Ox, cowherd and Bull-shit

Chinese New Year will be celebrated in less than two weeks. This year will be the Year of the Ox or Bull or Cow, whatever you like to call it. Many are already in the celebration mood but some are taking it rather too seriously. They wanna be the ox themselves. So they began to think as one.

With the cost of daily expenses on the rise, people do not expect the economy to be bullish but the least they expect is the reduction of bull-shit statements from certain people in the political circle and self appointed spoke person of the people.

For instance, do not think just because you are the Minister of Education , you can cow around by instructing the school children to hate and demonstrate against Israel. Leave the kids alone. You can afford to pay the motorcycle gangs of Mat Rempits to wear your Putera's T-shirt and march to the streets. The Home Minister will surely instruct the police to provide traffic control for your demonstrators since it is against Israel aggression and not about the conflicts in Sri Lanka. Maybe it is not that the Home Minister love the Sri Lankans victims less but he loves the Palestinians more even though we know both are humans too. Both will feel pain if shot or bombed. Maybe he thinks like a cow. No. Maybe an ox.

Some politicians thinks the people are cow minded and they are the cowherd. Just throw them some premium grasses and the cows will follow their bidding and instructions. They think by throwing millions in ang pows to the voters in Kuala Terengganu, the voters will be swayed by their persuasion to give them the votes. Voters are not cows. They will take your ang pows but not necessary give you the votes. We will see who is the real cow on Jan 17 ? - Loka

Two in one campaign

Umno deputy president aspirant Muhyiddin Yassin told voters in Kuala Terengganu not to vote based on the looks of the candidate.

Is he really speaking to the right target group for the KT by-election or his message was really meant for the Umno delegates in the forth coming party election in March. He is pitted against two candidates who are considered more people friendly than him, Ali Rustam and Muhammad Taib.

Muhyiddin knows that he can't win the deputy presidency if the delegates pick their choice based on personality rather than capability. He may be the popular choice as Deputy Prime Minister if the votes is in the hands of the ordinary Malaysian but he can't be sure that he will be the one unless he is voted in as Umno deputy president first. That's the fact in Malaysian politics.

If that's the case, it proves that the the KT by-election has been used as a platform by the candidates for the Umno election to campaign for themselves rather than Umno by-election candidate Wan Warid. It is no wonder that the current KT by-election campaigning lacked the oomph and excitement that we usually sees in previous by-elections. Is Umno big guns savings their armoury and war chests for their own use later in March? Furthermore it does not brings any difference to them if Umno lose the seat, other than Wan Farid cannot be a deputy minster and Najib's losing face in view of him claiming the prime minister position in March.

On the other hand, what if Ali Rustam wins the deputy presidency? Will he resigned as Melaka Chief Minister and Bukit Baru state assemblyman to contest a parliamentary seat to enable him to be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister? If this happens, which Melaka parliamentary seat will be vacated for him to contest? Maybe swapping with his supporter Md Sirat Abu's Bukit Katil seat? - Loka

Punching bag

Will Najib be the punching bag while Wan Farid watch from the Kuala Terengganu ring side?

Early signs already shows that will be the way the Kuala Terengganu by-election heading to. Whether Najib wants to admits it or not, the one really fighting the opposition in KT is surely not Wan Farid. It will a test that Najib cannot afford to lose before claiming the political throne of Malaysia in March.

Nobody knows who will be the loser in this by-election but I know the sure winner will be the people of KT with all those election goodies coming their way.- Loka

Boycott war mongers

After the Israeli attacks on the Gaza, there were calls to boycott USA products in response to USA's continuous support of Israel.

Calls to boycott USA related products are not something new but it usually will not succeed and will die off in due time as happens in 2002 and 2006. Some people just can't let go of a hot Expresso while surfing at the Starbucks or a quick bite on the Big Mac at the McDonalds. Those calling for the boycott should first practice what they preached by throwing out all USA related designer apparels, gadgets, books and food in their own house, including the Levi's jeans on their body and the Microsoft operating system which they used to produce their press statement. Not forgetting, if they graduated from a USA university, they should burn their USA degree on a Malaysian charcoal pit.

There are even calls for the OIC to sent in a joint army to go into war with Israel in the name of protecting the Palestinians. Are these people saying Malaysia should commit our soldiers to fight the Israeli army without the sanction of the UN? If that is so, what's the difference with the action of the US which attacked Iraq without UN blessing. Will these war mongers expect all Malaysians to bear the consequences when Malaysia itself becomes the target of Israel due to OIC arbitrary military action?

Hoped these war mongers will think not only with their heart but with their head as well. Fight the Middle East conflict at the UN Assembly, not on Israelis or Palestinians soil, if they think UN is still relevant anyway.- Loka

To school with heavy burden

New school term begins today. Many parents has been visiting the shopping complexes and shops for the past few weeks to purchase school items for their school going kids. With the slowing down of the economy, every cent counts and parents are always on the look out for the best bargains. It will totalled up to few hundred bucks to a thousand if a family have four school going kids especially if they are buying those branded items.

For those kids who don't mind having non branded school shoes, a pair of canvas and rubber white shoes can be bought as low as RM3.99. Buying a pair of a local made popular brand because other kids having it too, it will cost at least RM 20.00 to RM40.00 a pair. Each kids will need at least two pairs each.

When it's time to pack the bags for school, it is normal if the school bags with the books (textbook, work book, exercise books, dictionary etc), color pencils, pencil case and a filled water tumbler slotted into the bag's side pocket - with the total weight of between 7 - 10 kgs. No wonder those trolley bags is an hot item not to be left out in any school items shopping spree. Those sturdy and popular ones comes with a price tag of between RM69 - RM 109 but we will be happy if it lasts one year of schooling!

Those kids with classrooms at the ground floor will be lucky but for those at the 2nd or 3rd floors, just imagine these poor kids have to carry the 10 kilos school bags up on the stairs. If the kids weighted just about 20 kgs, they will be carrying half of their weight on 2 - 6 flights of stairs!

My elder son's bag with everything loaded weighted about 9 kilos and his classroom is situated at the 2nd floor. To spread out the weight, all his exercise books were placed in a separate hand carry document bag. My son told me his teacher advised his class not to carry school bags with contents weighted more than 15% of their own weight. Most of the kids would have failed in this school bag test. Based on the advise, a 30kgs kid cannot carry more than 4.5kgs loaded bag but most loaded school bags are more than 4.5kgs!

Can the Education Ministry comes out with a practical solution to lessen the burden of the kids. - Loka