MISC tankers hijacked

NST today reported in page 29 that another MISC vessel "Bunga Melati Lima" was hijacked off the coast of Yemen. She had 36 Malaysian crews onboard. The hijackers were armed to the teeth, with RPG and automatic weapons. On Aug 19th, another vessel "Bunga Melati Dua" was hijacked with 29 Malaysians onboard. She was hijacked between Somalia & Yemen.

Our prayers to the crews. My surprise is how much priority we put into this. The news was way back on page 29 and this happened close to Independence Day. There is lack of updates as to what the authorities are doing and what has progressed (we may have dispatched our Paskal but could someone at least tell us). For someone who works 100 km from shore, open to all kinds of weather threats and piracy, I'm highly concerned that there is no urgency to inform the general public what our resolve is (if there is such) to end this standoff.

The media and relevant authorities need to answer these questions:

1. What are their demands with 2 ships laden with CPO and petrochemicals?
2. Is there beef with the Malaysian government?
3. How did the hijackers manage to board the ships with RPG and automatic weapons? Who do they represent?
4. What is the status of the crews?
5. What is being done to resolve the issue?

Everyone seems to be quiet about it, MISC, Navy, Government or maybe I do not get full coverage out here in South China Sea!

Mindset Part 1

Mindset is defined as “a fixed state of mind” according to Merriam Webster. Notice the word “fixed”.

The big buzz in Senator Obama’s US presidential race is “Change”. A change in the way the country is run, a change in foreign policy and how he thinks America should handle the Iraq war, a change in increasing tax for the rich and minimizing the astronomical deficit. The most important change that might happen is getting a black American elected in office as POTUS. Talking to some American rig hands on board – they blatantly answered that America is not yet ready for a black President and this is coming from grass root people. Sure, poor Black Americans especially those discriminated during Katrina in New Orleans would willingly vouch for Obama, hands down, but does this swing the entire pendulum to Obama’s side? Less than 50% turned up to vote in 2004 and it was almost a 50/50 split. It clearly means 50% of voters (who didn’t turn up) don’t really care and have better things to do.

However, Obama did set some tones in his “change” regime such as the use of Facebook for campaigning and the massive fund raising he collected through the Net. Clinton staffers were still struggling to teach her how to use the Blackberry. What does this have to do with mindset? It’s got to do with everything. If majority of Americans who turn up to vote has a fixed mindset that they’re not ready for a black President, then they’re not ready. Simple as that. Not because he’s not qualified or he doesn’t represent the right values, but because he’s black – period. Like it or not, some Americans will vote for him because he's black and some will not vote for him because he's black.

How about Malaysia? People are still interested about bloggers, freedom of speech, DSAI, why Pak Lah should step down, demonstrations, provoking Malays by questioning their rights, why Malays need the crutches and why Malaysians deserve more subsidies because Petronas is churning out money left, right and center?

While we quarrel about things that happened in the past like the Tun Salleh Abas saga, Vietnam is set to overtake Malaysia in terms of GDP soon (although the calculation of GDP is questionable in today’s economic sampling). Australia has exported their proven fuel cell technology. The French number 1 export is electricity from nuclear power. US is adamant to keep their tertiary education system private and competitive, as it is the best in the world (Harvard boasts of approximately USD20B in endowment funds). China is now set to produce more than 6.4 million passenger vehicles a year with 120 car makers in the country and will overtake Germany as the third biggest manufacturer, after the US and Japan (In 1979, China was just manufacturing 13000 cars). Cars in the future are expected to be cheaper, lighter, smaller and more fuel-efficient. Americans are trading in their humongous SUVs for efficient Prius (to some extent. Houstonians still love their Cayennes, Lincoln Navigators and big Ford pick ups – very “oil field”-like). This is the global scenario.

