All posts by Gertrude

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About Gertrude

I am a little left of centre 21st Century person. What all that means you'll discover as you read my blog!

Follow the law, and decide wisely

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It would have been a coup de grace if former economic minister Azmin Ali had succeeded in delivering a Malay-majority coalition to the prime minister. But it had one major flaw; the coalition included leaders from Umno — the main Malay-based party — facing corruption charges. The PM put his foot down and did not endorse the coalition, the one thing he has always wanted – a united Malay front to lead the nation. He could not work with Umno en bloc, saying that political expediency could not be justified when it compromised principles.

He then resigned from the government and his party, Bersatu. Bersatu then left the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) which led to PH’s collapse.

Understandably, PH’s supporters are fuming but this is the political reality. Such things will happen in politics. The more important question is how do we deal with it when it happens? All the parties concerned should take a step back to view the situation from a distance in order to gain some clarity and objectivity so that they make the right decisions.

It is imperative that all the MPs and authorities concerned follow the rule of law and act within the ambit of the constitution. When PH collapsed, the first thing that Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said was to take the issue to the Dewan Rakyat. This was concurred with by the Prime Minister when he gave his reason for resigning in his message to the nation on Wednesday saying that the next step was the Dewan Rakyat.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dato Mohamad Ariff announced today that there will be no special convening of the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (requested by the interim prime minister) until the Agong officially calls for it as according to the constitution. He also said that the special sitting could only be held after the Agong had appointed a prime minister. The king is now planning to invite the political parties to nominate their candidate for PM.

Bersatu has nominated its president Muhyiddin Yassin as PM. Since he is open to working with Umno as a bloc, Umno looks set to be back in government. It will be deja vu and back to the old Umno politics!

This is politics. Hard to get used to it.

(The situation is still fluid. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.)

 

The truth will set you free

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There are times in our lives when we are caught in circumstances we want to get out of but can’t. We try all sorts of things to extricate ourselves from those circumstances and wear ourselves down doing so. We become weary, and, perhaps, feel swamped like we can’t be free. But, there is a way out.

There is a verse in Scriptures that reveals a truth that is freeing. “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” (John 8: 31-32) In this context, Jesus tells his disciples to consider who He is and to follow Him and that it would set them free from the “traditional” perspective that blocks them from seeing who He is.

That’s the Christian context. However, I believe this truth is a fundamental basis of all religions — that the truth will set you free. Even atheists and agnostics believe it: The truth will set you free. It is an universal truth that all can practise.

How do we apply that truth to our particular circumstances so that we are set free? It begins with self-honesty. If we are in a situation that is overwhelming us and we can’t get out of it, maybe, we should start asking ourselves how we view that particular situation. Honestly see the situation as it really is — not through the spin or tainted glass we see it through. Be prepared to face the facts.

It takes courage to do that because we are examining our feelings, reasons and motivations honestly and that can be painful. But, it will help us see the reality of that situation as it is and not through the cultural, social, political or religious bias we were brought up in. Once we remove the bias or spin, we see things as they really are and it will help us make the right decision or decisions which will set us free.

It’s like the wife who is in a loveless marriage. She sees her husband not loving her the way she wants him to and puts expectations on him to love anyway. In doing so, she adds to the pressure on the relationship without realising it. But, she does it because she can’t face up to her own feelings about her husband. When she starts being honest about her feelings, in time she begins to realise that she truly loves him and it hurts unbearably because she finally sees that he doesn’t love her as much.

It will take some time to reach that point  — if we are honest about our feelings.  It’s painful because reality often hurts. If we can’t do this ourselves, it helps to see a therapist. When we can face reality, we will now be faced with the challenge of how to deal with it. There are options.

The wife may realise that she loves her husband and does not want to lose him. She sees that although he doesn’t love her, he is nice to her. She may be willing to stay in the relationship, content to accept whatever love he gives in his own way. She comes to terms with the reality of her relationship. It works for her and the weight is lifted. She is free to exercise her choice and live by it.

Or, the wife may want out. She can’t live in a loveless marriage and she chooses to pull herself out of it. Now, she can because she knows for a fact that her husband doesn’t love her and there is no future in this relationship. She can opt for a divorce. It will be a painful process, but she is free to move on.

