All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, at the address below.
The final solution undertaken by the Nazis during WW2, was described in the internet as
“In its entirety, the "Final Solution" consisted of gassings, shootings, random acts of terror, disease, and starvation that accounted for the deaths of about six million Jews -- two-thirds of European Jewry.
The same people who suffered untold miseries more than 60 years ago, are now simply not capable of learning how to be humane.
In 1940’s the Nazis used gas. Now the Israelis are using white phosphorus. Human Rights group says, white phosphorous has been used in military operations in the densely populated Gaza Strip. This chemicalcan burn away human flesh to the bone.
The IDF now applies the modern version of the final solution to the Palestinian problem.
Here is an article written by two observers on the carnage and the pogrom that are taking place. This article can also be read in the blog operated by Karin.
Sometime ago, I wrote about the over optimism by many that Obama will make profound changes. I was among the not a few who were cynical about his pronouncements. Change was his mantra and the whole world was besotted by this slogan. In our country, one aspirant for the ketua pemuda post, has also christened Dare To Change as his battle cry.
This is what? 14 days into the siege by IDF into Gaza? Scores of people are dead and injured. Mostly Palestinians. As at yesterday, more than 800 Palestinians were butchered and more than 3000 Palestinians were injured, maimed and incapacitated. Children were killed probably conforming to the cynical cartoon that says, each Palestinian child dead, means one less suicide bomber. The casualty and injured on the Israeli side is minimal. But the guilt-riddled world says, one Israeli life is worth a thousand Palestinians.
Can we expect Obama to make the changes that he so loudly proclaimed when he can’t even get a sizeable number of talented blacks into his administration?. His cabinet is full of neocons and pro Israel politicians. Obama will be incapacitated by the weight of belligerent Arab bigotry. Obama’s time will be more consumed in repaying debts to the white establishment for having endorsed and supported him.
The invincibility of the Israeli army has been mythologized to monumental proportions. Of course they are seen as invincible when you are armed to the teeth with the latest technology while the Palestinians fight back using what?..stones, catapults and low tech rockets? What will the UN do when USA decides to sent munitions to Israel this month? As a right of self defence will the UN also close one eye, when Muslims all over the world do the same thing and armed the Palestinians to even the playing field.
Israel is feeding off the guilty conscience of the USA. Every time criticisms against Israel are aired, they are quickly dismissed as anti Semitic. Each time, the ghost of the Nazi holocaust is always used as leverage to pummel and muzzle criticisms and censors against the aggressor state of Israel. It is as though, because of the holocaust, what Israel does, are excusable. Even here in Malaysia, writing in defence of the Palestinians, is regarded as a hate blogger. The blogger not hated is the one who stays mute when the killings are taking place.
USA and Israel have lost the moral right to claim righteousness in its behaviour. America and Israel do not own the truth.
Here is a little bit about Israel that readers may be interested in. before the recent carpet bombing and ground force invasion of Gaza by IDF, I , like many others was an disinterested observer.
I was reading about the recent demonstrations by the NGO on Israeli aggression in Kuala Lumpur. The demonstrators were mostly NGO members. Some carried Hamas Flags. The Palestinian Authority( see? Not even a country) demanded that Hamas flags not be used. This is unacceptable. Malaysians demonstrate and therefore it’s no f*****g business for this man to decide which flags Malaysians can or cannot use. Hamas won the elections in Palestine and should have a representative here instead of the free rider of a representative from corrupt PLO.
When Israel bombs Palestinian children, that’s regarded as audacity. In a warped sense of righteousness, the blatant aggression is sanitized as audacity, a term usually used positively. It’s taken as a good thing. Indeed, there is a preferred term for it. It’s called Chutzpah. The term Chutzpah is actually used indignantly, to describe someone who has over-stepped the boundaries of accepted behavior with no shame.
But typical of the hypocrisy of the west, chutzpah has developed ambivalent and even positive connotations. Indeed Chutzpah is used to express admiration for non-conformist but gutsy audacity. In realpolitik, it is sometime expressed as a truism- Israel has the right to its self defense. Preventive killings and genocide as a means of defense is the ultimate chutzpah.
The Palestinians whose weapons of choice consist of slings, stones and ancient grenade launchers, don’t. People have even accused Palestinians to having it coming to them. Hamas and Hezbollah to the North are responsible for the death of Palestinian children and women. Palestinians deserve to die because they refused to have an independent state. They deserve to because their only object in life is to kill every Jew in this world. Some people regard chutzpah as "gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, incredible 'guts,' presumption plus arrogance.Hence chutzpah has degenerated into a term that expresses a grudging admiration.
So when the IDF bombs houses, shoot children point blank in the head, they can always plead self defense. They can justify the killings as preemptive strike on those out to kill them. Israel’s behavior is tolerable because its Israel’s national chutzpah. Having killed children and women, Israel asks the world for leniency and understanding. Accepting Israel’s explanation is like treating the Israeli behavior as the ultimate chutzpah. The popular version of the ultimate chutzpah is like the example of the boy who, having just been convicted of murdering his parents, begs the judge for leniency because he is an orphan. Israel is the world’s orphan.
