The Selangor Times - February 11 2011 edition

Selangor Times 11 Feb 2011

Another leak from China military arsenal

With such weapons, China could easily win any war hands down. I doubt the men from the other side would want to shoot these Chinese soldiers. My guess is that they would prefer to surrender willingly.

America, Russia, England, France, Italy, Singapore - eat your hearts out!

DAP, not MCA, is where the action is

I used to respect MCA. In its heyday it had good and credible leaders and was looked up to and well-respected. But is it still relevant today?

Although MCA stands for Malaysian Chinese Association, my family members and relatives had never really felt enough of a sense of belonging to join or support the party.

Instead, to them DAP (Democratic Action Party) sounded much better although the word 'Chinese' is not in DAP's name.

Since the dawn of time, MCA was, is and always will be the rich Chinese businessman's party. Although it claims to champion Chinese causes, it has never really been the voice of those Chinese who are poor and downtrodden eventhough it has done good work for the cause of Chinese education, for instance in getting recognition for TAR College which has since been acknowledged and become known as UTAR. MCA has failed to capture the soul of the poor and downtrodden Chinese. In this aspect, the other Chinese-based party, Gerakan has also failed miserably.

It cannot be denied that DAP is a Chinese-based party as many of its leaders and members are Chinese although there are top non-Chinese leaders and members, namely Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz and Karpal Singh in the present era. Currently too, there are a good number of Indian leaders in Perak DAP who are Members of Parliament and State Assemblymen. Well-known non-Chinese DAP leaders in the past were P. Patto, V. David and Ahmad Nor.

Since the late 1960s to the current era, DAP has always been known as the poor Chinese layman's party, a great contrast to MCA being known as the rich Chinese businessman's party.

DAP leaders wearing their trademark short-sleeved white shirts and black trousers are still a symbol of the no-frills party since its founding date on 19 March 1966. It still champions the cause of the poor to this very day and recently the party has embarked on an ongoing signature campaign to protest against the constant price hikes of petrol and daily foodstuffs which are burdening the poor and the low-income group.

DAP has always been credible and relevant to the Chinese. Even when it has little support, especially in the 11th General Election in 2004, it still managed to soldier on. Its leaders have fought on relentlessly for the cause of justice for all races, not just the Chinese alone. A case in point is A. Sivanesan (currently State Assemblyman of Sungkai) who has been fighting for minimum wage since 1985! That's more than a quarter of a century! Another example is Lim Guan Eng who had to endure a prison term for fighting for the rights of a girl, a Malay, who was a victim of statutory rape.

No way is DAP anti-Islam or anti-Malay! The facts speak for itself. That sort of accusation is done with malicious intent. No sane person should ever believe such blatant lies.

In regards to MCA, this once great Chinese party has now degenerated into a small fry, ever-fearful of UMNO, its big brother in Barisan Nasional. It dares not speak out against UMNO and only knows how to parrot UMNO's words.

The Chinese in Lim Kit Siang's blog refer to MCA leaders as 'running dogs'. 'Running dogs' is a derogatory term used to refer to the Chinese in Malaya during World War II who betrayed their fellow-Chinese to the Japanese forces. In its current usage, it simply means that the MCA leaders are traitors to their race. There are worst names being used to label the MCA leaders but which are not printable here.

The Transport Ministry headed by a MCA minister has allowed the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) issue to sink to the bottom of the ocean while the Tourism Ministry which is also headed by a MCA minister has allowed all sorts of shenanigans to go on.

Yes, MCA is no longer credible. And no longer relevant to the Chinese except to the rich Chinese businessmen and its cronies whom it looks after very well in exchange for their patronage.

On the other hand, DAP continues to be a beacon of hope to the people like a campfire in the night (which happens to be the symbol of its founding date in the Chinese almanac). In the night when it is dark and cold, many people need the campfire and crowd round it for warmth and sustenance (cooking food).

Yes, DAP has and will always have an important role as the voice of the poor and the oppressed in the Malaysian political scene. DAP is where the action is, now more so than ever in this era of the new political landscape post-March 2008.

[Source: Harakahdaily]

The passing of my favourite bluesman - Gary Moore

This is the announcement from Gary Moore's official fan club website:

It is with deep sorrow and regret, that we have to announce that Gary Moore passed away while on holiday in Spain last night [February 6 2011].

