Thursday, August 30, 2007

Happy MERDEKA!

For our 50th anniversary celebration, I am trying out a new color scheme for our blog.

And in the spirit of democracy, comments please. I am verrrry open to criticism.

:-)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A new take on Negarakuku

Here is an interesting article on www.malaysiakini.com on NameWee's song. I cannot replicate the entire article due to copyright issues but here are a few relevant parts:

by Helen Ang
http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/71508

"......Wee Meng Chee complained that the Malay media instigated the hostility against him. Indeed Malay newspapers arrogate themselves auxiliary moral police when they cover Azhar Mansor, M Revathi (Siti Fatimah to them) and others inimical to their mental straitjacket.

Wee also complained of harassment by the Malay reporter who interviewed him. He said he was berated by the reporter for explaining he had no religion, which to the reporter clearly explained why Wee was of the sort of character that could (allegedly) insult Islam.

Free minds that roam The Malay mind in Malaysia, due to its strict conditioning by received ideas, finds it inconceivable that anyone should fail to believe. Frankly, it’s not the reporter’s job to sit in moral judgment. As a Chinese, Wee committed no crime in not belonging to any faith unlike his Malay fellow citizen who could be packed off to prison.

The prevalent prejudice against freethinking is grossly unfair. Being irreligious hardly connotes immorality as is supposed by Malays and other Malaysians of faith. There are many moral, famous figures who confess to be not religious men at all.

Among atheists and agnostics are Bertrand Russell, John Stuart Mill, George Santayana, Albert Camus, Immanuel Kant, Spinoza, Rene Descartes, David Hume, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Carl Sagan, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift, Jean-Paul Sartre, Alexis de Tocqueville, Maxim Gorky and it is popularly said Charles Darwin.

............. Namewee has been turned into a cautionary tale for the Chinese on the unacceptable risks of offending the status quo. But it is unacceptable that there is no democratic space for second ways to find expression. Civil society has to see to it that the laws are not wielded as Umno’s totalitarian tools.

Now is the time for Malaysians to remove the blinkers, the gag, the handcuffs and all the cords that bind us. Show some spine. Let’s have just as much respect for Truth and Candour as we do flag and national anthem."

Friday, August 24, 2007

JALUR GEMILANG: GANTUNG JANGAN TAK GANTUNG <- patriotic??

p/s: so... if u never asked youself.. now at the 50th birthday of Malaysia.. and after we've take up critical thinking, and doing this blogging thing, and often ppl kutuk, esp chinese are not patriotic ... so, comment on my post la.. :P plz plz haha...
Ah.. okay my 1st time to start a blog post woohoo :P (Anyway, if anyone is wondering, i am jiau chee ok.... hehe..) Since the Independent Day, 31st Aug is approaching, i would like to post something, about some patriotic phenomenon that have been going on, this few years (well tat's when i noticed), and also something i noticed all along, especially in school where patriotism was supposed to be install in students / us.


Many steps were taken nowadays, to promote patriotism. 1st of all, by the former PM, the name for our bendera, become Jalur Gemilang (he's really good with names, isn't he?), then about gantung bendera at your home, cars with the little bendera thing all over the roofs of the cars, or bonnets covered with flags (in miri, they put the sarawak flags on the boot).

Besides, there are also "national bicycle-riders" (mostly, really young boys) along the street as days approaching 31st Aug. with either REALLY BIG Malaysia flag on the pole sticking out at the tyres of the bicycles here and there,(which really annoying, if you are driving, because they are really distracting your view and almost kene your car if you passby, my dad's car kene the flag once n i was in the car).

Well, basically, all this is sort of telling everyone HARI KEMERDEKAAN is coming soon~ or yay, a perfect time is here again, for you to shout loud loud and nobody will look at you with "you are a weirdo" kind of stare. haha :P

But what i noticed was also, those cars / bicycles.. with the flags and all.... ermmm there are always unidentified objects flying out from them, i.e those cars windows / those bicycle-riders. What are those?? haha RUBBISH la... thrown by those people... They are so patriotic that they dont know what's the function of rubbish bins?

Another thing that always keep me thinking, those boys, i seen when i was on holiday, and way before 31st August, they were cycling around not only during weekends, but weekdays also ; not only during night time, but also day-time a.k.a school hours . Why are they on the streets, and not in class? :) and for crying out loud, even after holiday a.k.a 31st Aug or the whole bulan merdeka thing, still they are around!!!!!

