Actually the Hawks were great last weekend – hungry, fighting and mean. Went after each ball and possession in packs consistently and Franklin was sublime again. Go Hawks!
Yesterday my Foxtel Sports channel was suspended, and wouldnt find its way back till t he EPL season starts again. SBS will have the World Cup on for every game so I can skimp a bit and have a few more beers… Ole …. Ole Ole Ole
Same old, same old… (see May 10)
Local church integration and pastor engagement plans moving ahead. Kiddo making progress in school. Work review potentially at cross roads. Man United missed out on pipping Liverpool in top placing finishes (Hawks sucks :-(…). Prudential’s rights issue suffered a schedule setback. Kevin Rudd took a beating at the popularity ratings.
The above are just some headings grabbing my attention in my life right now, and not necessarily in that order.
Actually K Rudd taking a beating would probably thrill me a lot and should probably rank higher in that list. My opinion of him has plummeted long before the latest polls results were released. He has increasingly come across as someone other than how he portrays himself. It feels like at the core, he is actually hollow – one who is without any guiding principles in life other than deliver what the mob wants or appears to want. In as much as he initially gave the aura of someone who has full of reform ideas to bring the country forward, it now looks like that aura was his intended perception and those ideas are nothing but headlines with no thought process as to how to flesh out the substance required for effective delivery.
Prudential continues to be the big brown bear in the corner in my workplace. It has wrought unhappiness in our regional office in Hong Kong and bits and pieces of that sometimes trickle down to give us all a bit of a spray. In any event, I am so bereft of motivation that I now want to either just bury my head and be mechanical about it all or look up to see what else can I do in a different place. I often feel like I no longer want to be sucked into this work sphere which tends to wring me completely dry.
Man United – what can I say? 4 in a row is always going to be extremely difficult anyway and we gave it as good a go as anyone else could. In fact I think no other clubs would have that ability to charge ahead the way we have. I am thrilled just for the fact that we were in the mix right till the final round. It looks like we are in no danger of having the Scousers get back in to go one better. They have well and truly been knocked off their effing perch (SAF’s word, not mine). Languishing (by their historical standards) at seventh is way too average and it is hard to see them mount a more serious challenge next year. I should now add that the Hawks have been a total disaster so far this season. Shocking. What gives, Alistair???
Kiddo – all good. I am really happy with her recent progress.
Local church – ditto. I think we’ve turned the corner.
As Malaysia prosecutes an opposition leader, the
U.S. is silent
Wednesday, May 19, 2010; A18
ATRIAL that could determine whether one of Asia’s fast-developing countries evolves into a
democracy has been making lurid headlines this month around the region. Anwar Ibrahim, the
opposition leader in Malaysia and one of the foremost advocates of political freedom in the Muslim
world,
by up to 20 years in prison. That Mr. Anwar would be prosecuted on this charge is itself a human
rights violation. But the testimony in the case is also revealing a blatant abuse of power by a man the
Obama administration has been courting: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Mr. Anwar, a 62-year-old married father of six, heads an opposition coalition that for the past two
years has been chipping away at the quasi-authoritarian regime that has governed Malaysia since
independence in 1957. He has a chance of defeating Mr. Najib in the next general election — and
transforming the country. So it’s been more than a little suspicious to see the testimony of his chief
accuser, a 25-year-old man who claims that he had sex with Mr. Anwar in June 2008. Two days
before the alleged encounter, the man said, he met with Mr. Najib; the next day he phoned the
national police chief. Before filing his complaint, he consulted with a close friend of Mr. Najib’s
wife. When the accuser finally stepped forward, two days after the supposed sex, doctors could find
no evidence of sodomy.
Mr. Anwar has been in this situation before. In 1998, when his reformist ideas challenged then-Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad, he was prosecuted on sodomy charges and imprisoned for six years —
until a court ruled that the testimony against him had been coerced. Since then he has become a
leading advocate of democratic reform as an antidote to Islamic extremism. The success of his multiethnic
coalition could decisively push Malaysia into the democratic camp with neighboring
Indonesia at a time when China’s authoritarian system threatens to become a regional model.
