Making Sabah & Sarawak Look Much Smaller

In the Malaysian school Geography text books!

See how the maps are distorted to give much more prominence to Peninsular Malaysia!?

Once we were beautiful Malaysia

- Art Harun

JULY 24, 2013

I am blessed.

So are many of my friends who are of or around my age.

So are many who are older than me.

As a child of the 60s, I went through my formative years in an English-stream school. It was a big school in town.

And there were hundreds of us Malays, Chinese and Indian boys (it wasn't co-ed).

Our first headmaster was a Chinese gentleman who was as fierce as they came those days.

When he left, he was replaced by an Indian gentleman, who also was as fierce.

My first class teacher was Ms Leong, all long haired and short skirted.

And yes, armed with a wooden ruler, she would knock my knuckles for failing to properly write the number 8.

My first English sentence, learnt on the first day at school was to be uttered after raising my right hand, "Please teacher may I go out?"

That was to be said if any of us had to go to the toilet to do the normal stuffs we all do in the toilet (and not to eat).

Then there were Mr Linggam, Cikgu Aziz and wife, Sharom, Mr Lee the karate guy, Mr Khor, Cikgu Mutalib and various others.

We were a happy bunch. We played together, ate together, learned together and of course, at times, punished together.

And we were equal. In standard 5, I began fasting.

The school canteen stayed open for the whole month.

No renovation. No closure. Muslim and non-Muslim kids, who did not fast, ate as usual.

If they bought a proper meal, such like nasi lemak or mee goreng, they would eat at the canteen.

If it was some kind of snack, they would just eat while walking around, in the class or where ever.

No fuss. No issue. No problem. (AS REPEATEDLY STATED, OUR CURRENT PROBLEMS ARE MAINLY SELF INFLICTED “INSTIGATED MAINLY BY EXTREMISTS FOR POLITICAL SELFISH INTEREST INTEREST TO DIVIDE THE NATION!)

My impressionable years were spent in a boarding school. It was the same scenario.

All of us, regardless of race or religion studied together, ate together, played together and at times, getting one or two rotan together.

Visiting a non-Malay house was not a problem.

Eating there was not a problem too. Sharing food with non-Muslims was not an issue.

Things have however, sadly, changed.

And change for the worse. Nowadays, non-Muslims don't send their kids to national school anymore.

They prefer to send the kids to the vernacular schools.

The ones who could afford would send their kids to private schools.

National schools are almost invariably filled with Muslim/Malay students.

National schools would recite prayers before class begin in the morning.

Quranic verses and hadith would adorn walls in the canteen, school office and even classes.

Ustaz and ustazah would even ask school kids to raise their hands if their parents do not pray 5 times a day.

In secondary schools, the tudung is not compulsory for girls - according to the Ministry of Education's circular, if I am not mistaken - but girls without tudung would be viewed askance by schoolmates and teachers alike.

Due to the small number of non-Muslim/Malay kids in national schools, the Malay kids do not have the opportunity to mix around and integrate with non-Malays in their formative and impressionable years.

The small number of non-Malay kids also gives a sense of false superiority complex to the Malay kids as well as teachers.

Thus, my race and my religion are more important than you, your religion and everything else.

Hence the closure of the school canteen during Ramadhan.

This is prevailing in many national schools. Apparently, this is done to "respect" the Muslim students who are fasting.

Forget the fact that non-Muslims do not fast and they, like any other human beings or animals, have to eat and drink.

Forget the fact that there are Muslim kids who do not fast.

Anybody who just about mentions the word "food" would have been taken as insulting Islam.

On Facebook last week, there were two guys admonishing a hotel which advertised its breakfast package on its page.

They viewed it as disrespectful.

But to be fair, the two were widely condemned by other Muslim facebookers.

The eating-in-the-changing-room debacle yesterday is just the surface of a far unhealthier trend in Malaysia.

Beneath that surface is a society which is fractious, intolerant, selfish and uncompromising.

The obvious question is how did we, as a nation, become like this? As a nation we started so well.

The Federal Constitution was agreed upon by consensus between three major races anchored to give-and-take and win-win camaraderie.

There was a blemish in 1969 but that was quickly nipped in the bud and we soldiered on.

In football, we were in the Olympic final in 1972 and 1980.

By the law of progression, we should be in the World Cup by now. By contrast, Japan and Korea, whom we used to beat, were already in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

We now struggle to beat the likes of Vietnam and even Singapore.

Like our football team, the state of our racial integration and inter-faith relationship has moved in reverse gear.

Years of political posturing utilizing religion and race have now begun to show its ugly consequences.

