Simply incredibly unbelievable!
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Showing posts with label stupidity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stupidity. Show all posts
At a dinner last year, I complimented a former student, now a prominent lawyer, for his impeccable road etiquette. As he lives near my home, I was trailing behind his Porsche one day on my way to work. He did not exceed the speed limit and was probably driving at 60-65mph. He did not beat any red light nor did he overtake any car or honked at anyone. I was and still am so amazed at his wonderful driving manners. He only knew I was following him months later when I praised him as I related this incident to him.
His response to my compliment still echoes in my head: "Miss, road rage is a serious problem in Penang. The roads are perpetually clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic and it is a very potent situation because any trigger can unleash the monster within us. All it takes is one wrong move such as honking at the wrong person, a murderous look, or a rude sign with fingers or even mouthing words and one can never know the destructive ways by which frustrated drivers can vent their anger after meandering through traffic jams to reach their destination or to find a parking lot." He went on to relate a number of cases he had handled with regards to road accidents.
I was gobsmacked and his words of advice resound through my brain each time I feel I am at the brink of losing my patience when on the road.
This morning, I was just so horrified to read about how a driver was killed after he was knocked down by a passing vehicle while trying to force another driver out from his car in the middle of the Penang Bridge following a misunderstanding early yesterday. The Star reported that it is the first fatal road age incident since the Penang Bridge opened 27 years ago.
The NST reported that in the 12.30am incident at Km7 of the island-bound stretch, the victim died at the scene from multiple injuries.
According to The Star, a police spokesman said the victim and his friend, travelling in a Ford Ranger, were said to be annoyed with a driver of the Audi A6 who had honked at them. The Audi driver, who declined to be named, said he had honked at the driver of the Ford Ranger near the toll plaza on the mainland.
After that, he said, the driver of the pickup truck kept honking back at him incessantly.
“The victim then overtook the Audi and hastily stopped in front of the car on the middle lane, causing the driver to slam on the brakes thus forcing the other driver to stop behind his truck. The victim then alighted his vehicle and tried to force the Audi driver to come out from his car.
“The victim and his friend then confronted the driver and tried to drag him out by force,” the police spokesman said.
At that time, a Proton Saga that was trailing behind the two vehicles tried to swerve away from the Audi and rammed straight into the victim who died on the spot from multiple injuries while his friend suffered serious injuries and has been hospitalised.
The driver of the Audi was not injured but the driver-side door of his vehicle was ripped apart by the impact of the crash. See the photo of the car HERE.
Another report by The Sun has more horrifying details as it reported:
According to the passenger in the Audi, who declined to be named, three men came out from the truck and started to pull his friend, the driver of the car.
"One of the men started punching him and scolded my friend, while another friend tried to calm him down," he said.
The passenger, a 50-year-old project manager who was travelling to Penang with his friend for a holiday, said a car then came speeding into the group of the three men, hitting them like bowling pins.
"One of them flew about 30 feet (10 metres) after being knocked down.
Watch the video HERE.
Once, when I was driving to Batu Feringghi for a dinner held at a Chinese restaurant, I was moving at a snail's pace because of the heavy traffic along the winding coastal road. The car behind me was honking at me incessantly and feeling quite irritated, I slowed down and allowed him to overtake me. Following that, he overtook me and then braked in front of me a few times. From past experiences, I half-expected such a move and had maintained a reasonable distance to avoid any untoward incident.
On Friday, I met up with some two friends from Kuala Lumpur who were in town and the first thing they said to me was how rude, inconsiderate and uncouth are some Penang drivers. My response : See, now you can understand why I seldom venture beyond Jalan Masjid Negeri and prefer the peaceful ambiance of my home.
Far beyond the issue of traffic jams is the selfishness and arrogance of many people today. Just last night, when driving along Jalan Masjid Negeri, my husband gave a signal to indicate he was moving into the right lane to go through the underpass. I was checking my mail on my mobile when suddenly, my usually patient husband let out a very loud "Haiyohhhhhh". I raised my head and to my horror, I saw a tour bus swerving unceremoniously into our lane and had almost crashed into my side!
There are those who switch lanes at their whims and fancies. On the last day of school, I was driving along Jalan Bukit Gambier when to my horror, I saw a car weaving to the right lane and then the left lane and right and left again in a morbid attempt to beat the queue. Unbelievably, after picking my son from school, the same F1 driver was doing the same stunt along the road heading to town! Such people should not be allowed to drive.
I have seen how irresponsible drivers and motorcyclists risk their lives and that of others by making illegal U-turns from their side of Jalan Masjid Negeri into the opposite side of the road. Other cars and vehicles have to swerve to their right to avoid hitting these irresponsible morons.
At the junction of Jalan Delima with Jalan Masjid Negeri, motorists have long been forbidden to make a right turn into Jalan Masjid Negeri but till today, I still see some who flout whatever signage just so they can drive their way and according to their rules.
Along Jalan Tanjung Tokong near to TESCO, you can see many motorcyclists who ride their bikes with no crash helmets. Two years ago, a former colleague actually sent me photos of such characters but I have not blogged about them thinking it was just a snapshot of a one-off incident but alas, it seems to be quite a prevalent situation.
On the way home from lunch yesterday, we were driving along Jalan Anson (a one-way street from the junction with Ghee Hiang) when a man turned into Jalan Anson from Jalan Pahang and promptly continued driving AGAINST THE TRAFFIC FLOW. Of course I honked at him to tell him it was a one-way street but all he did was to grin at me and then he continued on his merry way.
Even when it comes to a simple task like parking, I have seen selfish motorists driving luxurious cars who parked their vehicles beside empty lots. Just because it is beneath them to pay 30 cents per 30 minutes to park their car, they have to deprive others from parking there. Then there are those who park on the wrong side of the road, at junctions, double park or even abandon their cars in parking lots!!! There is a black car which has been abandoned in front of the shop houses in my neighbourhood. The diligent parking attendant there has been painstakingly issuing parking bills and there is a big stack of weather-beaten bills trapped behind the wiper.
I could rant endlessly about such situations which are common in Penang and probably in other parts of the country/world. It is during such times when I wonder what has become of society today.
