Some of the Youth delegates at the UMNO General Meeting are really pathetic. They try to get some political mileage by making outrageous statements if not downright silly. In that racial atmosphere, everything looks great.
Take a look at what Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican said, "For every RM 1.0 mil contract awarded to a bumiputra, only 20% went directly to him. The other 80% goes to the non-bumiputras". He made it sound like the non-bumiputras are laughing all the way to the bank even though the government was under UMNO(the major component of Barisan) from the time we got independance and with the implementation of the NEP for more than 20 years.
He is actually saying all the agencies set up by the government to help bumiputra contractors have not been doing their job from the time Tunku Abdul Rahman was the Prime Minister until now! I wonder if the rural Malays reading the news swallow this hook line and sinker.
If the bumiputra Malay contractor managed to get a supply contract or an M & E contract, the bulk of the contract sum would definitely go to the purchase of the equipment. Supposing the contract was for the supply of water pumps and according to the specifications the pumps could only be obtained from Europe, 80% would go to the supplier. 10% would be the cost for the installation and the rest for Preliminary costs and profit. This is normal and it happens to any contractor who gets such a contract.
If on the other hand the bumiputra contractor was "given" a building contract, he must have the skilled manpower, the construction equipment and the knowhow to complete the job within the time frame and make his profit. But if he gives it to sub-contractors and just takes a cut of the contract sum, whose fault is it?
The main issue should not be about how we slice the cake, but to teach the people how to make it and then go and sell it in the open market. Our human resource is our most precious asset and we still do not see that. We are still bickering over quotas and rights according to race. Our neighbours are moving forward because their citizens are busy catching up with the latest technology and improving on it.
Take China for example. Due to their closed door policy everyone thought they will lag behind. The minute they opened up to foreign investors they are moving at top speed. In IT, they are using Internet Protocol Version 6 while the Americans are still using IP4! The Chinese are forcing the Americans to change!
And what are we doing? Arguing on how to calculate the percentage achievement of the Malays under the NEP and we can't even agree on a suitable method! Going by the UMNO Youth delegates emotional presentation, the conclusion could be that they want 80% for the bumiputras, 20% for the Chinese and more Indian movies for the Indians on Astro! That would bring us to be the most developed nation by the year 2020.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Brilliant Deduction
During the council proceedings at the Penang Municipal Council last Friday, one of the reporters who happened to pass by the control room saw the image of a woman's thigh on the monitor of the CCTV. She quickly alerted her friends who were covering the proceedings for their respective papers and the woman whose thigh was under 'observation' reported this matter to the council secretary.
In todays Star, the reply from the Penang Municipal Council President Datuk Abu Bakar Hassan was , "If the dress was not sexy, the incident would not have happened."
Does this sound familiar? Not too long ago a mufti in Australia came under fire for making a similar remark. Maybe the two of them studied at the same 'madrasah'.
Good management is mostly common sense. The CCTV was installed for a definite purpose and when that is abused, the common sense thing is to zoom in on the offender and take the necessary measures that such things do not occur again. This is the smart and logical thing to do. No need to educate other people on how to dress or more importantly, no need to put your foot in your mouth. The person monitoring the camera was in the wrong and he knows it. All that was needed was an apology to the victim and a firm warning to the culprit and nobody would have heard about this incident.
When we have lousy managers on top, we get all kinds of problems compounded by religious beliefs of one party being imposed on the rest of us. Dressing code indeed. How to solve the transportation problem in Penang when the council is now busy with the dress code!
In todays Star, the reply from the Penang Municipal Council President Datuk Abu Bakar Hassan was , "If the dress was not sexy, the incident would not have happened."
Does this sound familiar? Not too long ago a mufti in Australia came under fire for making a similar remark. Maybe the two of them studied at the same 'madrasah'.
Good management is mostly common sense. The CCTV was installed for a definite purpose and when that is abused, the common sense thing is to zoom in on the offender and take the necessary measures that such things do not occur again. This is the smart and logical thing to do. No need to educate other people on how to dress or more importantly, no need to put your foot in your mouth. The person monitoring the camera was in the wrong and he knows it. All that was needed was an apology to the victim and a firm warning to the culprit and nobody would have heard about this incident.
