Opinion Poll: Censorship & Suppression of Ideas

Technorati tags: Poll Position, Opinion Poll, Censorship, Suppression Of Thought, Irshad Manji, Book Banning

Unless you’ve been living under a rock without Internet, you would have heard by now the problems that ZI Publications has had with the “law”… Not civil law, but Selangor Syariah law. It’s a reminder that we are, after all, living in 1Apartheid.

The Legion of Silencers has once again struck, it would seem…

Long story short, Irshad Manji’s “Allah, Liberty & Love”, and it’s Bahasa Malaysia translation, “Allah, Kebebasan & Cinta”, have been banned by the Malaysian government, although no gazette has been officially issued as yet.

This is the latest is the long standing tradition of banning things in Malaysia, something that some of our fellow Malaysians seem to be proud of. And of course, when things like this happen, you know that a myAsylum poll can’t be too far away.

The pretext of this latest banning, as with many others before it: protection of Islam and Muslims. And it is because what Irshad Manji writes about. And believe it or not, what she writes about is about MORE than just sex, something what most Malaysians have been led to believe the book is about.

Frankly, Walski has not read the book – yet – so he can’t tell you exactly what it is about. It is a safe bet that those who have been instrumental in the book’s banning have not read it either. But based on what he surmises, sex is NOT the central topic, and very likely NOT a topic at all.

In fact, why don’t we do away with supposition and hearsay, for once, and find out what the chapter topics in the book are:

• Introduction: From Anger to Aspiration
• Chapter 1: Some Things are More Important than Fear
• Chapter 2: Identity Can Trap You, But Integrity Will Set You Free
• Chapter 3: Culture is Not Sacred
• Chapter 4: You Define Your Honor
• Chapter 5: Offense is the Price of Diversity
• Chapter 6: In Times of Moral Crisis, Moderation is a Cop-Out
• Chapter 7: Lack of Meaning is The Real Death Threat

And perhaps most “shocking” of all, Recipe: Irshaddering Chai Tea (which follows after Chapter 7).

So far, thankfully, the MCMC has not ordered Amazon.com’s site to be blocked, and it is quite easily accessible, so go verify the table of contents for yourself, since the “majority” of Malaysians probably view Walski as nothing but a lying bastard not worthy of being believed.

Funny, but Walski couldn’t find one single mention of the word sex in the table of contents. Or perhaps it was the new offensive word in the book’s title that got the clerics’ panties in a bundle: liberty.
(the poll, its details, and more, in the full post)

In any case, back to the poll – this time around, you get to pick THREE (3) choices out of the list given. Or suggest your own answer, reflecting what you think.

Not what you reckon the government wants to achieve, but WHAT YOU THINK. It may come as a surprise to you, but here at myAsylum you are allowed to express what you really think, unlike in most parts of real-world Malaysia.

As with other polls before this, you can share this poll via your Blogger blog (by clicking the icon below the poll, located at the sidebar on the right), or if your blogging platform of choice is Wordpress, you can use the shortcode [polldaddy poll="6256206"]. On other platforms, drop Walski a line via the comments and he’ll provide you the codes you need.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Being that Walski has been labeled a “liberal” by most quarters, and being that these days, being a liberal is deemed to be a bigger sin than murder and rape, it would be a good idea for you to tell your friends of ALL orientations to participate in this poll. Only because Walski DOES want to know the opinions of everyone, and not just the opinions of like-minded people. Yes, we liberals are strange that way.

The poll will be open until Midnight, Sunday, June 10, 2012, after which Walski will announce the results, and throw in some of his personal thoughts and analysis.

Don’t worry: your opinions and how you vote are actually anonymous to Walski, so please participate in the poll according to how you actually feel, and be honest with yourself. Honesty is what Walski expects, nothing more, nothing less…

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

Cancer of the mind

Technorati tags: Religion, Islam, Irshad Manji, Compulsion, Liberty, Freedom Of Conscience

It has been a very, very long while since Walski has written anything related to religion. But recent events have made it necessary for him to do so.

In the Quran, there is one basic commandment that is seldom talked about these days, going by the rhetoric from the many so-called “protectors” of faith.

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things
Quran 2:256 Yusuf Ali translation

Instead, what we hear today here in Malaysia is compulsion – in spades. Compulsion to believe that there is one, and only one, interpretation of what Islam is, and what it demands of the faith’s believers. Compulsion to accept what the “majority” accepts, and the compulsion to denigrate any point of view not in concordance with what’s “accepted”. Worse, the compulsion to prevent any expression of said viewpoints.

How else could one explain this news report, published by Malaysiakini earlier this week?

A Muslim lawyers’ group is protesting Canadian author Irshad Manji’s programme in Kuala Lumpur on account of her “liberal” Muslim position, and wants her out of the country.

...

Persatuan Peguam Peguam Muslim Malaysia (PPMM) president Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar in a statement today said PPMM “objected to Irshad Manji’s programme” scheduled for this week.

“PPMM urges the government not to allow her to continue with her programme and have her leave Malaysia immediately, as it can be a cancer to Islamic practices in Malaysia,” Zainul Rijal said.

He added that several groups have lodged police reports over the matter, and also urged the ulama to come up with “rebuttals to counter” the ideas the author allegedly propagates.
(source: Malaysiakini, subscription required)

Two things occur to Walski immediately: Zainul Rijal is afraid. And Zainul Rijal has no bloody clue what he’s afraid of.
(what the real cancer is, and more, in the full post)

In fact, Walski dares venture that Zainul Rijal has never read anything Irshad Manji has written. Not her first book, “The Trouble With Islam Today” (via Goodreads), nor her new book, “Allah, Liberty, and Love: A Path to Reconciliation".

And, as Walski’s learned friend Haris Ibrahim has suggested in his posting on The People’s Parliament, Zainul Rijal "has, himself, no answer to her points of view".

Instead, the vehement opposition to Irshad Manji is based on her sexual orientation, and the fact that she’s a “liberal”.

And as we all know, the word “liberal” has become a foul seven-letter word among the seemingly growing number of folks wearing a conservative façade.

Even worse, without even delving into what her message is – probably because these naysayers don’t have a clue – there is the immediate assumption that she’s here to champion LGBT issues. And as Walski has mentioned elsewhere, LGBT has become a manufactured political issue du juor.

So, exactly what points of view does Irshad Manji have? Here’s an example:

Irshad Manji on the Bob Edwards Radio Show by Irshad Manji Podcasts

The clip above is from approximately two months ago, and talks about her new book “Allah, Liberty, and Love: A Path to Reconciliation”. Any mention of LGBT and the championing of LGBT issues?

So what is it that Irshad Manji says that orthodox Muslims find so repugnant and repulsive, to the point that they do not even want her on Malaysian soil? And please do Walski a favor – get your orthodox and/or conservative Muslim friends to listen to the the clip above, and then ask them the same question.

If you had the moral courage to listen to the clip above, allow Walski to ask you a couple of other questions: Did you spontaneously combust, or get struck down by a bolt of lightning? Has your faith in God (assuming you have it in the first place) suddenly disappeared?

