Saving the plants

Two of my very close friends have been spreading rumours that I'm a plant killer! Yes, they are unfortunately still my good friends:) Anyway some of it is true - both have expressed horror and shock when they heard my curry leaf plant died. The infamous story they will tell is that only plants that know how to source for their own water will survive in this house. True..... as the three case studies from my past will testify to.

So when I started to introduce new plants to the balcony, one accused me of being a phoney - "where is the real Gaya?!!" while the other is still waging her bets that my new comers are going to be short-lived (her variegata plant is so much more livelier than mine though we got it at the same time!)

But I aim to change:) so I've bought myself a book called: Houseplants: The Green Thumb Guide to Easy Indoor Gardening, but the one that caught my eye was a little blurb on the top cover - Never Kill another houseplant Again! I was connected to it immediately! Its a very interesting and useful book, so will be setting myself to some experiments and to redeem myself:)

I should put on record the survivors on the balcony just in case:)
1993/1994
I first got one cactus plant (as in one only) back in 1993/1994 as a gift from a friend. I was studying in USM Penang then. When it was time for me to move out of Penang, I left the small pot in my aunt's place in Butterworth. Some years later, they moved to Petaling Jaya and with them came the cactus plant which had bred quite actively, I think there were 3-4 pots of many cacti plants. I transplanted them into 2 of my own pots sometime in 2001, these spread even more. But I've kept two with me. Its the 21st century family of a 1993 single plant!


2000

This aloe vera was taken from one of the houses we stayed in PJ in 2000. When I moved out of there, I took with me one pot and it has been around since then. There's another one with some young leaves(?) but this needs to be re-potted, you can see its a bit chaotic!

2005

This is a Euphorbia Trigona or also known as the African Milk. I bought the plant from Cameron Highlands in 2005 and it has been growing steadily. I keep it in the balcony because I read somewhere that you get good colours when it has enough light. Its now about 1metre high and you can't see it here but the stem and leaves are a bit reddish at the top.

I know many people would say that its easy to keep cactus and succulents, and which is true. But I'm quite proud of these resilient ones, especially when they know I've been pretty bad at caring for the plants:)






Some new ones are the hibiscus and two others waiting to be identified (I have this plan of growing trees on the balcony!) and some herbs. Not too successful yet in the herbs departmet but several experiments are ongoing, like assuring the mint that they should survive in the soil and not in the water only! And tomorrow I'm hoping to get a few more plants, so wish me luck!

Anniversaries

Sunday the 25th would have been our four-year anniversary. It is still an anniversary, though Soeren is no more, it is a recollection of memories.

We used to joke that there were too many dates to remember and commemorate! We had two engagement parties and two wedding parties (have to cover the Malaysian and Danish families) and then the actual registration date which is 25 July. Whatever excuse we could come up just to get people together and have a party:)

So, a toast to Soeren:)

But I will never forget Plaza Masalam, where our marriage was registered. One because the officer in charge was very nice, but secondly, it was also the site of a tragic incident last year when the assistant to the Selangor Exco died - Teoh Beng Hock. Soeren also posted on this on his blog last year. Teoh's death anniversary was on 16 July. We are no where closer to the truth then we were a year ago.

RIP Teoh.

Launch of the SEA Media Legal Defence Network

Over the weekend, I attended the soft launch of the SEA Media Legal Defence Network, a regional initiative to provide assistance and funds for the defence of media - online, small media, bloggers - against the constant threats to messengers throughout the region.

In the Philippines, journalists are being kidnapped, harassed and killed in the line of duty; in Indonesia, journalists experience imprisonment for criminal defamation; in Thailand, the emergency laws and the current political instability targets media and journalists, accusing them of siding the red shirts and the yellow shirts; in Singapore, the former Prime Minister has bankrupted opposition through the defamation laws; and in Malaysia, controls are imposed via a slew of anti-free press laws, censorship and political ownership.