While Google, Johnson & Johnson, Ebay and Swatch Group continue to increase their global economic influence and decentralize their organizations like a starfish, we are still bickering about petty things (some think they're not petty). Obviously the majority of Malaysians mindset is still fixed at being at “bickering petty issues” level (like whether to wear the Songkok when swearing in or whether we should raise our left hand when swearing in as MP). We vote for our politicians for certain criterion and they are our voice at Parliament. If some of the rookie and veteran MPs at Parliament are labeled as childish and talking rubbish, they represent the voice of their constituents, isn't it ‘safe’ to conclude that the Malaysians they represent are still thinking about petty things? If this is not so, why did we vote for that politician? Or is it because we vote for the party regardless of candidate? Or is it because the lack of viable candidates these days? In the end, it boils down to our mindset as voters, politicians, constituents, Malaysians.

Of Flash floods, Bloggers, Puspakom and Crude Oil

Ok wow, DSAI won the Permatang Pauh seat, big surprise there. Let's move on, shall we.

KL and Klang Valley was again hit by flash flood. Even after the massive spending on SMART tunnel, it seems that the construction of the tunnel for the sole purpose of deviating rain water has been proven to be ineffective.

Just after the by-election, the latest news is about Malaysia Today to be blocked by all 19 Internet Service Providers in Malaysia. Bloggers are furious claiming that it is breaching the MSC Act of not censoring the Net. Wiki had some issues with falsified claims about personalities but it also had a self-correcting system whereby web users worldwide voluntarily "police" the contents of the site. If bloggers want complete freedom of speech, bloggers must be responsible for what they write and be accountable for it. It says a lot about your character.

With the arrest of 28 Puspakom staff over alleged corruption, it goes to show that Malaysians are willing to pay off everyone and everything to get things moving. No wonder we still have illegal buses operating during the festive seasons with half-drugged drivers with enormous amount of unpaid tickets and fines. The crackdown is commendable and should be continued. Quality staffing for ACA should be increased as I reckon their workload is piling up heavily and it is a matter of time before they begin suffocating with bureaucracy and red tape.

It will be a couple of years to go until Malaysia becomes a net importer of crude oil. What does this translate to us? Definitely less revenue from local production. That is why Petronas continues to invest in hot properties around the world for continued supply and revenue for the Government. However, how long can Petronas become the cash cow for Malaysia? What is the next engine of growth for the country? Palm oil? Services? Manufacturing? Retail? Tourism?

Some interesting stats from the PP by-election

So DSAI pulls it off with a stunning win of 15,671 majority votes (garnered 31,195 votes).

Here are the figures from last general election:

- Datuk Seri Wan Azizah won with a convincing 13,388 majority (garnered 30,338 votes).
- Datuk Pirdaus garnered 16,950 votes for BN in the Permatang Pauh Parliamentary seat contest.
- Datuk Ariff Shah won the Seberang Jaya DUN with a 533 majority. He secured 9,395 votes from 18,479 total votes. However, he won the same seat in 2004 with a big majority of 4,464. Hmmmmm big reduction there......

Figures from the Permatang Pauh by-election:

- DSAI won with a 15,671 majority votes.
- Voters turn out less by 1.9%
- Datuk Ariff secured 15,524 votes.

What does all this mumbo jumbo say? It's close to status quo. There's a slight reduction in BN support and slight increase in DSAI's support but there's also reduction in turn out (working day for outstation folks?). However, Datuk Ariff's numbers at DUN level is quite impressive considering it's in Anwar's territory.

In conclusion the sons of Permatang Pauh favor Datuk Ariff as a local hero, but at national level, they rather have DSAI to put up a good fight at Parliament. ok what's next, Budget 2009?

Hey wait a sec, isn't it National day in a few days?! Happy National Day from South China Sea!

(Some pictures taken from Rocky's bru)

What's next after Permatang Pauh?

It will be hours till we know who would be crowned the new MP of Permatang Pauh and perhaps if DSAI wins, this is his first step to Putrajaya. Of course, desire and reality should not be colluded as one. If DSAI wins with a bigger majority, I reckon these would be people pissed off with BN, not so much of their support for DSAI. If he wins with a slimmer majority, perhaps the sumpah by Saiful made a huge impact. The one good thing about the by-election is the increase in business for the locals, whether it's the banana fritter hawkers or hotel owners. Whatever the outcome is, it will be back to normal for Malaysia with a staggering 7% inflation, low market confidence in Bursa and lagging economy.

