Change your lifestyle

(Adam: Look papa, prices going up again!)









It is beginning to look like an unstoppable juggernaut that is going to crush the life out of everybody. The Star yesterday reported that Perak is going to affect a 15% increase in water rates. Of course, there's the mandatory 'it will not affect the lower income group' disclaimer attached to the announcement. And that usually translates to "if you ration your water consumption to 2 cups a day you'll be fine". And if it's Perak this time we can bet it won't be long before everybody also kena one.

Water rates going up means everything else follows, right? Even more so than petrol and electricity rate hikes. Think about it. Your teh tarik is going to cost more even if you drink it sitting under a coconut tree and tokking kok with your friends by the light of the moon. Those Ipoh flers won't be able to enjoy their Ipoh chicken with taugay at old prices even if the shop owner switched off all the lights and fans and used a wood fire to cook his chicken and beansprouts (which need a lot of water to grow). And don't even think of asking, "Boss, glass of cold water, boss" from the coffee shop/mamak stall owner and expect to get it free or at a nominal 10 or 20 sen.

If this water rates increase spreads to other states (I say 'IF' and not 'WHEN" to make you feel a little better for a little while la) beer drinkers will cry also. Main ingredient in beer? Water. Oh yes, teetotallers please learn to drink warm cola's at your favorite burger joints. Ice? You got to be kidding.

And then ah...if pay more for water and the H2O you get is clean and drinkable, it would be easier to bear. But pay more for tap water and then still have to buy filters and bottle water for drinking. Eh brudder, that's a bit too much la.

And that's another thing that we Malaysians have stomach-ed much too easily. Those flers have been very sneaky la. Just think about it. How long ago was it that we have potable water from our taps? When did they start getting you into the practice of buying and using expensive water filters in your home?

Did they make any noise about us having to pay for and NOT get clean water?

No, right? Why?

But they sure made a lot of noise about a musical documentary about some old geezer named Chin. They sure spent a lot of time debating scenic bridges. They even suggested the 'noble' offer to satisfy the sexual needs of single and divorced women.

On another note, the DPM's call for us to change our lifestyle recently didn't really worry me too much. Until yesterday.

I was at the supermarket buying milk for my kids. As I walked out of the store I noticed these 2 flers who'd set up a stall selling durians. You know the ones. They open the durians and pack the seeds for you in shrink wrap and polystyrene trays. I am no fan of the King of Fruits but out of curiousity I went over and checked it out. I pointed at a pack containing just 3 seeds of a durian. "How much, boss?"

RM10.00!!!

I admit that I have not bought a durian for years but I don't ever remember durians costing that kind of money. Okay so they also take the fun out of opening the thorny baargers and pack it for you. But RM10 for 3 seeds???!!! Not so long ago I remember my friend Donald's durian stall in SS2 Petaling Jaya offering ALL you can eat for RM10! A friend told me that if I wanted those packed durians I should wait until the supermarket's closing time. They will sell them cheap then cos they can't keep them overnight. Is that true? Another friend told me that changing lifestyles doesn't mean everybody changes down. That durian seller sure must be changing his lifestyle upwards selling at those prices. Hahahaha... I'm not laughing.

So you think I am being naive and unrealistic? No. I mean I am not so naive as to believe that prices will always stay the same. Sure prices of goods and services will go up. It's an inevitable fact of life. But we continue to get the same shit but pay higher and higher prices. Mana boleh beb?

What he tokking now???

(Laura's impression of 2-faced politicians.)



Read this excerpt from The Star Wednesday 24 May, 2006...

Asked to comment on a statement that CEOs of Government-Linked Companies should resign if their companies failed to meet their Key Performance Index, Abdullah said the resignation or removal of a CEO should not be seen as a failure to perform.

“Sometimes, I will need to move a CEO out because I need him or her to lead another GLC,” he added.

The question was...should they resign if their companies fail to meet their Key Performance Index? So should they?

So what is the answer???

