LONE

Sunday, October 31, 2004

Anwar Returns, Polis RoadBlocks

Anwar returns home today, a rather significant day, as it happens also to be the 366th day of Pak Lah at the helms, Nuzul Al-Quran and a Sunday. A day when normally many families would take a leisure drive or travel by that wonderful time saving, money saving and danger saving, high-speed Ekspres Rail Link::KLIA Ekspres to KLIA, to show their little children and foreign tourist friends, the beauty of beauties, the recently voted second best airport in the whole wide world. This airport, by the way, also has a "Gold Award" for the Advertising Award by Air Transport World (ATW) magazine. At one time it was touted also as a white elephant::KLIA Folly (reminds one of Kellie's Castle or Mahathir's Folly) as the least utilised major airport in the world and had another airport closed to increase its own traffic.
This airport is said to be a destination in itself. It is unique because it has within its boundaries all that is needed for business, entertainment and relaxation. The airport is part and parcel of the Multimedia Super Corridor (the MSC, some says another Mahathir's Folly) where placement of high technology industries are still being actively pursued.
Nearby this world renowned airport is another must-see, especially for car racing enthusiasts, the Sepang International F1/Formula One Circuit. This is located near the airport and Formula One Race is scheduled in March every year. The track also caters for an array of other activities throughtout the year including motor-cycle and rally racing. Today will see the usual Sunday bike race but come on the 6th of Nov, and you can catch the Sepang Drag Battle, something not to be missed by those who love drag racing.
And before leaving the area, one might want to pop over to showcase to one and all another beauty of beauties, PutraJaya, the country's new administrative centre. On 1 February 2001, the 4,900-hectare PutraJaya was declared the third Federal Territory of Malaysia. This new federal administrative hub was built at a cost of some RM2.2 billion or more and is within the MSC. It has been billed 'the city for the future' because of its high-tech contents. ASWJ has billed it as the Malaysian Utopia. While to many it is "Malaysia's first Intelligent Garden City'. While there, one might want to admire and check on the state of the Seri Perdana Complex, the official residence of the Prime Minister, catch it before it is closed for public visits from Nov 1. A statement by the Prime Minister's Office Communications Unit said the closure was to facilitate repair and renovation works. The fact that the Seri Perdana Complex needs repair so soon after its opening cannot be blamed on the Works MINIster, the one some eg viewtru calls Sammy for sure. Anyway do not expect to tour the inside of the Seri Perdana Complex or the official residence of the PM, only outside/external tours are allowed. Do remember to check on the cracking pavements and walkways and lowly maintained toilets too. It looks like in the not distant future it will also be named 'the intelligent city in need of intelligent repairs'.
Oh yes, just remember this Sunday is not exactly the best Sunday to try to see all these beauties of beauties as the polis have warned that they will be having roadblocks along six key roads leading to KLIA and 500 polis members out to ensure there is no overcrowding in KLIA and no problems are encountered by air travellers. The polis will also be ensuring that the Ekspres KLIA is not missed used by certain unwanted. So you will be better staying at home with your children or tourist friends and virtually touring all the above mentioned sites online.
The reason for all these traffic control and disruptions of tourist activities is because someone is returning home today. You can also find out the reason why, here and here and here and here and here and here and here.

| ¶ 10/31/2004 05:59:00 PM

Friday, October 29, 2004

A Response to Mahathir's Letter

A columnist of the Daily Times of Pakistan, Razi Azmi, has responded to the Tun's letter calling on American muslims to vote out Bush. Razi is a former academic with a doctorate in modern history and is now a freelance writer and columnist.
The Tun's letter was written on 15th October 2004 ie 1st Ramadhan 1425 and he signs off his letter as DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Malaysia. A Malaysiakini columnist had pointed out that according to the Wesminster system, there is actually nothing in the book to hold Mahathir to certain standards during retirement. And some like the Tun can become sorts of loose cannons. But is it right for a former PM to tell the voters of another nation how to vote?
Razi Azmi starts off thus :: As Asia’s longest-serving former prime minister, Dr Mahathir should know that his appeal to American Muslims establishes a very dangerous precedent by attempting to rouse extra-territorial allegiances and loyalties. It is akin to Vajpayee asking Pakistani Hindus to vote against President Musharraf in a future Pakistani election, or Nawaz Sharif appealing to Indian Muslims to vote against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Here are some more excerpts from what he wrote ::

Imagine Zhao Ziyang, a former Chinese prime minister, appealing to the Chinese-Malaysians to vote against Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in the next Malaysian elections “in the name of China’s glory”, or the Indian-Malaysians being asked by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a former Indian prime minister, to vote in a similar way “in the name of Hinduism”.

Obviously, it would cause disgust and shock in Malaysia. Not just the Ummah, but many other countries of the world would rightly join Malaysia in condemning such a blatant attempt to interfere in another country’s elections by inciting the religious or ethnic affiliation of a section of its population. Malaysian Muslims would regard it as a conspiracy against them. The loyalty of ethnic Chinese and Indians of Malaysia would become suspect, some would even accuse them of being fifth columnists.

He also points out that during Mahathir's long stint as prime minister of Malaysia, he had earned a reputation for fiercely defending Malaysian sovereignty. Mahathir saw external interference and conspiracies even where none existed. Often telling others to shut up and mind their own business.
He also points out what other past leaders like Carter with his Carter Center and Fraser with his Care Australia are doing and obviously pointing out to Mahathir that maybe he would like to go in that direction instead of being a busybody trying to mess with the internal affairs of others. Locally the Tengku became the OIC Sec-General and Hussein Onn became a senior honorary member of Institute of Strategic and International Studies after becoming former PM.
Now don't we wonder what the Westminster system has to say regarding former deputy PM, and we do have a number hanging around, sufficient to form a tiny club; one of them will be back this Sunday and Malaysians won't be alone in waiting to see what he will be doing.

