One day when a old building became new again in Bukit Bintang

This was what we saw when we arrived early in the morning, a shit building that had been neglected for over 40 years /  a team was sent to clean the building before inserting sensors.

 

 

 

 

 

Several broken windows had to be replaced / loose windows realigned and structure rivetted - Trajan and Kadjal. They seem to work very well together; for some reason each of them seems to know what the other is thinking and the way they climb is intuitive. I wish, I could climb with such confidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 3 rounds of rotating shift work, it looks new again. We had to clean it at least 4 times and you will be amazed how much dirt was removed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Before / notice the white deposit on the clading / that stuff is cancer to buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After cleaning and treatment…cavers were sent in for this section as only they have the experience for this type of narrow climbs – Pumpman & KOHO shift….it’s brand new again.

 

 

 

 

 

Can you make out the zebra crossing and street lamp in the upper hand corner?..that’s how high it is…working on the third shift. We drew the short straw. No one seems to talk very much, only hand signals were used and the team is slowly gelling find that line when they can work effectively and safely - there is plenty of fear, loads of it, but everyone seems to be dealing with it in their own way, no one talks about it, but it is always there / Darkness & Harphoon shift (I belayed, Darkness told me in the last minute not to come down with him. I have no idea why usually I will question him, but on this occasion, I think he knows best – hence the additional safety rope; I also helped him with a torch light from above to shine the way as his head lamp isn’t powerful enough).

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone is responsible for his own kit / usually, it is layed out pasar malam style like so all the time, so in the event of an emergency, if some needs to be rescued / those who are resting can prep up in a flash and go down / those of you who have alpine experience will wonder why I (Harphoon) tied it off fireman style, that’s a long story – basically each man has 5 sets of rope - two rappel / two emergency / one set for rescue transverse. This is the standard kit for one climber.

We thank our Malaysian friends for bearing with us and showing us such warm hospitality - many of our Malaysian channel partners came with offers to help (this was politely declined / some even brought us tasty food - terima kasih/ The work seems to go on and on and after 3 rotating shifts – the various sub teams are finally finding their line three – I can understand why Darkness ONLY insisted on mature climbers for this mission / broken glass is slices through kermantle rope like butter / we had a few of these incidences – for the most part the work  is ceaseless and grinding as Darkness rightly pointed and it seems to require alot of mindfulness; as from what I see since there are no foot holds there is no where to really rest and even gather your nerves – its just one very long climb on a sheer vertical rock face like El Cap / earlier during the second shift, we had an incident with Trajan, he got snagged and found himself upside down, but Trajan is a skilled climber, he didn’t panic and calmly tied a prussik / as safety officer I signalled a rescue team; they rappeled down; head first (commando style) and belayed him down apart from that one single incident, it was quiet uneventful, except for rope burns and the occasional nicks – everyone is in still in one piece  ( I wished I had captured  the episode and posted  it on up tube / it was very dramatic all done in less than 30 seconds flat! / we are slowing but surely transforming our new gaming server farm into a crystal palace / my only regret is this gaming server farm should have been sited  in Singapore – but for some reason many who make up the guilds do not consider it a stable locale to site such an important facility –  Tmr a new team will arrive to start drilling / they will also begin to rewire the building to interface many of our new servers / we are all exhausted except Darkness – he told me this is only the beginning as there and the next phase would be to finalize the terms and conditions of the rental with the owner – the owner seems impressed; it is as though he has walked into a time machine and gone back to another age when he first built the building – he is requesting us to rehabilitate a 40 metric ton sign board that sits on top of this building – Darkness says he will do it for free but all rental will be ours (again they shook hands – this is a strange way to do business, but to these people, it seems almost normal) - this is premium space right in the heart of bukit bintang – it would be good if we could get the Singapore tourism board to consider renting it – I told Darkness, we could set up a pair of green eyes to advertize for night safari and leave a mark of Singapore here – he smiled and told me, “that we have already done that; the trick is to allow the Malaysians to believe they were the ones who did it.” He keeps telling me this is a diplomatic mission at many levels as he believes, “Mahatir has psychoed so many Malaysians we are a bunch of greedy folk.” This mentality must be stamped out not by politicians, but by ordinary folk.

I am the youngest in this mission; I don’t know what he meant by that, but there was glimmer in his eyes when he stared as the sun began to peak over the forest of highrises in KL – “it was another beautiful day.”

Part II – the rubber band brigade

Today will be a very interesting day for me - our climbing team will be meeting up with the “rubber band” brigade for the very first time - we have never ever seen them before in the flesh as all of them are anon and they all seem to be very shy - to cut a long story short, one reason why they are called the rubber band brigade is whenever Darknesss runs into technical problems – he will usually go to their forum and discuss stuff with this group of boffins  and they seem to be able to get stuff done with lots of rubber band, super glue and duct tape – they are the make do people who the brotherhood usually go too when we run into technical difficulties – one thing about the brotherhood is its a very big network where someone knows someone and it’s a linkage not so different from a spider web – it just goes on and on, something like a village where there are people who have skill sets in every conceivable field of expertise that if used rightly can produce extraordinary results -  from what little I know, they are all geeks who like to tinker with stuff in their spare time, most of it the built in garages, sheds and rooms where clothes go to die.

The rubber brigade will be responsible for mapping the entire structure of the building – we need a 3D engineering perspective to map out every inch of the structure  before injecting our magic foam concrete into strengthen the structure – a robot has already been constructed mounted with specialized sensors this will be used for the main task of surveying the clading - the best thing about it is, it uses a black and decker commercial suction to cling to the surface so it can be remotely controlled and can scale up walls like spider man (though it drops sometimes, I am told – so we tie it off with a cable) - generally how it works is not so different from world war 2 radar / it sends out a ping at regular intervals and then registers the resonance;  this runs through a program and eventually we will be able to build up an X-ray image of what is actually inside structurally – something like a sonar used to detect fishes or X-ray - though the robot is a toy; many of the sensors are hand built and the project was funded entirely by the guilds at an exorbitant cost.

So far the rubber brigade has tested it only on industrial chimney stacks in the US / galvanize steel / if it looks like a toy that’s because most of the components come from some place where remote control stuff go and die – so it was put together cheapy cheap – but it is operated by a joy stick and there is even a remote link that relays images to a laptop.

This new tool will save us alot of leg work and it is very unlikely that we need to climb out ever again (phew!) as the robot will be able to do most of the tedious work of X-raying the cladding and giving us all a very accurate impression of the condition of the building – I asked Darkness why the rubber brigade were willing to finally show their face and come out into the open this time – he just said to me, if you create the right conditions which pique the interest of people and package the proposition as irrestible then dont be surprise if even shy thinking folk will simply say that its not worth hiding behind some moniker – they will eventually come out from their shells – the trick is to never to force people to do something that they may not want to do by insinuating they may suffer for some character flaw because they prefer to cling to their anon status – what must be understood is folk remain anonymous for a million and one reasons ranging from bad skin, BO to simple things like they just dont feel comfortable coming out into the open as they value their privacy (real or imagined) - if its important to them, then a good place to start is to send out a clear message, that is important to us as well - every relationship needs to be built on trust, respect and mutual dignity;  some things in life you make it happen with the hammer - other things just happens by itself  when reason and season intercepts - this is the latter- as most intelligent folk know some things in life require face to face interaction / there are limits discussing serious stuff in second life dressed as some alien - the trick is to make it so irrrestible and it is not so different from wooing someone you love.

Darkness went on to say, if the Singapore Government spent 1/1,000 of its energy pursuing this one strategy alone; online anonymity would be mere commentary and all Vivian’s problems will disappear very quickly - but instead all they seem to do is scold people,  talk down to them, threaten them, cut off the electric supply, call them funny names and pigeon hole them as freaks and give bandwidth to windbags like Yawning Bread (who has as much brain as a pin head – result: most people these days dont see the internet as the great hope, its a wasteland), is it such a wonder they’re going nowhere and Singapore has the highest anon rate in the internet on this planet -  they have no one to blame but themselves as what they are ineffect doing is reinforcing failure on the scale of the pyramids - he went on to say, these people are brainless and have no imagination that is why they can never harvest the latent talent in the internet; all they can really do is play bla bla bla black sheep like Philip Yeo or like Cheong Yip Seng insist that the world must be flat - now you know why all these clowns  are chasing their own tails and going in big and small circles - and when you do that on an institutional scale, then you have to be a grand fool as it demonstrates you have no idea how to manage yourself and others effectively in the age of the internet.

Coming back to the robot – like I said, it looks dorky.  But I am looking forward to getting to grips with it / We found recently, the rubber band brigade happens to be a co-ed team with only one guy - we will be dealing girls. Today most of us have started to clean up the upper floor and even do our laundry for the first time (fortunately someone brought alone some after shave) and put on some office clothes to give them all a good first impression – Darkness bought a boquet of plastic flowers – I told him that may come across as tacky and cheap; he replied curtly, that’s why we have decided you will be the one presenting this gift to them. 

The rest laughed. I didnt find that funny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work site report by safety officer Harphoon.

It is time to bury Singaporean social Darwinism – a study in crafting a new thoughtware to thrive in an age of uncertainty

Written by Darkness of the Brotherhood – As we preview the carnage of the global economic meltdown – and even asses how well or badly we as a nation & people may have faired against the maelstrom – this prompts us all to ask: do we need to change the way we think if we want to remain on the top of the heap? To paraphrase what does it take to succeed in an age where the only thing that is certain is uncertainty?

Unbeknown to many (who may well be oblivious to these transformational changes) we are already barreling inexorably into the unknown like a stone dropped into the abyss of a well – the age that can only be described as “golden spanner” – where things never seem to pan out the way it should; stock markets no longer abide to linear economics; even seemingly “good” plans seem to offer no guarantees – against this dystopian landscape a sporadic strain of virus could just as well throw the whole world out of synch; the sudden collapse of a bank may even render many right back to square one – my point is all these events brings home one startling reality; like it or not we may already be living in a very different world.

I know this only too well. Everyday, I peruse through the carnage; indolent Americans and Europeans no longer buy our exotic metals in the virtual; it’s hard to sell to space stations even with revolving loans these days and the litany of shattered dream goes on and on – it’s depressing.

