Passport is the right of the citizens, not a privilege

Nur Jazlan must be out of his mind and insane to say that the possession of a passport is a privilege, not a right.

First of all, "those who are found to defame the country or badmouth Putrajaya will be barred from travelling overseas" on grounds that "it affects Malaysia's image" is itself downright ridiculous. Putrajaya is not Malaysia. Criticising the government does not equate to criticising the country. Do not relate yourself and preposterously place yourself as Malaysia. People criticise the government because they care about the country and they act on patriotism to criticise those who wish to bring down the country. Wake up. You're not Malaysia.

Second, the Federal Court has in 2009 in a judgment ruled that "every citizens has a right to travel abroad". Travelling is not a privilege, it is a right. Don't be an autocrat and try to tell people how to behave or move.

Thirdly, you're elected by the people, and you serve the people. That's the purpose of democratic election - we elect who we want to serve us. Malaysia obviously is far from being democratic as democracy obviously is not practised here. Don't be cocky and demand people to respect you. We chose you, and we get to ridicule you anyway we want.

Wake up and stop submerging in your illusion. Malaysians will only get vocal and get much angrier and in GE14, it'll be end game for you.

Some facts about me

I hate materialism. I look down upon materialism.

Some people at my age may stare at beautiful girls who are donned in branded clothes and holding expensive handbags, but to me, if a girl of my age is dressed in such fashion then I am worried about her financial discipline. If one splashes money in such fashion before they achieve financial independence then I worry much more about how she would spend her money after she begins working.

I don't really like gift giving. On birthdays, okay. Birthday is the celebration of one's birth and to give them something meaningful to them is acceptable. However, giving a gift by using price as a measurement is a big no for me. It has to be meaningful, instead of pricey. If a RM10 gift could touch his/her heart then that's what I'll give, even if others are offering something much more expensive.

The true meaning of gift lies in its value, not price.

In any other occasions, gift giving is really not required. I don't know why some people view gift giving as an important gesture. To me, if one is to show they care, just be present. Materialistic objects offer flinting happiness and that fades fast.

I hate materialism. I don't talk about cars, or properties, or branded clothes or shoes or whatnot.

I enjoy a simple life with no desire for brands. I firmly believe that's how one's life should be, especially for those of my age, who still rely on parents to get by financially.

Close to Final

It's only weeks away from my finals and I've not prepared well.

So far the subjects I am taking are Topograhical Engineering, Urban Water Resources, Engineering Mathematics 3C and Design of Steel Structure.

Topo has given me lots of headaches but that mostly is because my lecturer is a useless person who uses lecture time to talk about politics and keep bragging about participating in the election as an independent and try to garner support which is largely useless.

Urban Water Resources centres on drainage design and so far is good.

Engineering Mathematics 3C focuses on statistics that I have mostly learnt back in STPM, so, so far okay.

Design of Steel Structures is way much better than Design of Concrete Structures that I took last semester and that was the horror of my life. Steel is fine but this unit makes me really busy.

Speaking of busy, gotta go. Tough life ahead.

Why Sarawakians and Peninsular Malaysians are fighting post-election

Sarawakians and Peninsular Malaysians have been engaged in an online war after Sarawak's BN gained landslide victory in the recently concluded Sarawak state election.

Understandably, as a Peninsular Malaysian, I understand perfectly why we are upset. We have no idea why Sarawakians continue to vote for BN after their recent draconian, oppressive and dictator-semblance ruling.

As a Peninsular Malaysian in Sarawak, I can shed some light on it.

Why Sarawakians Voted for BN

Sarawak Chief Minister, Adenan Satem, is undoubtedly a good chief minister. He has managed to regain some lost autonomy to Sarawak. He has repeatedly emphasised that the Chinese are not illegal immigrants and has subsequently recognised UEC as an acceptable qualification.

He has abolished two tolls in Sarawak. He has clamped down hard on illegal logging. And he lowered taxes in Sarawak. He also recognises English as an official language in Sarawak.

He has done a lot that the federal government opposes.

Obviously he is endearing to Sarawakians.

Plus, I believe the fact that he says he wishes to have "only one more term", and says he "will step down after another term and will not continue even if asked" is another push factor for state BN.

Sarawakians voted for BN mostly because of Adenan. He is the factor.

Why West Malaysians are Angry

The thing that being in Sarawak is that I get to understand Sarawakians much better, and that's one thing I cannot help noticing and that would be impossible to miss. And this thing is the root of the friction.

Sarawakians and West Malaysians vote very differently. And they see the world differently. Just compare the reports and featured articles in The Borneo Post, a local newspaper, and The Star, a national newspapers, and that difference shines bright like a diamond.

The thing is when it comes to elections, West Malaysians, or Peninsular Malaysians, put the nation first, while Sarawakians vote like Sarawakians and national issues aren't their big concerns. And this has been reiterated in Reuters, an international news agency, and recently, The Star.

West Malaysians are extremely angry about BN, and that's why they are so angry with Sarawakians that they continue to vote for BN.

As mentioned, West Malaysians look at national issues when voting.

Look at how BN rules the country. Just look at 1MDB scandal. When 1MDB made international headlines, Malaysian Ringgit depreciated a little (and a little can be a lot). Sarawakians can deny 1MDB scandal affects Sarawak and Sarawak is shielded from those "unrest" (people in Kuching are very quiet about the issue), the fact is Sarawak is also affected by the weakened ringgit, whether they like to admit it or not.

Our education level has remained stagnant and is even going down. Our nation debt continues to go up and sees no prospect of coming down. It has reached 54% of our GDP and surpassing 55% is a red light that may warrant bankruptcy notice. Yes, Malaysia is that close. Malaysia continues to slide on World Corruption Index. Global economy is slowly climbing up but Malaysia remains stagnant.

Our press freedom has got increasingly oppressive. Journalists who do not report in favour of the ruling government or even dare to go against them risk being persecuted under the nation's oppressive sedition law. People are frequently silenced from voicing out dissatisfactions that may threaten the grip of the ruling government. Look at what happened to The Malaysian Insider.

These are the issues West Malaysians look at during elections, but something that Sarawakians do not concern about, or at least not as much as us. If you say the sentiment is high in Sarawak, you have not left Sarawak. I'm in Sarawak, I can tell how big that difference is. In the peninsula, the sentiment and anger are palpable and publicly displayed, whereas in Sarawak it is sort of treated as a taboo, something you do not discuss publicly, possibly because people's political alignment there remain divergent.

To West Malaysians, national issues triumph state issues, because if our nation falls, no matter how good your state is, it also falls. Therefore, we put nation first.

This is why there will always be a gap between how Sarawakians and West Malaysians vote. And this is why there will always be a friction.

If Sarawakians and West Malaysians do not communicate and continue to drive each other further apart, the ultimate losers will be all of us.