Saturday, April 3, 2010

Drink up, you guys, for you may not be enjoying it much longer

When I came across this news in the Malaysiakini, I almost freaked out. My God, if this was to come about, how am I going to get my daily 'fix' then? I am a tea or shall I say, teh tarik, addict. There are times when I can drink up to eight glasses a day and I must say, I feel pretty good after that. Looks like I am heading for cold turkey soon!!!

Be it during work or leisure, Malaysians enjoy a cuppa teh tarik at the mamak stall, a part and parcel of the nation's social landscape.

But this may soon fade out if the government remains adamant on its foreign workers stance.

In January last year, the government banned the hiring of foreign workers in the service and manufacturing sectors amidst the looming economic downturn. The ban still remains.

Foreign workers who have worked for more than five years can no longer renew their permits.

The Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) had initially welcomed the move by offering 25,000 jobs for locals at 6,000 of its restaurants nationwide.

However, its deputy president Kadhar Shah Abdul Razak told Malaysiakini that more than a year on, less than 250 have taken up the offer.

"We have already tried our best (to support the government's policy), but no locals are willing to work for us," said Kadhar Shah.

Hitting the panic button, Kadhar said that he hopes that the government will reverse the decision.

"If the government does not reconsider, our investments will go down in flames," he added.

Kadhar Shah said that many of the local workers prefer to work at fast food chains rather than at mamak or nasi kandar stalls as it is much a tougher environment.

He warned that in another year's time, many of its restaurants will be forced to shut down if the trend continues.

Closure looms

One such restaurant owner who identified himself as Varusdi, 60, in Bangsar is among many facing this ominous prospect.

Within the next three to six months, the work permits of all seven of his workers, who have worked for more than five years, will expire.

His appeals have failed and Varusdi is desperately trying to hire local workers.

"Look at the banner outside, it's been up for two weeks and no one has come in. Not one!" lamented Varusdi, who pointed to a blue metre-long banner calling for cooks and waiters.

He pays his workers about RM800 a month plus food and lodging. Yet no one has even bothered to inquire.

"The situation doesn't look rosy. If I don't have workers, how am I going to run my shop? I will need to close down, I have no choice," he decried.

'Local workers wouldn't do'

Another mamak restaurant in Brickfields which sported a similar 'workers wanted' banner is also facing the same problems.

Supervisor Sulaiman F, 35 said half of his 20 workers were from India but five have since returned because their permit expired.

"It isn't a serious problem now because our remaining five foreign workers still have between one to three years but it's obviously tougher than before," he said.

For what he claims as unsatisfactory local workers, Sulaiman said they still have to pay between RM300 to RM500 more compared to the foreigners.

"We have tried to employ local workers. In fact, we had employed eight recently but six have left. They are not serious about their work," he added.

Calls for review

Meanwhile, a nasi campur shop owner in Bangsar, Kak Waty, 39 said that 14 of her 16 workers were from Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Thailand.

While none of her workers are near the five-year threshold, Waty said she is against the policy even though she understands that hiring locals will help the country.

"Our Indonesian workers are more hardworking. The locals don't want such work and when I did hire them, they worked for a few days and then disappeared," she said.

Waty predicted that if the situation persists she too will face problems in future.

Last month, the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI) president KK Eswaran had also called for work permits be extended for the 90,000 foreign workers its members employ.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has said that he would consider the request, however, Kadhar Shah said on-going discussions with the authorities have not been fruitful so far.
The problem is not confined to just mamak restaurants but also Chinese and other restaurants which employ Burmese and Indonesians as waiters and cooks.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Is this an April Fools joke??

When Deputy Finance Minister, Chor Chee Heung, recently made the statement, "I believe that low income Malaysians today would not have been able to have their own cars had it not been for Proton", I wonder whether he had heard of the saying, "What is good is never cheap, and what is cheap is never good." The video below proves my point.



So to Chor Chee Heung and the rest in Proton, thanks but no thanks. I value my life much more than the car, and will continue to use my good old reliable Honda.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Ibrahim Ali : Talking rubbish!

Look at the vast difference in eloquency of Ibrahim Ali and Farish Noor. To Ibrahim Ali, there is that saying, "It is better to shut your mouth and look like a fool, then to open it and remove all doubts".

