Red Hawk Author

A dark history - Malaysia

2010-01-10T14:17:00.001-08:00

In the light of the recent attacks on Churches on some parts of Malaysia,certainly we are at the lowest point of our Malaysian history since the dark history of 13th May 1969. We have prided ourselves with the racial harmony between the races that exist in this nation since Independence Day and also the formation of Malaysia with Sarawak and Sabah into the membership.

But after the attacks on Churches that which would directly tarnish the image of the country in the eyes of the citizens of the world,certainly the question would be: Where are we going from here?

Foreigners,investors from countries all over the world flock to Malaysia to find opportunities, to relax, to discover our unique cultures and customs. However, we are apparently too comfortable and too ignorant about our peaceful years that we have seemed to take it for granted. Youths in their youthful years joined pointless and perhaps,to be more illuminating,dangerous rallies to show their disagreement. I thought it is of the Malaysians' culture to go for diplomacy. However, all have seemed to be forgotten.

I have respect for everyone, yes, I do. Respects and also trust are something very hard to build these days and we Malaysians have experienced that in large quantities over the years and become the envy of other countries. Restless countries such as Iraq, Indonesia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Africa and a many more such as them have that thick jealousy for our peace. But we have seemed to ignore that too,especially recently.

As a Capitalist, I see this move as a very bad move for the economy.Even more so in the light of recent recession.

As a Malaysian, I see this move as a very bad move for the country as a whole. We have created enemies among our own brothers and sisters.

As a Christian, I see this move as a very bad move as religious issues are very sensitive,no matter how the so-called liberal Christians think that the so-called religious issues are not sensitive at all,just simply misunderstandings.

As a person who triumphs for justice and peace, I certainly condemn these disgraceful acts.

So,now my dearest brothers and sisters, please,please,if you have deep concern and love for your country,for your family, for your people, for everyone, think twice before making any conclusions and set a right example for the world.

Today you wake up in Malaysia. Tomorrow you wake up in Iraq.Which would you prefer?
It's a very sad day indeed.

A penny a day

A life ruled by the Devil

2009-12-06T00:43:00.000-08:00

I was reading the other posts I've written in my 'collection-of-blogs' and I rather like to share this one particular post with you guys.And I was thinking of turning it out into a book later,currently I'm still drafting,see?I have good feelings about writing now,for some reasons,one of them perhaps because I was sitting upside down at the sofa,my feet at the top,and was thinking hard-for the first time,of anything to turn into a book,a novel.It hit me straight into my head last night!

Okay,Okay,I shall share with you guys the progress from time to time,but for now,mind if I share?

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Hello

This is just a quick update,or so I hoped at first.We just had a break at a Station a moment ago and the instance we reached the place,I was woken up from my sleep quite abruptly by the other passengers.Dear Lord,as I looked through the glass window,what horror!Black and dark smokes billowing upwards into the gloomy sky,cries of pain and agony were ringing in my ears,bloods spluttered on the once white walls of the buildings near the valley.How dare we call ourselves to be better than yesterday,lads!?How daring indeed!

The figures wearing masks walking past the train,oblivious to our presence and man-made weapons in their grips,aiming at little children and women.So the Devil is among us,for so long we have ignored the presence of the despicable being and now,before our eyes,we saw the Devil showing off the stripes on its skin,so sickening to the eyes.

I was angry but my anger was misdirected.I stood there at the window and did nothing,uttering few foul words but none mattered for it was not of importance to the Devil.Where?Where are we all this time?The long and thick history books in the old library from whence we came,remained there and never opened?Have we forgotten the words and lessons and losses we've read from the books?Are we all with mediocre minds that we couldn't bother ourselves with what was happening in front of us and choose to ignore?Even if some of us chose to complain,yelling and screaming,but in the end,they count as nothing.But what do you have me do,lads?What can we do?

