Minimum Wage is Too High?

How much is your country's minimum wage? In Malaysia, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress is only asking a minimum wage of RM900 per month to be implemented. In that case, Malaysia's cost of living is still low compared to many other developed countries.

In Hong Kong, a Poverty Relief Group did a study with a university there and the professor suggested a minimum monthly wage of HK$6,000 (approx. RM2,700) be implemented. This gave a shock to many people in Hong Kong.

Newly graduated law students could only earn around HK$7,500 while ordinary degree holder may just get around HK$6,000. In that case, the students may think why do I need to study so hard. Dropping out of school and doing a simple job without much responsibilities could earn you a pay similar with a degree holder.

Can you beat that? A Malaysian with a simple lifestyle can survive with RM900 (US$257) but a Honkie requires around RM2,700 (US$771) to live in Hong Kong. 3 times higher??? Sometimes, if your country is so developed, it will cause hardship to those in the lower income group.
Tags: Malaysian Trades Union Congress, Poverty Relief Group, Hong Kong, Minimum Wage, Minimum Salary, Lower Income Group, Cost Of Living

Towards an Independent Judiciary System

PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CPPS Press Statement: Towards an Independent Judiciary System

The Centre for Public Policy Studies affirms the efforts of the Malaysian Bar in conducting a peaceful march to the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya. The CPPS also supports the memorandum that was subsequently submitted by the Malaysian Bar, to establish a Royal Commission of Enquiry to investigate the video recording of a lawyer who appears to be in telephone conversation with a senior member of the judiciary. A Royal Commission has the power to call upon witnesses and to extract information that would extend beyond the jurisdiction of the present Independent Panel.

Should the telephone conversation be genuine, this has severe implications upon the judicial system, where evidence shows extraneous influence upon the appointment and promotion of judges in Malaysia. This directly affects the cases which are then brought to court. The honour and dignity of the judicial system is in serious question.

In its Merdeka Statement that was launched in early August, the CPPS stated strongly that the independence of the Judiciary should be protected by establishing an Independent Judicial Appointments Commission. This Commission should comprise the Chief Justice, representatives from the legal profession and lay members that would make non-biased recommendations for the appointment and promotion of Judges for the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court. Only such a Commission would ensure the transparent selection, appointment and promotion of Judges in the country.

The CPPS is therefore disappointed with the reaction of Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who has accused organizers for creating a scandal to erode public confidence in the judiciary, and for dismissing the need for an Independent Judicial Commission.

Whilst the CPPS welcomes the setting up of the 3-member independent panel to investigate the authenticity of the video recording, it recommends that the Royal Commission with greater powers should be established. To address the larger and more important issue of an independent judiciary system, an Independent Judicial Appointments Commission should be immediately established. These measures must be taken to restore the integrity of the judiciary system in Malaysia that has for too long been compromised.

Tricia Yeoh
Centre for Public Policy Studies
27th September 2007
Kuala Lumpur

Two Patients in Mental Hospital

In Ireland there is a mental institution that every year picks two of it's most reformed patients and questions them. If they get the questions right they are free to leave.

This year the two lucky patients were Patty and Mike. They were called down to the office and left there by the orderly. They were told to wait as the doctor got their files. The doctor came out and motioned for Patty to come in for her questioning. When Patty came into the office she was instructed to sit in the seat across from the doctor.

"Patty, you know the tradition of this institution so I imagine you know why you are here. You will be asked two questions, and if you get them right, you will be free to go. Do you understand all that you have been told?" said the doctor with a rather sly grin. Patty nodded, and the doctor began to question her.

The first question was this. "Patty, if I was to poke out one of your eyes, what would happen?" "I would be half blind of course," Patty answered without much thought. "What would happen if I poked out the other eye?" "I would be completely blind," said Patty knowing that she had just gotten her freedom. The doctor then sent her outside while he drew up the paperwork and accessed Mike's files.

When Patty got into the waiting room however, she told Mike what the questions would be and what the correct answers were. The doctor calls in Mike and he followed the same procedure that he had with Patty.

"Mike, the first question is what would happen if I cut off your ear?" "I would be blind in one eye," he said remembering what he had been told. This received a perplexed look from the doctor but he just simply asks the other question so that he could figure out what the man was thinking.

"Mike, what would happen if I cut off your other ear?" "I would be completely blind," he answered with a smile as if he knew he had passed.

But then the doctor asked him what his reasoning was, and he said flatly, "Me hat would fall down over me eyes."
Tags: Jokes, Funny, Humour, Mental Hospital, Mental Institution, Ireland

What You Can't Buy, Google Can

When you own a big private airplane, where do you park your airplane? As for John Travolta, he really need a big piece of land including a landing strip just behind his backyard to keep airplanes close to him.

Google's billionaires founders do not have a landing strip behind their backyard yet but their contacts are good enough to obtain permission to park at a federal-managed airport. The airport is only 7 minutes away from Google's headquarters.

Both Larry Page and Sergey Brin, get to park their private airplanes (which includes a Boeing 767 and two Gulfstream Vs) at the Moffett Field, an airport run by NASA that has been closed down. Only a helicopter operator and another airplane maker are using it currently.

You see, you just can't park your Boeing 767 anywhere you like as not all runways are built to withstand the weight/power of that plane. Rumour is that the Boeing 767 is purpose built to hold parties (wild or not, I'm not sure) that could hold about 180 people.

NASA has explained that Google could park their planes there owing to an unique agreement that allowed NASA to place scientific instruments and researchers on planes used by the Google founders and at the same time gets to collect scientific data on those flights. Partly to defray the cost of maintaining that runway too.

