Described as one of the hottest place on  earth, the group of Universiti Malaya
lecturers from the Chinese Studies department 
and I had experienced for ourselves the heat  at the reddish purple range called
Flaming  Mountain.

The Chinese classic Journey To The West 
had it that the Monkey God could not fly 
past the mountain because of the heat.

Urumqi, the last leg of our 10-day journey, 
had turned out to be another hot place 
eventhough it is autumn.

We had flown to Chengdu, the capital of 
Sichuan, from Kuala Lumpur before taking a  connecting flight to Lanzhou in north-western
China, a key junction in the ancient Silk 
Road.

In an attemp to retrace the routes used by 
the traders of the past, we travelled by road  and rail past Jianyugan, Dunhuang,
Turpan,  Anxi and countless small
towns.

We drove past miles and miles of sand 
dunes, wrinkled mountains, sparse plains,  ruins, oasis and collapsing fortresses.

The Malaysians had expected Urumqi, the 
last place in China that is reachable by train,  to be a medieval town.

They were disappointed to find Urumqi a 
sprawling city with tall buildings dotted  with modern shopping complexes, restaurants,
karaoke joints and discotheques.

In fact,  Urumqi resembles a city in the  Middle East.

The city is famous for its Central Asian 
bazaars, dotted with alleys, and Arabic music that fills the air.

If in the past, goods such as spice, silk, animals and food were traded in this
ancient  cross road, the traders today
hawked leather  jackets, scarves, dried
fruits and other modern items.

Life here hints strongly of foreign influences whereby  spice is heavily used on the  lamb kebabs and flat loaves of Indian
bread,  nan, is a staple.

At the night market, similar to our pasar 
malam, a Chinese speaking Caucasian looking woman with blonde hair,
sells leather  shoes.

For the Malaysians, everything is almost 
free. A pair of leather shoes cost RM40 with  a matching long sleeved shirt, made in
faraway Shanghai, being sold at RM7.

A leather vest cost only RM15, leaving this 
writer too embarrassed to bargain with the  couple, in their 40s, peddling their
trade.

A basket of fresh grapes, plucked from 
nearby farms, can be bought for as low as  RM7.

Xinjiang shares borders with eight countries Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kirghiztan, Tadzhikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan 
and India.

The exotic bazaar  offers from dried
and  splayed desert lizards to deer
antlers for impotency to dried snow mountain lotuses to  cure rheumatoid arthritis.

“Good for you, makes you powerful,'' the 
medicine seller, said in his heavily accent  Mandarin.

The city, filled with brown-faced ethnic 
groups in skull caps, prominently uses Arabic and Chinese on road signs
and shop sign  boards.

Just a short distance away from the city, 
one gets a splendour view of the snow-caped  Tianshan mountain, a picturesque
reminder  of Germany's Black Forest.

But modern tourist amenities is sadly 
lacking in such scenic spots. Decent public  toilets is almost non-existent in these
parts  of China.

Still, whatever is lacking from the modern 
Silk Road is made up with some of the most  wonderous sights for the Malaysians.

Commercialism, rather than barter trade, 
has taken over in the new Silk Road routes.  Heavy lorries and buses, instead of
camels  and horses, travel along the
highways.

Signs of modern trade has infiltrated this 
city.   At the junction of Renmin
Road (People's Road), a large billboard is erected,  warning the city folks of the danger of
drug  abuse  a clear reminder of the effects of  modern trade in the Silk Road

Turpan, pronounced “tu-ru-fan''  in Chinese, is almost a medieval  town with a population of 300,000.  Most of the people are grape farmers, who
still use donkeys and  camels as their
mode of transportation.

But the town is opening up to  tourists
because it is part of the  Silk Road,
which used to be a network of ancient land routes.

Not intended for trade at first,  the
paths were carved out of the  desert more
than 2,000 years ago  when Emperor Wudi
of the Han  Dynasty ordered an
expedition  west to find possible allies
to fight  the Huns.

After 13 years on the road, the 
expedition yielded no new allies 
but rather a lucrative link with the 
Middle East and the West.

Today, it has become equally attractive 
this time to tourism  from both
the East and West.

The academicians from the Chinese Studies Department and I had  flown to Lanzhou before travelling  on highways, passing barren land  and desert, to reach this town.