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

To all my Muslim friends, if you smoke, this is a must read for you

If you are a Muslim, if you are a vegetarian and if you a person who smoke on a regular basis, this article is a must read for you.



  • Cigarettes may contain blood - research
  • "Insight into world of cigarette manufacture"
  • Likely to raise concerns for Muslims, Jews
  • CIGARETTES may contain traces of pigs' blood, an Australian academic says with a warning that religious groups could find its undisclosed presence "very offensive".

University of Sydney Professor in Public Health Simon Chapman points to recent Dutch research which identified 185 different industrial uses of a pig - including the use of its haemoglobin in cigarette filters.

Prof Chapman said the research offered an insight into the otherwise secretive world of cigarette manufacture, and it was likely to raise concerns for devout Muslims and Jews.

Religious texts at the core of both of these faiths specifically ban the consumption of pork.

"I think that there would be some particularly devout groups who would find the idea that there were pig products in cigarettes to be very offensive," Prof Chapman said today.

"The Jewish community certainly takes these matters extremely seriously and the Islamic community certainly do as well, as would many vegetarians.


Related Coverage
'High fire risk' cigarettes banned
NEWS.com.au, 18 Mar 2010
Illegal tobacco costing $600m a year
NEWS.com.au, 5 Feb 2010
More shock and gore on ciggies
Daily Telegraph, 3 Jan 2010
Switch to lights goes up in smoke
The Australian, 3 Nov 2009
Smoking costs $31b - report
Perth Now, 21 Oct 2009

"It just puts into hard relief the problem that the tobacco industry is not required to declare the ingredients of cigarettes ... they say 'that's our business' and a trade secret."

The Dutch research found pig haemoglobin - a blood protein - was being used to make cigarette filters more effective at trapping harmful chemicals before they could enter a smoker's lungs.

Prof Chapman said while tobacco companies had moved voluntarily list the contents of their products on their websites, they also noted undisclosed "processing aids ... that are not significantly present in, and do not functionally affect, the finished product".

This catch-all term hid from public view an array of chemicals and other substances used in the making of tobacco products, he said.

At least one cigarette brand sold in Greece was confirmed as using pig haemoglobin in its processes, Prof Chapman said, and the status of smokes sold was unknown.

"If you're a smoker and you're of Islamic or Jewish faith then you'd probably would want to know and there is no way of finding out," Prof Chapman said.

The Sydney office of British American Tobacco Australia was contacted by AAP.

A spokeswoman said a comment would be provided although it was not immediately available.

Monday, March 29, 2010

The Ant and The Grasshopper - a must read!

Came across this from one of the blogs which I would like to re-produce as follows.

An ant worked hard in the sweltering heat all summer, building its nest and laying up supplies for the winter.


The grasshopper thought the ant was stupid not knowing how to enjoy life. It spent its days laughing, singing & dancing thoroughly enjoying the summer.


Winter came, the shivering grasshopper called a press conference and demanded to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while he was cold and starving. (This sounds just like Ibrahim Ali, Mahathir Mohammed and gang!)


TV1, TV2 & TV3 showed up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper alongside to a video clip of the ant in his comfortable home with a table full of food.
The majority of the Malaysian Parliamentarians were stunned by the sharp contrast. How could this poor grasshopper be allowed to suffer?


Khairy staged a demonstration in front of the ant’s nest.
Nazri went on a hunger strike along with other grasshoppers demanding that they be relocated to warmer climate area during winter.
The Malaysia Government immediately passed a law forbidding all ants from working hard in the summer so as to bring about equality of poverty between ants and grasshoppers.
Hishammudin increased ‘More Special Reservations’ for the grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services..


The ants were fined for failing to share 30% of his food with the grasshoppers. The Prime Minister announced that this was part of the NEP. No ants should question it.

Years later…..

Some ants migrated to the US and set up multi-billion dollar companies there.
Hundreds of grasshoppers still died of starvation despite the ‘More Special Reservations’ .

Losing a significant number of hard working ants and free loading the grasshoppers, Malaysia remained a developing country, despite its abundant natural resources.
All because the remaining ANTS were still doing their work ………… ……… ……..

Latest findings showed that almost all the grasshoppers in the political arena and civil service were hoarding corrupt wealth which they refused to share with their fellow grasshoppers!’

