Terengganu's Mercedes Benzes only for foreign VIPs, says PM

I think Badawi don't have what it takes to be Prime Minister. If you are stupid please don't announce your stupidity in the papers please. This is embarrassing the whole nation. What's the point of keeping the 14 cars and limiting the usage only for foreign VIPs. The questions that come to mind are:

-What's the frequency of visits of foreign VIPs? How many major functions are there in Terengganu.

-They can't use the Perdana v6? Why?

-Why is this trival matter still hanging in the air and becoming an issue

Now, Terengganu's got capex of RM3.43 million for something of limited use- end of the day the cars will be left at the carpark with an excuse to auction them of cheaply to, well, the councilors of course. For now, they can just salivate and caress the bonnet only.

Below is the full report copy and pasted from The Star:

KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu can keep its 14 Mercedes Benzes bought for RM3.43mil recently but they can only be used for foreign dignitaries.

That was the decision reached by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said.

“We said (to Ahmad) the important thing was that the Cabinet had decided that the state government should not use the cars for its executive councillors.

“I said use the Mercedes cars for guests who are visiting,” Abdullah said yesterday.

Najib, who was in Kuala Terengganu last night, also repeated the message that the 14 Mercedes E200 Kompressors could only be used for visiting dignitaries, and even then, for major functions. Earlier in the morning, Ahmad had tried to give the impression that the councillors could still use the cars by saying that the matter had been resolved.

“I told them that the state government has not spent extravagantly and the decision to procure the Mercedes cars was done after two years of evaluation,” he said.

When asked whether the Mercedes Benzes would be used as official cars, Ahmad replied “Wait and see.

“I have also received support from other state leaders and ministers on my move (to replace the Proton Perdanas).”

Malaysia may face possible trade sanctions if it does not buck up on human rights issues

I applaud the manner U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza defends the US stance on human rights and political matters in Malaysia. Condoleezza spoke a stern message at the 41st ASEAN meet in Singapore earlier this week on the manner Anwar was treated.

When warned by Malaysia's Foreign Minister Rais Yatim not to meddle in Malaysia's affairs, Rice stated firmly that 'We are always going to speak up on human rights cases, political cases, but again we do so in a spirit of respect for Malaysia'. Condoleezza had also brushed off Rais Yatim's statement that this was an 'internal affair', saying ' The United States doesn't recognize that it is simply internal affairs when a case of this kind comes up. We want to see transparency and for rule of law to be completely followed..' which means to say this is now US business and you all better not mug around with human rights.

Last Wednesday July 23, our Home Minister met up with foreign diplomats to 'brief' on the Anwar case. Brief? Do they need briefing? Sounds more like a subtle threat to me. 10 hours ago, the former chief of World Bank, IMF and even the ex-President of Canada released a press statement saying Malaysia should drop the sodomy charges against Anwar. Here's the rest of the report:

'"We have heard with deep concern the charges filed against the honorable Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim," said the statement by former Canadian prime minister Paul Martin, ex-World Bank chief James Wolfensohn, and Michel Camdessus, the former head of the International Monetary Fund. They said the charges were brought "in spite of the fact that similar unsubstantiated charges filed 10 years ago against him were overturned by the Supreme Court."

They therefore hoped that "the government of Malaysia will ... demonstrate, by dropping the charges... an exemplary sense of respect for the rights of the individual which are so important to the international standing of Malaysia."

The three reiterated their "full confidence in his (Anwar's) moral integrity."

I took a quick look at US trade sanctions policy. The US Treasury, which via its Office of Foreign Assets Control ('OFAC') controls and enforces the US foreign policy on countries outside the US considered to be:

- sponsoring/ carrying out terrorist activities
- carrying out narcotics trade
- producing/ procuring weapons of mass destruction.

Amongst the states which are under US sanctions are Libya, Zimbabwe,Syria, Iran, few other African states and Burma. What's Burma famous for? Not really terrorism activities; but as narcotics vendor, junta and Aung San Suu Kyi. US sanctioned because of human rights issues. If Malaysia doesn't watch it, it too will be in line for trade embargo. Remember, Condoleezza said, ' blah... blah... in a spirit of respect for Malaysia..' which means Malaysia is a borderline case- which should be now under current review by the OFAC for sanctions. Human rights is just one matter. Does anyone remember the Badawi-Scomi case which involved the supply of nuclear missile related parts to the Middle East. Yes, one more supporting point for the case. This is a red flag and should prompt the BN to sit up straight.