According to the coordinator of the project, HR Dipendra, the network will provide:
* Payment of legal fees;
* Assistance in accessing free legal advice;
* Assistance in taking up cases in international tribunals and supervisory bodies;
* Support for the independent observation of court proceedings;
* Support in matters of strategic litigation;
* Opportunities for training in media law and litigation; and
* Support for the exchange of information and experience among media lawyers.

People might ask why defend the media in Malaysia at all? What with public confidence in it at an all time low. The 1998 coverage of the reformasi and Anwar Ibrahim's sacking and court case, and the build up and post March 2008 elections have certainly not won the media any new supporters while many have shifted to the internet media. So, why bother about the "agents" and workers of the media who are also responsible for churning out lies, distortions and misinformation.

Firstly, I think it is wrong to threaten the media and journalists in the first place. They have a duty to do and a thriving media is important for society. Ok, in its ideal form, especially to support the building and maintenance of democracy and justice.

Secondly, the fact remains that there are many journalists who do a good job and who test the borders everyday and believe that they are in a position to bring about changes. Some who felt they couldn't work effectively anymore have gone on to set up their own media, such as the founders of Malaysiakini and The Nut Graph. And then we have individuals who do a good job using their own resources like Anil Netto. So, the point is there is good work being done, and we need to support and protect them.

Thirdly, by protecting journalists, we are also extending support to dismantle the controls that are in place. We do that by challenging in court the censorship and defence of journalists, by raising awareness among the public to get their support.

Fourthly, we as the public have a stake in supporting good journalists. We get good stories that are fair, balanced, ethical and important to us. If we don't show that we care, we will get rubbish. Then we complain about the rubbish, and the cycle continues.

Of course we are all aware of gatekeepers who allow themselves to be at the mercy of the owners and political masters. We know that, that's why groups like Aliran, CIJ, WAMI and the rest advocate legislative and political change.

The point to note about the SEAMLDN is that it will also extend support to bloggers and the online news sites, who tend not to have the financial and legal resources like the big media.

Anyway, the highlight of the launch on Friday evening was Zunar's presentation of his cartoons, where his compilations have been banned by the government as "they were threats to security"! By the way, Zunar and Malaysiakini filed a suit today against the Home Ministry over the ban of 1Funny Malaysia and Perak Darul Kartun, for and this is where it is funny:)

“The publications have been banned for its contents that can influence the people to revolt against the leaders and government policies. The contents are not suitable and detrimental to public order," said Mahmood [Home Ministry chief secretary Mahmood Adam].

Here's an old media that is so powerful and because of that, it scares the s**t of the government. That's the topic of another post:)

If you haven't seen Zunar's work, please do, they are good stuff. You should be able to find them on Malaysiakini's website, which has published Zunar's political cartoons for many years now. Zunar was our "highlights" at the 2007 World Press Freedom Day celebrations at the Annexe Gallery.

Going public

Today was my first press conference, organised by the Coalition for Good Governance, of which the Centre for Independent Journalism is part of. It was to express our stand on the Selangor FOI enactment tabled last week. If you're interested, you can read our statement here. Sonia has contributed a piece to The Nut Graph here.

This was my first PC in a while, somewhat readjusting back to the NGO work. It has been much tougher than expected. So even though I've been back since May, this was the first time I've been out in public to make a statement etc. Am pretty sure there are more talks/forums to come, especially with the FOI law, to get NGOsand the public to support the law and call for it to be strengthened. But I needed the first nudge to be sure I could do it.

But many things have been difficult, or at least different. Which doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it also means there are many hours spent trying to make sense of the changes. Personal losses can do quite a bit to affect the levels of confidence, I knew it would happen, but still in theory things seem easier:) You wonder if the decisions you make are the right ones because you no longer need to think in terms of two. And I got a very good explanation about this process and understanding that has also helped me be conscious of myself.

Being one is not strange to me. And in some ways I've returned to that state, albeit with new experiences and perspectives. I can only hope that its for the better. As Nietzsche said, if it doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger.

