“My final personal observation is that, generation-Y have stronger identity as a Malaysians than earlier generations. Rather than calling ourselves ‘Malays’, ‘Chinese’, ‘Indians’ or ‘Others’, we call ourselves Malaysians.”
“Many of them also do not want to identify themselves as Malaysians as the reasons living Malaysia are usually because they feel that they weren’t recognised as ‘Malaysians’ back home..”
These are contradictory statements. I believe the latter statement to reflect reality in Malaysia much more than the former.
I think she meant “leaving” Malaysia and not
“living” Malaysia….
It has been my experience that some Australians are totally unaware that they have made a racist comment. This does not excuse their behaviour.
I have worked with new migrants for the past three years. I consider that before this time I was very ignorant of the backgrounds and types of experiences these wonderful people had to endure before they became one of the lucky few to migrate to Australia.
I have been revolted by the “throw-away” generalised statements made by people I had previously admired as educated, moral and generous of spirit.
Only through education can we hope to cut through the ignorance that leads to racism.
But it should not be discounted that it is human nature to be jealous of what we believe is ours and to fear that we will experience lack if we share.
It appears that loyalty to political parties in Sabah & Sarawak are not as stable as they are in Peninsular Malaysia. The defections from PKR, is not the first time this has happened, and definitely not the last:
Sabah PKR suffered a blow after leaders from 11 of the party’s 25 divisions joined two former state assemblymen in quitting the party, saying that they had lost faith in their national leadership.
“Never” is the word. Never attended any Rice Policy Committee! That’s not only idiotic R.N.England, that’s criminal!
The Rice Pledging scheme has been one of a few focal policy priorities of the Yingluck regime and this scheme stenches and stains and corrupts and bankrupts the rice industry to the tune of Bht 400 billion and growing.
If ‘no-nothing-see-nothing-understand-nothing’ Yingluck will just keep her silly mouth shut and not appear on TV, maybe … maybe the Thai nation could be calmed. Maybe.
Combine idiocy and unscrupulousness plus ‘sweet blank eyes’, and bingo: Yingluck is the result.
Can we just be honest? For simplicity’s sake let’s just assume there really is only two camps in Thailand’s political crisis- the so called “red/Thaksin regime” and the “yellows/democrats/royalists.” Both sides are led by incompetent, power-hungry oligarchs. Though I freely admit my sympathy is with the “Red” supporters, neither side of the leadership has provided any forward-thinking constructive solution to Thailand’s problems, and both sides are equally guilty of what they accuse of the other side- corruption, murder, etc. Having said that, it does indeed appear that the contemporary phenomenon of “uncivil” society and mass mobilization to create chaos is a despicable strategy first utilized by the Yellows in Thailand’s context. I support civil protests and mass demonstrations. Overrunning ministries and airports however, is an entirely different story. Can we stop defending the respective leaderships and actually think of a way forward out of this mess?
And the Democrat-backed mob cutting electricity and besieging government ministries stopping them from working for the other 65.5 million people not trying to steal power and affecting Police General Hospital is fine?
And please tell me when ahia and kuai became common, polite Thai greetings, because I hear an awful lot of ahia’s and kuais being shouted from the mob and the protest leaders.
Do you really think Suthep has an exit strategy when this tornado in a teacup doesn’t succeed in toppling the government?
Do you think he’s going to stay at Democracy Monument forever? Do you think he’ll just pack up and go home? Or do you think he’ll try and force a confrontation to swell his diminishing supporter base?
Did you buy those rose coloured glasses on Sukhumvit, or in Patpong?
@ notdisappointed you have a great way of distorting or ignoring facts.
Thailand’s population is about 66 million.
About 20% in 2011 were aged 0-14
About 9% were aged 64 or over
Average life expectancy across both sexes is 74 years.
66,000,000
– 13,200,000 (0-14)
= 52,800,000
– 2,970,000 (1/2 of those aged over 64 as being to old / uninterested, incapable of voting)
= 49,830,000
– 4,000,000 (allowance for those aged between 14 – 18)
= 45,000,000
32,525,504 ppl cast a vote in 2011 which according to the electoral office was a 75% electoral turnout.
