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Monday 30 June, 2008
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A weblog by Albert. From my home in Yan Kedah. I reside here since 1992. See here to know where Yan is.

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Blog category: all categories. - October 2003
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 Thank you for retiring Dr Mahathir - by @lbert
  Posted:31/10/2003 - 17:03 - in category: politics Malaysia
The shortest blog.
No comments.
| Permalink | 2 comments | Add Comment |

 Farewells and tributes - by @lbert
  Posted:29/10/2003 - 16:37 - in category: politics Malaysia
This comment is not mine but an article that expresses my views completely.
It is written by Pelita Negara.

Farewells and Tributes

Despite my scepticism towards Dr. Mahathir's policies throughout his 22 years as Prime Minister of Malaysia, I believe that somehow, farewells and tributes should remain the order of the day.
It is an amazing feat by itself for a democratically elected leader of a South East Asian nation to be in power for more than two decades.
The Prime Minister truly deserves a farewell befitting his status as one of the longest serving Prime Ministers in the world.

However I would like to reserve my tributes and dedicate these to the millions of Malaysians who have patiently endured the constant barrage of failed policies, multi-billion ringgit scandals, wasteful mega-projects and narcissistic politicians who are perpetually in self-denial mode.
Truly, it is the Malaysian public who should be congratulated for their intrinsic tolerance and their instinctive quest to live in harmony with each other.

In my opinion, the call by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for the nation to show its gratitude towards Dr. Mahathir is totally unnecessary.
On the contrary, the Prime Minister and his government should thank the people of Malaysia, for our continuous support and commitment towards living together in relative harmony despite the diversity that exist amongst us.

There are two reasons why we should not heed the Deputy Prime Minister's request.
First of all, the success of the country does not depend solely on the Prime Minister.
It is the combined effort of thousands of civil servants and millions of hard working Malaysians that make Malaysia work.
Secondly, it is because true gratitude emerges spontaneously from the individual's heart and it does not need to be cajoled out from people.

Any child, who has been showered with unconditional love and care by the parents, will eventually be grateful to them to a certain degree.
To compel Malaysians to exhibit this gratitude to the outgoing Prime Minister would be like asking the fictional hunchback Quasimodo to thank his parents for abandoning him on the steps of Notre Dame.

Dr. Mahathir's recent speech at the OIC meeting, accusing the Jews of ruling the world by proxy, confirms our deepest fear, that he has been ruling our country for the past 22 long years with more hatred and anger, rather than love and kindness.
Instead of trying to call for peaceful resolutions and consensus between the Israelis and the Palestinians, he blatantly worsens the situation by putting the blame on certain quarters and highlighting their differences rather than similarities.

I suppose this concept of segregation and hostility is brewed from our country's own political structure in which political parties are based on race.
The continuous attention given to communal politics does not augur well for a multi racial society seeking to create a single Malaysian identity.
This is because, each time the political parties have their general assemblies, their leaders will call for unity amongst their own members and race.
What is the meaning of the word 'unity', if it does not seek to include all races?

There is no doubt that Malaysia has attracted a lot of world wide attention since Dr. Mahathir came into power in the early 1980's.
But is Malaysia standing out from the world map for the right reasons?
Are we likened to the beauty contestant in a pageant who projects her beauty and intelligence to gain points?
Or are we similar to the contestant who foul-mouth her rivals and praise herself to gain five minutes of fame (or rather, infamy)?

The dynamic policies and slogans introduced in the earlier part of Dr. Mahathir's rule, have now been all but forgotten.
We are now left haunted by symbols of excessive spending such as half-vacant glittering skyscrapers, under-utilized airport facilities and a multimedia super corridor that is so empty, you could almost hear the bits and bytes charging away.

Government projects that usually begin as comprehensive development plans later become large-scale socio-economic experiments that end disastrously.
Due to lack of supervision and poor management, privatisation of national institutions such as Malaysian Airlines has failed.
Ironically, the Government bought back the shares of the airline at a ridiculously higher price to bail out the company.
But the strangest thing, that I believe could only happen in Malaysia, is at the end of the day, no one gets punished for their misdemeanour.
No one important, that is, except for tax paying Malaysians who contribute a portion of their hard earned money to the treasury every year, only to find that their money is wasted on measures to protect the honour and interest of certain 'important people'.

Not to be left out, our Cabinet Ministers are equally happy to create controversy all by themselves, as if they are taking the cue from the Prime Minister.
Thus we have a Tourism Minister who equates the level of patriotism to the number of flags we fly, a Unity Minister who discriminates against effeminate male students in our local universities, an Education Minister who fumbles up the allocation of university seats for students and a Health Minister who sanctions traditional medication and encourages patients to take legal action against their doctors.

