A STRONG WAKE-UP CALL for MALAYSIANS

The alarm bells are sounding loud and clear.
The BN government has been MISMANAGING the economy all these years!
Why else would the minister Idris Jala state that Malaysia could become like Greece in 9 years?
According to malaysiakini readers, they believe M'sians made to pay for BN's profligacy as we all know that Malaysia is full of abundance with good soil, water and sunshine and we also are spared from earthquakes and typhoons. The usual flooding in towns is caused by over-development and lack of maintenance.
I predict a grim future unless the BN government is voted out in the next general elections.
Some BN leaders may be roped in to help a new government as a few have good leadership qualities and may be willing to help save Malaysia.
Malaysia needs ALL our best talents to weather the storm in the next few years - Indonesia made a good transition - we can learn from them.

News from Sarawak...

I have been in Sarawak for the past five days as I attended the ToastMasters International District Convention in Miri and then went to the Mulu Caves for two days.
Reading the local newspapers, I notice that the local BN politicians are very upset that the BN lost in the Sibu by election.
Perhaps they are upset that the state elections now have to be set back.
Sarawak is quite different from Peninsula Malaysia as the majority of the folks here are Christians, mainly the SIB church. In Miri, the church has an impressive building on top of Canada Hill, the place where the first oil well was discovered in Miri, the town that was founded on oil.
Back to the local politics - in yesterday's Sarawak Tribune, James Masing of Parti Rakyak Sarawak is quoted as saying:

"When our forefathers of various social backgrounds created this nation, they understood the social holy grounds on which only certain groups may occupy (which has led to)Malaysia being peaceful for the past 50 years because of our mutual acknowledgement and respect".

The half page article had the headline on the front page:
"Don't push us" across the width of the paper.

I also visited the Mulu Caves on Tuesday for two nights and during the visit, we stopped by a Penan village on the river. The boatmen provided the tour services to and from the National Park and they made a 20-minute stop in their village to buy souvenirs.
The locally made products were hand-made but not so marketable and so not many people bought anything.
The most shocking thing about the village is that there is no infrastructure for proper electricity and water.
They used shared generator and water from the river for washing and cleaning. Some potable drinking water is provided by the national park HQ.

I guess the Minister of Land Development wants the Penan and other natives of Sarawak to retain their original condition so that tourists can come and see them in their original condition.
Sarawak is a land of plenty but it seems that the original folks have been sidelined by the ruling politicians.

What Happens when VITAL STATE Institutions FAIL

Many Malaysians feel that the Judiciary and the PDRM are failed institutions after the infamous sacking of the judges years ago and the failure to impement the IPCMC after many cases of abuse in police custody.
The latest by-election in SIBU indicates that the Elections Commission also can be put into the "failed institution" category. Just imagine the head claiming they have no powers to investigate election bribery by the Prime Minister.

To me it is not surprising as after so many years in power, the government and the political parties that have ruled for more than 50 years is in an advanced stage of decay - those in power believe that the government and the parties in control are one and the same. That is only part of human nature - man is a weak organism and power tends to corrupt.
It is up to voters- especially the younger ones to take back the power they have entrusted to politicians so that we can fix all our failed institutions. The choice is very simple - Change the government as soon as possible or you may not get the chance to do it peacefully in the future.

SIBU Buy Election - Blatant BRIBERY by the PM

I think the PM has stepped beyond the boundary of decency and decorum of the Prime Minister's office with this campaign speech. What a disgrace for the highest elected office of Malaysia.
"He wants to meet the people"? By his own admission he says "otherwise he will not come".
It is good that the people of Sibu have rejected his grossly overextended overtures. After all, the RM5mil is the voters' money and he was really a fool to try such a blatantly corrupt approach. It seems that common folks have a better sense of right and wrong.
So I guess with the BN loss, his dreams of Sibu have turned to nightmares!

malaysiakini and SIBU ..the Mystery of the Postal Ballot

Congrats to the DAP for having wrested Sibu from the mighty BN who shamefully made use of government assets during the election campaign and who also offered all types of bribes to the Sibu voters.
At last many Malaysians are able to see through such vote-buying tactics and prepared not to give up control of their destiny by keeping the same people in power. It must be especially galling for the PM who flew there three times at taxpayers' expense to offer the Sibu folks the equivalent of "whisky and women" so that the BN could control their live for many more years.
I find the delay in announcing the postal ballots strange as these were all cast earlier and I find it unusual that the postal results were only finalised only at the end.
To reduce the chance of "accidents", these ballots should be counted earlier and as soon as the counting centre opens. Also postal ballots should be reduced to the bare minimum like ONLY for those on active duty in a location more than say 30km from the nearest polling station. We should also allow postal votes from Malaysians who are working in another state to cast their votes in the state capitals. This will apply for by elections and for general elections, we will allow all Malaysians to cast postal votes in the major cities where say there are more than 1000 overseas Malaysians like London, New York, Sydney etc.

