Author: Hafiz Noor Shams

For more about me, please read this.

Categories
Politics & government

[1525] Of pave the road, give out freebies, enforce gender segregation

As election nears, incumbents usually try hard to keep their constituents happy. Potholes paved, freebies distributed, streetlights repaired. For PAS — I do not know for sure but I suspect as much — it is enforcement of gender segregation:

KOTA BARU: All supermarkets and hypermarkets must have three separate checkout counters or risk being fined following a decision to enforce the policy more strictly in Kelantan.

[…]

He admitted that enforcement had been lax and Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who is also spiritual adviser of PAS which rules the state, had chided local authorities here for not enforcing the rule of separate checkout counters. [Kelantan to enforce policy on sex-segregated queues. January 24 2008]

The phrases “more strictly” and “enforcement had been lax“, if read with the expected upcoming general election in mind, could mean that PAS thinks that the policy is popular. Who dares to introduce or enforce unpopular policies when election is around the corner anyway?

Keep in mind that what is popular in Kelantan is not necessarily popular in other states.

Regardless, this is a typical case of election: keep your electorates happy only when election nears.

Categories
Politics & government

[1524] Of how about local politics, sir?

Today in New Straits Times:

KUANTAN: Opposition politician Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he would contest a by-election if he was not allowed to be a candidate in the upcoming general election.

The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser said he would ask one of the party’s elected representatives to vacate his or her seat to enable a by-election to be held after April.

[…]

On whether having a by-election would be unfair to PKR elected representatives, Anwar said PKR members were more than willing to surrender their seats for him.

He also said voters should not have problems supporting him as he was the adviser to the party that they had voted for. [Anwar sets sights on by-election. New Straits Times. January 24 2008]

I think it is quite presumptive of Anwar Ibrahim to say “voters should not have problems supporting him as he” is “the adviser to the party that they had voted for“.

Sir, how relevant are local issues to your electability in such by-election?

Categories
Economics Society

[1523] Of market pressure in Gaza

Witness the power of the market:

RAFAH, Egypt — Thousands of Palestinians streamed over the Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip into Egypt on Wednesday, after a border fence was toppled, and went on a spree of buying fuel and other supplies that have been cut off from their territory by Israel.

They used donkeys, carts and motorcycles to cross the border, and streamed back over the fallen fence laden with goods they had been unable to buy in Gaza. The scene at the border was one of a great bazaar. The streets were packed, and people were bringing into Gaza everything from soap and cigarettes to goats, chickens, medicine, mattresses and car paint.

Israel ordered the closing of its border crossings into Gaza last week, halting all shipments except for emergency supplies, after a sustained and intense barrage of rocket fire into Israel by militant groups in the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas. Israel allowed in some fuel, medical supplies and food on Tuesday, as temporary relief, but has said that its closure policy remains in place. [Palestinians Topple Gaza Wall and Cross to Egypt. NYT. January 23 2008]

As supplies dwindled in Gaza, prices shot up. It went so high that the prices difference between Gaza and Egypt makes cost of transportation — which includes the cost of bringing down a wall to cross an international border — irrelevant.

Egypt so far has done nothing to stop Palestinians from crossing the border.

President Mubarak said he had allowed the Palestinians to come in.

He said he had told Egyptian troops to “let them come to eat and buy food and go back, as long as they are not carrying weapons”. [Gazans flood through Egypt border. BBC News. January 23 2008]

If the Egyptian government does nothing, Israel’s policy of border closure, or at least the side effect of the policy, will be as irrelevant as the cost of transportation.

Categories
Economics Politics & government

[1522] Of PAS wants a welfare state but we already are one

PAS earlier said that it wanted to turn Malaysia into a welfare state:

On Saturday, PAS said that it turn the country into a welfare state should it win the coming general election. [PAS Should Explain Welfare State – Muhyiddin. Bernama. January 23 2008]

But our favorite minister said that Malaysia is already a welfare state.

SUNGAI PETANI, Jan 23 (Bernama) — The Barisan Nasional (BN) government has already made Malaysia a welfare state, Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said Wednesday. [Malaysia Already A Welfare State, Says Zam. Bernama. January 23 2008]

Sadly, I agree.

PAS or BN, either way, we are already screwed. In fact, it is hard to find a local political party that would move away from the idea of welfare state, which usually comes together in a package with central planning policies. But if PAS does not think that Malaysia is already a welfare state, I could only shudder at its definition of the concept, which would probably sit far farther to the left.

Categories
Humor

[1521] Of how to spot a fake medium by MCA

Something to amuse your day with.

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has come out with a book to expose conmen who use religion as a tool of deception.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong gave away the book to reporters at a press conference yesterday.

The book, in both English and Chinese, contained guidelines for people on how to recognise a true medium as well as 20 pointers to distinguish between a crook and a real medium. [MCA guidebook on how to identify fake mediums. The Star. January 22 2008]

What? Is there such a thing as a true medium?

MCA is nuts! I definitely will not vote for somebody that sells snake oil, “fake” medium or MCA, all the same!