Oh never mind. Tsk...tsk...tsk.

Nothing funny also...

(Laura practising her impression of a parliamentary comedian.)


Very strange leh. There is actually nothing funny or laughable in The Star today except in the comic strips. Hmmm...maybe it is the weekend and the local jokers are taking it easy for the next few days. I reckon some of them are checking out the latest plasma or LCT television sets to save on electricity.

But seriously folks, here's something hilarious.

As we all know, there has been all this hoo-hah recently about Amir Mohd's film "Lelaki Komunis Terakhir". First approved with "U" certificate. Then banned by Home Ministry. Then debated in parliament. Then special (read FREE) screening for all the YB's. All that happened because of? Chin Peng. The communist fler from last time. Why all the fuss? It was because people who'd never seen a single frame of the movie say that the subject matter will offend Malaysians who lived through the Emergency or who were victims of those communist bad guys or that the film glorifies Communism and Chin Peng. Ya ya ya...

A fellow blogger commented...""...A huge fuss made over Chin Peng and the deaths he caused during the Emergency but now Emperor Akihito is going to visit Perak and NO ONE says a word about Japanese War Crimes culpability - as the representative of an unrepentant and unapologetic nation which caused so many deaths to loyal Malayans and Brits in the Second World War, why isn't HE banned from entering the country?..."

Pak Lah has invited the Emperor of the Land of The Rising Sun to come visit. Yeah la. Why nobody make any noise about this? Wait, wait, wait...did we just hear something coming from the comedians in the funny house with the big M sign over the driveway? "Ooops! We f**ked up. Again. There goes our weekend. Sigh. Okay la. Got to go prepare some statement or other to ban la. Shit!"

I went to check the archives of The Star. Here's the reason why nobody has protested this intended visit..." “We also noted that being close neighbours, relations between us must benefit both sides,” Abdullah said."

Ah, relations must benefit both sides. I see. The movie got benefit who? Yeah la. Ban, ban, ban.

Nation-wide Insanity?

(Adam: Wake me when this nightmare is over.)





I opened the paper (The Star) today and when I got to page N12 I almost fell off my chair from shock and horror. There it was...

“ACA plans unit to produce dramas”.

What the F**K!!! The Anti Corruption Agency is now an entertainment production company as well??? Apparently, the ACA is planning to produce advertising materials and docu-dramas based on cases that it has investigated. What were they thinking when they decided on this course of action? Are they really that free to do this? Is there really nothing they can investigate? Are they proving to us all that they are indeed puppets dancing on a string? Maybe it’s those requests from M.P.’s to close one eye that’s driven the ACA out of its original business and into the entertainment arena. But seriously folks…ACA producing advertising? ACA producing TV dramas? And the ACA is doing these things in collaboration with a private company? Hmmm…who is going to investigate the ACA here?

If you read the newspaper story about this insanity yourself you will discover that the ACA is merely announcing this to the public today. Sorry la we don’t need your opinion on our decision to become the next cartoon network. Our first production is going to air on RTM1 next Monday already. At the ‘prime’ hour of 2 p.m.!!!

So they’d been planning to do this shit as a public funded agency for quite some time then. Cases that obviously need lots of ACA investigation time are popping up almost on a daily basis and these guys are playing at being television producers?

And in typical Bolehland tradition they also announced in the same newspaper story, “…a working paper on job positions has already been presented to the Public Services Department…”. A working paper on job positions??? What the F**K is that???

Did that sound like it meant “Hmmm…let’s see who gets to wear an eye patch, knee-high boots and play director? Who will get the fat cigar and fancy car and play producer? Best of all, who will get the casting couch moved into his office?”

Has this country gone insane?

No, no…it’s just some dumb morons we got elected or appointed into the system. Whew! Just felt a chill down my spine.

And now…be afraid…be very afraid. On page N27 there is evidence that the Jasin fellow might have started another Bolehland trait. That of thumbing your nose at all and sundry.