In a nut, the world these days; politically, economically, socially and technologically is a very different place from what it used to be – the mantra seems Shakespearean even: “we plan our lives only to be ruled by accidents…”

Yes, I know there may be some empty barrels out there who will continue to insist the prescription to our times may lie somewhere in the trite line of ensuring: we must insist upon the crumbly idea some savior may be found in only ensuring those who have knowledge, vision and character continue to hold on to the levers of power, if we are to see light at the end of this tunnel – as if is ONLY these Brahmins who have the ability to craft a new vision to ensure Singapore grows from strength to strength – but I don’t buy into such populist claptrap; not even for one moment.

It would appear what we need to do is to learn new stuff to survive; but I don’t consider that as important as being able to unlearn many of the scripting that has been programmed into our heads since birth – I am not saying all of these motifs that are floating in our heads are bad; but I do question the whole idea of chasing pragmatism an injecting into everything from policies to profiling economic plans, as if it’s Penicillin that can cure so many of our ills; taking the word pragmatism beyond its dictionary meaning may have worked before; but I remain sceptical whether that alone these days is enough to solve many of the emerging challenges that will wash up on our shores.

These days it is not enough to think critically; even Pastun gunsmiths somewhere where gun shots regularly rent out in Pakistan have begun to replace the cumbersome firing pin of the AK-47 with only 2 moving parts instead of 4 – what is required in this new age to deal with new problems is a new way of thinking -one where we may even have to be comfortable with lateral thinking.

Here I ask myself how did we get ourselves in this shit hole? What accounts for the veneration of the gilded hamster wheel? How did this whole idea of chasing ceaseless competition assume primacy?– can education be the tap root? To the perceptive reader; I am using the word “education” in its profound sense – a dog can be trained to heel, stand and come on command, but that hardly equates to the type of transformational change I am referring too – real education must be appropriate within it cannot be learnt.  

I am merely scratching the surface – but if we peel off the veneer; we could just as well ask do we even have institutions of higher learning that is capable of producing movers and mobilizers who may be able to add real value to this whole of the goody good machine?

Stretch it further and you might even raise a host of uncomfortable questions whether our child like faith in the scholar program is really abasement on a mechanized scale or does it offer real intellectual salvation that can produce real thinkers who can add to the good benchmark – stretch it till the sinews turn white and you may even ask whether this grand Pharoahic vision of Philip Yeo and his quaint tankhood metaphor of “whales and guppies” offers or detracts?

Here I will stop (as he has a habit of naming and shaming people that seem to disagree with him), but you get my general drift: we are stuck on one gear; we need to relook at the whole idea of the goody good machine from the inside out – very much in a way Japanese camera manufacturers used to strip down German Leica camera and reverse engineer many of those stuff that separates mediocrity from something that stands out as iconic and timeless.

In other words. We need to desperately refocus, re-engineer and even restructure the whole way in which we have traditionally defined individual and organizational success.

But before diving into the solution where did it all fuck up? – that’s to say before we even begin to rebuilt and re-engineered; we need to ask ourselves – where did we go wrong? Here some many may still contend like, if it ain’t broken then don’t mess with it – it would make sense if only it didn’t sound so much like the string quartered that once played on the deck of the Titanic just before it sank – as we survey the prospects of the next 5 years and wonder why our dream has suddenly been transformed overnight into a mirage shimmering over the desert waste of the current economic crisis – the facts remain undeniable: we may have ridden out this storm; but many of our compartments are flooded and the ship is listing – that’s hardly a sterling record and so the question remains: how do we fix it?

When we square off the accounts let us be clear: the human raw material in Singapore is as fine as can be found anywhere in this planet – we are second to none in “intelligence” and the spirit of dedicating ourselves to the whole idea of ceaseless competition – but all I am saying is – this is no longer enough – if I had to finger the root cause for this sordid state of affairs – I remain mindful economic recession may on A4 paper only offer a disquieting account; but what’s even infinitely worse is the moral and spiritual recession it wrecks on my fellow human beings – I don’t need a psychologist to tell me how unemployment can scissor through families; all I need to do is look at my neighbor and compare how he used to be and what he is today since he lost his job in January.

That’s what happens when the goody good machine splutters; it manifest itself in many ways; most of it unseen, unrecorded and it all occurs underground – on the surface everything looks hunky dory; but deep down it’s riven with decay.

If I had to account for one reason why we are in a fix; it must have something to do with our preoccupation with social Darwinism  aka law of the jungle, namely the law that accounts for the survival of the fittess.

In a nub the logic goes something like this in tadpole language;

“What doesn’t kill you, will eventually make you stronger.”

Policy makers are the worst culprits for peddling the snake oil of social Darwinism, they regularly tell us welfare turns our back bone into jelly; if we don’t earmark the capable as scholars then the whole edifice may even come crashing down, it’s no good. Instead the reverse the whole logic of how corrosive social Darwinism really is by glossing over it with platitudes that would probably provoke Darwin himself to turn in his grave; politicians tell us no end; winging it on your own inures you with added resilience; we will emerge stronger (even when droves find themselves emptying out their cubicles); worst they tell us all; if we depend too much on the government; it breeds a crutch mentality and eventually our resolve may even melt away like camphor.

Granted all this talk about survival of the fittest seems innocuous enough. Even sensible and worst of all believable – besides who can only possibly deny what doesn’t kill you may perhaps even make you stronger. The danger of course is when the idea of social Darwinism is taken too far; it is transformed into a form of tyranny where it becomes even possible to technically legitimatize the whole idea – will power alone can conquer all – I don’t believe in that claptrap; you see, I’ve climbed at least a 15 mountains and sometimes things do go wrong (I am not talking about the escalator type climbs to Everest where there are even Zebra crossings and all you really do is follow a mountain guide like a sheep to plant a plastic flag) – I am talking about the real stuff where all you’re got no other choice but to take out your Swiss knife to cut yourself off from someone that you know; if you don’t do it; he will imperil the rest or the type where you break a leg at the upper reaches of 16,000 feet – when those times occur; I just shout for help – the plain truth is simply this some things will kill you; they don’t make you stronger anymore than you can wrestle with a 150 metric ton freight train – you die and that’s the end of it.

That’s one reason why I remain critical of social Darwinism when its used to justify everything from perpetual tuition to the whole idea of just winnow a few and giving them the choices cut and leaving the rest to fend for themselves; the whole idea of the survival of the fittest makes licit tyranny – it must be pursued in moderation – if we are not mindful of how social Darwinism permeates policies, decisions and even something as how to teach ordinary folk how to wisely manage their finances – then it’s magically transformed into an ideology, not so different from Juche or some form of “ism.” When that day comes the whole idea of goody good machine becomes inane; and with it, it can only produce a form of insanity.

As when only the strongest survive and the weak have no choice but to perish; then it could be said we have ceased entirely to be human beings where dignity and decency are reduced to mere frescoes that can do nothing except paint frivolous pictures of the happy life; without the content and only the hollow form; we may even begin to pursue the whole idea of building a brain on a Byzantine scale like Philip Yeo – and what may I ask did we get out of it? Or worst still a juggernaut like Temasek that is so big that if you hammered its tail, it would probably take a months before it registered somewhere in the labyrinth called the brain – pain.

Here we need to be mindful – social Darwinism just like turpentine; is a solvent that can gel with practically any idea ranging from economic policies to something as innocuous as how to get people back into the work force; it’s scope I will leave to your imagination – let us say, I know this only to well.

But where Darwinian logic becomes poisonous is when it leeches into government itself; here the result is often what we see in failed states; dysfunctional firms and even broken families; too much government and too little administration; to many public servants and too little public service; too many controls and too little imagination to fathom possibilities; too many laws and too little justice and people for government; instead of government for people.

And the pithy summary just goes on and on – really, I can’t think of a better way to drive off a cliff.

You have all been warned – your greatest enemy is not out there; it right there lurking somewhere in your head.

Darkness 2009

The Brotherhood Press 2009

This essay has been funded by the Thai Royal Creche – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK2Mn-XgHjA&feature=related

“My regards and felicitations to the lady of the lake” Darkness 2009

 

A Message to all guildsmen,

 

I have successfully negotiated a deal in Kuala Lumpur to re-site our new server farm in KL / the building is located in heart of Bukit Bintang / the rent is super duper cheap, but it comes with one condition – we need to first rehabilitate the building if we are to get this special deal as there are serious structural problems with the aluminum cladding (the owner is convinced it will collapse and he doesn’t have the finances to hire a professionals to augment these structural faults) – I have done an initial TOR assessment of the work, it requires extensive work, my feel is it is a good deal – to cut a long story, we shook hands and its good to go. The owner is a honorable man besides the son happens to be one of us – so he can be trusted.

 

Gentlemen this is a strictly volunteer mission – the guilds and the confederation of gamers will bear ALL the cost and I will be experimenting with a new polymer that I have invented to strengthen the building by at least 600% / I have not given this new substance a name, but basically the task involves rappelling outside the building, drilling holes at specific intervals and injecting this substance into the structure to augment many of the structural flaws – it basically like foam but when it cures, its like concrete only it weights significantly less (no one in Singapore wants to use it as they think it is some industrial mumbo jumbo, so I do not mind telling you all that I am also using this as an opportunity to test out this new foam concrete.)

 

I need a team of at least 6 very experienced alpinist climbers / I DO NOT NEED SHOW OFF’s AND RISK TAKERS / so on this mission I will prefer to deal with ONLY those who have families. As experience tells me ONLY these category of individuals are mature enough to manage risk without imperiling the rest of us. This should not be a problem as the guilds have many climbers of this sort.

 

The requirements (TOR) are as follows:

 

-   5 years experience in alpine climbing – minimum 7 climbs unguided / guided climbers are not eligible (I do not care if you have even climbed Everest – we need people who can work independently with minimum supervision and if they are in trouble, they can remain cool and work out a solution to keep it safe for themselves and others - so you are disqualified / proficiency in abseiling is essential using static rope (no dynamic rope will be used – so please, if you are a weekend warrior, do us all a favor, just give this a miss and do yourself and everyone else a favor – no offence intended).

-    3 skill sets are required: controlled descent / ascent / emergency rescue (hopefully, this will not be required) the main equipment required is as follows: Juma / daisy rope / Petzl stop / mini traxion and tyrollean tranverse / figure 8 / THERE ARE NO ANCHOR POINTS – so we are likely to use cams and only ballast we would need to figure out a way to manage the risk on what is available on site.

