What a time to be Malaysians!

May 8, 2013 - Kelana Jaya Stadium erupts.

Under the dark cloud of treachery and fraud, 200 thousand Malaysians brave the rain to stand shoulder to shoulder to declare our 'Merdeka' - freedom from racism, corruption, cronyism and ultimately freedom from fear. This was our baptism into a new nation.

I witnessed the largest crowd in a stadium. I have been to the MCG packed to the rafters with 100,000 people. I have heard the cheers of 100,000 fans in a footy game. But this was another level. It was easily 200,000 people. The noise level was deafening. In part due to the many vuvuzelas blasting away BN's ears. 

Young and old, from Johor to Kelantan and all proudly Malaysians. Flag waving, cheerful and hopeful. I could hardly hear the speeches. The speakers were mostly doing cheer leading than speaking with any meaning. No one cares. Everyone was hell bent on cheering and making noise. When it came time for Uncle Lim - the cheers went up a decibel. Then the crowd went goo goo when Anuar step up. I could not hear a word. 

I was close to 4 elderly gentlemen which i discovered by introduction to be from Kelantan. They drove all the way from Kelantan since 10am just to make it to the stadium. That's commitment. I wonder how many of us Selangor people would do the same if the venue was in JB for instance. I wonder if 200,000 of us would show up there. They will be making the journey home tonight. 

A few minutes before, a group of chinese fellas shook hands with these 4 elders and wanted to take pictures with them. It was then that I also discovered there are plenty of people who are there in the event not just to show solidarity to a cause but to take photos. Now, dont tell me this was never in your speculations before. I am merely expressing what i believe many could be wondering. I wonder about this because i know there are some who arent there to listen but mostly there to be in a carnival or party. Perhaps to be seen. Perhaps curious. Perhaps also make a point on FB, to show that they have friends from other races. I think in a historic event like this would attract all kinds of folks. Loud folks, crazy folks who are shouting UBAH and INIKALILAH every half a minute.

Then there were the multitude of youngsters. I asked a few of them whether they voted. Many said yes. I was glad. I am also a little envious. These young Malaysians are experiencing something we waited a long time.

The birth of a new Malaysian soul. 
An identity we could not really pin down for a long time. Is being a Malaysian just about enjoying food and eating great food? Or Is being Malaysian something deeper and more personal.

Those of us born years after the Merdeka from British Rule cannot really feel the comradeship of our forefathers. We knew nothing of their struggle together. We knew nothing of their fight against the Japanese or the British. Today, this season - Malaysians of all walks of life, are entering a new baptism. A baptism into a new nation.

The election was the doorway and the stadium, the cauldron. The soul of this nation is being molded in the black cauldron of fraud and foul play in the election and yet, hope and unity is being forged like a sword against a common enemy by our PR leaders into our core. Malaysians are becoming one in heart and soul.

What a time we live in. What a time to be Malaysians!

Blackout magic

Have I invested in Malaysia?

In the aftermath of EC's Blackout magic and announcement that snatched away the people's victory.

Soul searching starts not just with the PR but for each an every Malaysian who has hopes and dreams for a New Malaysia.

 For PR, even if all the disputed electorate were won, will they reach 122 seats? I doubt it. They fared so poorly in the Rural places by fielding mostly "parachute" leaders into these zones and the rural people rejected them. The Rural and Urban divides widens. Have PR invested enough in the rural places over the last 5 years? The results have not changed.

For us Malaysians who seek change and have dreams for a new Malaysia - have we invested ourselves in reaching the Rural heartlands - have we created business / job opportunities for our youth to work in their home towns and stay there to make a difference? Have we put our money to work in these places?

Winning the Urban places is also a given now, but winning the hearts and minds of the rural Malaysia - is not with propaganda or money. It's by investment of time and growing leaders from these places. Have we as new Malaysians given birth to new leaders in these heartlands?

That's the question i ask myself and my friends. If change is what we seek, we need to seek to change ourselves first and invest in change. Investment doesn't mean praying alone or giving money to ngos, church or political parties etc.

Will we as Malaysians with hearts full of dreams and fire, move to invest our time and money and business in creating jobs, business and educate the rural people in Malaysia? It is a fallacy to believe that just because of election fraud alone that we are robbed of change. I think we are robbed of change if we Malaysians don't change - if we don't invest in reducing the gap of rural and urban people. If we create business only in cities and towns. If we just give money to build bigger more comfortable churches. I am asking myself, have change really happen in me? Or it is just dreams and hopes. Dreams and hopes is still one leap away from change. That leap is making an investment.

 Have I done enough? Have i invested in Malaysia?

You cannot make the weak strong by making the strong weak!

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
 
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. 
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. 
 
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.  The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
 
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. 
 
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

What a profound short little paragraph that says it all:

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for,that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

This however is happening in Malaysia.

Technorati Tags: Socialism, Freedom, Equality, Malaysia

Another word for Retrenchment discovered

Interesting News today:

30 March 2009: CIMB Group is offering its 36,000 staff extended unpaid leave under the "Staff Rejuvenation Programme" from next month. Group chief executive, Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, emphasised that the programme was not to lay off workers but to give them an option to take extended unpaid leave of between one and six months.

On whether the programme would reduce costs, he said: "We don't have a target but there will be cost savings. It's a positive move and a win-win situation. Under the current economic situation, it is fully understood that there is spare capacity."

It is understood that the workers who take up the group's offer will start their leave from 1 April, but this will not affect the bank's operations.

Definitely an April Fools joke on the employees of this bloated organization. Ever since CIMB forcefully acquired the profitable SBB, they have been steadily reducing the under-performing staff from BCB. Now, this round of so-called "Rejuvenation Programme" is probably aimed at making the subsequent redundancy programme look more legit.

Whatever it is, CIMB should not have been allowed to buy SBB and we all know why it was allowed.

It would be interesting to see what other banks will do - will they use the same word?

Technorati Tags: CIMB, Malaysia, Banks