Anyway I thought I would put up our last photo together, which was taken at the hospital in Fredericia. I think it was Soeren's ability to give his hearty smile and joy even when he was in pain, that defined who he was. Its a constant reminder that I can do better for myself.

Goodbye Ben

Received news today that Benjamin McKay has passed away. Wish I knew him better. I remember him as a smart, witty and lovable person. Enjoyed reading his interviews and articles in various publications/magazines. I just found an article interviewing Ben if you want to know more about him.

R.I.P Ben.




Updated: obituary in the Annexe Gallery.

Ministry of Truth?

In 1948, George Orwell wrote the fabulous book Nineteen Eighty-Four about a totalitarian regime in Oceania, one of the 3 super-states created after a global war. There are four ministries - Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Plenty, Ministry of Love and Ministry of Truth. The main character Winston Smith works in the last where his job entails rewriting history and changing facts to fit in with the Party's propaganda and manufacture news when required.

I thought about 1984 when I read about the new Communication Strategy Strengthening Committee, here in Malaysia. Its members are Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, Information Culture and Communication Minister Rais Yatim and Minister in PM's Dept Nazri Aziz, to prevent spread of false news!

How do you respond to things like these? Do they really think we are so incapable of free and independent thought?

And we taxpayers are expected to support this ? I wonder how much budget is allocated to this work, how many people will be tasked to the committee work and who will they report to? As we know, the Home Ministry already does this work. There are actually people who sit and read ALL the newspapers and just to be sure the "readers" are loyal to them, their work is counter checked by other people. Now, government is actually admitting that they take our money to pay someone who will report to the masters what we are not supposed to know.

I remembered also an announcement in 2008 the Pahang state government hired pensioners to monitor blogs that were supposedly writing stuff that were anti-government. I like Niamah's venting of it.

Anyway, this committee,which is supposed to meet every month, will discuss guidelines to be followed by the media, and then consider "Amendments to the law, quality training for investigation officers, witness protection and the definition of false information" (Source, NST)

Except that, we all know the only agenda is to stop any dissemination of information that would make the Barisan Nasional look bad. Period.

Are people aware of the countless guidelines and regulations that already govern the media, both offline and online? Here's a snapshot of it:

1. Content Code of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission that regulates the broadcasting, advertising and multimedia industry;
2. Guidelines for Publication of Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security
   
3. Code for advertisers
4. Printing Presses and Publications Act (regulations under 2 are sanctioned under the PPPA) (Gosh, where do we begin)
   
5. Sedition Act (hmm...the list is pretty long)
   
6. Defamation Act
7. Penal Code (many options for the creative authorities unfortunately)
8. Internal Security Act (Example of Suaram activist arrested under this act)
   
9. Communications and Multimedia Act
10. Film Censorship Act
    
11. and many others...

With the actions taken against Suara Keadilan, Rocket and Harakah, we really should reject these committees and any attempts to further control our right to expression and right to know.

In the meantime, if you haven't read 1984 or watched the movie, just watch Hishamuddin and gang's antics. Its as good, if not better that Orwell's fiction!

Venkis in Kuantan

Its turned out that the majority of the Venki kids (2 out of 3!) is now based in Kuantan. Annu has begun her posting here as a paediatric dental specialist at the Kuantan GH and Sundar (aka Ramesh) is working at a project site in Gambang. So they have found a place to share, which is also now the official holiday hang out place for the family!

Decided to join them for a few days to get away from the city. These are photos from Teluk Cempedak from yesterday. Its a superb place for relaxing. Never realised what a nice place Kuantan is. I had a sneak preview last year when Soeren, Mathias and I visited our friend for Hari Raya, and her house is literally by the beach. And one of her neighbours is a fisherman and her family sometimes has the "pleasure" of receiving fresh fish.

