Dici che il fiume
Trova la via al mare
E come il fiume
Giungerai a me
Oltre i confini
E le terre assetate
Dici che come il fiume
Come il fiume…
L’amore giungerà
L’amore…
E non so più pregare
E nell’amore non so più sperare
E quell’amore non so più aspettare

[Translation of the above]

You say that the river
finds the way to the sea
and like the river
you will come to me
beyond the borders
and the dry lands
You say that like a river
like a river…
the love will come
the love…
And I don’t know how to pray anymore
and in love I don’t know how to hope anymore
and for that love I don’t know how to wait anymore

[End of translation]

Isn’t that beautiful? It’s like listening in colours and seeing in vibrations…

Obviously, I was annoyed that I was arrested (see photo) whilst I was trying to ask the police why they wanted to arrest Tian Chua and Dr. Hatta, especially when they were merely having drinks and talking to journalists at that time. I knew that the over-zealous SB (special branch police officer) simply decided to arrest me because I questioned their actions. Indeed, when I asked an officer by the name of Woon who was standing nearby whether he was sure that the proper orders have been given to arrest me, he brushed aside my query and did not dare to say anything. Moreover, the location where we were arrested was beyond the one kilometre boundaries illustrated in the preventive court order obtained by the police.

The three of us was brought to the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters (IPK, KL), where we joined others that were arrested before us at various locations near KLCC. There, after greeting friends and other friendly faces, I saw ASP Anand (one of the investigation officers for the case against the lawyers who marched for freedom of assembly on 9 December 2007).

I immediately took the opportunity to inform him of the circumstances in which I was arrested. Unfortunately, he said that he has no say in the matter and that I should take it up with ACP Khoo Chin Wah, who would be down in a short while. After waiting awhile, I decided to call ACP Khoo and told him about my circumstances. Alas, he simply said that he could see that I was at the scene (presumably from SB video clips or photos); thus, implying my arrest was justified.

I was amazed by how lightly these senior police officers dealt with the constitutional liberty of a citizen, not to mention a lawyer, who is otherwise also known as an “officer of the court”. I should highlight here also that I was not informed of the grounds of my arrest at any point of time, whether during my arrest, detention and subsequent “investigation”.

Not satisfied with the lackadaisical attitude of the two previous officers, I decided to approach a third officer (a DSP Rortzain, I believe) whom I recognised from the arrest of the lawyers in December. Again, after I told him of my circumstances, he just told me to wait.

And wait I did. I sat around and paced the dining area of the IPK’s cafeteria from about 5:00 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. wondering when anyone is going to take my statement. Some young officer by the name of Rastam came to take my I.C. during that time but he also did not say why I was arrested. However, when I asked him who is the investigation officer of my case, he said it was either Woon or Ishak. Actually, I found out much later that my I.O. is ASP Redzaime and Ishak was the officer who lodged the complaint against Tian, Hatta and me. (Obviously, the rookie Rastam doesn’t know the difference between an arresting officer and an I.O.)

Anyway, after much waiting (all this time, apart from sitting or pacing idly, I was giving free legal advice and watching friends give statements to blur-looking police officers), my turn finally came. An Inspector Zakaria introduced himself – quite politely I must say – and told me that he was instructed to take my statement. As he led me down the dining hall, ASP Redzaime approached us and introduced himself. He then proceeded to say that Zakaria was going to take my 112 statement.

As I recall, neither Zakaria nor Redzaime informed me of my rights under Section 28A of the Criminal Procedure Code. Frankly, I just co-operated with Zakaria as best I could, answering questions carefully so that I do not implicate myself or anyone else in anything that may be construed as wrongdoing by the authorities. Nevertheless, I made it very clear to him that I was wrongfully arrested and I considered my detention to be false imprisonment. I am not sure he appreciated the gravity of the matter though.

Later on, when Redzaime appeared again, I repeated the circumstances of my arrest to him. Unsurprisingly, he did nothing except say that he will check with ACP Khoo. I do not know whether he actually did call his boss, but at the end of the long day and night, I was still moved to the lock-up together with everyone else.

Despite my many attempts to inform the various police officers, all the time highlighting the implications of my wrongful arrest and false imprisonment, I was ignored. Not only that, they had the gall (or perhaps stupidity) to apply for remand against me, giving the lame reason that they needed to make further investigations. And here I am trying to mitigate the serious damage they are doing.

Luckily, sense, or maybe conscience, prevailed over the magistrate who heard the remand application against the ten of us who had the same I.O. To the amazement of everyone, including the lawyers who defended all of us, the magistrate said that she was releasing us (unconditionally) because she did not find any evidence to show that the ten of us were linked to the “illegal assembly”.

By the time we walked out of Pudu Jail, I was deprived of 30 precious hours of freedom. Why? All because I acted to question the arbitrary arrest of two Malaysian citizens who happened to be leaders in their respective political parties. Politics aside, it is high time all Malaysians take a good look at what is happening to our country. Do we want to let this go on? When are we going to make a stand and say “no more”?