Pray.

ahhh...such a simple word but please,it is a very strong one.Indeed.The world as we know remained the same,mankind never escaped from their evil Masters of Greed and Jealousy,so much so that the rest of us are just pawns at the Masters' disposals!Stand up,lads!Stand up!The train can wait,if so the train really couldn't wait for us as we struggled for these weak people,being stripped naked in public by the Devil.It's ghastly.Nevertheless,the train really couldn't wait and there wasn't much we could do.

Ignore.

Yes,blame us.blame me but ignore we shall for there is nothing else we can do but pray and pray,hopefully He will bring an end to these evil-doings.If there's a chance to help,I will gladly offer forward.But as for now,as cowardly as I have always been,I shall remain silent and condemn these acts of terror for as long as it is still there to be seen,heard and felt by the victims of war.

Regards,
The Traveller

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Well,that's all friends.

A penny a day

The end of the world

2009-11-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

Referring to my previous post entitled "hypocrites rise again", this graph produced by SIPRI [stockholm international peace research institute] shows a sharp increase in the total spending on budget for the military.As we can see from the graph,there's a gap between 1989 to 1992?Hmm,perhaps due to the downfall of the Soviet Union empire,that caused it to be that way but we can understand why there's a slight decrease around '97 and '98 because during that time,there was the recession.

Again and again,over and over again,world leaders include in their public speech of peace and the need for all sides to cooperate to create a safe world for the people to live in,but ironically,the budget for military expansion keeps on increasing.How ironic is that-indeed!

But my argument raises another question as well: well,to create a safe world and achieve peace,surely these nations require the most advanced military equipments to help them achieve that ambition?surely so?

Yes,true.In a way,not entirely.However,that only shows the immaturity of the entire world because we are all,then,putting ourselves under false impression of true meaning of 'peace'.We are trying to achieve peace through bombs,machine guns,tanks.

We have to remember as well the for many hundreds of years,thousands even,the root of all wars come down to the leaders.Why?Let we put it this way:when a president[Bush] calls for the United States to come down hard on Iraq,the whole country is at war with the entire Muslim nations around the world,not only Iraq.But then,who made and had the biggest influence on that decision in the first place? The president.Well,he did put up the proposal to his fellow colleagues,including the oppositions,but still...my point is,war is started by only a few,not the people the leader claim to represent. For all we know,Americans dislike violence and war as much as the rest of us but it's the politicians that made the bloody decisions.

So,back to the graph - what are we doing? Are we creating hell and bloody future for our children? Read today's newspapers,yesterday's,the day before,and before and just look through all that archives of the newspapers,what do they all have in common?Killings!Murders!Wars!Bombings! Dying! What more?

The more we think about it,the more it make sense.The end of mankind is not brought by aliens or the end of the world but rather by mankind themselves! pathetic!

A penny a day.

The act of racism

2009-11-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

Racism.Ring a bell?Speaking of racism,this issue has gone for hundreds of years already,really it has been seen as one of the few things that defined the human history.By define,I mean? Well, the United States of America had its fair share of the issue.Malaysia?Israel and Palestine?Indonesia? What we must understand,as racism come and go in a country,it slowly define that country as in a way how the constitution is designed,how the government suppose to act and behave,how the people suppose to see the other race.

Indeed, the success of President Barack Obama in becoming the first Black President of the United States of America has changed the political scene over there in America and now,the African Americans have that renewed belief that they actually stand a chance become a President as well! And that rippling effect does not affect America only but felt by the other nations as well around the world.

We have our own issues here with racism in our own backyard,don't we forget that: and some of it were rather bloody,I must say and how can we achieve the 1 Malaysia dream if that invisible barrier is not brought down in the first place?

I believe that someone become racist when he felt that his race is superior to others and he deserves the right to rule and dominate others.This fundamental belief leads to racism.Everything is related. I,on the other hand,honestly believe that anyone who has any inclination to be a racist is someone who is not comfortable with his own identity,insecure over his own self-respect and the fear of competition,perhaps ?

Let me put it this way:

1. When Hitler came up with the idea that the Germans deserve the 'highest position' in this world, how do you guys see that?That he believed the Germans should rule the world.

