Saddam Hussein's Lasting Legacy.

For almost three decades Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq with an iron fist.History would not judge him fairly if it did not mention that during his reign there was none of this sectarian conflict that plagued the present day elected Iraqi regime.However, it must be said that his colourful reign did include a long protracted war with Iran and a brief disastrous invasion of Kuwait
Despite the absence of sectarian conflict therewas sporadic resistance to his rule and a few assasination attempts on his and his son's life.It wasi n Dujail, a predominantly Shias area where a failed attempt on his life took place and for which he was tried for he massacre of 148 men, and children.It was specifically for the killing of the 148 Shia men that Saddam went on trial charged for the crimes against humanity.And it was for this trial that he was found guilty and sentenced to hanged.
No matter what failings he had as a ruthless dictator, credit must be given to him for his ability to rule Iraq's diverse racial and religious origins that saw none of the present day sectarian conflict.This success alone put to shame what America with its superior arsenal of weapons could not accomplish what Saddam was able to do in three decades of his rule.If history was to judge Saddam fairly, it would be his ability to rule Iraq without the present day turmoil. That would be his lasting legacy.

The Lembah sari scandal

In 2003 the govt. despite objections from cigarette companies proceeded to award the $70-$100million lucrative contract of security-labelling packaging for locally-made cigarettes to an obscure,unknown company called Kod Efisien. For obvious reason the award of this money making concession was couched in secrecy and the actual beneficiary was not made known. However in august this year the concessionpreviously granted to Kod Efisien was transferred to alittle known $2 company called Lembah Sari.The transfer of this money making concession was naturally made without fanfare, transparency and accountabilty.
According to company's record,one of itsshareholder and chairman is Mr.Haris, the youngest sonof Hussein Onn and the brother of the country'sEducation minister, Hishamuddin Hussein.
From the train of events it has become obvious that the initial beneficiary was concealed in 2003 for fear of public protest.However in 2006, when there was no public outcry(because the award was made by the custom Dept in utmost secrecy)the beneficiary has now feel safe to reveal its identity.
Many questions regarding the award of the lucrative concession to a relative of the Minister should be made public.Why did the govt deem fit to award a contract worth $70-$100 million to an individual?If it was awarded to the brother of a serving Minister is that not blatant corruption?Why did the govt not undertake the security labelling and accrue the revenue to the Federal Treasury?Why was there no transparency and accountabilty in the award of the lucrative concession?
In the governance of the country's resources, our leaders has a fiduciary duty to its citizens to ensure a proper and transparent administration of its duties entrusted to them.Any lack of transparency and integrity in their administration would constitute an indictment of their tenure and governance.

National Schools Need to Change.

When a sick man visits a doctor it is important that he diagnose the patient and makes the right prognosis.Based on his diagnosis, the doctorwill prescribe the right medication for his ailment.If this prognosis is correct the patient will recover fromthe prescibed medication and if his diagnosis is wrong the patient will not recover and the situation could even worsen.This analogy is similar to what our leaders are attempting to solve in the dearth of nonmalays in National schools.
Our leaders, P.M included doesn't have aclue why chinese parents opt to send their children to vernacular schools.In this case they think that by introducing Chinese and Tamil language classes nonmalay parents will send their children to National schools.If that is their prescription for National schools then they are in for a big surprise because it will fail even before they implement it.
In order for National schools to be accepted as schools of choice for all malaysians the whole structure of National schools have to be changed.National schools in its present form will simply not be acceptable by non malays.Briefly some of the structural changes that need to be addressed are as follows:
1.Leave religion at home or in the mosques.Religion of any form should not be part of any curriculum.If teachers need to say their morning prayers do it at home and not in schools.We respect your religious practice so respect ours too.
2.Composition of teachers should change to include more non malays and to allow promotion of them to be headmasters based on merit and not on race.
3. Avoid introducing islamic morals on students and that includes wearing of tudung.
4. School work should be based on meritocracy and not on racial preference.
5.The construction and methodology of school syllabus should be left to academics and not to politicians.
6.Appointment and training of teachers should be based on merit and not race based.
The above are some of the changes that have tobe made if National schools are to be the choice fo rall Malaysians.

Let Us End 50 years of B.N rule.

For the first time in more than fifty years,when the next General Election comes, I am going to abandon the edit that it is better to vote for the devil that I know rather than the devil that I dontKnow.This time round there will be no hesitation.I will like the proverbial saying throw caution to the wind.There will be no turning back.There will be no second thought.
For the last fifty years I have faithfully chosen the safe path. I voted for the race based party that belonged to the Barisan National.I even encouraged and persuaded my relatives to vote along the same racial line to ensure a strong stable govt that will protect the interest of all races.But events of late has proven me wrong.
This govt that I and many others who placed their faith in, is a corrupt,short-sighted,manipulative,racist and incompetent one. After fifty years they have not shown their abiltiy to govern with wisdom.Instead they squandered our nation's coffers,encouraged and perpetuate a corrupt civil service and continue to formulate economic and fiscal policies that will take our country down the road to destruction.
Enough is enough.Our country couldnt be worse off than what it is now.The time has come to vote for a change.After fifty years the present govt is complacent.We need to inject fresh blood with new vision to bring us further into this millenium or suffer and be left behind in this globalised world.The choice to determine our direction and future is in our hands.Let us choose wisely and vote for any one/party that stand against B.N .Even if we cannot win let us deny them the two third majority that they enjoy for the last fifty years.

Works Minister Should Come Clean

Works Minister, Samy Vellu defends the steep rise in toll rates on grounds that Malaysia has the' cheapest tolls in the world'.What the Minister fail to add is that other countries dont pay road tax and the import duties and excise duties dont reach100% to 200% depending on the models.
An average popular car like Toyota Vois costU.S$10,000 in America.In Malaysia it cost almost$90,000.Almost twice the value as in America.Naturally motorist in America dont mind paying a higher toll rate since cars are cheaper.But in Malaysia we are hit with a triple whammy.we pay road tax, road toll and pay hefty import and excise duties on cars.
When the American govt build their highways the contract is openly tendered and the whole process is transparent. All contracts, the terms and conditons of the highway agreement are opened for public scrutiny.When a contract of $1 billion is given out for the contract we can safely assume that it is a justifiable cost.On completion of the highway, the operator assume the risk of a normal business venture.There is no such thing as a govt guarantee that the highway toll collected will be profitable.Any loss would have to be borne by the operator and there is no such thing as compensation if the expected profit do not materialise.
Can we say the same practice for our highway construction?Here in Malaysia, Highway contracts are given out without tender.Cost of a $1billion highway project is given away for $3 billion to companies dubiously connected to the ruling politica lparty.Terms and agreement of the Highway contract are so secretive that they come under the purview of the OSA(official Secret Act).Naturally when inflated values are given to the cost of Highways the tendency is that toll rates are calculated based on inflated rates.What should have been a $1 collection becomes $2 because of the inflated cost of the Highway.The most ridiculous part of the whole Highway agreement is that the govt provides the operator with an iron clad guarantee to allow them to increase toll every few years.If toll increase is not given the govt give an undertaking to compensate the operator to the extent of the amount loss in revenue.According to the workMinister an amount of $2.5 billion was given as compensation to the concessionaire.This alone shouldcreate further suspicions whether the whole structureof the Highway agreement was done in a fair and equitable manner.
The Works Minister should desist from comparing our toll rate with other countries especially when allother factors are not similar and equal.First and foremost let us have a look at the Highway concessionaire agreement to see if everything is above board.Then let the public judge whether the toll increase is justifiable.

Who are the beneficiaries of the Plantation Mergers?