Frankly speaking, I didn’t know much about the atrocities in Darfur despite the emails I received from Amnesty International. I only bothered to find out more about the conflict in Darfur after I bought the “Make Some Noise, Save Darfur” album.

These days, not many netizens go to the music store to buy CDs anymore. I know I don’t. I still go and loiter around to check out the latest titles, but I don’t usually buy them anymore; unless I spot something really good.

When I first saw the album cover, it immediately caught my eye because I’ve seen the same John Lennon face somewhere before, but in a slightly different light. And, of course, I’ve seen this version in an email from Amnesty International.

Curiously, I picked up the album and took a look at the songs. The moment I saw U2 was there with “Instant Karma”, I was hooked.

The other notable tracks and artistes are: “#9 Dream” by R.E.M., “Give Peace A Chance” by Aerosmith (featuring Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars), “Gimme Some Truth” by Jakob Dylan (featuring Dhani Harrison), “Working Class Hero” by Green Day, “Power To The People” by Black Eyed Peas and “Imagine” by Jack Johnson.

All in all, for less than RM50, you get two CDs full of classics and still give (probably just a little) to a good cause. I reckon it’s worth it. Alternatively, you can buy tracks from iTunes at Amnesty’s Make Some Noise website.

Go ahead, make some noise. Imagine all the people, living life in peace. It’s easy, if you try.

However, I do want to give my support to the motley crew that’s come up with the 50:44 Malaysia Merdeka celebrations. I’ll definitely be back from Singapore to check things out at the Pasar Seni Annexe.

By the way, this is a true account of the author’s career as an economic hit man. In his own words:

“Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign “aid” organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet’s natural resources. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.
I should know; I was an EHM.”

I’m not much of a book reviewer, but if this is reflective of the kind of writing in the rest of the book, I’m sure it’s going to be one of my favs.

Here’s a teaser:

And we wonder why terrorists attack us?

The concept is, of course, erroneous. We know that in many countries economic growth benefits only a small portion of the population and may in fact result in increasingly desperate circumstances for the majority. This effect is reinforced by the corollary belief that the captains of industry who drive this system should enjoy a special status, a belief that is the root of many of our current problems and is perhaps also the reason why conspiracy theories abound. When men and women are rewarded for greed, greed becomes a corrupting motivator. When we equate the gluttonous consumption of the earth’s resources with a status approaching sainthood, when we teach our children to emulate people who live unbalanced lives, and when we define huge sections of the population as subservient to an elite minority, we ask for trouble. And we get it.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely want to read the rest of this book.

My presentation, basically, looked at the current situation of the organisation, the hopes of the organisation, the strategies available and, last but not least, urgent areas for focus.

No doubt, there will always be supporters and detractors in whatever we do. And, I’ve attended enough meetings to know that some people just talk for the sake of talking.

What was disturbing to me was not so much that these people had critical things to say, but the fact that they did not seem to use their intellectual faculties critically before they spoke.

Insofar as personal development, managing projects and/or strategic plans are concerned, we need to make some basic distinctions, including what is urgent, and what is important (yes, there is a huge difference), and what are the short term and the long term goals.

Those who attend to urgent matters all the time (and neglect important matters), are like firefighters who never bothered to make sure their fire engines and hydrants are in tip-top condition. They just go where the situation demands their attention, but never bother to question why they are not effective in putting out fires. Indeed, if these firefighters could come up with good fire prevention plans for people, they wouldn’t even need to be running around trying to put out fires in the first place.

To use the firefighters analogy further, although we need to attend to short term goals immediately, we must also pay attention to longer term goals like developing the organisation and building capacity for the future. I know that it’s very tempting to just focus on short term things, but far too often we’ve failed precisely because we take a short term view of our endeavours. If all we did were put out fires day in and day out, without attending to training needs, organisational development and strategic planning, we’d have fire engines getting lost on the way to the fire.

Even in the most desperate of situations, we must be calm and collected, and assess the situation before we act. To “win”, we must maximise the utility of the resources we have – the people and the equipment – and apply them to the situation in a way that will give maximum results.

Although I’m not a certified project manager or strategic planner, I believe I know enough to say that we are doomed to failure if we do not even make the effort to truly listen to what others are saying, to critically and honestly evaluate where we are right now and take the time to seriously consider where we really want to go.

