Malaysia to play in future World Cup

World Champions 2010

So, World Cup 2010 is over. Spain was deservedly crowned World Champions. Beside La Roja, several other teams also deserve (positive) mention.

Uruguay (population: 3.5 million; per capita GDP: USD 13,163) played well all the way to the semifinals before narrowly losing 2-3 to Holland. The team they beat in the quarters–Ghana (24 million; USD 1,591)–could also walk tall after their narrow loss through penalty shoot-out. Chile (17 million; USD 14,349) played well to get to the quarter-finals before losing out 2-0 to the eventual champions. These teams are worth mentioning because they were rank outsiders, not within the league of the traditional football powerhouse of Europe and South America.

And, of course, we should toast the two representatives of the East–South Korea (49 million; USD 27,978) and Japan (127 million; USD 32,608). They took Asia into the second round with some breathtaking football of their own.

Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Malaysia's Youth and Sports Minister

With one month of action-packed, high-class football (except for the Dutch display in the final), one can’t fault Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister, for getting all excited about Malaysia’s hope of getting to the World Cup Finals sometime in the future.

Bernama quoted him as saying, however, that a revamp is needed for Malaysia (28.3 million; USD 6,896) to play in the World Cup. According to him, this revamp must involve development programs, infrastructure and training facilities from an early age. “The fruits of labor from such a revamp can be expected only after one or two decades,” he said after watching the final match between Spain and Holland.

I say, Bravo, Mr. Minister! That was a bold statement indeed, although I must say I don’t share your dream of us reaching the Finals in one decade. Two decades, may be. But like you said, we need to revamp nonetheless, and it MUST start now. Twenty years is not long.

Pride and joy of Malaysian football

But, Datuk, you must turn your dream into a serious target by backing it up with concrete strategy and plans, lest your dream remains a dream. You and the other decision makers, especially those in the Football Association of Malaysia must have the discipline and stamina to sustain this twenty-year plan. No half-baked solutions, seat-of-the-pants directives, or knee-jerk reactions. You need brains. You need people with courage to do the right things. You need true professionals to run the respective organizations without political interference. And, please, no more gimmick like bringing in Ian Rush for a few days stint to teach our footballers the art of scoring goals. A total waste of taxpayers’ money! I wonder whose idea it was. Someone told me it was Khairy Jamaluddin’s. But then, I digressed.

Yes, Mr. Minister, we need a revamp. And the first thing that needs revamping is the mindset of the individuals running your football organizations at state and national levels. I have a strong feeling that they are a major part of the current problem we face.

Einstein once said, “Madness is doing the same things over and over again, but expecting different results…” I substitute the word madness with stupidity.

YM Tengku Mahkota Pahang

By the way, it’s interesting to note that YM Tengku Abdullah ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah, the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, is prepared to contest the post of deputy president of FAM during its coming Congress on July 31st. If elected, this would be his re-appearance at the center of Malaysian football after a three-year absence.

I wish to say, good luck, Yang Mulia. Malaysian football fans and observers are definitely watching with bated breath as how the Congress would pan out.

p/s – I still remember vividly in the 1970s when South Korea and Japan national football teams made their annual pilgrimage to Kuala Lumpur for the Pesta Bola Merdeka. For today’s youngsters, let me tell you that the Merdeka Tournament was THE premier football competition in Asia where national teams would send their best squads to pit amongst each other. I remember Malaysia and South Korea were two of the teams that would regularly reach the final after eliminating the other teams. Japan would also squeeze through every so often. The Malaysian team then were very much equal to, and at times better than, Korea and Japan. I also had the privilege of seeing up close and personal how the Malaysian team trained for the tournament. Around them you could feel and smell the dedication, hard work, and discipline shown by the likes of Mokhtar Dahari, Khalid Ali, Arumugam, and the rest of the team.

It makes me wonder, what exactly went wrong?

The backwardness of the professors of Islam

The main prayer hall of Masjid Negara. Roughly 60% of jamaah sit outside this main hall during Friday prayers.

I have to admit. I’m writing this while attending today’s Friday prayer at Masjid Negara while the Imam is reading his khutbah. I can’t help it. It is the result of the pragmatic in me.

For several weeks now, I fail to understand why the mosque committee choose not to let its Friday congregation hear the khutbah properly. I’m referring to the poor sound system in the mosque.

How can the committee members pretend to be unaware that 60% of its jamaah sit outside the mosques’ main hall. How can they not know that those sitting outside can barely hear the imam. Have they not taken any initiative to check on this? Can’t they look around for sound engineers to assess and improve the mosque’s sound system?

If I understood correctly, during the glory days of Islam of Madinah, the Prophet really took advantage of the Friday congregation to deliver the messages of the Deen; to strengthen the faith of its followers; to remind them of their duties as muslimin and mukminin. The attitude and the behavior of the Prophet as demonstrated during Friday congregations of yesteryears was a clear evidence of his attributes of Siddiq, Amaanah, Tabligh, and Fathonah (Always the truthful, Always the trustworthy, Always the conveyor, and Always the wise).