If she belongs to a religion that prohibits divorce, she’ll have to consult her spiritual mentors and find the faith to accept the realities of her relationship and live within the relationship or separate without an actual divorce — whatever works for her. Again, the decision is hers and she makes them fully aware of the realities and consequences which she has the faith to face. She doesn’t go down under from her circumstances.

The fact that she has made a decision to act and resolve the issue in itself shows she has become free. When you are not free you can’t resolve.

Truth requires honesty, honesty with oneself and others. Honesty bares truth as it is and helps us come to terms with our specific realities, enabling us to move on. That’s liberating!

This Valentine’s Day, get confident!

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Today is Valentine’s Day and love is in the air — for some! Some people will have a wonderful day but, I suspect, for most people, it is just another day of the year. And, for some among these most, it may be a miserable day, feeling unloved and undesirable because no one sent them flowers, chocolates or did anything to show their affection.

You may think that you don’t look like a Miss Universe or a Brad Pitt and so are unable to attract the attention you want. Well, that may be so. The truth is that not everyone is a beauty to behold or a handsome man to admire. You may know that of yourself and decide to do something about it by using all the beauty products you can get and wear fashionable clothes or go to the gym or hang out with cool friends in order to get dates. Nothing wrong with any of these and there is merit in resorting to such strategies.

But, I want to suggest to you, especially the young people, of one sure way of making yourself attractive and desirable! It is something anyone can cultivate. And, when you have it, it will give you an inner glow no beauty product or exercise or friends can give. That quality is confidence!

Young people need to develop confidence — not in their grades or degrees or jobs or social standing or connections but in themselves as persons. When you know who you are as a person and are comfortable in your own skin, you become a very attractive person. Heads turn when you pass by because you carry yourself with confidence.

Look at all those models on the catwalk. Some of them are neither pretty nor handsome and wear the most unwearable clothes but they carry it off like it’s their skin! That’s confidence.

Racists and bigots have this notion that if you are black you can’t be beautiful. They are simply blinded by their prejudice and can’t see beauty as it is. On two occasions I met truly black women who were stunners. They were charcoal black in colour. On the day I saw one, she was wearing a bright red lipstick and a white T-shirt and blue jeans. She entered the department store and all heads turned to look at her. She bought her item, paid for it and walked out unperturbed by the attention.

On another day, I saw another younger black woman. She was tall and wore a simple calf-length dress and a bright orange lipstick. Like many, I turned to look at her as she walked by purposefully. Beautiful women.

What was common in both? They were confident of themselves.

Like these women and models, self-confidence has a way of showing off your natural assets when you walk, talk, look and simply be as you are. Confidence enhances who you are and that makes you madly attractive and desirable! A sure turn on! When you lack confidence, you are unable to give of yourself and potential partners can pick that up!

How to cultivate self-confidence? Explore and discover what you like, don’t like, want or don’t want, can do/handle or can’t do/handle. As you are exploring, develop your own value system so that you are responsibly confident. Then, you won’t be so overconfident and do wrong things and try to wriggle your way out of them without holding yourself accountable for your actions. When you have a moral compass, your confidence will tell you what boundaries you won’t cross. Should you cross them, you will admit the mistake and learn from it and retreat.

Confidence will also help you let go. That is necessary to consider other options. A confident person will know when to give up. He or she will not beat himself or herself up for something that apparently is eluding them. They’ll let go and move on. That is self-respecting and an attractive quality.

So, young people, this Valentine’s Day, don’t be moping around. Work at building self-confidence. There’ll still be problems but these won’t get the better of you!

Umno members need to decide to choose freely

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It is apparent that Umno members are playing a political game by rejecting the ruling Pakatan Harapan government in the last five by-elections. According to former Umno vice-president, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Umno members are disappointed with Pakatan’s performance.

In a recent article in The Star, Hishammuddin said that he had spoken to many individuals and had heart-to-heart conversations with them and his conclusion was that they were disappointed with the ruling government. He suggested in the same article that the government focussed “on economic policies that directly provide benefits to those who need it the most”. He went on to say that in the past year or so there had not been many policy decisions that have directly benefitted the people.

