关于台湾国族认同问题 - 回应刘乐妍

Taiwanese entertainer Fanny Liew wrote a piece about identity politics in Taiwan. She contended that Taiwanese and Chinese identity should not be at odds with each other. Her family fled to Taiwan with the Chinese Nationalist (KMT) regime to Taiwan at the conclusion of Chinese Civil War. I showed that her viewpoint is limited by her family background, and the island of Taiwan speaks a different narrative than hers.

There are currently three types of identities held by the population in Taiwan: Purely Taiwanese, both Taiwanese and Chinese, and purely Chinese. Each of these types of identification are characteristically distinct from each other, as it turned out from academic research.

您在2016年1月18日发表关于国族认同的文章我迟至2017年我方有机会阅读。过去一年里，我钻研了台湾国际地位与身份认同政治，开始时我一窍不通，到今天得以理性地回应您的文章，这可是个艰苦的过程。

您在文章提及家庭背景，您的祖辈参与第二次中日战争和国共内战，随着中国国民党逃到台湾的土地，并带着中国大陆的历史记忆在台湾此落地生根。我不难看出，您的家庭是典型的外省人。您在文中主张，台湾人和中国人的身份不需要对立。纯粹地以主观看待身份认同问题恰恰是您最大的盲点，因为许多事物乃大学问也。

我在此说明，台湾人的历史记忆各不同。本省人（包括原住民）的记忆有别于外省人。

本省人的历史记忆是什么？我就要从《马关条约》说起。台湾自从割让给日本后，退出了中国的历史舞台，而进入了日本的历史舞台。日治台湾的初期，本省人有武装的抗日运动，但全都被日本镇压了。从此，中国的历史不再追究台湾，可是台湾在日本的统治下继续发展。
每个人终究是历史的产物，造就他们今日对人物，乃至他国的态度。日治时期，实行总督制，台湾人成了二等公民。日本在台湾搞的建设，推行教育，大大提高台湾的文明水平，这些功劳是不容否认的。我了解，您的祖辈当初不敌共产党而到台湾，事实上本着日本留下的基础继续建设，也不会歌颂日本对台湾的所有贡献。

日治台湾的后期，搞了皇民化运动，教育台湾人取个日本名，学日文，效忠天皇，生活习惯与真正的日本人无异。日本当时搞皇民化的目的，无非就是从台湾征取兵力，以应付作战的需要。有者从日本得益，有者当了军夫为日本作战，而李登辉就是典型的例子。您可能不知道，1945年4月1日，天皇颁布了诏书，明治宪法全面在台湾实行。二战时期，有日本飞机从台湾起飞去攻击中国的目标，当日的中国也有参与空袭台湾的目标。您有听过台北大空袭这一事吗？历史课本怎么没写呢？

1945年10月25日，台湾重回中国的统治。中华民国宣称，台湾被 ”光复” 了，可是实际的性质，普通人都没搞清楚。须知，今日的国际法规定，拥有领土的实际统治不意味着拥有领土的法定主权。没有法定主权，又怎么有领土的实际统治呢？我知有两种方式，一是租借，二是军事占领。当时的中国接管台湾，是代表盟军进行军事占领，而台湾的主权并没有转移到中国那里。台湾的主权转移有待与日本签订和平条约，方才有效。

当时的本省人还有效的持有日本国籍。蒋介石派了国军统治台湾。受过日本教育的本省人当年对国军的印象如何？国军就是不守纪律的流氓！国民党随意印刷钞票，导致恶性通货膨胀，又加上台湾物资拿去资助国共内战，民不聊生。很不幸的，1947年爆发了228屠杀事件，有人死在 ”祖国“ 枪下，台湾对中国的幻想破灭了。

盟军还没解决台湾的归属，国民党就不敌共产党，逃到了台湾，成了个流亡政权。怎么说是流亡政权呢？就是政权的所在地不是它的主权领土。有人听了这话可能不高兴，但这可是国际法学说，外交人员的眼中，中华民国的真正国际地位。蒋介石曾沉痛地说道：“我们（中华民国人 / 外省人）今天都已成了亡国之民，……”

