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!

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.

It’s Christmastime!

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That time of the year is on us again! It’s the end of the year, the long school holidays are here and to cap it all is Christmas! So, enjoy it, folks. Not that we should not enjoy ourselves throughout the year, but this is the winding down period of the year when we can relax a bit and see in the Christmas season a reason to spread the cheer around.

But, that does not mean that we forget about all the troubles around us. There are flood victims displaced from their homes, poverty, mental stress, violence, injustice, endless pain … . We are aware and where help is needed we offer it not just at Christmas but all the time. But , at Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the One who brought light to millions over the centuries to push their darkness away.

So, friends, this Christmas, when someone extends a hand to you in the light of the season, don’t hold back or withdraw your hand. Take the hand and let the light drive away your darkness or enjoy the season in comradeship.

So, enjoy the season! Go to a Christmas bazaar. There are many around, google over at Facebook to find one. Go shopping. Christmas is not about shopping but if you have some money to spend because it’s Christmas, spend it wisely and boost the economy! Attend a Christmas party, religious or otherwise. Churches organise Christmas plays and if you want to know what the Christmas story is all about, that’s the place to go to.

I know of two events which I’ll mention here. Calvary Church is presenting its Christmas play, The Star of Christmas, tomorrow and Sunday at the Calvary Convention Centre at Bukit Jalil at 5pm. City Revival Church in Subang Jaya is organising a Christmas charity bazaar at 4.30pm followed by a musical concert, the Melody of Christmas, at 7pm at Holiday Villa on Dec 15.

There are many more such events around you. Look for them and enjoy a little bit of Christmas in your heart!

 

 

Tanjong Piai elections should end the Malay first strategy

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It was a foregone conclusion that Pakatan Harapan (PH) would lose the Tanjong Piai parliamentary by-election. The fact that the non-Malays abandoned the PH coalition partner Bersatu candidate Karmaine Sardini was nothing unexpected. What was mind-jolting was that the Malays rejected PH, and, particularly, Bersatu.

Bersatu apparently expected to lose. Prime Minister and Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the party had thought it would lose about 2,000 votes. But to have lost by a wide margin of about 15,000 votes was a shocking result.

The PM was fully aware that promoting the Malay first strategy by appeasing the Malays and antagonising the non-Malays by not endorsing the reforms promised in the PH manifesto would result in a loss of non-Malay support. He must have thought that the Malay first strategy would bring in the Malay votes to make up for the loss.

In the Tanjong Piai by-election it has become crystal clear that the all-arching Malay first strategy was not enough to satisfy the Malays. They had other concerns that were more important. All of Bersatu’s overtures to draw Umno members over to its side failed. Bersatu needs to find out why Malay voters rejected its candidate despite its efforts to pacify them, even at the expense of the non-Malays.

The fact is that the Malay first strategy is outdated and no longer relevant to people who just want the economic means to get ahead and to maintain their way of life without bothering others. In other words, the Malay first strategy with its accompanying Malay rhetorics and deafening silence on and non-commitment to urgent immediate reforms should be put paid.

We shouldn’t hear of it anymore. Instead, PH needs to go back to its GE14 manifesto and start delivering to the people as promised. It needs to prioritize stimulating the economy and introducing the reforms it has so far shelved, such as ratifying the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd), rethinking its position on Zakir Naik (frankly, if he is an Indian citizen, he should be sent back!) and expediting the setting up of the task force to investigate the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis activist Amri Cne Mat.

It is imperative that the PH government restores the trust of the people by doing the above. If it doesn’t, the coming Sarawak state elections might be another disastrous outing for the PH.

Condo pools you may not be able to swim in

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Folks, if you are looking for a condo with a swimming pool you want to swim in — not wade around in — make sure you find out how deep it is! If it’s only 4ft-deep, then make sure you can swim in a pool that deep.

If you are like me, you’ll not be able to swim in a pool 4ft deep because your legs will hit the floor with every kick, that is, if you are doing the breaststroke. If you do the crawl and can maintain your body position in a straight line just below the water surface, then you won’t have any problems.

But, if you have heavy bones and tend to sink in the water  — like me — rather than float, you will probably find a 4ft-deep pool obstructive because you won’t be able to swim laps smoothly as your feet will keep hitting the floor.

I met this property salesman the other day and I was told that all condo swimming pools in Malaysia are only 4ft deep to ensure the safety of children. Swimming pools in clubs come in the standard depth of gently sloping from 4ft at the shallow end to 6ft at the deep end because clubs can hire lifeguards. In condos, the standard depth is 4ft as the developer doesn’t see it as its responsibility to hire a lifeguard.

In the absence of a lifeguard, even lap pools are only 4ft deep along its entire length. That’s the law, the property salesman said, and developers comply with the law.

Unfortunately, for me, that law doesn’t serve me well! I swim using the breaststroke and like to swim laps non-stop for an hour. I gave up my membership in a sports club for Fitness First in Empire Subang Jaya because it has an indoor pool. Alas, to my great dismay, when I went swimming in it for the first time, I couldn’t swim laps because my legs kept kicking the floor!

I stopped and looked around and saw a few men doing the crawl but no one was swimming laps! I wondered if, like me, they couldn’t. I gave up Fitness First membership because I wanted a swimming pool I could swim laps in! So, I checked out a couple of condos and had the same problem.

So, if you are looking for a condo and it’s advertised to have a lap pool, check how deep it is. If it’s only 4ft deep, make sure you can swim in a pool that deep!