It is a safe assumption to say that the probable and most likely answers to both these rhetorical questions are ‘No’.

Having heard what Irshad Manji had to say in the clip above, do you still think that she is a “cancer to Islamic practices in Malaysia”?

Walski’s personal opinion? “Islam” in Malaysia has been reduced to a very narrow and rigid interpretation, and nothing other than the “approved” Sunni-flavored “Islam” is tolerated. Just look at how the Shi’ah sects are viewed in this country, not to mention other schools of thought that have been deemed to be “deviant”.

Oddly enough some of these very same “deviant” schools of thought are generally accepted elsewhere in the Islamic world. Ever heard of the Amman Message? Malaysia is one of the signatories, and yet, the various Shariah laws we have in Malaysia do not reflect the consensus arrived at within this message.

The gist of what is contained within the Amman Message can be summarized as follows, what’s commonly known as the Three Points of the Amman Message:

1. Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunni schools (Mathahib) of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i and Hanbali), the two Shi‘i schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Ja‘fari and Zaydi), the Ibadi school of Islamic jurisprudence and the Thahiri school of Islamic jurisprudence, is a Muslim. Declaring that person an apostate is impossible and impermissible. Verily his (or her) blood, honour, and property are inviolable. Moreover, in accordance with the Shaykh Al-Azhar’s fatwa, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to the Ash‘ari creed or whoever practices real Tasawwuf (Sufism) an apostate. Likewise, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to true Salafi thought an apostate. Equally, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare as apostates any group ofMuslims who believes in God, Glorified and Exalted be He, and His Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) and the pillars of faith, and acknowledges the five pillars of Islam, and does not deny any necessarily self-evident tenet of religion.
2. There exists more in common between the various schools of Islamic jurisprudence than there is difference between them. The adherents to the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are in agreement as regards the basic principles of Islam. All believe in Allah (God), Glorified and Exalted be He, the One and the Unique; that the Noble Qur’an is the Revealed Word of God; and that our master Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him, is a Prophet and Messenger unto all mankind. All are in agreement about the five pillars of Islam: the two testaments of faith (shahadatayn); the ritual prayer (salat); almsgiving (zakat); fasting the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the Hajj to the sacred house of God (in Mecca). All are also in agreement about the foundations of belief: belief inAllah (God),His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, and in the Day of Judgment, in Divine Providence in good and in evil. Disagreements between the ‘ulama (scholars) of the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are only with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu‘) and not as regards the principles and fundamentals (usul) [of the religion of Islam]. Disagreement with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu‘) is a mercy. Long ago itwas said that variance in opinion among the ‘ulama (scholars) “is a good affair”.
3. Acknowledgement of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Mathahib) within Islam means adhering to a fundamental methodology in the issuance of fatwas: no one may issue a fatwa without the requisite personal qualifications which each school of Islamic jurisprudence determines [for its own adherents]. No one may issue a fatwa without adhering to the methodology of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence. No one may claim to do absolute Ijtihad and create a new school of Islamic jurisprudence or to issue unacceptable fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles and certainties of the Shari‘ah and what has been established in respect of its schools of jurisprudence.

The Malaysian reality, however, is that apart from the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, all others are officially seen as not entirely kosher. Despite Malaysia being a signatory. Compulsion by the powers that be, therefore, to ensure that only “approved” Islam is practiced.

And while Walski may not agree 100% with the Amman Message, it is a good and positive start towards reconciliation between the major schools of thought.

The same Malaysiakini report quoted earlier also had this to say:

Meanwhile another pressure group Persatuan Persaudaraan Muslimah Malaysia (Salimah) said they vehemently objected to the arrival of one who they said “insulted Islam with her writings and attitude” that allegedly “denigrated the views of venerated scholars”.

“Inviting someone like her is surely an effort to challenge the sensitivities of the Muslim community in this country,” said the group’s chief Aminah Zakaria in a statement.

She said her group rejected Irshad’s presence charging that it would “raise confusion and incite anger” of the Muslim community.
(source: Malaysiakini, subscription required)

Honestly, Walski doesn't know where to begin commenting on this. For starters, he seriously doubts that Salimah has read anything Irshad’s written. Secondly, why is it that champions of the brand of Islam we’re being force-fed are so damned sensitive and angry all the time? And why is it that just about anything disagreeable incites anger?

Thirdly, by their own admission, Salimah are of the opinion that being a Muslim necessitates not thinking, and therefore prone to being confused all the time.

Solution? Suppress ideas, and enforce this suppression through the stance of compulsion.

The truth is that groups like the PPMM and Salimah refuse to accept that there exist views other than those that jive fully with the state-endorsed narrow world-view version of “Islam”. They live in denial, and would prefer that the rest of the Muslims (over whom they have no jurisdiction, incidentally) also be in denial just like them.

That is the real cancer – the self-inflicted refusal by vocal ultra-conservative groups such as PPMM and Salimah to use the God-given gift of reasoning, in fear of possibly insulting the views of “venerated” (and centuries-long dead) scholars.

But before you think Walski is being unduly harsh, he happens to think that theirs is a conditioned condition. It is the result of having been raised in an environment that loathes healthy inquiry, and damns questions as leading towards religious infidelity.

In turn, they compel their dogma unto others, stopping at nothing to ensure that any opposing views are silenced. And yes, sometimes resorting to using ultra-conservative elements within government to ensure that their suppressive tendencies appear legitimate.

Compulsion in religion, to Walski, does serve some purpose. Control is the primary one.  And compulsion in religion breeds hypocrisy, as pointed out by Mustafa Akyol in his recent opinion piece published by The New York Times.

From Walski’s point of view, the root cause of the mind cancer that afflicts Mulsims at large, not just in Malaysia, but in many parts of the Islamic world, is in fact, compulsion. Coupled with the notions that the human intellect should not be applied to matters pertaining to religion, and religion is best left to those “more qualified”, a fertile environment is created for cancer of the mind to metastasize.

That is the real threat facing many Muslims today. As things stand, the notions of liberty only threaten those in positions of religious influence, positions that facilitate realpolitik power. And power, once tasted, is something difficult to relinquish.

Perhaps the fear Walski senses in Zainul Rijal is the fear of liberty, and perhaps more fearful, freedom of conscience. Both are potential show-spoilers that can unravel the hold that persons of religious influence have.

But it is exactly liberty and freedom of conscience that are needed if we ever want to eradicate the cancer of the mind that afflicts us.

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

Top 10 Reasons Why Malaysia is NOT Egypt

Technorati tags: Humor, Top Ten, Egypt, Malaysia, Bersih, Democracy

It's no secret that this Top 10 List has been inspired by Marina Mahathir's latest post, and by what senior lawyer Tommy Thomas wrote recently.

And despite the no-brainer that Malaysia is not Egypt, certain individuals in positions of power – and some formerly in positions of power – insist that Bersih 3.0 was an attempt to “occupy Dataran Merdeka” until the government in power is expelled.

Through free and fair elections maybe, but certainly not through a revolting revolution.

