New York Times reported that a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital of Santiago for 90 seconds and sending tsunami warnings from Chile to Ecuador. About 78 deaths have been reported and the toll is expected to rise.
Buildings and houses in Santiago were destroyed. A major bridge connecting the northern and southern sections of the country was also knocked out.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake which struck at 3:34 a.m. local time centered about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, at a depth of 22 miles, . The epicenter was some 70 miles from Concepcion, Chile’s second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live.
You can read more about this earthquake at THIS LINK.
I read with much concern the Malaysian Insider report HERE that about 50 groups today launched the Malay NGO Consultative Council (MPM) to defend Malay rights and Islam at the historic Sultan Sulaiman Club here, where a similar gathering nearly 60 years ago led to the formation of Umno.
As we all know, the United Malays National Organisation, or UMNO, is Malaysia's largest political party. It is the founding member of the Barisan Nasional coalition and emphasizes protecting Malay culture, Islamic values and pro-business policies. Of late, Prime Minister Najib has increasingly emphasized reducing ethnic tensions and protecting minority rights - a move that does not seem to have gone down well with certain quarters. The PM launched 1Malaysia a few months ago.
According to Wikipedia HERE:
1Malaysia is an on-going campaign announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak on September 16, 2008, calling for the cabinet, government agencies, and civil servants to more strongly emphasize ethnic harmony, national unity, and efficient governance. 1Malaysia has been incorporated into UMNO offical ideology.
1Malaysia strongly emphasizes national unity, ethnic tolerance, and government efficiency. The eight values of 1Malaysia as articulated by Najib Razak are perseverance, a culture of excellence, acceptance, loyalty, education, humility, integrity, and meritocracy.
The news about this new organization seems to be duplicating what UMNO is already doing. So why the duplicity of roles when both organizations are fighting for the same group of people? Take a look at the following excerpt extracted from Malaysian Insider HERE:
The MPM press release said “following several discussions by several Malay NGO leaders, there was a desire for a consultative council to bring together as many Malay NGOs concerned about current developments faced by the Malays”.I am deeply concerned after reading the report as the resolutions seem to be authoritarian in nature and seems to be sending an unspoken message to UMNO. It also seems to be telling the rest of the world that there are chasms that exist in that community due to pronounced differences of opinions in practices and policies of the government. As it stands, there is already discontent in the air about corruption, rising costs of living, party politics, inter-party conflicts, intra-party issues, scandals, accountability etc etc. This new development could mean further bad publicity which our country does not need. Of late, we have received more than our fair share of such negative publicity from both near and far.
“It is apparent that there is pressure on Malay rights and privileges in their own country, towards the position of Islam as the official religion, the position and sovereignty of the Malay Rulers that is always being questioned, the New Economic Policy that is being sidelined despite the lack of achievement by the Malays and also national security,” it said.
These are among several “sensitive” issues for the Malays which have become provocative matters by those who want to destroy the security and prosperity of the country, the statement added.
The statement said the consultative council is not a platform for confrontation unless they are forced by parties described as those “inciting” racial tension.
“The main function of this council is to act as a medium to gather Malay NGOs that share the same stand to handle pressures faced by the Malays, Islam, Malay Rulers, national security, public order and other related issues,” the statement said, adding the idea to form the body was made early last month.
The MPM will form a task force that will be chaired by council members in rotation.
The statement also said the MPM had resolved each member should jointly study issues important to the Malays, Islam, Malay Rulers, national security and public order that is brought up or questioned by others, or to be championed by the community.
Others include the preparation and implementation of action plans to handle or oppose provocations against issues that relate to Malays and Islam, or issues seen as inciting or hateful.
The resolutions decided by MPM are:
* Resolutions must be based on facts and documents tabled at lawful MPM meetings;
* MPM members who disagree with the resolutions must accept the decision of the majority and be prepared to sign the agreed resolutions;
* MPM members who refuse or abstain from resolutions or decisions can choose not to sign off without affecting their membership; and
* If any MPM member opposes any of its resolutions or decisions, they will automatically cease to be members.
