About me

Retired. Lives in in the Far East, in Malaysia to be precise. Vision & Mission in life left too far behind; but who can crystallise the future?; now take the seconds, minutes, hours and days as they come by.

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consumated.mo'time.com
Monday, 27 June 2005

From leziza

restriction of civil rights vs. increased tolerance

posted 06/03/05 (in English its 03/06/2005)

[ my mood: tired ]

Instead of restricting the civil rights of Muslims in America to preserve national security, communication between Muslims and the West should increase via honorable exchanges of knowledge and empathy. The United States currently possesses the opportunity to either utilize counterproductive, stereotypical methods of oppression in the name of homeland defense, or else it can recognize that, ironically, within Islam can be found the key to peaceful coexistence. Muslims did not always resent the United States, and they certainly do not now simply because America is �free.� Despite the unfortunate trend of Islamophobia in the States, national security can never be enhanced by the tyrannical reign of government.

The original generation of Muslim immigrants held extremely positive notions of the West. They appreciated the democratic liberties enjoyed in the United States--recognizing the governing laws as being in congruence to Quranic principles. Numerous Middle Eastern Muslims fled from their home countries to America in hopes of finally attaining religious and political freedom. It is only now that, generations later, American Muslims begin to face the same issues of political injustice which their forefathers sought refuge from in the West.

Following the atrocities of September 11th, a growing distrust is infecting the once decent treatment of Muslims in America. The media has contributed to promoting a disturbing sense of fear in the hearts of American citizens regarding Islam. A recent Cornell University survey found that nearly half of all Americans favor constraining the civil liberties of Muslims in this country. Intolerance, springing from ignorance, manifests itself in the increase of hate crimes against Muslims in America. Americans are blinded from their own contribution to terrorism--through the injustices their country supports in the Middle East.

Ironically, the notion that Muslim rights be compromised in order to preserve the country from terrorism merely furthers the loss of esteem that Muslims once felt towards the West. Mainstream Muslims stand against all acts of terror, but find themselves treated as criminals instead of victims in a country they once admired. The relationship between the West and Islam is becoming increasingly dysfunctional, mainly because of the profiling of Muslim Americans and the continuance of U.S. misconduct in the Middle East.

This relationship can be cultivated once again without isolating America from Muslims in the world. The United States needs to open the doors to acceptance and interaction between Muslims and Americans of other faiths. Acknowledgment of the mayhem the West has contributed to in the Middle East would assist Americans in recognizing that they possess the power to either reap and sow terrorism--or, to share mutually what is productive from both Islam and the West. Islamic values have enhanced the United States since the beginning generations of Muslims in America--and if anything, this should be recognized and honored. Instead of constraining the human rights of Muslims in America, Muslims should be applauded for their contribution to the development of this country--be it it�s diversity, economy, or education.

But the largest contribution Islam can offer America has yet to be recognized. In the Quran, God uses example after example of nations who have lost power because of the crimes they inflicted upon their citizens. Treating humans unfairly and oppressively only contributes to the fall of society. Tyrannical rulers, all throughout the history taught in the Quran, have unraveled the previous methodologies towards ruling justifiably, and crossed all boundaries of rectitude. Islam teaches that a society can only prosper under mutual understanding and honor.

Clearly, after witnessing the rise as well as the deterioration of America�s relationship between others within this country and around the world, one can acknowledge the truth in Islam�s predicted fate of oppressors. After recognizing the true roots of evil spreading within the United States through the promoted bigotry and intolerance towards Muslims, affirmative change should be encouraged. America�s future can only stabilize by the return of Muslim civil rights and the absolute refusal to discriminate or stereotype based on religion. To learn from the mistakes of history is to call out for greater means of communication and appreciation between both America and Muslims. Only by constructive measures can the safety of this country now be improved.

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posted by: mylias at June 27, 2005 13:27 | link | comments |

consumated.mo'time.com
Tuesday, 21 June 2005

Female Genital Mutilation

http://www.iccservices.org.uk/news_and_events/updates/female_genital_mutilation.htm

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Religious, Cultural and Legal Myths

In the interest of Muslim communities worldwide and in the UK in particular, The Islamic Cultural Centre and The London Central Mosque have collaborated with the Foundation for Women’s Health, Research and Development (FORWARD)[1] in order to write this paper on female genital mutilation (FGM) also referred to as female circumcision or female genital cutting.

The main purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of the myths and confusion that exist around the issue of FGM and to outline the definition of FGM. It will also cover the different types of FGM, the common justifications, the health complications, and the Islamic Fatwa[2] on FGM. The paper will pay particular attention to the relationship between Islam and FGM, given that many Muslim {as well as non-Muslim) communities tend to associate FGM with Islam. Finally, the paper will attempt to shed some light on the child protection and human rights implications of FGM, as well as on the new FGM legislation in the UK and its implications for communities in the UK who continue with the practice.

What is FGM?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘FGM comprises all procedures which involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reasons’.[3] The age at which girls undergo FGM varies enormously according to the ethnic group practising it. The procedure may be carried out when the girl is a newborn, during childhood, adolescence, at the time of marriage or during the first labour. In some FGM practising cultures, women are re-infibulated (re-stitched) following childbirth as a matter of routine.[4]

WHO estimates that between 100 and 140 million women and girls have been subjected to FGM worldwide and that each year a further 2 million girls are at risk. Most of them live in 28 African countries, a few in the Middle East and Asian countries, and among immigrants in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and Canada. Due to the sensitivity of the subject and the non-prioritisation of the issue by the international community, systematic surveys have not been undertaken in all FGM practising communities.

