SABAH LAW MAKERS

Sabah - Land Below The Wind

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Sabah law makers had always demonstrated great disappointment, right up to GE12.
Immediately, after having won handsomely, there were determinations to correct the unfair treatment Sabah was receiving.
Each component party of Sabah fell in line to have a love affair with PM(more like an interview), something like applying for a job. After the meeting, each party will try to outdo each other and empathetically said, they had demanded this and that, and the PM is SERIOUSLY looking into them.
History repeats itself, whenever the YBs are making noise, the PM will come over and as always, he is seriously looking into them.

Sabah law makers finally got on the right track lately, albeit just a few individuals.
If they can’t get any of their demands fulfil now, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to do it in the future.
All the rhetoric on how hard they work, how concerned they are with its people well being, only result in being unrealistic fools, not worthy of the job entrusted to them, to cut out a path for Sabah.
Yes, federal government is in a precarious position and Sabah law makers are in the position of strength, though not entirely but strong enough.

History had never been kind to Sabah, probably of its own making, billions in wealth in resources had been taken out of Sabah and there is nothing much to show for the present generation.
Despite its depleted resources, the ugly pictures are, poorest state, uncontrollable illegal economic migrants, scarce job opportunity, unsatisfactory basic amenities, uncompetitive salary, atrocious transportation and road condition, just to mention a few. Had our former leaders plundered all the wealth or was it our federal’s grand scheme to wrest control on Sabah, stripe it and lead them by the nose.
This could be the turning point for Sabah, we need more autonomy in the government, need more share of the wealth, whatever still remained, to be circulated in Sabah.
It is indeed encouraging to see that Sabah politicians are making the right kind of threat and bargain lately but there are not enough of them. Quite a few are actually a disgrace to Sabah, making noise and talking rubbish in Parliament, trying to shine balls?

Fortunately, Sabah is still attractive enough for a different group of exploiters, the planters, and more than a million hectare of land had been developed for oil palm.
These investors had thrown in billions of ringgit and unfair criticism was on them for taking advantage.
Now again, Sabah showed its ugly side, why complain when in the first place you willingly give away this opportunity and not having the patience to nurture the industry.
More important now is how to encourage these entrepreneurs to reinvest their money in the state and that could be in billions.
Do Sabah government and its YBs have the courage and intelligence to change the faith of this state that remains to be seen, this far its record had nothing to shout about.

it is WAR in MALAYSIA

No one is smiling anymore, all the mudslinging and the likely victims will be our Royal Highnesses.
What started off as innocent insinuations, ego damage checks, some stupid self-satisfaction had turned into an open war and no one is smiling nor it is entertaining anymore.
The pot is calling the kettle black, what will all this lead to eventually... a waste of time, these elected representatives will not be able to get on with what they are supposed to do, working for the Rakyat!
Call a truce and get down to work. We are not paying you to nurse your ego!

The new batch of law-makers, those given second chance and some even many chances, are huge disappointment to date.
Get it to your thick head, it takes more than this, some slender & mudslinging to be icons for the nation.
Stop wasting the home forces time and that of the judiciary, both sides of the political front are just as guilty. If you are not convinced let us make you recall the following.

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*** KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) — Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail today stressed that there was no tussle between the Regent of Terengganu and the Regency Advisory Council with the state government pertaining to the appointment of the Menteri Besar of the state. He said this was because the process of appointing the Menteri Besar for the state was spelled out under Article 14 (2) of the state constitution. “As such, the candidate appointed as the Menteri Besar is not the nominee of the Regent or the Regency Advisory Council but a person who is appointed according to the laws of the state,” he said in a statement here. He said the person must be a member of the state legislative assembly who in the opinion of the Regent and Regency Advisory Council commanded majority support in the assembly. He said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was fully aware of the provision and that His Majesty cannot interfere in the appointing of the Menteri Besar. “This is because under Article 34(1) of the Federal Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong cannot function as a ruler of a state except as the head of the Islamic religion. “In connection with this, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong does not have his own candidate for the post (Menteri Besar of Terengganu),” stressed Abdul Gani. He said that His Majesty was aware of the fact that appointing of the Menteri Besar lied fully with the Regent and the Regency Advisory Council, and that His Majesty had no role whatsoever under the law concerning it. Gani’s explanation comes in the wake of speculation about the position. Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh whose appointment as the Menteri Besar of Terengganu has been delayed since the 12th general election ended on March 8***

