This time for the 1st National Lutheran Conference organised by the Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore :

The time off would be welcome, to say the least.

This cartoon by veteran Sabah cartoonist Langkawit seems to sum up what I believe is going through many MPs minds right now :

On an unrelated note in regards to the fracas at MPSJ yesterday. I was made aware of it by a forwarded SMS originating from YB Hannah Yeoh (DAP - Subang Jaya).

It might do well for some of our town councillors to remember that they are still appointees and have yet to earn the trust of the ratepayers. Those who are political appointees ought to also be aware that they are public servants who represent their respective parties. It does get a bit tiresome trying to be apologists all the time.

Steven wrote a pretty good narrative account of our few days leading up to the by-elections in Permatang Pauh. Since he doesn't have pictures, I'll try to provide some with what I have right now :

I picked up Shin, a comrade from PKR PJ Selatan, at Kelana Jaya LRT Station around 6.45am last Sunday before driving on to USJ 8 where the group, representing PKR Bandar Subang Jaya (part of Bahagian Kelana Jaya), of 5 campaigners were to gather. Our team consists of Siew Meng, Bob Kee, Peter Chong, Shin and myself.

We started our journey to Permatang Pauh after breakfast at around 8.00am and had several stops before reaching P. Pauh around noon time to be greeted by a carnival-like atmosphere complete with banners and flags blanketing the entire parliamentary constituency. After identifying the Bilik Gerakan PKR Selangor along Jalan Tenggiri, we had lunch at a nearby foodcourt and donned our PKR SJ t-shirt designed and printed by Bob a day earlier.

The obligatory posed shot with YB Nik Nazmi (PKR - Seri Setia) in front of the Bilik Gerakan PKR Selangor

The swearing in of Datuk Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, newly elected Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh, Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and advisor to Parti KeADILan Rakyat.

Can I venture that the results of the March 8 General Elections and the Permatang Pauh by-elections are possible indications that perhaps Agenda Melayu mula di dalam ambang penyempurnaan?

I recently read that the author of Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, Donald Miller, was invited to say a prayer during the Democratic National Convention. A few things caught my attention as they are very relevant to us here in Malaysia even as more Malaysians (and Christians as well) find the room to be assertive of their rights.

The transcript of Miller's prayer (with my own thoughts indented in a bluish tint) reads :

Pray as is everything depended on God, work as if everything depended on you ..

- attributed to St. Augustine

I think I'm coming down with the flu as my throat is getting ticklish and my there seems to be some build up of phlegm. Nonetheless, I'll be on my way up to Permatang Pauh within the next few hours to join in the last 48 hours of campaigning for Anwar Ibrahim as part of the small contingent of the pro-tem KeADILan Bandar Subang Jaya caucus.

There's really not much to say that has not been said. The message is pretty clear and the campaigning methods used are open for all to see. Despite Umno's assertion that this is a local matter and does not really impact the nation, I think their subsequent tactics and actions tell an extremely different story.

I've been involved in election campaigning since 1995 and I must honestly say that this by-election wins the Dirtiest Election Campaign In Bob's Experience Award.

Kepada saudara-saudara se-negara saya, tidak kira asal usul, kaum ataupun agama, detik ini mungkin akan menentukan sama ada kita boleh mendapat peluang untuk membina kembali sebuah negara bangsa yang berdaulat, makmur, aman dan betul-betul merdeka ataupun biarkan negara ini dijahanamkan oleh mereka yang rakus dan langsung tidak mengambil peduli mengenai nasib rakyat jelata.

Sudah 51 tahun kita merdeka, 37 tahun Barisan Nasional memerintah dan 53 tahun Umno menerajui pucuk pimpinan negara. Namun demikian, ternampak jelas bahawa krisis sosial, ekonomi dan identiti di Malaysia kini kian hari kian genting. Peluang telah diberikan kepada mereka berdekad lamanya. Ternyata bahawa agenda yang dibawa Umno-BN gagal jua. Sekarang tiba masanya untuk perubahan.

This is not about Anwar Ibrahim or Saiful or Najib or Abdullah. This is not about any sectarian rights or the lack thereof. This is about the future of our nation, our children and our children's children. The people of Permatang Pauh may just be the catalyst that would trigger the change that is absolutely required for us all to have something to look forward to again.

Otherwise, we might, as the Cantonese expression go, just die together in one big embrace. And this epidemic of "death" tidak akan memilih bulu. We all go down in a blaze of ignominy.

It's in your hands, people of Permatang Pauh and the rest of us who are keeping a close watch over this.

