America versus China; The Impact on Malaysia & Asia-Pacific

When United States of America faced its worst market crash in 2008 since the catastrophic 1929 Great Depression, little did its people know that the worst was yet to come. It took quite some time for the economic powerhouse to stabilise after continuous sluggish economic growth, severe unemployment and high national debt plagued the nation. Since day one after inheriting the “most sought after seat” from his predecessor, Barack Hussein Obama was seen discreetly struggling to put the Uncle Sam’s nation back on track. Nevertheless, he was not to be blamed as most of the problems were inherited from the previous Republican president, George Bush Jr.

            The market crash in early 2008 dubbed as the Great Recession, took place no thanks to unscrupulous bankers and corporate honchos in America’s financial district; the famed Wall Street. The subprime mortgage crisis shook everything apart, leaving many defaulting in their loan repayments and others retrenched without ample compensation. Worse, it was complemented with the much anticipated housing bubble burst. To the uninitiated, to put it simple, housing bubble burst occurs when supply of housing units overrides demand, thus in the process, dragging the market price to a remarkable low level. Whilst this left many new units unoccupied, the speculators who jumped on the bandwagon earlier to profit on the escalating real estate industry received the biggest blow.

            In a bigger scope, even the flamboyant MNCs in US were hit hard by the economic meltdown. Conglomerates like American International Group (AIG) were pushed to the periphery of bankruptcy but was fortunate enough to be bailed out by using America’s taxpayers’ money. To the unlucky ones like the once high-flying Lehman Brothers, it was the end of the road for its stakeholders.

            This maelstrom in Wall Street initiated a brutal domino effect that wrecked economies throughout the globe, most notably the poor and developing economies. Worst off, for export-reliant nations like Malaysia, the economic contagion spelt a heftier damage. Malaysian economy plunged and experienced reduction in private spending. This eventually triggered the Premier, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to announce the roll-out of two fiscal stimulus packages amounting to RM 67 billion in 2009. But, while many parts of the world were facing dampened economic growth, Malaysia’s economy continued to perform miraculously in a very stable and steady manner, spearheaded by the Government’s various plans and initiatives under the National Transformation Policy. The Economic Transformation Programme launched soon after, propelled the economy to a greater prospect despite the world being shrouded in economic uncertainty.

Now, in 2013, Malaysia boasts with sound economic growth and significant level of foreign direct investment (FDI) in its diverse fields, “turbo-boosted” by the five notable economic corridors. Those corridors are the North Corridor Economic Region (NCER), East Coast Economic Region (ECER), Iskandar Malaysia, Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). Scores of foreign investors have flooded Malaysian shores to invest in many projects and industrial developments. Not only that, Entry Point Projects (EPP) announced by the Prime Minister from time to time have managed to grab attention of not only domestic, but also international cornerstone investors.

            This scenario is not only visible in Malaysia, but also in various other nations in the Asian continent. Prompted by the subprime mortgage crisis in USA coupled with the turbulence in the 17-nations Euro group, investors have lost their “appetite” in the Western nations. After all, the sight of one by one nation in the Eurozone, being bailed out from bankruptcy by using rescue fund from International Monetary Fund did minimised their further interest in investing in those troublesome economies. Soon, in no time, with the limelight shining on Asia, “hot money” flowed into the developing countries which promised better future for their investments.

            And this is where another economic juggernaut rose to prominence. With United States losing its appeal, the Land of Sleeping Giant led by the Communist Party of China aggressively climbed to the top, pulling down Japan, to be “instated” as the world’s latest second biggest economy. The Great China has since become a living nightmare for America. Attracting regional and international investors due to its vast availability of low-cost labours and talent pool, People’s Republic of China became a destination for business-orientated individuals. Ever since Deng Xiaoping’s economic liberation in 1979, China has been growing remarkably outdoing its rivals, particularly after the economic crisis in 2008.

            Whilst some economists feel that China could outdo the US to be world’s biggest economic powerhouse by 2050, this nation is also bolstering itself in all possible aspects. China further advances by reinforcing its influence throughout the globe namely in the Asian Pacific region. This is the hardest blow to the United States and its Congress leaders. After all, most Americans would never have had a better impression on the capability of an Asian nation. Seeing China growing at a remarkable pace together with other better performing economies abbreviated as the BRICs which refers to Brazil, Russia, sub-continent India and China itself, is simply mind-boggling.

            Currently, China, world’s biggest carbon footprint producer, also claims all territories in South China Sea under its jurisdiction. Plus, the country is also struggling with many other issues like the spat over territorial islands rights with South Korea, the Philippines and Japan, the pressure by US to allow appreciation of the Chinese Renmimbi, rebellion in semi-autonomous Tibet and reunification with Taiwan.

            Democratic President Barack Obama saw this sudden growth of China as an imminent threat to America’s status quo in all four corners of the world. Thus, a year back, it was officially announced that the US shall no longer focus in the Middle East, and better US “diplomatic relations” will be fostered in the Asia-Pacific region. America’s involvement in Middle East started even before the Iran-Iraq war until the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq in the post-9/11 incident period. Although USA categorically denied that its military intervention has failed in the region, by all means, its venture in Iraq and Afghanistan were major flops. With serious deficits hitting its national bottom line, the States is no longer capable to afford more intervention in those nations, in the name of combating terrorism.

