Je deteste

gosh, i just need a long rant about all the things that drive me crazy about living in malaysia. like when my colleagues text me asking me to "kindly" do this and "kindly" do that. messages like that are neither kind nor friendly. instead, they just show how distant and cold my colleagues are. kindly shut up.

We say we want a revolution

It's 2 a.m. in the morning here on the day after the elections and the dust is just beginning to settle. Lots to say right now about how the polling went but I will reserve that for another post. Meanwhile, here's an article from the venerable NYTimes regarding the polls. I'm glad I was in Malaysia to witness this.

Gains for Opposition in Malaysia Elections

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s ruling coalition, which has governed this multiracial country without any major challenges for the past four decades, suffered a string of election defeats in key constituencies on Saturday, including the relatively prosperous industrial state of Penang.

Early results showed that the coalition of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi retained a parliamentary majority and would be able to form the next government.

But the unexpected significant gains by opposition parties, both in national parliamentary elections and in votes for state legislatures, are a challenge to the longstanding paternalistic practices of a government that controls the mainstream media, bans most streets protests, bars students from taking part in politics and jails political opponents without trial.

“I don’t think Malaysian politics will ever be the same again,” said Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister who was expelled from the ruling party a decade ago and is now one of the leaders of the opposition. “There is a wave, an outcry for democratic reform.”

The opposition parties unseated several longtime political veterans by fielding fresh but inexperienced candidates, including a political science professor, popular blogger and a human rights activist.

The opposition did especially well in urban areas, winning at least 7 of the 11 seats in Kuala Lumpur. But it also made inroads into the rural heartland. The Pan-Islamic Party, one of the three main opposition parties, strengthened its control over the northern state of Kelantan and appeared to have won control of neighboring Kedah state.

Voters showed their anger at a recent government crackdown against ethnic Indians by electing M. Manoharan, one of five activists jailed after a street protest by Indians, to a state legislature. It is unclear how Mr. Manoharan, who is being detained without trial, will carry out his duties.

Anger by ethnic Indians and Chinese over religious disputes and a system of economic preferences given to the Malays, the majority ethnic group, appeared to play a major role in the opposition’s gains.

The loss of Penang, which is alone among Malaysia’s 13 states to have a majority of Chinese voters, is a major blow to Mr. Abdullah, whose constituency is based there. The state is a major industrial center, producing microchips, mobile phones and computer parts in factories owned by Intel, Dell and Motorola, among many others.

The outgoing chief minister, or governor, of Penang, Koh Tsu Koon, lost his seat Saturday to a dissident university professor, P. Ramasamy.

The heads of the two ethnic Indians parties represented in the ruling coalition also lost their seats, including the only ethnic Indian in the Cabinet, Samy Vellu. These losses call into question the future of the country’s race-based coalition, a system in place since independence from Britain in 1957, where each major ethnic group Malays, Chinese and Indians, is represented by its own political party.

Opposition leaders have vowed to move Malaysia away from this system, with Mr. Anwar’s National Justice Party the loudest proponent of the change. Mr. Anwar was barred from running in this election because of a conviction for abuse of power in a politically charged trial. But both his wife and daughter won seats in the national parliament Saturday. Mr. Anwar, who many see as a possible future prime minister, is banned from politics until April. He said in an interview Saturday that he does not rule out the possibility of requesting a member of his party to resign so he can run run in a by-election.

The last time opposition parties made similar gains in Malaysia was 1969, an election where victory parties degenerated into deadly ethnic riots that scarred the national consciousness.

Fearing a similar outbreak of violence, the Inspector-General of Police in Malaysia, Musa Hassan, barred any public celebrations Saturday.

“There will not be any victory processions,” he said.

Gains for Opposition in Malaysia Elections [NYTimes]

Malaysia, Truly Asia

For a long while, the Malaysian Tourism Board ran an aggressive TV ad campaign in the region (I'm not sure if it made it to the States) with the tagline Malaysia, Truly Asia. It tried to show Malaysia as this place in Asia where history and modernity collide, where people of different races and religions live in harmony and most importantly, where one can shop till one drops. I've never really seen this Malaysia but only from a lack of effort. EatingAsia, a blog by an American couple that I've written about in the past, puts ordinary Malaysians like me to shame in their pursuit of all things authentic in Malaysia. They've done it again with a fantastic, mouth-watering and aw-shucks post about a market on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Read it here.

