Wednesday, October 31, 2012

LATEST FROM SABAH... NAJIB WILL BE IN SABAH AGAIN, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF SABAH STATE ASSEMBLY SPEAKER JOINS PKR




Barisan Nasional (BN) has LOST another leader from Sabah. Balanting Erom, brother-in-law to Salleh Tun Said, Sabah State Assembly Speaker has just handed his Application Form to join KEADILAN at Kampung Raganan, Tuaran.

It looks like PM Najib will once again have to make a 'sudden' trip to Sabah, to convince the Sabahans that everything is fine and his UMNO/BN has the confidence of the Sabahans.

What 'special goodies' is PM Najib going to offer the Sabahans this time? 

source: Tun_Telanai

The Half-Baked Cake of AES



Sometime back, I figured that I would say "I told you so" over the AES (Automated Enforcement System) issue that most Barisan Nasional MPs would certainly scream about then making a U-turn later on. When it was mooted in about 1-2 years ago many of them, without thinking deep further except from the nutshell  / surface would scream yes and gave the one common answer of why the need of having AES. And then when the negative buzz over the system goes over and over the top, those politicians, whose mouth is faster than the brain would then say - stop the press / hold the implementation. When Khairy Jamaluddin and Bung Mokhtar started coming out - from their own turf to say that AES should be put on hold, I knew that these bunch of people have already eaten a half-baked cake and made a bad mistake.

Many have said that the system was too rushed, and there's a perception of how hidden costs or the timetable of implementation as well as how the government brushes (bulldozes) through the system without a thorough check and stakeholder consultation has given to the fact that not many people are well receptive to the system. I am actually fine to the system, particularly for the red light camera part but the major parts of the system that I am not very well receptive of and this brought a interesting thought - something that it was well ignored around 2002.

Unrealistic Speed Limits

Recently, the KASE (Kempen Saman Anti-Ekor) highlighted a case where a speed camera is placed on a road with the limit of 30 km/h. Many believed that having an absurd and illogical limit there is what will irked a lot of road users. The present road limits on the road is more or less outdated. Contrary to what many people generally think about speed limits, this short FAQ seems to speak otherwise than what MIROS said. For example:

"Inappropriately established speed limits cause drivers to take all traffic signals less seriously. The brochure also points out that unrealistic speed limits create two groups of drivers. Those that try to obey the limit and those that drive at a speed they feel is safe and reasonable. This causes dangerous differences in speed. "

The subsequent questions actually depict the scenario and on the road emotions of many road users:
(note: taken from National Motorist Association, U.S.A)

Q. Isn't slower always safer?
A. No, federal and state studies have consistently shown that the drivers most likely to get into accidents in traffic are those traveling significantly below the average speed. According to research, those driving 10 mph slower than the prevailing speed are more likely to be involved in an accident. That means that if the average speed on an interstate is 70 mph, the person traveling at 60 mph is more likely to be involved in an accident than someone going 70 or even 80 mph.

Q. Wouldn't everyone drive faster if the speed limit was raised?
A. No, the majority of drivers will not go faster than what they feel is comfortable and safe regardless of the speed limit. For example, an 18-month study following an increase in the speed limit along the New York Thruway from 55 to 65 mph, determined that the average speed of traffic, 68 mph, remained the same. Even a national study conducted by Federal Highway Administration also concluded that raising or lowering the speed limit had practically no effect on actual travel speeds.

Q. Don't higher speed limits cause more accidents and traffic fatalities?
A. No, if a speed limit is raised to actually reflect real travel speeds, the new higher limit will make the roads safer. When the majority of traffic is traveling at the same speed, traffic flow improves, and there are fewer accidents. Speed alone is rarely the cause of accidents. Differences in speed are the main problem. Reasonable speed limits help traffic to flow at a safer, more uniform pace.

