I read from another blog that our first astronaut is Sheikh Muszaphar. I am not sure when the announcement was made since I had been missing the 8.00 p.m. news on TV since the puasa month. Not even on the newspaper. I was waiting for the Prime minister to announce the names between Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Captain Dr Faiz Khaleed as the man who is going to travel into space with Russian-built Soyuz. Associated Press reports this.
With this can we now call Tuan Sheikh as an astronaut? His selection means that is his rezeki to be able to travel to space at the our expanse. Read Yienjee's blog and what other readers comment here.
With this can we now call Tuan Sheikh as an astronaut? His selection means that is his rezeki to be able to travel to space at the our expanse. Read Yienjee's blog and what other readers comment here.
12 comments:
Malaysia first astronaut will be chosen from a shortlist……….Malaysian astronaut will carry his nation's cuisine on the space……….
Isn't it cool? For a cool US$25 millions, we get to send one person to joyride with the Russians, dressed in batik and drink teh tarik in space!
What a wonderful way to spend your hard earned tax dollars. Bet Malaysia looks wonderful from the space but for the investment, what have we achieved?
Are we the first?
Did we build the spacecraft?
Did we contribute in any way to the space program except funding it?
Does Malaysia actually benefit from it?
Is there any thing we learnt that can be of use to you and me?
When the hardcore poor are surviving on snails and wild vegetation; the government is going to spend US$25 millions to send somebody to space to eat roti canai and drink teh tarik.
Is this a joke?
Another sheer waste of public fund! What is the aim? Use the money to train more doctors which is more sensible!
Just wonder that the resources and money would be better spent improving the quality of drinking, drainage system on par with the West.
Yes, this is a sheer waste of money. We have become crazy with this Malaysia Boleh slogan. There is nothing to crow about with the capability of climbing the highest mountain, swimming across the cannel, having the longest roti canai, etc.
In 1957, Malaysia had the second biggest per capita income after Japan, but now we are at the tail end among the front-rank developed nations in Asia.
In 2005, Malaysia per capita income increased by only 17 times from 1967, as compared to South Korea which increased 100 times. Hong Kong 40 times, Singapore 45 times and Taiwan 60 times.
Malaysia is far richer in natural resources than the other countries. Singapore for example has no forest, oil, palm oil, rubber, etc.
The difference is in the development and utilisation of human resources. Malaysia has failed to make full use of the human resources in the country.
The statistics indicate that Malaysia was competitive with the other countries up to 1967. Thereafter, the Asian tigers like Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan leapt forward to lofty heights.
In 1966, the bumi policy was formally announced as a policy and in 1971, the New Economic Policy was launched. The various measures and regulations from these two policies slowed down economic growth considerably. Traders, businessmen, entrepreneurs, medium and small industries were put off by these policies.
The reaction of international countries was negative, and many investors shied away from Malaysia. Foreign direct investments declined considerably to US$3.9 billion in 2006, whereas Asean countries had FDI of US$30 billion for Singapore, US$7.9 billion for Thailand, US$10 billion for Vietnam. China had US$70 billion FDI in that year.
The New Economic Policy which compels reservation of 30% for malays in all economic activities has dampened investment interests of both foreign and local investors.
With the launching of liberalisation policies in 1978, China leapt forward and it is on the way to become a world economic power by 2030.
Malaysia too must implement global policies like liberalisation of all economic functions. Bumiputraism and New Economic Policy are the outdated measures, and must be replaced by more enlightened and pragmatic measures.
If Barisan stubbornly clings to old baggage policies, then it can be predicted that Malaysia per capita income will continue to lag behind the Asian tigers.
It is true that in the face of competition especially global, our corporations can thrive only when run efficiently by the brightest and the best.
Anyone on the street can dissect clearly that our government's current scholarship system is flawed. Clearly not everyone who gets it deserves it but what make it worse is that it's given to people who are not returning the good deed.