Annu's place is less than 10 minutes from the Teluk Cempedak beach, which is pretty clean and well maintained. We also saw several treks that are accessible via the wooden bridges built along the beach. I love to see families and groups of friends hanging out in nature and what luxury to be able to do it on a Monday evening! Annu has already written in to sign up as MNS member, so we can join in their activities. You can't live in Pahang (with the longest river and biggest national park on the peninsula) and not explore it:)


I've come to appreciate cities and towns close to the sea as being sane living. Some of my favourite cities have that access like Cape Town and Sydney. I felt it most therapeutic when I was in Fredericia after the funeral to be able to walk by the beach, listen to the sound of the waves and be lulled by the sea breeze. At least for 2 months, it became a routine for me to go for morning or afternoon walks by the beach. Someone told me once that people feel at peace near water because that was our cradle for 9 months in the womb. I won't swear by that and wonder how it works for those who have aquaphobia (ok, scared of water, ya, me included). But the sound of the water and its rhythm on a non-stormy day calms down your own heart beat, I think. Anyway, its too bad that the neither Putrajaya nor Kuala Lumpur is close enough to the sea to have strolls by the beach. It only means have to make regular trips to Kuantan!

Back to birdwatching

I was out birdwatching today, the first time since I got back from Denmark in May. I did quite a bit while I was in Denmark where its a little easier to spot the birds especially during spring time because there are no dense forests like our broadleaved evergreen forests.







(halfway down the old road)







bh suggested we go to the Awana spot but we found out today the trail is closed to the public. So is the road to the old pumphouse. So two good spots closed to the birdwatchers. We then went down to the old Genting road and the first spotting was the blue-winged leafbird. Apparently there was a pair but I only caught sight of one.

I had on my list four bulbuls (some I've seen before) but the sight of the day was the Grey-bellied bulbul, which stayed around for quite a while so I really had a good look. The others were the Black-headed bulbul, the Black-crested bulbul and the Red-eyed bulbul.

The one that "followed us around" were the striped tit babbler, which is very common here. We found them at the different spots we walked, and together with the flowerpeckers, they made the surrounding very lively. We definitely saw both the male and female orange-bellied flowerpecker and the juveniles with the very distinct orange beak, and we spotted a few and thought it wouldn't have been possible to have that many young ones. But based on the images, I'm guessing it was a very big happy family:)

To me the bird of the day has to be the Oriental White-eye, because its got such a distinct look and we found it trying to find some food or foraging for something from a nest (not belonging to it) and was there long enough for me to fiddle with my binos to get a good look. I'm putting a picture here from OBI's website...otherwise my posting is too boring:) I like this pic!

(pix by David Bakewell, taken at Damai Cultural Village, Sarawak. Source: Birding in Malaysia website)

Close to where we spotted the oriental white eye, we were treated to the Verditer Flycatcher, a beautiful light blue bird. I thought I spotted another one in dark blue and thought it could have been another bird, but glancing through the OBI images, I concluded that I just saw the Verditer, even if it looked a but chubbier than the other! Have to share an image where the blue is much stronger.

(Pix by Alagan taken in Genting. Source:Birdings in Malaysia website)










I'm also learning to appreciate the swallows and swifts, and I think the Whiskered Treeswift is a rather nice bird. The good thing about this one is that it tends to perch itself on the branch right at the end and stays there a while, so you have the chance to observe it. The pix I've linked is a beautiful one of the female. Got to pay attention a bit more to the fast fellas zooming past!

The last is something we're not quite sure of, or at least I'm not. bh suggested it was a pair of woodshrike, then we saw some features that she said were closer to the Cuckoo-shrike. I thought the Lesser Cuckoo-shrike was a match, but somehow the female we saw didn't seem to have that many bars all the way below.

So a total of 11 today, mostly new to me though I've been on this route twice now with bh. Maybe we'll try another place the next time. I'm also thinking of documenting the birds in and around Livillas, where I stay. I've got a few I know for sure, and it would be nice to have an experienced photographer to get the shots.