            To counter-attack China’s emerging influence in Asian Pacific, the States is foreseeing many possible avenues. Most notably, US has enhanced its power in the region through its proxies, the Philippines, Republic of Korea and Japan. In the meantime, it held military exercise with its proxies as preparation against any untoward attacks. In addition to this, in 2012, America and Australia formally inked an agreement for better future cooperation between the two powerhouses in terms of defence. While the US troops have been gradually petering out of Afghanistan and Iraq as pledged by 2014, their presence in the Asian Pacific region in the past two years has been intensifying.

            Besides that, the Obama administration has pushed for more collaboration with other economies in the region through the currently discussed Trans Pacific Partnership. This agreement seeks to promote free trade and intellectual property protection amongst the participating nations. With the States aiming high in improving its influence in the Asian Pacific region to overcome the new “Chinese fever”, ostensibly there are yet more United States led-initiatives to come.

            Hypothetically, while these two powerhouses are on the chase to outdo each other, may it be in terms of ideology or even economic success, the Malaysian leaders should always be aware. For Malaysia, both nations contribute heavily to its foreign investments and export industries. Thus, good diplomatic liaison with these nations should always be maintained for Malaysia’s own prosperity. Economic developments in Malaysia in recent days have been commended by many international parties such as the World Bank and IMF. With the government rolling-out more action-based policies to spur the economy, Vision 2020 as envisaged by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad can be successfully accomplished!

# My article in soon-to-be released Economics Faculty's magazine of University of Malaya.

An Equal Malaysia

In Malaysia, last Saturday may have been one of the most anticipated weekends ever. The Premier of the Federation of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak unveiled a slew of economic measures targeting the Bumiputra (indigenous population of Malaysia encompassing the Malay race and the aborigines) under the Bumiputra Economic Empowerment Plan.

This is widely seen as a continuance of affirmative action scoping on a particular group in Malaysia, which is in this case, the Bumiputra group. Whilst this has been received with inundating support from various quarters, particularly the Malay-business groups (with PERKASA, a Malay supremacist group demanding even more up to RM 1.4 trillion of Bumiputra Economic measures), many politicians and public figures have been quite critical of such announcement.

Bumiputra Economic Plan; Good or Bad?

In Malaysia, a country which boasts with a multiracial community (I know it’s quite cliché), inclusiveness of public policy which favours all the races is significantly needed. Any initiative that only puts emphasis to the development of only one race can be detrimental to the growth of the nation, in macro view. In the name of affirmative action, the Bumiputra group has been aided by the Government with the intention to elevate the economic status of the community. But, by saying this, has all the other races in Malaysia, the Indians, the Chinese, the Punjabis, etc, to name a few, been left out?

The special focus on the Bumiputra community has been closely linked with the so-called “social contract” (which in my opinion is non-existence). To the uninitiated, the Social Contract is usually referred to Articles 14-18, 152, 153 of the Malaysian Constitution. This social contract is said to be “verbally” agreed by the founding fathers and is based on “quid pro quo” basis. It was purportedly agreed that in return for the Malays’ consent in awarding citizenship to the new group of other races by the concept of “jus soli” rather than “jus sanguinis”, the non-Malays agree that special positions or “benefits” as mentioned in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution shall be given to the predominant Malays. But history aside, the idea of existence of this “social contract” is widely debated. In my perception, any contract which is made verbally, without any documentation, does not hold water. But, even if it exists, is the social contract still relevant?

Article 153?

This particular article in the Federal Constitution elaborates about the special positions reserved for the Bumiputras. These special positions include having quota reservations for the Bumiputras in education, public service employment, public scholarships and issuance of governmental permits and tenders. While I believe in equality regardless of skin complexion, I believe the Reid Commission (which drafted the Constitution) had noted the need of such constitutional provision. In 1957, when Malaya gained its independence, the polarization amongst the various races is inevitable. The blame for such polarization is usually put on the colonial masters for their divide-and-rule approach in administering Malaya prior to independence. Thus, it is understandable that in order to convince the Malays on the need for “accepting the new family members mainly from mainland India and China”. To put it succinctly, our ancestors made a trade which lasts up to now.

This Article 153 has been used by many, namely the Malay-supremacist groups to indicate that socio-economic benefits for the Bumiputras need to be increased more extensively. But, one has to remember…when Lord Reid and his team of five drafted the Constitution, this particular Article is given duration of merely 15 years that is up to 1972. Supposedly, in 1972, the bicameral Parliament should have made a review, whether to retain or to repeal the Article, This constitutional provision was never meant to stay indefinitely. This review, however never materialised as in the aftermath of the 1969 racial riot, a ruling was made that any discussion or debate relating to the special positions of the Bumiputras are strictly prohibited. One could now only wonder what could have happened if the review was really made in 1972.

As a further matter, the introduction of the New Economic Policy in 1971 has made the expansion of affirmative action more possible. More and more plans and benefits were introduced for the Bumiputras, and these include issuance of Approved Permits to import foreign-made automobiles, government tenders for supply and service below RM 100,000, government tenders on works below RM 50,000 and much more.

