A Promise Already Not Kept

UPDATE:

JAG has made some corrections to the statement below:

1. There are 129 women candidates overall, not 128. (This is due to the difficulty in ascertaining the gender of a candidate just from the name alone.)
2. As pointed out by some commenters, Carol Chew and Teresa Kok are indeed standing in Seputeh, not Bukit Bintang.
3. There are 11 sexist MPs still being fielded, not 13. These are:
i. Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan)
ii. Mohamed bin Aziz (BN-Sri Gading)
iii. Badaruddin bin Amiruldin (BN-Jerai)
iv. Idris Haron (BN-Tangga Batu)
v. S. Samy Vellu (BN-Sungai Siput)
vi. Dr Mohamad Hayati bin Othman (PAS-Pendang)
vii. Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian)
viii. Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Permatang Berangan)
ix. Datuk Jasmin Mohamad (BN-Sungai Dua)
x. Tuan Haji Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar (BN-PBB-Santubong)
xi. Abdul Fatah Harun (PAS-Bukit Tuku)

The previous 6th Raja Dato’ Ahmad Zainuddin is not fielded in this election. He was Larut MP before. Dato’ Haji Muhamad is not contesting and Abdul Fatah Harun has moved from Rantau Panjang to Bukit Tuku (Kelantan state seat).


ORIGINAL POST:
Before the elections are even over, one promise has already been broken by all political parties. They have not fielded significantly more women candidates at all. Here's the analysis of the female candidates fielded by the Joint Action Group on Gender Equality (JAG).

Joint Action Group for Gender Equality
Press Statement
27 February 2008

Political Parties Have Not Achieved the 30% Quota for Women
in the 2008 General Election

The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) is disappointed that the percentage of women candidates nominated to stand at this 12th General Election is a dismal 8.2 percent of the total number of 1568 seats contested. This is a far cry from the Government’s target of ensuring at least 30 percent women in decision-making positions.

Only 128 women candidates are fielded to stand, out of a total 1568 parliamentary and state seats. While there is an increase all round in women candidates, but the increment of 2.2 per cent is still minimal (6.0% in 2004 and 8.2% in 2008).

JAG is also disappointed that political parties have chosen to pit one woman candidate against another. For example, in Bukit Bintang (Carol Chew, MCA and Teresa Kok, DAP); Lembah Pantai (Dato’ Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, UMNO and Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR); and Bukit Lanjan (Yong Dai Ying, Gerakan and Elizabeth Wong, PKR).

This defeats the objective of getting more women into politics. If the parties are serious about wanting more women in decision making positions, they should have nominated women in winnable seats which are the party strongholds.

The continued nomination of identified sexist MPs, in particular Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan), Mohamed bin Aziz (BN-Sri Gading), and Baharuddin bin Amiruldin (BN-Jerai) who have been repeat offenders over the past 10 years also constitute a disregard and disrespect for women voters.

JAG monitored the number of candidates for this 2008 General Election and the results are as follows:




Source: various newspapers, NST, The Star, The Sun, 25 February 2008. NST, **25 March 2004. Online Website: www.star.org.my (2008)

Several observations can be made and they are as follows:

1. More effort is definitely expected from the political parties. The promotion of at least 30 per cent for women at all levels of decision making process is an affirmative action and temporary measure. This policy is contained in Chapter 13 of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010). It is also a commitment echoed by the Prime Minister.

In YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi’s speech at the 2005 inaugural lecture of the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Women’s Institute of Management (W.I.M) annual lecture series, YAB said:

“When the history of the 21st century is recorded, let Malaysia be mentioned in the context of not only progress and achievement for the country, but also the advancement and empowerment and emancipation of women.”

1. Sexist MP, Datuk Mohamad Said Yusuf, Jasin has been dropped from the 2008 Election. This is a victory for the JAG’s campaign against sexism and discrimination at the Parliament. However, there are still thirteen (13) more sexist MPs who have been nominated for this General Election. They are:

i. YB Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan)
ii. YB Mohamed bin Aziz (BN-Sri Gading)
iii. YB Badaruddin bin Amiruldin (BN-Jerai)
iv. YB Idris Haron (BN-Tangga Batu)
v. YB S. Samy Vellu (BN-Sungai Siput)
vi. YB Raja Dato’ Ahmad Zainuddin bin Raja Haji Omar (BN-Larut)
vii. YB Dr Mohamad Hayati bin Othman (PAS-Pendang)
viii. YB Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian)
ix. YB Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Permatang Berangan)
x. YB Datuk Jasmin Mohamad (BN-Sungai Dua)
xi. Timbalan Yang di-Pertua Dato’ Haji Muhamad bin Abdullah
xii. Tuan Haji Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar (BN-PBB-Santubong)
xiii. YB Abdul Fatah Harun (PAS-Rantau Panjang)

2. As mentioned, women candidates are being pitted against one another. It is unfortunate that political parties view this as a “sexy” election ‘strategy’. This gives voters the false hope that the political parties are championing for women’s rights and equality. Yet if we assess their performance for this election, they have hardly reached the 30% mark. Fielding a woman candidate against another is also counter productive as it cuts back the affirmative action of pushing for at least 30% women representation in Parliament or the State Assemblies.

3. Women candidates are placed in “difficult” seats and not WINNABLE seats. In the case of Lembah Pantai and Seputeh, young women are pitted against strong women incumbents.

Given the many obstacles women face in the political arena, a temporary measure is not just in increasing numbers but making sure these women will win these seats. Most of these women candidates are contesting for the first time and are armed with very little experience to deal with the challenges of the election.

4. Women candidates are not featured well in the Media. They are portrayed as either young against the old (Nurul Izzah Anwar and Dato Seri Shahrizat) or as service-only MPs (Chew Mei Fun, Theresa Kok). This tends to belittle the issues that they represent.

5. There is a significant increase in PAS women candidates, from only nine candidates to fifteen candidates in this election – an increase of 40%. Seven women are contesting for the Parliament seats in 2008, when there was only one woman for Parliament in 2004.

JAG would also like to stress that numbers are not the only effective indicators. Participation of women has to go beyond numbers and to move towards a qualitative transformation of women in shaping national decision making processes.

Following the 12th General Elections, JAG urges the political parties to nominate more women into local councils. At the moment, women appointed at the local authority level are only 12.5 per cent.

Before and during the next general elections, some temporary measures that political parties can take will include enabling factors such as:

∑ Train women in leadership skills and knowledge.

∑ Conduct gender awareness programmes with men and women. This will enable every party member to understand women’s realities, especially in women’s quest for political leadership. The programmes will also prepare them to be more accepting of women taking on leadership roles by overcoming social and cultural barriers. Field women candidates in winnable seats while veterans should take on the challenge to contest in tougher constituencies.

∑ Allocate more human and monetary resources to increase the outreach of women candidates

The media can also play a role and allocate more space and air time on stories on these women candidates

JAG looks forward to having more women in the parliament, state assemblies and local councils as women in public life are important to democratic change and gender equality.


Issued by
Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG)
Pusat Janadaya (Empower)
Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)
Sisters in Islam (SIS)
All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
Women’s Centre for Change (WCC), Penang

__________________________________________________________________________________

JAG's call for the temporary measure of having reserved seats for women is not without precedent. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have had reserved seats in national, state and local aseemblies for almost as long as they have been independent nations. The result has meant that more women have been able to participate in decisionmaking at all levels.In Bangladesh in the 1997 union council elections, 13000 women were elected to fill the seats reserved for women. In India, reserved seats have allowed more than 1 million women to participate in decisionmaking at the grassroots level.In Pakistan, the 2000-2001 local government elections brought in 42,049 women into local governments.

