Najib's walk about ... some thoughts and whims

Najib wants immediate attention to ease city congestion

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Three weeks after Datuk Seri Najib Razak went down to the ground to visit three localities in the heart of the city, the prime minister today sprung another surprise when he had a walkabout at the bustling Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Jalan TAR) and Puduraya here.

However, he was not happy with the congestion and the inefficiency of the public facilities during his one-hour inspection, according to Federal Territory Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin.

Najib, who was dressed casually in a brown shirt and beige pants, arrived at Jalan TAR, near Semua House at 3.20 pm, accompanied by Raja Nong Chik, his deputy Datuk M. Saravanan and Kuala Lumpur city mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail
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Aiyoyo.... Plaza Rakyat, traffic jam, lack of parking space .... these existed since the previous century. Are we suppose to feel "terhutang budi" for our PM to walk about in places where a million of us converge daily?

Better late than never but this is a damning evidence of DBKL's dismal failure. Have you ever seen the American President or the British Prime Minister doing the same thing in Washington D.C. or London? Where is the tangible return on my assessment, quit rent and parking fees?

We have been having longkang MPs and now we have a traffic jam PM! Malaysia have a bunch of civil servants that can be argued as unpatriotic as their failure to do what they are paid to do is making Kuala Lumpur a miserable capital city to dwell and work in. Let our MPs and DUNS focus on what they are suppose to do and not to become a mandur (supervisor of manual labour) unless these civil servants take it literally that they are kaki tangan only. I suppose their canteen should make otak-otak a staple dish.

Also, can the DBKL look into the vandalism as well as litterbugs and spitters? KL is disgraceful compared to Phuket. That little piece of land of wonderful sinners have very clean and tidy walkways - no litter, no damaged tiles and wonderfully lit.

I am all for huge fines, jail time or forced community service on these disgusting people. I once got into an argument with an old man who discharged a huge load of saliva onto the walk way of Pasar Seni. He enquired about the well being of my mother and egging for a fight until I indicated to him that he might not have the physical advantage and at his age, he should consider presenting himself as a right example. He walked away knowing he lost a fight (still concerning for the well being of my mother)...well fighting for the cleanliness of your country is also a form of patriotism, eh?

Telco dishes in TBR

Taman Bunga Raya (TBR) is within spitting distance from Tunku Abdul Rahman College (ok, I may be a bit loose with my choice of words but those in the know understand what I am trying to say). It has a single row of shop houses and thick with rows of terrace houses which provide accommodation to house owners and students alike.

According to a shop owner, a certain Mr. L, several telco dishes have been erracted on top of some shop houses for the past few years. A lawyer whose practice was in that row of shops had, for the past few years, did much research and provided strong and wonderfully compiled evidence that these dishes, given their proximity to residents in TBR, represent significant health risk. The lawyer provided the ultimate proof, perhaps, as according to Mr. L, because the gentleman died of cancer while his series of appeal to a number of very very important people went unattended for the past few years.

YB. Wee Choo Keong, the Member of Parliament for Wangsa Maju, has been alerted by Mr. L pertaining to the above matter. I am reliably informed that YB. Wee has written to DBKL to look into this matter a couple of months ago and also followed up with a reminder letter this April.

I hope DBKL can quickly provide the correct response and action swiftly before more harm is done.

The dishes on top of the shop houses and note the proximity of the residential terrace houses.

We have to be consistent

I am all for the right of people to make known and advocate their stand in a civilised manner. Through proper dissemination of what they are passionate about, they can broadcast to and educate others what they believe in with the hope to make the society they live in will become better. Good examples are advocates of women's right, animals' right and environmental issues among others.

I also admire people who shows consistency, committment and dedication to their cause and belief, provided all done in a civilised manner.

Albeit I felt uncomfortable with the self-appointed defenders of faith to demonstrate in front of the BAR Council last year and the actions of certain committed defenders of their race's rights in Penang shortly after the results of the GE was known on 8 March, I believe it is their right to voice their opinion and make their stand. It is only the alternative in which they have chosen to show their feelings that is subject to questioning and control.

