1. As I read more chapters of the book I found some answers why most are intolerant. These include:
a) We are just ignorant about the issues and yet we are compelled to make wrong decision. For example, when the ex Minister of Education, was furious about Prof. Shahari's critic of the NST news, he was utterly ignorant of what Shaharir criticised. Yet he was because people around him advised him to.
b) We have own own personal agenda an yet we made the wrong decision. For example, when an ex TNC questioned the 12 lecturers who were said to be anti-government, he had his personal agenda of wanting to please the Minister and hoping to go up the ladder of power one way or the other.
c) We were just followers and yet we did what we did. For example, when the BTN officers interrogated and belittled the other officers, they were just idiots who were supposed to do just that. Just like the police officers who blown the Mongolian woman.
d) We wanted to be part of a system and yet we derailed our own principles. For example, some of us wanted to gain favour from the power that be, we just be part of the system .... be a member of UMNO or be an UMNO sympathisers, for instance, could take you up favourably be it in police force, army, ministries and even in universities.
2. These are a couple of observations that I could make after reading 17 Chapters of the above book written after the Iran Revolution.
3. When I was at Reading during the Iranian Revolution, my Persian friends talked so much good about Ayatollah Khoemeini even though they didn't know much about him as he was in exile in Paris, yet they expected so much of him. They were probably right as the Shah of Iran then was bad. When I met the same Iranian friend in Sydney in 1981, he told me the two era were not much different. The Iranians were still suffering from interrogation, execution and intolerance. If this could happened in Iran, why can't these also happen in modern Malaysia.
4. That is why I had wished ISA be abolished.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Prisoner of Teheran
1. While waiting to board the EasyJet (equivalent of our Air Asia) plane at Schipol airport, Amsterdam to go to Liverpool to see my sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildrenm i purchased two books, Prisone of Teheran by Marinat Nemat (Publisher John Murray) and The State of Africa by Martin Meredith (Publisher Free Press).
2. I began reading the first book which is thinner, more attractive and more interesting, I thought as it is a true story, not a political propaganda as I thought the second book is .
3. Ms. Marina Nemat was 16 years old, a high school student when she was arrested for wanting to study calculus instead of listening to political speech of her teacher. This happenned during the Iranian Revolution, just prior to Ayatollah Khoemeini returned to Iran. She asked her teacher to teach the class the core subject of calculus instead of listening to Islamic political speech and propaganda. After reading up to 129 pages I realised Iranian Islam is so intolerant.
4. But, I thought intolerance exists everywhere.Whether it is in Iran, South Africa, US, Iraq, Thailand or even Malaysia. A few years ago, the Malaysian secret servicemen arrested a couple of innocent students in Kota Bharu because they received the information from the authorities yjese students were studying Islam in Pakistan. These police officers did not listen to reasons or rationale. They did what they were "told" to do regardless. Is this sound familiar?
5. I am brought up to be tolerant, rationale and common sense. That is why I hate intolerance, irrationale decisions and people who do not use and listen to common sense. Anyway, I'm going to continue reading while playing with my grandchildren, Ilyas and Maisarah, while receiving news about my injured son at home.
2. I began reading the first book which is thinner, more attractive and more interesting, I thought as it is a true story, not a political propaganda as I thought the second book is .
3. Ms. Marina Nemat was 16 years old, a high school student when she was arrested for wanting to study calculus instead of listening to political speech of her teacher. This happenned during the Iranian Revolution, just prior to Ayatollah Khoemeini returned to Iran. She asked her teacher to teach the class the core subject of calculus instead of listening to Islamic political speech and propaganda. After reading up to 129 pages I realised Iranian Islam is so intolerant.
4. But, I thought intolerance exists everywhere.Whether it is in Iran, South Africa, US, Iraq, Thailand or even Malaysia. A few years ago, the Malaysian secret servicemen arrested a couple of innocent students in Kota Bharu because they received the information from the authorities yjese students were studying Islam in Pakistan. These police officers did not listen to reasons or rationale. They did what they were "told" to do regardless. Is this sound familiar?
5. I am brought up to be tolerant, rationale and common sense. That is why I hate intolerance, irrationale decisions and people who do not use and listen to common sense. Anyway, I'm going to continue reading while playing with my grandchildren, Ilyas and Maisarah, while receiving news about my injured son at home.
Lalan di hospital - another entry by Tina
lalan suruh mama buat muka sedih
tangan yang cedera
makan pun nak kena suap ke
mama duk ajak nak gi econsave kat bawah
lalan posing dengan operation gown nyaTuesday, June 2, 2009
Poverty and Biodiversity Conservation
1. A question sometimes asked by my students includes, "Why does biodiversity conservation in some countries fail?. My answer begins with a scenario setting in developed countries where most of biodiversity conservation succeeded. One common factor is poverty.
2. Then I move to a worst scenario in some central and east African countries where poverty is rampant. Where western aids came conservation succeeded and where western aids didn't appear, conservation failed. The success of biodiversity conservation depends to a certain extent on aids from the west and poverty eradication.