By the way, links to the images of the birds are from the Oriental Bird Club and I've tried to find the ones by Malaysian contributors. Many of them are from Dr. Amar Singh, whose book Friendship with Birds I have, thanks to my editor friend who thought I might want to review it. I haven't, but I love the book:)

Give solutions, not problems

So, here I was at TM Point in PJ to cancel the Streamyx since I've been a P1 customer for a while now. The problem was that my dear housemate Jen was the one who signed up for the Telekom services. I expected they would say I couldn't cancel it since it wasn't under my name. So I armed myself with documentation that I owned the house, so by default that gives me more right.

Or so I thought.

I get to the counter after waiting for a good 20 minutes, and the officer sets out to be difficult. I explain to her from the beginning what I wanted and that I wasn't the subscriber, but I owned the house so I should be able to cancel the line. No. She says I have to get an authorisation letter from Jen to cancel the line. And then I say, "well Jen is away in Paris and I don't have time to keep coming to the centre just to cancel the line".

R (at the counter): Ask her to email the authorisation letter.
Me: Ok, if you can accept emailed letter, why don't I ask her to email to YOU directly and then you can terminate the line.
R: No, you have to come here with the authorisation letter, then only I can terminate.
Me: You think I got so much time (which is actually true-lah, but why tell her that) to come here so many times ah? Isn't it easier to send the email to you and you can proceed. I have filled the form here.

R goes in presumably to talk to the manager or a ghost supervisor. She comes back and says:

R: Either you get the authorisation letter or you can go to the Commissioner of Oath to stamp on the form that you will take full responsibility.
Me: Huh! You mean I have to pay RM4 (I think that's what it costs) to get some fella to say I will take responsibility! Will you deduct it from my bill?
R: No. Otherwise we cannot do.

I repeat my argument, adding that its very inconvenient for people who travel and work outstation to keep coming back to do a very simple task. And then I say that they should have these services online, saves a lot of people the trouble.

R then looks over to her colleague and asks if email is possible since I don't give up on that solution. He says yes and asks that an IC copy is attached, to which I say, sure thing, no problem. But R is not convinced. She goes back in behind the sliding door with the big TM/Unifi ad to see the ghost supervisor again. It takes a while. I stare into the camera and think (oh, what is the privacy problem here, hmm....anyway, will they think I look like a terrorist? Is there actually a tape in the recorder? How long will they keep the vids? Who looks at them? Will someone ask for my number....) R comes back.

R: Ok, so only if you give all these details and CC the email to me, will I reconnect. She must give all the details...bla...bla......
Me: Yes sure, no problem. So email me and CC you - its done. Thanks.

I walk out. It could have been over in 5 minutes.

The moral of the story?

Its very common in the service sector here that when you have an out of the ordinary situation, the service providers tend to present you with more problems rather than solutions. And often the solutions are acceptable but because their attitudes are bad, I tend to reject their suggestions.

We had a similar experience when Soeren wanted to open a bank account and because he's a foreigner, the customer service officer at the first bank we went to (Standard Chartered) told him to his face they wouldn't open one because of fear of money laundering. Is that how you treat potential customers! So, she said we could only have joint account (which we didn't like) but we decided not to do any business with the bank anyway that throws money laundering as the first thing that comes out of their mouth. It so happened the next bank gave the same solution but in a more respected manner. We took it.

On the flip side, Celcom was better in not only helping me with a situation, they also offered to halve my outstanding payment from 2001 (yes, I've been blacklisted all this while) so I could become a fresh customer for them:) The difference was really in the approach and personality of the customer service officers - they can have the same set of limitations, and choose to deal with the customers better.

But I think a lot of SOPs in the service industry should be challenged and customer service officers be forced to move out of their chairs to think creatively for solutions.

Small story but imagine the thousands of people having to bear with unthinking service providers who are quick to take your money but not to assist you.

Its official - FOI has been tabled in Selangor

At 1130am this morning, YB Elizabeth Wong tabled the FOI bill for Selangor after much delay in the last year and half. We are closer to the reality of a freedom of information legislation in Malaysia then we have ever been!

