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Mind of a hypercritical freak!
Mind of a hypercritical freak!
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We are all journalist.....
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

People always asked me... What makes a good journalist? It’s hard for me to answer as I am, myself not a journalist.

Well, to be conventionally, by term, as a good journalist, you should posses the true spirit of journalism by applying all sorts of professionalism and ethics in delivering news. Tell the stories, real facts, get real testimonials, be accurate and precise.

Nowadays, the term of journalism, had been revised by the new approaches towards telling stories that had facts and testimonials. They called it the era of “new journalism”. This kind of approach of telling stories was more to the emotion of the stories. Why? Because readers or audience wants their news according to their personal experience and perspective. Yes, they want it to be personal and attach to them.

Yes, news should have pathos, where it can tells laughs, cries, angers and any kind of feeling that make the audience feel that they are human being. Some might say, it is kind of single-minded where news should be facts, facts and facts. But the point is, there are lot citizen journalists out there. Millions of them were bloggers where they told news from a different perspective. But anyway, news is still news. Readers and audience were getting smarter, you can’t simply tell them what they should read or watch. News being personalized is really what they need. It is some sort of escapism to relate themselves with the news and what is going on with the world.

Looking back at the past trend of journalism, I should say that, as a media or people telling news, we ourselves should be more upfront in raising issues. Propaganda journalism was unhealthy and we should practice less self-censorship.

What we lack is the investigative journalism. If we harp on nothing but propaganda, I am sure that the societies will only get inaccurate feedback.

I have this thought, when have I censored myself in the past and the question is why? Yes, I am a writer, although I have never really done a circuit of reporting, I have myself without fail have this kind of passion that I can’t live without provoking thoughts, broadening perspectives and even keyboard for me to hit the every single journal of my life. In that time, I couldn’t find myself censored or been censored by assorted editors, sub-editors, bulletin producers and even publishers. Nothing too big or overly-uttered, just the peculiar sensitive words and sentences here and there. Nothing had threatened me; nobody had knocking on my door at late of night asking for me to go to police station for an interrogation, nobody hacked my blog but there’s this comments on my blog that makes me kind of sigh….. (I don’t know why this people can’t accept different perspectives..). But yet, yes, I confess: I censored myself.

Why do I need to censor myself? I don’t know, I just don’t want to hurt people’s heart and even hurting myself with ignorant comments from people who didn’t do a lot of thinking and reflecting the issues towards themselves. I know that, we have been living in this world where we are no longer belong to any personal privacy, where every single thing about ourselves can easily be access on just finger tip away. Thanks to technology that bringing down every continent. We are just citizen of the world that happened to have all sorts of information on each other. Yes, we have becoming close to each other without knowing the fact that we have not met.

But I want to ask you, why? And until what stance, that we have the rights to the freedom of information? Is there really so-called freedom of press? Do we have to tell the truth every time; though we might know the truth will make us hurt and the hullabaloo effects that make the world gone mad? We are dealing with freedom right now. Freedom to tell the stories, freedom to know the stories. There are countries where journalists risk not just their freedom but their lives everyday to tell stories to the public. But a lot of journalists not really belong on that class.

It is simply that we have become chicken, afraid of our own reflections. Why? It is because this kind of conflict of interests. The fear of losing our rice-pot, promotion prospects, and the publications/media/TV station’s advertising revenue or political or social patronage is enough to shut most of us up. I have censored myself on many circumstances for almost the same reasons. I should yell to myself and it is kind of humiliated to admit it. But, yes, if I just an ordinary writer that happened to write on my own escapism- blog, I shouldn’t tell myself that I need to commit suicide, because I have 100% obligations for not to tell the stories. I should and I pity for those who are really a journalist but failed to do so the social obligations on being accurate and precise.