-   Engineering experience is preferred but not necessary. Work detail will be issued by Harphoon – I know some of you think he is young and inexperienced, but please set aside your ego and lets respect the rank and keep it strictly professional – he will be my No.2 that is final.

-  Living conditions will be spartan / no air-con / no room even / please bring a foldable bed as we will be living and working on site itself on top of the building  / that will be where will eat, shit and sleep / that is as good as it gets (bring also plenty of sun block as it will be very hot and please bring lots of rechargeable batteries as it will be a rotating shift)

-   As usual there will be strictly NO sharing of equipment / I expect every man to manage his own kit / except perhaps the rappel rope – it is sized at 11.5 / the plan is to work in pairs / I expect it to be hard work, so I would prefer to deal with people who talk less and can get the job done without too much fuss.

-   Pls note the structure is glass and steel / there are no hold points / no where to even rest your feet – so fitness is essential / I strongly recommend an industrial harness with at least one rescue piton – a rescue team will rappel down in the event of any complications, if you get snagged or get your lines entwined (though again, I don’t expect that to happen.)

 

WARNING: I do NOT want to see to any strange equipment that we all have not worked with before / every single time, we go for a climb some idiot will bring along some piece of hardware that no one knows how to operate and it is so complicated that we all need to read the manual before using / please check off the standard kit list with Astroboy (but please sign off on the book and do not disturb his granny if he is out, she is already senile and I have been getting alot of complains of people taking stuff out without signing the log book – remember what you take out, you are responsible for – if you break it, you buy a new one and replace it – it’s as simple as that!), I have listed them above – there is a big box underneath Astroboy’s bed and there is everything that we need there / if I see any funny gear it will be thrown into the dustbin – this is not a test bed for new stuff – if you want to do that go to SAFRA and they will oblige you.

 

This is also a diplomatic mission where we are ambassadors as a Malaysian team will be there to observe us / we have sold them a new Dimitri class space station – so training will be required – I expect alot of social interaction – three topics are barred from discussion: royalty, politics and religion / please note that the locale Bukit Bintang is now an Arabic enclave; we may also need a liaison officer to communicate our intentions as no one likes to see strangers hanging outside their windows – bear in mind BB is also a giant vagina where prostitutes ply their trade openly – our Malaysian counterparts will be observing us and I do not want any sexual fraternization of any sort (otherwise I will tell your wife’s. I will. Let me share with you why – many of our Malaysian counterparts will be observing us and we are there to built deep spirited trust – this can only come from having a moral consistency – if you cannot tahan, go to youtube, but don’t put me in a position where you shame us all.)

 

Keep it safe, clean and always remember we are ambassadors and if we do this well – we will leave people with a good impression that we are serious people who can be trusted to do big things.

 

As I said this is a strictly volunteer mission – the danger is 8/10 / remuneration for work done will be 50,000 Imperiums for each worker / we will work 12 hour rotation shift and it will be completed within 72 hours /

 

I will be the team leader and the first to go down to demo the SOP / Scholarboy will be XO and safety officer will be Harphoon / please report for fitness check with pumpman ASAP – we need to make sure you are fit for the job.

NB: piton has been calibrated at 70 kg ( FREE FALL – DYNAMIC ROPE / BEAL) - those exceeding this weight need not apply.

 

SAFETY FIRST

 

Darkness 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 days is only 8 days – why LKY may have gone up North?

8 days is 8 days. No more. No less. It profits a man none to read too much into this. That’s like trying to decipher the mysteries of the known universe by reading the back of a chewing wrapper – you will go nowhere.

 

LKY visit is ONLY to touch base with what he considers to the oppositional grassroots and perhaps to get a rough feel as to whether Najib is really a heavy weight. Or just a wooden house built on stilts – the $64 million question is can Najib be relied on?

 

I understand. I appreciate this as power is not so different from pharmacopoeia – what can claim to work is not nearly enough; it must first have potency – otherwise; you might as well rely on color Reiki crystals to cure yourself of swine flu as you melt happily away – in short faith is not sufficient – so let us not have any illusions – LKY is there to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the new Najib administration – if he skips this step; then there is a real danger delays will be a recurrent byword – things will simply not be able to come around – and what is likely to happen is words will take to the wind; where they may even be unmoved by real and present urgencies.

 

In the words of Malcolm Muggeride, “what we will end up with is……endlessly minuting and circulating…which like time itself, has neither beginning nor end, but just were.”

 

As there is absolutely no mileage in setting long term goals or even talking beyond the superficial – if all Najib really is, is someone who is holding sand in his hands; it is only a matter of time before power will slip through rendering him worthless at best and a danger to us a worst.

 

As you can see the gaming world is not so different from the real world politics – elections may change the governing faces; policies may even change the wheel of life turns. But one thing must be assured at every cost – no one wants to deal with a fake!

 

Against the backdrop of this discussion; we must never underestimate Malaysia – if I were to look over the whole region to find out the country most richly endowed with all the latent wealth, power and potential that providence has bestowed, it is just up North  – no one denies latrines there smell; cement may even be dodgy; and if one were to look only superficially; all that one may make out is the creaking joints of a country is crippled by a myriad of arthritic woes – but deep within its marrow; there is latent strength and a myriad of potential that I cannot even begin to elaborate for brevity sake. Yes I understand as even power failures these days are so common even in KL, it serves to remind us that dining by candlelight is romantic; my point is these are minor kinks should never be allowed to be cloud the real picture of what Malaysia can be.

 

Malaysia is a sleeping giant; do not even be fooled by the moss that clings to buildings which may have seen better days and draw simple conclusions that nothing great can ever emerge from our neighbor – there is a reservoir of power there that remains untapped; like oil; so far the Malaysian political scene remains fixed in the realm of rhetoric – their pronouncements from their cabinet are like a rain dance during drought.

 

But what if they get their act together? Can they? Is it even possible? What if they do?

 

So let us all see this with a sense of scale and perspective. 8 days is only 8 days. But even something small like this can transformed into an opportunity for both SG and Mly – providing the cards are played well – in many respects, this is not so different from how politics is conducted with regard to the internet. It can be perdition or salvation – opportunity or bane and so on and so forth.

 

It really depends how you wish to see it.

 

Despite the hold out of the great hope: if you have imbibed the ability to think as to why LKY is doing what he is doing – one needs to be realistic in our expectations. As I said 8 days is only 8 days. No more or less. Hence it would be best if some of you here who are trying to read more into this event as regard it as no more than a “touch base” – neither does it profit anyone to adopt an attitude that so little can emerge from so little – it never once ever did.

 

 

Understand this! Malaysia is has already entered a social political awakening where it is not uncommon for even ordinary folk to harbor ideologies that may be unpopular and critical of nostrums for no other higher purpose except that it is happens to be fashionable.

 

 

In a sense the proverbial genie is out the lamp – and what will likely feature increasingly in the Malaysian political scene is something that is yet to happen to in Singapore for many years to come - where the soundness of an ideology may not even be inversely proportion to the popular support it commands – neither will logic by itself win the day – democratic purist may consider what I have just said sacrilege; as what it does is assume there is no such thing as the ’good’ produced by the majority view - the spell that makes democracy work is it ONLY appears to be good, but within its seemingly democractic machine; there are plenty of stuff that can go awry to cast the Malaysian political scene into a maelstrom – where eventually the good may even be edged out by the bad.

 

As some of you already know based in the gaming world; I am not an ardent fan of off the shelve democracy – neither do I subscribe willingly to the idea that “rights” alone may confer upon one a ring of fire to protect, preserve and nourish – if that were really the case; then the  – neither do I subscribe willingly to the idea that “rights” alone may confer upon one a ring of fire to protect, preserve and nourish – if that were really possible then the caste system that has riven India for mellinia scissoring its social tapestry would not have persisted for so long; Indian politicians would not have to trade color televisions for votes and the largest democracy in the world would not bear the ignominious reputation of being the greatest expert in the art of perpetuating poverty.

 

Let us all be realistic – democracy alone is not nearly enough – if that were really true; then US policymakers would not have to struggle to stem the tides of balkanization in the Caucacus or try to stymie Iraq from being transformed into an Iranian style theoracy – as Sainte Beuve said, “like a pole star; it is only guides a man in the evening and rises when is going to rest.”

 

Apparently, for some folk this star means different things to different people whether we like it or not one thing remains certain; whatever happens in the Malaysian political landscape will continue to exert a gravity that will affect Singapore technological, economic, social and political landscape as well – our economic, cultural and to a certain programming are inextricably fused.

 

Malaysia short of a better word is now transitioning; very much in the way a man reaches an age when he now has to wake up 3 times a night just to empty his bladder – as democracy in the form of a word, lexicon or even crie de Coeur grows louder and louder in its various forms the hegemony that has once controlled Malaysia will increasingly show signs of stress and strain; as it tries to even out these rumbles – it may go on like this for years; but it may equally be possible that the entire structure may collapse sooner than we think; or worst still morph into a something that is reminiscent of how the Soviet Union once balkanized to its greater detriment and end up as something that will make geo-political history – I dont know, but what I do know is things are in a constant state of flux and this will not only influence Malaysian politicians but also our political strategist; they have to shift gears; change strategies and perhaps even throw out the old and rewrite the rule book, if they are serious in this whole business of capitalizing on opportunities – here adaptability will be key; as not only is it the price for survival; but this may be what it takes to reclaim the lost years of Mahatirism – history informs us; it is never the strongest that thrives. History suggest it is never the strong that survives; both the T-Rex and Mastodo – two of the strongest that ever lived perished, while the insignificant cockroach survived – this should provoke us all to ask why? Because it those mighty beast could not adapt themselves to the changes brought about by the chastening passage of time – its as simple as that.

 

In short my friends; just as history is replete with ironies – let us not assume that today will be like tomorrow or the past can even be relied upon as a basis to draw a straight line to fortell the future and what happens in Malaysia will have absolutely no consequence over here – I am reminded such departmental think is akin to “isms” – they are built with a mechanism of self destruction; there is no such thing as progress in perpetuity – things invariably wax and wane – the need to be nourished, fertilized and the old needs to thrown out and new brought in – and history testifies to this with its many ruins of ancient Greece, Rome and China.

