RAVINDRAN RAGHAVAN

Thaipusam in Singapore

2012-02-09T20:10:00.000+08:00

This year I was fortunate to visit Singapore during Thaipusam and join in the festivities. It was a little different than the famous Batu Caves Thaipusam celebration. We walked from the Perumal Temple near Mustaffa Centre all the way to the Thandayuthabani Temple which was about 15 km (?) and took us 45 minutes.

My garden adventure … Sept 2011

2011-09-05T22:41:00.001+08:00

My garden was taking its toll from the hot weather of the past many months. The rain in recent days gave a good boost to withering plants. Thus decided to get on with my “phase 2” of the garden re-shaping. After a few days of hard work, completed the last portion yesterday only to find weed ready to be cleared at “phase 1”!

Cochin (Kochi) in Kerala

2011-08-13T00:31:00.001+08:00

Arrived Kochi early this week and started enjoying the food … particularly the appams and fish curry. So far nothing beats the appams here. Had a good dinner at GRT Grand, supposedly famous for its karimeen fish. Someone else told me that their briyani is popular but I do not want to mix my taste with the great briyanis of Rajashtan. For me the Jaipur briyanis were among the best so far, therefore I did not try this one.

Some other popular spots revisited this time included Sarovaram (BTH) – excellent tradiitonal Kerala food on banana leaf and Casino – great seafood brought in a trolley.

Adding cheer to Diwali

2009-10-19T13:10:00.003+08:00

Md Din, Azimah and Brigitta (Ashwinee's friend) & family having lunch

HP Tan, Pearl (Ashwinee's friend) and her family having dinner.

Ashwinee's "kolam" (coloured rice art)

Pearl's nephew (sister's son) ... the cute visitor

Diwali 2009

2009-10-19T12:58:00.005+08:00

This Diwali was a little different ... I did not go to Kluang (my parents' and Gobu's home) for Diwali celebrations ... instead celebrated in our home with the traditional breakfast of tosai, idli and mutton curry.

Ashwinee had made the "kolam" out of coloured rice and was a hit among visitors.

Arjun was the "king in the making" ... helping me with all the grocery buying, 6.00am trip to the market, mutton/chicken preparations and also being a committed assistant in the menu decisions.

Avinash was wreaking havoc as usual with all kinds of queries and requests including wanting a mobile phone of his own.

My in laws visited on the second day and had a small gathering for lunch.

Malaysian Indians ... have they changed?

2009-10-15T22:35:00.003+08:00

This is purely my personal opinion ... if you find it hard to agree, ignore!

Our next generation needs more positive contribution from us in order to compete and win

Indians came in 1800s when our then "British masters" put most of ancestors on the Rajula or Sithambaram ships. First question - did the British discuss with the host (the malays, orang asli, etc) and agree to bring us? Well all of us know it was only their selfish needs of filling the plantations with an ever divided group of labourers!

Now that we establish the first element - we can completely uninvited by the host.

Second - why us Indians? Best answer is we were always divided on caste, language, gods (?), village and many aspects. We love to fight for supremacy of various things among us. We need a nice toddy shop for finishing the day's earning and a temple to pray for more! So we became a hard working well defined group that the british loved.

And have we changed?

Look at the highly motivated and charged show of unity created by Hindraf. We suddenly became noticed internationally and even India took note of us. But then what happended barely into the "celebrity status" ... we have now divided ourselves completely into oblivion ... we have such many parties now and no one knows who is real.

The very Hindraf that hit the gong of action against the government saying that we have been mistreated is now the catalyst behind a new party that suddenly found the government so loving.

Now we are confused again ... but then we are upholding our status as the ever divided group of people!

Found my long lost friend ... Mukilan

2009-06-24T22:02:00.005+08:00

The wonders of internet ... got into facebook and found an old friend from my primary school days called Zamzam Eusof. We had been staying within a 10km radius and never bumped into each other, or probably did not recognise each other as we have grown so much more fat now!!

And guess what? Zamzam found Mukilan another one of our common classmates of 1972-77. Mukilan was my best friend all through primary school and somehow we went apart in secondary days. By 1980s we slowly did not remember the existence of our friendship.

In 1985 I started looking for him, found him through Anand (another friend I am still searching for) and Mukilan wrote to me. But we never met.

After that life was at high speed and there was no room for reminiscing childhood memories until I wrote my biography (www.ravi.com.my) - as I was compiling my old photos again Mukilan shot into memory. Then a new search started ending in finding him to have been in KL as well for a large part of his career. He now runs his own tution center in Kluang Johore.

Now the heart beats each time I think of making a visit to Kluang to meet Mukilan ... and oh yes (!) as usual with KL people ... I and Zamzam have not met yet despite staying so close to each other and having "connected" after some 25 years!! See the laziness that has set into us!!

Open University of Malaysia

2009-05-30T22:19:00.004+08:00

The Open University of Malaysia recently signed an MOU with Straits Academy of Logistics. With the MOU, Straits Academy becomes OUM's learning centre in Penang.

Apparently OUM has churned out among the oldest graduates in the country. Some being about 70+ yrs old when they graduate ... not because the courses are that long!! SAL's participation now makes it easier for more Penagites (and Kedahans) to pursue their degree courses.
The big guys after signing the MOU ... from left ... Prasaanth (from Dubai), En Niana (former COO of Penang Port), Md Din (our Director), En Repin (Vice President of OUM), Dr Selvaraj (Programme Director, OUM)

A serious moment with Lingam ... both wearing the "corporate tie" that Lingam made us wear for the function!!