Q. Aren't most traffic accidents caused by speeding?
A. No, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims that 30 percent of all fatal accidents are "speed related," but even this is misleading. This means that in less than a third of the cases, one of the drivers involved in the accident was "assumed" to be exceeding the posted limit. It does not mean that speeding caused the accident. Research conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation showed that the percentage of accidents actually caused by speeding is very low, 2.2 percent.

Q. Aren't our roads more dangerous than ever before?
A. No, our nation's fatality rate (deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled) is the lowest it has ever been. The total number of fatalities has also stayed relatively stable for several years. They do occasionally increase, but given that our population and the distance the average person drives are also increasing, this is not surprising, nor is it cause for alarm.

Q. If nobody follows the speed limit, why does it matter that they are underposted?
A. According to a speed-limit brochure published in conjunction with the Michigan State Patrol, inappropriately established speed limits cause drivers to take all traffic signals less seriously. The brochure also points out that unrealistic speed limits create two groups of drivers. Those that try to obey the limit and those that drive at a speed they feel is safe and reasonable. This causes dangerous differences in speed.

In actual truth, because of the improved car technology over the last 25 years, the car performance of newer vehicles are far better and has better safety standards than the models made prior to that period. This doesn't match with the present speed limits on most roads which are still using the outdated vehicle count percentile data as in the early 90s. Highways for example in France is now allowed up to 130 km/h while in Germany, each lane is designated a minimum limit that has to be followed in each lane, so as to give those who in fast the priority.

Use of the 85th percentile speed concept is based on the fact that:
  • the large majority of drivers:
    • are reasonable and prudent
    • do not want to have a crash
    • desire to reach their destination in the shortest possible time
  • a speed at or below which 85 percent of people drive at any given location under good weather and visibility conditions may be considered as the maximum safe speed for that location. 
  •  
Sometime in 2002, the timing of raising speed limits was ignored, and even until today with the calculation not up to date. In fact most ministers are wrong in determining it because the driving is not experienced first hand by themselves but instead their chauffeurs do the driving instead. The perception of being a passenger vs being a driver behind the wheel differs much. For example, the passenger may say that the driver is veering too much on the left, even touching the boundary line of the emergency lane whereas in contrary the driver says otherwise.

A gist in that measurement is that it has be done on a very frequent basis.

I came across a document on the 85th percentile measurement. However, I am unsure if MIROS would bother looking at this as to match the claim or so. 

The other part is about how the system would affect the existing equipment being used. As examples, there's still the existing red light camera that uses film to capture images and the mobile speed detection devise that is being used by traffic police (not JPJ) people that it creates confusion over who is actually doing the system or shall we say that the usage is being overlapped by the two parties. 

However, the attitude of those politicians whose haste to have things bulldozed for nothing should be blasted on stage.

- A Little Taffer's Room

SHOCK!! AES Concessionaires Allowed to use JPJ logo on their private Company Vehicles!!!!



KASE (campaigning against the abolishment of postal summonses for traffic offences) is seeking a explanation from the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha dan Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) Director with regards to the AES Concessionaires being allowed to use the JPJ symbol or logo in their Company private vehicles, such as shown above..


Legal Advisor for KASE, Zulhazmi Shariff claim, from the information gather from a source, , Syarikat Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd and ATES Sdn Bhd have been "granted" to use the JPJ logo on their 4-wheel drive Toyota Fortuner although they are not government or JPJ owned vehicles.

“What is happening is that, from information received by us, ATES and Beta Tegap have used the same colour as the JPJ vehicle, are using JPJ logo and below with the word "Automated Enforcement System’ when these vehicles are not government properties.