.. by the moon and the stars and the sky ... errr .. maybe not

I've always been taught that Christians don't swear, whether by the elements, or by the Bible. As the good book says :

Tetapi sekarang Aku berkata kepada kamu: Jangan bersumpah sama sekali. Jangan bersumpah demi langit, kerana langit itu takhta Allah, atau demi bumi, kerana bumi itu alas kaki-Nya; atau demi Yerusalem, kerana kota itu kota Allah, Raja yang besar. Jangan bersumpah bahkan demi kepala kamu, kerana kamu tidak berkuasa membuat sehelai rambut menjadi putih ataupun hitam. Cukuplah kamu berkata ‘Ya’ atau ‘Tidak’. Kata-kata yang lebih daripada itu datangnya daripada Iblis." - Mat 5:34 - 37

Unless somebody gets disqualified ..

I'm not on the field but some folks are :

• Anil Netto
• Syafiq Sunny

Malaysia deserves better!

Towering personalities come in all shapes and forms. Some are self proclaimed (these types we're quite used to in our nation), some are acclaimed, many more are just quietly remembered. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would probably not fall somewhere between the second and third types. Some folks continue to remember this man and contextualise his perspectives:

• Solzhenitsyn: The Battle of Good and Evil Over Nations
  - Jeremiah Liang

  The political instability we see today in Malaysia is not a fight between good people and evil people. Rather, it should be seen as a struggle between leaders who wish to be perceived as good and who will paint their rivals as evil.

  Just as Russia needed to repent for the crimes of the Soviet era, Malaysia needs to repent for "the sins of the fathers" that are visited on the children. Instead of pointing fingers at our leaders who do not hold the keys to the nation's salvation, we should be willing to make a frank assessment of our own vices and sins and make penitence for them as one nation.

  Some religious ideologues of this country mistakenly believe the way to make people become good and turn them from evil is to establish religious rules of law as santified by the state.

  As a nation, when will Malaysia know her true destiny in the family of nations? Can she solve her political problems by recognising them as spiritual problems? Only then will we see that the right solution is not a political one but a true intellectual and spiritual examination of the past, the present and the future.

• One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world
  - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  This is Solzhenitsyn's address that was smuggled out of the Soviet Union after he was barred exit from the country to Sweden in order to received his Nobel Prize in 1970

HT : Sivin & The Wilful Sunflower

Although the media, both mainstream and online, seemed to have emphasised the participation of KeADILan in the protest against the Bar Council's forum on Conversion to Islam, I am heartened to know that the party leadership has taken a more balanced stance. Otherwise I would have found myself being forced to re-evaluate my affiliation with the organisation :

Media Statement
9 August 2008

CONDEMNING ACTION AGAINST BAR COUNCIL SEMINAR

This morning a small demonstration was held to oppose the seminar on "embracing Islam" organized by the Bar Council. Less than 500 demonstrators participated, although it was earlier announced than 10,000 people would be present.

The People's Justice Party (keADILan) regrets that the police force present failed to control the situation but instead appeared to collaborate with some of the demonstrators who wanted to force their way into the hall to stop the seminar. This incident reminds us of what happened during the APCET conference on East Timor that was held a few years ago, when members of Umno-BN forced their way in to sabotage the seminar.

In the aftermath of the various developments that seem to be putting the state's prosecution case against Anwar Ibrahim in tatters, the state owned media is again playing up the question of ethics and morality in the attempt by the Anwar Ibrahim led Pakatan Rakyat to attempt to wrest executive power via political negotiations and defections.

The latest offensive saw Chandra Muzaffar questioning the Pakatan's commitment (ok .. so he actually just focused on Anwar) to democracy by attempting to take over power by what he (naughtily) called the "back door" :

• Chandra Muzaffar: Anwar's 'back door' bid to become PM undemocratic

There's an e-mail circulating that claims that the Selangor State Government is giving a one time allowance of RM 3,500 to senior citizens aged 60 and above. This isn't entirely accurate and could either be due to a genuine misunderstanding or deliberate misinformation.

What is actually being offered is free Takaful coverage for senior citizens aged 60 years and above worth RM 3,500.00. To be eligible, one must fulfill the following criterias:

• All senior citizens in the state of Selangor aged 60 years and above;
• Provided that the proposed insured has been a resident of the State of Selangor for a minimum of 1 year prior to application

• Caruman Takaful & Perubatan Percuma Kepada Warga Emas

• Insurance & Takaful Made Clear

Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008)

Known also as the Dostoyevsky of 20th century, the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature winner, playwright and a Gulag guest of Stalin died at the age of 89. Rest in Peace. I am at a loss for words .. I'll let others do it :