"Hey kids, stay out of politics for my own good," said the Education Minister

Students warned against politics
The Star, 12 February 2008

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/12/nation/20298455&sec=nation

PUTRAJAYA: Students have been warned against getting involved in politics as it is against the law for them to do so.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the best way for them to participate in the coming general election was to vote.

Those who broke the law would face swift action, he warned.

“We have received a few complaints about university students getting involved in politics and are investigating this,” he said.

New graduates had been found instigating fellow students to get involved in politics, he said.

He was commenting on recent reports of graduates and students wanting to register a Parti Mahasiswa Negara, failing which they had pledged to contest as independents in the general election.

I'm Alive!

After work on Tuesday, I raced home, loaded my ipod with as many This American Life podcasts as it could hold and then piled into my dad's car with my parents as we headed for the tranquil but crappy town of Taiping, three hours north of Kuala Lumpur, for Chinese New Year. Unlike the Chinese in China, there was no snow to keep me from my relatives and their questions of girlfriends and future plans. For three full days, I entertained questions ranging from how much money I make at my job to when I plan to settle down with a nice girl. And for three full days, I plotted my escape route, first, an excuse that I had an appointment to keep in KL but later, when my brother showed up to spend the night, I hightailed it out of Taiping with him the next day (Friday) and heaved a sigh of relief once we saw the Twin Towers looming in the horizon, signaling our return to civilization and departure from nosy questions.

Tossing the yee sang with the family. Tradition has it that the higher the toss, the better the outlook for the new year.

Welcoming the fourth generation, little Janice Chung.

Getting our luck prognosis for the year by gambling.

Whee! Back in KL with the drag queens.

NYE Reflections

What a year this has been, lots of hellos and goodbyes, joy and sadness underscored by a very dramatic change. I spent last new year's eve surrounded by new friends in DC getting plastered at a bar and will most likely do the same this year, except this time in KL. I'm thankful for the opportunities and experiences I have in life and resolve to be a happy and industrious person next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for your unconditional love and support. Let me know how your celebrations go.

Welcome to Malaysia -- land of the un-free but safe

Yet more evidence that the leadership in this country is morally bankrupt.

Malaysia PM warns on freedoms (Financial Times)

By John Burton in Singapore

Published: December 10 2007 16:03 | Last updated: December 10 2007 16:03

Abdullah Badawi, the Malaysian prime minister, warned on Monday he was willing to sacrifice public freedoms for stability as the government extended a crackdown against opposition groups.

A series of protests have emerged in recent weeks as the biggest political challenge to confront the prime minister since he took office in 2003. Police at the weekend arrested 21 opposition members who staged street protests in the past month demanding electoral laws reforms, fair treatment of racial minorities and an improvement in human rights.

The sudden eruption of street demonstrations, which are banned in Malaysia, appears to have shaken the Abdullah administration and may disrupt plans to call an early general election next year.

“If voters are easily persuaded ... by people playing the racial card, then we are heading for disaster,” Mr Abdullah told a business audience on Monday. “If the choice is between public safety and public freedoms, I do not hesitate to say here that public safety will always win,” he said. “We must never ever take our peace for granted.”

The protests reflect discontent among ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities over Malaysia’s long-standing policy of affirmative action for ethnic Malays, who make up just over half of the country’s population of 25m.

The most overt challenge to the policy occurred late last month when at least 10,000 ethnic Indians protested against what they claim was discrimination in the allocation of university places and government jobs.

The leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which organised the protest, appeared in court on Monday as prosecutors sought permission to charge them with sedition. They were recently released by a lower court on a technicality. Mr Abdullah has warned that the Hindraf leaders, all of whom are lawyers, could be detained indefinitely without trial under the country’s internal security act if they pose a danger to national stability.

Government officials have suggested that Hindraf is seeking possible links with militant groups on the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger separatist group or the RSS, the extremist offshoot of India’s Hindu nationalist BJP party.

P. Utayakumar, a Hindraf leader, dismissed the allegations as a pretext for the government to ban the group and he has filed a complaint with the police over the accusations.

