vox populi big thumbnail 'When the new dawn arrives, never will so many from this once promising nation owe so much to so few of the brave.'

 

'Why I chose to return to Malaysia'

Clearwater: I would like to say I came back 20 years ago after a long overseas stint for noble reasons or altruistic causes, but that would not be entirely true.

One major reason I came back was because I was homesick and tired of the alienation you face constantly as an obvious outsider living in a foreign land which can never be called home. Children can easily adapt, but adults find assimilation a lot more traumatic. The outside world two decades ago was also less cosmopolitan and people less tolerant of cultural differences.

Of course, Malaysia has since moved backwards in terms of tolerance and acceptance, but how was I to know?

Inspektor Klueso: Bravo to all who return to better the lives of those who stayed. It will take blood, sweat and tears. I, for one, will not.

Not because I don't believe a better dawn will never come, but simply because I know it will only after many, many long nights of collective struggles by selfless men and women against the entrenched tyranny who will resort to even more brutal and shameless thuggery in order to hang on to their ill-begotten gains.

Teoh Beng Hock was just a footnote for the cruel and vile lot. Personally, I am too old, and just don't have the vim and vinegar - unlike Lim Guan Eng, Zaid Ibrahim and Ngeh Koo Ham - to fight the good fight for those that choose to stay, or do not have the means and option to leave.

Plagiarising from Churchill again, when the new dawn arrives, never will so many from this once promising nation owe so much to so few of the brave. Napolean named three essentials to win a war - money, money and money.

Let me at least contribute something meaningful to the just cause. Suggestions anyone?

Habib RAK: The son of Sanusi called Akhramsyah should have stayed away from Malaysia. Why I say this is because of his opinion he wrote in his blog during the ‘Allah' crisis. Those who don't know, you may read here .

SKT: When reading the comment from this Akhramsyah Sanusi guy, I was wondering how a person who has already been exposed to the world outside of Malaysia would still think that he was "helped" by a policy based on nepotism to "put him where he was".

I also seriously doubtful about this guy's overseas experience when he said that Australia and Singapore have similar issues but just masked them better. From a simple Google search of the name, it clearly shows that ‘Akhramsyah Sanusi' is the son of former Umno leader Sanusi Junid.

Malaysiaboleh: Akramsyah's comments in Malaysiakini are eminently reasonable. Not so his comments in his blog and they are much more insightful in terms of what this chap is about. He has returned to his true parochial calling here in Malaysia. Welcome back!

Multi Racial: If we claim to be Malaysians and love this country, we should stay on and continue the struggle alongside those who share our belief to reform this country.

Migrating is not the answer. Migrating means one is running away from the problem, one has given up hope and one does not love this country enough to change it.

What about those who share the same frustrations you left behind? Their work will become harder. I urge everyone who loves Malaysia to stay on or to come back to help reform this country. Don't allow those racist, corrupted and irresponsible politicians walk away from their crimes.

Do it for our children and our children's children.

Minister regrets being barred from hall, toilets

Maroondah: Minister Shafie Apdal, BN politicians have done worse to opposition politicians. You're have a taste of your own medicine. Bitter, eh?

Without condoning the acts of the Selangor state government, Malaysian politicians play silly games to score points when all they should be doing is serving the rakyat. Why would they, anyway? More so, since they place priority in their race over the nation.

Call Me Jibby: When opposition politicians attend a government school function, a warning letter will be sent to the headmaster/headmistress, even though the politicians may be part of that school alumni. Not to mention those community halls or JKKK properties which become Umno/BN offices and operation centres.

Zeke: Shafie ni dah lupa ke? Dulu orang Pakatan Rakyat langsung tak boleh guna dewan majlis tempatan masa BN was in control of Selangor. Tak pernah dapat guna langsung. Engko jangan buat lawak bodoh sampai kena kencing diluar tandas. Sekarang orang Umno pun boleh guna dewan-dewan majlis tempatan .

SJMC: Irrespective of which party (is at fault), I think Shafie has a case. The authorities should have allowed them the use of the hall. Only then would it be fair to others. Just because BN did it last time doesn't give Pakatan the right to become judge, jury and executioner as well.

Ramachandran Muniandy: This is nothing. When Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim wanted to give donations to Tamil schools during Thaipusam at Batu Caves , BN told the police to break down the stage, saying it was for security reasons because the PM was also coming to Batu Caves.

M'sia to offer lessons to US on Afghanistan, Iraq

Playfair: Brigg's Plan, Gerald Templer, Robert Thompson, new villages, black areas - all associated with the Malay/Malaysian emergency - laid the foundation for the defeat of the communist emergency whose back had been broken and allowed for the removal of the last black areas.

After that, it was penny packets of communist remnants in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak that were on the run and that the police and military were chasing. We were reading and using US and Aussie warfare doctrines against these ideologically hardened but poorly equipped bandits.

It is hard to imagine what we can equate from our experience with the environment in Afghanistan, except that the general has served as a high commission in Pakistan.

There was a similar boast when the defence minister met his Israeli counterpart some time back and claimed that he could tell the Israelis how to end the Palestinian conflict.

 

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