WE IN ARENA

IT IS not the critic who counts,

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled,

or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena;

whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood;

who strives valiantly;

who errs and comes short again and again;

who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly;

so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

YAB, we are with you in the arena.

(THIS is a poem, attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, the American President from

1901-1909, that was quoted by my boss, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, to conclude his

welcoming speech at the Upko National Convention 2009 which was officiated

by Prime Minister, Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak in Sabah Cultural Centre, Penampang, on Sunday, 8 November 2009.

The more than 4,000 people received the poem, and the speech as a whole

very very well. Am sure, Upko will continue to sing this line for a long

time to come.... I pray, in the arena)

THURSDAYS WITH...

EEBOT: Waiting is very tiring.
BUDDY: I agree. I very agree.
MINNIE: For once I agree with you, Buddy.
BUDDY: Well, actually you have been very supportive dear Minnie.
It is not as if I did not noticed your goodness. And I appreciate it, you know.
MINNIE: Hey, what are you up to? You want an extra coffee?
EEBOT: Waiting is very tiring. But ....
BUDDY: Wait, wait, wait.....
@#$%&*####@

WHY WHY WHY

I THOUGHT we Malaysians, or rather 1Malaysians, had matured beyond doing silly things like what the CFM was referring to here. I remember a saying, if one cannot be trusted in small things, what more on bigger thing.... or something like that. Then I remember another saying, this is akin to the pain of growing up. Yes. And No. We should do only what is right. This does not mean we are always right. But at least we try....

CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA

(PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA)

Address: 10, Jalan 11/9 Sec. 11, 46200 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Telephone: (03) 7957 1278, (03) 7957 1463, Fax: (03) 7957 1457

Email: cfmsia@yahoo.co.uk

CFM media statement on 15,000 Bahasa Malaysia Bibles held by authorities

CFM CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF 15,000 BIBLES

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) calls for the immediate release of the 15,000 Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia currently being withheld by the authorities.

To withhold the use of the Bahasa Malaysia Bibles is an infringement of Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which gives every Malaysian the right to profess his/ her faith as well as to practice it.

This constitutional right is rendered illusory if Christians in Malaysia are denied access to Bibles in a language with which they are familiar.

This action of withholding the Bahasa Malaysia Bibles deprives Christians in Sabah, Sarawak , and in Semenanjung, a large majority of whom use Bahasa Malaysia, the right to use the Holy Scriptures in Bahasa Malaysia, to practice and profess their faith and, to nourish themselves spiritually.

It is baseless to withhold the Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia on the ground that they are “prejudicial to public order”. Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia have been used since before the independence of our country and has never been the cause of any public disorder.

Since the 1970s and in consonance with the government’s policies in education and the national language, Christians in Malaysia have received their education in Bahasa Malaysia. To deny the same Christians in Malaysia the right to read and study the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia is thus ridiculous and offensive. In fact, it is this action by the authorities themselves which is an affront to good public order.

We call on the relevant government officials who have neither the authority nor the right to act in this unconscionable manner to explain their action to the church leaders and to the public.

Church leaders and the Executive Committee of the CFM in “An Affirmation to the Churches in Malaysia” (6-8 Sept 1989, the Kuching consultation) and then later in “A Declaration to Churches in Malaysia” (30 January 2008) have stood on their commitment to Bahasa Malaysia as our national language and have used and continue to use Bahasa Malaysia in the life and witness of our Churches and Christian organizations.

The government and CFM have exchanged letters on this matter previously and we have a written agreement in December 2005 that Bahasa Malaysia Bibles can be distributed so long as the symbol of the cross and the words “A Christian publication” are printed on the front page.

We call on the government to walk the talk of its 1Malaysia policy and vision and not to curtail or impose conditions on the freedom of citizens to worship, pray and read the Holy Scriptures in Bahasa Malaysia. How can the first pillar of the Rukunegara i.e. Belief In God, be made a living reality in the lives of Malaysians if the government imposes restrictions and conditions on the constitutional and fundamental right of citizens to freedom of religion?

