Malay Mail: The Nik Aziz Brand

Tomyam and theocracy: “Nik Aziz has never seemed to be a mere politician, but the embodiment of a certain hope, a certain dignity.

The quote above from Amir Muhammad’s piece in the Malay Mail last Wednesday is certainly interesting; as with the article as a whole.

Well, anything written by Amir, who is my most favourite local writer, is bound to be that. Now this is someone oozing with so much writing talent… as with people like Elviza Michele Kamal, Mat Bangkai, Kak Teh, Puteri Kamaliah and a few local blessed others.

Anyway, let’s see Amir’s last piece in his “Pulp Friction” column in Malay Mail. He was in Kelantan recently, and among other things, he had bought a book that featured Nik Aziz… plus attended the Tok Guru’s Friday teachings at the Kelantan PAS at Jalan Dato’ Pati in the centre of Kota Bharu.

Have a look at the book’s cover:Almost everyone would have surmised this: “The book’s title is Telaga Budi, and it is written by Nik Aziz”.

Now this is something that I’ve seen quite often(which Amir Muhammad later discovered) – of entrepreneurs using/exploiting the reverence that people have for Nik Aziz to make a few ringgit.

The fact is, the book above wasn’t written by Nik Aziz. However, the publisher obviously wants the reader to have the impression that “this book has a lot of input from Nik Aziz” (it doesn’t). Isn't this… dishonesty?

Technorati Tags: Malay Mail,Amir Muhammad,Nik Aziz,Kelantan

  

Iran: The Great Twitter Kenching

Twitter and other social media applications were at the forefront - almost single-handedly mobilising `People Power' demonstrations to protest results of the Iran presidential elections. The government might be able to control other forms of communications, but they couldn't control Twitter, the critical tool of the masses which made these demonstrations what they are.

Well, the reports that were so enthusiastic and excited about Twitter were vastly exaggerated."Ethan Zuckerman, a Harvard University expert on the use of technology in the developing world, says don't believe the hype about how much social media is driving events in Iran. They're not". Instead, the demonstrators had disseminated and assembled by using old-fashion communications tools - SMS, text messaging, phone calls and face-to-face interactions. See this piece from NPR: Twitter, Social Media Role In Iran Is Hyped: Expert

CAPTION:Screenshot of Seesmic 0.3, a desktop client for Twitter. The most popular at present is TweetDeck. Both these programs require that you install Adobe Air first. If you really want to get serious with Twitter, you will have to try out what's called the "Twitter Tools" (like the two mentioned above). They can also be Web-based tools or browser plugins. Firefox has a few, like TwitterFox.

This is yet another example of why we should be more critical when receiving some exciting news. I'm a big fan of Twitter (@MatCendana) too but I was harbouring doubts as to the veracity of the reports that glorified Twitter's role in the demonstrations.

An article in Time magazine had even expounded "How Twitter will change the way we live". Sheesh! This one just goes to show that we should also not look up in awe of "western journalists and their independent publications...unlike the Mainstream Media". It's a fact that western and eastern, there are times when both might come up with inaccuracies.

What is NPR?
NPR (National Public Radio) is an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of non-commercial news, talk, and entertainment programming. A privately supported, not-for-profit membership organization, NPR serves a growing audience of 27.5 million Americans each week in partnership with more than 860 independently operated, non-commercial public radio stations. [Read more here...]

Technorati Tags: Iran,Twitter,NPR

Warning: Stay away from Cendana!

Or else you might suffer the same fate as this guy from Jitra, Kedah. I didn’t know that there are sandalwood trees in peninsular Malaysia.

But I do know that sandalwood is protected in many countries, including Malaysia and India. And with the Forestry department valuing the consignment that was confiscated here at RM920,000, it means the price for one kilogram is a cool RM5,000!

It is doubtful that the villager could have sold it at anything near that price – maybe not even for even one-tenth. That’s how things often go – the balachi does all the dirty work while the taukeh collects most of the rewards.

By the way, something interesting about that link at Wikipedia:

Sandalwood is the name for several fragrant woods. From the Sanskrit candanam the name is borrowed as the Greek sandanon. The local name in Indonesia and Malaysia is "Cendana" (pronounced approximately /tʃəndаna/ in IPA). In Kannada it is Sri Gandha and in Hindi it is Chandan. In Tamil it is called "santhanham" (சந்தணம்) and In Telugu it is called as "Ghandam".