We may have skyscrapers, glitzy glam-styled shopping malls or the most canggih type of androids but at the end of the day, when I consider the way people drive or their reactions in the real world or social media, I begin to wonder, who is feeding the monster within, egging each to emerge and launch an attack on those around them.
Respect for one another, road courtesy and civic consciousness - all these and more are qualities/values that are almost absent in the world today.
Is it any wonder then that monsters within rears their ugly heads/sides on the roads?
What can be done?
Don't drink and drive. Sabar. Be courteous when on the road.
Please share your views/experiences. Thanks!
The following are the nominees for the 2012 Darwin Awards.
Nominee No. 1: [San Jose Mercury News]: An unidentified man, using a shotgun like a club to break a former girl friend's windshield, accidentally shot himself to death when the gun discharged, blowing a hole in his head.
Nominee No. 2: [Kalamazoo Gazette]: James Burns, 34, (a mechanic) of Alamo, MI, was killed in March as he was trying to repair what police describe as a "farm-type truck." Burns got a friend to drive the truck on a highway while Burns hung underneath so that he could ascertain the source of a troubling noise. Burns' clothes caught on something, however, and the other man found Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft."
Nominee No. 3: [Hickory Daily Record]: Ken Charles Barger, 47, accidentally shot himself to death in December in Newton, NC. Awakening to the sound of a ringing telephone beside his bed, he reached for the phone but grabbed instead a Smith & Wesson 38 Special, which discharged when he drew it to his ear.
Nominee No. 4: [UPI, Toronto]: Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death.? A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was explaining the strength of the buildings windows to visiting law students. Hoy previously has conducted demonstrations of window strength according to police reports. Peter Lawson, managing partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper that Hoy was "one of the best and brightest" members of the 200-man association. A person has to wonder what the dimmer members of this law firm are like.
Nominee No. 5: [The News of the Weird]: Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously. He had spent several years awaiting South Carolina’s electric chair on a murder conviction before having his sentence reduced to life in prison. While sitting on a metal toilet in his cell attempting to fix his small TV set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted.
Nominee No. 6: [The Indianapolis Star]: A cigarette lighter may have triggered a fatal explosion in Dunkirk, IN. A Jay County man, using a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a muzzleloader, was killed Monday night when the weapon discharged in his face, sheriff's investigators said. Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his parents' rural Dunkirk home at about 11:30 PM. Investigators said Pryor was cleaning a 54-caliber muzzle-loader that had not been firing properly. He was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited.
Nominee No. 7: [Reuters, Mississauga, Ontario]: A man cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium apartment in this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23 stories to his death. "Stefan Macho, 55, was standing on a wheelchair when the accident occurred," said Inspector Darcy Homer of the Peel Regional Police. "It appears that the chair moved, and he went over the balcony," Homer said.
Finally, THE WINNER!!!: [Arkansas Democrat Gazette]: Two local black men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Plant on State Highway 38 early Monday. Woodruff County deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of Little Rock, were returning to Des Arc after a frog-catching trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Poole’s pickup truck headlights malfunctioned. The two men concluded that the headlight fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the .22 caliber bullets from his pistol fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering-wheel column.
Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to operate properly, and the two men proceeded on eastbound toward the White River Bridge.. After traveling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged and struck Poole in the testicles.
The vehicle swerved sharply right, exited the pavement, and struck a tree. Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident but will require extensive surgery to repair the damage to his testicles, which will never operate as intended.
Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his balls off or we might be dead," stated Wallis "I've been a trooper for 10 years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me. I can't believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said Snyder.
Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavonia (Poole’s wife) asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck?
Though Poole and Wallis did not die as a result of their misadventure as normally required by Darwin Award Official Rules, it can be argued that Poole did in fact effectively remove himself from the gene pool.
The pre-election mood is fraught with excitement, ambivalence, fatigue, greed and fear. While dedicated and passionate ones are busy campaigning, forwarding emails or volunteering, I daresay most have taken a macro view of the electorate rather than a micro view.
I am not trying to dampen the spirit of change that is in the air. Rather, I believe campaigning must be pitched at a different level and tone to remember that in our midst, there could be some who cannot see beyond their noses, and who may not understand how and why their vote matters. Is there any collective conscience at all in Malaysia?
For instance, it is a common perception that many Penangites are pro-Opposition. Yet, at the recent Psy concert during the CNY celebrations, tens of thousands thronged the field to watch him perform. Yes, many had no qualms about their actions and justified that the concert was a separate entity from with no political affiliation. But look, who was it who asked if Penang was ready for BN? Whilst many wax lyrical about the resounding 'No', this is nullified by the numbers that turned up.
It would have sent a powerful message if only say less than three thousand had turned up for the concert. Imagine the headlines all over the world - Penangites turned up their noses to a free concert because of political pride. But no - they thronged the field, watched the concert and then said 'YAY, we said NO'.
Hello - the fact is they DID attend the concert. Where's the pride? How can one say one thing and do another? Be true to words spoken. The fact is whoever masterminded the Psy concert is brilliant for they made fools of many. Some say it is ok - they just wanted to watch a world class performer at zero cost. Did it occur to them that they can do the same via YouTube without having to elbow their way through the crowd, sweating under the hot sun and smelling the deadly concoction of sweat mixed with body odour and perfume? Sighs...
In the same manner, many will be baited by the coming charity concert and history will repeat itself. And the same will happen for the forthcoming dinner. Many will slam the status quo but when there are freebies, lo and behold - there is no pride left!
The logic in Manglish - 'It is free what - what's your problem? I am only going for the concert, not voting for themlah. It's different.' So, merrily they are likely to flock there in tens of thousands, leave their pride behind, enjoy first and criticize later.
You see, that is the folly of man. The inability to see beyond their noses as to how one tiny action affects the rest of us. How the presence of a large crowd can be misinterpreted and used by some as an indicator or support that is growing. So here we go again - being led by greed, selfishness and anything free....without seeing who pays the price (pun intended) for such foolish actions. So tell me, who has the upper hand now?
I really don't see the logic of asking people to alienate restaurants etc or anything when many go to such events in hordes.
Whilst I respect the right of each individual to decide what to attend/wear/eat etc, simple fact such as values, ethics, unity, loyalty should be propagated.
The fact remains we have evolved from a gemeinschaft society to gesellschaft structure, to our detriment; so we see how modern society slowly withers away...