A lighter moment with Vinayak (our Sales Manager ... who has worked in Hong Kong and speaks English with a "lah" though born and brought up in Delhi)

Our Finance Controller, Simon Yap (second from right) with a client. To his left wearing a black coat is Francis Lee (our Sales Manager)

Gan the anchor man (staff) of Academy

Tina, another powerful staff of our Academy

En Md Din

Prasaanth Baskaran Nair from Dubai ... a Toastmaster Club member and great orator!

En Repin of OUM
========================================================

The event went well with good music, great people and the commendable staff of Straits Academy.

Lingam as usual orders more food than people!! His motto is ... "a hungry man is an angry man" ... so he makes sure no one is hungry in his events.

So here are the great food he organised. I must say the chocolate cake was excellent even for me who hate chocolate cake! The pineapple tarts and curry puffs were worth the wait ... Oops did I say "wait" ... yeah, we had to wait for all the speeches and signing!!

Most photo shots courtesy of Sritharan - using my Canon EOS40D SLR camera with a 18-55mm lens and Speedlight 380 flash. No copyright protection ... so copy as you like!

< Sritharan
... the multi skill personality of our company ... ecellent cook (former Chief Steward of Malaysia Airlines first class cabin), wonderful dog trainer, photographer, goat breeder, carpenter, electrician and interior decorator!

Straits Academy of Logistics

2009-05-30T22:16:00.003+08:00

The Chief of the Academy, Mr PP Lingam (on the right) with me and Md Din (on the left)

Lingam posing with Md Din in front of the PSDC building ... a building he helped erect being part of the pioneer Committee

These are the early birds who received a token of appreciation from MWS

I had the honour of being part of the growth of the Straits Academy of Logistics (www.straitsacademy.com) in Penang. Last Thursday (28th May 2009) SAL launched the Mini Worksyop Series (MWS).

My precious tooth

2009-03-06T15:47:00.002+08:00

My wife runs her own dental practice (Klinik Pergigian Joon) in USJ10. In theory that means that I would have the most healthy teeth and commendable oral health. It also means that I can check and rectify all my dental problems with minimal effort.

But life is like that ... when it is easily available we will not utilise it ... but worst still my fear of dentists ever since my Primary 2 is ever alive in my memory. You see I had a small hole in my premolar that needed filling. And guess what, the worst of my nightmare came true when the dental nurse in my primary school marked me for treatment! The "D-Day" came when a prefect came to my class and said "Ravindran - kena pergi tampal gigi" (translation = Ravindran, you need to go for filling). There starts the journey to a weekend horrow movie!

First the drilling > then the constant chatting by the nurse to the cleaner lady about some P Ramlee movie (she was not at all concentrating on my filling) > then the filling comes off instantly > so she drills again > fills again > now the filling starts to chip and end up in my throat > bits of filling material were swallowed > went to canteen > had my food with so much of anxiety > went home and never told anyone about it!!

So that ended my episode with the school dental experience. And I still think it had been a stupid idea for schools to allow such nurses into our compound to create a rucus with our teeth and made the momory last a lifetime.

After sucha long time, I am stilla fraid of dentists ... even if it the campus sweetheart turned wife!

Pakatan berpakat

2009-03-06T15:43:00.000+08:00

The Perak constituional "test" is undergoing it's primetime! First we had the assembly under the "boh" tree like Gautama Buddha ... then the speaker being banned ... and now the court waiting to decide.

In the "good old days" when BN was ruling, we had no such problems. If the brother makes a mistake the uncle can rectify ... i.e. all were "friendly" co-workers (the state assemblymen, the government servants, the police, the road sweeper, the garbage collector etc etc). But now we are so determined to find the division of power and authority.

Regardless of whether Pakatan wins or not, this will serve a good lesson for all of us not to take the Constitution lightly.

USJ10 Taipan Triangle, Subang Jaya

2009-03-06T15:28:00.002+08:00

I have been in one way or another "connected" to Taipan (USJ10) since 1998. The traffic in the area grew to an extent where every other person I meet will say "Aiyo! Taipan area very difficult to find parking! Everywhere double parked!"

Yes, it is a very very crowded area. But you want to complain till the cows go home? The crowd is the strength of the place. The crowd is the business! As mahatma Gandhi said "The customer is the reason for our business not the problem" ... so do not groan and moan. Enjoy the crowd!!

But then parking ... go to the multi-storey car park. The rates are marginally higher than the kerbside parking but there are ample space available. The 2nd floor onwards is usually empty. This means we need to walk a little ... Maybank is 5 mins walk, Ambank is adjacent ... Public Bank maybe 10 mins walk. Burn some cholesterol and enjoy the carbon monoxide therapy ... but parking is available!

Malaysia baru

2009-02-03T02:12:00.002+08:00

Oh man! I have been absent from the scene for too long!! Well the post election issues fizzled out and Anwar adventure seem to also have lost its steam.

So what now? The new story is police brutality + teaching of Science in English + traffic disobedience ... Well to teach Science in English or Zulu or Mandarin does not matter if the teachers know the language AND they are committed.

Let me gather some energy and return to the blogging spirit again ... real soon!

The Anwar saga

2008-08-04T16:10:00.002+08:00

I started off very enthusiastically during the election season. However the Malaysian politics has been so dramatic that I got lost in it's web of events.