And Walski certainly doesn’t remember anyone attending Bersih 3.0 armed with their wardrobe or a supply of Maggi Mee to last a lifetime.

Seems like some people are in a state of desperate exasperation. Or exasperating desperation. Whatever…

So, once and for all, in hopes that certain numbskull individuals are finally convinced, here are the Top 10 reasons why Malaysia is NOT Egypt…  
(the Top 10 list, and more, in the full post)

10. Malaysia is NOT in Africa
Despite how some people like to compare us to Zimbabwe (and how we seem to love Robert Mugabe), and a stroll down some parts of KL reminds one of Abuja, Malaysia is NOT in Africa. Wrong continent, mate – failed geography much? 

9. Egypt has The Nile
On the other hand, what we have is denial. Lots of it. But that still doesn't make us Egypt.

8. "Malaysia" and "Egypt" only have ONE letter in common 
And that alphabet is the letter “y”. Yes, Why indeed. Why, Why, Why? So many questions left unanswered…

7. Egypt actually has a Spring
Despite the changing weather patterns, Malaysia does NOT have a season called Spring. Local fashion designers kindly take note. The only seasons we have are Wet, Dry and Durian. With the proliferation of Thai imports, however, even the latter is questionable these days. Any mention of a Malaysian Spring can only logically refer to mattresses. And there ain’t anything revolutionary about mattresses.

6. Egypt has pyramids
The closest we come here in Malaysia is pyramid schemes. But since these don't come with sarcophagi or mummies, they don't really count.

5. Camels are NOT indigenous to Malaysia
And on a similar note, the Tapir is not indigenous to Egypt. Incidentally, Wikipedia indicates that the Tapir is a browsing mammal, although it neglects to mention which browser is preferred. Personally, Walski, like many other Malaysians, prefers Chrome. As do many Egyptians, most likely. But that doesn’t make Malaysia anything like Egypt.

4. Egypt has a much higher FIFA ranking
The current FIFA World Ranking lists Egypt at #55, while Malaysia sits at an inglorious #156. No comparison whatsoever. There are at least 6 Egyptian footballers who have been in a Barclay’s Premier League team between 2004 and the present. Malaysian players? ‘Nuff said.

3. Sandstorms are common in Egypt
Whereas in Malaysia, sand creates political storms. Mostly in teacups. And sometimes, teacups in Selangor.

2. In Malaysia vehicular traffic travels on the left
While in Egypt, it's more a guessing adventure, so Walski's told. Egyptians will probably say we drive on the wrong side of the road, since they drive on the right side. Sometimes on the left, or center, too, to avoid camels, and other stray animals. In Malaysia, it’s only the stray mat rempit that we usually have to worry about.

And last, but certainly not least….

1. Malaysians DON'T walk like Egyptians (usually)

So there you have it, 10 reasons why we're nothing like Egypt.

Now to convince the numbnuts in power to stop the revolting notion that Malaysians are planning to revolt just like the Egyptians did. Not to say Egyptians are revolting, mind you. But they did revolt.

Come to think about it, all they wanted was to stop being trodden upon. And their leaders-that-were saw said desire to be revolting…. Maybe that’s just a disease of those in power for far too long. Who knows.

All we peaceful Malaysians want is free and fair elections. Any toppling shall only be done through the ballot box, and the ballot box alone.

Or is that desire revolting as well?

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

The Pseudonymous Blogger and a Memorable Saturday...

Technorati tags: Readings, Readings@Seksan's, Walski in the flesh

While Liverpool FC’s season continues with their self-destruct strategy to get into Europe next season – this time at the hands of Newcastle – Walski thought he’d better get away from the boob-tube and post this.

No point getting the adrenalin pumping and blood pressure up for no good reason. Unlike Saturday afternoon, when the obligatory stage fright took over Walski’s body, and let loose the horde of butterflies into his abdominal area.

But before we get the festivities of this blogpost further along, thanks once again to Sharon Bakar for the opportunity to read at Saturday’s Readings@Seksan’s.

And many thanks, too, to Dina Zaman for capturing an image of him for the scrapbook. Guess who forgot to assign someone to snap-snap while Walski read?

But it went well, he must say. Rather pleasantly surprised that Walski’s writing was enjoyed by the audience.

So, what did he finally decide to read? After much contemplation, Walski decided to read the only blogpost he’s written that resembles a story – Ali Baba and the Seven Dwarfs, from way back in 2006 – and another piece that’s a lot more recent.

Yes, the person you see in the picture above is the organic vessel in which Walski traverses this dimension. Not the pink guys, but the one directly in front of the mic.

All told, he didn’t do too badly, despite the damned butterflies occasionally getting in the way, fluttering around the vessel’s larynx region, colliding with the tangled vocal cords…
(no longer a Readings virgin, and more, in the full post)

Best part of the whole afternoon, though, was that some parts of what Walski wrote, and read, made a few people chuckle. Hopefully think, too. Oh, and he got reacquainted with a word he hadn’t heard in a while – faction. Fiction based on fact. Which is what the Ali Baba story was, in any case.

He did feel somewhat intimidated, he must admit, reading in the company of much more accomplished writers. But with encouragement from the Mrs, and Sharon, he decided to go ahead with it.

Walski has sure come a long way from when he first started this blog. And he reckons, that after six years of writing under a pseudonym, it was time to appear in the flesh.

Does the organic vessel ever intend to drop the pseudonym and write under his own name. One should never say never, but Walski has every intention of continuing pseudonymously. Which, by the way, is very different from “anonymously”, because unless you’re one of the ‘walking brain-dead’, it’s not really difficult to find out the vessel’s identity.

And no, you do not go to the marine registry to find out…

In any case, Saturday’s Readings was documented (apparently for the first time) by a gentleman named Leon Wing. Walski appears around time marker 9:56 thereabouts.

So yeah, Walski is no longer a Readings virgin. To him, Saturday was a rite of passage that any writer worth his or her weight in Sodium Chloride needs to go through in the Malaysian world of the written word.

And more importantly, it was fun.

Walski read last of all, by the way, preceded by four other real writers: Shahminee Selvakannu (the writer who mentioned the word “faction”, if not mistaken), Jasmine Low, Dina Zaman, and Sabah Carrim.

Tan Twan Eng, the other guy writer who was supposed to read from his new book The Garden of Evening Mists was unfortunately down with dengue, of all things. So Walski was left being the thorn among the roses. Which is kind of fitting, in a way, since he’s been a thorn in the side of a few folks along the way…

Dina Zaman read from her recently launched collection of short stories, King of The Sea, a book that Walski will definitely get one day. Once his self-imposed moratorium on book purchases is lifted, that is.

A pleasant surprise was Ms. Sabah Carrim, an author who hails from Mauritius, reading from her book, Humeirah: A story about Beauty, Existence and Wisdom. Humeirah gives us an insight into being a woman, and being Muslim, in Mauritius, which incidentally is where one of Walski’s aunt lives. So perhaps this, too, will be a book that will make it to that growing list, post-moratorium.