在1951年的对日和平条约《旧金山条约》，日本只被要求放弃对台湾的主权，而没有点名任何国家接收。如何解读这个合约条文也把专家弄得团团转，简单的说台湾的主权就是转到本省人手中，有待他们主张最终的归属。外省人是何人？他们就是真正的，法理的中国人。显然的，中国没有接到台湾的法定主权，时任中华民国外交部长叶公超已多次声明这一点。
接下来漫长的国民党威权时期，也就是两蒋时期，政府对台湾岛民实行了党国教育，教台湾人做中国人。我之前不是提了日本对台湾实行皇民化教育吗？党国教育和皇民化教育的性质根本无异！两者都是同化教育：一个教你做中国人，一个教你做日本人。

直到1980年代后期，台湾开始解禁，走向民主之路，实行与有别于中国大陆的社会制度，开创了台湾认同。

两幢事件，重创了台湾对中国的认同。一是1994年的千岛湖事件，再来是1996年随着总统直选的台湾海峡导弹危机。海峡导弹危机更使台湾认同大幅度上升，远远超过当时受教育的年轻人，去中国化和台湾本土化政策尚不足以解释此转变。试问，如果中国大陆是祖国，祖国会对人民做出这种事吗？

2000年成功实行政党轮替，台湾独立运动当道，起了巩固台湾认同的重要作用。2008年马英九主政时期开启的大三通，两岸人民接触频繁，越察觉彼此的差异，越加深台湾的单一认同。

今日，无论本省人或是外省人，两者纵然没有共同的记忆，却生活在台湾岛上，成了命运共同体。既然您在自由的台湾占有一席之地，您应该珍惜祖辈当年用生命捍卫三民主义，奠下台湾实行民主的基础。您的祖辈在中国大陆的战场上遇到的日本是敌人。可他们到达台湾时，台湾人印象中的日本是殖民者，他们没那么恨日本。还是多亏日本，国民党在台湾有立足之地，才赶得上台湾经济起飞。在国际关系里，敌友关系随着形势转变而易位。
如果说中国的历史是朝代更替的历史，台湾的历史就是一套殖民史。

由此可见，国家认同取决于各种客观的因素，包括历史和社会环境，并不是一张证件就足以定论的。各不同的历史记忆，不同世代的环境，也不断地重塑着身份的认同。国家认同，不只停留在一面旗帜，或是名词，它更体现着一套价值观，一套生活哲学。国家认同，对我作为外国人而言，是给予您定位的名字。我不反对您说 ”我是中国人“ 以反映您对中国的情结，可当别人说出单一的 “我是台湾人” 时，他不只说出对土地的认同，更要表达台湾有别于中国的历史经历。

There is no question on Penang

In the midst of Lim Guan Eng house-buying controversy, opportunist Ridhuan Tee urged that Penang be restored to Kedah. It appears clear that he has a sinister agenda. A remark that touches on the bottom line of Penangnites is unacceptable.

 

There is no denial that Penang was once part of the Sultanate of Kedah. Kedah ceded Penang Island to the British East India Company in a treaty signed 1786, in exchange for military assistance from the latter. When Kedah was attacked by Siam, Francis Light failed to provide military assistance that was promised earlier, thus dishonouring the treaty. Kedah tried to retake Penang in 1790 but was defeated.

 

The British East India Company, as the victor, dictated the terms of the 1791 treaty. In the 1791 treaty, the Sultan of Kedah cede Penang Island to the Company for an honorarium. The British East India Company took Seberang Prai in 1802 for an increased honorarium. An honorarium is a payment which the giver has no legal obligation to do so. There is no question that treaties signed between Kedah and the Company were unequal treaties.

 

The political reality is, Penang and Seberang Prai went under separate governance since Kedah ceded it to the British East India Company. Penang’s status was changed to Straits Settlements, then came under direct British rule as a Crown Colony in 1867. The handling of Kedah to British in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 did not change the reality of separate governance. Kedah became an Unfederated Malay State and Penang a Crown Colony.

 

Today, in the Constitution of Malaysia, Article 1 enshrined that Penang and Kedah are two separate states, and territories of the states can only be altered by Parliament with the consent of the respective states. Penang and Kedah are two sovereign equals as part of Malaysia.