What is the rationale for merging three independently profitable enterprise which has strong growth, consistent profits and hence good dividends for its shareholders?If the simple reason is to be big then it is a poor reason. Big corporation need not translate into efficient enterprise. In fact it can be just the contrary.
When three different corporations with three different goals merged the results can be conflicting.Among the three perhaps only Golden Hope and Gurthrie corp.can deem to be similar.But Sime Darby is a different kettle of fish. It is a conglomerate with diversified interest in plantation,distributor of heavy machinery, distributor of cars, assembler of motor cycles and cars and a host of different businesses that varies from one extreme to another.Under such circumstance it would be foolishto assume that any synergistic effect can be derived from such a union.
Then what is the true reason for the proposed merger?.First let us examine the players behind the merger.CIMB which heads the merger is led by NazirAbdul Razak.Permodalan National Bhd which owns majority shares in the three entities is led by our DPM Najib Abdul Razak who sits as one of the trustee on the board of PNB.The fact that one party is the initiator of the proposed merger and the other is a party related to the proposer should create enough suspicion.
In the end game one should just look at theprincipal beneficiary of the merger.What is the obvious motive for taking a path that is going to be messy and full of obstacles.If anything the first beneficary would be CIMB which would perhaps collect acool $150 to $200 million in consultancy fees.And asusual the principal losers would be the shareholders who would see their investment being diluted.
Finally,the million dollar question is who will be the actual mysterious beneficiary of the merger?This will become evident when he merger is completed.

Time to amend Article 121(1A)

The faces of grief like the Rayappan's family will continue to be repeated in the future for other converts who revert to their religion if our politicalmasters do not attempt to resolve this conflict through the constitution.
When the 1988 Constitution Amendment Bill was enacted in Parliament in March 1988,the govt did not envisage that the enactment of Article 121(1A) would create injustice and bring grief to families like Moorthy and Rayappan.It should be apparent by now that for this lacuna in the constitution to be satisfactorily resolved there need to be an amendment to article 121(1A) of the constitution. Non-muslims who convert and later decide to revert to their original faith cannot expect the govt to step in every time such a crisis of religious identity appears.
For quick and satisfactory resolution of similar incidents, the constitution must provide clear and unambigious guidelines.If the relevant Articles of the constitution is vague and ambigious then there must be an effort to amend the relevant part of the constitution in order to provide a clear path for an equitable resolution. The affected and grieving family should not be forced to endure the uncertainty and tussle of the dead man's body while the religious authorities try to seek brownie points with their Syariah courts.

MAS should not deceive Public with its Financial statement.

I find it highly irresponsible for MAS todeceive the general public with its purported reportof its financial statement that it has made a profitof $204 million for this year.A closer scrutiny of its fine print indicated that $194 million was attributed to the sale of its office building.In normal accounting parlance this is a one off capital gain which is not derived from its operational income.
Further an almost 30% increase in fares recently would have surely contributed to its profits and this increase in profits cannot be attributable to better management but purely due to price increase in ticketing price. So far there is hardly any difference in the management of MAS other than the voluntary retrenchment of its staff.However, one significant change affecting senior citizen was the deprivation ofsenior citizen to fly on a stand-bye basis.Instead they have to book their ticket 8 days in advance before being allowed to fly.This is actually a poor management strategy. On a given day, with the exception of peak traffic, the plane is half or three quarter full.So to fill up the seats by giving senior citizens on a stand-bye basis would logically contribute to additional revenue.If we were to estimate that on a given day for all of MAS domestic flights there are 1000 empty seats on all it flights and if it were to sell it at $100 to senior citizens for each seat, the total for each day of additional revenue would amount to $100,000.This is no small amount when you multiply it for 30 days.By taking away this privelege from senior citizens it is indirectly taking out a significant part of its revenue.

Our spendthrift Leaders.

How do we tell our leaders that money from public funds are not meant to be spent extravagantly.For P.M to lavish $600 million on UMNO division leaders to spend on small rural projects through class F contractors is not only extravagant but smack of corruption.What is the rationale of allocating $3 million of public funds to political leaders to ensure rural projects are carried out?Ifsuch projects have to be carried out why cant they be carried out by govt agencies such as JKR.And if tender need to be carried out why cant it be done in a transparent manner to avoid suspicion of corruption.
Our leaders seem to have lost their moral compass when it comes to spending our public funds.They seem to harbour the view that our nation's coffers is like a bottomless pit where foolish spending will not replete our nation's resources.While countries like Singapore is investing its hard earned currency in good yields investment (through its investment arm, Temasek) we are even plundering our oil wealth ( through oil company Petronas) by unscrupulous bailouts of private enterprise.
Whenever we start to accumulate some wealth,our leaders immediately deem fit to spend it on some dubious projects.Have our leaders spare a thought what will happen when the oil dries up and foreign investments runs out?Our oil reserves will run out in19 years time and foreign investment is already down to a trickle.Have our leaders prepare our country for the future when we cannot depend anymore on oil and foreign FDI's?If not they are in for a surprise when the good times are over.

Concessionaire Toll Agreement with the Govt is one sided.

The recent reminder by Works Minister SamyVellu that road toll will have to be increased soon doesnt make sense.Does the govt toll agreement with the Toll concesinaires provide an iron clad guarantee that they will constantly make consistently good profit over the duration of the toll agreement?
Why is there so much secrecy in the toll agreemnt?To avoid unfair insinuation and aspersion on the govt officials and Minister given the task of making the agreemnt with the Toll concessionaires,would it not be proper and transparent that those agreements be made public so that we can see if everything is above board.
The public perception is that the agreement is one sided and quite rightly so.Why must the govt give a guarantee that compensation will be paid to the concessionaire if toll is not allowed to increase after a period of years?Going by logic, the number of vehicles would increase every year and by that deduction toll would also correspondingly increase.If that be the case then why the necessity for an increase in toll or the need to compensate the concessionaire? The increase in the number of vehicles would have adequately compensated the concessionaire without any increase in the toll.
I doubt the public would accept any toll increase in the absence of any proper disclosure of the reasons for such an increase.

Purchase of Defence Equipment is a Sham

Can our country continue to sustain wanton waste in the purchase of defence equipment which for the most part have little relevance to our national defence?The whole matter of defence equipment purchase seems to be done in an ad hoc manner with no proper due diligence carried out to determine the type and quality necessary for a modern defence system that will not only act as a deterrent but would also provide a sustainable level of defence that will ensure protection of our national sovereignty through the 21st century and beyond.
A few months ago our DPM, and Defence Minister was in U.K to sign an agreement for the purchase of Submarines.Purchasing submarines is the easy part but do we have the manpower, the facilities for such state of the art equipment to be part of our defence arsenal?Many of our previous purchases have ended in the junk yards and hopefully this purchase will not be the next statistic.
Then we had another deal with the Russians for the purchase of fighter planes.The deal was sealed with the addition of a Malaysian astronaut thrown in as an added incentive .Agro- based Industry ministry Parliamentary secretary Rohani Abdul Karim naively went on to say that 'the programme to send a Malaysian into space will not cost a single sen as it is part of an offset arrangement for the purchase of Russian military aircraft'.This of course is not true. It has now been established that it will cost us approximately $95 million to send our astronaut to space so that he can indulge in the children's game of Batu seremban and to experiment the effects of preparing teh tarik in outer space.
Finally, this week we were told that the defence dept has purchased 8 Italian fighter planes for a cost of $410 million.The question is how do we justify the purchase of three different types of defence equipment to blend into our defence strategy?The maintenance of these different types of equipment will pose problems in spare parts and manpower skills in ensuring our fighter planes are in tip top condition.Frankly I am beginning to question the wisdom of purchasing all those equipments which for obvious reason will end up as scrap in the metal junkyard.

End of an Era for B.N

Every one knows that closing the barn door when
the horse has bolted is an exercise in futility.During
the last UMNO General Assembly ,delegates spewed fire
and brimstone at their perceived threats from the
miniority non malays especially the chinese.The
culmination of the disgraceful assertion of malay
supremacy was the unsheathing of the keris by the Head
of the UMNO Youth, Hishamuddin.The words of the
delegate from Malacca probably sum up the racist and
religious sentiments that pervades the assembly."UMNO
is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood to defend
the race and religion."The P.M's closing speech to
assuage the feelings of the non malays who were hurt
by the vitrolics hurl at them did very little to
repair the damage that occurred at the assembly.It was
a classic case of the horse has bolted.
The chinese media reported the UMNO proceedings
in great details and the simmering anger was without
doubt felt by the chinese community.They felt betrayed
by UMNO.It was through their help in the 2000 election
when UMNO was most vulnerable to the PAS threat( when
DPM ANwar was expelled and incarcerated by TDM)that
UMNO was able to retain most of its electoral seats
with a slender majority.At the time when most malays
had abandoned UMNO in support of PAS, the chinese
community gave their full support to UMNO.
UMNO and its leaders may have to ponder their
future without any help from their erstwhile partners
because the damage has been done.Despite damage
control by MCA with its intention of going on a nation
wide roadshow to explain and pacify the chinese
community it is unlikely the olive branch will be
accepted this time round.
It is ironical that after nearly 50 years of
Alliance and then later Barisan National union of UMNO
and MCA this seemingly invincible partner will come to
an ignominous end.There is little hope that the
chinese will continue to render support to the
B.N.From the feedbacks of coffee shops and private
conversations the response is unanimous.They will
throw their support to all independent and opposition
candidates.UMNO and its cohorts will learn a bitter lesson
that there is a price to pay for its betrayal

T.M Net Or Telekom-Both are still the same.