Now the Anwar "resurrection" is the hot topic with the Permatang Pauh elections coming soon. Let's see ...

IF ANWAR WINS ... all goes well in PKR and Anwar will be the hero in the making. Supposedly the dateline for him to form the government is very near.

SUPPOSE HE LOST (!) ... all hell may break lose because the seat had been sucha safe haven held by his wife for so long. It is almost unthinkable that Anwar can lose.

The irony of Proton Perdana

2008-07-26T22:51:00.002+08:00

Proton is our national car and supposedly being used by all ministers. Now the poser created by our Terengganu folks (I mean, the Chief Minister) is that Proton Perdana is among the worst when it comes to maintenance.

After so many years someonefinally saw the bills?? Apparently they spent some RM130,000+ to maintain the car over 3+ years! Well the car costs only RM100,000.

Now to add salt to the injury, the new idea was to buy a fleet of Mercedes. But again where is the root of the problem? The drivers? The clerks who issue LO to worksyops? The worksyops charging high? ... or genuinely because the cars are overused and breaking down miserably?

Mohd Ali Rustam's one-way blog

2008-04-28T15:22:00.002+08:00

The honourable Menteri besar of Melaka Yang Amat Berhormat Mohd Ali Rustam started a blog saying that he is going into the new media ... blogging! New?? He must have slept through the last few years when we started the IT age.

Blogging has been there for so long that some popular bloggers now sit in Parliament! And blogs have created an alternative bouncing board for many people like us who do not go to Parliament to comment about those brilliant ideas, policies and corridors.

But the great irony about the honourable Menteri besar of Melaka Yang Amat Berhormat Mohd Ali Rustam is that he does not allow comments! No comments, no email link, no website and no statistics. All he does is post his speeches ... and hope that the "not so brainy" readers like me would just compile and publish them??

If the blogger is not ready to receive comments, why blog??

A good example is Dr Khir. He receives comments, moderates them and of course don't publish some ... but most are published and it gives the actual platform for us to "discuss".

Money that belongs to Balkis?

2008-04-28T15:06:00.002+08:00

Suddenly Balkis came to light and for the wrong reasons ... RM9.9 million "illegally" transferred to Bakti. Looking at it from the Committee Members viewpoint - this is absolutely right. Why? Because their husbands helped them "milk" many donors and they gathered these lucrative amounts due to the "goodwill" of the government of that time. If you see the many GLC contributions it is quite obvious though our old friend Khir Toyo is ready to give a sentimental answer that PKNS is a private company.

So in this light, these wives of our old ADUNs are so unwilling to transfer the "loot" to anyone else. Nothing wrong with that. if you and I work hard to convince our friends & foes to donate we would do the same. We will strongly feel that it is our right.

Just because someone else came to power, money does not automatically transfer hands.

But somehow, seeing the amount involved and the rush by which it is done it gives a funny feeling that something must be wrong. Probably losing grip was last on their minds until that night of the General Elections held on an auspicous day.

Our new MBs and MPs

2008-04-22T13:35:00.002+08:00

Penang is seeing many changes in the Chief Minister's "mannerisms"! To start with the old crap of YBs and YABs have been replaced with Saudara ... a more brotherly down-to-earth citizen's reference. It was amazing that our previous guys got away with being called YBs for so long, even knowing well that the YBs became so only because of the normal citizen's vote and they are "supposedly" serving the people who voted them in.

The other interesting poser by the outsted "tribal chiefs" has been: "Let's see whether the ex-Opposition is going to fulfill their promises now that they are ruling the State". Of course the intellectual ex-MB of Selangor Dr Khir said he is going to appoint himself as the "mandor" to "memantau" the actions of the new government. Maybe he forgot that he is the small guy sitting on the ordinary chair called "opposition" in the assembly. he can "memantau" his mom-n-pop dental clinic perhaps!

I think these guys are missing the point. They were voted out not because the then Opposition announced a high-flying agenda or promise. Not because the election manifesto of Anwar was outstanding neither because Barisan had no idea of their manifesto. They were voted out merely due to the people's frustration of their inefficiency, arrogance and "tidak apa" attitude when it comes to dealing with the public.

Time and again it was proven that our good old Barisan YBs and YABs were nothing but people holding power with a hood over their heads. They only saw their feet.

So in this scenario, you think people are going to even bother the "mandors" who are out there to "memantau" the present government?? if the new government remain transparent and remain people friendly, I think we can say bye bye to our old guys forever. It is best that they start thinking of finding a job as what they lost is not going to come back like a boomerang.

The Indians through binoculars

2008-04-04T12:46:00.006+08:00

Just a thought came in as I was thinking about the present state of Indians in government. We may spot more of them using binoculars in parliament. Why? Because there seem to be more MPs who are Indians but sitting on the Opposition bench. The government side has a drastic drop from several faces, now down to just 2-3, of course excluding our vocal Samy Vellu.

Question is - how long will such an Indian presence last? Without the MIC there are no credible vehicle for the Indians. New small parties started as splinter groups from MIC and PKR namely forming IPF and MIDP. But the history of IPf is clear ... fight as BN for years, remain foes to MIc and finally shake hands!! MIDP is still "hidden" from view as nothing tangible is heard of them. Then we have Kavyeas and his PPP which of course remained relevant only until he was MP.

Given the fact that now we have more Indians in parliament via DAP and PKR, are we going to see this as a permanent solution for representing Indians? Is this feasible?