Kudos to the state government, and it is definitely a proud moment for the CSOs and individuals who had been working on this for many years. The draft bill was a result of the commitment of many of these CSOs and individuals, starting with a petition for FOI, a national coalition, the drafting of the bill, roadshows, leaflets, talking to politicians and finally the engagement with the Selangor state government under the Pakatan Rakyat.

But the bill is not perfect, in fact some of the provisions in the version that was tabled clearly weakens the spirit of the bill. We have work to do to try and reinstate some of the provisions and ensure that it is a good piece of legislation. The BN camp of course picked on the unconstitutionality of the bill, but I think the defence is strong enough.

The main flaw is the removal of the rights framework from the law, which can be seen in the preamble:
"An Enactment to enhance disclosure of information for the public interest, to provide to every individual an opportunity to access to information made by every department of the State Government."

This was what was proposed in the civil society draft:
"An Enactment to promote maximum disclosure of information in the public interest, to guarantee the right of everyone to access information, and to provide for effective mechanisms to secure that right. Recognising the right to access information to participatory democracy, to promote openness, transparency and accountability within the State Government and its bodies;

Be it enacted by the Selangor State Legislative Assembly as follows: "

And in Section 3 of the proposed draft, we strengthen this by saying:
"The purpose of this Enactment is to provide a right of access to any information held by public authorities within the jurisdiction of the state so that such information should be available to the public. Necessary exceptions to the right of access should be limited, specific and justified and decisions on the disclosure of such information should be reviewed independently of government "

The others involved the discretionary powers of the information officer, the powers of the Chairman of the Appeals Board, the need to justify reasons for making requests, response to requests, time for response and the scope for the exceptions.

The ADUNs who debated were (in case anyone is monitoring their state reps:)
1. Hannah Yeoh (Subang Jaya-DAP)
2. Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Seri Setia-PKR)
3. Sulaiman Abdul Razak (Permatang-BN)
4. Lau Weng San (Kampung Tunku-DAP)
5. Ismail Sani (Dusun Tua-BN)
6. Gan Pei Ni (PKR-Rawang)
7. Subahan Kamal (Taman Templer-BN)
8. Lee Kim Sin (Kajang-PKR)
9. Amiruddin Saari (Batu Caves-PKR)
10. Mohd Shamsudin Lias (Sungai Burong-BN)
11. Azmin Ali (Bukit Antarabangsa-PKR)

A Select Committee was also formed to collect feedback on the bill. It will be chaired by Saari Sungib (PAS) and members include Hannah Yeoh (DAP), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR), Amiruddin Saari (PKR), Dr Ahmad Yunos Hairi (PAS), Abdul Shukor Idrus (BN) and Dr. Karim Mansor (BN). We'll have to target the committee to make sure the several provisions are reinstated and amendments made before it is tabled for 3rd reading, possibly early next year.

Those interested to get to know the bill and want to give feedback are welcome to contact me. The Coalition for Good Governance will be planning its response and strategy.

And as many have tweeted, who next? Penang? The Federal Government?

Had to have a photo with Eli and Saari, who was joined by his wife Aliza. Historic moment, people!

Inspired by the work of Wu Guanzhong

"So many things have been forgotten. When you try to look for them, you find only scattered traces or prints. I paint these prints, these fuzzy memories. They may be fading, but they are after all the accumulated imprints on the face of an old man. Perhaps someone will cherish them." - Wu Guanzhong.

I had the opportunity to visit the Hong Kong Museum of Art that is on the Kowloon island on my last day of the trip. It is located at the arts and centre. I wasn't sure what was on display and was not really interested in antiquities and porcelain. But when I got there, right outside the museum, a selection of Wu Guanzhong's paintings decorated the wall. His work, "Lofty Integrity", was on display. I was immediately taken in by some of the paintings and his words to the paintings were rather inspiring too. I share some with you. These photos don't do justice to the art itself, but I was glad the museum allowed photography at all.