 

The Penangnites have worked hard to develop Penang into a vibrant city-state today. Penang has her own values distinct from her neighbouring state. Terms of the treaties that have been executed are done, so there is no turning back. The call for Penang to return to Kedah is reflective of the pre-Independence mentality. There is no reason for Kedah to reclaim Penang today. 

 

There is no question on the status of Penang. There is no question of territorial integrity in Peninsular Malaysia. Anyone attempting to undermine the status of Penang goes against the Constitution and can be held guilty of sedition.

Feeling the heat of falling Ringgit

These days, Malaysian Ringgit is falling day by day. I talked to people around me on how the falling Ringgit is affecting them.



A confectionery vendor lamented how prices of kiwi and strawberries have gone up and increasing their cost. However, they dared not to increase their price for fear that customers will stop buying.

For me, I am badly affected. As a PhD student myself, I buy chemicals and other lab consumables for my experiments. Most of them are sourced from the US/UK and have prices quoted in US Dollars. Since the Ringgit began to weaken when I started my PhD, I have seen prices doubled or tripled for the same item. To add salt to the wound, my research grant is quoted in Ringgit Malaysia and does not get topped up under all circumstances. It is possible to manoeuvre here and there I am very sure that everyone in the research community feels the same. To be honest, I actually envy those who hold grants in US Dollars and having access to good facilities.

Whatever it is, no one is going to compromise on standards and merits whatever the circumstances is. I'll still have to complete my PhD under the stipulated time frame despite waiting weeks for my order to arrive.

This is the type of stuff I have to buy for my lab work. They're not cheap I mind you.



None of us academic foresee the worsening economic circumstances when we submitted grant applications. While my supervisor is taking all the steps to mitigate the economic situation, I am taking steps to reduce the cost of doing my experiments.

All of us want the Ringgit to go back up, aren't we? That means regaining investor confidence in our economy. I am no expert, but what I can say is, when we start to get our economy right, many issues will find their solutions. It's time that we treat people fairly and make everyone more productive.

For me... money is hard to come by. Is anyone keen to sponsor my experiments? #shameless #bold #Askandyouwillgetit

My Message to the Churches in Singapore

by Fynding Noor
The Real Singapore
25 December 2014

Dear The Real Singapore,

I write this letter as a Singaporean Muslim.

I address this letter to the believers of this church, the priest and pastors, our interfaith workers, and all people who commemorate the birth of Jesus, Peace and Blessings be upon him, & Lady Mary, the purest woman of this world and most eminent in the next world.

Recent events such as the evil ISIS torturing our Christian brethren in Mosul and the very recent shootings and unfortunate incident of innocents being held hostage in Sydney – all of which claiming to be done under the name of Islam has caused great upset, anger and hate for the rest of the world.

This outrages us as much as it outrages you and hurts us as much as it hurts you and angers us as much as it angers you, perhaps it angers us even more so because these evil perpetrators have hijacked our religion and misused it to fulfill their hidden motives and agendas.

Although these incidences and acts of terror are happening outside of Singapore, the ripples of their actions are starting to hit our shores.

One of our greatest blessings which we share in common, amongst many others, is to call Singapore home. We were born and raised here. Our closest friends are Hindus, Christians, Catholics, Buddhists and Muslims and believers of many other faiths. And we really wouldnt have it any other way. Neither will we tolerate anyone, regardless of who they are, to threaten this peace and love that we share amongst us.

The majority of Muslims, 99.999% of us, are lovers of our Prophets and Messengers. All of them. They are one and we prefer none of God’s messengers over the others and unto Him do we submit.
In fact, it is part of the faith of a Muslim to believe in the Holy Bible and Jesus, upon him be peace as with the Torah – the scriptures of the Jews and Moses, upon him be peace.

Believing in them is a testimony of our Faith.

In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and requested his protection. He responded by granting them the following charter of rights.

St. Catherine’s Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai in modern-day Egypt and is the world’s oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1,400 years under Muslim protection.

The following was penned in the Charter of Rights.

“This is a message from Muhammad son of Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God, I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.

No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His prophet.

Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.

The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval.

She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation of Muslims is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

This promise is eternal and universal. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ordered Muslims to follow it until the Day of Judgment just as we follow his last sermon before his passing.

The charter imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties.