In the UK it is estimated that over 100 thousand women have undergone FGM and that some 25 thousand girls are at risk.[5] More substantial research is needed to establish the real picture of the FGM prevalence in the UK.

Types of FGM:

The following are the four main types of FGM as classified by WHO:

Type I:

Involves the removal of the prepuce with removal of part or all of the clitoris.

Type II:

Consists of removal of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora. This constitutes 80% of female genital mutilations performed.

Type III:

Infibulation (also known as pharaonic circumcision) entails removal of the clitoris, labia minora and labia majora with narrowing / stitching of the vaginal opening. This is the most extreme form of FGM, involving removal of almost two third of the female genitalia. This constitutes 15% of mutilations performed.

Type IV:

Unclassified: includes pricking/piercing/incising the clitoris and/or labia; cauterisation by burning of clitoris and surrounding tissues; scraping (angurya cuts) of the vaginal orifice or cutting into (gishiri cuts) the vagina, insertion of corrosive herbs into the vagina, and other procedure practised with the aim of tightening or narrowing the vagina; any other procedure which falls under the definition of FGM given above.

Justifications and Reasons Behind FGM:

The origins of FGM are complex and numerous. Indeed, it has not been possible to determine when or where the tradition of FGM originated. The justifications given for the practice are multiple and reflect the ideological and historical situation of the societies in which it has developed. Reasons cited generally relate to tradition, power inequalities and the ensuing compliance of women to the dictates of their communities.

Reasons include:

· Custom and tradition

· Religion; in the mistaken belief that it is a religious requirement

· Preservation of virginity/chastity

· Social acceptance, especially for marriage

· Hygiene and cleanliness

· Increasing sexual pleasure for the male

· Family honour

· A sense of belonging to the group and conversely the fear of social exclusion

· Enhancing fertility

· Many women believe that FGM is necessary to ensure acceptance by their community.

To make sure that girls and women conform to the practice, communities have put strong enforcement mechanisms into place. These include rejection of women who have not undergone FGM as marriage partners, immediate divorce for un-excised women, derogatory songs about women and girls who have not undergone FGM, public exhibitions and witnessing of complete removal before marriage, forced excisions, and instillation of fear of the unknown through curses and evocation of ancestral wrath. On the other hand, girls who undergo FGM are provided with rewards, including public recognition and celebrations, gifts, increasing their value as potential spouses, respect and the ability to participate in adult social functions.

The Health Complications of FGM:

FGM is traditionally carried out by elderly women of the village ‘specialised’ in this task, by traditional birth attendants (TBA), and very occasionally by barbers - usually without anaesthetics and with crude instruments such as razor blades, knives and broken bottles. In some communities, affluent families take their girls to medical personnel in an attempt to avoid the dangers of unskilled operations performed in unsanitary conditions. However, the “medicalisation” of FGM, which is wilful damage to healthy organs for non-therapeutic reasons – is unethical and has been consistently condemned by WHO[6]. When health professionals perform FGM it undermines the message that FGM denies women and girls their right to the highest attainable standard of health.

There is ample clinical documentation of the short- and long-term health consequences of FGM. However, there are few large series of case reports or quantitative community-based reports of frequency and patterns of the consequences of FGM. The health effects depend on the:

· Type of procedure performed,

· Extent of cutting,

· Skill of the operator,

· Cleanliness of the tools and the environment, and

· Physical condition of the girl or woman concerned.

Short-term Health Complications:

· Severe pain and shock

· Bleeding

· Infection

· Urine retention

· Injury to adjacent tissues

· Immediate fatal haemorrhaging

Long-term health Complications:

· Extensive damage of the external reproductive system

· Uterine, vaginal and pelvic infections

· Difficulties in micturation and menstruation

· Cysts and neuromas

· Increased risk of vesico vaginal fistula [7]

· Complications in pregnancy and child birth

· Psychological damage

· Sexual dysfunction

FGM as a legal concern in the UK:

The British parliament has passed a new law. The FGM Act 2003, which has replaced the previous 1985 legislation. This new law came into force on 3rd March 2004. The differences between the old and the new law are as follows:

Most importantly, the FGM Act 2003 introduced the concept of ‘extraterritoriality’. This means that any girl (who is a UK national or UK permanent resident) is taken out of the UK any where in the world for FGM, it is a crime and parents/carers are liable to be sent to jail.

The new law also increases the penalty for carrying out FGM, or arranging to have FGM carried out to 14 years imprisonment or a fine or both.

Lastly, the name of the law has changed to include the term ‘genital mutilation’ instead of ‘circumcision’.

One might ask the question, Why a new law? Or Why a law in the first place?

For the last decade, FORWARD has been campaigning for a new FGM law. FORWARD believes the FGM ACT 2003 is not intended as punishment for FGM practicing communities. On the contrary, the law is here to protect our daughters from the pain and the negative health complications of FGM. Parents from FGM practicing communities enforce FGM on their daughters because they believe that they are doing the best for them and do not view it as a cruel or inhumane act. But it is now clear that FGM represents a violation of the girl child’s human right to bodily integrity as well as a risk to her health.

It is also worth noting that some women from FGM practicing communities have realised that although FGM is a long established traditional practice it has hurt them and their daughters and consequently they decided that all girls from their community deserve a happy and a healthy childhood free from FGM.