Many politicians have tried and will continuously defend these actions under the name of “affirmative actions” or “positive discrimination”. For them, the Bumiputras constitute of almost 80% of the household and priority should be given to improve their lifestyle. Plus, they might even argue that the Government’s aim to achieve 30% of equity ownership among the Bumiputras is yet to be attained and thus, such affirmative actions should resume.

What these public figures fail to understand is, there are also members of the other races that fall in the low-income group and suffers from poverty. Since 1971, Bumiputras percentage of equity ownership has increased, but why are many Bumiputras out there, still suffering from low-income plague. Affirmative actions have been implemented in many other countries apart from Malaysia. One good example is South Africa. After the election in 1994 which was won by the blacks-majority African National Congress for the first time, affirmative actions were introduced to elevate the economic status of the blacks. Fast forward, now after 19 years, achievements of such affirmative actions are very much doubted. Yet, one can be very certain to highlight whilst not many blacks have benefitted from the actions, the elite blacks have surely made their bucks.

This also happens in Malaysia where it is widely argued that the Malay elites have benefitted a lot from the affirmative actions. While it may be true that many other poor Malays have now escape poverty and attain high percentage of literacy, the number is still relatively small. It is evident that affirmative actions in Malaysia only favoured a small percentage of Bumiputras.

To summarize, what Malaysia NEEDS is an economy distribution that promotes inclusiveness. Ruling leaders should understand that words of unity alone are unwanted.

•   Bring in meritocracy into administration
•  award public scholarships to anyone with excellent grades regardless of race,
•  entrance to public universities should be made equal, any preference of a particular race must be eliminated
• Government tenders and those related government-owned companies should be opened to everyone, without exception
• Housing discount which is now only entitled for the Bumiputras should be stopped (perhaps, such discount can be given to people of low-income group; this will certainly help everyone)
• Abolish the requirement that 30% of unit under new housing projects should be sold to the Bumiputras
•  Matriculation programme seats should be given on merit, not according to quota
•  And many more….

If a major overhaul is done in creating a just economy distribution to all the races, Malaysia definitely will achieve better aspirations.

P/S: Please stop talking about the “Malay rights (hak kaum Melayu)” or the “Malay Supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu), they never existed in the Constitution and were never mentioned by the founding fathers.

“Well done is better than well said"

The Syrian Civil War; Against Bashar al-Assad

The blood spill in Syria never stops.

It is almost three years now ever since the rebellion against the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad first erupted following the massive Arab Spring. The entire globe has witnessed in the past three years many sovereign states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region “enraging” with hatred and dissenting attitude against the regional leaders. Initiated by the Jasmine Revolution in which a fruit seller is said to have immolated himself, the Arab Spring grew into world-shaking affair. Dictators in Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Egypt were toppled “successfully”, but not without innocent lives being slain. The Arab Spring is said to have “inspired” many other happening throughout the world, citing the 2011 pro-democracy demonstration in mainland China and the “Occupy Wall Street” movement as examples.

When Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, former President of Tunisia was ousted by the people’s power in late 2010, the virus was yet to spread into other neighbouring countries. Gradually, like wildfire, the anti-dictatorship force moved into other nations such as Egypt and Libya, and affecting the Shiite-majority country, Syria. Yet, what remains interesting in the Syrian case, whilst the dictators in other countries were removed from office, Bashar al-Assad is still standing strong.

The Syrian carnage has always been pressing from day one. In spite of various reports that have emerged pertaining to the number of casualties in the Syrian civil war, an accurate number is unlikely to be identified. Approximately, more than 100,000 lives are massacred and even more are displaced due to the on-going crisis. Seeing this happening, a smart question may pop-out…why hasn’t any international action taken to remedy this manslaughter?

Actually, seeing the severity of the civil war in Syria, the United Nations’ Security Council (UNSC) has long ago mooted the idea of sending United Nations’ military intervention to Syria, in order to halt the blood spill. This, nevertheless, never materialised as al-Assad’s ally, Russia was quick to veto against any military intervention. This was followed suit by People’s Republic of China as to their opinion, a domestic crisis is best to be solved by a country’s own nationals. So, apparently, it was three against two fight amongst the permanent members of the UNSC.

Acknowledging this failure, the Arab League and UN joined forces to form a Syrian crisis task force to mediate between the rebels and the President of Syria. Initially, this task force was led by the former Sec-Gen of UN, Kofi Annan. After series of investigations and rounds of diplomacy, Kofi Annan braved himself to resign, dictating briefly yet strictly, international military intervention is a must to put a halt to this civil war. Posthumously, Lakhdar Brahimi was appointed to succeed Mr Kofi Annan and more rounds of talks and mediation entails, while more and more lives are lost in Syria.

Recently, Syria again made its headlines as the sub-urban area of Damascus was said to be shelled by chemical agent. Hundreds if not thousands of Syrians are sent to the hospitals, with most diagnosed to suffer from muscle and nerve failure, most likely caused by hazardous nerve agent. This has prompted President Obama to reveal his planning in sending US army for strikes in Syria. Despite military actions are not sanctioned by the Security Councils of UN, US and its possible allies may launch attacks under the name of NATO. This has been done previously, in the case of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

However, this plan is yet to be confirmed. As of now, the US Congress is deliberating on approval of such attack (interestingly, many Congressman from the Democratic Party and the GOP approve). However, in United Kingdom, David Cameron was left red-faced when the Parliament has disapproved any attack on Syria. Obviously, with the loose coalition government in United Kingdom now, this Tory prime minister is highly unlikely to join the United States in any form of attack on Syria. So far, only the President of France, Francois Hollande has made his case clear that France is ready for any action to be taken on blood-soaked Syria.