One possible turn of events is a situation where Pakatan Rakyat evolves into a truly Malaysian identity without race barriers. Such an expectation may sound radical but the globalisation of races would go in that direction in any case. Probably the only aspect holding back such integration in Malaysia is the religous barrier.

Imagine if we have religous freedom in the practise of all religions in Malaysia. The citizens will not be identified by race or religion instead as citizen and non-citizen only. When it reaches this stage then is a race based party relevant?

Ok, for the interim when we are still living in caves laced with racial decorations, are we going to see effective representation of Indians via PKR or DAP which has other predominant racial bias? I feel it will not give Indians a proper platform. Today's situation is largely brought about by the sweeping tsunami that in new and the Opposition-turned-ruling parties started giving importance to Indian representation in their respective State governments.

So this situation is not meant to last once there is a solution for the Pakatan Rakyat to overcome BN. So we need a Indian party nevertheless. Question is only whether it should MIC (sic!), MIC-baru or a new party. The new party can decide on the line of alliance whether with BN or with Pakatan Rakyat.

Should UMNO change?

2008-04-03T10:10:00.006+08:00

Khir's blogsite had this voting for "Adakah kepimpinan tertinggi UMNO perlu ditukar?" and guess what ... as of now 84% percent voted in favour!

I had this question in my mind though ... is he referring to the entire UMNO exco or just our beloved PM who is President?

Anyway leaving that aside, my opinion is this - instead of bickering over the nomination requirements and "potential candidates", why not take a non-conventional step?

UMNO needs to adapt to the present age. Take the challenge and change the traditional ways. make provisions to allow more candidates regardless of rank to contest. What I mean here is allow the young guys in UMNO to contest for Presidency. Young guys? Well people like Khir himself, Hishamuddin, Muhiyiddin etc. Let them be candidates together with Pak Lah and see the people's choice.

In this knowledge age is an older candidate the only one to know how to run a country or the party? Why stick to the old yardstick? If UMNo is real in wanting change, be controversial but remain relevant to the people's needs.

having said all this, what about MIC? Oh man ... that has to be the same story lah! Allow some young energy to reach the top. For once maybe we should have the MIC election done nationwide by all members voting rather than a handful of selected delegates.

No cheap cars for exco

2008-04-03T09:30:00.003+08:00

The Negeri MB has announced a "landmark" proposal that there will be no selling of Perdanas at RM5,000 each to outgoing excos. Wow! What a tradition that we have been having earlier then?? Excos serve for a while and take their official cars with them for RM5,000?

Yes, this announcement sounds so logical and appropriate now. But again isn't this a blatant blow to the outgoing guys? They served their term and if they have done a good job they deserve the "benefit" that is expected. Just because the election result was unfavourable, why punish those who finished their work?

Question is - did they do a good job to deserve the car at nominal price? Well, if they have not done a good job during their term, what was the administration doing? Watching and wondering? Action should have been taken if they did not perform. Now that it seems like they completed their tasks and are on the way out, you penalise them by withdrawng the benefit?

The Kuantan tea shop

2008-04-03T02:06:00.003+08:00

I came to Kuantan the other day and as we were talking over tea in the Kemaman Kopitiam my friend said ... "Kuantan MP and ADUN are opposition members so it is difficult to have development. State government is under BN so the town will suffer"

A thought ran in my mind. In states like Selangor, Perak and Penang the same scenario is in the reverse. But then the guys who are sitting as ADUN (whether from BN or otherwise) are elected by the people who wished to have them serve their interest.

In this 21st Century, are we still maintaining a stand-off style governing? What if the Penang state exco is selected with one rep from BN? Is this unthinkable?

Khir Toyo starts blogging

2008-04-03T01:26:00.002+08:00

My dear Khir, this is long overdue! if you had a working website where you receive and reply comments we would have had a better communication with you. When you were MB, it was impossible to get your responses.

Now that you are into the bloggers world, we shall have better interaction (or so we hope!).

Re-branding Bank Pertanian

2008-04-03T01:18:00.002+08:00

There was talk on re-branding Bank Pertanian i.e. spending some RM8mill to create a new logo, new colour scheme and new look to the Corporatised bank. Wonderful way to spend money but hey what are we trying to achieve? A new colour that appeals to the public??

Is this one of the may times when our "Corporate" guys suddenly find a new alternative to spend? The core of the issue is to provide better service, more farmer-friendly agriculture loans, efficient systems that is not offline most of the time, more ATM machines, internet banking ... the list goes on. Is the logo a hindrance to achieve these?

It is amazing how such mega spending are justified. The same was done by Telekom Malaysia sometime back when the logo was changed ... and of course it meant spending several millions to change the logo on all vehicles, buildings, letterhead etc etc. But has anything changed at the end of the line on the 101 service? Well yes and no ... Yes we now have a recorded message giving more options but no we still cannot get our line fixed within one working day, our streamyx frequently gives speeds well below promised levels and new housing areas do not get phone lines until "sufficient" people have moved in (this is year 2008 we are talking about!)

So where is this new logo serving the people's interest?

The political irony

2008-04-01T18:40:00.002+08:00

We used to say in politics there are no permananet friends neither permanent foes. This is proven beyond doubt when the 22 representatives (previously) aligned to Idris Jusoh in Terengganu suddenly made peace and decided to support the new MB. Idris himself hugged his "nemesis" in a somewhat reconciliatory manner.