Will the Transport Minister or JPJ Director care to explain?

source : Addin

School-based assessment will be fair, says Wee


KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — The Education Ministry today assured that implementation of the School-Based Assessment (PBS) will be fair, especially in placement of students at boarding schools.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (picture) said the ministry would ensure quality of the students would be maintained while the syllabus was not too examination oriented, despite the PBS replacing the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations.
“Under PBS, the students will be assessed based on four components, namely assessement by the school, central assessment, sports, physical and co-curriculum assssment and psychometric assessment,” he said when replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Lilah Yasin (BN-Jempol) at Dewan Rakyat today.
Wee added that the the Malaysia Examination Board would also monitor questionaire standards and quality of marking by teachers.
Teachers are also required to follow the Standard Performance Documents (DSP) and not just depend on the grades in examinations, he said.
Earlier in replying to the original question from Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Pas-Parit Buntar), Wee said the newly improved UPSR and PMR examinations which are based on the PBS, would be implemented beginning 2016 and 2014 respectively.
He added that assessment would be carried out to see students’ progress, check on the effectiveness of teaching and learning strategies and schools’ curricula. — Bernama

Ignore AES summonses, PAS urges the people



PAS has called on members of the public to ignore traffic fines issued through the automated traffic enforcement system (AES) on grounds that the system is unjust and will benefit crony companies.

PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar told a press conference today that the call is limited only to summonses issued under the AES and not for regular traffic police summonses. 

Mahfuz, who heads pressure group campaigning against the abolishment of postal summonses for traffic offences, called Kase, added that the AES system would become a burden to the people. 

He said Kase was readying 100 lawyers to help those who have been penalised through AES.
Summonses issued under wrong section of Act

"The federal government should declare void all summonses issued since Oct 13. 

"If the government refuses to do so, I urge those who receive the AES summonses to not pay the fine, which amounts RM300 (each). 

"Follow the instructions on the summons notice and go to court. Kase will have lawyers to help," Mahfuz, the Pokok Sena MP, told reporters at the Parliament lobby today. 

He added that summons issued under the system was misleading as it was being issued under Section 79(2) of the Road Transport Act for speeding offences.

Mahfuz insisted that Section 79(2) referred not to speeding but for not obeying traffic rules and signs.

He also pointed out that while AES summonses were for a flat rate of RM300, as printed on copies sent to road users, Section 79(2) specifes fines of "up to RM500", which means that there should be discretion on the part of traffic court judges to reduce the fines.

This was among one of the provisions of the law that Kase intends to test in court.

No truth to 'polished accounts' claim, says MB


Allegations that the Selangor government had used “creative accounting” to look good in the Auditor-General’s Report are “irresponsible and completely untrue”, said Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. 

He told a press conference at the state secretariat building today that its financial statements are prepared in accordance with the National Accountancy Department’s standards, which in turn are based on the International Public Sector Accounting Standards - Financial Reporting Under the Cash Basis Accounting. 

In addition, he pointed out that even the 2011 Auditor-General’s Report says that the state’s financial statements give an accurate picture of its financial position. 

“The Selangor government constantly reminds its civil servants to practice transparency and responsibility when performing their duties and to be prudent in approving expenditure,” he said. 

Khalid, who is also the Ijok assemblyperson, said that this is amongst the reasons why the auditor-general had classified the state’s financial position as “good”. 

[More to follow]

Islamic fashion show - IS IT ALSO GOING FOR "CHANGE"!!!!!!



The Islamic Fashion Festival has turn to be a "controversy" with certain participants attire being "un-Islamic".

Is the Islamic Fashion Festival also spearheading for CHANGE????????