When the Obama administration revealed that military attacks may be launched against the Syrian army for using harmful nerve agents in its civil war, many sceptics continue to question President Obama’s credibility. After being elected as the first Afro-American president of America, Barack Obama caught worldwide attention as he revealed his intention to mend America’s relationship with the Arab world. Thus, any attack plan on Syria should sound contradicting to his previous stand.

Pundits and analysts have also assumed that Israel may have connections in regards to this sudden change. To elaborate, Israel is a Jewish state, landlocked within a Muslim-majority region. The Israel-Palestine problem has long irked and angered the rest of the Muslim world. Iran, especially together with Hezbollah from Lebanon has always posed much threat to the security of Israel. This is much notable as when the new President of Iran, Hassan Rowhani has sent his greeting wishes for the Jewish New year, the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu has received it with much scepticism.

But, how does this exactly link up with Syria? To the uninitiated, Iran and Hezbollah are allies to the current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. Thus, with the possible destruction of the al-Assad power in Syria, threats against the security of Israel will be reduced significantly.

To cut it short, it is unfortunate to witness an entire state failing to provide security for its own citizens. While international understandings such as the “Fourteen Points by Woodrow Wilson” and the “1648 Peace of Westphalia” dictate that a fate of a country should be left to its own nationals, the international bodies like United Nations and others cannot stay put and do nothing due to political affiliations. Actions need to be taken before these 100,000 casualties grow into millions.

Facts,Facts and More Facts on Lahad Datu Standoff

            It has been more than a month since the standoff in eastern region of Sabah erupted between the Malaysian military troops and the Sulu Sultanate militants. Below is some significant information on the issue:-

11.      Under Malaysian Federal Constitution 1963, Sabah is recognised as one of the 13 states in Malaysia. Sabah and Sarawak, the two states in the Borneo region together with Malaya (now known as Peninsular Malaysia) formed the Federation of Malaysia after a specially-enacted Cobbold’s Commision by the British Empire government released a report indicating that majority of population in Sabah and Sarawak favoured the formation of Malaysia.

22.        Ever since becoming one of the states in Malaysia, Sabah has been facing multiple challenges pertaining to its sovereignty due to intrusion and incursion by unwanted foreign parties and entities.

33.      The Philippines which believed that it holds legal rights over the entire state of Sabah, sent its military force to infiltrate the boundaries of Sabah and seize it during the so-called period of Confrontations. This was done under the leadership of late President Ferdinand Marcos.  

44.      Why is this so???

-          The current demographical Philippines comprises of once-existing Sulu Sultanate, which historically held ancestral rights over Sabah. By unfolding the history, the embedded truth can be realised. In earlier times, Brunei (another sovereign monarchy in the Borneo region) literally owned Sabah. But, as time flew by, the monarch of Brunei faced internal power-struggle over the throne and it was when the help of the Sulu Sultanate was sought in effort of retaining his power. As a token of gratitude, the Brunei monarch promised the Islamic Sultanate of Sulu the rights and ownership of Sabah. Eventually, it happened so that with the military aid by the Sultanate of Sulu, the King of Brunei managed to retain his throne and Sabah was given to Sulu Sultanate.

55.      In 1878, however, an agreement was signed between the Sultan (the King) of Sulu and the owners of British North Borneo Company, Gustavous Von Overbeck and Alfred Dent. This mutually-signed agreement between the two parties indicated that the moment of the agreement, the sovereignty and jurisdiction of Sabah thereafter, be under the purview of the British North Borneo Company. In return, Von Overbeck and Alfred Dent promised an annual cession payment to the Sultanate of Sulu. Cession payment, according to online research, refers to the payment entitled for formal giving up of rights, property, or territory, esp. by a state.

Here is the excerpt from the British version of the 1878 British North Borneo Company agreement:-

            “…hereby lease of our own free will and satisfaction…all the territories and lands…forever and until the end of time, all rights and powers which we possess over all territories and lands tributary to us…”

66.      The cession payment continued until 1936, in which the British Company stopped from paying the Sulu Sultanate.

77.      However in 1938, the High Court of Borneo ruled that the payment should resume in respect to the prior 1878 agreement. And since the last recognised Sultan of Sulu, Sultan Jamallul Kiram II did not leave an apparent heir and relinquished his power to the Philippines colonisers, the court decided to split the nominal cession payment of $1,700 to his nine next-of-kin.

88.      And in 1963 when Sabah joined Malaya, Singapore and Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia, the Federal government of Malaysia continued this “custom” of cession payment to the non-existing Sultanate of Sulu.

99.      When the self-proclaimed Jamallul Kiram III decided to pursue for the sovereign rights of Sabah, he failed to realise the fundamental basis of the agreement signed by his forefathers. In reference to the 1878 agreement, it is clearly mentioned that all powers of Sulu Sultanate over the region of Sabah are relinquished until the end of time for cession payment. And now, he is asking for 50:50 joint-partnership in Sabah’s development which obviously sounds preposterous!