The theory is simple. If one knows that he will get what he wants handed on a platter, one will never need to work as hard as his other counterparts. Hence, the reason why malays fail to excel in their studies.
We live in a country where education is for the rich and influential. Money and contact are the major key players in determining our educational regime. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer. Scholarships handed out to the rich. But when we seek other educational opportunities we are reprimanded.
We live in a nation that throws out educated, experienced and loyal teachers to be replaced by ones that only have the right political connections. Our notion of education is not to educate the young to think critically, or to be constructive and mature.
In the true sense of the word as articulated by the nation's founding fathers, the Malaysia agenda should always be the national agenda, not the Malay, Indian or Chinese agenda, whatever.
But sadly, over the years since independence in 1957, this major premise has been hijacked with push giving way to shove after the May 13 riots. Since then, over a period of 36 years, the Umno elite in power have been systematically been using the zero-sum game theory to brainwash the malay mind of whatever commitment it still has towards multi-racialism.
It is evident their goal is to revert back to the status of Tanah Melayu even if this were to make the country slide backwards to the status of countries like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh. The present political struggle between Umno and PAS with Islam as its main focus has made the situation even worse.
Now more and more malays are coming up openly to reject the Malaysian multi-racial society. The time will come when the word Malaysian will be deemed seditious and anti-national just like the slogan 'Malaysian Malaysia'.
I don't see a Malaysia that I would want to be a part of. A Malaysia that has stopped caring. A country that has fallen prey to the profit motif. To power, I pray that Malaysians will wake up and realise what a mirage our 'advancement' has been.
It is a sad story for both Sabah and Sarawak for joining Malaysia. Just look at Brunei and Singapore to see the answer.
Sabah and Sarawak is being raped by Malaya till dry, all the oil and timber from the two states is being used to finance all the failed projects and also to feed all the Umno zealots.
Ask the Iban and Kandazan, they are being marginalized. Now the government even want to make the country into an Islamic state, did Sabah and Sarawak agree to join an Islamic state in the first place?
September 16 is a day for mourning, a day of shame for Malaysia.
The BN politicians do not differentiate between what is kerajaan and negara. Corrupted leader which form the kerajaan (government) is a traitor to its negara (country).
Lee Kuan Yew said recently the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore has not always been smooth sailing, and so investing in the Iskandar Development Region (IDR) may not always be smooth sailing for Singaporean companies.
This is simply a statement of fact that nevertheless appears to have gotten local Umno leaders into a tizzy.
Every local Umno politician hopes to be in a position to be approving investment flows into the country because to stand as gatekeeper is a very lucrative position, and when public squabbles erupt between Umno politicians about who is the better "protector of malay privileges and rights", it usually means someone just wants a bigger cut of the investment action for himself.
Go figure that one.
Of course, the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore is special because of the race relations issue.
Singapore has been the favourite whipping boy of the Umno-controlled malay vernacular press for the last 50 years, and if anything are seen as even bigger devils than the local Chinese and Indian citizens of Malaysia in the eyes of Malaysia's malay Muslims.
The fact is Singapore's development model has meant that Singapore's malays are far better educated, far better equipped, far better paid, far more self-confident, and self-reliant to deal with globalisation than malay Muslims in Malaysia.
This makes Ketuanan Melayu, the malay Agenda, and the NEP look like failed racist apartheid policies that have impoverished everyone except Umno cronies. Of course, Umno must demonise Singapore to maintain the illusion that Umno politicians are nationalists and not parasites, and more so if Singapore happens to be better educated, meritocratic, richer, and safer than Malaysia.
Malay Muslims in Malaysia have been brainwashed by Umno for the last 50 years into thinking that the Chinese and Indians both Malaysians and Singaporeans have gotten rich at their expense, and this perception probably won't change anytime soon because Umno does not have another elections winning formula if it dumps the present demonisation formulas.