I know I do not speak for myself alone but the majority of Muslims, not just in Singapore but all over the world. We stand with you in solidarity. We pray with you and for you. Our peace is yours and your peace is ours. Every word in the Charter stands true as it was in the time of the Prophet as it does today.

Previously, perhaps it was enough that we knew in our hearts that good people on both sides exists, but with the negative media only showing discord and injustice, doubt arises and we start to wonder.

The intention of this letter is to reinstate and assure our fellow brethren that we are ONE.

Muslims celebrate the Prophet Muhammad on varying occasions.

In the coming month of December, I would like to join you in your gatherings to celebrate Jesus. His birth, life, message, teachings, the second coming, the Messiah, the Spirit of God & the Virgin Mary, our Holy Mother.

Let us, together, stand united against attacks on any religious communities.

With love and prayers,

on behalf of my Muslim friends all over.

PS: I do apologise however, as i understand there are different sectors within the Christian community itself and perhaps you may or may not identify with this letter, but my message of peace and solidarity stands nonetheless.

I sent this letter over 200 churches in Singapore, but i dont think that is all of them. I have tried looking for various sources for the email address and in my process could have spammed a couple of churches. (Im really sorry.)

I hope that this reaches out to people of goodness on both sides to send a message that we need to do a lot more to reach out to one another and bridge our communities.

If not now, then when? If not you, then who?

Peace be upon you always.



*Original Blogpost can be found here: https://fyndingnoor.wordpress.com/

Namewee Tokok: Merdeka Q & A

During the course of the video, members of the RED People were quizzed on facts about Malaysia. I can understand that they pretended not to know the answers, that's perfectly fine for the purpose of entertaining us.

But at the end of the video, when members of the public were asked the same questions, I find it a read shame that many of them can't answer the question properly. What's more appalling is that school students don't even have knowledge of the national anthem despite singing it EVERY WEEK during their school assembly.

Has our education gone down the drain? We have a generation not knowing of their purpose in the country, and one is left wondering where the entire nation is heading to.

RIP Karpal Singh

Mom asked me to sleep over in grandma's house because uncle was away in Guangdong. I had my first sleepover in grandma's house in over 20 years, the last being when I was a little kid nagging my mom to allow me to stay overnight in grandma's house (hahaha I was like that).

Grandma woke me up the next day at 8.10 am. When I woke up, I checked my Twitter feed. Something was not right when I saw potraits of Karpal Singh along with the caption 1940-2014. Hell no, Karpal Singh passed away in a car accident! Immediately I broke the shocking news to grandma. I said, Karpal need not go to jail, but he's gone forever now.

Karpal Singh, you've left us too soon. We need you for a better Malaysia. May your sons carry your legacy. Rest in peace, Tiger of Jelutong.

Deteriorating quality of education in Malaysia

Are we making a fool of ourselves with straight A's and Distinctions in public examinations and yet the system itself is questioned? Bad education not only affects our kids but also put the future of the country in jeopardy. The era of globalisation is raising the bar for the future generation, but given that our education is so appalling that it failed to meet expected learning outcomes, I don't think our education is capable of answering the questions posed tomorrow. Heck, we can't even answer the question on which medium of instruction for Mathematics and Science properly.

The rich can afford to send their kids to tuition centres or private schools but what about poor peasants in rural areas? They'll be the biggest losers under the system!

Education should prepare us to answer questions that are yet to be posed.

Although the video below was part of DAP's campaign message during General Election 2013, its message is still relevant as of today.

Tahun Baru Cina Pulau Pinang Sambutan 2013

I wrote this during the time when South Korean superstar Psy (Park Jae Sang) was invited to perform in Penang for a Chinese New Year celebration event. Was angry indeed with such indiscriminate spending of taxpayer's money.