Therefore I cannot comprehend the need for the current frenzy to honour our Prime Minister with over the top tributes and salutations.
Thus when October 31st. 2003 finally dawns upon us, all that we need to do is to join our hands to wish Dr. Mahathir a big farewell.

As for the tributes and show of gratitude, please bestow them upon all the ordinary Malaysians who have worked hard and have patiently endured his long running satirical stage show.

Therefore I cannot comprehend the need for the current frenzy to honour our Prime Minister with over the top tributes and salutations.
It is distressing enough to look at the photo on the front page of The Star today (28 October 2003), showing the Prime Minister and the Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr. Ng Yen Yen crying outside the Finance Ministry upon hearing the song Pahlawan Ku (My Warrior) being sung.
If more tributes like these are made and more tears are shed, these people are going to suffer from serious body fluid electrolyte imbalance very soon.

Pelita Negara
| Permalink | one comment | Add Comment |

 Education, Islamisation, Chinafication, Indianisation - by @lbert
  Posted:27/10/2003 - 20:41 - in category: politics Malaysia
That's what the education system in Malaysia is.
Isn't it total ridiculous that in one country there are 4 types of schools??
1. Islamic schools
2. Goverment sekolah kebangsaan
3. Chinese schools
4. Indian schools
I have not seen a country ever where education money is so wasted.
Why cant Malaysia have ONE school system?
ONE schoolsystem of course without fiddling with grades and other Bumi noncense.
Why does Malaysia need Chinese schools, Indian schools, and Islamic schools.
Chinese can learn chinese after curiculum hours. Indian people can learn their language after curiculum hours. Muslims can have their religious education after curiculum hours.
This is creating a bangsa Malaysia.
The present system is devide and rule ( wasn't that a british invention?)
If there is no integration starting on the lowest level, there will never be an integration and everything is skin deep, as it is now.
All those mothertongue fanatics should shut up. They only delay the integration proces.
The quality of schools should be improved!
What country in the world has 'tuition' after school for 80% of the people (the rest cant afford it), yes right Malaysia, another Malaysia boleh. What a crazy system, is education that bad that they all need tuition?
There is something fundamentally rotten is this system, and that is the whole education system.
It stinks, is lousy and is only going backward instead of forward.
They want IT but the teacher only knows Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer.
Probably the average city kid knows more about computers than his teacher even at 7-8 years old.
When is this money wasting going to change? When will there be real education?
| Permalink | 2 comments | Add Comment |

 Sorry - by @lbert
  Posted:20/10/2003 - 11:19 - in category: internet / computers
Those who tried to post comments in the past few days might have noticed they are not added.
Sorry...my mistake.
I am working on a new version of POV and thought all was working, but obviously it was not.

But all should be ok now.... apologies to those involved.
| Permalink | one comment | Add Comment |

 Where are your readers.... - by @lbert
  Posted:18/10/2003 - 23:38 - in category: internet / computers
Since i use my inhouse creation of BiTLOG a web tracking system, i also have been able to trace where readers of this blog are 'hiding'.
Although i cannot trace real details in noticed several very regular visitors.
Several are in Malaysia of course, but a very regular visitor sits all the way in Japan!
He visits the blog since june...thats when i started BiTLOG.
A few frequent visitors from my country of origine Holland, i cant say homeland, because i feel at home in Malaysia.
Than i noticed a few in England and the US.
This proves how wide spread visitors of a web site can be.
The general numbers of visitors show actually that the top 10 visitors of this site come from:
1. US 3423 till now
2. Netherlands 913
3. Germany 750
4. Malaysia 627
5. UK 605
6. Canada 547
7. Spain 347
8. Italy 296
9. Australia 258
10. France 258
See them all at [url]http://www.absoft-my.com/bitlog/countries.php[/url]
Keep in mind these are all visitors. (including my Pondok programming part)
But it is amazing that you even find visitors from countries where you really think where are they??? Kyrgystan, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Fiji and so on.
It really shows how small the world nowadays is. So our leaders should bear that in mind when they think they can do as they please without consulting their people. Words travel at the speed of light.
Phylosophic? Don't think so just proof of a world that also changes at light speed.
And it is just beginning.....
They achieved network tests at GByte speed!
Imagine ..... download a whole movie in 2 seconds... piracy would go banana.
No need to buy even a CD or DVD haram anymore, download and burn your own.
Hey .... CD haram chasers, you have to find a new job soon, maybe they finally will start fighting crime.
Thats about time, here they already steal kain sarong, panties and tong gas.
Thats Malaysia anno 2003 ...... and police?? Nowhere to see or kacau motorists.
| Permalink | no comments | Add Comment |

