Bersih 3.0

#Bersihstories: Why Malaysians overseas are joining Global Bersih 3.0 – Yolanda Augustin

April 24, 2012

APRIL 24 – My name is Yolanda Augustin and I left Malaysia 14 years ago to study in the UK, where I now live and work as a doctor. I’m writing to explain what inspired me to get involved in the Bersih movement and global solidarity work for Malaysia. For many years, I felt a sense of helplessness and frustration as I followed Malaysian current affairs and saw the country I grew up in stuck in a downward spiral of poor governance and deteriorating civil liberties and human rights. What really got to me was the complete waste of potential – Malaysia was and remains a beautiful country – rich in natural resources, great weather, fantastic cuisine and diverse culture. It has a small population of 28 million people that could enjoy a world class healthcare and education system if the money spent on hapless vanity projects and siphoned off to fund the multimillionaire lifestyles of government ministers was spent on improving the lives of the rakyat. I was also struck by the vast number of Malaysians I met living overseas – many of them doing interesting and inspiring things – writers, scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, chefs, bankers, lecturers, lawyers, nurses, town planners, engineers, actors, the list goes on. Many of them still with strong roots and a sense of connection to their place of birth. Many of them wanting to contribute something good and positive towards Malaysia but not knowing what, where or how. People would often ask me if I ever planned to return to Malaysia one day. I would usually smile and say “One day…when I finish my training… but not yet.” The truth was that as much as I was often homesick and nostalgic for the country I grew up in, living abroad had changed my life and my mindset. I appreciated the freedom to move, think and speak as I pleased, without a psychological straight jacket, without the risk of the ‘guillotine of the Internal Security Act’ (or newly rebranded Special Security Offenses Bill) as Hishammudin Rais calls it continually hanging over my head, where overnight the special branch who have been following your every movement for months from a red Proton Saga can break into your home, kidnap you and tear the fabric of your life, and that of your family and friends apart. I appreciated living in a place where archaic pieces of legislation such as the Press and Printing Act didn’t keep the press muzzled, making newspapers not worth the paper they were printed on, where the press kept the politicians in check, not the other way round. I appreciated living in a place where critical thinking and debate were encouraged, where students were not arrested for peaceful protest, where freedom of speech and assembly were part and parcel of everyday life. In my student days I had been part of a London solidarity anti-ISA campaign, sparked by the arrest and detention of those involved in the 1998 reformasi movement. A small group of 5-6 of us used to picket outside the Malaysian tourism Office in Trafalgar Square during our lunch hour. It was a nice gesture but it all seemed pretty depressing – Malaysians in general seemed to be plagued by a sense of inertia and a general unease that Special Branch Big Brother would catch them (even all the way in London) if they dared tell the government to start behaving itself. Then in 2010 I met a group of like minded Malaysians in London, many of whom have since become great friends, and we started a series of solidarity protests again, to give support to our brothers and sisters in Malaysia who were tirelessly campaigning on various human rights issues and to form a pressure group aimed at holding the Malaysian government to account for their pitiful human rights record. It was incredibly encouraging to see the solidarity movement grow from 10 to 20 to 50 regular attendees. I mean – these are MALAYSIANS we are talking about – and we are generally not used to challenging authority or protesting (particularly not in freezing just above 0 degree temperatures!). In June 2011 we joined in the global solidarity campaign for Bersih 2.0 and it was awe-inspiring to see Malaysians from over 30 cities around the world stand in solidarity with over 50,000 fellow Malaysians in KL to support the call for free, fair and clean elections. In London we had expected around 100 people to turn up, 150 if we were lucky. When nearly 500 Malaysians gathered in front of the Malaysian high commission in Belgravia we were gobsmacked. Across 5 continents the global Bersih 2.0 fire had been lit and there was no stopping it. The ridiculous antics of a panicking government – arresting over 1500 civilians, many for as little as wearing a yellow t-shirt, the detention of 6 activists under the Emergency Ordinance, the tragic death of 1 rally supporter, the unleashing of water cannons and tear gas on peaceful demonstrators, in one instance even into the confines of a maternity hospital, failed to snuff out the ‘unggun Bersih’ (flame of Bersih) as Pak Samad so aptly calls it. It had exactly the opposite effect – merely igniting the flame further. Peacefully, sincerely and with quiet resolve – Malaysians around the world came together, with their own small but significant acts of peaceful resistance – to remind the Malaysian government and the world that it doesn’t have to be this way. Free and fair elections are the essential building blocks of any open and mature democracy. It is our right to demand it, and we should expect no less. An aunt wrote to me in the aftermath of Bersih 2.0 to explain what had inspired her to join the Bersih rally in KL. She put it simply, “July 9th 2011 will forever be etched in my mind as the day I decided to stop being afraid. My daughter was adamant about going for the Bersih rally in KL and she went in on Friday evening with friends from the Women’s Aid Organisation to stay at a hotel in Bukit Bintang. I felt then that our generation had let our kids down and we were expecting them to move mountains by cleaning up the mess. It really was time to do something, no matter how minimal.” This Saturday the 28th of April 2012, Global Bersih 3.0 solidarity actions will be taking place in over 70 cities in 29 countries around the world. We urge Malaysians the world over to take part and stand up for free and fair elections and civil liberties in Malaysia – because we CAN. The time has come for Malaysians the world over to do something, no matter how minimal. That time is NOW. Salam Bersih.

