BMW recalls 1.3million cars worldwide over battery fault

By Gaby Leslie | Yahoo! Cars News

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/news/bmw-recalls-1-3million-cars-worldwide-over-battery-fault.html

German car maker BMW is recalling 1.3 million cars over problems with a battery cable cover which could in extreme cases cause a fire. The cable is found in the boot of the car.

The worldwide recall affects 5 and 6-Series models made between 2003 and 2010 and includes 109,000 cars in the UK.

The world’s largest luxury car manufacturer said: "In some remote cases, the battery cable cover inside the boot of these vehicles may be incorrectly mounted.

"This can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire."

The issue came to light through the continuous testing and development of BMW vehicles and some customer feedback. No incidents of this kind have so far been reported, the car maker added.

BMW said that it would be writing to car owners to warn them about the defect.

I have an on going love affair with BMWs so obviously this news breaks my heart especially because it involves the E60, a car very high on my wish list.

Last Friday I was at Auto Bavaria Glenmarie to see the new F30. Some of you must think I’m bullshitting because the car was only officially launched on Saturday but just take my word for it – I saw the new F30 a day before it was launched. There is nothing much to brag about really, I’m sure many others had the same opportunity, I think.

Anyway, I saw the 335i sports, 328i luxury and the spartan 320d. I love them all! Rumour has it that the CKD version will be on sale come June. Maybe it’s time to retire the E90?

Air Asia X Dropping More Routes

AirAsia X, the long-haul arm of AirAsia, Asia’s largest low cost airline has announced it will drop flights to Christchurch, New Zealand as part of the carrier’s plan to realign its network to meet demand better.

Uncouth Singaporean Drivers on Malaysian Roads

I was on the North South Expressway near Seremban when I came across a very rude, uncouth Singaporean driver. I’m assuming he is Singaporean because he was driving a Singapore registered car, a black Cefiro 230 bearing the number 4010 (I think that was the number, I can’t recall the alphabets but it was on a black plate with white letters/numbers). He was obviously travelling way beyond the speed limit and even at one point was using the emergency lane to overtake. I guess he is in a hurry to meet his maker. The decadent car turned off into the Elite highway and continued to drive like his father owns the road. I know because I too turned into Elite and saw him disappear into the horizon. How I wished he had disappeared into oblivion.

I am sick of Singaporean drivers driving like wild hogs on Malaysian roads. It’s bad enough that we have Malaysians who drive recklessly and dangerously above the speed limit but Singaporeans doing it just adds salt (lots of it) to the wound. And to think that these very same Singaporeans wouldn’t dare drive 0.5 km/h above the speed limit back home.

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?

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.

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

MAS Dropping Routes to Ensure Air Asia Gains Market Share?

That is a very long title. I'm talking specifically about the Kuala Lumpur - Surabaya route. From 6 January 2012, MAS no longer flies to Surabaya. Apparently it is one of the many unprofitable routes currently served by MAS. Not surprisingly, sister company Air Asia flies to Surabaya too. How come KUL-SUB can be profitable for AA and not for MAS?

While we're on the topic, is it true that MAS pays way above (high-end) market price for its nasi lemak? Is it true that suggestion to change the aircraft from B747 to B777 for the day flight to London was shot down by certain people upstairs because the 777 lacks a first class? Is true that MAS is top heavy and they are over paid? I'm not hurling accusations. I'm asking questions. 

If I was in the position to appoint a CEO to overhaul MAS, I'd probably hire someone (very) senior from the world's successful airlines like Cathay Pacific, SIA or Lufthansa. Chances are he/she may not be Malay and Ibrahim Ali will be furious. He will then call me a traitor and ask for my citizenship to be revoked. He will also say something stupid (as he always does) like 'MD MAS hak Melayu'. Let's not talk about Ibrahim, let's look at who made money from the skies last year.

Top 5 by Net Profit (ATW World Airline Report 2011)

1.         Air China

2.         Cathay Pacific

3.         Lufthansa Group

4.         Emirates Airline

5.         China Southern
Ethiopian Airlines is once again Africa's most profitable airline, according to 2011 World Airline Report by Air Transport World (ATW). For Fiscal Year 2010 which ended in June, Ethiopian Airlines made a net profit of 121.4 million dollars, ranking it as the most profitable airline in Africa by far. Second place South African Airways made a net profit of 78.9 million.