After spending millions in their rebranding
exercise, TM Net or Telekom has basically still remain
the same in its service and management of its now
private enterprise.Little has changed since its
privatisation and its recent refurbishing of its kedai
Telekom offices.Walk into any Kedai Telekom and you
will experience the appalling service.In any day
paying your bill is a hassle.It is not uncommon to
wait an hour or more just to pay your bills.( I have
personally experience such poor service in Kota Bharu
and Seremban Kedai Telekom).Payment and receipts of
cash is the lifeblood of any private enterprise but
here you experience a certain lackadiscal attitude
which translate to mean that you have to wait in a
long queue if you want to pay.
The trouble with T.M Net or Telekom and its
contemporary partner Tenaga Nasional Bhd, is that the
worker and its management teams are the same people
prior to its privatisation.They still adopt the same
work culture and 'tidak apa' attitude.Their work
ehtics have remained the same despite the
transformation to a private entity.When the whole work
place is populated with one race the tendency is that
there are so many common things to talk and gossip.A
lesson can be learned by watching the racial
composition of foreign Banks and Multi-national
companies.When there is a good mix there is healthy
competition to excel and no one wants to be seen
slacking.
T.M net and Tenaga National Bhd has to overhaul
their old work culture if they wish to remain relevant
and competitive. Fortunately for these two private
enterprise they are a virtual monopoly in their
respective field and therefore can afford the luxury
of compacency.

Punish the Perak Mufti.

When my son told me that he saw a leprechaun in
the morning newspaper I thought he was joking.Then I
saw for myself a picture on the nst dated 13th Nov.
edition in the front page was the semblance of someone
who had the characteristic of a leprechaun.That man
was the Perak Mufti,Datuk Seri Harussani zakaria who
purportedly identified the mischievous woman who sent
the text message that a group of muslims would be
baptised at a church in Silibin on Nov.5th.
I used to read and remember in my younger days
that leprechaun are by nature mischievous creatures
who happen to create havoc in the lives of ordinary
mortals.Yes, this leprechaun in our midst is no
exception..During his tenure as the Perak mufti he has
taken particular delight in perpetuating one
controversy after another.It is as if he had a wicked
sense of humour or is it his evil intention to cause
racial and religious conflict among Malaysians of
different origin.
One of his outrageous claim in Feb. 2006 was that
100,000 of muslims had apostatised themselves.He did
not disclose the source of his information but claimed
it was from a' reliable source.'
Then in June 2006 he proclaimed that Kongsi raya
was not proper and could erode the faith of
muslims.How could any one who is suppose to be
knowledgeable in Islam propagate such a convoluted
version of religious doctrine?What remains clear is
that we do not need such religious bigots in our
Malaysian landscape.If the Perak Mufti is in any way
responsible for the sms which led to the protest and
demonstration at the church in Ipoh, then the full
weight of the law should befall this leprechaun.In
this day and age we just dont need any leprechaun
prancing in our midst with their own brand of
religious bigotry.

Iskander development Region will Be a Flop.

Like the few mega projects during
Mahathir's tenure which was a flop,the Iskandar
development Region is undoubtedly heading for
failure.This new project when examined under a
microscope has nothing new to offer.This ambitious
project is perhaps better described as new packaging
but the same contents.The same old mantra is repeated
here again.Vast expanse of land, a skilled workforce(
more likely Indonesian imports), efficient bureacracy(
most likely the same corrupt civil service
mentality)and modern infrastructure (but a third world
mentality in maintenance).Foreign investors are
already wise to such superficial promises and not
likely to fall for the same ruse.
The International trade and Industry Minister
recently gave a warning to foreign investors that if
they are not prepared to relinquish 30% equity to
Bumiputra when they invest here then they might as
well dont come here.Well looks like the foreign
investors have taken the cue from our arrogant Rafidah
Aziz and has stayed away in droves.Otherwise how could
you explain that a small red dot like Singapore could
garner Foreign Direct Investment of $20 billion in
2005 compared to $3.97 billion in FDI in 2005 for
Malaysia.
Finally, how could the Iskander development
region take off when in the first instance the Johore
Sultan has already called for the demolishment of the
causeway?Indirectly this is to say that Singaporeans
FDI are not welcome.Then in the same breath, the
Sultan went further to describe the Mat Sallehs as
dirty and not welcome.So having excluded two of the
major FDI group from coming to invest here, can the
Johore Govt please let us know who are they targeting
to come and invest in the Iskander development Region?
Frankly the only expectation of the Iskander
Development region would be a vast barren uninhabited
industrial land which in due course would be
abandoned.Singapore would not be a properous,
successful, industrial state if Johore had the
potential and the ability to come out of its
hibernated state.

Uncalled for remarks by Sultan

The Johore sultan merely has a ceremonial role in our constituion. He should confine his thoughts and opinion and should not make public comments which might be misconstrued.If he choose to venture out of his ceremonial domain and go into the public domain then whatever statement he makes can and must be subject to public scrutiny and criticism depending on the merit and demerit of the subject matter.He should not expect any immunity from public scrutiny.
In this regard, the Sultan's comments to demolish the causeway was an extremely stupid and spontaneous statement made by someone who has scant knowledge of the historical and legal consequences of such a propose act.
Is the sultan aware that thousands of Malaysians seek employment in the red dot to eke out a living and 90% of them are his subjects from Johore.?Is he aware that Singapore's investment in Malaysia and in Johore constitute a substantial portion of FDI in Malaysia?
Instead of reaching out his hand in encouraging foreigners to come to Malaysia he has made disparaging comments that foreigners are dirty and not welcome.What is the point in spending millions in advertisement for tourists to come to Malaysia when someone whose opinion would carry alot of weight make such disgusting comments.And what is most disappointing is that none of our leaders including the P.M made no effort to correct the disparaging remarks made by the sultan..
06/11 22:29:23

CLP Exams should be more Transparent.

There is a sense of injustice that seems to
confront all those who happen to have the misfortune
to sit for the CLP qualifying exam.From the numerous
complaints that has been reported it is quite obvious
that the CLP board has a hidden motive to deliberately
fail those oversea Law graduates who are mandated to
sit for this exam before they can practice here.
There is an unsavoury aspect of this prerequisite
making it compulsory for oversea graduate to sit for
this professional exam when local graduates are
exempted.By implication, is it the CLP board's opinion
that the local graduates are better train then their
oversea counterpart?
The most unsavoury aspect of the CLP exam is that
it is shrouded in mystery.There must be a reason why
only 10% of the candidates pass this exam.If indeed
the 90% candidates did badly then surely they are
entitled to know how and in what manner they had
performed badly.Those that fail should have recourse
to their marked papers on payment of a nominal fees
and if neceesary have them remarked again on payment
of a fee.At best, this would allow those who fail an
opportunity to know where their shortcomings were and
to ensure that it is not repeated.
The Bar council is keeping a deafening silence on
this issue which seem to affect alot of future
lawyers.It would be a great help if the Bar council
could make proper representation to the qualifying
board to make the whole CLP exams more transparent.

P.M should adopt Mahathir's strategy.

