EMPTY PROMISES.

The season for "accidental" death begins.
The toll for the past 4 years stands at 20.
It will be so very heartbreaking to hear of the 21st victim of Khidmat Nereka.

First-time National Service trainees being welcomed at the White Resort NS camp in Kampung Genting, Balik Pulau in Penang, before starting their three month stint. Now in its fifth year, more than 300,000 youths have undergone NS training.

Is Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar threating our opposition leaders or is he being flippant over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan? Either way, it sucks.

The assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto shortly after she held a political rally showed why Malaysia was against street demonstrations, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.
He said demonstrations could lead to violence and Malaysia rejected all forms of violence, including that involving militancy…..
“We don’t want a democracy that can cause havoc and deaths,” he said after opening a forum on Malay culture here yesterday.

Empty promises from the opposition?
Mr Najib, surely you could not have so easily forgotten the many unfulfilled promises of Barsian Nasional's 2004 election manifesto?

The opposition’s promises to reduce oil prices if it were to form a government will only bankrupt the country, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
The Deputy Prime Minister said it was “just not possible” for the opposition to bring fuel prices down, pointing out that they were only fooling the people with empty promises.

IS THIS THE TRUTH?

An interesting political advertisement from the 2007 presidential election in Argentina.
Listen to it.
Do we need to turn things upside down in the coming election?
The Warong kopi has made the decision.
You decide.

THE DEFENSELESS SHALL THAN BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE NATION.

In Acheh, aid and subsidy create a post Tsunami “money for nothing, food for free” generation.

Rusydi Syahra, a researcher from the Center for Society and Cultural Studies at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the tremendous tsunami aid given to Acehnese had "wiped out" the community's sense of independence.
"People have been continuously dependent on disaster aid and have lost their ability to stand on their own feet," Rusydi said. He said various free support in the way of housing, clean water and health services, had unintentionally spoiled local people at all levels of society.
"One clear indication here has been a growing conviction among the survivors that they are entitled to those amenities indefinitely," Rusydi said. "Many Acehnese youth would rather be jobless than work with a limited salary, even though the numbers are reasonable for their level of education,"
Rusydi said. "How will these people who are too dependent on aid money survive when the money is no longer available?"

In Malaysia the UMNO run government has a 30 year head start in introducing the intoxicating opium of “special right and special privilege”. That “birth-right” sweetness of today will be the nation poison of tomorrow.
And when that tomorrow comes, the political minority shall then bear the burden of a nation.

The Government will continue to help the bumiputras, particularly in equity possession. “We will not do anything that is seen as depriving other races of their rights. We will only demand whatever rights the bumiputra has. That is all,” Najib said.

RATS THAT WALK ON TWO.

We have even bigger rats in Malaysia, they saunter up and down the corridors of power and walk on their two hind legs. These rats have no fear for man or God and dripping with honey, they talk with the forked tongue of adder snakes.

Researchers in a remote jungle in Indonesia have discovered a giant rat and a tiny possum that are apparently new to science, underscoring the stunning biodiversity of the Southeast Asian nation, scientists said Monday.
"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. "With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip."

RENEW YOUR ROAD TAX AT THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT.

Abu Zahar and his like-minded opportunists of this country are the result of the NEP gone awry. The NEP has pushed these opportunists within less than a generation from the hovels of poverty into the palace of plenty. Yet Zahar and his ilk would seek to prevent the real poor from trying to achieve a semblance of parity with them.
The leaders of Hindraf do not seek to institute discriminatory policies against their fellow citizens, which happen to be the forte of the UMNO run government. Hindraf only seeks for a fairer distribution of the nation’s resources.
They are the megaphones that amplify the pent up frustrations of the poor and for that they are the real patriots of this nation.
The opportunists and traitors sit in power in this land today.

"The Hindraf leaders have been described as opportunists and traitors to their race and country.
In saying this, the Council of Former People's Representatives (Mubarak) president Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang added: "The harmony and prosperity of Malaysians thus far should not be crushed by a small group of extremists like them."
While Mubarak fully supported the actions taken by the government to arrest and detain the Hindraf leaders under the ISA, Abu Zahar said the people should continue to show respect for all races."

Brain Damaged Champion for the Week.
Public Complaints Bureau DG Chua Hong Teik says

“If one waits at the bank for hours, not much discontent is shown. But if the situation is in a government department, scores of complaint will come”

The Warong kopi avoids doing business with Maybank because of its incredibly slow service. The Warong kopi has a banking alternative.
Given a choice , I would certainly welcome the alternative of renewing my road tax with the recently revamped and more efficient Immigration Department.

...... LOVED MOZART AND BACH. AND SPURS. AND MOST OF ALL, HIS GOD

What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me. (Opening lines of Love Story 1970).

Zi On was 25 when he was swept away.
The comments that I have read tell of a man whose life impacted lives.
It tells of a man who exuded life to others and brought sadness and tears when he voluntarily walked away from life's stage.
It tells of a man whose humour dwells even after laughter faded.
It tells of a soul whose passion was to others first and to self last.

So what can you say about a twenty-five-year-old man who died? That he was beautiful. And brilliant. That he loved Mozart and Bach. And Spurs. And most of all, his God.

I am sure he would love to have you know his God.

A MAN FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS PARENTS.

Tomorrow will be the 7^th day when Zi On was swept out from the beach of Moreton Island.
In our walk along life’s journey, there are people who need to be constantly encouraged.
And there are people who encourage constantly.
But there are the very far and very few who in the face of their own heart wrenching adversity continue to encourage you.
I received this SMS this afternoon afternoon.