More importantly, how does this new development affect UMNO?
Does it do much for the image of the PM and his team?
Who is the one masterminding the formation of this organization and what is the ultimate aim?
How then can 1Malaysia continue with the existence of this new group which implies the lack of unity within one particular group?
Should there not be an official statement from UMNO and the PM about this issue? The PM has to nip the problem in the bud as soon as possible to prevent the chasms from widening further.
Does the current silence imply a cold war? If so, who are the generals who are calling the shots? The PM has to blow the whistle and restore some semblance of unity and order without which there could be negative repercussions.
So many unanswered questions which should never have arisen in the first place. What the country needs now - more than ever before- is unity, reforms and specific measures to put our country back on track in the right direction for the collective good of this nation. But will we see that?
I hope so, I really do.
But with such worrying trends, how can this be achieved?
For a nation that is almost 54 years old, it is saddening to see how the ugliness of sexism still exists in many areas of our society. Sexism, racism, ageism and whatever -isms are examples of discrimination against targeted victims who suffer the consequences of small-minded attitudes of certain characters.
In certain ways, our country has achieved progress at the workplace but a recent report HERE in Malaysian Insider shows that certain attitudes about women have not been eradicated and continue to affect women who seek equal opportunities at work.
Let's be honest. Since the beginning of time, women have been seen as lesser beings to men. In many cultures, they are the cause of many problems. From the Christian viewpoint, Eve is the weaker being because she succumbed to temptation and told Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Throughout history, women are perceived to be inferior to men and were denied of the right to vote. In some countries, they could not own property, were forced into prostitution if a family was poor or even denied the right to have custody of their children. It almost seems as though women will always be under the control of men!!!
Traditionally, sexism has been a female problem. Women were habitually overlooked for responsible positions in companies, even though they were perfectly suitable for the job. How often do we hear of men suffering from sexism?
I am quite surprised that Datuk Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, has not responded to that report in Malaysian Insider.
Extract from Malaysian Insider (I have responded in italicized font)
“I never said it was a problem that women are working in the civil service. What I said was that in the long run, the dominance of female presence in the service would have a negative impact on the growth and progress of the country,” he told The Malaysian Insider last night.
*Criteria for assessment of this negative impact must be specified and backed by official statistics
* Growth in what terms? Absolute terms? Relative terms? His terms?
*progress of the country in which area? Specify!
*Does this mean women are a liability in public service?
* How do the other women in public service feel about this? WOMEN, Please speak up!!!
He explained that the negative impact would be due to women’s general working attitudes which tended to be inflexible and rigid as well as the fact that they needed to take long maternity leaves.
* Define inflexible! What is his yardstick?
* How did he arrive at this conclusion?
* Does he have any data from public service records to show the inflexibility of women?
* What does he mean by "inflexibility" and "rigid"?
* What is wrong with taking maternity leave as specified in the Labour Law? Does this mean the Labour Department has erred in determining the period of maternity leave????
Ahmad Shah added that the government not only should adhere to its policy of reserving 30 per cent of decision making posts for women, but should also tweak the criterion for qualifying candidates into the posts.
*Does this imply compromising standards?????
“At the present moment, candidates are chosen based on their academic qualifications — at least 90 per cent of the criterion is based on academic achievements. But this does not suffice in the real world.
* What would suffice? Is he implying that educational institutions are NOT playing an effective role in preparing people for the job force????? What then is he suggesting? A complete overhaul in education systems all over the world???
“In that case, even a blind person can get the job, so long as he or she fulfills the relevant qualifications,” he said, adding that most women were generally better than men in academics.
*What is wrong with being BLIND? Isn't this discriminating against the visually-challenged??????
* He mentioned that women are better than men academically - this is a sexist statement that puts men in a bad light. HOW DO THE MEN FEEL? This is an affront to men!!! Come on men - SPEAK UP!!!
* Does he have data to prove this?
