person as a sponsor - good buddy ex-prime ministers are also acceptable

The secret plan is to house the deposed dictator in one of the 5 opposition held states, where the cancelled MoU's are replaced with a generous "tourism" grant (utilizing a portion of the secret stashed funds deposited), which the Federal government "awards" to the successful opposition state. The "official" reason for the grant would be for a ceremony to honor a town in the state, with one in the ex-dictators home country. Like Alor Setar and Kutama, Zimbabwe being declared twin cities, for instance. Or creating a new township for the deposed dictator, calling it Kutama Jaya, or something similar.

In fact, as HENN has learned, Kedah would be the perfect prototype - and not just because it's Dr. M's home state, either.

In yet another piece of seemingly unrelated news, 30,000 members of the various village development and security committees (JKKK) in Kedah have resigned en bloc (indirectly via NST - free, but NaSTy as Pee). It has also been reported that these 30,000 have been re-appointed as "special" JKKK members under the purview of the Rural and Regional Development Ministry - that's right, Mat Tyson's special squad in Kedah.

The militia of the deposed dictator would then be placed under the care of these Special K agents. The purpose of the militia? To become a public menace, increasing the crime rate in those states, so that the blame can be put on the opposition state governments, for causing crime to grow rampant. The best part about this plan is that not only will funding for the crime increase come from the deposed dictator (via a portion of the secret stash), Malaysian taxpayers will actually pay for the crime milita's supervisors (via Aisehman), the Special K squad.

And what about the 4th criteria - the sponsor? HENN discovers that this criteria is an escape clause - that if the situation with the militia crime squad gets out of hand, blame can not only be put on the deposed dictator later on, but also on the sponsor.

And the first criteria? An excellent opportunity for the Malaysian government to tell the people that democracy ain't all that great after all... that democracy leads to an increase in crime.

In short, therefore, it has become clear to HENN that the Deposed Dictator Second Home (DD2H) program is actually a specially designed revenge plot by the BN, to claim back the opposition states in the next elections, due in 2012 or 2013.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian government has been keeping mum on whether or not Bob Mugabe would be offered a new home, should he need to go into exile. DD2H, is of course, a secret scheme, and therefore any secrecy surrounding Mugabe is to be expected.

HENN will keep a close one eye on this, and will report on any developments, should and if they occur. Even if they occur in secrecy.
(© 2008 - Hell-on-Earth News Network)

HENN's calling all pollsters footnote: In conjuction with this HENN report, myAsylum has started a new poll (see sidebar) - should Malaysia admit Robert Mugabe, if the Zimbabwe dictator gets deposed and needs a place to call his second home... This post is entirely out of the twisted imagination of HENN and its primary authors,

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

Whip-happy Whiplash... IKIM responds

Technorati tags: Islam, Syariah, IKIM, Damage Control

Related post: Whipping Frenzy

Walski believes in being fair - believe it or not. Hat-tip to Brighteyes, who alerted Walski to a response from IKIM over the article in The Star, and the subsequent whip-lash response from the bloggerhood (including Walski's). Walski has reproduced the statement in its entirety below.

Statement by the Director-General of IKIM

I would like to refer to the article on page 3 in the Tuesday, April 3 2008 edition of The STAR in which the headlines read "Proposal to prosecute non-Muslims for khalwat". I feel it incumbent to clarify certain matters highlighted in the aforementioned article, the contents of which are contentious to say the least.

First of all, IKIM's objectives for the 2 day seminar held in collaboration with the Syariah Judiciary Department Malaysia (JKSM) was intended to review existing syariah laws to see if there were any laws that were redundant and also to propose a solution to some of the issues currently plaguing the syariah judiciary system in Malaysia.

The article in the STAR which reports that the seminar had proposed that non-Muslims caught committing khalwat with Muslims should also be sentenced accordingly but in the civil courts, is entirely erroneous. No such proposal was made, and therefore if what is reported in the Star as being comments allegedly made by Syariah Court of Appeal Judge, are also in error.

Conversely, it is our opinion that non-Muslims cannot fundamentally be charged under any provision in Islamic law by virtue of the fact that they do not profess the religion of Islam. In addition, to my knowledge, there is no such provision in the civil courts to charge a person for khalwat, and therefore it would be premature to assume that non-Muslims can also be subjected to the charge of khalwat in the civil courts.

I am disappointed with the article highlighting comments allegedly made by Datuk Mohd. Asri Abdullah which emphasized the banal, when in reality the more important substantive proposals having to do with laws protecting the rights of divorced women and their rights to maintenance, were ignored.