FGM as a Human Rights Issue:

Equality, dignity and fairness are the core values of human rights instruments and protocols. Thus human rights should be universal, unalienable and fundamental. It is equally important that human rights must be practical, real and give access to justice. In 1997 a joint statement produced by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Nations Population Fund confirmed the universally unacceptable harm caused by FGM, and issued an unprecedented call for the elimination of this practice in all its forms.

Many governments have passed laws and signed declarations stating that they support women and girls’ human rights, however, in real terms very little has been done. The rights of women and girls are enshrined by various universal and regional instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the African Charter on Human and People Rights. All these documents highlight the right for women and girls to live free from gender discrimination, free from torture, to live in dignity and with bodily integrity.

FGM as a Child Protection Issue:

In the UK, FGM is defined as a form of a physical abuse of girls. All professionals such as teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers etc have a responsibility to protect all children from all kinds of abuse, including FGM. If any of these statutory sector professionals finds out that a young girl has been subjected to FGM or is at risk of having FGM performed they are obligated to report it to Social Services.

By law, Social Services have to investigate any referral of FGM. This may include a child protection medical examination to establish whether or not a girl has undergone FGM. Social Services have the power to intervene in a family’s personal affairs if it is established that a girl has been subjected to FGM or is at risk of being FGM.

Social Service Departments can take several actions which may include:

Ø Meeting with the family to discuss FGM and explain the UK legislation and their role and to make sure that all the girls are protected from FGM.

Ø Preventing girls from travelling outside the UK if they are persuaded that the girls will be at risk if they go on holiday.

Ø Visiting very often to make sure that the girls are protected.

Ø Removing the girls from the home if they feel that the family is unwilling or unable to protect the girls from FGM BUT this is an action of last resort.

FGM and Islam

In communities where FGM is a traditional practice, it is practiced by community members who are Muslims, Christians, animist and even non believers. However, Muslims who practise FGM rationalize it as a Muslim religious obligation in spite of the fact that FGM predates Islam and it is interesting to note that globally most Muslims do not practise FGM.

FGM is a neither a requirement nor a Sunna in Islam. All FGM related Hadith[8] that are allegedly attributed to Prophet Muhammad {Peace Be Upon Him} have been proved to be inauthentic.

Words like“sunna” and “tahur” used for FGM by Muslims which erroneously endorse the link of Islam to FGM and brings the great religion into disrepute. All religions say God created human beings in the best forms and wanted them to keep the nature in which they were created. It is forbidden to make changes in God’s creation unless there is a compelling reason i.e. for medical reasons.

A number of Islamic scholars have issued various Islamic Fatwa on the issue of FGM most of which have disassociated FGM from Islam quoting both Quran[9] as well as Hadith. Dr.Muhammad Lutfi al-Sabbagh, Professor of Islamic studies at King Saud University in Riyadh states:

“Since all these risks are involved in female circumcision, it cannot be legitimate under Islamic law, particularly since nothing that recommends it is definitely established as said by the Prophet {Peace Be Upon Him}. It is, however, established that he has said: "Do not harm yourself or others". This hadith is one of the basic principles of this True Religion.

The conclusion to be reached is that female circumcision is neither required nor is it an obligation nor a sunna[10]. This is the view taken by a great number of scholars in the absence of any hadith that may be authentically attributed to the Prophet {Peace Be Upon Him}.” [11]

Conclusion

It is well documented that FGM has no link with Islam. FGM predates Christianity, Judaism and Islam. FGM is a neither a requirement nor a Sunna in Islam. All FGM related Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad {Peace Be Upon Him} have been proven to be inauthentic.

A wealth of research has shown that FGM has severe health and psychological complications for women and girls. It is also widely recognised that FGM is a direct infringement of women and girls’ basic human rights including their right to life. However, we wish to reiterate that many of those who carry out FGM on their daughters do so believing that is an act of love and protection and out of perceived religious obligation.

At this moment in history, Islam has been implicated in far more complicated issues, including international terrorism which has done great damage to Muslim communities both in the West and back home. We believe that Brothers and Sisters should be careful to preserve their true religious obligations and duties. We should not choose our sources of Sharia[12] as and when we want. It is obligatory for Muslims to have authentic and well documented Hadith and Sharia as sources of their religious duties.

Islam is a religion based on the values of love and benevolence. Muslims should demonstrate these values in their daily life by not subjecting our daughters to the very painful and harmful tradition of FGM!

References

1. Female Genital Mutilation: An overview, World Health Organization Geneva, 1998

2. Female Genital Mutilation: Report of a WHO Technical Working Group. Geneva, 17–19 July 1995. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1996.

3. Female Genital Mutilation: A Joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA Statement. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1997.

4. Summary of international and regional human rights texts relevant to the prevention and redress of violence against women. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1999. (WHO/GCWH/WMH/99.3)

5. Islamic Ruling on Male and Female Circumcision in The Right Path to Health, Health education through religion, Muhammad Lutfi al-Sabbagh, WHO, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, 1996.

6. Child Protection and Female Genital Mutilation, Rodney Hedley and Efua Dorkenoo, Foundation for women’s Health Research and Development, London, 1996.

Table 1: Prevalence of FGM by country (WHO, 2001)

Estimated prevalence rates for FGM, updated May 2001

Please note: Information about the prevalence of FGM comes from sources of variable quality. This summary has organized the information according to the reliability of estimates. New sources of information ad corrections to the estimates will be posted on the website as they become available.