We ask that the relevant authorities resolve this matter promptly and release these Bibles for the use of Christians without any further delay or excuse.

signed

__________________

Bishop Ng Moon Hing,

Chairman and the Executive Committee,

The Christian Federation of Malaysia

OIL MONEY

I COULD already hear what my friends will point out to me in the context of this posting. But that will make oil and gas talks more interesting. Such goodwill payment or royalty or whatever is due, had hogged the political scene as long as I could remember. Well, in this case, Kelantan will get something. That perhaps is the beginning to better things to come....

KELANTAN TO GET GOODWILL OIL MONEY

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The Barisan Nasional federal government will pay Kelantan “goodwill payment” for oil extracted in its waters but PAS lawmakers are disputing it, saying it is akin to receiving alms instead of rightful oil royalty.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak told Parliament that Kelantan has no right to claim for royalties from national oil company Petronas since oil was extracted beyond the state’s waters, similar to the situation in Terengganu

“We have decided to give goodwill payment to Kelantan. This decision is made considering the need to develop Kelantan in line with the federal development programme,” he told the Dewan Rakyat, adding that the state will be receiving the allocation beginning next year.

But Najib’s statement immediately sparked an uproar, with Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub saying the Kelantanese are not expecting goodwill payment but what is rightfully theirs.

“So all this while, Terengganu have been receiving goodwill payment and not royalties? Under Section 144 of the National Petroleum Act, Terengganu is receiving royalty and not courtesy payment, so how is this possible?” blasted Salahuddin.

“We are not beggars. We are demanding for what is ours,” the PAS vice-president said.

Najib, visibly annoyed by Salahuddin’s attack gave a smirk and merely replied, “You’re trying to politicise the issue. Tak habis-habis dengan politik (never-ending politics).”

However, the prime minister’s statement contradicts the Statistics Department’s State/District Data Bank which lists Kelantan as one of the four oil and gas producing states. The other three are Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu.

The federal government has argued that oil and gas extraction activities are located about 150km off Kelantan’s shores and is jointly developed with Thailand, and thus beyond the legal limit of state/national boundaries. Also, the territory is being disputed by Thailand and Malaysia.

At a press conference later, Salahuddin said Najib was deliberately trying to mislead the House with his reply that Kelantan does not have rights to claim for oil royalty.

“Under the Act, it is clearly stated that oil producing states must receive 50 per cent of the revenues and it was clear that Najib lied when he said that Terengganu is receiving goodwill payment and not royalties,” he said.

He added that he will refer the prime minister to the privileges committee for misleading the House.

Meanwhile, Najib told reporters later that the goodwill payment will benefit the Kelantan government.

He also promised that talks about the payment, with the amount dependent on oil production and calculated according to the mechanism used in other oil producing states, will be done with transparency.

Kelantan, ruled by PAS since 1990, began seeking the oil royalty recently although the Cakerawala gas field began production in January 2005.

The entire 7,250-sq-km area in the Gulf of Thailand, in the oil-rich South China Sea, is called the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area (JDA).

The JDA was created as an interim measure to exploit the natural resources in the seabed or continental shelf claimed by the two countries, with the proceeds shared equally.

The arrangement does not extinguish the legal right to claims by both countries over the area. This is one of the first applications of the joint development principle in territorial disputes in the world.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on February 21, 1979 in Chiang Mai for joint development and later on May 30, 1990 in Kuala Lumpur to constitute the joint development authority.

As of the end of 2007, approximately 8.5 trillion standard cubic feet of gas reserves (proved and probable) from twenty two fields in the area have been discovered. THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

THURSDAYS WITH..