 

All the old man is trying to say is to the Malaysians is not so different from the opening words of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina – “all happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own special way.” Here let us not forget new links need to be formed; they need to be nourished and in certain cases even retrofitted with new ideas. Our government has reached a new realization; the age of absolute command and control in Malaysia is fast giving way like camphor; even they need to hedge their bets and a good place to start is to touch base with these Malaysians – as do not be surprise one day; if they too can one day assume the levers of power.

 

In my view the old man is wise; this is what we too would have done given the same facts and circumstances; chit chat; iron out the odds; set the rules of the game and perhaps even try our very best to explain just how wide and unavoidable our differences may work against us all if we do not strive see the wisdom of coming together and work in harmony – but always remember 8 days is 8 days – no more or less.

 

None the less the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step and this we have taken timely and wisely - I remain cautiously hopeful. 

 

Darkness 2009

 

The Brotherhood Press 2009

Darkness Annual Message to the Confederation of Gamers / May 2009

Gentlemen of the Guilds,

Sometime last week. In a discreet corner in the ancient city of Melaka I met up with all of the representatives from the Interspacing guilds – may I begin by thanking all of you for attending this meeting.

It took place in a little known enclave known as the Majestic Hotel / located on the second floor is a fine dinning promontory that had been emptied only for us; there we sat drank fine wine and discussed many things till the sun rose.

Again may I thank all of you for coming; some have flown in all the way from south america others have even given up important engagements just to attend this sandbox meeting concerning the issue of how we may deal with the laanstrad and the pressing concerns that face us on how to better manage the new monetary policy to regulate the sale of interplanetary materials in the gaming world – this is a big problem gentlemen – if we do not resolve it soon; I see the imminent prospects of the breakdown of all diplomatic avenues that will lead only to endless conflict.

I will not go into the details / they are privileged  / what remains vitally important is the four houses know that we the brotherhood have crafted a new way to get out from the odium that has fractured our relationship for over 900 years – I am confident the plan we have all shared with you will work to resolve all our differences and divisions - but there is a stern warning here: we cannot compromise on the analogy we may all be in one little boat somewhere in the pacific, with no maps, compass or even the glimmer of rescue – we can no longer argue like children or take stock of the small and for go the bigger challenges - as Vollariane, my mentor once told me, “the sleeper must awake.” This requires courage if we are to build an online economy that stands a good chance to see us through this economic crisis.

It is a simple message, but these words are impregnated with meanings within meanings as the Navigation guild would like to alway say.

I thank all the guilds from metal exchange, mercantile to the even the cartographers who have all agreed to see the wisdom of setting aside our countless differences and my frevent hope remains we will be able to bring unbounded economic potential to many in a time where fruition is not only imperative but necessary; if they are to stand a real chance of being counteracting the deficiencies of that this economic crisis.

My friends, this year alone we have suffered a deficit of some 5.6 Billion Imperiums / the present sorry spectacle can only be arrested if we put our finest brains to transforming the internet as a sustainable place for wealth creation. I am confident we will not only succeed but grow stronger as where there is crisis there is always opportunity;  I did not tell many of you this, but the ASDF has been secretly working on a plan for the last two years; they have simulated it at least a thousand times – it is good to go!  Now all we need to do now is to row in tandem to that one direction that will take us to land – I promise you all blood, tears and toil, but if we keep to the plan; the plan with keep us. I will not say sweet words  of even give words of encouragement – I give you the bare facts as they are; if all our ships do not sail in one direction; it will be uphill!

In this meeting, I am happy to say not a single one of the representatives in from the four houses disagreed with me (this is unusual and I thank you all and you all flatter me; as I do wonder sometimes who is the bigger fool; the fool who leads or the fool who follows the fool? I am jesting for I am the biggest fool of fools) as without the prospects of hope that only we can do this then my fear is that cynicism will undo everything and absolute cynicism as all of you know so well is one main reason why the relationship between the guilds and the brotherhood has remained strike bound.

Gentlemen, thank you for attending this meeting. Another will be held tonight with the Interplanetary confederation in KL where I will lay out the plan to the Presidium and the Council of the Wise  – all have flown in for this meeting.

Gentlemen at the end of the dinner when we all retired for brandy and cigars in the verandah; the representative of the presidium for the blue ribbon guild recited a poem, it was once penned by Yeats:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

As you can all see gentlemen these words carrry the twinheads of perdition and salvation – but somewhere  there it also reminds us of what we needs to be done / we do not have much time – these words must always be borne in mind whenever we come together. Do you all understand now why the sleeper must now awake?

Once again thank you all for attending the dinner. I have left something with a waitress by the name of Pyu Pyu – I believe it is a book that I had intended to present to the presidium, it is prosaically entitled the treason of the intellectual – can someone go there and please collect it and make sure it is send to his excellency.

Once again thank you. And do forgive my bad spelling and grammar as always.

Darkness 2009 (The leader of the brotherhood)

The fine art of blowing off your head and still coming up roses – The Bank of America Saga!

Ripped by Singaporedaddy from Inspir3d @ Wiffle Waffle, Gobbledygook, Smokescreens and Nonsense!!!

Warning: This post contains several expletives. Readers who are offended by strong language are advised to proceed cautiously.

Myrna Thomas of Temasek has written to the press to “explain” the BoA divestment. Her press statement not only does not clarify anything, it only insults the intelligence of Singaporeans by repeating the same truisms and smokescreens that Temasek has been saying time and time again.

To read more Here is the full toss on the Nonsense!!!

Why Botak Siew’s decision to get the police involved throws back internet freedom by a good 10 to 15 years – a study in stupidity

This is written by Darkness of the Brotherhood

 

Recently, when NMP Botak Siew proclaimed to the whole of blogoland with great fanfare how he was going sue the astroturfers who posted some “defamatory” statements regarding him on the net, I was asked, whether there was any truth in this?

 

I laughed – why? Because I couldn’t help but think Botak Siew may have fallen for the oldest trick in town and what might that be? 

 

The fine art of how to sell a gold plated fire engine – now if you’ve never heard of this con job before this is how it plays out – first start a fire, better still start plenty of fires and if possible burn everything right down to a cinder – then roll out the gold plated fire engine and ask any price: I guarantee you, its sold – a surefire deal – that’s the long and short of the gold plated fire engine con job.

 

You see the way I see it; the people who may be behind this whole idea of trying to paint botak Siew as some hairless wonder James Bond for the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) may actually be trying to sell you and I the idea online anonymity is the personification of Satan; to me the whole idea of him being some secret agent is really just a side dish – to understand this, one needs to buy into the idea there are well dressed foolish ideas, just as there are well dressed fools, and the discerning man must be able to recognize them as such.

 

How do I know this? Because both me and Singaporedaddy rank within the top 100 gamers in spycraft – and we all know the chances of Botak Siew being a mole is roughly equal to a paraplegic winning a gold medal in the hundred meters dash –sorry lah, he just doesn’t fit the bill; for one to excel as a secret agent, one needs to have real hair; not the toupee variety of buy one get one free in Mustafa, as the first rule of spy craft requires the operative to blend in – and how could you possibly even do that if you go around like some fluorescent traffic cone? Think about it.

 

In summary, this whole idea of Botak Siew being a secret mole has as much credence as a tornado whipping through a junkyard and magically assembling a Boeing 747 – probabilities; don’t ever make for possibilities.

 

And this brings into stark focus the irony of the situation: why did Botak Siew threaten to sue a motley crew of lunatics that nobody in the internet even believes for one moment in the first place? Was he trying to protect his reputation? To paraphrase, would you even consider arguing with two drunkards in a dark alley on whether we should all consider our appendages as five fingers instead of one thumb and four fingers? Get my drift now?

 

It’s a stupid enterprise! As history informs us all, for any great enterprise to take wing; what is required isn’t just the mere appearance of nurturing a sterling reputation or for matter fashioning the chimera of order and symmetry or even mythologizing one’s worth (if you want to do that, then go and build a ten storey statute in the padang! But as Sadam found out even industrial grade cables can bring it down in a flash); if “what has to be seen to be right” holds the promise of a better society, then countries like North Korea  where everyone seems to resemble obedient dogs would have been been to produce flat screens TV’s and talking toasters that most people would willingly vote for with their wallets – my point is a nation can only progress by continually nourishing and respecting the idea of basic human rights and civil liberties, even if it comes at a cost to one’s reputation or for that matter the right to ride your bicycle on the pavement – it must be able to transcend the form and embody the content - these values are not disimilar to fragile structures like coral reefs and they should never ever be tampered with in the name of whatever; that to me will always remain a facile argument as what is at stake goes way beyond the issue of individual to embrace a broader sphere – here the danger is clear if one overacts by calling on the police to protect one’s reputation would that lead to the unremitted license to enable the rich, influential and powerful to play the unending game of power to further their nefarious means? This I leave to for you to consider.

 

I am not saying for one moment Botak Siew is not justified; neither do I discount that he has every right as a citizen to even invoke the law; but what we are talking here is not the idea of what is right or even wrong; ratherwhat’s at stake is the jugular property that must be protected at all cost: the crumbly conception of the value of how we should never ever resort to the path of least resistance by using the hammer and instead try to fashion ever more inventive and clever means to get our point across when come across those who are out to fix us.

 

I admit this is never easy. It may even come at a terrible cost. But the dangers are real, as if we resort to the hammer to solve all our problems, then in no time, the world will all be nails and that would really be the only tool that we would have mastered as the solution to all our problems - going to the cop shop in my view amplifies rather than manages this urgent crisis intelligently – it merely sharpens and heightens the divide and may even precipitate a classical arms race.

 

I dont doubt at times this idea of taking on the many slings and arrows that many may choose to lob at us present may even go slightly awry and in certain cases ruin businesses in the way a colleague who I happen to know was once labelled as an adulterer, much to his detriment than even affected his business prospects – but my feel is it still remains our besetting sin if we fail to cultivate a reason habit of thinking things through and instead resort too readily to the hammer to right wrongs; it may in the long run produce more bad than good. As all it can do is breathe life the multi headed hydra to endorse the corrosive ideal, “the means justifies the end” and what’s even graver is there is never ever any shortage of justification that could be confected to warrant skipping these higher principles.