The former defence minister’s comments are a little surprising. As a former minister, he should know that the economic slowdown is not caused by the Pakatan government but due to past practices and a slackening world economy. As an opposition MP, he would no doubt highlight these trends as Pakatan’s failings as they are happening under its watch.

Of course, Pakatan can’t keep blaming the past and the world economy. They have to keep on coming up with good, practical and creative ways of helping the people and especially those in the B40 group through these financially trying times. Pakatan is doing its best although it has made some mistakes, but they are correcting themselves. Besides, many of the policies that have been introduced will take time before the people begin to receive the benefits directly.

By “direct benefits”, I am sure Hishammuddin meant jobs, projects and adequate bank financing. As the government strives to reduce its debt dependency, funds are being channelled according to procedures — which is a good thing — to cut down on wastage and unlawful diversion of funds. Hence, it will take time before the people actually see benefits in their hands.

Most of the people can see this but apparently not Umno members. They are clamouring for direct benefits from the government. While Hishammuddin did not spell out what he meant by “direct benefits”, I hope he did not mean it includes giving easy cash to Umno members.

If the trend in the five by-elections is anything to go by, it seems as if Umno members are telling the Pakatan government that it won’t get their votes unless they get “direct benefits”.

So, what “direct benefits” are Umno members not getting now? Just easy money. But because they realise that Malay-based parties are wooing them for their votes, they are playing this game of demanding something in return. Well and good, except for the fact that apart from the government-instituted policies which will take time to show results, Umno members will get nothing. The Pakatan government is resolved that it won’t continue the practice of the previous administration by putting easy money in their hands.

Umno members need to wise up to this fact. If they don’t they are going to be left behind because the financial difficulties they are facing are the same everyone else is facing. But, the rest of the country is not griping and whining about government help. As always, without easy money, they have been working hard and finding ways to make ends meet, acquiring the skills and resources necessary in the process to succeed in time.

But Umno members, pampered by six decades of easy money, will not learn those traits of success, and, eventually, others will overtake them. They will be left behind. This is the greatest fear of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the reason why he is making overtures to get the majority of Malays to switch sides. Instead, Umno Malays have spitefully rebuffed his good intentions.

Umno members seem to have bought into the spin that the Pakatan government has money but it does not make it available to the people, in particular, them and that the withdrawal of funds is all a politically-motivated vendetta in which Umno members and its leaders are being victimized. It’s a spin perpetrated by its leaders and Umno members can’t see through it.

The PH government has correctly identified the delivery of easy cash into the hands of Umno members as the source of rampant corruption in the country and has rightfully put an end to it. Umno members need to accept it as good governance and support the government’s efforts to root out corruption.

They need to take an honest look at themselves and their leaders and ask if what they are doing is the right thing. Do their leaders have their best interests at heart or simply perpetuating a spin that justifies their actions? Is supporting such leaders in their best interests?

Surely, there are people in Umno who can see through the spin of their leaders and be able to choose what is best for them? It is time for these Umno members to take control of their destinies. They should do one of two things: 1) Change your leaders to those who will take care of your interests, or, 2) Change your party to another which will put your interests first.

It’s time for Umno members to decide whether to join the rest of the nation and move forward together to progress or be left behind, trapped in a spin they can’t get out of.

Get your flu shots!

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We are in the middle of a virulent flu epidemic. It’s all over the news. While this strain of flu is not fatal, it is terribly disabling. One of my friends was hospitalized and another was quarantined at home and was out of commission for nearly two weeks!

Prevention is better than cure, so, folks arm yourselves against the flu. Keep your throat moist by sipping warm water. Don’t stay thirsty, Drink water immediately. It seems a dry throat invites immediate infection. Build your immunity up by eating well, resting and some suggest taking a good supply of vitamins. Wear masks and don’t hang around in crowded places.

Most importantly, get your flu vaccination. It offers 40-60% coverage. So, you might still catch the flu but, at least, there’s a 40-60% chance you won’t get it! A flu shot costs from around RM60 to RM90 and you need to get a shot every year!

Let’s start the year healthy, So, get your flu shot and take care of your health!

 

 

2020 — a good year? It depends …

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Naturally, because it is a new year, people are hopeful that it will be better than the last. Looking at the current political state of the country, I have to burst the bubble of hope; I am inclined to think that politics will go on as it is happening now. The political climate will not get better — unless, the way I see it, three underlying issues are urgently addressed.

