squeak. speak. roar!

I haven’t been commenting on news recently. Well, I’m back! lol

Firstly, Pak Lah has said the NEP will continue forever our new vision for Malaysians to achieve greater heights. From Bernama:

Abdullah: 2057 Is About Heights To Which Malaysians Will Scale

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tonight called on Malaysians to prepare for the future by striving to achieve excellence, distinguishing themselves in all fields and scale unprecedented heights in the next 50 years.

While they have come a long way since Merdeka, Abdullah challenged the people to “gaze into our future (and) set dreams and aspirations that may seem unattainable today but will be within the grasp of our centennial generation.”

If Vision 2020 identified nine challenges that are about creating a united, democratic, ethical, tolerant, scientific and prosperous society, 2057 must be about the road to excellence, he stressed.

If 2020 is about the foundation of a developed nation, 2057 is about what it takes “to distinguish ourselves” in all fields.

“If 2020 is about the kind of people we will be, 2057 is about the heights to which our people will scale,” he said in his address “Looking Back, Forging Ahead: 50 Years of Business in Malaysia” at the Kuala Lumpur Business Club dinner here.

On his rally cry of “Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang” (Excellence, Glory, Distinction), Abdullah said it is an approach that could propel Malaysia forward.

“I have always said Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang. I have said it so often to the point where maybe people are bored of it but to me it brings a lot of meaning for the future of this country. It represents a philosophy where the present is not enough.

“It is an approach that can propel us forward, again and again, generation after generation, as we create added value, foster innovation, generate knowledge, never once looking behind or stepping back.

“This is the spirit that informs of the five thrusts of the national mission. And the same spirit guides my dreams for 2057,” Abdullah said.

“This is what I mean by Terbilang; 100 years of independence, 100 years of advancement.”

Abdullah said 100 years of Merdeka would see “this society, this nation” achieve the unimaginable.

Abdullah outlined the Malaysia that is in his dream for 2057:

* We will have nobel laureates, truly global corporations, respected and market-leading brands, internationally acclaimed poets and artists, among the largest number of scientific patents in the world, some of the best sportspersons on the planet - dare I even say the best football team in Asia.

* Our students and professors will dominate Ivy League universities and our own universities will be citadels of excellence for international scholars.

* We will be pioneers in alternative energy, drawing on our strength in biofuels.

* Our cities will be the most livable in the globe, blending cosmopolitan facilities that are rooted in our tolerant and just societal ethos.

* We will have managed to successfully find our place in this world.

* The rise of regional economic powers will not have left us in oblivion, but motivated us to find our competitive advantage and lead in many strategic industries.

* We will become a true logistics hub, the undisputed Islamic financial centre, and the global reference point for biotechnology and modern agriculture.

*cough* But Sir, how can we achieve this when we’ve got such arbitrary, backdated, globally-incompatible policies such as this from NST:

Task force to check on websites

PUTRAJAYA, Fri: A task force will be formed to study the need to regulate Internet sites with pornographic and seditious content.

The cabinet approved the establishment of the task force at its meeting on Wednesday after a lengthy discussion.

It decreed that it should proceed with the study to ensure that any regulatory action is confined to the Multimedia Bill of Guarantees, which includes a provision not to censor the Internet.

Sources told the New Straits Times that the task force would tread carefully so as not to violate the bill and would study existing laws, such as the Sedition Act, to see how it could be expanded to include Internet content.

The sources said the regulatory powers were not meant to block or censor websites with such content, but to look at how warnings could be issued before action was taken.

The task force would also determine what sort of action was feasible, without contravening the Bill of Guarantees.

The websites to be monitored are those which contain pornographic material and those, including blogs, which carry seditious material.

“These include blogs which post inflammatory content against other races or religions and not just blogs on politics or those which criticise the government,” a source said.

Members of the task force are said to include high-ranking officers from the ministries of Science, Technology and Innovation, Information, Energy, Water and Communications, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police and CyberSecurity Malaysia.

The task force will study “tricky” issues like the problem of identifying anonymous bloggers, the handling of websites with servers located overseas, and the application of sedition law in cyberspace.

And worse, exercising thought control which shows just how little faith they have in our youths. Let’s not forget the really really stupid comments on quality porn. From Bernama.