Tahun Baru Cina menjelang
Pilihan raya menyusur selepas
Politik campur sambutan perayaan
Pantang-larang seketika diabaikan

Barisan Nasional inginkan bilangan
Menunjuk ada Tionghua sokongan
Bertempat di Pulau Pinang negeri lawan
Jemput artis warga Korea Selatan

Belanja jemput rakyat yang beban
Tak kira siapa pihak tajaan
SENIMAN lantas keluar kenyataan
Mengapa diabaikan artis tempatan

Chuan Aun rasa perlu penjelasan
Telefon ke Timur tanya syarikat hiburan
Yang Goon ikhlas memberi jawapan
1.8 juta minimum perbelanjaan

Kepada penghuni Guan Eng cadangkan
Warna bertuah dijadikan pakaian
Merah kuning hijau pilihan
Menghadiri majlis anjuran Barisan

Kit Siang segera membuat perbandingan
Kedua-dua negara bawah arus pembangunan
Perkembangan ekonomi penanda kemajuan
Nikmat GDP relevan piawaian

Korea Selatan pesat pembangunan
Canggih teknologi cekap urusan
Dihargai jasa sumbangan cendekiawan
Budi bahasa tetap diamalkan

Sampai detik artis buat persembahan
Perdana Menteri tanya hadirin persediaan
Tarian kuda positif jawapan
Terima Barisan berani ditidakkan

Muncul artis yang dinanti-nantikan
Berminit-minit jutaan dibelanjakan
Sebaik sahaja siap persembahan
Hadirin bersurai berpusu-pusuan
Siapa kekal mendengar ucapan?

Lagu artis memang sindiran
Parti pemerintah boros perbelanjaan
Hebat tamparan buat Barisan
Artis datang baik sambutan
Mudarat ditanggung berzaman-zaman

Decoding Namewee's Tokok ep 019: Oppa Petrol Style

Namewee (real name Wee Meng Chee) has a word to say in response to the petrol price hike. But he did it differently this time - he spoke in an alien tongue to us! I was so taken aback with his acquisition of "Korean".

It's fairly easy to understand just by watching what he shows without the need to understand what he actually says. But if you're not Malaysian and don't know what actually happened, this is what he mean to say through the pictures:

Since the petrol price hike, the government is making our lives harder! Whatever fuel that's sold by Petronas, Shell, Caltex and Mobil, they're all raised by 20 cents. Aissshh! The Malaysian government is picking on us Chinese people, with the Chicken and Horse Screw messing up the government and think that they hold absolute power in the country. Really, all of you are sick! Do you want us to drink plain water, eat plain bread and ride on our bicycle so that you'll be satisfied with everything?! Aisssh, Aiish, then what do you want?! Before this you spent public money to bring Psy (Park Jae Sang) to Penang, where everyone enjoyed a free show; when election comes you gave so many goodies to people, furthermore you spent so much to bring Bangladeshi migrant workers to vote for you, only to raise the price of petrol to pay the bills after all these while? Is your dick bigger that we do? Certainly you can't do that to us. Aisssh, what do you want from us? Isn't it. Are these our fault? By doing this you only make crime pay. Aisssh! I'm really fed up with you...

Now you've got what you needed to know, aren't you? But in fact there's actually more, so read on to fulfil your curiosity!

I listened to Namewee's speech carefully and it led me to new findings! There're so many secrets to this video. I've even gone to extra mile of sharing the video to people that may know about Korean language. If you have been following Namewee since his early days, he is indeed famous for swearing in his videos to get his message across. By paying attention to his speech you'll notice these words:

Jenjang: A Korean swear word.

Shibal: That's a very bad Korean swear word.

Gae seki: That's also a Korean swear word.

Puniabo: Possibly a Hainanese swear word. From what I heard, Namewee has a Hainanese ancestry.

Gamsa hamnida: Korean word for "Thank you". Namewee was probably referring that the current Malaysian government ought to thank the Chinese people for their contribution. On the other hand, ruling party politicians that lose their seat in the 2013 General Election retorted that Chinese people "were not grateful". A majority of Chinese people has voted in favour of the opposition coalition during the election.

Kim Il-Sung, Pyeongyang, Kim Jong-Il: He's referring to transfer of power in North Korea and draws a parallel between North Korea and Malaysia. The current Prime Minister of Malaysia (Najib bin Abdul Razak) is the son of former Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak bin Hussein.

Namewee Tokok episode 19 is made up of random words with a few curse words, I believe. But since only few of us know about Korean profanities, he could largely get away.

In short, Namewee has voiced our grievance against the petrol price hike. Ask yourself again, what is Namewee famous for? =D

Malaysia: a nation left out

Good day readers. I finally get to head to Singapore for a short visit after five years! Was considering a postgraduate opportunities at Monash Sunway, but found out that I didn't really like it. Immediately I looked for projects in Singapore and found two that appealed to me.