There are still many problems with these provisions because women face many challenges in participating meaningfully due to financial, class and other socio-cultural constraints. Men have remained in control in many cases by ensuring that the reserved seats for women are taken by women within their control, for instance wives and daughters who are economically dependent on them. Women often find themselves kept out of meetings and their participation limited to what are seen as only women's issues. More educated elite women get elected than those who are poor, thus issues of poorer communities are often not addressed adequately. Still, on the whole, the reserved seats have contributed to greater participation of women in the political life of their countries and have benefitted local communities by stressing social programmes such as literacy and micro-credit.

But the important point is this: the Indian, Pakistan and Bangladeshi governments had as their starting point a conviction that women and other minorities needed to be represented in legislative and decisionmaking bodies.They recognised that without some form of affirmative action, the playing field is just not level enough to ensure that everyone has an equal chance. So seats for women are reserved ( as are seats for minority groups) until the day comes when people are convinced and confident enough of the abilities of women to represent them to no longer look at their sex before they are chosen.

Given the clear disproportion between the numbers of women in our population and their representation in elected bodies, perhaps it is time we really looked at reserved seats. 8.2% of seats, and that's assuming that all of the women win (which in cases where they are pitted against other women, they won't), is a pittance, when women are almost 50% of the population. It also explains why laws that benefit women either take forever to pass, or are not passed at all.

Besides it's the 21st century...why be so last century?

Election resource centre

My fellow-blogger/photographer TV Smith has put together a really great resource centre on the elections here. It's a one-stop centre for all the party manifestos, candidate lists, all sorts of websites related to the elections, candidates with blogs, bloggers writing on the elections...it's breathtaking the amount of information he's collated. Thanks so much, TV!

Elections, oh elections...

Since we are now in the thick of elections already, I thought it pertinent before I truly start commenting on the elections to set out where I'm coming from. Anyone who's followed my column in The Star for the past 18 years or so will know that by and large I try and stay neutral on political issues. I take up the cudgels with whoever I think is not saying or doing the right thing, regardless of party affiliation. A prime example is the issue of HIV/AIDS or on women's rights where everyone gets a taste of my bite if they say the wrong thing.

I know people like to make assumptions about me, based on my familial connections. Not all these assumptions are fair, because anyone who's followed me all these years will know that, to say the least, I have an independent streak. So to say "if the father is like that, the daughter must be too" is a bit too simple. For one thing, I'm not even an UMNO member, never have been, never will be. And in case anyone gets too excited, I have no interest in joining any other political party either. I just have this thing against political parties; they all have a tendency to be a bit like organised religions where dissent is not tolerated and dissenters condemned to hell.

So I don't represent anyone except myself. If anyone agrees with me, that is welcomed but purely coincidental. If anyone doesn't, well, that's normal and to be expected. I only wish people had less problems with me disagreeing with them, than I have with them disagreeing with me. :-)

Anyway, this GE is probably the first one that I am taking a real active interest in. Believe it or not, I have never been on an election campaign. My father never encouraged nor discouraged me, but certainly he's never asked if I wanted to tag along. I rather regret it, quite honestly, because it seems like an experience that I should have had, given the long time he was in office. But that's water under the bridge now.

All the same, it's not such a bad thing because now I can go around and observe this GE without having the burden of being the PM's daughter on my shoulders. That's a relief. Of course I have a brother who's contesting but like my father, I am not campaigning for him though as a sister I want to lend moral support. I expect everyone who has a sibling or other family member contesting would do that.

I know some of the things I've been saying here have been used by the Opposition to support their cause. I'd like to state here that this does not mean I support the Opposition. For one thing, they are certainly being selective on what they interpret as my support. I doubt very much if they'd be impressed with some of the comments I've made on the Islamic NGOs for example. So let it not be said that MarinaM has gone over to the other side. The 'other side' still has plenty they would like to tar and feather me for.

But I can see how my continual criticism of the BN lot can be seen as support of the Opposition. But since I'm not a member of any of the BN component parties, I don't see why I can't, as a citizen, say what I feel about them. I mean, can anyone think of anything nice to say about Zam? I am far from being alone in criticising Zam, or Nazri, or KJ or Azalina, for that matter. So why is it such a big deal what I say about them?

Maybe some people are wishfully thinking that what I say reflects what my father thinks. Well, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Up to you to decide when. But I wouldn't dare presume to represent him. As you know, he's more than capable of taking care of himself.

So...I'm going to say what I want here because after all, it's my blog. My reaction to anything in this campaign is going to be, like everyone else, based on what I read and hear. If the BN gets more airtime and press space than anyone else, well that just sets them up for more gaffes for me to pick on.

And I will state upfront that there are some people I want to see lose, both on the BN and Opposition side. That doesn't necessarily mean I support their opponents, just that I think some people have no business being in elected office.

More later, folks.

And We're Off!

Folks, I am off to the world's biggest democracy today (which, by the way, my American friends, is India and not the US) so have not had time to peruse the nomination lists and comment. But some quick observations.

Malaysiakini reported that there were all sorts of attempts by candidates from all parties to disqualify their opponents, including objections to lack of fullstops and 'bin' on nomination papers. Which is quite funny. But certainly not as stupid as the people who tried to field a bankrupt as a candidate in Kelantan who then got disqualified, thus giving PAS not only its first win but its first woman candidate! How's that for irony?

A quick glance at the names seems to reveal that there are a lot of women candidates this time. Many women's NGOs, including the National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO) had written to all political parties and the state party heads to field more women this time. Most listened but one state didn't; Perlis. They fielded one woman candidate for a few hours and then took it away from her and gave it to a man (who happens to be the MB's brother...). They also took away a state seat from a former woman representative and gave it to HER brother. So overall, poor show, Perlis!!!

OK, I have a flight to catch. Hope to post something later.

Guess He's Got Nothing to Lose Now...

AP Interview: Election chief says media bias will make Malaysia polls a laughingstock

The Associated Press

Friday, February 22, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The Election Commission in Malaysia needs more power to prevent one-sided campaign coverage in local media or the entire electoral system will become a "laughingstock," the commission's chairman said Friday.

Top election official Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahim's comments appeared to lend rare support to opposition complaints of pro-government bias in the press.

"If you want free and fair elections, if you want a level playground ... you must be able to have that power to level that playground," Abdul Rahim, head of the Election Commission, said in an interview ahead of the March 8 general elections.

"Without that power, then the whole system becomes a laughingstock," he said. The commission must be able "to control the media when they take sides."

It is rare for any official connected with the electoral process to speak so candidly about the media bias. The comments are even more surprising coming from Abdul Rashid, who has been criticized by opposition parties for refusing to acknowledge that voting irregularities occur in the country.

"In an election you have to produce what is called an informed choice. That's the principle. People must know who is contesting so publicity must be given to all, not just one section. And there are media bodies that take only one side," he told The Associated Press.

The mainstream media in Malaysia are either government-owned or controlled by the parties in the ruling coalition. They also need annually renewable government licenses to operate. This has ensured that virtually every newspaper and television station broadcasts flattering reports of the government. The opposition rarely gets a good mention in the papers.

The Election Commission is supposed to be an independent body, whose members are appointed by the constitutional monarch. But it is largely seen as a pro-government panel that has done little to promote electoral fairness.

Abdul Rashid indicated his hands are tied, saying the commission is in charge only of the electoral rolls and the polling process and has no power to control other irregularities, including vote-buying.

The laws need to be changed to give the commission more muscle, he said.

"Our (electoral) laws have been there for 50 years. After 50 years, I feel there must be some kind of review," he said. "There must be a law ... put in place where the EC is seen to be in full control."

Despite his frank comments that will likely be welcomed by the opposition, Abdul Rashid insisted that the electoral process itself is free, fair and transparent.

He dismissed allegations that electoral rolls, which are vetted by the Election Commission, are filled with names of dead people and people living in other constituencies. These names are used by bogus voters deployed by the ruling party, critics say.

"That never happens here. It cannot happen because the process — the polling, the counting and so on — is so transparent," he said.