source : AmenoWorld

Kajang prison passes the buck to cops


Kajang prison authorities say that since the family have lodged a police report on the death of an inmate, they will leave it to the police.
PETALING JAYA: The Kajang prison authorities have passed the buck to the police on the death of an inmate at its facility.
Yesterday, the family of R Kumar Rajah, 27, alleged that he died in his cell on Oct 29, after the prison authorities failed to provide medical assistance for his stomach ache.
A prison spokesman said they have left it to the police to investigate as a police report has been lodged by the family.
“Comments on this case will be by the Prisons Department. We will leave it to them to comment and clarify the matter,” he said when contacted by FMT today.
The family with the assistance of Lawyers for Liberty want a post-mortem conducted on the inmate’s body, which is kept at the Kajang Hospital.
They have alleged that the prison authorities, police, the hospital and the magistrate, in charge of issuing a post-mortem order, were working to cover-up the cause of death.
Kajang district police headquarters meanwhile confirmed that a police report on the matter had been lodged by the family’s lawyers yesterday.
A police spokeswoman said the report contained their dissatisfaction against the hospital, police and the prison authorities.
“The report states that Kumar Rajah’s family and lawyer are unhappy with the hospital for refusing to do a post-mortem and the prison for alleged negligence and delay in informing the death of Kumar Rajah,” she said declining to comment further.
It is learnt that Kumar Rajah’s remains was still at the mortuary and up to 3.30 pm today no post mortem had been conducted.
Meanwhile, PKR’s S Jayathas notified FMT that the police have claimed that it has power to override the magistrate’s order not to carry out a post-morterm.
He said that the police would forward their investigation papers to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for further instructions.

Soi Lek dismisses ‘losing support’ report


The MCA boss responds to a report on how a substantial number of people had left a party dinner early.
FULL REPORT
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek has dismissed speculations of dwindling  support from the Chinese community following a news report of an “exodus” at a recent MCA dinner.
He pointed out that there were thousands who willingly attended the Saturday event despite bad weather and many had stayed on.
“Certain media was just playing it up. The event started late and the  fact that so many came and paid for tickets means they are supporting us.
“How do you explain the rest of the crowd that stayed on despite the rain?” he said during a press conference here.
“The chairs, tables, and even plates were wet because of the rain,” he added.
China Press yesterday reported that some 20 percent of the 15,000 people at the MCA dinner called “Stability Above Chaos” in Johor left earlier.
Organisers had reportedly reasoned that the early departure of the attendees on that day was to beat traffic jams.
Halloween celebrations
Meanwhile, Chua also responded to various issues concerning Pakatan  Rakyat ranging from DAP chairman Karpal Singh’s “one man, one seat” remark to PAS’s apparent disapproval of the Halloween celebrations.
He said that the rakyat should judge DAP leaders who are now being accused of wanting many seats, and said that such problems do not arise in MCA.
“I leave DAP to solve their own problems. But the rakyat should  judge… some of them can draw up to as much as a minister’s pay especially if they are in Selangor and are an MP, exco, and sit on a  government-linked company… easily about RM40,000 to RM50,000 a month,” he said.
He said the rakyat should also question if these ‘multi-seat’ leaders could serve. “If you are in state assembly in Selangor and MP in Penang how are you going to work in both?”
On PAS’s objection to Halloween, Chua said that the Islamic party was fond of giving out “Do’s and Don’ts” but warned that it should not infringe on non-Muslims rights.
“They want to have no concerts, no Valentine’s Day, and now no Halloween, which is (to them) like worshiping Satan. If Muslims can’t enjoy it. Don’t impose your views on others.”
On the Batu Caves condo project, Chua said that the Pakatan Rakyat government should stop playing the usual blame game.
“Stop blaming the previous government. The state government of the day can cancel the project or impose additional conditions, what we call mitigating measures. It is not totally impotent to deal with this,” he said, adding that MCA has always rejected the place being developed.