Ethiopian's revenue for FY 2010 was $1.3 Billion. In 2010 World Airline Report, Ethiopian Airlines was ranked the 16th most profitable airline in the world. In 2009, Ethiopian was ranked 25th in the World's Top 25 Airlines, appearing for the first time.

(ATW World Airline Report 2011) 


If Ethiopian Airlines can, how come MAS cannot??

MRT – Did we Learn from Past Mistakes?

I saw the plan for the proposed Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit system and I must say we never learn from past mistakes. What I saw gave me the impression that interconnectivity and commuters’ convenience were not on the planners’ minds when determining the alignment and location of the stations.

The MRT line runs from the existing Sungai Buloh KTM komuter station to the exsiting Kajang KTM station. It passes through Kota Damansara, Bandar Utama, TTDI, Section 17, goes along the Sprint Highway to Damansara Heights, submerges underground somewhere near Parliament, comes back up above ground after Maluri, goes along the Cheras-Kajang Highway passing through Plaza Pheonix, Taman Suntex, Ceupacs, Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Balakong and Saujana Impian before arriving in Kajang. The underground section of the MRT covers the city centre. The sentence is as long as the MRT line and probably as perplexing.

My complaints – The interchange stations are really not interchange stations.

The MRT line doesn’t intersect with enough LRT/Monorail/KTM stations. What the planners forgot was that a public transportation system is supposed to make travelling easier. What I saw sort of made me not want to bother using the MRT. There is this station (tentatively) named ‘Kota Damansara’ which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. Maybe the satellite image used to map the railway line is out of date; the area is probably fully developed now for all I know. If the satellite image reflects what is on the ground, I say they have wasted their scarce resources on a station which will probably end up like Putra’s Abdullah Hukum station.

• The TTDI station is in a neighbourhood which probably has the highest concentration of German made cars in the country.
• The Section 17 station borders the cemetery and KGPA (a golf course).
• The KL Sentral MRT station is NOT in KL Sentral. In case no one noticed, the KL Sentral monorail station is also NOT in KL Sentral. Don’t these people ever learn? And KL Sentral is supposed to be a transport hub? Maybe someone should tell them what ‘hub’ means.
• The MRT line has two stations in the Bukit Bintang area and neither of them connects with the existing two monorail stations in the BB area!
• The proposed MRT Merdeka station is no where near the monorail Merdeka station.
• Only the lucky residents of Maluri get a connecting STAR-MRT station (I think).

Why am I making so much noise about this interconnectivity issue? Good, efficient transport links are supposed to be links, linking one place to many other places. 
Good efficient transportation system must be commuter friendly. 
Good, efficient transportation system must be able to transport commuters from one point to another point with minimal fuss. Maximum fuss is when a commuter has to walk a mile (probably under the hot sun) to change stations in order to get the train that will take them to their destination. Maximum fuss will discourage people from using the system. The planned MRT system in my humble opinion does not have the characteristics of a good, efficient transport system.

Let’s illustrate; let’s say I live in TTDI and work in KLCC and I decide to leave my Lexus at home and take the MRT to work. I however have to take the MRT from One Utama because the TTDI station doesn’t have Park & Ride facilities (at least what the plan says). So I drive from my home and park my car at 1U. I take the MRT to KL Sentral which is NOT in KL Sentral, walk from the National Museum area (well, that’s where the MRT station is in the plan) across (the wide and busy) Jalan Travers to KL Sentral to get connecting the PUTRA LRT train to KLCC. I do the reverse in the evening. I don’t mind walking from the Putra LRT station in KL Sentral to the KTM station in KL Sentral because they are in the same building (that’s how interchange stations are supposed to be) but walking from the Muzium to KL Sentral to change trains is just not convenient and is such a big turn off. If my fellow TTDIians feel the same way, we will all drive our quarter of a million dollar cars to work everyday and the TTDI station will join the Abdullah Hukum club. Mind you, most TTDIians have been to London and they would have experienced the seamless travel on the tube; giving them the MRT (in the planned form) would not convert them to MRT users.

I think the MRT is a rush job. It was announced not very long ago and in a few months time work on the system will start. Where is the EIA? Was a proper feasibility study done? If it was, where is it? What about tender process for the engineering and construction jobs? Is the proposed alignment the best? Does it serve the needs of the masses or will it only benefit the project promoters? What about high density areas such as Damansara Uptown and SS2; don’t they deserve a station too?

