GE: “We hear all your voices”, says PM Lee
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May 7, 2011, 7:04:53 PM5/7/11
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GE: “We hear all your voices”, says PM Lee
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- GE: “We hear all your voices”, says PM Lee
- S’pore’s political awakening likely to impact Johor
- Singapore’s democratic opening
- Singapore’s Lee Retains Power With Smallest Margin Since 1965
- The meaning of Sarawak
- Mimpi Najib nak rampas Selangor...
- PRS-SPDP merger talks on hold
- Something’s Cooking…
- Video seks,kes liwat dan macam2 lagi....
- Singapore exercising democracy
- Live – Singapore election results
- MRT: The Recipe to Over-Pay
- A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME...
- Utusan wants to set 1 Malaysia on fire, decries Lim
- Malaysian Detention Centres are already overcrowded - so why accept to house asylum seekers already in Australia?
- Kejar bayang-bayang pun dah gaduh ...
- Tolong Melayu Dengan Gadai Tanah Melayu......
- Singapore 2011 General Election
- Out of 10 people, 11 do not believe!
- DAP girds up to penetrate S’wak’s hinterland
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GE: “We hear all your voices”, says PM Lee Posted: 07 May 2011 03:50 PM PDT By Chitra Rajaram | Posted: 08 May 2011 0401 hrs www.channelnewsasia.com SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the voters have decided and he is “humbled” that they voted the PAP government back to power. Speaking at a post-victory news conference after the General Election results were announced on Sunday, Mr Lee said voters had [...]
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S’pore’s political awakening likely to impact Johor Posted: 07 May 2011 03:22 PM PDT Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | May 6, 11 5:32pm Malaysiakini With more than half a million Malaysians working in Singapore, the apparent political shift in the Singapore election campaign is set to shake Malaysia’s political landscape, especially in the southern state of Johor – deemed to be Umno last bastion in the peninsula. In this [...]
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Singapore’s democratic opening Posted: 07 May 2011 03:13 PM PDT Bridget Welsh | May 6, 11 1:54pm Malaysiakini COMMENT Singapore’s 2011 general election campaign has been historic, and signals a major transformation in the country’s political landscape. The intensity and tone of this campaign has been unprecedented as the ruling PAP’s (People’s Action Party) record has come under attack. Given the impressive management of the [...]
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Singapore’s Lee Retains Power With Smallest Margin Since 1965 Posted: 07 May 2011 02:51 PM PDT Bloomberg Businessweek By Shamim Adam and Weiyi Lim May 07, 2011, 4:08 PM EDT May 8 (Bloomberg) — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s People’s Action Party retained power with the smallest margin of popular votes since independence amid a record turnout that tripled the number of opposition members in parliament. The party that has [...]
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Posted: 07 May 2011 09:00 AM PDT Ding Jo-Ann ALL eyes are now on the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) to see whether a general election will be called following the Sarawak elections. But although BN retained its two-thirds majority in Sarawak, it suffered a decline in the popular vote. Meanwhile, political rivals DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) increased their seats from six and one [...]
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Mimpi Najib nak rampas Selangor... Posted: 07 May 2011 09:21 AM PDT  Dato Seri Najib berkata yang UMNO akan melakukan segala-galanya dan apa jua caranya untuk menawan kembali negeri Selangor dalam pilihanraya yang akan datang. Ramai yang menghubungi saya untuk bertanya maksud ‘at all costs’ yang disebut oleh PM Najib itu.Adakah PM Najib memberi isyarat yang cara yang dikatakannya itu tidak dibatasi oleh undang-undang dan etika demokrasi? Saya menjawab, “manalah saya tahu. Takkan orang pencen yang duduk di rumah sahaja boleh mengetahui apa yang akan dilakukan oleh Najib bagi UMNO kembali ke Selangor untuk memerintah”. Kalau dikira dari sudut matematiknya UMNO amat sukar untuk mendapatkan kembali negeri terkaya itu. Kita perlu mengkaji sebab yang menyebabkan UMNO Selangor itu rebah semasa pilihanraya yang lalu. Selangor memang sebelum ini merupakan kubu kuat BN khususnya UMNO dan tidak siapa pun terfikir yang UMNO akan mengalami kekalahan dalam mana-mana pilihanraya. Mahu tidak mahu kerajaan negeri Selangor telah menunjukan prestasi yang agak lebih baik dari apa yang diusahakan oleh kerajaan yang terdahulu. Jika kita lupakan isu politik partisan, maksud saya lupakan bab UMNO atau PR, Khalid Ibrahim merupakan Menteri Besar yang lebih berdedikasi dari MB-MB yang terdahulu. Jika kita dengar isu keburukan Khalid ia selalunya dinyanyikan oleh kumpulan politik yang bertentangan semata-mata untuk mendapatkan perhatian rakyat. Satu perkara lagi yang menjadi perhitungan rakyat ramai ialah tentang momokan terhadap PR yang dimainkan oleh media perdana sejak berdekad-dekad dahulu yang tidak ada parti selain dari UMNO mampu memerintah sudah jelas tidak diterima rakyat lagi kerana momokan itu sudah terbukti meleset dari pandangan rakyat. Parti-parti pembangkang sekarang semua ada pengalaman memerintah sejak pilihanraya 2008 yang lalu dan nyata momokan terhadap PR sebelum ini tidak boleh lagi dijadikan isu oleh UMNO dan BN sekarang ini. Kalau ada pun isu yang dimainkan oleh UMNO terhadap kerajaan PR Selangor ia hanyalah isu-isu yang dicari dan dibelek untuk diisukan seperti orang mencari kutu dalam rambut. Segala isu-isu remeh akan ditimbulkan untuk diskredit kerajaan negeri itu khusunya terhadap MBnya sebagai cara mendapatkan kembali pentadbiran kerajaan negeri itu selepas pilihanraya yang akan datang.  