Cascade - "I have weeded the trees and rocks to give her the untarnished looks she deserves. Plunging down in pure white, the falls are like a mirror where men can see their own imperfections."









In the distance - "Who cares if it is a dragon or a snake? What matters is the dynamism of life that it projects. Words can never describe the painter's perception of life. Claiming that it is in the distance is nothing but an excuse."









City Nights - "To begin with, I worked at the intersection of the thick horizontal and vertical strokes to produce the illusion of jagged buildings. Realistic or not, they are all buildings, standing tall and vying with each other to reach for the sky as far as the eye can see."








Leaving youth behind - "When a tree is old, its roots are exposed. When a lotus is old, its stalks break. It is better to break than to submit, leaving no regrets even when youth is gone."










It was only at the exhibition that I knew that Wu Guanzhong had died less than two weeks before. He had donated many of his works to museums in China and Hong Kong. He is well known as one of the great modern artists of China. During the Cultural Revolution, Wu served at the labour camp and was only allowed to paint during holidays. He started his painting in his late 50s after the end of the cultural revolution and had his first exhibition at the age of 59. I tried to get a copy of the book on his exhibits but the museum shop did not have copies and orders had to be placed, and it would take a month to get the book. I really hope the reason was because all the copies they had were sold out. I think it would be sad if they didn't keep copies at hand while the exhibition was going on.

A nice conclusion to my trip to Hong Kong.

Jose Saramago (1922-2010)

I was only introduced to this great writer three years ago. The latest issue of the Economist carried an obituary for Saramago, who died on 18 June 2010, interestingly in the style in which he wrote his famous novels.

I first read Seeing and realised I should have read Blindness first. But I've done both. And then also read Death at Intervals. I am fascinated by the themes, which revolve around democracy, anarchy, the human psyche, socialism and the spirit of the free individuals.

In Seeing, a general election sees voters suddenly coming out to vote at a certain time and then returning empty ballots. The caretaker government worries that there's a conspiracy going on as when voting is repeated, the number of blank ballots goes up. The book shows how vengeful the government can get and how resourceful the people are to reorganise and restructure themselves. For example, the government seals the people in as a kind of punishment and soon essential services are stopped, the people then get together to clear the streets etc.

In Death at Intervals, the story begins with the mysterious end of death, and death in the plot is both a phenomenon and character. At first the people celebrate the phenomenon as this is something cultures and traditions and science have been trying hard to fight against - the end of the human life. Soon, this happy situation turns problematic as people begin to realise the social and financial implications of not dying! Someone discovers that you could cross the border to die and soon a mafia begins to take people across the border to die. The biggest threat is to the Catholic Church, whose raison d'etre - death and resurrection of Christ is challenged.

While realising that comparisons are not fair to authors, reading Saramago's political narrative was as enjoyable as reading Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Wizard of the Crow for the plot and creativity.

Its also his style of writing which I found unique - they are unpunctuated, a continuous flow of thoughts and story. In the last couple of years, I've enjoyed reading some of the these alternative styles of writing. Q&A by Vikas Swarup and and Shahriar Mandanipour's Censoring an Iranian Love Story are the other two.

Saramago wrote extensively in his lifetime and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for literature in 1998. Most of his books that are written in Portuguese are widely translated. I have to update my collection with a few more of his books. RIP Saramago.

(Pix taken from the blog: http://amc-nuncamais.blogspot.com/)

First FOI legislation in Malaysia to be tabled tomorrow...

...and we had something to do with it!

The Selangor state government will table the Freedom of Information Bill tomorrow (fingers crossed) as part of its pledge for reforms.

Shaila Koshy has an interview with the Exco in charge Elizabeth Wong in The Star.

FOI has been one of CIJ's advocacy area and we prepared a draft under the National Coalition for FOI in 2006 with other CSOs and with advice from Article 19. After Pakatan Rakyat won Selangor, it made FOI one of its pledges for reforms and we have been engaged with them through the Coalition for Good Governance. Will share the bill when it is available, through the CIJ website and other channels.

