Currently Reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) By J. K. Rowling see related

Lee Kuan Yew's comments

Extracted from an interview between Tom Plate & Jeffrey Cole of AsiaMedia with Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's 1st Prime Minister (click here for full interview).

Q: It's amazing, you come in here and you walk around here in one of the great cities in the world. Yet you are worried about survival.

Lee: Where are we? Are we in the Caribbean? Are we next to America like the Bahamas? Are we in the Mediterranean, like Malta, next to Italy? Are we like Hong Kong, next to China and therefore, will become part of China? We are in Southeast Asia, in the midst of a turbulent, volatile, unsettled region. Singapore is a superstructure built on what? On 700 square kilometers and a lot of smart ideas that have worked so far -- but the whole thing could come undone very quickly.

For this to work, you require a world where there are some rules of international law and there is a balance of forces of power that will enforce that international law and the U.S. is foremost in that. Without that balance of power and international law, the Vietnamese will still be in Cambodia and the Indonesians will still be in East Timor, right? Why are they out? Because there were certain norms that had to be observed. You can't just cross boundaries. This little island with four and a half million people, of whom 1.3 are foreigners working here, has got to maintain an army, navy and an air force. Can we withstand a concerted attempt to besiege us and blockade us? We can repel an attack, yes. Given the armed forces in the region and our capability, we can repel and we can damage them. Three weeks, food runs out, we are besieged, blockaded.

Q: Who will come after you? Who would come after you?

Lee: There are assets here to be captured, right?

Q: Some unnamed bad regime?

Lee: When [Malaysia] kicked us out [in 1965], the expectation was that we would fail and we will go back on their terms, not on the terms we agreed with them under the British. Our problems are not just between states, this is a problem between races and religions and civilizations. We are a standing indictment of all the things that they can be doing differently. They have got all the resources. If they would just educate the Chinese and Indians, use them and treat them as their citizens, they can equal us and even do better than us and we would be happy to rejoin them.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Currently Reading Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? By Philip Yancey see related

"Freedom" of religion in Malaysia

Malaysian Christian convert loses battle

May 30, 2007

Malaysia's best-known Christian convert, Lina Joy, has lost a six-year battle to have the word "Islam" removed from her identity card, after the country's highest court rejected the change.

The court's ruling helps define religious freedoms in multi-racial Malaysia, whose constitution guarantees freedom of worship but deems all ethnic Malays like Joy to be Muslims, subject to Islamic laws that bar her conversion to another faith.

"You can't at whim and fancy convert from one religion to another," Federal Court Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim said in delivering judgment in the case, which has stirred religious tensions in the mainly Muslim nation.

About 200 Muslims, mostly youths, had gathered outside the domed courthouse for the ruling. They welcomed the news with shouts of "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great).

The three-judge appeal bench ruled 2-1 against Joy. The dissenting judge was the only non-Muslim on the bench.

The chief justice said the country's highest civil court had no jurisdiction in the case and said it should be dealt with by the country's Islamic or sharia court system.

"The issue of apostasy is related to Islamic law, so it's under the sharia court. The civil court cannot intervene," Ahmad Fairuz said.

In practice, sharia courts do not allow Muslims to formally renounce Islam.

They often end up in legal limbo, unable to register their new religious affiliations or legally marry non-Muslims. Many keep silent about their choice or emigrate.

Lina Joy, 43, was born Azlina Jailani and was brought up as a Muslim, but at the age of 26 decided to become a Christian.

She wants to marry her Christian boyfriend, a cook, but she cannot do so while her identity card declares her to be Muslim.

In 1999, the National Registration Department allowed her to change the name in her identity card to Lina Joy but the entry for her religion remained "Islam".

