Shalom's Lot @dubmeshalom - Tumblr Blog

Posts

Your leader is always flexible, he has pride in the dignity of his cause, he is unflinching, sincere, an ingenious tactician fighting the good fight. To the opposition he is unprincipled and will go whichever way the wind blows, his arrogance is masked by a fake humility, he is dogmatically stubborn, a hypocrite, unscrupulous and unethical, and he will do anything to win; he is leading the forces of evil. To one side he is a demigod, to the other a demagogue.

Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals

whetaver

gf: come over

me: cant im a dinosaur and i died 65 million yrs ago

gf: im off my period

me:

sighsomemore

ihavelosttheabilitytoucan

dubmeshalom

Evil

It's not just about telco price reductions, Datuk Seri By Hafidz Baharom With Datuk Seri Shabery Cheek now talking of price reductions in the telco sector, I believe it is time that he also addresses a hot button topic among telco customers; the Fair Usage policy for both wireless broadband and also mobile SIM cards. While fibre optic cable services or landed lines provided by Maxis, Unifi and even Time have unlimited data, the wireless services provided by telcos are hindered by a quota system, on and off peak hours of which are bizzare. And quite frankly, it is making large profits for these companies at the public's expense. And there are already companies which are ending this practice since 2011, making our industry at least four years behind. In London, you could even buy an unlimited LTE prepaid SIM card for £30. The ministry must not just look into the fair usage doctrine, but also in terms of service quality. Looking at our neighbours, both Thailand and Singapore, I have on more than one occasion mentioned how I wished they had opened up shop here. Our telco industry, believe it or not, is hampered by the mollycoddling of our government. In addition to the government actually sponsoring the construction of telco infrastructure, it is allowing telcos to make handsome profits akin to how the toll concessionaires were in the past. And we all know what a headache that has become today. Shabery needs to consider the fact that there is no drive in the industry to expand the infrastructure throughout the nation, and as such, perhaps government funding was the way to go then. But even with government sponsorship and the lofty goal of former minister Rais Yatim in pushing for 80 percent national coverage for broadband, black spots are still aplenty in both Kuala Lumpur and even Penang Island. That being said, I would recommend the ministry to do a full review on the telco sector from a consumer's point of view. For myself personally, I would give three recommendations. Firstly, end the fair usage policy for wireless broadband. It has nothing to do with the network infrastructure being unable to cope. It is instead a cash cow for our telcos. Second, set a deadline and a fine for those who fail to activate building networks within two months of it obtaining a certificate of fitness. I've asked this question to Unifi on Twitter as well as whatsapp and the lack of response shows perhaps there is no such requirement. With more Malaysians opting for small office/home office business models instead of the old fashioned brick and mortar investment of a separate office, surely you would concur that the above is unforgivable. Thirdly, a harsher penalty for telcos for dropped calls and black spots in their service area. The industry has been maturing for a decade and yet I still cannot get service at Dataran Merdeka? Bizarre and unforgivable. For far too long, our telcos have been stuck with a "jaguh kampung" mentality. And for far too long, we have been paying for it while Malaysians who have been abroad scratch their heads and wonder what is wrong with our country. So, Datuk Seri, with your approach to reduce prices, hopefully you would find some time to raise these issues as well for all of us.