This would put the total number of eligible voters at about 43,500,000.
32,525,504 valid votes were cast
1,726,051 or 4.90% of votes were invalid
15,744,190 or 48.41% were cast in favour of Pheu Thai
11,433,762 or 35.15% were cast in favour of the Democrats.
So yes, pretty close to a majority of those eligible to vote.
Your next point is? The minority should choose?
Or to hell with majority rules, lets grab power anyway comeone can?
NLD surely as racist and idiotic as any other busybodies in Burma for sure. But the Sit-tut being in the Red Inc. or implication of being only in it is not quite true.
Current academia and “media” around the world is surely owned and operated the honourable “Democratic Countries”. After all all the higher learning centres are stepping over each other to prove how obedient they are to the funders all over the world and all the media are owned and run by precious few. The very ones who crowed endlessly about the WMD’s in Iraq and how evil Gadaffi was and now how evil Assad is even though they have not a clue more than what Susan Rice, the well known Truth Sayer says.
That media and academia have been in overdrive to pump up the Strawman Government of Burma for the last 3 years with totally shameless 180 turnabout. That can only happen only if Burma, and its now more solidified than ever in hisotry toliterian dictators in sheep skin (Longyi they call it in Burma)are in the sphere of the “Western Democracies” or the “Advanced Civilised World”.
Look at how the Jewish american embassador was giving a sermon at the impromptu Monks’ congress after their well orchastrated Muslim Pogrom gone a bit overboard pulling too much unwanted attention- what with burning live poeple in day light and beating defenseless people under the lenses and stabbing 92 year old woman 35 times and those well demarcated burning of the Muslim quarters, some of which are now to be build into hotels and resorts.
After all Chinese the dogs simply shooed the Burma the animal into the path of the gunmen the Yanks and Co. Remember the dogs always get fed!
And the NLD and the Papa’s army are so united in their desire for looting of the land off the traditional owners (no legal papers making things easier) and and move millions of landwoner traditional farmers into a-dollar- a-day wage earners to spend the rest of their miserable and “liberated” lives in strike/work/out-of-work/ suicide and drug haze circles (with those goody-two-shoe trade unions supporting them of course).
Current play of disembowelling of the Burma carcass carried out in unison is indeed a sad sight.
After all is said and restated of plan B and repeated declared “ad nauseam per most here at New Mandala”, look like your ignorance of plan B, make you look rather listless the least.
IMHO, General Min Aung Hlaing the Army Chief who is rumored to be retiring soon to be able to participate in 2015 general elections has more chance to become the president in 2015 than ASSK whose party NLD in Buddhist-Burmese eyes is quickly becoming a Socialist party sympathetic to Muslims and also too close to foreign powers like US and EU.
There are too many political parties in Sabah. Smaller political parties can not sustain financially, and thus affect the cohesiveness of party members.
Yingluck deputised somebody else to chair the Rice Policy Committee, Vichai N. That’s what busy people do. She is handling the present political crisis with restraint and patience, allowing the “Democrats” enough rope to hang themselves. That is something a woman is better equipped to do, because a man is expected, even by his own people, to show more aggression. People will love and respect her if she can resolve this situation without bloodshed.
Thai political rulers can actually be divided into two camps –
1. Democrats / Army – rule via coup in one guise or another
2. TRT (and variant) – rule via election
The above have been going on for years, since the formation of TRT. Only the blind (eyes, mind and heart) can ignore this and also pretend that the Democrat / Army group is legit and “clean”
Khun brendecke, there is much to laugh at in your daft statement – including the fact you say you know what was happening because you were in Thailand at the same time the incident happened – but for your information, the official protest organisation already apologised for the attack on Nick in a statement (it can be viewed here) so your denials just show you are a liar. Congratulations.
Objectivity from Andrew Spooner? Just like asking objectivity from Amsterdam.
At least be very definite Andrew Spooner. Fascists in Thailand?