...whose numbers and scope they have exaggerated until it has reached the level of the merciless destruction of six million Jews, only because Hitler saw them as an inferior race unworthy of living next to the Germanic race, which must rule the world."

2. How is this different from the Jews ? Jews believe that they are the chosen people of God and with that belief, they see themselves as superior to others.

Mr.Peres, Israel President critisized the UN anti-racism conference. He said: "I feel disgraced that a racist conference is opening in Geneva on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, with Ahmadinejad as guest of honor. This is the same Ahmadinejad that called for the destruction of Israel and having it wiped off the map.... Is Ahmadinejad the world's hope for the future?"

3. And even more, not only does racism include the colour of skins but also the faith one is holding on to.

Therefore,racism can cover a wide range of subjects and areas,which make it a very subjective field.But I said it before and I say this once more,that a fear of something is because there's a lack of understanding in that something we fear of.I use fear because,well,that's the root of racism in the first place,isn't it?

1. This 'race' cannot do that because he is simply that 'race'.
2. This 'race' cannot become this simply because he is that 'race'.

Isn't that fear? These kind of statements sound very definitive,almost like a fact,so with that tone used,surely that confirmed the fear you have that would later lead you to feel yourself superior ? [read this a few times if you need to understand it more.]

Well,just don't be racist because at the end of the day,it will become a more globalized world and a nation,a country,a place to be totally isolated from others is completely,nearing impossible!

A penny a day

Source: Wikipedia, RottenGods, Memri,Zionism

Related issues:

Link 1.
Link 2.
Link 3.
Link 4.

Do you hate your dinner today?

2009-11-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

And we still complain about foods while other people in the poor countries suffer everyday.
More to come with this issue.

A penny a day.

The hypocrites rise again

2009-11-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

Washington, Nov.24 (ANI): Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that Iran must not go down the nuclear weapons path, and added that New Delhi has unambiguously and consistently said that it does not support such a step.

So,for months,if not years,the United States of America have been complaining about Iran.Before it was Iraq and once Iraq has been wiped off until it stands naked like the way it is now,the spotlight turns on Iran instead (and also not forgetting, Afghanistan).Well,what's the complain about? Iran,you are not allowed to own nuclear weapons!

Well, first,look who's talking?It must be noted here,that the very country that is giving warning,sternly at that,to Iran is the country that owns the largest nuclear arsenals in the world.Now,a much smaller country,and in this case,Iran wants to pursue its nuclear ambitions,the American government oppose the idea?

Not that I'm supporting nuclear developments, especially for the purpose of defense - nuclear warheads etc,but the country that is giving the warning should instead set an example.The beginning of this article began with the quote from the Indian prime minister. And here,yet,another hypocrite!

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday that India has been committed to the goal of creating a world free of nuclear weapons since it gained independence from Britain in 1947.

The reason why the world,our world today is in this mess is because of the leaders who are a bunch of hypocrites,simply throwing off empty words to win the hearts of their people back home for the sole purpose of winning the election and yet,and yet...no action. Commited to create a world free of nuclear weapons? Prove it and then the world might consider the sincerity of that statement,Mr. Prime Minister.

And it's pretty weird that the more these leaders,these world leaders are motivated to create peace and safer world,the military budget is increasing each year.

Rank	Country	Spending ($ b.)	World Share (%)
—	World Total	1464.0	100
1	United States	607.0	41.5
2	China	84.9^a	5.8^a
3	France	65.7	4.5
4	United Kingdom	65.3	4.5
5	Russian Federation	58.6^a	4.0^a
6	Germany	46.8	3.2
7	Japan	46.3	3.2
8	Italy	40.6	2.8
9	Saudi Arabia	38.2	2.6
10	India	30.0	2.1

Well,let's see if we survive this year then,shall we?Besides,these leaders are the politicians that have won the elections back home,aren't they?

A penny a day

The ASEAN dream

2009-11-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

We've always referred to Europe as a country,rather than a continent.This is all down to the fact that those who have read and experienced Europe would get the feeling that instead of only Spain, Germany, Italy,the whole group of countries is referred to by a single name: Europe. Indeed,it is only so convenient for the tourists, especially, to go from a country to another (within Europe only) without having much problems with passports,currency (Euro can be used) and many other benefits in store provided by the European Nations. They have decided on the same stance and have also reached a common ground.