Rakyat sentiasa bertanya jika mereka yang telah merosakan sistem politik negeri itu bagaimana pula mereka yang kehadapan kononnya untuk memperbaiki keadaan yang dituduh sebagai tidak baik. Ada seorang rakan saya berkata, “If you want to damage the state give it to UMNO to rule, if you want to make it worse give it to UMNO to repair”.Selain dari itu isu nasional juga memainkan peranan yang penting dalam penentuan samada Selangor mampu ditawan oleh BN. Isu video seks jelas menjadi ‘counter productive’ bagi BN. Rakyat menjadi mual dengan isu itu diperbesarkan dengan keterlaluan. Ini yang BN gagal untuk memahaminya. Buat masa ini saya secara peribadi lebih cenderung untuk melihat UMNO memusatkan tumpuannya kepada negeri-negeri lain yang masih dikuasainya agar negeri-negeri itu tidak hilang dari genggaman parti lawan. Ramai pendapat umum bahawa N Sembilan, Pahang dan Trengganu adalah negeri-negeri yang keberangkalian akan kalah adalah besar. Isu yang terbesar bagi ketiga-tiga buah negeri ini adalah sama; iaitu isu kepimpinan Menteri Besar mereka. Kita akui, didalam politik segala kemungkinan boleh berlaku tetapi kemungkinan itu tentulah beralaskan kepada situasi yang boleh diambil kira dengan tepat. Bagi Selangor kemungkinannya ada tetapi ia amat tipis selagi tidak ditentukan siapa yang akan menerajui kerajaan jika diberi mandat oleh rakyat.- Aspan Alias. Baca rencana asalnya di sini. source:aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com cheers. 
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Posted: 07 May 2011 09:00 AM PDT FMT Staff Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is seen to be keen on giving Dayak-based Parti Rakyat Sarawak leverage and a ‘deal’ could possibly be in the offing. Moves to consolidate Sarawak Barisan Nasional’s Dayak members under a ‘new’ common party has been put on hold. Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president James Masing said the [...]
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Posted: 07 May 2011 08:25 AM PDT
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Video seks,kes liwat dan macam2 lagi.... Posted: 07 May 2011 07:45 AM PDT  Coretan ringkas isu semasa......1. VIDEO SEKS FITNAH TERHADAP DSAI Bagi saya, ini merupakan bukti muktamad betapa terdesaknya UMNO. Sebuah video yang jelas bersifat lucah, diambil entah dari mana, kemungkinan besar dari Siam, ingin digunakan untuk menjatuhkan DSAI. Pertama, orang yang menayangkan video mempunyai niat jahat kerana ditayang dihadapan wartawan dan meminta ‘pemimpin pembangkang dan isterinya’ (pastilah DSAI dan Wan Azizah) meletakkan jawatan, kalau tidak maka akan didedahkan kepada umum. Kalau tiada motif politik, serahkan sahaja kepada Jabatan Agama dan minta disiasat. Kedua, jelas juga Dato T mendapat layanan istimewa. Sepatutnya ditangkap polis tetapi seperti yang dilihat semasa acara angkat sumpah mubahalah, dilindungi Polis! Ketiga, boleh disiarkan petikan video lucah di dalam akhbar dan TV! Hebat, bila ada kepentingan politik, semua boleh! Beginilah, semua yang kenal DSAI secara dekat telah mengatakan pelakon yang berlakon (dibawah sinaran spotlight supaya mudah dirakam) itu bukan DSAI. Termasuk Wan Azizah sendiri. Lagipun sudah ramai yang timbulkan isu perut yang boroi, misai dan janggut, rambut, pinggul dan bahu dan sebagainya. Yang duk sibuk bab sumpah mubahalah ni pula satu hal. Ini merupakan bukti bahawa UMNO ingin rosakkan Islam, bukan mahu ikut Islam! Islam tuntut apabila tuduh seseorang berzina, bawa 4 saksi yang adil. Bukan suruh buat sumpah mubahalah yang diguna untuk kes Li’an. Kalau tidak bawa 4 saksi, maka kena hukum Qazaf dan orang yang menuduh itu diistiharkan tidak boleh diterima lagi persaksiannya! Sekarang orang yang menuduh tidak dikenakan Qazaf dan persaksian melalui sumpah mubahalah itu dijaja merata sedangkan persaksiannya sudah tidak boleh diterima. Inilah undang-undang syariat UMNO yang sesat lagi menyesatkan. 2. KES LIWAT 2 Skrip lama hendak diguna pakai kembali - recycle. Adakah UMNO fikir rakyat Malaysia, khususnya orang Melayu bodoh dan boleh ditipu lagi dan lagi dengan menggunakan skrip lama? Soal DNA masyarakat umum sudah mengetahui bahawa ianya diambil dari DSAI semasa beliau ditahan dahulu. DNA boleh dimasukkan ke dalam sampel, tiada masalah. Itulah sebabnya, kerap sangat mencuba sampai ada 5 DNA dalam exhaust yang sama! Termasuk DNA dirinya sendiri! Ini merupakan bukti yang nyata bahawa sampel itu telah dirosakkan dan tidak boleh digunapakai. Tapi oleh kerana dianggap Melayu mudah diperbodoh, maka terus digunakan juga. Bukti muktamad adalah pengakuan tuan punya kondo, En. Hassanuddin Nordin, bahawa pada hari itu, dia dan keluarganya berada di dalam kondo tersebut. Menurutnya lagi, si penuduh tidak masuk dalam kondonya! 