The Burden of Responsibility

As the nation enters a New Age, in an epic turn of events that was the 14th General Election, many are quick to congratulate the 92-year old Tun Dr. Mahathir on his victory, and subsequently, on his appointment as the 7th Prime Minister.

Congratulations are of course due for the winning political parties and their supporters. But Tun Dr. Mahathir deserves much more. I believe when he rejoined the political arena a few years ago, after a brief retirement period, he never intended to become the Prime Minister again.

In fact - as evident by the tears of Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah on hearing the appointment of her husband as the PM candidate of the opposition parties before the recent election - leading the nation again in the ninth decade of life is no cause for celebration. It is a burden of responsibility - a gargantuan weight to carry on one's shoulders.

But at this period, shameful as it is to admit, there seems to be no one else equally capable to carry out the duties of Malaysia's 7th PM. This time is different, because the 7th PM carries the hopes of many who (were dissatisfied and mostly distrustful of the government, but with the fall of the party who ruled for over 60 years) dream of a better nation - of high income, championing freedom, peace, and rid of corruption. 

So let us not just congratulate Tun on his success in leading the opposition parties to win the election in unison. We must show Tun our heartfelt gratitude, by proving ourselves worthy of better living conditions - honouring our own duties and responsibilities, as enlightened citizens of this blessed country we call home.

Our Culture Is Not For Sale

1.

As I drove on the highway today, I began to realize something. I realized that billboards are lining the highway almost all the way through. Most of these billboards are ugly, although they advertise beauty products. Some are offensive (with terrible innuendos). But what all of them did is to obstruct the scenic view of the countryside, distant trees, clouds and mountains. How awful! Aren't we disgusted with such gross commercialization of our public space? 

This is not a new problem for this country - regardless if anyone ever saw it as one. The intrusion of our public space by the private (sectors, companies, invested persons such as celebrities or politicians) by propping up advertisements almost everywhere now is only going further everyday. 

It wasn't enough that the train stations are full of posters, the train themselves are completely covered with advertisement - inside and out - and (sadly for some time already) we also hear passenger announcement for the arrival at almost every station accompanied by a jingle of an advertisement. 

Our radio stations too are choked with commercials for almost every song played. 

Some may say that those ads are there for a reason. They occupy space where there's potential that the public can see them and hear them. And their private sponsors often pay a hefty amount to occupy those spaces, or rather to keep other private entities from occupying those spaces. 

And of course, a lot of these public spaces - highway, passenger trains, radio - are privately owned anyway. So of course there isn't anything illegal about putting commercials at these places - or even putting so much of them. 

2.

But I believe as a society, we have the power to change this for the better. The intrusion of the private into our public space is only a small part of a larger crisis in our society - that of our lost national identity. The problem is that our society has never come to a satisfactory consensus of what makes us a nation in the year 2016.

And please spare us the group pose of multi-ethnic Malaysians in traditional clothing as a guise for our national identity in this day and age. Yes, our traditional clothing, dances, music and architecture are our cultural heritage, and we must preserve them by all means. But to portray the Malaysian society today as a group of dancers in traditional clothing is not enough. 

Then who are we? An image comes to mind. That of the Teh Tarik sipping, Roti Canai chewing, football and badminton junkie hanging out under the night sky at a local food stall. But is this the ideal image we would like to portray ourselves?

How about portraying our society with the most exemplary morals, best working and living environment, most ideal cities, roads, and countryside that best suit us in this day and age? 

3.

This is the definition of culture - of having a shared meaning in a symbol. Our 21st century cultural crisis is that we don't have any meaningful shared symbols. And it's a shame. Our multiculturalism should not prevent us from having a shared meaningful experience together. In fact we have more things in common experience that should become the anchors of our unity.

For example, our geography exposes us to plenty of sun, and drenches us with sweat from the heat and humidity of our tropical weather. We must acknowledge this, and encourage our people to find a cost effective and most environmental friendly way of keeping bodies cool. This of course may include a simple solution such as preserving the trees in our cities to act as shades.