A Penang municipal councillor was stripped of his post because he was declared a bankrupt. Now this man has come out and said that his bankrupt status was merely “a technical error”. He added that the High Court has reinstated his stay of execution pending an appeal to set aside the bankruptcy order. This man also claimed that he had “…no reason to resign from any post…” He also claimed that “The stay of execution meant instant clearance…” Meaning that he is innocent of all charges.

But you don’t need to be a lawyer or even a distinction in English 101 to think that a ‘stay of execution’, in plain simple English, means that you have been found GUILTY. And they are not hanging you yet because there may be some other stuff coming up that MAYBE will prove that you are not guilty. But for the time being you ARE guilty. Get it?

But getting back to my point…what’s happened to shame and humility and accountability in this country?

I would imagine that being a people’s rep, this bloke would have said, “Look I’m sorry people. This is all a misunderstanding. I will go clear it all up and inform you accordingly because you have a right to know. In the meantime, I shall step down so as not to cause any further confusion.”

But no. What’s he done, like that Jasin fler, is say to everyone, “So what?”

“I see no reason to resign from any post.”

I wonder if this guy is going to get to meet BOTH the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister over this one. The Jasin guy did. And according to the newspaper reports and his apparent high spirits after his meeting with the Cabinet panel set up to investigate his alleged wrongdoing he must have been given a slap on the wrist and told to take off his eye patch and open both eyes next time before opening his mouth.

Okay, this new Bolehland trait I mentioned above comes along with a sound and a gesture. Want to learn? You need a mirror to practise.

Here’s what you do…

Turn down both corners of your mouth.
Flare your nostrils as big as they will go.
Glare at the person in front of you.
Now lift one corner of your mouth in a snarl.
Look the other person straight in the eye and say, “So what?”

Too difficult? Then go here and practise saying…Niamah!!!

Here we go AGAIN!!!

(Laura: "Hope I can finish my homework before the candle burns out.")





The price of electricity is going up in a couple of weeks. By an AVERAGE of 12%! So please don't think that it is ONLY 12% okay? As with every announcement of this nature it is accompanied by great comedy in the newspapers and from the mouths of our elected representatives although we have not yet been told to change our lifestyle again. Not yet la.

Wait...wait...wait...actually got already.

The front page of The Sun today..."the more you use, the more you pay."

Translation: Change your lifestyle la.

Wait, there’s more. On page 4 of the NST today the Energy, Water and Communications Minister was quoted as saying, “….low-income consumers won’t be affected.” Great news? Not really.

What is means is, “If you are quite happy to remain in that shit hole you will not be affected by the new tariffs.”

With so much comedy in the news today I had to buy all 3 English language papers, The Sun, The Star and The New Straits Times today. Didn't want to miss out.

The editor of The Star today ought to audition as a comedian I think. The headline today read, "Watts Up!". Very punny. Hahahahaha...can die laughing with the ceiling fan on la. I

It is reported in all the papers I bought that TNB's rates increase is not going to affect about 60% of Malaysian households whose monthly electricity bill is below RM43.60! Yippee!

But wait a minute...how is it not going to affect these people when prices of everything else will go up too? Eventually.

The LRT runs on electricity, right? Food in markets and supermarkets have to be kept fresh with refrigeration and that takes electricity, right? Cinemas, which is one of the few forms of entertainment that the same 60% of the population can enjoy on a day out with the family, uses electricity, right? Are we going to be given an assurance that prices of everything else, that Malaysians need to live with a quality of life that is even slightly worthy of a country that we are constantly told is better than Ghana, is not going to increase proportionately? Yes, I know. In a few days time there will come the usual warnings by this Yang Berhormat’s and that Yang Berbahagia’s to traders and manufacturers that they should not increase prices unreasonably so as not to burden the rakyat. Blah...blah...blah. Press conferences will be organised. Heads will nod in agreement with the YB's pronouncements. And then..."Errr...When do we announce the price increase of our goods and services ah?"