Every time Singapore's first world achievements are compared with the sluggish competitiveness, economic, educational, professional, scientific, technological, and social standard in apartheid Malaysia, there is the predictable keris waving, baying for blood, and frothing at the mouth in every Umno up and down the country in Malaysia.
Although Chinese and Indian Malaysians have simply accepted the gross racial discrimination in business, education, and job as a fact of life in Malaysia, the non-apartheid non-NEP meritocratic Singaporean mindset may not have the stomach for this particular type of nonsense in the IDR.
I think Lee Kuan Yew is way too smart to think the demonisation process of the Chinese and Indians in the Umno-controlled malay vernacular press is going to stop anytime soon. How else is Umno going to win elections except by continuing to perpetrate the lie that the orang asing minorities in Malaysia are a threat to the malays?
Nevertheless Lee Kuan Yew may be hoping Chinese and Indian Singaporean investors will not be discriminated against in the IDR in comparison with investors from countries like China, Europe, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States.
In the meantime, I am sure it will simply be business as usual for the rest of us in racial and religious apartheid Malaysia.
Never in the entire history of Malaysia that its citizens feel so hopeless for having such a hypocrite sleepy prime minister! Time to vote Umno out in the coming election!
Imagine our prime minister lecturing on the real facts of peace and harmony in Malaysia.
"We (government) do not practise social fairness and meritocracy. We practise racism and discrimination in our education system, university entry, jobs and housing discount allocation. We extort and blackmail non-malays through shares equity and Approved Permits. We dish out handouts to malays, etc. That is how we achieve peace and harmony in Malaysia."
The only reason why there is peace and harmony is because the non-malays are tolerant, progressive, peace, moderate, magnanimous and loving, despite the racism, keris wielding and discriminatory policies.
If the future leader is bollocks then the future of this country is also bollocks.
The education system in this country from top to bottom is going from bad to worst, we are producing robot, incompetent, hapless, crony and brainwashed leaders.
Going by that, the track record of the Umno government is nothing less than shameful and embarrassing.
While the rich and famous in the Umno coalition is feasting off the richness of the land christened Malaysia, thousands more are languishing in sickness, poverty and adverse social circumstances.
I care for my fellow citizens regardless of race and religion and there is nothing more I wish to see that for them to be able to lead a decent life through diligence and honesty. But such values are of no worth in a corrupted and racist system like the Umno government's.
The current debate is not about political, religion or race ideology. It is about good values or rather, the lack of them in the current Umno politicians.
One must not mistake hatred against racism with hatred against race. The former is admirable, and the latter is deplorable.
From the comments of you malay, I can conclude that he is either delirious and confused or he is simply a typical Umno politician - conceited, colored-vision and paranoid.
Your comments clearly show your insecurity as well as your inferiority complex. Unfortunately, your comments suggest that your views represent all the malays.
It also shows that you, as representing the malays, concede that you are not prepared and will never be prepared, even in the future, to meet with competition. You suggest that you need to be wrapped in cotton wool for all time.
The world will not wait for you and does not owe you a favour. A big problem is that you expect the world and everyone to owe you a living. Get real the world owes you nothing!
You may be the ketuanan of Malaysia but what kind of Malaysia will that be by then if you continue with your tunnel vision and refuse to meet and compete with the rest of the world. You will be in a very small country and a small world of your own. You may be the ketuanan of such a country which may be weaker than a banana republic in time.
Under those circumstance, it may not be important whether you are the ketuanan of such a country which is not third rate but fourth rate, and which may be open to be taken by a stronger force. By then you will be too weak and friendless to defend yourself.
Please don't think that Malaysia belongs to one particular race, you are insulting yourself, and your race, don't ever forget that some key leaders in top government are with mixed blood, not pure malays……….please know your mission as a Malaysian, to live united with the other races and fight independently with the globalised world.
Don't be narrow-minded anymore, do correct thing to make things right.
The "bumis" stole the land from Orang Asli. By right all of Malaysia should belong to them. If recall history as the current generation of malays came over from Sumatra, Jawa, and the island around.