Our thoughts are with his children, family and friends at this sad time.

Gary Moore, RIP

1952-2011

[Gary was 58]

Ex-US envoy launches broadside at Malaysia's racism

Former United States ambassador to Malaysia John Malott has lambasted Prime Minister Najib Razak's hypocrisy over his 1Malaysia slogan in a scathing article published today in the Asian Wall Street Journal.

Malott (left), a frequent critic of the government since ending his three-year tenure as US ambassador in 1998, told Najib to take “a long look in the mirror” if he was serious about achieving his 1Malaysia goal.

“Despite the government's new catchphrase, racial and religious tensions are higher today than when Najib took office in 2009.

“Indeed, they are worse than at any time since 1969, when at least 200 people died in racial clashes between the majority Malay and minority Chinese communities,” said Malott in his AWSJ commentary.

He blamed the recent escalation of tensions on the government for “tolerating, and in some cases provoking, ethnic factionalism through words and actions”.

Malott cited a number of examples, including the incident where a top Najib aide, Hardev Kaur, had suggested that no crucifixes be displayed during the premier's Christmas Day open house visit at the residence of the Catholic archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.

“Ms Kaur later insisted that she 'had made it clear that it was a request and not an instruction', as if any Malaysian could say no to a request from the prime minister's office,” lamented Malott.

Other examples of insensitivities, said Malott, included Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussien defending the actions of a group of residents who paraded a cow's head to protest the relocation of a Hindu temple to their neighbourhood, and Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi questioning the “lack of patriotism” of ethnic Chinese and Indian Malaysians.

Malott also slammed Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia for stoking racial hatred by regularly attacking “Chinese Malaysian politicians, and even suggested that one of them, parliamentarian Teresa Kok, should be killed”.

As a result of the growing racism, as many as 500,000 Malaysians left the country between 2007 and 2009, more than doubling the number of Malaysian professionals who live overseas, decried Malott.

The economic price tag of racism

He also said Najib is enamoured to right-wing groups such as Perkasa, which are against economic reforms in the name of 'Malay rights'.

“But stalling reform will mean a further loss in competitiveness and slower growth. It also means that the cronyism and no-bid contracts that favour the well-connected will continue.”

Malott said that while Najib may not actually believe the rhetoric emanating from his party and his government's officers, he allows it because he needs to shore up Malay votes.

“It's politically convenient at a time when his party faces its most serious opposition challenge in recent memory - and especially when the opposition is challenging the government on ethnic policy and its economic consequences.”

The steady erosion of tolerance, warned Malott, had become an economic problem as well.

“To meet its much-vaunted goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020, Malaysia needs to grow by 8 percent per year during this decade.

“That level of growth will require major private investments from both domestic and foreign sources, upgraded human skills and significant economic reform. Worsening racial and religious tensions stand in the way.”

The former US ambassador argued that while the government might find it politically expedient to stir the racial and religious pot, such opportunism comes with an economic price tag.

“Its citizens will continue to vote with their feet and take their money and talents with them. And foreign investors, concerned about racial instability and the absence of meaningful economic reform, will continue to look elsewhere to do business.”

[Source: Mkini]

Well, John, as much as we appreciate your bringing up of this issue of racism practised by UMNO, the regretable thing is that it is like pouring water on a duck's back.

More Monday Humour

The True Origin of the Internet

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader called Abraham of Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot of Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg.

Indeed, she had been called 'Amazon Dot Com'.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, 'Why dost thou travel far from town to town with thy goods when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?'

And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, 'How, dear?'

And Dot replied, 'I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale and they will reply telling you which hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable, which is known to all as UPS.'

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever moving from his tent.

But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secrete himself inside Abraham's drum and was accused of insider trading. And the young man didst take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung.

They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, or NERDS for short.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the land. And indeed did insist on making drums that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say, 'Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others'. And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or as it came to be known 'E-Bay' he said, 'We need a name that reflects what we are.'

And Dot replied, 'Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators.'

'YAHOO!' exclaimed Abraham.

And that is how it all began.