久违了

好久没进来这个空间，前一阵子真的是太忙了。
今天晚餐后，刚好发现android market 部落格apps，就下载来玩玩
慢慢的细嚼每个文字，再来一瓶啤酒，真是人间一大享受。呵呵

如果我的平板电脑的键盘听话点的话，我想我会常来的...郁闷中

‘Non-engineers should not own firms’

‘Non-engineers should not own firms’
By DEVID RAJAH
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Thousands of engineers in the country will have to “close shop” if the Government allows non-professionals to own and operate consultancy practices, the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) says.

“If anyone is allowed to own 100% equity in an engineering consultancy practice, even a fish monger can start a consultancy firm and hire engineers to work for him,” IEM president Vincent Chen said.

Chen added that this could be avoided by making sure that the equity of engineering consultancy practice remained in the hands of professional engineers.

He said IEM was not against the Cabinet's directive to open up the engineering consultancy practice to support free trade and liberalisation but the move must be confined to professional engineers only.

Chen was expressing concern over the proposed amendments to the laws following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's announcement in Budget 2012 that the engineering consultancy practice would be opened up to allow anyone, including foreigners, to own 100% equity in the practice.

Chen said those responsible for amending the laws should take into account the engineers' concern when drafting the laws.

Currently, he said, there were about 3,500 engineering consultancy practices in the country.

He also claimed engineering decisions could be compromised if the business owner had undue influence in what engineers should or should not do.

“Consumers can also be adversely affected if safety standards are compromised as a result of having non-professional engineers owning the practice,” he said.

Happy Malaysia Day~~

Anak Malaysia 用马来西亚的天气来说爱你！

2011米跌价

今天是2011年9月1日，刚过去的昨天是马来西亚独立54年国庆日。
从小学我开始念书，老师跟我讲大马是个发展中国家；十几年的岁月流逝，今天我献身社会，我国独立了54年，我们依然还是“发展中国家”...

毕业了3年，身边有越来越多的人出国寻找梦想。不是外国的月亮比较圆，而是确实在大马待不下去了，为了未完成梦想出去国外打拼。说白了，我们这群人跟外籍女佣来大马是同曲异工。

其实啊～如果在大马可以混下去的话，有哪一个人愿意在国外为“马劳”或“马专”？尤其是最亲的家人都在大马生活，见同事的时间比见爸妈的时间还长好几百几千倍。出国赚钱养家糊口，也是千百个不愿意啊～～～

每每看到那群笑死面的部长说不回国服务的人才不爱国时真的很无语...留不住人还不自我检讨，还在那边推卸责任？好一句不爱国～高招！！每当看到大马政府又闹国际笑话时，个个都是骂在口里，疼在心里。尤其是当外国友人批判大马时，却找不到一个合理的理由来保护自己的国家，心里更加的难受。至少我身边的人都是很爱国的。

2011年的国庆，我心底只有一个愿望---把腐败的政府替换掉!!

Salam Merdeka dan Selamat Hari Raya

好久不见

迈进2011年的8月份，不知不觉已经过了大半年...
04年的六月到马大报道，08年八月在马大顺利毕业,眨眼之间三年了。

这三年来看到每个大学同窗真的是各奔前程，好命的真的是当起爸爸妈妈来了，呵呵...
随着时间的流逝，每一年新年团圆饭的出席人数是越来越少，我甚至无法出席今年的聚会...惭愧
记得出席率最高的就是第一个嫁人系友的婚礼，只差几位在国外出差就真的全到！

其实我不懂我要表达什么，会进来这里涂涂写写是因为看到系友在FB上问还有谁有更新部落格
又刚巧前两天是大伙儿一起毕业的大好日子，很想对大家说： 好久不见！

距離高收入多遠？

距離高收入多遠？

財經評論

2011-07-27 11:36

大馬策略與國際研究院（ISIS）高級分析員莫哈末阿都卡立，最近在一場講座會上分享了對高收入的見解，以下是筆者總結的部份重點：

● 大馬2003至2009年平均國內生產總值成長率雖為每年5.3%，但平均每年薪水漲幅只有微不足道的2.6%，比較消費者物價指數卻為每年3.2%。

● 大馬高達34%的員工，每月收入低過700令吉，而貧窮水平線為720令吉。

● 人均金融資產為約2千600令吉，但高達40%的人沒有任何金融資產。

● 大馬貧富懸殊差距嚴重，收入鴻溝自1970年的650令吉，擴大到2009年的8千547令吉。

● 城市與鄉村人士的收入差距更嚴重，最富有的20%大馬人，掌控了高達95%的資產。

阿都卡立也提出了關鍵的一點，大馬人的財富其實處於嚴重負成長水平，所以，國內經濟成長不應是高收入的單一目標。

這又讓我想起了耐人尋味的“數字”遊戲，每當政府強調經濟好轉時，大部份家庭沒感覺到經濟成長的好處；當官方通膨率自5月的3.3%增至27個月高點3.5%，大部份家庭對通膨的感受好像遠遠超過3.5%。

阿都卡立始終沒有說出，應該如何解決大馬收入分布不均的問題，但卻道出大馬人目前陷入嚴重的收入瓶頸。

然而，當你打開報紙，看到國內貿易、合作社及消費部副部長陳蓮花發表的偉論：“百物漲價免不了，人民應該靠自己，不該浪費時間上街示威，在家種菜養雞會更好。”，你也許是時候對高收入的願景“如夢初醒”，因為大馬太多政客在跟著高喊“數字”目標後，都指望人民自己解決問題，這才叫“大馬能！”。（星洲日報／財經小品‧作者：陳曉雯）