malaysiakini on MALAYSIA'S PROBLEMS in a NUTSHELL...

Maybe a casual observer may get the impression that Malaysia is being run by a bunch of nuts but the following comments in this malaysiakini article Perak crisis: 'Is the constitution still valid?' show that there is still some hope for Malaysia.

Ordinary folks have commented on the continuing political drama in Perak and it seems that the BN-appointed MB is giving all of us on whom not to support in the next general elections.

Then another citizen takes the trouble to debunk the PM's grand gesture to remove the 30% rule in some sectors.

Yes, folks Malaysians have slowly awakened to the demands of safeguarding our liberty through active engagement.
As for Zambry, he will make a good specimen in the Perak museum for political dinosaurs.

FAILED MARRIAGES and EXPLOITING RELIGION....

The Cabinet has made some noises about the conversion of minors when marriages break up but thus far nothing definitive has been established.
In a secular nation like Malaysia where religious tolerance is vital for a multi-racial nation, it is important that we do not allow those whose marriages have failed to create unnecessary problems that impact on society at large.

This story in malaysiakini Dad in the dark as sons converted to Islam is yet another case where a spouse converts their common off-spring to another religion when he or she breaks up the marriage.

Unfortunately Islam has been getting unnecessary bad publicity as mostly the cases involve a person becoming a Muslim and then changing the religion of the children even before the courts have decided how the case should be settled.
I think the Cabinet should take more urgent steps to work this matter through as this malpractice is affecting the very fabric of society.

We cannot allow estranged spouses to mess up the lives of their children with impunity. I suggest the laws be amended so that children are allowed to change religion only with the consent of both parents given freely in the court. Otherwise such conversions should be deemed null and void.

malaysiakini and LOUSY Service from BN MONOPOLY....

Telekom Malaysia is one monopoly that has benefitted from its position in the telecoms industry.
But according to this letter in malaysiakini, we get provided a service that is more comparable to the poorer countries as Internet speeds: We're No 81! explains.
I happened to visit a shop dealing with Internet services and the guy asked me to check my internet connection speed.
We subscribe to the broadband streamyx package at RM66 per month.
So I went to speedtest.net and according to them, my average download is 0.92Mb/s while the average upload is 0.25Mb/s.
So I am not sure if upgrading to the promotion package of 1.0Mb/s is worth the charge of RM110 per month.
According to the letter, TM is being paid RM11bil to upgrade its services but I'm not sure if that means that connectivity speed will increase for ordinary folks.
It's time to develop an alternative provider so that consumers can check the performance of such companies.
In fact the Minister in charge of IT should impose fines when Net speeds do not match the minimum specs.

malaysiakini and the EC PERFORMANCE

According to this malaysiakini article the EC has declared the Penanti poll on May 31.
As this is a week-end, it will definitely allow more outstation voters the chance to vote.
For some strange reason/s, the other by-elections were mostly held during the working week like on a Wednesday and this really created problems for working adults.
Hopefully this is a new practice adopted by the EC so that more Malaysians will take the effort to decide who should represent them in the state assembly or Parliament.
There was some doubts about the delay in announcing by the EC but they have done their work according to the laws on by elections.
However, the 10-day period was decided many years ago and information and communications have improved so much now that we should consider changing the law to reduce the period to say 5 working days?

malaysiakini SUGGESTS the Possible Source of Malaysia's ABYSMAL Culture...

of maintenance, that it.
We have heard so many national leaders complaining of our "third world" maintenance culture and perhaps this letter in malaysiakini explains part of the problem.
It appears that we have a Third World maintenance culture at UM .

Now if our students at UM are exposed to, and immersed in a poor maintenance environment, should we be surprised that when they hold important posts in the future, they will also accept such poor standards?
Of course, one other reason for the poor maintenance standards is that many such contracts are awarded without proper tenders and even less supervision; with shoddy jobs being approved for payment - maybe most of the payment is made even before the job commences.
Just a highlight. In Johor Bahru, some roads have been resurfaced so many times that the road level is almost the same as the road curb. In fact, the job was not a proper resurfacing but just a slap on and roll of a bitumin course by an unqualified contractor.

Small but IMPORTANT Steps TAKEN by the GOVERNMENT...

Perhaps this reflects the dire straits that the economy is in but reporting in malaysiakini, the 30% bumi equity lifted for 27 service sectors is a welcomed move that some doubters will say is "too little, too late."
To me it is an important first step but it should not be the last.

To prove its sincerity about rolling back that parasitic program, the NEP, the following items would prove the 1Malaysia concept more welcomed by all citizens.

1.APs to be phased out within 2 years and replaced with a tender system for 3-year concessions.
2.Bumi discounts only granted to first-time house buyers of units costing less than RM100k.
3.Scholarships granted to only 5% of all top students irrespective of race. All others given student loans with low interest rates. Poor families given one scholarship per family if qualified.

These 3 items will definitely show the government is really serious about regaining the confidence of taxpayers who have been largely sidelined.

The PERAK Crisis Still SMOULDERS.....

This is what happens when the script is not followed as the political crisis continues.
There are 2 articles in malaysikini that may not be highlighted in the MSM. One is 'Gov't won't help the royals' that reports the feelings of the common folk on the action of the Perak ruler.
As a constitutional ruler, the role of the sultan is clearly defined as being "above politics".

The other article 'Between the sultan and me'the "deposed" MB of Perak Nizar has filed an affidavit that details the meeting between him and the sultan.
It seems to me that this is some indication that the sultan may be brought to court as a last resort.