When to Fall in Love

Apparently, falling in love is best done when one is ready and not when one is lonely; according to my sister la but then again what does she know?

I fell in love the first time I saw her on the billboard, it was on the NKVE, KL bound. I’m still in love with her today, eight years after I first saw her. I cannot afford her yet but one day, one fine day I’ll get my E60 525i.

I knew I was in love when I cried. It was a terrible loss, we were going great and the double was within grasp. It was a simple miss and we lost. Wimbledon FC never got any significant success after beating Liverpool in the 1988 cup final and Liverpool went downhill from the 90s on but I never lost my love for the Reds.

Btw, an hour ago Liverpool dumped Man U out of the 2011/12 FA Cup!

I am Confused

I often hear people especially from the rural areas saying that if Pakatan gets into power, the dominant party will be DAP and Malays will be marginalised and side-lined and discriminated against. They say if Pakatan wins, PAS will become DAP’s lackey, an insignificant member of the coalition with no say on anything.

The rural Malays’ perception of DAP (as told by Utusan Malaysia) is that it is a Chinese dominated anti Malay, anti Islam party. They may be right about the party being Chinese dominated but I’m not so sure about it being anti Malay or anti Islam. On that score, I need more concrete proof and hearsay cannot be considered concrete proof and I cannot accept anything coming out from Utusan as concrete proof.

The rural Malays are made to believe (by Utusan) that it will be the end of the Malay race should DAP and Pakatan rule the country.

Why am I confused?

Asset Declaration – Long Overdue

The Penang state government started the ball rolling when their exco members declared their assets to the public.

Days later, Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria said judges too will be required to declare their assets in order to ensure judicial integrity. The move is expected to affect judges of the Federal Court, Court of Appeal and High Court as well as Judicial Commissioners. I’m not sure to whom the judges are to declare their assets or when they will do so but it is nevertheless positive news.

Will Syed Mokhtar End Up Owning Everything?

What is not owned by Syed Mokhtar? His acquisition of Proton added to his already vast business empire across practically all sectors. He now controls;

(1) DRB-HICOM, which controls (or has stakes in);

Proton;

EON;

Modenas;

Honda Malaysia;

Isuzu Malaysia;

Puspakom;

Bank Muamalat;

Uni Asia insurance;

Alam Flora;

Pos Malaysia;

KL Airport Services;

Glenmarie Properties.

      (2)  Malaysian Mining Corporation (MMC), which controls (or has stakes in);

          Port of Tanjung Pelepas;

          Johor Port;

          Senai Airport

          SMART Tunnel;

          Malakoff;

          Gas Malaysia;

          MMC-Gamuda JV.

(3)  Tradewinds, which controls (or has stakes in);

          Bernas (amongst its brands is Gardenia);

          Gula Padang Terap;

          Central Sugar Refineries.

Amongst the assets controlled by Syed Mokhtar include those of national importance such as Pos Malaysia, Gas Malaysia and the various ports.  Independent power generation is almost exclusively Malakoff’s; rice and sugar is monopolised by Tradewinds; and so is waste management (save for Selangor!).

My socialist instincts prompt me to ask the question why so much wealth is concentrated in one person. No doubt he is a very generous man who shares his wealth with the ordinary people, his philanthropic activities  bears testament to that but is it wise to have one person controlling so many of the nations strategic businesses?

Money Politics, Gutter Politics

Da Bomb

I was not surprised by Tan Sri Kadir Sheikh Fadzir’s revelation that BN used money to buy votes and I’m sure I’m not alone. I however hope that his expose does not end there. I look forward to more details, not only how it was done but more of who did it and who funded the bombing exercise. That would be juicy.

Kadir even called the BN government a big bully for not giving PAS a publishing licence and he also indicated that BN is guity of power abuse for using the Ministry of Information, Felda, Felcra, the Special Branch and other federal agencies to support their (election) campaign.

On the other hand, I have this to ask the good Tan Sri, did you give equal media access to the opposition when you were the Information Minister?