 

IA case in point: if you really want to know why the Bush administration was able to declare war on Iraq by mesmerizing the American public – it was precisely because they confected the illusion of war against terror very much in the way the marketing manifesto sells flouride toothpaste - here no one disputes terrorist are dangerous but what remains disturbing even today after so many years is never ever once was the whole matter of going to right a wrong discussed with regard to scale, perspective and the more importantly the need to keep to these higher principles at every cost - had all this been given a proper airing then most Americans today would not have felt cheated as they do when they feel that familiar sense of estrangement that can only come from the wool being pulled over their eyes once upon a time; fact remains the twin towers was not brought down by some great Islamic super power; it was masterminded by a confused man who lives in a cave in Torah Borah and commutes to work on a donkey!

 

As it stands today the US finds itself in a moral hazard that’s no different from a man who has managed to lock himself in the basement while leaving the keys outside – it will be a long and dark road and here despite Obama’s best intentions to change the corrosive culture that once allowed Bush to skip the constitution – do think for one moment it will be easy; as it has permeated the very marrow of the very system to make his a forlorn task – at this point; we need glean the lessons here and if possible even extrapolate what similarities might this bear on the manner in which Botak Siew once reacted to these allegations. Again you go and connect the dots yourself.

 

My point is we cannot live by gross national product alone or nor can we even benchmark the mental bearing of a society by global surveys or even the chase the whole conception of what may be right or wrong to its logical end; anymore than we can expect New York to be New York or Paris to be Paris without having to bear the perpetual grime, sludge and even occasional mugger – but bear in mind these are also the very places where great ideas are born and dreams take flight - my feel is for great things to emerge; we should trust that good can win over evil and this in part requires hope – this may sound idealistic but it isn’t when you consider the internet is not an dead zone as it is the equivalent of a frontal lobe that growing exponentially very much in the way a baby begins to pick up new ideas and thoughts and given time it will even be able to synthesize its own opinions - so Botak Siew should have left it to the wisdom of the net as the final arbiter; instead of strenously trying to right the wrong by calling in the police – again I will leave to your finer judgment whether the right thing had been done.

 

My personal take is stark and I will not mince my words Botak Siew was dumber than dumb (please go ahead and sue me, as I have so much money, I don’t even know what to do with it these days, I dare you! And I have real hair wouldn’t you like to see me decked out in $3,000 Zegna suit with my hair slicked back in court surrounded by the likes of Missy Dotty & Co in Victoria Secrets?) – as the corollary of his petulance to sue not only highlights how he came across as thin skinned as he has absolutely no compunction even to dish out the same manner of resolving disputes that he so often feels obliged to point out as a character flaw that characterizes a particular political party – the irony.

 

If the truth be known; the net will always be filled with the good, bad and ugly; that I can assure you will be always be a veritable bell weather fact of life before, during and after despite the tomes of disquisitions by the likes of Cheong Yip Seng et al to state that it should be otherwise – why is irrelevant, but for the goal of this 10 minute write up what this account demonstrates aptly to every single netizen remains only this: knowledge indeed is a great treasure, but there is one thing higher than knowledge is understanding that comes from crossing a line. As what happens when a line is crossed is simply just the giving way to a new way of thinking.

 

Rather as Betrand Russell once ruefully observed,

 

“There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the day…man can justify anything given the slide rule…in the absence of (keeping) good ground for belief, he will be even satisfied with bad ones.”

 

In simple English it just means; whenever we believe; we have a right to cross a line (or for that matter any line), be it something as benign as picking up the phone and calling the cops to help us to put an end to our source of misery (which may even be very real) - what we may actually be doing is triggering dangerous tremors to work their way through the subsoil of how we may wish to build a free, independent and better internet -  somewhere in this story that I can only describe as Greecian tragedy - we have somehow forgotten internet ”crime” be it’s tendency for brutishness or just being a plain destructive is not only a problem for the police but it is one that has to recruit every single netizen! If such nonsense is to be stamped out! - and this naturally raises the question: do we want to set the course ourselves and define it very much in the way the founding fathers of the Bill of Rights onced gathered beneath a cherry tree in a July morn to discuss how to fashion a better society – or do we just want to outsource it to those who may come in at the risk of eroding the very character of what makes the internet what it is – I think that’s the nub of my essay.

 

That I am afraid may be where your métier Botak Siew stands at odds with what you may have rightly thought you have done (in my opinion you took a big fall here and if you dont believe me go ahead a poll it!) to counter those preposterous lies that was once leveled at you – had it been me, I would have just smiled supremely, that would have situate the case aptly between fact and fiction as even in Bombay station where Helter skelter rules when millions of commuters flood in from all over India; the serene face of a picture of Gandhi can always be relied upon to bring order to even apparent chaos that many of us may not even understand, but none can deny that may be all we really have as human material to fashion a better internet – my point is the internet is not General Motors or NASA, it is the internet; the equivalent of a kid in a tricycle throwing out daily reads; a disingenous medium of spreading information; taking it too seriously can only amount to a travesty of logic.

 

And here I have to be so clear as to be blunt: you should not have used the hammer! Had you used the ploughshare, we would have helped you and brought this matter to an end within the span it takes me to empty my bladder! You are not wise!

 

But what did you do instead? You went straight for the chicken button! Sure your reputation is important; and believe it or not so is mine and probably everyone that makes up the statistical insignificant in the litany called life – but we are not all imbued with the same power, influence, position or even history to be able to make things right – if that were really true, then a certain family would not be winning court cases every single time in the way one shoots fishes in the bucket – again you consider whether I am making sense or talking shit – the greatest travesty in all this is I wonder whether Botak Siew even considered for one moment that the sum of what his actions may have entailed for the broader history that will unfold in our blogoland – if he paused, pondered and smoked a cigarette deliberating these raucous and fracious voices in his head; he would have certainly heard the creak of Pandora’s box opening slowly – hell has been unleashed!

 

Go and spell check yourself – that’s the only time I have for you 10 mins! – the brotherhood can no longer support the likes of you!

 

Darkness 2009

 

The Apocrypha of the Book of Ages (The annals of the Brotherhood) – Annex 16 / Chapter 16 . Page 1,7989 Hansard. – retrieved by Singaporedaddy from the Chronicler of the book of ages – conversation between Vollariane and Darkness mirror copied on board the space cruiser – the KDD Juma – entitled “why the pen is mightier than the sword.”  May contain spelling mistakes due the chronicler been a bad writer.

 

“……Do you not think that I wish for nothing more than to arrest, sue and break every intellectual that has harried me in the Imperium? (The Parliament of the brotherhood) – do you not think that I have never toyed with  the idea of sending in the Sardo-Khan (elite troops) at least a thousand or even a million times whenever they jeer me whenever I make my speeches in the Imperium drowning out my speeches…do you see how they regularly make me look like a fool with their endless Gordon knots before the entire confederation?

 

But consider this Sad-herine (apprentice) as this must be your greatest lesson, if we are to continue to rule over the universe that outnumbers in people, space and even resources by the numbers of stars that we may not even be able to count even if we have ten life times then where might the wisdom be to silence these voices from the wilderness with the plasma gun?

 

Do you have any idea how dangerous the yellow row is (the seats the intellectuals occupy in the imperium – they have immunity from prosecution) – do you even have any idea or conception of their power, influence and reach?

It took just 7 of them to start the French revolution; less than 5 to bring down the Czar and only less than a bus load to allow the Americas to break free from the yoke of King George – these people are dangerous; I fear one of them more than ten legions of our most battle hardened Sardo-Khan; as their voices can never be silenced as their words will always live on well beyond the sands of time – kill them and you martyr them; twist their arms and they wear their wheelchairs like badges of honors; sue them and they walk around like old soldiers pouting their their medals on their lapels telling the world – I once fought against evil and this is the price I paid for it – inspiring many others to follow suit – No Sad-herin those we can never defeat; we have to embrace; this was how the Romans ruled their empire at their zenith – make no mistake, we are dealing with chess players here; we have to learn their weirding ways and fight them brain to brain under their own terms and if possible even gain their respect and admiration – if they throw out homer, we will have to call on Aristotle and so on and so forth…..consider this Darkness; what is the real cost if we put them all in jail, or send them all to the salt mines as you suggested?

Consider this Darkness how do you stop a cat from jumping on a stove? Simple. Switch it on – that guarantees immediate results; the problem is this: that same cat will never jump on a cold stove either; and consider this; what about the other cats who have witnessed the fate of this one cat? Aha – what will they do?

 

Now Sad-herine (apprentice) ask yourself will we be richer or poorer for it? – if all we desired is to hear endless streams of sweet nothings and libations that do nothing except masturbate us in the way a $400 call girl gives us a blow job?

 

Do you see now why – I need to fight fire with fire – and take on these intellectuals in the yellow row (second tier in the Imperium) with the power of the quill and never with the barrel of the gun?

 

As the real battle is waged in the hearts and minds…..you need to learn this darkness, as if you do not, you will not even last one hour in the brotherhood…as the sum of all it really is….is a rattan chair on top of an anthill, where every monkey dreams of nothing all day except to sit on this one chair…..from today onwards….there is no more mystery to the keys of power…people do not respect you Darkness….they fear you in the way the Sparta’s once feared Achilles…. As you are not a man of letters….you are a thug…a two bit gangster with a cutlass who knows a bit about this and that to impress only ladies, but make no mistake, the serious men of this world, will give you no time….do you hear me!…today, you will lay your sword down…you will follow me to every sitting in the Imperium…there if you give up TV and your skirt chasing ways and dedicate yourself to the reading of worthy books….maybe you will one day sit on this chair and many will call you the wise…. As it is a fool that you are! ….the sleeper must awake!”

Vollariane (The man who has passed on to the Shadahaludh - long live the brotherhood!)

 

Conversation by the previous leader of the brotherhood Vollariane to his apprentice Darkness – space time: 97653- the age of the rocket / Reign of Padinshah III– extracted from the book of the ages by the chronicler ESAC 2995-989- REF 09-A0398 – a lesson in the weirding ways.

It’s time to cash out!

Written by Darkness of the Brotherhood / Folks it may be the right time to cash out! Yes, the time has come when we just have to move to on to bigger things – I’ve come straight to the point, we are not getting younger and the way, I see it the whole idea of the internet is just a great way to make money without having to pay tax – I don’t know about the rest of you, but that is how I’ve always seen it from the very first day: as nothing more than a great opportunity to prosper very much in the way prairie pioneers once set their hopes and dreams eyes on as Emerson said so beautifully, “the thirst for the new and untouched” – This leads me in part to my windbag point through the years, I have managed accumulate quiet a small fortune in e-currency (monopoly money) – one reason why I have not cashed out is because of certain complications that some people reading this may only know too well – in  polite terms let us just say there are wating to pouch on me when I make the conversion – we know who they are and they know who we are – the game of life it seems is played in this cat and mouse way.