"Individuals in Gemeinschaft (often translated as community) are regulated by common mores, or beliefs about the appropriate behavior and responsibility of members of the association, to each other and to the association at large; their ties are characterized by a moderate division of labour, strong personal relationships, strong families, and relatively simple social institutions. In such societies there is seldom a need to enforce indirect social control, due to a direct sense of loyalty an individual feels for gemeinschaft.
In contrast, gesellschaft (often translated as society, civil society or association) describes associations in which, for the individual, the larger association never takes precedence over the individual's self-interest, and these associations lack the same level of shared mores. Gesellschaft is maintained through individuals acting in their own self-interest." (Source: HERE)
And this is not just restricted to concerts or dinners.
It's the same for all the handouts.
One may complain and rant about how much $$$ is being spent to dole out $$$ to help students, the elderly etc.
Did anyone ever ask people NOT to accept it?
No. Some even say, take the $ but don't vote for them. How can???? Such are the symptoms of the greed of man.
If Malaysians are really serious about change, they should have the pride NOT to accept handouts AT ALL.
But then again - the common mentality is 'if we don't accept it or attend that event, the money has already been apportioned so we might as well take it/attend it for if not, we will lose out because others will take it.' And so they take and then condemn. Where's the logic? Where's the pride?
Completely illogical. But then again, I am a disenchanted and disillusioned dreamer. We live in a world of imperfections and I am but another imperfect being in this country.
I respect all who are campaigning for change - including people like Harris Ibrahim, Voter Gets Voter, PY Wong of Tindak Malaysia, Edmund Bon and his team in Undi Malaysia, PACABA etc - the many individuals who are tirelessly working and campaigning for change. I salute Malaysians who go about trying to convince their friends to vote for so and so.
BUT, please - you need to pitch your message differently and address the fact that many are ambivalent to how each individual's actions (not just at the ballot box) can send powerful messages. It is totally tunnel-like to just communicate messages that say 'Oh - vote for this and that etc' and forget that mass turnout at public events send a totally different message which can be distorted later on for anything and everything. E.g. if one party wins, they can just turn back and say - what's your problem, bro? Look - we had the support of the masses way back during CNY or at this event and that event. Tens of thousands supported us when they came.
So, think again. Are voters saying one thing and doing another? Why? Greed? Fear? Ambivalence to the fact that whilst one individual has the right to make choices, the sum of all those misguided choices affects the whole!!!
Simon Longstaff Executive Director of the St James Ethics Centre puts it brilliantly:
Politics is an art – in form, most like music. We are the instrument, played by politicians of variable skill. Some are crude exponents, performing with the subtlety of a violinist wielding a mallet. Others, the true masters, draw from us the sweet chords of electoral success by playing on themes that resonate in the deepest chambers of the human heart. Two themes in particular are the masters’ recurring favourites: greed and fear.
In my experience, the major parties unleash these themes with equal vigour. Without missing a beat, State politicians will unleash the dread demon of fear during their (now routine) ‘law & order auctions’. Federal politicians improvise variations on the same theme – playing on risks to economic and national security. The vulnerable and the gullible are scared out of their wits by politicians who are quite prepared to stampede the mob into their side of the electoral pen.
Then there are the election-eve tax cuts, pork-barrelling, etc. - in which rival parties (at least those with a realistic hope of occupying the treasury benches) attempt to purchase our allegiance (or at least favourable opinion) with a fist full of dollars.
In most cases, the appeal to voters is far less crude than I have suggested. But if you listen carefully, then the twin leitmotifs can be discerned … present in the background for the simplest of reasons – the approach works!
Politicians shape their messages to fit the character of the electorate they seek to persuade. If they believed that the road to electoral success was paved with virtue – then that would be the basis of their appeal.
However, experience seems to have taught them to expect something less of us than we might hope for ourselves. The evidence of history is compelling – the lower road offers the most direct route to power. However, success achieved in this manner comes only at a grave cost: in the moment of our surrender to the siren song of greed and fear, we may despise those who wreck our better selves on the base elements of our character.
We may be tempted to blame the politicians for this state of affairs. However, the rest of us share responsibility for the character of the political discourse adopted during elections. I think of Australians as people of moderate decency. We don’t have much time for people who shove ‘goodness’ down our throats. However, we still have a real affection for ideas such as that of a ‘fair go’ – even if our commitment to practice is not consistent. We could (and probably should) demand more of our politicians and ourselves.
This is where leadership really counts. Those commanding the political heights affect the tone of our society by their example as individuals and through the style and substance of their politics. That is why the conduct of this election campaign is about more than who gets to form the next government.
So, it is all up to Malaysians to make the right decisions not just when voting.
If there is no change, I surmise it would be largely due to fear or shameless greed which blinded their sense of logic or judgement.
Recommended reading:
An Election of Greed
Media Greed During Elections
Mrs Blankenship goes out to vote
Recommended reading:
An Election of Greed
Media Greed During Elections
Mrs Blankenship goes out to vote
The NYT carried an interesting article about how a Rat Chase Backfires At Reactor In Japan. Hiroko Tabuchi wrote:
Workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant who were installing wire nets Friday to keep rats away from a vital cooling system instead tripped that system, causing it to fail for the second time in weeks.
The spent-fuel pool at the site’s No. 3 reactor went without fresh cooling water for almost three hours on Friday afternoon, said the plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco.
Cooling was restored by late evening on Friday, and there was no imminent danger to the 566 nuclear fuel rods stored in the pool, according to the company. It would have taken at least two weeks for the pool to have risen above the safe level of 149 degrees Fahrenheit, Tepco said.
Still, the recent power failures have raised concerns over continued vulnerabilities at the plant two years after a large earthquake and tsunami knocked out its vital cooling systems, resulting in multiple fuel meltdowns and forcing 160,000 people to evacuate.
The debris-strewn plant still relies on makeshift cooling systems, some of which were hastily put together in the accident’s frantic aftermath. The spent-fuel pools, which hold far more radioactive material than the reactor cores, have been a particular source of concern. More HERE.
Over here, Tyler Durden commented:
Cooling was restored by late evening on Friday, and there was no imminent danger to the 566 nuclear fuel rods stored in the pool, according to the company. It would have taken at least two weeks for the pool to have risen above the safe level of 149 degrees Fahrenheit, Tepco said." Of course, TEPCO would certainly tell the truth to all those it lied to for weeks in March 2011, the same TEPCO where a rat is the weakest link in its meltdown avoidance planning.