?2007 Reuters

Currently Reading Let Me Be a Woman By Elisabeth Elliot see related

First, the CLP hoo-haa...now this

To be a practising lawyer in Malaysia, one must hold a law degree from either the UK, Australia and NZ (besides Malaysia and Singapore) and would either have to do the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) in the UK and then get called to the English Bar, or sit for the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) in Malaysia. I was unable to take the CLP because my high school diploma was 'unrecognised' (it was a Grade 13 Ontario High School Diploma, awarded by Canadian high schools) Somehow, the local Legal Qualifying Board does not recognise high school diplomas besides the ones awarded by local secondary schools and secondary schools in Australia and the UK. I know....!?!??!?!?!?!?

Then again, the CLP is full of controversies, too. Nevermind the fact that it's to enable law graduates to practice law.

And now, we've got this:

Another year before the Bar

By SHAILA KOSHY (Sunday March 4, 2007)

Come September 2008, fewer Malaysians may seek a law degree from Britain if a proposal to make compulsory  a year of chambering in England is accepted. A decision on the matter is expected this month amid protests from the legal fraternity here and the four British Inns of Court.

MALAYSIANS wanting a law degree from Britain and the prestige of being called to the English Bar may want to think twice about it.

They or their parents may have to set aside more money on top of the estimated RM250,000 to RM400,000 for a three-year degree plus living expenses (depending on which university and city) if a British Bar Council proposal to defer call to the Bar comes into effect in September next year.

The decision by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) on the proposal is expected to be announced very soon.

After a three-year law programme, a student may have to take up a 12-month pupillage before being called to the British Bar.

The proposed year of chambering is to check the erosion of the quality of its barristers. It adds a new tier to the route for the prestigious British law degree to being called to the Malaysian Bar (see accompanying table).

The barrister-at-law title, currently obtained after passing the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) and completing the 12 requisite qualifying sessions, may now come with the cost of an additional year.

Despite the pupillage in Britain, returning Malaysians would still have to do nine months of chambering here before they can be admitted to the Malaysian Bar as advocates and solicitors.

According to the British Council, there were 540 Malaysians studying various law courses in the 2005/06 academic year.

The proposal came about as a result of public complaints about the quality of barristers and some cases of misrepresentation but it means that the 250-plus Malaysian students graduating a year will have to compete with other foreign as well as British students for the already limited pupillages.

According to the Bar Council, chambers had offered 711 pupillages in 2002/2003. This was less than the 766 the previous year.

But not every Malaysian doing the BVC intends to practise in Britain; more often than not it is for the knowledge and experience, the prestige, future networking, and lan B?if they decide to migrate.

While some organisations support the proposal in Britain, others have voiced their objections to BSB. The Inns of Court (through which students are called) have also expressed their concern for students from Malaysia and elsewhere.

Lawyer S. Radhakrishnan, Malaysian Inner Temple Alumni honorary secretary, reminded the BSB that the barrister-at-law title has been a recognised qualification  in Malaysia for more than 100 years.

f the BSB is to adopt the proposal, we believe that this would discourage many Malaysians from enrolling with the Inns of Court, which is their preferred choice, to pursue their objective of becoming a lawyer.?

According to the Bar Council secretariat, of the total 2,017 British qualified lawyers in the Malaysian Bar, those from the Inns number 1,186 (Lincoln), 154 (Inner Temple), 419 (Middle Temple) and 242 (Gray).

By comparison, graduates from Australian universities number 543 and from New Zealand 88.

On a brighter note, all pupillages in Britain have to be paid a minimum of ?,000 (RM35,000) per six months plus reasonable travel expenses.

The ?33 (RM5,833) a month is useful but just like the ?50(RM3,850), which the Bar Council estimates for the pupils?wig and gown, there will be other expenses and incidentals depleting that little reservoir.

 can see them spending time and money to train someone who will end up leaving the firm and the country,?said a 1988 Kent University law graduate who did his Bar at Inner Temple.