TNB took out a double-paged advertorial in all 3 English language newspapers today to explain the tariffs increase and to advise consumers on methods to reduce consumption. Use low energy light bulbs they say. Because they consume less electricity. Oh thank you for that revelation. Do these guys even know how much those low energy bulbs cost?

And this is my favorite of their ‘suggestions’. Set air-conditioners to between 25 and 26 degrees Celsius. Surely they are sticking their tongues out at us when they say that. Have they ever sat or worked in an enclosed room where the temperature is 26 degrees Celsius? Might as well tell us to shut off the air-con and go sit next to a fire.

Oh yes. I don’t know if this is tragic or side splittingly funny. TNB is going to realise RM1.5 billion in revenue with this price hike. But TNB plans to spend RM40 billion in the next 5 years to upgrade and improve their electricity supply system. So where is the rest of the billions going to come from? No prizes for making the right guess. Maybe somebody (Pah Lah should do this since he seems to have the ability to make so much sense out of totally senseless stuff around here) should answer this question. Why and how did a company like TNB who have been in operation for decades get itself into this shitty situation? With its long history shouldn’t it have developed and improved enough to keep up with demand in the 21st century? Or was somebody sleeping on the job?

Which reminds me…every time I have seen TNB people at work it happens like this…one guy is sitting in the TNB truck smoking a cigarette. One guy is up on a ladder doing something apparently useful. And 4 other guys are standing at the foot of the ladder looking around. Small thing? Sure it is. But maybe that contributes to why you and I are paying more for power today. Bottom of ladder stand-abouts don’t come cheap I am told.

And then as if to make us even more pissed off YB Lim Keng Yaik then says that TNB must improve its service. You mean their service has been not up to mark? That might mean that we are paying for their mistakes, right? So, why should we?

The YB also said that TNB must commit to a service level agreement which, if it fails to live up to that, it will have to compensate consumers in the form of rebates. Yeah right! That is SO un-Malaysian, YB.

Okay, okay to be fair to Lim Keng Yaik and all the other YB’s in the government there must be some perfectly reasonable explanation for all this mess. But as a poor working slob who is not too intelligently savvy about economics, I feel that it is not being explained to me in a way that I can understand. I’ll be the first to admit that if I did understand I would put my patriotic shoulder to pull my weight in the same direction as everybody else. Otherwise I just feel I want to string up those TNB flers on the nearest lamp post.

Okay, okay I digress from the funny stuff in today’s papers. Turn to page 6 of the NST today. There those TNB flers are teaching you “How to POWER up your life and save ENERGY”. Roughly translated it means “since you’re F**Ked we’d like to rub your nose in the shit a bit more”. They are saying …

“Use compact flourescent light bulbs”!!!!!!
“Replace porch lights with motion sensor lights or light sensor bulbs”!!!!!!
“LCD/plasma TV sets use less energy than older models”!!!!!!

So are they saying to us that there are ways of reducing our spending on power? Sure. Except that we have to spend loads of money FIRST before the savings begin. Otherwise you join the rest in the shit-holes and save right from the start. Your choice. Hey! We’re not anything if we’re not democratic.

Here’s something that is not so funny la. Someone in his PR department should teach the Energy, Water and Communications Minister that he should not smile when he’s just made an announcement that’s pissed off a few million people. Look at him…

“Ah…we only allow 12% increase only. So ah the lower income people will not be affected la. Yes, very good, very good.”

Notice that the TNB flers are not smiling… “how the hell are we going to raise the rest of the money?”

Okay lah. After all that ranting I guess we should all be glad that our electricity tariffs are the cheapest in the region except for Indonesia. And F**K! we’re having a way better life than those losers in Ghana. So…….

RELEK AH, BRUDDER!

A fellow blogger called me this morning and requested that I compliment the PR guys handling all these announcements of the electricity tariff increase. Good job guys. Great timing. When the World Cup starts in a couple of weeks nobody will remember or care too much about TNB. And when the World Cup fever ends after a month all Malaysians will go back to life in Bolehland which will still be better than Ghana.