KKIA fiasco raises more questions


The shameful incident at Kuala Lumpur International Airport warrants an independent inquiry as conspiracy theories of 'sabotage' are rife.
TAWAU: While night flights in and out of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) may have resumed after an embarrassing foul-up last week, suspicions remain over the fiasco.
A Sabah MP has called for an independent inquiry into the runway lights failure that disrupted more than 50 domestic and international flights and affected around 6,000 passengers.
Chua Soon Bui, the Tawau MP, said the government should set-up an independent inquiry to allay growing fears of a cover-up being set in motion to prevent embarrassing those in high positions.
She said the shameful incident at the country’s second busiest airport after the Kuala Lumpur International Airport warrants an independent inquiry as conspiracy theories of ‘sabotage’ are being put forward by Minister of Transport Kong Cho Ha as a possible cause.
“The sabotage theory could be just a convenient ploy to cover up something that is far more serious and damaging to the reputation of the ministry concerned, and the entire Barisan Nasional government as a whole,” Chua said.
She said questions had been raised over the possibility of negligent workmanship and inferior materials being used in the on-going work being undertaken to expand the airport.
“This can only be revealed through an independent inquiry,” she said, adding that corruption or delayed of payments by the government or non-payments to sub-contractors were among complaints she had heard about the lengthy delay in completing the upgrading of the airport.
Last week’s KKIA night flight shutdown caught many off guard despite airport authorities being aware that the runway lighting system was unstable.
Chua said that as similar incidents had happened before, there should have been a fail-safe back-up system in place and if there was such a system, questions should be asked why it had failed.
She added that as it took more than 48 hours for the Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to get the runway lights back in operation and it showed that something was amiss in the management of the KKIA.
Clueless airport officials
The airports runway lights flickered out at 6.20pm on Thursday, the eve of Hari Raya Haji, leaving thousands of passengers stranded after scores of evening and night flights were either cancelled or diverted.
MAHB has been in the firing line since the fiasco. The government has reportedly spent RM1 billion for the ongoing KKIA runway extension project which is almost two years behind schedule.
Chua who is also a vice president of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) further questioned the crisis management abilities of the Malaysia Airport Bhd whose officials were said to be clueless on how to handle the situation as the result of diversion or cancellation of flights.
“I was made to understand that the stranded passengers who included many foreign tourists were not promptly informed of the actual problem causing their flight delay and there was not even an apology from the relevant authorities at that material time,” she said.
Passengers who had arrived for their flights hours before their flights were scheduled to depart complained that they were only informed that their flights were cancelled much later.
Among the stranded passengers were a large number of Universiti Malaysia Sabah students who were heading home and many were forced to spend the night sleeping on the floor of the airport.

I Just Met A Very Racist Chinese!


Hantu Laut

Interesting! I have always joked with my close Chinese friends that I think Chinese are one of the most racist people around. Some agree with me, but than they are my close friends, where jokes are taken light-heartedly.

Yesterday, I arrived KLIA from KK and my wife from Phnom Penh, after visiting our daughter and grandchildren there.My wife's plane arrived 20 minutes earlier but she said she would wait for me so we can take the same taxi to our hotel.

I bought a ticket for a limousine at the airport. More often than not, most limousines that I can remember taking before have had Malay drivers, but for today, we have a Chinese driver.

On our way to the city I noticed the driver constantly talking in Chinese to his friend over the VHF radio. Half way to the city it started to rain heavily and my wife started talking to the taxi driver in Cantonese. There was a moment of silence and a slow response from the driver and I can't help noticing that blood have rust to his head, he was red-faced and shocked.

I asked my wife what she said that have made him blushed so badly, not that his colour is much brighter than pale. She said she asked him whether it is always raining in KL and told him to drive carefully as the road might be slippery. I asked why he looked shocked and almost speechless? 

My wife said "I will tell you when we get to the hotel."

Here go the story.

While this guy was talking to his friend on the VHF radio his friend asked him whether he is taking passengers to Genting and he said no, that he is going to the city and that his fare are two lalat (flies), husband and wife going to a five-star hotel. He didn't realise my wife fully understands the exchanges in Cantonese all this while.

My wife is half Malay and half Chinese and speaks fluent Cantonese, Hakka and Mandarin. I scowled her for not telling me while we were still in the car and she told me what she did was more appropriate than me picking a fight with a low-life taxi driver.

She told me she purposely spoke to him in Cantonese to embarrasse him, which she did well to impound his rudeness without being rude herself and probably taught this low-life a good lesson that there are non-Chinese looking people who understand and speak Chinese.

This brings us back to the subject of stereotyping all Chinese as being racist, which I believe is more cultural than actual racism. 