So there you have it, another chapter in the ever-continuing life adventures of Walski. It was a pleasure to meet and speak to those whom he met yesterday, and whom, with the right cosmic alignments, will meet again somewhere down the road of uncertainty that we call life.

In the meantime, if you can’t be good, be good at it…

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

Guess who's reading at the March 2012 Readings@Seksan's?

Technorati tags: Readings, Readings@Seksan's, March 2012, Sharon Bakar

Nice surprises come in all shapes, sizes and colors…

And yes, you read it correctly – Walski will be reading this time around...
(reading blogposts out loud, and more, in the full post)

First off, allow Walski to convey his gratitude to Sharon Bakar for inviting him to this month’s Readings. Saying that he’s flattered would be an understatement. It’s more like:

Okay, admittedly Walski exaggerates, but you get the idea.

Sharon had, in fact, asked him quite a while back if Walski would be interested to read. Quite frankly, it is an honor to be asked in the first place. As far as the Malaysian English literary scene (if there even is such a thing) is concerned, Readings@Seksan’s  is definitely a rite of passage, and a form of recognition as a writer.

The bigger challenge is selecting what to read. Blogging, IWHO (in Walski’s humble opinion), is very different from essay, story, or column writing, as the writing style and structure are geared towards  an online audience. The utilization of visuals/images and linking to information are characteristics of most posts here, and don’t translate very well to having them “read” at a reading.

But Walski will definitely find a way to pull this off. How? Well, he still hasn’t entirely figured it out yet, and it will depend on which post(s) he selects to read from. And because he’s been blogging since 2006, there are around 1,300 posts to choose from.

Perhaps, for the sake of being practical, Walski will choose a posting that’s not so heavy on the hyperlinking and illustrations. Or maybe not. We’ll just have to wait and see what he decides to do come Saturday.

Of course, not showing up at all is also an option. But rest assured, Sharon, Walski will not do that to you…

In any case, if you get a chance, do come check out this upcoming session of Readings@Seksan’s. But don’t do it for Walski’s sake alone – there will be 5 other (real) writers slated, and he can assure you that it will be a Saturday afternoon well spent.

After all, the shopping malls will still be around on other Saturdays.

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

LGBT: A scare of ridiculomendous proportions

Technorati tags: LGBT, Public Scare, Fascism, Politics, Hate

If you've been following the news of late, particularly the Malay language media, Malaysia is apparently under threat from this “menace” known as LGBT.

No, not Legless Goats Bleating Terrifyingly – which admittedly would be somewhat scary – but a section of our community, collectively known as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender.

No specifics as to exactly why LGBT is so threatening, apart from making some people insecure (more on that later), but yeah, we’re apparently under threat.

The government needs to create a “homosexual rehabilitation centre” to combat the phenomenon in Malaysia, according to Barisan Nasional MP who today claimed 30 per cent of Malaysian men were gay.

According to a Bernama Online report, Datuk Baharum Mohamad (BN-Sekijang) said in Parliament today that this was to aid those with homosexual tendencies or engaged in same-sex relationships to stop such behaviour.

“We have to find a solution to combat these activities from getting rampant just like the efforts we take to combat drugs,” Baharum said.

“A study has found that, right now, three out of 10 men in Malaysia are gay. This is scary.”

It is unclear what study the lawmaker was citing when he made his address.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

Well, Walski did a bit of poking around and found out what “study” the MP was referring to. Essentially, it was a statement by a counselor named Hushim Hashim that was published (presumably) in Mingguan Malaysia a couple of weekends back.

And the findings of this “study” are indeed shocking...
(using stupidity to shock and awe ridiculously, in the full post)

All Walski could find was a scanned newspaper clipping. And he’s taken the liberty of transcribing (and translating, in this color) what this so-called expert had to say.

Ancaman lesbian, gay, biseksual dan transgender (LGBT) kini menjadi barah dalam masyarakat apabila penularan budaya songsang itu meningkat mendadak khususnya dalam kalangan penuntut institusi pengajian tinggi.

The threat of LGBT has now become a cancer in society since its prevalence has increased tremendously, particularly among students in institutions of higher learning.

Perkara ini didedahkan Kaunselor Berdaftar, Hushim Salleh (gambar) yang telah mengendali dan memberi terapi kaunseling kepada lebih 1,000 golongan LGBT yang ingin kembali ke pangkal jalan sejak 20 tahun lalu.

This was revealed by Hushim Salleh (pictured), a Registered Counselor, who has facilitated and provided counseling therapy to more than 1,000 LGBT who have wanted to repent their ways, for the past 20 years.

Paling mengejutkan, berdasarkan kajian beliau hasil pengakuan bekas-bekas golongan LGBT, daripada 10 lelaki di negara ini, tiga adalah gay.

More shocking, based on his research through the confessions of former LGBT, three out of 10 men in this country are gay.

Mereka ini golongan split identity (pelbagai identiti) iaitu sebelah pagi dia boleh jadi imam kemudian tengah hari meliwat orang.

They are individuals with split personality, who in the morning can become 'imams', then sodomize people in the afternoon.

Berdasarkan pengakuan golongan ini, mereka mendakwa bahawa daripada 10 lelaki, tiga adalah gay. Ini tidak termasuk pondan dan lesbian. Sebab itu, saya harap semua pihak jangan pandang remeh benda ini.

Based on their confessions, they allege that out of 10 men, three are gay. And this doesn't include effeminate men and lesbians. Because of this, I hope everyone doesn't take this lightly.
(source: Newspaper clipping obtained from Minta Tolong!)

So let's get this straight – 3 out of 10 men in Malaysia are gay? Doing the math, that would translate to around 42 male BN Members of Parliament being gay (there are 127 in total), and also 21 Pakatan Rakyat and 2 Independent male MPs! Shocked? You should be, particularly at the blatantly pseudoscientific methodology used to derive the figure of 30%.

Which, if you think about it, isn’t all that surprising, considering what this same “expert” had to say in another article published in – you guessed it – Utusan Malaysia (translation by myAsylum, in this color).

Dari segi ilmu kaunseling memang benar orang yang terlibat dengan budaya LGBT adalah orang sakit. Mereka sebenarnya sakit jiwa walaupun dikurnia mental yang bijak. Kalau jati diri kita tetap, tarikan pada jantina berbeza tetapi orang macam ini tidak. Gay ini pula terbahagi kepada tiga golongan iaitu homoseksual, heteroseksual dan biseksual.

From the angle of counseling knowledge, it is true that people involved with the LGBT culture are sick. They actually suffer from mental illness although bestowed with intelligent mentality. If their self-esteem is strong, the attraction is to the opposite sex, but not so with people like these. Gays are divided into three groups: homosexuals, heterosexuals and bisexuals.

Homoseksual dia memberi dan menerima. kebanyakan terdiri daripada lelaki-lelaki macho. Heteroseksual pula hanya memberi sahaja manakala biseksual paling bahaya kerana mereka tidak pernah puas dan boleh berada dimana-mana sahaja dalam masyarakat. Gay adalah manusia yang paling susah dikesan kerana mereka berperwatakan seperti sesumpah.