The first issue is Malay polemics. The fight for Malay votes intensified after the 14th General Election (GE14) when minority Malay parties formed the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition with other minority parties and won GE14. However, the majority of the Malay votes remained with Umno. Hence, the rise of Malay polemics again aimed at getting the support of the majority of the Malays who are now in the opposition.

The reason for Malay polemics can be understood, but the way it is being carried out is detrimental not only to race relations but also to the Malays themselves.

One of the premises of Malay polemics is that non-Malays should not aggravate the Malays. Even when non-Malays are merely exercising their constitutional rights, they should back down or away if their actions “upset” the Malays. This was the case with the Dong Zong Chinese education group which was opposed to the introduction of Jawi in vernacular schools. Dong Zong wanted to hold a closed conference to discuss the issue but it was called off when the police got a court order to stop them.

It was Dong Zong’s constitutional right to assemble but some Malay groups found it provoking and threatened to attend the conference in protest, which is nothing short of intimidation and bullying. The police saw in the scenario a “breach of security” and obtained a court order to supposedly prevent it.

Clearly, the Malay groups were in the wrong but they got away with it while Dong Zong was prevented from exercising its constitutional right to assemble. This is an example of Malay polemics: Malays can do wrong and get away it because they are Malays.

What is troubling about this mentality is that Malay leaders exploit it to make themselves seen as being Malay in the hope that the Malays would swing their support to their party. For example, if the Prime Minister had not said that the “Malays would react in the way they do” if Dong Zong held the conference, would the Malay NGOs have reacted in the way they did? He made that statement and Malay NGOs got the green light to give vent to their bullying strategies. The result? Racial tension.

The basic assumption in Malay polemics, thus, is that the Malays are irrational and emotional people who at best will react by protesting and making police reports and at worst go amok when non-Malays legitimately exercise their rights.

The tensions between the Malay groups and Dong Zong would have disappeared if both sides had just sat down and discussed their differences. That could not have happened because the Malay groups — apart from claiming “this is a Malay world”, they (Dong Zong) are “dangerous” and “insolent” — gave no solid reason or logical explanation as to why three-pages of Jawi was necessary in schools. There was no rational explanation, just a lot of hot air and threats.

Malay leaders should discourage such emotional outbursts from Malays and, instead, encourage intelligent, rational discourse. It will take time to develop such a mentality but it can only be nurtured when Malay leaders stop exploiting Malay weaknesses in order to get votes.

The second underlying issue is the 8th prime minister. As was the GE14 deal, Anwar Ibrahim, as president of the largest Malay party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat/PKR) in the PH coalition, will become the next prime minister. However, the more important question is whether the 8th prime minister will be able to lead the PH as it is to win the 15th general elections?

If Anwar can only win the elections by making deals with the opposition Malay-based party which is Umno, it would not indicate if he has the support of the majority of Malays. The support of the majority of the Malays is crucial to win the next general elections.

PKR needs to take a good look at itself to see if it can legitimately win the support of semi-urban and rural Malays without making backdoor deals with Umno leaders to form a government after the 15th general elections. If, for whatever reason, it can not field its candidates for election in Malay-majority constituencies and win, it needs to demonstrate the moral fibre in doing the right thing.

What the “right thing” is is what PKR needs to discuss and come to terms with.

The third underlying issue is minority interests. The current government strategy is to help the dominant majority group, namely the Malays, and in the process minority groups are also helped. That’s a good strategy. But there are specific minority concerns that need to be addressed urgently as promised in GE14. The PH government needs to act decisively to resolve these minority issues even at the risk of “upsetting” the Malays. The latter is only temporary. When these minority issues are resolved, race relations will improve and this will attract more investments which will boost the economy and all will benefit and the most who will benefit will be the Malays.

So, my prediction for 2020 is this: If Malay leaders stop exploiting Malay shortcomings, if Anwar and PKR will do the right thing and if special minority interests are immediately addressed, the breakthroughs will follow to thrust us peacefully on a clear highway to developed nation status.

Eventful December, but, please no more water cuts!

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Yes, I was one of the thousands of residents in Selangor who were without water for 3-4 days when the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant was closed due to an emission of odour in the water supply.