Hyundai Sonata 2.0

After returning the disappointing Ford Focus, I was given the 2009 previous gen Sonata. Frankly, I wasn’t too happy. My former boss had one and my initial thought was why? Why would anyone who could afford the (superior) Civic or Altis opt for the Sonata? I know I am being unfair to the Sonata but until then I was not convinced of its quality. Until two weeks ago.

My sister had a second generation Sonata back in the late 90s, it was crap. My regard for Sonatas remained low since then.

SARA 1 Malaysia - 1 Malaysia Ponzi Scheme

“You cannot find a package like this anywhere else,” said Prime Minister Najib Razak at the launch of the scheme at Putra World Trade Centre.

The scheme, known as “Skim Amanah Rakyat 1 Malaysia” or “Sara 1 Malaysia”, allows households earning RM3,000 and below to purchase 5,000 units of Amanah Saham 1 Malaysia (AS 1 Malaysia) at RM1 each and earn guaranteed returns of double their investment after five years.

Under Sara 1 Malaysia, applicants can choose to invest RM5,000 of their savings to purchase the units or apply for loans from participating banks. According to the PM, those who invested in the scheme using their savings will be given a fixed dividend of RM134 monthly. But if they choose to reinvest it in the scheme, they will stand to receive RM13,000 at the end of the programme’s five-year lifespan.

Those who obtained loans, however, will have to pay RM84 monthly as repayment, leaving them RM50 to reinvest and a RM10,000 pay out in five years. The scheme is however limited to 100,000 households.

I immediately cried Ponzi when I first read the news.

Iqra'?

I found this interesting statement by the DPM/Education Minister [here] “This is a very important discovery that we need to pay attention to because in our own ministry’s records, even among students not part of the NS, there is a small number of those who have reached Form Five but still have literacy problems.”

I’m not sure if he was misquoted but I surely hope he was. Reading the statement makes me wonder someone with literacy problems can reach form five? By literacy problems I’m assuming difficulty or maybe even not knowing how to read. If one has difficulty reading, he/she will also have difficulty understanding and consequently will have major difficulty passing exams. Before one reaches form five, the student would have gone through two major national exams; UPSR and PMR. I’m assuming, a student with the abovementioned problem would end up getting 5Es and 8Fs for both exams and if they did, how come their school did not take the appropriate action to remedy the problem?

According to a report on Star Online (10 January 2012), the Defence Ministry discovered that about eight per cent of 6,667 National Service trainees from 30 selected camps nationwide were unable to read and write. 18 year olds who are unable to read and write! How did they read the letter requesting them to attend NS then? What about the trainees form other camps not included in the selected 30?

In this day and age, there is no excuse for a healthy person not being able to read or write. The system should have detected and rectified the problem much earlier and not after they have reached eighteen. Didn’t the parents’ notice their children’s inability to read? What was the purpose of the national exams if it allows illiterate students to proceed to upper secondary?

Maybe we should have oral (not the dental type) examinations for 9 year olds to ensure only those who can read and write proceed to upper primary.  

A Few Things I Remember About 2011

So many interesting events took place in 2011; from the short-lived joy of thinking the ISA is abolished to the joys of beating Indonesia in football not once but twice! I have listed a few that still sticks to my mind despite leaving the year nine days ago…

GLCs told to drop lawsuits against Tajuddin Ramli (rating – super stupid)

Malaysian Insider reported that Dato’ Seri  Nazri Aziz, minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said he had written to GLCs to withdraw their suits, worth at least RM2 billion, to buy time for all concerned parties to reach a “win-win” agreement and put an end to the prolonged financial saga involving Tajuddin. He said the matter was referred to Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah who then directed him to pen the letter. “Since it involved the law and I am the minister in charge of law, Husni told me, “Why don’t you look into this”. It is not a cloak-and-dagger move ... we knew this would come out somehow and there is nothing to hide. I wrote that letter using my letterhead,” said Nazri.

Is there any accountability in this country? What about respect for the minority shareholders of the GLCs? This is blatant abuse of power and a daylight robbery of taxpayers’ money. Tajuddin must know a lot of things that could bring a lot of people down. Tajuddin had claimed that Dr Mahathir and Daim had forced him to buy a 32 per cent stake in MAS from Bank Negara at RM8 per share instead of the market price of RM3.50 to bail out the central bank which was hit by multi-billion ringgit foreign exchange losses.