3. TAWARAN MASUK BN DAN KELUAR PR PM sudah pening kot? Adakah PAS ingin masuk BN dan keluar dari PR sedangkan semua tahu sebab musabab dia menjemput PAS masuk adalah kerana BN sudah mula karam? Kalau bukan kerana karam, mengapa hidung tak mancung, pipi tersorong? Hakikatnya, politik perkauman adalah politik dunia ketiga. Politik dunia pertama adalah berhubung hak dan keadilan, pentadbiran dan urus kelola yang bersih dan baik. Politik UMNO politik dunia ketiga. Jijik, fitnah, lucah, zalim, perkauman dan rasuah. Maka biarkanlah UMNO karam dengan labu-labunya. Namun, dalam pada itu ini peluang baik untuk membuktikan bahawa PAS tidak gila kuasa. Ada yang kata PAS kemaruk kuasa sehingga sanggup, kononnya gadaikan Islam untuk berkuasa dengan DAP. Hakikatnya, kalau PAS gila kuasa, sudah tentu akan bersama BN yang sedang berkuasa! Kan lagi mudah kalau kuasa adalah apa yang diutamakan! Oleh kerana kuasa bukan matlamat utama tetapi sebaliknya perubahan dan soal mendidik rakyat berhubung politik dunia pertama dan politik Islam, maka PAS menolak jalan mudah untuk berkuasa. PAS memilih jalan yang sukar, jalan yang akan berjaya hanya apabila rakyat sedar. 4. SOAL ‘AL-KITAB’ Dalam soal Al-Kitab jelas kelihatan UMNO menyerah kalah atas desakan politik. PAS sejak awal lagi sudah konsisten mengatakan bahawa ianya tiada masalah menurut syariat Islam dengan mengemukakan hujjah-hujjah yang bernas untuk menyokong pendirian tersebut. UMNO sebaliknya hari ini kata ‘NO’ tetapi esok tiba-tiba kata ‘YES’ tanpa mengemukakan hujjah atau alasan. Jelas bagi yang mahu berfikir, UMNO menentukan hukum berdasarkan kepentingan politik mereka semata-mata. 5. PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE 13 Akhir sekali, isu PRU ke 13. Saya bersetuju dengan pandangan DSAI, bahawa ianya akan diadakan pada bulan Jun atau Julai ini. Ini rancangan BN buat masa ini tetapi sudah pasti mereka akan pantau keadaan dan suasana. Kalau pihak SB kata jangan lagi, mereka akan tangguh tetapi buat masa ini, itulah rancangan mereka. Kearah mencapai kemenangan, BN telah berkerja keras mendaftar para pengundi di kawasan sasaran mereka. Termasuklah Shah Alam yang melihat pendaftaran 5,000 pengundi baru dalam masa 3 bulan pertama tahun ini. Hebat, hebat BN. Dalam soal menipu tiada yang boleh menafikan kehebatan UMNO, juara penipu dunia. Namun, strategi mereka boleh dipatahkan dan saya menyeru semua rakyat Malaysia, Selangor khususnya, untuk jangan membenarkan UMNO menafikan hak tuan-tuan sekalian untuk memilih kerajaan tuan-tuan sendiri. Ke arah ini, semua perlu berkerja keras untuk memenangkan PR dengan berkempen kepada jiran, rakan taulan dan semua yang dikenali, jadikan PRU ke 13, PRU yang bersejarah di mana BN ditukarkan dengan PR di perkingkat Pusat! WaLlahu 'Alam KHALID SAMAD source:khalidsamad.com cheers. 
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Singapore exercising democracy Posted: 07 May 2011 05:36 AM PDT 732 polling stations in this island republic closed just minutes ago. 2.2 million eligible voters are to decide 87 MPs that will represent them in a single chamber Parliament. This is by far the stiffest general election the city-state since 1959. Ruling party Peoples’ Action Party saw many of the strategic GRCs are being challenged by Oppositions, namely Workers’ Party and Singapore Democratic Party. For the first time, Oppositions are fielding candidates in 12 Parliamentary constituencies and 14 GRCs. Focus is on the Al Juneid GRC where Foreign Minister Brig. Gen. (NS) George Yeo, Minister in Prime Minister Officer and Second Transport Minister Lim Hwee Hua, a senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed, a community leader and a former Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and Assistant Secretary General Ong Ye Kang stand a good chance to be unseated. The arrogance of PAP Ministers is very apparent:
This campaign also saw Prime Minister Brig. Gen. (NS) Lee Hsien Loong openly apologising to Singaporeans admitting the Government could have done better. On the other hand, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew arrogantly warned the Al Junied GRC voters would take five years to repent if they voted the Opposition party. The typical ‘bully’ of PAP is demonstrated in Minister Mentor Lee’s uncontested win in Tanjung Pagar. His opponent’s application was rejected for a 35 second delay in submission. The grouses of Singaporeans across the island were about policies, public spending, deteriorating healthcare and non disclosure of decisions made and accountability. Increasing cost of living and escalating home ownership abilities are seriously affecting the middle income. There even pockets of Singaporeans are charging the PAP government of short changing them on the ‘subsidies for HDA housing’. Many younger generation voters have taken more interests in this democratic process, especially in the advancement of technology and enablers such as blogs, social media and youtube. Updates of campaign materials are being actively discussed almost hourly. One of their many complaints is that the Government is not listening to them. Oppositions’ campaign trails have been very well received. In their nighly rallies, upto 30,000 Singaporeans attended. Although previous GEs have seen Opposition leaders like JB Jeyaratnam managed to draw 70-80,000 people, at the polls were not actually translated to votes. This round, Singaporeans overcame the most effective vote-deterent-against-the-Oppositions; fear factor. Candidates who offered themselves include successful business owners, professionals and even a former career diplomat. In a democratically elected known for total or near-zero Opposition, it is different now. Singaporeans are more bold in voicing their deep satisfaction. Of course, digital democracy helped in the refreshing manner Singaporeans exercising their democratic rights. In short, things are changing here in Singapore. *Updated Sunday 8 May 2011 0220hrs Results are in. Even though PAP managed to form the Singapore Government as per expected, the party crated by and around the arrogant Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew bites the dust in Al Juneid GRC. Automatically, PM Lee lost 2 Cabinet Ministers.
