Athena

The Benz fiasco in Terengganu was quite a revelation for quite a bit about the quality of Proton cars came to light. But what amuses me now is I am lost on who is the more intelligent of the two: the MB who bought the 14 Benz cars or the Prime Minister who allowed the purchases to stay and the cars to be used by foreign visitors to the state. So, the state will continue spending on the Perdanas ( or purchase new ones maybe ??? ) and allow the Benz cars to lie idle and depreciate in value.
I am truly at wits end.

Anwar is now released but the nation is abuzz with want of his blood sample. The cat and mouse game between Anwar and the powers that be is too much for the average man on the street. I met an old friend of mine and we were not talking about us when we met. Inevitably ever so often out discussion veered towards Anwar and the injustice that have befallen him for a decade now and there seems to be still no light at the end of the tunnel.

What happened to the blood sample taken during the 1998 sodomy fiasco? What is the need to draw fresh blood?

And what is to become fo RPK ? As a blogger rightly pointed out, it seems like a one man's fight against the masses and RPK is going against the waves. What is to become of him?

While the police has its hand full with Anwar and RPK, the average citizens of Malaysia are suffering the consequences.

I was in UH on 14 July to do my MRI for which i waited for seven months and I was asked to be at the Xray dept by 7.30am on the dot as there were patients back-to-back. I made it by 7.25am as I was against peak traffic. However my procedure was delayed by half hour as the medical assitants arrived late and subsequently other staff were arriving later and later caused by the road blocks.

We could only stand and watch the nation's resources being depleted by people in power. The police blocks for a fact an act of intimidation and not particularly to thwart the demonstrations- if there were any. If the Anwar was the issue, the police should have erected blocks around his house and not at all entry points leading to the city. This reminds of a man destroying a whole lot of forest to kill a single mosquito.

Another friend asked me what i thought of the country's political scenario now and i said a good disinfectant was critically needed.

FILM REVIEW
DASAVATHARAM

By Bhavani Krishna Iyer

THE wild goose chase for tickets took me from several failed telephone bookings to an-hour long queue at GSC One- Utama and I finally ended up at Lotus with the first row seats, and didn’t mind risking my neck for Kamal. My family thought I was crazy.

Having gotten the ticket with such hassle, I walked into the cinema with loads of expectations ( and popcorns) and what more; Kamal Haaasan is known for some novelty in most of his films. Ten avatars ( reincarnations) or roles as Kamal would have it, I thought would appease my expectation.

The opening scene was grandiose with the first fifteen minutes bringing us back to the 12th Century conflict between the Shaivites and and the Vaishnavites. The setting is in Chidambaram during the Chola empire and the costumes made the scene very telling, exemplifying Kamal’s perfectionism.

Having said that, the events that follow, after the execution of Vaishnavite Rangaraja Nambi ( Kamal) at the beginning of the show, have history woven in delicately but I felt that the relevance was apparent only to the discerning few.

For the next two hours and 45 minutes, it was Kamal running after a tiny box the size of a match-box containing a deadly bio chemical

Biotechnologist Dr Govind Ramaswamy ( Kamal ) takes to heels to save the world from his vicious colleagues and partners, thwarting their plan to mint money from the deadly virus with the potential of being used as a deadly bio weapon, capable of wiping out the entire world population. Govind is part of this prestigious research project on bio weapons in the United States, directly under the Bush Administration.

The run and chase begins when the little box with the vial finds its way out of the laboratory and to India, in Chidambaram more precisely and as it would have to be. We see Govind, the villain, the FBI and the Indian police trailing Govind and Aandal played by Asin the Brahmin girl and the unwitting accomplice to Govind.

I would say Chance, Chaos and Coincidence are the mainstays of Dasavatharam, a movie built over almost three years, with a thin and mediocre story line and predictable twists and turns.

The costliest movie ever made in India ( at a cost of Rs 65 Crores), Dasavatharam was released simultaneously in India and Malaysia on Friday the 13th . Movie critics have since torn Kamal apart for the lack of many-things in the movie, topping the list is the absence of depth in this character and story.

The popularity of this movie runs on Kamal doing ten different roles, a record breaking feat where one actor appears in the most roles but there is no added value or justification for Kamal to appear in so many roles. Some critics say the roles were fished out just to add to the numbers.

Compared to his previous accomplishment such as Michael, Madhana, Kamaraja ( 1991) where he played four roles, Avvai Shanmugi( 1996) , Thennali (2000) and Panchatanthiram (2002), Dasavatharam does not live up to the expectations, I would say.

K.S. Ravikumar who needs no introduction is seen here pairing with Kamal for the fourth time, all three previous ventures were roaring successes. He takes credit for the direction of the movie and shares credit with Kamal, the late Sujatha and Crazy Mohan for scripting the story.

Crazy Mohan’s dialogues are a class of its own. Known for his slapstick flicks, the movie had several of them. Mohan, Kamal and Ravikumar have worked to big success in Panchathanthiram, Thennali and Avvai Shanmugi.