Homosexuals "give" and "receive". Most are macho men. Heterosexuals only "give", while bisexuals are the most dangerous because they are never satisfied and can be anywhere within society. Gays are very difficult to detect, because the are chameleons in their character.
(source: Utusan Malaysia)

Walski honestly doesn’t know from which dark, deep, God-forsaken abyss this guy’s “counseling knowledge” comes from, but since heterosexuals are also gay, doesn’t that mean EVERYBODY’s gay?

So if that’s the case, what the hell is the big deal?

You know what Walski thinks, though? This recent ultra-focus on LGBT is a ploy. Not the Baldrick kind of “cunning plan” ploy, but something more basic and political in nature.

It’s no accident that Utusan has been on the offensive. A quick look at the NGOs also on the forefront of combatting this “menace” indicates that they’re mostly UMNO-friendly. NGOs such as JMM and Perkasa.

An UMNO MP recently mooted in Parliament that gay rehabilitation centers need to be set up. And of course, at the end of the day, only Muslim LGBT will be persecuted, according to another UMNO she-warrior. After all, in case you didn’t already realize it, we live in a 1Apartheid nation.

The ploy, in Walski’s opinion, is to divert attention from more serious issues, such as corruption, abuse of power and misuse of public funds, all of which have been, of late, dogging the UMNO-led BN-constituted federal government of the day.

Think about this: if Seksualiti Merdeka had not made the mistake of inviting Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan to be the keynote speaker, do you think anyone would have batted an eyelid? And believe Walski when he says this: Ambiga sends shivers down the spines of these UMNOphiliacs, with what had been achieved with Bersih 2.0, whether they want to admit it or not.

Incidentally, Walski is not the only one who thinks that this is a ploy to divert attention, going by the snide posting this past Thursday by fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Well, Walski’s advise to Malaysians, particularly you Melayu fellers who think that UMNO is the best thing since the invention of nasi lemak, DO NOT BE FOOLED. JANGAN TERTIPU.

Without a shadow of a doubt, LGBT will be used as a MAJOR election issue by UMNO, in the hopes that you don’t focus on what will really destroy this nation: corruption, blatant misuse of public funds, loss of human capital to other lands, inefficiency, and of course, institutionalized discrimination.

Do you really have to wonder why Malaysia is slow to ratify UN resolutions against all forms of discrimination? We bloody thrive on it, that’s why – discrimination, part of the modus operandi that keeps those holding the reins of power entrenched.

And in keeping with this important core competency, LGBT is made into a big, threatening issue. It is once again the use of discrimination to plant irrational fears into a populace that has been programmed to accept any form of bullshit as long as it’s bullshit from the right people.

What this anti-LGBT campaign will achieve, in Walski’s opinion is more homophobia, more hate, and yes, more discrimination. 

LGBT will not bankrupt or destroy this nation, but corruption and abuse certainly will.

Open your eyes, moist robots, and do what’s right – ignore these creeps who want nothing more than to turn this great nation into a self-righteous wasteland devoid of any reason to be part of the world citizenry.

As Walski’s parting shot dedicated to those who think that Malaysians are stupid enough to buy your crap, he leaves you with this well-known classic ditty…

And he certainly hopes you don't get fooled by this ridiculomendous initiative of hate cultivation either...

Walski’s etymologically made up footnote: In case you can’t find the word ridiculomendous (and in all likelihood you won’t) in any dictionary online or off, it is a word made up by Walski. It essentially is a concatenation of the words ridiculous and tremendous, and can mean either one of two things: ridiculously tremendous, or tremendously ridiculous.

For the purposes of this particular post, the latter meaning is intended. But you probably already knew that, didn't you?

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

Knowledge in the days post-Britannica

Technorati tags: Humor, Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, HG2G, Encyclopedia Galactica

In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitchhiker's Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects. First, it is slightly cheaper; and second, it has the words "DON'T PANIC" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.
(source: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams)

We can safely assume that when Douglas Adams wrote this passage, he had probably not foreseen the demise of the Encyclopedia Britannica print version. After all, Hitchhiker’s was published in the late 70s, well before the advent of Wikipedia, what is to the Britannica that HG2G is to the Galactica.

At least in this pan-dimension, where mice are simply just furry little creatures with very little knowledge of the actual history of cheese.

But that aside, the definitive tussle between the Encyclopaedia Galactica and HG2G in the fictional realm of the universe bears some parallels to real-world comparisons between the 32-volume paper edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and the availability of information via the Internet. Primarily when comparing the unwieldy and voluminous Britannica with Wikipedia.

For one thing, although it doesn’t usually emblazon the words “Don’t Panic” across its website, Wikipedia is free, while Britannica sets you back in the region of USD 1,400 for the beautifully bound printed set, or USD 70 per year for an online subscription (source: Reuters).

While that's quite obvious to most people (except maybe for the quantum of price difference), another similarity is less frequently mentioned: both the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and Wikipedia are peer-edited.
(Knowledge, the Universe , and more [but not quite Everything], in the full post)

In other words, they both leverage on the almost limitless resource of everyday knowledge from everyday peer experts, and not on the limited human resource that the more established encyclopedia houses have to rely on.

And since just about everyone is connected to the Internet these days, anyone with domain expertise in a particular subject can contribute. Much like how Ford Prefect was a contributor to HG2G, even Walski has contributed something to Wikipedia (albeit very minor).

True, the open nature of Wikipedia makes it open to abuse, but most misinformation is quite quickly detected (usually within minutes). But at least it has more to say about Mother Earth than just “Mostly Harmless”, making it a better resource than even the HG2G. In fact, comparing it to the Britannica, Wikipedia wins hands down in discussing this now popular phrase (see the Britannica version here).

But, Walski digresses…

A few days ago, he received an e-mail with a request to share an infographic about the now ubiquitous knowledge site. It represents a quick reference, single-glance look at everything you’ve always wanted to know about Wikipedia (but didn’t have Jimmy Wales’ mobile number).

Via: Open-Site.org

When was the last time you entered a public library? Walski can’t even remember when he last did. It must have been over 20 years ago when he was still in college.

The biggest difference between paper-bound knowledge and the online kind is the speed of how information can be updated. As we’ve seen with many recent events (such as The Arab Spring, and the current Syrian Uprising, via Twitter and Facebook), we are able to keep ourselves in the know, almost instantaneously.

Similarly with knowledge-based information on Wikipedia – It is a lot more up to date compared with what we can find in paper-bound encyclopedias. Even the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica kind of lags behind, somewhat.

Best of all, you don’t run the risk of having pages of your expensive encyclopedia getting the black marker treatment, something that still happens regularly in Malaysia to selected print publications deemed “undesirable” for our consumption.

Some might think that Wikipedia is low-brow and pedestrian compared to the beautifully bound (and expensive) Encyclopedia Britannica. Some might think that knowledge can only be attained through the printed word. Well, Walski thinks that these some are wrong. Numbers don’t lie, and the increased acceptance within the academic circles says it all.