The interesting point is that in the Al Junied GRC, it is obvious the Malays votes shifted which ensured WP’s win. This came as a surprise to the ruling PAP Government. One of the factor is that a Malay candidate Mohd. Faisal Abdul Manap stood as one of the five in the GRC. As the Chinese votes were expected to shift, the Malays became the ‘deciding factor’ in Al Juneid. The defeat in Al Juneid means that Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs is without a permanent Minister. The only surviving Minister is Raymond Lim who is the Transport Minister and Second Foreign Minister. Minister in PMO and Second Transport Minister Lim Hwee Huang is the first woman Cabinet Minister in Singapore. Singaporeans have send a very strong message to PAP and especially against their arrogance. Singaporeans now finally practicing democracy. It is very refreshing to see Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew being slapped in the face this round. Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.        
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Live – Singapore election results Posted: 07 May 2011 05:30 AM PDT Live updates and public reaction via twitter on the Singapore election results. Voting closed at 8.00pm and results are due from 9.30pm. Singapore election results
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Posted: 07 May 2011 04:13 AM PDT The MRT, which is estimated to cost in excess of RM53 billion by CIMB Research is by far the country’s largest ever infrastructure project.
The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak himself, and promoted by Pemandu, quoted PEMUDAH which estimated that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year, “when business decisions are made for the wrong reasons.” As one of the key measures to tackle corruption, the GTP specifically sought to “reduce leakages of funds allocated for national development and operational expenditure and ensure transparency in the award of contracts.” The GTP even quoted a 2007 Survey by Merdeka Centre which revealed that 71% and 54% of corporates and public respectively perceives “no transparency and openness” in “the current procurement process or system used for awarding major government projects”. Hence the GTP called to “disclose details of government procurement contracts” and recognises the role of public scrutiny to increase accountability and reduce corruption and wastage. It is well established that transparency is crucial for a fair and efficient government procurement process. This is because transparency increases public scrutiny on the procurement process and helps ensure that accountability and well-defined policies, regulations and procedures have been put in place and followed closely…However, the opaque and obtuse management of the RM53 billion MRT project has proven beyond doubt that Najib’s administration is “all talk, and no action”. In the written parliamentary reply to me for my oral question on the Gamuda-MMC “project delivery partner (PDP) contract” on 6 April 2011, the Prime Minister confirmed that the contract has been awarded with no price fixed despite claims that the PDP will bear all cost-overruns on the MRT project. It is an oxymoron for Najib to argue that the PDP will bear all cost-overruns when its own project contract value has yet to be finalised, and may be increasing as we speak, as the cost of the MRT project has already ballooned from a budgeted RM36 billion to now, an estimated RM53 billion. And as first exposed by The Malaysian Insider, initially denied but now admitted by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (SPNB), the Government’s wholly-owned vehicle to own the MRT project, an “Independent Check Engineer” (ICE) role has been awarded to a consortium led by HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd (HSSI) in a cloak and dagger fashion. When The Malaysian Insider first exposed the award on 15th April, SPNB Group Managing Director, Shahril Mokhtar immediately refuted the report, claiming that “the appointment of the KVMRT ICE is not finalised. Speculation of the ICE fee quantum at this point will only jeopardise our ability to negotiate competitive fees from the ICE candidates. However, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (SPNB) group director for project development Zulkifli Yusoff admitted that an engineering consortium led by HSSI has been on board as an independent check engineer (ICE) since February, clearly contradicting SPNB’s initial response. What is perhaps of greatest concern to Malaysian tax-payers is the fact that while an ICE should not have an existing relationship with the parties managing the project to ensure independence, HSSI has been the contracting engineers for Gamuda’s double-tracking projects. Furthermore, the speculated 2% consultancy fee on the cost of the entire project, which has yet to be finalised, is substantially above market rates, understood to be in the region of 0.8%. Based on the above, assuming a RM50 billion project cost, the HSSI consortium will pocket RM1 billion in fees, RM600 million more than the estimated market rate of RM400 million. It also appears that while the Gamuda-MMC joint-venture is meant only to be a “PDP” and all projects are to be awarded by SPNB, the PDP gets to dictate who gets the contracts for the project, signalling the commencement of crony contract awards for the MRT project. The above clearly makes a complete mockery of Najib’s so-called reforms via the GTP, and raises the question of how much the Malaysian tax-payers will be over-paying for the MRT project. Given the nature and size of the project, PEMUDAH will need to come up with new and higher estimates on how much corruption and government wastage is costing our economy.  
