Lady journalists

 NST carried this Bernama's story today.

Women still underrepresented in senior editorial roles in Malaysia

and uses this picture to go with it

Why three of the ladies are wearing sleeveless clothing and two of them have weird coloured hair.

Trying to be extra feminist and woke, is it?

Journalists should wear proper working clothes and put on decent appearance la.

If I'm an editor, I wouldn't let them go on assignments like that.

Well, if women journalists want to be taken seriously, they should take their duties seriously and put on the appropriate appearance.

So, not enough high ranking women journalists in Malaysia?

Honestly, I don't think that's a real issue.

As far as I know, the gender of a journalist in this country is not really a barrier for him/her to be successful.

You work hard, play the office politics well, and you will get promoted.

I never actually heard of someone not being given a top post in media organisations in this country because she is a woman.

Only feminists like to think otherwise.

They like to think that women are being victimised but the fact is I know many good male journalists who were also deprived of promotion to senior positions.

It's even a matter of luck, sometimes.

Sometimes the bosses simply just don't like your face.

Or maybe because you are too bitchy and talk back too much.

Or it's because of your political affiliation.

That's what I know about the newsrooms in this country.

Really.

Never heard of a bunch of media bosses sitting in a meeting saying "Let's not promote her because she's a woman".

"Let's not promote her because she's too bitchy" got la.

Ladies, you want to get promoted to that top job, work for it and navigate the office politics well.

Don't expect to be promoted on a woman quota as that would not make you a good journalist.

If you become a top editor just because you are a woman, then your organisation will suffer for it and your colleagues will only have contempt for you.

Same as those who got promoted because of their cables.

Anyway, the media organisations as we know them are suffering these days.

Low advertisement revenue and the social media are killing them.

People expect news to be free, not knowing that the business of news gathering requires a lot of money.

That should be the immediate concern, instead of whether the bosses are male or female.

Senior editors should be those who could guide their media organisations to produce good news contents and bring in the needed revenues.

Doesn't matter whether they have penises or vaginas.

Raya with Covid

Today is the third of Raya and the first time I'm up and about since almost a week.

Believe it or not, I'm now recovering from Covid-19.

Been dodging it for three years and kena juga in the end. Sigh.

I'm drinking lots of warm lemon water, coconut water and Coke.

The Coke is for my sore throat, actually.

I'm still not 100 per cent okay, but can do a bit of work and do this little post.

As I said in my last post I don't really celebrate Raya like most people do and Covid made sure I didn't celebrate at all this year.

Heard others are going all out at it.

The PM and his people are going from state to state with it.

As if the country is already fine and dandy now.

Government has too much money, is it?

Why we want to celebrate anything when things are still tough for most people?

I'm not sure but it does seemed more and more like part of a political campaign for the coming states' elections.

Using government's money that is.

BN leaders used to do that with their funfair-style events disguised as government programme.

Didn't do them any good as we can see now.

Except for their own supporters, I don't know who really want to go to those events in the current hot and hazy weather.

There's the danger of Covid-19 too.

It's stupid anyway.

Islam doesn't teach Muslims to celebrate Raya that way.

For me, Raya is time for reflections and counting our blessings for what Allah bestowed in life - rezeki, family and love for each other.

More important than Raya

About a week from Raya and I have not done anything for the coming celebrations.

No baju or kuih raya this time as I need to save as much as I could due to my current financial constraints.

Last year made pineapple tarts but butter is so expensive now.

I also intend to stay here in the East coast for the occasion instead of going back to KL.

Save duit minyak and toll as well as other expenses that come with travelling.

It's also much cheaper to spend time here.

Basically my Raya is just going to be some greetings via WhatsApp and maybe a bit of nasi impit and rendang on the first day.

Doesn't really matter as I'm not too much into Raya or any other kind of celebrations anyway.

After all, celebrations were meant for good time and it's not a good financial time for me right now.

Really, it's okay. I always believe in living within my means.

I'm not sad or anything because despite my difficulties, I still have enough to go on by.

It's not like I'm starving and couldn't pay my bills.

I even still have wifi, okay. 

Ya, having wifi is more important to me compared to spending money on berhari raya.

