Foul!

I just saw Caroline Ang's posting on Facebook regarding Evelyn Ang: Ang, 44, Amiruddin Hamid, 37, and Ahmad Hadafi Jus, 42 were hit by a car during the  Klang City International Marathon, Selangor on Dec 10, 2017. Numerous questions were raised after the incident, as per my article in Channel NewsAsia . Also, more runs were held but were 'missing' from the Sports Commissioner's Office's list of approved and rejected events, as I wrote on Dec 29, 2017 ( MAF, FTAAA not informed of KL New Year run ). Back to Ang, the questions raised by Caroline as per her Facebook posting speak for itself.  I wonder if anyone is truly following up with the episode. The last thing we want is to hear is the powers-that-be repeating themselves, making a whole lot of pledges and promises, when another tragedy strikes.

As published in Malay Mail today. HARESH SAYS Haresh Deol IT has to be one of the darnedest statements made by a politician.   Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is finally more “popular” than his singer son Gadaffi, also known as Dafi.    While the agriculture and agro-based industry minister’s Facebook page saw several sympathisers supporting his call to boycott Chinese traders, the majority lambasted his unwarranted remarks, saying it was racist.   The Cabinet minister, had on his Facebook page on Monday, said the majority of Malay consumers could push Chinese traders to lower prices by boycotting their businesses.   He later clarified by saying the post was not targeted towards the Chinese community in general but Chinese traders and businessmen who refused to bring down the prices of goods despite the drop in oil prices. Not targeting the community but Chinese traders and businessmen? Is there a difference?   Inspector-...

As published in Malay Mail today. MY name is Fluffy Singh. Contrary to popular belief, my diet does not comprise of chapati or ghee, although I do enjoy the occasional yogurt. I will turn six come January 13. That’s 42 human years. People refer to me as a Golden Retriever but I don’t really care. I’m not ‘racist’. Regardless of my breed, colour or size, I am a dog. Period. But this is not about me. It is about my fellow four-legged furry friends and other animals out there. Humans have a wide range of vocabulary when referring to us – from “so cute” to “get lost”. We are treated like second, no wait, third class citizens. The laws remain unfair. No one fights for our rights but for a small section of the society. Their voices too remain unheard most of the time. Some of you claim to sympathise with us by being vocal on Facebook or Twitter. But you quickly move on. As they say, barking dogs never bite. It is difficult for us to pen our ...

Haresh Says, as published in Malay Mail today.   LET’S go back to at least 25 years ago when the Internet was still in its infancy.   The term “social media” was unheard of then. The only thing social was when one attended a relative’s birthday party or hung out with friends at a nearby coffeeshop.   Conversations revolved around investors who cursed a political party’s supposed economic vehicle to boost the income of a particular race but failed to produce returns and had instead turned into a farce.   Parents complained about the merit system, claiming their children were unable to secure places in local universities despite scoring straight As.   Friends made fun of how politicians talked as jokes about leaders and their bizarre antics would leave many in stitches. It was a sure way to keep the night alive.   But such talk was either within the four walls of a living room or a coffeeshop.   Today, such socia...

Haresh Says, as published in Mailsport today. HERE’S a country that builds skyscrapers, has some of the finest facilities in the world and home to some of best fashion designers.   But there are flaws. And one of them is the inability to equip our national athletes with proper attire. There have been numerous occasions in the past where our national athletes have been spotted dressed shabbily. Prior the World Championship in Guangzhou, China last year, the national shuttlers left for Hong Kong for a training stint. Led by world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, they were all dressed like they were about to catch a movie.   The manner in which they were in irked Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who took the BA of Malaysia to task for its failure to ensure the players had donned the right outfit.   Even the newly designed national Malaysian Heroes tracksuit by Melinda Looi failed to reach the Commonwealth Games athletes in time last month as ...

Voice of the Valley by Pearl Lee, as published in Malay Mail today. FEAR, uncertainty and doubt have left the future of guide dogs for the blind in this country in uncertainty. From fear of being attacked by a dog, who will pick up the dog’s droppings in a bus, to Islam prohibiting believers not to keep dogs are some of the issues hindering the services of our four-legged friends trained to lead the visually impaired. The article ‘ Man’s best friend not loved by everyone ’ in Malay Mail recently was a test the public’s response towards Stevens Chan, a blind man and his guide dog Lashawn. Stevens and his guide dog were unwelcomed in a shopping mall and found it difficult to hail a taxi or even a bus. The simple study showed how unfriendly our ecosystem is when it comes to guide dogs and dogs in general. It also revealed many do not know the difference between a guide dog and a pet. The article, which went viral online with more than 34,000 “share...

Many have resorted to social media to air their grouses following The Malay Mail’s expose on the cash-for-transfer fiasco involving teachers. Facebook page Pertukaran Guru, where most teachers exchange information and try to find their match to transfer to their state of choice, saw many postings urging the Education Ministry to review its transfer policy instead of penalising teachers. Many claimed teachers paying for transfers have been going on for some time as desperate teachers are eager to head to the state of their choice to join their families. A comment on Facebook read: “It has happened. I was assured of a transfer by an individual but I have to pay RM2,000. I declined the offer as I felt it was a form of bribery.” Another commentator said: “In the past, someone offered a transfer package claiming it is a confirmed deal and someone from inside will sort it out.” Read more here . MEANWHILE, MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai does not discount the possib...