The so-called Islamisation that we embark upon, which is shorn of any meaningful spiritual understanding of the religion, but rather born out of political necessities, convenience and mired in political one-upmanship has now produced a nation which is unsure of itself and a people who are fractious, angry, suspicious and at odd with each other.

We need to take a real good look at ourselves and examine our ways. And we need to reboot our operating system if we want to avoid a total crash. And we need to reboot fast. - July 24, 2013.

Who Screwed up Malaysia???

Ask the Ex-PM of Malaysia: Mahathir  

Sarawak Sovereignty Movement demands full autonomy

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Sarawak Sovereignty Movement demands full autonomy

A movement, rumoured to be backed by the powerful in Sarawak, is demanding for full autonomy in the state based on the 18-point Malaysia Agreement.

KOTA KINABALU: A new civil movement from Sarawak, calling themselves Sarawak Sovereignty Movement (SSM), is demanding full autonomy for the state.

The movement which was launched in April 2013, posted its schedule of demands for autonomy on its website and Facebook account, backing its claims with details of Sarawak’s history.

According to SSM secretary, Lina Soo, full autonomy sums up all the terms and conditions for Sarawak (and for Sabah too) agreeing to form Malaysia with three other independent countries as equal partners being Malaya, Singapore and North Borneo (Sabah) in 1963.

“Brunei in its wisdom decided not to follow the crowd because Malaya did not agree to accord it ‘equal partnership’ status,” said Soo.

Singapore, she said pulled out in 1965 also after failed to to get federal to accept it as an equal partner.

“The original Malaysia concept of five countries (including Brunei) had dwindled into three countries in Malaysia.

“The concept was dead. The legitimacy of Malaysia is therefore in doubt,” she said in a statement to FMT here.

According to Soo, Sarawak’s autonomous status was spelt out clearly in the 18 Points Agreement with Malaya.

“These were safeguards for Sarawak having given up its independence and agreeing to form Malaysia.

“Sarawak reserved its sovereign right to control its own immigration, finance and resources and requirement for ‘Borneonisation’ among other important conditions Sarawak’s sovereignty was recognized- at least on paper,” she reminded.

However, the Malaysian federal government’s failure to honour the terms of the Malaysia Agreement for the past 50 years is evidenced by the pillage of their resources and centralisation of control over the two states/countries.

“The Kuala Lumpur control and exploitation of Sarawak oil has seen very little oil money flowing back to Sarawak but seen as being siphoned to develop Malaya.

“With the growing awareness of Sarawak’s diminished and disadvantaged position after giving up its independence to form Malaysia, a new generation of Sarawakians have begun agitating for Sarawak independence rights,” she said.

‘Deviations invite trouble’

SSM, she said, is of the opinion that the Malayan government is contented that Sarawak and Sabah freely agreed to form Malaysia and they are forever a part of Malaysia.

“(But) many in the two countries now are asking if Sarawak and Sabah freely made such a decision, then they are free to leave Malaysia like Singapore,” she claimed.

SSM which is helmed by Morshidi Abdul Rahman, was first given publicity in Sarawak newspapers last month but hardly mentioned in other media.

He reportedly asserted that Sarawak is a sovereign nation – a territorial and constitutional entity – that has power to vote on its own laws, collect taxes and the right to own its natural resources.

Meanwhile, a leader from ruling Sarawak Barisan Nasional has warned Sarawakians not to deviate from the original concept of Malaysia.

Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who was also a former parliament deputy speaker, when asked for his opinion on SSM, said Sarawakians must refrain from divisive politics.

“We have our constitution – the supreme law of the nation, with which act and work. Do not stray from original concept of the Federation…,” Wan Junaidi said, adding that “deviations invite troubles”.

His double-edged statement has lent credence to certain local speculations that SSM is backed by “the powerful” in Sarawak who also seek to strengthen its autonomy, not to fall prey to a scheming central power that seeks to weaken Malaysia’s largest state, like it did to Sabah.

Sabah and Sarawak are regarded to be nations-within-a nation as both have autonomous rights granted to them in laws, written in pre-Malaysia conditions and also in other treaties and documents including in the Federal and State constitutions.

The clamour for full autonomy in both Borneon states had recently increased due to the high awareness of disparity in income and development between them and the 11 Peninsular states which they accused of “stealing” the states’ rich for Malaya’s own exploitation.

Ironically, both Sabah and Sarawak, while endowed naturally to be Malaysia’s richest, have ended at the bottom-end of Malaysia’s poorest states, 50 years after agreeing to form a Federation with Malaya.