* Academics - How did he arrive at his conclusion? Statements which are not backed by evidence can be perceived to be stereotypical statements or oversimplification or overgeneralization - evidence that one displays fallacious thinking!
Ahmad Shah suggested that the criterion be expanded to include emotional strengths, ability to cope under pressure, leadership skills and other skills.
* Is he implying that by doing so, he can prove that men are better than women?
“There must be a mechanism proposed to measure these things before a candidate is selected. Only then is the candidate suitable to hold the respective post,” he said.
* Mechanism? Isn't this a form of rigidity that someone must fit into the template for the position - then only he/she QUALIFIES to hold the job???But did he also not say that women are INFLEXIBLE and RIGID? A clear case of someone who can see the log in his brother's eye but not the speck in his own!!!
In his statement earlier, Ahmad Shah had also said that almost three quarters of the new posts in the administrative and diplomatic service were currently being filled by women.
* Is that a problem? Is this a valid statement or a sweeping statement? 75% is a relative figure. Where are the absolute figures, sir? From which data base did he get this figure?
His claim however was contested by the Public Services Department, which revealed that female presence on the higher management, management and professional as well as support staff roles in the service was 53 per cent in comparison with men at 47 per cent.
* Well, obviously he did not get his database from PSD because the PSD clearly shows only a small difference compared to his claim.
According to its figures, women made up 28 per cent of the higher management workforce, 61 per cent of the management and professional fields and 50 per cent in the support staff group.
Ahmad Shah however insisted that the 61 per cent ultimately meant that in the coming five years, females would dominate the majority of the higher managerial posts in the service.
*How did he arrive at that conclusion?
* Is it a problem if that were to happen? I wonder how he would survive in Tchambuli and Kgatla tribes. :-)
“It is this way now and the same group would be promoted and will form the team for the higher managerial posts. As mentioned before, this affects the delivery system of the service,” he said.
*How will it affect the delivery in real, tangible and intangible terms?
When questioned on whether the present female dominance in the service merely meant that the men, especially the youths, were not interested or incompetent, Ahmad Shah again blamed it on the qualification criteria.
* Again - another criticism of the existing qualifications criteria and standards!
“Woman are better at academics somehow,” he said.
*The second affront to men's neurons in this article. MEN SPEAK UP!!!
According to the 2007 statistics from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, the female labour force made up for only 36 per cent of the total labour force of about 10.5 million people.
I really want to know how he arrived at such conclusions.How does he know for a fact that those women are not working just as hard as any of their male coworkers and that they are rigid, inflexible etc? If he is so knowledgeable about women, why is not assisting Datuk Shahrizat in her department?
The elimination of discrimination in employment and the workplace is a fundamental human right, as reflected in a plethora of United Nations and International Labor Organization legal instruments. The Generalized System of Preferences covers other internationally protected workers' rights. Women workers do not deserve second-class treatment, and it's high time Ahmad recognizes that.
If we allow women to be discriminated in the work place, where will we finally draw the line? We have come very far from neanderthal times, where a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker then his thumb, hence the term, "Rule of thumb."
Clearly, we still have such a long way to go, before women in our society have equal rights and status with men. How can anyone make and defend such claims publicly not once but twice? It requires every single one of us - male and female alike - to unite in solidarity to end traditions, practices, and laws that allow any form of discrimination!!
It is a struggle for freedom to be fully and completely human and equal without apology or permission. The cause for women's human rights is not about burning bras but all about making women's lives matter everywhere, at every point in time, in any situation be it at work or at home!!! Leaders MUST take action to stop sexual discrimination against women, and allow women to be treated at the equals for who they are and not what some people perceived them to be.
Click HERE to watch Helen Reddy sing I AM WOMAN.
So what if I am a woman? Does it make me a lesser being?