To the Chinese, anything they find repulsive will constitute name-calling, which bring us to Chinese against Chinese. 

Insults swirl as Hong Kong Chinese called mainland Chinese locusts and complained that mainland tourists bring their less-than-refined social habits and women on the verge of childbirth into the territory. 

The Hong Kongers only want their bulging wallets but not their fetishistic bad manners.

The common Chinese term for anyone not Chinese is kui,  the lesser beings to the Chinese eyes. No other races are spared from the kui, including the kwailos that once ruled Hong Kong from 1841 to 1997 and one that have taught social finesse to the Hong Kong Chinese, who now feel, theirs, are of superior culture than the nouveau riche mainland Chinese.

Kui is less repulsive than flies or locusts, one that carry diseases and the other one eating everything in its way.

Lust is a good strategy


Well, since the majority of the Genneva gold bullion investors are Chinese I suppose this proves that the Chinese are greedy and are driven by lust -- lust for quick and easy money. And since the Chinese have demonstrated that they have this great lust then they must also be having lust for power. And this explains why the Chinese want to kick out the Malay Umno government.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Genneva involved 35,000 investors, investments of RM10bil
(Bernama) - Some 35,000 investors with total investments clinching RM10 billion were found to be involved with the gold bullion investment company, Genneva Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a deputy minister told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said based on the information received thus far, total investments received amounted to RM4 billion and could swell to RM10 billion.
He said Bank Negara Malaysia needs time to investigate the case based on two considerations deemed necessary to solve the controversy over the gold bar trading scheme.
"Firstly, Genneva Malaysia has been "disguising" behind the gold bar business. Gold is a sentimental attraction. Many people are keen on gold regardless of their background including leaders.”
"They (the investors) feel this is a genuine business.”
"Secondly, Bank Negara has to study the situation. The central bank cannot raid straight away. For instance, if Bank Negara conducts a raid today and starts a probe, the central bank is also scolded at, because of their raid, investors lose their returns.”
"So Bank Negara has to consider, the central bank cannot act very quickly or very late. A balanced consideration is important. I feel all of us will learn from this experience.”
"Hopefully, we can better handle these type of cases in future," he said when replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Independent-Pasir Mas) during question time.
Earlier, Awang Adek told the House that Genneva Malaysia's liabilities were more than the company's assets and this clearly showed that the company cannot afford to pay the due returns to its investors.
The authorities recently conducted a raid on Genneva Malaysia and its associate company on suspicion of violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Datuk Wira Ahmad Hamzah (BN-Jasin), who posed the original question, had asked the Finance Ministry to unveil measures taken to curb get-rich-quick schemes which indulge in deposit-taking and illegal investments.
In his reply, Awang Adek said Bank Negara was considering imposing a more deterrent sentence on get-rich-quick scheme operators in efforts to wipe out such scams from continuing to cheat the people.
The ministry, in collaboration with related government agencies, including enforcement divisions, was monitoring closely and gathering intelligence, besides getting information from public complaints, he added.
***************************************
Get-rich-quick schemes (Skim Cepat Kaya) such as tontine schemes, Ponzi schemes, etc., have been around for a long time. Tontines (known locally as ‘kutu’) have been around since the 1800s and Ponzi schemes for about 100 years now.
Actually, get-rich-quick schemes have been around since time immemorial. The only thing is the name changes from time-to-time but the objective always remains the same -- make a lot of money from a little bit of money in the shortest possible time.
I remember 40 years ago in the early 1970s the Gemini Chit Fund scandal hit the country. I had actually ‘invested’ in that scheme and made quite a bit of money. I got out just in time, though, before they were closed down and the tail-end investors lost their pants.
Then we had the ‘Pak Man Telo’ Ponzi scheme that first emerged in the late 1970s and ran for about 20 years before the government sprang into action and closed it down. Most of the people caught with their pants down were Malays, a huge number of them rank-and-file police personnel and those from the kampong.
Since the ‘Pak Man Telo’ Ponzi scheme affected mostly Malays it did not become an 'election issue' like the current Genneva gold bullion fiasco. Somehow, anything that affects the Chinese always becomes an election issue. Even giving out white envelopes instead of red envelopes for Chinese New Year can be turned into an election issue. But this would be only if the white envelopes were given to Chinese. If given to Malays then it is not an issue.