5 May 2013 - Who Are The Real Losers?

By voting for half past six candidates from Pakatan Rakyat and also for the existing Barisan Nasional, the people of Sabah have lost the opportunity to change the State Government.

Figuratively speaking, the people of Sabah have crashed into a ravine to avoid hitting a cat!

The people of Sabah were vanquished in the fight for political autonomy when they themselves rejected the one and only Sabah-based opposition party that is SAPP (Sabah Progressive Party).

Pakatan Rakyat has successfully split the opposition votes and now they can be the undisputed opposition with Barisan Nasional continuing to be the Sabah State Government exactly like what is happening in Sarawak presently.
Why did they still came and contested in Sabah despite knowing that they cannot win here and form the State Government?

SAPP was completely incinerated and more than 90% of their candidates lost their deposits; of what use now is the 12 opposition state seats when Barisan Nasional is still in firm control of the State Government?

The painful truth in this election is that the voters of Sabah by not voting for SAPP as the next Sabah State Government, have effectively widened and seemingly deepened their own marginalization as the poorest of the poor in Malaysia while grasping on a thin tube of miserable benefits amidst racial discrimination, corruption and immigrants reverse taking over Sabah!

If future history were to ever epitomize Yong Teck Lee as the man who never got the chance to change the fortunes of Sabah, it is definitely some sort of a Déjà Vu now when it was written in Luke 4:24 of the Christian Bible that “No prophet is accepted in his own country”.

The voters of Sabah have allowed themselves to be cheated when Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Rakyat did not save the people of Sabah but actually destroyed us in the end and eventually sent all of us to the dungeons of slavery!

Pakatan Rakyat took the people of Sabah for a ride by swindling and manipulating our gullible voters into believing a blatant lie that they could change the government!

However, if SAPP were to be voted in as the State Government, it would definitely resist by all legal and legitimate means the Barisan Nasional Federal Government; but now, the BN State Government will work hand in hand with the BN Federal Government to further fleece and push us over the edge!

From now onwards, the people of Sabah can take their grouses and grievances against the two Barisan Nasional Governments to their newly-elected half-past-six assembly representatives from Pakatan Rakyat particularly the DAP and see for themselves what they are really capable of doing!

The next five years will be the toughest for each and every Sabahan because of living costs going up, swelling prices of essentials, all sorts of taxes and levies including GST (Government Sales Tax) will be slapped onto us to recover all the monies spent by the Barisan Nasional before and in the just concluded election – Good Luck to the people of Sabah!

It is now imperative that a dignified SAPP should leave the people of Sabah alone to enjoy what they have deservedly voted for; to quote from Matthew 10:14, Jesus Christ once said this to his disciples: If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.

For those who are familiar with the intricate history and politics of Israel, Sabah is becoming exactly like Jerusalem!

To the people of Sabah who will suffer in the coming five years, SAPP is now fully qualified to use the same words of a famous Field Marshal who was deserted by his own people in a war against a tyrannical King: “We will not kill you ourselves, we just don’t have to save you anymore”…!

SAPP should respect the rights and wishes of the voters of Sabah who have put themselves into this unfortunate predicament; likewise, the people of Sabah should also respect that of every politician inside SAPP to forsake and not to remember them!

By Vidal Yudin Weil

Sabah for Sabahans?

By Erna Mahyuni who blogs at ernamahyuni.com when she's not subbing for TMI. A slave to Bioware, Bethesda and her mini-zoo of two cats and a rabbit.

February 20, 2013

Before you send me to Kamunting, realise I am not advocating Sabah leaving Malaysia.

But I think it is high time Sabahans have a good, long think about the status quo.

As it is, things cannot stand.

Last I checked, Sabah is still the poorest state in Malaysia. Nabawan in Sabah is the poorest town in the country, with a 70-per-cent poverty rate.

On top of that, a small private army has landed in Lahad Datu intent on claiming Sabah as its own.

If we had a referendum, what with all the “free citizenships” Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration has so benevolently bestowed upon foreigners, would Sabahans actually have the numbers to keep the state in Malaysia?

Or would our new Sabahan brothers and sisters vote overwhelmingly to become part of the Philippines or even choose allegiance to the Sultan of Sulu?

A wanted Filipino fugitive is also now finding safe haven in the state, rumoured to have family connections on the Sabah government.

So much for Sabah “prospering” under Barisan Nasional rule.

Sabah politicians have called on the federal government to do something about the massive influx of foreigners into the state for a long time.

Only now has a Royal Commission of Inquiry been called, and it has confirmed what most of us already knew.

That we have been betrayed.

What right did the former prime minister have to give citizenships to foreigners as he liked?