I made the trip to Singapore to see professors!

So I bought train tickets to Johor Bahru. My meeting with professors took place on 30th of August so I bought tickets arriving on 29th to buy more time. To my dismay, a one way train journey took seven and a half hours from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru.

Repeat after me, 7.5 hours from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru/Singapore in the 21st century. That's a journey covering 400 km (not very far, actually). Going by the train speed, a trip to Bangkok can easily take 22 hours. That's downright unacceptable today. Judging by the standard 20 years ago, I wouldn't mind this train journey.

I regret to say that this is the level of service offered by our national railway company, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad. The KTM Intercity service has existed for 30 years and there wasn't a single bit of improvement to cater growing needs and changing time.

The railway track from Gemas to Singapore still remains single tracked, severely limiting capacity. Isn't this supposed to be completed five years ago?

Malaysia as a nation is progressing at a pace too slow to be acceptable today. South Korea and Taiwan, less developed than us 50 years ago, has caught up and left us far behind in terms of development. This is akin to starting ahead in a race, but allowing other racers (whose starting lines lie behind us) to overtake simply because we don't run fast enough. The country has been mismanaged that progress is impeded.

The amount of foreign investments in Malaysia is less, but we had net outflow since the past few years. Where do I put my face when foreigners remark that Malaysia is a backward country only comparable to less developed areas of Africa?

Biorefresher: Pacific Rim + Namewee Tokok ep 18

Biorefresher 1


I have watched Pacific Rim! Awesome beyond words, I demand you to watch in cinemas!

Biorefresher 2



Namewee strikes again! He's not alone in tax rabates for local films. I think witholding tax rebates for local films (even though they may contain little Malay dialogues) is unjustifiable. Who can deny the sweat and blood of fellow Malaysians?

On the other hand, I can see that the government messing up with screening schedule of Namewee's "Kara King" as a subtle persecution. The only way to beat it: watch his movie in cinemas! Isn't that simple? :) He's not asking you to attend a protest rallyK

Biorefresher: Hello Bunny + Pray for Beng Hock

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Povyteng was playing with my super cute thesis writing bunny!

Hello Bunny! 🐰🐰🐰 from povyteng

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I was fuming when I watched the live broadcast of Malaysian Parliament. A Minister was finding all excuses not to provide broadband access to East Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak). Some excuses cited were "Don't compare Malaysia to Singapore and South Korea", "Difficulty laying cables underneath the South China Sea", "South Korea is a highly urbanised country" and bla bla bla.

Sad to know that people in East Malaysia are left behind in terms of overall development. I'm sure someone can do a better job than him!

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It's the 4th year since Teoh Beng Hock has left us. The short film below was made in remembrance of his tragic end.

Biorefresher: A Pink's "NoNoNo" in Secret Garden

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A Pink is poised for a comeback this Friday! Their title track is revealed to be NoNoNo, part of Secret Garden mini album.

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Waveya released dance cover for Sistar's Give It To Me.

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Barisan Nasional's Kinabatangan MP, Bung Mokhtar Radin asked AirAsia X's CEO Arzan Osman Rani to leave the country over the latter's criticism on an Utusan Malaysia's article. Arzan has earlier criticized an article entitled "What More Does the Chinese Want?" (Apa lagi Cina mahu?) for its racist stance. But, who's Bung Mokhtar? He shot to fame for his "monthly leak" remark on a fellow woman MP from DAP years ago.

Biorefresher: A Pink's "Secret Garden" 2nd teaser + defending Jonker Walk

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A Cube Entertainment released 2nd video teaser for Secret Garden! Let us cheer for A Pink.


Their comeback has also been teased on KBS Music Bank.

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Surprise surprise! The High Court judge Datuk V. T. Singham (the one who presided over the case of Kugan's death in police custody) tendered his resignation today, a year before his term is up.

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The community defended Jonker Walk in Malacca even though the Malaccan State Government has reversed the decision to close hawker stalls and open the street to traffic. Groups belonging to MCA and DAP took part in the rally.

