malaysiakini on the IGP's Work Attitude and Logic

Since the High Court ruled that the MACC cannot question detainees overnight, the spot-light has shifted to the police lock-up rules.
It appears that the police too are subject to rules with regard to those in the lock-up.
The IGP made a strange suggestion about the lock-up rules and fortunately many Malaysians now realise that such enforcement agencies must abide with the rules as described in this letter 'Close at 5pm': IGP's comment shocking.
We know that the IGP has been working years past the official retirement age and I suggest his appointment should be reviewed by the PAC as his attitude reflects a cavalier attitude.
This is the reason why Malaysia desperately needs the IPCMC so that ordinary citizens can feel that the police is being controlled with adequate provisions for our own safety.

An Eventful Trip to Cambodia

My wife attended a Bankers' Conference in Phnom Pehn and I tagged along for our first visit to the capital city of Cambodia.
It was not a great holiday; but definitely it had its share of memorable incidents.
When we arrived at the airport, there was a welcoming committee that garlanded each of us with a Cambodian shawl.
We were met by the airport immigration chief who took our passports and breezed us through the immigration formalities - we got back the passports at the conference hotel, the Inter-Continental.
One of the welcoming staff then followed us through Customs and we were then ushered into a government registered car. We were seated right at the back of the Silkair flight and seeing no one else around, my wife assumed that we were the last to get out of airport. During the 15-minute from the airport, I remarked to my wife that something was not quite right as I expected us to be transferred by bus and not a private vehicle.
Still, it was a moment to enjoy - being treated with such VIP status. We managed to check into the hotel without the passports and spent a few hours resting in our room. Then my wife decided to check for our passports at the front desk and sure enough, it had been delivered there. She also discovered that she had been mistaken for another ASEAN bankers' official who bore only the slightest resemblance to my dear wife. The reception committee had decided the person had put on some weight to morph into my wife! The person is actually 2 to 3 inches shorter than my wife.
One of the sight-seeing tours they arranged for a visit to the Torture Museum where thousands were tortured before they were sent to the Killing Fields. Of course many did not survive the months of torture.
It is not an enjoyable place to visit and the atmosphere of death still prevails. I will not bring children below 12 years to visit this place. I had to skip the rest of the tour as I had a severe bout of food poisoning and rushed back to the hotel just in time to unload. That was a worrying 10-minute ride using a "tut-tut and cost me US$2 - the greenback is almost an official currency here.
We spent 2 nights at the Inter-Continental for the conference and decided to book a room at the Sunway Hotel which is much closer to the riverside, the main happenings place.
I booked a room using AGODA but made a mistake in the check-in date. For some unknown reason, the date I chose was one week later than the date I needed.
When I realised the mistake, I tried to amend the date but according to Agoda, they could not change the date as the hotel policy on the special room rate was to charge the full booking payment - that is for US$95.
So I made another booking with the correct date and paid another US$95. When we checked into the Sunway, they advised me they also had another booking for the later date. My wife did not know of the mistake so while she was napping in our room, I sneaked out and went down to the reception to inquire about the extra booking and the penalty for a cancellation with one week's notice.
The duty manager saw me and advised that she would check with AGODA to find out about the mistake. She assured me that the hotel would not charge me but there could be an administrative fee charged by AGODA.
Sunway Hotel is commended for contacting AGODA and not imposing any penalty. I also received an email from AGODA advising that I will get a full refund.
We also requested a late check-out on Saturday and the hotel obliged, allowing us to stay in our room untill 2pm.
On our last night in Phnom Penh, we went for a walk along the Riverside and I tripped and twisted my left ankle at the start of the 2km walk. At the time it was OK but when we got back, the foot was hurting. Perhaps the hour-long foot reflexology did not help matters.
At the airport for the flight back to Singapore, my wife requested for a wheel-chair for me and that was also arranged back in Changi. That was my first experience as a wheel-chair passenger. Both sides took good care and SilkAir is thanked for their caring service. One stewardess also gave me her arm to hold on as I hobbled into and out of the plane.
Cambodia is making speedy progress to catch up with the rest of ASEAN and being a young country, they have the capacity to develop at a faster rate although the economic crisis has also affected their annual growth.
I will be seeing the doctor today and hopefully by tomorrow, I will not need to hobble around. Spending long hours in bed is definitely not my cup of tea.