When we have lousy managers on top, we get all kinds of problems compounded by religious beliefs of one party being imposed on the rest of us. Dressing code indeed. How to solve the transportation problem in Penang when the council is now busy with the dress code!
Friday, November 10, 2006
Enforcement Blues
The problem with our country is we do not enforce our laws and rules of conduct on the citizens when it is necessary and pertinent to do so.
Take for example the blatant disregard for traffic rules by so many road users. They treat the traffic lights that are placed at the junctions as if they are decorative items put up by the City Council! No wonder we have so many road accidents. All it takes is for the traffic police to go around the city and check randomly and fine these law breakers. The police don't even have to stay put in one place. This random check will be very effective provided the fines are meted out without fear or favour. After some time we will have more law abiding citizens behind the wheels.
This sort of 'total disregard' problem also exists at parking lots, toll booths, paying counters. The queue jumping characters need to be house-trained and it is the job of the management to enforce the rules.
Look at how this person has parked the car. It is not even a big car to claim that you have parking problems! Simply 'couldn't be bothered' attitude.
I believe the 'tidak apa' attitude is the root cause of all these problems. We need to buck up and tackle the task at hand and do it properly and efficiently if we want to succeed in making our visions and missions come true for Malaysia. It starts with the small things, for when you excell in the smaller things you will be ready for the bigger things in life.
The various government departments and law enforcement agencies have been empowered to carry out their duties but there seems to be a general reluctance to enforce these rules and laws. They seem to be going through an 'enforcement blues' period. The only time there is a hype about checking road users is during festive occasions where you can see the police setting up their 'speed traps' along the highway. The idea of adhering to the traffic rules must be an everyday affair and not only during festive occasions. The police must do some rethinking about their methods of enforcing the law for the good of the country.
Take for example the blatant disregard for traffic rules by so many road users. They treat the traffic lights that are placed at the junctions as if they are decorative items put up by the City Council! No wonder we have so many road accidents. All it takes is for the traffic police to go around the city and check randomly and fine these law breakers. The police don't even have to stay put in one place. This random check will be very effective provided the fines are meted out without fear or favour. After some time we will have more law abiding citizens behind the wheels.
This sort of 'total disregard' problem also exists at parking lots, toll booths, paying counters. The queue jumping characters need to be house-trained and it is the job of the management to enforce the rules.
Look at how this person has parked the car. It is not even a big car to claim that you have parking problems! Simply 'couldn't be bothered' attitude.
I believe the 'tidak apa' attitude is the root cause of all these problems. We need to buck up and tackle the task at hand and do it properly and efficiently if we want to succeed in making our visions and missions come true for Malaysia. It starts with the small things, for when you excell in the smaller things you will be ready for the bigger things in life.
The various government departments and law enforcement agencies have been empowered to carry out their duties but there seems to be a general reluctance to enforce these rules and laws. They seem to be going through an 'enforcement blues' period. The only time there is a hype about checking road users is during festive occasions where you can see the police setting up their 'speed traps' along the highway. The idea of adhering to the traffic rules must be an everyday affair and not only during festive occasions. The police must do some rethinking about their methods of enforcing the law for the good of the country.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Corruption Ranking - Latest
The latest from Transparency International's 2006 Perceptions Index has placed Malaysia as the 44th in their list of 163.
Our neighbour down South, Singapore is in the 5th place- the only Asian country in the top ten group of the least corrupted. As the ranking number gets bigger so does the corruption level.
Thailand has taken the 63rd place while Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are tied for the 130th place.
India and China are in the 70th place in this ranking while Pakistan is at 142nd place.
The United Arab Emirates is at the 31st place which makes them the best among the Arab nations.
At the bottom at 160th place is Myanmar followed by Haiti at 163rd based on the CPI score.
Based on this list, it seems the people who do the most shouting about their religious beliefs are the worst performers.
"Cakap tak serupa bikin la.."
Our neighbour down South, Singapore is in the 5th place- the only Asian country in the top ten group of the least corrupted. As the ranking number gets bigger so does the corruption level.
Thailand has taken the 63rd place while Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are tied for the 130th place.