The Blogger Elviza has asked the blogging fraternity to spread the urgent appeal to help out the besieged Palestinians in Gaza. I join all my other friends in making this appeal. I think Elviza's post does not need further amplification. And so I reproduce her post here verbatim:-
If your heart bleeds for the atrocities bestowed on Gaza by the Israelis, do lend them a hand. Let us part with whatever we can afford to help Palestinians in their time of grief.
Mercy Malaysia has, on 30th December 2008, formed an Emergency Response Assessment Team to face the humanitarian crisis in Gaza strip. The team has been promptly dispatched to Egypt led by President, Datuk Dr. Jemilah Mahmood and Exco Member Norazam Ab. Samah.
The air strike and ground offensive on Gaza - as reported by AlJazeera - have killed more than 700 Palestinians, 219 of which are children. More than 3000 have been wounded.
Therefore, Mercy Malaysia appeals to generous Malaysians to send it cash donations. Contributions will support Mercy Malaysia to procure emergency surgical kits, medicines and hospital equipments to help the hospitals in Gaza.
Cheque is to be made payable to “MERCY MALAYSIA” and addressed to Mercy Malaysia, Level 2, Podium Block, City Point, Kompleks Dayabumi, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.
Cash donations can be made via on-line transmission or deposit at CIMB Bank Account No: 1424-000-6561053.
Secondly, it represents blocked opportunities for later generations. It will be that way, if we allow providence to throw up the leadership upon us. Untung sabut timbul, untung batu tenggelam kind of thinking. That would only suggest, after hundred of years we have not Hijrah from the methods of the shamans, tea leaves reading, signs from the sky thinking mode, bovine vomit etc.
Captaining the ship of leadership is not like doing a Captain Jack Sparrow. With him, it is difficult to know whether the good things happening to him are the product of deliberate planning or he just makes it up along the way. You have a choice then. Select a leader trusting that providence, will willy –nilly, supply you leaders. Or you can determine the quality of leadership you desire by a deterministic process. That process is deliberate and rigorous by nature. It involves disembowelling all our pet assumptions. One of the pet assumption is rejecting the ascriptive norms- whereby a person is chosen because of who he is. Instead, the criteria should be on achievement norms- a person is evaluated in terms of his/her merits, what he can do, his abilities. .
As a blogger friend, Smalltalk said, this basis of choosing( i.e. breaking up elite cycle) UMNO leaders has never been practised. The norm was, is and will always be appealing to tradition and money.In fact, Smalltalk was more colourful when he talked about BUDU. Tradition means whatever it fancies the top leaders at that particular time as long as it keeps the status quo, UMNO has its ways, etc. etc. Money, the other method is almost an universal practice in UMNO. Money is UMNO’s North Star. It’s the Kaabah for the majority.
I am not going to elaborate on these two norms. But the other one is interesting.
That particular article which I write earlier, has invited counter arguments. The main and substantive one came from the blogger A Voice. His analysis represented the others who share his similar views- that we must not exclude someone of calibre just because he comes from the genetic elite. Ok, I accept, that was an argument to support Mukhriz Mahathir in opposition to my thesis that the coming Ketua Pemuda race will be between KJ and KT.
The sting of the argument- that we must not exclude or reject a candidate because he comes from a genetic elite, is the one that attracts me. Actually I can accept that if a prospective candidate has the balls and talents, even though he/she comes from the old family, he mustn’t be discounted. Case in point. Lee Hsien Loon, the son of LKY. His exclusion would be a loss to Singapore if we use my way to choose leadership. Because of his merits. Although I can point to many more offspring of the old family who cant walk and chew gum at the same time.
Nevertheless I accept wholly that to exclude someone because of his genealogy is to practice a form of reverse discrimination.
To weaken my argument, A Voice and others produced reasoning to say that KJ is as much a son to Pak Lah as any of those I wish to disqualify. Accordingly, by my own reasoning, KJ too would be disqualified leaving the field to the tempeeating and shouting capture-back-Selangor former MB, KT. Not good say people. Khir Toyo is too plebeian.
Suppose now, I accept the argument. That we must not exclude or disqualify a candidates just because they come from the genetic elite. I repeat- I reject the perverse idea of reverse discrimination. Provided they have all the marbles, we would be better off, by accepting them as candidates. Since now, we don’t want to use the tiresome argument of a person’s genealogy, would that also mean, we need not also disqualify KJ? Quid pro quo? Boleh? You accept, I accept?.
Now:-
Putting aside both arguments for and against the genetic elite, all 3 are plausible candidates. What then do we have?
We are then directed to the merits of each candidate. His personality, mental capabilities, dedication, foresight, his imagination, his ability to conduct reality checks. I am reminded of my days with Shell, where they evaluate one’s leadership qualities on the basis of helicopter abilities( HAIR). The H stands for Helicopter ability made possible if one has A( analytical abilities/mental prowess), I( sense of Imagination) and R( reality check). Having all these qualities, allow such person to rise above and see the bigger picture. But I shall refrain from boring readers by constructing a table comparing how each candidate in the Ketua Pemuda rank with each other. Let us look at other leavening features of leadership.
