GAZA AND THE BRITISH PAPERS

1. I have been in the United Kingdom for more than a week – a long time for me to stay in any place abroad.

2. When I left Malaysia the papers and television were full of reports on the Israeli brutalities in Gaza. There were heart-wrenching pictures of little children half-buried in the rubble of destroyed houses. I was very upset with Israeli brutalities and I thought the whole world would condemn Israel.

3. I was shocked that in the United Kingdom, the land of the free press and free speech there was hardly any report on Gaza and the Israeli invasion. Certainly there were no pictures of the brutal killing of children.

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SELAMAT MENYAMBUT TAHUN BARU CINA

Saya dan isteri mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru Cina kepada semua rakyat Malaysia, khususnya kepada kaum Cina.

Bagi kita rakyat Malaysia yang berbilang kaum, ini merupakan perayaan tahun baru yang ketiga yang kita raikan dalam masa sebulan, bermula dengan Maal Hijrah dan Tahun Baru 2009.

Semoga kedatangan Tahun Lembu ini akan menguatkan lagi azam semua pihak untuk berusaha ke arah mengeratkan hubungan antara kaum di negara yang kita cintai ini.

GONG XI FA CAI!

PILIHANRAYA KECIL KUALA TERENGGANU

1. Rencana ini telah ditulis semasa pilihanraya sedang berjalan. Saya pilih untuk tidak menyiarkannya pada masa itu supaya tidak dituduh mencuba mempengaruhi keputusan. Saya telah dikritik oleh seorang ahli UMNO kerana rencana saya berkenaan dilema pengundi. Rencana ini adalah sebagai jawapan kepada pengkritik saya.

2. Saya telah nyatakan pendirian saya dalam pilihanraya kecil ini iaitu saya tidak memihak kepada sesiapa.

3. Bahawa bagi sesetengah ahli UMNO pilihanraya ini penting, itu adalah pendapat mereka. Bagi saya pilihanraya kecil ini penting kepada UMNO jika ahli-ahli dan pemimpinnya dapat faham dan mengambil iktibar dari keputusannya. Saya tidak yakin mereka akan faham. Mereka akan nafi segala kesalahan mereka seperti dengan prestasi buruk pilihanraya Mac 2008.

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THE UNITED NATIONS

1. Perhaps it would be worthwhile if we read again the Charter of the United Nations to see how we and other countries subscribe to and carry out the objectives of the Charter.

Below is the introduction to the Charter;

“We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generation from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standard of life in larger freedom, and for these ends to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organisation to be known as the United Nations.”

2. Clearly the United Nations is aimed at saving succeeding generations (we and our children, grand children….) from the scourge of war.

3. Who wars today? Is it us or is it the very country which initiated this Charter, on whose soil the countries of the world gathered to formulate and to sign.

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TERRORISTS

1. I was shocked when a reporter asked me why I regard the Israelis as terrorists when it is the Muslims who blow themselves up so as to kill children. The Israelis are apparently not considered to be terrorists despite daily reports with pictures of the women, children and babies who have been killed and wounded.

2. Do the suicide bombers deliberately target children? Would they kill children if they could kill Israeli soldiers? What is their objective in killing children? Is it because they know it would win them the war?

3. I have no liking for people who resort to killing by blowing themselves up. But they are not regular soldiers who can be protected by tanks and powerful bombardment before they shoot and kill their victims. In fact the regular soldiers of the Israeli forces need not expose themselves to any danger as they choose their targets. They can shoot missiles from far off. Yet there can be no doubt that civilians including children have been deliberately killed by them in much greater numbers than the suicide bombers have ever done.

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ROB…

(On Jan 9, 2009, Rob commented on Open Letter to Barack Hussein Obama President-elect of the United States of America – this is my reply) )

Dear Rob,

1. I hope this is your name. I am always saddened by the ignorance of the average American. Yet America is so powerful that directly or indirectly it rules the world. For a country with ignorant people to rule the world it is an unmitigated disaster.

2. Clearly you have never been to Malaysia. But if I may say so we are not obsolete. But I admit we have only primitive weapons for our defence. You can, with a few nuclear bombs wipe our country from the surface of this earth.

3. Sorry for the 3,000 of your innocent citizens incinerated in their place of employment. At least three of those incinerated were actually Malaysians. I understand hardly any Jews were in the building. They were not incinerated.

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THE FOURTH AIRPORT

1. Now we know that the proposal to build a new airport at Labu is not a rumour. It is for real. Seems it is going to be a Private Financial Initiative – i.e. Government is not going to put up the money.

2. The site is 10 kilometers from KLIA. I had some experience of landing a small jet plane, so I can speak with a little knowledge. The approach speed of a big jet is between 300 to 400 kph. or it would cover the 10km in slightly less than 2 minutes.

3. The statement says that initially there would be no runway. That means the aircraft would land at KLIA.

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MOZZARELLA CHEESE II

1. I don’t know whether my piece about Langkawi mozzarella was read by the Star or not but I am glad the paper carried reports on the production of the unique Italian cheese in Langkawi.

2. There is no doubt the recipe was brought by Mr Muhammad Michael Bruschi, an Italian who married a Malaysian.

3. His cheese making facility is located near a Government buffalo breeding farm. Talking to Mr Bruschi I realise that there is not enough buffalo milk for him to grow his business.

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