It is a bliss really to be blessed with oil. Since PETRONAS inception in early 1970s, oil exploration has become our country's main source of income. Every single project is partly financed by the monies received through the trades of the country's most precious commodity. True, this commodity has been injecting the coffers.
We propelled towards prosperity and peacefulness because of the sincere contribution by our leaders - then. Unfortunately though, some are just plain greedy and politically motivated to gain political clout across the board - now. Menyampahhh aku..
Goodwill money? Royalty money?
Haiyya! Money money money. Got no work to do ka hah?
I am being made aware of the current news in my country - much to my chagrin. On one side of the wall, someone says "Based on the actual agreement, you are eligible to receive the benefit". However, on the other side says, "You do not fit the bills - because you live too far from the shore. Hence, I'm not going to give you the benefits."
I apologise for bringing this up. Just because of their political inclination, you refuse to give whatever they are supposed to get. Yeah, the world can never be fair.
Regards.
P.S.
Rewards those who deserve. Survival of the fittest. Haktuih.. Nak letak kat mana orang lain? Tak payah faham.
It seems like just yesterday I updated this virtually-obsolete blog. It is not that I don't have anything to say, but life has been increasingly hectic that I have to constantly arrange my priorities especially after being entrusted with a number of responsibilities - hence this outdated blog.
Being in an organisation, particularly that of students politics, teaches me to be careful in whatever that I articulate in our Google Group as well as in the meeting. Crap.
Salaam & Hi to all,
Before I respond, I'd like to say that I'm not taking sides nor am I being judgemental. I say what I believe should be said. And I gonna bullshit and crap alot here.
I have eye-witnessed how hardworking *****is in doing his work. I too can vouch for that. Since day one he finished his exam, he dedicated his time to doing ***** works. I too have been asking myself, if ***** is doing the whole delegating and monitoring works, where is *****? I apologise that I'm sure as hell that I'm not in a position to criticise someone without valid evidence. But, after talking to both***** and ***** and asking what's really going on, I think I have found a ground on which I base my argument.
But to say that our dear P*****, *****not doing her work is a wee bit overstatement. And please, be more mature guys when dealing with things like this. It is easy to play a Blame Game - that what you should do is to do your prescribed work and if anything goes wrong [or unparalleled to what you'd love to see]; all it takes is to simply blame other people to get the hell out of the predicament. Remember, Problems won't go away if you bury your head in the sand - what more to abandon the ship once and for all! It would all be doom and gloom for ***** if our key persons have a 'head of their own' [ikut kepala sendiri].
First, let me define what I mean by Maturity in a rather small organisational sense like
*****.
1. LEARN to accept other people's weaknesses. We may not personally know each and everyone of us in the committee; but believe me, we are very susceptible to being prejudice to other people whom we deem unfit to get the organisation moving due to one or two mistakes done by him/her. This is where we should take a step back and ponder why we think so. Blame ourselves first before we do to others. Have we done enough to discuss the matters at hand? eg. List of work to be done and the actual and clear delegation of tasks.
2. Be Flexible. This does not mean we have to compromise our Stance/principles. But, in ensuring the success of an organisation like ***** (and given that many of us, particularly our 'Key player' is inexperienced), we need to summon as much respect as possible especially if we feel we are not really known by many [I'm alluding this to you *****. My heartfelt apologies. But, we do need to learn to accept criticisms and formulate our own conclusion based on both side of the arguments. It's all up to you how to take this]. If we feel we are not good enough, do seek assistance from others. Never be arrogant. It is the art of Leadership that we must accept the fact that there are people out there more capable of being a better leader than us. Taking a cue from Sun Tzu's the Art of War, "know your Enemy". Look in the mirror, and the enemy is right before you.