The only way P.M Ahmad Badawi can combat Dr.
Mahathir's unrelenting criticism is to adopt the
latter's strategy.In order to silence Mahahtir once
and for all P.M has to be ruthless.He should no longer
pander to the whims and fancy of the former P.M.Look
how Mahathir exposed the rulers abuse and extravagant
lifestyle during the constitutional crisis in order to
force them to accept the constitutional
amendments.Then observed how he orchestrated Anwar's
conviction with even the minute detail of the stained
matteress offered as material evidence of Anwar's
secret rendezvous.
Yes, to wage a political combat with Mahathir, P.M
should expose the former policy failures.For good
measure it should reveal how during his tenure of 22
years he had bailed out his son from the failed
shipping company,perkapalan.Then he should expose why
he allowed TNB to negotiate the unfavourable terms
with the independent power producer for the supply of
electricity.
Going further, P.M should reveal the extent of the
foreign exchange loss suffered by the nation when Bank
Negara went on a speculative binge to corner the tin
market.
War strategist have always advocated that attack
is the best form of defence and in this respect
Mahathir has used this strategy to good effect.P.M
cannot afford to maintain the 'elegant silence 'and
expect to counter Mahathir's offensive with his
passive approach.P.M must adopt Mahathir's tactic and
response with venom, failing which P.M may have to
succumb to Mahathir's verbal onslaught.His tenure may
very well depend on this strategy.

Bumis' 45% Equity is a cause for celeberation

Our P.M's stern warning that questioning the
methodology of EPU was stirring up trouble is a
convenient way of sweeping this controversial issue
under the carpet.It seems whenever the public clamour
for some transparency the govt would resort to this
familiar threat that it would inflame racial
tension.The malaysian public of every race has every
right to demand the truth with respect to the present
bumiputra equity in the country.Only with the full
knowledge of the present bumiputra equity only can we
formulate a meaningful 9 Malaysian Plan.
If there is any validity in the claim of 45%
bumiputra equity, then any policy that continue to
provide assistance to the malays would be an
aberation.Further, if it was true that bumiputra
equity has attained 45% then we should applaud the
achievements of our past leaders for having formulated
the various NEP policies that have finally attained
its stated objectives of giving 30% equity to
Bumiputra.Such an achievement should be a cause for
celeberation instead of commiseration.
The 9th Malaysia Plan should then focus its
implementation based on poverty rather than race
based.This way, the poor, the disadvantage,the
underprivelege,the orphans, and all those who need
govt assistance would benefit across the board.For all
this to happen we need strong leadership and not
leaders who continuosly threaten that seeking the
truth is tantamount to stirring up racial tension.Such
infantile excuse can no longer be tenable to the
Malaysian public.

EPU should be more Transparent.

Why do our leaders have the phobia of revealing
how the EPU arrived at the 18.9% equity of the
bumiputras?.If according to our leaders the
methodology used is correct and accurate then there
should be no hesitation in disclosing the methods and
data used in the calculation of the 18.9% bumiputra's
equity.But a cursory examination of the statements
made by those responsible for the computation seem to
suggest that the methodology used by EPU was flawed
from the very beginning.
How could EPU justify their valuation of market
capitalisation on the basis of equating par value of
shares with current market value?Although the par
value of Tenaga and MAS are the same ,this cannot be
the case when reference is made to their present
market value.Tenaga's share is hovering in the $10
region whereas MAS is somewhere around $3.So based on
this difference in value how could EPU attempt even to
equate the valuation of Tenaga and MAS as of the same
value in calculating market capitalisation?When the
methodology is based on a faulty premise it becomes
quite obvious why the EPU computation of 18.9% equity
becomes severely flawed.
It is pointless for the govt to go into a
denial mode when confronted with the more reliable
calculation of ASLI.EPU should make every effort to be
more transparent by revealing their datas and to
justify their method of determining the bumiputras
equity.If EPU cannot intelligently refute and debate
ASLI's assertion that Bumi's equity is 45% then the
public has every right to demand a revision of the
goals of the NEP.

Malaysian chinese doing well -Pak Lah

Yes Pak Lah, the chinese are doing very well
in Malaysia but no thanks to the govt for any help.The
truth may be difficult for the govt to accept but that
is the plain inevitable truth.In fact the govt with
all its civil servants have made it their level best
to place obstacle in the path of every chinese
businessman.They have formulated policies so
discriminating that its a wonder the chinese
businessman can even survive under such atrocious
conditions.
Every govt policies have been carefully crafted
to ensure the chinese do not succeed.The Perak
M.B,Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali even
defended the decision to award certain priveleges to
bumiputra companies.According to him there was nothing
inappropriate to practice such discrimination.In fact
such practice is already common knowledge to all
chinese businessman.It has already been an entrenched
practice of the govt to give all govt contracts and
supply to bumiputra companies.In fact many of these
contracts were given at inflated price to bumiputras
and the latter in turn give it to a chinese to execute
the contract.
So when the chinese succeed in their enterprise
it is all through their own effort and zero
contribution from the govt.The chinese owe no
gratitude nor any loyalty to the govt.All their
success and effort are due to their blood,sweat and
tears.They can proudly say that they did it all their
way.

Pension scheme should be Scrapped

Before introducing the so called
revolutionary pension the govt should consider
carefully the financial implication of continuing the
pension scheme.By its own admission the present scheme
is costing the govt annually $6 billion, money that
would be better used for developement and other more
important expenditure.
The present pension scheme is not only
subjected to abuse but is a liabilty to the govt.It
becomes questionable whether such a scheme is
sustainable over a long period of time.A typical case
of a civil servant with four wives rangeging in age
from 55 to 30 would literary means that the govt would
have to continuosly pay pension to the surviving wives
and children until the wives death and the children
becomes of legal age.The case of the late former
Deputy P.M Abdul Ghafar Baba is a case in point.At the
age of about 65 he married a woman half his age and
conceived a child. When he passed away, the child of
six yrs old was the only beneficiary since the late
Tun had by then divorced his wife.Because of his long
tenure in politics and govt service the pensionable
amount due to him came to a sum of $17,000 per month
and $204,000 per year.Because the child is six years
old the govt will have to continue to pay for 15 years
which come to a sum of $3,060,000.
When we consider the workforce of 1.1 million civil
servants that are pensionable, the financial
implication becomes frightening.The question that begs
to be answered is whether the govt can afford to have
such leakages without a long term adverse effect on
its financial planning

Immigration dept awaken by the death of Sir Norman

Sir Norman Frank Sisson who applied for P.R for
15 years must be chuckling in his grave.Finally after
countless trips to the immigration dept and regular
sojourn out of the country to renew his visa, Norman
finally got in death what he could not possibly get in
life.what was most shocking was the revealation by the
immigration dept that there was no such application by
Sir Norman.It was either Norman making trips to the
immigration Dept.without knowing he had ever submitted
an application for P.R or the plain and most likely
version that the immigration was telling a blatant
lie.
Home Affairs Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi
Sheikh Ahmad and his top immigration officials should
take full responsibilty for this pathetic state of
affair.If need be they should all be sacked for such a
lackadiscal approach to the administration of the
ministry.If this is how they run their ministry then
the average man has no hope of getting quick
resolution to their problems.
Perhaps I feel appropriate to ask the Minister
how thousands of Immigrants from Indonesia do not have
to endure such lengthy periods for their P.R to be
processed?It seems quite ironical that qualified
professionals, impeccable personalities applying for
P.R are denied easy access to P.R whilst robbers,
rapist, snatch thieves and unsavoury characters from
Indonesia are finding an easy path to obtaining P.Rs.
If the Minister is unaware of what is happening
in his ministry I urge him to resign gracefully and
let someone more capable to handle the job.

It Takes a Real Man To say He's sorry.

What can you say about the statement of apology made by Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew? This gesture by a great statesman reflect the calibre of the man he is. Many a lesser man would not apologise because the statement was the truth. But this wise man spoke the truth and yet chose to apologise because it was in the larger interest of his country.

Perhaps this should be a lesson to Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin and his boss, Hishammuddin Hussien. Khairy spoke on a subject which offended the Chinese and resolutely refused to apologise. Hishammuddin castigated MCA vice-president for making what he thought was a baseless statement and demanded an apology which was duly given by Ong Tee Keat's boss, Mustapa Mohamed.

The cabinet under the misguided Najib Abdul Razak even reprimanded Ong. When the truth was finally unraveled, none of the protagonists even had the courage to apologise. When you compare these journeyman politicians to the stature of Lee, we begin to see the difference in the calibre of our leaders.

It takes a man of great courage to say he is sorry when he is in the wrong, but it takes a man of greater courage to apologise even knowing that what he said was right and the truth.

What Lee said was merely a reinforcement of what is already common knowledge among the Chinese and Indian Malaysians. There is no way our leaders can deny that the pillar of the government policy is not to marginalise the minority communities.

