Nostalgic Weekend - Roy Chew & The Merry Lads

Those who are now in their late fifties or early sixties would have remembered this band who appeared frequently on the "Serbanika" programme over RTM1 together with bands such as The Saints. In fact, the Merry Lads was one of the few bands who recorded their works on an international label, Philips, unlike many artistes who had theirs on local private labels. Only eight names that came to mind who achieved this status:

1. The Thunderbolts, Penang (Columbia, EMI)
2. The Teenage Falcons, Kuala Lumpur (from private label to Columbia, EMI)
3. Rose Iwanaga (Philips)
4. Janice Wee (Philips)
5. The Saints, Kuala Lumpur (Life)
6. The Teenage Hunters, Kuala Lumpur (Life)
7. The Strollers, Kuala Lumpur (CBS)
8. Kathy Ibrahim (WEA)
9. Frankie Cheah, Kuala Lumpur (WEA)

Although the Merry Lads have been disbanded for many years now, Roy Chew continues with his singing stint in SS2, Petalaing Jaya. For those who want to watch him perform, on Saturdays and Sundays only, you can catch him at the following outlet:

Bibi Chik Restaurant
No: 17 Jalan SS2/30
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor D #E
Tel no: 03-7873 6769



Previous highlights:

The Saints, Kuala Lumpur
The Quests, Singapore
The 'Little' Falcons, Kuala Lumpur
The Crescendos, Singapore
Rose Iwanaga, Sarawak
Naomi & The Boys, Singapore
Rocky Teoh, Ipoh
The Surfers/The October Cherries, Singapore
Janice Wee, Sarawak

Have you joined the campaign yet?

Anti-Warisan Merdeka Facebook campaign hits 100,000 mark

A screenshot of the page tonight.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — As at 9.20pm tonight, more than 100,000 have signed on to a Facebook campaign opposing the Najib administration’s Warisan Merdeka skyscraper.

The proposed 100-storey building in the city, has stirred up spontaneous grassroots opposition, moving the issue to the front and centre of current Malaysian politics.

More so impressive is the pace of recruitment — that only seven days ago Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the plan, during his budget speech. It is clear the groundswell opposing it is considerable and now has shaped into a major political minefield for the Barisan Nasional(BN) government.

It began with the Facebook page “1M Malaysians Reject 100-storey Mega Tower” being created anonymously soon after the announcement.

Those who have backed the campaign are ordinary Malaysians who use the popular social networking site.

“Malaysians saying no to the RM5-Billion 100-storey Mega Tower proposed by PM Najib in the 2011 budget. Malaysia needs better education, better health care, better public transportation, safer neighbourhood, cleaner water, but not taller building(s). We don’t need another white elephant! Are you ready for action?

“Announcement to be made when we reach 100,000,” said the administrator of the Facebook page earlier today.

Last Friday, Najib announced Permodalan Nasional Berhad’s (PNB) initiative to complete the RM5 billion construct by 2015.

“A few months ago,some Minister said that the country will be going bankrupt if subsidies are not withdrawn.... so this is why the subsidies were withdrawn... to build another “Mega White Elephant “ project.

“While the people suffer, our leaders are finding more ways to rob the nations depleting wealth !!At this rate in 20...20 Malaysia will become a fully developed Zimbabwe or worse!!” said one of the comments on the page by a Natalie Ho.

Another fan, Kirksman Teo claimed that the government’s push for the building indicated that they had learnt the lesson from their losses in the last general elections.

“A leader once said, the people should not fear the government, the government should. Rightly so.

“Now... Why the devil does the government refuse to listen to the people once again?... Knowing very well that the last time they lost, it was because they didn’t listen,” said Kirksman.

Expectedly, opposition politicians like DAP’s Lim Kit Siang have entered the fray, providing live updates of the growing number of Facebook fans every hour.

The anti-Warisan Merdeka Facebook page has 102,739 fans as at 10.21pm tonight.

In contrast, a pro-Warisan Merdeka fanpage on Facebook has only 244 members as at the same time.

The Najib administration could now be faced with a major hurdle in winning over support for what was supposed to be a symbol and pride for all Malaysians.