Most reliable estimates: national surveys*
Country	Prevalence (%)	Year—
Burkina Faso	72	1998/99
Central African Republic	43	1994/95
Côte d’Ivoire	43	1994
Egypt	97	1995
Eritrea	95	1995
Guinea	99	1999
Kenya	38	1998
Mali	94	1995/96
Niger	5	1998
Nigeria	25	1999
Somalia	96-100	1982-93
Sudan	89	1989/90
Tanzania	18	1996
Togo	12	1996
Yemen	23	1997

Source for all above estimates, with the exception of Somalia and Togo: National Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), available from Macro International Inc. (http://www.measuredhs.int), Calverton, Maryland.

For Somalia, the estimate comes from a 1983 national survey by the Ministry of Health, Fertility and Family Planning in Urban Somalia, 1983, Ministry of Health, Mogadishu and Westinghouse. The survey found a prevalence of 96%. Five other surveys, carried out between 1982 and 1993 on diverse populations found prevalence of 99-100%. Details about these sources can be found in reference #3 below.

For Togo, the source is a national survey carried out by the Unité de Recherche Démographique (URD) in 1996 (The reference of the unpublished report is Agounke E, Janssens M, Vignikin K, Prévalence et facteurs socio-économiques de l'excision au Togo, rapport provisoire, Lomé, June 1996. Results are given in Locoh T. 1998. "Pratiques, opinions et attitudes en matière d’excision en Afrique." Population 6: 1227-1240.

— Year refers to the year of the survey, except for Somalia, where years refer to the publication date of the MOH report. Note that some DHS reports are dated a year after the survey itself.

Other estimates
Country	Prevalence (%)	Year—	Source
Benin	50	1993	National Committee study, unpublished, cited in^1,2
Chad	60	1991	UNICEF sponsored study, unpublished, cited in^1,2
Ethiopia	85	1985; 1990	Ministry of Health study sponsored by UNICEF; Inter-African Committee study; cited in²
Gambia	80	1985	study, cited in^1,2
Ghana	30*	1986; 1987	two studies cited in^1,2, on different regions, divergent findings
Liberia	60**	1984	unpublished study, cited in^1,2
Senegal	20	1990	national study cited in^1,2
Sierra Leone	90	1987	Koso-Thomas O. The circumcision of women: a strategy for eradication. London, Zed Press, 1987.

^—

For published studies year refers to year of publication. For unpublished studies, it is not always clear whether year refers to year of the report or year of the survey. Where no year is indicated, the information is not available.

¹Toubia N. 1993. "Female Genital Mutilation: A Call for Global Action (http://www.rainbo.org)" (Some figures are updated in the 1996 Arabic version of the document.)

²World Health Organization. 1998. "Female Genital Mutilation. An overview"

³Makhlouf Obermeyer C. 1999. "Female Genital Surgeries: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable"; Medical Anthropology Quarterly; 13(1): 79-106

* One study found prevalence ranging from 75 to 100% among ethnic groups in the north; another study in the south found FGM only among migrants; the 30% comes from reference #1.

** A limited survey found that all but three groups practice FGM, and estimated prevalence at between 50-70%; the 60% comes from reference #1.

Questionable estimates***
Country	Prevalence (%)
Cameroon	20
Democratic Republic of the Congo	5
Djibouti	98
Guinea-Bissau	50
Mauritania****	25
Uganda	5

*** These estimates are based on anecdotal evidence. They are cited in references #1 and 2 above.

**** A national survey has carried out by the DHS and the report is forthcoming.

[1] It is a UK based international organisation, which promotes change, good health and human dignity for African women and girls.

[2] A formal religious legal opinion.

[3] Female Genital Mutilation: A Joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA Statement. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1997.

[4] WHO 1997.

[5] These figures are based on statistics from 1999Labour force survey, FORWARD, London, 2001.

[6] Female Genital Mutilation: A Joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA Statement. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1997.

7- An obstetric fistula is the breakdown of tissue in the vaginal wall communicating into the bladder (Vesico-Vaginal Fistula - VVF) or the rectum (recto-vaginal fistula - RVF) or both. It is one of the most degrading morbidities resulting from pregnancy and childbirth. Early marriage and FGM are considered to be the prime causes of VVF.

[8] A saying or action ascribed to the Prophet Mohamed peace upon him or an act approved by him.

[9] The Holy book of Islam, it is the highest and most authentic authority in Islam.

[10] Practices undertaken or approved by the Prophet Peace Upon Him and established as legally binding precedents.

[11] Islamic Ruling on Male and Female Circumcision in The Right Path to Health, Health education through religion, Muhammad Lutfi al-Sabbagh, WHO, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, 1996, available on the WHO website.

[12] The body of Islamic law based on the Quran and the Sunna

posted by: mylias at June 21, 2005 12:32 | link | comments |
fgm

consumated.mo'time.com
Saturday, 18 June 2005

Text of the Commencement address at Stanford University by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer

Text of the Commencement address at Stanford University by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. Philosophy & Life: You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college.
Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college
graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life.
That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then
stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 mo nths or so before I
really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My
biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school.
She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

posted by: mylias at June 18, 2005 08:22 | link | comments |
apple computer

consumated.mo'time.com
Tuesday, 14 June 2005

Malaysia -Pimples & All

http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?
id=SEG20050610031217&eTitle=Insight&rLink=0

Malaysia musings
Sushila Ravindranath Friday June 10 2005 12:38 IST

I have just landed in Kuala Lumpur airport. Like always I marvel at it. The
first time I came there, it had been recently opened and was near empty. But
now it's buzzing with activity. Its restaurants are full. It's, of course,
spic and span and wonderfully contemporary and modern. I am now a seasoned
visitor to KL and I am able to guide first-time visitors to the train, which
whisks you to baggage and immigration. The only off-putting thing about the
airport is the long queues at the immigration counter. Well!