Unlike our ancient predecessors,  who
travelled by camels and caravans, we went by air, bus and train.  Speeding lorries and bus coaches,  in fact, now rule the highways.

We passed parts of the Gobi desert, seeing hundreds of roaming  camels. We saw sandstorms, mild  ones and probably a minor irritation to the
locals, but enough to excite the Malaysians.

The famous Flaming Mountains,  where a
part of the Chinese classic  Journey to
the West was set, is located in Turpan. It is here that the  “Monkey God'' supposedly failed  to fly across.

Not far away is the site of the  Ancient
City of Goachang, some  47km from the
city. Today, all that  remains of the
garrison town of the  Han Dynasty are
ruins of the city  moat to tell its past
glory.

Also in Turpan is a pagoda shaped building where the famous  monk, Tong, from the same classic, used to
give lectures.

As part of the Silk Road, where  the East
and West met, Islam was  brought in to
China through this  road. Bearded men in
white skull  caps hawked their
agriculture produce to tourists.

Kebab sellers fanned the charcoal fire to grill their skewers of  dripping lamb cubes.

This is where the Uygurs, Hans,  Kazakhs
and Xibes have converged and live peacefully for centuries.

The area, bigger than the size of Singapore, is dominated
by the 468-metre television communications tower.

Not far away, a large condominium and 
office block is being built  next
to the site  where the Communist Party of
China was  founded.

The pace is staggering and excitement is 
in the air as Shanghai moves forward. Next  year, the city is hosting the
Asia-Pacific  Economic Cooperation summit
and later the  World Expo.

And the city authorities proudly publicise 
the fact that President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji hail from
Shanghai.

Recently Zhu, irritated by the bureaucratic inefficiency of Beijing, threatened
to  move the capital elsewhere, sparking
off  speculation that Shanghai could be
the beneficiary.

But as China gears itself up to be accepted 
as the latest member of the World Trade 
Organistion, business corporations have 
started to find a foothold in the country.

Doing business is still perilous in China, 
though. The number of failures is high but  China's economy is expected to grow by  about 7% this year, fuelled by another
big  budget deficit to fund
infrastructure projects.

Business groups are no longer talking of 
just its one billion population but the money  that can be made from the influx of
expatriates to Shanghai over the next few years.

The immediate potential to make money 
comes from properties and even newspapers for the increasing expatriate
population.

In true entrepreneurial spirit, countless 
magazines and newspapers in English, some  printed without permits, have hit the
streets.

The presence of foreigners is real. In the 
manufacturing sector alone, 50 of the top  Fortune 100 multinationals have invested
a  total of US$3.16bil in Shanghai.

Trumpeting its potential, it has long been 
a cliche that the cleverest people in China  come from Shanghai. These days, city
folk  are telling visitors that the
cleverest people  come to Shanghai.

Since 1992, the city has experienced a 
frenzy of activity reminiscent of the heady  years of the 1930s when the city gained a  reputation as the “Paris of the East.''

The city, with 13 million people, is again in 
the throes of a physical, economic and social  revolution destined to restore its former
status as an international centre of trade, finance and culture.

After Guangzhou, where much of Hong 
Kong's money is parked, Shanghai has the 
second highest standard of living.

Long exposed to Westerners, many of 
Shanghai's young are able to communicate 
in English. At the Grand Hyatt where I 
stayed, almost all the helpers at its food  court in the basement could take orders
in  English.

The Shanghai Television Station boasts of 
being the only station with a well-produced  weekly business programme, Bizwatch, in  English.

The economic and social reforms taking 
place in Shanghai are perhaps more evident  than in other cities in China.

Ironically, this is also the least “Chinese'' 
city, both socially and architecturally, with  its medley of British, French and
Russian  styles on heritage
buildings.

That aside, Shanghai is an artistic hub and 
has emerged as the cultural and entertainment capital of China.

It offers better foreign films at its cinemas than even Kuala Lumpur, including
the  usual Hollywood films and a decent
selection of European movies.

But like all major cities, Shanghai has its 
downside. Apart from political intransigence, rentals are high, traffic
congestion  has worsened and bureaucratic
red tape still  exists.

Unlike Beijing, Shanghai is not a touristy 
area. Unless you're on business, you'd likely  bypass this city.

On a rainy day or when threatened by a 
typhoon, it can have a drab and grey demeanour.

