Defence minister talks cock. Poke him in the eye

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On Monday: “We have corrected the mistakes”
— Ahmad Zahidi Hamid, defence minister, quoted in the Star
Wednesday: Still no correction done

Is someone lying? » Mindef’s Engrish and Google compared | See for yourself

When the government lies about small things,
can you trust them with big things?

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Ahmad Zahidi Hamid, the defence minister, talked poppycock on Monday about the mangled Engrish used on the ministry’s web site that featured “Clothes That Poke Eye”. He said the mistakes have been corrected.

In fact, no corrections have been done on the web site. At 5pm on Wednesday the two-word headline still says “Ethical Clothing” (instead of “Dress Code”). A notice still says “Translations are not available”.

Ahmad Zahidi was lying. Does Ahmad Zahidi or anyone in Mindef have eyes? Or have they all lost sight by being poked in the eye?

Apologists for politicians always make excuses to say the politician was misinformed. Just because someone lied to him and he in turn lies to the public does not excuse the lie. Ministers are responsible to the public for the conduct of their ministries. If a civil servant lied, he is disciplined. But it is the minister who takes the rap in public.

That’s how constitutional democracy works.

But how often do Malaysian ministers take the rap when proven wrong?

Does Ahmad Zahidi take everyone for fools? Obviously the answer must be yes. First because he’s still there as defence minister handling billions of your money. And second, because the ministry could not be bothered correcting something as simple as a two-word headline. Too much bother? Just brazen it out? Politics as usual? The public are too stupid to care?

What do you think? Do those people in high places, in government or in business, care what any of us think? Or do they think the public are just a bunch of saps who just need to be tickled every five years?

Ahmad Zahidi also told the Star that the ministry had used Google’s free online translation services, thus implying that Google was to blame. More poppycock.

Mindef did not publish a Google translation. What they published is different. Google’s translations, in fact, are both better and worse than Mindef’s shoddy Engrish.

Mindef’s “Clothes That Poke Eye” is Google’s “of scantily clothes”. Some other parts are similar to Google’s versions, some are different. » Mindef’s Engrish and Google compared See for yourself whether someone’s lying.

The only sensible thing Ahmad Zahidi seems to have told the Star was that “We did not intend for the English translations to turn out that way” and that translations were now made manually.

Given that he lied about the correction having been done, that will convince no one sceptical about the trustworthiness of ministers, politicians, the civil service, and anyone holding public office.

Malaysians have long endured people in public office and in public service who talk cock, who look for scapegoats, never admit their own shortcomings, continually make excuses for themselves, and condone inefficiency, shoddiness and mediocrity.

Has there been any change, despite all the billions spent on them?

When a minister lies about a small thing how
will you know when he lies about big things?

16 thoughts on “Defence minister talks cock. Poke him in the eye”

  1. It is clear where mistakes of translation were due to direct translation from Malay to English, we all know they were by local people. Unlike Google Translate is now manned by Malaysian graduates!

  2. You wrote: “When a minister lies about a small thing how will you know when he lies about big things?”

    Somehow, where Zahid as Defence Minister is concerned, I see things a rather different way.

    More a case of if he wants to lie about small things, I’d say tutup satu mata lah.

    If, and that’s a strict “IF”, he does not lie about the big things.

    There are still very big questions which have yet to be properly answered about so many massive contracts, from the 6 patrol vessels, raised from already questionable RM6bln to RM9bln, the APCs, the copters, the jets… and more.

    Tony Pua has spearheaded various detailed studies which challenged many of the contracts, with facts and figures. Has Zahid been able to respond satisfactorily?

    If he is able to answer the big questions raised, I;d be more than happy to tutup satu mata…heck, I’d even tutup dua mata… where the MoD poke-eye English is concerned.

  3. dont you know UMNO/BN minister always talking cock. They dont know what they arte talking..the whole world are laughing at them..they are only Kampung champion.

  4. 1. can google sue mindef? 2. this is not chicken feed bcos in the event of ‘unforseen circumstances’ (god forbid) how will soldiers ‘behave’? the sub that cud not submerge cud be due to this?

    • I don’t think Google will bother, it’s too small a matter for them. The sub, well like all new equipment it’s got to be run in to find out problems. Sometimes these things happen (Australian subs are a real horror story). The question is whether we have been told the real story about our subs. Lim Guan Eng went in the other sub, not the one which had the problem.

  6. I have always been baffled as to the sheer number of BN politicians with rubbish calibre able to hold high government positions and introducing policies which affect your life and mine for the last 40 years or so.

    Perhaps one of the key qualifications is to be able to talk cock?

  7. Well Well Well. All these cock-eyed English by the Malaysian Goverment Departments are the greatest achievement of talk-cock Mahathir. The acceptance of sub-standard students in Tertiary Education Institutions and with the awarding compassionate marks to enable failed students to pass together with the abolishing English in schools…..all these occurred during Mahathir’s reign.

  10. Ahmad Zahidi talk cock….he he he
    We knew it along…
    By the way, there is one section called Education Corp in Mindef…headed by a unexposed drug addict…
    Lots of sexperts in Mindef…could not translate simple English into Moolayu…good only for overseas trips officially for training courses…but actually just fun-seeking overseas trips.
    I know because I was e-service…left disgusted because I was ostracised for not joining them on fun-trips.
    Anyway Ahmad Zahidi, the generals are just like you…butt-grabbing ass-hole.

  11. We used to laugh at Chinamen translation in China and we used to using almost perfect English in the 60s. What happen to the hundred of millions allocated to the Education Ministry yearly for improving education? Even today there are form five students who do not know how to read or write.

  12. Pingback: Mindef Translation vs Proper English | BJ Thoughts…

  13. I believe the Australian subs are such a big problem because Australia made the decision to”develop” their own submarines, this was done in efforts to stimulate their local defence industry capabilities. In hindsight, many would agree that it was a poor decision if solely based on economic reasoning, which they have paid and are continuing to pay too much $$$ for.

    Malaysia on the other hand is famous for its track record of purchasing “prototypes” ie untested equipment….and thereby suffers the cost of fixing these problems that arise along the way. As a small country with limited budget, it would make much more sense if we purchased “proven” equipment, stuff that isn’t going to break down and not work most of the time….we do not need the “latest state of the art weaponry”….instead what we need is modern , reliable and effective equipment….things that first world countries have already spent money on ironing out the kinks…

    It’s funny how the country invests huge amounts to send people overseas to learn things from other countries…and yet when they return, they seem to “forget” everything…and only know how to nod and agree with their superiors ..regardless of how silly their superiors ideas may be…..eg only Ex Gomen servants have the balls to talk sense…latest example is past SPR chief…

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