But then, in a real world, where if I slap myself and it is hurt…. Press freedom is a myth. We have commit homicide on our freedom by using our own hands. The press, government and corporate governance have become freak bed-companion, where we do back-benching each others on many kind of interests. Yes, this is what we called democratic; if we want to be counted in, we should sleep with our enemies. This way, we will get whatever we desired without having to stain our hands out of it. Lost in translation where we suffers from our action, we have allowed ourselves to be co-opted into the system in a process not as totalitarian as we want to have faith on it to be.

Anyway, this is the rules that we have stated earlier, we can’t simply break the rules and I say we should play by the rules. If you can’t really help yourself for being self-censored, I think we better keep away of telling the stories. I have to deal with a lot of difficult task of making myself reliable and transparent; my kind of single-minded are more sincere. And I should tell and always remind myself I am responsible on whatever that I would like to address. While until that circumstances, I should focus myself on cari makan that helps me kept paying the bills without fail every month.

January 17, 2008 | 5:19 PM Comments  0 comments

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The product of our "Negative Individualism"
Related to country: Malaysia

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I do savor the individualism... Which i found it makes every creatures different and unique. The traits of individualism makes the world as it is.

There are many different causes and effects to our seeming antipathy to individualism. For example, it is easy to find people who stereotype people according to their archetype. Let's said... if you are reading thicker book you are different than others; nerd and man-know-hows. But the point is, that's such individualism that makes people speculate over you... Because you can't help people who just simple making assumption on whoever you are.

This either an encouraging symptom of worldliness or should i call it as negative cynicism? or an indication that we are worryingly susceptible on the hoolabaloo on what ever people caused on us?

One more example is, we often perceived people on the way they lead their life. As we giving categories to various class of people; "Peasant", "Middle-Class", "Hi-Class". Can't we just simply take people as who they are not what they belong? Though it seems such a silly little thing, but anyway.. we've been living on such hegemony for years and it became a part of our system. And yet where is system exist, there will always be bureaucracy. And uncontrolably bureucracy killed the entire "Positive individualism" where we can see colors of people until there is no color, not white not black it is just simply "Negative individualism".

The negative part of individualism is where it become too individualistic and not even care about others. We are becoming selfish more and more. We don't even see others. And the saddest thing is we live on the trait of conformist. We take whatever it is. Or simply saying that,"Look, i just want
my beautiful life and do i have to bother what makes the world revolved?"

As i walked from Pudu Raya to my office, i can barely see a lot of beggars; The handicapped ones with the most are blind. It make me wonder for awhile. Are we not doing enough on providing them platforms to live; to earn their life? Or are they just being conformist, "I am blind, nobody gonna give me job and what kind of job suits me... Nay, i better beg, that's the oddest and halal job that i can do.."

See.. on how conformist had killed our spirit on living....

Some thoughts and saying from the trait of "Middle-Class" society said that, we ourselves everyday, finding ourselves, but there is a distressing to this fallow, called legion all babbling about self-awareness, motivation and goals.

Of course it is wearying individualism all over the time. It takes a lot of you. Some us need to rely on the comforts on living with an Apartment at Damansara, driving a MyVi and with 3 childrens. But that, isn't the only way of life, nor, conversely, are outward trappings of bourgeouis comforts neccesarily indicative of timid souls. It is on our mind, whether we are ready to challenge it or not. But if we do, of course there will always be risks. The point is, are you ready to burn out?

Rousseau said that, "Man is born free, and everywhere chooses to chain himself!". As i believe that we chosed our destiny and how we prepare ourselves for everyday. And as for the blinds who begged for their life, that's just the symbol of us... human being, we are blind and helpless, we can't just simply rely on others. It's all on our mind... the will that let you breathe everyday.

January 7, 2008 | 12:11 PM Comments  0 comments



Economy not getting any better?

With the market slow down in Japan, as the buyers being sceptical to their buying power. With the political drama of Shinzo Abe.