 

So far, we have outwitted them, but to be fair, they have more than made up for the slack by their dexterity; however, my feel is like any priceless domain, the field of economics will invariably try to command and control this new frointier called the internet, it always be unending power game that will sharpen as money begins its exodust to this new domain – the way I see it, learning when to put things down requires infinitely more wisdom than picking it up; the way I see it, it’s only a matter of time before the bough gives way – not only are we seeing new arrays of panoptical digital eyes, but these days they can even make up the missing alphabets between A and Z and so much to even color whatever story they may wish to forward as the established truth – this should never be seen as curious – as everything even something as forgettable as shoelaces needs mythologizing. For example, its no accident North Americans much prefer the criss cross unlike Europeans whose ancestors  fought in muddy trenches who much prefer the straight lace, as every soldier knows when the laces are all lined up they’re easier to cut off with the bayonet.

 

My point is nothing ever comes from nothing; usually its accompanied with a history  - in this respect, the internet has its own story and it the affairs of things: the story is not so different from the idea there is divinity that shapes all things that once worthless and suddenly assumed a value such as oil, wind or even a sliver of land winds – the internet has become such a thing; granted rough hew, crude even very much like the prototypal rockets once launched; but have not doubts, it can shift, tack ebbs and flows and if the net was ever a man who had ever lived through an age; he would probably express his age in the same prosaic sentiment as Abbe Sieyes when  asked what was his one greatest achievement during the French Revolution, he replied, “I survived and did not lose my head like the others…now many see me as useful…if they want to keep their head that is” – that’s one reason why it may be time to cash out.

 

As if we ask what will come after this time Sieyes described; it cannot be so different as to ask what have we really learnt from the internet? Like or hate it, the accounts dont hold out promise; as even the most sanguine observer must ruefully admit in the words of T S Eliot, “We have experienced, but missedthe meaning.

 

History teaches us the men who did not miss meaning and implication were the people who fill the pages of the history books (I am not referring to those self styled legends in their own minds who seem to do nothing but perpetuate their hologram legacy); I am referring to the real heroes, like explorers, scientist and rugged individuals who are prepared to stand and fight for what they believe to be right and to even do it in ways that may in certain cases raise eyebrows; I don’t claim to be such a fellow, the nearest I came to such innate potential was a time when a woman of a fine standing told the world that I had promised her the fortune (or should I say the misfortune of starting a household); when I was asked why I declined, I simply replied, it would be impossible for me to fuck her; as even a sparsely furnished mind such as mine requires love making to be something beyond a chore – yes, if only we can all resolve all our differences with such candor – my feel is the world will be a much better place.  My point is for a new domain such as the internet to prosper, it much be infused with the leadership to be able to set its own terms, not the talk alot fuck everything up, then then do the no regret song and dance medley - in short , it has to be founded on courage, intellectual integrity and a sense of real values, not empty rhetoric and false pride – the problem with our accelerated age in the internet which may even have spanned a whole century is it has not really gone anywhere beyond chasing it’s own tail – the government is still going on and on about online credibilitiy as if its that one value that trumps all; Cheong Yip Seng et al still writes about the internet without ever once directing himself to the cogent issue of the climate of fear or how it may even color the past, present or future (real or imagined); Tan Tarn How on the otherhand finds disillusionment and disappointment in the ideal of what the net should be instead of what it already is – al for Cherian George, he blows with the wind  in every sense, their metier seems to be one premised on the common belief; they have to prevent the infection of the fallen, depraved and feral species from spreading to prolong civilization.

 

In short these days when we really take a long, hard and serious look at the internet; we not only dont have any credible figures; but those who have been placed as the custodians of this great hope are often the very people who should not even be occupying positions of leadership – in short, we are sorrounded by too many people who are willing to compromise and trade their beliefs in the name of expediency or worse of all that fuzzy idea that can never be pinned down called the collective good (whatever it is) – to paraphrase, we have in our midst far too many spineless wonders – who were not so different from the pravenu’s who once riven politics and made it look as is Machivelli was nothing more than a door stop – the problem is no leadership can ever emerge from such men; they are in every sense of the word, spineless, useless and worthless to suggest what we may really need to make the net a better place is the scarce commodity known as intellectual integrity – here what is not require is not platitudes or congenitiality as PAP would have us believe when they speak of the whole idea of polite conversations – but rather the courage to be stand up and be counted in support of a view which many not even be popular or buy votes – here, I am reminded everyone finds it easy to swim with the tide – by historical definition, there will never be a shortage of jelly fishes who will always find it expedient to swim with the tide.

 

But let us not detract from why we are doing all this: as it all boils down to only one problem, what happens when you convert virtual currency into real money? (those guys know I have a lot of money, the monopoly type) For one it attracts a lot of attention / you could say that’s the only problem – the heist is never the problem, the real problem is always the getaway.

 

Haven’t been able to figure out that part for a long time, as it requires finesse – but for the last two years, I’ve made plenty of plans for the great escape – and this is how it’s going to go down; sometime after Thursday when the bell strikes noon somewhere in Geneva, a man will pull up in a dark V8 Audi, step out and walk into a bank in an expensive Italian suit with a suitcase full of convertible bonds; he will speak immaculate French and the transaction will be done in the time it takes to empty a latte (don’t worry, these bonds are kosher issued out from the Caymans islands) / on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, a man attired in bikers leathers will withdraw an equivalent sum of money from a local bank put it a haversack and take off in Z1000 BMW motorbike – don’t try to tail me, it’s impossible, if like me you know how to split her in half and hammer all her cylinders till she screams, you wouldn’t even come anywhere close, I’ve make it from KL to SG in 3 hours flat!– that’s how its going to go down – fast and furious with the help of lashings of red bull!

 

Why am I telling you all this?– because I want you to catch me red handed (believe it or not, that may have something to do with the perversity that comes with some measure of delusion with spending so much time in the virtual – petulance) – you cannot of course – all you could do is trail me to this IP that’s probably programmed to run for 18 hours a day searching meaningless words to make sense of this meaningless world and maybe the real story is written somewhere else very far away from this place called the unreal.

 

Let us just say the curtain has come to a close and the lights are dimming.

 

I don’t know what I am going to do with the rest of my life or with all this money (if me and my motley group manage to pull it off). But one thing is for sure, I’ve managed to convince Singaporedaddy, Harphoon and a few others to join me in a business project in Cuba, it may hit off, then again, it may fall flat, but that’s how its going to go down – I have a lot of hope in Cuba, as few believe it will work out and that’s always a good opportunity for improvements.

 

I know what I say may not make a whole lot of sense to many of our readers, but lets just keep things simple ; those who understand, will understand and that’s really the most important part of this message – the rest is mere commentary.

 

Catch me, if you can…I am as slippery as wet glass.

 

Life according to Somerset Maugham is a very funny thing, if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you often get it – the Cubans may know little about the internet, but they have just purchased the top of the range Dimitri class space station from us – these propositions are impregnated with hope as they speak of not only what Louis Stevenson spoke when he once wrote,

 

“If beams from happy human eyes have moved me not, if morning skies….stab my spirit broad awake.” 

 

My gut feels tells me, we may prosper even more if we should work with people who have very little assumptions about the internet - you dont have to be a rocket scientist to figure out most of our problems is based on not having to learn new things, as it involves forgetting our scripting – the Cubans despites their seeming naivette dont suffer from such affectations – the treat us well, with respect, dignity and the promise of hope – I encourage the entire confederation to invest not only in fashioning it as an oasis of knowledge, but also as a beacon that may show many the light of what was once considered impossible, yet with reach if only all of us can put aside our prejudices and negative assumptions. 

 

And as much as I wish to to say the same of Singapore. I cannot as in the litany that makes up the summary of our internet history – I have never ever once even heard a single minister speak of it in terms of a great hope that may be able to change anything beyond altering his receeding hairline.

 

Somerset Maugham’s words right true; it is equally true of democracy or for that matter maintaining a car, if people refuse to accept any but the best of what they may offer in terms of governance, press write ups, working relationships and even something as simple as al dente spaghetti, it may probably usher in the golden age of a time that is worth living rather than just settling for existing – choice gives, as life gives what you may ask of it and as we set our eyes on Havana, I remain hopeful as always.

 

Go forth and mulitply! The rest can just as well go and fuck off!

 

Darkness 2009

 

The Brotherhood Press

Why every Singaporean and resident would do well to set their differences aside and support Botak Siew

The aware saga like the Santa Maria may already has slipped beyond the horizon of our consciousness; it’s gone – but the question it leaves in its wake stirs the forth of discontent; as it centers on only one question of Should Botak Siew should be nominated for another term at a NMP? Here we could just as well throw a hundred issues into the medley, gays, lesbians, what was written in page 73, was the mike on or off; along with his brazen show of support for the old guard and total disregard of the broader landscape of issue – what it the final prognosis? Irrelevent! To paraphrase the sum of fuck all even.

 

I am here not to waste bandwidth – I am here to take on something diffuse and confused and hopefully, if I pull it off I can focus all the issues into a point no larger than the diameter of an intellectual pin head without confusing you and myself.

 

The question is this: Can Singapore do without a personality like Botak Siew? – to the preceptive reader the question is a ”reverso,” as its starting premise is not his suitability or even whether he has the metier to discharge his duty as a NMP. What is at stake is not only the broader question of how do we should go about fashioning a better society in the social political landscape? But how should we even go about crafting a way of understanding the spirit of an age and begin to make sense of things that would even divide and rile us and cope with the many dilemmas it throws out like the AWARE saga?

 

In my mind, whether such an event will occur again remains academic; what should ideally preoccupy our attention is if it occurs again – then, there must be a reliable roadmap to solve these dilemmas in a way that does not threaten the stability and legitimacy of the system.  

 

The danger if we remain bovine about these question is we may end up playing nothing more than “happy families” where everyone can be counted to say and do the right things and not to rock the boat a la Teo Ser Luck style – in my view that has to be akin to slow acting poison – a kind of death, Cicero onced described as “a life of dissipation.” 