Information Ministry Concerned Over Pornographic Website

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 (Bernama) — The Information Ministry takes a serious view on the rise in the number of pornographic websites which can have a negative influence on the development of youths.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said the ministry hoped immediate action could be taken to check the unhealthy elements from corrupting the youths.

“We give serious attention to this problem and I will convey the matter to the cabinet so that immediate action can be taken,” he told reporters after officially closing the forum on “The Role of the Media in Moulding Youths”, here today.

He said the freedom given by the government should not be abused by irresponsible groups who were promoting pornographic websites.

Malaysian Youth Council (MYC) president Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah also hoped that pornographic website developers would not exploit the freedom given by the government arbitrarily.

(Wah, like broken record)

“If the Multimedia Commission can stop the illegal investment website via the Internet, why can’t similar action be taken against the pornographic website which is becoming more rampant,” he said.

He said the pornographic website easily attracted the youths and this could have a negative impact on them.

“I hope pornographic website developers would be more responsible and obey the law to inculcate positive values among the young generation,” he said.

More than 200 youths from various races and backgrounds took part in the one-day forum organised by the MYC and Karangkraf.

You heard it porn website operators. Put only quality porn that promotes sexciting education because our youths are so bloody impressionable. Here’s a tip though dear Zam, point your browser to a foreign sitelah. More fucktacular stuff there wei. Try banning those sites for abusing the freedom of the worldwide web granted to us by Tim_Berners-Lee.

*facepalm*

My two sen?

Is Pak Lah trying to do a ‘Tun Dr Mahathir’ by settings lofty visions for the future? This is another fine example that our politicians has failed to grasp or address the current issues we have at hand. I’m talking about religious persecution, media control, poverty, corruption, cronyism, nepotism, racial divide, unequal treatment towards citizens, failed Bangsa Malaysia project, brain drain etc etc. Masih belum diselesaikan lagi, boss. Is this the new justification to carry the NEP on until all other non-bumiputeras/Malays are marginalised?

I personally think there can be no vision for the future if the present problems are not resolved. Heck, it’s not even being addressed. Such problems will never solved by gerrymandering, using violence and intimidation and sweeping them under the carpet by putting a complete media blackout over it. You wanted k-economy, here it is. You wanted human capital, here it is. Welcome to the brave new world (sorry, pinched Azmi Sharom’s The Star’s column title) of education, knowledgeable Malaysians who dare question, debate and discuss matters of national importance. This is after all, what most developed nations do.

I’m sorry to sound like a twat but his dreams just drew shitloads of cynicism out of me.

Best football team in Asia? Why not the world? Ivy League? More Malaysians would be there if you gave scholarships to more non-bumiputera/Malay students.

Our universities being citadels of excellence for international scholars? Try revamping the education system and make our students think rather than memorise. Oh and meritocracy system would be great.

Finding our place in this world? I hope for the right reasons because we’ve found our place in this world as the country which thinks it is ‘boleh’ when it’s not. Oh how the rest of the world laughs at us.

Our cities will be the most livable in the globe, blending cosmopolitan facilities that are rooted in our tolerant and just societal ethos? Are you kidding? We can’t get enough of development and we’ve raped mother nature quite enough already, thank you. Development is stupid because all we get are half-past-six bocor courthouses, Parliament and SMART tunnels. And I hate the word tolerant - it’s like how I am tolerating this shoddy government we call BN. Does this country even have a viable environmental sustenance plan?

Global reference point for biotechnology and modern agriculture? *sigh* For a country that has been criticise for having a pathetic research track record, let’s not make arse of ourselves now to think modern agriculture is the way of the future. Our modern agriculture by then is what developed nations have now. Very much like our automotive industry.

Hmmm.

“So why don’t you just leave this country if you have so much to complain about?” I hear some of you say.

lol. Yeah I’m wondering that myself. Criticism doesn’t mean I hate this place, y’know. In fact, I’m extremely concern because I care about it so much. The country is yours as much it is mine. And the government has not done enough for anyone of us and chances are, it won’t until we show that we are all capable of changing them. I’m waiting for them to prove to me - why I should vote for them because right now, all I see is corruption, intimidation, incompetence and complacency when someone says ‘BN’.

I’ll be in my 70s in 2057. lol. Crap.

I’m just sharing my feelings wor. This cannot be a threat to national security right? If it is, read the title of this blog post, yo.