Well, people sometimes display their ignorance when they speak for the wrong reasons. As Plato said, “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”

Check out pravsworld. The pics and words can sometimes give us a different and better perspective on things…

Happy Merdeka! (whatever it means to you…)

I’ve learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing “Silent Night”.
Age 5

I’ve learned that our dog doesn’t want to eat my broccoli either.
Age 7

I’ve learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9

I’ve learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.
Age 12

I’ve learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
Age 14

I’ve learned that although it’s hard to admit it, I’m secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 15

I’ve learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
Age 24

I’ve learned that brushing my child’s hair is one of life’s great pleasures.
Age 26

I’ve learned that wherever I go, the world’s worst drivers have followed me there.
Age 29

I’ve learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Age 30

I’ve learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don’t know how to show it.
Age 42

I’ve learned that you can make some one’s day by simply sending them a little note.
Age 44

I’ve learned that the greater a person’s sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
Age 46

I’ve learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 47

I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
Age 48

I’ve learned that singing “Amazing Grace” can lift my spirits for hours.
Age 49

I’ve learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.
Age 50

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
Age 51

I’ve learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.
Age 52

I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
Age 53

I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
Age 58

I’ve learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage.
Age 61

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
Age 62

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
Age 64

I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your
work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
Age 65

I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
Age 66

I’ve learned that everyone can use a prayer.
Age 72

I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.
Age 82

I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch – holding hands, a warm
hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
Age 90

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.
Age 92

The scene (in the movie), depicts a holy man saying “Such ignorance. It’s this ignorance that is our misfortune”, and then a widow arrives.

After greeting her, he asks the widow “… you’ve been doing this service for many years. So many years of sacrifice and devotion. Do you feel closer to self-liberation?” After a long pause, she replies slowly, “If… self-liberation means… detachment from worldly desires… Then, no, I’m no closer.”

The holy man hesitates, before he replies solemnly, “whatever happens, never lose your faith… Never lose your faith.”

That reminded me of something I had read earlier today. Mother Teresa, whilst accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, said,

“By blood I am Albanian. By citizenship an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus.”

Wow! That to me is amazing devotion, both to her faith and ideals. And she maintained those from a very young age until her ultimate demise. It really humbles me to stand in the shadow of such giants…

Somehow, I was also reminded of an earlier conversation I had with a friend. He’s real supportive and I always have great conversations with him. On top of that, he’s also a real practical and results-oriented kinda guy.

So, naturally, when I was faced with a values-challenging question, I posed this to him: “How does one manage a business/organisation, be practical about real life, and yet maintain one’s faith and ideals?”

And that stumped my friend… Hmmm, I guess it’s not an easy question to answer. Oh well, as Robert Frost would say: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

I’ve been reflecting quite a bit over the past few weeks, especially given that I’ve been nursing a bad back and shoulder (probably stress related), and I’ve been reminded of some earlier lessons in life.

I was elected president of the Methodist Boys’ School Old Boys Association last month. (The website has not been updated at the time of this posting.)

Since then, I’ve observed many instances of so-called leaders shirking responsibility and not doing the right thing by the members. And yet, they can hypocritically position themselves as being altruistic and charitable in their pursuits.

I’ve also been actively participating in an e-group of former students where certain issues arose, and things get moralistic and philosophical. It’s intriguing to see how divisive some seemingly simple topics could be.

For example, considering that this association has female members (it’s an all boys school but they were in Form Six), some people mooted the idea of changing the name of the association to ‘MBS Alumni Association’. Although most of us agree with Shakespeare’s point about the rose smelling just as sweet and all, there are still many who fight strenuously to maintain the name that is not gender sensitive.

Well, some discussions are even more interesting, but there’s too much to recount. Oh, the other interesting thing is that the participants of the group include people as young as sixteen to people as old as sixty. And, yes, women do participate.

In any case, I guess what I want to say is something that Gandhi has said eloquently. Allow me to quote the great man:

“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

Although I’m not that happy with the way our politicians are doing things, including “opposition” politicians, I am encouraged by what I see in my old school, especially the scouts troop (note the new blog roll entry).

Back to the personal-political thingy. Sometimes in life, we think we are doing the right thing by not rocking the boat or by being strict with our children, however this often has greater but more subtle effects on the society at large.

Lessons in life, and changes in society, don’t come in linear form and neatly packaged boxes. Everything is linked to everything else. Do we really look at the big picture whenever we decide to do the “right thing”?

Far too often, we just react as if a doctor just tapped our knees.

“Oh, this book is controversial, ban it.”

“Oh, that’s too sensitive, don’t talk about it.” (Speaking of which, the authorities tried to sweep one under the carpet.)

“Oh, she’s leaving the religion, rehabilitate her.”

It’s not as simple as that. A good example of a bad case of public policy is the attempted ban on alcohol in the U.S. in the days of Al Capone. What happened? It made Capone very rich and powerful, that’s what.

I don’t condone drinking to deal with stress or till we’re inebriated, but I wouldn’t say the solution to the drinking problem is banning it. We must understand why people turn to drinks, and deal with that. Is it because they are so stressed out and they don’t see an alternative form of satisfactory recreation? Is it because the economic system does not even give the man on the street the freedom to fulfill his family’s basic needs, much less self-actualise?

Every little thing we do, including what food we eat, what cars we drive, what associations to support, what we teach our little ones, what we hide from our little ones, what parties we vote, are all political decisions. It’s a policy decision on our own lives.

It’s time to think beyond the norm, and be part of the solution for Malaysia.