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Posted: 07 May 2011 01:44 AM PDT    Click to enlarge! “Kit Fong, pay attention!” Cringe. “Kit Fong, you’re late again!” Cringe. Was it the insidious cultural influence of having been born in the days of the Empire when names like Archibald, Horatio and Montgomery sounded easier on the ear than Ching Chong, King Kong or Ping Pong? Whatever the cause, the effect was psychologically debilitating. I secretly dropped the Fong. In my mind I was Kit Lee. I had no problem with the name “Kit” which means “outstanding hero” in Chinese [傑]. That I could relate to. But the way the “Fong” was written suggested “fragrant” rather than “magnanimous” – and the idea of being a “fragrant hero” sounded namby-pamby and sissy. At eight I was understandably defensive of my masculinity. It took about 12 years to grow my third ‘E’ – but we’ll discuss that later.   Meanwhile, having been impressed by Christopher Lee’s performance as Count Dracula and as an Egyptian priest in The Mummy, I was thrilled to learn that “Kit” was also the pet form of “Christopher” – which entitled me to see myself as a hologram aspect of that highly distinguished horror-film actor.Of course, nobody had heard of holograms yet. But already I had a vivid sense of the micro-macro, “as above, so below” fractal universe that constitutes the cosmic context of our beings. Soon enough, I dropped the “Christopher Lee” nonsense. Anyway, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable with the meaning of “Christopher” – bearer of the Christ child. Then I came across a book on numerology and spent weeks working out the values and attributes of everybody’s name I could think of. I decided that my name vibration had to correspond with the mystical 7, and the easiest way to manage that without radically altering my given name was to attach an extra ‘E’ to the Lee. Furthermore, “Kit Leee” added up to a 7 numerologically as well as typographically. And so the long tedious task began of persuading people to accept my third ‘E.’ At the same time I started feeling uneasy about wearing a name that could identify me with any specific ethnic group on this planet. I didn’t feel particularly Chinese, since the language was no less exotic to me than Greek or Hebrew or Serbo-Croatian. My only acquaintance with Chinese philosophy, primarily Taoist, was filtered through the minds of westerners like Alan Watts, Richard Wilhelm and Carl Jung.  Was I a cultural banana, yellow outside and white inside? Appealing as that metaphor sounded, I sought the broadest human perspective rather than wave flags, shake rattles and shout slogans proclaiming my loyalty to any football club or genetic lineage.I toyed around with anagrams and read everything backwards. Having stumbled upon the Latin word “resurgam” and discovering that its meaning resonated with my own obsession with resurgence or resurrection, I playfully began to call myself Magruser Eeel or M. Eeel for short (inspired partly by an obscure French musician named M. Frog and partly by an inexplicable fascination with the name “Melchizedek” which contains three ‘E’s, an ‘L’ and an ‘M’). Magruser, apart from being Resurgam spelt backwards, had the dubious benefit of sounding vaguely Scottish. As a teenager I’d had recurring reincarnational dreams of being a drummer boy at the head of a kilt-wearing highland regiment. These dreams invariably ended with my getting a musket ball in my belly, collapsing on the meadow, and feeling my spirit evaporate into a cloudless blue sky.  Then I found out that “Tricky Dick” Nixon had a White House staffer named Jeb Magruder (pictured right) – which kind of soured the name “Magruser” for me. I finally realized nobody could take a name like Magruser Eeel seriously, though I must admit it bears a certain spiritual kinship with Forrest Gump.Now this probably comes across as the eccentric preoccupations of a totally self-absorbed young person. Indeed I was in danger of becoming a solipsist – someone who believes that “all real entities are modifications and states of the self.” In other words, a victim of “artistic egoism” for whom the universe exists only as a private playground. After all, I was very much an adherent of the Socratic dictum: “Know thyself.” And how else does one go about “knowing” oneself if not through experimenting with the process of naming and renaming? The act of naming underlies all epistemological workings. Epistemology is just a fancy word for studying the basis of knowledge. For instance: by describing a person as “hero” or “villain” or “astronaut” or “junkie,” we are in effect defining how others will perceive or receive him or her. A “very determined” chap is worthy of public admiration; however, a “mulishly obstinate” fellow tends to elicit sighs of psychic fatigue from those around him. It’s the classic case of having to choose between a cup half-empty or half-full. At any rate “Kit Leee” gradually got accepted because people kept seeing it in print over a period of years when I was active in theatre, music and journalism. Most people were addressing letters to “Kit Leee” – except my mother, who found it hard to acknowledge the validity of my surname “Leee.” Finally I had my first book published – and when she saw my name in all its glory on the cover, she capitulated. How did my father feel about it? I explained to him that the Lee clan consisted of hundreds of thousands of individuals who weren’t remotely related – including a whole bunch of Lees that weren’t even Chinese. By becoming a Leee I was merely extending the line and marking a departure from tradition. My father took it quietly without argument. He has never been prone to intellectual discourse, being a practical man who prefers to deal with the nuts-and-bolts of existence. As far as he was concerned, I would always be his son, no