The day after the nomination. The BN’s meats and potatoes outlook towards the voters, has remained the same. Too much meat causes heart attack. Its grounded on (a) display of raw power (b) money.
The naked display of power alienates BN people from the rakyat.. nowadays, you behave like emperors you get thumped in the nose. BN’s very public display of power, arrogance, authority and wealth is nauseating. Its strikes at one of the most fundamental civic virtue that east coast people still have high regard- humility.
In the east coast states and especially now, in KT, the word humility is a very priceless virtue. Its linked to one’s religiosity. All the religions in the world, and to Islam which is the religion of the majority in KT, humility isa sign of recognising human frailties and smallness.
By 2pm on nomination day, most of the big gun politicians were already on their way back to Kuala Lumpur. Many of them in their big 4 wheel drives and a retinue of accompanying vehicles. These comprised mostly bodyguards, private assistants, hired reporters, walking ATM machines, wives and girlfriends. The repulsive behaviour of these little emperors in KT on nomination day in KT was well documented. Sirens wailing, bodyguards swarming, outsiders surging condescendingly on kerpok lekor eating country hillbillies.
In Termerloh which is usually the choice stopover to break journey, the same kind of pretentious and haughty behaviour is for everyone to see. Maximus Ongkili was holding court among a retinue of hangers on, reporters, body guards scanning the horizon fearful and mindful, maybe some kampung people in Termerloh want to bump off Ongkili. Maybe they do, looking at his hairstyle and the face of a cocky bastard. At other tables, some lesser known politicians, were intimately chatting with their girlfriends oblivious to the status of being a public figure. Brother, even in rural Termerloh, there are people who read papers and surf internet la.
I am not a clairvoyant, but when two of my blogging friends Smalltalk and Ti Lian Ker gave their takes on the KT elections, I sense problem for BN. When smalltalk says, the nominations process took place in a very civil atmosphere, that indicates UMNO is already losing. UMNO practises pompous humility when its cornered. My friend Ti Lian Ker came out with his anti Hudud article which will alienate those Malays who voted BN last March into voting for PAS now. Its not that Ti’s article is not substantive- but having it written by a Chinese will be taken as proof, that UMNO in particular has little Islamic credentials.
Perhaps, UMNO people and leaders in particular should take lessons on humility. The benefits are many. It shows one is not pretentious and that breaks the ice in people relationships. It encourages more openness and paradoxically, it enhances one's self-confidence. It shows you are at peace with yourself. BN leaders going around town, behave as though they demand recognition and approval of their existence. Without subservient acknowledgement, they don’t feel complete. The unspoken response they received is probably FO!
Humility means you don’t feel superior to the others. In the business world for example, humility is a valuable asset. The writer of the management book, from Good to Great, suggests that humility is a crucial component in a level 5 leader. And according to Collins, Level 5 leadership usually results in really good companies. The essence of a level 5 leadership, is directing one’s ego away fromoneself to the larger mission at hand. That being the victory for BN. Some of the signs of level 5 leadership are cultivating public anonymity, never boastful and usually behaving modest. Collins cited the example David Packard, the co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, who, Collins sees as defining himself as ' a HP man first and a CEO second. To be sure, our top leaders are not wanting in exhorting their charges to be UMNO or BN man first. Perhaps old habits die hard.
Indeed humility is an indication of inner strength. Admittedly its difficult to be humble all the time. Because of that, everyday, we battle against these tendencies. For example, the idea of being self-effacing is one that we struggle with in our competitive culture, because we want take every opportunity to toot our own horn.
But UMNO people don’t have to confuse humility with timidity. Humility is not clothing ourselves in an attitude of self-abasement or self-denigration. Humility is all about maintaining our pride about who we are, about our achievements, about our worth - but without arrogance - it is the antithesis of hubris, that excessive, arrogant pride which often leads to our the downfall. It's about a quiet confidence without the need for a meretricious selling of our wares. It's about being content to let others discover the layers of our talents without having to boast about them. It's a lack of arrogance, not a lack of aggressiveness in the pursuit of achievement.
There’s an old Malay saying, that the empty vessel makes the most noise which taken on the opposite, implies a full vessel does not make noise. Or the exhortation to be the spirit of the padi, the more content you have, the humbler one becomes. The interesting dichotomy is that, often, the higher people rise, the more they have accomplished, the higher the humility index. Those who achieve the most brag the least, and the more secure they are in themselves, the more humble they are.
I was reading an account of Khalid Ibrahim, the Selangor MB while in Terengganu. From that anecdotal account, Khalid appears to show a mark of a leader who practices humility when he interacts with KT people. He has shown willingness to treat everyone with respect regardless of position. When we approach situations from a perspective of humility, many profitable things take place: As one author says:
It opens us up to possibilities, as we choose open-mindedness and curiosity over protecting our point of view. We spend more time in that wonderful space of the beginner's mind, willing to learn from what others have to offer. We move away from pushing into allowing, from insecure to secure, from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. We forget about being perfect and we enjoy being in the moment.