3. In Malaysia there are a few more scenario that include:
a) The owners or custodians of biodiversity conservation areas don't have much clue and knowledge about conservation approach. Much of the knowledge were derived from foreign scenario, imported by so-called experts to our shores and forests. The local people don't participate well in the conservation project
b) There were many greedy people in the country who have wanted to make much more money than what they can spend. They could not care less about biodiversity, conservation and environment. These people include those who worked with the middlemen to trap animals and collect plants for sale.
c) The rich Malaysian are yet to invest in biodiversity and the environment. They were the excellent sceptics with what the NGOs do in the country. Unlike those in US and Europe, the rich came forward to start their legacies for the environmental issues, such as climate change, rain forest conservation and conservation of iconic species.
d) Malaysia is still land of plenty, so if we have many flora and fauna, why should we embark on biodiversity conservation. My analogy is if we are healthy and kicking why should we go and see the doctor, only if we are sick we seek doctors.
4. Most developing countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, Venezuela, Brazil, Congo, still have plenty of bodiversity, these countries are the present custodians of world's biodiversity. These countries need to develop further, eradiacte poverty among their citizens, increase ther GDPs and want to live a affluent life style. After all, who don't want to live like a Swiss?
5. We think in this century, we will stand or fall on our ability to collectively eradicate poverty, guarantee human rights and ensure an environmentally sustainable future. Freedom from want, freedom from fear and sustaining our future are all part of the same equation. However, this is a tall order!
6. If conservation or poverty eradication interventions are to be successsful, our leaders need to address factors like global trade, money markets, climate change etc. Most conservation projects take some account of local people's livelihood, albeit less of the political situation. Despite their distinctive goals, conservation and development can achieve workable accommodation in such things called trade-offs or win-win situation.
2. Then I move to a worst scenario in some central and east African countries where poverty is rampant. Where western aids came conservation succeeded and where western aids didn't appear, conservation failed. The success of biodiversity conservation depends to a certain extent on aids from the west and poverty eradication.
3. In Malaysia there are a few more scenario that include:
a) The owners or custodians of biodiversity conservation areas don't have much clue and knowledge about conservation approach. Much of the knowledge were derived from foreign scenario, imported by so-called experts to our shores and forests. The local people don't participate well in the conservation project
b) There were many greedy people in the country who have wanted to make much more money than what they can spend. They could not care less about biodiversity, conservation and environment. These people include those who worked with the middlemen to trap animals and collect plants for sale.
c) The rich Malaysian are yet to invest in biodiversity and the environment. They were the excellent sceptics with what the NGOs do in the country. Unlike those in US and Europe, the rich came forward to start their legacies for the environmental issues, such as climate change, rain forest conservation and conservation of iconic species.
d) Malaysia is still land of plenty, so if we have many flora and fauna, why should we embark on biodiversity conservation. My analogy is if we are healthy and kicking why should we go and see the doctor, only if we are sick we seek doctors.
4. Most developing countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, Venezuela, Brazil, Congo, still have plenty of bodiversity, these countries are the present custodians of world's biodiversity. These countries need to develop further, eradiacte poverty among their citizens, increase ther GDPs and want to live a affluent life style. After all, who don't want to live like a Swiss?
5. We think in this century, we will stand or fall on our ability to collectively eradicate poverty, guarantee human rights and ensure an environmentally sustainable future. Freedom from want, freedom from fear and sustaining our future are all part of the same equation. However, this is a tall order!
6. If conservation or poverty eradication interventions are to be successsful, our leaders need to address factors like global trade, money markets, climate change etc. Most conservation projects take some account of local people's livelihood, albeit less of the political situation. Despite their distinctive goals, conservation and development can achieve workable accommodation in such things called trade-offs or win-win situation.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Biodiversity Conservation Highlights
1. In May 2009, the six Coral Triangle heads of states (incl. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste) made a historic and precedent-setting commitment to work together to protect marine environment and resources, ensure the food security of their people, and build climate change resilience. The Coral Triangle leaders' declaration launched the most detailed regional action plan for ocean conservation ever seen, and the countries individually announced new commitments on finance, law and marine protected areas. President Yudhoyono and PM Dato' Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak made a personal plea to conserve the marine environment.
2. In a historic commitment, Sumatra's 10 governors and four government ministries of Indonesia commited to a sustainable development model based on ecosystem-based spatial planning. This agreement commits Sumatera to protect areas with high conservation values, restore important ecosystems on the island and reestablish connectivity between forests and habitats. Sumatera is home to Sumateran tiger, rhino, orang utan and Asian elephants.
3. Led by World Bank, the Global Tiger initiative brings together the Smithsonian Institution, WWF, Save the Tiger Fund, and other partners with the objective of gaining the support of tiger range state leaders for effective conservation of the severely endangered species, Panthera tigris. The total tiger populations have plummeted from 30,000 in the 1980s to an estimated 4,000 today. In December 2008, Malaysia launched a national Tiger Action Plan with the aim to double Malaysia's tiger (Panthera tigris jacobii) population to 1,000 by 2020. It is worth noting that EMKAY Foundation had partially supported Mark Ryan's work on the tiger in the Belum-Temenggor forests in Perak. The human-tiger conflict in Jeli, Kelantan is still on.
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