But have we?

By we,I mean, ASEAN. ASEAN,stands for the Association of South East Asian Nations and if only things were so easy in life,perhaps we can easily reach mutual understanding and agreement among the nations that can emulate Europe in every way,perhaps much better.But no.ASEAN have tried but clearly,things aren't that easy to be implemented. If you must know,ASEAN now consist of a total of 10 countries,Malaysia, Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, Philiphines, Indonesia,Myanmar,Thailand,Singapore and Vietnam.

Now,do the math.The 10 countries comprising the bloc have a combined population of nearly 600 million and total gross domestic product (2007) of about $1.5 trillion (nominal) or about $3.5 trillion. -Dr. Gary P. Cheng

Do you know why Americans can be millionaire overnight?Even if it's just an web-based business? Because these Americans that actively involve in entrepreneurship know that they have a very large market there alone- 300 million people to serve! You manage to win as much as 1%,you are well on your way to becoming rich!

But what about ASEAN? We have a potential market of nearly 600 million people and that figure is almost a billion people.So,that double the total population of the Americans,which truly provide the businessmen in this region to accelerate very fast, just like the young,under 30s millionaire Americans.

But efforts have been carried out.Well,according to Dr. Gary P. Cheng,

In 2007 the leaders of the Asean countries signed the Asean Economic Community Blueprint that spells out in detail their common objective to accelerate the creation of an Asean single market by 2015, characterized by free movement of goods, services, investment, capital and labor. The Blueprint details the specific objectives and time-bound action plans to achieve this aim of economic integration. Moreover, the Blueprint takes as axiomatic modern capitalist principles of globalization, free trade, competition and equitable economic development. These are strategic departures from the more “nationalist” agenda that have defined the dynamics and workings of the organization since its inception.But efforts have been carried out.

Well,whether we approve or not,in light of the recent economic crisis, which most leaders have agreed that the worst have gone past us but only full recovery is yet to take place, the leaders must acknowledge the importance of a strong cooperation among the members,right? Besides,leaders have been elected to look after the best interest of the people.So,if out of unwillingness to sacrifice short-term hardships in exchange for long-term comforts,then we must start. While the top level discussions don't involve commoners,however certainly we can start it at the grassroots level- by taking some time trying to understand each other, in terms of culture,customs,politics and history.

A better understanding on each other's background would definitely boost the relationship between one another.But for now,let's just make do with the passports first,shall we?

A penny a day.

The New Economic Policy- property

2009-11-24T05:16:00.000-08:00

To the non-Malaysian readers of my blog,there's something I like to introduce to all of you and that's called the New Economic Policy or in short,NEP.It is an ambitious and controversial socio- economic restructuring affirmative action program launched by the Malaysian government in 1971.It (the NEP) has actually been replaced by the New Development Policies in 1990 but still retain most of NEP's policies.To Malaysians in general,the NEP is no stranger as we have seen many heated and controversial debates regarding the whole matter and the non-Bumiputeras feel that the way the policies have been implemented making them as second-class citizens.(Bumiputera can be translated literally as the "sons of the earth"). So,what about the NEP then?

Well,while the intention of NEP is very good as it aims to distribute the wealth of Malaysia evenly to her people,however as it is executed by people,it is bound to have flaws and making errors here and there.

For further reading on NEP,please read the following articles I've provided through these links:

*New Economic Policy
*How about property liberalisation?
*The Star's online blog

Anyway,what I'd like to highlight is the property sector.As part of the NEP's policy,Bumiputras are entitled to 5-15% discount from the overall price of one particular property while the non-Bumiputras have to pay full.This move should not be seen as a bad move as it is to ensure that the people can have access to affordable housing is commendable and efforts to bridge the gap of property ownership between races promotes racial harmony.

However,the part that I'd like to share with all of you regarding this particular matter is that the discount is then extended to the luxury property.