This time however, TEPCO, credibility and professionalism once again in tatters, was forced to reveal a little more, namely that "radioactive water may have leaked into the ground from a storage tank at Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the latest of a series of troubles at the facility."
Blame the rats again? And don't worry, it was just "this much" caesium leaking into the ocean, so who's really counting. Sadly, it will be years before the irradiated fauna - both fish and humans - has a sense, over the daily lies, of just how vast the damage has been. By then, however, Japan will have enough hyperinflation to keep it sufficiently distracted from the third arm growing on the back.
MORE HERE.
After a very tiring day thanks to the heat wave in Penang and meandering my way through the traffic congestion, I finally settled down in front of my computer screen with a small bowl of peanuts - a little treat after one month's abstinence. When I clicked into The Malaysian Insider, lo and behold, I nearly choked on my peanuts when I read THIS ARTICLE - a classic case of unabashed hackneyed self-glorification.
It is common knowledge that long time political parties have a tendency to project a political narrative of their history, mission, vision, events, achievements and aspirations. But to issue a report card and then to give itself top marks not forgetting taking credit for various developments?
And then to say:
The report card will be used as part of the party’s campaign in Election 2013 and comes in an A2 size format listing MCA’s contributions on the left while rivals the DAP and PKR’s are on the right.
Virtually all of the space given to the opposition in the report card says “no contribution”. CLICK HERE for more.*Cringing!!!!
I have not seen the report card but I do wonder if many of the claims and/or conclusions are nauseatingly trite, simplistic and exaggerated. A self-serving report card would be a stumbling block in listening to citizens' concern/issues.Easy - deny by making high falluting claims.
Such weak and banal efforts fall flat. Would you regard it as a sincere and honest report? I wonder if they realize how such overtures are driving people further and further away while they rejoice at the pinnacle of political demagogy.
This report reminded me of what I learnt decades ago in varsity about the political phenomenon - cult of personality which has been used by many politicians, including Stalin and North Koreans.
"A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized, heroic, and, at times god-like public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.
Sociologist Max Weber developed a tripartite classification of authority; the cult of personality holds parallels with what Weber defined as "charismatic authority".
A cult of personality is similar to hero worship, except that it is established by mass media and propaganda."
(Source: HERE)
To put things into perspective, I wish to draw your attention to this fantastic article from BBC by Lucy Williamson, Delving into North Korea's mystical cult of personality:
Every night, North Korea's news bulletin begins with a song about the mythical qualities of the country's leader Kim Jong-il and the mountain where he is said to have been born.
North Koreans are used to the hyperbole of their state media, with a constant stream of stories about Kim Jong-il's economic guidance and benevolent care.
And since the death of the Dear Leader on 17 December, the media have focused their attention on a series of strange, natural phenomena being reported across the country - a giant lake of ice cracking in half, a red glow covering the mountain where their leader was born and, most recently, magpies gathering by the dozens in a single tree, in grief, according to one party official.
"We can't dismiss it as just a natural phenomenon," he told state television. "It shows that not only the people of the world, but the animals too, cannot forget our Dear Leader."
This is hardly surprising, perhaps, when his image - and that of his father Kim Il-sung - appears everywhere in billboards, buildings, television reports and every office wall.
Along with the army, North Korea's media apparatus is perhaps the institution most responsible for keeping its leaders in power.
It built powerful personality cults around both Kim Jong-il and his father and is now beginning to do the same with his son and successor, Kim Jong-un.
It is a myth-making factory that, for most of its audience, is their only source of news.
'Flowery language'
Brian Myers, professor of International Relations at Dongseo University in South Korea, has studied the archives of North Korean media reports closely.
He says this kind of imagery from the natural world has been seen before in other political systems.
North Korean media has used emotive language to encourage loyalty to Kim Jong-il
"There is the belief, which was common also in imperial Japan and Nazi Germany, that the actual physical territory occupied by the nation reflects the attributes of the race itself," he said.
"And this kind of flowery language that we've seen in the past few days, of ice cracking and cranes being seen in the sky, does reflect a uniquely North Korea understanding of a connection between the territory and the race."
And in the case of Kim Jong-il, he said, the media have spent years stirring up complex feelings in the minds of people.
"Kim Jong-il's official image in the propaganda was always a man with no time for himself, and a large part of the propaganda was aimed at making the public feel guilty about the overwork that he was subjecting himself to, Mr Myers said.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article.
There is a difference though between Kim and Chua. The former could fall back on "the power of his lineage, and the personality cult created by his country's unique cultural machine." What about Chua?
Is the sun setting for MCA or is it undergoing a metamorphosis?
It will be interesting to see how MCA performs in the next GE. If they do well, they can frame this 'report card'.
And if they don't, I wonder what will they do with this report card?
Do leave a message to share your thoughts.
Thanks!
Why do senior politicians relish getting limelight and attention for all the wrong reasons? As the nation progresses, the mentality of some regress in tandem with their memory or selective memory. Suffice to say politics in Malaysia has degenerated to childishness as leaders frolick in childish bickering.
Consider the following articles by various online news portals::
LKS: Born 1941, Age 72+ Joined the political scene in 1966. After 47 years in politics, a long and much deserved rest is needed. God bless him with good health.
TDM: Born 1925, Age 88+ Joined the political scene in 1964. After 53 years in politics, he should enjoy his sunset years with his family, horses and favourite pursuits. God bless him with godly wisdom.
Verdict: Let young blood contest.
2. TCY vs LGE
Why is there so much publicity and media coverage for this supposed 'battle'?
Why are both imposing conditions on the other?
The debate about who will be CM back in the pre-2008 election period caused much collateral damage to Gerakan.
Both leaders should just think of how to serve the rakyat better instead of indulging in such trivial pursuits. They would both be better off preparing their report card of service for their would-be constituents.
Just two questions:
a. Why do some politicians have this sudden urge to switch constituencies?
- Are they running away from potential failure due or is it triggered by thoughts of the possibility of being kicked out because they have not served their constituents effectively and/or faithfully?
