Tussle among the giants

Just what does Mahathir Mohammad aim to achieve by bad-mouthing the country's Prime Minister and his whole Cabinet? Is his aim to:

1. Bring down the government and offer himself as the alternative?
2. Get the incumbent to apologise to him and follow his lead?
3. Make sure that everyone knows he is still alive and very much kicking at that
4. Ensure that his legacy is perpetuated in stones and steel (albeit crooked ones)
5. Irritate and continue to persecute Singapore even after he finally 'leaves' the scene
6. All of the above

Like I wrote in an earlier post - this man is turning out to be quite a megalomaniac. By so vehemently criticizing the Federal government - a government that he had a hand in forming - he has done what the opposition parties have failed to do. The opposition should be happy about it. But they have remained largely silent, probably because they know that what Dr M is doing will cause Malaysia, the country, to be ridiculed by the rest of the world, if not their own people. He can pretend to wallow in self-pity, and blame the day that he made certain wrong decisions. Yes, it will pull a few heartstrings and probably gain him some sympathizers. But he of all people should know that his time in power has passed. He should just let go.

Clearly, Dr M's tirades will not resolve anything. Instead it will force the powers that be to alienate him, and ultimately, banish his memory from the collective body of UMNO. Far better for Dr M to have taken the silent, consultative approach than to let loose in public over the issues he is now gripping about. After all, he remains an UMNO party elder and should have some measure of influence by reason of seniority, if nothing else.

But such is a person that whatever strength his forthrightness and bluntness used to be when he was in power is now turning into a liability and embarrassment for the rest of the country, government and family. If nothing, will he not save his family from further embarrassment?

Image source: http://www.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/

Mickey Mouse in Johor

Will Mickey Mouse make a permanent appearance in Johor, Malaysia? According to UEM World and some Malaysian government officials, that is a 'Yes'. According to them, negotiations with Oriental Land Company (OLC), the company that operates Tokyo Disneyland, are progressing well, with a huge piece of land in Johor earmarked for the giant amusement park. Strangly, though, Walt Disney Company is denying all this and says that it has no intention of setting up Disneyland in Johor, much less Malaysia. Are the Malaysians getting ahead of themselves on this without first verifying if indeed the Mouse is looking for a permanent home on Malaysian soil? If so, then this will be a huge embarrassment for them. Coincidentally, Singapore, its neighbour to the South, just announced the appointment of LA Sands to build its multi-billion dollar Integrated Resort, which should be ready come 2009. Are the Malaysians trying to counter this with its own mega-amusement-park project? One can only speculate.

Whichever it is, one thing works against a permanent home for an all-American institution in a largely Muslim country. It doesn't take an analyst with PhD credentials to tell you that a Disneyland Theme Park in a Muslim-dominant country (such as Malaysia) will be a ready and fantastic target for fanantical Muslim extremist to practice their bombing and suicide skills. Their hatred for all things American is a well known fact. So even if, for some inexplicable reason, Disneyland becomes a reality in Johor, the terrorism insurance expenses alone will be humongous. On balance, I think Johor has popped its champagne a bit too early. It should get rid of terrorists first so that Mickey Mouse can feel much safer planting its feet on Malaysia soil. On the other hand, Johor's loss may be Singapore's gain, going by speculation that Mickey may be looking for a home in the Lion City and eventually building its Magic Kingdom here.

Image source: http://www.mvcs.org/

A few good women

Thank heavens for Marina Mahathir. In an opinion piece in the Malaysian The Sun newspaper (carried in Today's 25 May 2006 issue), Ms Marina, daughter of Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohammad, gave a balanced and forward looking critique of Islamic practices in recent times. She compared the Muslim's often violent response to the Mohammad Cartoons (and reaches as far back as Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses) with Christians' measured and calm response to the Da Vinci Code book and movie, which was recently released worldwide. While I expect Ms Marina to receive flak from her countryman and Muslim 'brothers' for expressing those opinions, I cannot but admire this fiesty lady's courage in being fairminded at certain cost to herself.

Islam needs more of the calibre and mind of this lady, which obviously is inherited from her famous but more controversial father, Dr Mahathir. She is a shining beacon in a sea of storm that Islamic extremists (and even some moderates) have created time and again to push their agenda and practice their brand of hate and vengeful religion. But I fear that Ms Marina is an exception, for who would dare risk life and limb to hold such contrary views within the prevailing mood in Islamic-sphere? I do not think that what she wrote, sensible as it is, will make a difference in moving the prevailing Islamic feeling towards the middle path - not in the Madrasahs or schools run with Islamic clerics who espouse discrimination against Muslim women and hatred towards anything 'western', including Christianity and the Jews, not in the political sphere as that will put into jeopardy the position of the incumbent and not in society in general, for that will go against centuries of Islamic teachings handed down from generation to generation.

