1,000kg manta ray gets caught in fishing net off Labuan shores. March 30, 2007

A group of fishermen with a manta ray, or giant manta (Manta birostris) weighing more than 1,000kg that got caught in their fishing nets in the waters off Sungai Pagar, Labuan, at about 10.30am, 29 Mar 2007.

The creature was found by Awang Japrin, 35, and four of his friends. With a distinctive “horn” (from which the common name devil ray stems) on either side of its broad head, the manta is a prized sighting by divers.

*It’s a great pity that the ray was landed. I assume that it was dead when taken out of the net? They are quite harmless and feed on plancton. *

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Malays forget easily March 27, 2007

Note :
This Saturday the junior team of Labuan Rugby Club will have a friendly match with OSCA junior team, and perhaps Highlanders Junior as well. This will be my first match after almost 3 years of not in the game.

Malays forget easily. The book contains the speech of Tun Mahathir during his speech at the 55th UMNO General Assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on June 21, 2001.

In one of his bluntest wake-up calls to the Malays, Dr Mahathir drives home the fact that the Malay mindset must change to enable them to face up to the tough challenges that lie ahead. They must make an effort to be hardworking, strive hard to seek knowledge and other essential skills, and to hold on to good values in their conduct. They must never take their special rights for granted. They must discard the belief that they will always be safe and to start thinking they may no longer be protected by their special rights and privileges.

I’ve read the whole book, and for an extrovert like him, it’s a brilliant move to expose the weakness of his own race, for the sake of awareness and self esteem thus leads to universal harmonies among Malaysian citizens. I don’t think this book is all about supremacy; which one would raise his race above all and degrades others that he felt don’t deserve to be respected. Abandoned, assaulted and negatively treated for his honest opinion based on his observation, at least he still got me amazed by his thoughts.

Somehow, through my observation on peoples around me, whatever implemented in Tun Mahathir speech does not apply here in Labuan. And I can summarize the whole things as degrading their own race.

I can’t believe some ‘superior’ Malays would think most Malays are:

1. Depends solely on Government subsidy.
2. Not motivated to excel to another level.
3. Ignored the opportunities taken by outsiders in our own land.
4. Think most Malays loyalty as suck up.

I must say that was terrible, hearing from someone considered as successful government servant, made a statement as if he was embarrassed of his own race.

This is not a racist post, nor an attempt to create mass debates and mindless thoughts when it comes to racial matter.

This post results as my disappointment towards these peoples, whom considered successful and made a handsome paycheck every months. This post represents the anger inside me, except there’s no blood, vulgarity and of course, it’s written, not spoken, and I must say I was calm during the process. There’s no need to raise the blood pressure for a person that never appreciates the hardness of life they’ve been through (I guess. Some peoples are born rich).

Firstly, the statements on most Malays depends solely on Government subsidy is not correct. I believe we’re now living in a world that full of opportunities. Opportunities were meant to be taken, and for those who manage to gain and secure it can be considered as a winner. Subsidy was not meant to be given continuously. Subsidy is a help to make a good start. We all need help, thus we shall look at subsidy as help. It’s up to the receiver to use the subsidy @ help efficiently.

I can’t talk much about the second point, because I’m not sure what does they mean about that.

When outsiders came to Labuan to start a business, it’s a healthy competition. We’re exposed to their business skills, attitude and new products. But to accuse local Labuan ignored the situation is not accurate. Anyway, to what group of peoples they considered as ignoring the ‘invasion’ and competition? Underage? I am 24, and now I’m considering to lend my expertise on certain fields to one company from Singapore, which I can operates from here, without hesitation. NXG Solutions is the first company I’ve ventured into, and so far we’re doing well, apart from delayed action, we’re doing pretty well. We’re still young, and we need more time. Being a young guy with rebellious vision, sometimes there’s a good thing behind all the mess, and that’s a good lesson to learn.

To accuse Malay as suck up is a little bit incorrect. Yes, I know few peoples that doing that to achieve a lot of things in their own ‘fast-track’. Everything will be easy when you have all the links to the ‘big guy’. But then, we all know everything will be ended when the big guy don’t sit in Parliament anymore. And of course I believe the Dato’title now is so easy to earn you can get it before you reach 30’s. This is the world of globalization where supremacy doesn’t apply when we’re connected to the billions of peoples out there.

This is the era of equality, and the only things that differentiate peoples are their knowledge, be it IQ or EQ or the combination of both.

And believe me, driving a fancy car with a 9 years loan agreement is not a sign of luxury, it’s the burden laid on your ass.. I mean… financial capabilities./>nuffnang_bid = “081fd07fd721ff375650480881a47c88″;<