With just a click of the mouse, you can buy anabolic steroids without any prescription! The Malay Mail, in its investigation, found several Facebook accounts and websites selling drugs including Anabol, D-bol and Testolic, in the open. This came about after the Wall Street Journal reported that US President Barack Obama had revealed a worldwide steroids trafficking operation, apparently “partly managed in Malaysia”, which targets large-scale traffickers including the Mexican Tijuana cartel. Posing as a budding bodybuilder, this writer contacted three suppliers online and obtained confirmation they sold anabolic steroids and testosterone enanthate which could be delivered to the client. Read the expose in The Malay Mail today. Also read ' Too much steroids can kill you ' and ' Serious lack of enforcement '. For the record, read 'After money laundering, Malaysia now linked to steroids trafficking and  ' Cops deny allegations of steroid trafficking...

US President Barack Obama's successful campaign online saw him reelected for the second term last year.   The well-thought strategy by his online team was honoured at the Annual Webby Awards presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences on Tuesday. Malaysians will go to the polls tomorrow in what has been dubbed the social media general election as there are more than 13 million active Facebook users and over a million Twitter accounts in the country. Millions resort to information on YouTube instead of television. This has led to political parties advertising on various online platforms, from YouTube and Yahoo! to even Dictionary.com. Several of our politicians, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and PKR’s de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, are certifi ed Twitter "addicts" as their accounts have been verified and acknowledged by Twitter.  The other politicians active o...

“Bursa Malaysia is on standby with the possibility of the market closing on Monday. “Boxes of documents from government offices are being carted away.” These are just some of the very many “messages” that have been circulating as the nation head to the polls on Sunday. The influence of social media — mainly Twitter and Facebook — and videos uploaded on YouTube are widely said to be the main influencer for the 13th general election. These messages — shared among netizens — often spill over to the local coffee shops and markets where conversations take place, opinions are bantered and most often than not a perception is made. Read more in The Malay Mail today .

“We have decided to die in Lahad Datu’ “We have decided to die in Lahad Datu’ Are our waters easily penetrable by hundreds of armed men? Why did the government choose to keep mum over the issue? Why are the Media downplaying the episode? Why was ample time given to the 'intruders'? While we continue to seek the answers, here are some reports of the standoff in Lahad Datu . We lost good men, as seen here and here . 'We have decided to die in Lahad Datu' , as reported by FMT . PM Najib Razak gives full mandate to police and army , as published in NST . "I have to make this clear because there have been announcements of a curfew in social websites and blogs. I am in charge of issuing the order for a curfew, but I have not issued any order following yesterday's incident," he said.   Read more here .  Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today slammed Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Tian Chua as "irresponsible" after the l...

It got many excited as London Olympic bronze medalist Pandelela Rinong is 'finally' on twitter. With a picture of her and her favourite nickname as her handle ( @LuluGDolphine ), one would have expected the Sarawakian lass to have stepped into the world of Twitter. However, a quick check by the author proved otherwise as evident in the exchange of SMS-es ( pic ). Harimau Muda A coach Ong Kim Swee has several 'pages' on Facebook and Twitter. He has denied having set up accounts on any social platforms. Parody accounts are common as even former Works minister and MIC president Samy Vellu is also seen on Twitter. So the next time you follow, like or request to add someone from such social networks, do some homework before blindly acknowledging. Otherwise, there could be a serious form of misrepresentation that could offend many in return. HD says: The price of being famous I guess.

The National Sports Council's (NSC) ' Pelapis ' Department may be seen as a just a molding ground for the future stars of the nation. However, their initiative and impact within the social media should not be overlooked. While most sports organisations have yet to fully embrace the power of the internet, the team at Pelapis has found itself in four important mediums within the World Wide Web. They have been on Facebook , Twitter and maintain a blog for quite sometime and do enjoy a steady following. There are videos of our young athletes on YouTube too. If one is keen to learn how to maximise publicity on the internet or would simply like to monitor the progress of our future champions, visit those sites. HD says: Credit ought to be given when due.

UPDATE: An influential weapon - From the Sidelines. ------- I was at a function over the weekend when a government official admitted he was surprised to see the huge turnout for the Bersih 3.0 rally in KL. "There was no publicity in the newspapers and yet the organisers managed to gather so many people." I smiled and said; "They don't need the newspapers anymore. Twitter, blog and Facebook is good enough to create such an impact." It's sad that as a true blue newspaper man, who still enjoy getting my fingers dirty with ink flipping through the pages of a newspaper, I have to admit that social media is where the masses especially the youths read up and disseminate information. We knew about it - even before the 2008 elections. Yet, the old-timers- till today - don't take it seriously. Prime Minister Najib Razak even made an announcement recently that candidates on Twitter more likely to be selected for the coming General Election. Ownin...

Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek ( pic ) has a lot on his plate. There is pressure for him to win the hearts of the youth and to not sound cheesy as practiced by most of his predecessors. Some claim Prime Minister Najib Razak's attempt of creating the Ah Jib Gor Facebook account to get closer to the Chinese community drew flak - especially by the opposition leaders. Many had poked fun of the account as well. But Ahmad Shabery came to the defense of his boss. And he strongly believes the "previous administration made a huge mistake by underestimating the social media especially blogs". Read ' Shabery defends Ah Jib Gor ' in The Malay Mail for more. HD says: So bila election?