The religious authorities in this country proudly profess that they are the ultimate bearer of the teachings and the ways of “Ahli sunnah wal jamaah”. They (are supposed to) uphold the teachings and the practices of the Prophet. Yet their indifference to the Prophet’s ways as shown at Masjid Negara, Friday after Friday, proves otherwise.

I recall once a friend asked me what I understood of the Prophet’s prophecy that one day the sun will rise from the west. My answer to him was that the coming of glory of Islam will be led by people from the western world. We know that after the four Caliphs, Islam as led by the Arab world has been in complete mess. Under the current regimes, you can rule out the Arabs leading the Islamic renaissance.

How about the Malays? Can the so-called government ulamaks in this country come to the fore in leading the Ummah out of its misery? Based on today’s evidence at Masjid Negara, I think not. Decades of indoctrination and blind allegiance to the political power of the day has blunted these ulamaks’ capacity to think and progress.

This makes one wonder if “Ahli sunnah wal jammah” is just a brand that these people use to suppress others.

As I look around while the Imam reads from his prepared texts, I notice that the rest of the Jamaah are either sleeping or they look detached and disinterested. I don’t blame them. Between the hot midday sun, a heavy stomach, and the murmur of the Imam, your options are obviously limited.

So much for progressive Islam. The way I see it we are regressing away from the true teachings of the Prophet, no thanks to the professors of “Ahli sunnah wal jamaah” in this country.

Sibu by-election – Another blatant abuse of power by Najib & Gang?

The news below was released by Bernama last night, May 11, 2010.

I’m just wondering if there are rules or even laws in this country to protect taxpayers money from being abused by political parties. You don’t have to be an Einstein to figure out that Najib’s ”state visit” to Sibu and the upcoming by-election in that constituency are not two random and independent events.

The question I have, then–are political parties allowed to use public fund to campaign for their candidates in an election? Surely, the time Najib & Gang spend in Sibu would be paid for by the Rakyat !?! If so, would the taxpayers not want to know how much? Is there proper accounting? Is it legal, to begin with?

If you work for an employer, you’d need to take a leave from work to deal with personal matters. You’d be fired if you use company time (which is paid for by your employer) otherwise.

Does Najib not work for the Rakyat? Are we not his employer who pay his salary, plus whatever expenses that go with it?

I think it is high-time we reel in this Najib & Gang act. These people must be made to toe the line.

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Najib goes to Sibu for two-day working visit

SIBU: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will arrive here tomorrow for a two-day working visit.

On arrival at about 4.30pm, he is expected to proceed to a leading hotel here to attend a gathering with the United Association of Chinese Secondary Schools and the United Association of Chinese Primary Aided Schools.

He will then join the local Muslim community for the maghrib and isyak prayers at the An-Nur Mosque before witnessing the Tua Pek Kong parade at the Hoover Square.

Najib will then launch the RTM broadcast via satellite programme for Sabah and Sarawak and 1Malaysia computer at a leading hotel here before attending a grand dinner with the local business community at the same venue.

He will start his second day by having breakfast with members of several youth organisations at a leading hotel.

Najib’s programme continues with a walkabout around the Sibu Central Market before visiting Rumah Sebastian Ungoh at Pasai, about 20km from here.

The Prime Minister will be attending a luncheon with the government officers here before leaving for Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon.

- Bernama

“Not my money” syndrome at its best

A while ago I wrote about a third-world mentality called, “It’s not my money” (http://onthestreets.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/mentality-1-its-not-my-money/). Well, folks, the behavior shown by the individual in the picture above is one good example.

It must have cost Malaysian taxpayers a few tens of thousands of US dollars to put a color advertisement in the New York Times.

Can someone please tell me how this advertisement benefits the Malaysian public or Malaysia at large.

For parents out there, I hope you can instill in our young that the example shown by this person is a bad, bad example. One word that best describes this kind of behavior is, Unscrupulous.

Warped logic and Third-world mentality – The case of Adik Aminulrasyid shooting

The following report appears in the Star today. If the report were to be believed, it intrigues me to learn how a learned individual—the so-called “clinical psychologist”—could present such warped logic in his analysis of the situations.

Let us scrutinize his arguments as presented by the newspaper, by way of a series of question-and-answer. They appear in italics.

To make it worse, the opening sentence in the report itself indicates that the writer/reporter must not have been serious. Jumping to conclusion—and a definitive conclusion, at that—is very dangerous when the facts and evidences have not been thoroughly presented and analyzed.

Reading this report, you get the feeling that someone is trying to apple-polish someone.

Albert Einstein once said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”

And I’m not referring to the police; I’m referring to the news writer/reporter.

Come on, people! Wake up from your slumber! Get out of your third-world mentality!

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Minor at fault in shooting incident, says expert

KUALA LUMPUR: It is clear that 14-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah was at fault in his shooting, leading him to being accidentally shot by police who were only discharging their duties, a clinical psychologist said.

Assoc Prof Dr Teoh Hsien Jin said the situation was getting out of proportion and that the public had overlooked the most important issue, which was that of a minor driving a car without a driving licence.

He said that as far as the law was concerned, such an act was an offence.