In summary, I demand :
- that the Ministers should revisit what's being being said to the US relating to Anwar and drop the hardball act on Anwar
- that the PR MPs must address this matter in the context of international trade and economic risk exposure; and pressure the BN to make the immediate repairs

Changes in Service Tax ruling

Beginning from July 1 2008 food & beverage outlets earning less than RM3 million p.a in Malaysia does not have to pay the 5% service tax to Royal Malaysian Customs. Service tax, being an indirect pass-through tax, is ultimately borned by the consumer of goods and services- the 5% tax which is charged by the F&B outlet is wholly paid up to the RMC. The current Service Tax Regulations 1975 states that outlets earning RM300,000 and above must pay service tax... with the ruling, many outlets will escape the tax band which will benefit the end customer. If one could remember the Service Tax was scheduled to be replaced by the new GST in January 1 2007 but it never happened due to various reasons. The implementation date of the GST is currently in 'to-be-advised' status.

The abolishment of outlets having a turnover below RM3 million to pay service tax will benefit the business as well as the customer.

The advantages I see with this tax abolishment are:

- customers save 5% when patronising these outlets
- small boost for small businesses if customers know which restaurant to go for savings
- for qualified businesses, the saving of administrative effort in collecting tax and paying tax

The drawbacks are of course enforcement of the new ruling- the RMC will have to be on the ground (most probably undercover) to check illegitimate charging of service tax. Customers must also be looking out- whether the restaurant in question appears to be earning above RM3 million a year. RM3 million a year translates into sales of RM250,000 per month, over RM8,000 sales a day- at over 800 bowls of noodles at RM10 per bowl. RM8,0000 sales is a lot for a small shop- so just take notice the next time you are charged service tax.

Crony Capitalism, do we ever learn?

Crony capitalism exists where the success of a business is dependant on close relationships between businessman and government officials. This arises when political cronyism spills over into the world of business and self-serving friendships and family ties between businessmen and the government influence the economy and society to the extent that it corrupts public-serving economic and political ideals.

Crony capitalism will inevitably lead to corrupt practices, where bribery given to government officials are a necessity to sustain the business developments and ties and tax evasion is common. This is known as plutocracy(rule by wealth), where the wealthy have a disproportionate influence on political process in contemporary society.

Does this description remind us of the phrase 'Malaysia,Truly Asia'?

We know that this system has been practices for more than 20 years here, and has been increasingly rampant over that period of time. In my perception, most high-profile wealthy men in Malaysia are somehow or other linked with high-ranking government officials on the pretext of being 'friends'. This therefore truly depicts the rampant culture of crony capitalism in this country.

The question is how will this affect us? Well, let me put it this way. An empty pocket hurts the most. The Asian Economic Crisis in July 1997 according to IMF officials Michel Camdessus and Stanley Fischer; were quick to explain that the afflicted economies had only themselves to blame. Crony capitalism, lack of transparency, accounting procedures not up to international standards, and weak-kneed politicians too quick to spend and too afraid to tax were the problems according to IMF and US Treasury Department officials.

That was in 1997, today 11 years later, we are still afflicted with the same problems. With the world economy taking a nose-dive and inflation-rates at an all-time high, who will be able to bail us out? We need good governance desperately! We need to discard age-old bureaucracy and ancient leaders. Look at the upcoming party elections of the ruling government. They have not changed. The same old people are there, from 20 years ago! Where are the fresh faces?

The methods of choosing a leader are still the same, therefore even if there were potential young people, they would not be able to emerge because of the high level of bureaucracy in the system. Again, this is caused my cronyism. Have we not learned our lessons from the course of history? We must remember that "History repeats itself." "There's nothing new under the sun." "Those who will not learn from history, are bound to repeat it."

Are we going to learn the lessons caused by failed governance and better ourselves for the future?

The black, the white, and the grey.

I must say, the current political situation is much too confusing for a 20-something year old to digest. It seems that in the world there is no straight cut black and white picture. Who is right? Who is wrong? Who is lying and who is telling the truth? And what are the reasons and motivations for them to say or do they things that they say or do?

I'm confused, and devastated at the same time because it all seems overwhelmingly difficult to comprehend, yet I want to find out the truth. What makes a leader good or bad? Is there such a thing as a good or bad leader?