India and China are in the 70th place in this ranking while Pakistan is at 142nd place.
The United Arab Emirates is at the 31st place which makes them the best among the Arab nations.
At the bottom at 160th place is Myanmar followed by Haiti at 163rd based on the CPI score.
Based on this list, it seems the people who do the most shouting about their religious beliefs are the worst performers.
"Cakap tak serupa bikin la.."
UMNO Campaign Fever
It is that time when UMNO politicians start their campaign at the expense of the other races. The Johor MB has kicked it off with Johor UMNO's position on ‘Bangsa Malaysia’, meritocracy in the education system, the teaching of the English language and the position of Bahasa Melayu which are all hot topics in this country. With such a platform, he is definitely aiming for the top. With people like him around, the NEP (National Economic Policy) will become the Never Ending Policy for sure. For him, only the Malay race is important in this country. The rest of us are just numbers collected by the statistics department to present to foreign investors to attract FDI. This is the time when the UMNO politicians start issuing warnings to the other races, talk of Malay sovereignty and the continuance of the NEP to protect the Malay rights.
Equality is a dream for the non-Malays but a marketing slogan for the government to attract foreign investments. Just take any phone directory and look for the director of the government departments to see who is sitting on top. Even the second-in-command is enough. Look at who runs the schools now. Even the section heads in most government schools are selected from bumiputras even if they are very junior.
If this country is to achieve its vision of being a developed nation, you will need competent managers, engineers, educationists, economists, scientists and all the skilled people you can get to make it come true. This means we have to go by meritocracy. We cannot go by racial guidelines for promoting the workers.
The Prime Minister has just launched the Iskandar Development Region in South Johor and it is targeted to be like Hong Kong. We can’t even compete with Singapore for crying out loud! We are still employing workers by racial composition, insisting on the 30% bumiputra ownership! The security is in shambles, who would want to invest in Johor or Malaysia for that matter? Our police can't even tackle the snatch thieves or the Mat Rempits! Even the Singaporeans are shying away from this project. They are reminded by the ugly concrete pillars that jut out from the seabed. These pillars are part of the failed 1.7 billion JB Waterfront City that never took off. Why? Incompetent managers appointed by the government based on race most probably.
Malaysians can handle big jobs and do it well. I mean Malaysians, regardless of their race or religion. Just based on their merits, ability and knowhow we can choose the right people for the job. Take a look at the top 10 richest Malaysians and you can see why we can do it. There are no politicians in the top ten list. On the other hand, if a person does not declare his/her assets, we will never know their status now will we?
Equality is a dream for the non-Malays but a marketing slogan for the government to attract foreign investments. Just take any phone directory and look for the director of the government departments to see who is sitting on top. Even the second-in-command is enough. Look at who runs the schools now. Even the section heads in most government schools are selected from bumiputras even if they are very junior.
If this country is to achieve its vision of being a developed nation, you will need competent managers, engineers, educationists, economists, scientists and all the skilled people you can get to make it come true. This means we have to go by meritocracy. We cannot go by racial guidelines for promoting the workers.
The Prime Minister has just launched the Iskandar Development Region in South Johor and it is targeted to be like Hong Kong. We can’t even compete with Singapore for crying out loud! We are still employing workers by racial composition, insisting on the 30% bumiputra ownership! The security is in shambles, who would want to invest in Johor or Malaysia for that matter? Our police can't even tackle the snatch thieves or the Mat Rempits! Even the Singaporeans are shying away from this project. They are reminded by the ugly concrete pillars that jut out from the seabed. These pillars are part of the failed 1.7 billion JB Waterfront City that never took off. Why? Incompetent managers appointed by the government based on race most probably.
Malaysians can handle big jobs and do it well. I mean Malaysians, regardless of their race or religion. Just based on their merits, ability and knowhow we can choose the right people for the job. Take a look at the top 10 richest Malaysians and you can see why we can do it. There are no politicians in the top ten list. On the other hand, if a person does not declare his/her assets, we will never know their status now will we?
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Baptism of Muslims?
It was reported in todays Star that the police are investigating a rumour that a group of Muslims will be baptised in a church in Ipoh. It spread like wildfire through SMS. Actually, what it means when the paper uses the term 'spread like wildfire' is it spread like wildfire among the Muslims.