- Is it a situation where the election has been perceived as akin to kind lottery where bets oops decisions to contest are based on where they have a higher likelihood of winning?
- Is it a last ditch effort for a 5-year Cuti-cuti Malaysia????
b. Is there some kind of communication breakdown? Should there not be open and transparent discussion and consultation between component parties be carried out before major decisions are made?
etc etc etc
Ladies and gentlemen, what we are witnessing is none other than the infantilization of politics.
We see leaders taunting each other to do this and/or that or contest here or there. Before our eyes, key relationships are soured via irrational decision making and guess what? Along the way, the next government is supposed to be elected.
Hmm....not a comforting thought at all, is it?
Now what do politicians from both sides of the divide love to do?
1. Instead of doing good, honest service for those who elected them to office, are some thriving in cattle excrement by reinventing themselves or their party and then polishing up so that it can be repackaged to the electorate as many grades above the pile of community sanitary output than it already is.
Doesn't it amaze you how both sides are promising almost the same thing and dangling carrots in front of our noses?
Instead of all this, don't you wish that we have a bull-shit free competing turf where only the best step forward to offer themselves for service?
Wait a minute....is that possible? Can that ever happen?
Would we be better off without all that politicking?
Have we had enough of the empty and superfluous platitudes, fake plastic smiles, spider web-thin intra-party ties between leaders and the hastily applied plastic surgery manouveres to make it seem as though all are trying to thrive in unity?
Oh wow!
What an insult to our intelligence!
OK. Let's get down to basics.
Remove the charisma, the smiles, the friendly but fake overtures, the empty promises and riding on past glories or that of others or the previous party glories and hey presto - what do we have? Groomed, elegant and gentlemanly brainy, tech savy politicians or kiddoes throwing temper tantrums that their preferences have not been considered?
Can you stomach it? I can't. That is why I am in overdrive in verbal diarrhoea ranting here today after a loooong period of self-imposed silence (since Jan 2nd 2012) with all the madness raging around! Even a friend asked me, "I thought you retired from writing?" Yea...but there is a limit that one can tolerate and I kind of snapped today hence all the writing.
Seriously, what do many seem to love to do? Indulge in feel good slogans, give freebies, pressies and consider how we can see a little bit of b.s. here and there...until oh heck - we realize that yea baby - our system is full of b.s.
No wonder Kee Thuan Chye has written two books on this!
Both sides seem convinced that if the other side takes over, there will be chaos. Greg Rudd says that politics is a childish farce which is worsening. He argues HERE that strategic planning is being sacrificed in the name of political expediency. He argues:
“I’m convinced that 95 per cent of people are unhappy with the outcomes of our political process at the moment. Everyone bitches about it but what I’m convinced of is that left to themselves political parties won’t change a thing because it’s not in their interest.
“My view is that, is that one thing politicians do listen to is public sentiment. If it starts to ramp up and they listen to the public and they listen to the media…
Rudd says that the public needs to put pressure on both sides of government in the lead up to the next election to agree on some core, bipartisan issues which can be advanced in the nation’s interest.
The ball, it seems, is in your court. CLICK HERE to read his views.
In closing, allowing me to quote Catherine Mayer:
Democracy is an exercise in adulthood.
We don’t want our elected leaders to style themselves, as despots so often do, the fathers of our nations, but we assume them to be responsible grown-ups, focused on carrying out the mandates we have granted them.
It’s a nice idea.
Unfortunately the more we find out about our political masters—and in this twittery, wittering, wikileaking world, scarcely a day goes by without a politician being exposed or exposing himself—the more we are forced to confront the unpalatable truth. Our politicians really do represent us—in all our fallibility.
And while most official histories are narratives of great men (and more occasionally great women) making big decisions, the real histories look rather different. Principle plays a part but so does spite.
Childish feuding is a potent force in public life. Read more here.
Childish feuding? How true.
We, dear Malaysians, are witnessing the infantilization of politics right before our very eyes.
Sighs...
My apologies for flooding my blog with four written posts on socio-politcal issues today. I have bottled up my anger and frustration for over a year and it has truly been a very cathartic experience to rant. I stopped writing on such issues on Jan 2nd, 2012. This time, I am taking a firm people-centred centrist view.
No offense meant. I love my country and my state and as it is, I am very concerned because of what I can see happening before me and I am sure you are too. Please leave a comment to share your responses. Thanks.
This is Part 3 of my Monay rant on the deplorable state of affairs in education.
Thanks to Encik Kassim who sent me the following post on The COW AND THE ICE CREAM which is possibly one of the best theories as to how change might not happen if voters do not think carefully about the bigger picture when they go to the polls. Apparently, this was sent to him by a teacher. I have edited it a bit...
Here goes...
"We are worried about 'the cow' when it is all about the 'Ice Cream.'
The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching year 3 students.
The last Parliamentary election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest.
I decided we would have an election for a class captain.
We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members.
We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. We got many nominations and from those, Mat and Salleh were picked to run for the top spot.
The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids.
I thought Mat might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support.
I had never seen Salleh's parents.
The day arrived when they were to make their speeches.
Mat went first.
He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best.
Everyone applauded and he sat down.
Now is was Salleh's turn to speak.
His speech was concise.
He said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream."
He sat down.
The class went wild. "Yes! Yes! We want ice cream."
He surely would say more. He did not have to.
A discussion followed.
How did he plan to pay for the ice cream?
He wasn't sure.
But no one pursued that question. They took him at his word. (which is exactly what is happening in our own backyard because many don't bother to think, question, analyze or to challenge.)
Would his parents buy it or would the class pay for it...He didn't know.
The class really didn't care.
All they were thinking about was ice cream...
Mat was forgotten. Salleh won by a landslide.
Every time leaders opened their mouth they offered ice cream and many Malaysian voters reacted like nine year old's.
They wanted ice cream.
The rest of the voters knew they were going to have to feed the cow and clean up the mess."
Leaders from BOTH sides have promised us different types of ice-cream except one side has access to more $$$ than the other. So if people do not think and vote only based on their responses to offers, what will happen to Malaysia?
Remember, the government cannot give anything to anyone that they have not first taken away from someone else.
How many of us will be voting for the ice cream?
That my friend, is how labour got elected last time! I hope not many!
In the past, they comprised hose who wanted everything free or preferred to be free riders as and when it suited them.
Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again
Anon
Part 1 of this series of rants about the impact of the deplorable state of affairs in education is AT THIS LINK.
Click here for PART 2: Laugh now, cry later. Serious!
In my earlier post, I was lamenting how the dire state of education in our land has caused us to lose international competitiveness in our effort to develop the nation and ourselves. Not only that, many have lost the ability to think because it is too tiring, too tedious, inconvenient and confusing hence there is the tendency to subject ourselves to balderdash and moronic claims, promises, accusations etc. We have been deprived of capable leadership that can steer the country in the right direction.
Just the other day, my husband was driving us to the vet for my dog's vaccination. Along the way, he received a SMS and requested me to read it to him. I opened the message and to my horror, I read:
hello! i am miss thee....
I thought to myself - oh wow! He has an admirer who is trying to use Shakespearean English???? What the...????
Maintaining my composure, I read on....and it was actually:
hello! i am miss thee. mr teh asked me 2 call u @ ****** which he etc etc
So the message was actually:
Hello! I am Miss Thee. Mr. Teh asked me to call you about etc etc etc!!!
Considering the current state of education, don't be surprised if one day, not too far in the future, employers receive such CVs from job applicants.
Curriculum Vitae
Name: Ah Boy
Age: Still young
Sex: Never. Still under age
Religion: I only have experience praying for my cat who dead 2 years before
Race: I love to race, how you know?
Nationality: I don't like National, I prefer Sanyo
IC Number: 6735
Telephone number: House got no telephone
Hand phone number: 3310
Address: Penang Jelutong
City : Nor Haliza?
Postcode: I never post anything
State: What state you want? In my family, I am 2nd
Country: I want to travel to go oversea anywhere outside Malaysia
Marriage status: Secret
Email Address: Hotmail
Education Background: My teacher said not bad
Working experience: Last time I got sell pirated VCD
Father's name: Daddy
Father's IC: You ask him
Mother's name: Mummy
Mother's IC: You ask her
Current Salary: Depends on my daddy mood
Expected Salary: As much as you can pay
When can start work: Depends on my mood
Highest qualification: Ya, very high
Grade: Cannot Tell
College/University: College All Lousy wan
Signature: Can I use chop?
To further illustrate, take a look at this paragraph written by an Upper Six student from a premier school in Penang whom I was helping for eight times.. I told her guardian that I cannot help her any more because she does not want to help herself. Mind you, this was her third attempt to answer a very simple question where she was required to give her opinion of materialism.
Note: She misspelled materialism with a double 'l' and apart from other mechanical errors such as tenses and sentence structure, wrote import instead of important and Ipohe instead of iPhone and only corrected it when I pointed it out to her after asking her to check this page for three consecutive times because she just could not see the errors. There are more errors than what I marked in red.
Quo vadis, Malaysia?
May God help and bless our nation and deliver us from egomaniacal leaders, mercenary characters and self-serving miscreants disguised as Samaritans.
May our education system be revamped to empower our nation to soar ahead again.
I am really fed up of seeing nonsensical work from many students across the board. Seriously, I am going to devote a few hours each week to compile the Little Book of English Horrors to document all the evidence I have collected through the years, especially in the 21st century.
Please leave a comment to share your views.
This is Part 2 of my post on Education and Selection Process Determine Quality of Leadership.
Part 3 will be posted at 3.30p.m. today. Please swing by later. Thanks!
Selecting prefects or leaders of clubs/actvities in a school system is similar to selecting officials serving in the government. For a school, it is vital that the best are selected for leadership to ensure prestige and quality in the school system. However, it does not seem to be the case for *coughs* certain countries which could be the reason why poor quality leaders are selected.
People get the leaders that they choose/vote for hence it is vital that one thinks carefully and not simply vote based on emotions or blind loyalty.
For me, the most important factor is a candidate's education - and potential leaders MUST have at least a first degree, preferably from a prestigious university of world class standards. Look at Singapore's Cabinet of Ministers and their qualifications - especially Lee Kuan Yew's qualifications. CLICK HERE and see the high standards for the Singapore Parliament. CLICK HERE to see an example of a CV of a minister. You can go check up on each MP's qualifications and record and compare for yourself. The ministers there are one of the highest paid in the world because the country is prepared to pay for quality. Do we have QUALITY leaders of high calibre? What sort of calibre????? To scold the other side? Make childish accusations? To evade queries? To serve the rakyat? Who comes first? Self? Party? People?
Take a look at THIS WEBSITE to see the high standards.
And if one needs to renew the employment pass, they have to do a self-assessment test HERE where integrity, service and excellence are upheld.
To illustrate, if one is not prepared to fork out money for a meal and instead prefers to be penny wise and pound foolish, one may end up eating something that is either not a balanced meal or one that has been prepared with low standards of hygiene, low quality or substandard ingredients and worse still, expired condiments. To save a few ringgit, one may have to pay the price for foolishness if food poisoning is the result.
Similarly, if political parties do not stick to an evaluation system that upholds high standards in morals, ethics, principles, academic standards and record of service, any Tom, Dick or Harry can be selected just because he is so and so's good friend, popular, loyal etc. is selected while those who are not in synch with the leadership but display positive qualities could be put in cold storage or sent to stand in constituences where they are doomed to lose - just so their political career ends.
Here's a very good article that Angela sent me about two weeks ago. The nation really gets what it deserves.
I hope citizens will not be given the runaround or disinformation, misinformation, subliminal propoganda or be distracted by provocative statements from neuron-challenged individuals who are masquerading as authorities for the next GE. It is time citizens STAND UP nd vocalise what WE WANT TO SEE IN CANDIDATES instead of being at the mercy of parties who send candidates to constituencies at any whim and fancy. Vote wisely. See your aduns. Ask them for their record of service. Think, analyze and look at the candidates' qualities, background and genuineness in his/her desire to be elected. Can they deliver? Have they delivered? Do not be swayed by fancy acronyms or slogans. Your future is in your hands. Our future is dependent on collective intelligence and accountability.
Seriously, Malaysians have to be more discerning and not think in a black and white situation especially when the black could be grey one day and the white could be light grey on another. We have to vote because we want this country to develop and not in retaliation etc etc etc. We have to move beyond all that.....