In short, Mr. Anwar is a natural ally of the United States — which is why it is odd that the Obama
administration has all but ignored his case. While the previous sodomy conviction was condemned
by senior Clinton administration officials, including Vice President Al Gore, the State Department
has said nothing publicly about this trial. Nor did the White House mention it when
met with Mr. Najib in Washington
press as a U.S. endorsement. In fact, the administration seems to find Mr. Najib useful; he’s been
helpful on issues such as nuclear proliferation, Iran and Afghanistan. But failing to protest his ugly
persecution of Mr. Anwar is both shameful and shortsighted.
stands accused of consensual homosexual sodomy, which in his country is a crime punishablePresident Obamalast month — an event hailed by Kuala Lumpur’s pro-government
Tonight the usual crowd of between 8 and 10 will drop into our home for a home group meeting. Or, to be accurate, a cell group meeting. We’ve been looking at J I Packer’s “Knowing God” and will continue with this tonight. I have also been listening to Phillip Jensen from Matthias Media speaking (on CDs) on Holy Spirit. He had a very clear one on what he considers to be baptism of the Spirit. It is totally coherent and consistent stuff, easily deciphered and easy to follow. This is in stark contrast to the usual signs and wonders trails which are often convoluted and conjectural. I am inclined to circulate this CD the next time someone in my church suggests we needed a “second experience”. Phillip Jensen’s and Packer’s materials are just the sort of grounding I need to anchor myself against the “charismatic chaos” (MacArthur’s words, not mine) bobbing around me every now and then where I am now.
Tomorrow morning we (Tress, Kiddo and I) will make a little excursion across town to Flemington –towards the north west of the city. Kiddo has been waiting to try out a new guitar. Her Yamaha beginner’s model is getting a bit tired and too entry level (?) and she has been looking at a bit of a step up. A few weeks ago as a birthday present we thought we’d get her this Spanish made one. We tried the Almansa 403 in a shop and she loved it. It comes at a price which we don’t love and the guy in the shop recommended the Almansa 401, which is the next model down. It is a quite few moolah less so we decided to have a go. The drive to Flemington should take about 40-45 minutes. Let’s see if we can do something while trekking across city.
Some relatives are trekking from Adelaide tomorrow and will stay the night with us. If they arrive some time in the arvo we’ll drag them to this house warming BBQ in Rowville, maybe 20 minutes southeast of where we are.
On Sunday after church we’d be having a church lunch with some leaders from Cornerstone. We’ve been on a few dates now and Sunday’s lunch is to “get to know the relatives”. Then we’d have coffee with my cousin and her hubby from Canberra. They’re holidaying in country Victoria in Mansfield. Mansfield is some 3 hours away from Melbourne but that hasn’t deterred them from taking a day drive to town to meet up over coffee. That is fantastic energy. I’m sure their relative youth has something to do with it but the desire to catch up with family is such a fantastic characteristic to have.
So I guess the somewhat busy weekend will permit feet-up only late on Sunday arvo. Why do I suddenly feel tired again…
This will be interesting – I suppose I can take a pot shot and say maybe she will give us a tip on how to appear busy at work while doing your private things. Maybe I am being unfair. Media reports on this however, have suggested at the very least, one can say she hardly displayed leadership qualities. A leader stands next to the people especially in times of disasters and such needs. At the height of the fires she was at a dinner in a local pub with her husband and friends. Earlier in the day when the disaster was building in crescendo she had her hair done and considered her memoirs. I wouldn’t want her as my leader under normal circumstances, let alone when all around me are being burned to a crisp.
Malaysia should hold the current judiciary in contempt. It clearly has no qualms about bending justice every which way to serve the interests of the current government. Who can it fool as to its independence? Malaysians should protest and protest extremely loudly, about the sort of judiciary it has. What a pathetic state of affairs.
Local church integration and pastor engagement plans moving ahead. Kiddo making progress in school. Work review potentially at cross roads. Man United just missed out on pipping Liverpool in top placing finishes. Prudential’s rights issue suffered a schedule setback. Kevin Rudd took a beating at the popularity ratings.
The above are just some headings grabbing my attention in my life right now, and not necessarily in that order.
Actually K Rudd taking a beating would probably thrill me a lot and should probably rank higher in that list. My opinion of him has plummeted long before the latest polls results were released. He has increasingly come across as someone other than how he portrays himself. It feels like at the core, he is actually hollow – one who is without any guiding principles in life other than deliver what the mob wants or appears to want. In as much as he initially gave the aura of someone who has full of reform ideas to bring the country forward, it now looks like that aura was his intended perception and those ideas are nothing but headlines with no thought process as to how to flesh out the substance required for effective delivery.
Prudential continues to be the big brown bear in the corner in my workplace. It has wrought unhappiness in our regional office in Hong Kong and bits and pieces of that sometimes trickle down to give us all a bit of a spray. In any event, I am so bereft of motivation that I now want to either just bury my head and be mechanical about it all or look up to see what else can I do in a different place. I often feel like I no longer want to be sucked into this work sphere which tends to wring me completely dry.
Man United – what can I say? 4 in a row is always going to be extremely difficult anyway and we gave it as good a go as anyone else could. In fact I think no other clubs would have that ability to charge ahead the way we have. I am thrilled just for the fact that we were in the mix right till the final round. It looks like we are in no danger of having the Scousers get back in to go one better. They have well and truly been knocked off their effing perch (SAF’s word, not mine). Languishing (by their historical standards) at seventh is way too average and it is hard to see them mount a more serious challenge next year.
