The curtain for 2010 will fall soon. I can safely say that 2010 has not been an impressive year for Malaysia. Through it all, the trials, tribulations, tragedies, victories and challenges reiterate the importance of NOT falling by the wayside in our endeavor to strive for a better nation. I decided to select memorable events for each month of the year in this post to emphasize the fact that we HAVE to plod on to realize our dream for a better Malaysia.

January 2010

1. The year started with a blast - literally - when we were shocked by the bombing of the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati and the hacking of the judiciary website over the Allah issue as reported HERE in The Star. My blog post HERE gives a list of the many international news portals that reported the events.

2. On 16th January, I wrote HERE about Home Ministry secretary- general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam's announcement in an interview yesterday that:

Students who join the Civil Defence or Rela cadet corps in school may find themselves exempted from National Service under a Home Ministry proposal.

The ministry is seeking to recruit some 60,000 students for the two uniformed corps which offer military-style training as part of co-curriculum activities for secondary schools.

“The training provided by Rela and the Civil Defence is even tougher than National Service. These two corps are also uniformed groups. Read more AT THIS LINK.

What has happened since then? To date, there have been no further announcements. Another flip-flop episode?

3. Then there was the unforgettable announcement of a Tea Party hosted by our PM for his Facebook and Twitter followers just after Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim's statement that Malaysians, especially Muslims, must avoid being totally immersed in the internet culture, especially Facebook and Twitter. Read more HERE.

February 2010

1. Our Prime Minister's aide Datuk Nasir Safar made his famous statements as reported HERE and HERE on 2nd February.

2. On the same day, Tun Dr. Mahathir launched Perkasa Selangor in Ampang Jaya and made some head-turning statements. Unfortunately, the link to the report in TMI is broken but you can read my post on it HERE.

3. On 10th February, TMI carried an article on PERC's blistering report on Malaysia released at the end of January. The link is broken but you can read the article in MT HERE. PERC asserted that a group of elite minorities were dominating the national agenda to the extent that it was hurting Malaysia’s attractiveness to investors.

March 2010

1. There was the famous MCA elections in March and the soap operas that were featured. Read more HERE and HERE.

2. Mid-March saw the announcement by Deputy Finance Minister Chor Chee Heung that Malaysia will see a gradual reduction in its corporate and income tax rates once the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) is in place by mid-2011. More at THIS LINK.

April 2010

1. The problems plaguing the RM482 million Shah Alam Hospital HERE and also about the Kota Kinabalu General Hospital were reported HERE and HERE. My post on the issue can be accessed HERE.

2. Malaysiakini HERE reported that a top Utusan Malaysia editor has blamed Malaysiakini as the source of today's problems and described the online news portal's editor as “a frustrated media person”.

3. Former PKR lawmakers Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim and Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin. Information Minsiter Datuk Seri Rais Yatim and Malaysian ambassador to the US, Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis followed our PM to Washington as part of the Malaysia-United States Caucus. Rais was deputising for Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman. I am sure we remember the disclosures that were revealed then. Read more HERE.

4. In mid-April, John Berthelsen of Asia Sentinel wrote his article about the submarine issue HERE and I also wrote one AT THIS LINK that generated an interesting debate.

5. The Hulu Selangor by-election was held in April and I am sure you need no reminders about the chain of events.

May 2010

1. The month began with an announcement HERE that press freedom in Malaysia was at an all time low.

2. Barry Wain's book "Malaysian Maverick" hit the newstands and the books literally flew off the shelves - an indication that many Malaysians want to know more about TDM.

3. On May 6th, pandemonium erupted in the Penang state legislative assembly today when opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim warned that there would be a repeat of the May 13 riots if the people lost confidence in the authorities. Read more HERE.

4. The second week of May saw much public debate over the sports betting issue. More HERE.

5. Don't forget Hishamuddin's statement that street crime in Malaysia was exaggerated by idle chatter of women while at the hairdressers as reported in The Malaysian Insider HERE.

6. Then there was the controversial double page advert about a certain lady HERE which, much later, was denied officially by that newspaper overseas.

7. Lee Weng Kiat of Malaysiakini reported HERE that RTM2 producer Chou Z Lam has been terminated from the TV station, following his damning allegations of political interference over popular current affairs programme 'Galeri Mandarin Nasional'.

8. Mid-May saw the DAP win the Sibu by-election.

9. Free Malaysia Today posted THIS ARTICLE about how teachers may be required to sit for an exam to obtain their teaching licence to pursue their teaching profession just like doctors and lawyers, if the Education Ministry's proposal is accepted. My post on this topic can be accessed AT THIS LINK.

10. On 27th May 2010, Idris Jala gave a statement as reported in Malaysiakini HERE as to how Malaysia risks becoming the next Greece unless voters swallow subsidy cuts that will see the price of petrol, food, electricity and other staples rise. He also warned us as to how the nation could be bankrupt by 2019.

READ MORE HERE