Food is another favourite thing of ours - and commonly cited as an example of what all of us can be proud of. But let's go further, and find ways to improve the national diet. Are we aware that our current dietary habit is not healthy? Perhaps enough has been said about the "epidemics" of diabetes and obesity in our society. 

Instead of being satisfied with the tastiest dishes we can make, let us also find out what could be the healthiest of all. A healthier national diet is in fact a desperately needed innovation that would be a leap forward in the right direction for our well being.

4.

To conclude let us go back to our highways - a common experience we all share is to drive through these roads that cut through hills, cross rivers, and bring us from one city to another. Isn't it a great shame that all those scenic view of the countryside, tropical forest, and hills are obstructed by large billboards that sell beauty products? 

Is this what we've become? For the sake of selling the appearance of natural beauty, we've sacrificed the true beauty of our nature.

If we can shape our identity, let's shape it for the better.

Happy Merdeka 2016.

The Lure of Anarchy

What does freedom mean? Maybe we could ask the Libyans. With Gaddafi's death, they have finally attained freedom from his rule. And so in other Arab countries we see their people fighting for freedom from the rule of their despotic leaders - a phenomenon recognized as the Arab Spring. Egypt is now free from Mubarak, Tunisia from Ben Ali, and now Libya from Gaddafi. 

What we also learn from the news recently, is that on the streets of New York, and in many parts of Europe, anti-capitalist protests are taking place in response to the financial crisis, which is squarely blamed on greedy bankers and evil manipulators of the financial institution. Have we become enslaved by capitalism?

So what is freedom? To me the best definition was given by Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, "To be free is not to do what one pleases, it is to be master of oneself."

What we must realize, is that freedom from one system, does not entail total freedom from any system - it can only be followed by the rule of another. As what Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, wrote in his book, Leviathan in 1651,

Cover of the book I'm reading, Leviathan (1651) 

"[Whosoever] thinking sovereign power too great, will seek to make it less, must subject himself, to the power, that can limit it; that is to say, to a greater [power]"

Thus we observe that tyrannical rule is inevitable in every communist state, because to impose the communist economic system (common ownership of all property) it requires a government with unlimited power to restrain men's natural impulse to have all things for himself. 


On the other hand, capitalism (rights to own property), which is practised in democracies, breeds greed and inequality. Hence, we are lured to anarchy (absolute freedom from a central authority). 


Fortunately we are reminded by Hobbes, not to fall into this trap of embracing anarchy, in the same paragraph of his book that I have quoted above, that:

"[Of] unlimited power, men may imagine many evil consequences, yet the consequences of [not having this authority], which is perpetual war of every man against his neighbour, are much worse. The condition of man in this life shall never be without inconveniences" 

Malaysia Boleh!

Conflicts of Interest

Why are dictators always in denial of the crimes against their own people? Why do bad singers go for auditions? Why is the world getting freakier everyday - with earthquakes, tsunami, protests, wars, financial crises, sex scandals etc? 

Bad advice. Of course dictators would believe that their countrymen are always supporting them, because the ones who'd want them to stay (their beneficiaries/cronies) keep asking them to do so. Otherwise, the cronies will lose their business/influence/respect.  

Of course some people who cannot sing, honestly believe that they can because their doting parents and loving girlfriend/boyfriend tell them they sound good. Otherwise, they get really upset. And of course we find this quite common in reality TV talent shows, because the producers deliberately feature bad singers in their program, and edit out those with moderate talent. Otherwise, their ratings would be much lower - TV viewers want to be entertained. And why are there so many sensational stories in the news today? Because they are sensational, and news broadcasters sell news.

Everyone gets misleading advices everyday. It's not that other people are inherently unreliable when we ask them for an advice - for most of the time, they are honest. However,  some people have a certain conflict of interest when they give us advice, so we end up having dictators in denial, disappointed auditionees, and anxious newsreaders.  

So what can we do to find the right advice, filter out the bad ones - and ultimately make better decisions?