The airport is 50 km from the city. But the drive on the highway is quick
and painless. That's when it hits you that KL is a truly international city.
I have been told by many that 30 years ago KL looked like Chennai. Between
then and now ruled a man called Mahathir Mohamad, who decided that Malaysia
should join the developed world. And he transformed the country and its
capital.

The Malaysians might complain, but KL is still lush and green in spite of
the constant construction activity going on. They are constantly improving
the already good roads and building beautiful apartment complexes or just
remodelling their houses.

There is a large expat community in KL. The spouses do not get work permit.
(Singapore is more welcoming of foreigners and their skills,
comparatively ). Consequently, there are a large number of ladies who lunch.
I went to one of those lunches in a smart restaurant called Basque Street,
which serves Mediterranean food. Among the guests there are some lovely
women from Pakistan. We make polite conversation for a few minutes. Then the
conversation turns to Bollywood.

Immediately everybody becomes animated. All of them love Shah Rukh Khan. All
of them have seen Sanjay Leela Bansali's Black. What an ice-breaker
Bollywood turns out to be. Then we discuss politics and how much we all
really like each other. If only the politicians didn't play games and so on.
Says one of the ladies rather wistfully, "How lucky you are to have a large
middle class."

I keep hearing this again and again. A German businessman who rants and
raves about South Koreans undercutting him everywhere, tells me how much he
admires India and its vast middle class. A Malaysian lady publisher of Tamil
origin discusses Tamil stars Rajinikant and Sarathkumar at great length,
goes into ecstacy over shopping in Chennai and then says, "Your economy is
booming because you have a proper middle class." So suddenly we are being
seen as a country teeming with the middle class.

Malaysia has strict censorship rules, which can put our censor board to
shame. There was a French film festival going on in the city. We go to see a
film which has got rave reviews. A placard greets us saying some scenes have
been censored for our own good. Can you imagine a French film without any
sex! So when the inevitable love-making scenes happen, the operator puts a
card in front of the projector lens. He is considerate enough to leave the
bottom free so that we can read the subtitles. On one occasion he delays by
a few seconds and the audience gets a tantalising glimpse of a body part.
The audio isn't censored, however. The largely Malay audience takes it all
in good humour.

In reality KL is extremely laidback about many things. The people are not
censorious. They like to have a good time. The bars are overflowing even
during weekdays. It seems like party time at the Bangsar (the place where I
stayed) high street every evening. We go to hear a very young but very
highly thought of Malay Jazz musician at Frank's, a largish bar. This was a
Friday and we could not get sitting space. So we go people-watching at
Bangsar, where beautiful people are parading, including some truly gorgeous
transvestites.

The Malaysian Press, however, is highly controlled. The first few pages of
the New Straits Times is full of accidents, murders and such like stories.
There is some token real news in the form of police corruption cases. It's
only in the evenings when you have conversations with friends you get a
somewhat clear picture of what's going on in the country. One can sense some
tensions over the state of the economy.

The former PM, Mahathir, was very clear in where he wanted to take Malaysia.
His Vision 2020 programme was to make Malaysia a fully developed country by
year 2020. He was what you can call a benevolent dictator. He managed to
keep the country's fragile ethnic groups at peace with each other.

He realised that the country needed industries like steel and automobile to
fuel growth. He did not want Malaysia to remain a tin and rubber exporting
country forever. He also encouraged construction in a big way. In the
process he made enemies and his critics say corruption was rampant and he
encouraged crony capitalism.

His successor Abdulla Badawi wants to be different. He wants to undo many
things Mahathir did. But not all Mahathir decisions were bad. So the
bureaucracy is confused. Some major infrastructure projects are at a
standstill. Which means the job market is not booming and the economy is
slowing down. But Badawi is well liked and he has grassroot support. So
which way will Malaysia head?

posted by: mylias at June 14, 2005 16:23 | link | comments |
musing

consumated.mo'time.com
Monday, 06 June 2005

If only .........................

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Columns/ 20050605084421/Article/indexb_html THE SUNDAY COLUMN: Don't leave the loving till tomorrow... Kalimullah Hassan Jun 5: IT has been a gloomy and miserable week. Early in the week, R.V. Veera, a colleague at the New Straits Times, asked if he could work for another year. I thought he was 58. He was 67, and the company seldom re-hires people beyond the age of 60. But Veera was one of the nicest and most hardworking journalists I knew. I jokingly told him he should retire, play with his grandchildren... But all right, I said, one more year. The next day, he left the office for dinner with his daughter in Brickfields where he collapsed and died. I did not know about it. At 4am, I awoke - one of those rare days - to look at the final copy of the day's newspaper straight from the press. For a moment I thought it was a bad dream. On the obituaries page, I saw a picture of Veera and an announcement of his last rites.

Read more...

posted by: mylias at June 06, 2005 06:50 | link | comments |
if

consumated.mo'time.com
Sunday, 05 June 2005

Some Rivers in Malaysia are Dirty

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Frontpage/
20050604071236/Article/indexb_html Dirty rivers Sarah Sabaratnam and Elizabeth John KUALA LUMPUR, Fri: 3 Jun 05 Some 55 per cent of our rivers are polluted by either raw or partially treated sewage. This is because much of the sewage being generated from such sources as municipal waste water, animal farming and domestic sewage, goes through a system which is ineffective, releasing sewage that is only partially-treated into rivers. In some places, raw sewage goes directly into the river without being treated.