Is this the only way to be patriotic? I really wonder.. In my opinion, those are just action action only la... Why? Here goes:

1st, you dont warm your b*tt on the chair in classroom, listen (or dont doze off at least) to the lessons taught in school, finish your homework properly, and ultimately, dont fail your test/exam, BUT being so "PATRIOTIC" in cycling around with flags??? hahahah~~ I wonder how much can one contribute effectively to the country by jz cycling with flags whole day.. -.- If they could make themselves useful with knowledge and later become some constructive assests for the country..

Another thing is, if you walk on the street, those lorong2 or even main streets.. parking lots and all.. you can see they are beautifully "decorated" with JUNK =.= why? people are littering anywhere, anytime. Especially, drivers, despite how dangerous it is as those rubbish may hit the other cars... ,including the bicycle-riders, becoz they buy drinks, and throw everywhere, most probably because they have this hallucination that the grass or streets or drains are rubbish bins. =.=''''' So, does it make you patriotic, although you have the biggest fkag (s) on your car / or you stick the most flag thingy on ur car (s) / flags sticking out at the back or front of the bicycles, when you littering like nobody's business at the same time?? hahaha.. i gues yes to them, because it is also an art to "mencantikkan" alam sekitar? haha "beautify", even junk everywhere is art?? haha :P

Then those building with Jalur Gemilang, haha.. u see, let the flag to kene sun n rain, some even koyak2 here and there, does that respect the country? i remember during my moral lessons during primary school, the bendera must be taken in and kenot kene rain because tat is disrespectful... haha so.. jz hang or gantung to action la~

Seriously i dont throw rubbish anywhere. Because i had a hard time picking them up during school time.. =.= because we have this thing call kerja kumpulan, which is to pick up rubbish, either on the field, or those they hide it in the bushes.. (and d*mn they did a bad job hiding it, because the prefects still always can detect the rubbish), or IN the drain (where it is so so so deep down that it can be a good or your winning spot to play hide-and seek, i always named to go, literally, INTO the drains to pick those rubbish up, n they don provide us with the long pengepit so, use HANDS MAN!! ). And i will stop my friends or my family to do so, and if they insist, i'll take over the rubbish and throw for them, or point them the nearest dustbin. Even during my family trip, to Sibu esp, i always bring plastic bags ( i mean BAGSSSSSSS) in the car, for rubbish, no matter hw big is it, then when we stop by somewhr, then dispose them. I pantang ppl cincai throw rubbish, so, watch out haha :P And tat's my way to be patriotic, not a big deal for most people, or jz a small thing or actually basic thing i can do at least, to keep our environment clean, where i can reach. :P

The next thing is.. during some formal occasion, or during assembly... we must sing Negaraku right or not? haha.. now the question is.. How many of us do sing? (shame on you if you still dont or get the lyrics wrong!!!) and if you heard the national anthem played, on radio, did you pay respect to it? :) haha.. ask yourself okay.. :P think critically la, i of coz don mean situations where you cannot STAND still for a few minutes and SING (soft2 at least) of coz, like if you're in the toilet doing some business... or driving, or crossing the road or etc which really make you unable to STAND still at least to pay respect okay.

And again, I did that. And also force my lil sisters n bro, n my friends to stand still at least when I heard it. haha coz i will just stand still abruptly, even on the street or wherever, to pay respect at least, and i do sing and force my lil sisters n bro to sing oso, coz i got power as their elder sis, kekekek but i will tell my friends to do so.. cant force la.. Even at home, i heard it on TV, i'd stand, and oso make others in my family to do so oso, and i will sing it out loud. Even in the middle of the night, i on radio, n when it hit 12, the radio will on national anthem, tho sleepy, i will still stand n sing soft2 coz my big sis sleeping od, n i don wan to get whack.

Even during assembly, those from other class will look at me like one kind coz i will sing it out during the assembly, when all of them jz keep quiet but stand still, or mumbling. and becos they did not sing, and pissed the principals off, we had to sing it over n over again till she can hear us loud and clear, then only proceed with the assembly... and we have been stand more than 1 hours. =.=

That is how i show my patriotism, at least. i do hav small flags here n thr in my house but we dont gantung big bendera at the balcony or at the gate of my house, or cover the bonnet n boot of car at my house with flags, and i didnt cycle around with flags, neither can i write really patriotic poems like others can. I am not posting these all to praise myself or raise my own butt, but to share, actually we can easily show patriotism, by doing simple things for the country, and not "commercialise" like the gantung jalur gemilang thing. And also, hw persistent you can be when doing so. :)

so..... How patriotic are you? :P

Should Syariah Law replace the British Common Law?

