The New Economic Policy (NEP) was introduced in 1970 because of the perception that the Malays  rioted in 1969 due to poverty and unequal opportunities. But the more impoverished Indian community and the other indigenous people did not riot.

The objective of NEP was to increase wealth ownership from 2.4% in 1970 to 30% by 1990. Umno, the back bone of B,N spearheaded the implementation of NEP.

The other Malaysians accepted NEP as a necessary tool for their own peaceful and prosperous living in Malaysia. The unprecedented support of non-Malays to BN till March 2008 is a testimony of this. During this period UMNO, slowly and surely, sidelined and marginalised all the component parties in BN and became absolutely powerful, arrogant, high handed and lost touch with the problems, concerns and aspirations of all Malaysians including Malays themselves.

With the NEP tool in hand, UMNO created billionaire cronies and rich UMNOPUTRAS. In the name of uplifting Malays in general, UMNO gave out lucrative contracts, privatised cash cow projects and dished out tax payers money without any accountability and responsibility to UMNO cronies.

This unreserved carefree distribution of wealth to Malays has created an inefficient system that promotes a laid-back attitude among Malay civil servants because there is no competition and striving to improve or excel to get promoted. Promotion is just automatic.

Several NEP policies which give economic advantage to the Bumiputras are viewed as heavily discriminatory, such as quotas in ownership of public company stock, housing sold exclusively to Bumiputras, etc.

But the measurements of NEP were subject to interpretation and reinterpretation. Many Malaysians felt that the 30% wealth target was achieved a long time ago but the BN government denies these target achievement and continues to implement new affirmative-action policies, education quota in public universities.

Purchase of houses by bumiputras get discount even though the Malay purchaser is much wealthier than the non-Malay purchaser. Every aspect of government influence is controlled by Malays. The government, police, army, banking system are all under the government control which in turn is controlled by UMNO.  This list goes on in every aspect of our life in Malaysia.

UMNO has shut the mouth of its non-Malay counterparts in BN all these years. Yet these strangleholds of political power could not save them from heavy electoral losses in March 2008 election. Large section Malays, Indians, Chinese and indigenous people remain poor and civil service has become more corrupted, inefficient and the peoples’ discontent reached a saturation point.

All it took was five lawyers to spark the matchbox and the whole nation caught the electoral fire thus igniting the minds of Chinese and Malays to come forward and vote for a change. A large section of ardent BN supporters voted against the BN for the first time in history causing a political tsunami in Malaysian history by depriving the BN government its 2/3 majority in Parliament and losing control of five states to opposition parties.

These results brought about a new political equation where, for the first time,Malaysians realised that a two party system is possible and viable. The ghost of May 13 was finally buried and Malaysians, who have lost hope reforming and transforming the blessed nation, began to rethink and new hope for better future for their children blossomed in their heart.

The smaller opposition parties formed a coalition to rule these five states and, to their credit, they are doing better than the 50-year corrupted BN government. There is more openness, accountability and participation of people.

But of course a party in rule for fifty years and with so many vested interests, cronies and political warlords and little Napoleons will not give up power just like that. The BN government, over the fifty years, has strengthened their grip over mass media, banking and government machinery to their favour.

With these tools in their hand they will not lie down and accept defeat. They, through deception of three assemblymen and with the support of Perak royalty, wrangled back the Perak state. Now, through hook or crook they are trying to capture Selangor which is the jewel-in-the- crown state.

Barisan National political model is exclusive and outdated. Under the changing globally liberalised inclusive thinking, BN’s exclusive and racially segregated system is incompatible and regressive politically and economically.

The BN leaders do not have the will to make the adjustment. They are so entrenched in their current modus operandi. Malaysians deserve better than what BN government can offer.

I urge all Selangor residents to give their full support to the more people-centric, people- represented Pakatan Rakyat government now because they are under siege from the federal- funded Barisan Natioanl.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin predicted that the Selangor state government may fall by January. He will be glad to be proven wrong.

                         “Nobody wants to see a round woman.” – Karl Lagerfield  

“Clothing designer, after Brigitte, one of Germany’s top-selling women’s magazines, barred professional models  from its pages in favor of “real women.”  - Time magazine

Yo..  I might not agree with him but I still like his style. I know alot of folks know about Karl Lagerfield but I had to do this one because  every time I see him, I think..  ”damn…  he is so cool.” Usually rocking a tie, some gloves, and some shades..  his look says, I’ve been cooler than you 3 decades ago and you will never catch up, lol. but yeah..  check out the pics and take notes.  P.S..   “if I had the money, I would have him pick out my wardrobe..  well at least the formal side anyways.

even if he didn't have the shades, you still couldn't find him, lol.