110.  Plus, in modern international law, the idea of ancestral right over a territory does not hold water. A good example is, in 2002, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in a legal dispute between Malaysia and Singapore, that the latter holds the sovereign rights over Pulau Batu Putih / Pedra Branca, an island-based territory between the two nation states. ICJ recognises that historically, the Johor Sultanate (the state at the southernmost Malaysia) owned Pedra Branca or Pulau Batu Putih. However, legal documents produced by Singapore clearly showed that one of the Sultan of Johor once sold the islands to the British Government of Singapore. Thus, despite having ancestral relations with Pedra Branca, the International Court of Justice declared that Johor no longer, has connections to the islands and Singapore as the legal right holder.

111.  This adequately proves that although the Sultanate of Sulu might have once possessed rights over Sabah, it is no longer relevant and valid at this period.

My personal advice to Mr Jamallul Kiram III, the self-proclaimed ruler of Sulu is, a monarch is non-existing if its own subjects do not recognise the throne and power of their ruler. In Sabah’s case, a referendum was done to identify the opinions of Sabahans in 1963 for the formation of Malaysia. A majority of them agreed and only then, Federation of Malaysia came into the picture. To be honest, no one pursued neo-colonialism as once accused by certain quarters. The Sabahans made the bright decision for their future and as Nur Misuari, leader of Moro National Liberation Front said, Sabah could not be better off in any other nation’s administration if compared to under Malaysia.

P/S: My deepest condolences to the nine slain Malaysian soldiers’ families. To Jamullul Kiram III, I truly respect your intention of claiming Sabah as your own but any action must be carried out diplomatically and without blood-spill. I heard that there are around 30 claimants of the non-existing Sulu throne. How do the Malaysians know you are not a fake heir of the Sultanate of Sulu???

The Bloodied Sri Lanka; Atrocity No More!

          Sri Lanka; is the land, according to the Hinduism’s holy scripture, Bhagavad Gita, where Rama, the avatar of Lord Vishnu, defeated and vanquished the evil Ravanan. This brought light to the land’s inhabitants, made them thinking that the evil and darkness will no longer persist. But, they were wrong.

WE WERE WRONG!

            Mahinda Rajapakse, in the eyes of the international masses might be a political leader or a statesman from Sri Lanka. Yet, from the perspective of the Tamil ethnic groups, not only in Ceylon but also from the entire globe, coupled with human rights activists, this man is a war criminal; having his hands bloodied in the genocide of the Tamil minority population in Sri Lanka.  

            The Sri Lanka civil war started in 1983, perhaps even earlier, when the country’s military force was sent to “cleanse” any form of insurgency movements by the minority Tamil ethnic group. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) headed by Velllupillai Prabhakaran who is still highly-respected even after his demise, struck against the Government, demanding an independent state for the Tamils in the northern and eastern region of Ceylon.

            As anticipated, the demand was met with severe opposition from the authority and aggressive reactions from the Sri Lankan government ensued. This translated into the LTTE retaliating back, resulting in a civil war that lasted for 25 years, until 2009 when the final stand-off between the insurgents and the military took place. Capt. Prabhakaran and his unit were surrounded and attacked in a massive combat, in which Vellupillay Prabhakaran was killed and the war was officially declared over. What took place in reality is more horrible than what you have just read. Throughout these 25 years, the Tamil minority was persecuted in every possible manner. Their rights were violated, plus the children and incapable elders were physically and mentally tormented. Innocent women were sexually-harassed by the military personnel and raped one after another, to satisfy their lust. Countless Tamils died in genocide attempt by the state. You want the statistics on how many died? Well, no one can actually predict how many Tamils died and were displaced in the devastating war.

            And to our horror, recently photos of slain Balachandran Prabhakaran, the son of Capt. Prabhakaran circulated in mass media globally. The lad, previously seen with his late father, laid lifeless with several gunshots on his body. This has made numerous news reports to highlight the Sri Lankan government’s outrage by savagely killing an innocent child.

            But, you may ask, what did the entire world was doing when all these happened? If people can give much attention to what had happened in Palestine and Bosnia-Herzegovina, why not Sri Lanka?!

            Actually, ranging from various nations around the globe to the United Nations, many peace-negotiations and international intervention have taken place but to no avail. The civil war persisted with no clear end with statistics claiming, hundreds of thousands of lives might have lost in the conflict.

            Headed by Navi Pillay, the chief of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, a meeting shall take place in a sooner time to create a resolution on the war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan government throughout the civil war. Already, recently the Unites States has issued a warning to Mahinda Rajapakse, compelling him to address his government’s atrocities in the civil war and to provide freedom to the persecuted minority group.

            But, so far, Mahinda Rajapakse, the President of Sri Lanka does not seem to bow to any international pressure whilst defending his government’s actions prior to this. United Nations and other countries should be more vocal in denouncing the inhumane and callous actions of Sri Lanka.

            We waited long enough and many are now DEAD! LET’S NOT WAIT ANYMORE!

Oscar Pistorius Murder Charge, Europe Horsemeat Scandal & A Message To Malaysians.