180 degree spins

(Adam: Ha? Did I say no increase in power rates? Just joking only.)







Aiyoh!!! All these turn arounds by our so-called leaders is sure getting us nowhere la. Reminds me of the leader of the lost patrol in the newspaper comic strip. Okay, okay...what is Patrick ranting about now?

I just read on the Net that Energy, Water and Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik has announced the cabinet's approval for power tariffs to be increased by an average of 12 % from June 1.

But...but...but...wasn't it just days ago that I read in the newspapers Pak Lah saying that there would be NO power rates hike for the time being??? Maybe it is all this spinning that's causing me to hallucinate and read things that are not there. Maybe the PM meant for the "time being"...like while I am still speaking. Soon as I get out of this place ... anything can happen. But, hey! while I am here talking to you there will be no price hike. Okay bro?

Then the JAKIM gentleman says that from next year cosmetics that are not certified HALAL will not be allowed into the country. A couple of days later he comes out to refute the newspaper reports saying that it wasn't what he meant and that of course non halal cosmetics will still be allowed...blah...blah...blah.

I don't know about you but I am still close to tears about what is happening to Amir Mohd's film, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir. First, the censorship board approves it with a U certificate for general screening. Then days later the Home Ministry bans it. About turn! Then it is announced that the UMNO Supreme Council is the deciding factor if the film is to be approved or banned. Today, I learn that... No lah. It is the government who will decide not UMNO (although of late the line between the two seems to be blurring. For me at least.) About turn!

Of course the most famous and most hotly debated about-turn is the Crooked Bridge or Scenic Bridge.

First, let's build the bridge.

Then, wait...wait...wait...the flers across the other side of the straits don't agree.

Followed quickly by...F*** them la. We build it anyway. Much hot air followed that song and dance.

Then suddenly, the Prime Minister says it. "YES! We're building the bridge!" Yay!

A few days later... Errrr no lah we are definitely cancelling the project. That's four 180 degree turns in a row. That surely must be a Malaysian record of some kind.

Scary!!!

My wife, Min photographed this news cutting that was posted up on a school notice board!!!

"I spotted this on a notice board in a school. I think putting up the newspaper cutting was to educate their students on sexual abuse. Or from the headline, warn the children of genocide!"


Literal translation:
SEXUAL ABUSE
children to be exterminated

Comedy, Tragedy and Everything Else in Between

(Adam: Yay! Papa another newspaper is here. Let's have some fun.)







Forget ASTRO, Star Movies, HBO...there's much better entertainment delivered right to your doorstep every morning. That's right I am talking about Malaysian newspapers. Best la I tell you. Just today in The Star...

Melodrama...on the front page the headline screamed "PM: We must make it", "Failure is not an option. Our only choice is to succeed." Pak Lah was addressing the audience at the mammoth UMNO 60th birhday party held at Istana Besar in Johor. So what is so funny, you ask. Well, nothing in those words. Very serious indeed. But then later on in the same story Pak Lah is quoted as saying to his audience that "...if the Malays fail to achieve the status of developed race, it would be embarassing." I find Pak Lah's use of the word "embarassing" totally inappropriate and very funny. Unless the reporter got it wrong. "Embarassing" when you are talking about life and death issues? Okay lah. maybe some of you are saying that I am making a mountain out of a molehill la. Sure makes you want to think about using the right words to get your point across the next time you want to say something isneet? The tragic part of this story is that while mountains of print has been used to drive Malays into becoming a developed race I think somebody forgot to inform the pak cik and mak cik and their anak-anak just what the hell that means. Developed race? But I thought we are okay what. Oh you mean we should work hard, make lots of money, get into politics maybe, import some timber, make more money. But then can I still make the toilet floors wet, put my cucu on the toilet wash basin and ask him to piss into it because all the urinals are being used, spit out of my car window, throw rubbish anywhere I like, talk loudly on my handphone in the cinema? Huh? You also don't know ah? Then what is the meaning this developed race? Needs work, Pak Lah.