 M did it again - by @lbert
  Posted:17/10/2003 - 11:01 - in category: politics Malaysia
Mahatir proved himself again.
This time his really proved that he is no longer sound of mind.
His anti jewish rethoric has made the whole world protest against his remarks.
Even Europe which is highly critical on Israel protested.
Even if you dont agree with Israel's way of behaving, this kind of rethoric is baseless and only agravating.
Well it is really high time this person disappears into history as he is doing the country more harm than good.
Rethoric like this certainly will attract people to come to Malaysia or invest here....
The will avoid Malaysia like a pest if they are sound of mind, with leaders like this you never know what to expect.
Well done Mahatir! MALAYSIA BOLEH!
| Permalink | 5 comments | Add Comment |

 A real OIC member.... - by @lbert
  Posted:16/10/2003 - 20:37 - in category: travel abroad
Malaysia has shown the world today that it is a real OIC member.
Yes a member of that club of dictatorial countries.
A club where goverment heads are to busy opressing people to be united on anything.

The verdict in the Irene Fernandez case was of course as expected.
It really shows to what level justice in Malaysia has descended.
It stinks and is totally rotten everywhere.
this trial has shown the world how Malaysia treats illegals and refugies, in one word on a terrible way!
Judges are like ministers they think they are unfallable, and act so.
This case took almost 8 years!! A scandal.
The whole justice in Malaysia is a scandal, even the most futile case takes years to finish.
Laywers get fat on their fees, and judges get fat salaries without doing anything else than postponing one case after the other.

If verdicts are given they are biased either on social status or title.
A simple person who steals a chocolat bar gets 6 month, if a datuk did it he gets probation.
Thats justice.
Yak! Well another sample of Malaysia boleh!
| Permalink | no comments | Add Comment |

 Healthcare and wawasan 2020 - by @lbert
  Posted:12/10/2003 - 18:24 - in category: politics Malaysia
Private hospitals pop up like mushrooms everywhere in Malaysia.
But be aware, they seem to maintain the usual 'you pay for my stupidities' method used by most Malaysian companies.

I was operated for colonnal cancer a few years ago, i neatly kept all my bills together, so i have a reference.

Well this week i went for anothor colonoscopy, and what do i find:
Equipment and fascilities went up by 50% (was 50- now 75-) inflations ? wow...
They charge you even for the room in which the treatment is done.

Something like, you visit the doctor, pay 30- for the visit and than pay an additional RM 20- because you went in to his examination room.
This is rediculous and the usual way of screwing people out of their money.
Last year i got a cup of Milo after the colonoscopy and they had the guts to charge me RM3- for the Milo.

Two month ago, the hospital changed their days off.
Good they have the right to do so, don't they.
But instead of sending information to their outpatients (i live 40km from the hospital) they put it on the announcement board.
They have god knows how many computers, but sending an info per post cannot.
Well .. if i am sick and come to the hospital, the first thing i do is read the announcement board isn't it??

Than they say yes.... we send thousands on flyers around in S.P.
(Sungai Petani), well i live in Yan.
OK, than i come to the hospitalin August because i have a problem.
The docter treats me gives medication, and put a possible next appointment on my appointment card.
(But this card still carries the old dates!)
Noone tells me the venue dates have changed.
So a week later suddenly my problems get worse a look at the card whether it is not their off-day.
I put my sick body in the car and drive 40 km to the hospital.
There i find its an off-day and all charges are double.
Nice huh.... but i am sick adn feel lousy, so ask the docter to check me.
I get medication and so on, and a bill with double charges.

The charges i try to claim back from the hospital because it is THEIR mistake not mine that i have not been informed.
After complaint they have the guts to say:
Oh...your idea of putting stickers on the appointment cards is great, why did not we think about it. (smart huh...)
We imply it by today. But sorry we can not refund you, because we changed the venue times.

This is Malaysian logic, the highlight of MALAYSIA TIDAK BOLEH.
That is exactly why nothing in this country is going smoothly.
It is the apatic attitude to admit that you were wrong and face the consequences.

The above a is good example of Wawasan 1010, because 2020 will not even be reached in 3030.
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 Bye bye Dr.M. - by @lbert
  Posted:09/10/2003 - 06:00 - in category: politics Malaysia
22 Years Mahatir
What is achieved and what went wrong.

Achieved:
Malaysia recognized as a respectable nation, although the past few years 'west-bashing' of dr M has done more harm than good.
Average income of Malaysians went from RM 4630- in 1982 to 14.877- in 2002.
This is of course an inflated figure because of the currency peg and devaluation of the ringgit.
Overall standard of living improved.
A capital inflow 1988-1997 of 52 billion.

Not achieved:
Transparency in government.
End to corruption.
Cronyism.

What went out of the window:
Press freedom.
Free judiciary.
Free market credentials.
(Cronies cannot go bankrupt, dr M stated that himself (Renong) )

What has been wasted on behalf of the future generation:
25 BILLION is squandered through misadventures (Perwaja, Bakun, currency speculation by central bank)
20 BILLION total need for revival of MAS, take over of LTR and several others mainly public transport.
Billions in overspending, than the yen surged by 70% and the debts went from big to huge.
Budget overspending since the economic crises.
So called revival of the economy.

