Where Are Our Priorities?

Malaysia has as of late been suffering from an ignorance of its priorities. Left and right, people are hounding politicians on the wrong issues, and politicians are kicking up fusses about the wrong issues, and the media ends up reporting them all.

Let me sum up. I am a frustrated, stressed student about to sit for his A-Levels, and all I hear about are idiots talking about PPSMI with no idea what it's supposed to do, morons who can't realise the real problem isn't which language but how good it is, religious crazies who would rather devote their time to crushing homosexuality rather than corruption and over-aged Mat Rempits who seem like they're having mid-life crises, and have taken to demanding a freakin' race track when the economy is doing badly and people need public money spent on something else.

Come on, people.

PPSMI

(To read what I mean and want to say, but better phrased, go read this article)
http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/44764-ppsmi-malaysia-in-the-lost-world

What a stupid issue. What a moronic, utter waste of my time. As I sat here earlier today trying to study for my A-Levels (i.e. trying to do something intellectual) it hurt me, it almost literally hurt to read about idiots talking about PPSMI and Standards of English and preserving the Sanctity of Malay when in actual fact *none* of these things are even related!

Let's get things straight. If our objective in introducing PPSMI is to raise the standards of English = bad idea.

If our intention in implementing PPSMI is to teach our students crucial subjects of global importance in the lingua franca of the world = good idea.

If you think learning Science and Maths in English will erode the importance of Malay/make people less patriotic = you sir need an education.

Honestly. Don't even bother dredging up arguments like 'We don't need Science/Maths in English to excel in these areas globally!' or 'But why the hurry to learn English, everyone wants to learn Mandarin!'. For goodness' sake just shut up and think for a moment.

Sure, the Japanese do their science schtick without relying on English. So just because they do it, we should stick to teaching it in Malay? Hell no! The Japanese, unlike Malaysians, have strong local universities that allow them to study competently in their own language. What do we have? UM? The in-and-out-of-the-top-200 UM? If we are to send students outside to study, like JPA is doing now, how the hell can we send them to the UK or Russia or Australia or New Zealand and have them say karbon dioksida instead of carbon dioxide?

Everyone wants to learn Mandarin, yes. But if you're implying Mandarin is therefore more important, why are you not suggesting we teach Science/Maths in Chinese? Once again, these stupid arguments arise because people don't know Jack Crap about priorities.

Let Me Tell You What Our Priorities Are

1. Good standards of English. Not by the PPSMI programme, but by teaching English at a higher level, with better teachers, with longer hours, and with more importance. If I could come from an English-speaking family and learn very competent Malay, there's no reason for you to insult rural/kampung folks by saying they'll not keep up with English.

Adding on, the PPSMI is supposedly being abolished because we lack teachers capable of teaching in English. What, did it take Bodoh Nasional 10 years to realise our teachers couldn't speak English? These are the same people who rushed into implementing PPSMI without securing the infrastructure first. And now that the infrastructure has been built somewhat, instead of improving if further they insist on scrapping it. It's a misalignment of priorities. It was never English vs. Malay, it was always about Good English vs. Bad English.

2. Good standards of education. Let's not even talk about being able to maintain our cultural integrity when the price of that is being incompetent. If you want kids to learn Science and Maths in Malay, fine - give these kids good schools to study at, good universities to study at. If they still have to go overseas to get that Medicine degree, then you sure as hell better let them learn in English. Until then, the *real* problem is that our standards of education don't measure up.

PPSMI won't mean anything to the kids unlucky enough to be going to a dead-end school where no single teacher wants to teach (or can teach) and where leaky roofs are common. They are stuck in a rut either way. Before we can consider preparing these kids for the big wide world, we have to make sure they can survive in their own country first.

But that's not all we're confused about...

Homophobia

Now this is another issue people are making way too much fuss about. And this goes the same for the Opposition as well as the Government. Here we are, facing a possible double-dip recession with economies in Europe collapsing, and corruption still rotting away our system, and all people give a shit about are homosexuals! Talk about priorities!

While PAS was busy hammering away at Elton John's concert and doing their bit to drive away legitimate opportunities for our entertainment and tourism industry, cronies in UMNO were still getting contracts and siphoning money off the rakyat. While the police were busy banning Seksualiti Merdeka, Shahrizat and her inept children were doing a bad job producing cattle.

Are you kidding me, people? When you want to go after the sinners, go after the big sinners. Honestly, I do not have a problem with homosexuals. I know that many people do, and I can see why even if I don't agree. But you'd have to be pretty stupid to prioritise demonising gays and spreading homophobia when there are bigger fish to catch.

This is just like our Islamic authorities who would spend a lot of time catching beer-drinkers while the corrupt and the liars go free. Last time I checked with a Muslim friend, corruption outranked alcohol consumption big time when it came to sins.