I have only known three leaders in my short life and the paradox seems to be that they are confusing characters.

The first; our fourth prime minister, who now has turned to blogging as well is perceived to be a dictator, ruling with an iron-fist, responsible for crippling the judiciary and wiping out any opposition or threats. This in my mind portrays a power-hungry man, selfish to his own intentions and ignorant to the future consequences. But on the other end of the spectrum, he is the man who brought our country to the attention of the world; building mega-structures and increasing economic growth. He was an iron-man, but we had food on the table. So the fact that he had so much control and power, is that the hallmark of a good leader or of a bad one?

The second, a direct opposite in character of the former, our 5th prime minister is perceived to be weak and has no control over his subordinates, causing them to disregard his wishes. A man with no vision and goal of where the country's direction is heading. He portrays a weak, ignorant man who is thrown into a position of great power, and now does not want to let go. But again, without this man, we would not have the bravery to voice out our discontentment and unhappiness at such a level. Sure he did not rule with the iron-fist of his predecessor, but is this his weakness or strength?

The third, is our de facto opposition leader, who has been through much ordeal over the past 10 yrs. He was flying sky-high when he hit rock bottom. This is the man who has the ability to attract and charm crowds of people, using his incomparable oratory skills to charge the atmosphere, enabling people to believe in his ability to change the country's future. We have not had a proper chance yet to discover his true leadership qualities as the country's leader, and I personally want to believe that everything he says and promises now will be what he does in the future. However, what keeps me apprehensive is that he was once part of this corrupt greedy machinery that seeks to feed on the ignorance of people and exploit the country to the fullest extent. My question would be, "why didn't you do something about it when you were high up there and fight for change then?".

But this seems rather naive, because I see many people who have joined the system with visions and dreams, and cast it all away because the attitude seems to be "if you can't beat em, join em". The key seems to be conform, conform, conform only will you succeed in this system.

So who do we blame? Human nature? Because in a way we have all conformed to the system as well. Do you admit never to have bribed a policeman, or customs officer? Or never used resources and contacts to get what we want? Have you not allowed this system of cronyism and corruption to be an everyday way of life?

But I know why you did it. You did it because food has to be put on the table, children to send to school, mouths to feed etc. etc. You did it to protect yourself and your family. Then are you a bad person for conforming to the corrupt system or a good one merely put in an uncompromising position?

And now, the situation we are in today, the future of this country hanging on a thin thread, what do we do? Almost everyone tells me their generation admits to making a mistake, and it is up to my generation to fix it. This is what I have to say; don't wait for us to fix it because it may be too late, fix it with us. Admit and own up to your mistakes, let it no more be the grey areas of what is right and wrong. We have to uphold honesty, truth and justice, at whatever the cost. Do what is right now.

As long as someone does the right things he deserves to be in power, regardless of who he is. I remember learning from a wise blogger friend I am a Malaysian who told me he believes in what is right, not who is right. Therefore, we must not believe wholly in persons and personalities, but rather we must have a believe in an idea. So, whoever conforms to that idea will be accepted by us, but once they digress, it is time to get rid of them.

Answer to MP's question Week #18

This country came a long way in terms of democratic reforms during the last 2 years; more reform if not stunted by the Government’s hardball tactics such as mobilising the police in a provocative and aggressive manner to intervene protests. When we talk about protests, Malaysians have so far protested in a civil minded such as place card demos, peaceful street march, carnival-like gatherings, petitioning and blogging.

A question comes to mind when answering your question- how long can Malaysians be civilly obedient. The average Malaysian today is stretched. He/ she is challenged in meeting income with living expenditure. The thinking Malaysian wage earner also faces the terrible stress of prospective future unemployment. Wage earners and business owners alike know, that the easiest controllable cost component in times of rising prices is labor cost and headcount. Control these components, the downside effect is unemployment.

History shows continuous suppression and physical abuse will push people to rioting and hooliganism. When Lee Kuan Yew was building Singapore in its early years he recognized that physical well being and personal wealth played a key role in a country’s economic growth- the contented worker today works even harder for tomorrow, knowing what his daily toil brings in results for himself and country. But yet, across the causeway, the Malaysian Government deliberately does the opposite to its people, totally ignoring the critical success factors of its neighbor.