"Cheating has never been proven anywhere in this country," he said, adding that the few incidents of fraud that may have taken place have been so minor that they didn't affect election results.

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Copyright © 2008 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com

**********************************************************************************
Last January I posted an article that talked about how Election Commissions should be strengthened in order to ensure fair elections.

Cybertrooper Queen Shakes Her Spear!

All about sports: Azalina having a kick about with the students after the ground breaking ceremony for the satellite centre at the Bandar Penawar Sports School in Kota Tinggi Thursday.


Nation
Friday February 22, 2008

Bloggers slammed

KOTA TINGGI: Rumour-mongering bloggers are cowards and a nuisance to Umno, said Pengerang MP Datuk Seri Azalina Othman.

Azalina, who is Youth and Sports Minister, said the opposition parties were using the blogs because they know that the Home Affairs Ministry was busy monitoring reports in the mainstream media. (Aha! She admits it!!! They ARE controlling the mainstream media!)

“They think they can get away with it but it is not the case as they too are being monitored,” she said after launching the National Sports Institute satellite centre here. (By her inept cybertroopers?)

Asked on the personal attacks against her, Azalina said it was part and parcel of politics.

“The most important thing is that the leadership knows your capability and wants to retain you. (including the capability to waste money on expensive sports centres overseas?)

“I get more pahala (blessings) everyday with all the lies spread about me, especially by bloggers,” she said.

On talk of infighting in Pengerang Umno especially between her and division chief Datuk Harun Abdullah, Azalina said people could say a lot of things but there was no problem.

“I still see him and I still shake his hand,” she said.

Azalina said she would contest in a seat to be decided by the Barisan Nasional leadership.

“I am a soldier and if the boss asks me to go to war, then I will,” she said. (A war against whom, Aza?)

On the satellite centres, she said seven would be constructed nationwide this year. Each centre costs about RM2mil.

The Taliban Demands

Folks, our friendly neighbourhood mullah-wannabes would like you to consider their demands:

PRESS RELEASE: 20 FEBRUARI 2008 / 13 SAFAR 1429H

MALAYSIA'S 12TH GENERAL ELECTION: ISLAMIC NGOs ELECTION DEMANDS


In view of the upcoming general election, Malaysia's Islamic NGOs exercise their democratic right by calling upon political parties, election candidates and the future state and federal government to address issues concerning the interests of Islam, Muslim society and the nation. The calls for a responsive government which is receptive to the aspiration of the people and the Muslim majority contained in a document called "Malaysia's 12th General Election: Islamic NGOs Election Demands". The document is a product of a consensus reached through a series of consultation among Malaysia's main Islamic NGOs including Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA), Syari'e Lawyers Association of Malaysia (PGSM), Allied Coordinating Council of Islamic NGOs (ACCIN), Wadah Pencerdasan Umat (WADAH), Muafakat Masyarakat Malaysia (MUAFAKAT) and Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA), Persatuan Ulama' Malaysia (PUM), Teras Pengupayaan Umat (TERAS). (See the full list below).

The document comprises a host of demands which fall under six main items, namely the special constitutional position of Islam; Islamic education and da'wah (call to Islam); good governance; democracy and civil society; inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations; and Islamic faith and morals. Following are the summary of the demands:

1. Special Constitutional Position of Islam

• Defend the position of Islam as the Religion of the Federation under Article 3 of the Federal Constitution.
• Assert the significant role of Islam in the state and rejects the notion of Malaysia as a secular state.
• Defend and strengthen the position and jurisdiction of Syariah Courts under Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution.
• Legislate laws controlling the propagation of non-Muslim religions among the Muslims in Sabah, Sarawak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang and Federal Territories as provided by Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution.
• Enhance the level of professionalism among the staff of Islamic agencies.
• Legislate Halal Food and Processing Act as a means to govern halal industry and enhance the enforcement of halal requirements.
• Take stern action against employers who prevent employees from practicing their Islamic religious duties at work.
• Prosecute those who cause religious disharmony, especially by making offensive remarks against Islam, under Section 298A of the Penal Code.



2. Islamic Education and Da'wah

• Increase the learning period of Islamic subjects in national primary and secondary schools.
• Set up Islamic higher learning and research institutions in specific fields such as education, technology and management.
• Guarantee academic and intellectual freedom by giving autonomous status to the universities.
• Re-instate and increase the per-capita aid to People's Religious Schools (Sekolah Agama Rakyat, SAR) and provide free textbooks to students of these schools.
• Re-introduce the teaching of Mathematics and Science in Malay at national schools.
• The Ministry of Education to allow excellent students from private religious schools to enrol in boarding schools under the supervision of the ministry and the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).
• Extend the provision of government scholarships, which are currently enjoyed by Malay students, to non-Malay Muslim students.
• Increase the number of recipients of the Public Service Department's scholarship award to Muslim students to further their studies abroad.
• The Ministry of Education to continue encouraging Islamic practices in schools.
• Provide special allocation to Islamic NGOs to carry out Islamic educational activities.
• The Ministry of Information to be sensitive toward the feelings of Muslim majority in devising broadcast policies; prioritize television programs that contribute to the development of a moral society; increase the number of Islamic education programs; and stop airing entertainment programs that promote hedonistic culture.
• Private television stations must adhere to the National Culture Policy and the National Education policy in selecting their programs.

3. Good Governance

• Step up the efforts to curb graft and abuse of powers among public officials.
• Appoint public officials among those who are free from graft, abuse of power and immoral conduct.
• Foster the internalization of Islamic values among civil servants.
• Public officials to make public declaration of their assets.
• Appoint senators among the leaders Islamic NGOs to oversee the implementation of Islamic policies and promote the welfare of Muslims.

4. Civil Society and Democracy

• Ensure that elections are clean, free and fair.
• Select election candidates among those who are of high integrity, good conduct and able.
• Ensure that the government exercises its powers in accordance with the rule of law and the constitution.
• Widen the democratic space in order to allow civil society institutions to contribute to social empowerment and nation building.


5. Inter-Ethnic and Inter-Religious Relations

• Enhance commitment to religious and racial harmony.
• Reject political parties and politicians who disregard special position of Islam in Malaysia and those who advocate the secular understanding of absolute religious freedom.
• Strictly enforce laws on the building of houses of worship irrespective of religions.
• Ensure that the sensitivities of local residents be taken into consideration before a house of worship is built in the area.
• Form a special committee comprising the representatives of Muslim organizations and local authorities to deliberate on applications to build non-Muslim houses of worship in Muslim-majority residential area.

6. Islamic Faith and Morals

• Reject the notion of religious pluralism which claims that all religions are the same.
• Reject the use of specific Islamic terms like "Allah", "Ka'abah","Baitullah" and "Solat" to refer to certain dissimilar concepts in non-Muslim religions.
• Increase the number of religious enforcement officers and their level of professionalism.
• Strictly enforce the existing laws on religious and moral crimes.

