Archive for March, 2005

your parents vs your spouse


2005
03.27

the Schiavo’s case opens up a can of worms that present society has to deal with. ranging from Euthanasia, separation of powers between the judicial, executive and legislative branches of government, separation between church and state, as well as who is the rightful legal guardian when you are unable to discharge your wish.

in this post i would focus on the last issue.

by legal standing, your legal guardian is the person whom you chose to live with for the rest of your life through marriage. so when there are situations like in Schiavo’s case, where you cannot express your wish, your spouse will have the legal capacity to instruct lawyer, doctors, trustee, or anyone for that matter, to convey what s/he wish to be done unto you. the question is, what if that person makes the wrong choice, clearly in violation to yours. now, obviously im not going to make assumption as to what is considered right or wrong. because even we ourselves often make wrong choices in life.

however, what happens when your parents have different understanding on what you want in comparison with your spouse. who is right and who is wrong.

the million dollar question is, “whom would you choose to exercise your right when you are unable to do so? Your parents or your spouse?”

Doug already helped me answer this question from his perspective: “Of course your spouse, afterall, you dont choose your parents but you choose whom your spouse is”

but when it comes to ‘death’, will your choice differs? Shouldn’t we err on the side of life, regardless of who is the legal guardian? After all, history has been telling us, that the only promised thing in life is death.

Whats your take?

the right to life vs the right to die


2005
03.23

if you have been following the Schiavo’s case, its heart-wrenching. on one side, you have the husband who wants to unplug the feeding tube. and on the other side, you have the family who wants to keep the feeding tube plugged. the case has been going on for years and recently, the court has ruled in favor of the husband. the Congress and the President enacted a special law to keep the feeding tube plugged, but as recent as few hours ago, the Federal judge ruled otherwise.

the CNN snapshot poll indicated that an overwhelming majority of people (78%) wants their spouse to have the right to decide about pulling the plug if they were in a vegetative state. Parent only polled 14%.

President Bush has said that “But in extraordinary circumstances like this, it is wise to always err on the side of life.” I was talking to PK about this issue over msn, and he mentioned Singer’s take on this issue. Singer’s general ethical theory holds that “…the right to physical integrity is grounded in a being’s ability to suffer, and the right to life is grounded in the ability to plan and anticipate one’s future.” However, critics has argued consistently that Singer is in no position to judge the quality of life of disabled people. Singer’s has been compared to the Nazi practice of murdering ‘unworthy life’.

I tend to agree with Bush’s position. The sanctity of life is something that we as a society has to protect, especially in this case. Unplugging the tube will make Schiavo not receiving food and water for around 10 days before she can be pronounced dead. I think it’s cruel. At the same time, I feel empathy towards the emotional trauma her husband has to go through. I would never want to put in his place and assume such a high moral responsibility. Would you?

Dr Mari Pangestu, Indonesia’s Minister for Trade


2005
03.21

So i have decided to forgo the Chinese class and instead went to the talk. It was a bloody awesome talk. She is one of the most prominent and proficient Minister I have ever seen (well, i have only met her..). She is intelligent, charismatic, and down to earth. It was so interesting that i took more notes during her talk than in most of my lectures.

Dr Mari Pangestu is Indonesia’s Minister for Trade and she is the first Chinese Woman to hold a ministerial position in Indonesia. She spoke about the different Indonesia and how her portfolio and the cabinet works towards implementing reform in Indonesia. She explained the controversial government’s decision on fuel prices as well as the impact of high-cost economy or common local practice (i.e. CORRUPTION) on Indonesia’s economy. She presents various challenges as well as solutions be it short or long term.

It is the most inspiring talk I have ever been to! I like her. lots!!

@Lib


2005
03.21

im sitting at the Library with J’s new funky Dell laptop. Partly because i have nothing to do. Well, actually there are lots of things, i just procrastinate. It’s my no 1 hobbies. i was supposed to have lab after lecture today. but the lecturer was away and the replacement lecture, didnt want to take the lab. its more of him not being told to take the lab.

i have about 3 hours to kill before my second chinese class. i am actually in dilemma. Indonesia’s Minister for Trade, Mari Pangestu, is having a public talk at the Sydney Myer Asia Center. But this is at the same time as my Chinese class… hmmm my mind is calculating the opportunity cost.

Anwar Ibrahim


2005
03.20

i had a nice break today. i went to see the talk from the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, Dr Anwar Ibrahim. He is really a good public speaker, occasionally entertaining the audience with good humour about his misfortunes.

He understood the concept of political reality and the length some people will go towards to achieve their goals. He spoke about social justice and economic empowerment. While, it wasnt as structured as i had hoped, it was an awesome talk.