UPDATE:

The Star today (Saturday May 13, 2006) reports that the Jasin fler is a director of a company that was fined by Customs for trying to smuggle VCD's to Indonesia 7 years ago. Ever ready with an answer the fler said that the VCD's didn't belong to his company and added that his company was only the forwarding agent. I wonder how many eyes he asked the Customs to close that time? VCD's? I think one eye enough lah.

And some more lah.

I found this excerpt from Tun Mahathir's DVD rant quite appropriate for this Jasin fler's case. See what you think.

"When we want to change the Malays, we look at the history of the Malays. We have values that are not conducive to success. We don't give value to the sense of shame, for example.

Of course, if you take off your clothing, you'll feel malu (shame). When you fail in something, you should feel ashamed. If you study something and you don't succeed, you should feel ashamed. But, some people say, 'I failed the exam, seronok pula (happy too)'. There is no sense of shame. We have to build a sense of shame so that when you have a strong sense of shame, you will strive not to feel a sense of shame and when you undertake to do something, you do it well. If you do business, you must succeed in business. You must do the right things. You mustn't cheat and things like that. We must try get these New Malays to have this sense of shame."

Maybe he is not ashamed because he hasn't really failed yet has he? Well, up to now his only shortcoming was that he was found out.

Mystery-thriller...on page N6 the headline was "Jasin MP must explain actions". The Prime Minister was quoted as saying, "We have to ascertain what had happened because he already said he was willing to be investigated. We cannot simply take action just like that." Yippee! Yes we are very happy that he is willing to be investigated. But I think there are people who may have lost the point here. Sure I believe that he should be given his day to explain the reasons for his actions and whether they were criminal or not. But this man, an elected Member of Parliament had openly lied to the country and openly and arrogantly admitted that he lied. In my book that is ground enough for action to be taken against him. You are a public servant you told a blatant lie and you insult your fellow countrymen by daring them to prove you are wrong? What happened to HONOUR? Or is that not a prerequisite for being a Member of the Malaysian Parliament? Or simply being a good Malaysian?

Horror...on page N18 of The Star today we learned that from next year cosmetics which do not carry a halal certificate will not be allowed into the country. This idea (again something that does not sound like it's been properly thought through) was announced by the director-general of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM). I think you can imagine for yourself what effect that banning action will have on Malaysia's cosmetics industry and the thousands of Malaysian who work in it. By all means talk to the L'Oreal's, the MAC's, the Revlon's and the Maybelline's about making a halal range specially for Muslim consumers. But in the meantime just label non-halal cosmetics as such so that Muslims will not unwittingly use frog DNA mixed with fruits on their skin. But no. In true Malaysian fashion we ban first. I am suspecting that some MP may be building some factory somewhere to churn out a range of Halal cosmetics very soon. Anyone got shares in Zaitun ah? Better buy some more. Good times ahead. Tanpa was-was somemore.

Actually, as a patriotic Chinese Malaysian I am really scared by all the recent talk about Halal this and that.

First, it started with the news of the increase in the price for pork. The reason for that apparently is the declining number of pig farms in the country. Some of these were found to be polluting rivers and our water supplies and were closed by state governments. With no plans at all of solving the basic problem of these farms which is proper location, maintenance and adherence to rules and regulations. Just close them down. Why worry? We don't eat pork what. My old memory isn't what it used to be but didn't I remember that we are Malaysia and we are always "tolerant" and we live in "harmony" with all the races? So sure, Halal is a big deal for our Muslim brethren. But pork is part of Chinese cuisine and culture isn't it? Speaking of which, I always find it really strange and tragic that at big festivals we happily serve halal food on the buffet table but don't give a shit about serving beef rendang knowing very well that there are Hindu guests present. One Malay friend told me that Hindu's do not mind seeing beef on the table they just won't eat it. But some Muslims cannot even stand the sight of pork or being near anything that might have been tainted by those cursed animals. Oh I see. That's alright then. Thank you.