Thaksin’s regime (no such thing according to sister Yingluck) has more fascistic tendencies than say Abhisit:
1) The extra-judicial expediency, swift justice against “suspects”, Thaksin-style is fascistic.
2) Mouthing silly propaganda like ‘undemocratic minds’ while the Yingluck government has increased the use of lèse majesté [the law against “insulting” the monarchy] and refused to countenance any reforms of the law or even the justice system. [http://links.org.au/node/3021]. Disdain for recognition of human rights a-la Shinawatra is fascistic.
3)Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. Remember the Snoh revelations of the elaborate system of Thaksin favored ‘appointments’ and the standard capo ‘cuts’ on government to keep their mafia-like organization humming? This Thaksin mafia-like system no doubt still hums with efficiency under the Yingluck regime.
4) Fraudulent elections under the Thaksin system was rampant and that was fascistic tendency indeed.
5) Fascistic leaders have that palpable disdain for intellectuals and the arts. Are Bht 2.5 million rolexes favored by Shinawatra art? Educated people are the enemies of the Shinawatra and educated people are the enemies of fascism.
It is as I thought. You guys are Aussies. You got to live in the country and be absorbed by it somehow to ever have any chance of catching the nuances of the culture. Not all cultures work like white anglo-saxon ones…. I cringe to think what you are teaching about the rest of SEA. Typical ‘falang-thinking’ I’ve got to say.
Dear Mr Walker
I love the way you imagine about political scenario in Thailand now, of cause,if your assumtion based on evidence that you’ve been wathcing on Thai media , I completely agree with you that they’re going to do what you metioned earlier.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
JOM magazine
“My final personal observation is that, generation-Y have stronger identity as a Malaysians than earlier generations. Rather than calling ourselves ‘Malays’, ‘Chinese’, ‘Indians’ or ‘Others’, we call ourselves Malaysians.”
“Many of them also do not want to identify themselves as Malaysians as the reasons living Malaysia are usually because they feel that they weren’t recognised as ‘Malaysians’ back home..”
These are contradictory statements. I believe the latter statement to reflect reality in Malaysia much more than the former.
I think she meant “leaving” Malaysia and not
“living” Malaysia….
Say what, cakap apa?
It has been my experience that some Australians are totally unaware that they have made a racist comment. This does not excuse their behaviour.
I have worked with new migrants for the past three years. I consider that before this time I was very ignorant of the backgrounds and types of experiences these wonderful people had to endure before they became one of the lucky few to migrate to Australia.
I have been revolted by the “throw-away” generalised statements made by people I had previously admired as educated, moral and generous of spirit.
Only through education can we hope to cut through the ignorance that leads to racism.
But it should not be discounted that it is human nature to be jealous of what we believe is ours and to fear that we will experience lack if we share.
East Malaysia rising
It appears that loyalty to political parties in Sabah & Sarawak are not as stable as they are in Peninsular Malaysia. The defections from PKR, is not the first time this has happened, and definitely not the last:
Uprooting the Thaksin regime
“Never” is the word. Never attended any Rice Policy Committee! That’s not only idiotic R.N.England, that’s criminal!
The Rice Pledging scheme has been one of a few focal policy priorities of the Yingluck regime and this scheme stenches and stains and corrupts and bankrupts the rice industry to the tune of Bht 400 billion and growing.
If ‘no-nothing-see-nothing-understand-nothing’ Yingluck will just keep her silly mouth shut and not appear on TV, maybe … maybe the Thai nation could be calmed. Maybe.
Combine idiocy and unscrupulousness plus ‘sweet blank eyes’, and bingo: Yingluck is the result.
Yesterday, tomorrow, Thailand
Can we just be honest? For simplicity’s sake let’s just assume there really is only two camps in Thailand’s political crisis- the so called “red/Thaksin regime” and the “yellows/democrats/royalists.” Both sides are led by incompetent, power-hungry oligarchs. Though I freely admit my sympathy is with the “Red” supporters, neither side of the leadership has provided any forward-thinking constructive solution to Thailand’s problems, and both sides are equally guilty of what they accuse of the other side- corruption, murder, etc. Having said that, it does indeed appear that the contemporary phenomenon of “uncivil” society and mass mobilization to create chaos is a despicable strategy first utilized by the Yellows in Thailand’s context. I support civil protests and mass demonstrations. Overrunning ministries and airports however, is an entirely different story. Can we stop defending the respective leaderships and actually think of a way forward out of this mess?
