• After a hard job you must pay a labourer, before the sweat dries up.
• You can only beat the cat if you catch the cat in the process, as it might have been another cat.
• Even then you can cause pain, but you shouldn't cause injury.
• If the cat already has the fish in it's mouth let it keep it. (Does that mean you you catch a corrupt officer you don't try to get the money back.

The writer also mentioned a new tradition of awarding brooms (penyapu) to poor performing heads, giving them the message to clean up their act I suppose.

If the PM is saying "calls for a clean-up ARE NOT part of our tradition !" Does that mean that allowing the dirt IS part of the tradition ?

A couple of other Malaysia stories : Philipena trafficking and crime

- Anyway- will they change the country name to Ma-rabia, in honour of the traditions changing to be more Arabic ?

Also I heard an Instant Caf?skit as part part of a BBC worldservice documentary about Malaysiapolitics recorded in 2005 there are 5 programmes

BBC radio prog about Malaysia blogs vs the nice happy news from Bernama Freedom of the Press the audio Freedom of the Press features Marina Mahatir, Jeff Ooi etc

The election doesn't happen for another few months, but BN have always been in power and always will be. As their election slogan is "if anyone else gets into power the whole of Malaysia will fall apart and Malay culture will be destroyed"

And we think the politics is bad in England !

- Someone told me that the local politicians were visiting the villages which were flooded in December and collecting the peoples names and promising them compensation. Apparently before elections money goes to the people etc, but after if there were similar floods there'll be no compensation.

- Likewise In Kuala Terranganu state it's obvious a lot of government money is being spent : there are new construction projects, the new crystal mosque an Islamic theme park and big opening celebrations even though construction won't be finished until after the elections.

- The BBC radio prog Outlook had a prog item about an Indian living in PJ complaining that he can't get a government job. It was only when I was at the village when I found out how important that is. In Malaysia anyone who has a government job and that includes people like teachers and post office workers gets free health care for their family. So it seems to me that many many Malay have benefits like this which don't apply to Indians ..and the BBC didn't make this clear.

To be fair government salaries are not very high, but the workers do benefit from generous number of paid holidays, early retirement and opportunities for graft.

- If Malays can't drink why in KL do they all live behind bars ... I mean bars over the windows

- Harakah in English