And last time I checked, corrupt politicians were hurting our country with their culture of cronyism way more than homosexuals are thought to endanger our integrity and 'Easternness'. Let's get it right people. You want to say that gays hurt society. Well, adulterers hurt more people than gays. Motorists hurt more people than gays. Politicians hurt a lot more people than gays. Heck, ultraconservative religious types hurt more people than gays (case in point, Pastor Terry Jones - the idiot who wanted to burn Qurans. Or Westboro Baptist Church, the morons who picket the funerals of gay soldiers).

Let Me Tell You What Our Priorities Are

1. Stamping out corruption. It is ridiculous to be so concerned about homosexuals when there are 'bigger sinners' to catch according to peoples' books. My whole life growing up, I was never threatened by gays or lesbians or transgenders. But I was threatened by the system of corruption, of entitlement, as was everyone. Shouldn't that take priority over fighting over sexuality?

There, just that one priority. There are others but this problem is so big I believe it supersedes almost anything else. Corruption. Ineptitude. Inefficiency. Why should the fisherman on the West Coast give a damn about Elton John and his ways when his own government is plundering his country and taking as much money as it can?

Bersih 2.0: A Film Review

The short story: Deftly balancing action, humour, political drama and social issues, ‘Bersih 2.0’ weaves many separate story elements into one streamlined epic. Najib Abdul Razak has managed to create a film event outside of Hollywood’s current ‘dark and gritty’ reboot sensibilities, while maintaining a distinctly Malaysian identity.


Pictures of the Bersih Rally courtesy of Wong Ee Chong.

The Setup

First-time director Ambiga (centre) is known for collaborating with
prominent politicians both inside and outside of Malaysia.

Only a few months prior, the Bersih 2.0 film project was an indie film under the helm of first-time director Ambiga Sreenevasan. Although a respected veteran producer in the film industry, pundits placed low bets on Bersih 2.0 and the general consensus was that it would bomb at the box office.

As luck would have it, however, the Malaysian government saw the project’s potential and promptly took over the project, financing its special-effects budget, manpower needs, publicity and viral marketing while retaining Ambiga as director and primary screenwriter.

The result is an unforgettable film that emerges from the droll of the typical summer blockbuster period – a modern piece that asks enough serious questions on serious issues yet distinguishes itself from the dark and gritty style that has come to define the post-Batman Begins film scene. Najib Abdul Razak’s first producing credit is a well-deserved one. To examine how this became more than just another film – it was a film event – I will examine the entirety of the project, right down to the marketing preceding its release, its casting process and its popularity upon release.

Coming Soon

Slacking isn't what it used to be. Slacking used to mean blogging. Anyway coming soon is an article I'm writing about the Bersih 2.0 rally a week ago - very late and I'm definitely striking when the iron has already cooled down somewhat but wait for it.

Meanwhile go to www.recom.org/remagv2 and sites.acjc.edu.sg/wpress for stuff to read. It won't hurt, I promise.

Father of Transformation?

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/in-youths-najib-looks-for-shield-against-pakatan/

“If in Egypt one million youths gathered in Tahrir Square to change that country’s leadership... in Malaysia, one million youths gathered to defend Putrajaya,” he said.

“Are you willing to defend Putrajaya?” he asked repeatedly, to cheers from the 8,000-strong crowd.

One million youths packed into a 8000-strong crowd? Either The Malaysian Insider has got its math wrong or I overestimated Najib's intelligence.

I'm kidding. The assembly was a 3-day thing, from what I gather, and one million is the total number of visitors to the place over the 3 days. But I doubt one million people gathered to 'defend' Putrajaya...more likely just to have some fun at what looked like a pretty hip festival - after all, out of the one million in three days (i.e. about 300 000 a day) only 8000 turned up for Najib's inspirational little speech.

“Some call me the Father of Transformation; I don’t know [if the description is accurate], but you all are the catalysts of change,” he said.

And who exactly calls you the 'Father of Transformation'? Ibrahim Ali? Trying to coin a name for yourself by 'subtly' slipping it into declarations like this is...pathetic.

And to answer your question, no [it is not accurate].

http://themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/youth-assembly-a-hit-with-young-malaysians

Many were clad in jeans and hotpants, although some took to wearing T-shirts and button badges bearing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s smiling visage and what has become his administration’s motto: Transformation.

Hotpants? Oh no. Najib, you're going to have a field day with Ibrahim Ali banging on your door demanding to know why you had disrespectful immigrants displaying such counter-culture at a sophisticated event, or Hishamuddin will be calling those people 'dirty' before you know it.