A few days ago, it was reported that the dumping of waste into manholes was the cause of the recent closure of the water treatment plant and that the authorities have taken steps to solve the problem and water supply was restored by Christmas eve to most homes.

Well, hopefully, that is the real cause for the closure and if the problem is solved then we can expect that there will be no more water cuts!

There were two previous water cuts in the past year and the reason given for each was pollution. Well, the cause has been identified and I hope there will be no more water cuts!

The first two times there was a water cut I tolerated it because water was restored by the second day. This time it took longer and happened just before Christmas affecting my preparations for Christmas, and my patience had worn thin by then.

Thank God, relatives came to my rescue and I managed to get all the essentials done by Christmas! No entertaining though, because there was no water supply to prepare for it! But other people had water and I enjoyed Christmas with them!

The water cut was the last irritation I had to deal with this season! In the first week of December, I fell in the rain and injured my left knee and right foot. No fractures but I couldn’t walk for two weeks and rested at home. One week before Christmas I was able to walk on flat shoes and did all the shopping of gifts for my little relatives. Then I caught a cold and had a little emergency because I had taken clarinase to ease the nasal and chest congestion and it had adverse effects on me, causing a rapid heartbeat. My doc referred me to the Subang Jaya Medical Centre emergency where they found that I can’t take clarinase!

Then, came the water cut and I had to run between relatives’ homes and mine to shower and such! It was so tiring! But Christmas was a happy time, despite the usual run-ins with family members! Now, I’m glad to have some spare time to rest, but, please, life has its own share of problems and we don’t have to make it worse with a water cut!

Please, no more water cuts!

 

Merry Christmas!

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We Malaysians have a characteristic we should be proud of. We are not just tolerant but accommodating of each other’s cultures and religions. When we celebrate our respective festivities and practices, we generally let them be and often join in the celebrations. It’s a national characteristic we should cherish and pass on to the generations to come.

Of course, there will be a few troublemakers who would mar our celebrations and functions and we need to be wary of them and act proactively so that their actions do not cause mass strife. There will also be some in our midst who don’t want to be part of our celebrations. Well, we can leave them alone. If they want to live under a coconut shell and be miserable, that’s up to them. We’ll still extend a hand of greeting to them; if they don’t accept it, that’s ok with us!

So, folks, this Christmas, enjoy the season! It’s meant to be enjoyed by all.

Wishing all of you an enjoyable Christmas, through the tears and the pain. There’s still joy in it for you to make each day more than just bearable.

Merry Christmas, all!

All I want for Christmas …

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… is some truth in local politics! I want some honesty in the way plans are hatched to win the support of the majority Malays currently represented in the opposition. No backdoor entry into government. No lying to the people about who you are.

My appeal to the politicians: Please show some honesty. We are not stupid and can read the signs fairly clearly. So, no more dumping of resources and opportunities to the majority Malays in the opposition camp in order to win some over to the Malay parties in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, sometimes even at the expense of non-Malay rights.

Such vote buying amounts to corruption because everything, including wrong-doing, is overlooked for the sake of grassroots support. Politicians need to draw the line when a particular course of action trips over and beyond the boundaries of moral conduct.

Surely, our politicians know the ethical boundaries that the voters hold, beyond which they will not tolerate? If they do, they should operate within those boundaries. If for whatever reason they cross those boundaries, they should know it is time to step down. There’s no point in denying it or covering up for the sake of grassroots support.

There is a risk of being honest. You may not get what you want. In this case, Malay support from the opposition bench. But, is that so bad? Right now, the government is in a much better place than before as it is led by Malays representing the minority urban Malays and non-Malay bumiputras and non-Malay minorities.

There’s time to win Malay support through effective policies which recognise effort and rewards it. It will not happen immediately but it will happen in the near future. For as long as the PH government has the support of minority groups, it has time to train the Malays to come up without spoiling them with freebies which do nothing to motivate them to strive for excellence and financial independence.

Minority support is not guaranteed, so, it is imperative that the PH government shows evidence of introducing reforms to recognise non-Malay rights.

Politicians should know the preferences of their voters and know when to step down or give up a position when they know they can’t meet up to their voters’ expectations.