The Muslims from the 'wildfire group' all rushed to protest in front of the church like buzzards circling around a dying animal. They included members (Muslims) of the opposition parties and non-governmental organisations(probably a branch of the Islamic party). The director of the Perak Religious Department was also there(I wonder how such a senior person found the time to attend church). The secretary of the Perak Pusat Khidmat Islam was also there!
These people gathered for four hours and refused to disperse despite warnings from the police. What were they expecting to achieve? What dastardly deed were they planning to do? Are they emulating the Indonesian Muslims? This is Malaysia.
It shows how idiotic people can be in the name of religion!
It turns out that it was actually the first Holy Communion for 98 Indian children of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes!
In such a situation, the common sense thing when you receive an SMS about such a sensitive subject is to find out who it is from and to verify the authenticity of the message. But I guess it is too much to ask from these 'Neanderthals' who would rather torch and burn down churches in the name of religion. Would the same thing happen if a group of Buddhist and Christians got converted to Islam in a mosque?
We might just make it as a developed nation by 2020, but we will be a far cry from being civilised if such things are allowed to go on. It will just be a matter of time when the violence starts and we will be just like Kashmir or Palestine.
The Muslims from the 'wildfire group' all rushed to protest in front of the church like buzzards circling around a dying animal. They included members (Muslims) of the opposition parties and non-governmental organisations(probably a branch of the Islamic party). The director of the Perak Religious Department was also there(I wonder how such a senior person found the time to attend church). The secretary of the Perak Pusat Khidmat Islam was also there!
These people gathered for four hours and refused to disperse despite warnings from the police. What were they expecting to achieve? What dastardly deed were they planning to do? Are they emulating the Indonesian Muslims? This is Malaysia.
It shows how idiotic people can be in the name of religion!
It turns out that it was actually the first Holy Communion for 98 Indian children of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes!
In such a situation, the common sense thing when you receive an SMS about such a sensitive subject is to find out who it is from and to verify the authenticity of the message. But I guess it is too much to ask from these 'Neanderthals' who would rather torch and burn down churches in the name of religion. Would the same thing happen if a group of Buddhist and Christians got converted to Islam in a mosque?
We might just make it as a developed nation by 2020, but we will be a far cry from being civilised if such things are allowed to go on. It will just be a matter of time when the violence starts and we will be just like Kashmir or Palestine.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Week Of Statements
1. Another property of Zakaria, The DZ Satay House restaurant, has been found illegally built and has been slapped with a closure order by the Klang Municipal Council (MPK).
“Yes, it has been sealed because the restaurant sits on JKR (Public Works Department) reserve land, which is state land,” municipal councillor Datuk Teh Kim Poo said yesterday. ”Furthermore, the restaurant does not have any temporary occupancy licence or a business licence.
Datuk Zakaria’s press conference statement :
“I thank those, including the media, for giving me guidance on the need to follow rules and regulations.”
The Klang Umno division rallied behind its chief Datuk Zakaria Md Deros with a show of support and loyalty, claiming that he had been “sabotaged” by the Opposition.
“The entire thing is the work of the Opposition to discredit him. The only thing wrong here is the non-submission of building plans, that’s all,” division information chief Shoimi Shafie told pressmen at 6.45pm yesterday after the division held an emergency meeting.
2. Faizal Abdullah, a councillor from the Klang Municipal Council said,
“Yes, it is my mistake for not submitting the building plans before constructing the house,” Faizal said, when contacted yesterday after it was revealed that a property under his name in Jalan Melikai, Kampung Raja Uda here, had been slapped with a stop-work order from the council.
3. ‘Everyone is doing it, but my house is small' – Datuk Mazlynoor Abdul Latiff
The second Klang Municipal Councillor caught building his house in Kampung Raja Uda in Klang without approval.
4. The 2am raid by religious officers.
A Kedah Religious Department spokesman said the raid conducted at 2am on Oct 12 was made following public complaints of immoral activities at the condominium.
“The officers only knocked on the door and they did not enter the condominium.”