Towards the end of the article, it also alleges that there was a proposal calling "for the establishment of a rehabilitation center for those convicted of offences related to morals and faith such as prostitution and effeminate men". To my knowledge, I have never interpreted being effeminate as an offence. But more importantly this so called proposal as reflected in the article is not representative of the proposals made during the seminar at IKIM. If indeed the learned Syariah Court of Appeal Judge made those statements, we strongly advise that it would behoove the learned Judge to be more circumspect in future.
(source: IKIM website)

So, was it a case of MSM spin? Sloppy journalism? Or damage control on IKIM's part?
(versions from the other MSM, in the full post)

It appears, however, that Berita Harian carried a similar report. A PDF copy of the article can be downloaded here. Walski won't translate the whole thing, but the gist of the BH report is that it is the opinion that the fines currently imposed are seen as being "light", causing "an increase in Syariah crimes".

And while there was no mention about rehab for effeminate Muslims (and other undesirable types), Berita Harian also apparently ignored the "more substantive proposals".

One area of interest that Berita Harian did report on, which was absent from The Star, was this bit (translation and emphasis by myAsylum):

Sementara itu, resolusi seminar ‘Semakan Semula Korpus Undang-undang Islam di Malaysia: Keperluan dan Cabaran yang berakhir semalam mencadangkan diwujudkan ‘Syariah Bench’ di Mahkamah Sivil untuk mengendalikan kes membabitkan dua pihak berbeza agama.

Muhammad Asri berkata, draf resolusi itu turut menggariskan kedudukan Sultan sebagai pelindung semua orang Islam dalam sesebuah negeri di bawah undang-undang pentadbiran Islam.

Katanya, pelaksanaan hukuman yang diambil umat Islam di negara ini adalah berdasarkan mazhab Sultan itu sendiri.

Translation:
Meanwhile, the resolution for the seminar entitled "Revision of the Corpus of Malaysian Islamic Laws", which ended yesterday, proposed the creation of a 'Syariah Bench' in the Civil Courts to handle cases involving parties of different religions.

Muhammad Asri said, the draft resolution also outlined the position of the Sultan as the protector of Muslims in a given state, under the Islamic administrative laws.

He said, the execution of sentences, as practiced by Muslims in this country, are based on the Sultan's own "mazhab" (Islamic school of thought).
(source: Berita Harian)

So, does that mean the Syariah wants to encroach into the Civil courts now? Or more backdoor Islamization, as some see it...

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

Whipping Frenzy

Technorati tags: Islam, Malaysia, Syariah, Tyranny

Now, everyone can get whipped - if these folks have their way, that is.

Click on image to read full report
(or download PDF version)

The screenshot above is from today's version of The Star Online news report, which we'll call v1.1. Apparently, when the report was first posted yesterday, the headline was a little different, as was the content. Here's v1.0 of the same report.

Click on image to read full report
(or download PDF version)

Walski reckons that the editors at The Star watered down the wording - to make it more palatable, maybe? But reading the full article, the gist of the two articles is pretty much the same - Ikim and the Syariah Judiciary Department want to get more people whipped.

Nice... now everyone can get a whipping...
(whip it - whip it good, in the full post)

Reading the news reports, Walski couldn't help but reminisce about a personal favorite 1980's hit from a group called Devo.

Yeee har... crack that whip!

Just what is it about Muslims and their inane desire to mete out punishment? It seems as though this thing about moral policing comes up every now and again, that badly cooked nasi kandar that you just seem to keep down...

And just what constitutes khalwat? Technically, being in close proximity in a car can be classified as just that. So what... road-blocks to check marital status of folks travelling now? Or raids at the library? Restaurants? Offices?

What about stepping up enforcement on ex-husbands who don't pay alimony? Naah... not important enough to take the next step towards a religious apartheid. Oh, wait... we already pretty much have that... one set of laws for Muslims (albeit only when it comes to "family matters" and personal morality), and another for the DLL's. Sheesh...

And you wonder why Malaysian Muslims are forced to have their religion stamped on their ID card... it's for no other reason than enforcement. Reading further down the news report (the v1.1 one) reveals other megamaniacal whip-happy plans (emphasis by myAsylum):

Another proposal is to impose heftier penalties – of up to four times the current penalties – on Muslims caught for khalwat, prostitution, consuming alcohol and involvement in gambling activities.

Mohd Asri said Ikim and the department were proposing that the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Amendment) 1984 be amended to impose stiffer penalties of RM1,000 fine, or five years’ jail or 12 strokes of the rotan for Syariah Lower Courts and RM20,000 fine, or 10 years’ jail or 24 strokes of rotan for Syariah High Courts.

Current limits are a maximum of three years’ jail, or RM5,000 fine, or up to six lashes or any combination of these, and different states provide different penalties for these offences.

“This has not been reviewed since 1984. It has been more than 20 years,” said Mohd Asri.

There was also a proposal for Syariah judges to enforce whipping for these offences.

Another proposal calls for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for those convicted of offences related to morals and faith such as prostitution and effeminate men, and enforcement of Section 54 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Act (Act 559) to set up such centres.