*We need not reproduce the images of our DPM or UMNO youth chief to prove, it is just shameful, best it is forgotten.*
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*The likely victim in this storm will be Raja Petra but bloggers like us are tough, we chew hides for dinner, we are passionate on our nation and we care for each other, so don’t play play!*

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Let’s give each other a chance to prove themselves, stop the undermining, only people of lesser integrity and capability resort to that.
Show us, there is still a lot of common sense in this pile of shit.

RICE

RICE, I am not talking about someone in USA but our staple food.

Remember the days when kids were told to be seen & not heard?
I remember those days when adults sat together to have their opinions expressed and we just sat around and listen, generally ignored, when we budded in and accordingly reprimanded to keep quiet, though we hardly knew why.
As we grew into our teens, their argument seemed far fetch, to a point of being ridiculous, yet we were still considered immature and our opinions were dismissed unceremoniously, without an attempt to let us know why.
This led to loss of communication with our seniors, right into our adulthood and perhaps that is how a generation gap is created.

It is funny how events of the past unfurled and now we are told by leaders of the day that unavoidably essential items are to increase, drawing examples from the world and neighbouring countries.
Malaysia is unique, we have a fast maturing population and sweeping statements can now be dismissed as rubbish. The politicians of the day better realise this and fast.

RICE, as a build-up, murmurs are in the background that government may have to increase its price.
Is it necessary for such talk or is it just a side-track on more important issues looming in the horizon.
Triumphant at last, due to diligent management of the government, we are able to maintain the price of staple food, rice. This is what we will hear at the end of the day.

The international price of rice, as reported, had gone up 3 times since the beginning of this year to USD1200 (RM3840, 1USD @ RM3.20), meaning previously at RM1400 (USD400, 1USD @ RM3.50) or maybe lower.

Prices of local retail: (just a rough analysis)
Local rice, 15 to 5% broken: Range from RM1500 to 1900 per m-ton
Local &Imported, fragrant, super grain: Range from RM2500 to 3800 per m-ton

Looking at these figures, I am still blank if the government needs to subsidise but they definitely had surplus in the past.
The prices of our rice had always been higher compare to international prices, maybe until recently.
Where had all the differences gone to, all the years.

Malaysians of today know how to live and let live, be compromising to fellow citizens, so be transparent.
We know that we need to subsidise the farmers, to have better equity in our nation’s wealth, besides it is also a strategic crop.
There is no need to hide, as if you are doing something shameful. This, I think has always being the problem with our law-makers, they think their fellow citizens are stupid or what.

With all the obscurities, how can we believe the law-makers anymore, especially its leader.
Being controlled item, why can’t the consumers have a breakdown on its price structure just like for the car industries, unless there is really something to hide and for us to find out.

RAJA PETRA KAMARUDDIN ESQUIRE

The unthinkable happened, they put RPK in jail. RPK refused bail even though he was given the opportunity and he certainly can afford it, instead he opted for detention until trial begins in October.

Now, he has a point to prove and RPK has the guts to do it, against government repressive attitude towards public who cried out for open criticism against wrongdoings of people in power.

The government has surprised me that they would want to cap the opinions of readers & bloggers in the bloggersphere by this action.
The world of internet has no boundary, if one still doesn’t realise it, opinions will forever be expressed against any wrongdoings, be it at home or abroad. What better ways than through the bloggersphere, for an opinion of the Raykat and the true feelings of fellow Malaysians. This is even better than ‘turun padang’.

There are plenty of equity laws for one to have justice in Malaysia, if one is innocently wronged. But by slapping the draconian law only shows the level of intelligence of those people involved. Justice will always prevail if one is innocent.