I use the LRT quite frequently and I was hoping the system and network will be improved. Sadly, the planned MRT seems to not offer any hopes of a fully integrated, interconnected and most importantly, a convenient and user friendly transport system. I’m really disappointed.

*I apologise if my choice of example offends any TTDI-ians or TTDI-ians to be or TTDI-ians wannabe. It’s just an example la.
** Graphics "courtesy" of The Star

The Inspira Inspiration

On 10th November 2010 the Waja (Impian in the UK) was finally replaced after more than 10 years in production. The Waja was the first Proton (despite it's Mitsubishi sourced power plant) which wasn't direcly design-wise, associated with a foreign partner. They added  if I'm not mistaken a Renault/French gearbox for the 1.8 version but it wasn't a good move. After more than fifteen years of recycled Lancers, Colts, Galants and AXs; the Waja was a breath of fresh air. The Waja even raced in the BTCC!

After the Waja, a few more in-house designs were released; the Gen-2, Savvy, Exora, Saga and a Gen-2 with a boot called the Persona. The latest Proton offering is called the Inspira and it is based, almost 100% on the current Lancer. That fact made Bung Mukhtar (Mr Zizie) very upset. He was so upset he told Proton to close shop. Or something to that effect. 

Tuan Dato Syed the Proton MD explained why they went back to the 'recycling' mode. And I totally agree with him. Someone should tell YB Bung the cost of developing a car from zero is enormous and it takes a lot of sales to break even let alone to turn a profit. The auto industry is constantly changing; car companies merge, change hands or go bust every few years. To cut costs, the auto manufacturers share the development expenditure (devex? ala capex, geddit?); Peugeot and Citroen does it all the time. Golf, A3 and Ibiza have the same DNA. Ford and Mazda have been doing it ever since the days of the 323/Laser, 626/Telstar. In fact, the 2nd generation TX3 is the Escort in the US. There is no more Pontiac, Hillman or Austin. If not for TATA, there probably would be no more Jags.

So, what Proton did with the Inspira was merely keeping up with the present trend in the automotive scene. It makes business sense for them given the Inspira's expected sales volume and market segment. Zizie should tell Bung to shut up.

Billion Dollar Questions

If PM Najib goes ahead with his 100 storey Wawasan Merdeka Tower, I'll call him the 5 billion dollar man. Not only will he beat Dr M by 12 stories (Petronas Twin Towers has only 88 floors), Najib will also beat Lee Majors* by a lot of billion Ringgit multiplied by the prevailing USD/MYR exchange rate. 

I went to school at the location of Najib's dream tower. If I remember correctly, there isn't much space left for a row of shophouses let alone a skyscraper. Unless of course he's planning to tear down the iconic stadiums. These are sporting facilities which I presume are still usable and probably are still being used. Maybe he's planning to tear down my alma mater to make space for his fantasy and being a Johanian, I won't be surprised if he does. 

Najib also wants to build an international financial centre somewhere near RSGC/RHB Centre. I'm sure the final details have yet to be finalised but if it does go through, I wonder who is going to occupy the centre. CIMB and BIMB have spanking new HQs in the city, Maybank moved a large chunk of their non-commercial banking operations to Bangsar recently and RHB is already in the "KLIFD". Last I heard JP Morgan scaled down their KL office. Yes, we have a few new banking licences but their immediate effect will merely involve relocating bankers from other Malaysia based banks to their offices and disrupting the wage structure in the process.  I personally know a few Islamic banking professionals who have successfully transported themselves to the Middle East. So, I ask again, who is going to occupy KLIFD? 

Traffic in KL is already worse than bad. These projects will only make it even worse. 


Another question is, who is/are the lucky contractors who will be getting these projects? We all know the construction workers from Indonesia and Bangladesh are the major beneficiary of these projects. I'm not sure how the ordinary Malaysians will benefit though.


*Lee Majors = The 6 million Dollar Man, a 70s TV series

Hard to Break Habit

The festive season is approaching and this time next month the highways will be jammed up with vehicles transporting the city-dwellers back to their hometowns. KLCC will be filled with Banglas celebrating eid ul fitri. 