Traffic bottlenecks are common, so much 
so that outsiders learn to set off early for  appointments when taking a bus or taxi
ride.

That aside, visitors find Shanghai to be 
relatively clean. More importantly, Shanghai is a safe city. Visitors
can walk in the  streets till the wee
hours of the morning,  without any fear
of muggings.

By next year, when the leaders of the 
world's economies meet in Shanghai, they 
will be surprised by what they see.

Malaysian leaders and businessmen may 
have been bewildered by the pace of development in Beijing over the last
few years,  but a trip to Shanghai is
necessary for us to  take stock.

While some of us grapple with inconsequential issues, others have moved
ahead.

Unless we stay focussed on what we want 
to achieve, Malaysians may find themselves  lagging behind while foolishly assuming
that  we have done well.

Quoting the latest official statistics, a Chinese daily
reported that 5.59 million Chinese  made
up only 24.6% of the national population of 22.7 million.

If the report is correct, it is certainly a 
point of concern because at one stage, the  Chinese comprised 30% of the
population.

The statistics also showed that of the 
550,000 babies born in the first half of 1999,  only 110,000 were Chinese while Malays
accounted for more than 365,000.

In fact, the projection is that in the coming 
years, the number of Indians would be more  than the Chinese.

At a seminar in 1988, it was already predicted that the Chinese population
could decline as low as 13% by the year 2100.

The trend is probably more pressing if one 
takes into account the increasing number of  Indonesian women giving birth in
Malaysia.

There are many reasons why the Chinese 
are not having big families. It's not just peculiar to Malaysia but also
in Singapore.

In the case of Singapore, Prime Minister 
Goh Chok Tong has even dangled two carrots to nudge them towards having
more  children  money and paid maternity leave,  even for the third child.

The reasons are probably similar. Over 
here, it is not wrong to say that many Chinese couples are marrying
later in life   and in many cases,
preferring to remain single.

For young graduates and professionals, 
plans to climb the corporate ladder have become their priority.

The lack of child-care support, unwillingness to spare time for a bigger
family, a  child-free lifestyle, worry of
a family impeding their mobility and the reluctance in  bringing up another child in a stressful
urban life are contributing factors.

Young couples in the city, burdened by the 
increasing high cost of living, place much  importance in maintaining a quality life
at  the expense of family size. For older
couples, many put off the idea of another child 
after years of hard work.

That aside, Malaysian Chinese understand 
the importance of doing well in life. They  know that education is costly and they
need  to save up for their children's
future.

If their children cannot secure a place in 
the public universities, their only option is  private education.

Over the years, the burden is somewhat 
lesser with the Government's liberal approach to private colleges but
going private  is still expensive for
most people.

The Federation of Chinese Associations or 
Huazong has responded positively to the call  by MCA vice-president Datuk Ong Ka Ting  who urged the community to take a
serious  view of the drop in the
country's Chinese  population.

Huazong, which represents the 13 state 
Chinese Assembly Halls, is also the highest  authority among the country's several
thousand Chinese guilds and associations.

Ong had stressed the importance of the 
community's role in answering manpower 
needs as the nation forged ahead to become  a developed state.

There is also the political cost. It must not 
be forgotten that Chinese voters, who are always pragmatic, have played
a crucial, even  decisive, factor in
elections.

Shunning religious extremism, the community has consistently backed the
Alliance  and then Barisan
Nasional.

The declining Chinese population should 
not just be the concern of the MCA and Chinese associations but also the
ruling coalition.

Huazong president Tan Sri Chong Chin 
Seong said the group was planning to set up  a fund to give incentives to young couples
to  have more babies.

The same sentiment was expressed by Datuk Ng Teck Fong, deputy president of
the  Malaysian Federation of Hakka
Associations.

This is not the first time such monetary 
consideration has been made. A few years 
back, a Chinese trade group offered the 
same deal to its members but it was 
scrapped when there were no takers.

The realisation to regenerate and rejuvenate the community is commendable but
it is  hardly practical.

No doubt, it is a nice gesture but the concern among young couples is not money
to  start a family but the cost of
raising a family.

It's like paying a deposit to book a house. 
The real problem is the progressive payments and repaying the
loan.

But all is not lost. While the numbers 
game is important in Malaysian politics, it is  equally important to focus on building a  community which is educated, skilful,
competitive and self-reliant.