Biorefresher: A Fu reveals "Unlimited Freedom" 无限度自由 MV + Hailstorm in Singapore

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Taiwanese soloist A Fu revealed her music video for "Unlimited Freedom" 无限度自由 today! It's part of her album Sky Island 天空岛. She'll reveal MVs for two more tracks, More and More Loving 越来越爱 and Angel 天使.

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Singapore was hit by hailstorm after the haze! Hails do not pose health hazard but make sure you run indoors or wear a helmet if you need to go out.

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• Indelible ink used during 13th General Election in Malaysia turned out not only to be delible, but edible?! Election Commission explained they were food dyes. Are you effing kidding me?
• Kugan's (the young Indian man died in police custody) family won lawsuit against Malaysian government. High Court judge ruled that former Inspector General of Police was responsible.
• Ong Kian Ming and Zairil Khir Johari (both DAP MPs) questions two Malaysian ministers for holding bogus degrees.

Biorefresher: Girl's Day's "Female President" + A Pink's "Secret Garden" teaser + M'sian Parliament reconvenes

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Girl's Day has released their music video for Female President!Themed on feminism, I watch to my delight as team members Sojin, Yura, Minah and Hyeri transform into mature ladies that also comes with authority.

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A Pink teased us with a comeback! They're appealing to you with their innocent charms. Let us look forward to "Secret Garden".

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The Malaysian Parliament reconvened (reopened) after the 13th General Election. Elected MPs took oath of office, Pandikar Amin re-elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives and an emergency motion tabled to discuss haze.

Pandikar Amin polled 133 against Kadir Sulaiman's 89 because MPs were compelled to sign on the ballot (if you get what I mean). What did our MPs said about reconvening Parliament in haze?

1st day of 13th Parliament today held under haze, symbolic of widespread questioning of legitimacy of Najib as PM of minority government.
— Lim Kit Siang (@limkitsiang) June 24, 2013

Although the haze today is bad, our spirits are up at the swearing in ceremony at the Parliament http://t.co/bjOL4BUMIU
— KarpalSingh (@KarpalSinghDAP) June 24, 2013

An Open House at Titi

It was Chinese New Year! I balik kampung to Titi, Negeri Sembilan to see friends and relatives.

On Chor 4, Lim Guan Eng made a visit to this humble village of Titi. With an impending General Election around the corner, every political party was greeting "Gong Xi Fa Cai, Xuan Piao Na Lai", means they are canvassing for votes! What a way to celebrate CNY. #onlyinMalaysia :)


Villagers filled the streets for open house.


Organiser treated us to a dinner!


Listening meekly to speeches made by DAP leaders. Lim Guan Eng was humourous on stage, talking about Psy in Penang, toll-free North-South Expressway, attracting and retaining talent and more.

Anthony Loke offered himself to run for Chennah state seat; Lim Guan Eng approved his request on stage! He was willing to take the risk since Chennah has been a MCA fortress.

The open house drew an attendance of 2000.

Guan Eng is angry!

Quotes from the video:
"UMNO causes hardship to the people"
"Things can be done early, but why (UMNO) is doing it now?!"

The video above shows that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was angry and dissatisfied over progresses made to make Jalan Malicaster trafficable. Repair works were carried out on the Menara UMNO building without safety measures in place such as nets. Oh, how can they do that? So Penang authorities are not going to reopen Jalan Malicaster until UMNO has finished the repair works.

Tragedy struck when a large block of concrete (part of lighting arrestor) fallen off from the Menara UMNO building and hit a car on Jalan Malicaster. The accident was caught on police CCTV:


Based on calculations, the concrete block has a weight of 12 metric tonnes minimum. Its fall generated a force of 1100 kiloNewtons and a speed of 133 km/h on impact. That's equivalent to seven fully loaded buses hitting on the car from a height of 70 meters.

The force was so great that not even a body part of the dead victim was found, only unrecognizable, severely damaged car parts were recovered. A 7 meter deep hole was dug to salvage the car as well as the body, but further digging was hindered due to risk of complications. In other words, the victim will be buried underneath, the tragedy site will be his grave.

May the victim rest in peace.

#Listen Up for Round 2 - Digi rewards you for being polite + Namewee vs. Sharifah #Listen Dance Remix

Many parties have jumped on the #Listen bandwagon since the video of Sharifah Zobra Jarbeen publicly berating fellow law student Bawani K.S. in a forum become viral.