Every policy of the government from education, civil service, police, army, procurement of contracts, appointment of CEOs in GLC companies, appointment of political posts are all crafted and conceived with only one purpose in mind.

Our leaders espoused unity among the races and compassion to all those needy and less fortunate. But unfortunately every leader that have so far assume the mantle of power have failed to live up to that expectation.

Thailand coup a blow to democracy

I wish to refer to Dr. Chandra Muzaffar's
article dated 22nd sept. regarding the coup in
Thailand.Of late I have noticed that this writer has
lost his moral compass and has written articles that
are skewed towards a religious bias.In his article of
Israels invasion of Lebanon he had been quick to
condemn Israel without even a whisper of condemnation
of HiZbullah's kidnapping of the Israel's soldiers.
In his article of the Thailand Coup, this
writer has the temerity to even subtlely suggest that
the coup was justified because'Thaksin had undermined
the principal instituition......his power'.If one
subscribe to the principles of democracy any form of
revolt against a legitimate elected government is
unacceptedable.No matter how noble the objectives no
matter how justified, the only way to remove a
legitimate govt is by way of the ballot box and not at
the barrel of the gun.
The writer's concluding paragraph is a
revealation of his hidden motive for supporting the
coup.The leader of the revolt is a muslim general and
the writer is hopeful that this will perhaps pave the
way for the muslim insurgents and secessionalists to
at last have autonomy in the southern region of
Pattani, Yala and Narrathiwat. In this respect the
writer is certainly misguided because no matter who
takes over the helm of the Thai govt, the southern
region will never be given any autonomy.

Singapore Has every Right to Comment.

Our former P.M, Tun Mahathir once said that
he would call spade a spade and that he would not
hesitate to criticise or condemn any nation that in
his opinion had faltered.In this vein he had
unhesitatingly criticise U.S for their role in the
middle east, the Israels in their conflict with the
Paletines, the insurgents in the southern Thailand,and
to a certain extent even Singapore whenever there was
a need to find a bogeyman to justify our shortcomings
.So if our leaders has no hesitation in criticising
every one and sundry whenever they feel like it what
is the rationale for not been able to accept criticism
from a foreign perspective?
Our leaders must accept the fact that the
right to speak the truth is not the exclusive domain
of our leaders alone.Others who view our system and
our citizens been harshly treated have every right to
voice their misgivings.More so with Singapore
especially where the citizens of both countries have
an embryonic,historical relationship.Most Singaporeans
have relatives in Malaysia and vice versa.How the govt
treats its subject in Malaysia invariably is felt by
the citizens of Singapore because of this close
relationship.
It would be foolish for our leaders to deny that
what M.M Lee Kuan Yew said is not true.By the act of
denial our leaders are merely prolonging and
accentuating the disunity that is currently prevailing
in our country.However, M.M LKY is guilty of one
important ommission.The chinese are not the only
people being marginalised.The Indians, the aborigines,
and the rural malays should also be included in the
marginalised community.Quite obviously, the
beneficiaries have been the elite, politically
connected malays that have been in power for the last
49 years.

Mahathir should look at his own legacy

Mahathir should look at his own legacy before he comments. Compared to Singapore which has devolped to a modern developed country, Malaysia is still struggling to achieve that in 2020, nearly 14 years behind.Mahathir is jealous of LKY legacy compared to his.After 22 years he has not achieved anything noteworthy other than his abilty to spend on mega projects to feed his greedy cronies.He keeps on harping on racists comment without thinking for one moment that is a half indian.Not surprising that the people at Kubang Pasu has already ignored him.Compared to LKY who is still held in high esteem, Mahathir is now a pariah by his own admission.

What the Pope quoted was the truth.

What the pope said was quoted in full from the
own words of Emperor Manuelll Paleologos of the
Byzantime empire.So what is the Pope quilty of when
the actual words did not originate from his own words
and thoughts?What the Pope quoted was from a source of
a historical figure.If the Pope is guilty of quoting
the words of any person living or dead then daily
thousand of journalists are also gulty of such a
crime.
It is up to the islamic religious authorities to
disprove any fallacy in the claim by the Pope and not
to criticise him for bringing up something which have
stood the test of time.What we witness today is a
display of the truth in the statement of the
Pope.Muslim fanaticsm have reared its ulgly head and
now in the 21st century we still hear and see muslims
clamouring for apostates to be killed in the name of
the religion.We need not have to go far from our own
shores. Even in Malaysia the case of Lina Joy's
dilemma is a good example of how muslims have
degenerated to the dark period when Prophet Mohamad
and his band when round killing the non believers and
raping the wives of the slain husbands.These are
factual events depicted in the books of the revered
caliphs and the Holy Koran.Muslims should not be in a
denial mode.It is imperative for them to study the
errie and close resemblance of the terror that took
place in the medieval period of Prophet Mohamad and
the terror and fanticsm of the 21st
century.Revealation of those events bear a striking
resemblance of what is taking place currently in many
muslim countries.Unless and until such time when
muslims can look at themselves and bring changes that
are adaptable to the 21st century more and more
conflicts will bring the 'Clash of Civilsation' to a
reality.

Housing Ministry should Review Antiquated Policies

Its about time the Housing ministry review some
of its antiquated policies that were introduced some
30 years ago.The country is propelling itself to be a
developed nation in 2020 and yet we persist in having
to build low cost houses.This mandatory polcy that
requires housing developers to set aside 30% of their
land for low cost houses has not only left alot of
areas with unsold and unihabitat low cost houses but
has become an eyesore in alot of housing estate.
The demand for low cost houses may have been
appropriate 30 years ago but with improve standard of
living few people would opt to buy low cost houses
now.So if there is no longer a demand for such houses
why do the Housing Ministry still continue to make it
mandatory to build low cost houses when there is no
demand?This policy if left uncheck would later
contribute to slums where it would be a haven for drug
addicts.
Another policy that need to be reviewed is the 5%
to 10% per cent discount offered to bumiputra
buyers.when this policy was first introduced it was
intended to increase bumi ownership of houses.This is
especially in respect of properties that are within
the reach of the average Bumis.But now the policy has
lost its direction and purpose and have now included
high end property which were for the rich and
famous.What rationale is there for developers to give
discounts to those Bumis who can afford to buy luxury
high end property?The proper remedy is to put a cap on
a certain price range that will mandate the developer
to give discount to Bumis and certainly not a blanket
application of all property.The Housing Ministry must
keep up with the times and continue to review old
antiquated policies .If not our housing landscape
would be inundated with unwanted, unsold houses left
uninhabited for years to come.
tel:0199810828

Malaysia cannot send its forces to Lebanon.

Malaysia lost its opportunity to send its
soldiers under the U.N banner to Lebanon long before
the present crisis.From the moment the state of Israel
came to being, Malaysia has not recogised Israel and
do not have any diplomatic relations with the
country.Malaysia has predicated its foreign policy in
sympathy with the Palestine cause and that the common
thread was religion.Otherwise how could you explain
Malaysia's non-recognition of the state of
Israel?Israel has not offended nor threatened the
security of our country and yet we seem to regard
Israel as our enemy.
Israel has every right to reject Malaysia's
participation to send its forces to Lebanon for the
simple reason Malaysia cannot expect to be neutral in
case of any conflict because of its stance towards
IsraelWithout a doubt, Malaysia would
be on the side of the Hizbullah irrespective of who
was at fault.In the present conflict of Israel and
Hizbullah, Malaysia has levelled its criticism at
Israel without rebuking Hizbullah for the kidnapping
and killing of Israel's soldier in Israel'
territory.This alone has cast serious doubts on
Malaysia to be a country that can exert its authority
in Lebanon with fairness.