Good that the price of petrol was reduced to give us a breather, whether it's politically motivated or not. Budget is coming its way in September promising more goodies for all Malaysians. Whether it's lower income tax or more rebates, hopefully the extra cash translated in our pockets would be put to good use and rejuvenate the sluggish econ.

Despite huge media coverage on inflation and such, I was quite surprised to find high-end properties sold out in recent launches around the city. These people, whether fortunate to have some inherited wealth or skillful in their business, are definitely not effected with the high oil price or inflation.

A big chunk of money in the Budget is expected to be spent for public transportation. The rise of usage ever since the fuel price hike has FINALLY made some leaders prioritize the issue. The challenge in implementation would be streamlining the many groups involved in this: MOF, Prasarana, MOT, PM's Office, RapidKL, local govts, vendors. Of course, everyone would be eager to be the champion.

DAP has announced its intention to oppose Malaysia being an Islamic state and abolish the NEP once and for all. With Tunku Aziz as their Deputy Chairman, they are supposedly showing off their multi cultural/racial stand. Aren't there more Chinese Excos in Penang now than before? Do you really think this Tunku Aziz would have any political clout whatsoever in the pre-dominantly Chinese party? Please lah. He was the Vice Chairman for Transparency International for 2 terms. What business does he have to be in a political party?

On another note, being a PJ resident, lotsa people were talking about changes during the General Election. Free water (which translated to about RM3 I think), Projek Khinzir Raksasa, etc, etc. I wrote an email to my DAP MP regarding pot holes in the area. I was amazed with the quick response from him. Within a couple of weeks, the pot holes were covered......with just sand. The sand eventually was gone and the pot holes were still there. So what's all this fuss about change?

AUKU - AKTA UNIVERSITI DAN KOLEJ UNIVERSITI

Saya tertarik dengan artikel yang ditulis oleh Yang Dipertua Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar Universiti Sains Malaysia Muhammad Syukri Ibrahim pada 8 Ogos 2008. Beliau berkata "Sekiranya AUKU itu dipinda untuk membolehkan mahasiswa berpolitik, saya percaya mahasiswa akan hilang tanggungjawab terhadap pembelajaran dan proses menuntut ilmu".

Mungkin ramai yang tidak berpendapat sedemikian. Walaupun lebih ramai pelajar-pelajar Melayu telah mendapatkan ijazah, tetapi hakikatnya, kualiti pelajar-pelajar secara umum masih diragui sektor swasta. Dua punca utama yang sering dibincangkan ialah penguasaan pertuturan dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan ketidaksesuaian subjek yang diambil di universiti. Tetapi apabila pemimpin mengimplementasikan penggunaan bahasa Inggeris dalam subjek Sains dan Matematik, ramai yang membantah.

Memang tidak dinafikan kedudukan istimewa orang-orang Melayu membolehkan ramai anak-anak Melayu kita mendapat peluang meneruskan pengajian di peringkat universiti. Saya juga tidak menafikan keberkesanan kedudukan istimewa ini yang telah merapatkan sedikit jurang perbezaan di antara orang Melayu dan bangsa-bangsa lain. Kedudukan ini telah membolehkan ramai anak-anak Melayu menceburi bidang-bidang profesional dan dunia koporat.