I also always keep in mind that there are many more people who are less fortunate than me.

They are struggling to provide for their families and some even having to rely on handouts and soup kitchens to survive.

Just look at the current urban poverty situation in KL.

Almost half a year since we have this current government and things are still like that.

What? Rahmah meals? Sure.

Ya, I know. They need more time.

Later they are going to say they need another term to turn around the economy.

Sure.

Well, fuck that. I don't really care anymore.

Just trying to survive and take care of myself for now.

Everyone else have to take care of themselves too. 

Shouldn't care too much about other people when you yourself are struggling to continue with life.

Forget the bigger picture.

And students, you all better listen to the PM. 

The other day he said you all shouldn't go to the streets if you are not happy with how things are.

Focus on studying, so that you all don't end up with just a general degree of some obscure social science course because you spent too much time protesting  here and there.

Betul lah tu.

Unless, maybe if you are dreaming  of becoming a PM yourself one day...just by selling BS...like the current PM.

Anyway, I really enjoy this ongoing Ramadhan as I can stay at home all the time now.

Not too many distractions or temptations.

It helps to discipline me to perform my obligatory religious rituals, particularly the daily five prayers.

I know, it's very basic, but still I'm grateful as I always struggle on that one.

Just want to focus on that for now.

Oh, and I'm also trying my best to cleanse my heart, be more sincere, as well as avoiding anger and stress.

Yeah, I would gladly trade berhari raya to achieve all that.

The judiciary is not supreme

 No one should be supreme except Allah.

Yup, not even the raja-raja are supreme. 

If they do wrong, then we have to say that they had  done wrong.

The same with the three branches of the government that are the executive, legislature and judiciary.

None of the trio is supreme as they have to be the check and balance of each other.

I actually learnt this basic stuff in my first year at law school.

These days,  it appeared that there are those who think the judiciary is supreme and its conduct could not be questioned.

In the news today were former Bar presidents and prominent legal experts who insisted that the MACC's investigation on Justice Nazlan who sent Najib to jail for 12 years was an attack on the judiciary.

Well, MACC is part of the executive, which job is to "check and balance" the judiciary. 

It's checking and balancing, the judiciary....not attacking the judiciary.

Can't a judge who was suspected of committing a crime be investigated?

As it turned out the MACC had found that Nazlan was not being proper in his conducts while sitting as the judge before Najib.

That's why those supposedly legal experts are all jumping up against the whole thing. 

They are actually not defending Nazlan or even the judiciary but instead were defending the judgement made by Nazlan against Najib.

I'm quite sure they would be very okay if the MACC had instead found out that Nazlan was a model ethical judge with no vested interest in Najib's case.

This is all about politics again.

They are making their ugly noises because they want the 71-year-old Najib to stay and die in jail.

I'm no longer supportive of Umno but I would not agree for these people to use the judiciary to unfairly punish Najib or commit injustice against anyone else.

Judges are not supreme beings who are devoid of mistakes and biases.

It's the same as being a lawyer does not necessarily makes one clever.

There are many idiots among the lawyers too.

After all, it's not so difficult to become a lawyer. 

I know this because I could be one if I had really wanted to. 

Got my LLB (Hons) by actually doing minimum amount of studying.

You would not believe it but many idiots got through the whole thing too and became stupid members of the Bar  Council.

Some became the Bar president where they made idiotic noises all the way until they are no longer holding the post,

So puffed up in their sense of self importance.

Really guys, these people who supposed to read the laws are not all bright or even good people.

They have their own selfish agendas too.

They go to toilet to shit too, just like we all, okay.

Winning Muslims' hearts and minds

Some of you all commented in my last post about PM Anwar's recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

Some said he went there to draw in investments while others ridiculed him for failing to even meet with the rulers of that country.

It was quite hilarious too when Anwar's supporters yesterday tried to defend the merit of his trip there with the entire Malay Mail's webpage being filled with such stories for several hours.

Wished I could tell my old friend Leslie Lau that he and his Malay Mail gang are turning into what NST used to be for Umno - not very smart and spineless mouthpiece. 

On my part. I didn't even read the story when I saw the headlines about Anwar's trip to Saudi Arabia..

