HARD TRUTHS

1. A new book on Lee Kuan Yew has appeared with the title “Lee Kuan Yew – Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going.” It is a collection of 16 interviews with Lee Kuan Yew by Singapore journalists.

2. What is the hard truth which will keep Singapore going? It is, according to Lee Kuan Yew the vulnerability of Singapore. Without saying so in so many words, Lee Kuan Yew believes that the island’s neighbours would war against it if it has no military capacity to defend itself. The United Nations would not help Singapore in the event of such an attack.

3. Even America would not defend Singapore despite the Security Framework Agreement. America went to the aid of Kuwait because of oil, but Singapore’s problem is water.

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PIRATES

1. I must congratulate Paskal, the Royal Malaysian Navy’s commandos, for their success in preventing the capture of the Malaysian ship by Somali pirates recently.

2. It seems that the Korean commandos have been equally successful in frustrating the Somali pirates from hijacking a Korean ship.

3. I wonder if this means that the anti-piracy forces of the different countries are responsible for the ships of their own countries only. Will the Malaysian or Korean commandos sit by and watch as ships of other nations are hijacked in front of their eyes?

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THE DOMINO EFFECT

**Saya ucapkan Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru Cina kepada semua rakyat Malaysia terutamanya kepada pembaca blog saya ini. Gong Xi Fa Cai**

1. It looks like the Arab countries are experiencing some kind of revolution. Apparently the people are not happy with the leadership of their largely authoritarian Governments. Equally obviously they want a change of Governments or the leaders.

2. The revolution has succeeded in Tunisia. Now we are seeing upheavals in Egypt.

3. Should these revolutions succeed there would be new Governments. But it is worthwhile to remember that change is not always for the better. It is incumbent upon those bent on effecting change to have some idea about the kind of Governments they want. Otherwise they may get the same kind of Governments that they try so hard to be rid off. This is because most leaders upon achieving power would change and would forget the struggles and sacrifices which enabled them to be in power. Power corrupts as we all know.

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NIK AZIZ DAN KWAN YEW

1. Kata Nik Aziz, “Melayu (di Malaysia) tolak Islam lebih teruk daripada Kwan Yew”. Ternampak Nik Aziz lebih utamakan peluang untuk memburuk musuh politiknya di Malaysia daripada mempertahankan serangan terhadap Islam dan penganutnya oleh Lee Kwan Yew. Nik Aziz anggap nasionalis Melayu lebih teruk ke-Islaman mereka.

2. Di zaman British ramai pembesar Melayu minum arak dan ada pekerja Melayu yang minum toddy. Masjid pun tidak banyak dan ramai yang tidak sembahyang. Hasil perjuangan nasionalis Melayu negara sekarang diperintah oleh orang Melayu Islam. Mereka mengharamkan arak dalam majlis rasmi Kerajaan, menerap nilai-nilai Islam dalam pemerintahan, membekalkan wang Kerajaan untuk kegiatan-kegiatan agama Islam, memudahkan orang Islam buat kerja haji, mendirikan masjid-masjid, menubuhkan Universiti Islam, Bank Islam, Takaful, badan-badan dakwah, mengharamkan loteri nasional dan berbagai-bagai lagi yang disuruh oleh agama Islam. Teruk sangatkah orang nasionalis ini dalam mengamal ajaran Islam?

3. Sebaliknya apakah yang dilakukan oleh PAS dan Nik Aziz? Hasil yang terbesar ialah memecahbelahkan orang Islam di negara ini. Penubuhan PAS itu sendiri berjaya memecahbelahkan orang Melayu Islam setelah mereka bersatu dalam UMNO untuk memperjuangkan nasib bangsa yang beragama Islam.

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SEJARAH

1. Sejarah menceritakan apa yang telah berlaku dahulu kepada sesuatu negara atau bangsa. Tidak semua yang diceritakan diasaskan kepada fakta yang benar-benar berlaku. Tiap negara dan tiap ahli sejarah mengutamakan kepentingan negara apabila menulis berkenaan sejarah yang dilalui oleh negara masing-masing.

2. Demikian penulis sejarah British apabila menulis berkenaan pertempuran perang di Waterloo mendakwa bahawa pertempuran itu telah selesai dimenangi oleh Duke of Wellington, Jeneral yang mengetuai tentera British sebelum tentera Jerman yang diketuai oleh Blucher sampai ke Waterloo untuk membantu Wellington.

3. Ahli sejarah Jerman pula menulis bahawa Wellington hampir kalah di Waterloo apabila Blucher sampai dan menyelamatkan tentera British dan seterusnya memberi kemenangan kepada tentera gabungan Jerman dan British.

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KAUM MELAYU SINGAPURA

1. Tan Malaka yang namanya amat terkenal di zaman Sukarno mendakwa Melayu Singapura lebih disiplin (daripada Melayu Malaysia). Ini memang benar. Bahkan rakyat Singapura tanpa mengira bangsa juga amat disiplin.

2. Sebagai contoh mereka tidak akan buang sampah di jalan. Dengan itu jalan-jalan di Singapura amat bersih.

3. Tetapi apabila mereka menyeberang ke tanah besar Malaysia mereka akan buang sampah dari kereta mereka dalam perjalanan.

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MEDIUM OF TEACHING

1. In an interview by Nanyang Siang Pau, I pointed out that there is no country in the world, except Malaysia where the Government allows and pays for schools which use a foreign language for teaching in schools meant for a community whose ancestors came from a foreign country.

2. A NSP reader claims that I was wrong because in many countries the Chinese language is taught and are spoken.

3. May I point out that there is a difference between teaching in a foreign language and learning (and speaking) a foreign language. I was referring to teaching (medium of instruction) in a foreign language not learning a foreign language. Learning a foreign language is usually not only permissible but encouraged.

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CENSORSHIP

1. Governments have often been accused of censoring unpleasant reports or books about them. Obviously this practice is not regarded highly by democrats everywhere. People believe that there must be some truth in the censored articles or publications, otherwise why should they be censored or banned.

2. Now we are seeing individuals, organisations and governments which have no power to censor also indulging in censoring unfavourable reports about them.

3. This they do by threatening to sue or suing the whistle blowers. The threat is intended to deter not only the particular individual but others also from uttering or reporting the same allegation. If the threat fails, then the matter is made a subject of libel action. Whether it becomes sub-judice or not the person is deterred from repeating the statements as it may prejudice the courts.

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SOUND BYTES – BERSARA

1. Saya setuju saya patut bersara dan serah segala-galanya kepada generasi muda. Tetapi saya sering menasihat kawan-kawan yang bersara supaya terus aktif kerana jika tidak mereka akan tua lebih cepat dan akan pergi lebih awal.

2. Saya juga cuba supaya tidak pergi lebih awal dengan mengaktifkan diri saya. Harap kawan-kawan saya membenarkan orang tua ini terus aktif. Akan sampai masanya yang saya tidak lagi boleh aktif walaupun saya ingin aktif. Pada masa itu saya akan terima apa yang ditakdirkan bagi saya oleh Allah subhanawata’ala.

3. Selagi Allaw s.w.t. memberi kesihatan dan tenaga kepada saya, saya tidak akan membazirkan kurniaan Tuhan ini.