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Q: If you commit as much as a traffic offence as driving without a license, would you be a fair target to be shot at by police?

A: Apparently, yes, according to the learned associate professor!

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“The crime rate in Selangor is worrying and the police have taken the necessary steps to reduce crime in the state by putting more men on patrol to react to any perceived threat.

“A lot of violent crime takes place after midnight and a speeding car pursued by a group of motorcyclists fits the scenario perfectly,” said Dr Teoh who is the Head of the School of Natural Health and Sciences in Sunway University College.

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Q: If you were driving without a license past midnight, and for an unfortunate reason, you are speeding away from a chasing pack of motorcyclists, would you then be a fair target to be shot at by police?

A: Again, yes, according to the learned associate professor.

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Dr Teoh, a former journalist, said the usual procedure for policemen in a patrol car or at roadblocks would be to pull a suspicious car over and shine a torchlight into it.

“But the policemen may not have had the chance to do that in Aminulrasyid’s case as the minor sped off, which led to the police firing at the speeding car.

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Q: If you were speeding off from the police because, for one reason or another, you panicked, would you be fair target to be shot at by police?

A: Yes, according to the learned associate professor.

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“Police on shifts are normally armed with automatic firearms because they do not know who or what they will be up against. You just have to react to dangerous situations.

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Q: Speeding off from police while you are dead panicked presents the police with a dangerous situation?

A: Yes, according to the learned associate professor.

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“When they opened fire, it is likely that one stray bullet could have hit him. In the dark, they were probably shooting to stop the car,” said Dr Teoh, who was also a Territorial Army officer.

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Q: You are now being fired at by police. Your car has been neutralized as the tires have burst. Should the police continue to rain bullets at your car? More than 15 bullets?

A: Yes, according to the learned associate professor.

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He said he sympathised with the Inspector-General of Police who had come under fire from various quarters for threatening to pull his men off the streets following a public outcry over the incident.

“They are already overworked and underpaid and politicising the matter does not help. It is only making them more frustrated and angry,” he said.

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Q: Being overworked and underpaid justifies the police to operate on the premise, “shoot first, ask questions later”?

A: Yes, according to the learned associate professor.

Najib has a new slogan – 2Malaysia

I gain no self-gratification, but I was proven correct in my observation of Najib (Full of air….) His conduct and behavior during the recent Hulu Selangor buy-election gave himself away. The extent of corrupt practices applied by Najib & Gang beggars belief. I seriously hope the honorable Mr. Lim Kit Siang and Zaid Ibrahim follow through with court cases to send a strong signal to Najib & Gang – that this country is not owned by their fathers (“negara ni bukan bapak dia orang punya“- there; it sounds so much better!) Let us remind Najib & Gang that we have laws and rules in this land, in case they don’t know.

I am no Anwarista. I don’t expect any commercial or financial gain when UMNO is toppled from power. But I’m all for fairness.

What did the court find Anwar guilty of in 1998 to send him to jail? Did I hear you say “Abuse of power”?

Folks, forget 1Malaysia. The right slogan for this country is 2Malaysia. One for us, the Rakyat, one for Najib & Gang.

I’m calling out for entrepreneurial spirits out there. Go ahead, you can use the tagline above to print onto t-shirts, souvenir items, etc. I believe you’ll do brisk sales. I won’t claim royalty. Just credit me for the original idea.

Fatal police shooting – Aminul died for a cause

 

Most people of conscience are still shell-shocked with the tragedy befalling adik Aminulrasyid Amzah at the hands of the Royal Malaysian Police. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this incident, no mother should cry her child’s death this way. Despite whatever the authorities wish say, there’s no denying that the shooting is one totally and absolutely avoidable incident.

What have we become as a society?

Was this an isolated case? Was this just a case of a policeman or policemen with itchy fingers at that crucial moment in time? I don’t think so.

Similar incidents in recent memories point to something systemic. Is it something in the collective mindset of our policemen and policewomen? Some things may not appear in black and white in the Standard Operating Procedures, but the police may act in certain ways due to the collective mental state of the police force. How do we address something as intangible as mental state?

For now, the public will let the authorities carry on with their investigations. But let they be forewarned. We can no longer tolerate half-truths from them. We expect nothing less than a thorough and concise diagnosis. Otherwise, the government-of-the-day can expect a real nasty backlash from the public come the next general election.

Let us use adik Aminul’s death as a rallying cry for the public to demand full accountability from the authorities in matters of public interests. Let not adik Aminul die in vain.

For his grieving mother and family, I share in their sufferings. If it is any consolation, let me quote from Al-Quran (Al-Zilzaal – The Convulsion):

(1) When the Earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion,

(2) And the Earth throws up her burdens (from within),

(3) And man cries (in distress), “What is the matter with her (the Earth)?”,

(4) On that Day will she declare her tidings,

(5) For thy Lord will have given her inspiration,

(6) On that Day will men proceed in groups sorted out; to be shown the deeds that they had done,

(7) Then, shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, (they shall) see it,

(8) And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, (they shall) see it.

Truly, God is Most Just and He is The Reckoner.

Fret not, as Aminul is now at peace in his Maker’s Grace.