[Source: MI]

You can join the FaceBook campaign here.

Have no fear, PAS is here

This is what Pete (RPK) has to say about some of the speeches made at the UMNO General Assembly.

Kedah delegate Azifah Abdul Rahman wants the government to retain the Internal Security Act. This is so that those who threaten the country’s security, especially those who dare question the Malay rights, can be detained without trial.

Questioning Malay rights is considered a threat to national security. So those who question it need to be detained without trial, reckons this delegate to the Umno general assembly.

This is the simple way that the Umno delegates look at things. But then don’t simple-minded people always look at things from this simple perspective? If they open their mouths; detain them without trial. This will stop people from talking and questioning.

Johor Baru Puteri Umno chief Azura Mohd Afandi considers horror films as the main cause of deviant teachings. How a horror movie can lead to deviant teachings was not explained. Nevertheless, the fact that Malays believe in black magic, witch doctors, ghosts, ghouls, zombies, walking dead, vampires, and whatnot, probably lends weight to this argument.

What was also not explained is the fact that Malays believe in black magic, ghosts and whatnot since way back, long before the invention of television. Was it television that ‘poisoned’ the minds of the Malays and caused them to believe in rubbish and that led them to deviant teachings? If so how come they were already ‘led astray’ and believed in ‘deviant teachings’ long before there was even such a thing as television?

This delegate also wants the government to ban advertisements on sanitary pads, which leads to social ills. If Malaysians were to see advertisements of sanitary pads on television they would turn into immoral people.

Sabah delegate Hamidah Mumamad Jafar wants schools for pregnant mothers and more baby hatches to be set up. This will help reduce the cases of baby dumping, argues this delegate. How that would work was never explained. They dump babies to hide the fact that they were pregnant. Would they want to go to a school for pregnant girls/women where they would ‘advertise’ the fact that they are pregnant?

Introducing sex education into schools is also a must to prevent young girls from indulging in premarital sex, argued this same delegate. So, if girls and boys get to learn about sex, they would certainly not indulge in premarital sex, is how this logic is presented.

How does that sound logical? If you learn about it in school then you will not do it? Does this make sense to you?

Actually, if you really want to prevent premarital sex then the proper way would be to introduce chastity belts. All unmarried girls from the age of 10 should be forced to wear chastity belts and on the day they get married their husband is given a key to unlock the belt.

Of course, those who marry at the age of 40 would need to wear the belt for 30 years before they can see it removed. And those who never get married would need to wear the belt until the day they die.

Another way would be to ban girls from the age of 10 from leaving their house unless escorted by a male member of the family. Girls and women must also be banned from driving and their face should be totally concealed so that no boys or men can get to see their faces. This is the practice in some other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia also bans entertainment films on TV. (At one time they banned television totally). You only get to see the news and religious programmes. This would prevent, as Azura Mohd Afandi said, people from straying from the right religious paths.

And of course, the internet is the main source of ‘deviant teachings’ that lead people astray from the right religious paths. In fact, the internet is worse than television. So, to protect people and prevent them from becoming immoral, the internet must certainly be banned.

If this still does not work and if unmarried girls/women still get pregnant, then Malaysia can introduce the law of stoning to death, like how some countries practice. You get pregnant and you die (even if your are raped, like how some countries decree). And you die at the hands of hundreds of people who will throw stones at you until you no longer breathe.

Premarital sex is evil. Getting pregnant before you are married is evil. So Malaysia has to find ways in preventing all this from happening, how drastic the measures may seem. The future of Malaysia rests on ensuring that no one goes around bonking and gets pregnant before they are married.

Okay, maybe abuse of power, wastage of public funds, corruption, extrajudicial killings, manipulation of the legal system, violating the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, election fraud, institutionalised discrimination, and many more are also evil. But those are not crucial and need not be discussed at the Umno general assembly. We must focus. And the focus is on how to reduce or eliminate ‘illegal sex’.

Warnings are also being issued by the top Umno leadership that blood will flow on the streets if Umno were to get kicked out of office. Malaysians are being told to be wary of May 13 Version 2, that may happen if Umno does not retain power.