For the Razi's full article, click here.

| ¶ 10/29/2004 11:15:00 AM

Thursday, October 28, 2004

PKR's Wan Azizah Keeps Permatang Pauh

BERNAMA reports that the Election Court has dismissed with costs the election petitions filed by the defeated BN candidates in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary and Permatang Pasir state constituencies to nullify the election results in both constituencies in the March general election. So PKR's Wan Azizah manages to hold on to the sole PKR parliamentary seat for the time being. Losing BN candidate, Dato' Pirdaus Ismail, has said that he will be appealing the court's decision. Dato' Pirdaus is a former Masjid Negara Grand Imam, an UMNO Youth exco member, and most important of all, he is said to be a lead player in Pak Lah's Islam Hadhari push. Pirdaus is also said to be a 'hafiz', some one who can recite the koran from memory.
i did not follow the court case much but of the little i can remember is that of witnesses mentioning that Pirdaus gave some ballot boxes the kicks and that he was quite aggressive after the counting of votes in March. It is difficult for one to imagine a former Grand Imam and a Dato to have behaved in such a manner, he must have been greatly disturbed or frustrated indeed. For a fuller account of the court proceedings, click here and to know Pirdaus better, click here.
This Sunday, when Wan Azizah returns with DSAI, she should be happy that PKR still has Permatang Pauh but at the same time she would also realise that BN would still be fighting to take away PKR's sole parliamentary seat.

| ¶ 10/28/2004 05:19:00 PM

Monday, October 25, 2004

Flying Singh's APRC Crown Held Up

The 'Flying Singh' came in second position at the Rally of China in Huizhou yesterday, fininshing ahead of rival Armin Kremer. The APRC championship battle is a race between Karamjit and Kremer. Karamjit led Kremer by 10 points after winning the Rally of Japan last month.
Owing to some cock-up, the official results were not available till late yesterday evening. Protests were filed by some of the drivers who finished out of the podium. These protests are unlikely to affect Karamjit's standing and he should have the championship in the bag once the results are sorted out, even before the last race in India next month.
The Sports MINIster has pledged financial support for Karamjit and Ho's effort in the final races but news of the big announcement regarding the funds are still awaited.

| ¶ 10/25/2004 12:05:00 PM

Friday, October 22, 2004

Money Politics Code

There was plenty of hot air regarding 'money politics' or what most would call corruption/bribery; before, during and immediately after the latest UMNO elections. A number of UMNO luminaries were found out for this and disciplined. Promiinent among those discovered was one Amid Mordin, who was accused by his challenger, former Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik, the Umno Kota Melaka divisional head. Amid was subsequently suspended from UMNO but he is still Malacca state executive councillor.

Once the Vice President and Supreme Council election results were out, it would have been an understatement to say that they were just surprising. Many were indeed shocked to the core by the results. Many of Pak Lah's men were said to have been left by the road side. In an immediate reaction, those who had expected to win but lost cried foul. They were quick to point out that 'money politics' was the reason for their downfall. Pak Lah as a followup could only promised that if there was 'money politics', he would leave no stone unturned and that those elected if found guilty wpuld get his big boots. But there had to be the evidence, people would have to make reports and then he would do the kicking. But it has been more than 3 weeks and the reports and evidence are still being waited.

After the elections, the Pahang MB, Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, was one of the most vocal with blaming 'money politics' for his loss. Many had expected that he would be making reports, giving all the evidence and eventually bringing all those connected to face the disciplinary committee. But in an about turn, he has been reported as having stressed that he would not report any case of "money politics" in Umno, saying it was against his principle to do it. Now what sorts of principle is that! As to why he is standing by the great principle of his, reporters quoted him as saying ::

"I don't want to hurt the political career of my friends. If any Umno leader is caught for practising money politics, I don't want to get involved. Let the explanation come from other people, and not me."

Can anyone go with his reasons. Looks like he doesn't want to be 'the bad guy' and would like to pass the buck on. The Pahang MB can't be so naive as to expect those who had offered their votes for money to report themselves to the disciplinary committtee!

But then again there was this UMNO leader, who in the 70's, while contesting for a vice president post was offered vote enbloc if he was willing to buy them votes. Of course being the non-corrupt guy he was even then he said 'No'. And as a result he came out third in that vice presidency race then. This fact that 'money politics' was very much alive and kicking some 30 years ago in UMNO was revealed by none other than our former PM, the Tun. He had this to say in the course of the exclusive interview with the STAR, regarding corruption in UMNO ::

But usually corruption in Umno, I know, is giving money. There were people who came to me before I was elected vice-president (1975) and told me if I gave them money, they were prepared to give me a bloc vote.

I said it was all right. If I don’t win, I don’t win. That is why I very nearly lost as vice-president. I was number three, very far down.

Now it would have been great if the Tun had nipped things in the bud then and stopped 'money politics' in UMNO. We have no way to know for sure whether he did eventually expose or report those who offered him 'a bloc vote'. It looks like there were already such 'bloc vote syndicate' then! Maybe even then the Tun must have reasoned like the Pahang MB and said to himself ::

"I don't want to hurt the political career of my friends. If any Umno leader is caught for practising money politics, I don't want to get involved. Let the explanation come from other people, and not me."

So it looks like UMNO 'money politics' code is one of SILENCE :: No See, No Report, Just Silent Talk Kok. With such a code, anorganisation would still be harping on the same tune 30 years hence. This may also make us appreciate better why despite one year of Pak Lah's anti-corruption crusade, the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for Malaysia dropped by 0.2 points to 5.0 this year.

| ¶ 10/22/2004 11:45:00 AM

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

The Air Has Been Cleared

Make no mistake about it, did all of us notice it, this "clearing of the air" effect, on waking this morning? Did the air smell better, fresher and cleaner? Has the haze index dropped? BERNAMA says that "Samy Vellu Clears The Air". And how long did it take for him to do this, 35 minutes or so long.

Excerpts from the BERNAMA report ::

Samy Vellu said he met with Abdullah for 35 minutes at the Prime Minister's office at 2pm and he "cleared the air" on allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the ministry.....
"As far as the PM is concerned there should not be any misconception. I have cleared the air on the projects and have submitted all the reports on the six projects. He has asked me to submit the papers and explain the matter to the cabinet tomorrow, which I will do," he told a press conference at his ministry here.....

As to whether the Works MINIster is empowered to give out contracts ::

He said: "The minister does not give out contracts. It is the tender evaluation board that consists of various parties, including Finance Ministry officials, who make the decision.
"They decide on who would get the contract without the knowledge of the minister and the tenders are approved by the Finance Ministry, not Works Ministry."

Samy seems to have made things so very simple. But who is he trying to kid when he makes it out that the Works MINIstry and Works MINIster have no hand in the approval of tenders and contracts? All tenders definitely require the appproval of the finance MINIstry but before that, the Works MINIstry must be involved in the selection of contractors for the projects, so how can it be that contracts are approved without the knowledge of the MINIster and his boys/girls. Is Samy trying to "clear the air" or "muddy the air" and looking for a convenient "kambing hitam" at the same time?