(1) Rule out any conflict of interest: when a salesman reviews his own product for you ("You really need this multi-touch, multi-task, dual-camera with dual-flash, ultra-light & ultra-thin Epad"), you know you ought to take his advice with a pinch of salt. Scientific journal articles are known to have authors declare any conflict of interest - if they've worked with a drug company, etc.

(2) Deliberately limit the effects of certain decisions: US Presidents cannot get re-elected more than twice, but dictators rule 'till death do them apart'. So if one day you get chosen to lead an organization, step down before you get kicked out. Do it like Dr M, do it unexpectedly - even with all the pleas to ask him to stay, our country now has moved on, hopefully. And instead of deciding to put all your hopes into becoming a professional artist/athlete just because your mum said you're good at something; get proper training, and compete with others first. Finally, just because you hate somebody, don't hate him/her too much. But what if we love somebody? 

(3) Consider the silent evidence: some lunatics have burned the Quran in the US, and another group of lunatics have attacked UN staff in Afghanistan in response. What was not reported were the millions of Americans who didn't go out burning the Quran, and billions of Muslims who didn't go attacking UN members. So don't get too anxious about those incidents - although, in the latter, human lives were lost.


...
Conflict of interest: The author declares that he does not own an Ipad; that he was not affected by the natural disasters; and, that he is not a professional artist/athlete. haha

Election Economics

With Malaysia's economy doing so well right now, even Pak Lah could have won the recent by-elections - as BN have done so under Najib's leadership. 

If the numbers I got from the Economist are right, our inflation rate (CPI =+2.4%), and unemployment rate are both low (3.2%) - as compared to, say, Egypt's high inflation rate (CPI =10.8%) and high unemployment rate (8.9%). In fact, our economy grew 7.4% last year.

Forget about all the other issues in the media like HINDRAF, Anwar's sodomy trial, etc. The only thing that preoccupies people's mind at the voting booth is their own wellbeing. 

Am I happy? Yes, of course. I got a job, a car, a house and my family is all well. Why bother changing the government if everything is doing well.

Am I being too cynical? Maybe. But if you think about it, what I'm getting at here makes sense. The country's economy is a good indicator of our government's overall competence - taking into account all other factors like the global economy - although it's a gross oversimplification. Even when it's down to pure luck, the bottom line is all that matters.

In good times, the incumbent government would get almost all the credits for a healthy economy - whether they deserve it or not - and get elected again easily. On the flip side, in bad times, as in the 2008 'political tsunami' in Malaysia (with petrol price increase), people would always punish the government in power (BN lost the 2/3rd majority).

In reality when people vote, they care less about the real causes of a financial crisis (when there is one), or a poor local economy. When a lot of people cannot find job; when petrol and food prices are intolerably high; they would protest with their votes - although a poor economy is not always the result of poor governance. Look at the list below: 

Year     %vote (BN)  Leadership

1995       65.2            Mahathir

1998       56.5            Mahathir

2004      63.9            Pak Lah

2008      52.2            Pak Lah

(source: Wikipedia)

It's not so obvious now that Pak Lah's weak leadership could alone help explain why BN lost the 2/3rd majority in 2008, as Mahathir also suffered badly in 1998 from the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis. The better explanation - perhaps a more cynical one - would be that it's all about the money.

..
Of course, this is not a new insight. This paper written in 2004 has found that the economy does indeed influence the outcome of elections (although it may be as likely that there is just an association, instead of causation). More interestingly, the author also found that voters in richer and better educated countries are better able to distinguish 'competence' of the incumbent government (World GDP growth - National GDP growth), from luck (World GDP growth alone).

We just want to be able to live like human beings

"Let me be clear, the change that is taking place across the region is being driven by the people of the region. This change does not represent the work of the United States, or any foreign power. It represents the aspiration of people who are seeking a better life. As one Libyan said, 'We just want to be able to live like human beings.' It is the most basic of aspirations that is driving this change." 