So how does the ardent, avid and committed of the above react to the 2 developments below?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090423/lf_nm_life/us_malaysia_religion_1

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia has banned the forced conversion of children to Islam to quell unease among religious minorities in the mainly Muslim nation, the country's Legal Affairs Minister said on Thursday.
The decision follows the highly publicized case of Indira Gandhi, a 34-year-old ethnic Indian Hindu woman whose estranged husband embraced Islam and then converted their children to the religion as...

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/24322-najib-defends-scrapping-of-quota

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday defended the removal of the 30 per cent Malay equity quota in several sectors, and said that Malay businesses would not lose out despite any increased competition.

The above development is a test of Dato Seri's Najib mettle and the swift development suggest a certain firmess & firmness in his administration hence make make Badawi's administration look in less favourable light.

You deserve what you get

I was at the launch of Mr. Ooi Kee Beng's book entitled "Arrested Reform: The Undoing of Abdullah Badawi". The discussion from the floor with the speakers (the author himself, YM Tunku Abdul Aziz and Dato' Zaid Ibrahim) was lively and engrossing.

There was a participant who mentioned that one of her concern was come next GE, the economy will be at a good cycle and BN can win with minimal effort. Later after the talk she also expressed to me her concern that with the recent swing back of Malay votes back to BN in Bukit Gantang, a little effort on the Malay voters would guarantee victory for BN.

I suppose she has her point but for me, the following thoughts popped up.

1) No matter how "good" our economy was, are and will be under BN; we always have to i) pay more than the intrinsic value ii) put up with unfair distribution of income

Yes, when the share market is good, a very little minority with capital, knowledge and means will prosper from this legalised betting den.

An Indian gentleman correctly mention that it is about class struggle and not a matter of race. Poverty does not recognise race. Nor does disease and illness.

For those who have, the question is - is your earning power a proper reflection of your purchasing power parity with countries with lower corruption rate?

For those who have not, the question is - what did you really benefit from the good economic times? A factory worker might earn a bit more overtime here and there but where does the bulk of the hot money goes to?

The economic model adopted by BN - concerntration of economic opportunities via direct negotiations, cronyism, restrictive capital requirements, leakages in contracts awarded to select few have curtailed proper and free flow of distribution of the nation's wealth.

2) As for the worrying about Malay votes going back to BN. Well, everybody has a right to vote for whoever they want. Just vote for the right reasons. You reap what you sow and what you vote is what you'll get.

But, if you are concerned, then DO something. Don't sit down and worrying about it in a mamak stall. A person I got to know from facebook told me about the effort that person made and making to get young people to register and vote & also advise them about the reality that is going on.

A little effort by everyone will accumulate into a grand effort. Not everybody can be a successful politician but hey, accumulation of everybody's effort is part of People's Power.

Make your stand and do whatever you can for a better Malaysia

Leave the poor tree alone-lah

I read in today's Sunday Star(19 April page N6) that ..."Ipoh City Council planted 19 young tree around the Democracy Tree to deter people from using it for unknown religious purposes..." per Datuk Bandar Roshidi Hashim.

Just what are they afraid afraid of?

if it is unknown, how sure the City Council know it is for religious purposes? Whether it is religious in nature or not, should it not be a mufti, ustaz, monk, priest or Jabatan Islam to determine that? Since when the Majlis Perbandaran is an expert in religious matter? Leaving a trident I am not sure but using the tree for 4D number is definitely NOT a religious purpose.

By the way, isn't freedom of religion part of the foundation of Malaysia's famed social contract or way of life? How come we can let a body financed by rate payers' fund to decide for the rate payers whether they can pray/held religious function or not around the tree?

By the way, planting 19 trees so close to each other suggest lousy town planing execution. Who wants to have a man-made secondary forest near the state assembly hall? Haven for khalwating couples, pissing dogs, scared cats, hidden snakes, lazy snails, marauding mosquitoes or desperate gentleman who can't find a toilet nearby?

Also, this is maltreatment of trees. By clustering 20 of them together, the land might not hold enough nutrients for them.