Why is Samy just harping on the issue of contract and tender approvals? What about the selection of contractors, project designs and subsequently the monitoring and supervision when the projects are being carried out? And finally when the projects are finished, who checks that work done is up to standard before being handed over? Is the Works MINIstry not involved? Or are we to believe that all these are the work of the Finance MINIstry and the Works MINIstry has no knowledge at all? If so, then why do we have a Works MINIstry? Obviously the portfolio of the Works MINIster is redundant. As all other MINIstries would eventually require the Finance MINIstry to approve financial matters pertaining, in line with Samy's thoughts, only the Finance MINIstry is relevant. So all that this country really need is a Finance-cum-Prime MINIster in the cabinet. i rest my case, time for tea and a short nap.

| ¶ 10/20/2004 11:29:00 AM

Monday, October 18, 2004

Truth, the Prerogative of All

:: "A prerogative/right is not something that somebody gives you; it is something that nobody can take away"::Eleanor Roosevelt

Pak Lah began his job as the helmsman by telling all and sundry to tell him the TRUTH. For the TRUTH will set us free and TRUTH is the prerogative of us all. He has expressed his disappointment with several projects related to the Works Ministry, and has directed the MINIster concerned to give him a full, and presumably truthful report on this matter. We have also expressed our disappointment with said MINIster and the bungles. Our representives in Parliament, both from the Opposition and BN have rightly so, also expressed our disappointment in that august house.

The Prime MINIster is now back and has rightly requested a comprehensive, full and surely truthful investigation and a an equally comprehensive, full and definitely truthful report from the said MINIster. The MINIster may have mentioned of a political conspiracy against him but nevertheless he says he is ready to submit a detailed and surely truthful report on the implementation of government projects, especially those related to his MINIstry, to the Prime Minister on Tuesday, that being tomorrow.

Now we have this report from BERNAMA which states that the PM has to study the report by the Works MINIster before any decision to make it public is made. Why the need for hesitation on his part, why the need to mull over whether to make said report public? The Pak Lah administration being an administration of TRUTH, should not hesitate, let the TRUTH be known to us all for the TRUTH is the prerogative of us all. With the TRUTH out in the open, any eventuality to be faced by the said MINIster will have the blessings of all. For the TRUTH may indeed exonerate the said MINIster and may bring the 'political conspiracy' mentioned earlier by him right out in the open. Only the TRUTH will set us all free, the people, the said MINIster and also you, PM Datuk Seri. The TRUTH will simply be the best 'medicine' his administration can administer for the present state of affairs of the Works MINIstry. Pak Lah had started his administration almost a year ago on a truthful note, shouldn't he allow the truthful music to continue? WE all need the TRUTH in order for us to work with him and vice versa. Let the TRUTH prevail for it is the prerogative of us all.

See BS My Prerogative & Others for free [TQ Sweets].

| ¶ 10/18/2004 07:08:00 PM

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Influencing the American Presidential Voters

::There is an Open letter to American Muslims by one DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, which encourages American Muslims to vote in Mr John Kerry.

Excerpts from the letter ::

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the past four years, during the Presidency of George W. Bush, the Muslims and their countries have suffered oppression and humiliation as never before in the history of Islam. There is an obvious connection between the sufferings of the Muslims and the policies and thinking of Bush.

We cannot expect much change to the policies of the United States of America towards Islam and the Muslims under Democrats as under Republicans. But we have a duty to ensure that Bush will not be able to determine our fate for four more years....

Kerry may not be any different. But the candidates for the Presidency of the United States must be made aware that in democratic America, Muslim citizens have a voice and can influence the selection of the rulers of the country....

You may not be numerous enough but in marginal constituencies you can make a difference. It is your bounden duty to send a message to candidates that they must be fair to all the communities in the United States if they wish to rule the country. Even if you fail to unseat Bush, you can at least reduce his majority. But Inshaallah, Bush will lose and Kerry will realise that his victory is partly due to you. Inshaallah, President Kerry will remember the Muslims in America when he rules the United States of America.

Dear Brothers and Sisters. Vote Bush out of office. It is truly an ibadah that you perform.

The authorship of this open letter has not been authenticated, the whole article and comments by readers can be viewed here. Of the opinion given so far regarding this letter, 32 agrees with the Tun, 2 disagree and 2 are neutral. Among those who have made their comments, quite a few are Malaysians and they all agree with the Tun. An audio versi of the open letter is also available.

As the American elections draw nearer, many are speculating who will win and many are hoping that their preferred choice will win. An American, Eric Ossemig, an ex-soldier with the US Army, who feels that global citizens, and not just Americans, should have the right to decide who should be the next United States president, is allowing Malaysiakini readers to help determine who he should be voting for in the Nov 2 American presidential election. The results of the Malaysiakini poll can be viewed here.

BBC NEWS reported that a new poll in 35 countries suggests that people around the world would prefer Democratic challenger John Kerry as US president over George W Bush. The poll was done by Global research company GlobeScan Inc and the University of Maryland. It found clear leads for Mr Kerry among those polled in 30 of the countries. Bush was backed by poll respondents in the Philippines, Poland and Nigeria. The GlobeScan/Maryland poll, of 34,330 people, was conducted mainly in July and August. So things may have changed.

POLL RESULTS (KERRY-BUSH)
Norway: 74%-7%
Germany: 74%-10%
France: 64%-5%
Italy: 58%-14%
Spain: 45%-7%
UK: 47%-16%
Canada: 61%-16%
Mexico: 38%-18%
Brazil: 57%-14%
China: 52%-12%
Japan: 43%-32%
Indonesia: 57%-34%
India: 34%-33%
Philippines: 32%-57%
Nigeria: 33%-27%
Poland: 26%-31%
Thailand: 30%-33%
[Source: GlobeScan Inc/University of Maryland PIPA]

By looking at the poll results it would appear that Mr John Kerry would win hands down if the people of the world or global citizens were allowed to elect the US president.

| ¶ 10/17/2004 10:42:00 PM

Remembering Joe Blogs

It has been a year since Joe left us,
A year with less of the wits, humour and fun of Joe,
Happy blogging where ever you may be.

For Remembrance Card, click here

Take a walk down memory lane and re-read what bloggers and blog-commentators had to say about Joe, go here and here.

| ¶ 10/17/2004 01:34:00 PM

The 'Plot' Thickens

::In the face of the heat facing him, Works MINIster has taken some steps to deflect said heat. Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, has issued a warning that the present rainy spell might weaken hill slopes and cause landslides at Km23.8, Km24 and Km24.3, especially between Pos Slim and Lojing He has warned drivers using the stretch of road to be careful.