 

And this leads me to one of my main points this afternoon; all our intelligence informs us a smear campaign to undermine Botak Siew is currently on the way in earnest – but this should not be seen as abberation, as when one group finds itself disenfranchised and marginalized, then what did you really expect? They will certainly find alternative ways of squaring the accounts – in the days to come, we should all expect to see more sordid revelations throwing ”doubts” galore on the suitability of Botak Siew along with plenty of reasons designed to stymie his re-nomination  as a NMP– many of these confections may hold some level of truth, not because they are true in the real sense, but rather they play on our fears that something is amiss – in other words, this has to be a form of psychological warfare;  some will believe it; many will not – but my point is simply this, the goal is clear the sum of all these efforts is to embellish, exagerrate, bend and confect with the sole purpose to undermine and character assasinate inorder to prevent Botak Siew from being nominated for another term.

 

And this should prompt us all to ask the question one more time again: what does it takes to build a better society that is able to make Singapore a better place to work, live and play? Granted may seem like a strange question to ask against the backdrop, I have just painted, but do bear with me.

 

If we are to understand what is the role of a NMP, then we may have to begin by shifting away from the self aggrandizing leitmotif that some of us have associated with Botak Siew that he is a jolly good fellow – a NMP who fights for peace and justice yada yada yada yada yada yada.

 

As some of you can see, I dont buy into that myth as it is futile I do not believe a nominated NMP can be anything more than a glorified sounding box - to me Botak Siew is simply a necessary product of our age – not so diffferent from Eunice Olsen or many of those shrunken heads we find hanging on the wall in the P-65 blog – in percise terms he is the equivalent of Kudyarada, a stray who was once chosen as the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik that was launched into outer space sometime in the 50’s.; in utilitarian terms every age needs to fashion their version or equivalent of Kudyarada; the Americans preferred Chimps – but let us be clear on the count; no one expects either puppies or chimps to pilot spacecrafts; we all know they were just there for the ride (and just because they happen to be the first species to be blasted into space doesnt mean NASA is employing monkeys to design space ships to journey to Mars - by the same logic, we should apply the guide to help us make sense of the what Botak Siew can and cannot accomplish – I cannot overstate the importance of keeping the whole debate in its correct scale and perspective) 

 

But this less than optimistic take on the life and times of Botak Siew do not in any way detract from his contributions to society; as through the many questions he has raised he still manages to embody a language of hope that resonates in many - here is a story of sermon and of song that gives expression to the voice every society needs, if he or she is to remain gainfully engaged.

 

In this sense, I consider Bptak Siew an effective tool, not so different from a size 8 spanner which if used with care and attention can loosen or tighten many things and even improve the quality of life (in my case, it helps to with my coffee maker) - that is all he is a voice of our times – nothing more or less.

 

Here if we are to accurately appraise the worth of the NMP role; then we would do well to winnow the man who is Botak Siew from the many myths that is commonly associated with him – because the realities come encrusted with such distracting array of circumstances that if we do not keep scrupilously close to the evidence and we may develop a completely unrealistic expectation of what he can possibly accomplish – this observation is important as the role of the NMP is usually one that is not so different from the getai curtain call, it makes more noise and promises more to come when we all know most of it is the sum of pure entertainment – this has to be always borne in mind.

 

This may explain why if we conduct a lightning appraisal of Botak Siew he seems to make more noise than produce real and meaningful results (judging from his remarkable rate of failures like his support of 377A, he displays a remarkable lack in tactics and strategy, but that as I shall go on to prove this may not be an indictment as a validification of his role as an NMP) 

 

It bears repeating only because it is so important –  again we may do well to readjust our expectations of what a NMP can reasonably accomplish given the obvious limits and constrains imposed on his corseted role by the custodians of power; for one he was never supposed to overshadow them anymore than Eunice Olsen can be expected to come up with some economic plan to save us from the ravages of a melting world economy – but somewhere in this confection – Botak Siew has managed to sort of alchemy – he has somehow managed to play a larger role than what even his masters once envisaged; 

 

The “voice” which once seemed so benign to the custodians of power has suddenly morphed into a matter of faith ( I wonder did those who even conceive the idea of the NMP envisage that it could somehow manage to climb out of  sandbox politics and pay a role in shaping the social political landscape – unlikely – now you understand why there is a concern and even clear attempt to bring down botak Siew) ; as his “voice” is no longer a “voice,” as it is a crie de couer that has even managed to acquire a razor edge for different ends which may even be at odds with the govt of the day. 

 

I understand all this may sound like making a mountain out of a mole hill after all serving the role of NMP is purely cosmetic; for one it is loosely premised on the idea of giving people a voice (whatever that means) – for me the whole idea of a voice is reminiscent of how cosmetic manufacturers market gravity defying cream when they know only too well the only active ingredient to stem the ravages of time happens to be water – in other words, we should never expect too much of the NMP role; for one it can never be a substitute to real politics where MP’s need to be elected and accountable to their constituency; neither can it fulfill a function that is so extraordinary to warrant even its keep within the apparatus that makes up the political oligarchy – in short the role of the NMP is predicated on only one motif faith – faith that a voice alone can by itself fashion even a better world – faith that it may even be able to bring about great changes – faith that we may even not need to rely on superglue and ductape to prop up the things that so often go wrong with our lives– and faith has to be a wonderful alchemy as not only does it recruit the power of pantomime but in one crucial respect it also give us all the illusion our voice can really make a difference in this world – you could even without a such a thing as a voice (even one as muffled as a NMP) most of us may even be flaying.

 

As at a time when the world is besieged by conflict, enmities and loss of faith in the whole idea of how the economy used to provide for us – so many of the things that we once relied up is giving way to as Singaporedaddy would like to say: “like a river to the infinity of the sea.” In this sense Botak Siew does fulfill an important function and it may even serve the greater good that even he shows every indication, he has the power to effect change – as even if Icarus did not believe in the wings that he had so lovingly fashion how then could he have soared above the clouds – the issue of the wax undoing his efforts is best left aside for another essay.

 

My point this afternoon is to simply highlight how the NMP system fulfills a vital social function – as despite living in an age when everyone can now post his views online and tell the world if he doesn’t slouch he stands two inches taller or that the greatest thing in this world is to love and be loved – the internet has not really changed the world; it still takes 13 hours to fly to the heathrow and neither has the world gone smaller either.

 

Against this dystopian backdrop there is still a need for a real voice one that can at least cut through the internet noise and this may be why Botak Siew may yet be our best hope to fashion a better world. For one the idea of someone standing up and voicing our concerns soothes our fears and if done with panache it may even allow us all to believe we may somehow be even larger than our statistical insignificance – in this respect what is seldom discussed is the underside of this narrative that makes up the whole idea of the NMP system, it gives us a shared heritage, and therehy gives us a sense of belonging – whether that is real or not has to be mere commentary – what cannot be denied is it fulfils an important function.

 

My point is we will always need the likes of Botak Siew to challenge the apparatus of assimilation; the danger if we remain bovine about challenging it is the system dries up and something will die and what we may be left with may be something oppressive, defeatist, and decadent, trapping us all in obsolete attitudes and promoting xenophobia and blind nationalism.

 

On whether Botak Siew will be nominate again or not – or whether this is a good thing or a bad thing – my point is we must never ever forget, we may after all be just experimenting and even ambling like children to find that mythical line where we can craft a real way of looking at things, resolving problems and building common ground – here we are not looking at a new state of mind that we can even reliably trust that it make work well when we decide to turn on the switch – splutter, belch out smoke and even make swan gurgling noises it will – for if the truth be know, this whole idea of crafting a tao is never easy; it cannot so different from ancient workers who once had no understanding of molecular complexities of their steel, bronze or copper – yet despite their many mistakes, attempts and experiments they continued to operate the forges and wield their hammers.

 

This same hammer that allow humanity to progress must be given to NMP Botak Siew again for another term and my hope is he will continue to be make alot of noise – remember Botak Siew, as you can see I don’t need to like you; let us just say, you are useful to us for the time being and that is really all there is - that I am afraid is also the beginning and the end to which we are prepared to go with you - but have no illusions you are no hero; remember, you are a number 8 wrench; that may seem like an insult, but if you think about it, its a compliment as both deny the infinite that there could be anything more in the role of the NMP and all we can really hope for is to keep everything in the right scale and perspective.

 

Darkness 2009

 

(I am sorry, I wrote this fast, please feel to spell check and correct – I typed this on my Nokia communicator, the key board is tiny)

 

 

You are reading the brotherhood press 2009

 

Special EAM note to Singaporedaddy sent at space log 7829-Alpha from the battle star cruiser les enfants du paradis:

 

Cancel the intellution  investigation Singaporedaddy/ send the experts back / I dont want this matter to be blown up further than it is - the first rule of war is we must have the wisdom to choose our battles under our own terms; we cannot fight everyone that comes our way in the way they pull us by our noses – do you understand! - this is a time to let things happen; not a time to make things happen – my friend the guilds are very nervous – many questions have been raised in the gaming confederation – we need to send a diplomatic delegation there to confect some happy story to allay their fears - when they are nervous it is bad for business – do you understand Singaporedaddy – I want you to send a delegation to the planet D’ni ASAP - I want to you soothe the nerves of those who may be unduly worried by this  event when this site can just go on the blink for no apparent reason (though I already have a good idea how this might have happened and even why. Only I issue this as a warning;  please dont do this again, we are reasonable people, but if you break our rice bowls, we have every right to defend our economic interest and foreclose on even every possibility to do so)- go and make up some story to the guilds, it matters little to me – only understand that most discipline is hidden discipline, designed not to liberate but to limit you to think in only one or two way - do not ask why the world is this way? It is simply this way my friend.  How may just as well produce no meaningful results  even if we manage to get an answer- as what is likely to happen is when we call in the guilds and so many experts to come down here and find out what once happened all it will do is cause the wayang people a nervous breakdown;  all  we would have done is trap ourselves in a universe of cause and effect – we will go round and round chasing our tails – do you understand – I want this whole matter to calm down; I want the temperture to be lowered; I want cooler heads to prevail  – I want you to see to this matter personally – Darkness 2009  END

 

(Comsat sent at 1100 hr GMT 16-5-09  (Dimitri class space station) From Darkness to Singapore daddy aka Liaison officer of the brotherhood – rated very important and must read)

WHY WAS THIS SITE DOWN FOR 6 HOURS?