            “You can run, but you cannot hide”. This may sound like some cliché Hollywood line, but apparently, it came into reality for the sports-world superstar, Oscar Pistorius. The South African also known as the “Blade Runner” is currently charged for the homicide of his girlfriend, the darling late Reeva Steenkamp. Being immersed in stardom for quite some time now, this is inevitably one hard blow for Oscar’s fans and well-wishers. The late Ms. Steenkamp, a model herself, was well-known and much admired among the masses. Trial is on course now and many theories or ideas on how the incident might have taken place, are flooding the courtroom. So far, Mr. Pistorius’s own affidavit (that he had mistaken Ms. Steenkamp for an intruder) is heatedly argued by the prosecution team. This double amputee who made the world astonished through his performance in the last London Olympics, has since the last few days caught the attention of many and making way for speculations to rife. Anyhow, the court proceeding in still on, and it is too preliminary to draw a conclusion.

            On another issue, the entire Europe is on red alert!No….it’s not the austerity measure or any economic downfall, but it’s now all about the horse-meat scandal. Ever since the past two weeks, Europeans mainly in France, Britain, Germany and Ireland have identified traces of horsemeat in edible beef products. Not only that, further laboratory findings have  discovered dangerous chemicals in those food products. Despite being removed from supermarket outlets’ shelves with immediate effect, consumer concerns have intensified remarkably. Many even went to the extent of cutting the consumption of beef from the daily diet intake. And as for the latest update in the grapevine, a supermarket in Hong Kong has faced the same issue and has taken appropriate measures. These developments ,globally, have sparked a tense situation in consumerism affairs. Interrogations in the affected states are currently on, and perhaps a good answer will be provided by the relevant authorities. Horse meat could be cheaper, but I’m never taking the risk.

Neigh-ver!!!

P/S: This special segment is targeted to my Malaysian readers. The heat for the 13^th general Election is looming and in my observation, this has sparked discussion wherever you go. From a coffee shop in the Pavillion to a mamak’s roadside stall, election hype is intensifying. Both sides of the politics are aggressively championing many issues lately to grab attention and limelight. Votes are personal and you should decide on who should you vote for. Vote for BN if you opine that the coalition is capable to lead the nation with given mandate, NOT because you don’t like Pakatan Rakyat for no reason. The same thing vice-versa. For those IT-savvy voters, get pure and true news about a political party through sources that can be believed. Lastly, never make yourself too loyal to a political party. Supporting them is no wrong, but blindly offering your loyalty to a political party, is PREPOSTEROUS! Anyways, this is the election that I, myself am much anticipating!

America's Fiscal Cliff

America has been saved; again! Ever since the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008 which was dubbed as the Great Recession, United States of America, this economic juggernaut is incapable of finding a stable spot in global economic landscape. After the calamity, the States was bombarded with high inflation figure, terrifying unemployment percentage and worst of all, high national debt. To be exact, that’s merely a preview from the economical aspect. Do not even get me started on social affairs pertaining to guns and more guns………

            Precisely after midnight of January 1^st , an automatic mechanism amounting to US$ 600 billion in the form of tax increase and spending cuts was supposed to initiate. The reason behind this automatic mechanism was the governmental debt of America was reaching the maximum ceiling limit. Unless the policymakers from both sides of the political divide reach a consensus on an alternative plan by the specified time-frame, things are going to turn sour for many American, particularly the working class. This is what the President of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke coined as the “FISCAL CLIFF”.

            Actually, to be honest, many were sceptic on this last minute deal of Congress. Obama’s Democratic Party and the Grand Old Party ( Republican) were championing their very own plan from the start. For the uninitiated, Democrats are seen as more liberal in compared to their political nemesis, the Republican who are deemed conservative. Yet, in certain circumstances, the reps in GOP proudly declare themselves as liberals striving for the betterment of people of America’s soil. But, anyhow, let’s not go into detail.

            According to the plan devised by the Democrats, there will be tax increase on the any individual residing in America, earning a total annual income of US$ 200,000. Ostensibly, this was publicly opposed by its rival. The Republican, instead, planned severe spending cuts namely in domestic expenditure. So, with these two major political establishment bickering over who’s idea is the best, the average Americans like Jack and Tom are suffering and waiting in jittery for the final outcome.

            This Fiscal Cliff attained international attention in no time. Believe in or not, share markets in Asia even showed less energetic improvements, a day before the much anticipated 1st of January 2013. Financial analyst and top-notch economist vigorously commented and voiced concern on the future of USA. Many had no doubt that if lawmakers of Democratic and Republican Party fail to clinch a working deal by the dead-line, America’s economy will plunge into economic turmoil and further affect other economies throughout globe as well. That is the kind of impact America has on global economy!

            However, praise to the Almighty, while many of us are enjoying New Year’s arrival with joy and bliss, these bigwigs managed to sign a deal that incorporates insinuation from both sides. A more amicable solution, I would say. President Barack H. Obama issued an official press statement that the fiscal cliff threat is averted. No more danger lingers. It was reported that the Republicans, who dominates the House of Representatives’ agreed to a plan by Senate in approving tax increase for individuals earning more than US$400,000 per annum and US$ 450,000 for couples. Together with this, spending cuts will also follow suit like what the Republicans have brought forward. Like what Mr. President said, only the 2% of the American wealthiest colony will be affected and through this initiative, it is estimated to collect US$ 620 billion in 10 years. This last-minute deal managed to save everything and everyone.