However, to the rest of us, it was a breadth of fresh air.

See also: Alike yet so unlike

Image source: http://www.amfar.org/

Beware the vice squad

Singaporeans, especially those who LOOK no different from a Malaysian, should be careful when they travel up north from now on. For that matter, which Singaporean Chinese, Indian or Malay doesn't look like a Malaysian? Many Singaporeans have friends and relatives in Malaysia. For all intents and purposes, we look and speak like Malaysians.

Why the need to be careful? Not because you'd get car-jacked while enjoying your meals in Johor Bahru, though that is likely to happen, but that you'd get arrested for behaving indecently. What indecent behaviour, you ask. Well, for one you'd need to keep a mile away from

(for men): any woman, whether that woman is your grandmother, mother, sister, girlfriend, maid or wife, and
(for women): any man, whether that man is your grandfather, father, brother, boyfriend or husband.

According to a report in Today (7 April 2006), Malaysia's Chief Justice, Justice Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim has given the city councils permission to enact and enforce morality by-laws. No act of Parliament is necessary here, so long as that person who enacts those by-laws follow Muslim laws and are eager to curb indecent behaviour. What is indecent behaviour in this context? Well, for one, kissing in public is. Don't even try a peck on the cheek and it doesn't matter if you are kissing your mother. You can still be arrested until you can established that that women is in fact your mother. What else is considered indecent? Well, it's hard to say, really. It depends on these people's sense of morality, so its better you pretend not to know the person beside you, even if that person is your grandmother, your wife, your sister, or your...

When fanatics and extremists do these things, you don't worry too much, because that's how they behave and they form the minority. But when no less than the Chief Justice of the land is saying yes to these morality squads who tend to come from mainstream society, you begin to wonder what will become of your planned holidays to Malaysia later this year, not to mention the reputation of the country.

Image source: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/

Alike yet so unlike

Marina Mahathir is so like her illustrious father, Mahathir Mohamad, the former PM of Malaysia - candid and outspoken. If she put on glasses, she will be the spitting image of her father, looks wise. Yet, I think she is unlike her father in the sense that she does not evoke a sense of dread in Singapore whenever she speaks. She is a social activist and of late, has spoken out strongly against Sharia (Islamic) law that generally leaves Muslim women short-changed. A case in point is Malaysia's Family Law Act (Dec 2005) that makes it easier for Muslim men to enter into polygamous marriages and appropriate their first wives' property in the event of a divorce.

Marina and her collaborators say that's wrong but her opponents say she is too much influenced by Western values, whatever these values are. I applaud her courage in speaking up for Muslim women, who have been reportedly bullied of late not only in Malaysia, but elsewhere too. There is the case of an Islamic wife who needs to marry another man as a condition for her to divorce the same man so that she can re-marry her first husband, who uttered the words for divorce three times in his sleep that led to the separation of the original couple in the first place. Not only are we witnessing extreme forms of Islam, we are also witnessing a convoluted and confused form of Islam.

I think somebody must rescue Islam from every Tom, Dick and Mullah before it becomes a laughing stock. Oops, better not laugh or I will become a victim of my written and mental indiscretion (remember Rushdie?).

Image source: http://www.sistersinislam.org.my/

Northward Bound

In a week's time, I will be travelling north to Malacca, a historic town in Malaysia. I am not driving, as most people who travel north are wont to do. Instead, I managed to persuade my fellow travellers to take the Railway. This railway line, from Singapore right up to Thailand, has been around for more than 50 years. It is operated by the Malaysia firm, Keratapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM). Surprisingly, this old company has kept pace with technology and the internet. It allows customers to purchase its train tickets over the internet. It's website also shows train schedules to help the customer make purchase decisions.

What is amazing is that it is still quite affordable. A first class ticket to Malacca costs S$50 if you buy it from Singapore, and RM50 if you buy it from Malaysia. As RM50 is about half the value of the equivalent in Singapore dollars, you get an effective 25% discount on a two way ticket! But you must buy your tickets in two separate transactions.

This is certainly not the first time I will be travelling by KTMB train, but my memories of the first time wasn't pleasant. I remember then that I was squeezed like sardine into the rail car and had to stand for the entire duration of the journey, which, thankfully, was a short one. Hopefully, this time, the journey will be more comfortable, although I found out that the first class rail car is fully booked. That means that the toilet will be fully used. Given that this service is not operated by Singapore Airlines, there is some trepidation that the 4 hour journey may not be entirely pleasant, toilet-wise. Better visit the toilet just before departure...