"One area we really need to improve on is our sewage treatment," says director general of the Department of Environment Datuk Rosnani Ibarahim. According to the latest data from the Department of Environment, compiled in the Malaysia Environmental Quality Report 2003, 13 per cent of river basins were depleted of oxygen due to biochemical oxygen demand of sewage and discharges from agro-based and manufacturing industries; and 24 per cent of the river basins were polluted by ammoniacle nitrogen from sewage that includes livestock farming and domestic sewage. "We need, ultimately, every household and industry to be connected to a proper sewerage system that will prevent raw sewage and partially treated sewage from passing into rivers. That in itself will clean up half our rivers." Unfortunately, she says, it will take at least another 20 years for a proper system to be put into place. "Sewage treatment systems are quite expensive. But we need to start now as it will be more expensive in the future." Rosnani said the current refurbishment exercise to upgrade existing systems by Indah Water Konsortium is still unable to treat the sewage to meet standards set by the Environmental Quality Act and Regulations. "Only with the new system to be put in by the Sewerage Services Department will our standards be met." According to Professor Zaini Ujang, director of the Institute of Environmental and Water Resource Management (IPASA), Universiti Technology Malaysia, there is sufficient technology in the country but the problem is that we don't have the standards in place. "For waste water the only requirement they have to follow is how concentrated the pollution in the waste water is when it is released. "We do not have standards to control loading, which is the volume discharged." Another source of pollution, he said, is grey water such as water from kitchen sinks, that goes directly into drains without being treated at all. IPASA's studies of grey water since 1997 have found that 50 per cent of organic pollution in rivers in Malaysia is from grey water. "With this kind of pollution our usage of water from rivers is limited. "In Malaysia we have a lot of water in terms of quantity but in order to use it, it requires extensive treatment." Currently, he says, there are more than 15,000 waste water treatment plants in the country and 7,000 for sewage treatment alone. But they do not treat waste water effectively. Zaini says one way to overcome this is to require every new housing estate to treat grey water before it is released. ____

posted by: mylias at June 05, 2005 18:59 | link | comments |
rivers

consumated.mo'time.com
Saturday, 04 June 2005

Is this musing really amusing?

I got this in my e-mail in box recently. I do not know the who author of this article is, but I thought the article is interesting for its political and social views and impact in Malaysia today.

Bolehland: A Bailout Bazaar? (Bolehlah is equivalent to 'can do' or everything is possible)

The cult and culture of privatization continues in Bolehland (the place where everything is possible). It is being pushed, promoted and peddled by the present government, one which won the general elections on a platform of change, but with little to show except the PM's (Prime Minister) towering humility. The country's assets are placed in the hands of the handpicked children, ‘cousins’, cronies and courtiers of the political elite. Only a year in existence, and they are out to sell the last bits of the country's silver. The promises of privatisation are played up to the full as profitable public utilities are turned into private monopolies and as the purported purpose and the process of privatization ironically pave the way for less accountability and transparency. Privatisation's costly price is covered, converted and coated with official cocksure confidence. It will, quite evidently and eventually, be paid by the people and their children. Blessed are the young, they shall inherit the country's debts. Contrary to what is often portrayed, the pages of history on privatization in Bolehland speak little of benefits but far more of debts by conglomerates and costly and controversial bailouts by the government. Often the objective of reduced fiscal burden on the government has backfired, with the government having to pay higher costs with public funds to bail out failed privatizations. We see this in the results of the "mindless privatisation" of the Mahathir years. Indeed, the records show that the previous government would enter into a privatized project with a brave face and often come out of it with an about-face and a PM refusing to lose face in spite of the fact that the promised windfall had turned into a pitfall. Lest we forget, below are some examples of instances of the wheels of the privatization express having come off and the people having to pay the price for the private failures. Its about time that the tell-me-the-truth PM faces the truth about privatization.

IWK: Pure Pong (IWK is Indah Water Konsortium, the Company given the Contract for sewerage management in Malaysia)

The citizens of Bolehland can still remember what a stink the former government raised with its RM200 million (USD 1.00 = RM 3.80) bailout of Indah Water Konsortium (IWK), the financially hobbled concessionaire managing the national sewerage system. But that was not all that the country had lost. According to then DAP (Democratic Action Party, an opposition Party in the Malaysian Government) national chairman Lim Kit Siang, the soft loans granted by the government to IWK amounted to about RM1.4 billion and they were clearly irrecoverable losses.

KPB: Sunken Ship

Who can forget Mahathir's rescue of Konsortium Perkapalan Bhd (KPB), then owned by his son Mirzan, which was submerged in debts of about RM1.7 billion, by using funds from Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas)? The Petronas-controlled national shipping carrier Malaysian International Shipping Corporation Berhad (MISC) was used to acquire KPB’s shipping assets with cash said to be as much as RM1 billion.

Proton: Sad Saga

The previous government fueled controversy by using Petronas funds yet again to buy 27% of the national car maker Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd, or Proton, for about RM1 billion, thereby making it the controlling shareholder. The stake was held by the DRB-Hicom Group Bhd, which was deeply in debt. The deal was announced after Proton, reported a net loss of RM19 million in the nine months to December 31, 1999.

MAS: Ailing Airlines

The government bought back a controlling stake in the Malaysia Airlines System Bhd. (MAS) at the same price for which it sold it in 1994. But the carrier, which had a light debt load then, was grounded by its RM9.5 billion debt and was headed for a fourth straight year of losses. Bankruptcy was imminent. It was believed that the government paid close to RM1 billion more than market value for the stake of the airline’s then Chairman, Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli, a protégé of then Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin. The former Chairman had no experience in the airline business before he took over the company and was widely blamed for running the airlines into the ground.