This is what I saw from Tha Star:


N E W S
Nation Friday August 24, 2007

Minister: Study proposal on switch to Syariah law thoroughly

PUTRAJAYA: The proposal to use Syariah law to replace English common law in court proceedings should be studied thoroughly first, said Datuk Dr Abdullah Zin.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the move, if approved, should be done in stages.

Lauding the proposal by Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, he said Syariah law gave importance to justice.

It would also be a further development for Syariah law in the country in addition to introducing a uniform syariah law in all states, Dr Abdullah sai d yesterday.

“We are already in the process of getting a uniform syariah law in all 14 states including the Federal Territory relating to family, administration and criminal law.

“If there are more proposals for the development of Syariah law, they are most welcome but it should be done in stages,” he told reporters after opening the seminar on
counselling for Muslim terminally ill patients here.

Ahmad Fairuz had said that there was no need to use English common law after 50 years of independence, suggesting another procedure as a substitute.

He said Sections 3 and 5 of the Civil Law Act permitted judges wide discretion to import English common law, equity and statutes
into the legal system to fill gaps in Malaysian laws.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail also responded positively to Ahmad Fairuz’s proposal.

On the seminar, Dr Abdullah said the Islamic way of treating terminally ill patients was not to tell them how many “months they had left to live”.

“The Islamic way is to give them hope and the will to continue to survive and let them depend on their own physical strength to keep them alive,” he said.

************
I was shocked seeing this...how could it...???!!! i mean,can the religious law be applied to ALL without the consider of their own religion?I thought Mlaysia is a harmonious multicultural and multi-all country...

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Wow !

This is cool, Dr. Carmen.. Thanks alot.. Finally, i can reveal myself more.. hahaha.. After being silent for ages..haha :)

Forum: Malaysia at 50: Sedition Act and the Nationhood

Hey peeps! As mentioned by Dr. Carmen, there's an upcoming forum on Negaraku-ku tomorrow! Here are the details which I quoted from http://www.cijmalaysia.org/events.asp

Lately, Sedition Act 1948 has been central in the controversies involving blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin and student musician Wee Meng Chee, or "Namewee", who produced a rap video featuring the national anthem. The broad power vested under the Sedition law inevitably raises question about the protection for freedom of expression and whether such stringent limit could limit healthy dialogue among different communities. Do we need the Sedition Act, a product of the postwar Emergency Period, to protect our nationhood and social harmony? Has it made our nation stronger or weaker? We invite an eloquent human rights lawyer, Haris Ibrahim, an acclaimed movie director, Yasmin Ahmad and two articulate political think-tankers, Khalid Jaafar, Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad to share their thoughts.

Time : 8:30pm

Venue : Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela (opposite monorail station- Maharajalela stop)

Organisers : Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)
Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
Institute of Policy Research/ Institut Kajian Dasar (IKD)
KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Civil Rights Committee (CRC)

So, uhh, Dr. Carmen will be going for this talk, along with Michelle, Jeannie, Jiau Chee and I. We're meeting at UTAR (PG Block) at about 530pm and depart from there when everyone arrives. [Oh yea, Michelle is gonna drive but seats are all taken, so you gotta look for your own means of transport if you guys want to go.] Basically, if you feel like joining us, then meet us up there and please don't be late.

Here's the map, if you need it.


Click here to view map
CIJ Training Centre

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Equality? nonsense!

I don't know how prevalent this view is, but some parents actually want the NS programme to be compulsory only for boys. Right....I really don't understand this presistent view that girls cannot deal with physical strain. Sure, they can't lift as much, and can't run as fast or far, but that doesn't mean that they cannot attend national service. Malaysian national service has never been about the army. Graduates from the camps are neither capable or expected to serve in the armed forces. Which means that the precious daughters of these parents will never be thrown into a jungle Steyr AUGs strapped onto them facing enemy fire.

Some might argue that a lot of them were brought up in protected environments and are ill-prepared for the rigours of NS. Well, lots of boys are pampered at birth too.If this idea makes it to implementation, I would see it as an insult to women. It is an insult that a lot of women are willing to take to make their lives just a little easier. (fine, in this case, a lot easier). But I have said before, taking this insult would mean that you cannot demand equality anymore. Doing so would make you a hypocrite. If women can be allowed the right to demand their rights, then so too do men. If she has a right to ask for equal pay in the workplace, then pincipally, he has a right to demand that she goes through the same kind of shit that society expects him to go through.