Samy Vellu once firmly said the MIC is the only representative of the Indians and Hindraf is a baseless "sidetrack". But with all the turn of events he is now pushing for the release of the Hindraf detainees. Good change of mind, though considering the small number of Indians in Malaysia and this further split was a blow to the already strong unity!

Nik Aziz factor in Kelantan

2008-03-27T16:29:00.002+08:00

Today I was talking to my friend (who happens to be a Chinese) from the east coast. The talk centered on Nik Aziz ... the man in the white robe ruling Kelantan without fear and favour. Guess what? My friend says he is highly regarded in Kelantan.

Why so?

Firstly he does not sit with an aura of glamour. He is simple, talks understandable Bahasa Melayu, eats simple food and does not make you feel uncomfortable. How about our traditional MBs from other places? Well to start with a posh office where visitors are filtered. Then a language full of macro level stuff where we will be lost in the zeros behind the numbers.

Secondly our friend Nik meets people from all walks without real indifference. If he says the activity is un-Islamic, you stay away from it. If he says OK, you do it. So in summary, rules are simple.

In our few minutes, the deduction was this. Nik is approachable and you don't need style to see him. Many of our traditional MBs meet you in an office that makes you feel small though you were instrumental in electing him into office!

So goes the question, are we electing representatives to help them spend our money? or to help us build a strong country?

Creating a professional MIC front

2008-03-27T16:16:00.002+08:00

MIC is said to be outdated ... well who said this? So far only me, other than the many disheartening comments posted in many blogs! How to re-brand MIC?

The very fundamental element is this - we have more Indians per population ration in the professionals bracket i.e. there are about 33% doctors who are Indians while our population is about 7.5%. So what does that say? We have many Indians with brains on the streets and in the shops.

So if we can bring these brains into MIC it will make MIC a more popular "brand name". How do we do that? Create a Indian Nerve Centre within the CWC where paid professionals sit and create working papers on religion, language, ICT, health, squatters etc depending on the needs. Members of the INC should be selected based on merit i.e. qualification, experience and ability to contribute. It should be annual appointments that can be reviewed based on performance.

The INC must be given an internal blog spot to write all their thoughts without fear and they must have immunity from legal proceeding as the blog should be an internal element viewed by the CWC only.

Now that will give the political front a platform to tap brains as well as to view criticisms levelled at them by the people on the street. The INC can function as a idea bank.

A note to Pak Lah

2008-03-27T15:41:00.002+08:00

Dear Pak Lah
I am sure you are having sleepless nights and nightmares about the present events ... Whats is brewing for tomorrow? Rain or shine? Just a one cent comment from a citizen at the bottom rung of politics (why bottom ... because in politics I am not a member of any aprty neither a campaigner, best to say a fence sitter who can swing to any side!).

You see, most of your "kaki" in BN lost their seats and are probably moaning in disbelief. You tried your best to satisfy the winners and appointed a smaller cabinet. But again have you ever thought what really happened to the younger generation who probably tilted the "dacing"?

Why appoint the same political guys into all portfolios? For those health, transport, industry, defence, foreign affairs etc can's you find qualified people (like those holding Masters in the relevant fields) rather than just politicians who won their "kerusi"?

The real credible people created by the BN government through scholarships are all out there working for someone of some other government. Can't they be made to contribute their brain power? Is winning a seat the only criteria to serve as a Minister? A winner is merely preferred by the people to represent them in parliament. But minstries are the brain and working mechanisme where you can choose any person whom you think has the right material.

If you take time to think and create a winning cabinet, there is no doubt BN will sweep in to victory by it's own doing.

Again, big brother Pak Lah, i am an "orang biasa yang cakap banyak je". My ideas may be too small but better than talking behind you, I thought of saying it staright from my heart.

Thank you Samy Vellu

2008-03-26T17:10:00.003+08:00

Dear Dato Seri Samy Vellu
Despite all the many tantrums about your contribution and/or lack of contribution to the society, I wish to use a magnifying glass to enlarge the many good that you have done to us Indians in Malaysia.

You maintained a "meet-the-public" day that worked and you met most of us who came to see you.
You arrived on time for most of our functions since my student days till now.
You kept your promise on donations most of the time and we do not have to chase and beg you after agreeing.
In India, we find Malaysian Indians are treated with great respect. You made inroads to creating contracts and construction by malaysian companies that benefited in India.
You helped many Indian students pursue their studies abroad and in Malaysia
You built great roads in Malaysia to the envy of many neighbours. (of course toll is another matter!)
You created the toll culture (I am not defending toll increases!) and it shorten our distances to bring families closer
You genuinely worked hard and long hours
You spoke with strong knowledge of your subject matter

So, thank you for the many little things that you did and changed the lives of lay man.

My thoughts on MIC ...

2008-03-26T16:46:00.004+08:00

MIC has done a good job ... Hey wait a minute! What are you saying man!!? OK, let us take a fair unbiased view. Has MIC done nothing for the Indians? No that is not true, some good has been done. So how do they weigh?

Why do many professionals shun away from MIC? Let me speak for myself first. I do not find confidence in MIC managing my money whether in trust funds, cooperatives or in promises of scholarship in return for donations. Why? It has failed too many times in very simple ventures.

But if we take on the social front, MIC brought about many positive changes since it had representation in the government that otherwise would have been neglected. While MIC sat on the ruling coalition, it has the opportunity to voice Indian's issues.