Next step to garner enough public support for it, to get Penang to do the same and hopefully one day get it at the federal level!

Anger Management

I've resolved that I don't have it in me to be angry at someone (crappy politicians aside). Maybe its a good thing but maybe its because I have to think too much about it that when an opportunity presents itself to be expressed, then I'm not so angry anymore. I've come up with two stages of responses where I've tended to lean towards the second most of the time. Sometimes its good to get over the first stage, it may take some burden away.

#1 Rapid Response: immediate expression/response needed, could be anger so some voice raising or expression of hurt/frustration, crying
#2 Informed action: when some time has passed and things thought through, and action is taken - discussion, forgiving etc

Unfortunately no module developed for this, has to be treated on a case-by-case basis:)

Trip to Hong Kong

I've just come back from a meeting in Hong Kong for a Privacy International project. Its the first real work I've been doing since coming back from Denmark in May, where I spent three months after Soeren's passing. For me the trip threw a few challenges my way, not least the ability to concentrate on the work at hand. Often I found myself in the 'what if Soeren was here mode'.

Anyway, I was telling a friend at the meeting that if I was a working journalist, there would be at least five stories to write from my first visit to Hong Kong. One that really drew my attention was how the domestic help community, dominated by the Filipinos spent their off day - Sunday. There are many malls and covered walkways (skyways) in the city and these are completely appropriated by groups of the women (and occasional man) who carved their own "Private" space in this very public area. Some bring cardboard boxes to make their own cubicles, there are plastic and paper sheets to cover the floor, people are sharing food (most likely Filipino food, but also fast food) in really creative ways to overcome hygiene issues, many are playing games like cards and bingo, others parade their newly bought clothes and a scattered few are on their laptops and maybe online. This is a modern challenge to societies that depend on domestic helpers. I really feel for them: what lives do they have, where is their own space, what about their sexuality (as pointed our rightly by my friend) and why can we not think of infrastructures that can provide social, economic and safety nets for them. I stopped myself from taking photographs of the women all along the walkways because well, they were in their private space. (Focus on the privacy was not coincidental since we were meeting to talk about, er...privacy!)

I am impressed by what I see in Hong Kong because I saw how the new mixed with the old really well. A territory that continues to attract people of all professions, money and concrete structures, I loved the old tiny shops, the sight of sausages put out to dry on the road (literally, the bus had to swerve to avoid driving over it:)) and the very, very hilly terrains!

Will upload photos on Facebook, but might update here with one of two. By the way the meeting took place at the Hong Kong University, and I have a pix of a commemorative sculpture of the Tiannanmen Massacre with the inscription: "The old cannot kill the young forever".











The next (right) could have been Malaysia or Indonesia. But it was the Jamia Mosque at the Mid-Level Escalator, which is a really interesting landmark.

And I also have to add a Danish icon in the sightings - Maersk. Being at the harbour most of the time, you see the containers and ships and here (below) is the Maersk sign board at the seafood restaurant area on Lamma Island (its not too clear, but its at the left in the picture).


I must remember to write about my visit to the Art Gallery in another post.

Gayathry starts a blog

For some time now I have been considering starting a blog. It would have been natural anyway since defending the rights of expression among bloggers has been part of my work for a while now. But the concern had been that once you start a blog, you have to update it regularly and I wasn't sure I could meet that demand.

But now I feel the time is right. Mainly because I've lost a very close talking partner and so I have all these ideas, opinions and views that don't get expressed fast enough!

Finding a name was the most difficult. What would the blog be about? I've contemplated focusing on birds, but well, a really amateur bird watcher won't have too much to write about. Maybe political issues – well, that will be mentioned for sure but too much politics is also boring. Travels – well, try checking blogs on travel and there's just too many. But these are things that make up my life. So, it will be about this and that.

You're welcome to share your views and comments in this personal blog.