Time dotcom: Damned Dot

The manner in which the government rescued Time dotCom, a subsidiary of Time Engineering (then saddled with a RM5 billion debt), itself a publicly-listed company of the UMNO-linked Renong Group, (UMNO, United Malay National Organisation, a major component of the governing Party of the Malaysian Government) vadded yet another ugly dot to its integrity. In a land where anything is possible, Bolehlanders watched in utter disbelief when:

Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pencen (KWAP) or the Pensions Trust Fund (which came under the office of then Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin) coughed up RM904 million to buy 273.9 million unwanted Time dotCom shares, incurring an instant loss of RM280 million.

Employees Provident Fund (EPF) spent RM269.28 million on 81.6 million (unsubscribed public portion of the initial public offering or IPO) of Time dotCom Bhd shares at RM3.30 when the share was hovering between RM1.96 to RM2.10 and even less eventually suffering a loss of over RM100 million belonging to the rakyat (citizens).

Danaharta (the agency tasked to remove bad loans from the banking system) and Khazanah (the Government's investment arm) got involved I the bailout, when it was clearly not their mission to be a vehicle to bail out failed IPOs of companies. (Khazanah acquired 30% of Time dotCom for some RM2.1 billion.)

LRT: Ride Over Rails

The rakyat (here translated close enough to citizen) was again taken for a ride on the privatisation express when in another privatisation reversal the government raised RM6 billion (in what was known as Malaysia’s biggest-ever rescue via bond issue) to bail out Kuala Lumpur’s light-rail transit operators Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik Sdn Bhd (PUTRA) and Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn Bhd (STAR). PUTRA, which belongs to Renong Bhd (former UMNO’s investment arm), defaulted on its RM2 billion loan in 1999. The government through the EPF again, gave STAR more than RM600 million in loans even when the company was operating at a loss resulting in the Fund’s equity stake of RM135 million being subsequently written off and its share of the loss amounting to RM96 million in 1999. Both companies were both allowed to continue to operate and manage the LRT systems despite their mismanagement and incompetence. Taxpayers had to foot the mega-bills.

PSC-NDSB/RMN Project: Future Fiasco?

Recent reports have it that Pak Lah (pet name for Abdullah Badawi, the present Prime Minister of Malaysia) is trying to unwind the country’s biggest privatized contract, a problem-plagued RM24.3 billion deal (signed in 1998) for naval new-generation patrol vessels (NGPV) awarded to PSC Industries Bhd, a Malaysian company controlled by a Tan Sri Amin Shah Omar Shah. The deal, which also gave PSC control of the government's main naval shipyard and the exclusive rights to service the Royal Malaysian Navy's entire fleet, was intended to be the springboard for Malaysia to create its own marine-engineering industry. The government, which already has advanced more than RM2.5 billion to PSC, is increasingly skeptical that Amin Shah can deliver the patrol vessels. The first two NGPVs built by PSC have failed to pass pre-delivery trials. PSC itself is in deep financial trouble.

Bountiful Blunders

Other bailouts which have thus far bewildered the citizens of Bolehland include the following:

The perceived bailout of Renong/UEM (two private Companies, supposed to be owned by UMNO but no one has clear proof of that. UEM is United Engineers Malaysia) with the EPF’s acquisition of UEM equity and UEM’s subsequent securing of a RM800 million loan from government and well-connected banks such as Malayan Banking, Bank Bumiputra, Bank of Commerce and RHB to implement a controversial purchase of Renong equity from the company’s Executive Chairman, a Tan Sri Halim Saad.

The bailout of Renong’s National Steel Company (NSC) in The Philippines through the Hongkong SAR-based company Hottick which secured loans, apparently without collateral, from government-owned Malayan Banking and Bank Bumiputra, as well as RHB Bank and Bank of Commerce. Hottick’s loans totaling RM3.09 billion were eventually taken over by Danaharta.

The bailout of Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing’s Ekran Berhad which received RM950 million compensation from the government over the Bakun Dam hydroelectric project.( A hydro electric generation project in Sarawak Malaysia)

The Park May-Intrakota bus bailout, the Monorail bailout, etc. (Monorailm is now in operations in certain part of Kuala Lumpur)

In light of the depressing scenario described above, the decision by Pak Lah’s government to privatise basic services like water, education and health care (which runs contrary to assurances made before the last general elections), can only be seen as defying all logic and wisdom. The string of de-privatised projects make evident the fact that continued privatization would only serve as more rope for this country to hang itself economically. Privatization in Bolehland has brought more failure than fortune, more bailouts than benefits. The only thing that the public gains are private debts. The only clear reality is that the government continues to lack transparency and accountability. This country cannot afford to have more bailouts. All that glitters is not gold including privatisation! Will Pak Lah listen to these truths?