Namewee was caught in a singing battle with Sharifah in a new #Listen dance remix released today. Edited by our talented Dennis Lau, have a look at Listen Dance Remix Wee Meng Chee vs. Sharifah Zohra Jarbeen. I can guarantee you'll be laughing your ass off.



On the other hand, Malaysian telco Digi Telecommuniations rides on the bandwagon to market its prepaid plans after Nandos Malaysia asks you to listen to their problems about their chickens.






But Digi asks you to be polite in order to enjoy their best service to you :)

How to listen well? It's not only hearing. That's passive.

Do you get the sound through your ear? Yes - you're heard it. Do you get the information conveyed through the sound waves in the air? If you answered yes, you're listening.

So, listening is an active process in communication. Not only you do it with your ears but you do it with your mouth by asking appropriate questions. Want more? Go and read up Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Namewee FxxK Utusan Malaysia!

The maker of the video has taken it down but there are more reuploads.

"Namewee Fxxk Utusan" 影片只有不到24小時的壽命, 就被移除了. 希望大家不要追問我原因, 相信大家心裡明白就好了... 在"Nasi Lemak2.0" 這部電影裡面, 我所要提倡的全民團結, 國家認同的概念, 顯然被很多人忽略了...讓我感到很遺憾. 懇請大家到戲院去看了電影在對我下評斷. 也希望大家不要被馬來西亞某些無良的媒體影響... 馬來西亞在我心中依然是全世界最好最美麗的國家!!! 加油啦! 明天不知道又會發生什麼事情了.... 爸爸媽媽對不起...
Source: Namewee 黄明志

Call us a banana democracy. The one who authored the media report in Utusan Malaysia is not a journalist at all, for she has violated the ethics of journalism. She is really a propagandist who works with a newspaper for the ruling party that owns it.

Utusan Malaysia (formerly Utusan Melayu) used to be a respected Malay daily in the age of pre-independence Malaya. Today, Utusan is a newspaper, shunned by well-educated Malaysians but still consumes paper to print, not monthly or weekly, but daily. What is the point of publishing a daily not respected and wastes unnecessary resources (material, manpower, time) to produce? At least have a consideration on the environment.

There is even more to say about this paper.

Criticism

Utusan Malaysia's credibility as a newspaper has come under fire from many circles for its blatant practice of double standards in its reporting, especially with regard to politically-related news.[1][2] Statements by Chief Ministers in Opposition-held states have been taken out of context, manipulated, or otherwise downright fabricated.[3]

Of late, Utusan has also stoked racist sentiments with provocative headlines championing the New Economic Policy and Ketuanan Melayu.[4][5][6]

In view of Utusan's extreme racist rhetoric, the former Opposition-led Perak state government staged a boycott against the newspaper, with other Opposition states following suit. A motion was also set by the Selangor state government to boycott Utusan while all Selangor state agencies and departments were told to refrain from buying the newspaper and to stop advertising in the newspaper, in a move to protest a short story titled "Politik Baru YB J" by columnist Datuk Chamil Wariya that appeared in the paper and depicted an assassination of a fictional character that portrayed Teresa Kok.[7] In addition, Teresa Kok has demanded RM100 million in compensation from Utusan Malaysia Chamil and the publication for defamation, demanding an immediate public retraction by Utusan and an apology to be published in newspapers of her choice, plus an undertaking that Chamil and Utusan will not repeat the allegations and comments contained in the article.[8] DAP has also filed a report against Utusan Malaysia, claiming Chamil was attempting to stir up public sentiments to carry out political assassination against Kok. [9]

Utusan has also been criticised for publishing very little international news; the Foreign News section typically consists of only two to three pages out of 50 pages in total.

In January 2011, the newspaper suspended a journalist, Hata Wahari, president of the National Union of Journalists, after alleging that Hata had brought the newspaper into disrepute and "insulted" its management.[10]
Source: Wikipedia article on Utusan Malaysia

Namewee was right about all who works in Utusan - all employees, from top to bottom, should go back to school. For all of them are liable to the sin of spreading lies and mislead the public.

Raja Petra Kamarudin of Malaysia Today has a good piece about Utusan as well.