Could those who had done pupillage in Britain be exempt from chambering here?

he procedures for even simple applications have changed so much over the years in both countries that a Malaysian lawyer who did pupillage in Britain and did not chamber here would be handicapping himself and his client,?said a Cardiff University graduate who returned home in 1996 to take the Malaysian Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) instead.

While qualifying for the CLP might be easier, passing it may not be a walk in the park, going by the number of complaints after the results are released.

Taking the CLP option, however, would mean fewer or no ties with the four Inns.

In the last 100 years, thousands of Malaysians read law in Britain and returned to set up private practice or serve as a judge or Attorney-General.

From the time of Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, the first local Lord President, all heads of the judiciary up to Tun Dzaiddin Abdullah have been members of one of the Inns; it is the same with Malaysia first three prime ministers and the current deputy prime minister.

Expressing concern for foreign students in a joint report, the Inner Temple and Middle Temple touched on networking in a global world: he international network of barristers is a valuable connection .... It reinforces the legal culture of the common law world and provides opportunities for international practice.?BR>
With the proposal, the trong and beneficial international relationships ... would be severed for good.?BR>
Retired British judge Baroness Elizabeth Butler Sloss, who came here last September to launch the Inner Temple alumni, said then: he proposals for Deferral of Call, if implemented in its currently proposed form, would turn the clock back by making it more difficult for young people from families without private means to study for the Bar.

nd we are well aware of the effect that these proposals might have here in Malaysia on deterring future generations of young student barristers from coming to Britain.?BR>
It was a surprise that British Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education Bill Rammell, who was here in February to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster collaboration, partnership and exchanges in education between the UK and Malaysia, was not aware of the proposal.

Rammell said he would look into it but the issue would certainly require some input from the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) here as well.

There has been a suggestion that a title other than barrister-at-law be given after the Bar final but the LPQB will have to decide whether to accept such an alternative.

It would be ironic if, despite the MoU between the British and Malaysian governments, a solution is not found.

Currently Reading Spiritual Leadership (Commitment To Spiritual Growth) By J.Oswald Sanders see related

Take note of the last paragraph, Msian men

WHY NOT?
By WONG SAI WAN 

IN the past month, the findings of two surveys sent shivers down the spine of many men and women, mums and dads, and even bosses. 

If the figures are to be believed, then the authorities had better act fast before there is a severe imbalance in the country.  

Such inequality is not good for Malaysia and could ruin all plans that are in place to ensure sustainable development well past the time Malaysia attains developed nation status in 2020. 

What am I rambling about? Gender imbalance. 

Firstly, there are the findings of a study by Wanita MCA that 70% of all those joining the workforce as professionals are women. 

This is not surprising because 60% of all students in public universities in the country are women.  

Then there is the projection of the country male-female ratio. Another survey found that by 2020, 53% of the global population would be males. Yes, this means there will be more guys than gals in the future. In Malaysia, at present, males make up 49.1% of the population. 

These two findings were the topic of discussion when three of us sat down for coffee at a shopping centre. 

I listened attentively to the discussion between my two 30-something women friends who are no married.  

These ladies, whom I shall not name out of fear for my personal safety, were quite frank in discussing the problem.  

H said that even if the survey results were inaccurate, young single women today faced a serious problem when it came to finding a prospective husband. 

ifty per cent of all available men are married or spoken for. Another 30% are gay and a further 10% are jerks. 

his means that all of us single women are running around trying to attract only 10%. We have so little choice,?moaned H, much to my amusement. 

However, my laughter did not leave my lips when I saw the killer stares from both the women. It was a serious and sensitive subject. 

C quickly agreed with H, saying that in the business they were in, they hardly had a chance to meet ood guys? 

The girls are all professionals and holding managerial posts. One is in a multi-national company and the other in a local listed corporation. 

(A qualifier at this stage is needed. The two of them are very attractive and their single status has always puzzled me.) 

 start work at 8am and don finish till about 8 or 9pm. So the only way I will meet any guy is through work. 

n our trade (retail) most of the guys are TEAPOTS!?said C while arching her wrist to mimic the snout of a teapot. 

