Cow Head Protests

The defence of the Cow-Head protestors by our Minister Hishamuddin is not tenable. Another former MB,Khir Toyo says the cow is just a 'stupid' animal and that the protest is not 'racial'. So, what constitutes a 'racially motivated' protest? Would the setting up of a masjid on the same site bring the same protest?
I fail to see the logic of the argument that the majority citizens(of a particular religion) has a right to a place of worship in their living neighbourhood whereas the minority do not. A RIGHT TO WORSHIP IS EVERYONE'S RIGHT.
One would think that the recent concept of 1 Malaysia alone would mandate that future Houses of Worships of the various religious denominations be built side by side!
The protestors( some even threatening violence) should be prosecuted.

This cow head protest is not only shameful, it is barbaric.

Zamry is MB of Perak- Perak Political Debacle

The current political debacle in Perak is strategically brilliant for Pakatan Rakyat.
Whatever the Court Rulings are, it will be a win-win situation for Pakatan Rakyat.
True, today's court rulings seems to indicate that BN has 'won back' the state of Perak.But actually, this is like to lose the battle ,but win the war, for Pakatan Rakyat that is.
This MB debacle will ensure that Pakatan Rakyat will win with a bigger margin not just in the state of Perak but elsewhere as well in the next General Election.
But, let's hope that Malaysians Don't Have Short Memories, to paraphase a recent comment by a former politician !

Pihak Berkuasa Air(PBA) rude counter staff

This morning I went to Pihak Berkuasa Air (PBA), the corporatised water authority of Penang to connect the water supply to a premise. This was my second trip for the same reason.The day before, PBA had told me I could not apply to connect the water supply as I had not brought with me the relevant documents, the latter being the latest Cukai Pintu of the address concerned. I failed to see the relevance of this document in connecting the water supply until PBA told me that the water supply can only be connected by and registered under the premise’s owner.

Imagine my dismay when I found that PBA’s computer system were “offline” today, my second trip to PBA office at KOMTAR. I asked if my application can be done manually.One of the counter staff answered sarcastically “Can’t you see the sign saying “computer offline”. I then asked how they went about with applications in the days before the advent of computers. The same staff retorted “Don’t talk about the days before computers”. Inconvenienced from red tape and rudeness as such should not be tolerated and I asked the staff for his name ( Encik Ijir, I think). I pointed out to him PBA’s Mission Statement clearly spelt out on a huge poster just directly behind him.

And what is PBA’s Mission Statement? Well, its “Friendly ,Caring and Responsive”. Under “Responsive”, the statement reads : “strive to attend to all your needs in a timely manner”.

I told him this Mission Statement is laughable as my experience this morning showed me this En.Ijir is Neither friendly nor responsive! His colleague( a rather more polite girl) apologized and told me that this En.Ijir is “not feeling well today”. I wonder how En. Ijir behaves when he feels well.

Comments anyone?

Free Trade + Malaysia

While free trade seems like the answer to the world's current economic problem, one has to be careful too on its implications. When the developed nations(read Western nations) talk of free trade, they mean they want free trade in areas where they have a comparative advantage eg, high tech products, financial institutions(unfortunately not now anymore!!)etc, etc. There are always barriers(other than tariffs) which the developed societies put for goods to enter their own countries.for example, barriers in that the goods are produced by 'slave labour'(read you can produce it cheaper than us). Huge subsidies are given to farmers(in developed nations) to produce food which could be produced cheaper elsewhere .This is not in line with the concept of 'free trade' for giving subsidies to their own farmers is akin to putting tariffs on imported foods that are produced cheaper elsewhere. So, for the rich , more developed nations, it's a case of "If we have a comparative advantage in a product, yes its free trade for us to sell to you. But, if we can't produce it cheaper than you , that's because you use slave labour or it's a security issue and hence should not be covered by free trade concepts!"
I think Malaysia must be careful to take care of our own national interests and not willy nilly sign ourselves into 'free trade'. For me, it should not just be Free trade but Fair Trading too.

Nice Bus Malaysia

I had been using the brand 'NICE' executive bus travelling from Penang to Kuala Lumpur regularly for a number of years. This express bus brand is the most expensive for the Penang-Kuala Lumpur sector. One expects a certain degree of comfort & service commiserate with the price the company charges(currently RM68 one way).
Lately, I've been appalled by this bus company's modus operandi. In the last year or so, I've been on buses that were cancelled(they say the earlier bus "rosak') and people moved on to later buses , ending with two person 'fighting ' over the same seat.
And one only has to go to the 'Nice' bus ticket counter at Sg Nibong (Penang) bus station to enjoy the so -called "mesra" services! However, luckily, this 'mesra' services is not to be found at their Weld Quay or KL ticket office. Here, I find the counter staff generally helpful.

But, the last straw for me was my being on the 2.15pm NICE bus from Kuala Lumpur to Penang on Sunday 3rd May,2009. Despite telling us that the journey would take 4.5 hours to reach Penang, the bus not only went on a detour to KL Sentral but also to Butterworth. This is clearly unfair to passengers who have paid RM 68 for a KL-Pg Express bus service. When I complained , they said the bus had to drop off 3 passengers at Butterworth. I pointed out that passengers should have been told that when they bought the tickets. Can anyone tell me if it is illegal for an express bus to make detours?
As one of my fellow passengers remarked "This bus is not so Nice after all"! I have to agree and will vote with my feet in the future!!

Malaysian in China

My recent trip to China in April was my second. I had first gone to China in 1990 and I came away both impressed and irritated by my experience then.Impressed by the immensity of the country and the energy of the population. It is also this sheer population size that presents difficulties often times for the average independent traveller when it comes to the simple chores of buying train tickets etc.
China of the 21st century is still much the same. The energy of the population is still there but with it (I sensed) comes also a sense of added confidence. A sense that theirs is going to be The Country of the 21st Century!
I was in Shanghai, a metropolis like any other. In 1990 , I was in Beijing and I must say I preferred this northern city to Shanghai. But, then again ,I was in Beijing 20 years ago, so perhaps , she too has morphed into a metropolis with little character.
Xian is a better city to visit.For the Terracota Armies, I had thought that I'd be dissapointed(like I was when I saw the Great Wall!), but I was wrong. The Terracota Armies is indeed a world wonder!
Which brings one to the question of the epithet "World Heritage site". I often wondered what value it is for a place to be conferred so. Is it to protect the site and if so , for whom. Many of these sites charge high fees for entry and it would seem only people who can well afford will visit such heritage sites. Certainly in China , it seems many of their World heritage sites are 'off limits' to the average local populace by virtue of their high entry fees. This is a shame!