What he did might have been technically “legal” but it was morally wrong and it was a betrayal of the state, a betrayal of the Sabah people and going against the heart of the 20-point agreement that said the state had jurisdiction over immigration matters. Not the prime minister.

And can Sabahans trust PKR to change things, when Sabah’s PKR is a toothless body helpless to even choose its own leaders? When all decisions are centralised and it has no say in choosing who should lead it into the state?

I wouldn’t be surprised if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim attempted to parachute another West Malaysian in to lead Sabah PKR like he did with Azmin Ali.

What next? Azmin Ali as Sabah chief minister? If that happens, I am surrendering my passport and moving to the Philippines.

It is time Sabahans said, “Enough”. It is obvious that Putrajaya and Pakatan Rakyat are deaf, dumb and blind to what Sabah really needs and what Sabah really is.

Sabah is not “just” another state. It was equal party to an agreement between Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. Each had special status, certain rights, and to this day the federal government has chosen to piss upon the spirit and the words of the agreement.

If Sabah is to become more than an impoverished state beholden to cruel masters, it has to start rejecting subjugation.

The first step is saying a big, firm “No” to West Malaysian-based parties like Umno and PKR who are more interested in pushing the Malay agenda than the Malaysian agenda.
(I might perhaps make an exception for Sabah DAP, which has a long history in Sabah, refreshingly free of the stupidity displayed by both Umno and PKR in the recent years.)

Some say Sabah is “selfish” for harping about its rights when it should think of “Malaysia” as a whole instead of its special privileges.

Basically, Sabah should just lie on its back and think of Malaysia? Brilliant.

That has not worked now, has it? The more Sabahans demur, the more our rights are stripped away. Most of the state’s revenue goes to the federal government while Sabah just has to make do with the leftovers.
This is the sad truth: Unless you have lived in the state, know its peoples and have a firm grasp of its issues, you are in no position to solve its problems.

So Sabahans should have no reason to vote for PKR or Umno when they have the (barely arguable) better choice of either the SAPP or STAR.

All our “questionable” guests? Deport them. We have an army. We have a navy. And the Philippines will have to take responsibility for all its people who have run our way. As should the Indonesians.

Revoke all of Dr Mahathir’s freely-given citizenships. I may sound cruel and heartless, but there is no other way. And truth is, we should have done that years ago.

To encourage better relations with our West Malaysian siblings, we should encourage them to come to the state but under “skilled migrant” rules.

We need doctors. We need teachers. Civil engineers. Encourage people who want to help build the state to come over, but under the restriction that if they want labour it has to be Sabah labour.

God knows Sabah needs the jobs.

And if you have lived and contributed enough, then why not give them “Sabah PR” status.

Let Sabah choose who it will embrace, and if we want to be choosy, we should have every right to be.

If not for the state’s poverty and poor infrastructure, it would be a heaven on earth. The sunsets are spectacular. The beaches are amazing. Even our cloud formations are nothing like you will ever see in the Peninsula.

The people are laidback. Less judgmental. Not as uptight.

I experienced far more racism and ostracism in one year living in Selangor than I have in all my years living in Sabah. So please, don’t patronise us Sabahans by talking about 1 Malaysia.

Sabahans are not asking for anything but what we deserve: to be treated with dignity and as equals. Not as indentured slaves, fit only to be trampled and used by Putrajaya.

By right, we should even be asking for Labuan back. Haris Salleh had no right to hand Labuan over, as Dr Mahathir had no right to give out citizenships to illegal immigrants.

There is no point now to look back. All Sabah can do is move forward. And it can only do that with the strength of its own people because there can be no help found in Umno or PKR.

Sabah deserves better than liars or traitors.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer.

Malaysian drivers have no skill

By Road Runner

From my daily observations and experience (and accident statistics), I dare say that more than 90% of Malaysian drivers have little or no driving skills at all. Most car drivers blame motorcyclists, calling them road terrors etc, but car drivers are actually the bigger culprit, and pose even more danger to motorcyclists.

Here are the top ten "offences"

1- Speeding
They drive like an F1 driver, but can't even keep to their own lane when cornering. Imagine what will happen if they stray into another lane and touch another vehicle at speeds of 110kmh and above. And many drivers think that they are Michael Schumacher, speeding even in torrential rain. These people only know how to press the accelerator, but have little idea how to control their car. Most accident reports are of "drivers losing control of the vehicle".

2 - Staying on own lane
Mentioned above, these drivers don't seem able to STAY on their own lane, drifting to the right or left lane. This happens everywhere, in roundabouts, in corners and even on straight roads. This is pure bad driving habit. They expect other drivers to give way. That's the best case scenario. The worst case, they cause fatal accidents by grazing an unfortunate motorcyclist.