On hudud, theft and intellectual property

On hudud, theft and intellectual property By Hafidz Baharom Over the weekend I've made my stance on the implementation of hudud or the sharia penal code. I am against it. Now, many have said these are the laws of God. I have myself said that I do not adhere to this so called God codex of laws. Many were open to accusing me of being anti-Islam for not adhering to its teachings. So I wish to put these people to the test since they are all diehard Muslims who believe in the laws as God and Kelantan's government have willed it. So, let's start. Theft according to the sharia penal code or hudud is punishable through the amputation of the right hand if the value of the items meet the value criteria set. In this case, more than four plus grams of gold. In this day and age, we are all thieves. And in the case of intellectual property it is extremely obvious. Piracy is theft. And I, am a pirate of cyberspace. I have downloaded movies, music albums, books and even television series worth millions in value. I have in the past bought DVDs from the DVD seller when it was still available. I have in the past photocopied books while in university for not wanting to buy the book outright. In addition, I also stream television shows using Hulu and Netflix which is not yet in the country and thus, is a theft of intellectual property. Similarly in this day and age, leeching off someone's WiFi is also a theft of data usage. It would also apply to you using your company's Internet services to open up your social media accounts if they had disallowed it. These are all examples of theft of intellectual property and breaching copyright laws that is rampant in Malaysia. And if any Muslim is brave enough to support the implementation of hudud law, then they should damn well admit it. And before you claim that it was beyond your wealth to watch or legally acquire these items, let us be frank; you could afford broadband. You damn well could afford a movie ticket or a book. Of course, you could now claim that you have repented and would never do it again. Good. I'm sure you will now use less bandwidth on your personal broadband connections at home. But after today, since you know it is a crime after reading this and have now repented, you have no excuse for doing it again. So if you ever get that itch to torrent again, dearest holier than thou Muslims who adhere to the hudud penal code to the core of your very souls out of fear of eternal damnation, please cut off your right hands if you ever open Piratebay. After all, you all are openly admitting to supporting it as the laws as God Himself proclaims. You should be brave and wise enough to admit it and take the punishment for your beliefs. Also, the Malaysian Medical Association has said since last year they would not be allowing doctors perform hudud amputations. This is what I meant by not supporting so called God's law. It is not against God himself. It is because I know what I do in trying to read almost anything on the Internet through torrenting books and magazines from around the world is theft. Unless you download Paulo Coelho. He has openly supported the downloading of his books via torrents. I will not support hudud because I support the free flow of information, not just the transparency of governments, but also in the case of access to media. I do not support the limiting of information in the form of green dams, or barring access to torrenting websites, or even torrenting itself. As such, I refuse to consider the implementation of hudud law, let alone any expansionary law on intellectual property or even access to the worldwide web. So to those who insist on supporting hudud, while still being hypocritical on the fact that they are thieving in this modern age, I suggest you reconsider your stances right now.

Why I am not for hudud implementation

Why I am not for hudud implementation By Hafidz Baharom I have Kelantanese relatives based in Kuala Lumpur. I have a Kelantanese mother, so that explains pretty much where I am coming from. Throughout the years, many have tried to get me interested in my Islamic faith, from Quran lessons at the Iqra' Institute to my name suddenly appearing on the registration roll for a religious school which I did not attend. Instead, my interest in religion was catered for by a book my father bought. It was The History of God by Karen Armstrong, a book that Malaysia had banned until she came to Kuala Lumpur. My interest was then further piqued by Reza Aslan's No God But God. And thus, these two authors - a former nun and a Shiite - are pretty much my go to reads on religion. Aslan's book detailed how even the early scholars of Islamic jurisprudence found themselves tortured by the very people who were tasked to implement "God's Law". Armstrong's latest book, Fields of Blood, details how religion itself left a bloody trail in history from the definition of scapegoat all the way up to the schisms in religion. Every historian highlighting The Crusades from a Christian point of view have highlighted the phrase that launched their armies to the Holy Land; God wills it. Those three words have been the scapegoat for the murder of intellectuals and scholars, the hanging of African Americans during the age of slavery, the decapitation of people in Saudi Arabia, the burning of Jordanian pilots in war torn Syria and now, the passing of hudud law in Kelantan. In each and every case, God is used as a justification for violent treatment against mankind, from maiming to hanging to amputation, decapitation and even having a human barbecue. The exact same reason were paraphrased to establish Israel at the expense of Palestinians, inevitably launched the Second World War, and even the attacks in Paris. And now it is being used in Kelantan. Personally, I have no idea if what was passed by the Kelantan state assembly is even constitutional. A similar case that we could see with the denunciation of slavery and the secession of Confederate states that led to the American Civil War. Even then, one side had argued that slavery was a God given right. Similarly, I would wait for the law to be put to the test. Will the people of Kelantan all around Malaysia found to be in offence of their laws be dragged across state lines to be held accountable, similar to how slaves who escaped were dragged kicking and screaming across the Mason-Dixon Line? Will we see other states suddenly legislating against these actions and thus, leading to a schism which will lead to a similar separation as America experienced? Unfortunately for us, we don't have a Lincoln who would threaten a civil war or an end to the hudud implementation. Instead, we have a toothless federal government which has done nothing but remain mum, even when a woman in the media is getting death threats for speaking up against this ridiculous topic. And this is exactly how I perceive hudud law; a ridiculous topic. Kelantan is one of the poorest states in the federation of Malaysia. It has seen its natural resources plundered for the wealth of the few and for all its talk of being 'Islamic', there is nothing Islamic about inequality in wealth and opportunities which the state suffers greatly from. A quick look at the statistics provided by the relevant authority shows that the state has an increasing number of its population venturing out to other states to pursue education and jobs. So I only have this to say to the members of the Kelantan state assembly; if you truly see value in implementing God's Law, have it apply on yourselves to the fullest extent before applying it to anyone else. God's law dictates you pay true tithes on your business and empty out your baitulmal annually and give it to the poorest of your people. Have you done so? God's law dictates you are only leaseholders for the Earth, yet I notice no such harsh penalties for pollution and illegal logging. Why is that? There are many aspects of God's law that is not even looked at or bothered by by the Kelantan state assembly, and this would make them all hypocrites. So, what does God's law dictate on these people? To be frank, it would mean their special privileges under Article 153 would all be revoked. This is all, of course, the rambling views of someone who looks at religion from a historical aspect with a layman appreciation of Islam. I was taught that to preach religion, one had to actually follow it to the letter before doing so. Thus, why would I support a law which I would never in my life follow to the letter, Godly or not. After all, not everyone in this country even believes in the same God, let alone the existence of a god. As such, do you punish someone who does not even believe in the same fate you do that awaits them? And the most important question of all; what if you're wrong? Would you be willing to bet your afterlife on your actions? This is basically the main point of God's covenant in all laws He so dictates. It's a risky thing to bet your life, it is truly another to bet eternal damnation for your wrongdoings. I'd rather not bet the wrath of my deity on punishing others while I myself do not adhere to His will. But since Kelantan wishes to do so, I hope they have considered the consequences of such a covenant.