As far as I'm concerned, it was just another Anwar being a pious Muslim show.

If his intention was to get investments, then he should instead go to Beijing.

Trying to cosy up to the Arabs may land you into jail, okay. Look at Najib.

Well, cosying up to a chubby Chinese conman is also not good.

But, Anwar is not too stupid not to know that.

The way I see it, what he needs more now than anything else is being seen as a highly moral Islamic leader, at least among the Muslims..

Visiting Saudi Arabia looks very  Islamic to most people, you know.

Why now?

It's because state elections are coming in a few months time.

Pakatan, Umno and the gang would need to win over the Malay Muslims' votes and they can't do that with their government being linked to programmes such as the Jom Ziarah Gereja event.

They also can't have things such as the Thai Hot Guys or Cute China Doll stuff....at least for the time being.

So, Anwar as the PM needs to take the lead by showcasing his pious Islamic image for now, thus the Saudi Arabian trip.

Just like all that many years ago when he, along with several others founded Abim.

Other leaders should also showcase their fondness of Islam and how much they love the Muslims.

Maybe Hannah Yeoh could attend more Ramadhan programmes. 

Donating some of her MP allowance to masjid and surau the other day was a good move. I think it melts the heart of Muslims after all the nonsense about the gereja programme.

Malay Mail could do a lengthy article about it.

Seriously

They need to jaga hati of the Malay Muslims over the next few months....at least until after the state elections.

A lot is at stake, okay.

Of the six states that will hold the elections, Penang is probably Pakatan's only good bet.

Looking back at what happened in GE15, the Malay-dominated Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah are likely to stay with Perikatan, while Pakatan-held Selangor and Negeri Sembilan are in danger.

It would be a very tough fight in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan with both states having a higher percentage of Malays than Johor.

If Pakatan and Umno fail in the two states, then Pakatan would probably have only Penang left while Umno has Pahang, Johor, Malacca and Perak.

Sabah and Sarawak, as they were following the outcome of GE15, would go where Umno would go.

If the Malay votes' swing continues, then Umno may be forced to switch sides or die.

Okay, I know, they are already half dead after GE15, but another humiliation at the state polls would seal the coffin for good.

Looking at the way Zahid manages the party now, I think it would die.

Honestly, I gave up on them after all the post-GE15 nonsense within the party.

It's too much for me to bear.

Well, I'm not an Umno member anyway, so Umno people shouldn't get angry with me.

Learning from the shit that happened

As many would agree, the Malaysian economy is not exactly doing that well now despite all the positive statistics and data being showcased by the government.

Many are now struggling to make ends meet..

Personally, I'm also in trouble as I may lose my job soon.

The small company I'm working for is still struggling to survive after being hit hard by the Covid pandemic. No help from the government there, okay.

I'm preparing for the worst as I don't have any other skill than what I'm doing for the company now.

In case I got retrenched, I'm planning to buy a small cheap car (maybe Proton Pesona) and become a Grab driver.

My driving skill is quite good, you see.

Well, I don't need to earn that much. 

I would be okay as long as I can pay my bills and not go hungry.

I actually thought of doing other things such as opening a darts cafe or setting up a vegetable farm but those would need a lot of money to start.

And running such a place would also involve quite a bit of stress without much guarantee of success in the current economy.

Being a Grab driver would be easier and involve lesser risks.

Yeah, the worst that could happen is me getting stabbed and robbed by a crazy passenger.  But I believe the chances of that happening would be quite remote.

Anyway, I will not hold any grudge if I got retrenched. It happened to me before.

I would thank my boss for giving me employment over the years and I will remember only the good things about my work place where I had earned my living. Same as when it happened the last time.

I believe if that happens, it's because Allah has better plans for me.

Maybe I would even enjoy being a Grab driver more than what I'm doing now.

It's the same way I look at what's happening to this country.

Maybe we are going through the current shit so that we could become better people.

It's like getting rid of the bad blood.

Anwar said he would be a great PM and many people believe him, so Allah moved Malaysians' hearts to vote the way they did in GE15 so they could experience the truth in all that BS.