Attention should also be made to ensure 
that the entrepreneurial spirit is instilled  among young Chinese.

It is also important for the community to 
forge a consensus on political issues and to  adopt a common direction, taking into account
our multi-racial, multi-religious and 
multi-cultural society.

There must be a willingness to sacrifice 
narrow self-political interest for wider community interests.

Such fundamental re-thinking is essential 
given the challenges ahead. Size is important but so is quality.

Lee had invited six young newspaper editors, all in their
late 30s or early 40s, to exchange views on developments in Malaysia  and Singapore.

It was past lunch time but the discussion, 
supposed to be over tea, was now running 
behind schedule as last-minute appointments were squeezed in.

Lee, with a reputation for being intimidating and intellectually arrogant,
however  turned out to be pleasantly
relaxed.

All the journalists were meeting him for 
the first time and that they had heard 
enough stories of him expecting the media  to know their background details well.

Taking bites at the sweet duku langsat on 
the table, he was courteous, attentive and  even apologetic at times during the off-the
record talk where both sides challenged the 
views of each other.

It was clear that Kuala Lumpur's changing 
skyline, well-connected highways and even  the thorny bilateral issues, weren't the
only  things on the elder stateman's
mind.

Issues dividing Malaysia and Singapore 
include Malaysia's supply of water to Singapore, relocation of customs
and immigration  facilities for Malaysian
rail passengers in  Singapore and the
withdrawal of Malaysian  funds from the
island republic's pension  scheme.

Making his first visit to Malaysia after 10 
years, this writer could not help concluding,  rightly or wrongly, that Lee wanted to
listen  to the views of young Malaysians
on his  neighbour's political
developments.

He is, after all, clear on how his peers felt 
in building Malaysia. He has personally 
known all the Malaysian prime ministers, including Datuk Seri Dr
Mahathir Mohamad.

Lee acknowledged that during the 1970s, 
when he knew Dr Mahathir was going to be 
prime minister, he invited him to Singapore  on several occasions and the two
established  a personal relationship.

He said there was an emotional binding 
because Dr Mahathir studied in Singapore 
and regularly returned for university reunions.

In the case of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad 
Badawi, he is certainly no stranger to Lee  after having served in the Cabinet for
so  many years including as Foreign
Minister.

But Lee's concern appears to be the political sentiments of young Malaysians,
particularly the Malays, who have been drawn to 
the religious struggles of PAS.

The Islamist party has become a serious 
player in the political landscape with only  moderate Muslims and non-Muslims keeping them
from becoming more influential.

The predominantly Chinese population of 
Singapore, as is its brethren in Malaysia, is  understandably alarmed over the growing  influence of PAS and its controversial
decisions.

“But I would sleep more comfortable with 
Umno in power as it is a party I have known  since the 1940s,'' he told a press
conference  later.

If that is not disturbing enough, Singapore 
has to live dangerously with the political,  economical, religious and ethnic troubles
in  Indonesia as well.

The jail sentence of Datuk Seri Anwar 
Ibrahim and whether he still has a future political role must have also
been in Lee's  thoughts.

Lee said he felt sorry for Dr Mahathir for 
paying a “very heavy price'' in the sacking  of Anwar and the subsequent events.

His private appointments did not just include the newspaper editors but also
members of think-tanks. These meetings would 
have allowed Lee to have a better understanding of events from a
Singaporean perspective.

The aspirations of the younger set, from 
the various influential sectors, are necessary because they will help
shape the destiny of the country in the coming years.

Like Singapore, the days of providing jobs, 
houses and basic amenities by the government are no longer something
which the citizens are expected to be grateful for. It is the  job of the government, nothing more.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has the 
task of providing a higher standard of living  for Singaporeans.

The next prime minister, as in both countries, would have to deal with a
different  group of demanding citizens
with little sense  of their country's
traumatic history. It  would probably
matter little to them.

They would expect their leaders to allow 
them greater democratic space, be more accountable and, at the same
time, maintain a  decent economic growth
rate.

In the case of Malaysia, where the issues 
are more complex, material development 
alone may not be enough.

Malaysia and Singapore may be different 
entities but we are mirror images of each  other, as Lee would probably say.

His visit will help him prepare the next 
prime minister to handle the Malaysian government. That appears to be
the crux of the  whole trip.