However, a crackdown on Hindraf could harm Malaysia’s ties with India, which recently expressed concerns about the treatment of ethnic Indians in Malaysia. In response, Malaysia has said the issue is an internal matter and has asked New Dehli not to interfere.

Government officials claim the recent protests have scared off foreign investors and tourists and more could threaten economic growth.

Mr Abdullah’s strong stance comes as Bersih, an electoral reform group, is planning to submit a petition of demands during a protest on Tuesday.

In an apparent warning against Tuesday’s rally, several officials from two opposition parties were arrested at the weekend with others who attempted to hold a human rights march in Kuala Lumpur, the capital.

Summary comparisons

I wanted to write a post ranting about my disgruntled work life veiled as a comparison between work culture in the US and Malaysia but I seem to not have enough to write about save for the fact that my boss is the devil personified and the bank, Mammon. Also, as a 'probation' employee, I am not supposed to take a day off for the first six months on the job. Compared with the cushy IBM internship where interns get big offices, laptops and are allowed to 'work from home,' all of this is rather disappointing to me.

Round 2

Happy Turkey Day!

Please eat extra portions of turkey (or tofu-key), mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie for me. I'll write about the things I'm thankful for soon.

edit:

I tried and couldn't think of anything to be thankful for that didn't sound contrived or untrue. I know I should try harder, if this article has any truth to it.

Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in DC anymore

Al-Jazeera story


Other news outlets:
Tear gas used on rare Malaysian demo -- CNN
Malaysia police use water cannon at Anwar rally -- MSNBC

Oh boy!

Deja vu

There is a street I drive through every day on my way home from work. It is a street flanked by two rows of pre-WWII shop houses and bisected by an elevated subway track. It is also a street that takes me at least 20 minutes to drive through despite being 100 meters long (330 feet) -- this is what happens when you combine inconsiderate drivers with bad city planning. Every day, I sit in traffic on this street and the only thing that keeps me sane is the flashback I get of Philadelphia, New York and DC and how comfortable I felt being surrounded by disgruntled life in a city that seemed as if it was filled to bursting. It is a street I have always wanted to show you but couldn't, that is, until I got my first camera phone last week. Watch out, KL!

And for you Planet Unicorn watchers, there's now ambrosia in cookies! My ambrosia salad tastes like chocolate. Mmmmm....

Asian Morality

Not enough has been said of Singapore's recent decision to uphold Section 377A of the Penal Code despite efforts by prominent Singaporeans to repeal it. The decision serves a blow not just to LGBT rights in Singapore but to the SE Asia region (with the exclusion of Thailand) as well because Singapore is seen as the bellwether for its neighbors. When secular Singapore decides to uphold 377A, Muslim dominated Malaysia and Indonesia will see no reason to discuss the matter. They will reason that if a secular SE Asian nation cannot find support to repeal the act (which exists in a similar form in Malaysia and Indonesia), then it will fail to achieve significance in their country as well.
The discussion in the Singaporean Parliament was, as usual, rife with doublespeak. PM Lee Hsien Loong's call to allow LGBT individuals (but more specifically gays) to have a place in society and live unharassed private lives was negated by his decision to keep the draconian act.
PM Lee and his supporters fail to see that by criminalizing homosexuality, the Singaporean parliament sends a message to Singaporeans that LGBT individuals are fair game for both government and society. It sends a message to employers that it is all right to fire an employee if someone see him walk into a gay bar. It sends a message to constituents that gay men are inferior to the rest of society and cannot hold a political post. It sends a message to the school bully who sees it as validation for taunting the 'faggot' in his class. PM Lee fails to see that by repealing the act he doesn't allow gays to "set the tone for Singapore society" but by upholding it, he allows homophobes to do just that.
On the bright side, some proponents of the repeal have found success despite the decision. The discussion in the Parliament was the first discussion regarding homosexuality, a breakthrough in sex-averse Singapore. Furthermore, it allowed LGBT individuals to come out of the woodwork in the public sphere for the first time and show heterosexual Singaporeans that the perceptions of LGBT individuals as child molesters were false.
It's a sad week for many of us but the battle is uphill from here. The conversation must go on.

Eureka!