The full document can be accessed at www.MYISLAMNETWORK.NET

The Islamic NGOs Election Demands are endorsed by the following organizations:


PERTUBUHAN-PERTUBUHAN PEMBELA ISLAM (PEMBELA)*ALLIED COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF ISLAMIC NGOs (ACCIN)*AKADEMI AIDIT*AL-HUNAFA*AL-ISLAH, BANDAR BARU SUNGAI BULOH*ALUMNI KOLEJ ISLAM KELANG (ALKIS)* ANGKATAN BELIA ISLAM MALAYSIA (ABIM)* BADAN NADWAH ISLAMIAH PAHANG*BADAN UGAMA & KEBAJIKAN MARA*DARUS SYIFA'*FORUM BERTINDAK ANTI MURTAD *FUTURE GLOBAL NETWORK (FGN)*FORUM PENYELARASAN UMAT [15 NGO GABUNGAN PULAU PINANG]*GABUNGAN MAHASISWA ISLAM SEMENANJUNG (GAMIS)* GAPETA*HALUAN* IKATAN INTELEKTUAL MUDA ISLAM (IIMI)*IKATAN MUSLIM MALAYSIA (ISMA)*IKATAN PENGKAJIAN ISLAM PAHANG (IKATAN)*ILMUAN*INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM IMAN NETWORK (IMAN)* MUSLIM WOMEN UNION (IMWU)*ISLAMIC INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOUNDATION (IIS)* ISLAMIC OUTREACH ABIM (IOA)*ISLAMIC PROPAGATION SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL, PENANG (IPSI)*JAMAAH DAKWAH & ISLAH (JADID)*JAMAAH ISLAH MALAYSIA (JIM)* JARINGAN SISWAZAH MUSLIM MALAYSIA (JASA)*KELAB AL-QURAN AL-KARIM, BANGI*KELAB HARAPAN, YAYASAN HARAPAN*KELAB REMAJA ISLAH MALAYSIA (KARISMA)*KESATUAN PELAJAR ISLAM JOHOR (KPIJ)*KESATUAN PELAJAR ISLAM PERAK (KPIP)*KHALIFAH INSTITUTE*KEPENTINGAN BANGSA (KKB)*MADRASAH HIDAYATUL MUSTAQIM, SELAYANG BARU*MAJLIS TINDAKAN INDIA MUSLIM MALAYSIA* MARKAZ DAKWAH AL-ISLAMIAH AL-ANSAR, KUALA SELANGOR*MASJID BUKIT INDAH* MASJID JAMEK PAKISTAN*MUSLIM BROTHERS, SHAH ALAM*MUSLIM CARE* MUSLIM PROFESIONAL FORUM BERHAD (MPF)*NGO ISLAM CASMARIA, BATU CAVES*PEGUAM PEMBELA ISLAM (PPI)*PERKIM*PERSATUAN AL-HIDAYAH*PERSATUAN DARUL FITRAH MALAYSIA*PERSATUAN FALAK SYARIE MALAYSIA*PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN ISLAM MALAYSIA (PERKIM BANGSAR)*PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN PEKERJA ISLAM, TNB (PKPI-TNB)* PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN PELAJAR ISLAM SARAWAK (PERKEPIS) PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN PELAJAR ISLAM W.P (PERTIWI)*PERSATUAN KEBANGSAAN PELAJAR ISLAM MALAYSIA (PKPIM)*PERSATUAN MAHASISWA AKADEMI PENGAJIAN ISLAM UNI. MALAYA*PERSATUAN MAHASISWA ISLAM UNIVERSITI MALAYA (PMIUM)* PERSATUAN PEGUAM MUSLIM MALAYSIA*PERSATUAN PEGUAM SYARIE MALAYSIA (PGSM)*PERSATUAN PELAJAR ISLAM KELANTAN (PPIK)*PERSATUAN PEMBIMBING ISLAM PUALAU PINANG (PEMBIMBING)*PERSATUAN PEMBIMBING PELAJAR ISLAM KELANTAN (PPIK)*PERSATUAN PENDIDIK INSAN NEGERI SEMBILAN (PPINS)*PERSATUAN PENDUDUK PENDUDUK KAMPUNG BATU MUDA TAMBAHAN*PERSATUAN PENGUSAHA RESTORAN MUSLIM MALAYSIA (PRESMA)*PERSATUAN SERUAN ISLAM SELANGOR DAN WP (JAMI'YAH)* PERSATUAN ULAMA ISLAM (PUM)*PERTUBUHAN AL-NIDAA'*PERTUBUHAN CINA MUSLIM MALAYSIA (MACMA)*PERTUBUHAN KEBAJIKAN & DAKWAH ISLAMIAH MALAYSIA (PEKIDA)*PERTUBUHAN MUAFAKAT SEJAHTERA MASYARAKAT MALAYSIA (MUAFAKAT)*PERTUBUHAN SINAR DAMSYIK MALAYSIA (PSDM)*RESEARCH & INFORMATION CENTER ON ISLAM (RICOI)*SURAU AL-AMIN, BANDAR TUN HUSSIEN ONN SURAU AL-ANSAR, TAMAN SRI RAMPAI, SETAPAK*SURAU AL-IKHWAN BANDAR BARU SUNGAI BULOH*SURAU MUHAMMAD AL-FATIH KG BATU MUDA TAMBAHAN, KL*TERAS PENGUPAYAAN MELAYU (TERAS)*WADAH PENCERDASAN UMAT (WADAH)*YAYASAN BASMI KEMISKINAN (YBK)* KAJIAN & STRATEGIK MELATU (YKSM)*YAYASAN MUSLIMIN* YAYASAN PEMBANGUNAN UMMAH (YPU).

[ The list shall be updated and change from time to time.]

Well, you know what is going to happen if any candidate they endorse wins...

Keeping Up With Election News

Three former journalists from The Edge, Jacqueline Ann Surin, Cindy Tham and Danny Lim have started a new online news site dedicated to covering the General Elections 'as independently and fairly' as possible. It's called Malaysia Votes.com; do take a look.

Bloggers Not Culturally Appropriate???

Bashing Govt In Blogs Not Malaysian Culture - Rais

KUALA LUMPUR Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Bloggers should evaluate themselves before indulging in an unhealthy culture of bashing others, including government leaders, through their blogsites, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said.

He said although government bashing in the blogsites was among the challenges faced by the Barisan Nasional (BN) in facing the general election, it was not the nature of BN leaders to resort to using blogsites to attack others in their campaigns to win the elections.

"They (bloggers) condemn the prime minister, ministers and other members of the administration but not themselves. As the Malay adage goes, it's pointing the forefinger to the front and thumb to your chest.

"I am saying that you should look at your own heart to see if it is clean. If it is not, then don't bash others in your blogs," he said after launching a book and compact disc, "Aku Dia dan Lagu-Lagu Nostalgia", by Yusnor Ef at Aswara (National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy) here today.

"Nowadays, not only the bloggers are having a mental block (disturbed) but the PAS' spiritual leader's mind too is blocked (unstable) when he equated Umno members to orang utan.

"The bloggers are getting bolder, but I see it this way -- the general election is the season for condemning or "killing" others with words but this is not BN culture. I suggest that they attend courses on good manners as good manners is Malaysian culture."


-- BERNAMA

***********************************************************************************

I say, things must be bad if the normally cultured Dr Rais is driven to such petulant drivel too! Since when is being critical of the government, in whatever form, whether in the media, at coffeeshops or in blogs, not Malaysian culture? Are critics simply people with bad manners?

And who says the BN are not using blogsites to attack others? Sure they are! Not with their own blogsites but by going into other people's blogs and commenting. Very easily spotted because they have very little to say of any intelligence beyond insulting anyone who doesn't agree with them.

As far as having a clean heart before criticising others, I respectfully suggest that Dr Rais please take a cold hard look at some of his own colleagues and see how clean their hearts ( and hands) are first.

If any of this sounds familiar...

Generation Faithful

Stifled, Egypt’s Young Turn to Islamic Fervor

Shawn Baldwin for The New York Times
HELPING HAND A charity paid for dozens of couples to wed last fall in Idku, Egypt. Many young Egyptians cannot afford to marry and set up a household.

By MICHAEL SLACKMAN

Published: February 17, 2008

CAIRO — The concrete steps leading from Ahmed Muhammad Sayyid’s first-floor apartment sag in the middle, worn down over time, like Mr. Sayyid himself. Once, Mr. Sayyid had a decent job and a chance to marry. But his fiancée’s family canceled the engagement because after two years, he could not raise enough money to buy an apartment and furniture.

Mr. Sayyid spun into depression and lost nearly 40 pounds. For months, he sat at home and focused on one thing: reading the Koran. Now, at 28, with a diploma in tourism, he is living with his mother and working as a driver for less than $100 a month. With each of life’s disappointments and indignities, Mr. Sayyid has drawn religion closer.