Dr Ling held their attention further when  he narrated a recent visit to a disco in
Kuala  Lumpur to see for himself the
influence of  Ecstasy pills on
youths.

“The speakers in were big and loud. Its 
boom, boom, boom all the time (referring to  techno music).

“Everything shakes, the floor shakes, the 
youngsters shake their heads and backsides,'' he said, drawing laughter
from the  audience.

There was laughter again as Dr Ling assured the listeners that he was at the
disco  to personally see the situation
and “not to  drink or dance.''

The seriousness of the situation was underlined when Dr Ling warned the people
of  the consequence of such social
ills  a generation of Chinese youths
would be lost.

The implications are greater considering 
that the Chinese population is declining,  with most newly-wed Chinese couples
preferring to have only one or two children.

“We cannot have young people returning 
home at 6am or 7am and expect them to be 
productive at work or at school,'' Dr Ling  said.

His advice to errant businessmen is 
“make your money from other trades.'' 
Don't destroy the young which may include  their own children.

His concern is understandable. Besides 
health problems, especially among long term Ecstasy pill takers, a
myriad of social  woes will follow.

For the past few weeks, Dr Ling's main 
message when addressing the Chinese community is: let's fight the
scourge of Ecstasy  pills and
horse-racing slot machines together.

Travelling around the country, he has 
urged grassroots leaders to take on these  problems.

In urban areas, the concern of the party is 
Chinese youths taking Ecstasy pills at discos  while in small towns and villages, it is
the  draw of gaming machines.

It has been estimated that Chinese youths 
make up 90% of Ecstasy pill takers and 
those who gamble away on slot machines.

Dr Ling said the police had been ordered 
to clamp down on those who sell Ecstasy 
pills or operate the machines.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee 
Heung, who heads the MCA social problems 
committee, has been given the task to tackle  these problems.

So far, the results have been encouraging. 
In Raub and Kuantan, for example, a total of  481 slot machines had been sealed.

The next step is to make sure that these 
outlets stay closed. It is meaningless if the  gaming machines reappear when the heat  dissipates.

If villagers suspect the involvement of police officers and the local
authorities in  abetting gaming-machine
operators, then  they should lodge
reports with the Anti-Corruption Agency or alert the media.

The public can also write directly to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri
Norian  Mai if they feel that enforcement
is slack in  their village or town.

These social problems have reached a level where drastic action is
needed.

A follow-up awareness campaign in the 
form of messages in videos and a road show  will boost the party's efforts further.

The MCA could organise exhibitions to inform the public about the harmful
effects of  Ecstasy pills and what can be
done to stop  this menace.

Closing down discos, night-spots and cybercafes is not the answer  proper enforcement by the authorities is more
effective.

For example, there are limited forms of 
entertainment and no discos in PAS-controlled Kelantan but the state has
one of the  highest number of drug abuse
and AIDs  cases.

Too much control, as everyone knows, can 
be bad. The only source of entertainment 
left for the young in Kelantan appears to be  infamous Golok  which is hardly recommended.

If the MCA, with the support of the authorities and the public, continues to
sustain  the momentum of its campaign
against Ecstasy pills and gaming machines, the battle  can be won.

These two concerns should be seen from a 
broader perspective. If left unchecked, the  rot will eventually spread to the other
communities.

One could have dismissed the protest with  a laugh except that the students had the  backing of PAS.

On Wednesday, PAS Youth chief Mahfuz 
Omar expressed support for the call to ban  the concerts, saying programmes which  could bring unsuitable behaviour must be  stopped.

The MP for Pokok Sena, who had previously espoused freedom of speech,
suddenly  wanted the Government to “censor''
programmes which might lead to unwarranted 
behaviour.

On the same day, the PAS-led Terengganu 
government announced it was going ahead 
with its plans to ban unisex hair salons.

State Executive Councillor Wan Abdul 
Muttalib Embong said hair salon operators  had until the end of the year to comply
with  the regulations or face the
consequences.

On Thursday, an annoucement was already posted on the Laman Reformasi website
urging students to gather at Universiti 
Malaya for the illegal assembly.

While some may talk about the right to 
stage a peaceful protest, they should be 
made aware of the language used in the 
poster.

The message urged students with semangat jihad (holy war spirit) to gather for
the  protest and that andaikan kita
terkorban  nanti, percayalah syahid
menanti kita (if we  die, then heaven
awaits us).