He reminded the audience that in today’s society, simply exercising tolerance is not enough. Acceptance and appreciation is what it takes to build a more humane society. While predominantly referring to the values of Islam, i was at no point in time, felt alienated. In fact, i felt empowered. Coz he drew many qualities and examples of society building notions from many great thinkers and religions. It is not about an exclusivity but instead inclusivity.

It was worth it. I hoped it would have been longer…i should have met him in person… but there were just too many people…oh well… it was worth it anyway.

NO TO VSU


2005
03.17

So finally the VSU Bill is introduced……
I have nothing to say….
speechless….
i created a separate blog at http://asol-vsu.blogspot.com to keep track on the progress of the debate and passage of the bill…..

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2005
03.16

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dejavu


2005
03.12

my mobile kept giving that sms tone every minute or so. U8110 gives you reminder for the sms u received but not yet read (if u lucky enough to receive it, coz its three network!). i was having dejavu as i read it: ‘Hy tedy. i am in berkeley with ryan drinking pearl drink. wish u were here. ryan says hi hopes all well. talk soon. love miss y’.

i miss that place. i want to be transported there now! yet reality keeps me in perspective. when i spoke to them later, things were extremely familiar. the voice, the excitement…i want to go back to California! I want to have my hot chocolate and BCT under the sun, at the front poach. I want to cycle down Bancroft Avenue. I want to run across the campus. I want to stroll down Market St. hmmm… it will be a couple of years at least before i can return.

anyway…Yvette is extending her internship in the Office of Legal Affairs at the UN in NY. She is on holidays now. Will only be back here in July or so. I’m very proud of her.

On a totally unrelated matter, Tung Chee Wa has resigned. Msia and Indo at the brink of ‘war’ (well as Kenny pointed out, the cyber war has begun). And Straits Times is not extending its free subscription anymore!

flat out


2005
03.01

it was a mistake to sleep at 6pm and woke up at 10pm last night. i couldnt brought my self to sleep again… until now. at 3.30am after three hours trying hard to fall asleep (and the hot weather didnt help either), i decided to stay up rather than missing a 9am work. trying to kill time, i watched The Terminal.

so today at work, i felt like Zombie. well, not exactly. sometimes, my vision gets blurry, and i nearly fainted under the scorching weather while trying to deposit cheques to the bank. i resorted to two cans of redbull to keep me ’sober’. it helped a bit. what helped me most was Betty. we chatted in between our work and it made the day goes faster…. well i have a 9am-9.15pm engagement….

i got another can of redbull just before my 6.15 class. while waiting for the class outside the commerce lab, a guy came by to me and asked me a question: ‘its the first week of semester right?’. i replied innocently ‘yes, it is the first week of semester.’ in my mind, i was condemning his ignorance of semester dates.

then it hit me. he was actually making a sarcastic comment about me and my redbull can. i was slow. upon realising, i just smiled. he was nowhere in sight. i guess my tired look and redbull kept people wondering: how will this guy survive? he he…

its 9 o’clock start for me again tomm.. i better get some rest…

but while im on the ‘flat out’ topic, i just want to quicky comment on the recent 20% petrol rise in Indonesia. some of you might now that petrol in indonesia is heavily subsidised by the government. it is the oil of the economy. when petrol increases, everything else follows, sometimes preceding. its also the political dynamite (more like Catch 22). Suharto learnt his lesson by being overthrown when he increased the price. But at the same time, the rising world oil price makes the budget unsustainable to keep subsidising.

so i applaud SBY for his political will to keep the budget afloat. it surely costs him popularity. but he already said it: he doesnt care about his popularity, he rather lose his popularity than seeing indonesia’s economy crumbling down by the unsustainable budget.

that being said, he didnt play his card right. critics have said that he ‘rushed’ the decision. he didnt consult the House of Reps. While it is true that Petrol price remains goverment’s policy, consulting the House (especially after his VP gains control of the biggest faction in the House, making the combination controls the majority of the house) is a ‘must’ tradition. i would have hoped that he would consult and let the House deliberate over the issue and give recommendations to the govt. whether that advice is taken or not is another matter. its about the process. being inclusive in indonesia’s current political climate can only enhance his govt’s image. and i thought he knew that he won the election based on image. how quickly and conveniently one forgets about the root of his rise… im sure he has his reasons that i wouldnt know of… but why not have the public debate… feed those hungry indonesian souls who always want to argue politically everything under the sun…. surely the media has done its own ‘public debate’ but why not take charge…..

i can understand the busy life that the President has… but considering this is the deal-breaker in his Presidency, im pretty sure he can spare 1 hour each night every week to appear on national television’s debate…. engaging the public is his strength. being plainspoken is his charisma. afterall, he is dubbed ‘the communicator’.

SBY, i support your govt decision. i just wish that you play your card right. this time, im afraid, you might be wrong… but time will tell……indonesian voters very well know that they punish those who dont deliver promise. need advice: ask Megawati (im not surprised though if she doesnt say anything :P )