Namun, perkara yang membimbangkan saya ialah debat untuk memansuhkan Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti (AUKU). Ramai berpendapat bahawa pelajar-pelajar di universiti sudah matang untuk mengutamakan pembelajaran dan pada masa yang sama, ada yang berminat untuk berpolitik. Bagi saya, mereka yang ingin memansuhkan Akta ini berfikiran cetek. Dalam masa 4 tahun, anak-anak kita sepatutnya menumpukan perhatian bukan sahaja untuk lulus, tetapi lulus dengan cemerlang dan bersiap sedia untuk memasuki dunia pekerjaan. Ramai anak-anak kita yang masih menganggur walaupun mempunyai ijazah, seperti yang dilaporkan dalam akhbar "The Star" pada 5 November 2005, yang mana 60,000 lulusan universiti masih menganggur. Dua punca utama yang sering disebut oleh sektor swasta ialah kelemahan penguasaan bahasa Inggeris dan ketidaksesuaian mata pelajaran yang dipilih.

Di universiti juga, pelajar-pelajar perempuan jauh lebih ramai daripada lelaki. Anak-anak muda lelaki sering dikaitkan dengan gejala sosial seperti mat rempit dan sebagainya. Persepsi ini semakin hari semakin berleluasa. Apabila YB Tan Sri Khalid memberi cadangan untuk membuka 10 peratus kerusi di UITM kepada orang-orang bukan Melayu, pelajar-pelajar bangkit menentang habis-habisan. Yang menyedihkan ialah apabila peluang diberikan, ramai yang mensia-siakan peluang ini sehingga bangsa lain marah.

Saya akui bahawa ramai orang Melayu yang telah berjaya hasil daripada polisi seperti Dasar Ekonomi Baru, tetapi perjuangan ini masih jauh perjalanannya. Jurang perbezaan juga semakin besar. Kita perlu "lari" lebih laju dari bangsa-bangsa lain untuk "mengejar", bukan "lari" sama laju supaya dapat merapatkan jurang. Jika keutamaan ini tidak diberi dan pelajar-pelajar hanya berminat untuk berpolitik, berdemonstrasi dan terjebak dalam gejala sosial, tidak hairanlah kenapa jika generasi ini akan gagal menaikkan taraf orang-orang Melayu. Pelajar-pelajar yang menentang pembukaan kerusi di UITM kepada orang-orang bukan Melayu perlu membuktikan kepada masyarakat umum bahawa mereka betul-betul berhak mendapat peluang dan kedudukan istimewa itu.

The War Zone: Permatang Pauh

So it's my first time attending nomination day for a by-election. We took off early from the hotel and drove to Maktab Perguruan Tuanku Bainun together with DSHH convoy. As we entered the main road leading to the entrance, Permatang Pauh once again reminded BN that we are the underdogs and are not welcomed there. At 0730, the area was already flooded with PKR flags, banners and supporters chanting Anwar's name and the normal "Reformasi" war cry. Our cars in the convoy were subject to abuse from kicking, knocking and harmless projectiles flying from all directions. I was told that the previous by-elections were worse, so I took it as being "normal".

We exited the cars and walked to the BN assembly area. Dozens of bodyguards guided their political masters to the muster area. FRUs falled in, ready to be mobilized to their stations. The field was divided into two main sections for the two major sides. It was obvious the size of the support for PKR was at least 3 times more. However, BN didn't come unprepared and was ready for a fight anytime.

It looked like one of the scenes in the "Last Samurai". On one side, the Japanese imperial army was massive and ready to stampede on everything in it's path. On the other side, the Samurai, although in a small number, were ready to put up a good fight, knowing that a certain death is imminent.

After the candidates were announced, we escorted DSHH and KJ out of the premise. Regardless of "teams", on that day, everyone put on their "BN" cap and forgot about party elections. As usual, fans of DSHH flocked around trying to at least shake their idol's hand and quickly take a snapshot with camera phones ready in eager hands. We were squished and pushed around. As soon as we were out of the premise, rain came. Drenched in our white and blue gear, we marched calmly to the nearest shelter and waited the rain out. When it slowed down to a drizzle, we walked again to get to our cars.

PKR fans were hurling insults and throwing harmless projectiles at us, trying to target DSHH and KJ. Some were taunting DSHH openly. He just walked off, acting all was cool. We formed a human shield around the "most wanted targets" while hearing things like "why the hell did you raise the fuel price" and "get the hell out of here". I was in suspense, looking around me and anticipating any fool that could just run into our direction with a dangerous weapon, despite the presence of hundreds of cops, uniformed and plain clothed.

