The HEIGHT of IRRESPONSIBILITY from the IGP of Malaysia...

Malaysia's IGP will be retiring this year when his contract was extended last year but his latest statement on the public's reaction to the fatal shooting of a 15-year old makes me feel that the IGP has outlived his ability to lead the PDRM.
If the story in malaysiakini is correct about pulling cops off the streets then all MPs should demand that he be replaced immediately.
After all, the Home Minister has already declared that he knows who will be the replacement. Already the government lost much credibility when it baulked when the police top brass objected to the IPCMC.
Now we can see how the IGP is dictating terms of how the police will operate.
We simple cannot allow the tail to wag the dog!

Police Shoot-outs...Welcome to the WILD WEST of Malaysia!

A few months back, a woman was shot and she had to barge into the place where the Home Minister was in order to make her views known.
The latest police killing of a 15-year old boy has drawn many responses from malaysiakini readers who ask the question Police killings: 'When will they stop?'.

To me the questions will remain unanswered until the following happens:
1.We have a change of government or
2.The present government makes it a standard practice to hold a public inquiry whenever anyone is killed by the police or
3.We implement the IPCMC that can undertake such inquiries

Too many Malaysians have been killed by the PDRM under questionable circumstances. And no one has been held accountable.
Nowadays the police are so heavily armed that they should not be scared of petty thieves with parangs.

For a trained cop, I expect someone charging at you with a parang can be wounded at a range of 10 to 20 feet so you are not justified to shoot to kill.

malaysiakini and the USE of CON-SULTANTS

I am sure many have heard this joke about consultants and their ilk.
Basically you can pay a consultant money and he will make up a story that you would like to hear.
That is why I have spelt the word with the emphasis on the CON part.
I got to pondering about consultants after this article in malaysikini on the TBH murder inquest. The question being asked is 'Just how did Teoh fall?'.
It seems that we are asking the wrong person this question - he was not there and can only postulate. His take also does not appear too convincing - from "fully conscious" to not sure.
At one time, any Western expert was held in high esteem but after cases like Enron, Watergate we now know that integrity is not an exclusive trait.
I just wonder how much they paid for such elusive evidence?

Another Reason WHY Malaysia MUST NOT Use Nuclear Power....

I have written a few articles about why Malaysia should not use nuclear power and today's story only adds to that argument.
In Malaysia, many of the building trades operate on the "monkey see, monkey do" concept and after a few years of following the senior "monkey", many start their own contracting companies and if they are connected, they may end up doing an Ali Baba contract that is so prevalent in Malaysia.
Today's story Sinkhole brings traffic to a halt show the level of the shoddy workmanship that goes on in many building projects.
Since this project is being managed by MBPJ which is probably the most progressive council in Malaysia, I suggest the council should examine the qualifications of the contractors doing the job.
Don't just issue the work authorisation and hope nothing goes wrong. Ensure that a competent person supervises the work as part of the conditions of the work order.
As for the unfortunate motorists, sue the local authorities for the job failure - this is not another act of ALLAH but incompetence.

photo:thanks to the STAR

So BN Won Hulu Selangor but at What Cost?

People say politics is dirty but what went on in the Hulu Selangor "buy-election" would write a new chapter in the Manual of Dirty Politics.
Straight away after returning from many days of international travel, the PM and his team of ministers started their tour of Hulu Selangor and proceeded to give out bribes left, right and centre. In fact the DPM and half the Cabinet were actively campaigning for the BN candidate, all on government or taxpayers' time. No wonder Putrajaya stopped operating for the duration of the campaign.
You see in Malaysia the ruling party has fine-tuned their dirty tricks to the minutest detail. Unfortunately the many years of corruption have affected the many institutions of democracy that many ordinary law-abiding people sadly do not know when the laws have been blatantly broken.
Why else would the PM spand so many days in HS when in the absence of the buy-election, the place would be mentioned in his appointments diary only once in 5 years? And that only in the General Elections?
For Zaid and his team, do not be disappointed for too long. Start your work for the next general elections.
I don't expect the BN will be able to afford such generous vote-buying at the national level in the next general elections.
Perhaps by then more Malaysians would have realised the imperative to CHANGE the government in order to give Malaysia a better future.

malaysiakini and the DOGS of WAR....maybe those APCs can Also FLY?

As we get more capable leaders into the Malaysian Parliament, more errors will be discovered...you remember how a few weeks ago, a figure of RM6bil was recently changed to RM6mil after the "mistake" was pointed out by an opposition MP?
That same MP is now asking questions about the proposed idea to spend RM8bil to purchase 257 armed personnel carriers(APCs).
If you look at the spread-sheet, you will note that each APC will cost RM31mil. It is good that the MP has raised the question about the pricing and we should also all inquire why these APCs are costing more than an arm and a leg.
Not that long ago, we also awarded a multi-billion ringgit contract to build naval vessels and the venture was a spectacular failure.
I support promoting local industries but only if the price is competitive and we know what we are paying for.
In this case, it seems we are paying about four times more than what other contries have to pay.
If you study this site, you will note that APCs cost in the region of less than US$2 million each and so that equates to less than RM7mil.
So why do we have to pay so much? Unless it's a military secret that those APC's can also fly!

Are We CHANGING or WHAT?

There is a new mantra in Malaysia - CHANGE!
Maybe that meeting with President Obama after spending more than RM70mil on a public relations campaign building the Brand 1Malaysia has set off the proverbial lightbulb.
But I am not holding my breath just yet.
Even when you thought it is safe to get back in the water, you need to watch out for the many crocodiles that are just waiting for the next meal.
You remember how the education system was turned on its head just before TDM retired? They brought back "teaching in English" in the national schools within a grace period of three months - a record for major mayhem in the schools for 4 years until they reversed the policy and went back to the old ways that produces graduates who cannot survive in the private sector on account of atrocious English skills.
To me the basic reason why we have yet another set of laws withdrawn as seen in malaysiakini's Brakes on Road Transport Act revisions is that these laws are being churned out without much serious thinking.
You remember the rules on using Mykad to purchase petrol that was mooted about 3 months ago?
Well this latest withdrawal on the increased fines for traffic offences reflects the same lack of thinking through the problem.
To me, the lack of continuous and consistent enforcement is the basic reason why we have the situation of near anarchy on the roads.
Of course when all top government officials are all too occupied on a by-election we cannot any serious effort to be made to pass good laws.