Perak Public Works Department Director Datuk I. Dorairajoo said Saturday that the department and MTD Construction Sdn Bhd, which jointly built the stretch, had been monitoring the stretch round-the-clock to ensure no untoward incident that could pose safety risks to road users occurred.
"In fact, we're constantly monitoring all high places in the state, especially during the current rainy season. If there's any incident, we'll take immediate action," he told BERNAMA.
"We know the road is not really completed when we opened it in February. It was opened after pressure from the people in Cameron Highlands who were affected by a landslide near Ringlet," he said.
Dorairajoo said work on some of the slopes was not fully done when the RM282 million road was opened but so far no landslide had occurred.

Now according to a Malaysiakini report, Samy Vellu has alleged that there was a political conspiracy against him and vowed to expose those involved at the right time. He hass declined to clarify further regarding this plot. In the meanwhile he is happy to know that he has the people's support as he had received 1800 messages via SMS (short messaging service) expressing support for him, the MINIster appears to take much comfort in SMS support messages.

Meanwhile, the SCAH said it will display a ‘Samy Must Go, Horn to Support’ banner at the overhead bridge in front of its premises in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Earlier, SCAH said it will lobby for support from various groups nationwide in demanding Samy Vellu’s resignation

Of course the final say in what eventually happens to Samy Vellu is the perogative of Pak Lah. We await what he will do as possibly there will be a cabinet reshuffle soon as the UMNO elections are over. In the meanwhuile BERNAMA reports that :: "PM Disappointed With Projects, Directs Samy Vellu For Report". Pak Lah said he was disappointed because there were many complaints about these government projects, including highways, hospitals and buildings

"I am unhappy with a lot of complaints ... something is wrong that a lot of work done before is damaged now ... something must be wrong," he told a press conference.

Will Samy go or Samy Stays? That is the RM64 million question. In the meanwhile, lets all enjoy the LAST Waltz together and play it again Samy.

| ¶ 10/17/2004 08:52:00 AM

Friday, October 15, 2004

The 2nd Coming

::It is almost a year now since the Tun left the scene, are there signs of his 2nd coming? Of late the Tun has been coming back to grab some of the media headlines. Soon after Anwar was freed he was back with the "I still believe that Anwar is guilty". Then lately he has been to the Philippines to spread his formula of economic success to the Filipinos. Then he was off to Singapore to tell to all who would listen that Anwar had ' no political future' because of what he still believe about Anwar. He has also extended invitations to those interested to come 'commit murder in Malaysia'.
According to a Malaysiakini columnist, Josh, Mahathir appears to be back in action, especially after the success of his blue-eyed boy, Najib and his faction, in the recent UMNO elections. And he is afraid that he and fellow Malaysians may once again have to endure the frequent appearance of Mahathir in the press, just as we have done for the past two decades. He also has this to say ::

The veteran has every reason to be resentful and bitter about Abdullah, whom he once saw as a safe pair of hands least likely to rock the boat and most likely to build on his 'legacies'. Instead of living up to the expectations of his political benefactor, the new prime minister raised his eyebrow by launching an 'all-out' war against corruption (which amounted to nothing much anyway).

Almost a year ago before the Tun bid the nation bye bye, there was a whiff of a mega scandal :: the award of the double-tracking rail project to (MMC-Gamuda consortium), this was awarded in the last few days of the Tun's adminstration. Soon after Pak Lah took over the helm, the said project was deferred.
Now it appears that the Tun, in the few months prior to his retirement, had also acted to grant a gaming lesen/license to Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd, a company said to be owned by one Vincent Tan. The AWSJ has reported this under the headlines :: Gaming License Causes Sparks in Malaysia. More details regarding this gaming lesen which is said to be for a period of 20 years can be found at the BeritaMalaysia mailing list. Makes one wonder whether there were other such pre-retirement nest-feathering deals.

| ¶ 10/15/2004 05:09:00 PM

Pak Lah to the Rescue?

::When commenting on media reports on the demand by several BN MPs calling for Samy Vellu to resign over problems faced by his ministry, Pak Lah said yesterday that it was not proper for MPs, particularly from the BN, to demand the resignation of any MINIster during Dewan Rakyat sessions. Aspiring, perspiring and current MPs take note, according to the Bernama report, Pak Lah also said "We have rules where members of the house from the ruling party cannot demand any minister to resign." Which then begs the questions :: are errant MINIsters expected to simply resign on their own or can only oppostion MPs call for their resignation? The Star's take on the issue :: “They must understand that they are in the Dewan and the only right they have is to debate the issues,” he said, adding that it was procedurally wrong for them to force a Minister to resign. So it looks like the rules of engagement in the Dewan. according to Pak Lah, are when in the Dewan, debat, debat, debat and no resignation calls!

Meanwhile Najib is reported as saying that Samy Vellu should explain in the Dewan Rakyat the various issues raised affecting his ministry. Najib appears to have sidestepped, the resignation demand for Samy. The Sun reported him as having said :: "I believe the Works Minister could throw light on the matters raised by members of the House."

What has the BBC chairperson got to say, Datuk Shahrir Samad said the MPs’ call for Samy Vellu to resign was not a destructive but constructive statement. He added the following :: “And I don’t think they have been destructive by pointing out that the Minister has not been doing his job and deserves to be transferred elsewhere." According to the STS, the resigantion call was unprecedented and had 'crossed an unwritten boundary' for calls for the resignations of ministers are normally the province of opposition MPs. According to this report, Datuk Shahrir is said to have praised the MPs for taking their responsibilities seriously. And he reportedly said ::

'Our role is not merely debating and approving legislation and the Budget.'
'We also monitor how the Budget allocation is spent. It is our responsibility to the voting public to fulfill the pledge of a clean, efficient and open government.'

Malaysiakini reported that some fellow ministers and other BN Parlaimentarians have described the resignation calls as 'disrespectful', 'unusual', “ridiculous and shocking”. Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Itam) who asked Samy to “shut up” if the minister is not familiar with certain issues involving the ministry as he lacks an engineering background was singled out as a 'disappointment'.

