Malaysian Post

Found this amusing video on Youtube. Thought I’ll share this video with my readers.

The creators of this video are certainly very talented.

Enjoy………………..

For International readers (read non-Malaysian) of this blog who may not be familiar with the political scene here in Malaysia, my apologies. The creators of this video captures the essence of the situation and present it beautifully in a song. :-)If you enjoy the above video, then you will most probably enjoy the following one on the infamous V. K. Lingam video clip.

Went to the Gerakan CNY Open House at Tesco Puchong this afternoon with my family.

There was a large crowd and we have to queue about 15 minutes for our food. Food was the usual fare consisting of white rice, fried rice, fried mee hoon, curry chick, popiah, satay, sweet and sour fish and stir fried cauliflower. Drink was orange cordial, cendol, and ABC (Ais Batu Campur).

We reached there after 1 p.m. and there were no cendol and ABC left. The lunch dishes were replenished from time to time. However, when we reached the serving table, the popiah, satay and fish were temporarily finished and were awaiting replenishment. Bad timing.

There was a short Children’s Lion Dance contest/demonstration before the VIPs gave their political speech.

Immediately after that there was an announcement over the PA system that the VIPs were distributing Ang Pows (red packets contain cash) to children. Immediately the crowd started moving towards the stage for the ang pow distribution. In the beginning the children were orderly. But after 10 or 15 minutes later the people at the queue started to get impatient and minor shoving and queue jumping starts.

 

By now, everyone in Malaysia would know about the dissolving of the 11th Malaysian Parliament and the elections to be held on 8th March 2008. However, most of the mainstream news in Malaysia are all controlled by the government and grossly biased in favour of the government.

The ruling party ensures that the opposition’s access to the printed media as well as airwaves are minimal. It is definitely NOT a level playing field.

In this respect all news on this election will be as far as possible be from neutral sources such as the BBC. Hopefully, the BBC will report more on this election as the news in Malaysia is usually very slanted during this period.

Below is the news of the dissolving of Parliament and the impending elections as reported by the BBC.

Malaysia sets date for early poll

Mr Badawi’s popularity has been eroded in recent months

Malaysia is to hold a general election on 8 March, after Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dissolved parliament more than a year ahead of schedule. Election officials said candidates would be nominated on 24 February, launching a 13-day campaign period.

The move comes amid rising racial tensions in multi-ethnic Malaysia and growing fears over inflation and crime.

But analysts still expect the ruling coalition to win the election, albeit with a reduced majority.

Mr Badawi, in power since 2003, announced the dissolution of parliament on Wednesday. He gave no reason for his decision.

Ethnic tensions

Malaysia’s opposition parties have attacked the timing of the ballot, which is being held well in advance of a May 2009 deadline.

Analysts say he is looking for a fresh mandate before the economy slows.

The four-year track record of the Abdullah administration has been so banal, disappointing and characterised by failure Anwar Ibrahim

Another advantage for Mr Badawi of holding the election next month is that charismatic opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim cannot stand for office.

Anwar, who was the country’s deputy prime minister before being jailed in 1998 on corruption charges, is barred him from politics until April 2008.

In a statement, he said: “Denying me the opportunity to contest demonstrates that the four-year track record of the Abdullah administration has been so banal, disappointing and characterised by failure that it can ill-afford to take any chances by allowing for a truly democratic electoral process.”

The timing of the election does pose some risks, though, for the ruling coalition.

Late last year a string of rare street protests in the capital exposed a growing unhappiness among some ethnic minorities.

A recent opinion poll also suggested that Mr Badawi’s personal popularity had tumbled by 30%.

Nonetheless, according to the BBC’s correspondent in Malaysia, Robin Brant, the National Front coalition government and the Malay party Umno which dominates it are virtually assured a healthy victory.

They have won all previous 11 general elections.

It is Valentine Eve and while waiting for my bus, I chance upon a couple of young enterpreneurs selling red roses from a car in the car park.

I asked them for permission to snap a couple of shots for this blog but they were very coy. They agreed after a while but by then my bus has arrived. I managed to fire off a couple of quick shots before dashing off to catch my bus. The tail end of the bus can be seen at the left of the picture below.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers in the world.

Was saddened to read about the death of Ah Meng, the iconic Orang Utan of Singapore Zoo today.

I remember the first time I “met” this lovable animal. It was when I came across her image in a stamp issued by Sing Post. The item is reproduced below:

SINGAPORE’s favourite ‘daughter’, aged 50, died of old age yesterday.

The news was taken sadly but calmly by the man dubbed the ‘Father of Ah Meng’ by his own family for the tireless care he showered on his ward.

Former zoo keeper Revi Nair, 46, took care of Ah Meng between 1981 and 2005, and he had been a fixture at almost all of her public appearances.

He found out about Ah Meng’s death from his wife, who called him with the news.

