SNIPPETS

READER POSTED RELIGIOUS-SENSITIVE COMMENT ON LIM KIT SIANG'S BLOG

This is too much already. I cannot believe my eyes when I read a comment posted in Lim Kit Siang's blog last week (July 22nd). (http://www.blog.limkitsiang.com/)

The comment was posted by a reader known as KCB (obviously non-Muslim), regarding Kit Siang's blog post entitled "UMNO-PAS Malay Unity Talks".

In that post, Kit Siang criticised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for holding talks with PAS in a move which he sees as steering away from the "Malaysian Malaysia" concept of which he and DAP are championing.

I don't really care about what Kit Siang said in his post because everybody knows his stand on the matter.

And as usual, readers supported Kit Siang in the comments thread by further shelling Abdullah, claiming that the UMNO-PAS talks was a move to uphold Malay supremacy and will lead to severe racial polarization in the country. That is fine with me because knowing Kit Siang, he would only publish comments supporting his views of the day.

But I cannot accept the comment posted by KCB in the comment thread. It was totally irrelevant and worse, it ridiculed Muslims. This is the comment :

kcb Says: Yesterday at 14: 38.52
Now I know why some people have to pray 5 times a day!!!

That comment was totally disrespectful and most insensitive. For KCB's information, it is compulsory for all Muslims to perform prayers 5 times a day - Subuh, Zuhur, Asar, Maghrib and Isyak because Allah swt says so. No one can dispute that.

How on earth did Kit Siang or his blog administrator allow such comments to be posted?
I demand Kit Siang and KCB (if he dares come out in the open) to issue a formal apology to all Muslims not just in Malaysia but worldwide.

This is my message to all blog readers - please be tactful and considerate when posting comments.

Think with your heads, not with your knees!

HFMD IN TAMAN MELAWATI : PARENTS BLEW IT OUT OF PROPORTION

I'm really angry with parents of SK Taman Melawati 2 pupils who took it among themselves to contact the New Straits Times, expressing their concern over the school's allegedly lackadaisical approach to contain the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) of which 5 cases were reported but only two were confirmed (NST, pg. 22, 1 August 2008).

My daughter is also a Year One pupil at the school and I felt a knot in my stomach when I read the news report at first glance. But upon reading it carefully, I then realised that everything was under control and this was further confirmed when I personally called the school and also a friend at the Health Department.

This is exactly the problem with overzealous and whining parents which I can personally vouch are aplenty at the school. During the school's Parent Teacher Association (PIBG) Annual General Meeting earlier this year (if those parents even bothered to attend), the headmistress humbly requested that all parents communicate directly with the school's management if there were any issues, complaints or dissatisfaction regarding the wellbeing of their children. The last thing she wanted are gung-ho parents using the media to air their grouses because the media will not necessarily be able to solve the problem at hand (trust me, I was a journalist for almost a decade, so I know the deal).

I actually went to the school the same evening to fetch my daughter (whom normally takes a school van), just to have a first hand look at the situation. Majority of parents whom I spoke to said they were aware of the HFMD case (from NST) but not worried at all because if there was actually an outbreak, the school would have been closed already. In fact, several of the parents whom I met that evening were doctors and they said there was absolutely nothing to worry about. True to their words, the moment our children were released from school at 6.30 pm that evening, all I can see were hundreds of bubly and rosy cheeked 7 - 9 year olds running happily to their waiting mommys and daddys.

To the parents whom contacted the media over this issue, I hope you know the consequences of your selfish action. SK Taman Melawati 2 is the best primary school in the Gombak district and a lot of parents would do anything, including pull strings, to get their children enrolled there. I have high confidence and faith in the capabilities of the school's headmistress and teachers in taking care of our children. Don't put this school in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. After all, this is where our children get their education, unless you want to transfer them to another government school or better still, fork out a bomb to enroll them into a private school just 5 minutes away. Perhaps there they will communicate with you for even the most trivial matters such as the colour of socks your child should wear for the monhtly or quarterly school plays or concerts.

If not, let's all agree that for now, SK Taman Melawati 2 is a good deal, so count your blessings instead.