The Shawshank Redemption

With the brief window of respite the post-exam holiday is offering me (meaning, just the weekend), I watched The Shawshank Redemption. Most everyone else zipped off right after their last papers to catch Pirates, or Kung Fu Panda 2, or Thor (why did no one watch Insidious?). In the vacuum between now and the time X-Men: First Class comes out, I instead played a 1994 movie for myself.

Everyone should see The Shawshank Redemption.

Shawshank was a total failure at the box office, but Warner Bros. thankfully put it out strong on video, where it finally made its mark. Now it's the highest-rated movie on IMDB - and for good reason. I don't know if it's the greatest film of all time - how can we tell, anyway? I've also watched another No. 1 contender, The Godfather...also great, very different - but it's the kind of film that makes failing your Chemistry paper feel small, and more importantly, fixable.

It's really the simple, bare-bones acting and scripting that gets this 2-hour 15-minute a great hold on your attention. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins don't do sociopathic, erratic characters, or Magic Negroes, or any other gimmicky role with the right quirk to earn awards. They simply act normal characters - one unlucky, one time-worn.

What's at the heart of this film? A story of hope? Redemption? But whose? Andy and Red don't seem to redeem themselves to me. One was never a criminal to begin with, but became one; the other really was a criminal, but worn by prison. When the film starts Red already seems a good man, and Andy too. They do good deeds and help each other out, they work hard. But what do these things really mean?

Maybe it's being able to pick yourself up from rock bottom. "They send you here for life, and that's exactly what they take". Maybe it's about being able to take your life back. Going further, it could even mean a larger redemption, about setting the system right - it is after all the Shawshank redemption, not the Andy Dufresne Redemption or the Red Redemption. To that end it seems justice becomes a part of that equation. And when that justice plays out you'll cheer.

Half the story is also predictable. You may think someone will die, and you'll likely be right. The lousy movie doesn't care less and shoves at you a recycled, cliched plot. The good movie is original and gives you new things you don't expect. But the best films are organic. 'Organic' means that the film goes naturally, and so rather than be predictable, it makes things inevitable - and sometimes all the more powerful for it. An organic film does not always have a first-act setup, a second-act build and a third-act climax to wrap things up in a nice bow. It's the story of lives that goes along day by day until a point where it just reaches an ending. People making organic films just take the lives with the best stories and best endings and put them to film. This is one of them (it came from a Stephen King novella, though).

That same quality lends it some unpredictability too. No, sudden explosions don't happen, but you don't exactly know what the film is getting at in the end; action films you know will peak with a brawny showdown to take down the antagonist, but natural films just lead you along much like life itself. Quite often it actually does end with taking down an antagonist, because that's the payoff, but it never feels 'put in'. 

That's not to say the film wasn't well-planned, because clearly it was - details the characters mention early in the film resurface later on, inverting the figurative and making it literal, and hypocrisy becomes irony. The little bits and pieces all make sense, and in the end actually does tie up into a nice bow.

Shawshank has strong language and some prison violence, but it also has a Will Smith Inspirational Film style without the Disney dialogue and the actual Will Smith. Andy is a man too clever for prison, and Red is the man who stands himself up not from suffering in prison, but suffering out of it. And really, if you have the time and no money to watch any of the summer flicks on offer now, The Shawshank Redemption is as good a film to watch as a few, and definitely much better than most.

A Christian Takeover Conspiracy? Really?

Because of course, nothing scares voters like aggressive religious machinations.

In its last gasps of desperation Perkasa UMNO (oh come on we know it's you) has resorted to playing the over-used religion card. And 'overused' really is the most apt term here.

Just like the annoying +4 Wild Card.

Obviously, everyone's totally terrified that Malaysia will one day throw open its doors and invite Pope Benedict XVI to come over and rule Malaysia (never mind the Christian-Catholic differences, I doubt Ibrahim Ali can tell them apart) and eventually make pork consumption more widespread than it already is, to the horror of Muslims in Malaysia.

But here's a few simple reasons WHY there's (probably) no Christian conspiracy to take over Malaysia and knock Islam off its sacred position:

BN retains Sarawak, two-thirds majority: Pakatan makes inroads

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bn-keeps-two-thirds-majority-could-win-up-to-51-seats/

So it's official: BN has won Sarawak, and even maintained its two-thirds majority. And while people like myself are feeling very disappointed that even the burden that is Taib/Pek Moh wasn't able to cut BN down to a simple majority, the Opposition has valid reason to feel that it has scored a moral victory.

Only the official results will let us know for sure just how much the Opposition should have won by. Remember, every seat that they would've won by a small margin was probably given the postal-vote, phantom-vote treatment. Also, the multi-cornered fights in some of the constituencies may have cost the Opposition precious votes too. And in this fight, every vote counted. Given their dismal showings in past Sarawak elections, they needed everything to multiply their seats and beat back BN.