The only avenues to fight this cruel administration is via the Parliament and the streets. The question is how long CAN the average stressed out Malaysian remain quiet, not a matter of whether they WANT to keep quiet or not. The only avenue to fight this cruel administration is via the Parliament and the streets. Yes, the rakyat should not keep quiet, but instead should take demos to the next level. Demos should be held at personal residences of Cabinet Ministers for instance. As for the the rest of the points I would not mention them here.

As for the Parliament, some PR MPs like Fong Kui Loon, Nurul Izzah, etc should step up in performance. No simple majority, but the minority is not small in number either- make your voted position count like Wee Choo Keong.

Anwar Ibrahim arrested today

Got the news via sms from Wee Choo Keong that Anwar Ibrahim's been arrested near his house. Checked The Star online, and the story's there too.

I'm getting really pissed-off with how this country is run, for many years I have tolerated this dictatorship, racism crap. We have done all we can, as citizens. What's next now?

New Comment Box

I've modified the comment box. Previously as with the original Blogger template, you'll have to click on the comment link which will take you to the comments page. From thereon you post your comment.



The original pop-out comment window looks like this:

















































The newly modified comment box, which by default appears right below a blog posting looks like this:

Also checkout the new drop-down box (circled above) where you can select where your ID is registered- Google, Wordpress, etc. On how to do this, please go here.

Possible tax on petrol rebate

It is interesting to see how the headlines read on the petrol rebate given out since the latest fuel price hike on June 5, 2008:

June 8, NST- Fuel price hike: 'Rebate will help ease fuel price hike pain' A person who drives a small car and travels not more than 50km a day would not be burdened by the higher petrol prices. This is because the RM625 cash back rebate would cover the higher costs incurred.

June 9, The Star- All will get cash rebate, says Shahrir KUALA LUMPUR: Motorists who renewed their road tax before April 1 and therefore fail to qualify for the cash rebate need not fret. Their next road tax renewal would qualify them for it.

June 13, The Star- Rebate in three minutes The process of getting fuel subsidy rebates will be simple and will only take three minutes, Pos Malaysia Bhd said.

July 10, The Star- IRB to decide whether RM625 rebate is taxable The Government has yet to decide whether to tax the RM625 rebate a year given to owners of vehicles with engine capacity of up to 2,500cc.

The IRB chief goes on to say that the rebate may push borderline taxpayers into the higher bracket- of course it will. It will also push non-taxpayers into the taxpayer bracket as well. Whether the tax rebate is taxable or not depends on how the IRB wants to interpret Section 4 of the Income Tax Act 1967. Section 4 has a wide scope, but if one understands it word for word, the RM625 is a clear cut non-taxable item. Just amend Section 6A (section on Tax Rebates) to include this RM625 in this Section and that's it. Additionally, the type of rebates in Section 6a for personal tax payers is pretty small- Eg. An RM400 rebate for personal computer purchase not related to business purposes; rebates for religious dues and rebates related to the RM35,000 tax band.

6.4 million is the number of registered tax payers; 1.14 million is the number who pays taxes; the employed workforce being 10.5 million (Source: 1st quarter 2008- Dept of Statistics Malaysia). I do not have tax payer demographics but taking from the median tax band of 13%, if IRB decides to define this rebate as taxable it may stand to gain about at least RM93 million. This figure could be higher, up to RM171 million depending on taxpayer band. The estimated number of vehicles legible for rebates is estimated to be slightly over 7.05 million (from MAA and JPJ records), giving rise to a possible total pay out of over RM4.4 billion in rebates.

As one can see from the above estimation, the Malaysian Government will never be able to recoup fully the possible RM4.4 billion rebates. Even if it intends to do it the back door way by making the rebate partially or fully taxable, the estimated recoup is just small percentage of the total rebate payout- the Government might as well save the public unrest and ask IRB to shut up and bite the bullet.

No confidence motion tabled by Pakatan

Check out the breaking news here.

KL cabbies are ruining their own rice bowl

I am writing this post from the consumer point of view.Several years back my job got me posted to Penang. Having fresh transferred from East Malaysia to Penang, I did not own any motor vehicle as I had sold off my car earlier. Having a car is a drag especially when you get posted to multiple locations every one or two years. Morever Penang is a city and life could not be too bad without a car. I could fly home or take the bus to KL on my off days, cool. Spending about 2 years in Penang gave me a chance to observe the cab service- I was very wrong when I thought I could survive in Penang without a car.

The Penang situation.