If I'm not mistaken, last year, MTD, the operators of the ECE (LPT) offered toll free travel on the Karak-Kuantan stretch of the highway. The catch is you have to travel after midnight, or so I thought. I timed my journey to ensure I get to Karak after midnight but I was still charged the full toll. Lesson learnt; nothing is ever free, especially highway tolls.

A common sight on the highways during the festive season is full utilisation of the emergency lanes. Not due to breakdowns but for overtaking purposes. Those people who use the emergency lanes to overtake during a traffic crawl are a bunch of selfish idiots. 

Another type of idiot drivers are those who switch on their hazard lights during heavy rain. The hazard light is only to be used when the vehicle is stationary, never when its moving. Idiots.

Some drivers just do not know what fog lights are for. They are for foggy conditions. Switching on your fog lights in normal weather will blind the driver in the car behind. Idiots.

Top 10 Things People Do While Driving

The Danish mobile phone headset company Jabra published survey results on May 27 showing how drivers are constantly distracted. They surveyed North Americans, Europeans and Asians, learning that people do a lot of odd things while driving, including:

1) 72 per cent admitted to eating food regularly

2) 29 per cent of respondents admitted to kissing others

3) 28 per cent confirmed they sent/read text messages

4) 25 per cent admitted to changing clothes

4) 25 per cent admitted to styling their hair or changing clothes while the car is in motion

6) 15 per cent said they had sex or [performed] other sexual acts

7) 13 per cent reported they apply makeup

8) 12 per cent admitted to writing or reading emails

9) 10 per cent also reported reading newspapers or magazines

10) 5 per cent confessed to playing video games

10) 5 per cent have shaved

When the Road Tolls

Asas Serba is proposing to take all of the nation’s 23 toll road concessions private for RM50 billion and in exchange is promising to give a 20 per cent discount on toll rates as well as no further rate increases.

Asas Serba’s proposal to acquire all toll road operators in Malaysia is indeed welcomed news. I dare say almost everyone has to take at least one if not more tolled road everyday and a 20 percent reduction in toll rates is definitely appreciated.

However, having said that, is Asas Serba’s proposal feasible?

Local research house OSK Research said in a report that the Asas Serba bid to acquire toll concessions from a combination of public and private sector entities is complex and gaining approval from shareholders will be “daunting”.

Can Asas Serba, being an unknown entity with presumably little or no track record raise RM50 billion from the market?

At current prices, PLUS has a market value of RM16.6 billion and the shareholders will definitely demand a premium. After paying for PLUS, Asas Serba might not have much left to pay for the other toll concessionaires.

The government is legally compelled to subsidise the concessionaires in the event the toll rates are not raised. Can’t the government find a way out of this? My socialist side suggests that the toll concessionaires be made a minimum profit organisation* to ensure the welfare of the public is taken care of.

Whatever it is, any proposal to reduce toll rates will be welcomed with open arms.

* I would define minimum profit organisation as businesses which places social welfare above profit maximisation at all cost. Such organisations will have the same objectives of making profits but at the same time ensure that prices charged to end consumers are not burdensome.

Now Everyone Can Be an Astronaut

Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways, hopes the winged, minivan-sized SpaceShipTwo will rocket tourists into zero gravity beginning in two or three years.
“This will be the start of commercial space travel,” Branson said at the launch in California’s Mojave Desert. “You become an astronaut.”
In the Reuters Television interview, Branson said that the flights would be safer than NASA’s space shuttle. “I think because it’s so much younger, it’s just that much safer than what NASA has done using old technology which is 50, 60 years old”. The environmental impact would be minimal, Branson added.

Richard Branson is at it again. After the record company, airline, cola, trains, mobile telephony, he is now into space tourism. His name seem to carry so much weight that some 300 aspiring astronauts have put down deposits for the USD 200,000 (MYR 670,000) ride, which includes three days of training.

The Malaysian space programme allegedly cost the taxpayers RM 105 million. It is a bloody waste of money. The resources could be channelled to other more socially beneficial uses.

If the government had waited a couple more years, with the money spent on selecting, training and sending the Malaysian wannabe astronauts, we could have sent 156 Malaysians into space.

Rio, Joberg and now KL?

I have never been to Johannesburg or Rio de Janeiro but I heard the crime rate there is quite high to the point where one can be mugged from inside their vehicles in broad daylight.

My postings are becoming more and more depressing lately. Rest assured it does not reflect my mental state. Some say that was what Robert Enke said the day before his suicide. Sigh.