Retired policeman Randal Barnhart, 62, and wife Carole, 61, had complained the officers demanded to see their marriage certificate although he had told them that they were Christians and should not be subjected to Islamic law.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) wants the Cabinet to reassure all Malaysians that their privacy will always be protected and nobody is subjected to harassment from Islamic Religious Officers.
“The CFM joins the voices of other concerned groups in the country in affirming the personal freedoms guaranteed to every person in our Constitution and that no person should be subject to laws other than what is sanctioned by Parliament,” it added.
5. Malaysia has recommended its policy of transparency and open scrutiny of government plans and policies to China and other Asean countries as a means to increase investment in their countries. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said greater information flow and transparency, especially on economic and industrial development, was vital.
6. From today consumers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya will pay more for water. Under the new tariff there will be no increase for the first 20 cubic metres used, and consumers will continue to pay 57 sen per cubic metre.
Selangor Infrastructure and Public Utilities Committee chairman Datuk Fatah Iskandar said the Government saw the increase as a way to get consumers to conserve water as they would not have to pay more if they kept their usage below 20 cubic metres a month.
Businessmen involved in industries that use lots of water will wait for next month's water bill before deciding whether or not to raise prices.
“There might be an increase, but I think we will wait for next month's water bill to see how much more it'll be,” car wash supervisor Teh Leong Ket, 47, said yesterday.
“Yes, it has been sealed because the restaurant sits on JKR (Public Works Department) reserve land, which is state land,” municipal councillor Datuk Teh Kim Poo said yesterday. ”Furthermore, the restaurant does not have any temporary occupancy licence or a business licence.
Datuk Zakaria’s press conference statement :
“I thank those, including the media, for giving me guidance on the need to follow rules and regulations.”
The Klang Umno division rallied behind its chief Datuk Zakaria Md Deros with a show of support and loyalty, claiming that he had been “sabotaged” by the Opposition.
“The entire thing is the work of the Opposition to discredit him. The only thing wrong here is the non-submission of building plans, that’s all,” division information chief Shoimi Shafie told pressmen at 6.45pm yesterday after the division held an emergency meeting.
2. Faizal Abdullah, a councillor from the Klang Municipal Council said,
“Yes, it is my mistake for not submitting the building plans before constructing the house,” Faizal said, when contacted yesterday after it was revealed that a property under his name in Jalan Melikai, Kampung Raja Uda here, had been slapped with a stop-work order from the council.
3. ‘Everyone is doing it, but my house is small' – Datuk Mazlynoor Abdul Latiff
The second Klang Municipal Councillor caught building his house in Kampung Raja Uda in Klang without approval.
4. The 2am raid by religious officers.
A Kedah Religious Department spokesman said the raid conducted at 2am on Oct 12 was made following public complaints of immoral activities at the condominium.
“The officers only knocked on the door and they did not enter the condominium.”
Retired policeman Randal Barnhart, 62, and wife Carole, 61, had complained the officers demanded to see their marriage certificate although he had told them that they were Christians and should not be subjected to Islamic law.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) wants the Cabinet to reassure all Malaysians that their privacy will always be protected and nobody is subjected to harassment from Islamic Religious Officers.
“The CFM joins the voices of other concerned groups in the country in affirming the personal freedoms guaranteed to every person in our Constitution and that no person should be subject to laws other than what is sanctioned by Parliament,” it added.
5. Malaysia has recommended its policy of transparency and open scrutiny of government plans and policies to China and other Asean countries as a means to increase investment in their countries. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said greater information flow and transparency, especially on economic and industrial development, was vital.
6. From today consumers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya will pay more for water. Under the new tariff there will be no increase for the first 20 cubic metres used, and consumers will continue to pay 57 sen per cubic metre.
Selangor Infrastructure and Public Utilities Committee chairman Datuk Fatah Iskandar said the Government saw the increase as a way to get consumers to conserve water as they would not have to pay more if they kept their usage below 20 cubic metres a month.
Businessmen involved in industries that use lots of water will wait for next month's water bill before deciding whether or not to raise prices.
“There might be an increase, but I think we will wait for next month's water bill to see how much more it'll be,” car wash supervisor Teh Leong Ket, 47, said yesterday.
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