An open letter to the members of parliament By Hafidz Baharom To the Honourable members of Parliament, As a humble Malaysian citizen, I would first like to define just what exactly you were elected to do. As members of the legislative branch, all 222 of you were elected to discuss, create, repeal and consider the Malaysian legislation which is currently used to govern the nation. Your second duty as elected representatives is to represent the concerns of your respective electorate on a national scale. You do not represent just those who voted for you, nor do you put priority on your own kin or friends. This is what, in my opinion, you were elected to do. That being said, if there is an unjust law or law that is considered no longer relevant by your electorate, it is your duty to ensure it is repealed. Even logic dictates that as long as it exists it will be abused. The fact that some still think it wise to contest the enforcement of the law, selective or otherwise, when the law itself is flawed, is stupid. The fact that you take to the streets instead of raising such motions in parliament and the state assemblies with a call to censure is also stupid. The fact that you want the people to cry over the lacking of a bed, a table and being kept awake due to mosquitoes, while asking for permission for meeting the King for tea is, as well, far beyond stupid. Similarly, when there is a call for public declaration of assets, we are not talking about a declaration to the president of your party. Such a thing is not considered public, and such a statement is a level of idiocy beyond comprehension. Parliament is currently in session, and by far the major concerns of the people is not the replacement of a 16-year-old jet. It is about the rise in violent crimes to the point that someone making a withdrawal at an ATM can find themselves hacked and robbed. It is about the lack of funding to combat corruption or the apathy against overspending highlighted constantly by the Auditor General. It is the apparently "shocking" drop in our rankings in education. It is about the need for securing water, lowering pollution, increasing low cost housing and bolstering incomes of the people who cannot even afford a meal, let alone be expected to cope with the GST. It is about the need to combat the dengue epidemic which has now killed hundreds and affected tens of thousands, without hospitals being able to cope with such an influx in cases, as high as a 254 percent increase. It is about decreasing household debts and regulating taxes and government linked company and agency spending and investments. It is about increasing budgets to environmental protection agencies and monitoring authorities as well as publicly backing them to combat illegal logging as well as farming which have caused subsequent disasters. These are all matters that must be brought to light in this seating of Parliament as well as the state assembly sessions. It is not a grandstand for you to turn diva. It is not for you to raise your personal issues or to promote measures that have no bearing on the needs and wants of the people. It is your job until 2018 to make sure that such items raised above are remedied and settled as soon as possible through the introduction of bills for debate into legislation which will require the political and moral backing of the executive and legislative branches to work. So please, stop with the sandiwaras and do your jobs, Honourable members of Parliament. Earn your salaries and do what you've been elected to do.

Is it time to pay more for energy?