Disclaimer: By sharing the following excerpt, please note...
- I am sharing this without prejudice and without any ethnocentric feelings.
- I am not saying or implying that China is better nor am I saying Chinese make better leaders. No. I am not provoking people to call me pendatang etc.
- I am trying to illustrate the premise of this post which is the fact that we must have QUALITY leaders and that can only come with QUALITY education and wisdom in voting.
- To stop the rot from worsening, we need to really pay careful attention to our children's education, this country's education standards to ensure all can be on par with or better than international standards.
- I am not promoting communism and am NOT communist.
- I am merely sharely information to stimulate our thinking processes.
- If there is no competitive environment based on meritocracy, we are doomed.
You probably already know that China has a system of annual university entrance examinations, taken by about 10 million students each year. This set of examinations is quite stiff and perhaps even harsh, covering many subjects and occupying three days. The tests require broad understanding, deep knowledge and high intelligence, if one is to do well.
Any student whose results are near the top of the list, is in the top 2% or 3% of a pool of 1.5 billion people.
Getting a high mark qualifies a student to enter one of the top two or three universities, which will virtually guarantee a great job on graduation, a high salary and a good life. Moving down the scale of results, the prospects become increasingly meager.
You may not know that China also has a system of bar examinations which every graduate lawyer must pass in order to practice law in China.
For these, we can bypass "stiff" and "harsh" and go directly to "severe". Out of about 250,000 graduate lawyers who sit for the exam, only about 20,000 will pass and obtain qualifications to actually be a practicing lawyer in China.
Once again, the exams require broad understanding of all matters legal, deep knowledge of the laws, and high intelligence.
So if you happen to meet a Chinese lawyer, you can be assured you are dealing with someone from top 1% or 2% of a pool of 1.5 billion people.
I mention these two items only to introduce a third - the Civil Service Examinations.
Becoming a Government Official in China
The Imperial examinations were designed many centuries ago to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. They lasted as long as 72 hours, and required a great depth and breadth of knowledge to pass.
It was an eminently fair system in that the exam itself had no qualifications. Almost anyone, even from the least educated family in the poorest town, could sit the exam and, if that person did well enough, he or she could join the civil service and potentially rise to the top.
The modern civil service examination system evolved from the imperial one, and today, millions of graduates write these each year. And for these, we can bypass "severe" and go directly to "brutal", because out of the millions of candidates only about 10,000 will get a pass.
The Chinese Have High Standards
And that pass doesn't get you a job; all it gets you is an interview.
If you meet anyone in China's central government, you can rest assured you are speaking to a person who is not only exceptionally well educated and knowledgeable on a broad range of national issues but is in the top 1% of a pool of 1.5 billion people.
Moreover, China's government officials are all highly-educated and trained engineers, economists, sociologists, scientists, often at a Ph.D. level. Contrast this with the Western system where most politicians are either lawyers or those with no useful education.
We should also remember that the Chinese generally score about 10% higher on standard IQ tests than do Caucasian Westerners, and couple this with the Chinese process of weeding out all but the top 1% from consideration.
When you add further the prospect of doing your weeding from a pool of 1.5 billion people, you might expect China's Central Government to be rather better qualified than that of most other countries. And it is.
The point of this is to bring your attention to the disparity between the quality of 'politicians' in Western countries and China's government officials. The discrepancy is so vast that comparisons are largely meaningless.
Friends, Family and 'Connections'
There are some who will tell you that family connections in China can produce a government job for some favored son, a claim that may be true in some places though extremely difficult at the national level.
But no amount of 'connections' will move you into senior positions or to the top of decision-making power; those places are reserved for persons of deep experience and proven ability.
"Of the Communist Party’s highest ruling body, the 25-member Politburo, only seven came from any background of wealth or power.
The rest of them, including the president and the prime minister, were from ordinary backgrounds with no special advantages. They worked and competed all the way to the top. In the larger Central Committee, those with privileged backgrounds are even scarcer.
A visit to any top university campus in China would make it obvious to anyone that the Communist Party continues to attract the best and the brightest of the country’s youth.
In fact, China’s Communist Party may be one of the most meritocratic and upwardly mobile major political organizations in the world - far more meritocratic than the ruling elites of most Western countries and the vast majority of developing countries." (1)
Choosing the Nation's Leaders
Consider how it would be if a Western country could identify and assemble the 300 best, brightest, wisest, most educated and experienced people in the nation, men and women of great proportion whose depth and breadth of knowledge and ability were the envy of all. And consider this group selecting some to be their leaders - the Prime Minister, President, Cabinet members.
That's essentially how China does it. On what basis can we tell them their way is wrong? For Westerners to refer to this as a dictatorship is offensive and merely stupid.
How nice if our country has such high standards of education and entry requirements for government officials....but......
The truth is...the rot started from the past...grew somewhere, contaminated the education sector and gnawed at our country's human resources like a cancerous tumour in its final stage and now...has spread virally to so many, if not all, sectors!!!
What do you think? The revamp must come from the top, the leaders and most importantly, in the education system or else, we are likely to be doomed, if not ALREADY doomed.
What would happen if some are ruled by $$$ and not conscience?
What would happen if majority in a nation cannot:
- think independently and critically
- question
- analyze
- vocalize
- suggest
- identify
- evaluate
- assess
- and think for themselves what is told to them?
Just look at the current student population and you can have an idea of what lies ahead.
What would happen if there are students of calibre but they are NOT given opportunities? Yesterday evening, I met a tailor and his wife who lamented about how they sold their house to send their daughter for dentistry in India. I am not joking when I tell you that I cried when I heard the cry from their hearts.
They sold their home for 600 000RM and the daughter needs about 300 000RM. They still have two more children. And now, they do not have a home, looking for a house to rent, and worrying about their children's education. She scored 9As at SPM and 2B and 1 A in A levels but cannot get any scholarship except parents' scholarship. Those who can, don't get a chance and many who can't may not want to study even if given a chance.
Whither Malaysia?
Please leave a comment to share your views. Thanks!
Part 2 of this post will be posted at 3.30p.m. today. Please swing by again later.
Part 2 of this post will be posted at 3.30p.m. today. Please swing by again later.