They did the same thing in 1999. The Prime Minister then, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, went live on television to warn Malaysians that if Barisan Nasional were to lose its two-thirds majority in Parliament then chaos will rein.

A Barisan Nasional without a two-thirds majority in Parliament will be a weak Barisan Nasional, said the Prime Minister. And a weak Barisan Nasional will not be able to guarantee the safety and security of its people. In 1969, the ruling party lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament, the Prime Minister reminded us. And what happened after that? There was rioting on the streets and many people died.

So, don’t let 1999 be a repeat of 1969, warned the Prime Minister.

And it worked. Many people, in particular the non-Malays, did not vote for the opposition. They sheepishly admitted that they support the opposition but voted for Barisan Nasional because they were scared of the race riot that the Prime Minister promised would happen.

But that was back in 1999. In 1999 the people were scared. But in 2008 many voted for the opposition and no race riot happened. This was because 50% of the Malays also voted for the opposition, as Umno admitted. And the anti-Umno Malays far outnumber the Umno Malays.

Umno could not even get 100 Malays onto the streets of Kampong Baru in the aftermath of the 2008 general election. But the opposition can get 50,000 Malays onto the streets any time. So, if the handful of Umno Malays want to start trouble, they will have to face tens of thousands of other Malays.

No, if riots do start it will not be a la 1969. The next riot, if it happens, will be Malays facing Malays. The Indians and Chinese need not participate in this May 13 Version 2. They can just stay at home or go to Singapore or Thailand for a short holiday. Let the Malays handle this matter.

The Indians and Chinese need not fear anything. Dr Hatta Ramli has already issued a challenge. PAS will form a human shield. The Malays from PAS will emerge in great numbers to face those Umno Malays who want Indian and Chinese blood. As Dr Hatta said, “Over our dead bodies.” The Umno Malays would first have to slaughter all the PAS Malays before they can reach the Indians and Chinese.

And let me assure you: many other Malays not from PAS are also issuing this warning. The Indians and Chinese are our brothers and sisters. And if the Umno Malays want to harm them then they will have to first deal with the non-Umno Malays.

And this is because the non-Umno Malays are Muslims first and Malays second. This is what Islam demands of Muslims -- to be Muslims first and last while racism is haram or forbidden.

And in Islam justice must prevail and the non-Muslims must be protected even to the extent that Muslims go to war with Muslims to protect the life of the non-Muslims. This is Islamic justice. And in Islamic justice no one must be persecuted or discriminated against because of his or her race.

So, is it not good that PAS is an Islamic party? Notwithstanding the fact that there are some in PAS who aspire to see Malaysia transformed into an Islamic State (which can never happen unless PAS wins more than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament), an Islamic party like PAS is good for the non-Muslims because this party upholds Islam, which means the non-Muslims receive protection against persecution and discrimination.

Umno does not know what it is getting itself into. It had better tone down that race riot rhetoric lest it backfires on them. If they think the Indians and Chinese are going to react like they did in 1999 -- they reluctantly voted for Barisan Nasional out of fear -- then Umno is going to be in for a surprise.

Today, the Indians and Chinese have faith in their Malay brothers and sisters. They know that May 13 Version 2 being bandied about by Umno is not going to be a Malay versus non-Malay incident like back in 1969. May 13 Version 2 is going to be a Malay-versus-Malay affair with the non-Malays standing on the sidelines as mere spectators.

And if you think this is not so then go ask the non-Umno Malays in Pakatan Rakyat. Hear it from their own mouths. And they will tell you exactly what I have just said.

Withrer FDI with Najib's "threat of violence" speech

[From The Malaysia Chronicle]

Economists and business leaders have expressed disappointment at Prime Minister Najib Razak’s vow to use all ways and means including ‘crushed bodies’ and ‘lost lives’ to retain control of the federal government.

They also slammed him for suggesting that it was possible for ethnic cleansing to take place in Malaysia if unnamed people in the country continued to question Malay supremacy.

“Malaysia must follow democratic process and constitutional rights. It should be a government by the people’s votes and choice and not by any other means especially ‘crushed bodies’. We should all work towards peace and prosperity and for our common well-being,” Dato Dr PHS Lim, president of the Malaysian Investors Association told Malaysia Chronicle.