3. Get your communication and information right. It is very natural that we are prone to judging people based on our firsthand assumption. We do not even communicate to that person and ask what's going on; and we, out of the blue, form our conclusion.
eg. I did not upload the files from the CD because I have to wait for previous IT Officer to give me the Handbook on whatever he has done with the Google Apps so that I can easily continue his work. But, nobody asks me what's going on and suddenly someone says I haven't done anything with the CD given to me - hence not doing my work. Plus, there's nothing rushing about the CD that I need to upload the files to the website immediately - and I just finished my exams! Ask that person-in-charge first BEFORE you start mumbling / kutuk-ing him/her.
I've joint and by extension, spearheaded numerous organisations with different responsibilities. All I could see is that, this is what happens when there is no clear distinction of power and responsibilities. ***** may seemingly be doing all the work that should be done by *****
. But, ask yourself, has there been a clear distinction and delegation of responsibilities especially between those two at the top? Have you, ***** or *****, listed down the works to be done and clearly reached a consensus as to whom should be doing which task? Both can call the shots on any issues without having to hear the complaints from any of the two [Pres n Vice].
I really don't mind in which ways the tasks are done. What is done is done so long as it doesn't go against *****'s core principles or against work ethics/etiquette. Don't complain TOO much especially in a non-profit organisation like this where we are self-motivated to do the work. It is enough for us to see ***** doing the work to be motivated! But, it is only between ***** and
*****where the problem lies. If ***** feels that he has done so many things that should be done by *****, but where is the report/minutes? If it's true that you are really doing *****'s works, let us know and please do not simply bash her publicly. As for *****, I think you should listen to what ***** has to say since he has the prerogative to speak up like that because of the workload he has done. AND please, don't complain until you have a concrete reason to complain.
I could bullshit more here. I don't want to see any of us being toppled simply because of his/her personal traits. And I believe both $%#$^# and $%#$^# are trying to do their best to ensure the success of *****.
I look forward to seeing both ***** and ***** in good terms again.
Thanks for reading this crap.
Regards,
Itik Tokwi 2009/10
Crap! Now this guy could be the Bullshit-ul Am. lol.
"Be a generation of change & Jangan nakai sangat!" P.S. Jangan try2 posa.
"Grow up, will you?"
"Aim for the skies; even if you fail, you are among the Stars that twinkle other people's life!"
"Your genteel manner & deep humility epitomise our family's background. Indeed, it is a virtue of Islamic values preached by our Prophet SAW. My heartfelt apologies & Thanks for everything =)"
"I really adore your familial spirits (semangat kekeluargaan). It is exceptionally one of a kind. Doakan kejayaanku di Melbourne. InshaAllah"
"Despite whatever you've endured of late, deep down I believe that your spirits survive those trials and tribulation unscathed. May your noble deeds be a spark of change to us all. InshaAllah. Thanks for EVERYTHING"
"Terima kasih atas segalanya. (terutamanya AVANZA). he he he. & Doakan kejayaanku di sini. InshaAllah"
"A simple 'Thanks' might not be able to do justice to whatever you've sacrificed for me (esp. the recent kuih raya delivery. he he.), but believe me, those memories will forever be etched in my heart!"
"Di bulan Ramadhan & Syawal yg. mulia ini, A*** memohon seribu keampunan atas segala salah & silap yg. dilakukan. Didoakan M&A sentiasa sihat walafiat di bawah lindungan Rahmatullah. Ameen..."
P.S.
1. Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 1430H. Maaf Zahir Batin.
2. Always be on the lookout for these dedications. They may reach ur threshold earlier than expected =)
I believe my family in Malaysia is patiently waiting for my updates from Down Under. Truth be told, Ramadhan here is not very much different from Malaysia - except that you don't have a Bazaar Ramadhan here where you could exorbitantly splurge on 5 ayam golek or 10 sticks of ayam percik every other day.
Okay, okay. It is different so to speak. Strikingly different. Here, you can get a free iftar every weekend at Malaysia Hall. Back in Malaysia, you can actually get free iftar every day in most Masjids - provided that you have the will to go there instead of eating at home with your daily scrumtious iftar on the table. The food at Masjids are mostly lousy which would attract you to stay at home rather than congregating for Maghrib prayer at those Masjids.