What is to be done in Thailand?
And the Democrat-backed mob cutting electricity and besieging government ministries stopping them from working for the other 65.5 million people not trying to steal power and affecting Police General Hospital is fine?
And please tell me when ahia and kuai became common, polite Thai greetings, because I hear an awful lot of ahia’s and kuais being shouted from the mob and the protest leaders.
Do you really think Suthep has an exit strategy when this tornado in a teacup doesn’t succeed in toppling the government?
Do you think he’s going to stay at Democracy Monument forever? Do you think he’ll just pack up and go home? Or do you think he’ll try and force a confrontation to swell his diminishing supporter base?
Did you buy those rose coloured glasses on Sukhumvit, or in Patpong?
What is to be done in Thailand?
@ notdisappointed you have a great way of distorting or ignoring facts.
Thailand’s population is about 66 million.
About 20% in 2011 were aged 0-14
About 9% were aged 64 or over
Average life expectancy across both sexes is 74 years.
66,000,000
– 13,200,000 (0-14)
= 52,800,000
– 2,970,000 (1/2 of those aged over 64 as being to old / uninterested, incapable of voting)
= 49,830,000
– 4,000,000 (allowance for those aged between 14 – 18)
= 45,000,000
32,525,504 ppl cast a vote in 2011 which according to the electoral office was a 75% electoral turnout.
This would put the total number of eligible voters at about 43,500,000.
32,525,504 valid votes were cast
1,726,051 or 4.90% of votes were invalid
15,744,190 or 48.41% were cast in favour of Pheu Thai
11,433,762 or 35.15% were cast in favour of the Democrats.
So yes, pretty close to a majority of those eligible to vote.
Your next point is? The minority should choose?
Or to hell with majority rules, lets grab power anyway comeone can?
Burma’s next president
NLD surely as racist and idiotic as any other busybodies in Burma for sure. But the Sit-tut being in the Red Inc. or implication of being only in it is not quite true.
Current academia and “media” around the world is surely owned and operated the honourable “Democratic Countries”. After all all the higher learning centres are stepping over each other to prove how obedient they are to the funders all over the world and all the media are owned and run by precious few. The very ones who crowed endlessly about the WMD’s in Iraq and how evil Gadaffi was and now how evil Assad is even though they have not a clue more than what Susan Rice, the well known Truth Sayer says.
That media and academia have been in overdrive to pump up the Strawman Government of Burma for the last 3 years with totally shameless 180 turnabout. That can only happen only if Burma, and its now more solidified than ever in hisotry toliterian dictators in sheep skin (Longyi they call it in Burma)are in the sphere of the “Western Democracies” or the “Advanced Civilised World”.
Look at how the Jewish american embassador was giving a sermon at the impromptu Monks’ congress after their well orchastrated Muslim Pogrom gone a bit overboard pulling too much unwanted attention- what with burning live poeple in day light and beating defenseless people under the lenses and stabbing 92 year old woman 35 times and those well demarcated burning of the Muslim quarters, some of which are now to be build into hotels and resorts.
After all Chinese the dogs simply shooed the Burma the animal into the path of the gunmen the Yanks and Co. Remember the dogs always get fed!
And the NLD and the Papa’s army are so united in their desire for looting of the land off the traditional owners (no legal papers making things easier) and and move millions of landwoner traditional farmers into a-dollar- a-day wage earners to spend the rest of their miserable and “liberated” lives in strike/work/out-of-work/ suicide and drug haze circles (with those goody-two-shoe trade unions supporting them of course).
Current play of disembowelling of the Burma carcass carried out in unison is indeed a sad sight.
Burma’s next president
Peter Cohen
After all is said and restated of plan B and repeated declared “ad nauseam per most here at New Mandala”, look like your ignorance of plan B, make you look rather listless the least.