From the PM himself

At the opening of his Umno party’s 61st annual assembly, Najib had used violent language in his opening speech that shocked the nation, although the government-controlled mainstream media took care to expunge the most sensitive of his comments in their reporting.

“Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya,” Malaysiakini reported Najib as saying..

“What I am saying is not surprising. In the 20th century, we have seen cases of punishment without trial in the United States, the holocaust tragedy in Europe, the slaughter of Palestinians in the Middle East and the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Rwanda. Imagine, what is the outcome, if every generation of Malaysian question the social contract which was agreed upon by their forefathers.”

Malaysia's federal constitution does not state that Malays have special rights or rights that are above the other ethnic groups. However, there are clear provisions that the Malay community is entitled to special positions in the economic and educational sectors. Nonetheless, this is not the way that Najib or his Umno party have chosen to interpret it.

Just a day ago, deputy Trade minister Mukhriz Mahathir refused to accept responsibility for the 81 percent plunge in foreign direct investments in 2009. Mukhriz, a first-term MP, blamed Pakatan leaders instead.

“Put it this way, the global economy is still weak and investors all over the world are still very cautious. Certainly, Malaysia does not need any additional or extra uncertainties that could discourage investments and speeches like these from the Prime Minister himself won’t help,” David Cohen, director of Singapore-based Action Economics told Malaysia Chronicle.

Malaysia’s economy contracted 1.7 percent in 2009 and rebounded by 9.5 percent in the first half of 2010. However, with the pullback effect from the Greece and Dubai crisis, slower growth has been forecast for the remaining half.

Last month, Najib announced a RM1.4 trillion Economic Transformation Programme that he said would be dependent on private and foreign investment. The government is already struggling to balance a 15-year old budget deficit that hit a record high of 7 percent of GDP in 2009.

Warisan Merdeka mega tower

If you are interested in joining the "1M Malaysians Reject 100-storey Mega Tower" forum, please click the following FaceBook link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/1M-Malaysians-Reject-100-storey-Mega-Tower/162774653750749#!/pages/1M-Malaysians-Reject-100-storey-Mega-Tower/162774653750749

Wee Ka Siong, why was nothing done about this???????

From: Lim Kit Siang

Congratulations to Ipoh-born 23-year-old Tan Zhong Shan who has emerged as the top student in his final-year law examinations at Cambridge University.

What is there in the 2011 Budget to convince Malaysians that the budding Tan Zhong Shans in the schools in Malaysia, who can become top students in the world’s top universities, will not be driven from Malaysian schools and universities to foreign ones by unfair BN policies only to benefit other countries eventually?

In a report headlined “Malaysian is top law student at Cambridge University”, the Star today reported that Tan obtained a first-class honours in the Bachelor of Arts (Law) in June this year at Queens’ College, which is part of the university, one of England’s oldest and most prestigious.

The report said:

"He even scored the ‘Slaughter and May’ prize given by the university’s Law Faculty – an award given to those who achieve the best overall performance in the final-year law examinations.


“Other coveted prizes he bagged include The Norton Rose Prize for Commercial Law, the Clifford Chance Prize for European Union Law and the Herbert Smith Prize for Conflict of Laws.


“Queens’ College dean Dr Martin Dixon said Tan definitely stood out among the students there.


“ ‘He is probably the best Malaysian student I have seen in the last 10 years,’ said Dr Dixon, who taught Tan on Land and Equity for two years.


“’He is the most able, dedicated and one of the most likeable students I have taught in more than 20 years at Cambridge.’”

However, Tan is the latest example of the failed Barisan Nasional policies resulting in the costly brain-drain in the past four decades which Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 2011 Budget has done nothing to resolve for the country to become high-achieving and internationally competitive.

This is because Tan is one of Malaysia’s “best and brightest” sons and daughters we have been losing to other countries in tens of thousands every year because of unfair Barisan Nasional education and nation-building policies – whether by directly driving them abroad to pursue secondary, pre-university and university education or pushing their parents to join the migration wave in earlier decades.

This is obvious from the report citing Tan as an ASEAN scholar awarded by the Singapore Ministry of Education after completing his A-levels at the Temasek Junior College in Singapore.