Unlike in Malaysia, most people here are freakishly thrifty. - by 'most people', I am alluding to students in Melbourne. Not only that, they would go to the extent to which, waiting for any function (function with food/iftar provided) to wrap up is necessary. The reason being that they would get to 'tapau' the food for their iftar for the next 3-4 days. Well, what would you expect? There would definitely be leftover after the event. he he he.
Errr, do you get my drift?
It has been more than a fortnight of Ramadhan. I went out for iftar (PAID iftar) only once so far. The UNpaid ones were already thrice or more. The rest, I only ate at home in spite of, sometimes, having more salt than necessary in our curry OR even having not-fully-cooked nasi putih.
I love fasting here. Not because I don't have my family around, but I can get to see how united our Muslims (particularly Malaysian Muslims) communities are. There is always a common denominator amongst us - and that common denominator being unpaid AKA free food! I believe that this is the crucial unifying factor for Malaysian students here. =)
Come to think of it, we had a Malaysian Student Leadership Forum of late. It was a success and beyond our expectation; despite not reaching our targeted number of audience. It was really good for a start of a new Melbourne - a new Malaysian students in Melbourne to be precise. Never once did the Malaysian students community here, in particular its Students' Council hold an intellectual event like this. They only had social and sporting events thus far. The theme for the Forum was "Road to Unity - Because Unity is Strength".
Speaking of which, I remind myself of my life way back in 2002. We, a bunch of selective 13-year-old kids, were taught about Unity and why it was really imperative to us as a member of a larger Prep School community then. Every other week in our dining hall, we always shouted that "Unity is Strength" phrase. I wasn't so sure whether or not it was ingrained in our mind back then. But, I could still hear the phrase reverberates in my head every now and then.
Head oh cow-head.
By the way, I don't go for terawih for tonight. But, I have performed my terawih in my room. The Masjid is not very far though. It takes me only 3 minutes riding to get there. But, it's too cold to be outside. he he.
P.S.
I just couldn't understand why you need to march with a bleeding severed cow-head and at the same time waving placards stating "Kuil untuk Rodziah dan Khalid". If you are really a Muslim, go to Ayat 108, Surah Al-An'am (The Cattle) and have a deep perusal:
And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fairseeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do.
Who said I don't care about my country?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
"It is not 'hak ketuanan Melayu'. It is actually 'hak keistimewaan orang Melayu'. Baca constitution tu betoi2 ye." MASCA Forum final rehearsal, 26th Aug., Monash Parkville.
Anyway, as of last weekend, there are already 3 ministers coming over to Melbourne and having a good time with Malaysian students. It is a very good move to have ministers talking to students and having an interactive discussion with one another.
This photo was taken before my departure on 14th Feb 2009
I keep reminding myself that this blog should remain apolitical. And it will always be because it is my personal avenue to speak up my personal accounts on things.
It is very hard when you tend to be non-partisan suddenly something happens that present you with a second thought.
I grew up in an isolated village in Bukit Mertajam, Penang with 5 other siblings. For almost 2 decades, I've seen the harsh reality of life that has been plaguing the people there. My ayah, Tn Hj Othman Ishak used to bring me around the kampung to witness the hardship felt by these people.
He was the treasurer of Masjid Jamek Kampung Mengkuang - a post that he held for years. (I'm not quite sure whether or not he's still holding the post). After every Jumaat prayer at the masjid, he'll get back home a bit later than others to collect the money donated by the people. I can still remember vividly when he withdrew his own retirement fund money to be put into the masjid's bank account a few times in order to ensure that the money is not being understated.
He was entrusted by, if I'm not mistaken, Pejabat Zakat P. Pinang to distribute the money along with rice to the people in need in the village - regardless of their political inclination. I went along with him. I believed that it's not only about me helping him out with the distribution, but, it's also about eye witnessing the harshness of life that is clouding over the people there. The experience might not seem to be of paramount significance; nonetheless, it was an experience of a lifetime.
My ayah would not ask me to help him out anymore - perhaps because of my apparent commitment, but the impact would forever be etched in my heart.