On Wednesday, DAP's Fong Po Kuan [Batu Gajah] proposed that a no-confidence motion be moved against Samy and sought support from the BN backbenchers but none were coming. This is said to have prompted the opposition leader to say that the backbenchers only knew how to talk loudly but still abided by the ‘kowtow’ culture and that they were 'hipokrits' [what is meant by that]. So it looks like it won't be wrong to say that we have another BN sandiwara in the making.

As for Samy, it looks like he just can't wait to come out with guns blazing to answer those 'disrespectful' resignation callers, especially one Ka Siong Wee, who has stingingly labelled Samy as a layman/orang biasa! Samy retorted :: "I am not a layman. I am qualified to speak on these matters." [note: Samy is said to be a 'master architect']
More excerpts from the NST ::

Dismissing their calls for his resignation, Samy Vellu said his comments on the MRR2 were based on discussions he had with consultants. "Some of them who spoke were too emotional. They did not have all the information," he said in an interview with the New Straits Times on the sidelines of the annual meeting between members of the Malaysian and Thai Cabinets in Phuket.

He said it was not prudent to blacklist the contractors who built the hospital at this time because they had to repair the defects.

"If the contractors are blacklisted, we will have o TURN TO PAGE 2, COL 4 (NST :what's this?]to do another tender, work out the pricing again and this will delay the whole process," he added.

The ferocity of the attack in Parliament surprised the minister. He spent much of today fielding calls from Kuala Lumpur and getting his ministry officials to prepare a detailed response to points raised in the House. At one point, he wanted to deliver a ministerial statement in Parliament but dropped the idea when he learnt that Parliament was not sitting during the fasting month.

He is likely to speak extensively on the MRR2, the mudslide along the North-South Expressway and the hospital in Johor. The debate which started in Parliament is far from over.

The rakyat awaits gleefully and expectantly. More sandiwara to while the monsoon season away?

| ¶ 10/15/2004 10:32:00 AM

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Syabas Azlina, Support for Karamjit & Ho

::There is good news for sports and Karamjit & Ho and Rally Racing. The gomen has rallied to supoort karamjit and Ho in their bid for the APRC crown reports the Star. The Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Azalina Othman Said, said yesterday that PM Pak Lah had agreed to help Karamjit and his co-driver, Allen Oh, who are a shot away from regaining the title they won in 2002.
Datuk Azlina added that she would look into the matter on why the duo, who race for Proton Team Malaysia, are having funding problems. It was earlier reported that the Flying Singh and Ho had to be grounded because of lack of funds to compete in the remaining two legs of the APRC.
With two rounds to go – in China next week and in India in December – Karamjit is the championship leader with 48 points – 10 points more than German Armin Kremer. In the constructors' standings, Proton have 48 points and are one point behind leaders Mitsubishi. A win in the China Rally will give the duo the APRC 2004 crown. In 2003, Karamjit and Ho lost the APRC title by one point to Kremer.
Way to go Datuk Azlina and best wishes to the duo. We certainly hope they will return with the APRC championship title.

| ¶ 10/14/2004 11:35:00 AM

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Aiyo Aiyoyo Samy 'Cheriapuci'/Finished Lah?

::Looks like 'crying for the moon' may sometimes prove to be a fruitful effort. i have just come across this Malaysiakini article entitled :: Quit or be fired, BN MPs tell Samy.

Excerpts from the Malaysiakini report ::

Barisan Nasional (BN) backbenchers today brought the hammer down on Works Minister S Samy Vellu. They wanted him to resign or be removed and investigated for several infrastructure scandals over the years.
However, they stopped short of supporting a proposal by the opposition to move for a motion of no-confidence against one of the most senior cabinet member at the Dewan Rakyat, who has served as a minister for 25 years.

The report continued ::

Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) had this to say ::
"If there is anyone that needs to be expelled, expel them for the sake of the people and the country. If there is a necessity to expel the minister, expel him and replace him with a new minister," he said, prompting other backbenchers to chant ‘corruption’, ‘corruption’.

The report also mentioned Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Itam) as having said the following ::

the people could not accept Samy Vellu’s explanations over the recent scandals.
He was also angered by a letter entitled ‘Samy Vellu not speaking off the cuff’ written by the minister’s press secretary E Sivabalan, published in the New Straits Times today.
Among others, the minister’s aide said the public should not draw conclusions and make unfair attacks against the minister over the MRR2 issue by merely reading media reports.
"Where else can the rakyat obtain information if not through media reports? Even we as wakil rakyat (people’s representatives), were not given a copy of the report on MRR2 whereas the supervising officer of the project also denied entry to the site," he added.
The Ayer Itam MP also asked Samy Vellu to stop issuing contradictory statements to the public.
"If he doesn’t know (about the issue) please shut up, please ask the deputy minister (Mohd Zin Mohamed), who is an engineer or ask the five engineers in this House," said Wee, who is a civil engineer by training.
"The people cannot accept the minister’s answer and they will eventually question BN’s integrity," he stressed.

Don't be chip chip, those who want to read the full article regarding what other BN and Opposition MPs have to say regarding Samy.

It will be interesting to hear what Samy or his press sec will have to say regarding what happened in Parliament today. Will the MINIster throw in the towel? Will this turn out to be just another sandiwara of the BN variety? What is more important is what will Pak Lah do now that he has been presented with a golden opportunity? The rakyat awaits, will Pak Lah hear the calls of the rakyat?

Updates ::

DAP: Form panel to probe infrastructure building flaws:: Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang (Dap-Ipoh Timur) said the committee should look into such failures such as the incomplete RM286 million Matrade building, the RM238 million Middle Ring Road 2 and the RM550 million fungi-hit Sultan Ismail Hosiptal in Johor, the East Coast highway and the recent landslide at Gua Tempurong along the North-South Highway.......
"The most shocking new development in the past year is the denial of responsibility and accountability in all these construction scandals," he said.
"We just cannot accept the excuses such as Act of God for all the man-made failures," he added.
His sentiments were echoed by both sides of the Dewan.
Plans for soil monitoring system put on hold:: The government has decided to put on hold plans to install soil monitoring detectors along the North-South Expressway due to the high cost involved, the Dewan Rakyat was told on Wednesday.
The comprehensive monitoring system will detect any soil movement in landslide-prone areas along the highway.
Total Absence Of A Sense Of Responsibility::e.sinchew::After the general election, the new lease of life that came with Abdullah's appointment as the country's new prime minister has slowly faded into oblivion, especially the pathetically low sense of responsibility in the public sector

Quote of the Day from Deputy Works Minister Mohd Zin regarding the latest 'slope failure' at Gua Tempurung :: "Maybe this is destiny and out of human control"

| ¶ 10/13/2004 10:31:00 PM

Some Malaysian Works Disasters

::The past one year has seen many disasters which appear to have some relations to the Works MINIstry. In Nov 2003, we had a major rockslide incident at the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE). Fortunately, there was no mortality as 27th Nov, was a public holiday. Those monitoring the slope saw rocks falling from the slope and lanscaping plants on the move. The NKVE was closed, this was just minutes before the slope came down, thus a major disaster was averted.
Regarding the cause of the NKVE slide, Samy had this to say then ::

“We feel that excessive water on the upper portion of the hill had somehow washed away the earth beneath the boulders, causing the boulders to give way.”