Justice In Bolehland: How It Works

An 18-year-old boy, Ahmad Hafizal Ahmad Fauzi, is the unlikely victim of an elaborate plan to brainwash Malaysian youths to support the National Front (BN) for all times. On May 10, 2005 the Kangar Magistrate’s court (a Court in a town in a Northern State of Peninsular Malaysia) fined him RM600 or two weeks jail for missing the mandatory three-month national service training. The DAP demanded an exemplary punishment to warn teenagers of their fate if they defy calls for national service. With a total family income less than RM600 a month, to which he contritbutes a quarter, he could not pay and went to jail. The Perlis Mentri Besar (the State Chief Minister), Dato’ Seri Shahidan Kassim, ever on the look out for cheap publicity and with an eye to the political havoc the opposition PAS (Pan Malaysian Islamic Party) could cause, in the state and nationwide, paid the fine. The Attorney-General, who authorised the prosecution, now promises to revise the sentence if “what the boy says is true”. The exemplary punishment turns out to be a damp squib. The investigations were shoddy. The boy should have attended national service; he did not; he is guilty, and therefore, a criminal. More than that, he should be an exemplar to put fear into other 18-year-olds who could not, by circumstances like extreme poverty, enter national service. If the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Patail, tells the truth, the 4,269 who evaded national service must be brought to court--and soon. If the national interest demanded that Ahmad Hafizal be punished, should not politicians like Dato’ Seri Shaidan Kassim is too for defying the national interest? Or that as a BN (Barisan National - National Front - the ruling coalition of Parties which form the Malaysian Government now) leader, he is exempt? But the Deputy Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, insists the boy is to blame: he should have asked to defer or be exempt from national service; he should have explained his predicament to the police, if not the magistrate. He did not. He must pay the price. The law, after all, must be respected. "I wish to state that the laws of our country do not differentiate between individuals. Attendance at the national service training programme is mandatory by law and everyone selected must attend," he thundred. Besides, he adds "I’m sure that if he had explained his family situation, the National Service department or the prosecutors would have been sympathetic towards him." He expects a frightened 18-year-old from the poorest of the poor, who is frightened of authority of any kind, to argue his case before officious police men and unsympathetic prosecutors. In other words, frightened 18-year-olds, when arrested, should behave as corrupt business men and politicians, with a battery of lawyers, when charged. This case hit the public eye because the government wanted a diversion from the political mess from the 2004 general election, the expulsion of Indonesian migrant workers, the Anwar Ibrahim (the ex-Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia under Dr. Mahathir who served a 6 yearb jail for guilty og sodomy and corruption) affair, bilateral issues with Singapore, divisions in UMNO threatening the body politic, anti-corruption drive. It got that, and a black eye. And more if the others shirkers are not charged. The law, in Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib's considered view, should take its course. If Malaysians are to believe that, the Attorney-General must charge all national service shirkers in court. The BN government, which swears it believes in the primacy of the law, should insist on it. If it does not, it is the BN that would lose out. For national service training is to BN’s benefit. It is the brainchild of Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, that once well-regarded DAP MP who exchanged principle for untold wealth and BN cronydom. He argued for national service, with weapons training. His good friend, the Deputy Prime Minister, or rather his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, thought it a good idea. It was accepted with alacrity, and rushed through. It is an ill-kept secret that the good lady--and, lest we forget, Tan Sri Lee--has a decent share in providing uniforms and other necessities for the national service trainees. The cronies of the establishment got into the act for there was RM800 million to go around every year. If you look closely at its suppliers, you could trace it to UMNO leaders and satraps and, occasionally, other BN leaders. Its finances are secret. The latest budget estimates do not provide for this RM800 million. When asked about it in Parliament, it was blithely told it is there somewhere. If it is a recurrent annual expenditure, it should be stated clearly. But it would not: its escalating finances must be kept secret. The original plan included weapons training, but that was ruled out not for fear of teenagers trained in weapons running wild but that there were no safe depots to house them. When a group could raid with ease and seize weapons from an army camp under tight security near the Thai border, how secure could an ill-protected armoury be? The three-month training makes no sense. Nothing short of a year would. The armed forces should have taken over the training, but that cut out those who make much money from it. So, it is half-baked trainers, ill-paid and often not at all, are at the cutting edge of brainwashing and shepherding impressionable Malaysian youngsters into blind s

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From leziza

posted by: mylias at June 27, 2005 13:27 | link | comments |

Female Genital Mutilation

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Religious, Cultural and Legal Myths

posted by: mylias at June 21, 2005 12:32 | link | comments |
fgm

Text of the Commencement address at Stanford University by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer

posted by: mylias at June 18, 2005 08:22 | link | comments |
apple computer

Malaysia -Pimples & All

posted by: mylias at June 14, 2005 16:23 | link | comments |
musing

If only .........................

posted by: mylias at June 06, 2005 06:50 | link | comments |
if

Some Rivers in Malaysia are Dirty

posted by: mylias at June 05, 2005 18:59 | link | comments |
rivers

Is this musing really amusing?

About me

Recent comments

Links

Archives

From leziza

posted by: mylias at June 27, 2005 13:27 | link | comments |

Female Genital Mutilation

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Religious, Cultural and Legal Myths

posted by: mylias at June 21, 2005 12:32 | link | comments | fgm

Text of the Commencement address at Stanford University by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer

posted by: mylias at June 18, 2005 08:22 | link | comments | apple computer

Malaysia -Pimples & All

posted by: mylias at June 14, 2005 16:23 | link | comments | musing

If only .........................

posted by: mylias at June 06, 2005 06:50 | link | comments | if

Some Rivers in Malaysia are Dirty

posted by: mylias at June 05, 2005 18:59 | link | comments | rivers

Is this musing really amusing?

posted by: mylias at June 21, 2005 12:32 | link | comments |
fgm

posted by: mylias at June 18, 2005 08:22 | link | comments |
apple computer

posted by: mylias at June 14, 2005 16:23 | link | comments |
musing

posted by: mylias at June 06, 2005 06:50 | link | comments |
if

posted by: mylias at June 05, 2005 18:59 | link | comments |
rivers