Here in Egypt and across the Middle East, many young people are being forced to put off marriage, the gateway to independence, sexual activity and societal respect. Stymied by the government’s failure to provide adequate schooling and thwarted by an economy without jobs to match their abilities or aspirations, they are stuck in limbo between youth and adulthood.

“I can’t get a job, I have no money, I can’t get married, what can I say?” Mr. Sayyid said one day after becoming so overwhelmed that he refused to go to work, or to go home, and spent the day hiding at a friend’s apartment.

In their frustration, the young are turning to religion for solace and purpose, pulling their parents and their governments along with them.

With 60 percent of the region’s population under the age of 25, this youthful religious fervor has enormous implications for the Middle East. More than ever, Islam has become the cornerstone of identity, replacing other, failed ideologies: Arabism, socialism, nationalism.

The wave of religious identification has forced governments that are increasingly seen as corrupt or inept to seek their own public redemption through religion. In Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco and Algeria, leaders who once headed secular states or played down religion have struggled to reposition themselves as the guardians of Islamic values. More and more parents are sending their children to religious schools, and some countries have infused more religious content into their state educational systems.

More young people are observing stricter separation between boys and girls, sociologists say, fueling sexual frustrations. The focus on Islam is also further alienating young people from the West and aggravating political grievances already stoked by Western foreign policies. The religious fervor among the young is swelling support for Islam to play a greater role in political life. That in turn has increased political repression, because many governments in the region see Islamic political movements as a threat to their own rule.

While there are few statistics tracking religious observance among the young, there is near-universal agreement that young people are propelling an Islamic revival, one that has been years in the making but is intensifying as the youth bulge in the population is peaking.

In Egypt, where the people have always been religious and conservative, young people are now far more observant and strict in their interpretation of their faith. A generation ago, for example, few young women covered their heads, and few Egyptian men made it a practice to go to the mosque for the five daily prayers. Now the hijab, a scarf that covers the hair and neck, is nearly universal, and mosques are filled throughout the day with young men, and often their fathers.

In 1986, there was one mosque for every 6,031 Egyptians, according to government statistics. By 2005, there was one mosque for every 745 people — and the population has nearly doubled.

Egypt has historically fought a harsh battle against religious extremism. But at the same time, its leaders have tried to use religion for their own political gains. The government of President Hosni Mubarak — whose wife, Suzanne, remains unveiled — has put more preachers on state television. Its courts have issued what amount to religious decrees, and Mr. Mubarak has infused his own speeches with more religious references.

“The whole country is taken by an extreme conservative attitude,” said Mohamed Sayed Said, deputy director of the government-financed Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. “The government cannot escape it and cannot loosen it.”

Anger and Shame


Shawn Baldwin for The New York Times
Ahmed Muhammad Sayyid, center, praying at a Cairo mosque, has drawn religion closer after many disappointments.

Depression and despair tormented dozens of men and women in their 20s interviewed across Egypt, from urban men like Mr. Sayyid to frustrated village residents like Walid Faragallah, who once hoped education would guarantee him social mobility. Their stifled dreams stoke anger toward the government.

“Nobody cares about the people,” Mr. Sayyid said, slapping his hands against the air, echoing sentiment repeated in many interviews with young people across Egypt. “Nobody cares. What is holding me back is the system. Find a general with children and he will have an apartment for each of them. My government is only close to those close to the government.”

Mr. Sayyid, like an increasing number of Egyptians, would like Islam to play a greater role in political life. He and many others said that the very government that claimed to elevate and emphasize their faith was insincere and hypocritical.

“Yes, I do think that Islam is the solution,” Mr. Sayyid said, quoting from the slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned but tolerated organization in Egypt that calls for imposing Shariah, or Islamic law, and wants a religious committee to oversee all matters of state. “These people, the Islamists, they would be better than the fake curtain, the illusion, in front of us now.”

Mr. Sayyid’s resigned demeanor masks an angry streak. He said he and his friends would sometimes enter a restaurant, order food, then refuse to pay. They threaten to break up the place if the police are called, intimidating the owners. He explains this as if to prove he is a victim. He tells these stories with anger, and shame, then explains that his prayers are intended as a way to offset his sins.

“Yeah, like thugs,” he said of himself and his friends. “When we were younger, we watched the older guys do this, and then we took over. We inherited it.”

Mr. Sayyid, however, is no Islamic radical, combing militant Web sites and preaching jihad.

He could walk unnoticed in the West. He has a gap-toothed smile, rounded shoulders and a head of black hair that often shines from gel. He likes to wear jeans, and sandals with white socks. He often has a touch of a goatee, and a light shadow of calloused skin — barely noticeable — runs from his hairline to the middle of his forehead. The shadow is his prayer mark, or zebibah, which he has earned from pressing his head into the ground each time he bows in prayer.

Like most religious young people, Mr. Sayyid is not an extremist. But with religious conservatism becoming the norm — the starting point — it is easier for extremists to entice young people over the line. There is simply a larger pool to recruit from and a shorter distance to go, especially when coupled with widespread hopelessness.

“There are lots of psychological repercussions and rejection from society,” said Hamdi Taha, a professor of communications at Al Azhar University who runs a government-aligned charity that stages mass weddings for older low-income couples. “This is actually one of the things that could lead one to terrorism. They despair. They think maybe they get nothing in this world, but they will get something in the other life.”

Obstacles to Marriage

In Egypt and in other countries, like Saudi Arabia, governments help finance mass weddings, because they are concerned about the destabilizing effect of so many men and women who can not afford to marry.

The mass weddings are hugely festive, with couples, many in their late 30s and 40s, allowed to invite dozens of family members and friends. Last year, Mr. Taha said, he had about 6,000 applications for help — and managed to aid 2,300 men and women. In Idku, a small city not far from Alexandria on Egypt’s north coast, Mr. Taha’s charity staged a wedding for more than 65 couples; 200 others received help but decided not to take part in the collective wedding late last year.

The couples were ferried to an open-air stadium in 75 cars donated by local people. They were greeted by a standing-room-only, roaring crowd, flashing neon lights, traditional music, the local governor and a television celebrity who served as the master of ceremonies for the event.

“They are encouraging the youth to settle down and preventing them for doing anything wrong,” said Mona Adam, 26, as she watched her younger sister, Omnia, marry. “Any young man or woman aspires to have a home and a family.”

Across the Middle East, marriage is not only the key to adulthood but also a religious obligation, which only adds to the pressure — and the guilt.

“Marriage and forming a family in Arab Muslim countries is a must,” said Azza Korayem, a sociologist with the National Center for Social and Criminal Studies. “Those who don’t get married, whether they are men or women, become sort of isolated.”

Marriage also plays an important financial role for families and the community. Often the only savings families acquire over a lifetime is the money for their children to marry, and handing it over amounts to an intergenerational transfer of wealth.

But marriage is so expensive now, the system is collapsing in many communities. Diane Singerman, a professor at American University, said that a 1999 survey found that marriage in Egypt cost about $6,000, 11 times annual household expenditures per capita. Five years later, a study found the price had jumped 25 percent more. In other words, a groom and his father in the poorest segment of society had to save their total income for eight years to afford a wedding, she reported.

The result is delayed marriages across the region. A generation ago, 63 percent of Middle Eastern men in their mid- to late 20s were married, according to recent study by the Wolfensohn Center for Development at the Brookings Institution and the Dubai School of Government. That figure has dropped to nearly 50 percent across the region, among the lowest rates of marriage in the developing world, the report said. In Iran, for example, 38 percent of the 25- to 29-year-old men are not married, one of the largest pools of unattached males in Iranian history. In Egypt, the average age at which men now marry is 31.

And so, instead of marrying, people wait and seek outlets for their frustrations.