ANWAR AND PERMATANG PAUH

I find it amusing that all these while, we've been hearing that almost every key leader in Pakatan Rakyat (the opposition alliance comprising Parti Keadilan Rakyat, DAP and PAS) offering to vacate their Parliamentary seats for their de-facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar "Al-Posterior" Ibrahim. At long last, it is his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah who decided to resign as Permatang Pauh MP to make way for hubby dearest to contest in what must be "the mother of safest seats" for the former DPM.

What happened to the likes of Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Menteri Besar of Selangor who said he'd willingly sacrifice his Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat for Anwar? Even Tian Chua who said he had no qualms to give his Batu seat or Azmin Ali who'd relinquish his Gombak seat, all for the love of Anwar?

Podah! Cakap aje berdegor-degor (Perak slang for not walking the talk). Last-last, bini jugak yang berkorban....

ISETAN SALE, PC FAIR AND TRAFFIC JAM

Over the weekend, Suria KLCC was jam-packed with people seeking "retail therapy" due to a double-whammy - the Isetan Megasale and the Pikom PC Fair.

Ini lah orang Malaysia - pantang dengar sale, semua rushing like mad. But then again, I was one of the guilty ones because I did bought a Casio G-Shock watch at Isetan, hehe. It was just too good to pass - 20% discount for Isetan card members. The watch which originally cost RM339 was reduced to RM271, thanks to the discount. I am big fan of Casio G-Shock watches - this is my third one. This is one thing which the Swiss can never match the Japanese - the latter makes high-quality watches at really, really affordable prices. Anyway, I do have a Tissot T-Touch timepiece which cost me more than RM2K - at least kena la ada jugak one Swiss timepiece in a lifetime, betul tak?

Back to the Isetan megasale and PC Fair - I have never seen so many people converge in one place - macam sardin, siap boleh berlaga buntut lagi. And yet people complain times are tough lah, fuel price is too much to bear lah, nak ubah lifestyle lah. Again, tak ada maknanya! When the government decided to raise the price of petrol from RM1.92 to RM2.70, majority of Malaysian cursed - hentam government and worse, even hentam PETRONAS yang tak ada kena-mengena pun sebenarnya. And I can bet, 90% of those who cursed the government when fuel prices went up are the same people who thronged KLCC for the Isetan sale and PC Fair. Eh, pelik kan? At first complaining because their budget is now tighter than a corsette, and here they are splurging like mad. I actually saw a guy emerging from the PC Fair (held at KL Convention Centre) with a trolley filled with printers, printer cartridges, a notebook computer and several other PC peripherals. Kiasu betul!

I actually sent my wife to KLCC on Saturday because she too wanted to buy some stuff at Isetan. I've already decided that I didn't want to accompany her because my eldest daughter was at school (replacement for upcoming Aidilfitri break) and my youngest daughter would surely throw a tantrum in a place filled with crazy shoppers. But what I thought would be a simple drop-off turned out to be a nightmare because it took me almost 30 minutes to enter KLCC via the KL-Ampang Elevated Highway entrance - the queue of automobiles was that long. Again, ada pun duit nak bayar duit minyak kereta kan?

TWO-WHEELERS ON THE KL-AMPANG ELEVATED HIGHWAY

I wish to register my disgust with the authorities who see fit to allow motorcycles on the KL-Ampang Elevated Highway. This 7-km expressway, which enables cars to zoom into KL from Ampang and Hulu Kelang in under 10 minutes, has now been invaded by motorcycles whom I must say, are behaving like apes because they have finally been allowed to taste the forbidden fruit.

The elevated highway was not designed for bikes. It has no provision for motorcycle lanes, and motorcyclists pose a danger to all motorists (paying users) as they zig zag, in and out of fast moving automobiles.

Prolintas (the PNB subsidiary which is the highway's operator and concession-holder) admitted that it was the authorities whom had allowed motorcycles to use the highway, in early July, although the signs at all entrances prohibit motorcycles!

Dah la tak kena bayar, mencilok bagai nak rak. Menyampah!

Ini mesti kerja Pak Lah jugak ni - sejak kena belasah teruk in the March 8 general election, bagi segala benda to various parties and quarters of the rakyat, sebab nak cuba puaskan hati semua orang, kan? Entah lah - tak kuasa nak fikir benda-benda macam ni....
Doesn't the Transport Ministry undertake any study before implementing such things?