President Obama on the revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa (video)

Watch the video below of an experiment to find out how monkeys - who are also primates, like us - react to apparent injustice (would they notice it at all?). While the first monkey (Vulcan) gets a dry biscuit if he returns a token, the second monkey (Virgil) gets a  juicy grape when he returns the same token. Notice how Vulcan reacts to this blatant injustice. [start at 2:06]

It's fairly obvious then, why Tunisians, Egyptians, and now Libyans get so angry and frustrated at their leaders. They only want to live like the people in other countries: from the busy commuters of New York, London, Shanghai and Singapore; to the suburban dwellers of other cities; and the farmers and fishermen in smaller towns. Even monkeys get riled up if they are treated unequally!

We just want to be able to live like human beings - that is, like the better ones among us.


...

It's more infectious than fanaticism, thank goodness!

...
"The freedom of thought and action that is necessary for discovering the truth is a precursor...to the more expansive ideal of political and civil freedom, a meme that spreads easily, apparently. It is much more infectious than fanaticism, thank goodness. The cat is out of the bag. There is no way that enforced ignorance can win in the long run. You can't readily uneducate people.  

As communications technology makes it harder and harder for leaders to shield their people from outside information.... the floodgates will open all over the world with tumultuous effects." 

[pg 303-304]

Daniel C. Dennett: Freedom Evolves (2003)

Arts vs Anaesthetic - Divergent vs Convergent Thinking

Haitian Protesters - Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You

You must have heard about the cholera outbreak that has struck Haiti recently. Some parties apparently claim that the UN peacekeepers are responsible for this outbreak - and took this cause to the streets. I can't even imagine what to respond to such things.

  There is no doubt, that by mere accident, the Nepalese peacekeepers that the UN has brought in to aid reconstruct Haiti might have carried the disease and spread it to many Haitians, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of at least a thousand of them.

  However, the fact that the UN is struggling enough to fight this epidemic (still appealing for millions of dollars of donation) might have been grossly overlooked by the angry mob.

  I admit that as I sit comfortably typing these words out to criticize the Haitian protesters, I cannot possibly understand their plight. That said, I hope the efforts to alleviate the matter and prevent more tragic loss of lives to be successful, very soon.

Michael Moore vs Capitalism, Really?

Let's All Be Rational & Moderate

It is probably unwise to discuss politics with strangers, people say. I cannot agree more. Last week when I was enjoying the taste of Malaysian food at Trafalgar Square in London, I overheard a conversation about our local politics right behind me. I reacted by loudly telling my friend, "Why would anybody talk about politics at this time and place?". It was Malaysia Night, and instead of celebrating our country and its culture  - in fact Mat Sallehs performed silat that day - these jokers behind me were debating about our present government.

Why are we divided by our political views? Well if you can't even decide what to do over the weekends - that you have to consider each possible plan and run it thru your head - imagine how, in a much larger context, the society, has to decide on its direction. It must be no surprise then that not everyone in the society can agree with a particular decision.

If we acknowledge this, then we start to realize that all those political conflicts, conspiracies, and controversies are nothing but a waste of everyone's time. Let me tell you why I think so.

Say I can't decide whether to spend this evening writing this post, or hang out with my friends at the Toga Party. They're both equally fun (let's suppose!). Isn't it pretty useless if I moan about choosing only one of them in the end - i.e. to write this post? That's because (a) whether I like it or not, a decision has been made; and (b) if I did make a bad decision, it's better for me to move on and learn from this episode - than to regret and get depressed by it.

It's pointless for you to point out to me all the alleged corruption cases by the government - or simply summarize them for me by accusing this government or that government as being corrupt. I'm not a judge, although my name suggests that, so please bring the evidence (if you have any) to the Anti-Corruption Agency perhaps. Otherwise just shut up and let me enjoy my dinner that reminds me of home!

Peace, Peace and Peace!

Everyone wants peace, naturally. Who doesn't? Allow me to make a bold assertion here: even the warmongers (Hitler, Osama, Bush, or anyone you want to pick) around us would agree to settle all crises if they are guaranteed victory, and their idea of a peaceful world is made a reality. Most often, wars are fought simply because the belligerents disagree on what peace means - although essentially they all want peace.