            In a nutshell, nationals and lawmakers should always bear in mind that while fiscal cliff is successfully averted, more problems may hinder the economic growth of this powerhouse in future. Thus, great leadership plus good policing advices are needed to spearhead United States of America’s future.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's celebrate this new year of 2013 with joy and bliss. After all, we all "survived" the 2012 end-of -the-world. Continue reading this blog and provide more ideas and comments.Thank You!

North Korea's Third Probable Nuclear Test

North Korea is prepping itself to embrace the third trial of its nuclear capability. Or that is what the United States intelligence unit, if not the entire world, is predicting. With the recent Unha-3 rocket launch by the world’s most secretive nation two weeks back and the recent improvements at its nuclear facility, North Korea has “successfully” propelled itself to international limelight. This communist country and its leaders were already well-known for their publicity stints that sometimes, do not work out well.

            The recent rocket launch by the North Korean government is seen as a landmark achievement under the reign of the new leader, Kim Jong-Un. This boyish de facto leader took over the government’s supremacy early this year, following the death of his much-favoured father, Kim Jong-Il. Kim Jong-Un portrayed significant hope to many nations in transforming North Korea’s ideology and approach pertaining to international affairs in his early days holding the public office. Now, he seems to be no different compared to his father and grandfather.

            Currently, many nations, most accurately, the countries that are considered as arch-nemesis of North Korea, are in jittery. The list includes the Asian Tiger, South Korea and the biggest economic powerhouse, United States of America. For an ordinary lay-man, one might think, what is the wrong with North Korea launching its own rocket? After all, at the current pace, it has become common for countries to launch their own rockets carrying satellites and space shuttles for defence and space exploration purposes.

            America has been sending countless rockets to outer-space through National Space and Administration Agency (NASA). The same goes to the other nations as well. Japan has its very own JAXA. Russia, too has its own space agency, Roscosmos. So, with due respect to the rights of each nation to develop its rocket and space technology, why did the United Nations together with other countries imposed economic sanctions on Korean DPR to put a rigid full stop to its rocket launch?

            The answer, my friends, is actually easy but quite complex to comprehend. There is a consensus attained in the UN General Assembly that any nuclear-armed nation should not launch any rockets as it poses fatal danger to the global well-being. Why? This is simply because the technology required to launch a rocket is equivalent to the degree of technology needed in launching intercontinental ballistic missile. So, in other words to say, United Nations and its member states are troubled in North Korea’s rocket launch as the country may launch nuclear missile towards its rival.

            Although Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s bigwigs have reiterated countless times that the launch is only targeted for satellite placement meant as a boost for the country’s defence, many are still sceptic. Experts in America’s space agency have mentioned albeit being doubtful, that with North Korea’s existing technology, the satellite may only capture grainy imageries of the country. Plus, it may be useless to get scan images from the satellite at night, as huge portion of North Korea will be in dark due to limited supply of electricity. So, their claim is, it is unlikely for the rocket to carry a satellite as mentioned by the North Korean authority.

            Two major questions linger around? Doesn’t United States is considered as a nuclear-armed nation? Doesn’t Uncle Sam’s country has the precise and sufficient capability to build nuclear weaponry? The answers are YES! But, international law and order permits USA and four other countries namely Britain, France, Russia and China to own and generate nuclear weaponry under the name of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, signed in 1968. So, this provides the authority for ONLY these five countries to be nuclear-armed and any other nations are barred from developing nuclear weapons. The treaty is still in use to date, albeit the fact that it is discriminatory in nature.

            In the past, during the reign of the second leader Kim Jong-Il, the world had witnessed two rocket launches of Korea DPR. The rockets are classified as Unha-1 and Unha-2 respectively. Much to the international horror, shortly after the launches, North Korea conducted its nuclear test at its facility in 2006 and later in 2009. This was met with furious global backfire and economic sanctions. All these international opposition led by United Nations and America had their devastating impact on North Korea’s fragile economy and social conditions. Yet, this has not been a barrier for Kim Jong-Un in pursuing the nation’s agenda.

            Now, that a third rocket launch is successful, will there be another round of nuclear test for North Korea? Just wait and see.

Gang Rape In New Delhi, India.

                One girl against six drunken men. Her scream, her plea for mercy and her innocence were worthless. She was gang-rapped by a group of six disgusting drunken men who were “joyriding” on the same bus the girl boarded. The 23 year-old’s male companion was thrashed and beaten up. Each took turn to rape the girl and after satisfying their lust, her vagina was struck by a metal rod, reaching up to her intestines. Soon after that, the girl and the male companion were thrown out of the moving bus. The girl was lying there naked, semi-conscious asking for help. Did anyone helped? Did anyone even paid heed? NO! And you know what, all these horrifying cruelty happened in the capital city of a country that pays never-ending respect for women….INDIA! Or so, as they call it.

