Augustin's Twilight Time: TGIF !!! ... Since the weekend is here (30 December 2011)

TGIF !! ... Since the weekend is here & most of us will be visiting our respective house of worship, let us not forget that going down on our knees or raising-up our hands or joss-sticks to the Almighty is meaningless, if we were asleep to all the evil that was and is going on in our country, especially with regards to the Band Of Thieves in the government who were, and are, ransacking everything that they were entrusted with.
Religion can be the best thing around & Religion can be the worst thing around. Religion can be the best thing around if we use Religion to bring comfort & joy to everyone we meet especially those in pain. Religion can be the worst thing around when it is used, as we witnessed in 2011, to inflict PAIN, ANGER, VENGEANCE, ENVY, HATRED and BITTERNESS.
And in 2011 we witnessed how this nation of ours had become an unholy nation because of our corrupt leaders and 2011 was also a shameful period for our nation as the Leaders of this nation unleashed on 9th of July, chemical-laced water-cannons and baton-charging policemen on innocent citizens who marched for electoral reforms. All our efforts with BERSIH-2 were not in vain as some of the recommendations are being implemented and the candle-light vigils were a big success with the release of the EO-6.
Remember what C.S.Lewis said, “We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road." But the situation in our country is what a friend said in her blog “doing the Joget dance - one step forward, 2 steps back.”
Many of us are also stumbling blocks for the progress of our nation with our vacillations when it comes to making a stand. We would prefer to check-in at eateries & pubs for our favorite char-kwai-teow & a can of pí-jiǔ plus a bottle of wine & only protest or make a stand in the urinals.
Now we are living in the "in-between-times" i.e. in-between-the-elections when things can become worse when the powers-that-be will use everything at their disposal to remain in power. But WE HAVE A CHOICE: to have zero-tolerance for corruption & abuse of power or ultimately to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and as a nation.
Have a wonderful weekend and wish you a Happy New Year.

About me :

I am augustin Laurence, a SAP Basis Consultant, born on 1946 & residing in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

My qualification & certification:

BLACK MARIA : Jul 9, 2011

(WHO LET THE DOGS OUT)

@11:45am - i was ARRESTED (off Petaling Street) together with Douglas Boucher (a friend & my Boss) and 26 others (including a 69 year old Member of Parliament, John Fernandez). We were taken to PULAPOL (Police Training Center in Jln. Semarak) in a jam-packed BLACK MARIA with no air-con (No. Plate: 2697). Waited inside the BLACK MARIA for about 2 hrs in the blistering sun, before being escorted for our particulars to be taken & than had to wait in the open field until 9pm when we were released (together with about 2000 others who were also arrested). All this because we were part of the 50-60,000 citizens, united in a common quest “BERSIH 2.0 – for a free and fair elections,“ which is a legitimate right of the people. We assembled peacefully despite Death Threats, Bomb Threats, Warnings on Revocation of Citizenship & Preventive detention in a country where CORRUPTION & Abuse of Power, and the flaming of racial & religious hatred by those in the corridors of power goes unabated & in a nation where Criminals, Murderers and Slanderers roam freely.

Update :

BERSIH 3.0 - APRIL 28, 2012 : A group of us ( Wong Whye Loong, Nicholas Chang, Douglas Boucher, DyLon KL Low, Ben Lee, Ian Lee, Jason Lee and Doreen Lee & ++ ) took to the streets of KL with about 300,000 Bersih supporters, sacrificing comforts of home to save our country from a SAVAGE REGIME. Bersih 3.0 was a protest against the Election Commission's favoring the ruling government by increasing the number of voters by hundreds of thousands, openly and unashamedly using illegal immigrants, dead voters & phantom voters. With a sense of camaraderie, we Malaysians regardless of race and religion, united as a single nation and walked to GROUND ZERO, a public square ( Dataran Merdeka ), to pile the pressure on Putrajaya to step up electoral reforms but were again bombarded with TEAR-GAS by the men in BLUE supporting a BRUTAL Regime. When Justice is Denied, the innocent pay the price & today we paid the price when the HOOLIGANS in BLUE bombed us with TEAR-GAS & chemical-laced water canon. A tear-gas exploded about two feet away from me .. i was instantly blinded but managed to find my way through the alleys with the help of strangers. Spat blood twice, washed my face with water and put salt under my tongue (salt & water from strangers who were just stopping to help although they were also going through this ordeal) & re-grouped with my friends at Dang-Wangi LRT at about 6pm