Petronas Hidden Agenda

Petronas is currenetly riding on a wave of
unprecedented financial success not of its making but
by a stroke of good fortune that seem to bless all oil
producing country.The profits generated from this
corporation which belongs to the govt of Malaysia and
by extension belongs to its citizen.
Since its inception it has not been transparent
in its financial reports and its actual financial
profile is only privy to a few top govt leaders.As a
citizen, may we ask the govt why are they perpetuating
such secrecy in their financial and managerial
performance.The govt is merely a custodian of our
nations resources and every citizen is surely entitled
to gauge and evaluate the performance of an entity
that generate so much wealth for the nation.
When an entity remains a recluse and its
financial record is hidden from public view, the only
conclusion we can surmise is that it has a hidden
agenda. And what may that secret hidden agenda be?
Petronas is first and foremost guilty of
discriminatory practice in its distribution of the
nation's wealth.100% of all petrol station are given
to malays to operate.Petronas offshore contracts are
selectively phased to bumiputra company with strong
political connections.Petronas employs 20,000 personel
and non-malays constitute only 1% of its
workforce.Even its Petronas university is not exempted
from discrimination with hardly a 10% non malay
enrolment being given places.
What about govt bailouts?The bailouts of Bank
Bumiputra,Bank Rakyat,BMF,and the Mahathir's son
Perkapalan sold to MISC and a host of others were all
malay business interests that were rescued with
Petronas funds.
All the above reasons clearly provides us with a
clear notion why the govt wish to keep Petronas record
a secret.It would have a hard time explaining to its
citizens why Petronas policies was so discriminatory
and skewed towards only one community.

Muslims do not have a choice in Malaysia.

I wish to refer to Raja Saeed's letter, 'choice
to leave yours.'
Either the writer is an Indonesian muslim or he
is totally ignorant of the prevailing Syariah Laws in
Malaysia.The constituition of malaysia explicitely
states that all malays are muslims and it is
impossible for any malay to renounce Islam and convert
to another religion.In other words,malays are born
muslims and die as muslims.No matter what the Koran
says that Islam do not practice compulsion, this does
not apply here in Malaysia.Simply put, the malays just
have no choice.They have to accept their chosen faith
by birth and apothasy is a luxury they dont enjoy.
However, if the writer is an Indonesian the
situation is different.There, inter-marriage between
christians and muslims are quite common and there is
no compulsion that each have to convert to the
other.Yes, here in Indonesia we have a choice and that
is the main difference in the way Islam is practice in
the two countries

PAS is showing its True colour

Finally, Pas is beginning to show its true
colour by protesting at the Article 11 Public Forum in
Johore Baru.Despite its efforts to win the hearts and
minds of the non-malays, its deeds have proven that
once in power they will not suffer any public
discourse or debate where human rights are concerned.
Earlier in Penang they suceeded in disrupting the
forum held there.The police not wanting an incident
adviced the organisers to prematurely end their
forum.But many agreed it was a wrong decision as the
forum was a legitimate platform for a public debate on
an issue which has far reaching implication for its
citizens.And quite rightly they deserved to be heard.
This time in Johore Baru the protest did not
derail the organisers the legitimate right to hold
the forum.But the protest held at the instigation and
behest of PAS has clearly shown that they are
intolerant of any views and debate express by the
non-malays.

Religion is the problem Facing Mixed union.

I would like to refer to sonny Mak's
article,'Nothing wrong with mixed union.'
Mak seem to miss the point why most chinese
parents object to mixed marriages with the malay
race.The objection does not stem from racial reason
but because of religious reasons.There are alot of
mixed marriages between chinese and
indians,eurasians,mat sallehs,kadazans etc and most
parents have no problem with that.But the moment when
a chinese man or a woman enters a relationship with a
malay man or a woman all hell break loose.This is
especially so when the relationship becomes serious
and marriage is on the card.Relatives from all sides
will make a beeline to the affected party and try to
convince him/her the pitfalls of such a union.If
everything fails the threat of disowning the son or
daughter usually do the trick and the relationship is
immediately put to an end.
Chinese parents dont mind their children marrying
any race as long as religion does not come into the
equation.They dont want their children to convert just
for the sake of marrying someone.The idea of changing
one's faith in order to get married is repulsive and
totally devoid of logic.Chinese marrying Indians do
not face this problem since religious beliefs are not
so rigid among the Indians and there are alot of
common grounds especially if they are Hindus and
Buddhists.
So Mak is wrong to presume that parental
objection is without any valid reason.The force
conversion of religion is the main reason why chinese
parents will not give their blessing for a
chinese-malay union.

Certification of Houses should be left to the professionals.

Much has been written about the decision by the
Works minister S Samy Vellu that architects and
Engineers will soon be responsible for the issuance of
certificate of Fitness (C.F).I take particular umbrage
at the comments of S.M Mohamad Idris of the
consumers'Association of Penang regarding his
objection to the proposal of allowing architects and
Engineers to issue the C.F.
Mohamad Idris would be well advised to confine
his comments to matters that he is familiar with and
not to adopt arm chair critic of matters that he has
very little knowledge of.
Since the beginning of our housing industry the
issuance of the C.F have been with the authority of
the local councils after having obtain approvals from
about a dozen govt bodies.Most if not all of the local
councils are manned by ordinary civil servants whose
knowledge and expertise in the building industry is
virtually nil.Despite this lack of expertise the law
till now demands that we obtain certification from
these authorities whose speed of approvals depends on
the quantum of money changing hands.With the need to
obtain approvals from a dozen of these govt bodies
imagine the bureacratic delay that a developer has to
endure.This result in an inordinate delay in the
issuance of the C.F sometimes stretching over a period
of years if no money change hands.
With the introduction of responsibilty of issuance
of C.F to architects and Engineers there is every
reason to believe that due care and diligence would be
exercise on compliance with specifications and
workmanship.It is very unlikely that these
professionals would risk their rice bowl by
compromising on quality and shoddy workmanship.At the
end of the day the responsibilty of issuing C.F comes
with an attached responsibilty of being liable to any
litigation that may arise as a result of their
certification.
From the inception of the Housing Act, we have
relied on the local authorities to issue the
certificate of Fitness.This has resulted in
bureacratic delay, corruption and abandonment of
housing project.The time has come for us to move
forward and experiment with a new method of
certification.It would be a great disservice to the
housing industry if critics like Mohamad Idris put a
nail to the coffin of this new proposal even before it
is implemented.

Beat The Best in South-East Asia First.

The Youth and Sports Ministry's proposal to
build a sports complex in London is so hilarious if
not for the fact that it has been seriously planned to
be implemented soon.How minister Datuk Azalina Othman
could support and initiate such a preposterous idea
speaks volume of the type and calibre of our inept
minister.
What rational reasons are there for our country
to transport our future sportsmen to a faraway place
half a globe away in order to grasp the fundamentals
of competing with the world's best?Frankly I cannot
find even one good reason to support such a
ridiculous idea.
The Minister would be well advised to follow the
old adage of not trying to walk even before learning
how to crawl.What is the logic of sending our
sportsmen to a cold, foreign place to learn how to
compete with the very best when we cant even compete
with mediocre sportsmen in South-East Asia which share
a common familiar climate?Shouldn't our sportsmen
compete and excel first in South-East Asia then in
Asia before taking the best in the world? Our
Minister's faith in our sportsmen is certainly
misplaced if she think we can compete with the world's
best before even been able to excel among south-east
Asia and Asia's best.If we cannot beat mediocre
opponents in familiar and similar climate then what
are the chances of us excelling in a cold foreign
unfamiliar land?
To spend $490 million in one of the most
expensive place in the world without any certainty of
success is one of the most irresponsible act of our
leaders.I strongly urge those responsible for making
this decision to seriously revoke this preposterous
proposal.

We are a Nation Of Barbarians.

A great man once said that a civilise nation is
judge by the way a nation treat its animal.If that is
the yardstick used to gauge the civility of our
country then the only conclusion I can make is that we
are a nation of barbarians.
I wish to refer to your article 'owner of 25 dogs
tries to save pets from deaths'.The people involved in
the carnage to kill those dogs are first and foremost
barbarians of the highest pedigree.In their resolve to
kill those dogs there was not the slightest hint of
compassion to at least capture the animals alive and
put them with the RSPCA so that they could be
adopted.Why should these dogs be killed when they have
not bitten anyone?The only complaint if there was any
was because of the stench and the numbers of dogs
staying in the premise.If that was their only offence
was killing a justified act?
Once again and too often we see enforcement
officials entrusted with their jobs have deemed it
neccessary to use more brutal force than what is
required of them.

Custom Dept should not Fool the public.