The more access we have to information, the more opportunity we have to turn the information we ingest into knowledge.

As Farish A. Noor wrote in his essay yesterday (via The Malaysian Insider), “…with knowledge, it’s like we have a magical box that can expand and keep expanding. No matter how much we read, we can read more, learn more, remember more. And with that we grow into better, more knowledgeable and wiser people".

In essence, therefore, it’s the wealth and breadth of information that’s important. It cannot be denied that the Internet, through sites such as Wikipedia – and yes, even the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica – provides us with just that.

There is another similarity between the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and Wikipedia that has thus far gone unmentioned. Walski’s not sure whether Jimmy Wales is a fan of HG2G or not, but Wikipedia embodies one very important lesson that Walski learned from the writing of the late great Douglas Adams throughout the HG2G series of books.

And it is upon this very important precept that Walski chooses to end this post:

Share and Enjoy!

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

Poll Position: And the New PM you've chosen is...

Technorati tags: Poll Position, Next PM Of Malaysia, General Elections

Beware the Ides of March… which is when the last poll we ran closed. For Chua Soi Lek, at least, the poll results are disappointing. Very disappointing. And the Ides of March wasn’t at all kind to the man.

As it turns out, after a few weeks of the poll being up, NOBODY picked him. Not one single vote.

By a 2% margin over her father (who came in second), you picked Nurul Izzah Anwar as your choice for the next PM of Malaysia.

Overall, those representing BN did very badly. Pretty much sympathy votes, by the looks of it. But with the kind of governmental silliness that’s been happening, are you at all surprised?

And you can’t spell governmental without ‘mental’… which pretty much describes what’s been going on in Malaysia of late. 
(further analysis, and more, in the full post)

Since the chart is a bit of an eye test, Walski decided to provide a tabulation of how each person listed in the poll fared (in descending order):

Nurul Izzah Anwar	29.73%
Anwar Ibrahim	27.03%
Lim Guan Eng	20.27%
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail	5.41%
Baru Bian	1.35%
G. Palanivel	1.35%
Muhyiddin Yasin	1.35%
Najib Abdul Razak	1.35%
Nik Aziz Nik Mat	1.35%
Chua Soi Lek	0.00%

In addition, 10.81% chose the Other option, each providing their choice of candidate (in alphabetical order):

• Barack Obama
• Frodo Baggins
• Haris Ibrahim
• Ibrahim Ali
• Khalid Samad
• Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
• Tunku Aziz
• Walski

In all likelihood, Obama will probably have his hands full taking care of his own re-election campaign this year. And Frodo Baggins? Gosh, you people sure have a cynical sense of humor…

While he is flattered that someone actually had the audacity to name him as the future PM, Walski respectfully declines. That said, Malaysia would probably be a less uptight nation if he were PM.

Okay, time to wake up, Walski…

So, are the results surprising, or is it time to allow the much younger ones a bigger role in nation building?

Granted, this poll reflects the more liberal audience that myAsylum tends to attract, but do the results reflect how Malaysians feel right now, at least a little bit?

Not for Walski to say. You’ve voted, now let’s hear what you have to say about the results…

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

Opinion Poll: Who you think the Next PM should be

Technorati tags: Opinion Poll, Next PM Of Malaysia, Paradigm Shift

It’s poll time again, boys &  girls.

In fact, the poll has been up for the better part of the last two weeks (on the side bar), and will close on the Ides of March at midnight.

What Walski wants to know: who you think should be the next Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Simple, no?

While the question may be simple, the answer isn’t so straightforward. Especially when it comes to Malaysia, where the status quo is so sacrosanct, it’s easier to bulldoze mountains than it is to think about paradigm shifts… 
(poll details, and more, in the full post)

Admittedly, the list Walski has presented to choose from may not be all-encompassing, nor complete, in any sense. Hence, the Other choice where you can enter your own candidate.

Bottom line, when thinking about whom to choose, or nominate, as the case may be, ask yourself who you think best embodies the ability to take this nation forward, and is brave enough to shift the paradigms that have, in some ways, become restraints preventing us to be where we should be as a nation.

And trust Walski on this one, there are many paradigms we’re stuck with that are no longer beneficial to hold on to.

So take the poll, and tell Walski what you think.

As with previous polls, this one is shareable. Either click on the Post to Blogger button below the poll (at the top of the sidebar), or if you have a blog/website that’s Wordpress based, you can use the short-code [polldaddy poll="5975751"].

Please feel free to tell your friends about this poll, too, as the more people participating in it, the better.

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

Neo-Soul artiste banned by No-Soul country

Technorati tags: Erykah Badu, Concert Ban, Yorais, Neo Soul, No Soul

That’s about the only headline missing from reports around the globe about Malaysia banning the performance by Erykah Badu, slated for later this evening.

And that’s exactly the headline Walski thinks most appropriately describes what happened yesterday, when the already infamous #yorais announced that the concert would not be allowed to go on.

Rais: Bigger  problem with Muslims if Erykah Badu concert allowed

Datuk Seri Rais Yatim justified on Twitter today the cancellation of Erykah Badu’s concert, which was scheduled to take place tomorrow, saying that if the concert had been allowed to go ahead, it would have created “a bigger and prolonged problem”.

“The ‘Allah’ graphic on the singer’s body will surely create religious controversies among Muslims who do not appreciate such practice.

“The cancellation of the concert is based on justification, if continued, will create a bigger and prolonged problem,” he said in a post on the micro-blogging site this afternoon.

The information, communications and culture minister had earlier today announced on his official Twitter page that the concert has been banned after a photograph revealing a tattoo on the American R&B singer with the Arabic word for “Allah”, or God, appeared in English-language daily The Star yesterday.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

Assuming it ever had one, this damned country has totally lost its soul.
(a country with an evaporated soul, and more, in the full post)

Sure, we’ve got great infrastructure, complete with potholes, and a an abundance of uneven manhole orifice covers strewn all over our  roads. But gazing at the splendor of the KL skyline only gets you so far.

Walski’s Facebook and Twitter friend, the very prolific Art Harun, had this to say this morning:

We ban a singer with an Allah tattoo. We objected against Valentines day celebration. 40 yr old sex education book - we ban. We assisted in a kidnapping of a visitor to our country. We look with askance at electronic Bibles. And TV3, at 6.50am today discussed bras from Indonesia which apparently could cure cancer. Sometime I think the NFC project is a big prank and all of us are actually the cows.
(Art Harun, via Facebook)

In which case, grazing at the splendor of the KL skyline only gets you so far, if what Art says is true…

What has Malaysia turned into?

Some dare venture that we’re fast becoming another Saudi Arabia – minus, of course, the sand and the almost-unlimited supply of black gold, and unbridled male tribal chauvinism.

Frankly, if you were to ask Walski, Rais Yatim is merely the manifestation of the kind of knee-jerk conservatism that has gripped the nation, which is fast squeezing the very soul out of it. Of course, he opens himself up to ridicule in the process. Someone’s gotta be the #yorais scapegoat, and it’s always better that a dinosaur be assigned the task.