A fund was initiated to assist in RPK’s bail, on the day he was charged in court. Many supporters and well wishers got its intention wrong, by donating more than a ringgit per person as requested. Imagine, what would have happen if everyone followed as requested and the fund reached RM26 million, this will stop any wrong or right thinking person on its track!
I wish our law makers were smarter, than to use seditious act on RPK

MALAYSIA BOLEH IN CREATIVE BUSINESS

Question: Why satellite disc is illegal unless it is provided by Astro

I still briefly remember those days when we did not have Astro, we paid rm25 per year, if we were honest enough to own up that we had TV, or play hide & seek with RTM inspectors to find out.
Well, in those days, if you don’t need external antenna, you could probably get away with it.
But anyway, our government, those days were not really interested in catching you.
What was more important, was the information/propaganda that they could dish out. Eventually this gave way to 'free for all' and a few more channels were added, those were the ‘golden era’ of RTM and Malaysia broadcasting.
Those days, the shows seemed to run longer between advertisements, in fact I think just about 3 minutes of ads between show, with more up-to-date movies/entertainments and less repetitions.

Like everything in Malaysia, all good things must come to an end, it is just too tempting for creative entrepreneurs, not to take advantage of it.
Inevitably, then came Astro, packaged it up with tax payers’ paid stations and other free stations, threw in some extras and priced it at minimum rm37.95, and payment on monthly basis. A far cry from those days when we paid only RM25 per YEAR and later free.
The days that we had 'free and good' entertainments were over or at least partially curtailed. One may argue, we can still get it free from those broadcasted from ‘local originals’.
But there is no longer any improvement, the transmission is so bad & weak that you just have to give up. Because Astro is making all the money, it is just like a free for all scramble, you get more advertisement-time programmed, cheap & outdated entertainments with lots of repeats, just like the Astro.

It is just so typical with Malaysia's so-called entrepreneurs, get the tax payers to pay for it then package it up and sell it back to them, nothing beats such 'creative business'.

COAL FIRED POWER PLANT FOR SABAH - NO OTHER CHOICE ???

The columns of 'smoke', actually are steam + other contaminents

Malaysian forest with early mists

The chairman of TNB recently confered to Sabahan in Kota Kinabalu that they have no choice but to accept the coal-fired power plant as the best alternative. Sighting also the improved technology, unlike the old, and presented it as ‘clean coal’ technology power plant.
He said coal is black, giving the impression that it is dirty but he impressed, we will be using the latest technology and the pollution is minimal. Drawing example also from Peninsula Malaysia, where such plants are also used and situated in close proximity to populated and tourism areas.

I do not consider myself to be an expert in this area but his argument seems flawed, insincere and hiding a lot of important facts from us, while trying to justify the negativities, at the same time take advantage of our ignorance. By saying that coal firing is clean, he only refers to what we can see, smell and hear but not what are continuously exhausted into the atmosphere unseen.

Why then coal is considered the worst polluter.

Chemically, it is almost 100% carbon and depending on the grade, it may also contain varying degree of sulphur and other elements which can pollute the atmosphere to different degree. Ever heard of acid rain? Not only this, there will be other colourless noxious gases constantly emitted from the flue.

Sourced - (Makeup of Coal and Ash Coal is one of the most impure of fuels. Its impurities range from trace quantities of many metals, including uranium and thorium, to much larger quantities of aluminum and iron to still larger quantities of impurities such as sulfur. Products of coal combustion include the oxides of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur; carcinogenic and mutagenic substances; and recoverable minerals of commercial value, including nuclear fuels naturally occurring in coal.)

Carbon Dioxide is the major Green House Gas (GHG) that is raising the temperature of our planet. It took thousands, maybe millions of years for earth planet to reach an equilibrium whereby the GHG absorption and its radiation of heat, can maintain an atmosphere that is habitable to all present living things on earth.
Records have shown, due to our activities in the past 30 years, we had increased the GHG by almost 30% and I don’t think we want to continue this way, to know the actual consequences when it becomes irreversible, which is in not too long into the future, if everyone doesn’t give a damn but only aim for immediate gains and advantages over others.