Custom Prevention division Head,Adnan ariffin talk
about greater transparency by forming a committee to
surpervise the auction.But the question is why is the
sale confined to civil servants and top govt officials
only?.All confiscated vehicles belong to the govt and
therefore indirectly belongs to the taxpayer.Then why
should the auction be only offered to these elite govt
officials?In order to have more transparency, why cant
the auction be opened to all malaysians and given to
the highest bidder.To say that there is a reserve
price and then selectively give it to a low bidder is
not something we could call transparent.In fact such a
practice could result in abuse and corruption.
Afterall what is stopping the committee from
conspiring to give the auction to his friends at a
negotiated low reserve price.Adnan should not try to
fool the taxpayer by saying this system of auction is
transparent when it is fraught with abuse and
corruption.

Why do dogs attack humans?

I wish to refer to your article dated 28th June
instant with the caption "dog attack was unprovoked.'I
live in a mixed rural neighbourhood comprising of
malays, chinese and siamese in Kelantan.I love dogs
and animals in general but because of my proximity
with my malay neighbours I find it inappropriate to
keep them.However my siamese neighbours did not have
the same reservation and one actually kept a few
mongrel dogs as pets in their compound.Whenever the
young malay neighbourhood's children pass my siamese
neighbour's house they would throw pebbles and stones
at the sleeping dogs.This provacative acts caused the
dogs to bark and sometimes coming out of their
enclosures to chase the malay children.Sad to say this
act of provacation was not only confined to the malay
children but also to the adults malay.
We must not underestimate the intelligence of
dogs.From then on, these dogs will always inevitably
bark and chase malay children passing in front of my
siamese neighbour's house.Not surprisingly, the dogs
did not bark or chase any of the chinese or Siamese
children who had not provoked the dogs.
It is rather sad that muslims especially
children are taught at a young age to detest dogs in
view of their religious taboos.This instinctive
behaviour to attack and provoke dogs whenever they
come in contact is the cause of many attacks on malay
children or for that matter any children who choose to
provoke them unnecessarily.
Perhaps muslim religious ulamas could provide
some education that dogs like all other animals are
also God's creature and like all other animals they
deserve as much to live .

Demolishing Hindu Temples.

The demolishing of Hindu temples in several
states recently caused outrage among the indian
communnity.But looking at it objectively, it was
something long overdue but sadly the manner in which
it was done left alot of disharmony and
discontentment.Part of the blame rest solely with the
indian community for building shrines on an ad hoc
approach.Many not only flouted local regulations in
putting up those shrines but many erected their
shrines on state and private lands without proper
authorisation.
In Negri sembilan, the presence of such
shrines are not only an eye sore but have been
flourishing without proper approvals.These shrines
whether built on state or private land would have to
be eventually demolished.Building of shrines or Hindu
temples cannot be allowed to continue without proper
control and regulation.
However, part of the blame should also be
shouldered by the respective state govt.While mosques
have been allowed to flourish in practically every
nook and corner of townships, the govt. has totally
ignored the allocation of land and funds for other
religion to build their temples, churches and
shrines.It is really very sad that while the govt
allow the practice of other faiths it has not been
fair in its allocation of land for other faiths to
build places of worship.
The govt cannot continue to remain indifferent
especially when religion plays an important role in
every ones life.For Malaysians to live in harmony with
its diverse race and religion the govt cannot simply
ignore the problem of land for other faiths to build
places of worship.To do so would be at their own
peril.

There Are Crooked Judges.

Who says there is allegations without any basis?The C.J must be ignorant about what is happening at his doorstep.I was a victim of a corrupt judge.I made a formal complaint to the then Lord President Tun Dzaiddin and he didnt even reply to my letter.Naturally there was no action and I was just helpless as there was nowhere I could turn too.
My case was a straight forward one.A lorry rammed into my store and caused the building to collapse. I made a police report and proceeded to file a civil suit against the owner of the lorry. Since he was covered under insurance, the latter defended the suit.As a layman I was convinced it was an open shut case as through no fault of mine the lorry carelessly rammed into my building.My lawyer even pointed out to the judge that I could not be blamed for the accident since it was impossible for the building to cause the accident.Therefore it was not even probable that I had contributed in any way to the accident.But that was not the case because I lost the case. I would have left the matter as it was and blame it on my lawyer if not for an incident I witnessed with my own eyes.
On the morning of my case as I made my way to the court's canteen I saw the insurance lawyer chatting and laughing merrily with the judge at the canteen.I was so disgusted at the sight and felt at that moment my case would be prejudiced by the close rapport between the Insurance counsel and the judge.
I immediately wrote a letter to the then Lord President, Tun Dzaiddin and related the whole incident, disclosing my full name and the court involved.I did not even receive a courtesy reply and no action was taken of the matter.I feel so aggrieved at the whole matter but what recourse do I have?
If the judiciary is serious about cases of corruption then it should set up a committee to review such cases like mine and investigate why such straight forward case like mine could end up losing to the insurance company.
Because of this case I have completely lost faith in our judiciary.

What is the big deal selling sand to Singapore?

Frankly, can anyone tell me whats the big deal in
selling sand to Singapore?To me it is purely and
simply a commercial decision.If the price is right and
if we have sand whats wrong in selling sand to
Singapore.? Whats the big deal?Unless some idiot
equate selling sand as selling part of Malaysia.If not
if we have surplus sand why not sell as much sand as
Singapore wants.
Now coming to the use of air space by Singapore. Whats
the big deal here? Is there a compromise in our
sovereignty by allowing them to use our air
space?Rubbish. It is the norm for neighbours to allow
each other to use each other air space for security
and surveillance purpose.After all we are not at war.
So what is really wrong with the gesture of allowing
the use of the air space.Surely Singapore is not going
to ues our air space to subvert our country.
If both of the squabble is over a non issue why
pretend to blame Singapore for asserting its right for
a balance benefit?Afterall why should Singapore come
out with $700 million to build its side of the bridge
if it does not benefit them at all.
The trouble with our leaders is that they have always
treated Singapore as a small brother they think they
can bully.But looking at their economic progress and
their superlative adminisration of their small Island
state, I am begining to wonder who is the big brother
and who is the small brother.

Monday, May 01, 2006 9:28:40 PM

Little Napoleons at Land Office.

I would like to refer to the article
'fourteen years and no strata titles.'As a developer I
sympathise with owners of such building.The
fundamental problem lies not with the developer but
with the respective land office that are responsible
for the issuance of the strata titles.This problem is
endemic in all states and in all building that
requires strata titles to be issued.
It is common knowledge that those who are
responsible to issue strata titles in the land office
are reluctant to do so unless and until they are paid
by the developers.The developers on the other hand
having completed their work and having obtain their
certificate of fitness are reluctant to pay any under
table money to those corrupt land office staff.Hence
we have a stalemate which in many instances can drag
on for twenty years or even more.
The case of the apartments build at Vista
Komanvel is an example.The Commonwealth games
apartment were completed in 1998 and used to house the
atheletes.After the Games the apartment were sold.
Nearly 10 years down the road those unfortunate enough
to buy are left without a strata title.What reason can
the land office have for not issuing starta titles
when the apartments were initially certified fit to
house atheletes and subsequently deemed fit to be sold
to buyers for occupation?
When buyers fail to obtain strata titles the
blame no longer rest with the developer.Their duty and
obligation ends when they obtain the certtificate of
fitness for occupation.In such instances the full
blame rest solely with the land office where the
little Napoleons will not budge unless and until they
are paid under table money.

National Schools Doomed to fail

The govt don't seem to know why non malay
parents dont want to send their children to National
schools.In the 9MP, the govt propose to introduce
mandarin, tamil classes and then went on to suggest
that this will solve the problem of poor enrolment of
non malays in National schools.Sadly this will not be
the case and National schools are doomed to fail.
The issue here is not about language.It has not
always been about language but because of other
issues.During the time of Tuanku Abdul Rahman, when
National schools was conducted in the English medium
droves of chinese and indians together with malays
were enrolled in National schools.Vernacular schools
were slowly forced to close because of lack of
enrolment.During that time there was no mandarin or
tamil taught in those schools and inspite of this it
was the choice of every parents irrespective of race
to send their children to National schools.
Why has the situation changed since then and why
are non malay parents shuning national schools?The
answer lies with the present set up and structure of
national schools.Time and time again this have been
brought to the notice of the relevant authorities but
the problem has never been addressed.
National schools in its present form has been
transformed to semi religious malay
schools.Headmasters and headmistress of these schools
have deemed it fit to impose their islamic standards
on attire, morality and conduct to all and sundry
without regard whether they are muslims or non
muslims.Relgious obligations are performed during
classes in the presence of non muslims who are suppose
to follow the rituals.
There was a time when National schools have a
healthy mix of malays and non malays teachers but now
National schools are predominantly of one race.When
this happen there is no longer any racial and
religious sensitivity.Collectively it was alright to
propagate their religion to all and sundry
irrespective of race.
Unless and until such time when the relevant
authorities come to appreciate the realty of the
situation it is unlikely there will be any significant
response to the govt's effort in promoting enrolment
of non malays in national schools.