Mr. Sayyid lives with his mother, Sabah, who is 45, and who divorced shortly after he was born. He now spends most of his time behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf, listening to the Koran. At home, the radio is always on, always broadcasting the Koran. Two books are on a small white night table beside Mr. Sayyid’s bed, a large Koran and a small Koran.

As a young woman, Sabah, whose family did not want her last name used, never covered herself when she walked the streets of Sayeda Zeinab, the teeming, densely populated neighborhood known for its kebab and sweets. But now, she makes a pilgrimage each year to Mecca, wears loose fitting Islamic clothing that hides her figure, and she fasts twice a week.

“We pull each other,” said Sabah, who cannot read or write and so has learned about Islamic ideas from her son. She said that her son taught her that the Prophet Muhammad said that even if you could not read, looking at the Koran was like reading it.

So she does just that and flips the pages, admiring the artistry of Arabic script.

Dashed Expectations

Mr. Sayyid’s path to stalemate began years ago, in school.

Like most Egyptians educated in public schools, his course of study was determined entirely by grades on standardized tests. He was not a serious student, often skipping school, but scored well enough to go on to an academy, something between high school and a university. He was put in a five-year program to study tourism and hotel operations.

His diploma qualified him for little but unemployment. Education experts say that while Egypt has lifted many citizens out of illiteracy, its education system does not prepare young people for work in the modern world. Nor, according to a recent Population Council report issued in Cairo, does its economy provide enough well-paying jobs to allow many young people to afford marriage.

Egypt’s education system was originally devised to produce government workers under a compact with society forged in the heady early days of President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s administration in the late 1950s and ’60s.

Every graduate was guaranteed a government job, and peasant families for the first time were offered the prospect of social mobility through education. Now children of illiterate peasant farmers have degrees in engineering, law or business. The dream of mobility survives, but there are not enough government jobs for the floods of graduates. And many are not qualified for the private sector jobs that do exist, government and business officials said, because of their poor schooling. Business students often never touch a computer, for example.

On average, it takes several years for graduates to find their first job, in part because they would rather remain unemployed than work in a blue-collar factory position. It is considered a blow to family honor for a college graduate to take a blue-collar job, leaving large numbers of young people with nothing to do.

“O.K., he’s a college graduate,” said Muhammad el-Seweedy, who runs a government council that has tried with television commercials to persuade college graduates to take factory jobs and has provided training to help improve their skills. “It’s done. Now forget it. This is a reality.”

But more widespread access to education has raised expectations. “Life was much more bearable for the poor when they did accept their social status,” said Galal Amin, an economist and the author of “Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?” “But it is unimaginable when you have an education, to have this thought accepted. Frustration opens the door to religiosity.”

In many ways, that is true of Mr. Sayyid.

“What do you think? Of course I am bored,” Mr. Sayyid said, trying not to let go of the forced smile he always wears when he talks about his stalled life. “When I get closer to God, I feel things are good in my life.”

He insists that it did not bother him that he never found a job in a hotel. “No one who prays wants a corrupt job in a hotel,” he said, referring to the pork and alcohol served at such establishments but which are prohibited under Shariah. Later he admitted, “Yes, of course I wanted to work in tourism.”

Finding Solace in Religion


Shawn Baldwin for the New York Times
BEHIND THE VEIL After some setbacks, Laila Ashour, center, 22, has found solace in strict religious practices.

Zagazig is a medium-size city about an hour north of Cairo, surrounded by the farm land of the Nile Delta region. Laila Ashour works here as a volunteer in a clinic run by the Islamic Preaching Organization. Originally, it aimed to provide medical services to the poor, but it quickly expanded and also helps poor young couples start their lives together by providing furniture, appliances and kitchenware.

Ms. Ashour is 22 years old, a university graduate in communications. There was a time she dressed and acted like her friends, covering her head with a scarf but wearing blue jeans and bright shirts. She flirted with young men on the street, and dreamed of being a television producer.

Today, Ms. Ashour dresses in a loose black gown called an abaya, and covers her head, all but her eyes, with a black piece of clothing over her face called a niqab. When she goes outside she wears black gloves as well. Even in this conservative town, she looks like a religious fundamentalist.

What she is, is hurt.

“I realized that people don’t help you,” Ms. Ashour said. “It is only God that helps you.”


She was engaged to Mustafa, whose last name she will not disclose, for more than two years. The plan was for Mustafa and his family to take a year or two to construct and furnish an apartment. But Mustafa’s father had no money left after setting up two older sons, and the young man was unable to raise enough money to finish the construction. Ms. Ashour wanted to help, secretly, but she has been unable to find a paying job. When her mother told her to end the engagement, something snapped, and she sought solace in increasingly strict religious practice.

“Everything is God’s will,” she said, explaining why she decided to take on the niqab. “Everything is a test.”

The despair extends to rural Egypt, always a traditional, religious environment, but one that ambitious young people long to escape. In the village of Shamandeel, not far from Zagazig, it took Walid Faragallah six years after graduating with a degree in psychology to find a job in a factory, and his pay was less than $50 a month. That is an average period of waiting — and average pay — for new entries in the job market. Mr. Faragallah kept that job for a year, and recently found another factory job for $108 a month, two hours from his home.

“It brings us closer to God, in a sense,” Mr. Faragallah said, speaking of the despair he felt during the years he searched for work. “But sometimes, I can see how it does not make you closer to God, but pushes you toward terrorism. Practically, it killed my ambition. I can’t think of a future.”


His parents built him an apartment so that he would not have to wait to marry. The apartment has been empty for years, though now, at 28 and with his new job, he said he hoped he could support a wife.

“I tell them, my friends still in university, not to dream too much,” Mr. Faragallah said one day while sitting on the balcony of the empty apartment he hopes to one day share with a family.

Back in Cairo, every Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, Mr. Sayyid’s mother cooks him something special, so that when he returns from the mosque he has something to look forward to. “I am worried about him,” she said. “What can he do?”

There is a mosque a few steps from the front door of their house. But an Islamic tradition holds that the farther you walk to the mosque the more credit earned with God. So every Friday, Mr. Sayyid walks past the mosque by his home, and past a few more mosques, before he reaches the Sayeda Zeinab mosque.

“By being religious, God prevents you from doing wrong things,” Mr. Sayyid said, revealing his central fear and motivation, that time and boredom will lead him to sin. “This whole atmosphere we live in is wrong, wrong.”

Mona el-Naggar contributed reporting.

I Don't Get It...

Can someone explain to me what he means???

Sunday February 17, 2008

PM: Rally bad for polls

YAN: Stern action will be taken against those who try to create chaos before the general election, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Commenting on the illegal rally by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, he said the organisers had made a mockery of the democratic process by staging an illegal rally after the elections had been called. (Sorry, I don't get the connection...)

Such rallies will only create fear among the voters, he noted.

“People may not go out and vote if they feel that the situation is not safe,” he said when visiting the opposition stronghold of Kampung Titi Batu. (Which would benefit whom, exactly?)

Abdullah said it was the Government's responsibility to ensure a safe environment for the people to exercise their right to vote. (Absolutely!)

“We will monitor their (Hindraf’s) movements. If they do something bad and hinder the election process, we will take action,” he said. (Didn't realise they were planning to hinder the election process? )

Abdullah also slammed those who brought children to such emotionally-charged rallies.

“If it is true they are using children to put pressure to get what they want, then it is regrettable for they are placing children in danger,” he said.

On the ringgit exchange rate of RM3.22 against the US dollar, the highest recorded in 10 years, Abdullah said it reflected the country’s strong economic position.

“I hope this will help draw more foreign investments to the country,” he said.

(Oh dear...I thought it's when the ringgit is weaker against the US dollar, that foreign investors would be more interested in investing. Right now, we are expensive to others!)

And this...

Sunday February 17, 2008

PM keeps mum on Khairy

YAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has refused to be drawn into speculation if his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin would contest in the general election.