I am also blessed with a very caring mother. Well, I think to pen down whatever values that she's imparted me or every single experience I had with her would take forever!
My ayah always reiterates to his kids that we ought not to be arrogant by whatever achievement that we have attained. The value of humility that he exhibits is an epitome of true Malay-ness. That has always been affecting us as his kids.
My eldest sister, for instance, despite her fierceness as the eldest sibling of 6, used to be our family's breadwinner. After graduating from the US as an accountant, she forked out big chunk of her money for my other siblings' education - particularly my 3rd sibling, Rohaizat who was at that time studying Law at IIUM.She is now working at a private company in Kedah.
My 2nd sister was not that lucky. After SPM, she went to KL to work as a Toll Cashier at PLUS Highway. She is now working at her own house as a tailor. My 3rd sibling is a lawyer. He's been practicing for years. Other than that, he is actively involved in Politics as an UMNO member.
Speaking of him, I have no doubt that we would end up being a high-up Politician. It is just a matter of time, though. In my kampung, he has contributed to the wellbeing of the villager by providing them with extra income through a few programmes. The most significant one is the homestay programme where he, along with his colleagues manage to attract foreign tourist to the village - under the tutelage of the respective ministry. He is also chairing the Koperasi Gerakan Desa Wawasan at my place - a post entrusted by the people to him.
Am I campaigning for him? In a way, it is a 'Yes', especially when you see someone, who shared the same womb as you way back then, is having a rough time. This has made you think that you should give your full support to him. No matter how small your contribution is - even through this personal blog. I've seen and read many kinds slanderous remarks against him. Well, this is part and parcel of being a Malaysian politician anyway! Hope he is able to surpass this integrity test (or so they call).
Rohaimi is my 4th sibling. He works at Penang Regional Development Authority (PERDA) as a manager. Frankly, I have nothing much to say about him other than his current interest - that is GOLF! ha ha. Among 3 brothers that I have, he's the only one that I'm so scared to speak to. But, it's no longer the case now.
I also have another brother named Rozaini who is working as a lecturer in UiTM Penang. Out of six, he is probably the most religious one - given his background as an Islamic activist in ISMA Penang. He also has this kind of genteel manner that makes people always at ease when dealing with him.
Almost 9 years after Rozaini's delivery, my mak was in labour again. This time around her womb was occupied by a boy with a slightly crazy brain. The boy is now in Melbourne, sweating his (6353654654647mm-long-haired) head off to answer an Introductory Macroeconomics test.
I was actually taken by suprise when I knew one of my brothers is going to contest in this coming by-election at Permatang Pasir. At this moment, I can see the ugly side of politics - that the people will do whatever it takes to attract the votes. Nevermind how sinful their actions may seem, nevermind the lopsidedness of the reports made by them, nevermind the venomous insinuations hurled at him. (A friend – an intelligentsia - spoke to me "Kalau politik Msia tak ubah-ubah lagi, malas aku nak join. Baik aku balik rumah tanam jagung lagi best")
I have to be tough. I know all along that my brother, who was alleged to have taken the people's money, rakyat's money; is not at fault. My brother and his wife had to bear the brunt for 6 years. Rest-assured, he wasn’t using the money - let alone feeding his family (including me) with the money.
I know too well that this can be questioned by the people especially at crucial times like this because he is apparently under the spotlights, is he not? He should now be finding ways on how to woo the voters.
A friend advised me that I should not involve in this - for I might be tensed up seeing and reading the remarks across the political blogs and media. The ugliness of politics can also see the people from both sides of the wall using the candidate's family's weaknesses to further bring him/her down the political scene (or so I was told). But, yeah, I couldn't agree more.
A good thing about him getting directly involved in the by-election is that the power of family institution defies any odds. I believe that my relatives - no matter what political bent they are in - are campaigning for him. Hopefully, my 3rd sister-in-law's parents - known for their ardent inclination for an opposition party - would also campaign for him. I think I'm not being too much by saying that he's also the epitome of change in Islamic values that his party is practicing.