It continued that the protest was necessary because demi maruah Islam,
dengan  darah kami terkorban (for the
sake of Islam's dignity, our blood should be sacrified).

These battle cries can be easily dismissed 
as mere rhetoric but in the wake of a hate  campaign against the Government, this  show of anger should be taken
seriously.

Members of the Al-Ma'unah deviantionist 
group, for example, had attempted to blow  up the Carlsberg brewery in Shah Alam on  July 3. A similar attempt was made at
the  Batu Caves Indian temple.

Such signs of intolerance and insensitivity 
by certain groups, in the name of religion,  are disturbing.

PAS and its supporters have shown that 
they want to play moral guardians by imposing their values on other
Malaysians.

Young minds have been encouraged to  hate
the government in the name of restoring justice and democracy.

Yet, when PAS gained power in two states, 
religious authocracy is imposed on others.

The greatest crime, however, is to help the 
Islamist party become stronger.

The DAP, for example, has tried hard to 
present PAS as a tolerant party purportedly  good for democracy. For the sake of
political  expediency, it has appealed to
the Chinese  community to give PAS a
chance despite the  inherent
implications.

At the same time, the DAP has been forced 
to come out with embarrassing press statements to dissociate itself from
the extremism of PAS.

Last week, DAP secretary-general Kerk 
Kim Hock placed on record its objection 
against the call to ban the pop concerts and  unisex hair salons.

Before that, Kerk, the MP for Kota Melaka, had to say the party believed that
the  arms heist was not staged as alleged
by others in the opposition front.

PAS leaders, particularly Kelantan Mentri 
Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, had described the incident as a sandiwara
(drama).

Kerk obviously understood the sentiments 
of non-Muslims. It would have been political  suicide had the DAP maintained its silence  when the MCA has spoken up strongly.

The strength of the DAP has eroded since 
its partnership with PAS in last year's general election. It refuses to
cut the link despite strong reservations at grassroots level  and even among some top leaders.

The continued relationship will only hurt 
the DAP further because PAS will never 
change its policies.

Some may question the Government for 
linking PAS with the Al Ma'unah group but  no one can deny that the deviants were  strong supporters.

Terengganu PAS has confirmed that one  of
those involved in the standoff was an active division Youth leader.

The Pagoh PAS division of Johor confirmed on Friday that its branch in Kampung
Batu 28 was headed by a Al Ma'unah 
follower. The former soldier had also acted  as a polling agent for PAS in last year's
elections.

These admissions have been made by PAS 
grassroots leaders themselves. There is no  reason not to believe the PAS link.

The political trend in Malaysia is worrying 
as opposing sides step up their animosity.

Although the elections have just been concluded, there appears to be a refusal
on the  part of the losers to accept the
results.

Knowing that the Government has a credibility problem, the Opposition has
questioned and planted doubts even in clear-cut 
cases.

There is no longer a grey area. Some academicians, who teach students to
question  the Government, readily accept
information  from the Opposition as the
truth.

If PAS speaks of a conspiracy theory, then 
it must be so. No thought is given to the fact  that these persons are also politicians
with  ambitions.

The reformasi websites, for example, have 
urged its supporters to take to the streets  again on Aug 4 when the court delivers
its  verdict on the sodomy case against
Datuk  Seri Amwar Ibrahim.

Disenchanted Malaysians should not let 
their emotions cloud their sentiments by 
supporting PAS.

There is no place for anarchy, extremism 
and the politics of hatred in Malaysia.

When the news first broke out that the  group was involved in a standoff with
the  police and army, there were those
who refused to believe it, dismissing it as a “mere  decoy operation''.

On July 6, One DAP politician issued a 
statement asking whether the police and 
army  “are tied up in the Bukit
Jenalik operation''.

As it dawned on them that a real fight was 
on hand, there were suggestions, implicit or  otherwise, that the crisis was planned,
like  the Hollywood movie “Wag The Dog''
about  a politician who created a rescue
situation to  boost his popularity.

On Thursday, a Parti Keadilan Nasional 
leader even said: “It is not clear whether the  two non-Muslim security officers were
actually murdered in such a gruesome manner 
as reported in the media.''

He continued: “even if they were, the motive has not been established. It is
wrong to  conclude it was because they
were non-Muslims.''