Maybe we will be wiser after going through more shit over the next few years. Obviously we didn't learn enough from the shit that we went through after GE14. Especially the Malays.

Maybe the shit we are enduring now will shape a better Malaysia, just like the shit that happened after the fall of Soviet Union shaped a better Russia.

Maybe one day we can have our own Putin and invade Singapore because it was part of the tanah jajahan taalok negeri Johor.

Hahahaha....that's a nice thought, right?

Or at least give Penang back to Kedah.

Yeah, why do we need to recognise all those treaties made with the colonial masters who conned our ancestors into it.

It would be nice if we grow a backbone and do that after going through the current shit, right?

Hmmm...maybe Kedah can have back Penang after China have back Taiwan.

Ok, ok, ok, I think I'm rambling now because of low sugar in my blood.

I'm fasting, okay.

Eh, enough lah.

Cheers.

Nothing much except nonsense after almost four months

It has been almost four months since Pakatan Harapan returned to power with the help of Umno.

Now, I think I can comment again without people accusing me of jumping the gun on a new government.

By the way, I have been resting since my last post as I was not well. I'm feeling better now to start writing again.

Firstly, I don't think things are better now than before GE15.

And I don't think it will get better, even if you ask me to wait some more.

What has the new government done so far?

Except for some sound bites and the obvious, nothing much really.

Menu Rahmah? Sure.

It's not even better than the Ismail Sabri's administration, okay.

At least back then we can criticise the government without fearing a police report will be lodged against us.

Now, say something and off they run to the police station crying for an investigation.

Anwar is now threatening action against those whom he categorises as racial bigots and religious zealots.

Guess why Dr Mahathir suddenly can't even get a venue for his Malay gathering.

Ya, why else.

I'm actually quite concerned though that the 97-year-old guy may end up in jail soon.

Mukhriz really need to tell his father to rest now. Not worth it for the handsome old man to be running around at the risk of being jailed at his age.

Well Muhyiddin, who is already 70 may be going to jail soon while Hadi is being investigated for saying something. 

On another front, the liberal shit is starting to fly all over the place again.

They were quiet for awhile after GE15 because they were scared of losing Umno's support but now they are back with the same nonsense like it was in 2018.

Just look at that Mentega Terbang movie, which was clearly intended to upset the Muslims.

The scene where a Muslim father told his teenage daughter that he's okay if she wants to go murtad really made my blood boils.

If Anwar really meant it when he said he will act against those who try to cause racial and religious strife, then I would like to see all those involved in making the movie be thrown in jail. 

At the very least, Anwar should condemn the movie.

Or is he too liberal and "inclusive" for that?

And what was that about the Jom Ziarah nonsense programme?

Hannah Yeoh, after all the uproar, said it doesn't involve Muslim youth. However, before that the advertisement of the programme didn't say that.

Does the government has anything better to do?

I have been to church many times when I was in college because of my friends who were members of the Christian Fellowship but I'm being there got nothing to do with the government.

I went there just to play ping pong with my friends, actually. 

Despite not being a proper good Muslim, I'm not like Syed Saddiq, who thinks it's okay for Muslim youth to go to churches and temples to learn about other religions. 

Come to think of it, I don't even spend time in mosque to learn about my own religion as I should be, okay.

Anyway, there's too much of religious things on TikTok already.

Well, I'm sure the LTTE/BJP wannabe extremists in DAP are enjoying all these nonsense.

I suspect they are now under a gag order as DAP don't want to spook Umno ahead the coming state elections.

They'll surely make noise again after that.

Would Anwar dare to "firmly act" against those DAP elements?

DAP is after all the real power behind Pakatan as it has more parliamentary seats compared to PKR and Amanah.

Even the seats own by PKR and Amanah are mostly courtesy of DAP supporters' votes.

As far as I'm concerned, the real fight now is between DAP and PAS, which is the real power behind Perikatan.

The rest, who are now making a lot more noises compared to them are just their instruments.

As for Umno, I can't even bear to look at it these days.

Too much nonsense happening within the party now.

I also wonder whether Anwar will act on Umno soon for advocating Malay nationalism and upholding Islam. 

Maybe after he has no use of the party or when DAP wants it done pronto.