Singaporedaddy on Fri, 15th May 2009 10:53 pm (Edit)

I WANT TO KNOW WHY WAS THIS SITE DOWN  DOWN FOR 6 HOURS! when we wrote abot SKH?

SD (Internet liaison officer of the brotherhood)

If we do NOT get a reply from the relevant authorities  inform the French legation to start a  site a server in Sweden with intellution capabilities to manage our communication / I have also informed the ottomans and our Turkish allies to do the same in Istanbul/

I have asked a simple question why was this site inaccessible for 6 hours? If you give me some bullshit that it is due to traffic, God help you.

The people who are responsible for this must either be incompetent or so fucking stupid to believe a way or solution to solving a problem is by switching off the lights, by the time I have finished with many of you people you will lose their jobs as I have asked the best brains to come down here get right down and dirty to find out the root cause – tomorrow at 1300 hr GMT, we will be accessing your system Wayang; we will be discreet, nothing we see will either be revealed or published; according to our technicians, they want to determine the “codex break” that accounted for the the disruption – this will not be difficult as everything that happens in the internet has an electronic signature than can be traced, followed and even localised - this is a bit like find a bolt that breaks off and leads to the whole wing dropping off – once they find this missing jigsaw, we will trace its origin and even conduct a thorough study on its operating logic  – we will probably also be able to trace who are the people who wrote the program as this is a very small community where everyone talks to everyone- the whole process will take about 36 hours – during this period, there will be no disruption to this site; you may encounter some delays but we have done this many times and so I am confident, it will be done discreetly.

NB: On record I asked what I consider to be a valid question why was the site down for 6 hours? I hope an answer will emerge soon from the relevant authorities (do not ask me to write this will suffice) if no answer emerges within a reasonable time or some lame excuse is forwarded – we will take this matter to another level and I will even table a motion to bringing up to the confederation of gamers (the UN of the gaming world)

It seems to me some people think life is so simple they do not even have the decency to respect the rights of others; if they want to switch off all the lights, they do it without a moments regard  – I want you to see how we will retaliate with a measured economic sanction - within one week if we do not receive a replythe brotherhood will not support the youth olympics – we will bar all sale of critical technology to make sure this event cannot be broadcast in the internet - how is that? We are not trying to sabotage you; but we have every right to say that we do not want to conduct business with others and we dont have to give any reason – bear in mind this matter is still on the table it remains inconclusive a decision still has to be made whether we should escallate this matter and it will depend exclusively on the findings of these experts we will be bringing in.

Meanwhile I would really appreciat a reply to my question as to why there was a 6 hour blink today.

Singaporedaddy (Internet liaison officer of the brotherhood)

Why for better or worse we need Botak Siew to get nominated again as a NMP!

 

 

I am sure many of you have come across this: Opposition to Siew Kum Hong’s re-nomination as NMP: Another “astroturfing” in process? Perusing through many of the comments; its easy for one to draw the conclusion things have got worse, people roll their eyes; they say what is the world coming too when even a NMP can support gays and lesbians – clucking their tongues some may say rightly or wrongly that its time for Botak Siew to call it a day.

 

I understand. Believe me I do, as I taken the trouble to read every single letter that comes to my mail box – it seems to me the divisions fall into 3 main categories (they could be more but since I am dyslexic, I can only claim to see only 3 and no more):

 

First, those who have a religious bent are inclined to believe Botak Siew’s direct support of the old guard in AWARE is nothing short of an effrontery that may even have tilted the balance in favor of gays and lesbians; again it is understandable how they have construed this as the beginning of an age when moral turpitude will reign unabated – they have real reasons to fear – I understand.

 

On the other side of the spectrum; many see Botak Siew as simply discharging his duties as a NMP his role is akin to playing the role of the “devil’s advocate” where it could it be said in his pesky manner of challenging everything under the sun, he serves the cause of liberalism by upholding a form of solidarity and a conception of the common good that is designed to respect differences – again, I understand.

 

Then there is a third group who may have felt (rightly or wrongly) Botak Siew may have exceeded his remit as a NMP when he decided to take sides instead of remaining neutral; this group hold to the idea if we are going to treat everyone as equals in a collective enterprise then we cannot exclude anyone segment from the outset – Again I hear you and I understand.

 

In summary what we have here is a collection of different views but what underscores their merit is every claim is legitimate, reasoned and even persuasive, that cannot be denied – and this begs the question which view amongst the three positions (or perhaps more which I may not have underscored) stated should be the deciding factor to determine whether Botak Siew stays or goes? Should Botak Siew be nominated for another term as a NMP?

 

This may appear like a counterargument; but what I am merely trying to illustrate is how encrusted the AWARE episode has become to even confound those who may have an avid interest in conflict management – here its conceivable, we may have to accept, we may never be able to reach consensus to satisfy everyone; neither can we reasonably expect to harmonize many of the differing objects of interest that accounts for the divisions.

 

A sensible starting point to try to work our way out of this thicket may be to simply accept the reality no real solution may even be possible to resolve these deep divisions – they are in every sense divisive, entrenched – the best we can all hope is to craft some crumbly compromise where no one party is able to promote their values above others i.e let us agree to disagree – detente.

 

This leads us to consider another question: how can a NMP like Botak Siew add value to this whole process of reconciliation? What is the rationale of creating a NMP role? Why did the government even conceive such an idea? How can it serve the greater good? And how can this be accomplished?

 

It seems much more profitable to begin this enquiry by first making it clear my intention is not to cause intellectual offence of Botak Siew – I harbor no ill will against him, but I do take extreme exception to the brazen manner in which he decided to openly support the old guard in AWARE while decamping to consider the broader implications of his actions – my feel is he made an error of judgment.

 

Given time, I am sure even Botak Siew must realize at some level that his ardent civil libertarians views are not timeless that can be agreed by all, since equally capable people who may not share his values on how civil society should progress can hold equally valid albeit opposite views.

 

The question now comes down to one issue – should Botak Siew be nominated as a NMP again?

 

Here there is a danger: if we pursue this idea of kicking out Botak Siew into the wilderness do not for one moment believe we could somehow magically return to that cosy era where we might all be able to banish gays and lesbians to some faraway attic where there is no danger without nor unease within – whether we like it or not, that idea of cosy insiderism can provide no solutions as not even the most ardent moralizer can explain how it is even possible to deny these fringe segments of our society a rightful place in the public square.

 

As every age true to it deeply held beliefs always thinks it is in crisis (I imagine we have to buy into this belief as no one likes to believe they are living in an age that offers them very little except the prospects of existence, as Emerson said, everyone believes they have a right to live and make a difference). And this is why I believe although I stand at odds with the likes of Botak Siew; I believe the real solution to a forging a better society does not lie in that great return where we may even be able to overcome many of the problems of our allegedly demoralized society – yes, I do not doubt, there are some out there who may preach from the pulpit or even on a soap box in Hong Lim park telling us all we should do as the Victorians did by embracing family, cleanliness and godliness, and making sure we sip and not slurp our soup for if we don’t the edifice will simply come crashing down – but how this utopian age might come about is never ever once explained by these charlatans, hucksters and carpet baggers.

 

For me there remains only one enduring way to make a better Singaporean society and it can only come from deep spirited discourse where it may even be necessary to support the likes of Botak Siew – as what he does fulfill is nonetheless an important function that can never be underestimated; as a pontificator, commentator and social critique he fulfils the important function of questioning the necessary lie of a regime that prides itself on the cult of infallibility; including asking the question whether the regime has made the world a better place. Why is this necessary? Because if these questions are never trained on the establishment then it preserves the recognition all improvements always come at a necessary cost; that nothing last forever; that if the good in the world outweights the bad, its only because we all followed that one reliable road laid down by only a few who may claim to see the world clearer than all of us – that of course is a crock of shit judging from how much money GIC and Temasek donated to the black hole of Calcutta.

 

Here history informs us if change is to come about then there is always a need for someone to write and speak out against big power, big government and even big corporations without fear or favor – the questions must come forth fast and furious, they must be relentless, if the system is to be nourished and kept on its toes -  if the system is left to its own devises unchallenged even the best political system runs the risk of calcifying and fossilizing rendering it worthless.

 

To many what I may have written may very well be interpreted as an endorsement of anarchy; but my point is conflict if managed wisely and judiciously offer us all the best means to fashion a better society – you could even say it remains our last hope of creating a truly inclusive society that reflects real form rather than simply aping the content ; if we are really serious about the whole idea of building a confident society then it doesn’t pay to play small or even shy away from conflict – we must learn to harness it in the way the seafarers once tamed the capricious winds to make headway and further their reach to discover new lands – history seems to support the idea nothing good can ever emerge when we shy away from conflict – the AWARE saga shows this only too clearly, a social narrative that excludes from discussion the cogent instead finds underhanded means of manifesting itself to the greater detriment of others through covert means – it stands the test of reason, where political discourse lacks resonance people just don’t pack their bags and go home and watch sex in the city on TV, they sit around drinking cups of coffee; yearning even to get back what was once “lost’ – in other words, everything goes underground and cloak and dagger galore becomes the order of the day on how here we need to consider is this the sort of society we want to fashion one where secrecy and hidden handshakes work mysteriously to make things happen or do we want the cut light of full transparency and cut light where ever thing is above board despite its warts and all? This I will leave to you.

 

For me the case is clear; if we are to stand any real chance of building a better society we should always be wary of creating a corrosive culture where instead of encouraging others from go where no mind dares to go; we end up endorsing more or the same with the likes of Teo Ser luck who can do nothing except impersonate a 19th century broken record of playing the trite tune of “let’s not rock the boat, least we sink!”; for despite the capricious nature of how Botak Siew may have conducted himself in the AWARE saga, he did what he believed to be right and that may very well be what it takes to build a better Singaporean society –the spirit of daringness that says for better or worse, this is where I will plant my flag, stand and fight – I may not agree with him, but that I can certainly respect as it is true to the spirit of what the brotherhood has always encouraged - I hope he gets nominated as a NMP again. Besides if he goes who else is there to take pot shots at? 

 

Darkness 2009

 

 

PS: I realize what I have written will anger many regular readers in the brotherhood press, but it has to be this way – we must try to make it work – we must – reason must prevail.

 

 

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