Wake up, DAP, before you start losing the much needed support of the rakyat

DAP Headquarters 23 rd March 2010

No.24 , Jalan 20/9 Paramount Gardens

46300 Petaling Jaya

Selangor by email / fax 79575718

Mr.Lim Guan Eng

c/o No.14 Jalan Talipon

10400 Pulau Pinang by email / fax 604-2288514

Dear sirs,

DAP ADMITS IT IS RACIST

I refer you to my email of 06/ 03/ 2010 and the complaints therein and my specific request for a reply / response. I also refer you to the numerous phone calls made by me in an attempt to get you to reply to my complaints and the conversations between myself and your racist Ms.Foo ( hp 012-3725852 ) and one Mr.Goh allegedly of IT HQ and the conduct of your staff at the DAP HQ in response to communication.

As I have been very clear with my requests and queries and was assured of a prompt reply by your staff above and you have failed to reply and have not denied my statements and since more than sufficient time has lapsed , you have by at least this failure to address the issues therein and refusal to deny them , agreed to my contention.

I would like to thank you for making this declaration to the electorate, to clarify any doubts they might have had and to contradict any previous statements that were made in the alternative from what DAP is stating below. This will certainly assist the electorate in it’s decision making process in preparation of the next General Election

I thank you for Confirming and agreeing that DAP under the full instructions of it’s leadership and working within it’s established policies, are a Political Party that

1) lies , lies repeatedly and are happy to do so.

2) is Racist and class conscious in it’s activities and it’s representatives are free to abuse, insult and humiliate the electorate

3) does not wish to reply to phone calls, letters and emails in relation to queries and complaints, especially if it originates from non-Chinese as I have made many over the years and none have received a response. When I raised this issue of racism, it has never been denied.

4) does not attend to complaints of serious problems of failures , damage and maintenance of public property within it’s administrative boundaries and has additionally provided proof of poor and corrupt public property maintenance in at least my area.

5) unlawfully solicits monies from unsuspecting members of the public for activities that are racist and class conscious. DAP are unwilling to reveal how this solicitation took place and as to how the contact was enabled. When challenged, the DAP representative soliciting the funds ( Evelyn 0162675006 ) threatened to use force tantamount to ‘ criminal intimidation ‘ to silence the complainant .

6) is a Chinese chauvinistic mirror image of the criminal Barisan Nasional.

7) does not deny the issues stated above as raised by me to them in the past.

I am sure that you agree that it is my duty to inform the public of your brave admission and declaration and will also assist in the propagation of you kind declaration to the electorate by posting this on the internet. I also thank you for the kind permission you have given me to do so.

Yours faithfully

Captain Reinu Balakrishnan

Copied to

1) MT
2) www

And fax.nos.

  • 603-7983 7576
  • 603-78738017
  • 604-2613003
  • 605-2417402
  • 603-79837576
  • 603-77260443
  • 603-33243096

Monday Humour

These guys are just plain evil. The next time your physician suggests a MRI scan, think again.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
A WORRIED FATHER-TO-BE

Four husbands were sitting in the waiting room of a hospital while waiting for their wives to deliver their babies.

A nurse came out and told to the first daddy, "Congratulations, you got twins!".
"Oh! What a coincidence," said the daddy. "I am working in the Petronas Twin Towers".

Then another nurse came out and told to the second daddy, "Congratulations! You have triplets!"
"Wow! This is a coincidence too," said the second daddy. "I am working for 3M Corporation."

Another nurse came out and told the third daddy, "Congratulations! Isteri you dapat kembar empat."
"Alhamdulillah! Maybe this is also a coincidence." "I kerja di Four Seasons Hotel!"

Meanwhile, the fourth daddy-to-be was in uncontrolled worry. All the other 3 daddies asked him, "why do you look so worried?"

He answered, "I am working with Seven-Eleven!"

-------------------------------------------------------

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.

.

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.

She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?'

Her mother replied, 'Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.'

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, 'Mummy, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?'


The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
'Take only ONE . God is watching.'

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Why divorce?

· In a divorce court a woman requested the judge: "Your honor, I want to divorce my husband." "But why ?" asked the judge.
· She replied, "Because he is not faithful to me."
· The judge asked, "How do you know?"
· She replied, "My lord, not a single child resembles him."

Love Your Enemy

· From his death bed, the husband called his wife and said, "One month after I die I want you to marry Samy."
· "Samy! But he is your enemy!"
· "Yes, I know that! I've suffered all these years so let him suffer now."