I've finally realized why I don't write in this blog as much anymore -- I've been 'integrated'. The novelty of being back in KL has worn off so I don't feel the need to write that you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it-this-is- crazy post about quirky Malaysia. Now, instead of running home to write about my parents' friends asking me how much I earn or cars parked on sidewalks, I shrug and think "well, this is too ordinary to write in my blog" so I don't.

Whiny Will

I really would like to write a positive blog post, something that has that cheerleader rah-rah, i-can-do-it feel but it's hard to be upbeat when in the span of a week, I've broken my new pair of contact lenses, found two nails in my flat tire and scraped the side of my car as I navigated around a difficult corner. To make matters worse, I think I've lost Language too -- it took me five minutes to type this first paragraph.
They say what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger but I'm not going to make any cliche statements like that anytime soon. Yes, I'm still alive but every time I get out of the car, I make sure that my tires remain nail-free. I probably could win an award for being Malaysia's slowest driver but only because I never want to hear that sickening, hollow thud of car against concrete again.
Perhaps the only thing I can say about all this is that I'm learning about myself and discovering the things that I am certain about (not many) and things that I would like to be certain about. This week, I re-learned to say no and to insist on getting my way. I've become certain that there are people that I can count on when I'm in a jam but I would like to be certain about my own abilities in handling tough situations.
Sometimes, I think it's hard to live in a place where everyone is ultra-confident because failure has never obstructed their progress or if it has, it's only made them more resolute about success. What I need to happen in KL is a big cry club where I can feel like it's all right to have bad days or to make mistakes. What I need is really a good Oprah episode and lots of ice cream.

Home fires

I've fired the first shot in a new round of conflict with my parents -- I told them I was thinking of moving out. A friend of a friend is moving into his new condo somewhere on the other side of KL and asked me if I wanted to live with him (he knew I was passively looking for a place). Today, I drove the entire length of KL to see the new digs and I'm still not sure where I stand on this but I don't know if my thoughts or feelings count here. My dad is already against the idea on practical grounds -- "Why pay someone rent when you can own?" -- so he's undertaking an apartment search on my behalf. What I'm afraid of is that my parents will sell our current house when they retire in the country next year. Ideally, I would love to live here in the house I grew up in, where the pencil marks measuring my vertical progression are still visible on the door frames and the neighbors have remained unchanged in 25 years but I know one thing for certain and that is I cannot live with my parents.

Reality Sets In

Well, I've returned from my honeymoon high and now that I've gone and started the eight to seven grind all I can think is "Shit, what have I done?" My first week at work was rather disastrous -- I've been put in a cubicle and given the vaguest of directions to learn as much as I can about financing. For the past five days, I have been reading about options pricing and share premiums, scrutinizing balance sheets and income statements and reading about debentures, treasuries, revolving credit and the like but all I've gained from that is this huge anxiety that I know so little in an industry that prizes encyclopedic knowledge and razor sharp analysis.
I'm trying me best to impress but I do think (perhaps legitimately) that everyone is wondering how I got the job and if I suddenly woke up one day and decided to become an investment banker, an Elle Woods in KL. It seems like everyone at the office tries to dumb things down for me and I fumble at every situation I get to prove myself which is really frustrating. I hope conditions improve next week.

Merdeka Celebrations

An air of festivity hangs in the air here in Kuala Lumpur as today marks our 50th year of independence from the British. I had forgotten how fun it was to be in the city on the eve of a celebration and it really is: massive traffic jams in the city as people make their way to fireworks lookout points, restaurants and bars offering special promotions to bring in the revellers and everyone's anticipation -- as if it was the last night of their lives -- palpitating throughout the city in a made joyous rush.
I spent my night on the eve of Merdeka (translation: Independence) at a queer friendly music/ art bar that is just two minutes from my house. I knew that as I sat there watching groups of performers belting out tunes from decades past that I was content. It was a moment of epiphany for me when I realized how exciting it was to be home in a crowd filled with friends, artists, liberals and gays.
Three months have passed since I left DC for home and I'm happy knowing that this community that is full of talent and love is where I will be spending the forseeable future.

"If there are 1000 readers of 'Hamlet,' you will have 1000 interpretations"

A King Statue 'Made in China'?

That's 'Communist' China. I just don't see the point this guy is trying to make when he points out that the artist is from 'Communist China' and therefore not qualified to sculpt an American martyr's monument. Difference in political ideology or plain racism?