For humour, if you expect to see Vadiveloo or Vivek, you will not be disappointed by their a absence as the pair Kamal and Asin is equally good, if not better.

Now, Kamal’s other roles in this movie, some of which disguised beyond recognized through the good work of American make-up artist Michael Westmore will not be revealed so as not to kill the only suspense in the movie.

Keeping up to the Jackie Chan-like action-packed scenes, there were no dream, dance or song scenes and this contributed to the momentum staying high.

My advice is to catch the movie on the big screen or you will not reap the full benefit of the special effects which are generously provided for and check out the nonagenarian Krishnaveni, she is more than just hilarious

The end

A vs S – a fiery debate

I am neither a great fan of the opposition nor a foe of the Barisan Government but I was tickled pink during the recent debate between Anwar and Shabery. And watching it live made all the difference for we could see who the thinker was as opposed to the other who was grinding on redundancies.
To begin with, Anwar emerged the nobler of the two, by strategy or otherwise and Shabery was a shame to himself and the Government whom he spoke for.
Despite Anwar repeatedly warning or reminding, if you like, that the event at hand was not Anwar vs Shabery but more to counter or support the opposition pledge to reduce the fuel hike if they were to be given the opportunity to lead the nation, Shabery was only a loaded machine gun, losing ammunition but mostly not hitting the target.
Anwar had his mind and insight clear, he talked about reducing the fuel by not just any sum but by 50 sen and he came up with his reasons and justifications backed with facts and figures.

Shabery, on the other had was hiding behind the Barisan Government and saw it fit to defend his paymasters without there being a need to do so. It also appears that Shabery might have worked really hard on researching the history for the history seems to be his preoccupation rather than issues at hand plaguing us every dawn and dusk.
Never once did Anwar condemn

JULY, 2008

NEW WINE IN OLD BOTTLE OR VICE VERSA ?

I have not missed a single of the MIC Wanita National Conventions for a decade now and the recent was my 11th.

For obvious reasons I was hoping this year’s gathering would be different. Was I disappointed? Read on for the answer.

The day-long event took off with the ceremonial launches and this is where we get to hear the MIC President covertly reprimanding delegates while overtly showering accolades and praises for the favoured few. After the morning tea, the crowd broke into three sections. I have always looked forward to this session where we are able to meet the Wanita leaders at close proximity and share our thoughts on various topics. This session also gives one a good “perception vs reality” understanding.

The president opened the Wanita session with his two-sen worth of stories to drive some messages across but more importantly, he had wanted to hear for himself the voices from the ground. He told the Woman leader that the usual tabling of annual reports should be dealt with much later, much to my delight

He wanted to know the grouses from the women and what it was that they hoped for in MIC and I was all perked up to hear the voices that would bring about the much talked-about changes.

Marched the first lady to the rostrum to start the ball rolling for the day, with her first question, which turned out to be grumble. Her fatuous concern was not having been given ‘due recognition’ as a division woman leader as was made to sit in the back row. There was no tagging on the chairs and the ladies sat on first-in basis and that did not augur well with this division leader.

Well, some ladies sacrificed their morning tea to be able to take the front seats and I don’t think it would have been fair to uproot people who were already seated, and the organizing committee (if there was one ) let it be.

I thought respect and recognition are not reflected on where one sits but how eloquently one is able present her thoughts and ideas. And this is something, MIC needs to address urgently within party in the rejuvenating exercise; to do away with the form and focus on substance.

Also, why create fractions within the MIC wanita community. Someone asked me why were the women clad in so many different sarees defeating the purpose of uniformity. I remained silent when she asked if the intention was to segregate the ‘ elites’ from the commoners.

Time was limited and we were approaching lunch, I was edgy with frustration from the first question. The next lady raised a question about teenaged girls going astray and getting hitched from school by the young bikers. Now, we all know that this issue is not unique to the Indian community, but this was the topic that took centrestage with every other women deliberating on it. I am not undermining the severity of this problem but when the president agrees that it is an issue needing attention and concerted effort, the cue is to move on. There were more and more hands going up pleading for a chance to speak.

Subsequently, there was another lady who wanted some reprieve for a young local university graduate who had been jobless for some time now. The contention was she had applied to many organisations and her attempts had been futile. As the girl was present in the hall, the president asked her to speak.

She was not able to string a sentence in English and she was fumbling to make herself understood. There were uneasy whispers from the floor and I was happy I was not the only one who noticed her lack of the basics. A good lady seated behind me was correcting, every word the girl was pronouncing with gross inaccuracy. In an aside, we were asking how she could have graduated with a degree in business administration.. It was apparent that she was seeking high handed recommendation to land in a job but I thought if indeed she secured a job through such means, it would be any employer’s nightmare.

She is typically one who thinks MIC owes her a living. This is a perennial problem with most young graduates. They think they have got it all with a degree and would not want to enhance their skills. This girl could do with language and presentation skills to begin with.

There was also a long debate on how MIC could further help single mothers. Let me tell you that this subject has been hogging the convention for as long as I can recall. The Wanita leader would agree me that middle class wage earners are also a lot who need attention.

