Asian Idol Rock On!

TONIGHT'S the night when millions of viewers in Asia will be watching the Asian Idol competition.

According to The Straits Times, Hady Mirza (Pix source: ST), winner of the second season of Singapore Idol, is in the running. The report said he will be pitting his singing skills against a formidable cast of opponents - Indonesia's Mike Mohede, India's Abhijeet Sawant, Malaysia's Jaclyn Victor, the Philippine's Mau Marcelo and Vietnam's Phuong Vy.

Sophie's World hopes everyone will pick the best singer, instead of voting along nationalistic lines. Hopefully, the event will also display the best of Asia and push recent political problems in the region into the background. Asean has no shortage of problems, apart from their inability to deal with the murderers of Burma.

So, let's leave politics aside for a while and enjoy Asian Idol show tonight.

And here's a little satire by Sophie's World that was published by Singapore's premier satirical website talkingcock in October 2006, shortly after Hady won the Singapore Idol. Enjoy!

Proof: No Marginalization Going On
Posted on Sunday, October 08, 2006
Topic: International News
by sophies world

Malays and Chinese are not marginalised in Singapore or Malaysia respectively, contrary to claims from both sides of the causeway.

In Singapore: “This is conclusively proven by the fact that a second Malay has won the Singapore Idol," said Gahmen spokesman Ban Vanity shortly after Hady Mirza emerged as the winner in the hotly contested show watched by more than half of the island's 4 million people.

Ms Vanity pointed out that Hady is the second Malay to have clinched the coveted title, after Taufik Batisah in the previous year.

"The Malays trounced the Chinese for two consecutive years in Singapore Idol. How can Dr M say Malays are marginalized in Singapore? What utter rubbish!" said Ms Vanity at the packed press conference yesterday.

She was referring to Dr M's remarks that Malays are marginalized in predominantly Chinese Singapore.

"We could ask about the status of the Malays in Singapore, why they are not allowed to bear arms in the military or train to handle weapons," Dr M ranted earlier this week.

"Why is it that the Malays in Malaysia are so capable in the military field but the Malays in Singapore cannot hold high posts?"

The Malaysian figure had said it as a reaction to Singapore's MM Lee's comment that the Chinese are systematically marginalized in Malaysia.

But MM Lee was also incorrect about the Chinese in Malaysia, according to analysts who track the Idol phenomenon worldwide.

"A Chinese beat a Malay in last year's Malaysian Idol what!" said Sing Song Woon, referring to Daniel Lee who defeated Norhanita Hamzah for the crown in 2005.

The Idol findings are being regarded by both governments as being conclusive proof of each country’s progressive policies.

“The Idol results are very reliable,” said Singapore spokesperson Ms Vanity. “After all, they are extremely accurate in terms of forecasting talent.”

PS (15 Dec 2007): Singers who didn't quite make it to Asian Idol -- Pay Rise Needed to Maintain Hip Hop Lifestyle: Gahmen and MDA Rap Video Sparks Potential Gangsta War

Hahaha. Lovely satire and doctored pix but they are not done by Sophie's World!!!

Singapore fugitives in JB, part 2

There's been another case of crime in Johor Baru with a Singapore connection.

According to The Star on Monday, a man, who has been on the wanted list in Singapore for 20 years, and two others have been detained in connection with the kidnapping of a businessman’s son in JB.

The report said the three men, in their 20s to 40s, were arrested in a series of raids around the city soon after the 23-year-old victim was released after a ransom of RM600,000 was paid recently. The suspects initially asked for a RM1 million ransom.

The report didn't make it clear whether the mastermind of the plot is a Singaporean, although it said he's a hardcore criminal wanted in Singapore for committing several armed robberies.

This is not the first case of cross-border crime in JB. According to an earlier posting, there were many other fugitives in Singapore who had fled to neighbouring Malaysia such as Singaporean one-eyed dragon Tan Chor Jin and Malaysian Took Leng How in the Huang Na case. They were eventually tracked down by police in the two countries and brought to justice in Singapore.

But the latest kidnapping case in JB is probably eclipsed by the beginning of the sensational case in Kuala Lumpur -- the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu (pix from Guang Ming daily via ST).

The Malaysia press have been working overtime to report the case. Please see The Star, which has posted plenty of pix and video clips of the trial.

Defence analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and two other special action force policemen have been accused of the gruesome murder -- she was shot twice in the head before she was blown to bits by C4 explosives. Razak Baginda has acknowledged having an eight-month extramarital affair with Shaariibuu from late 2004.

Many reports have also said that Razak Baginda is a close associate of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has vehemently denied any involvement in the case.

The Mongolian model case will definitely continue to hog the headlines.

Dr Johor Sultan

It's rather surprising that there has been little public debate on the merits of Singapore's move in conferring an honorary doctorate to the controversial Sultan of Johor (left in pix from NUS).

The National University of Singapore conferred the Honorary Doctor of Laws on the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail, in Singapore tonight.

NUS said it was given in recognition of his "integral and unique role in nurturing the development and prosperity of the State of Johor, Singapore's closest neighbour and strategic partner; as well as his enduring contribution to the longstanding bilateral relations between Singapore and Malaysia and those of Singapore and Johor."

Sounds great, but many people will remember his rather mixed track record. Could there be other reasons in giving the Sultan the award? Whatever the other reasons are, Singapore didn't give away too much.

The Sultan's ancestor gave Singapore away for a song. Singapore gave the current Sultan an honorary title.