Fast forward to 735pm, 11th Oct 2004, some 11 months later. Another landslide has occurred, this time at 302nd kilometre of the North-South Expressway near Gua Tempurung. This slide or what some has labelled as another 'slope failure' was some half kilometre north of the one in 1996. The Works MINIster is the same Samy and as to te cause of 'slope failure', he had more or less more of the same to say ::

Samy Vellu said that extreme water pressure due to persistent heavy rain on the hill above the affected stretch was the cause of the landslide.
“The water eventually washed down, taking with it uprooted trees, boulders and mud from the top of a hill above the affected stretch onto the road below,'' he said after a briefing by PLUS officials.

When asked if the landslide was due to design faults in the expressway, Samy said: :

“You cannot say it is the design because the highway has existed for 18 years. At areas where there have been hill cutting, even though we have placed retaining walls, we can expect such incidents to happen.”
He said he would discuss with highway concessionaire PLUS on the possibility of building a single tunnel at the affected stretch, which he described as “very vulnerable due to the high hill.”

Soon after the latest slide had occurred, Samy was already thinking 'mega' when he made mention of this square tunnelling idea of his to prevent future 'slope failure' at Gua Tempurung.
The gods have been kind to the MINIster once again, for there has only been one minor casualty this time, an unfortunate motorcyclist who ended up with a fracture.
Despite the Gua Tempurung slide on 6th Jan 1996 at the 303.8th kilometre, the Pos Slim slide in 1996 and the NKVE slide last year, somehow monitoring of such slopes have not been done seriously or more diligently. The last trimester of the year is known for its heavy rainfalls and knowing the effects on these slopes, one can only conclude thatv monitoring works have been sloppy indeed. The opposition can once again call for Samy's resignation or sacking but that is like 'crying for the moon/bulan or Samy crying for the restoration of his 'crowning glory'. It can only happen with someone who has a much thinner epidermis.
Apart form these two 'slope failures' which are Works related, the past few months have also seen the following ::

The Jelapang Toll Plaza Accidents
The MRR 2 Cracked Pillar tales::It took 3 different consultants to nailed the cause of the cracks as due to design failure/fault. Samy had earlier said that it was not. But the Halcrow Group Limited from United Kingdom said not so.
Hospital Kulat Closed for 2 month Repairs::Health MINIster says that it was not unusual to find fungi in small portions in any part of a hospital, Samy agrees. Samy Vellu reiterated that the contractor would not be penalised by the ministry.
No Problem With East Coast Highway, Says Samy Vellu::Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has refuted claims that the newly opened East Coast Highway (LPT) linking Kuantan and Karak is to be blamed for a spate of accidents, saying the main cause is driver recklessness and not the condition of the road.
The 18 % Unsatisfactory Ride Comfort East Coast ExpressWay::Samy was supposed to have been taken for a ride. Wondered if he was. Anyway, a preliminary profile study on the newly-opened East Coast Expressway (LPT) has revealed that only 18 percent of the 169-km expressway from Karak to Kuantan had unsatisfactory ride comfort quality, Works Minister Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu said.
Repair Highway Before Hari Raya, Samy Vellu Tells Developer::Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has given MTD Capital Bhd, the main developer of the East Coast Highway, 26 days to repair it following a spate of accidents.

With so much problems on Samy's head and having attributed wrong causes for them, it would be understandable if he should resign on his own without the opposition demanding for his hide. The rakyat may still get the moon/bulan yet.

| ¶ 10/13/2004 05:35:00 PM

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Who Said What

::He listed three factors preventing Malays from excelling in education. ::

1. The absence of a culture which encourages a love for knowledge.

"Many of our youth," he said,"do not like to read. When they do read, they only pay attention to what is given to them in school."
2. The "couldn’t-care-less" attitude.

"In a Chinese school, if a hall was needed, parents, teachers and students would work together to raise funds to build the hall. But this does not happen in our community."
3. The unwillingness to learn English. He said many Malays seemed to have developed a phobia or "allergy" towards learning English.

"At the recent Umno general assembly, some delegates said countries such as Italy, France, Japan, Korea and Germany were economic giants, despite the fact that many of their people did not speak English.

"This is true but I am sorry to say this is a bad excuse. Their economies and technologies are way ahead of ours. It is not a fair comparison. Of late, even countries like France have began encouraging their people to learn English," he said.

The above was said by a new UMNO luminary at a recent seminar entitled Melayu Dalam Bahaya which was organised by Secretariat Melayu Muda. Who is he, who said all that.

At a recent Debat Perdana which was entitled "Perpaduan: Melentur Buluh Biarlah dari Rebung" (Unity: Let It Begins Right From The Young Age), a DAP representative said something to the effect that the Chinese community was particularly concerned about education and would want their children to be in the best school. A well known figure in the education community retorted something to the effect that all communities would want the same. Now isn't her view dissimilar to that of the abovementioned. When reporting on this debat, Bernama said that a social activist said that National Schools or Sekolah Kebangsaan is the best means to forge and enhance inter-racial unity in the country. he even suggested that incentives be offered to the Chinese and Indian communities to encourage them to send their children to National Schools.

Among other stuff, mention was made about those Pupil Own Language [POL] classes. From personal experience these POL classes were at the best half-hearted effort and at the worst, non-existent in many schools. At the beginning of the year there maybe some enthusiasm in registering those interested, POL classes were held outside regular school hours and the teachers were either retirees or recruited from nearby schools. Often classes were cancelled with minimum or no notice given. Usually by the 2nd term, fewer pupils would turn up for these classes for reasons like irregularity of classes, disinterested teaching, difficulties of attendence by pupils and by the 3rd term, the classes would stop completely on its own.