matter what I called myself. I began making enquiries about officially changing my name to Kit Leee. Lawyers informed me the deed poll process was fairly complicated and costly – AND the rub was, Malaysian laws require that one’s birthname be retained on the identity card as an alias. No way. I didn’t want to sound like a gangster: Yong Tow Foo @ Ah Foo @ Fooyong Hai @ Towfoo Pok. This is bullshit, I thought. Surely we have the right to choose whatever form of identification feels comfortable to us. How dare the State try to keep our personalities from evolving! At the bank I was unable to get an ATM card issued with the name Kit Leee. “Kit Lee” was permitted but “Kit Leee” tak boleh. My very sensible argument that, in terms of security, “Leee” was far more effective than “Lee” – because I was probably the only one on Earth with such a surname – was answered by blank looks and firm shakes of the head. Not even a smile.  Later I was delighted to learn I wasn’t the only Leee on Earth. While reading a biography of David Bowie, the ultimate chameleon of pop iconology, I came across the name Leee Black Childers, who was at one time executive vice-president of Bowie’s MainMan label. Aha! There are at least two of us, I thought, elated. Imagine my surprise when I discovered there are actually THREE of us, including Leee John, the soul singer (above, left).So… why couldn’t I leave well enough alone? Why did I have to embark on a whole new campaign to persuade people to address me as ANTARES? What on earth does “Antares” mean, anyway? Is it Greek? Spanish? Sanskrit? Did I find it in a book? Who gave it to me? Anyway, who gives a fuck… I’m by no means the only one who has periodically felt the compulsion to alter the course of my destiny by changing my name. Amunhotep IV turned his reign into a far-reaching navigational beacon by becoming Pharaoh Akhnaton. Samuel Langhorne Clemens achieved literary immortality as Mark Twain, in the same way that Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a quiet mathematician, insinuated his imaginative genius into the public realm by posing as Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.  Marion Morrison fared much better as John Wayne; and Robert Allen Zimmerman may well have remained a gas-pump attendant in Hibbings, Minnesota, had he not decided to strike out for New York and seek his fortune as Bob Dylan. What about Issur Danielovitch? Even Michael Douglas would have had difficulty spelling his famous father Kirk’s birthname!Andy Warhol would probably not have bothered creating iconographic posters of Norma Jean Mortenson had she not agreed to be billed as Marilyn Monroe. Would you be as interested in Luisa Ciccone’s sex life as you might be in Madonna’s? Do you think somebody born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta can possibly make it in show business - unless she has the gumption to change her name to something catchy like Lady Gaga?   How about Ramli bin Puteh? Ramli who? You mean P. Ramlee (left) – the chap who successfully integrated Indian (Ram), Chinese (Lee) and Orang Puteh (P) elements into his own embodiment of the post-colonial Malay artistic genius? And if Prince Siddhartha hadn’t undergone his vision quest and transformed himself into Gautama Buddha, our spiritual legacy would have certainly been far poorer.It isn’t only individuals with exaggerated ego insecurities who habitually drop names. Entire countries have been known to do it too. In 1939 Thailand dropped its ancient monker of Siam, perhaps in protest against that Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, The King and I. Myanmar lost no time shedding its Burma tag when SLORC oozed into power. The USSR was dropped for CIS or Gorby-knows-what in 1991. Yugoslavia is now referred to as “the former Yugoslavia” or “the Balkan States” (though the area remains a hopeless mess of hostile ethnicities). Then Czechoslovakia dropped its name - and the country broke in two. Bangladesh was once… does anyone recall? And we’ll not mention the African nations at all except to note that names there have been dropped so feverishly the mapmakers can’t keep up. This name-dropping malaise caused Malaysia to lose its Malaya (which means “hills” in Tamil and “freedom” in Tagalog). But coming back to this ANTARES business: it wasn’t an easy decision, I’ll have you know that. Especially since years of effort had already been invested in establishing a third-E trademark for my work as that weird “Kit Leee” personality. And to now go through the exercise of dropping yet another name felt like a petty exercise in triviality, with no relevance to the larger issues of existence. Yet I believe it had to be done. I can provide an absolutely sound rationale for my idiosyncratic proclivity to drop names that no longer serve. Let’s put it this way: whether you describe yourself as a Batu Arangite, a Penangite, a Muarian, a Kampung Buayanese, a Malaysian, an Asian, an Earthian, a Milky Wayfarer, or simply as I AM THAT I AM pretty much determines the parameters of your thoughts and deeds. A caterpillar can’t easily proceed to butterflyhood if it insists on and persists in calling itself a grub. Names carry very specific vibrations. Notice how Americans prefer the informality of being called Bob instead of Robert, Jack instead of John, Ted instead of Theodore, Dick instead of Richard; whereas Canadians and Brits generally prefer that you address them by their “proper” names. Notice, too, how dignitaries tend to be extremely offended should one omit their lengthy titular appendages in official correspondence.   