The tone of such statements has become 
the standard line on the Internet, particularly one news website which
continues to run  letters filled with
such insinuations.

Various excuses have been made to justify 
the action of these murderers, including that   it was a desperate attempt against the
Governmment in a seemingly stifled political 
atmosphere.

The partisan politics adopted by some to 
take advantage of the tragedy to score political points is highly
dangerous.

Their anti-government sentiments should 
not be allowed to cloud their judgments of  such terrorist groups.

The head of policeman R.Sagadevan was 
blown off while Ranger Mathew anak Medan 
had his legs shot to pieces and yet we are  casting aspersions, asking whether these  tortures really took place.

Interviews with immediate families of the 
followers revealed that they had spoken 
about “re-uniting'' with them in heaven and  their rights to take away the lives of
“non  believers''.

It is the height of irresponsibility when 
politicians, who talk about justice, compassion and human rights
unashamely, raise  suspicions  to arouse hatred.

We can challenged the actions of the Government, even the manner it handled its
security system.

But let's not get too carried away with our 
accusations and recriminations.

It will be a tragedy, if some of us, with a  quarrel to pick with the Government,
unwittingly encourage these fanatics.

Let's not lose sight of the real issue 
a  band of dangerous and unstable
people staging an arms heist, taking away two innocent  lives and preaching hatred.

We can have our different political inclinations but  no one must condone the violence committed by
Amin Razali and his followers.

In all fairness to PAS, it is unlikely that 
the party leadership is fully aware of the activities of all its
members.

It has distanced itself from the group, insisting that cult movements
associated with  killings, are the
antithesis of PAS.

Still, at least one of the 27 followers was a 
PAS Youth leader while one of the vehicles  used by the gang reportedly carried PAS  flags and documents.

But this is not enough to implicate the Islamist party.

PAS president Datuk Fadzil Noor has refused to conduct any internal probe,
which  he ought to reconsider in the
midst of the  controversy.

If Al Ma'unah followers have been detected in the police, army and civil
service, how  can Fadzil guarantee that
there are none in  PAS.

Last week, Singapore's Straits Times reported that during the party's general
assembly in Terengganu, posters of Ibrahim 
Libya were openly sold.

The Memali incident in Kedah, which occured in November 1985, saw 18 people,
including four policemen, killed in a violent 
clash between security forces and followers  of Ibrahim Mahmud, known as Ibrahim Yahya.

The newspaper wrote “that not everyone, 
though, is prepared to buy the PAS line or  believe that the party will not attempt
to  score political points by praising
the Al  Ma'unah gang members as freedom
fighters''.

The newspaper may be judgemental in its 
report but it reflects the perception of many  Malaysians, particularly non-Muslims,
that  PAS needs to do more than just
expressing  its sadness over the incident
and distancing  itself from Al
Ma'unah.

Surely a commitment by Fadzil to flush 
out Al Ma'unah misfits, if there are any in  PAS, would be reassuring to many, including  its allies in the opposition front.

It is thus commendable on the part of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi to propose sitting down with 
PAS to discuss curbing deviationist movements in the country.

The proposed White Paper, when it is tabled in Parliament, would certainly
shed  more light on the activities of the
group.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri 
Dr Mahathir Mohamad is also expected to 
reveal more details over television.

But what is more important is that Malaysians, who consider themselves rational
and  right thinking, should condemn acts
of terrorism and murder.

The real heroes are those who have sacrificied their lives in defending the
country to  make it safe for us and our
children.

It is not those who preach violence, go on a 
path of destruction and killing innocent lives  in the name of God.

Let us be honest and bold enough to go beyond petty politics and personal
agenda.

Wake up, Malaysians, there is no place for 
religious zealots in this country.

Among the appeals were for 25 students  who obtained 10A's, 58 with 9A's, 80
with  8A's, 79 with 7A's, 87 with 6A's
and 60 with  5A's.

Malaysians are fully aware that competition is stiff for the limited places in
local  universities, particular for
science courses.  The situation is
aggravated by the quota system to help bumiputra students, especially  those from the rural areas.

However, it is difficult for anyone to explain how top students can't get a
place in  university.

It is unlikely to be government policy to 
reject these brilliant students; possibly, it is  more the actions of over-zealous
officials.

Such actions, however, put the Government in bad light as it would be seen as
unjust.

We do not want opposition-minded academicians to sabotage government efforts
to  educate our young.