Kiddo – all good. I am really happy with her recent progress.
Local church – ditto. I think we’ve turned the corner.
| From Malaysiakini 4 MayEnough evidence to launch Scorpene probe |
| Susan Loone | May 4, 10 1:40pm |
| Was the 114 million euro (RM534.8 million) paid to Perimekar a “commission”?The Malaysia government has argued that the huge sum was not a commission but for the provisions of “support services” to the RM3.7 billion Scorpene submarines bought from France.
That’s the crux of an on-going Parisian investigation as under French and international laws, giving commissions on such deals are illegal. According to French lawyer Joseph Breham, who is part of a team investigating the scandal, there was enough “prima facie evidence” to justify a probe. “How did this company suddenly obtain 114 million euro (RM482 million) in their bank account?” he asked in an interview with Malaysiakini last week. “Also, the main shareholder of this company, is the wife (Maslinda) of a close associate (Abdul Razak Baginda) to the (then) minister of defence (Najib Razak).” Breham’s team hopes to unearth enough evidence to convince the French court to institute corruption charges. Excerpts from the interview follow: Malaysiakini: You said in media reports that you have sufficient evidence to proceed in the case. Can you reveal what kind of evidence you have? Breham: We have Perimekar’s account statement in 2001 and 2002. And between these years, they have lost about RM75,000. How can a company lose RM75,000 when the only thing the company did was related to some administrative cost? There was no income, and it was just renting an office. How did this company suddenly obtain 114 million euro in their bank account? This is the basis for suspicion. Also, the main shareholder of this company is the wife (Maslinda) of a close associate (Abdul Razak Baginda) to the (then) minister of defence (Najib Razak). These are strong elements (for suspicion) and if you add to this the fact that Altantuya Shaariibuu was killed by the bodyguards of the prime minister, and if you add to this the fact that the immigration records of Altantuya’s entry into the country have disappeared, there is proof that a high official did not want any evidence of her entering the country. And the fact that the two policemen blew her up with C4 (explosives), it appears as if they completely do not want anything of her to appear. So, we have the proof that someone who is a high official is involved in this case. We have the proof that the wife of one of the close friends of the PM is involved – (he or she may have) nothing to do with the Altantuya case, but in the issuing of commissions. I am saying that there is enough evidence, enough prima facie evidence, based on all these elements to make an enquiry. You are saying that the French prosecutors have accepted your arguments to proceed with the case? Yes, and there is an key argument that each time (French state-owned shipbuilder) DCN makes a deal in a foreign country, there is corruption. Of course, this does not prove anything but they are not ‘white knights’ either. How similar is the Malaysian case to the Taiwanese and Pakistani cases that you mentioned in recent media reports? I am not the lawyer for the Taiwanese or the Pakistani side. However, the Taiwan and Pakistan cases began the other way around. They both started because there were dissension in the French political parties. For example, the Pakistani case started because there were factions in the conservative party. One of the factions was running for president in the presidential elections. So, the one in power stopped the other from getting kickbacks. In the end, the Pakistanis were not getting their money from the French. The Taiwanese case came exactly the same way. It was related to a former French minister involved in another case with the company, and they proved that one of his mistresses bought him very expensive shoes. They inquired where the money came from, and by tracing the money, they found that it came from a bank account in Switzerland. They also managed to prove that the money came from someone involved in the Taiwanese contract. The reason why it went to such a high level was because of a provision in the contract that stated that there should be no commission paid and that the French government could ask DCN to pay back the commission. Taiwan lost a lot of money because of this. They filed a civil case against DCN to make them pay back the commission and they won. So the French judicial system could not just ignore the evidence. If those involved in the DCN case were found to be giving out commissions, can action be taken against them? Is there a law in France against giving out commissions? There are three laws against giving out commissions. They are the 2002 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Anti-Bribery Convention, 2003 United Nations Convention against Corruption, and the French national law. [Malaysia is not party to the OECD Convention but it ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption on Sept 24, 2008.] These conventions are interesting: they have a mechanism to monitor whether a country respects the conventions. In the French system, when there is risk of corruption among prosecutors, OECD can ask the French government to act against these prosecutors. In France, there is a written instruction that a decision not to prosecute a case of corruption is not only based on technical criteria, but (also on) either quality of fact or consistency of proof. A decision not to prosecute could not be motivated based on quality of person, or by consideration of national economic interest. A courageous prosecutor can ask in writing if he was instructed not to prosecute a person for corruption. He can say, “Excuse me, you give me instructions against the convention, please tell me which to follow.” This, too, he should ask in writing. What happens if you cannot obtain any information from the Malaysian side to help you with your investigation? Once a judge decides, he can issue an instruction called ‘the international warrant of search’ and this warrant of search will