Anyway, what I want to talk about today is snatch thefts. Daring ones.
A few days ago H lost her handbag to snatch thieves. Those b****s smashed her front passenger window and grabbed her handbag which was on the front passenger seat. This happened at 8pm, on a weeknight, at the Yap Kwan Seng/Tun Razak traffic lights.

Their modus operandi was to target solo women drivers (obviously) and strike when the lights are red so the victim cannot run or chase them. The size/make/model of the car is irrelevant, everyone is a potential victim. H was driving a huge SUV (no, a CRV is not a huge SUV, its a midsized SUV), it didn’t deter them despite the risk of being rammed down and killed by a marauding 4x4.

What was worse is that H not only had her personal particulars in her handbag but also her house keys! The scoundrels now know where she lives and has her house keys. Although all the locks in the house have been changed, she still lives in fear.

Some years ago, while walking to the car after a nice dinner, X’s handbag was almost snatched. It happened so fast, I had no chance to react, even if I had a bazooka with me that night, I wouldn’t be able to blow their heads off, it was a split second thing. Luckily X was not hurt but the trauma didn’t go away so easily.

A colleague has a sister who was seriously injured by snatch thefts, spent months in ICU. Everyone knows someone who has been a snatch theft victim. The papers report them almost on a daily basis.

The loss of personal property is not the concern, broken windows can be fixed. It is the trauma, the fear, which will linger for a long time; it is not a nice feeling.

Good riddance to those thieves who died ‘during active duty’. For those who escaped with bruises and broken bones, the vigilantes are obviously not finishing what they started out to do. Killing snatch thieves should be commended and rewarded.

Snatch thieves would not get it easy for me. No, I won’t kill them; they will continue to live their natural life albeit minus a few limbs and organs and probably their eyesight.

I still hope to one day be able to visit Joberg and Rio, for the World Cup and Olympics perhaps …

Ron is not McDonald

The new RON 95 grade petrol was introduced to the Malaysian market 2 months ago, so this posting may seem a little out of date, a little too late (ouch!). However, some people are still confused about all this RON mumbo jumbo, so, this is my contribution towards Ron education. It’s always better late than never.

RON stands for Research Octane Number. The octane number or rating refers to the petrol’s ability to withstand auto ignition inside the engine. Auto ignition or premature ignition (no funny ideas please!) happens when petrol is ignited in the engine BEFORE the spark plug ignites the fuel. This phenomenon is commonly known as “knocking”. Knocking has a negative effect on the performance of a vehicle.

The higher the octane number, the higher the fuel’s ability to resist auto ignition. Therefore, RON 99 is harder to ignite compared to RON 95 and so on.

High performance vehicles are designed to be used with higher octane fuel. Higher octane rating reduces (or eliminates) knocking and hence keeping performance at its optimum.

Using fuel with the right octane rating will maximise the effectiveness of your vehicle but at the same time most modern vehicles (I’m not sure if Proton is included in this list), are fitted with knock sensors which enables the engine to adjust it’s combustion timing according to the fuel octane rating and hence avoids knocking. Not all vehicles require fuel with a high octane rating. Your car’s owner’s manual will tell the minimum octane requirement for your car. Most cars can still use RON 92 and using a higher than recommended RON rating does not make your car more powerful, it just makes the engine work harder to ignite the fuel.

I’m not a petroleum engineer, heck I’m not even an engineer of any sort but my recommendation is use RON 95, because it’s cheaper, unless you are driving a BMW M3, Porsche, Mercedes AMG or Suzuki Swift sport.

Can I have one AP please?

A (legal?) get rich quick scheme known as the Approved Permit (AP) will soon cease to be a golden goose for certain highly connected Bumiputera businessmen. It is a get rich quick scheme simply because the licences are free and virtually risk less as each can be on-sold to importers for instant cash. The only catch is you have to be somebody who knows somebody to get an AP. Initially it was supposed to be abolished by 2010, now its 2015. Tomorrow it could be 2020 …

Why do we need APs to import cars in the first place?
Import Licensing through the AP was introduced in 1970 with the objective of promoting and providing opportunities for Bumiputera entrepreneurs in the automotive sector. APs also serve as a mechanism used to control the number of vehicles allowed to be imported into Malaysia. Every imported vehicle requires an AP and it is only given out to car dealers and/or importers, individuals, diplomats and Members of Parliament. APs limit the number of imported vehicles in the country therefore (artificially, forcibly) protecting the market for Malaysia's national cars [Proton, Perodua, Naza (?), Inokom (?)].