We must also agree that our "Indian issues" are equally varied, inter-mingled with clan and caste differentials and also highly complex. it may not be the same as, say, a Chinese issue! Even temples are varied with many Gods and Lords.

So is it true that by merely going into a merged Opposition we are going to achieve what MIC is said to have failed? It is the present popular believe.

My opinion - we need a committed and more professional MIC to represent us. Yes, we probably need more professionals to join and strengthen MIC. To kill MIC by way of Opposition support is not the solution. If necessary we should have a MIC-baru that sits in a opposition coalition.

The royalty uprising!

2008-03-26T16:37:00.004+08:00

All of a sudden we see more involvement of the royalty in appointment of Mentri Besars the latest being Terengganu. Question of state constitution and its relevance is being debated constantly while the Sultans have exercised their due rights in appointing a suitable Menteri Besar.

Where does this point to? Maybe we were too comfortable for too long that everything was predictable. The sudden change (or "liberalisation") is making waves! Now that a switch in ruling powers took place among the BN and Opposition parties, BN is suddenly sitting on the opposite side in some states. What does that mean? It means the few (unlucky?) BN reps who end up in those state assembly will see a tough time acting as "opposition" for once.

And in this wave of change, is thr royalty a means of balancing powers to ensure stability? Well is considered carefully, it certainly is a plus point for us compared with many other countries. This real test of the constituional monarchy system is working.

If the monarchy exercises their right according to the provisions and it contributes to a more stable Malaysia, what are we complaining about?

And not to forget, all this happened due to one person who brought some liberty to the system ... Abdullah Ahmad Badawi! So why curse him? Thank him for allowing democracy to prevail.

New cabinet and the buzz-word ...

2008-03-20T19:47:00.003+08:00

Now that the new cabinet has been announced we can wait for reactions from the "losers" who have been left out. Of course the old horse Rafidah is the complete surprise drop, but is it? She said "you are barking at the wrong tree" when asked about reporters about the AP controversies, thus raising a question - which is the right tree?

The one thing I don't understand is the continuous emotional declarations that says "we have a strong cabinet", "we have wonderful new faces" etc. While there has been no effort to listen to the message sent via the general elections. There has been no single dialog or discussion organised by our ruling guys to ask what the rakyat think.

If the BN is serious about forming a winning government isn't the people's opinion an important input?

The Perak Debacle ... by Sathia

2008-03-18T16:21:00.002+08:00

This is an email from my friend Sathia (ssathia@yahoo.com) ... interesting comments ...

Quoted text from email:
By now, you all would have read reports about the spanner thrown into Perak by Lim Kit Siang. He is reported to have opposed the decision of the Ruler to appoint a PAS canditate as Menteri Besar, notably after the decision was made, and had insisted it should be someone from PKR or DAP.

Okay, let us grant him that he has exercised his freedom of speech and entitlement to opinion. However, the Ruler cannot be faulted for he has in front of him a signed letter from the state leaders of the three parties saying they would agree to anyone from the three parties being appointed MB. So obviously there has been an internal coordination problem amongst the three parties at the various levels.

That an internal coordination and communication problem has arisen in itself is not the issue. There will always be such problems. The fact is that both PKR reps (minus Anwar) and DAP reps are new to the game of running a government, worse still lack history in working together. So we can expect more of such issues now and in future. That is part of motherhood and growing up.

However, Lim Kit Siang went one step further. He is reported to have issued a directive to the State Assemblymen to boycott the swearing in of the MB. There is no report of about any efforts among the three parties to rethink and reconcile over the issue. The directive has come despite the three key state reps of the three parties having signed a document that was presented to the Ruler saying they would agree to anyone of them being appointed. How could they go backwardon their commitment? They seem to have been forced up against a wall and had no choice but to defy Lim Kit Siang and justifiably so.

Let us remember that Lim Kit Siang has for far too long been in the opposition. He seems to still think and act like the opposition. It is not easy for someone doing the same thing for so long to shed his skin and regrow a new one in record time. But, if he continues this way and issues unilateral directives in the manner he did to the chagrin of electorate, he runs the risk of becoming non-relevant at an exponontial rate in the altered state of affairs today.

This highlights a bigger issue. The need for the three parties to have a proper internal problem solving, coordinating and communication mechanism among themselves. They need to bindthemselves the decisions of this mechanism. If anyone still harbours disagreements, then he or she should strive to deal with it internally through a clearly established appeal process. In the event the decision is not still not acceptable, and the complainants should wish to deal with it externally, then they should exit and fight from the outside.

Failure to set up and adhere to such a mechanism that brings credibility and orderliness will prove to be disasterous for the cooperation of the three parties now and in future. With a moreenlightened electorate that is watchful and one that has now demonstrated its willingness to make bold decisions, they cannot afford to run the risk of becoming a casualty sooner than theythought. The sooner they act to have the mechanism the better it is for them and the electorate.

End of quote

Rename MIC!

2008-03-18T10:16:00.002+08:00

One of my friends in cyberspace suggested today that we should rename MIC so that we have a new brand and a more relevant image for today's Indians in Malaysia. That brings some thoughts from my memory lane ...

MIC was started in 1946 by John Thivy to fight for India's independence. There was no "Malaysia" as such at that time since it was all under British rule. I suppose Indians at that time related themselves to India much more than to Malaya. The next President, Budh Singh was among the leaders who fought against Malayan Union. The third President, Ramanathan initiated MIC's participation in the KL Municipal Elections together with Dato' Onn. My opinion: That was probably the starting point of MIC becoming a representation of Indians for Malaysian interest.