What has been achieved for the nation as a whole:
Landmarks of world status, but money wasted.
(Sepang Circuit,Petronas Towers,Airport Sepang and name it)
An economy that will collapse when the dollar goes down a lot.
Companies up to their neck in 'cheap' debt because borrowing is cheap.
General public up to their neck in debt, because borrowing is pushed through their throats.
An industry that absolutely cannot compete on world scale.
A banking industry that is 20 years behind with Europe!
A judiciary that is hopeless, slow and inefficient.
A bunch of parlementarians that cannot be criticised, if you do they will sue you on the spot.

Total of probably 60 billion plus to be coughed up by the future generation for dr M's adventures.
Privatisation and creation of heavy industry miserably failed.
The only one making a bit of money is Proton, but thats only because of protection against foreign competition.
So thats temporary, they will disappear in the future. Turnover is way to small.

Press surpression made sure that hardly anyone believes a printed letter of a newspaper.
TV is terrible, there are NO checks and balances in this country,
only cheques and balances, and those cheques get falsified and cost another xxx million and the balance is creative accounting.
The way he treated opponents is beyond any description, and really stinks.
He did not trust anyone around him.

20 Years left a bitter taste for the nation, although denied of course.

If he left 10 years earlier yes, he might have gone in history as a nation builder.
Now? Time will learn, but i doubt it will be a pleasant memory.
UMNO will deny that for ever of course, but history will give them a report figure too.
And elections are on the way.....
| Permalink | 13 comments | Add Comment |

 i'll beat the problems away... - by @lbert
  Posted:07/10/2003 - 15:29 - in category: politics Malaysia
Caning in schools seems to be the talk of the day.
Well i only can say, if a teacher would have the guts to cane my child, i will beat him into the hospital, thats for sure!
No one has the right to beat up or cane someone's child, except the parents.
And even as a parent you will find it has little use.
Besides that, which idiot thinks that it solves a problem? It absolutely does not.
The underlying problem is that in this country (as well as many others) children are totally spoiled, they know no value of things, everything they get to easy.
The biggest fault is of course the parents, who have no time for their children because they are to busy making money in order to chase all their whimps and wishes. People are to afraid they dont have what the neighbour has. So in order to keep the child quiet, give it money to spent.
And a child that does not have 10-20 a week to spent is an outcast.
If they dont have expensive shoes (i mean stupid rubber shoes of 200+ ringgit) they are an outcast.
Look some ( ho what did i say?? a lot) even go to school on a motorbike, dadyy or mommy bought for their baby.
They even dont know how to walk anymore all those miss piggy's and mr porky's.
The hard attacks of the future. Big fat Mercedeces come to the school to pick up their darlings, imagine they would have to walk or cycle a kilometer.
This is the egocentric, spoiled generation of the future, so be aware.
And caning won't beat it out of them, NEVER!
| Permalink | one comment | Add Comment |

 Stupid cheques - by @lbert
  Posted:05/10/2003 - 14:57 - in category: politics Malaysia
The goverment has been cheated for millions with cheques. Surprised? Well not me.
Cheques are not worth the paper they are written on.
Cheques are the most stupid and outdated method of payment. Try Europe, noone will accept a cheque (with exception of Britain) unless it's a guaranteed Eurocheque.
Chequesystem is antique outdated and asking for fraud.
Has this progressive goverment in charge ever heard of bank payments or girosystem?
Probably not, and thats why Cyberjaya is a failure.
Isn't it simpel enough to ask every person who makes a claim to the goverment to privide his/her bank account number and than transfer the money into their account.
Problem solved and no more discussions needed.
Noooooo, Malaysia wants to put safety measures like chips in goverment cheques.
Simpel problem, simpel solution, BUT
Who's wasting money again??
| Permalink | one comment | Add Comment |

 Make it clear Mr. clean - by @lbert
  Posted:01/10/2003 - 11:30 - in category: politics Malaysia
I personally think the first thing Ahmad Badhawi should do, in order to be clean is publicly state the income, and wealth of himself and all his fimily members.
That will prove that cronyism came to a halt.
Furthermore he should stop stating that nothing will be changed in dr M.'s policies.
Are we gonna follow policies of 20 years ago in the future? Is progress out of the question?
But to me it is already proved that Ahmad Badhawi is the same as dr. M. Just see how he used the ISA again.
Nothing will change, only via an election defeat will the nation get rid of these people.
PAS cant rule alone so they will have to weaken all their wishes a lot .... and after 5 years or less they can be thrown out too......
| Permalink | 2 comments | Add Comment |


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