Just to be fair and bring you up to speed:
“It is about the citizenry”. Sir.
East Malaysia rising
…and most of the political parties in Sabah (and Sarawak) are surrogates of UMNO.
Burma’s next president
You mean as opposed to the Tatmadaw, which
is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China/Russia/North Korea Inc. ?
What you say about the NLD is patent nonsense.
Burma’s next president
IMHO, General Min Aung Hlaing the Army Chief who is rumored to be retiring soon to be able to participate in 2015 general elections has more chance to become the president in 2015 than ASSK whose party NLD in Buddhist-Burmese eyes is quickly becoming a Socialist party sympathetic to Muslims and also too close to foreign powers like US and EU.
East Malaysia rising
There are too many political parties in Sabah. Smaller political parties can not sustain financially, and thus affect the cohesiveness of party members.
Yesterday, tomorrow, Thailand
James
My view is pretty much mainstream these days…
From that hotbed of the dogmatic “hard left” I give you Time magazine’s “Thailand’s Democrat Party Is Hilariously Misnamed”
http://world.time.com/2013/11/28/thailands-democrat-party-is-hilariously-misnamed/
Uprooting the Thaksin regime
Yingluck deputised somebody else to chair the Rice Policy Committee, Vichai N. That’s what busy people do. She is handling the present political crisis with restraint and patience, allowing the “Democrats” enough rope to hang themselves. That is something a woman is better equipped to do, because a man is expected, even by his own people, to show more aggression. People will love and respect her if she can resolve this situation without bloodshed.
Uprooting the Thaksin regime
Thai political rulers can actually be divided into two camps –
1. Democrats / Army – rule via coup in one guise or another
2. TRT (and variant) – rule via election
The above have been going on for years, since the formation of TRT. Only the blind (eyes, mind and heart) can ignore this and also pretend that the Democrat / Army group is legit and “clean”
Condemning the assault on Nick Nostitz
Khun brendecke, there is much to laugh at in your daft statement – including the fact you say you know what was happening because you were in Thailand at the same time the incident happened – but for your information, the official protest organisation already apologised for the attack on Nick in a statement (it can be viewed here) so your denials just show you are a liar. Congratulations.
Yesterday, tomorrow, Thailand
Objectivity from Andrew Spooner? Just like asking objectivity from Amsterdam.
At least be very definite Andrew Spooner. Fascists in Thailand?
Thaksin’s regime (no such thing according to sister Yingluck) has more fascistic tendencies than say Abhisit:
1) The extra-judicial expediency, swift justice against “suspects”, Thaksin-style is fascistic.
2) Mouthing silly propaganda like ‘undemocratic minds’ while the Yingluck government has increased the use of lèse majesté [the law against “insulting” the monarchy] and refused to countenance any reforms of the law or even the justice system. [http://links.org.au/node/3021]. Disdain for recognition of human rights a-la Shinawatra is fascistic.
3)Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. Remember the Snoh revelations of the elaborate system of Thaksin favored ‘appointments’ and the standard capo ‘cuts’ on government to keep their mafia-like organization humming? This Thaksin mafia-like system no doubt still hums with efficiency under the Yingluck regime.
4) Fraudulent elections under the Thaksin system was rampant and that was fascistic tendency indeed.
5) Fascistic leaders have that palpable disdain for intellectuals and the arts. Are Bht 2.5 million rolexes favored by Shinawatra art? Educated people are the enemies of the Shinawatra and educated people are the enemies of fascism.
A royal intervention?
It is as I thought. You guys are Aussies. You got to live in the country and be absorbed by it somehow to ever have any chance of catching the nuances of the culture. Not all cultures work like white anglo-saxon ones…. I cringe to think what you are teaching about the rest of SEA. Typical ‘falang-thinking’ I’ve got to say.
A royal intervention?
Dear Mr Walker
I love the way you imagine about political scenario in Thailand now, of cause,if your assumtion based on evidence that you’ve been wathcing on Thai media , I completely agree with you that they’re going to do what you metioned earlier.