3 - Speeding in the rain
Again related to the first, most drivers continue to speed even in heavy rain and limited visibility. They have no idea that in such conditions, their car's wheels will lock up and drift when sudden brake force is applied. Not everyone drives a Mercedes or BMW with tons of safety features. Driving in the rain requires extra caution because vehicle stopping distances, slippery road conditions and limited visibility present extra challenges.
4 - Different types of vehicle, different types of control
I have seen many drivers driving big vans and 4x4 utility vehicles as if they are driving a small family car. They speed and weave in and out with little concern that the physics and controls of these bigger, taller and heavier are totally different from typical family sedans. Vans have a very short frontal section and poses extra risk in a frontal collision. And their tall build presents an inherent instability, especially when cornering.

5 - Not bothering to use indicator lights / turn signals
This must be counted as one of the worst and most "popular" habits of the majority of Malaysian drivers out there, and undoubtly the cause of many fatal accidents. I have actually suggested car manufacturers make turn signal indicators "OPTIONAL". Why? Almost 90% of the time, the drivers REFUSE to indicate where they want to turn. This again happens in almost every driving situation, whether in roundabouts, junctions, parking etc. This is especially dangerous when the driver suddenly changes lane because even a slight touch or graze to a motorcyclist will knock him down, even at moderate speeds. An unfortunate example was the 4x4 vehicle which switched lane (according to a news report) without notice and grazed a few big motorcyclists at the NKVE highway recently, causing a fatal accident.

Maybe they think it is a hassle. Maybe some young drivers think it is cool. How much effort does it take to turn on the turn signal indicator?

Can they live the rest of their lives in peace if they caused a fatal accident?

6 - Driving in slow motion
Amazingly, I have come across not once but many times, drivers cruising at 20-30km/h in major highways, at their leisure. These motorists don't seem to realize that by driving at such a slow pace, they are forcing other drivers to overtake them, sometimes dangerously, on the left or right lanes. This is worse if the road has only a single lane. And many motorists, driving at normal speed, can be caught unawares by a very slow vehicle in front, and fail to brake on time because they are conditioned to think that all cars on the highway are moving constantly at a reasonable speed.

7 - Road Hogging and tailgaters
Includes those who seem to be daydreaming and hogging the fast lane, refusing to budge even when flashed numerous times by the car behind. However, some habitual tailgaters are also included in this section.

8 - Indiscriminate Parking
These offenders park where and when they like. Have you seen cars parked on a two lane road, taking up one whole lane? I have, surprisingly many times. Some actually stop in the middle of the road, without giving any sign of their intentions. And many people leave their cars at corners, blocking other motorists' view coming out of junctions. This could cause mishaps because motorists are unable to see oncoming vehicles properly.

9 - Housing Area Menaces
The worst culprits, from my observations, are young people; the bane of all residents, and nightmare of many cats and dogs. They drive at frightening speeds, and can't seem to comprehend that small children and animals may dash out anytime.

10 - The last is actually for readers to list down, because there so many, ten is not enough
The only skill most Malaysian drivers have, is causing accidents.

The Federation of Malaysia

A federation, also known as a federal state, is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central (federal) government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states, as well as the division of power between them and the central government, are typically constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision of the latter.

In a federation the component states are in some sense sovereign, insofar as certain powers are reserved to them that may not be exercised by the central government. However, a federation is more than a mere loose alliance of independent states. The component states of a federation usually possess no powers in relation to foreign policy, and so they enjoy no independent status under international law. However, German Lander do have this power, which is beginning to be exercised on a European level.

Some federations are called asymmetric because some states have more autonomy than others.

An example of such a federation is Malaysia, in which Sabah and Sarawak entered the federation on different terms and conditions from the states of Peninsular Malaysia.

A federation often emerges from an initial agreement between a number of separate states. The purpose can be the will to solve mutual problems and to provide for mutual defense, or to create a nation state for an ethnicity spread over several states. The former was the case with the United States and Switzerland, the latter with Germany.

However, as the histories of countries and nations vary, the federalist system of a state can be quite different from these models. Australia, for instance, is unique in that it came into existence as a nation by the democratic vote of the citizens of each state, who voted "yes" in referendums to adopt the Australian Constitution.

Brazil, on the other hand, has experienced both the federal and the unitary state through its history. Some present day states of the Brazilian federation retain borders set during the Portuguese colonization, whereas the latest state, Tocantins, was created by the 1988 Constitution for chiefly administrative reasons.