The strategy in these get-rich-quick schemes is to prey on humankind’s lust -- lust for wealth, power, recognition, position, etc. Humankind works on the basis of wants, not needs. Hence lust is very crucial in the whole scheme of things.
We need food on the table, clothes on our back, and a roof over our head. Those are our basic needs. But once we meet those basic needs that would no longer be enough. Once we meet those basic needs then our wants take over. Then we want expensive clothes, jewellery, designer shoes and handbags, mansions, exotic cars, power, titles, and much more.
Do we need all these? Of course we don’t but we want them anyway.
And that is why get-rich-quick schemes work. Those behind these schemes prey on peoples’ lust or wants. And if you can convince them they can make a lot of money from very little money in the quickest time, they would entrust their money to you -- especially if there are ‘references’ from others who already made a lot of money from the scheme.
To be successful in politics you also need to play on peoples’ wants. Most voters might already have what they need. In fact, most Malaysians already have what they need. No one (except those such as drug addicts, etc., who choose to do so) is sleeping on the streets. We do not hear of anyone dying of hunger or starvation. No one walks around naked. So what more do the people need?
They actually need very little more. They already have what they need. But it is what they want that counts. And they will vote for the government that can provide them these wants.
If it is merely about your needs then you can survive living off the land in the middle of the jungle. You will not need a huge mansion or exotic car in the jungle. You do not need Birkin handbags, Rolex watches, Jimmy Choo shoes, Polo shirts, etc., in the jungle. In fact, you do not even need these if you live in town. But you want them anyway and if you can’t have them then the government is bad and needs to be kicked out.
Oh, but we are not kicking out the government for these reasons. We are kicking out the government because it is corrupt. Take the RM40 million ‘donation’ scandal involving Umno Sabah as an example. That is why we need to kick out the government.
But the RM40 million ‘timber kickback scandal’ involving Umno Sabah is not something new. This has been going on for almost 50 years since 1963. That’s right, it has been going on for almost half a century. And we have been telling you this for almost 40 years since the 1970s (at least I have, anyway).
But this has never concerned you before. The more we tell you about all this the more you vote for Barisan Nasional. In fact, you looked at us as if we were crazy -- barking like a mad dog. Many times you scolded us and told us to just shut up. Now you appear to be screaming more than we are.
So, no, I do not believe you want to kick out the government because the government is corrupt. I suspect that this is bullshit and that you have an ulterior motive. I suspect you are up to something no good. I suspect that this is merely a Chinese conspiracy to grab political power from the Malays. If corruption is really an issue then you would have kicked out the government a long time ago and not wait 55 years to do so.
I know you all are a suspicious lot. Whenever I write something you are always suspicious of me. You suspect that I have a hidden agenda and that I am doing this for some personal benefit.
Well, I, too, am just like you. I too am suspicious. I too suspect that you have a hidden agenda and that you are doing this for some personal benefit. Hence you want to kick out the government not because the government is corrupt -- because the government has always been corrupt for over 55 years and you never cared about it before this. I suspect you are not sincere and this is all about the Chinese kicking out a Malay Umno government.
Well, since the majority of the Genneva gold bullion investors are Chinese I suppose this proves that the Chinese are greedy and are driven by lust -- lust for quick and easy money. And since the Chinese have demonstrated that they have this great lust then they must also be having lust for power. And this explains why the Chinese want to kick out the Malay Umno government.
Hmm…Chinese logic does make sense, does it not? You swim. A duck swims. So you must be a duck. Raja Petra Kamarudin whacks Pakatan Rakyat. Barisan Nasional also whacks Pakatan Rakyat. So Raja Petra Kamarudin must be supporting Barisan Nasional.
I just love what 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation and Chinese philosophy can teach us.
Want to see another example of Chinese logic and philosophy? This is what Malaysiakini wrote:
In the middle of April 2011, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, better known as RPK, dropped a bombshell in denying his sensational statutory declaration dated June 2008. He claimed that he had been misled into making a false allegation against Rosmah Mansor, wife of premier Najib Abdul Razak.
So there you are -- another example of Chinese logic and philosophy at work. That is what 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation has given to the world. I don’t know how Malaysiakini came to that conclusion but who am I to argue with 5,000 years of Chinese logic and philosophy?