A Perry Mason Mystery? The Case of the RECALCITRANT ATTORNEY-GENERAL

malaysiakini has this interesting story on how Karpal would prosecute Lingam.
It surely is a dereliction of duty when the so-called Law Minister declares that he does not know under what law the lawyer who was seen on tape to be influencing a senior judge should be charged.
I suggest the UK university that awarded him the law degree should be informed that their prominent(?) alumni has brought their reputation into disrepute.
The Malaysian Bar should also seriously question if Malaysia deserves such a useless Law Minister.
Malaysia - TRULY AMAZING.

WOT? malaysiakini Readers Respond to the Question About 2-Party System...

Of course there is no ideal time to introduce a 2-party system just like some people will say the PR parties are not ready to even govern the states.
That is what you would expect those in the establishment to claim and that includes many if not most in the civil service.
But as the wisdom of malaysiakini readers shows in this article 2-party system: 'People ready, Umno is not' many Malaysians believe that the battle against corruption will not happen unless the BN is put in opposition.
To me the reason the Indonesian government appears to be taking serious steps to curb corruption is because the voters there have shown their power in the electoral process and are able to change the government in a peaceful manner.
For Malaysians, the question to be asked is, "Are you going to wait for UMNO to reform itself?"
If not, then the only answer is get it out of government and that is what you must do in the next elections.

The DPM Flouts the LAW!

Each year, the government spends millions of ringgit on road safety campaigns and yet the statistics are not inproving as the death toll spirals upwards.
The basic reason is the lack of a continuous and consistent law enforcement as the traffic police only operate on a "fits and starts" strategy and each year thousands of poorly trained motorists take to the roads.
Just look at the photo courtesy of the Star newspapers. Our DPM believes that he is above and beyond the law, riding pillion without a proper safety helmet in a rural area.
Of course the traffic is quite light in such remote areas but the law does not make any concession as a fall from a motor-bike at any speed can be fatal on account of brain damage.
But then again, maybe this DPM is advertising the fact that he does not have any brain to be damaged and hence no need for the crash helmet?
That may be the case but his poor example has caused years of traffic safety efforts to be flushed down the toilet.

malaysiakini and the RM24billion LOSSES

Maybe the word "losses" is not really appropriate for that amount relates to the amount of money that Malaysians have been duped of in various schemes that involve corruption, improper tenders, cheating and CBT in government purchases as highlighted in the annual Auditor-General's report.
The amount is higlighted in a letter by a malaysiakini reader Najib, get us back our RM24 billion now who believes that the PM is capable of such a mammoth task when he has really come out with nothing new except do away with the "race" item in government forms and declared Malaysia Day a public holiday.
The AG's Annual Report is a glaring annual exercise to show that the other AG's office has become a political office rather than the guardian of law and order.
You will notice that major scandals like the PKFZ will generate umpteeen probes but each end up as a NFA file in the AG's office.
We all know that the civil service has become largely a BN stooge and there is an incestous connection between top civil servants and the government leaders so don't expect drastic measures to curb the abuse in the government tender system. But kudos to the Penang state government for having more open tenders as this is a good way to reduce corrupt practices.
My suggestion is that unless we follow the Chinese example of capital punishment for serious corruption, we cannot expect to turn back that massive gravy train of kick-backs and corruption.

malaysiakini and the BN's FAILED Education SYSTEM

After so many years of independence, Malaysia is still struggling to develop a good education system.
But the recalcitrant government with so many failed policies like the "back to English, then flip-flop to the old system" has proved that it cannot provide good leadership in this most vital component of nation-building.
malaysiakini highlights the dilemma in the article PM: No shift in vernacular school policy yet .
Some PTAs have already requested for permission to carry on with the English medium program but the bureaucrats insist on trying to control the freedom to a basic education program that is preferred by parents for their children.
After all the PM has conceded that vernacular schools will stay so why not just accept another school program that teaches in the English medium?
I believe that the Pakatan parties can win a few more states and hopefully form the next federal government if they make education a cornerstone of their election mainfesto.
Only they will we be able to create a good education system for all Malaysians.