Abdullah said he had yet to discuss the candidates' lists submitted by the various state Umno liaison committees.

“We have yet to discuss anything,” he said. (Um...isn't nomination day in three days' time? If he's not discussing the lists, who is???)

It was recently reported that the Rembau Umno division had nominated Khairy to contest the Rembau parliamentary seat.

Oh, that ol' black magic...

Obviously just sending in your CV isn't good enough anymore...

Saturday February 16, 2008

Politicians who seek help from ‘higher powers’

By R.S.N.MURALI

murali@thestar.com.my

KUALA TERENGGANU: Getting supernatural intervention to get nominated for the general election is deviant, an Islamic official has ruled.

Aspiring candidates should refrain from seeking help from Indonesia and Thailand to get nominated for the general election, State Islam Hadhari Development and Welfare committee chairman Datuk Rosol Wahid said yesterday.

“It is not right, just maintain faith in God. There is no such thing as short cut,” he said.

Rosol said aspirants who intend to contest on a Barisan ticket should not be involved in such acts.

“I don’t know about PAS candidates, though,” he said.

A famous bomoh (medium) from Setiu revealed to The Star that some aspirants in the general election were willing to travel to neighbouring countries to buy a “magic potion” that could influence the leaders to nominate them for the elections.

The medium who wanted to be identified as Awang said:

“Previously, I used to meet politicians from all over the country seeking my service but nowadays, the number has dwindled.

“When I asked my colleagues from other towns, they told me that some aspirants had opted for more powerful potions from abroad.”

Awang said the potion is dabbed on the face before the aspirant meets with leaders.

************************************************************************************

Does it make them more beautiful and intelligent? Or does it make the leaders dumb so that they think the aspirant is actually a great candidate?

I wonder why this Rosol fellow doesn't just say, hey these things simply don't have any effect at all?

The Silly Season starts

Or rather, it continues...

Well folks, get your nice little thumbs ready to be indelibly inked on March 8! Of course, as a prelude to that we have to put up with all sorts of nonsense which is supposed to help us decide who to vote for. Personally I'd like to choose from a range of intelligence , rather than nonsense, but what can you do?

For instance, today, our favourite toupee dared an army to try and unseat him. These are the reasons why people in Sungai Siput should re-elect him for the umpteenth time ad nauseam: “I have made Sungai Siput a very beautiful town. Not only that, I have solved every problem of the community. I have made Sungai Siput a really good place to live in,” Methinks, he should just stand for mayor of Sungai Siput instead rather than beautifying SS in order to build lousy highways and buildings everywhere else.

Rumour has it that Rapidfire Rafidah is going to be moved out of MITI but then we shouldn't listen to rumours. Instead we should listen to daft statements like this one the other day and make our decision:

Asked about the opposition's strength, Rafidah said about 35% of the population supported the opposition and they comprised the bloggers, Hindraf members and their supporters.

Let me see, 35% of 26 million is 9.1million. That's probably caused the Opposition to send lots of Valentine's cards to Rafidah yesterday since they never knew they had that many supporters. And all these 9.1m are bloggers and Hindraf supporters? Waaaahhhhh......!

And how's this for a young man's optimism? I don't know lah but the logo looks as if it's saying No to 18-year old people. Would be good to know if the 50,000 young Kelantanese who are outside the state are working in meaningful jobs provided by the BN government, that they would be grateful enough to go back to their home state to vote. And what exactly was the mistake (committed by whom I wonder) back in 2004 that caused BN to lose by a small majority? Hardly the most tactful thing to say about your Kelantanese colleagues, no?

And I'm not sure what to make of this from our UMNO Youth head (no dear, the real one, not the other one who talks more than his erstwhile boss): “It's all in my head as lists don't mean anything if the candidates are not qualified or accepted by all levels,”

And this: “I treat all nominations the same way, whether the candidate is the son-in-law of the prime minister, the son of a former prime minister or someone who has proven their leadership in a Felda area.” But some people are protected, right?

Jiving through Java, Part 3

We gave the kids a choice of staying two nights in Malang and then driving straight to Bali and not going to Ijen, which was on our original itinerary. But ShaSha saw the words 'Ijen National Park' on the map and a friend had told her we might be lucky enough to see a rhinoceros (badak) there and it proved too irresistible to her.

Our departure from Malang was somewhat delayed, firstly by the saga of my almost-drowned Blackberry which had the hotel staff rushing all over to get towels and a hairdryer to dry it! Secondly, we decided to stop by the home of a friend who is an antique dealer. His house is choc-a-bloc full of tables, trays, chairs, cupboards, boxes, Art Deco silver candleabras and all sorts of things. Predictably enough, the 'brief' stop promised by hubby proved to be not so brief so we finally set off on the next leg of the journey at 1pm.

Our destination was the Ijen resort, in a village called Licin up in the hills above the city of Banyuwangi on the easternmost coast of Java. There are several ways of getting there, either along the north coast past Pasuruan, Probolinggo and Situbundo or along the southern route via Jember. There is another more adventurous and shorter route through the small kampung roads across the mountains.

We decided to take the northern coastal road and it proved to be the best idea because it kept us on the main roads. Before long the skies turned grey and then, boy did it pour! It rained and rained and rained and we started to worry that the roads might be flooded. Visibility was not more than 10 feet ahead of us and there were also lots of lorries on the roads. As in Malaysia, people slowed down in the rain and this only made the going slower.

Despite the rain we passed many interesting villages and towns. Many of them are military towns and one of the more different things about Java compared to Malaysia is the number of statues honouring military heroes in the little towns and cities. Many roads are named after historical figures; there is a Jalan Slamet Riyadi is almost every town we went to. Streets in the military towns are named after various generals from all branches of the military.

We stopped at a rest stop just outside Probolinggo to have lunch. You can have things like nasi pecel (rice with gado-gado-like veg) or nasi goreng at very reasonable prices and they are often delicious. Toilets are a bit wet but generally clean especially at the new Pertamina stations. So travelling through Java is not at all uncomfortable.

We continued through the rain towards Situbundo and the weather was so bad that we considered stopping there for the night and waiting the rain out. But the kids wanted to press on to Ijen which was only about 80km away. (Apparently the rain on the north coast didn't stop. Today's news was that eight people were killed in floods in Situbundo).

Banyuwangi is on the coast facing Bali. We arrived there at about 9pm and still had another hour to go up to the hills. The road wound through villages up the hills and inevitably in the dark we missed the signposts. This was the only part when we really started to feel tired and a bit car sick. Eventually, after stopping to ask villagers, we finally found the turn-off to the Ijen resort.

Bumping along 3.5km of dirt road deep into the kampung, up and down some steep slopes, we started to wonder if this was going to be worth it. Arriving there, we simply went straight to bed.

The scene I woke up to...Ijen Crater is in the background...

Another view from my terrace..

In the morning, we got our answer. Opening the doors to our terrace, we found a picture-postcard perfect scene: terraced padi fields, volcanoes in the background and blue skies! Farmers walked along looking as if they had been placed there by the tourism department. You could just sit there and drink it all in and believe that all was right with the world.

Unfortunately we couldn't spend too much time in all that beauty as we had to push off for our final destination, Bali. We bumped down that previous night's dirt road and found that in the day it was completely picturesque, rural scenes that we don't see much of in Malaysia anymore, complete with buffaloes tilling the fields.

It took us only 40 minutes to get to Ketapang next to Banyuwangi which is the ferry port to Bali. At that time of the late morning, there wasn't too much traffic and we didn't have to wait long to get on to the ferry (the fare for the entire car plus five of us cost 90,000 rupiahs (about RM35!!!)). The ferries plying the Bali Straits between Ketapang and Gilimanuk on Bali island look like a much more fragile version of the Penang ferries but they felt safe enough. Once our car was properly parked (and they park the cars so close to each other, you have to get out beforehand or else you're stuck in the car) we made our way up to the upper deck, where we found a mie bakso (hot soup with noodles and fish balls) stall!!!