To any freakish bloggers or commentators who are looking for more info on the candidate's family, you can take it from here. But, I implore you not to manipulate anything from the writing. If your intention is to create even more slanderous remarks, may you be blessed in HELL.
Dear Permatang Pasir voters, you won’t regret if you choose this guy to represent you. He will definitely deliver because…he is a man of his words.
This is not the scene during by-election alone. It has been like this years ago -
but without that black songkok & blue badge lah. =)
“Hang ingat baik-baik sejarah keluarga kita. Ayah ni dulu motong getah saja tau. Mak hang tu tolong tok hang juai kuih kat kedai tok hang dulu” Hj Othman.
P.S.
Ada member aku (the President to be exact) ajak join Kelab UMNO Aust Melbourne. Aku kata, tak pa lah bro. Bukan tak mau, tapi aku nak jadi neutral. Sponsor aku pun tak bagi join politik2 ni haa. ha ha ha
P.P.S.
The slightly crazy brain with 6353654654647mm-long hair guy has just got full mark in his Introductory Macroeconomics test. Yihhaaa! Many thanks to Faisal, his Bangladeshi friend who has been accompanying him throughout the test.
P.P.P.S.
I was told that my 3rd sister-in-law just delivered a daughter. Well, the 9th anak menakan for me! Ha ha ha.
I spoke to a Malaysian here who is a very new Australian PR about how his kids are coping with the education system in Melbourne. He provided me with a story that had taken me by surprise.
In Melbourne (or Australia in general), going to school is a choice. It is not necessary. But, once you get into the system, you will see the stark difference from what you've experienced before in other parts of the globe.
In the kids' report (or so I was told), there is almost a 10-page long report for your perusal stating how your kid is doing in the kindergarten. The report is not about how many vocabs your kid has memorized, but it is all about his personal development and character-building process. It is about how deft your kid is when it comes to making friends. It is about making an elder kid out of just a kid. It is about how well your kid is socializing with one another - for instance, the kid is taught not to take toys from his peers without asking permission, and the kid should know where to restore the toys after playing with them.
All of these are seemingly trivial - but, the truth is, any nation-building process in every corner of the world begins with a small bunch of people who received an education extraordinaire - well, not exactly though, "but education is not the piling on of learning, information, data, facts, skills, or abilities" - that’s training or instruction - but is rather making visible what is hidden as a seed. This is how these people were educated.
Take our country for example, the few Malays or the so-called our forebears were not really Malays. In this sense, when you speak to them it's like you're speaking to an Englishman - their accurate intonation and thick British or American accent was obvious. They also lived in a house with a small bar inside it.
And those days we had a whole lot of the Malays who did not have a good education. They only kowtowed to what British asked them to do - in short, they were a "Yes, sir!" type of people. English education was there at that time, but only for those who could afford. In spite of whatever treatment and instruction they received back then, there was nobody who could bring them together to fight for independence. There were, however, a few decently educated Malays who exploited the Malay newspaper to create propaganda and hence sending tremour through the British establishment.
And here it came, a small bunch of Malay elites with the "Malayu Bersatu" & "Ke Arah Kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu" chants bellowing in their head, trying to bring together the people to fight for independence. Without these people, I doubt we could go this far.
Okay. That's the mukaddimah. (This reminds me of how long my ayah's mukaddimah was when trying to put forth a 'salient' point to me - that I shall not lackadaisically speak up against the powers-that-be. Whatever it is, I fully understood his point. Well, you are having freedom of speech every now and then, but after the speech, be ready!).
It feels like, I'm blowing this up out of all proportion. sigh.
OK. Here's the key point (or rather the key narrative. Whatever you like).
When I was in primary school, I had this penchant for disturbing girls. What I did was I usually tarik-tarik their headscafts and then I got the hell out of the scene - and that was during Standard 5.
When I was in Standard 3, I was almost being stripped off my prefectship because I made a girl cried. Ha ha. It's so funny how things were then. I was brought to PK HEM's Office on the spot by a teacher. Unfortunately though, that was my 3rd disciplinary case.