Al Gore had absolutely nothing to do with it

China, the economic power house

Does anyone know what China really wants and in which direction China is going?
The Russell answer :
China wants to be the most powerful financial power on the planet. Note that I
said China wants to be a "financial power," not a military power. Militarily, China
simply wants to neutralize the US , and be on a military level with the US . China
knows that nobody can win the next major war between super-powers (both sides
would be utterly destroyed).

China 's initial financial strategy -- to make the yuan (renminbi) the world's leading
currency. China wants the yuan to take the place of the US dollar in world trade and
they want the yuan to be the world's reserve currency. China is going about this in
slow, deliberate steps.

First, China is making strategic alliances with a long list of nations. This means
that they will trade, using currency swaps in China 's currency, the yuan. This will
result in eliminating trade in US dollars. The Chinese alliances include Malaysia , Belarus,
Hong Kong, Indonesia and more recently Brazil and Argentina. China is also moving
to create currency swaps with the Arab nations. More ominously, this means that
China ideally wants oil quoted and traded in yuan rather than as it is currently quoted
and traded -- in dollars.

What's behind China 's new strategies? The fact is that China has been smarting under
many decades of bad-mouthing and disrespect. China is a nation of 1.3 billion
hard-working people, a nation pulling itself out of deadening poverty and fast-becoming
the leading economy of the world. Today, no trend or major deal is transacted without
considering it's affect on China or China 's affect on the transaction.

It's obvious that China wants the yuan to be the world's new reserve currency. Ask
yourself this -- if you are dealing with a currency, would you rather deal with the
currency of a nation with a huge hard-working population, a nation with the largest
reserves on the planet -- or would you rather deal with the currency of a nation
drowning in debt, a nation who's currency is in a multi-decade decline, and a nation
which is steadily losing its productive and manufacturing capabilities?

The next step in the progression is for China to make its yuan convertible. China
wants the yuan to take the place of the dollar. It wants the yuan to be the world's
leading trading and safe-haven currency. More than that, China is in a headlong
rush to build its reserves of gold. Recently, China asked the IMF to create a new
reserve currency, a mix of three or four leading currencies with the yuan and gold
as two of its components.

China quietly has become the world's largest producer of gold. Furthermore, China 's
leaders have been urging their people to accumulate gold.

Unlike the US , China sees gold as a symbol of power and prestige. I believe that China
is thinking that in due time, it will back the yuan with part-gold, thereby making the yuan
far preferable to the US dollar, which is backed by nothing tangible. Today. the dollar
is backed only by the "full faith and credit" of the US government. So it's interesting
and rather frightening, while the US creates billions (trillions) of dollars out of computer
transactions, all in an effort to save its banking system, China is spending part of it giant
dollar hoard to buy up the resources of the earth. China already has a near-monopoly
in rare earths. China is buying mining companies where ever it's feasible. China is
buying arable land in South America and Africa . If it's a valuable resource, if it's for sale,
China wants to buy it.

All this is happening while the US debates the suitability of gays being in its armed forces.

Item, River Court City, Goldman Sachs' headquarters in London , has just been bought
by China through a company called "Chinese estates."

Item, Tim Geithner and Hillary Clinton continue to berate China and tell China what it should
be doing. China is doing exactly what it wants and what serves its own interests, and surprisingly,
China is not interested in the plans that the US has for it.

Housing: China 's leaders are worried about the housing bubble that has formed in China . In
an effort to let the air of the bubble, China has increased its bank reserves and raised its
benchmark interest rates. Thus has resulted in a sharp drop in its stock market (below, a
chart of the Shanghai Composite Index as of Friday's close).

[Richard Russell, Editor-in-chief - DOW THEORY LETTERS www.dowtheoryletters.com. The inimitable and venerable Mr. Russell gained wide recognition via a series of over 30 Dow Theory and technical articles that he wrote for Barron's during the late-'50s through the '90s. Through Barron's and via word of mouth, he gained a wide following. Russell was the first (in 1960) to recommend gold stocks. He called the top of the 1949-'66 bull market. And almost to the day he called the bottom of the great 1972-'74 bear market, and the beginning of the great bull market which started in December 1974.]

Monday Humour

No frills airline? Tony Fernandez should watch this video.

Patrick Teoh and his book, "TEOHLOGY"