The part of “The local name…” until “Ghandam” were written by me. No kidding – I’m cendana287 at Wikipedia. The great thing here is that someone else had come over and changed the pronunciation by using phonetic characters; which is better than what I had written previously. And another person had added the Sanskrit characters.

Now that’s the spirit of Wikipedia – helping to make things better!

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. Frank McKinney Hubbard

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Technorati Tags: Sandalwood,Wikipedia

Vernacular Schools: Want or Not; Nak ke Toksae?

There is a time for talking – to verbalise, articulate, pontificate, converse, dissertate, harangue, soliloquise… 

 

And there comes a time which the Kelantanese say, in exasperation sometimes, “Borbeh la keceknyo…”.

Yes, folks – it’s a time to roll up our sleeves and expect exertion, sweating, perhaps some agony too and whatever else – it’s time for ACTION.

When it comes to this matter of “National Unity”, it’s time for the latter – no more dilly-dallying, beating around the bush, sweeping things under the tikar mengkuang Enough of this crap.

And for those who have elevated themselves to be our leaders, it’s time to show your mettle. Plus courage and fortitude, for you will come up against a lot of opposition. 

If you are not up to it, there’s no real reason to have you in your exalted positions then, is there?

When it comes to this matter of Vernacular Schools - which many of us are convinced is a primary cause for the disunity among the races in Malaysia – it’s time to do something about it… the logical thing. And that is in having only One School for All.

Yes, no more Sekolah Menengah (Jawa) Jenis Kebangsaan Khir Toyo, Sekolah Rendah (Cina) Jenis Kebangsaan Pek Hoon, Sekolah Rendah (Tamil) Jenis Kebangsaan M.G.R, Sekolah Menengah (Arab) YaHabibeeeee…

CAPTION: Headmaster of Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Sitting Bull during the weekly assembly. Enough! Let’s have just ONE school.  

No, it’s not about “One race imposing its will against all the other races” – in this case, of “Malays killing off the Chinese and Indian schools”. Rather, it will be “Malaysians deciding whether we want to have these vernacular schools any longer”. And we’ll do it the democratic way, with campaigning and all, culminating in each one of us voting –

Yes, let’s have a Referendum as what Demi Negara has called for. No, it’s not KijangMas alone – it’s the Demi Negara COMMUNITY.

So how about it, folks? Or does anyone have a better idea?

Technorati Tags: Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua,One School for All,Demi Negara,Malaysia,National Unity

 

Bloggers: Cannibals, Pigs and Monkeys

…and a Magpie too. For some reason, this totally unrelated song title flashes in my mind; something from the early 70’s by the then-husband-and-wife, supposedly-duet Sonny & Cher – Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.

They divorced – Cher went on to further stardom while Sonny Bono became a Congressman. That’s quite something for both.

Anyway, our local SoPo Blogosphere has turned quite ugly, with this and that. And all because of… “You don’t agree with my opinions and what I support”. When we start to call names, sabotage one another, be the “batu api” cheerleaders, then we’re the equivalent of flesh-eating cannibals.

Here’s one picture of them. Which one are you? (I’m the guy with the camera):

And here’s one macabre and sickening picture:

Yes, it’s sickening when we go all out to drag down someone. Remember that hadith about “…like eating your own brother’s flesh”?

[END of LAMENT – Now to something better]

UPDATE 10 June 5:45 AM – I had come across this blog of A Piece of My Mind by Goh Wei Liang.

According to the Profile, he’s a student blogger from Perak, and holds a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University. Well, that’s not really too important because I’ve seen people with a PhD who are dumber than most of the uneducated old folks in my rural Kelantan kampung.

But what I’m attracted with is his independent and fair-minded thinking. And the fact that he’s not afraid to go against the grain – in his case against what we think is “what the Chinese have in mind”.

For example, his post of RPK and the blogosphere. Well, to some people (okay, Chinese and Indians mostly), these initials are almost sacred, and a Chinese blogger who dared to not side with him in anything and everything is often derided on Blogosphere.

Well, Goh Wei Liang here has my utmost respect. For me, it is people like him, De Minimis, Tony Yew and Michelle Yoon especially who give me hope that there might be a better, united Malaysia with mutual respect and cooperation than the apocalypse of racial disharmony that keeps entering my mind. 

Technorati Tags: Malaysia,Blogosphere,A Piece of My Mind,Goh Wei Liang