Recently Pak Lah was thought to have hinted in Parliament that vernacular schools won't be around in the future. This was reported by Malaysiakini under the heading :: PM sends ‘shockwaves’ on education reforms. Obviously the signs are there, vernacular schools have no future as they are being blamed as one of the many reasons for racial polarisation in this country. But will abolishing them, abolish or reduce racial polarisation? The Debat Perdana series may be a prong being used to get the idea through that only National Schools can forge unity. The idea is to have the races mixing as early as possible, someone even said as soon as they are born. But will early mixing turn into even earlier realization of the uneven or not level playing field? This may eventually lead to earlier and more severe polarisation. If Pak Lah is serious about National Schools being made the schools of choice by all Malaysian parents, he must be serious about looking into all aspects of the present situation and as often said by many, the reality of thhe present situation. Serious and careful research must be carried out to find out the actual and the perceived reasons why vernacular schools are so popular and why National Schools, not so. All communities and all interested parties in civil society should be involved in eventually coming out with a truly Malaysian School system for all. There should be no hasty measures taken.

| ¶ 10/12/2004 12:39:00 PM

Monday, October 11, 2004

The Canny Ong's Murder Trial

::On 6th Aug, after a lengthy trial, 28 year old Ahmad Najib Aris, who is accused of raping and murdering IT analyst, Canny Ong Lay Kian was ordered to enter his defence. He had three options ::

1. testify under oath, where he can be cross-examine by the prosecution
2. give a statement from the dock, where there will be no cross-examination
3. remain silent

What many who followed the case wanted were answers to the question "Why Canny Ong did not escape despite many chances during the course of events leading up to her murder". Since Ahmad Najib has chosen the third option today ie to remain silent, it appears that the answer to the question will remain a mystery. According to a Star report, choosing the 3rd option may be Ahmad Najib's easiest and shortest process but it may also mean that he will be heading straight to the gallows.

The finale to this case will not be far away, the court has fixed 29th Oct for both the prosecution and the defence to make their submissions on a point of law. The issue is whether, once an accused elected to remain silent, the court should reconsider all the evidence before giving its decision or the court can decide straight away.

The rape charge under Section 376 of the Penal Code carries a maximum 20 years' jail and whipping while the murder charge under Section 302 carries the death sentence on conviction.

| ¶ 10/11/2004 11:07:00 PM

Goodbye Farewell, Superman aka Christopher Reeve

::CNN reports that :: Christopher Reeve, the star of the "Superman" movies whose near-fatal riding accident nine years ago turned him into a worldwide advocate for spinal cord research, died Sunday of heart failure, his publicist said today. He was 52.

For the full CNN story go here.

| ¶ 10/11/2004 03:34:00 PM

Sunday, October 10, 2004

Flying Karamjit & Ho Grounded

::The MMail reports::

MALAYSIAN ace rally drivers Karamjit Singh and Allen Oh’s championship bid in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) is in jeopardy despite leading by 10 points; all because of a lack of funds.

How can this happen in BolehLand, how can this be when they are so near to winning both the championship and constructors’ titles. According to Karamjit or the Flying Singh aka Flying Sikh as he is popularly known, their chances for victory are bright, "We have a clear advantage over the other drivers. The chances for us to win the two titles are almost certain."

BolehLand which had sponsored efforts like 'Sailing round the world singlehanded', 1st Malaysian to swim the English Channel, 'the longest satay ever', the 1st Proton in the Arctic Circle' and numerous other efforts, why is the Flying Singh, a Malaysian Rally Superstar, unable to find sponsors at this stage.

Even in the Japanese leg of the APRC last month, they didn’t have much funds to spare either, they had to recycle the car tyres and used bald ones to race! Even then the sponsor was not from BolehLand but from India::JK Tyres. It was Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Head of Motorsport division; JK Tyre who was around to share the honours of that win in Japan.

Time is running out for Karamjit and Ho as they have to be in China by 18th October to enable them to train for the rally. Will BolehLand sponsors rally in time to support Malaysia's numero uno rally racing duo to win this Rally Championship? Will the Sports MINIster step in to help, it is time for her to walk the talk of wanting Malaysian sports to forge ahead. Here we have potential Championship winners and it would be a disaster if they were not given a chance to win owing to the lack of funding. Only time will tell.

To take a look at the Flying Singh past achievements, click here

| ¶ 10/10/2004 09:24:00 PM

Ben's & Bush's Bulges

::Those of you who have seen DodgeBall may have been impressed somewhat with the bulging codpiece of Ben Stiller aka White Goodman. Some said that the said codpiece deserves its own screen credits. See Bush's here and those interested in knowing more about the history of the codpiece, check this site out. Looks like i have digressed.

Apart from the above mentioned Bush's bulge, there is another more suspicious Bush's bulge being talked about. This is the bulge seen on President Bush's back in the first debate between him and John Kerry. Take a look at this photo. Notice the slightly raised square patch on Bush's back.

There is widespread cyber-speculation that Bush was wired to receive help with his answers during the debate. Imagine somewhat like SMS answers sent to handphones in the examination halls. According to the Washington Post, when asked, officials flatly denied that anything was fishy or coddy about Bush's bulge in the back. There is a dedicated web site, www.isbushwired.com, with the sole mission of serving as "a clearinghouse for discussion of whether President Bush uses an earpiece through which he's fed lines and cues by offstage advisers." See also this article :: Bush The Articulate - Hearing Voices.

Photos on the internet also raised questions about John Kerry. It showed him taking something out of his pocket when he reached the lectern at the first debate. Aides said it was a pen; debate rules said the pens were supposed to be in place. Some bloggers were said to have thought that it was a cheat sheet. Kerry's aides said removing the pen from his pocket was a nervous habit. Whatever the bulge or the pen may truly be, in the future they will be subjected to even closer scrutiny.

| ¶ 10/10/2004 05:29:00 PM

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Husam & the Screenshots Saga

::One of PAS rising star, Husam Musa, when asked to comment on the Jeff Ooi-Screenshots Saga, had this to say ::

“How could the government (think of punishing) Ooi when he was merely allowing readers to post comments on his blog? How can you kill the plant just because parasites live on it?” he asked.

He also said that Umno politicians must explain to the public their concept of Islam Hadhari instead of threatening harsh action against critics. In a statement, he further mentioned that ::

“Should ‘Anwar’ (the person who posted the message) be found, Umno owes him an education and explanation on the Islam Hadhari concept and its applications.”
“He ['Anwar'] deserves his absolute right to voice his views on Umno’s political product [ie Islam Hadhari] , but he must be accountable for his actions,”

It looks like UMNO politicians like Noh Omar who threatened to use the ISA against blogger, Jeff Ooi, and Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy who demanded a public apology from Jeff have something to learn from this Husam of PAS.

