The Malaysian Insider

OCT 26 — I read with absolute disbelief what the Bandar Baru Kulim MP Zulkifli Noordin had proposed in his private member Bills in Parliament. I am even more astounded — not to mention bitterly angry — that PKR has not seen it fit to read the riot act in full DTS 6.1 mode to Zul Noordin.

The antics of Zul Noordin are well documented. During one Federal Court hearing, in one of those conversion cases, this guy actually stood up in open court and questioned the "Muslimness" of Malik Imtiaz just because he disagreed with what Imtiaz was saying. Later, he and some thugs were involved in stopping a discourse on conversion to Islam which was going on at the Bar Council auditorium.

OCT 13 — If politics is the art of convincing people to follow one’s beliefs, ideologies and principles, than the Bagan Pinang by-election should teach PAS, and the Pakatan Rakyat, some basic things in politics.

Allow me to firstly tell what happened to me some 4 years ago in London.  I was walking along Old Bond Street, pushing a pram with my daughter inside. From about 10 meters away, a Malay man, followed by 3 other men, rushed towards me. He gave me a warm “hello, apa khabar” greeting and extended his hand to “bersalam” with me. He then introduced me to his 3 friends. We chatted for a while. He later pinched my daughter’s cheek before saying he had to move on as he could not really stand still for too long in the cold winter. He then said bye-bye with a smile and left.

The thing was, I did not even know who he was. We haven’t met before.

OCT 9 — I have always observed that to most of us, being religious is more important than embracing the spiritual aspect of our faith. Being religious, after all, entails ritualistic observance of whatever is decreed by our faith.

And so, the Muslims fast and we pray and we pay zakat. And the Christians would go to the church on Sundays and wear a necklace with a cross pendant. The Hindus would swim in the Ganges River and break coconuts in the morning before going to work. And so on and so forth.

OCT 7 — Each day I continue to be confounded — and, not to mention, amused — by statements issued by people in the mass media. It has come to a stage where I am beginning to seriously doubt my mental well being.

Is it me who has become a cranky old man? Is there a conspiracy among men in black robe, yellow trousers and torn Pagoda singlet, whispering in the darkness of night while seated at a round table in a dungeon somewhere to confound me every morning? Or has our public forum been full of various innovative new concepts which challenge the old, established and soon-to-be outdated concepts as understood by oldies like me?

SEPT 16 — When I first read the news report in The Star that Tan Sri Zaki Azmi, the Chief Justice, had told two errant High Court judges to voluntarily resign, my initial reaction was one of pleasure. I thought it was good that the CJ has finally cracked the whip and told these useless judges to leave the judiciary. However, after having thought about this issue with a little bit more depth, I am now hesitant to say that it was a good move by the CJ.

Our judiciary was among the best in the Commonwealth prior to 1988. We had people of absolute integrity and capable of serving justice with the highest standards of knowledge of the law coupled with flawless judicial temperament. Tun Suffian was highly regarded as among the finest. His Majesty the Sultan of Perak, Raja Azlan Shah, was among the best. Tan Sri Eusoffee Abdool Cadeer, who would scold counsel in Latin, could teach a thing or two about the law even to some British law Lords themselves.