Without trying to sound homophobic (which I am NOT), the term teapot refers to gay males who are effeminate. The snout of the teapot looks like the limp wrist that is commonly associated with men of such sexual persuasion. 

H then jumped in, probably realising that I was male and heterosexual, saying that they were not desperate for a partner, as they were happily single. 

The two girls went to great pains to explain to me that this subject of ot enough good guys available?was the rave topic among women of their age. 

I teased them by asking them to join the MCA Cupid Club set up with women like them in mind. 

heh! We will only find desperate men there,?the two girls said almost in unison. 

C explained that her biggest fear was meeting a guy who might turn out to be a weirdo with a perverse sexual orientation.  

Thinking back, I felt that it was quite bold for the two to be so frank with me especially since we were talking quite loudly at a Starbucks outlet. 

Those at the other tables must have overheard our conversation. 

On Monday, H sent me an e-mail entitled hy ladies today are still single? 

It was a funny piece, origin unknown, that must have been forwarded many times around. But it described very aptly our conversation that day. 

I reproduce it here:  

Why ladies today are still single: 

1. The nice men are ugly.  

2. The handsome men are not nice.  

3. The handsome and nice men are gay.  

4. The handsome, nice and heterosexual men are married.  

5. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have no money.  

6. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think we are only after their money.  

7. The handsome men without money are after our money.  

8. The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat heterosexual, don think we are beautiful enough.  

9. The men who think we are beautiful, that are heterosexual, somewhat nice and have money, are cowards.  

10. The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!!!!  

11. The men who never make the first move, automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative.  

Now, who the hell understands men?  

Men are like fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you like to have dinner with. 

Teasing H with a reply, I asked her which category I fell into. 

She promptly replied o 10? 

There is no intention here to reinforce the old-fashioned thinking and apply pressure on everyone to get married hastily before they get too old but if C and H are typical of the young ladies, then something needs to be done. 

I dread to think we may one day have to go the way of Singapore where the government organises lonely heart clubs for the single guys and girls to meet. In our daily pursuit of material gain, we sometimes tend to forget the need to take time off to meet other people outside our working life. 

So to the somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual men, make the first move. 

My Christmas (and birthday) Wish List

Yup yup yup...it's the time of the year again! And as usual, it is also the busiest time of the year for me. From the 17th December to 25th December, my days will be jam-packed with activities for Christmas. Good thing I am able to take leave from my work (and clear my leave at the same time, too, before the year ends).

I feel blessed and honoured to be able to serve in this manner...namely in the Youth Ministry and the Praise and Worship team in my church. It also helps to keep me on my toes! I can't wait for Christmas!

(and as my birthday, well....it's three days after Christmas)

And here's my Christmas (and birthday) wish list...the top 2 ones are the ones I really really want, though. :

A Nokia 7360. I know it's not the latest model from Nokia - it's about a year old! But I just want a basic phone. Uhm, "basic" as in, it plays MP3s, and has a camera and speakerphone. I don't need 3G nor Bluetooth. And I think this is nicest-looking model Nokia has in recent years!

(and my current Samsung E700 is dying...)

Oswald Chambers' Biblical Psychology. I've been drooling over this book for ages, but it's quite pricey here in Malaysia. I should have searched for it when I was in England - it could have been cheaper there.

John & Stasi Eldredge's Captivating. I've read John Eldredge's Wild at Heart, which is a book I recommend all men to read. Captivating is specifically written for women...and I can't seem to find it here in Malaysia!

A single oven would be nice...(*ahem* I am a domestic goddess in the making, after all). My current one is working but...

This necklace from Claire's is so cool! (in England, everyone goes to Accesorize but everyone shops at Claire's)

A Dell XPS...hmm....

Have a very blessed Christmas and all the best in your endeavours in the year 2007!