Last week, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim said that all the
10A's  students who have appealed to UTM
would  be favourably considered and
“most likely''  be accepted because of
their good grades.

He correctly pointed out that these students could still enter Lower Six as an
option  if they failed to secure places
in these two  universities. And they
would have another  chance of getting
into university.

But why should the cream of the crop be 
subjected to this discrimination?

The Government has emphasised much on 
excellence in education. Our academicians  should uphold this directive strictly.

Surely they must realise that Malaysia 
could lose these top students to foreign universities. It is well known
that Singapore offers scholarships and places to such applicants.

In many cases, these students remained 
overseas upon completing their studies. Ultimately, this would be a loss
to our country.

It is sad that our university administrators 
are insensitive to the implications of their  actions.

By all means reject applicants with average results to maintain standards, but
no one  can disregard the best of the
best.

The MCA should be commended for trying 
to ensure that these deserving students get  into university.

The UTM and UPM officials have no cause 
for concern in taking in these top students.  No one in his right mind can possibly
argue  against their acceptance.

And if accepted, steps must be taken to ensure that they are not enrolled in
obscure  courses.

Recently, concern over the standards of 
some of our institutions of higher learning  was raised, even by Prime Minister Datuk  Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The pursuit of academic excellence must 
be sole responsibility of our academicians.  Malaysians will judge them for their
scholarly work, particularly their research and 
publications.

It's time they spend less time on politics 
and devote their attention to providing the  best for our young minds.

The following day, Chief Secretary to the  Government Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali said  that from now on protocol would be set
aside  at functions to enable leaders and
government officials to get to know the public better.

He said the people should be allowed to sit 
with the leaders, even with the Prime Minister himself.

The directive, he said, had been conveyed 
to the heads of department so that leaders  could interact with the people and get
to  know their problems directly.

The decision is long overdue. Organisers 
of public functions, involving government  leaders, often waste valuable time on
elaborate and tedious welcoming ceremonies.

These time-consuming ceremonies are not  just expensive and unproductive but
trivial  at times.

More often that not, school children have 
to take part in these ceremonies. Dressed up  in the various costumes representing the  country's ethnic groups, they sometimes  have to wait for hours for the VIP to turn
up.

I recall being at a function a few years 
back in Limbang, Sarawak, where a Lun 
Bawang schoolgirl stood barefeet in the hot  sun waiting for a VIP to arrive.

Standing on the tarred road, the blistering 
heat was too much for her. I urged her to put  on her shoes or wait in the shade.

But like all students who fear offending 
their teachers, she refused, preferring to  suffer quietly.

The VIP, when he finally arrived, hardly 
noticed her, quickening his pace to make up  for lost time.

In all fairness, the VIP should not be 
blamed. The fault lies with the organisers  who, in trying to please the
powers-that-be,  often spare little
thought for people like the 
schoolgirl.

That aside, the rakyat should not be subjected to boring and long-winded
speeches.  The stage should be left to
the key speaker.

It should not be an occasion of extravagant 
adulation; leaders should get to the point.

It would help if the speakers do away with 
the tiresome practice of making references  to all the Tan Sris, Datuks, Datins and
Yang  Berhormats present as a prelude to
the  speech.

Is it any wonder that we often see Malaysians falling asleep when a VIP is
speaking?

As with most Malaysian functions, the 
VIPs and the guests usually end up having a  meal.

Reporters are familiar with scenes of 
VIPs attempting to sit nearest to their party  boss, presumably to show that they are
the  favoured ones. Others assume that by
sitting  next to the big shot, the
chances of appearing in the news would be better.

Unfortunately, the ones who really matter  
the common folk  are unable to
mingle  with the leaders. Often, they are
relegated to  forming queues outside the
hall where they  jostle to shake the
VIP's hand.

Ironically, these are the people who usually treasure the little gesture by the
VIP.

Fellow VIPs need not be seated together 
since they meet most of the time.

If the Umno supreme council meeting in 
Ipoh is to be a precedent, each council members should be assigned to a
table so that the  leaders can hear for
themselves what the  grassroots have to
say.

Organisers of public events should also refrain from subjecting their guests to
performing ridiculous tasks for the sake of photo opportunities which most
Malaysians are  no longer impressed
with.

At the end of the day, our leaders should 
realise that the simple things in life are often the best.