Recently, while chatting online about the Gaza crisis with a friend, I asked him what kind of solution does anybody in the peace forums and talks he attended offer to end the crisis? I asked because - I admit - I rarely attend those events and I am curious to know how the 'pro-Palestinian' movements (at least in our country) seek to end the crisis. You can say, 'Duh, isn't it obvious?'. Well sorry if I'm a bit slow on this, but, as much I would dream to see the end of the Palestine-Israel conflict, I want to know if those who advocate an end to the crisis actually has a practical way of achieving it.

So what is the practical way to attain peace (in a broader sense)? From peaceful protests to suicide bombings; boycotts to genocide - here is where the disagreements lie. And here the devil finds his work merely a cakewalk. 

Let's look into our (Malaysian) history. When Tunku Abdul Rahman led a delegation to London to discuss our independence from the British rule, he (and the people who supported his trip) made a conscious choice. Instead of going to London, they could have (A) conspire to attack to the British troops in Malaya, or (B) live and let live - we must be thankful they did neither 'A' nor 'B'. As what we learn in history class, thanks to the diplomatic skills of our forefathers, our beloved country attained independence without any bloodshed.

But what if the London delegation failed to convince the British that we deserve to be awarded Independence? Here's what I think. If you broke a vase in your house and your mother asks you who broke it, would you (A) admit it was your fault; or (B) pretend you didn't know? If you choose to be honest, you might either get the full blow of the wrath of your mother, or, she'd extol your honesty (I'd bet the first one). But if you lie, you might get away scot-free, or she might find out the truth and you know what'll happen next.  My point is this: since you cannot predict (A) how your mother would react if you come clean; or (B) if you assume innocence, whether she would find out that you lied; no matter how the story may unfold (your mother praise your honesty, you get away unharmed, the British award us our Independence) your choice - to be honest, or to lie - must be based upon your values.

Similarly, I believe, it is still possible to end the crises in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kyrzygstan, Somalia, Thailand, Kashmir (and perhaps anywhere in the world), if the disputing parties can exchange their differing ideas on how to resolve the conflict. It doesn't matter how the story may unfold - peaceful protests ignored, unsuccessful boycotts, suicide bombings, flotilla deaths - our disposition towards these crises -- to be friendly and diplomatic; or to be arrogant and hostile -- must be based upon our values.  

TheStar Reports: "Forget Gaza. Do you see any of us starving in here?"

This is an excerpt from an article which appeared yesterday on the website of a Malaysian news company, The Star (by Shahanaaz Habib):

As for Gaza, Israel is right about one thing. There is plenty of food there. It is no secret that Gaza sits on fertile land and thanks to the farmers (who are forced to farm to feed their family despite the obvious danger if their lands are near the Israeli border), there are lots of vegetables and fruits in the markets.

For those with money, there are enough eggs, chicken, lamb, beef and fish too.

It is actually quite a shock to come into Gaza and find the shelves in shops and supermarkets fully stocked with all sorts of imported food stuff – from canned meat, soups, pasta, yoghurt, chocolates, biscuits, cheeses, jam, spices, nuts, ice-cream, all types of coffee, tea, Pepsi, Coke and juices to soaps, shampoos and body lotions.

If some products are not allowed in through the legitimate Israeli and Egyptian borders, they are still making their way in through the illegal tunnels running under the Egyptian/Gaza border.

And, yes, there are people buying.

The focus of the article cited above and below is the possibility that the Gaza issue is just being exaggerated to divert attention from the real issue in Jerusalem:

“The real issue is Jerusalem. But with the world media so focused on Gaza, Israel is getting away with demolishing Palestinian homes and building new settlements in Jerusalem.

“And there is hardly any media coverage on that because everyone is so ‘busy’ looking at Gaza!” [a Gazan news editor] points out.

You be the judge.