I don't know about you but I am VERY tired of waiting for the next election. Please cut short our ordeal of waiting, speculating, postponing holidays etc and hold the elections asap. I'm fed up of the mudslinging and the misinformation given through many forms of media to make opponents look incompetent, immoral or useless not forgetting worn-out plots (especially sex videos) and over-used scripts. The recycling of sex video attacks is evidence of the state of neurons in the minds of some who are prime candidates of the competition for Air-Head of the Year. Don't they have any other thing to do apart from insulting our intelligence? Sighs...
It is about time responsible leaders exhort us to vote for the character of a candidate based on their campaign manifesto, aspirations, ideas and service record. To that end, each of us must take responsibility and do our homework by undertaking research to find out the background and worthiness of the candidates without being influenced by any other kind of political propaganda. Then only can we rightly vote for the best candidate.At the rate we are being fed on a staple diet of disinformation and misinformation, whither Malaysia?
CLICK HERE for a paper on misinformation.
This link reports that "an intriguing new study released last week in Psychological Science in the Public Interest reveals why people are more apt to believe false information being fed to them by the media and politicians.
According to the team of psychological scientists working on the study, led by Stephan Lewandowsky of the University of Western Australia, the main reason that people are more likely to believe false information (for example, that climate change is a hoax) is because it actually takes less brain power to believe a statement is false than to accept it as truth. Finding the truth takes time and effort that people often don’t care enough to spend on particular issues that aren’t of immediate concern.
A few excerpts from the report:
The main reason that misinformation is sticky, according to the researchers, is that rejecting information actually requires cognitive effort. Weighing the plausibility and the source of a message is cognitively more difficult than simply accepting that the message is true – it requires additional motivational and cognitive resources. If the topic isn’t very important to you or you have other things on your mind, misinformation is more likely to take hold.
And when we do take the time to thoughtfully evaluate incoming information, there are only a few features that we are likely to pay attention to: Does the information fit with other things I believe in? Does it make a coherent story with what I already know? Does it come from a credible source? Do others believe it?
Misinformation is especially sticky when it conforms to our preexisting political, religious, or social point of view. Because of this, ideology and personal worldviews can be especially difficult obstacles to overcome.
Even worse, efforts to retract misinformation often backfire, paradoxically amplifying the effect of the erroneous belief. CLICK HERE for more.
Time carried an article here which discusses the same research and why misinformation sticks and corrections can backfire.
Sora Sing's The Upside of Gossip: Social and Psychological Benefits discusses how engaging in behind-the-back talk actually had meaningful social benefits. It lowered gossipers’ stress, prevented exploitation and promoted more generous behavior.
This site also reported something interesting:
A new study about media misinformation and media users’ ignorance is only the latest wakeup call for anyone who worries that the American press has gone badly astray. From the summary of “Misinformation and the 2010 Election” comes this bottom line:
- The public is thoroughly cynical about political campaign advertising.
- Much of the public is misinformed about major issues.
- Fox News viewers are especially prone to believing things that are not true.
The report, from the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, won’t surprise anyone who’s been paying attention to national affairs and the media. We have an information crisis. Influence peddlers and opinion launderers can now spend unlimited amounts of money, much of it raised from anonymous sources, to push political issues and candidates. A system that has absolutely no accountability is almost guaranteed to become a sewer, and this one certainly has.
Meanwhile, “news” outlets are becoming not just advocates but outright partisans in the worst sense of the term. They treat policy as war, and in wars the truth comes second to winning.
In some respects, the survey is heartening. Nine in 10 voters believed they’d seen ads that were misleading or false, and more than half of the voters thought such ads were a frequent occurrence — and that the misinformation was accelerating. Why is this good news? Because the more skeptical people become about political ads, the more likely they are to disbelieve all political ads. It’s the only rational approach at this point, given our political system’s unwillingness to address the poison it spews, and I hope that by 2012 the public will have a universal belief that any political advertisement they see is probably a lie. MORE HERE.
The Washington Post says that misinformation is the norm at political conventions and discusses how "by its very nature, that means downplaying unpleasant facts, highlighting the positive and knocking down the opposing team."
So, what then should we do? Read carefully and cautiously. Think, analyze and then only accept it if you are fully convinced it is the truth.
Check out my post on The Politics of Misinformation.
When writing this post, I realized that so many types of governments have this problem. Then, why do even more succumb to both disinformation and misinformation???
In closing, allow me to quote from THIS BLOG:
Nothing affects the lives of average citizens than the pervasive, endemic, and widespread cronyism that has infected cities and states across the entire country, again, driven by the ability of corporatist cartels to buy off politicians with special favors, campaign contributions, lucrative jobs, and many times, old-fashioned bribery and influence peddling.
Nothing is more damaging to society than the existence of a two-tiered legal system, where average citizens are subjected to increasingly punishing and draconian laws, while the rich and powerful get pass or a slap on the wrist.
And finally, there are the issues related to our disappearing constitutional rights, the widespread expansion of a total-information-awareness surveillance security/police state, and again, a lot of it pushed by nefarious corporate interests, acting behind close doors, hidden from public scrutiny.
Something that should be very concerning to progressives is the trend on the so-called liberal media, which has now become obsessed with reporting on every single "outrage" committed by Republicans and the right wing. The reporting mainly serves to inflame emotions of the "liberal" viewers, but really have very little effect on addressing the real issues we should be confronting. CLICK HERE for more.
If there is any reason why the situation is so bleak in this land, it is largely due to the pathetic standards of education. Whoever it was that made all the wrong decisions effectively destroyed our human resources, the pool of leaders, thinkers and citizens who could together develop Malaysia.
Alas, with the slow death of the thinking mind and the manner in which we are losing our international or even regional competitiveness, I dread to think of the kind of messages and information that we may get in the future. Just take a look at how some politicians respond to citizens who express their concerns about mega projects. CLICK HERE to read a letter written by an old friend whom I have not seen for many years. Is it wrong to question when it appears that ome decisions seem to have been made without public consultation or EIA and then the public are confused about subsequent statements?
If you do have time, please read Lies, Damn Lies…and What We Believe Anyway by Jeff Cobb where he dargues that fundamentally, we need to place more emphasize than ever on developing and practicing good learning habits – like critical thinking and reflection – that prevent misinformation from making inroads in the first place.
As the report suggests, once the truth gets twisted, straightening it back out is no easy matter.