"This morning, (the) Lord reminds me of this verse & my heart is encouraged - "I know whom I have believed & am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day" 2 Tim 1:12. Thank you our brothers and sisters (in Christ) and all in the family, friends , church for your love and prayers, sms. Be encouraged too! Love Cho Tan, Kerk and ZiLu"

Cho Tan’s sister who sent the SMS to me remarked, “That is so like Cho Tan, she encourages even in the face of her own adversity”.
Zi On was such a man following the very footsteps of his parents.

From left :
Cousins Eu Ming,Eu Ying,
Zi On,Eileen,Erwin (who flew to Brisbane the same day on hearing the tragic news) and their aunt Cho Bee.
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AN UNSUNG MALAYSIAN HERO HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM OUR MIDST.

Yesterday was the 5th day when Zi On went missing while saving the life of a complete stranger. The air and sea search for him will shift from saving his life to the recovery of his body as the search moves to the deeper water.
While the world bustle on an unsung Malaysian hero (largely ignored by our Malaysian press) has been taken from our midst.

THE family of a Malaysian-born man missing off Moreton Island yesterday spoke of their pride in their son's heroic final actions as hopes of finding him alive all but evaporated.
Zion Kerk, 25, was last seen assisting a young Korean woman in Honeymoon Bay on the northern tip of the island at 3.40pm on Wednesday.
Police described how he threw the woman on to rocks, possibly saving her life before he was swept away by a wave.
Brother Brian Kerk, who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne to be with his grieving parents, said it did not surprise him to hear Zion had put someone else's well-being before his own.
"He was always helping people. He has such a kind nature. It's just like him to do something like this," said Mr Kerk fighting back tears.
"He's not a big guy. He's like a stick and he was not a strong swimmer . . . It's such a shock," he said. "He will always be my older brother."
Mother Chong Cho Tan who flew from Malaysia last night with Zion's father Kerk Choon Keng, said her eldest son was a sergeant in the boys' brigade who kept a "low profile".
"He was a loving son, a good brother. We're a very close family," Mrs Kerk said.
She said Zion had studied commerce and accounting in Canberra before moving to Brisbane to undertake a master's degree in property valuation at the University of Queensland.
"We're hoping for the best but if God has taken him then we have to accept that," Mrs Kerk said.
Mr Kerk said the family had been briefed by the water police and understood the search would soon become a recovery operation for his body.

Top Picture
Zi On swimming in the pool fronting their residence. - photograph taken around 1987.

From the left
Kerk Choon Keng, Kerk Zi Lu, Kerk Zi On, Chong Cho Tan - photograph taken in 2000.

THAMBI ..... THE HOT LINE DOES NOT COOL THE HOT SEAT.

The overkill on protesters shifts from tear gassing in Kuala Lumpur to numerical intimidation in Penang.
It takes 200 fully armed anti riot personnel and their trucks complete with water cannon to face off less than 10 PKR supporters armed with only the blessing from the poor.
King Leonidas of Sparta would have been pleased to call them "The 10 .... Spartans".

More than 200 policemen and Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) anti-riot personnel surrounded the court building here early this morning when Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Supreme Council member N.Gobalakrishnan was brought to court here to be charged with obstructing a public servant from discharging his duty.
With fewer than 10 PKR supporters in sight, the FRU and police attracted curious onlookers as they sealed off the slip road leading to the court building and screened every car entering the court carpark area. As early as about 8am, about 10 FRU trucks complete with water cannons parked on standby in the area while another 10 police vehicles were parked in front of the court building.

The PM says he has big ears and thinks he has heard the cries of the Indian poor, however his SIL and the SOH (Son of Hussein) play the role of Grima Wormtomgue and say the Indian poor protests too much and are not representative of the Indian minority.
But the terribly confused mandor of UMNO says....."I will set up a hot line but it will take time."
Ah-yo yo, Thambi.... the hot line does not cool the hot seat, what is new ?

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said although the contents of Hindraf's letter to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown incited racial and religious sentiments, they were also "illogical".
"It did not represent the views of all Indians in Malaysia. In this matter, our enemy is not the Indian community. Hindraf doesn't represent all Indians, so be rational.

Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin …. reiterated that Hindraf members did not represent the majority of Indians in Malaysia as those who participated in the illegal rally numbered a few thousand compared with the millions in the country," he said.
"I am sure that the majority of Indians support the government and Umno." religious sentiments, they were also "illogical".

The country does not need another reverse engineering debacle like our much vaunted national car project. Proton went for reverse engineering and remains to this day in reversal whilst Hyundai Motor Corporation which emerged almost the same time has gone forward to be a global player.
The only reengineering that is badly needed in Negara-ku is for the electorate to kick out idiots from our parliament.
Let's begin with the obnoxious Bad-rude-din of Jerai and move on to Mohd Rudin of Bukit Katil for agreeing to use public funds to buy metal scrap than to use it to empower Malaysia's poor and needy.

TECHNOLOGY and Innovations Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Dr Mohd Ruddin Abdul Ghani was continuously heckled by the Opposition when he could not put a price on a Soyuz capsule boarded by Malaysia’s first Angkasawan.
Fong asked how did buying a Soyuz capsule benefit the country when the money could be used to help the poor.
Dr Mohd Ruddin then retorted: “Have you not heard of reverse engineering? You are not a scientist so you do not know.
“Reverse engineering means you buy a product like the capsule or car and open it up and learn how to make your own. Surely we want our Angkasawan to fly in a local capsule.