Okay okay, sorry for taking a slight detour la. After that pork thing came a big international expo or something focussed on Halal food industries. Don't know the details of that but I did see our Deputy Prime Minister on TV walking around the expo and tasting some of the halal exhibits. I think I even saw him smacking his lips after visiting what must have been a delicious exhibit. And then today the halal cosmetics thing.

I am really scared la. After Malaysia become a totally halal country then how? I don't think I can permanently abstain from bak kut teh and Hokkein mee will not taste the same fried with palm oil instead of lard and without the pork crackling bits. What will my mother and father in the big Malaysia in the sky say when I make offerings to them next Cheng Beng without their favorite roast pork on their ancestral altar? And somemore my mother prayed to Kwan Yin and would never touch beef and my father didn't like chicken that much. I never did get used to beef bacon with my breakfast eggs or those awful sandwiches served by 5-star hotels using Turkey ham. And I mean what the fuck is turkey ham. Ham is pig not turkey and bacon is swine not bull. So if these flers want to be halal they should just say beef and turkey. I think these flers with their fancy menu's are just trying to piss us pork eaters off. They sure succeeded. With me anyway.

Guess what? Typing this I didn't realise that it was past midnight. Yay! Another newspaper will be at the door step in a few hours. I don't know if I can take this much entertainment on a daily basis.

A Black Day In Bolehland

(Adam: So I can't do business issit? You telling me? You talking to me? Well, I don't see nobody else here.)


There is a tragically funny and sad story in The Star today. Did you see it?

A blatant liar and crook has more or less been given a pat on the back to continue his ways. An MP who tried to pull some strings with the customs department for them to close one eye (remember it was only a request for ONE eye to be closed because this fact probably is important to the way the case is treated) to an illegal transaction. Then he publicly proclaimed that he was just doing someone a favor. Then he finally admits that this someone was himself! Yes, he owned the company for which transaction he was asking the customs people to close that one eye. Then he goes on national TV and arrogantly announces that he's apologised to the Prime Minister. "I am allowed to do business. Why can't MP's do business?" Then he adds that he told the Prime Minister, "I minta maaf kalau I buat salah." 2 counts of wrongdoing right there. Didn't the cabinet ban the use of Bahasa Rojak recently? So what's this "I" shit? And "kalau I buat salah" which means "If I have done wrong". IF!!!!!!!!!!! ????????????? This man's skin is thicker than a rhino's hide la. If???!!! You tried to use your MP status to curry favor. You lied about your intentions. And you come out to ask no less than your Prime Minister, IF you'd done wrong??? We may be Malaysians but we're really not stupid you know.

This unrepentent moron even has the cheek to announce that business (his and others I presume) had dropped by 70% because of 'strict' Customs action on the import of sawn timber logs. Strict Customs action? What the fuck does that mean? It's either legal or illegal. What is 'strict' action? So the Customs are doing their job as they should and so it is basis for a businessman to use that as a complaint that it is affecting business??? What is going on here?

And so this fler lied to his cabinet colleagues. He lied to the people who elected him. He lied to the nation. And what happens? His bosses, the rakyat who elected him, say nothing. His colleagues say that there is "no case" against him. And another performing monkey says, "Let's wait for the results of the investigations (if a report has been lodged)." Sure, I believe that anyone is innocent until proven guilty. But in this case what results of what investigations do we need? He lied in public. He admitted that he lied in public. What he lied about and admitted to doing was illegal. So whose permission are we awaiting to string him up. Small fry he may be as claimed by some observers. He is caught, he pays the price. Isn't that the deal here?

Today is a bad, black day for our country. But to many Malaysians it will just be Thursday, May 11, 2006. Hiyah! Rain again. Baarger sure jam one la. Life in Bolehland. It goes on.

So what? I'm only doing business what.