Perhaps, TNB or Malaysia, doesn’t see it this way, if it is not going to hurt their pockets. But from what I can see, lobby is already in place to have these polluters disadvantaged. Very soon, direct-foreign-investment or world credits/lenders, will only be made available to countries whose power is generated in environmentally friendly way. We just have got to be good neighbour to the rest of the world.

Bakun Dam, area soon be flooded

All mineral fuels are polluters when burnt, it is the carbon element which was ‘sunk’ from the earth atmosphere by plants and other lesser means, over thousands/millions years, is now being burnt and brought back to the atmosphere in concentration. That is what, concerned earth citizens, are talking about, we need to have a balance, a ‘carbon sink’, best known now being plants/jungle, to capture back this element from the atmosphere.

Coal as we know, is just carbon, what you burn is what you pollute. Other mineral/biological oils or gas, have hydrogen element in its molecule, thus you get CO2 and water. Hydrogen fuel is the cleanest because what you burn only results in water. Whatever advantage we get out of coal now, we may have to pay many more times in future, to get rid of the GHG.

We do have alternatives, contrary to what TNB chairman had painted, we can have palm-oil fired power plant, the carbon element is ‘sunk’ back to the oil palms in sustainable basis. Alternatively we can source from Bakun, contrary to what TNB suggested as impractical and yet it is practical to channel the power over twice the distance to Peninsula Malaysia, in which half the distance is undersea and is not going to benefit anyone else in whatever future distance.

By diverting the power from Bakun to Sabah, the distance is only from Bakun to Sabah west coast and in future, areas between these two points, can also benefit from it. Sabah needs, not only, power grit between east & west but also a looped power distribution, I do not know if this is already in place, if already in place, I see no difference in where the power source is situated. If there is none, what better opportunity than this, to have it done now.

We had already wiped off a ‘carbon sink’ in Bakun, the size of Singapore, let us make the best use out of it.

Oil Palm

TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD

Yes, the name that strikes fear to quite a few during his heydays in power in Malaysia, started his blog on 1st May 2008.
There must be a lot of people, friends, enemies & opponents, are interested in what he had in mind.

I visited his weblog at about 9.00pm(Malaysian time) Labour Day, over 28K visitors had gone through his blog and again this morning(2nd may ’08) at 8.23am, it touched 50497 visitors with 382 comments and counting.

In his ranting, as usual, is consistence with his nature, the wheeling and dealing, the game he famed with. This had resulted in quite a change to Sabah political scene but my intention on this posting is not on this subject, it will be for another day.

Of particular interest is his statement on paragraph no. 3:

“Would the Commission actually appoint the judges or would it only recommend the names for the PM to approve or would the Commission recommend directly to the Agong for him to exercise his prerogative? Or would the Agong require the approval of the Rulers Conference? Or would the Conference of Rulers be merely consulted as is done now? Or would they be able to reject the candidate, and ask for new candidates or name new candidates of their choice?”

This gives us an insight to the many loopholes that the politicians in power of the day can use. I find this quite alarming, no amount of amendments or constitutional changes are going to safeguard us if the government in power are not sincere. I also wonder if the Bar Council who praised on the government’s intention to have a commission for judicial appointments realised it or they just feel there are enough knockings and let’s praise them a little.

This leads me to an understanding of my days in dealing with business. To start off, there must be sincerity in any partnership. A partnership that has trust & sincerity can be made on a single sheet of paper and be successful, lacking this no amount of agreements stretching to volumes of meaningless clauses, trying to safeguard other clauses, are going to help(some say it the American way).

At the end of the day, do our politicians in power have the will & determination to make our judicial system impartial and our judges just as determined.

There may be just too many skeletons in the closet, after 50 years in power, one cannot help thinking like that, but then again who doesn’t.