My Say

I’m glad we decided not to travel back to our hometown this year. It was not a voluntary decision but at least we were not caught in this utter traffic chaos. I have 1 question for the PLUS highway officials and the authorities: Why wasn’t a contra-flow created? There is hardly any traffic in the other direction. Surely, 1 of the lanes could be used to help ease the congestion. It’s unacceptable for highway users to pay money and then get stuck in a 10-20kph crawl for hundres of KMs. All motorists should protest and not pay the toll.

His CNY message is here. I read it a few times from various different angles, but I can’t figure out what he’s trying to say and what this speech has got to do with CNY? Anyone can read his mind?

Contrast his speech to Singapore PM’s speech here.

One is addressing the minority - telling them to be tolerant etc, i.e. put up with the majority decisions which may not be in their favour, while the other is addressing the majority, asking them to reach out to the minority. How very different?

Well, for once, I wish the majority people in Malaysia would not feel so insecure. They have overwhelming majority in government and in virtually every aspect of life, even in the economic pie (though the official statistics may not show this, just take a look around at the anecdoctal evidence - next time you see a luxury car, see who the owner is). They should instead reach out and assure the minority that their (the minority’s) rights will not be tread upon.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Somebody has finally knocked some sense into the management of Proton. The question is why has it taken so long? With the collaboration of Proton and Petronas, hopefully we will get better cars and save a bundle in royalty payments to Mitsubishi and Toyota.

One would have thought it’s a no-brainer: 2 government linked companies. 1 spending billions producing (or rather assembling and rebadging, at least initially) cars; 1 spending billions sponsoring a racing team in F1. 1 has the car and needs the engine; 1 has the engine with nowhere to go.

Was it merely pride that stood in the way? If so, the pride may have cost taxpayers millions, if no more. Now, will some one own up?

Hmm, if you’ve noticed, recently whenever Pak Lah is asked about issues etc, he’s said that he’s busy with the 9MP. So he’s come up with this?

Let’s see who the beneficiaries are:
i) ‘Turnkey’ Contractors - at RM100m a pop, you can start ordering your new S-class mercedes;
ii) more power to the state excos (and local councils) and less accountability;
iii) youths? (maybe…)

You can call me a born cynic, but just look at all the white elephants around - the stadia purpose built for the Commonwealth - which are badly maintained and low utilisation.

I wonder if we really need more ‘expensive buildings’ as a solution to the youth problem?

Sigh! More good money down the drain or rather into the pocket of a few. How I wish I am a contractor with the right connections!

Kudos to the Star for highlighting the scourge of corruption in mainstream media. See the report here.

The corrupt practices as reported have been going on for as long as I can remember. I have friends who obtained their riding and driving licence without taking a single test by paying their way. This is almost 20 years ago.

But the utterance of JPJ director-general Datuk Emran Kadir beggars belief: “It is illegal to ask for duit kopi (read: bribes). I’ve said it so many times already. These are all cases of cheating. ” Who would believe that he’s not aware of this commonplace practice? It’s normally the JPJ officials who ask for the bribes. He’s my nominee for this year’s Malaysian Oscar award.

Even better still, he has skills other than just acting. He’s obviously a very good bull-fighter. “Give me the names of these driving schools. I will take action.” In a breath, he has diverted the attention of the bull from himself to the cintas or cloth. He’s blaming the driving schools. If only he has a look in his backyard. If he claims ignorance, he should be sacked for incompetence. Or maybe he also gets a cut of these ‘fees’? Either way, he does not deserve to be there.

With such talents, perhaps I should produce a movie about the ‘matadors’ in our midst?

In this day and age, you would have thought that with the launch of an ‘important’ new car like Waja Campro, the Proton or Proton Edar websites would have the details of this model. But as at 1pm on 14 January 2006, more than 10 hours after the launch of the model, there is no information at all about the new model.

No thought has obviously been given to update the website simultaneously with the launch. I am extremely disappointed. Not only do they not know how to make cars, Proton seems incapable of marketing as well! Also they are not very good at managing the company, if they can be caught by surprise. This is like admitting they were caught red handed wth their pants down! Are they good at ANYTHING? Please do not prolong the agony. Step down and let someone competent take over at the helm. The biggest shareholder should probably stop meddling. They may be good at investing but that doesn’t make them good managers of companies.

The last chance for Malaysians to own affordable quality cars has gone down the drain with the withdrawal of VW from talks with Proton. The negotiators from Khazanah/Proton may have let their big heads and overinflated egos get in the way of sealing a deal which would have saved Proton and benefitted the people. How is Proton going to survive? Tip for punters: get rid of all your shares before they’re worthless…

I’m not sure what he’s trying to achieve (read here) , but it reminds me of the story of the emperor with his new ‘clothes’. The ministers and government officials only hear what they want to hear. And they are plenty of ’shoe polishers’ around who are more than eager to oblige.

What’s this ‘essays on integrity’ and ‘familiarising on integrity’ all about? One learns integrity when one sees it in action. It’s more than just lip service. Samsudin, if you can read: STOP WASTING EVERYBODY’S TIME!

I know the PM has appealed for the public to give the new CEO of MAS time to implement his strategy to turn the national carrier around. However, I am concerned and get worried when I read articles like this in the press.

It’s amazing that MAS is making losses on 76 international routes. My question is: what are the losses due to? My guess is they are probably due to unnecessary expenses and inefficiencies as no one has been monitoring the costs. I understand the CEO is under a lot of pressure, but I hope that he will not be too hasty to ‘cut unprofitable routes’ before a proper analysis and investigation is conducted.

After all, MAS will have hardly any fixed assets left if the planned disposal of the buildings were to go ahead (all the planes have already been hived off as part of the infamous Widespread Asset Unbundling). If two thirds of the routes are cut as well, MAS may as well just close shop and return the money to their shareholders and the taxpayers!

I once helped a friend transfer a significant amount of money from abroad through my Malaysian bank account into his parents’ account. A bank officer called me up and asked where I got the money from? I told him. Thank you very much, says the officer.

If I have a stash of ill-gotten money somewhere, I’d definitely consider using the Malaysian banking system to launder it. This brings me back to this story. Now, I am not sure what sort of due diligence has been performed, but I would be instantly suspicious of anyone who would donate RM1.07 billion.

To confuse the issue, the health minister is saying that any potential donors should approach the ministry. Why on earth should anyone do it? Does the ministry want their ‘cut’? If I donate, I would give straight to the charity. I do not trust the government machinery. At all.