Upon arrival to the Sg Nibong Penang bus station from KL- one can observe that most bus passengers have their own transport awaiting. One rarely takes a cab. The cab drivers have their own station, and will be pretty engrossed in their carom/ checkers game. Few will be reading the papers. Business is bad- most passengers don't take the cab.The general observation is as follows:

* All Penang cabbies do not use meters. If you happen to strike a conversation with them about cab meters, they proudly proclaim what they are doing is right.

* Most Penang folk have given up taking busses or cabs. Buses never arrive on time and cabs are too expensive. Almost everyone owns a car or a bike.

* Penang cab charges are expensive for the distance travelled. Charges are also subjective, depending from cab to cab and on peak periods or not.

* If you are going out of town, the bus station is 20 km away from town. The cab fare from Georgetown to the Sg Nibong bus station was half the bus fare (RM10) to KL, and after midnight it's almost equvalent to the bus fare to KL (RM20 to RM30). If not for those damn Air Asia flights which is always late at least 2 hours, I would have flew most of the time.

* Reason given by cabbies for not using meters- Penang is a small place, distance travelled is limited- meter charge corresponds with distance, hence revenue is limited. To get more income, cabbies can't use the meter, else their families would starve.

* Tourists know it's better to rent a car than to take a taxi.

* On most days, supply exceeds demand and most cab drivers end up playing either carom or checkers in taxi stands.

* Most cabbies have a fixed daily hire purchase or lease rental that's a fixed cost they must cover. Most cabbies say they've got mouths to feed. But if they are playing checkers or carom all day long, who's bringing in the money?

The KL situation.

The taxi situation in KL is fast becoming what's in Penang. Taxi drivers should not stop using meters or else the situation may be far worse than in Penang eventually. From the theory of economics, taxi is a fairly elastic 1 service in Kuala Lumpur because of subsitutes 2- the LRT, Monorail, RapidKL, kereta sapu and so on. This elasticity is confined to the operating hours of LRT, Monorail, RapidKL, meaning to say if there is an unusual hike in taxi fees within that transport substitute's operating hours, consumers may switch to an alternative mode of transport where service is available. For example, the Monorail is considered a substitute mode of transport if it runs to your destination. Another taxi substitute is getting your own car or bike, which was what I did in Penang; or walk.

Before getting my car, I actually walked wherever I went in Penang- never agreeing to the un-metered taxi system. I could not manage to walk the long distance between the Sg Nibong bus station and Georgetown though. I was so pissed-off with taxis that year that I bought myself a car, and paid the downpayment for my better half's MPV as well. So we got two nice cars that year.

A word of advice to KL cabbies- don't push it. Taxi is a volume business and it doesn't pay to chase your customers away by simply charging without rules. When customers switch, you'll be in bigger trouble.

Update: Checkout these terrible testimonials from the Expat magazine.

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1 Elasticity

In economics theory- elasticity means the degree which demand for a particular product/ service is influenced by its price. There are 2 types of elasticity- price elasticity and demand elasticity. A product/ service is price elastic if demand for the product/ service falls when prices increase. People switch to substitutes of the product or stop using it altogether. A product/ service is known to be supply elastic if producers of the product/ service can increase supply as demand increases.

2 Substitute

The next best alternative to the current product/ service whereby it can be used in the place of another. A substitute, depending on its degree of substitutability plays an important part in determining prices.

Protest on fuel hike went well

I am happy to state I was there! Was it for a good cause? the answer is yes. Was it politically motivated? I don't think that's relevant because even if the opposition was involved in it, we gathered for a common cause; A PROTEST ON FUEL HIKE. So it does not matter whether we are politically inclined, or NGO inclined, or just regular individuals, we were there because we felt the pinch of rising costs of living and stagnating salaries. So I am proud to say that I've done my part by showing up even if the protest speeches seemed to be more of an 'anti-BN' slur.

And being the first official protest that I've attended, I must say that Malaysians are showing great levels of maturity. The crowd was peaceful, strangers were talking to each other like old friends, and I felt a certain warmth and friendliness towards everyone there. However I heard some talk that there was an attack on a rock band earlier, I can't clarify since I only arrived at about 8.00 pm.

Perhaps the most memorable was the fact that the demographic of protesters was so diverse that it really was a mini Malaysia. From people of all ages, from all walks of life, whether urbanites or laid back country folk, they showed up regardless of race, religion, or economic status. And I was most surprised to see many groups who were probably around my age group, i.e. 18-24 who showed up bearing the colours of red and showing great interest in the plight of the nation. We even had a youth who came all the way from Sarawak proudly bearing his state's flag.