The journey across took a pleasant 30 minutes and before we knew it, we were in Bali at last, six days after we set off. Our destination was Ubud, up in the hills where we were staying at a friend's house. We opted to take the northern coastal route again to Singaraja and then through the mountains to Bedugul to have lunch.

Most of us probably know the more popular tourists spots of Kuta and Nusa Dua but up north, there are equally nice places like Lovina Beach where you can also surf and dive. The road passes through some beautiful national parks but unfortunately we didnt have time to stop except for lunch at Bedugul and then on towards Ubud.

Driving through Balinese mountains and villages is just as interesting as in Java. The only difference is that often you have to stop to make way for several Balinese village processions. These are always interesting, with the men in white jackets, white headgear and yellow and gold sarongs and the women in transparent lace kebayas over corsets and batik sarongs walking along to a traditional Balinese band. Often they have a barong with them, somewhat like a lion in the Chinese lion dance. It's colourful and interesting but they do hold up traffic.

Finally, finally, finally on the eve of Chinese New Year, six days after we started, three very long drives, four hotels later, we finally arrived at our destination, ready to spend the next few days lounging by the pool, getting massaged and recovering from our big road adventure.

(to be continued)

Jiving Thru Java, Part 2

Solo is a charming little city with two royal houses, the main Solo Royal House and the Mangkunegaran. There are still members of these royal houses (just as there is in Jogjakarta. In fact the Sultan of Jogja was deemed a potential Presidential candidate at the last elections) although they have mostly a cultural role these days.



The day after we arrived, we went to wander round Pasar Triwindu, a small market that mostly sells bric-a-brac like old lamps, pots and vases, brass door pulls, old advertising posters, that sort of thing. It's kinda fun if you like old things.





The one and only Soto Triwindu...

Round the corner we stopped to have soto at a stall highly recommended by a friend. Warong Triwindu sells soto that's nothing like what we get at home. You sit at long tables with glass front cases on top of it housing keropok and other snacks. Big glass jars are filled with different types of keropok to put on top of your soto.The most lethal is the paru-paru keropok. It's not fancy but it's delicious and spicy and makes the stuff we call soto at home taste rather insipid.

Hubby and kids satiated after their soto.

The next day our road trip proper began. Like all good Asian travellers, we had to stock up on snacks for the trip first so we headed for a shop called Orion which is filled to the rafters with all sorts of kue, biscuits, keropok and any number of junk food. As expected we bought enough to last us a week but everything was tempting (not to mention unhealthy!).

The snack paradise that is the Orion...

Our destination was Malang up in the hills, four volcanoes away. We were told that it would take about 4-5 hours' drive but that's really without counting the traffic. Travelling through Java really makes you realise how densely populated the island is and how every inch of space is used, mostly for agriculture. We took the route that crosses across Mt Lawu past some gorgeous green valleys and little villages. Local farmers worked at vertical vegetable gardens which patchworked the hillsides. They've probaby been photographed thousands of times but we still had to stop and take photos anyway.

Our first stop was Madiun where hubby's paternal grandparents are from. It's a sweet town and we managed to drive past his Dad's old house (since sold) but couldn't stop because we were aiming to stop at Kediri for lunch. Besides the kids were asleep (for kids who claim to love road trips, they sure sleep through it a lot!). Kediri , about one and a half hours away, was not too interesting so we powered on, finally getting to Malang some nine hours after leaving Solo!


I have been to Malang too more than ten years ago and remember it as being a small quiet town, a nice stop before continuing on to explore Mt Bromo. Imagine my shock when we drove into what is obviously a big busy city with the ubiquitous malls and traffic. Not so charming anymore.


But we did stay at a nice hotel, the Tugu, in front of a big space with a monument in the middle of it. The hotel is filled with antiques as the owner is a mad antique collector and the rooms are a bit quirky. Ours had bright blue walls. The only thing was that it was next to the main street so we got woken up rather early by all the activity outside. Still, the staff are friendly and there's a nice small swimming pool. It was here that I managed to drop my Blackberry right in the water rendering it useless afterwards (hence the reason why some of your comments didn't get posted for a while).

(to be continued...)

Jiving thru Java, Part 1

Hi folks, Gong Xi Fa Cai from Bali! This is the last stop in our overland odyssey from Jogjakarta. It's been quite an adventure, going through some beautiful scenery, villages and cities in densely-populated Java.

We started off very early last Saturday morning by climbing up Borobudur temple outside Jogja to watch the sun rise. This is one of those 'touristy' things you have to do because it is special. Luckily not too many tourists will wake up at 4.30am to do this so there weren't a lot of people. Still the serenity was a bit disturbed by a group of local tourists who laughed and talked loudly while taking photos of each other. Luckily it's easy enough to walk round the monument to the other side where you can stand among the stupas and watch as the landscape with its greenery and volcanoes in the distance unfolds. It is one of those rare moments of utter peace.

More than 10 years ago I had the opportunity to be on top of Borobudur just as the azan for maghrib rang out. All the tourists had already gone because the park was already closed but hubby and I managed to wheedle our way in and got to the top at just that unforgettable magical moment.

After Borobudur, we drove to Jogja to have a look around. A tour of the Keraton had to be aborted because my Little Puteri ShaSha fell asleep in the car and refused to have any infusions of culture at that moment. Instead we went to some touristy place to eat and then walked down Jogja's main drag, Jalan Malioboro. I'm not sure ' walked ' is the operative word since Jalan Malioboro's sidewalk is crammed full of stalls selling all sorts of cheap batik, trinkets, souvenirs and t-shirts, some with rude slogans such as 'Ganyang Malaysia!'. It's more like a slow crawl where you often have to squeeze past people with your arms firmly clamped round your bag and a firm resolve not to be suckered into buying some junky stuff to clutter up your home.

Further along Jalan Malioboro, you get to Pasar Beringharjo, the batik market. You can understand why the Indonesians are incensed that we are claiming batik as our own when you walk unto the pasar and encounter hundreds of stalls selling every type of batik from the cheapest t-shirts and housedresses (called 'dusters' here) to the finest sarongs and selendangs from Cirebon, Pekalongan and other places. If you can stand the heat of the place and the heat of negotiating with some very tough women, you could certainly get a fine piece much cheaper than you would find in Jakarta department stores. My bargaining chops are a bit rusty though I thought I got a good deal. Hubby though thinks that the speed at which the ladies selling to me closed the deal at my price was probably an indication that they got a better deal than me!

From Jogja, we drove to Solo about an hour away, arriving after dark at a lovely little boutique hotel called Roemahkoe. It used to be the home of a batik merchant until it was bought over and renovated by the wife of a former Minister, Akbar Tanjung. It's an Art Deco gem in a city full of Art Deco houses, with thirteen rooms and beautiful architectural details in every corner. Old photos depicting life in bygone Solo fill the walls and except for bathroom fittings, every bit of furniture respects that era.

On our first night in Solo, we decided to have a nasi liwet dinner. Nasi liwet is a bit like nasi lemak only more watery. The 'restaurant' run by Bu Wongso Lemu (which means Big/Fat Person) is really no more than a warong, with low tables covered for some odd reason in Coca-Cola plastic tablecloths. You sit on the floor and order your food, and the all-women staff bring you the nasi with some chicken and vegetables in a banana leaf cone. It is delicious, even ShaSha aka Miss Food Fusspot, thought so.

Traditional Javanese music group at the nasi liwet stall.

To add to the atmosphere, in one corner sits a traditional Javanese music group. A man plays a kind of zither-like instrument accompanying three ladies dressed in sarong kebaya who sing traditional Javanese folk songs. It's not music you can dance to, nor can anyone understand the lyrics but somehow it works.

Traditional Javanese singer adds glam to the nasi liwet experience...

(to be continued tomorrow)