When the convoy came to pick us up, I could only get onto the back of a pick up truck. With my clothes all drenched and having at least another 7 of our friends on the same truck, everyone just held on to something like our lives depended on it while the pick up tried to catch up with the convoy in front. The rain hit our skin like a million sharp needles.

When we got back to the hotel in one piece and were enjoying our cantonese fried kuew teoy, I just felt it was probably the best weekends I had in a long time. Who said politics was boring?

Of Nation Building and Patriotism

I was quite upset reading an article in the Star today titled "Why we can't get our experts to return". Here's my reply to the Star.

Referring to the article written by Another Migrant from Paris dated 13^th August 2008 on “Why we can’t get our experts to return”. I totally agree with the brain drain problem that we have in this country. Students are sent overseas for higher education as part as our plan to enhance the workforce of k-economy. Government policies need to be improved to ensure that laws are enforced in the event students violate their contractual agreements and refuse to pay their student loans. Singapore sends out massive recruitment teams because they are a resource-poor country. Some resource-poor country strive better economically such as Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore because of the urgent need to remain competitive in securing a place in this competitive global world. Forget Africa. We all know that thousands of Malaysian expertise helps contribute to the vibrant Singapore economy. Obviously income disparity is typically a problem due to our purchasing power in this country compared to the developed nations. Singapore has an income per capita 4 folds that of Malaysia.

We do agree that we wish the Government machinery could work a little bit faster. We do agree that professionals find it hard to find competitive salary here in Malaysia. Perhaps Malaysians could be more courteous on the road, hold the door or the elevator for people, queue at the counter, stop littering their drains until they clog, say thank you or smile more often at counters, be more patient and courteous with customers at the store and give up their seats in the train for the pregnant ladies or elders. Perhaps politicians could stop politicizing petty issues and start thinking about solutions to increase mass transportation and reduce the dependency on oil. Perhaps municipals could enforce the law better and ensure people don’t double park literally everywhere at their convenience. Perhaps we could stop trying to make records of the biggest and longest roti canai and focus on increasing the number of patents and reducing the back log in the courts. Perhaps we could be like France which a net exporter of electricity generated by nuclear plants and thus reducing carbon emission tremendously. Instead of sending an astronaut to space, perhaps we could have studied how fuel cell works and create another industry in this country. The car manufacturing business was learnt in a matter of 15 years.

What disappoints me are Malaysians who stay comfortably in other countries, criticizing what Malaysian government should or should not have done, how Malaysians should do this or that, only because the countries they live in have certain luxuries that we don’t have. I think this whole country is everyone’s responsibility to develop, not just politicians, but the engineers, the doctors, the accountants, the teachers. To blame backwardness on racial politics is ludicrous. If you think white people don’t practice racial or religious politics, think about the Crusades, the Nazis and the aborigines in Australia. What makes them better than Malaysian arm chair critics is that at least they acknowledge it being part of their history and participate directly to make their country better. Perhaps getting a PR in France makes you feel better about yourself instead of having the red passport with the two tigers facing each other with pride and courage in the eyes of challenges.

Majlis Peguam dan Penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris (kemaskini 1)

kemaskini 1: "Ketika ribuan umat Islam bangkit mempertikaikan tindakan Majlis Peguam, menteri yang kononnya mahir dalam bidang undang-undang hilang entah ke mana, ini amat mengecewakan seluruh ahli UMNO dan orang Melayu.