This type of arrangement is very similar to scenarios in Malaysia for those well-connected ones. And the above Google issue was exposed by a Californian blogger, Valleywag.
Tags: Google, Google Founders, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, NASA, Moffett Field, Boeing 767, Gulfstream V

Walk for Justice

About 800 Malaysian lawyers (plus 200 of others) gathered at the Palace of Justice to begin their walk towards the Prime Minister's Department at noon. Why the delay? Apparently, 7 buses that were fetching the lawyers from the city centre were barred from entering Putrajaya. Nothing could stop them and they walked before the main walk. Walk they did, 3.5km to the Palace of Justice.
I'm so proud of this crowd. Just look at it, it represented the multi-racial Malaysia. This issue of Walk for Justice was not political nor confrontational but to request for an inquest into the shocking video.

It shows that many lawyers still cared for their profession and various individuals from other states came too.



Somehow, the authorities didn't take things for granted. The FRU police team was on standby with batons and shieds being held by the policemen. For goodness sake, the lawyers were only trying to hand over two memorandums:-
1) 1st memorandum called for a royal commission of inquiry to be set up to examine the claims made in the video clip, as well as the state of the judiciary; and
2) 2nd memorandum urged the establishment of a judicial appointments commission for the appointment and promotion of judges.

Malaysian Bar Council president, Ambiga Sreenevasan, said that the presence of the FRU police was 'an act of intimidation'. Kudos to the lawyers.

Pictures sourced from Malaysia Today and Screenshots.
Tags: Palace of Justice, Prime Minister's Department, Putrajaya, Malaysia, Walk For Justice, Lawyers, FRU, Malaysian Bar Council, Ambiga Sreenevasan, Intimidation

Lawyers' March Towards Justice

Malaysian Bar Council has called for a walk for justice in view of the recent video that showed a prominent lawyer talking on the phone in fixing the appointment of judges and outcome of cases.

With such evidence, the Malaysian Bar Council will be handing a signed petition at the Prime Minister's Department. Not just a handing over of a petition but hundreds of lawyers (and judges too?) will gather at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya before embarking on a walk to deliver the petition.

This will take place at 11am and whoever out there wants justice to be heard this time, the calling is for you! News are out that CNN, Reuters and Al-Jazeera will be there to witness the event.

Edmund Bon of the Bar Council has a message for you:
The walk tomorrow is a peaceful stroll to the PM's Office. Everything humanly possible is being done and has been done over the couple of days to ensure this. The Cabinet has been informed that we are doing this, and handing over a memorandum and a representative will be expecting us.

The walk is importantly (1) a show of solidarity of the Bar and civil society's positions on the issue (2) to send a message that we are serious about wanting a clean up of the Judiciary including by (3) calling for an independent appointments and promotion commission (4) calling for a royal commission to enquire into the recording and the state of the administration of justice in Malaysia.

A Star sms has been received about DPM announcing the establishment of a panel to investigate the authenticity of the clip. This does not change anything about the walk. We are still proceeding to walk because the issues we are advocating are not limited to the recording alone but with much larger issues as described above.

And would such a decision by the Govt for a panel be set up have been made without the continuous pressure from us and civil society which includes calling for this walk, more so after PM said there would be no royal commission?

Believe in the power we all have in making change, and believe in ourselves. We CANNOT be afraid to walk, we CANNOT look lowly on ourselves, we CANNOT give up our country to people who do not deserve to run it.

SO PLEASE JOIN THE WALK!

Meantime, another petition on the same is being organised where it will be handed over to the HRH King or Agong in due course.
Tags: Lawyers, Judges, Malaysian Bar Council, Prime Minister's Department, Palace of Justice, Putrajaya, Petition, Agong, CNN, Reuters, Al-Jazeera

Christmas Drama Being Organised

At last I was able to call for the Christmas Drama meeting last Sunday and split about 43 people into 5 drama teams to present 5 different dramas for the whole month of December 2007.

A drama team will present their drama for each of the Sunday with the last drama to be presented on Christmas Day itself. The dramas are not linked to each other, not like a series. I have actually finished 4 of the 5 scripts and trying my best to touch up on the final one.

I'm going to be busy from now onwards starting with one of the drama teams having their practise this coming Thursday night. Then 2 more on Saturday evening and another 1 on Sunday noon. The practise for the drama to be presented on Christmas Day will start as soon as the leading actors/actresses in each of the first 4 dramas have accustomed to their respective dramas first before calling for that Christmas Day drama in which I will be involved too. It's like pulling the best together. Not saying the rest are lousy, don't misquote me.

Thank God that 43 people have availed themselves for the Christmas dramas and managed to roped in a number of new faces. It would be easier to have more drama presentations in future with so many members now. I'm sure there would be lots of fun in all the practises as in previous years. More photos to come showing you those funny/gila moments......................

All the 5 dramas will incorporate some video scenes too where we will video shoot some scenes and play it in between the drama. At least it would not be mundane with live stage performance only. Video scenes are mostly a person's thought and it's like those cartoons that you have watched before, where their thoughts do have people moving here and there.......hehehe, something different lah. So, when this live actor is thinking of something, that won't be acted live but a video clip would be shown instead with all lightings blacked out.

Talking about lightings, I need to get 2 persons to be trained up for the new lightings that my church is going to invest in. Quite a hefty sum and must get non-itchy fingers fellas (cannot afford to damage those expensive lighting equipments). Haven't seen it yet, should be up by November.

Would be sitting down with a another church member who will be shooting/editing our videos. Will put up some photo/video teasers in the month of November to stir up people's interests and suspense too. Bloopers will be there too. Waaaaaaah, lots of interesting stuff coming up. All my blog readers are invited to watch all the 5 dramas in the month of December 2007.
Tags: Christmas Drama, Drama, Christmas Day, Video Scene