            This cruel mishap befell Nirbhaya, the 23 year-old damsel left her in coma for many days and struggling to be alive. Whilst the medical professionals in sub-continent India have tried their best in recovering Nirbhaya, now India’s very own Home Minister have sponsored the girl to be flown to the Republic of Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital for a better intensive care and treatment. The medics are still struggling to save her life using whatever means they are left with. Let’s all hope for a medical miracle to emerge!

            This tragedy shook the entire country. Student activists together with other non-governmental organisations are going to the streets to protest against the merciless action. Its Premier has been taken to task to punish the unscrupulous culprits for their act. Not only that, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has been chided by many for slow-moving judicial system in India. This is because, many got agitated that the six men are still not convicted in court and sentenced to appropriate punishment. These mounting pressure towards the higher public-office holders specifically, towards Mr. Manmohan Singh has compelled the Premier to release an official statement that justice will be served at any expense. He mentioned that this tragedy should be condemned by every right-thinking man and woman. His guarantee made a huge majority relieved that the culprits will be severely punished, yet still anticipating what the final outcome could really be.

            Many parties who came forward to stage demonstrations pressed for capital punishment for all six offenders. For you information, statistics by the relevant authority showed that on average, there will be a rape case in New Delhi on daily basis. This shows the seriousness of the current status quo that should be well-monitored.

In many situations, a huge pool of people have condemned death penalty for several reasons, but it this case, many Indians opine that a sentence that would send these savages to the gallows would be the best punishment ever. Anyhow, everyone can only wait until the end of the prosecution to really witness the final sentence.

Within days after the Nirbhaya rape case, few other similar cruelty on women took place in India. For instance, a 42- year old was gagged and rapped by three men, a day back. If no prompt actions are taken by the Indian authority, the situation will only get more and more murky. As for the international scope, we need real-time enforcement and well-scrutinised enactments to instil fear against future rape offenders. The authorities, globally should learn from nations and sovereign states that records the lowest sexual abuses against our women. And let’s face the stark reality; no one wants to see a country with low percentage of rape cases. Everyone wants to see a country with NO rape cases at all. It may sound like an idealist’s idea that may not come true, but believe me, anything is POSSIBLE! 

Egypt Revolution 2.0

After the “successful” Arab Spring uprising in Egypt early last year, the people of Egypt are prepping themselves for a second round. If the former was against a ruler that reigned for about three decades, this time around, it is meant for the newly elected leader. Whilst international news providers are highlighting that Syria is the only country suffering from the Arab Spring contagion to date, Egypt is once again propelling itself to global attention. Getting confused, already???

            When Arab Spring revolution initiated in Tunisia about two years ago, it spread like a wild blaze to the neighbouring nations, namely the Middle East region within weeks, if not days. In Egypt, the majority of the nationals stood up and expressed their opposition against the rule of the once-prominent Hosni Mubarak. And within weeks, Mubarak was ousted and election was held. Even the election was full of problems. Finally, after the ballot papers were counted, Mubarak’s successor was named. He is Muhammad Morsi. That is certainly a new, novel chapter for the Egyptians as it marked a leadership from the Muslim Brotherhood, the once-shunned political establishment.

            While many celebrated with joy and bliss, quite a number remained sceptic of Morsi’s rule in the upcoming future. Even United States of America had its share of disbelief in the Morsi rule. Prior to the election, USA has enjoyed great attention in Egypt thanks to Hosni Mubarak. Well, that was also a reason why Mubarak was hated in his own nation. The influence of America in Egypt helped the former a lot , particularly in terms of diplomatic relations in Mid East. But, since Morsi is an Islamist leader, such attention may be made available any longer.

From day one until this very moment, the Morsi administration had been a tumultuous one. One controversy after the another. This man tried his best to administer Egypt in its best form. Taking Turkey as an epitome of successful Islamic rule, he with his comrades strived ahead.He faced problems with many parties, within his own country. First, a huge number of Egyptians disapproved his election as they claimed there were irregularities in the electoral system. Not only that, Morsi faced a stand-off with the military regime which aided in the oust of Mubarak. 

            Yet, apart from that, Morsi received international plaudits when he successfully mediated a cease-fire truce between Palestine and Israel in the recent dispute. He portrayed his calibre in handling the spat between the two arch-nemesis, albeit the fact that the truce did not last long enough.

            However, now Muhammad Morsi faces another problem. He made it public that he intends to have the judiciary branch of Egypt under his control for a specific period of time. He, himself had outline certain conditions that he would comply with if he had the judiciary branch within his jurisdiction. But, this insinuation of Morsi was met with objections from the judges and lawyers of Egypt. Their disapproval was bolstered with the disagreement of the liberal and Christian groups as well as the opposition backbenchers.

            As people have started to go to the streets to protest, Morsi offered a referendum of two phases. The people will get to vote for a new constitution. Surprisingly, the first phase showed victory to Morsi’s administration even though with a slim yet significant margin. The second phase is done with but, the official results are yet to be announced. However, the Government’s affiliates claimed that the victory is once again on their side. If this is true, we will see an Egypt rule plunged into dictatorship. If a leader has authority over executive, legislative and judiciary branches of a state, he is ostensibly, going to rule with iron-clad.

            Anyhow, whilst many parties are crying out loud claiming fraud and irregularities in the referendum, Egyptians have been given a chance to vote. In the end,  it is them who must decide the future of their country. Let’s just wait and watch!