This really was an eye-opener for me and I am glad to be a participant, even if it was just to add to the number of people there, although, the helicopters flying overhead are a bit of a distraction.

Malaysian stocks fall further

After a day's trading suspension due a faulty hard disk, the Bursa resumes trading to fall almost 30 points before lunch. At lunch today, the KLCI stands at 1,124. Check out the report here.

Malaysia Insider reports that the Bursa CEO's employment contract renewal may be affected because of the glitch.

Dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital

Take a break from the Mohd Saiful and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim case. Read about this hospital in Malang, Indonesia named Dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital.

Malaysia stock market suspended

Trading on the Bursa has been suspended since early this morning because of 'multiple hardware failure', the official reason given by the Bursa. Is it an actual hardware failure or is it that the KLCI is plummeting too fast down that they had to pull the plug temporarily? The Malaysian stock market plunged to a fresh 2008 low ending at 1,153.70 yesterday (June 2, 2008).

Updated:

Trading on Bursa Malaysia fails to resume at 2.30pm as notified earlier.

Market suspension continues to end of day

Blogger news on Anwar

I caught this latest posting on Anwar from Hard-T's blog. Hard-T is known for his 'hard' writing and breaking-news-scoops but this piece of news is bizarre. Hard-T's posting points to another blogsite here.

Updated:
Source: The Star, June 3, 2008
Hospital denies issuing statement on Mohd Saiful
The Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH) has denied that it issued a statement on the results of the medical examination conducted on Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, who alleged that he was sodomised by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Two sides of the coin

It seems fresh graduates of Malaysia in the 21st century have mostly been perceived as a rotten basket of apples. With the lights of student leaders making the most silly remarks about white school uniforms, and most recently yet again another racist remark by the wonderful UM graduate, who again fails not to remind me just how unwanted I am in this country:

Therefore, I as the Head of Graduates of University of Malaya would like to advice all our fellow graduates of University of Malaya to combine forces and prepare ourselves together with all the necessary knowledge and preparation before we continue our fight in the actual battle field. This advice implies mainly to our Malay Graduates. We must treasure the sacrifices made by our ancestors which tried so hard to ensure that Tanah Melayu ( Malay Land ) is free from the intrusion of alien races. We must not fall into the category of those who forgets their roots until they will be taken over by other races. Graduates must prove themselves that we are capable and the best choice to take over the throne of governing the country in the future. This implies with the theme of MPMUM Progressive, Dynamic, Professional. There is nothing more important that can compared to our always-sensitive and improving Graduates. I also would like to advice all Malay Graduates to prepare ourselves in facing all sorts of unpredicted challenges that may occur in near future, relating to the rise of our fellow citizens, in particular to the non-Malay races. Don’t let ourselves slack and allow our “enemies under the blankets to attack us” (direct translation from the Malay idiom). Don’t allow our Malaysia to fall into the hands of those who are irrelevant.

Again, I am reminded that I am an ALIEN and an ENEMY of the people. Me, who among my peers care most about bringing this country to a better, more competitive level which is eminent in this 'dog eat dog', 'survival of the fittest' world. I am your enemy. I will rob you. I will bring you to poverty. And I am categorized to be enemy of the state, because by no fault of my own, I was born in this country, with this skin colour, at this unfortunate time. This seems to be the ongoing trend of local graduates which I am glad to say most people share the same view on condemning them.

But let me again, seek to convince you that not all young Malaysians are warped and unthinking just like these rotten apples. I have been meeting many young Malaysians overseas, mostly professionals through the wonderful contraption called Facebook.

It delights me to find that there are many of them, although overseas because of better opportunities there(duh!) are very much in touch with the going-ons in our country. They, just as much as me love this country and do not want to see it go to ruin. These are young talents, hoping that Malaysia will progress to a better place so that they can come home and contribute to our country. Therefore, not all hope is lost. Not all of us young ones have rotten coconuts for heads and talents will return.

But for that to happen we must get rid of this age-old conditioning used by weak people who are afraid of challenge and moving forward. Instead they suppress others to show superiority and surround themselves with bigger idiots to make themselves feel smart. In today's world moving towards globalism, this idea will collapse, and they will drag us down with them.

So please, to all the people who know how to think...you know where you stand.