Looking back into my friend's proposal, I think it is a great idea! A renaming will give MIC a new "look and feel!"

Testing the state Constitution

2008-03-15T21:34:00.004+08:00

Now that we have recahed closer to the cabinet announcement date (supposed to be on Monday, 17th); as much as we are eager to see the new cabinet ... we are also seeing the real test to some state Constitutions.

Appointment of the menteri besar has always happened predictably with no "ripples on the water." This time around the Royalty is clearly more aware of their rights and seem to participate more effectively in the appointment process.

In my opinion, this is a good turn of events. The initial reason to have the Sultan play a role in the selection process of MBs was to ensure a check and balance that protects the State interest. This role has been invisible for quite long.

Now that we have challenge to the "old and traditional" ways, we tend to study the provisions more closely. The landslide victory of the Opposition made us go deeper into the "meanings of provisions" in some State Constituions.

Thank you Lee Hwa Beng

2008-03-14T12:37:00.003+08:00

I must have forgotten the past when I started to blabber on about all the current events! How bad of me! My ex-ADUN, Dato' Lee Hwa Beng was one of the first time MP candidates who failed in his bid in this wave of change.

However, I must sincerely thank him for all the positive things he did for Subang Jaya while he served as our ADUN. He was one of the representatives from whom I could get replies to my emails ... customised proper replies and not one of those standard website replies.

He also acted on the many "manifesto" items and not ignore them after being elected. I frequently saw him in shcool functions as well as Resident's Association gatherings. For me, I had a very good feeling about him merely because he was there for us when we had issues to raise.

And having said so much, have I met him? Well no! I have only "met" him in cyberspace other than the few functions where he spoke in front and I was sitting somewhere in the 3rd row or further behind as what an ordinary citizen would do.

The one very important step he took was to establish a Police Station specifically for USJ10 Taipan. The station started operations a few weeks back and is certainly a welcome change.

My advise to the new CM of Penang

2008-03-14T09:28:00.003+08:00

Wow ... I just got some "ilham" from the limestone caves of Kinta and now I am a guru!! Here are some advice from the Mahaguru Kinta to the "infant Chief Minister" ...

SUMMONS WAIVER

You waived the summons for the indisciplined public who have been dragging their feet without settling it after committing some offence that they very well knew
So how about some us who pay on time? We are going to get a refund??
Now what is the new policy ... park wherever we like, don't use the meter and just wait for waiver of summons?
What about some of us who have been running our pisang goreng stalls without license and received a summons ... we expand to kerepek and keropok as well?

NEW ECONOMIC POLICY

I feel it is a very wrong move to "shoot" NEP without a fair "trial" i.e. without having a fair alternative plan.
On what basis is the "No NEP" policy going to benefit the general public? Are we saying that NEP itself is wrong?
NEP had many noble values including eradication of poverty. Today we may say that the aim was not achieved. Yes, that goes to all races, we have poor Malays too.
Instead of shooting NEP - It would have been better if the CM started with a open mind and implement prudently fair policies in stages that will slowly overwhelm whatever weakness there was in NEP.
A gradual implementation of a winning formula will give us a new-NEP that is better and more effective for all races.

OPEN TENDER & TRANSPARENCY

This is of course a wonderful announcement.
If all government tenders are evaluated in the open and the award is annouced openly, there will be no argument on cronysm or bias.
I am eager to the see the first few such tenders as it will definitely set a trend that other states will follow
The CM's announcement on this is very very bold and I salute his action on this.

Opposition Opposing!

2008-03-14T09:22:00.002+08:00

Barely one week into governing and we are beginning to see the spots on the leopard!! Why can't our ex-Opposition friends come together and stand united??

Penang - CM appointed and of course he has given a wonderful agenda ... summons waived, no NEP, open tender etc
Perak - the new guys are confused as to why the Sultan chose candidate no. 3 in the list given ... so what was the game here, candidate no. 3 was inserted just to look good??
Selangor ... no punch line yet
Kedah ... all so quiet maybe because the CM from PAS has some diea about managing a state.
Kelantan ... this is the best, they are doing what they have been doing the last many years!!

If the new coalition is going to bicker among them so much, are we going to feel comfortable selecting them?

Time will tell.

Roles & responsibilities of the Opposition

2008-03-13T18:06:00.001+08:00

Government and Opposition - roles and responsibilities.
This is an interesting reading material.

2008-03-13T17:30:00.003+08:00

ഇന്നു സേലന്ഗൂര്‍ അരസാന്ഗ്ഗം പുതിതായിട്ടു ഉള്ള അരസിയാല്‍ കത്ചി എല്ലാം ചേര്ന്നു തൊദന്ഗീട്ടു ഉണ്ട്. എന്ടെ സലതും ഈ കുരി എതിര്‍ കത്ചി കാരുടെ ആള് ജെയിച്ചി ഈ പുതു അരസാന്ഗ്ഗത്തില്‍ ഇന്ദു. ഇനി വരുന്ന തിവസങ്ങള്‍ ഈ പുതിയ ആളുകരുടെ ആട്ചി എങ്ങെനെ ഇന്ടവും എന്ന് കാണാം. പല വിതതുല് മാത്രം കൊണ്ടു വരാം എന്ന് പരന്യ്യിരിക്കുന്നു.