Imagine how peeved the Germans initially felt when American advertising wizards suggested they call their Volkswagen the Beetle… or, even worse, the Bug. Well, the admen’s advice was perfect for the freewheeling zeitgeist of the booming postwar automobile market. Even a pop music combo named after this particular insect proved phenomenally successful! I wonder if I might sell more CDs if I renamed myself "Nyamok" ("mosquito" in Malay)...Recently I met a couple of women who introduced themselves to me as Chong, their family name. Chong & Chong. Tan & Tan. Cheech & Chong. Johnson & Johnson. Fraser & Neave. Fang & Claw. Proctor & Gamble. Hem & Haw. Bumwiggle & Himmelfucker. Long live the Lees! Down with the Leighs! You’re a disgrace to the D’Cruz name! Such blind loyalty to the clan trademark is incomprehensible to me. It suggests that one has only one essential function, that is, to propagate one’s bloodline. Some say God has 9,000 names (or is it 999,000?). Maybe his favorite pastime is name-dropping too? With his nearly infinite hoard of names, God could well be the biggest Name-Dropper of all time. Hi, how’s it going, Al?  Let me assure you, the name “Antares” perfectly describes my present function in the human as well as the cosmological context. “Antares” came to me during a star-alignment ritual – a meditation on connecting vertically with the stellar realms, rather than just horizontally with mundane aspirations. Subsequently I did a little research and found that Antares is a binary stargate located in the heart of the Scorpio constellation, visible as the brightest star in the southern skies. In Greek the name means “counterforce to Mars” (Anti-Ares). Mars or Ares is the symbol of War or Division; it is also the symbol of the Masculine Force. Mars rules the field in battle as a sword, in farming as a plowshare, in medicine as a scalpel. So the counterforce to Mars would be Love, Venus, the Feminine Force, the Goddess Principle, the harmonizer, integrator and unifier. Which is exactly how I perceive my contribution to the greater community and the universe. No longer the combative hero, the David who vanquishes Goliath with a well-aimed slingshot – but as the reconciliator, the interlink between divergent realities and values. Remarkably the word antara in Sanskrit means “connection” – and in Malay it is used as the preposition “between” as in antarabangsa (international). Indonesia’s national news agency is called Antara. Deeper research indicates that antara is related to antahkarana – the rainbow bridge linking heaven to earth, celestial to terrestrial experience, the transpersonal to the personal.  I like that. I’m tired of being regarded as the renegade, the bad boy, the enfant terrible, the critic, the dissident. I would much rather be viewed as the Zone of Overlap between Spirit and Matter, between the sublime and the ridiculous. The traditional antagonism between polar opposites can be transmuted by a focused, intentional act of renaming. No need for US versus THEM. Inevitably it US plus THEM equals WE. Today’s “working class” becomes tomorrow’s “ruling elite” and vice versa. The Wheel of Fortune or Karma or Dynamic Evolution forever spins. Behind, beyond and above the din of cash registers and children’s excited squeals, and the loud laments of parents whose pockets have just been picked, one can hear the spontaneous cackle of the Trickster, Hermes or Thoth, the Cosmic Clown – who laughs not so much in cruelty but in the playful spirit of one who has known joy and sorrow and no longer plays the game of Snakes and Ladders. It is the lighthearted laughter of one who suddenly notices the projector beam and remembers he’s at the cinema watching the latest boxoffice spectacular… phew, no need to crap your pants, folks! It’s called “special effects” – but, boy, is it scary!  So call me Antares. If it’s a formal encounter, you may include my ceremonial titles of Avalokiteshvara (a name I picked up in Tibet many lifetimes ago) and Maitreya (a spiritual rank conferred upon me on 9 November 2009). In any case, Kit Leee the Fragrant and Outstanding Hero will live on in old friends’ and relatives’ memories – or as a cheque-receiving device.As long as we inhabit a competitive holographic world fueled by money, driven by paranoia, suspicion and fear – instead of life-affirming acceptance, love and perfect trust – I must accept the blank uncomprehending looks of bank clerks and bureaucrats as part of the outgoing reality. Not everyone can respond to freeform jazz improvisations. Many feel safer within the Euclidean framework of the Status Quo – just as members of the Flat Earth Society continue to fear falling off into Deep Space if they venture too close to the edge. However, there’s room for everyone and everything under the Sun (if not ours, some other distant Sun). Those who keep saying “There’s no room for this, no room for that in our society” are control-freaks possessed by archaic demons in their own brain circuitry. The Master Yeshua assured us: “My father’s house has many mansions.” Which is a poetic way of revealing that there are worlds within worlds, dimensions within dimensions; everyone has a seat reserved at the heavenly feast, so don’t worry, be happy. And the day will surely dawn when the only form we have to fill is the one that pleases us most.  Then I can revert to signing off as ANON – which happens to be an anagram for ONAN. Well, I think it’s better to be Onan the Masturbator than Conan the Barbarian, no?[First published in Journal One, 1996. Updated 7 May 2011] Some rights reserved © Antares/Magick River
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Utusan wants to set 1 Malaysia on fire, decries Lim Posted: 07 May 2011 02:33 AM PDT By Susan Loone May 7, 2011 Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed outrage over a front-page report today headlined ‘Malaysia Negara Kristian?’ (Malaysia a Christian state?) in Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia. Lim turned his guns on the Malay daily for the false report which was based on a couple of pro-Umno blogs and accused [...]