Bersih 2.0 = Communism = Christian agenda? (rating – oxymoronic idiotic racists)

Utusan Malaysia, former IGP (and wannabe boxer) Rahim, Deputy CPO of Penang, Ibrahim Ali and numerous ‘anonymous sources’ claim that BERSIH has an alternative agenda and electoral reform has nothing to do wit it. They claim BERSIH is out to turn the country into a communist-Christian state. How that is possible I do not know because the last time I checked, the commies are atheists.

Najib meeting the Pope in Vatican City? The Pope sounds very Christian to me.

The government welcoming Wen Jiabao with open arms? Isn’t he the leader of the largest communist party in the world?

Petty KJ (rating – childish)

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin made a comment about how Public Bank celebrated their anniversary by posting on Twitter about “Malaysia’s latest religious cult: Public Bank. Kim Jong Il would be jealous”; together with a link to YouTube. I would like to remind KJ how Public Bank decide to celebrate their 45th anniversary should be none of his concern. If they want to glorify the man who made the bank the strongest, biggest, most profitable bank in the country, it is also none of KJ’s concern. Why are you so bitter KJ? Is it because you have never achieved anything significant in your life? By the way, marrying for power is not an achievement.

Perkasa (rating – super duper stupid-er)

The brainless and racist Malays in Perkasa are threatening action if no punishment for Ambiga, Anwar, DAP. The bigots led by Ibrahim Ali demands that Ambiga be punished for having a lot to do with the Bersih rally; Anwar be punished for appearing in a sex video (was it really him?) and DAP be punished for planning to turn Malaysia into a Christian country. I doubt Karpal Singh is a Christian or Lim Guan Eng for that matter …

Now PERKASA wants to be defenders of Islam. The people who are behaving so un-Islamic want to be defenders of Islam?

Shah Alam hospital (rating – sad)

Is still not complete. The main contractor is the sister of the Sultan of Selangor. Didn’t know she’s a contractor. Shouldn’t a 480+ million ringgit contract be given to the more established (i.e. reputable = lower risk) contractors? Will the Shah Alam folks ever get a government hospital? 

Mastering English

I do not claim to be a proficient English speaking dude. In fact, I would only rate my English as decent, not excellent but quite good. I however have seen some resume proclaiming excellent English both written and spoken but upon meeting, I discover the English is excellent, for a 10 year old that is. While we may have more English speakers in this country today, the quality of English spoken have somewhat deteriorated. No?

Like it or not, English is the global lingua franca. Everyone wishing to participate in the global economy cannot do without knowing English (the language, not Johnny the spy). Learning, speaking, reading, writing English doesn't make anyone less patriotic. 

Anyway, what got me writing about English was this and this. Please check it out and enjoys the Ingliss!! If it make you laughed, thats mean you have understand Ingliss*

By the way, a new 'weapon of mass destruction' was found - clothes that pokes the eyes!!

*Please do not attempt to correct the grammar or spelling!

How Much does a Scorpene Submarine Cost?

In 2003 the Spanish government ordered 4 Scorpène-AIP submarines for €1.76 billion, roughly 440 million Euros each 
(source: http://www.deagel.com/Conventional-Attack-Submarines/Scorpene-Basic-AIP_a000425003.aspx).

In 2005, India purchased six Scorpènes for US$ 3 billion (US$500m per boat). These submarines are to be manufactured under a technology transfer agreement by the state-owned Mazgoan Docks in Mumbai and delivered between 2010 and 2015 
(source: http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/12def.htm).

Malaysia spent €1.084 billion to purchase 2 Scorpène submarines. 
(source: written reply in Parliament by Ministry of Defence to MP Tian Chua on 22 June 2010).

The Spanish spent EUR440 million per sub; the Indians, EUR385 million per sub but we Malaysians paid EUR542 million for each of our previously unsinkable submarines!