In the 2011 Budget, Najib announced “Intensifying Human Capital Development” as one of the four budget strategies, disclosing that the Government will establish a Talent Corporation in early 2001 “to attract, motivate and retain talent human capital from within the country and abroad”.

Although this is also the emphasis of the New Economic Model to “save” the country from the decades-long middle-income trap and from becoming a bankrupt nation in 2019 and instead to transform Malaysia into a high-income developed nation in 2020, there is nothing in Najib’s 2011 Budget to demonstrate that the government is at last serious and has the political will to address and end this grave problem of brain drain.

What is there in the 2011 Budget to convince Malaysians that the budding Tan Zhong Shans in the schools in Malaysia, who can become top students in the world’s top universities, will not be driven from Malaysian schools and universities to foreign ones by unfair BN policies only to benefit other countries eventually?

The Najibonomics of the 2011 Budget is just a throwback to the old Mahathironomics of mega-projects like the proposal to build a 100-storey RM5 billion Najib Tower rather than to create a new architecture of Malaysian talents fully able to retain and utilize the contributions of the best and brightest of Malaysians – who can compare and compete with their peers in other parts of the world.

The 2011 Budget in a nutshell and Yaaaamm Seeeng!

It certainly is a good budget.

If you are a village head or a Kafa teacher, you will get a RM800 monthly allowance.

If you are a civil servant, you can get a special financial assistance amounting to a lump sum of RM500.

If you are a woman civil servant, you can enjoy a fully-paid 90-day maternity leave.

If you are a super constructor or an Indonesian worker, you get a chance to participate in the 100-storey tower project and other mega construction projects.

If you are not a village head, a Kafa teacher, a pregnant civil servant, a super constructor or an Indonesian worker, but just an ordinary middle-income wage earner like most of the people, or a busy small business owner without any special channels, you may ask: What the Budget 2011 have in store for me?

Of course you, too, will also benefit from it.

The toll rates in four highways owned by PLUS Expressway Berhad will not be raised for the next five years. Unfortunately, the government cannot afford to buy the highways to allow toll-free use.

The government has to increase revenue and thus, it proposed that the rate of service tax be increased from 5% to 6%. It follows you whenever you go and even if you just stay at home, you still have to pay the 6% of service tax once you switch on the television for the paid television channels.

In fact, most of the people prefer to have tax cuts.

Many foreign governments actually ease the burden on middle income people through tax cuts to stimulus business vitality.

However, the rates of personal income tax and corporation tax remain unchanged as the people are required to carry out their national duty during the hard time.

Meanwhile, first-time house buyers will be given stamp duty exemption of 50% on instruments of transfer on a house price not exceeding RM350,000, a saving of RM2,000 to RM3,000. But you may not be able to afford a house now due to the rapid real estate price hike, especially in the Klang Valley.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala had said earlier in the year that said that Malaysia could become next Greece and go bankrupt by 2019 if the government fails to cut its burgeoning expenses.

Yet, the allocations under Budget 2011 are immense – RM5 billion for a 100-storey complex in Kuala Lumpur, RM10 billion for the Sungai Buloh development project, RM3 billion for the integrated eco-nature resort in Sabah, and RM40 billion for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in Greater KL.

People had expected the government to reduce expenses, but it is embarking on several mega projects instead.

The national economy surely needs a transformation and the people’s incomes have to be doubled by 2020, the Budget 2011 should be the starting point for the transformation and every ringgit spent by the government must be carefully weighted. The Budget 2011 should have included more specific reform measures.

Productivity would not be reflected in the allowances for village heads and Kafa teachers while competitiveness would not be reflected on a 100-storey skyscraper. Instead, they are hidden in the national productivity, corporate competitiveness and government efficiency.

As the starting point of the 10th Malaysia Plan (10Plan), the budget for next year should be geared at improving the quality of education, revitalising enterprises, and strengthening the confidence of foreign investors.

However, there is still some good news from the Budget 2011. For example, at least there is no price hike for alcoholic drinks. So, let’s put aside the worries, raise our glass, and yum seng!

[Source: mysinchew.com]