Never mind the fact that the violent assault took place in international waters. It’s a clear violation of international laws. The Israeli officials have also ignored that the excessive show of force left nine people dead.

IT has become a ritual for our political leaders to ask their members to wake up after each electoral defeat, but Malaysians wonder if these politicians are still on snooze mode even after making their wake-up calls.

The impression we get is that while Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has taken bold initiatives to win back the lost ground following the March 8 general election, some Barisan Nasional leaders are still refusing to see the changing political landscape.

Some are continuing to cling on to outdated ways, even in states controlled by Pakatan Rakyat where they behave like they are still in power simply because the federal government is under Barisan rule. Worse is that there are still component party leaders who refuse to retire.

GOOD news seems hard to come by in the media but Malaysians had something to cheer about last week over two news reports - the strong appreciation of the ringgit and our ranking as the 10th most competitive nation.

It was reported that the ringgit was the best performing Asian currency for the year, especially against the euro, pound and dollar.

For at least a month now, ordinary Malaysians, especially businessmen and parents with children studying overseas, have been watching the movement of the ringgit against other currencies.