I know for a fact that lots have been done through the MICs Yayasan Strategik Sosial for single mothers and this is a bottomless pit where it will never be enough. Young professionals and graduates and middle income wage earners’ status must also be enhanced to achieve the 1.5 corporate equity for Indians, announced by MIC recently.

Coming to Resolutions, they are formulated, presented, discussed, amended and then adopted or voted and the resolutions will be the basis on which actions plans be determined for the coming year. I might ruffle some feather if I were to say that the resolutions churned out this year did not have the vigour and zeal that the MIC is talking about to rejuvenate itself.

It is time that the Wanita leaders are given KPIs as MIC is in a ‘ do or die’ situation and we need to make it happen together. The MIC Wanita leaders and members alike should have a holistic understanding of the national issues and be able to place them in Global perspective for out-of –box suggestions and solutions. For this to happen, a K-culture must be instilled.

By Bhavani Krishna Iyer

I read with interest Dr Subra's news on Malaysiakini and I must say I am a tad amused.
The headline reads:
Subra: New plans show Indians not marginalised.

Dr S goes on to reveal that
" Among the key decisions or those agreed in principle by the government at the cabinet committee include:

- To convert 372 partially-aided Tamil schools into fully-assisted schools.
- Consolidate schools which had an enrolment of less than 50 students.
- To ensure at least eight percent of Indian representation at all levels in the civil service. To achieve that, it will also see more promotions for Indian civil servants.
- The MIC-run Asian Institute for Medicine, Science and Technology (Aimst) to be re-categorised as one of the five private universities which recognise government-sponsored students to boost the intake of Indian students into critical sectors like medicine and engineering. At present, students who receive government scholarship were only given a list of choice of universities which does not include Aimst.
- To allow Indian contractors to take part in government projects at all levels. For government’s mega projects, it is suggested that certain sub-contract jobs be given to Indian contractors.
- Indian entrepreneurs to be given more opportunities in the development of vendor development scheme through companies like state-owned oil firm Petronas and national car-maker Proton.
- Easier access to government loans for Indian entrepreneurs.
- More taxi and bus permits for Indian companies.
- To increase the Indian corporate equity from the current 1.1 percent to 1.5 percent in 2010. To do this, the government is planning to set up a unit trust scheme based on the Permodalan Nasional Berhad model to allow Indians to invest in the scheme to increase their equity in the market."

Looks okay on print but is there going to be some machinery keeping tabs on these deliverables. Dr S of all persons should know that we need KPIs and they come with quantifiable output against time frame or deadlines and i dont see them in the items listed above.

It is high time MIC had professionals come together to plan, strategise and then achieve all of the items listed above but more importantly, MIC needs to be heard by the Indian community at large. Is MIC loud enough anymore??? One man speaking inside a cave with his voice amplified for himself will not do, not anymore. Dr S, we need people who can walk the talk. People who make statements come and go and so do people who make SDs, they come, go and then disappear but we need real people with real actions.

We now have three SDs circulating, one is being investigated, the other two SDs are on 'trial' as to which is the correct one. Maybe the "correct, correct, correct" specialist should be called in to solve this puzzling SDs.

BTW, was watching the news a while ago, TV3 actually and Najib is full of himself, swearing upon Allah that he and his wife were innocent. Just then, a family family who was with me said this is a shame, somebody has to do something to bring justice and I asked her who that someone might be? The people are wallowing in ambarrassment and sickened by the scandals, one after the other but that is to be expected as when there is politics, there is bound to be scandals. However, the PM's 'deaf and dumb' attitude makes me puke.

Incidentally, the question on my mind is who is hiding the SD champ who has gone missing? It has to be either of the two and from the look of it, if the champ ever comes back , the SDs will get him into enough trouble.

What kind of police and law makers do we have here? Nothing is right, the rights are wronged and the wrongs are righted. Cheez this sounds like Indian politics someone said the other day, and i said hey dont underestimate us, we can do better.

And what is to become of the people who will be gathering tomorrow? At the mercy of the army? God help these people and those who are celebrating for successfully masterminding the Missing SD Champ, for better of worse,the truth will come out today, tomorrow or one day.

Meanwhile, I cant wait to read RPKs account of the questioning this time, the last was really hillarious and even more mind splitting was Nades' narration of the questioning episode.

Hail RPK and the rest who are fighting for justice and truth.

Dei Bala, what is happening la.
SD pun boleh tukar ka
kalau sd tukar sudah
itu jadi tipulah

I need to be educated. I thought if one goes against an SD, he can end up in prison. How come Bala can pull it on and off?
I was hard at work the whole of yesterday trying to get a peak of RPK's Malaysia Today but alas, i was waiting to eternity and nothing appeared. Thank God, Malaysiakini appeared the saviour. The scaled down version pun jadilah but i was waiting for the next and next updates like a little child waiting for toffee. What a drama man!

The plot is getting thicker and very convulated for my simple mind and cant wait for the climax.

Long live Anwar and more revelations please