be sent to the Malaysian side, saying, “We, the French judiciary, want this company to disclose to us this, and this, and this (information). According to the UNCAC, you are obliged to cooperate with me”. If Malaysia does not deal with the situation, it will at least prove that the government has something to hide. Moreover, if we can find elements showing that Perimekar has parked its accounts somewhere else, the solution in corruption cases is always to follow the money. If we can find the money somewhere else other than Malaysia, then we have some chances. I, as a lawyer, can ask (apply to) the (French) judge to make such an instruction. It is up to him to decide. If he decides against my application, I can appeal. If DCN were indicted, you of course expect the Malaysian public or NGOs like Suaram to take up the case against the government. I am a lawyer and I look for proof. So, if corruption happens involving any of its official in Malaysia, we hope the Malaysian justice system will take care of it. It is not up to the French justice system to do this. It would not be logical. So, for now France must do something against DCN corrupting people outside of France. But I hope that as soon as – and if we have proof – that Malaysian officials have received the commissions, the Malaysia justice system must then do its work. If nothing happens, the only thing that could be done – but this is very theoretical, as far as I know it had never been done before – is that there is an application that is called ‘either you extradite or you prosecute’ in the UNCAC. If a country considers that there is a huge problem, that there is such a (corrupted) person in another country, it can ask for extradition and that it is a duty of the other country either to extradite or prosecute. Can a country refuse to do either? No, it cannot say ‘no’ since it is international law. Of course, Malaysia will not be invaded if they decide to do neither. However, there is a way for them (Malaysia) to circumvent this, and that is to prosecute. But in this case, there is a theoretical possibility – although it has never been used – that France may consider that the inquiry (on the Malaysian side) was such a false one. If they can show enough proof that the Malaysian inquiry was not valid, then it (France) can apply for an ‘international binding judgment’. For example, this applies to an official who must be sentenced to jail. If the official goes out of the country, he can be taken into custody (based on international laws). |
A third of another year has passed. I am increasingly jaded, especially with my work. Motivation levels are at very low ebbs. Satisfaction with work has also given way to boredom and a lack of sense of achievement. I often wondered if I could spend my days doing something which is of even greater significance. Maybe it is just the restless or lazy nature that is trying to take over.
Or maybe it is a genuine sense of tiredness. Last night as I got on the train home and opened up my book, I fell asleep before the train got to the next stop, which is probably a couple of minutes away. I didn’t wake up till after the second last stop, which was about 25-30 minutes later. I just felt drained. I don’t know the cause – whether boredom and being jaded brings about tiredness or was it simply because I had been up since about 4.30am and my weekend really only started about Sunday 3pm.
On Friday night after crawling out of here just before 6pm, I headed home and had some people over for drinks and chats. A young couple was expecting their first baby anytime now and we thought we’d give them a final relaxing evening before the storms hit. So we were busy entertaining till about 10.30pm. I picked kiddo from church, got home and went to bed probably just before midnight.
Sat morning we were up around 6am, pottered around the house and then sent kiddo to church again for band practice around 8.30am. We then went for coffee, went to the dry cleaners, shopped for groceries and were heading home to do some house cleaning and other housekeeping chores when we got a call from the church chairperson about something which worried him and annoyed me. So we dropped my dry cleaning and shopping off at home and headed off to meet this chairperson and his wife.
By the time we finished thrashing out a few things it was time to pick kiddo up. It was about noon so we sent her for lunch, and she wanted to look around to upgrade our home broadband subscription. When that was all done it was nearly time to head off for the church board meeting at 2pm. The rest of the day was gone and at night we had promised Alex my mate we would drop in at his place. When I got home after the meeting it was a relief that the dog has been bathed and looked and smelled really good. Tress had cleaned him up so well, as well as done a whole truckload of housework. All I had to do was to cook kiddo a grilled lamb cutlets dinner, had a bite ourselves and with Tress we headed off to Alex’s.
When we got home it was time for bed and the next morning we were up again around 6am and because kiddo was playing in the band we headed off to church early. I had promised to have lunch with a couple of young adults so by the time that was done and we got home it was just a bit after 3pm. I took the dog out to the park and that was really good because for the first time in that weekend I had some time to clear my mind. I was thinking I really wanted to get on with doing something else other than to continue with this grind in my present job. Walking around in the footy oval while the dog ran around with other dogs, I could think really clearly. It is what I really want – to do something different.
That thought didn’t start the week well with me because I was just thinking about that constantly. My mind is not really focused now but until something concrete shows up I will continue to try finding contentment here. The work remains challenging if I don’t allow my state of mind to cloud matters. As interesting or challenging as it remains, with the way time passes so quickly, I really ought to look at doing that “something different” very quickly, but what?
Ante 