A global Malay on Lee Kuan Yew

Read also LEE KUAN YEW'S CHINESE EXCELLENCE AND MALAY PARADOX by Hantu Laut


Original posting:

"There is nothing as depressing as watching a man way past his use-by date trying to revive the old glory days, strutting his opinionated  versions of what should be." - Anak si-Hamid

The Malay archipelago

These days, the Malays in Singapore are not trying too hard to hide their contemt towards Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.I have friends and relatives there, OK, so I know. The Minister Mentor's latest diatribe against the Malays in his latest book is the last straw for some. One more smart remark, Kuan Yew, and the Malays in Singapore may do a Hindraf on you!

Anak si-Hamid is no longer just a Malay in Singapore (she has homes in both sides of the Suez) but I'm sure Malays living on both sides of the Causeway and who are familiar with Kuan Yew's politics will enjoy reading. And she's not just hitting out at one man or one race; the best shots are reserved for her own ...

"However,  the Muslim-Malays also had their own turncoats and desperados who were happy to sell their people for a song, like the way Singapore was 'acquired'  from the Johor rulers.  And this Wayang is still going on today."

Read the rest of her posting, HMV (His Mentor's Voice), H E R E

Ops Pyramid: Kudos Anifah Aman, Mas, AA, TUDM, Wisma etc

Feb 2: The "rescuers" from TUDM preparing for the evacuation of 11,000 Msian stsudents trapped in Egypt

Yesterday: The first batch of the students "rescued" from Egypt

The cost and benefits of rescuing Malaysians in Egypt. Last night while some of us were busy talking cock somewhere in Bangsar, the first batch of Malaysian students were being flown out to safety from a burning Egypt, and the blogger Zakhir Mohamad aka Big Dog was seen pawing the digits on his Blackberry. A while later, he lumbered over to interrupt with the conversation and annouced that he had just completed the math for Ops Pyramid - the initiative by the Malaysian governmen to rescue 11,000 Malaysian students trapped in Egypt.


I checked out Zakhir aka Big Dog's blog this morning and here they are. Impressive, Big Dog ni. And his sentiments are fair: "‘Ops Pyramid’ is a serious effort. Malaysians should not complain this herculean effort. Especially when ‘earth is literally moved’ to get these trapped Malaysians out."

Kudos, Anifa Aman and Co. Once again, it's action and not mere words that we need of the government, and the Foreign Minister has proven his mettle yet again. Of course, the Nik Aziz crowd who staged a protest in front of Wisma Putra the other day and who are not fans of this Foreign Minister (especially as he's deemed to be close to the First Lady), will disagree.

But as Anifa had told an aide of his, "Nik Aziz is irrelevant where foreign affairs are concerned". What's important is that we do out utmost to get all Malaysians out of Egypt safely. Those who want to get out, that is.

Anifa expects all 11,000 to be evacuated by Monday, according to the Star here.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Arnab, Mesir dan Bah di Johor. Happy New Year to all, especially to my Chinese friends, in the cyber and the real world. May the year of the Rabbit give you more karats, and great health. Yaaaam Seng!

But do give a thought and a prayer to our fellow Malaysians who are not as fortunate as most of us, the victims of the Johor floods, and Malaysians in Egypt who want out. The good news is the floods are subsiding. According to someone who has been following the Sultanah of Johor, Raja Zarith Sofia, on her rounds:-

A flood victim in Ulu Tiram

Maklumat terkini [about noon] dr Bilik Gerakan Negeri yg di terima( setakat jam 8.00 pg). JB - 1 pusat masih  dibuka( 22 dah tutup), 9 keluarga 39 mangsa. Muar 23 pusat, 1074 keluarga, 4,759 mangsa. Batu Pahat 34 pusat ,1109 keluarga 5,090 mangsa. Segamat 84pusat (11 dah tutup) 5,194 keluarga 21,128 mangsa. Klg 29 pusat ( 23 dah tutup), 1,029 keluarga 4,135 mangsa.  Pntian 12 pusat (1 dah tutup) 180 keluarga 740 mangsa. Kota tinggi 18 pusat ( 3 dah tutup ), 353 keluarga ,1,523 mangsa. Mersing 1 pusat 25 keluarga 47 mangsa. Ledang 30pusat  ( 5 dah tutup), 1,308 keluarga , 5822 mangsa. Kulaijaya 0 pusat ( 11 dah tutup), 0 keluarga , o mangsa. Keseluruhan 232 pusat masih dibuka, 10,281 keluarga,  43,283 ...

As for Malaysians in Egypt:, the first evacuation of Malaysian students by tomorrow! Thank God, and those who are risking their lives to save others.

pic courtesy of Raja Zarith

Ah, Datuk Nuraina Pak Samad

Datuk Nuraina & Hei Kersani

Anak Bapak. Ena, 55 this August, a Singapore-born Malaysian journalist for the last 3 decades or so, the Managing Editor of the New Straits Times, receives her Panglima Mahkota Wilayah this morning at the Istana Melawati in Putrajaya. I believe she is the first non-group editor/editor-in-chief/group editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times Press, the paper she joined back in 1978, who's been bestowed a datukship from the Agong.

She blogs at 3540 Jalan Sudin, which she started after we both left NST in February 2006, exactly 5 years ago. There's a book coming based on her Tuesdays with Bapak series, which had a good run until the death of her father Tan Sri A. Samad Ismail the Tokoh Wartawan Negara in Sept 2008. She co-founded the now-defunct National Alliance of Bloggers  and the NURIN Alert, which was recently adopted by the Cabinet and renamed NUR Alert. Datuk Nuraina is a trustee for the National Press Club and sits on the exco of the interim Blog House Malaysia, a new association to protect bloggers.

She is a product of ITM.

Updated: 

NST's Sidek heads FT honours ..

The Star's Chief Sec among 256 recipients ...
The Malay Mail's NST managing editor among FT award recipients
Bernama's KSN ketuai senarai ..