From the 1960's to 1980's. I was a die-hard television addict. Days and nights were either spent reading novels, classics, comics, MAD magazines or Beano/Dandy/DC or Marvel Comics or I would spend hours watching my favorite television programs. In the 1960's, I remember my favorite cartoon was The Flintstones, The Black and White Minstrel Show, Skippy, Lassie, The Dean Martin Show while in the 1970's, I loved Charlie's Angels, The 6 Million Dollar Man, Starsky and Hutch, Dallas, Flamingo Road and so on. My addiction slowly phased out in the 1980's because I graduated to more musical pursuits. 
For a change, I thought I'd post a list of things I learnt from television which I collected from here and there. Have a good laugh while remembering some of these scenes from programs that you watched before. Do leave a comment if you wish to share your personal observations. Thanks! Have a great weekend!
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THINGS I LEARNT FROM TELEVISION
* During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
* When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.
* If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a parade - at any time of year.
* All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets which reach up to the armpit level on a woman but only to the waist level on the man lying beside her.
* The Chief of Police will almost always suspend his star detective - or give him 48 hours to finish the job.
* All grocery bags contain at least one stick of French Bread.
* It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone to talk you down.
* The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place - no one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building undetected.
* Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned to a partner who is their polar opposite.
* The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.
* If you need to reload your gun, you will always have more ammunition, even if you haven't been carrying any before now.
* You are very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
* Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language - a German accent will do.
* If your town is threatened by an imminent natural disaster or killer beast, the mayor's first concern will be the tourist trade or his forthcoming art exhibition.
* A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
* When paying for a taxi, don't look at your wallet as you take out a bill just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.
* Kitchens don't have light switches. When entering a kitchen at night, you should open the fridge door and use that light instead.
* If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.
* Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning even though their husband and children never have time to eat it.
* Cars that crash will almost always burst into flames.
* All telephone numbers in America begin with the digits 555.
* A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of RFK stadium.
* Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.
* Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.
* It is not necessary to hello or goodbye when beginning or ending phone conversations.
* Even when driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.
* It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.
* A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
* It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts - your enemies will patiently attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
* When a person is knocked unconscious by a blow to the head, they will never suffer a concussion or brain damage.
* No-one ever involved in a car chase, hijacking, explosion, volcanic eruption or alien invasion will ever go into shock.
* Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.
* You can always find a chainsaw when you need one.
* Any lock can be picked by a credit card or a paper clip in seconds - unless it's the door to a burning building with a child trapped inside.
There will be a Public Forum on “Strengthen Local Democracy and Restore Local Government Election” tonight, 27th February 2010 @ 8.00 p.m. at 5th Floor, Auditorium A, Komtar, Penang.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) and Penang Chinese Town Hall Youth Section cordially invite all Penang residents to attend this public forum on “Strengthen Local Democracy and Restore Local Government Election” (in English).
If you wish to attend this forum, please use the Komtar’s 3rd floor entrance to MPPP office and State Government office, and then take lift (yellow, green and blue lift) to level 5.
The panelists are:
1. Y.B. Chow Kon Yeow, Penang State EXCO for Local Government and Traffic Management;
2. Mr. Mark Ooi Swee Heng (Replace Baljit Singh who can’t make it), Secretary of Political Caucus Bureau, Penang Gerakan and Coordinator for Constituency of Pulau Tikus;
3. Mr. Jeffrey Phang, Vice President of Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD), a coalition of 17 residents’ association in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya. FOKD is coordinating the “Sustainable Development and Environment Taskforce” within Coalition for Good Governance (CGG);
4. Mdm. Maria Chin Abdullah, as a Chairperson of Coalition for Good Governance (CGG).
This forum offers an opportunity for the present government, opposition and civil society to come together to exchange opinions, and make positive suggestions on how to improve good, democratic governance in Penang. This will help make Penang a better place for us all.
The participation of the Penang Chinese Town Hall Youth Section in this event is in support of the project entitled “A 20 Year Plan of Action for Malaysia” by the Federation of Chinese Association of Malaysia (Hua Zong).
Kindly to contact Mr. Ong Jing Cheng for further information at 012-7583779 or jingcheng85@yahoo.com
Penangites and other interested parties - please try your best to be there. Thanks!