She briskly said: "Rizairi, awak ni sudah 3 kali kena tangkap buat hal. Sepatutnya dah memang kena cabut baju biru awak tu!" (Because the prefects wore blue shirt instead of white then. And yeah, she didn't know how to pronounce my name).
I have not the faintest idea on how to vindicate myself. I was in a really serious peril.
A punishment was meted out. In lieu of being taken away the prefectship, I was canned by her - hard on the butt! Well, BIG boys don't cry! Rest-assured, I wouldn't dare do it again - unfortunately I did.
Surprisingly, my parents didn't care about all of these. All they cared was my academic results. It's a good thing though - that you just had to excel in studies and be a prefect in order to prove a point. ha ha ha. Plus, the girls' parents didn't even get to the school to put me on trial at Mahkamah Majistret Bukit Mertajam for all my misdemeanour. Otherwise, all hell would break loose.
Even though it's only about 8 years since I left my primary school, things have become much more sophisticated. Parents have become more involved in school's affairs that even the littlest thing like, for instance, when a kid calls another kid "bodoh" or "gemuk", it is already seen as a serious mischief.
As a repercussion, the parents would come to the school and tell the kid off (by themselves for Heaven's sake!). Ha ha. Alas, even now, we (by 'we' I mean most of my peers) always end our speech with "dowwwh" which comes from the word "bodoh". ha ha.
This should change. Likewise, our education system should be at the front seat. To be at each other's neck or to take to the streets just because of PPSMI would do little in helping our country to produce the so-called 'towering-personality'. We have built 2 much-touted skyscrapers and 1 state-of-the-art airport. These are not the way forward this time around. We now need a bunch of people - like the ones we had decades ago but they should be a wee bit religious in order to cater for the current political demand - to move our country even further ahead.
This shall start with Education.
And as I said, Education is about making visible of what hidden as a seed.
"To build a nation, first, build a school" Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim.
Mohd Ikhwan Ahmad Zhakiya ALLAH, selamatkan dan berikanlah kesembuhan kepada sahabatku azwan ariff. Kau Maha Penyayang dan Maha Penyembuh serta Maha Penguasa
I don`t know your batchmate tu personally, but he`s in the fraternity, and that`s all that matters.Really hoping and praying that he will recover.As it is with all matters, only Allah knows best.
Insyallah!
Azman Aris
FV68
Mohd Shah House
Asm Bro Rozairee Othman
R u here balik kampung dah? Kita mohon Allah selamatkan brader kita ok.
Ah, ramai kita sekarang dalam keadaan kritikal, demam, sakit berulang2 dll.
Yang masih muda nampak kuat pun. Lagilerr yang umur setengah abad nih.
Harap kita jagalah keselamatan dan kesihatan, semua
Moga kita dilindungi Allah akan segala bala bencana.
Amin. Wassalaam.
HAI
Bro. Rozairee,
Pls. keep us updated on your batchmate's condition. Our prayers are with him.
My 2nd e-mail to keep them abreast of the situation.
Dear Bros,
First of all, thanks for all your words of encouragement. Azwan would have been so proud to be part of this great support system.
Allah might well have answered and reciprocated our prayers.
I just spoke to a batchmate - who also happened to be Azwan's roommate back in KYUEM. He's been at the hosp around the clock me think. Azwan underwent his 2nd operation this evening. The surgery was successful, alhamdulillah. But, we are just afraid of any complication or side-effects that could inflict upon his current condition. And we can only tell how serious the complication is once he's fully awake.
I was told that there are still blood clots on his brain. But, not the life-threatening ones.
So, keep praying brothers. Hope he will be fully-recovered (physically, and mentally) soon. He's going to the UK nanti if everything's fine.
Kind regards, Rozairee 0206 Reporting from Down Under
inalillah..
yang kritikal nye bcos its a head injury, so head injuries are always very worrying.
sama2 kita pray for azwan ok ppl :(
doakan kesejahteraan sahabat kita...
ya, dia baru dapat resullts A level, belum terbang lagi, ada di malaysia