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Posted: 07 May 2011 10:46 AM PDT Malaysian detention centers currently housing alleged undocumented migrants, which would include asylum seekers and others, are already overcrowded - and detainees and civil society have been protesting for better and more humanitarian detention conditions. When complaints of detainees fall on 'deaf' ears of the detaining authority and Malaysian government, there have been 'protests' - some of which have even resulted in fires and breakouts. Most recent have been the protests in the Lengeng Detention Centre. [See earlier posts:-Lenggeng Immigration Depot breakout - Investigate the root causes] When asylum seekers reach Australia and claim for asylum, Australia should be housing these asylum seekers in Australia while the Australian government processes their applications....It is odd that they do not want to house them in Australia and was seeking other countries to house them... Malaysia also have hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and refugees that come to Malaysia seeking asylum and refugee status - but whilst their application are being processed by the relevant bodies, they are all in Malaysia. Malaysia does not try to 'group them and dump them' in some other country.... There are already about 5 million undocumented migrants in Malaysia, which also includes tens of thousands of asylum seekers and refugees - so, I am shocked to learn that Malaysia has agreed to accept about 800 more asylum seekers from Australia. (This number would increase as more and more asylum seekers go to Australia). Why does Malaysia do this? The report says that in response Australia will accept 4,000 refugees per year. As a member of the UN, Australia already has an obligation to accept asylum seekers and refugees - and we already have tens of thousands of persons already accorded refugee status still waiting to be re-located in a 3rd country, like Australia who has the space and the capability to accept refugees. We have even more persons (maybe over 100,000 more) still waiting for asylum seeker/refugee status. Even after persons get refugee(or asylum seeker status), and those still in the process of application are not provided housing and board in Malaysia, and they are just left to fend for themselves. Not having the right to legally work, and given the fact that Malaysian law does not recognize refugees and asylum seekers, they are all treated as 'undocumented' migrants who will be subject to arrest, detention and even deportation. Malaysia already has its own problems - and it makes no sense that Malaysia has now agreed to accept these persons who went to Australia seeking asylum and refugee status. Further, would it also not be discriminatory and prejudicial when these persons in Australia seeking asylum are Malaysians - surely the return of Malaysian asylum seekers to Australia would be an act of 'non-refoulement' ...and an act contrary to universal principles and law. Australia must revoke this agreement and keep their asylum seekers, now already in Australia, in Australia - not send them to some other country.
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Kejar bayang-bayang pun dah gaduh ... Posted: 07 May 2011 02:02 AM PDT  Kabinet betul macam mana pula? 
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Tolong Melayu Dengan Gadai Tanah Melayu...... Posted: 07 May 2011 12:45 AM PDT Pakatan Rakyat terutama PAS sering dituduh UMNO menjual hak Melayu kerana baik dengan DAP.
Malangnya, bukti di bawah menunjukkan sebaliknya. Sebidang tanah rezab Melayu di atas nama UMNO Bahagian Puchong telah cuba digadai/dijual kepada sebuah syarikat milik bukan Bumiputra. Mujur kerajaan Selangor diperintah Pakatan Rakyat menjadikan percubaan UMNO Puchong ini digagalkan. Terselematlah sebidang tanah rezab Melayu walaupun ianya di bawah nama UMNO Bahagian Puchong. Klik di atas imej dibawah untuk melihat imej dibawah dengan lebih jelas. UMNO Puchong pula dipimpin oleh Dato Satim Diman, yang sekarang ini adalah Ketua Pembangkang di Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor. Tak sangka. Ku ingat panas sampai ke petang, rupanya hujan di tengah hari. Bayangkan. Ni dalam keadaan UMNO tidak memerintah Selangor. Kalau ditakdirkan mereka masih memerintah, habislah tanah rezab Melayu di Selangor ni tergadai demi mengkayakan kroni dan UMNOPUTRA.      
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Singapore 2011 General Election Posted: 06 May 2011 10:59 PM PDT "Sama-Sama Menuju Bahagia
Cita-Cita Kita Yang Mulia Berjaya Singapura". The first time my friend the blogger Op-Ed from Singapore voted in a general election, the ruling party PAP lost FOUR seats. That was 1991 and the worst ever performance by the party that was co-founded by the late A. Samad Ismail until Lee Kuan Yew kept him out of Singapore and claimed Petir (the acronym Pak Samad gave
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Out of 10 people, 11 do not believe! Posted: 06 May 2011 09:45 PM PDT  I spent a major part of the day, including some small hours into Friday prayers assessing people's reaction of the sex video. It's the video made in Thailand featuring a person who looked like Anwar Ibrahim.The man looked taller, sports a close cropped hair do and the lady in question looks suspiciously like a girl from China. Maybe she's Suzie Wong. I am sure many of us remember the film no? Here's the deal. Out of 10 people I asked- 11 do not believe its Anwar! Perhaps it's in the nature of the allegation. The allegation is so preposterous. Never before has any preposterous spectacle been created by so questionable a group made up of so dubious collection of characters. As the issue of the smut video drags on, it's becoming clear that it has also become the sword of Damocles over the head of the UMNO leadership. The UMNO leadership is probably wishing this sex video issue did not arise at all. At first they thought this was a fortunate gift to finish off Anwar Ibrahim. The sex video now is like the sword held at the pommel by a piece of horse's hair hanging over the head of the UMNO leadership. It now wants the sword be taken away quickly or it now wishes not to be associated at all with the sex video. To whom is the video directed? I think it's directed at the rural voters. The assumption is that rural folks are simple minded such that any aspersions cast on the moral attributes of Anwar Ibrahim will cause a massive swing to BN and UMNO. I think UMNO should stay clear way from this moral issue. It should learn the object lessons from the raising of this moral issue by so dubious a group.-Sakmongkol AK47 source : sakmongkol.blogspot.com UMNO ingat orang2 Melayu di kawasan luar bandar adalah bodoh dan bangang. UMNO sangka dengan membaca Utusan Meloya dan menyaksikan TV3/4 sepanjang hari akan mengukuhkan persepsi orang2 Melayu ini terhadap Anwar sebagai seorang yang tak bemaruah. Dont be too sure about it.... cheers. 
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DAP girds up to penetrate S’wak’s hinterland Posted: 06 May 2011 11:10 PM PDT By Ang Ngan Toh | Malaysiakini May 7, 11 Interventional cardiologist Dr Tang Sie Hing has joined a growing list of professionals and educated young Sarawakians signing up as DAP members to serve in rural areas. Tang, who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Thursday, will be helping Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen as special [...]
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