He told The New Paper: ‘It’s sad news, but I was expecting it.

‘She was very old.’

What he remembers most about his former charge, he said, is that she was a good mother.

Mr Nair recalled: ‘About 15 years ago, there was a baby orang utan, Binte, who had been rejected by her own mother.

‘We took the baby to Ah Meng a few times. Initially, she wasn’t interested in letting the baby suckle because it wasn’t her own.

(From above): Former zoo keeper Revi Nair poses upside down with Ah Meng in a photo taken 15 years ago; In 1983, Ah Meng presented the zoo with the perfect new year gift - a 1.5kg baby named Hong Bao; Mr Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, who has cared for Ah Meng since 1971, gets a peck on the cheek. — File pictures

‘But eventually, she did - and she became the baby’s surrogate mother.’

Ah Meng also leaves behind children of her own - she has two sons, Hsing Hsing and Satria; and two daughters, Medan and Sayang.

She also has six grandchildren.

Mr Nair used to accompany Ah Meng on nearly all of her celebrity meetings, which included meet-and-greet sessions with Prince Philip, magician David Copperfield, Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor among other stars.

He said: ‘When Michael Jackson came to Singapore, I went with Ah Meng to Raffles Hotel to meet him.

‘Michael… was happy to meet her. It’s hard not to like Ah Meng - she’s a neat orang utan, well-groomed, and she has good manners.’

Mr Nair added that over the years, Ah Meng had developed a keen understanding of English commands, and had learned human behaviour.

He said: ‘Ah Meng learnt the proper way of holding a teacup and stirring her tea, just by watching people do it.

‘She was highly intelligent and could learn nearly anything just by observing it.’

Mr Nair, who began his career as a zookeeper at the quarantine section of the zoo, started working with orang utans after two years there.

Ah Meng’s late daughter, Hongbao, which was born on Chinese New Year in 1984, was in his care until she died in 2004.

Zoo curator Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, 57, who has cared for Ah Meng since 1971, said he was ‘devastated’ by Ah Meng’s death.

He said: ‘Ah Meng wasn’t just any other animal - she was the icon of the Singapore zoo.’

Mr Chellaiyah said he had gone to Ah Meng’s enclosure yesterday morning as usual.

‘She looked very weak. We fed her as usual, but she threw up the food we gave her. We were worried and called the vet,’ he said.

But she had already died by the time the vet arrived.

He said: ‘I’m just glad she wasn’t in any pain when she died - her head dipped downwards and she was gone.’

He recalled that whenever he took Ah Meng out for a walk in the mornings, she would place both her hands on his shoulders ‘like a hug’.

He said: ‘She would greet me with a smile, and poke her finger out to touch me. It’s rare that anybody could grow so close to an animal.

‘But she has lived a good life.

‘With my upcoming retirement, I used to wonder who would leave the zoo first, her or me? It’s unfortunate that she has gone first.’

DIVA

Others who have worked with Ah Meng remember her as the superstar of the Singapore Zoo.

Former zoo chief Bernard Harrison said: ‘She carried herself like a diva because she was a star and she knew that. She loved taking pictures.’

He recalled an incident 26 years ago when Ah Meng escaped from a film set at MacRitchie Reservoir.

‘She simply decided to climb up a 50m-tall tree and stayed up there for three days.

‘Everybody there kept calling for her to come down, but she simply wouldn’t,’ he said.

Mr Harrison said Ah Meng eventually fell off the tree due to dehydration and hunger, and ended up breaking an arm.

He said: ‘We had to rush her to Mount Elizabeth Hospital to get her arm fixed.’

Undoubtedly saddened by the news of Ah Meng’s death, Mr Harrison added: ‘I worked with her for 29 years. It’s almost like losing an old colleague.’

FOREIGN TALENT

Ah Meng was born in Sumatra, Indonesia in 1960.

She arrived at Singapore’s zoo in 1971, after she was confiscated from a family who kept her as an illegal pet.

In 1982, the zoo began the ‘Breakfast with an orang utan’ programme with Ah Meng as the star.

By 1986, she had been featured in almost 30 travel films and appeared in more than 270 newspaper and magazine articles.

Ms Fanny Lai, group chief executive officer of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, told The New Paper that special arrangements are sometimes made for zookeepers who have grown attached to animals that have recently died.

She said: ‘We understand that keepers work closely with animals over a period of time and need space and time to grieve.

‘We make provisions by giving them time off from work, and we have occasionally arranged for the animals to be buried near the keepers’ rest area.’

Ms Lai said about two small animals have been buried in the zoo this way.

She said: ‘In Ah Meng’s case, we will be burying her at one of the zoo’s most scenic spots - the Garden With a View.’

As a tribute, the zoo also plans to name its next newborn orang utan Ah Meng Junior.

There will be a special memorial service held at the zoo for Ah Meng tomorrow from 9am to 11am.