Another SIME DARBY Fiasco

After much fanfare and under the takeover vehicle of Synergy Drive Bhd(SD), the main plantation companies of Sime Darby, Golden Hope and Guthrie Bhd were merged and subsequently SD changed its name back to Sime Darby that was touted as the largest plantation group in the world.
In the process, CIMB Investment Bank made a few hundred million just to administer the process instead of being managed by PNB and that would have saved a few dineros for the shareholders.
So Sime Darby is once again in the news for the wrong reasons - this time the Engineering Division managed to chalk up losses that some analysts suggest will surpass RM900mil for the group.
This is what usually happens when a company that is world class in one field, in this example plantations tries to grow big in areas where it is not strong. The profits made in plantations are put at risk and the group will suffer.
Not that long ago, we also had the short-lived and ill-conceived saga of Sime Bank and you can read some details of that sorry episode here.
As a former shareholder of Golden Hope who got steam-rolled in the takeover, I am glad I sold my SD shares at RM10.

Malaysia Can Learn MUCH from UK Politics....

Finally the UK has emerged with a new Prime Minister David Cameron after days of political wrangling following the inconclusive British General Elections that saw no party winning enough seats to form the government.
As they say, "Politics is the art of the possible" and the coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats may not last that long as both parties promote different policies.
Labour had been in power for 13 years and the economic crisis probably had a large role to play in their loss at the polls; plus the fact that Gordon Brown is not such a skilled communicator as Tony Blair.
It shows democracy is alive and well in the UK despite the glitches of the system that could not cater to the hundreds of late-comers who turned up too late to vote.

The main lessons that Malaysians can learn from the UK polls?
1.Changing the government is not a bad thing as it keeps political parties competitive in order to win the votes.
2.We need to hear televised debates of the main parties contending broadcast on national TV so that important issues can be debated. In this respect, Singapore is well ahead of Malaysia.
3.Major parties in the coalition should demand more important ministerial posts. In the UK, it is no less then the post of Deputy Prime Minister.

Do You Think They Will Ban "Bullets" too in the Next Elections?

Have we given the Police that much authority that they can resort to banning certain words in political campaigns?
Well it seems that the word "ALLAH" has been banned by the PDRM for the Sibu by-elections according to this malaysiakini article Police declare 'Allah' issue off limits in by-election.
I believe the OCCI has exceeded his authority and we should educate him on his proper duties.
He definitely has no authority to ban anything that is not clearly defined by any laws. Do you think "bullets" too will be banned next?

malaysiakini Readers' Views on Police Shootings....

It is interesting that many readers have voiced their opinion on the use of deadly force by the police that have resulted in the deaths of unarmed civilians; with the latest incident being the 15-year old boy.
If only the IPCMC had been implemented, this and similar cases would have been investigated by the Commission instead of the make-shift panel formed by the Home Ministry.
Of particular interest is that the Police guidelines on the use of deadly weapons is a classified document known only to officers above a certain rank. This should be subject to review and approval by a Parliamentary select committee so that the police do not authorise themselves with more deadly powers than we are prepared to give them.

For example:
1.Shooting is allowed by any police officer at the scene when the criminal fires a shot first at the police.
2.When a driver tries to evade a road block and speeds off, the officer in charge can order his men to fire single rounds at the fleeing suspect and only to disable the car.
3.Only properly trained cops proficient in the use of firearms are allowed to shoot at an unarmed suspect.
4.The suspect is deemed unarmed unless a shot is fired first at the police. Only then can the police classify the suspect as "armed and dangerous".
5.No shots may be fired at a fleeing car unless the area is free of other traffic and bystanders if the suspect has not shot first at the police.
6.No automatic rifles will be authorised unless the suspect is armed and dangerous.

Do you think we should know about all the police rules of engagement or can you trust them to act in your best interest?

malaysiakini and a Brief History of NUCLEAR POWER in Malaysia

To cut this article short by 2000 words, here are 2 photos to depict the before and after situation of Malaysia's very brief history of nuclear power.

malaysiakini and other media report that most ordinary folks are against the use of nuclear power in Malaysia. I guess the recent water mains burst pipes just before and after the story broke must be very relevant.

Just imagine that burst pipe contains hot water contaminated with nuclear waste.
Is that going to be our A R M E G E D D O N?
With this "ram down our throat" nuclear nightmare proposed, we need to take out this government at the next polls before the nightmare becomes a reality.

photos: thanks to the Star and malaysiakini

Results of Poll on Teoh Beng Hock Murder

This poll has been posted for about 4 months and here are the results for the 226 people who responded:

50% or 113 believe The Truth Will Never Be Revealed
31% or 71 believe They were Holding him outside the Window and his pants tore.
11% or 25 think The MACC allowed a Third Party to Kill him
3% or 7 think He Committed Suicide to protect others
2% or 5 think They Caused him Mental Distress to Jump from the Window
2% or 5 Will Accept the Official Version.

It looks as if only 2% of respondents believe the government is acting with transparency and integrity.

Say "NO!" to Nuclear Power in Malaysia.....

This will be a major disaster when the plant starts to malfunction after a few years as Malaysia does not know how to keep up with the strict maintenance procedures and invariably short cuts will be taken.
I have written a few articles before on operating a nuclear power station and why Malaysia must never use nuclear power.
If we need to change the government to prevent the use of nuclear power, that is something I am prepared to do.
Do you trust the government enough to put a nuclear power station say within 50 miles of your home?