When 15 is better than 16

Before attempting to reform the country's
education system, the education ministry should learn
how to define what constitute a top scorer. Such basic
principles in determining a top scorer seems to be an
enigma to our education ministry and reflects poorly
on their ability to perform a simple task properly.
What logic and rationale can they conclude that
a student who takes 15 subjects and obtain 15A1s is
better than a student who takes 16 subjects and obtain
15A1s and 1A2? By any stretch of imagination , common
sense tell us that Chong Huey Ee should be the top
student by virtue of her extra 1A2 nothwithstanding
that it was an A2. The fact that she had already
obtained 15 A1s is already equivalent to the declared
top student of 15A1s but in addition has an extra
A2.If such simple logic is lost at the education
ministry then better not resort to try an reform the
education system.

Reduce Import duty on cars

The response to the price increase of petrol
has not being encouraging.For the first time in its
history of petrol price increase it has to review and
convince the general populace why it is essential to
impose such a drastic hike.The govt's petrol price
increase is justified in view of the increase in the
world's petroleum price but the increase of petrol
price should be followed by a corresponding decrease
in the import duties of car.The govt cannot have both
i.e. increase in petrol price and retention of the
current high import duties on car.
Our import duties on car is already one of
the highest in the world and to increase the price of
petrol without a corresponding decrease in import
duties in car price would be a double whammy for
consumers.
There is no longer any justification for the
govt to continue petrol subsidy.Over a period of time
all petrol and diesel subsidy should be removed.The
daily long queues of foreign cars at petrol station at
Bukit Kayu Hitam, Rantau Panjang and further south at
Johore Bharu should be sufficient reason enough why
subsidy cannot continue.At a subsidy price of 50cts
per liter our nation is losing millions daily to
foreigners who capitalise on the price differential
between the neighbouring country.
Then there are the profiteers, the fishermen in
Kelantan and Kedah who filled their subsidised diesel
and sell them to Thai Trawlers in mid sea.This
practice will continue as long as there are easy money
to be made.
The decision to increase the price of petrol
has been made and the people have to live with it but
the govt can be compassionate by ameliorating the
effect by decreasing the price of import duties on car

Our Judiciary is inconsistent

Dear Editor,
Recently a rapist received a 20 year sentence
and a couple of strokes of rotan for his crime. A few
days later the murderers of Darren Kang pleaded guilty
and were sentence to 5 years each.
Next, eleven KLIA workers were caught stealing from
the baggages of airport passengers and they were fined
each between $1000 and $1500.The money and valuables
they stole amounted to $19500.
Then on march 4th at Shah Alam court, judge Azimah
Omar sentenced a Chinese national to a fine of $10,000
in default 12 months jail for selling VCD.
What message is the judiaciary trying to convey
to criminals? That the sentence for murder is lighter
than rape and that it is alright to steal but a more
serious offence to sell illegal VCD?
Frankly such ridiculous decisions have cast a
doubt on some of the ability of our judges to preside
and past judgement.Its absolutely shocking when you
compare the gravity of the offence that they can be so inconsistent.

AllPetrol and Diesel Subsidy should be removed.

Malaysians should support the govt's decision
to increase petrol and diesel price by 30 cts per
litre.This decision in fact should have been gradually
implemented a long time ago so that by now all vestige
of subsidy should have been removed by now.Any
artificial pricing not supported by economic
principle cannot be sustained over a period of
time.Subsidies tend to manipulate the pricing system
and creates a situation for profiteering and black
marketeering.Such a situation normally will benefit a
section of the population such as fisherman and
certain transportation sectors.
If Thailand and Indonesia can move towards
abolition of subsidy there is no reason why Malaysia
cannot do so.The fundamental principle to adhere is to
let supply and demand determine the market price.Over
time all other prices will be determined by market
forces and will be accordingly priced.
However, the govt should proceed with caution
its intention to divert the subsidy saved to be
chanelled for developement and the transportation
sector.Malaysians will certainly not accept a
situation where the benefits of the majority from the
subsidy be diverted to a few political cronies who
will benefit from the contracts dished out for
political motives.If this was to happen then its like
taking the subsidy of the majority and putting it into
the pockets of the miniority.Hopefully, this will not
happen.

Mistake To Suspend sarawak tribunal

Our cabinet ministers have made the wrong decision in suspending the licence of the Sarawak Tribunal.The cabinet in taking such a drastic step fail to consider the plight of the 300 workers of the paper.If each worker has 3 dependents this means about 900 people will be affected by the decision to suspend the paper.It is liken to using the hammer to kill an ant.The appropriate punishment would be for those responsible to resign and that should have been the end of the matter.To punish the whole group of people for the mistake of probably one person is too extreme.Can the cabinet ministers tell the children of those dependents whose father or mother had to stop work and cannot bring food to the table because of what the govt did?It is a shame really that the real victims are the innocent workers.Frankly , our ministers just dont seem capable of even making a simple decision without making the whole issue into a mountain from a mole hill.

Article 121(1a) Of the Constuition must be amended.

The P.M has degenerated to a pathetic figure, devoid of any direction and authority to bring our nation of diverse culture and religion to a harmonious conclusion.The non-muslims have a right to demand that the Federal constituition protect the religion of the miniority.The current dilemma facing the non muslim is that the present article 121(1a) does not provide sufficient safeguard to ensure that the rights of the non muslims are protected.The civil courts have abdicated their responsibilty to hear cases involving non muslims when islamic religious issues are involved.The civil courts as it is have surrendered their judicial supremacy in direct contravention of the Federal constituition and have accepted the supremacy of the Syariah law.This act alone has left the non muslims position vulnerable and devoid of any protection from the civil courts.Unless article 121(1a) is amended to address this lacuna there will always be another case similar to Moorthy .Can Malaysia afford to have its people facing this uncertainties over and over again without its attendant consequences?

DBKL Action Is Unreasonable

Enough is enough. DBKL must come out with a
clear irrevocable policy of releasing bumiputra houses
for sale to the non-bumis once conditions have been
complied.Developers around the Klang Valley of late
have been mystified by the frequent changes in the
conditions that DBKL have implemented.The previous
condition was that developers have to advertise in the
major newspapers for sale of housing units to
bumiputra at a discount.After a gestation period of 3
months if the units allocated to bumis are not sold
then they are released to the general public.Now they
have changed their conditions and have insisted that
developers have to do road shows at shopping centres
such as at the Mid-Valley to attract bumi buyers.After
having complied with the 2nd condition, DBKL has now
once again insisted that another road show be carried
out to get bumi buyers when it was quite evident from
the previous road show that bumis were simply not
interested in housing estate with a big majority of
non malays.
DBKL doesnt seem to realise that road shows
and advertisement in the news media cost alot of money
and by imposing these unreasonable demands they are
causing indirectly to the abandonment of housing
projects which would otherwise have been completed.
If DBKL is so adamant in helping the bumis to
buy these houses then it should ask its state agency
to buy up all the bumis unit and sell them to bumis at
a later date.That way at least developers are not
burdened with the holding cost when DBKL keep on
introducing unreasonable conditions.
The Housing Ministry is partly to blame for the
current policy of imposing the 30% sale of houses to
bumis.This is an old policy forged in the 80s with the
vested purpose of helping bumis to increase house
ownership.At no time was it the intended purpose of
the policy to help rich bumis to purchase property at
a discount.Now in the Klang Valley house costing
$300,000 and above are given discount.These are houses
that are only affordable to the rich bumis and if they
can afford to buy such high end houses then there is
no rationale for non bumis to subsidise their
purchase.It is high time the Housing Ministry correct
this unfairness and perhaps introduce a more equitable
policy like stipulating that houses costing $100,000
and below should be sold at a discount to bumis.That
way those bumis that are deserving will only benefit
and not the rich bumis.