Melayu Ada Di Sini, Tun

Tun Dr Mahathir wrote 'Melayu Kemana' last Thursday to argue that since the Malays are politically divided, they have lost the power to rule their own country - in his own words:

Kita lihat di Perak umpamanya apabila Kerajaan yang diketuai oleh Melayu dijatuhkan, kaum tertentu menganggap bahawa sebuah Kerajaan milik kaum itu yang dijatuhkan. Mungkin di peringkat pusat juga akan ada ketua kepimpinan yang terdiri daripada Melayu tetapi duduk dibawah telunjuk orang lain. Dengan ini besar kemungkinan Melayu secara sebenar sudah menjadi puak minoriti yang tidak berkuasa di negara sendiri.  (emphasis mine)

And on Friday he wrote a response to a rebuttal by a university professor. My first reaction towards Tun's article was to simply say, "What's the point of asking the Malays to unite, Tun?" Who is our enemy? Why are we discriminating people by their ethnicity - by claiming that 'we have lost power' and that 'they have stolen it from us'?

Fortunately for all of us, there are many people who also think that Tun was wrong about this 'issue'. Unfortunately though, some of them in their writing are badmouthing Tun, saying that he's senile, or that he must shut up since he's already retired, and so on - all of which I strongly disagree. Throwing personal attacks is not just wrong, it doesn't really help in any meaningful discussion.

Instead, let us argue our points of disagreement with him more eloquently, like what I wrote in a facebook discussion on this topic:

Too bad some people are acting as though we had intentionally chosen our ethnicity that we must suffer/enjoy the consequences of being part of a certain race. Why can't we all just get along?

 (Mind you, I do realize that different ethnic groups have different cultures and belief system [of their majority];  Still, I strongly believe that these differences must not be exaggerated beyond the fact that they are only arbitrary and that we are all of the same primate species, Homo sapiens) 

Let's Hang Out At This Club In Gaza

Wow. From fine dining at the cafe, to exquisite banquet halls, let's head down to the Roots Club (Cairo Street, Gaza, Palestine). Get me in the club!



If you think this is BS, why don't you click here to go it's website. Surprised? I know I am!

There is an online photo gallery by a freelance Palestinian photographer that you can visit: I'm very glad to learn (from these photo galleries) that Palestinians also do go shopping, get immunization jabs, visit libraries, and play musical instruments like us here - maybe not as much - if those photos I've seen in these links are truly from Palestine, and not staged by the Israeli government.

Of course we must not ignore or deny the other 'terrible side' of life at Gaza.


Here's something about Hamas government from Times Online (December 2008):

The political leadership of Hamas is probably the most highly qualified in the world. Boasting more than 500 PhDs in its ranks, the majority are middle-class professionals - doctors, dentists, scientists and engineers.

Credits to Karim for sharing with me the Times Online article. Perhaps we must adjust our distorted image of Hamas. Another pearl of what William Sieghart has put in that article:

It is said that this [Israel-Palestine] conflict is impossible to solve. In fact, it is very simple. The top 1,000 people who run Israel - the politicians, generals and security staff - and the top Palestinian Islamists have never met. Genuine peace will require that these two groups sit down together without preconditions

I fully agree with Sieghart.

Please Do Yourself A Favour And Avoid This Bestseller Hogwash

Presenting Naomi Klein with her bestseller book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.

If you are looking for a book about how evil capitalists are conspiring to enforce a free market system upon a reluctant public by employing the 'Shock and Awe' strategy (i.e abusing war, natural disasters and economic catastrophes), then look no further. Also, if you are a conspiracy theory buff, this might be your kind of stuff.

Otherwise, please don't waste your money on this book, or even bother to borrow it from the library - like what I did - trust me. The reason is simple: the premise upon which this book is based on is fundamentally flawed. Read why I think it is fundamentally flawed in my review of the book: The Shock Doctrine: Tossed Away After 30 Pages

Or, for a professional argument on why you shouldn't take this book seriously, read this article. 

So do yourself the favour, and read any books by Malcolm Gladwell instead.