Is this a fair trade practice? Granted it was an affirmative action with the objective of nurturing Bumiputera auto businessmen but how many (apart from the NAZA Group) have actually taken the initiative and capitalised on the programme to build a proper auto business?

Why can’t any individual apply to the relevant ministry/department (MITI/JPJ/Kastam etc) every time they want to import a car? Of course strict conditions and limitations will be imposed and adhered to every time an application is made but the freedom to apply must first be granted.

The AP programme has been around for 39 years; it should have nurtured more than 1 independent, successful Bumiputera auto entrepreneur within that time, anything less would be considered a failure. Something which fails needs to be abolished or replaced, simple.

Proton is 25 years old. It should be able to stand on its own four wheels. If it still needs government protection that means it has failed. Sell it to Volkswagen.

Road Royals

Malaysia has 9 kings. No, we have millions of kings actually. However, they are not addressed as DYMM nor do they have Tengku/Tunku as their common family name. The only common thing they (at least some of them) have is the “B” licence.

Like the 9 kings, these kings of the road also do not pay taxes, or at least road taxes (or tolls for that matter and yet they are allowed on tolled highways).

These kings of the road do not abide by traffic rules. When there is a no entry sign, they can still go in*. They can even travel in the opposite direction on a one way street. They can park anywhere, even on pavements, depriving pedestrians of a proper walkway. The law requires them to adorn a certain headgear but if they decide not to, nobody dares say anything (even some traffic policemen). The law says the “throne” is for two people but they sometimes pile 3-4 people on the machine.

When these kings are on the road, we, the other road users have to make way for them.

These kings have no regard for other road users; they weave in and out of traffic as they please.

When involved in an accident with these kings, we, the other road users are always at fault. Worse still, their comrades will bash you and your vehicle up regardless of whether you caused the accident or not.

And then there’s this rempit thing …

*The underpass at the intersection of Tun Razak/Ampang is out of bounds for motorcyclists but they still use it as if their fathers own the road.

Violation of Privacy

A human X-ray machine which produces "naked" images of passengers has been introduced at Manchester airport. The scanner, made by the firm RapiScan Systems, makes the check-in process much quicker for passengers, who will not have to remove their coats, shoes or belts.

It enables staff to instantly spot any hidden weapons or explosives.

The full body scanner which is being trialled will also show up any breast enlargements, false limbs, piercings, and a clear outline of passengers' private parts. The black and white image will only be seen by one officer in a remote location before it is deleted.

Airport bosses admit some travellers might not want to be scanned because of the graphic nature of the images. They can refuse to undergo the virtual strip search at Terminal 2, opting for the traditional "pat down" search instead.

I will not subject myself to this humiliating procedure. I doubt many will but I won’t be surprised if some good looking women find it difficult to get away from going through the scanner.

(ITN)

The Toll-gate Dilemma

Almost all the highways in Malaysia are privately owned. Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (PLUS) owns the most highways (NSE, NKVE, FHR2, Elite, SPDH, BKE, Linkedua), other owners include Litrak (LDP); Prolintas (AKLEH, GCE); MTD (Karak, ECE); IJM (Lekas, Besraya, NPE); Kesturi (DUKE); SDE Holdings (SPGDE) and Silk Holdings (SILK)

Road users pay to use the highway and in return we expect a pleasant journey on well maintained roads, safe and clean rest facilities with decent and reasonably priced food outlets and rapid emergency response. I have little or no complaints on the services, they have been quite satisfactory.

However, I feel that all the highway operators should consider discriminatory pricing. No, I’m NOT suggesting that Bumiputeras get a 30% discount. I would suggest that discounts be given to users during peak periods. This is because we pay for convenience and during peak periods (school breaks, public holidays, Aidil Fitri, CNY, weekday mornings and evenings) we get very inconvenienced when on the highway. There is a long queue to use the toilet; you are unable to get parking at rest areas, driving faster than 60km/h is impossible due to the heavy traffic and worst of all is the queue to pay toll which can stretch for kilometres.

So, given all that, why can’t those bunch listed in the first para give us poor road users 50-60% discount during the peak periods, after all the traffic volume will surely compensate for the reduced price.