271 KL's Almost Revolutions
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Thu- haircut, Bangsar theatre
Friday - British council, My friend said ..Do you want to come to a talk by Anwar Ibrahim ?.. My friend said ..Do you want to come to a talk by Anwar Ibrahim ?.. What a talk by one of the worlds most famous political prisoners, a boy genius who became the Deputy Primeminister and was inline to become the next Primeminister. Who was suddenly thrown own of office and then put in a brutal prison in 1998 on obviously trumped up charges. A symbol of the status of modern Malaysian politics ..tow the line or else, and that those with the power are so strong and corrupt they can do what they want. The justice system is so weak they don't even need to be subtle about it. Malaysian politics Malaysian politics seem difficult for outsiders to understand for outsiders. Things do seem crazy from outside, but I guess there are historical explanations. There does seems to be aparteid in favor of the largest racial group, but then in the past they didn't control much business or government. It's argued that this bias prevents violence. In fact in the 60's 1000s died in riots. I hadn't even heard he had been released. Turns out he was released in 2004 when the courts quashed the charges, apparently every here thought the charges were trumped up all along. And there he was, right in front of me. Weird 1. That was the biggest surprise, the same party who had jailed him, released him all-be-it with a slightly different leadership and they let him speak in public. So the systems twisted, But not as twisted as China. Weird 2. He's willing to come back and speak in a place which has been so unjust to him. He looked energetic, but I guess the prison experience has made him look a little worn.

Background check Background check: he was a very popular Muslim activist so the government had to offer him a post. One month after leaving office he lead a reform demonstration in Merdeka (Independence ) Square. (half a million people). Later a SWAT team raided his house arrested him under the IS.A. His release was almost as political as his imprisonment. Suddenly he's released, then the judges aquit him of sodomy saying there wasn't enough evidence, but saying he probably did commit the crimes (uh ! Don't judges uphold the ..innocent until proven guilty.. principle. ) They'd first charged him with corruption .. Trying to influence the police not to investigate him, later they charged him with sodomy saying this is what he didn't want investigating. He'd actually served his time for the corruption charge. When he tried to get that conviction quashed the judges upheld it. Seems to me a move that's good for the governing party; the get rid of holding a prisoner tag, yet leave AI tarnished. Furthermore a convict cannot enter politics until 5 years after his release. In jail he claims he was beaten so badly his back was damaged and he couldn't walk also he was refused adequate treatment. After release he flew to Germany for back surgery and made a miracle recovery. A top cop has apologized for beating him and he won a libel case against a guy who wrote a leaflet instrumental in getting the public against him at the time of his arrest. He didn't talk much about HRights rather he chose to focus on economics saying corruption and pro Malay policies fueled by paranoia had destroyed the Malaysian economy making the lives of country people as poor as African peasants. Surely he exaggerated ? Surely Indonesia is much worse. It looks OKish to me, though one doesn't know how much the government has borrowed or how rich the oil money could make a country of such low population (20m). He spoke as an economic liberal against wasting money on big projects and protectionism. Seeming to speak rationally explaining how pro-Malay policies meant all taxpayers paid more, cos the the well connected already rich were able to expoit them (by charging high prices for contracts). What is needed is policies to help the poor. But wasn't he part of that same government. He claimed all along he had been inside trying to exercise good influence, but having to let some things happen otherwise risk getting kicked out and have no calming influence. Maybe. On freedom he did his fish joke On freedom he did his fish joke ..you can't catch fish in Malaysia cos they are afraid to open their mouths. (and anyway the big fish are never hauled in (only minor corrupt people)
I wanted to ask him what he would say to the rich and well connected to get them to support changes.

Sun - CK Almost Revolution Tour stared by visiting Ampang new Village where countryside Chinese were resettled to to keep them apart from communist guerrillas. Then onto an old Malay suburb to see the spots of the 1969 incidents and onto the spots of the 1998 Almost Revolution.

What I have been reading/listening to/watching

it puts me off going to theatre ! I like live theatre .When theatre is good it can be an amazing experience and far better than Hollywood films .So I went to see this play....but it was tedious The story wasn't interesting or lucid, it didn't teach me anything, apart from give me experience of modern Indian theatre and culture. The characters were not really convincing nor the twists plausible. One character stutters throughout, and this was more irritating than useful. When I have to travel for an hour, pay money and be bored for 90 minutes

Enviromental Collapse in China Correspondent: BBC Radio 4 : we get Cheap goods from China, but the industrial revolution is at a huge cost to the environment and workers health as. Beijing is covered in fog like smog and 12 coal miners die in accidents EVERYDAY. More power stations are being built, every year the number built is more than the UK existing capacity. China will shortly move ahead of the UK to become the worlds 4th largest economy

Sat - hanging out in Borders bookshop trying to find something worthwhile in the midst of all those crap books.

Myth of monogamy -Barash/ Lipton They are married but argue that monogamy is not universal for human beings. For animals it's not really common except birds. In diffent times and different cultures there have been many other options. Not true it's universal practice .. maybe harem is more common. The writers are married to each other.
My conclusion .. There isn't a one way is best for all people option.

The Book of Job Long boring story of Job meaning : Have faith synopsis : Job's a rich guy doing well 7000 sheep etc. Devil wants to prove to God, he's nothing So nhe takes everything away from him Job keeps his faith despite bad advice from neighbours God rewards him by giving back double, and he lives 140 years more


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