The process of Malaysia transforming from a vibrant secular democratic country into a relgio-hypersensitive despot state didn’t happen overnight, nor did it begin in 2008, as some might think. Although, that said, the process certainly has accelerated since then.

No, from Walski’s observation, the process began in the late 1980’s when legitimacy for increased Islamization was given on a constitutional amendment platter (albeit unintentionally), topped off with that infamous declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state. Both, for no other reason than short-sighted political expediency. We are today enjoying the fruits, rotten even before they are ripe for the picking.

We have a situation today where anything with the slightest whiff of even coming close to touching the hypersensitivities of “Muslims” gets nipped in the bud. Faster than you can painfully scream ‘castration’.

And while the political bastards politicians play the game of “if PAS can do it, UMNO can do it more drastically” one-upsmanship, the soul of this nation evaporates, leaving the loud self-proclaimed majority in this country wallowing in glee, concerned with the nether regions of high profile personalities. All the while oblivious to the damage their almost voyeuristic obsession creates.

No-Soul trumps Neo-Soul

As far as Walski is concerned, Malaysia has pretty much become a lifeless shell, glittery on the outside, festering and rotting beneath the epidermis. And you don’t even have to peel that much off before the stench permeates, and overwhelms you with flustered frustration.

And then you sit there wondering why the Malaysian diaspora is so unwilling to return?

Another individual, prolific in his own country Pakistan, a college friend of Walski’s, once commented that from what he has seen, Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful city that he would like to spend more time in. But the friend asked this question: “but what does Kuala Lumpur have to feed my soul?”

At the time, some weeks ago, Walski was hard-pressed to answer. If asked the same question again today, he’d have no hesitation to say, “Nothing. Like the rest of this country, whatever little we had resembling a soul, we’ve sold to the Devil. In God’s name”.

Seriously… soul, my friend? What soul?

For to ban a neo-soul artist, simply on the superficial basis of an offending tattoo, if we aren’t already, Malaysia is fast becoming a country without the semblance of a soul… whatever life it used to have quickly evaporating into a murky, misty, long forgotten past that can never be reborn.

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

How CAT could keep the LAMP lit...

Technorati tags: Lynas, LAMP, Environmental Damage, Hazardous Industrial Waste, Health Concerns, Low Level Radioactivity

Since he doesn’t want to waste your time with his rambling, and he doesn’t have the luxury of time at his disposal right now, Walski will cut to the chase : unless we want to abandon our smart phones, notebook computers, hybrid vehicles, and some green technologies (among other things), we’re going to need Rare Earth elements.

That’s a reality of today’s technology-dependent life. If you want the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) totally shutdown, and you’re reading this on your smartphone or iPad, then you better think twice about what it is you’re asking for.

Now, don’t get Walski wrong – he does not want severe environmental damage like what Malaysia witnessed earlier with the Asia Rare Earths plant in Bukit Merah (more on that later).

And yes, he is very wary of whether or not LAMP can operate safely as things stand today. Particularly after reading this article from Mother Jones earlier.

For Walski it is a conundrum, particularly when this very post is written on a device that has some form of rare earth element in it. Can we have our technology cake, and eat it without exposing our environment to severe risk from the ravaging damage that radiation and heavy metal poisoning can afflict?

Would it surprise you if Walski answered ‘yes’? 
(eating our tech cake without radiation poisoning, and more, in the full post)

But before he explains himself, perhaps a recap of what Malaysians fear is in order.

The Bukit Merah ecological disaster is a living example of how rare earth refining can go terribly wrong, particularly when world standards for the handling of radioactive and other hazardous waste materials are not adhered to. The fact that Mitsubishi – one of the facility’s partners – is now quietly cleaning up the mess left behind does not prevent us from worrying that the same disaster could happen in Gebeng, Kuantan, where LAMP is currently being constructed.

If you’ve been following this blog long enough, you may know that most of Walski’s working life has been spent in the process automation business. He’s seen plants with excellent safe operating practices, but he’s also seen some deplorable process facilities.

And it’s no big secret that when it comes to maintenance, the experience in Malaysia leaves much to be desired. That said, in the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical sectors, operating and safety procedures are quite stringent.

Still, even with the most stringent of procedures in place, accidents can happen. Most of these mishaps, however, are due to human errors. At least from what Walski has personally observed in his 20-some years working in the industry.

Which brings us back to LAMP.

From a technology standpoint, LAMP can operate safely, and has probably been designed with a high level of safety in mind. But the best designs can be undone by less than perfect implementation. And in the case of LAMP, there has been at least one implementation fault.

Engineers involved in the project said, and internal e-mails showed, that AkzoNobel withdrew from supplying the chemicals after it was told that the fiberglass liners would be installed in concrete-walled tanks that have a problem with rising dampness in the floors and cracks in the walls. AkzoNobel had been in discussions about the problem of rising dampness, but only became aware of the cracks this autumn, according to the engineers and the memos.

The engineers said they felt a professional duty to voice their safety concerns, but insisted on anonymity to avoid the risk of becoming industry outcasts.
(source: The New York Times, article dated January 31, 2012)

So, is the solution to trash the LAMP project altogether, or are there other alternatives? The danger posed by the facility should not be trivialized, as contamination of all manners are a very real possibility.

The solution here, as simple and straightforward as it may seem, is CAT. No, not the feline four-legged kind, but Clean, Accountable & Transparent. And this no-nonsense approach must be applied to ALL parties involved with the project – owners, contractors, and government agencies.

Plant project implementation, when not planned and done meticulously, can be rife with errors. Walski’s seen this happen with his own eyes. And for a project like LAMP, no error in implementation can be tolerated. CAT will definitely help in that respect.

And definitely NO CUTTING CORNERS (that’s what “Clean” means in this circumstance). Everything to specifications or better, no exceptions.

But for one reason or another, there has been obfuscation to a certain degree surrounding the implementation of the project and approval for it to operate. It appears that the problems surrounding the reactor vessel in the news quote snippet above (see also the Mother Jones article) were never quite revealed voluntarily.

Based on this, the question of “what else haven’t we been told” lies heavily on everyone’s mind. And if it doesn’t then it really should.

The way forward? As mentioned, CAT is the answer, applicable to ALL PARTIES involved. Particularly for the bigger concern of waste handling, once the plant is operational.

Thus far, most of the focus has been on the low level radioactive waste that will be produced. And with low level radiation, it’s prolonged exposure that’s more the concern, rather than single-dose exposure.

Radiation dosage put into perspective
(click on image or here for a larger view)

To Walski, while this is a very valid concern (for which no solution has yet been approved), there is also the question of the other nasty waste products, primarily acids and heavy metals. A major concern, especially when treated wastewater will be flowed back to the waterways, and scrubbed waste gasses to the atmosphere.

A pre-condition for approval to operate is a plan for proper waste disposal. In this very important area, CAT must be the modus operandi. No ifs, ands, or buts. By Transparent, all concerned parties must be informed in an honest manner.

And that is where Walski stands in all of this – unless we refuse to utilize any product that contains rare earth elements, a blanket opposition to Lynas and LAMP is rather hypocritical.