MINNIE: My heart goes to the families, relatives and friends of the suspension tragedy victims in Perak a few days ago. I am still shocked despite me knowing about it only through the papers.
EEBOT: I too feel so sad about the tragedy. And also because someone I know well in my village passed away three days ago. She was laid to rest today.
MINNIE: Who is she? Your relative? What did she died of?
BUDDY: Why is it that when somebody passed away, we want to know the how, where, when, what, who of things? Somebody had passed on, that's it.
MINNIE: It is wrong to ask?
EEBOT: Its ok Buddy, Minnie. We are only human. By nature we are inquisitive. Well, she was a very close friend of my late beloved mother. She was a friend, relative, family, all rolled into one. I feel bad I could not pay my last respect. I did whisper a prayer for her, and the family.
MINNIE: Death is a sad topic. Can we talk about something else?
BUDDY: Its you who started it.
MINNIE: What happened to you today, Buddy? So moody?
BUDDY: Am I not always like this?
EEBOT: There are some things in life which we cannot but face them head on. No matter how painful it is, even if it feels it is the end of the world, we just have to move on and live with it. It is easier said than done, though.
BUDDY: Better drink our coffee-lah. At least it is hot, think, black and with a unique aroma....

PKR CRISIS

THIS is not news. It is old news. But I still post this here, not only because I like the way it is written, but more so because it is not usual for political leaders to admit something is wrong with their party. That is news... and am learning (that is also news?)

AZIZAH: NOT ALL IS WELL WITH PKR

29 Oct 2009: RECENT changes to the leadership in Keadilan have caused confusion and consternation among some. I recognize that not everyone will be pleased with decisions made by the party’s leadership and not everyone will appreciate the difficulty we face in seeking to accommodate all views, including those of the divisions and branches which make up the backbone of the party, while striving to guide our party towards achieving its goals.

As our party grows in number and transforms into a national organization we have struggled at times to identify right strategy and mix of leadership that will carry us to the next level. Along the way we have encountered great challenges and have also uncovered promising new talent. Our task remains a work in progress and the announcements made this week are based on consensus and consultation within the party to work towards a better future.

Keadilan was established with a mission to be a unifying force for Malaysians of all races and religions and restore the integrity of the principles enshrined in the Federal Constitution. This mission carries unprecedented import and its pursuit confronts us with unparalleled challenges.

Over the years many have poured scorn on our aspirations for a brighter future and have derided our belief in an end to racial politics and rampant corruption. And yet we, with our partners in the Pakatan Rakyat, made historic progress towards restoring democracy, freedom and the Rule of Law. We have done so despite a hostile media and the relentless attacks on us by the institutions of the government and the unlimited resources of the UMNO-led BN coalition.

I acknowledge the setbacks that we have faced since the March elections. Political parties are complex organisms and political coalitions are neither crystallized overnight nor even in a fortnight. The frustrations which have been expressed by some colleagues within the party and by some supporters are valid and I remain open to engaging all parties on the principle of mutual respect, understanding and an unrelenting commitment to the principles of justice and fairness.

The future of the nation does not lie in the hands of any one individual nor does our party nor does this coalition. I continue to ask the ongoing faith and patience of the people in supporting the mission of Keadilan and of Pakatan Rakyat.

WAN AZIZAH WAN ISMAIL
President
Parti Keadilan Rakyat

OBAMA NUMBERS

The truth is that when Obama has played it tough, it has usually been in ways almost designed to infuriate the conservatives who call him lily-livered. He fired the CEO of General Motors earlier his year before bailing the company out and, just last week, his administration took extraordinary steps to force banks and lending institutions to scale back previously outrageous pay deals for their executives. Both things were bold and in-your-face. But they also represent severe cases of interfering in the private market, which the right abhors.

Obama knows he is still on probation. In his speech in Hackensack, he asked the crowd "to cast aside the cynics and the sceptics and prove to all Americans that leaders who do what's right and who do what's hard will be rewarded and not rejected". It was meant as an appeal to Jersey voters to show mercy to Corzine and give him back his job. But, with the Nov 3 polls being seen by some as the first verdict on Obama's infant presidency, he might too have been asking for a little understanding for himself. MUCH MORE

OBAMA. Yes, he is the man. Change. Yes, we can. One year on, and that is but an opinion about the Number One in the most powerful nation on earth. And yet, he was named Nobel Prize winner this year. Life indeed, is strange. Let us live it well, to the maximum...