Wedding Ring

· At the cocktail party, one woman said to another, "Aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?"
· The other replied, "Yes I am, I married the wrong man."

Why?

· " Dad , I was away for a week. Yesterday I sent a fax to my wife I'd be home that night, and when I got into my room I found my wife in another man's arms.
· "Why, Dad ? Tell me why!"
· Dad kept silent for a few minutes, then coolly said, "Maybe, Son, she didn't get the fax."

Same Service

· A husband visited a marriage counselor and said, "When we were first married, I would come home from the office, my wife would bring my slippers and our cute little dog would run around barking. Now after ten years it's all different, I come home, the dog brings the slippers and my wife runs around barking."
· "Why complain?" said the counselor. "You're still getting the same service!"

Talk about Husband

One woman told another: " My neighbour is always speaking ill of her husband, but look at me, my husband is foolish, lazy and a coward; but have I ever said anything bad about him?"

Love To Do

· A wife, one evening, drew her husband's attention to the couple next door and said, "Do you see that couple? How devoted they are? He kisses her every time they meet. Why don't you do that?"
· "I would love to. "Replied the husband. "But I don't know her well enough."

No Answer Back

· A man was telling his friends, "When my wife is infuriated, she starts shouting at me, my children and even at our dogs and nobody dares answer her."
· One of his friends asked. "And when you are angry, what do you do?"
· The man replied, "I also shout angrily at the windows and doors of the house and none of them dares to answer back.

Come Home Late

· A woman was complaining to the neighbour that her husband always came home late, no matter how she tried to stop him.
· "Take my advice," said the neighbour, "and do what I did. Once my husband came home at three o'clock in the morning, and from my bed I called out: "Is that you, Jim?" And that cured him.
· "Cured him!" asked the woman, "but how?"
· The neighbour said, "You see, his name is Bill."

Problem Father

· "You looked troubled," I told my friend, "what's your problem?"
· He replied, "I'm going to be a father."
· "But that's wonderful," I said.
· "What's so wonderful? My wife doesn't know about it yet.

-------------------------------------------------------------



Sunday, March 28, 2010

Muslim students visit SFX Church


Today is Palm Sunday one of the auspicious days before Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I have just returned home from church, had my breakfast and started to browse through some back copies of The Herald. This one issue of March 21 2010 really made my Sunday all the more meaningful.

The article read ...

"Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the three great monotheistic Abrahamic religions share so much in common that we can never underestimate the extent of the common good which we can achieve as partners in dialogue and collaboration", Fr Simon Yong SJ told a group of 33 Muslim students from Universiti Malaya, a leading local university.

The students accompanied by their lecturer, Ustaz Mahmud Ahmad, from the Department of Aqidah and Islamic Understanding, Academy of Islamic Studies which is part of the above university, were on a field visit to the Church of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya, as part of their comparative religious study of Christianity.

Various questions were posed by the students to Fr Yong, who is the parish priest of St Francis Xavier, on the practices and teachings of Christianity and Catholicism in particular. The students were interested in knowing the differences between the Catholic faith and Protestantism, ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue, the form of Christian prayer, priestly celibacy, the significance of Sunday, etc. The ensuing dialogue led both sides to find many meeting places and similarities. Fr Yong nevertheless, pointed out the need to be on guard against relativism which is seen as an obstacle to genuine dialogue based on the respect of differences.

Also present at the discussion-cum-dialogue was Fr Michael Chua, the Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Archdiocesan Ministry of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs (AMEIA). In response to a question, Fr Chua highlighted the main issues on both sides of the divide in the ongoing controversy surrounding the use of the name "Allah" by Christians. Fr Chua explained that both Christians and Muslims had different perspectives on the issue. Christians viewed it from an angle of history and fundamental human rights, whereas the Muslim position had a broader spectrum of views, ranging from the affirmation that such use by non-Muslims was not prohibited by the Quran or the Hadith, to views which opposed it based on fear of confusion and proselytisation. Fr Yong added that the issue must be discussed and studied rationally and cautioned that one must not abdicate reason to the tyranny of emotion.

The visit concluded with a tour of the Church building led by Jesuit scholastic, Bro Eugene Koh SJ, where the students were given a brief explanation of Christian architecture, art and iconography.

[The Herald]