HTNet - A Notepad of Tech, Business, Science and Self Improvement

Marina Mahathir, a reknowned HIV/AIDS activist and President of the Malaysian AIDS Council, liken the situation of Muslim women in Malaysia to black South Africans under apartheid. Apparently, this was supposed to be in her “Musings” column in The Star, but never made it to press due to some technicality. However, MBM has posted the full unedited version of Marina’s writeup.

Personaly, I couldn’t agree more. Religious laws are never a good idea to be implemented in society, they often lead to more harm than good. It’s not that I don’t believe in God’s rules. I just don’t believe in humans implementing them.

With the recent petrol price hike, i feel that it’s useful to share this information with fellow Malaysians; 25 Tips to Increase Fuel Economy, by Gear6.

It’s about time we take the issue of fuel efficiency more seriously.

Some governments just see the value of Linux and Open Source software in particular. Others, like Malaysia’s, are just all talk but no clue.

The South Koreans are willing to invest in the creation of a Linux Showcase City. They’re already the most broadband accessable country in the world. One thing you got to hand it to the Koreans is that they’re really tuned in to the IT trends of the future. Something Malaysia severely lacks.

Frankly, I have no idea what Malaysia’s Open Source policy is all about. I’m fairly confident that absolutely zero of its 2005 targets have been reached. One thing that I can hand it to the Malaysian government is that they’re really good in policy documentation. If only they can follow through half as good as they’re in planning.

In my opinion, we’re just not getting the right “heads” for the agencies and departments reponsible for the OSS Master Plan. Heck, the steering committee is chaired by Mampu’s DG… which even on its web site, is just a position. There’s no information on who is the DG anyway! Is there really anyone in charge of the steering committee? If this person exists, what are his/her credentials that make him/her suited for the position? Has this person even used an open source OS like Linux or OpenBSD?

Personally, I find the future of OSS in Malaysia to be bleak… perhaps as bleak as the Mimos Open Source web site (which looks like it hasn’t been updated for ages). Our population is too used to using pirated Microsoft products to even bother to explore really free alternatives. Thanks in large part to our government’s attitude towards IT in general.

The MDC is holding its first Creative Commons Competition. The works that are eligible for this competition are as follows:

• Music
• Motion Pictures
• Art

Find out more about Creative Commons here. If I had half of Lainie’s talents, I’d probably submit some works of art… She’s really damn good!

Here’s the topic I’m going to write about: Malaysia’s plan to replace the causeway linking it to Singapore with a bridge. Heck, it’s in the most parts, no longer a plan, construction on the land area has already started and is in its completing stages. The major part that’s stalled is the actual bridge itself… Thanks to Singapore playing its role effectively, as a major pain in the diplomatic ass.

If it’s entirely up to me, the bridge would have been constructed already, be it crooked or otherwise. Negotiations with the ever-scheming Singaporean government will never end. They have a proven track record of stalling whatever agreements that they ever had with Malaysia. To put it simply, when it comes to dealing with Malaysia, the Singaporean government is rarely sincere, honest or truthful.

It makes me wonder why the Malaysian government even bother with their compatriots to the south. How much stalling and time wasting do our dimplomats want to tolerate before they realise the uselessness of discussing with the Singaporean government?

Enough with the niceties and just get on with the project already.