Unless it can be proven that women are really incapable of doing the kinds of things that they so conveniently avoid doing, they should be expected to contribute as well.

Negarakuku

A quick announcement that tomorrow, Thursday, August 23, we will be having a Socratic Circle discussion on Namewee's music video. But this only applies to Tutorial 2 because Tutorial 1 will be having a presentation on NEP by Michelle.

All are welcome to Michelle's talk so please do come if you can.

And if you are interested to attend Tutorial 2's Socratic Circle, then please do join us in the reading room because the usual room, PG 005 is just too unbearably cold for normal Homo Sapiens.

I will be bringing the English translation of the lyrics for Negarakuku but I suggest that everyone please go check out the music video and see the images too. You can access it on YouTube! at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NczMNH0dbEQ

You can also read Namewee's apology and explanation on his blog at http://namewee.blogspot.com/

See you all tomorrow and you can also contribute your thoughts to this blog on the issue if you like but perhaps just wait a while until after tomorrow--if not, pecah stim lah.

Thanks peeps.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Who should join us?

Hi everyone,

In the spirit of democracy and transparency, I would like to ask your opinion about who should join Criticalfikir, apart from our class members and former Critical Thinking students.

To date, I have invited the following people to join:

1. all of you from EL Y1 S2
2. seniors -- those whose emails I have (unfortunately, I don't have them all)

Open for debate are possible members:

1. non-CT students who I have taught in the past and I consider to the critical thinkers -- most of them are journalism students

2. my current batch of non-CT students who have potential to be critical thinkers -- some of them were present at the movie screening last week, Wed, Aug 15

3. Dr Roy -- who has asked to join this circle. The question is, do you want her to be an official contributor (who can write her comments) or just someone who can read the posts like any other member of the public?


I would like your feedback on the second list OR perhaps there are other people some of you would like to join our circle. In which case, please let us know so that we can collectively decide whether to include them or not.

Please bear in mind that right now, our blog is open to the public--which means that even people who are not contributors to our circle can read what we write. When we invite people to join our circle, we can either ask them to join as contributors (read and comment) or just readers (read only but cannot comment).

The second question I have is this: is everyone here ok with this blog being a public blog? Or would you prefer it to be viewable ONLY by people who are invited by us?

Comments please. Thanks.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Indoctrination of children

i cannot tahan d...i must throw this to all of you lah..i read it on the blog of my friend and i think it contains alot of talking points..so here goes..

I was actually quite taken by Dawkin's argument that there should be no religious indoctrination by parents. I'm not going to elaborate more, largely because I think that anyone who reads this blog is intelligent enough to extrapolate the implications of such a philosophy in this country. I don't like the idea of jail. But what got me thinking wasn't so much the religious imprinting that parents leave on their children. I started wondering about the other values that parents leave on their children.

Racial bigotry. I think this is the most dangerous form of imprinting currently being practiced by Malaysians. I cringe every time a group of Chinese sit down and get talking about politics and eventually start agreeing with each other how lazy all Malays are. Or when the Malays start talking about how the Chinese are always plotting against them, and how the pork eating infidels deserve to die. Or when the Indians are generalized as a bunch of drunkards. I have a very strong suspicion that most of the venom spewed out by the younger generation is just an updated version of the evil that they heard over the coffee table during their parents' gatherings. In the face of such racism, I'm not sure if we ever can truly consider Malaysia to be a truly racially integrated society. The ideas of racial supremacy is likely to be perpetuated through the generations.

So what do you all think about this? i would love to hear your thoughts on this..i totally agree that ideas of racial supremacy is perpetuated through generations. what do we have to do to achieve real "perpaduan"?

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Let's Blog!

Dear Critters (critical thinkers!)...

As per your request, I have created this blog to facilitate more "PANAS" debates/discussions/dialogue about Critical Thinking issues. Please feel free to post your thoughts, to respond to others, to think and 'speak' your mind.

I have opted for the least cluttered blog template so that load time will be minimized for those of you with less than optimal broadband/disk space (that will be me coz I am a 50% Luddite...what's that?... go find out)

You can respond to an existing post or start your own post. I'm not sure how it works having never had a group blog before but we'll learn as we go. Only thing is we have to register each time we post so that we don't get spammers.

First CT question coming up for your "TEMBAK"... and please feel free to use English or BM or rojak but no Mandarin coz I tak faham... heheh

Peace out,
Carmen