Turkey Has Higher Infant Mortality Rate Than Gaza

Huh? Well, it's actually true, according to CIA World Factbook. Here are the numbers:

Turkey        : 24.84 deaths/1,000 live births       

Gaza Strip  : 17.71 deaths/1,000 live births  

Malaysia  : 15.37 deaths/1,000 live births                         
(We're not that much far ahead actually)

Anyway, if you didn't already know, lower figures are more desirable for an Infant Mortality Rate statistics (only possible with a better health condition of a country, i.e better hospital, adequate medical supplies, good hygiene, enough food). Let's make another comparison, just to prove my point:

North Korea : 50.15 deaths/1,000 live births                                                     

South Korea  : 4.24 deaths/1,000 live births

 
So why aren't we sending medical supplies to North Korea?

Flotilla Fiasco: Read This!

I stand by my opinion that the humanitarian-aid workers should not have resisted the well-armed Israeli commandos with violence when the latter boarded their flotilla - at least as what several videos of the tragic event suggest. But wait, who got killed on last week's deadly fiasco?

Allow me to use an analogy: Say, a group of well-armed robbers broke into your house. You have two options: (A) Pick up a broomstick or a kitchen knife and 'resist' the robbery, or, (B) Surrender and let them rob you broke.


[Option A] Say, the robbers brought a video cam to tape their robbery -- whatever that's for -- so that when the members of your house hit and violently resisted the robbers, it was all recorded. In that turn of events, your brother tragically got killed. So you bring this matter to the court, and the defence lawyers exhibit the video of the robbery as a proof to the judge that your family resisted the robbery violently.

Does that justify the robbery, or the murder of your brother? No. And so the robbers must be rightfully persecuted for breaking into your house and murder.

But was it worth the lost of your brother's life, that a few of you attempted to resist the robbers by hitting them? Sadly, no. Why didn't you opt for option B then?


[Option B] Perhaps people might call you a coward for opting not to defend yourself, but there's a dictum you hold on to: 'Don't act like a hero'. You recall too many cases on the news of everyday heroes tragically get killed as they attempt to recover a poor woman's handbag from a snatch theft, etc. But what about your belongings? Again, let me ask, is it worth your life to defend your dear belongings?


So there you have it. Look what happened to MV Rachel Corrie. I'm glad there was no report of death or injuries from the Israeli raid on that vessel.

I have no intentions to back Israeli blockade on Gaza - although it's quite clear that the inhumane blockade is a political attempt to weaken the support to Hamas from within, costing humanitarian crisis in Gaza (which is often kept in limbo). Ironically, the latest Israeli deadly response to attempts of breaching this blockade only resulted in more support to the cause of the Palestinians, and hence, Hamas, not just from within, but from the 'international community'.

Before we assume that this tragedy will be by and large ignored by the Western countries, observe these headlines:
TIME: Defiant Israel says Activists Prepared to Fight
Newsweek: Why Israel Needs To Change Its Ways

(Note: Defiant; and Change) And here's another headline:
Vatican Blasts Israeli Occupation
So, the enemy of my enemy is my friend now?

Another Year Of Blogging

A year ago I started blogging using Blogspot, with a central idea of promoting optimism and offering my perspective of things. Actually I started blogging a few years back, on Friendster, but I stopped as soon as I registered for this blog. The Internet is surely a great tool that all of us - Internet Users - benefit from it's multitude of possibilties: from social networking to media sharing. Newsweek reports this week of two rather contradictory opinions on whether the Intenet could bring down tyranny and empower democracy; or if these expectations are just wishful thinking shared by Obama and George Bush. Whatever the reality might be, there's no doubt, I believe, that whether the Internet - as a tool - helps us or makes us worse, wholly depends on how we make use of it.

Let's recapitulate a few topics that I've discussed since the last 13th May.

Purpose of Life

To be responsible for our actions

To be inspired by Tun Dr Mahathir

Mosques without minarets?

Who's to blame for the deaths of innocent lives?

Sorry for the clandestine operation (by Al-Islam journalists)?

Believe vs Knowledge

And since it's May 13th, I'd like to support Zubedy's Recolor-May-13 Campaign. Let's make our country a better place to live.