Taken from  ”Prestige, Hong Kong”  March 2008.

 “We don’t always get around to reading Hong Kong’s Prestige Magazine — uh, okay, we didn’t know it existed until we learned that a friend of ours was working there — but the recent Karl Lagerfeld cover interview, conducted by said friend, Stephen Short, is nothing less than magnificent. Stephen, who apparently received a Karl Lagerfeld action figure for his efforts, talked to Karl for about three hours late one evening, and Karl had a lot to say, generally all negative, on subjects from books to children to love toDiane Von Furstenberg to food to the nineties. We excerpted some of his most effusively misanthropic utterances for your enjoyment.

Food.
I hate the smell of cooking. Some people love it, but I don’t care for it. I don’t eat sweet things. I don’t eat greasy things. And I like fish better than meat. In fact, I hate meat. My doctor calls me to eat meat twice a week, as apparently we are cannibals. There used to be a Nobu here in Paris but it was very bad; it was horrible. The one one in London is great. It’s my favorite restaurant in London.

Fat people.
Yes, new Russian girls are like this. But this is a subject I won’t discuss. You know why? In France there are a large percentage of young girls who are overweight and less than one percent are skinny. So let’s talk about the 25 percent who have a weight problem, or are overweight. We don’t need to discuss the less than one percent. Anorexia is nothing to do with fashion. These Russian girls are so young. Chinese ones are skinny, too, and bony. I don’t think it’s a subject to discuss. And in today’s world, many people take drugs, not only models, hmm? It’s an unnecessary subject. Let’s talk about the fat ones.

Children.
Do you ever wish you had a son to pass on your wisdom to, to continue the Chanel heritage?
That’s the last thing I want. I hate all children. For other people, it’s fine, but not for me. I was born not to be a family person.

Going to other places that involve people.
I live in certain isolation. I never take appointments in the morning. I leave my house only after lunch. I don’t want to have a social life. I’ve had enough of that in my life. It’s demode. It’s another era. Perhaps people are still excited by that era, but not me. It’s uninteresting today. It says nothing. It’s boring, pretentious and vulgar…Even for charity, people get paid. I try to avoid charity. It doesn’t happen for me. I’m rich enough not to have to do that. Thank God I don’t have to do that. I do a lot of unnecessary things for free, but I’m very much against that. Money itself isn’t interesting, the use of it is.

Going to other places, period.
Sometimes, to be inspired by things or places, it’s better not to go there. You have to imagine. I imagine the world from my window. I am not a traveler. I hate it. I never look at my watch. The good thing about private jets is that you go whenever you’re ready. That’s the real luxury of today. In all my contracts it says, if you want me, send a private jet.

People who try to touch him.
Also I cannot go on airlines because people stare at me, you have to be touched by people. I hate that…I hate bespoke because I hate to be touched by strangers. It bores me to death.

People who try to analyze him.
Diane von Furstenberg told me she thinks you may not be the best designer aesthetically, but that you’re by far the smartest.
And look at her prints, hmm? Maybe I’ve known her for too many years. Maybe she’s right, I don’t know. If she were an expert, perhaps her designs may be more impressive…I’m not a frustrated writer or architect, I’m frustrated by nothing at all, and frustration is the mother of all crimes. Ambition? I have no ambition. I just want things in a certain way…I don’t want to be a teacher. I don’t want to inform others through myself. In that way, it’s all for myself. I’m the most selfish person in the world. Being selfish, I take care of others. My mother always used to say, “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give and nobody will care for you.

The nineties.
I think that Claudia Schiffer is better than ever. There are few very, very, very great girls. But it’s not like in the ’90s, the days of Linda Evangelista. That’s demode now, that’s another era. Very tacky, hmmm? On the one hand there was something intellectual going on during that time. On the other, it was just tacky. But you know, decades have a look, a mood, but that was that. We know what the ’90s looked like now, but during the ’90s we thought it was great perhaps…I put on weight in the early ’90s because clothes were so large, then they got tighter, so I slimmed down. Never go one size ahead. Go down but not up.

Technology, the internet, etc.
I’m a computer by myself. I have a memory also for unnecessary things. Telephone numbers are a problem, but historical details are not.

Love.
Love is a subject I don’t analyze publicly. Love is only an interesting subject when it’s beyond. When it’s down to earth it ceases to become interesting. It’s a very dangerous subject. I’ve had so many tragedies in life, it’s hard to discuss the subject.

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