2008-03-13T17:25:00.002+08:00

இந்த தேர்தல் முடிவு நமக்கு மிக பெரிய அதிர்ச்சியை கொடுத்தது. ஆயினும் இன்று வரை மாநில அரசாங்கம் இன்னமும் முழுமையாக செயல் படாமல் இருப்பதால் நமக்கு இதன் விளைய்வுகள் தெரிவதற்கு பல நாட்கள் ஆகும்.

Changing the cap ... from Opposition to ruling party

2008-03-13T16:32:00.000+08:00

It was exciting to see those dramatic changes in election result compared with the last many elections when things were "predictable". But again it also raised a concern ... how are the seasoned Opposition politicians going to change their political outlook from being an Opposition to being the ruling party in some of the states.

"Hey the government need to be monitored!" .... "Ooops! No guys we are now the government!!"

Will this change cause ripples in the otherwise united state government? The sudden friendship of PKR-DAP-PAS is going to be tested. Is the manifesto bond created only for election OR is it going to really serve us?

For one, as I said earlier, my own MP was an unknown personality until the Lingam video was "published" ... now that he is going to sit in parliament to voice the constituent's issues. Is he going to learn the "rights of an MP"?

We also have a ADUN who is young and vibrant ... the right recipe for a dynamic ceramah. OK, now she will sit in the Dewan Undangan Negeri and represent our views. How long is going to be her learning time?

Just like a new employee in a company, I believe all these ex-Opposition candidates who are now ruling will have a sudden learning game. But what about the veterans like Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh ... are they going to advise their sons in the right perspective?

All in all, Anwar is probably the only one who sat long enough in the ruling bench to know the depths of governing a complex community like Selangor and Penang. But sadly he is not in the main seat. Is he now the merrymaker who is keeping the "marriage" together?

Hopes of a citizen

2008-03-12T10:34:00.000+08:00

Now that we have a new MP (Loh) and ADUN (Hannah), as a resident of USJ, I too have some small hopes ....

It will be nice to see less money spent on changing flowering plants at junctions frequently especially the junction facing MPSJ at USJ10.
No use in placing "canggih" pots all over USJ10 only to be left unattended after a short while ... why? because they were meant for nice hanging plants from Cameron that dries up in our weather!
Full force enforcement available in the mornings to "saman" wrong parking, not using parking ticket etc ... but no effort to ease access to the multi-storey car park. If we can get in and out of the car park easily, there is no reason to suffer double parking.

Of course, having said that, I have also admired MPSJ for maintaining a blue chip township standard in the roads, landscaping and parks. We have among the best playgrounds and well maintained roads. I have no complaints over those except sometimes we have lousy upgrades done on our playground only to see it break down within weeks. But compared to many places, we have excellent township that have a pleasant outlook.

MPSJ has also reacted positively to community building by having the many events and PR activities that have kept us reasonably connected.

What about the security? Well, we have the brand new police station at Jalan USJ 10/1D. And we have several wireless CCTV cameras in some "hot spots" (don't know if anyone are looking at them!!). We have more police cars and policemen seen around Taipan which is a positive change pver the last few months before election. So ... in conclusion, it will be great if those changes continue to improve and provide us with a better security.

Abdullah's new government

2008-03-12T10:20:00.000+08:00

Today we are in expectation ... waiting to see who are the new Ministers and cabinet members. Many lost frontiers are awaiting the appointments. Samy Vellu's mystery plans are yet to be revealed. Subra (the old deputy chief of MIC) today pledged that he is willing to work together ... what a news!!

Pak Lah may be still pondering whether to kill his political future with a weak cabinet that are ex-supporters. Or to form a strong cabinet that will make him unpopular but bring the country to the next level.

Our constitutional monarchy is at it's testing times. The monarchy need to play an intelligent and effective role to ensure smooth governance at times of change like this. The real effectiveness of having a monarchy will be seen now. With waves of political change, the country would have had no reference without the monarchy, and it is now that the royal families show their positive contribution to the country by ensuring proper state government formation and a stable cabinet based on merit rather than relationships.

The natural conflict between states and federal governments is inevitable. However, if the new opposition states remain transparent and accountable, it would give thema justified existence.

My own MP is a guy who stayed predominantly in China and is not even a registered voter. The only credential was that he shot the Lingam video. But then he is now in parliament and if he brings a strong impact to us in the Kelana Jaya constituency, he will be our hero. Nothing is in the way of a young man to achieve such greatness if he is willing to put in time to understand and react to the community's needs.

General Election 2008 - Malaysia

2008-03-10T17:07:00.000+08:00

I was a bystander in this election season ... watching from the sidelines and occasionally criticising the aggressive campaign speeches! As an average Malaysian (or maybe a typical Malaysian) I did not want to get involved.

based on the "winds of change" I expected some shake up, maybe less majority for BN. But then when watching the results being announced on 8th March night I realised "eight" was not a lukcy number for Abdullah after all!! ... Or maybe he actually expected to lose all and the results were indeed a better outcome than what he expected??

After 4 years of promising some "Gemilang" plans, it was indeed sad to see nothing happen so long and the only thing in the news were the many many corridors that now cover the country.

Now that we have a sudden change ... and many "retrenched" politicians in the making ... we shall await the real change from the Opposition.

Hopefully it will not be a bickering session of another 4 years with BN and the Opposition trying to outdo each other!