With the weakening economic performance in United States, as the economy globalisation reaching the peak. With the pap-rally of US Presidential Campaign. With the subprime mortgage financial crisis. With the severe credit crunch threatening the solvency of a number of marginal private banks and other financial institutions.

With the forced re-evaluate risks that were taking and consumers lost the ability to finance further consumer spending causing increased volatility in the fixed income, equity, and derivative markets.

With the issues regarding to Malaysia had negligible direct exposure to the US subprime crisis but it was affected by the fallout from US and global financial markets. With market was defensive due to the outflow of foreign funds and the local market is not as volatile as Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan.

Is Economy getting any better?


October 6, 2007 | 9:58 AM Comments  0 comments

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Expose War Crimes and Criminalise War - Day Three's Note
About this event: Perdana Global Peace Organization CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION: EXPOSE WAR CRIMES: CRIMINALISE WAR


Day Three

Public Opinion is the world’s new superpower.

That was the main proposal of International Conference on “Expose War Crimes and Criminalise War” organised by Perdana Global Peace Organisation.

The Chairman of the organisation, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, on his closing speech, said that he agreed with the call for the public opinion to unify to reject and to fight the America hegemony on this very world of post-cold war.

The three-day conference agreed that the best way to achieve global peace by unifying the public opinion to reject war as a method to put the conflict to its end and declared war as a crime towards humanity.

The conference had developed three institutions to put the war criminals on try and will hear its first case of US President, George W. Bush, Premier Blair and Howard.

The first institution is the War Crimes Commission, lead by Dr. Mahathir, comprising Datuk Dr. Yaacob Hussain Merican (Lawyer), Zinur Zakaria (ex-President of Malaysia Lawyer Council), Musa Ismail (ex-magistrate), Prof Dr. Mohd Akram Shair Mohamed (Law professor of International Islamic University) and Prof Gurdial Singh Nijar (Law Professor of University of Malaya).
Second, War Crimes Tribunal led by Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman (ex-Federal Court Judge) comprising Tunku Datuk Dr. Sofiah Jewa (lawyer), Datuk Mohd Saari Yusoff (ex- Appeal Court Judge), Prof Shad Faruqi (Law Professor of Mara University of Technology), Mohamad Arif Md Yusof (lawyer). Also on the Tribunal are Mohd Noor Yahya (ex- President of Session Court and ex- Chairman of Malaysia’s Industrial Court), Datuk Abu Mansor Ali (ex- Federal Court Judge), Prof Francis Boyle (PLO advisor on the development of Palestine) and Prof Salleh Buang (Law lecturer and lawyer).

Third, War Crimes Lawyers comprising Mathias Chang, Jacqueline Chang, Megat Shaharuddin Merican, Elaine Zarina Zainur, Avtaran Singh, Nizam Bashir and Jamal Ridzuwan.

The Petition that wanted the three main war organisers and the invasion of Iraq to be put on try as the war crimes against human being. It been presented on behalf of war victims by Mathias Chang.

“Please don’t let them down. They have no place to go. This is their last destination to put on hope,” Chang pleaded.

Dr. Mahathir told the press at the end of the conference, which the participation of those institutions can be amend to strengthen its standard as the international bodies.

The conference also believes that the public opinion is the best weapon to lead into the global peace, to ban war and to punish the war criminals.

Even though the defendant might not come to the trial or be put on punishment, by the way, on public opinion, they are the criminals.

The label of War Criminal will be used every time their name being called, to humiliate them before the global citizens. Surprisingly, this year conference had attracted so many youngsters from inside and outside Malaysia whom represented the NGOs and civil societies.

I believe that, anyone who love peace and rejecting the war should make a decision to only support the political parties and the organisation which using the theme of peace and ban the war as a part of the main agenda and their manifesto.

And as proposed by Dato’ A. Kadir Jasin, he would like to see every bloggers should unite under the name of peace and promoting it as a part of their agenda to make this world as a better place to live. Come and support global peace by making this logo visible on your blog. And don’t forget to put the element of peace and rejecting war on every posting. Come support peace. Unite under the Bloggers for Peace.