That, however, does not mean the plant can proceed without strict oversight during implementation and during its operational lifetime. And for that, CAT is the way to go.

It’s been said that the Gebeng area shouldn’t have been chosen as the site for LAMP in the first place, for a number of reasons. Namely, the site’s proximity to populated areas, and that prior to being opened up, the area was a peat swamp (hence the problem with moisture seeping through the tank/reactor base). In other words, the site is less than ideal.

But the facility is at a stage where relocation is no longer an option.  Therefore the ONLY acceptable way the plant can proceed is if all the remaining flaws and faults are fully rectified, with full disclosure as to the nature and what corrective actions have been planned. And a credible plan for how all the facilities waste matter is to be disposed. And, close and honest monitoring by the relevant government oversight bodies. All in full-blown CAT mode, for sure.

Anything less than a willingness for full transparency, accountability and non-nonsense implementation, is an alarm bell, signifying that the safest way forward is for us to blow out the light on LAMP, before it even begins to operate, and potentially put Gebeng and its environs at risk.

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

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, and Babies are from IKEA

Technorati tags: Humor, Book Banning, Where Did I Come From?, UMNO Youth, UMB-eciles

“… when a daddy plank and a mommy plank who love each other (and are, of course, legally married), get bolted together…”

Okay, screw that thought with an Allen Key. Just like how UMNO Youth screwed with a 30-year old book (via The Malaysian Insider) that teaches no-nonsense sex education. Walski reckons REAL porn is fine by them, but not anything educational.

No siree… as everyone knows, babies come from IKEA. Some assembly and screwing necessary (additional tools may be required). The last thing we want is young Malaysians having the evil Western belief that babies are produced through sexual union.

Ministry deputy secretary-general in charge of security Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohd Radzi announced the ban under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, just a day after ordering a temporary halt to the book’s sales to study if the content could harm the nation’s “moral.”
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

The ban referred to is on the book “Where Did I Come From?” by Peter Mayle, a highly regarded sex education book.

Maybe it’s just Walski, but you know what really destroys our morals? Being bombarded and mentally sodomized 24/7 with sordid news of sexual misconduct that everyone – the government included – seems to condone.

Oh, and REAL porn, like the so-called Anwar Ibrahim China Doll video that pro-UMNO UMB-ecile blogs have been flagrantly spreading. 
(porn is in the eye of the pee-pee holder, and more, in the full post)

But here’s the really strange part – the book was first published in 1984, and has probably been in our bookstores for the good part of the last two decades. So why the sudden horror over its contents?

Well, to clear up this little mystery, we would really have to ask UMNO Youth, the organization that brought this whole thing up in the first place, and wrenched it into the public mindspace.

The following is from The Malaysian Insider (emphasis by myAsylum):

Umno Youth’s Datuk Muhd Khairun Aseh claimed to have received many complaints from the public about the book’s graphic description of love-making between two people. The book has illustrations of a naked man and woman and teaches children proper anatomical names.

“The degree of obscenity inside the book was too much,” he was quoted as saying by the English-language daily yesterday.

“This is a violation of Section 292 of the Penal Code, which deals with distribution or sale of pornographic materials. We believe that some 200 million copies of the book have been printed since it was published in 1997,” said the head of the Umno Youth’s community complaints bureau.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

Funny, but Walski doesn't recall Datuk Muhammad Khairun Aseh screaming bloody porn when the Anwar tapes were making its rounds. Walski reckons that it’s because no one in UMNO complained, eh?

Muhammad Khairun Aseh, according to sources Walski found on the ‘Net, is around 33 years of age – give or take, depending on how long it took his parents to assemble him – which makes him just slightly older than the book itself. And he’s a father of two children, as Walski understands.

Did they come from IKEA, too? Aisle 27, Shelves 14 through 17, and available in birch, brown-black, and just about any standard color except for white, since Malaysians are obligated to loathe anything “white”. With the exception of skin whitening creams, naturally.

Well, thanks to UMNO Youth, we have one less resource to properly teach kids about sex. So Walski reckons that it’s back to online porn to learn about the reproductive process. Heck, that’s how many kids these days learn about the birds and the bees anyway. Granted, it’s usually wildlife of a different kind (but that’s simply more unnecessary detail for us to get into right now).

Seriously, though, is the book obscene by today’s standards? And by that, Walski means intelligent standards, not the lowest common denominator benchmarks shoveled and force-fed down our throats. Well, since the book has already been banned, it would be futile to run down to your nearest porn peddler bookstore to find out.

Fortunately for us common Malaysian netizens, the good people at Loyarburok had the deftness and cunning to post samples of this supposedly lewd and society-damaging book online for our own consideration.

So what do you think – pornography or educational?

But you know what Walski really finds obscene? The super-duper fast kneejerk reaction from the Home Ministry to withdraw the book from circulation (and subsequently banning it), just because UMNO asked them to. Within one bloody day.

But then again, this is the same ministry at the forefront of upholding human rights, so perhaps Walski shouldn’t be all too surprised.

What’s equally disgusting is the fact that one particular segment of society – in this case the Einsteins at UMNO Youth – gets to decide what’s good for every single Malaysian. Not just a small segment of society, but Walski dares venture, a small-minded segment of society as well.

But perhaps that’s just symptomatic of the fascist country Malaysia has become and he shouldn’t complain too much. Oh, we’re a democracy you say? Yeah, continue your afternoon nap suckers, and dream on. 

The fact remains that the federal government we have today is one we ourselves voted in. Or at least that YOU voted in, because Walski certainly didn’t. So ponder upon that little factoid the next time you vote.

So since we brought this idiocracy unto ourselves, if we’re told that it’s okay to have our heads screwed on backwards then it must be accepted as the only correct way. Lest the UMNO-pandering Home Ministry deports your sorry ass.

Despite what the UMNO-kowtowing morons in power would have us believe, assembling IKEA products – even babies – requires more than just the right-sized Allen Key. Most times, some skill is required, and more often than not, additional tools.

But most of all, simple common sense determines whether or not the IKEA baby’s screwed in the right way or not. Sadly, we discover that  more and more, as time goes by, that inalienable right for citizens to have common sense is being taken away, one  book at a time.

Service over, point to the nanny state…

Walski’s self-assembled statement of indemnity: Contrary to what you may surmise from this blog post, Walski regards IKEA as his favorite provider of quaint sounding (and sometimes difficult to pronounce) furniture and other in-home needs. Like most Klang Valley consumers, household purchasing decisions without a visit to IKEA will feel a tad naked. Much like the “Where Did I Come From” kind of naked, pubes and all.

The funny IKEA-like instruction graphics Walski has used throughout this post originated from a fake joke-brochure created by Aubrey Clayton, founder and editor of the comedy magazine The Foghorn. It was featured in Boing Boing Gadgets some years back, and was naturally the perfect source for illustrating this post. You can download a PDF copy of the entire “manual“ here.

However, don’t try looking for a box of BÅB at your local IKEA outlet; not even on aisle 27…

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