Is it time to pay more for energy? By Hafidz Baharom Is it time for Malaysia to pay more for energy, from electricity to petrol to gas? The above was a question raised by KeTTHA Secretary General Datuk Loo Took Gee, and many of the speakers at today's 6th National Energy Forum hosted by the Energy Commission. In her speech launching the event, Loo asks if Malaysians were willing to pay more not so much due to fuel prices (she mentions low prices maintaining throughout the year) but due to an increase in feed in tariffs (FiT) for the expansion of renewable energy. Of course, she wasn't suggesting that this happened right away or that it really happen. Loo was merely suggesting that we should start a conversation on it. While some groups are harping on the possibility of nuclear energy reaching our shores, which will only be considered for implementation post 2025, the argument for or against it is irrelevant for now. However, it needs to be brought to light that Malaysia is lacking funding for renewable technology. Currently, Malaysians using more than 300kW/h are subjected to a stipend on their electricity bills as an FiT to pay off for investments into green tech power generation. Our energy mix is highly dependent on both coal and gas, fossil fuels that are both dependent on a market we do not control. This puts our energy capacity at the mercy of others. In fact, this is also what happened in terms of oil prices when the US went through what was dubbed as the Shale Revolution. This, coupled with the stubbornness of OPEC in reducing production, reduced the price of oil such as the Brent crude by 49 percent since June 2014. This led to clamours to reduce fuel prices and electricity tariffs all around the political sphere in Malaysia. Interestingly, nobody actually talked about keeping the price as it was to find the FIT to increase investments in renewable energy instead. A missed opportunity if there ever was one. With the tariff again up for review in June, and petrol prices once again revised to a higher per litre price in Malaysia, is it time for us to start talking again about the need for larger investments for renewable energy? With most energy, almost 50 percent according to one session here today, being used for transport, perhaps we need to get serious about it. I didn't see anyone from the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) taking notes on this, though. Furthermore, if transport were truly the major use of energy in Malaysia, then why are there so few charging stations for electric vehicles in malls, and other commercial developments? If we are truly serious as a nation to look at renewable energy and sustainability, why are politicians so keen on keeping oil prices low and not introducing a carbon tax to ensure a sum is contributed to developing renewable energy? Much can be done to improve our so-called pledge to planet in this day and age, and energy experts are questioning openly about whether energy prices should be determined by politics or the market. The lacklustre grumble of higher fuel prices shows that society at large are resigned to paying a somewhat market rate for petrol. Yes, Malaysians are about to be burdened by the implementation of a Goods and Services Tax of six percent by next month. While Malaysians are not happy with it, they are again resigned to bearing the cost which will go back to the governments either empty or dwindling coffers, whichever side of the political divide you believe. But would people be willing to pay more for future returns? Would they pay more for lower or maintained global temperatures, a cooler planet? Would Selangor be willing to pay more to replant trees and ensure water availability all year long without the Hulu Langat II project which has yet again been axed? And, more importantly, would Malaysians be willing to pay ridiculously more to own and operate a car to the point that public transport becomes a reasonable option and driving becomes a luxury, not a necessity? The tech is there, the public transport facilities will be ready soon. What is lacking is the answer to the question of who would pay for it as an alternative. That, and political and personal will among Malaysians. And with increasing cost of living squeezing the middle class, that question may not have a very acceptable answer to most Malaysians. Yet how do we move forward? The first move, of course, is to take politics out of the market for energy. Nobody should have the power to talk about subsidising the price of fuel. Instead, lawmakers should be focusing more on the fight of fair wages in Malaysia. The truth is, subsidies are the reason for the repression of salaries in Malaysia by corporations. But of course, we won't hear about that for some time to come from the major political parties. The second move is to tax those who pollute. A carbon or emission tax is timely for Malaysia. If not now, then perhaps next year when the MRT Line 1 project is operational. The latest to implement such a tax would be 2017 when the LRT line extensions come online. And the third and final move should be for an increase for the FiT, which would apply to everyone by 2020, in line with Malaysia's supposed achievement of high income status. That's quite a fixed timeline and a viable one, but there is a huge variable to consider. Firstly, can Prasarana make buses more reliable? This is the greatest variable up for consideration. With the Bus Rapid Transit project costing RM999 mil due for completion in this year, it should smoothen travel into Kuala Lumpur or nearby transport hubs. However, this only applies for the Federal Highway, not the Damansara Puchong expressway (LDP) or even the North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) just yet. It needs to be said that unless SPAD and Prasarana betters the connectivity to and from rail stations, everything else will tumble like a house of cards. So with all this on the table, perhaps it is time for us to consider the questions at hand without politics in mind.

Quickly becoming one of my favourite books to read.

Focus Malaysia becomes relevant again.

Education standards in Malaysia may be dropping, but the fact is we blame everyone but ourselves for it. I raise this in this letter published by Malay Mail Online.

Vitamin Water's made in #Malaysia? #eh?

#malaysia #eh

Sampai.

Not a rural area.

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Shalom's Lot