Why did we pay much more than the other two countries? Is that why the French prosecutors are investigating the deal?  

Malaysia boleh I guess …

Image courtesy of Mak Hon Keong.

Ford Focus 2.0 Ghia Sedan

I had the privilege of driving a 2.0 Focus for about a week and impressed I was not. At almost RM120,000 the car is not really worth the money. Here’s why I think so (not in order of significance or importance);

The driving position is a little awkward, not as uncomfortable as the Proton Waja but it takes some getting used to. The leather seat is somewhat hard especially the head restraints. The car I drove was a 2009 model and yet Ford didn’t find it necessary to add a fifth gear, not even for the model’s line topper. The car does 2750 rpm at 110km/h and can be quite noisy. Having driven the 2006 Civic on a daily basis for close to 4 years, the Focus’ handling is a let-down.

Rear legroom is a little small which is strange for a European car given that Europeans are much taller than the average Asian. In-car storage space is also scarce; there is no suitable place to put your smart tag or sunglasses (two most common items found in most KL cars). The centre console doesn’t really serve any purpose; it is very shallow and cannot really fit anything bigger than a cigarette box. One of the cup holders in between the front seats is obstructed by the armrest, getting a cup into and out of the holder is quite a difficult task.  The clock sits in the middle of the speedometer and hence can only be seen by the driver.

The car however has some plus points; the driver’s seat (only the driver’s seat) gets 3-way electric treatment, the aircon is powerful enough for KL’s midday temperature of 36 degrees and the car has a good sized boot. The display on the speedometer gives a lot of useful information especially the distance on remaining fuel.  

If I had 120k to spend on a brand new car, I’m sorry but the Focus would not be in my list.

Image ‘borrowed’ from cbt.com.my with apologies

Raja Petra?

What’s Raja Petra/RPK/Pete up to now? The problem with this man IMHO is that he is so full of himself. He is so self righteous. My view of RPK is that he thinks no one else is right except for him, no one knows more than him, no one else is more pious than him and he thinks his religious knowledge is more than Yusof Qardhawi. The man has a super huge ego.

Like most people, I used to admire his courage but at the same time I doubted his sincerity. He was once webmaster for the Free Anwar Campaign (FAC) but now he’s saying Anwar is not morally fit to become PM. From a staunch Anwar defender he now says the man in the sex video is 90 percent Anwar. If anything, RPK is no different from Ezam Mohd Noor, Zulkifli Nordin, Nallakarupan, Chandra Muzaffar and Zahrain Hashim.

I also foresee the death of the MCLM especially after Haris Ibrahim’s resignation.

Am I defending Anwar? No. I’m not his biggest fan. Not even a fan in fact. I disagreed with his ways and I still disagree today. I’m sure many people remember who indirectly control NSTP and TV3 pre 1998. The market back then viewed MRCB as an ‘Anwar Company’ and because of this, I don’t think Anwar has the moral ground to trash UMNO linked businesses and UMNO’s use of the media to further their cause. He was once one of them.

I’m also not happy with Anwar appointing himself the ‘economic adviser to the state of Selangor’ and I still believe that his push to get to Putrajaya is motivated by revenge. On that score, yes I agree with RPK that Anwar is not fit to become PM, not because of his morals but because his motivation may be misplaced.

Many are accusing RPK of selling out to UMNO. Whatever it is, he is now irrelevant and without credibility.

Happy New Year 2012

I’m not making any new resolutions this year. I’ve given up on giving up smoking. I however have some new year’s wishes. 


 I wish 

1. Car prices in Malaysia will come down; 
2. Malaysians will respect the traffic laws; 
3. The government will compel buses, lorries and heavy vehicles to use NGV instead of diesel;
4. The officers of the MACC will find their conscience, guts, balls and especially brains; 
5. Utusan and PERKASA be punished for their lies, thuggery and racist behaviour; 
6. UMNO will admit that they are a bunch of greedy and racist bigots; 
7. Liverpool will be more consistent and start winning home games; 
8. Islamic finance will break away from being carbon copies of conventional finance 

 While I’m at it, I might as well wish for world peace. 


 Sigh …