If your thinking remains the same - please go back to Indonesia where you can proudly call yourself bumis there.
The special position of the malays as prescribed under Article 153 of the Constitution is limited in scope to only the reservation of reasonable quotas in these 3 sectors: public services, educational places and business licenses.
Hence, the present rampant racial discriminations practiced on almost every facet of our national life are mostly violations of the Constitution. Examples of these violations are:
(a) Racial discrimination in the appointment and promotion of employees in publicly funded bodies, resulting in these becoming almost mono-raced bodies. These bodies include: the police, civil service, army and various semi and quasi government agencies.
(b) Imposition of compulsory share quota for malays in non-malay companies.
(c) Imposition of compulsory price discounts and quotas in favour of malays in housing projects.
(d) Completely lop-sided allocation of scholarships and seats of learning in clearly unreasonable proportions that reflect racial discriminations.
(e) Blanket barring of non-malays to publicly funded academic institutions (that should include the Mara).
(f) Barring of non-malays from tenders and contracts controlled directly or indirectly by the government.
Our Constitution provides for only one class of citizenship and all citizens are equal before the law.
The presence of Article 153 does not alter this fact, as it is meant only to protect the malays from being "squeezed" by other races by allowing the reservation of reasonable quotas on certain sectors of national life.
However, this Constitution has now been hijacked through decades of hegemony of political power by the ruling party to result in the virtual monopoly of the public sector by a single race.
The ensuing racism, corruption and corrosion of integrity of our democratic institutions have brought serious retrogression to our nation-building process in terms of national unity, morality, discipline and competitiveness of our people.
None of our five prime ministers are pure malays. All of them are called melayu ciplak or melayu celup.
If you don't believe, you can ask MGG Pillai. He can tell you each one's orgin. So, the Umno is never at any point of time leaded by pure malay. It is the truth.
Tunku - part Siamese;
Razak - Bugis;
Hussein Onn - part Turkish;
Mahathir - Mamak Keling;
Badawi - part Chinese.
Even many other top Umno leaders are not pure malays - Musa Hitam and Mohamed Rahmat - part Chinese.
In the opposition side - Wan Azizah is Chinese and PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayob is also part Chinese.
I would not read Utusan Malaysia or Berita Harian, despite being paid to read it!
I cannot imagine people actually buying those papers to read it!
That is why Mahathir said the bloggers are really the last remaining hope of the nation!
Don't blame Utusan Malaysia la, it is owned by Umno, the party with low standard morons and extremists.
Utusan Malaysia, the Star, New Strait Times etc, are just a few shameless newspapers that often cover up the scandals of BN government and to make oppositions look bad.
Malay nationalists especially Umno would rather let Malaysia bankrupt than let it progress and prosperous, manage by the Chinese.
They will rather let the people and country suffer than hurting their own ego. That is the fact and this system will remain until Malaysia is bankrupt.
This country is in for very hard times and year 2020 will see the country going down the drain as an even more underdeveloped country.
The NEP is the very reason why I and many of my partners refuse to invest in Malaysia. We know this is a loss of opportunities for us but it is also a loss for Malaysia because it has lost investments and jobs creation.
For example, we start a business. We take all the risks and do all the hard work. Say, we are successful and have grown sufficiently for us to relax. We do this by listing our shares in the KLSE so that others can share in the fruits of our success.
What happens! The Umno government insists that we reserve at least 30%, for malays often, at a discounted price. What have the malays done or contributed towards the success of our company? Nothing.
They have done nothing towards it! Yet they want to take our success at a discounted price and also have two chances to get the shares. Once at the 30% reserved shares and second, at the general balloting.
Why cannot they buy our shares like all the others? No! Our feeling is that they are robbing us of our hard work and the risks taken by us. To say that this policy is to help the bumis is a lie and rubbish.
It is to enrich the Umnoputras only. The poor of all races do not benefit from this at all.
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