The popular vote is an interesting thing we need to account for. Because of the way the demographics are spread out amongst the different constituencies, it's a fair (in fact, almost guaranteed) bet that the shift in number of seats doesn't accurately reflect the shift in popular vote. BN won 62/71 seats in the previous election. This time, it's 55. That means they lost 7 more seats from last time - that's around a 10% swing in terms of number of seats. But look at the popular vote and I'm willing to bet the swing was more around 25%. Maybe even 30%.

Sarawak is without a doubt the most difficult terrain for which the Opposition must do battle. The sheer expansiveness of the state, the virtually non-existent transportation system within the more rural areas, the tiny reach of urbanisation, the entrenched system of money politics and the mindsets of the people all block the way of PR. Yet despite all that, it is no longer the BN's fixed deposit, as tonight has shown. From 7 more seats in the legislature, PR may get many more in Parliament and, with the time from now till the next GE, Pakatan has much time to build the roads needed to access the only people who can truly effect any sort of change at the federal level: the people of Sarawak.

1. Sarawak elections are here. Let's hope for a decisive swing, at least.

2. Singapore politics is a little more interesting than I thought. The size of the population and state, the quirks of the electoral system and the power of incumbency make for a much more interesting dynamic in terms of this democracy.

3. Another man dies falling out a window from a MACC building. Is there a pattern?

4. X-Men: First Class is showing later this year. And Pirates 4. Also, Thor. Nice line-up. (Oh yes, and HP7 Part II)

5. In another life, consider studying in Finland.

6. Will DU survive the rest of the year? Hoping things go well for you guys.

7. Will the Scouts win marching again this year? Where have all the burnt Backwoods food and shaky gadgets gone...

There's no time and I should be working. (As usual).

To That End We're Heading To

1. The Malaysian political scene has possibly jumped the shark - there's a shameless trio of morons, one of them a former Chief Minister, showing pornography in the halls of Parliament. There's a needless debate over Interlok, when the conclusion should just be: change the book or leave it as is. It's literature. And of course not forgetting the recurring problems for the Christians, what with that whole Alkitab rubbish. What's the country coming to when these things are the front and centre of our news every day?

2. But credit where it's due - it's surprising to hear that the Penang PR-led government will work with BN for a 'Greater Penang' (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/guan-eng-shelves-plans-will-aid-najibs-greater-penang/), even more so considering Point 1. But it's a first and something optimistic for once.

3. There is no perfect system. Studying in Singapore shows you that there's a high tide everywhere and that absolute fairness is a myth. But if you survive here you can survive anything (but maybe not China...?). Work is insane and exams are hard when they shouldn't be, so naturally I'm dying a little here. But oh well.

4. And so everything that's happening now is something heading towards an end - the rubbish politics is only the prelude to the upcoming state elections, and maybe a general election later in the year. Who'll sit in that seat? It's judgement time but not by a higher power (is there one?) - it's everyone, heading to that end and making it what it'll be. The ignorant, hard-working folks in the depths of Sabah and Sarawak, the youth activist groups on the West side. Normal people, stupid people, intelligent, selfish people. It's not a perfect decision that will be made but it never is.

5. Hence things are ending for us little people too. Friends back home doing A-levels will be done by the middle of the year while my buddies doing STPM shall suffer with me all the way till December or so. Then, people leaving and people staying back, and then who knows la.

6. Just for the sake of a short point, because that's what bullets are for.

7. Another short point, to make 6. look less tacked-on.

8. For fun.

Stupidity Spreads Faster than Radiation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12745128

"The SMS message, purporting to come from the BBC, has been circulating around Asian countries since Monday.

It warns people to take necessary precautions against possible effects of radiation.

The BBC has issued no such flash but the hoax has caused particular panic in the Philippines.

Some media reports suggest that workers and school children there were sent home after the rumours began to spread, prompting the Philippines government to issue an official denial."

So you can all stop worrying now, and stop wasting money and people's time by spamming them with messages concerning unverified threats. Seriously it used to be stupid chain emails but now even SMSes...what is the world coming to when people believe every single piece of crap that comes to their phone?

And by the way, how on earth does radiation = acid rain? I didn't know plutonium could break down into sulphur dioxide...

This is Our So-Called 'First Lady'

Yeah, this is what Rosmah says to a disaster in Japan. I mean I don't like Najib but he's not stupid enough to say things like this in the current situation. I think the only reason she put in that bullshit about eco-friendly green tech or whatever nonsense is because she was at a green event (see the people around her?).


But really, this is just a case of her mouthing off in her typical bid to sound 'presidential' and 'first lady-like' a la Michelle Obama - of course, she is failing miserably.


Our previous PMs, like them or not, at the very least had pretty sensible wives who were smart and certainly didn't try too hard. Now we get this potato. Oh no...