The seminar also agreed to a suggestion that a new provision be created for apostates.
(source: the v1.1 news report from The Star)

Somebody should tell this Mohd Asri person that laws aren't like the Consumer Index that needs to "be reviewed" every so often. Modernity means critical rethinking, not simply revising laws, making them more stringent every few years, just because these great minds think we're not meeting out punishment with enough impunity...

It's no wonder that this news has left Farish Noor, well... livid like he's not been for a very long time (emphasis by myAsylum).

So this, apparently, is what the great minds of IKIM and the religious departments have been cooking up and intending to serve to us, the Malaysian public, all along. While Muslims are angry about the portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the film ‘Fitna’ by the right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders, one is left with the question: As long as Muslim leaders and intellectuals remain stuck in their morass of outdated conservative thinking, would it not remain the case that Islam is seen as a religion of violence? How, pray tell, can scholars like me defend the image of Islam and Muslims when Muslim governments like ours allows such outlandish and dangerous ideas to spread, and harbour such proponents of conservative-fundamentalist Islam in the very same institutions that were meant to open up the minds of Muslims and lead us – and Malaysian society – to a more modern, progressive and liberated understanding of Islam and religion in general?
(source: The Other Malaysia)

Somebody should really tell these intellectually-challenged folks at Ikim & the Syariah Judiciary Department that Islam means Submission, not whip into Submission...

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

Metamorphosis: Goodbye Kitty!

Technorati tags: Layout, April Fools, Hello Kitty, Goodbye Kitty

As most of you probably guessed by now (but some of you... duhhhh!), yesterday's coup d'etat by Hello Kitty was an April Fools prank.

Hello Kitty, Goodbye Kitty...

What you see here today is the actual new myAsylum look... pink is definitely not the new black. But grey is!

Walski thought he should go ahead and switch ASAP, before you people started calling for a boycott, or something...
(progressive tweaking still required, in the full post)

And since today has suddenly turned into a potentially busy Wednesday, Walski unfortunately has to leave the tweaking on the sidelines for now, and leave the layout as it is. There's still some work to be done, but what you see is pretty much what you're gonna have to live with...

Truth be told, Walski actually likes black... but realizing that some of you don't, he thinks that grey is a reasonable compromise...

Well, back to that grindstone called real-life work.. hasta la later, people! And please be a little patient while Walski irons out the kinks with this new layout... it's not exactly there yet, but definitely better than a pink on white you-know-who...

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

Signature Gift...

Technorati tags: Activism, Amnesty International, AI Malaysia, Signature, YouTube

Watch this video. In its entirety...

This has to be one of the best promotional videos Walsk's seen in a very long time...
(more about AI, and how you can help, in the full post)

Most of us probably have at least heard of Amnesty International. Depending on your socio-political views, you will see them as either meddling troublemakers, or as an organization dedicated to ensuring citizens of planet Earth are not penalized for having a conscience. Walski happens to think the latter, but you probably already guessed that.

Malaysia, too, has its own chapter.

Walski remembers from a long, long time ago, when Malaysia was younger, and the generation in charge then actually thought that the ISA was a necessary thing. Even back then, everyone recognized that it wasn't a good thing, but simply that it was necessary. What Walski remembers is his father lamenting what a bunch of meddlesome people these AI folks were... if memory serves him correctly, he must've been about 10 years old or so. And that is his earliest recollection of Amnesty International.

The only reason Walski's blogging this is because the promotional video moved him so much... it's really a powerful message... and Walski has to thank Amir Zainorin for sharing it with him. In case you don't know, Amir is a Malaysian artist currently residing in Denmark, whom Walski first got to know during the Danish Cartoons controversy. So, thanks a bunch, Amir!

In any case, there are three ways you can help out Amnesty International (the links are for the Malaysian chapter):

• Join as a Member
• Become a Volunteer, or
• Donate to AI

Fighting against the wrongs done by those in power may seem like an endless, thankless and impossbile task, but it's something worth doing, Walski thinks.

And as the video tells us, even a mere signature can do a lot...

Walski's inappropriate skinny thoughts footnote: Somehow, writing about Amnesty on a blog that uses Hello Kitty as a template seems so, so odd... Unfortunately, some of you have stated that you actually like this new format - in which case, it may have to stay longer than Walski originally intended.

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

Metamorphosis: A kinder, gentler looking myAsylum...

Technorati tags: Humor, Template Change, Hello Kitty

Well, people, as hinted in this post, the time came when the look and feel of this blog had to undergo change.

And this is it. Much more pleasant to look at compared to the drab and gloomy black, don't you think?

Walski hopes that you like the kinder, gentler look of myAsylum...
(kinder, gentler, but with a bite, in the full post)

But worry not... the quality of content remains as it always has... only the skin has changed.

With the new look, however, do you think Walski should change the name of the blog to myKittyAsylum instead?

Let him know, won't ya?

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