P.S. Those who have yet to sign up the online petition for Jeff, please go here.

| ¶ 10/07/2004 04:38:00 PM

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Seeking 'Anwar'

::All that fuss regarding one comment on Jeff's Screenshots appears to be dying down. This 'unknown blogger' is no longer the flavour of the day with Berita Harian or is it Berita Hairan. According to Jeff, he has today been relegated to Page 5 of BH.
What me and many others failed to understand is how 'syit dan kencing' got to be translated into 'najis dan kencing' and finally 'shit and urine'. All the on-line dictionaries i have tried returned the finding :: 'word not found' when seeking 'syit'. Those chaps in BH and NST certainly must be using a dict i am not familiar with. But anyway the fuss is going to come to an end soon. Bernama reports that MIMOS, after it recent success with the Siti case, has been tasked with the job of 'seeking ANWAR'. For those not familiar, this ANWAR is the one who made the degradatory comment and not the 2nd Asian Hero who is presently in Munich. Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik has directed Mimos Bhd to trace this ANWAR. When asked on whether action would be taken against Jeff of Screenshots, the MINIster has this to say :: "To be fair, he (Jeff Ooi) tried to stop it." Reason and clear thinking have returned for now. Looks like Jeff has been vindicated and is out of the woods. Earlier on, he had the ISA threat hanging over him.
Enough said to remember this episode in BloggerLand by and wishing MIMOS the best of luck in 'Seeking ANWAR'. And to Jeff, 'Keep It Up and continue Blogging'.

| ¶ 10/06/2004 03:16:00 PM

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Of PR Cards::Genuine, Fake and None

::Yesterday's Star carried two items concerning PR[Permanent Resident]. The first was on the revoking of PR status of 16 suspected JI[Jemaah Islamiah] members by the Home MINIstry. According to the spokesman the decision to grant PR status is very strict and similarly the decision to revoke is also very stringent. Among the 16 whose PR status have been revoked are alleged terror mastermind Hambali, a senior JI operative currently detained by the US authorities, and Dadang @ Abu Yusuf, believed to be a member of the JI central command. When questioned how Indonesian JI members had managed to become PR here, Home Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid said there must have been some merit to their applications for the then Home Minister to grant them PR status.

Now take a look at these two letters to the Star, one sent in by a PR applicant and the other from the spouse of another PR applicant ::

Still Waiting of Penang has been in this country for 13 years and has 3 Malaysian children. She has been given the run-a-round and now thinks that it is not that difficult after all to get PR status if you are willing to pay the price.
Mary Tan of KL has a spouse who has been in Malaysia for 13 years and also 3 Malaysian children. His application has also not been successful so far, this has prompted her to say the following::

This PR application makes me feel like I am a Malaysian professional not wanted in my own country.
On top of that, I have to live in envy listening to my Indonesian cobbler bragging about his receiving his Malaysian citizenship with his whole family, his Indonesian wife included.

Reading their letters, one finds it difficult to understand why the Home MINIstry is unable to find even 'some merit' in their applications for PR status.

Now there are further reports in the Star of Fake PRs for sale and there's Datuk Michael Chong who is 'shocked by apparent sale of PR cards'. From the reports it appears that fake PR cards can be bought for some RM30,000 and Datuk Chong has also discovered that there are 'genuine' PR cards for sale too! Now looking at what a Singaporean called Marlisa, who has been applying for a PR, has to say regarding her helpful politician neighbour, one smells a rat and would consider the the sales of fake and genuine PR cards would have insiders involved.

Now wouldn't it be nice if the MINIster would let Still Waiting and Mary Tan know what they need to do to gain some merit points. For with their prolonged wait and being given the run-a-round, one can understand if they may eventually succumb or be forced to consider other options like purchasing PR cards from the racketeers.

| ¶ 10/05/2004 03:37:00 PM

Monday, October 04, 2004

Wang Petronas, Mana Pergi?

::The last petrol price increase was on 1st May 2004, the workers were then given the 'present' of a 2 sen per litre hike. On 30th Sept, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry announced that the expected increase in petrol, diesel and gas prices will take place on 1st Oct. What was unexpected was the quantum of increase of 5 sen per litre. This resulted in premium petrol or RON97 costing RM1.42 per litre in Peninsular Malaysia, RM1.40 in Sabah and RM1.41 in Sarawak. RON92 petrol will increase to RM1.38 per litre in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Even with the price increase, the Gomen will have to make a subsidy of RM610.3 million. An analyst had said in June 2004 that "Unsubsidised petrol price need not be higher." In comparison, the prices of RON97 per litre are Singapore::RM3.28; Hong Kong::RM5.75 and Brunei::RM1.18.

As expected accompanying the announcement of the petrol price hike, warnings not to hike up the prices of other stuff and not to take advantage of the situation followed ::

With Pak Lah out of the country, Najib had his hands full, explaining the Gomen reasons for petrol price hike, see ::

Though Gomen Minister were sure that things won't be affected by the price hike and probably believing that their warnings against traders and the businessmen taking advantage would be effective, opposition leaders, joe public and NGOs were not of similar minds ::

Hike In Oil Prices Won't Affect Tourism Industry - Toyad
Disappointed NGOs Call For Price Hike Review
Fomca: Monitor prices of goods closely
Syed Husin: No one will listen to price hike warnings
Fishermen Want Diesel Subsidy To Be Given Directly
Where is our Oil Money?
The Government Must Reveal Petronas Profits::Sec-Gen DAP[scroll down for 2nd topic]
Lorry Transport Operators Want Road Tax Reduced

Since 2001, there has been reportedly an 18 sen per litre increase in petrol price or in other words an almost 15% increase. The latest price increase had been expected a couple of months ago and probably has been factored in by business. So there may be little further increase now that the quantum of the increase has been made known. But still joe public can expect there to be an increase in other items. The other thing that joe public cannot understand is why everytime there is a market price increase for oil, he has to be subjected to a further burden of another round of price hike. Isn't Malaysia also an oil exporter? An increase in oil prices would also bring more petrol money in, so where have all the petrol billions gone? Will Petronas let us know in due course? If we can't have petrol at Brunei price, can the price be near it?

| ¶ 10/04/2004 12:46:00 PM

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