Selangor to revive Bukit Jelutong water plant for ‘membrane technology’



KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — The Selangor government today announced plans to restore the now-defunct 1963-built Bukit Jelutong water treatment plant as a pioneer project for its proposed “membrane technology” which the federal government has snubbed, estimating to boost the state’s treated water production by an additional 100 million litres daily.
In a statement here, state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar said the cost of rehabilitating and repairing the plant is estimated at between RM50 million and RM80 million and reparatory works should be completed within six months.
The state government, he added, will bear the full cost of construction.
“The state government has directed a consultant firm to complete its study of the plant within two months, and to include an evaluation by the Macro and Privatisation section of the Selangor Economic Planning Unit (EPU),” he said in a statement here after visiting the plant in Section 13, Shah Alam, today.
Jayakumar said that once completed, the plant should produce between 50 million and 100 million litres of treated water daily, which he said should be sufficiently make up for half the water needs of Shah Alam folk.
“This is among the Selangor government’s efforts to seek alternative water sources, as well as implement new technology in order to provide sufficient treated water to the citizens of Selangor,” he said.
The Bukit Jelutong water treatment plant was built in 1963 and was closed in early 1995 due to a polluted segment in its water sourced from the Damansara river.
The Pakatan Rakyat-led (PR) Selangor government has been locked in a protracted dispute over future plans for water management in the state, likely a major campaign issue when polls are held soon.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government has been warning of an impending water shortage, which it earlier claimed could arrive as soon as 2014 but later revised to 2017.
It has also pressed on with plans to construct the RM3 billion Langat 2 plant, which will treat water from Pahang, but BN’s political foes in PR have insisted that this is not the best or most economically viable alternative.
Instead, PR has suggested to use the “membrane technology” to boost water production at existing plants at a fraction of the cost at only RM800 million, saying this would be the cheapest option to allay current fears of an impending water crisis.
But in Parliament yesterday, Putrajaya again refused to back down from its Langat 2 plans declaring that it was the best option to prevent what it says will be an impending water shortage in the country’s richest state.
Deputy Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Noriah Kasnon told the Dewan Rakyat that the Selangor government’s proposed alternative to use the “membrane technology” at existing water plants may only boost production in the short term but may not meet the state’s long-term projection.
“Additionally, if there is need to upgrade the existing plant in order to use this membrane technology, I suspect the cost would be high,” she said when replying to Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau) during Question Time.
“We started our research since the late 1990s and we have calculated all possibilities.
“The federal government has already made a decision that the most economic and viable option is by transferring water from Pahang to Selangor,” she said.
The controversial Langat 2 plant, which the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have been determined to reject, will treat water brought in from Pahang and is expected to produce some 1.3 million litres of water daily.
But when rebutting Noriah, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim pointed out to the Dewan Rakyat that there was no need for the Langat 2 plant as the state’s current production of treated water is already at five million litres a day.
He explained that the state also records non-revenue water (NRW) wastage of 1.5 million daily, which far surpasses the 1.3 million litres to be produced by Langat 2.
“In my research, the cost of upgrading our 10 of 27 treatment plants only comes up to RM800 million... compared to the RM3 billion for Langat 2,” he said.