As Ms Cynthia McKinney stated, "Kuala Lumpur is now, the capital for Peace".


February 13, 2007 | 2:38 AM Comments  0 comments

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Expose War Crimes, Criminalise War Conference - Day Two's Note
About this event: Perdana Global Peace Organization CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION: EXPOSE WAR CRIMES: CRIMINALISE WAR


Day two’s Note

Ali Shalah – the man in the hood – told a packed conference how an Israeli in civilian clothes stuck a jagged wooden stick and the barrel of a rifle into his rectum at the Abu Ghraib prison.

“I was cut inside and bled profusely. During this time, when guards walked past me, they would beat me. I had no food for 36 hours,” he said at the Expose War Crimes – Criminalise War Conference.

It was really a brave of Ali to stand on stage in front of a packed Dewan Merdeka with over 1000 people to share his horrible ordeal. Upon his release, he started the Association of Victims of American Occupation in Prisons. He opened his testimony with a video of torture in prisons. It was gruesome mix of photos of naked, scarred, bleeding and skinny bodies contrasted with grinning healthy-looking American soldiers posing with thumbs-ups. The Arabic-Persian soundtrack with haunting deep vocals, percussion and horn instruments quite successfully conveyed the sense of injustice inflicted upon this group of cultured, cosmopolitan and creative people.

But this feeling of mine is far from the ACTUAL torture and suffering that they have endured since the economic sanctions in the early 1990s and now the illegal occupation. The crude Americanisation of a country with a long history hailing back to the days of Babylon is typical of the obnoxious 'know-all' attitude of acrid American foreign policy.

The tragedy of 9/11 brought home to people everywhere the need for a forum like this as an alternative to confrontation or a clash of civilizations. It is our aim, as I remind myself as Muslim youngster to counter negative stereotypes and promote mutual understanding for both Western and Muslim societies..

Media round-ups show that there is an interest in the other side, in both Western and Muslim societies. However, this interest is often overlaid by stereotypes that determine how the others are perceived. What are missing are personal contact and a better knowledge of people from other cultures – both of which are prerequisites for mutual understanding.

Trust... I believe.... trust is required if a forum like this to be fruitful.

One prevalent stereotype finds expression in the suspicion that “the West” seeks to use the forum to justify a policy of domination that imposes Western values on the Muslim world. These concerns must be taken seriously by following through on our declarations of peace understanding and drawing greater attention to commonality, without however leaving critical issues unaddressed.

Various meetings between top politicians and thinkers have shown that there is considerable overlap in the basic ethical convictions of the two societies. The challenge is to communicate this to the people on the street, above all the younger generation.

What makes the member of the conference felt unsatisfied, when the moderator for the session of “War Crimes; from the Muslim Youth perspectives”, Ms. Juana Jaafar didn’t gave the fair opportunities to the younger generation to stand up and speak their mind as proposed by Dato’ Mukhriz. This should be the platform for youth to express their feeling, but sadly, she gave the chances to the eldest to speak up their mind by having un-parallel questions prior to the session and rhetoric yet cliché comments. It is so frustrating when having limited time to speak up our mind but being dominantly by the “marah pada dunia” eldest.

Yes it true. We (youngsters) are not given a fair chance to speak our mind. Ironically, the eldest were given big opportunities to speak up their mind on previous sessions. They should consider and count the voices of youth. They should listen from us, the leaders of tomorrow. I proposed that, next year, during the conference, the organisation should give a separate conference for youth, so-called the Junior International Conference on Peace and what-so-ever.

Then, the outcome from the Junior Conference will be included on the real Conference as a part of the call from the youngsters. I think it should be better. We don’t have to fight for the platform for us to express ourselves with the eldest.

continue on Day Three's Note




February 13, 2007 | 2:34 AM Comments  0 comments

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