It creates feeling of unfairness and also potential conflict as a non-bumiputra buying a property worth RM250,000 is not entitled to any discount but a bumiputra buying a property worth RM1million is given a discount of at least RM50,000, which is 20 per cent value of the property costing RM250,000.-Chua Tee Yong

I believe this is one of the obvious flaws as the policy is to reduce the gap and distribute the wealth evenly and it should be noted as well that any bumiputra that is able to afford such a property,mainly ones that are RM200,000 and above give us a clear indication that these bumis are already able to compete with the non-Bumis.It is those Bumis that are still unable to support themselves properly,ones that have very low income and based on my recent interview with a villager from a village located at Sungai Besar,Selangor-the villager actually earn roughly around RM 200 a month.These are the groups that need help.How can the government achieve its objective of creating competitive bumiputras if this continue?

There was this one time I was looking at a brochure of the prices of houses and there even show a house worth RM 1 million plus that comes with 5-15% discount for the bumis.Rm 1 million?Do you get what I mean?

I also would like to suggest to the government to abolish the discount given to Bumiputra property buyers for property priced above RM200,000 per unit. I believe the discount is irrelevant for upmarket properties as Bumiputras who are considering purchasing such properties are wealthy enough to own them without depending on a discounted price. It should not be seen as not inline with the NEP as the objectives of the NEP is to eradicate poverty and to restructure society. Wealthy Bumiputras should no longer qualify for these privileges under the NEP which is supposed to be given to the poor section of Bumiputras. As the former's wealth is on par with non-Bumiputras, therefore they do not require the privileges under the NEP. By doing away with the discount offered to Bumiputras for upmarket properties, it would help boost the property sector and also to counter the allegation that the NEP is no longer keeping inline with its objectives but rather evolved to benefit only certain races, regardless whether the beneficiaries are poor or rich. This can also be used to dismiss the claim that the NEP is benefiting the rich Bumiputra more than the poor, thus moderating the gap between the rich and poor Bumiputras.-the star online blog.

Well,with the country's independance day just around the corner (only two months away),the Malaysians in particular should really be freed of the old mentality of this is my land,not yours.If we are still stuck with such thoughts,then dream away of the survival of Malaysia.

Regards,
Mr. Clive

The unorthodox thoughts

2009-11-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

I guess I need a space where I can write down some serious thoughts about the issues that we encounter, hear and see everyday we live.It's the nature of the human being to be responsive to a certain subjects that are related to their circle of knowledge.When you have suspicions,doubts and at certain times,agreement even,you find yourself to long for that moment to be heard by the people that matter,so that they can learn and exchange something new with you along the way.

Unorthodox thoughts

Perhaps my blog title is quite misleading,pardon me but then again,should I go for the orthodox thoughts,then it's just the same like any other paper sold in the newspapers stand in front of the coffee shop,at the railway station or at the stall in front of your apartment.No,perhaps I should justify the title such as this way, in a way that my thoughts & opinions are lacking in wisdom and accuracy but sometimes, it may be correct and the answers that show the true picture of the situation discussed however not popularly used due to political reasons and violence that may spring out of nowhere should it be spoken out loud.

Why capitalist though?

First of all,please do not be too prejudice towards the capitalists.While some are totally pursuing their personal interests for the greater wealth in the expense of other people's miseries,I however believe the image of the capitalists have been tarnished by the few who have,shall we say,mis-used the concept. It is thought that capitalists are those who work hard and have strong will and determination to succeed, so that along the way, as they fulfill their personal interests,they are helping other people as well.

The only reason a subject or a topic can arouse controversy is only when there's not enough knowledge about the particular subject. We fear the dark because we don't know what's there.We fear death because we aren't sure what's there for us.

Conclusion

The world today is a drama that is reaching its climax,set on the world stage,raised high so that everybody can see and almost everybody can feel. Iran,North Korea,Afghanistan,the financial crisis,global warming,doomsday and God knows what more left in store for us all.

Therefore,join me as we discuss today and tomorrow's important issues in this blog.

A penny a day.