Saya amat bersetuju jikalau Akta Hasutan diperkuatkuasakan dalam kes Majlis Peguam mengadakan forum "Memeluk Agama Islam" baru-baru ini. Memang diakui bahawa terdapat masalah apabila keluarga bukan Islam memeluki Islam dan ingin keluar. Ada juga masalah mengenai harta sepencarian dan juga suami yang memeluki Islam tanpa memberitahu isteri. Bukankah masalah2 ini boleh ditangani dengan perbincangan persendiririan dan tertutup? Apakah tujuan utama forum ini diuar-uarkan secara terbuka? Adakah ini masalah majoriti orang2 di Malaysia? Tak perlulah politikkan isu2 sebegini. Banyak lagi masalah yang perlu dibetulkan seperti inflasi dan sebagainya. Mungkin ada muslihat lain di sebalik forum ini, berikutan dengan kes VK Lingam dan Suruhanjaya yang akan ditubuhkan untuk memilih hakim2. Tuan2 dan puan2 fikirkanlah sendiri.

Hari ini juga TS Khalid Ibrahim, Menteri Besar Selangor mencadangkan supaya 10 peratus kerusi di UITM diberikan kepada orang2 Melayu. Saya rasa itu cadangan yang munasabah, tetapi pada masa yang sama orang2 Melayu juga perlu diberikan peluang yang sama di UNITAR dan sekolah2 lain yang didominasi oleh orang Cina. Jika kita bersedia untuk berintegrasi, kenapa kita masih mempunyai pelbagai sistem persekolahan? Jika orang2 bukan Melayu inginkan 'equality', maka kita perlu adil dari semua aspek. Semua pihak perlu bertolak ansur. Apa salahnya dibuat sekolah kebangsaan di seluruh negara? Kenapa orang2 Cina dan India marah apabila isu ini diutarakan?

Semalam Tun Dr Mahathir telah memberikan pendapat mengenai pengajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan juga serba sedikit mengenai sistem pertahanan kita. Sepatutnya jelas kepada orang2 Melayu dan Malaysia rata2 bahawa penguasaan bahasa Inggeris sangat penting dalam menimba ilmu. Ilmu2 kejuruteraan, kedoktoraan, teknologi dan sebagainya kebanyakkannya ditulis dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Sememangnya menjadi masalah kepada anak2 Melayu kita yang belajar diluar negara kerana tidak faham dengan terminologi2 dalam bahasa Inggeris. Seperti contoh pengamiran (integration) dalam Matematik. Ramai yang masih mendapati ianya sukar untuk mempelajari semula terminologi2 sebegini apabila belajar di universiti2 luar negara. Pengajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris di peringkat sekolah menengah bertujuan untuk mempercepatkan 'learning curve' anak2 kita supaya bahasa tidak menjadi penghalang di universiti. Bukannya anak2 kita tak pandai, tetapi lazimnya anak2 Melayu di luar negara ketinggalan kerana masa digunakan untuk mempelajari translasi.

Secara tidak langsung juga, kerana anak2 kita agak 'ketinggalan', mereka menjadi 'segan' dan 'terpencil' akibat kurang penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris. Mereka lebih gemar berinteraksi dengan orang2 Malaysia sahaja dan tidak bercampur dengan bangsa2 asing. Memang ada yang cekap dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan saya tidak khuatir dengan sebilangan kecil ini. Mereka tentunya akan berjaya bercampur. Tetapi golongan2 yang mempunyai sifat terpencil dan malu ini akan ketinggalan. Takut nak tanya soalan dalam kelas, takut disindir oleh kawan2 kerana 'broken english'. Anak2 muda dari Kelantan segan kerana ditertawakan kawan, kononnya pertuturan dalam Bahasa Inggeris mereka ada loghat Kelantan sedikit.

The Arctic, its reserve and of US and Malaysia Oil Consumption

The Arctis was reported to have an estimated 90B barrels of crude and 1,670TCF of Gas. It's categorized as probably the 5th largest reserve in the world now and regarded as Big Oil's final frontier. The problem is that adding crude to our inventory will not solve the problem that peak oil is real and the production of crude will one day be less than demand. The idea to wire up electric cars to the national grid in the US is commendable. However, it is not spared with challenges such as battery size, weight and cost effectiveness. Lithium is probably the best solution for it due to its efficiency to store energy compared to other elements. Scientists and venture capitalists are betting on this as the next Internet, so to speak. As long as politicians are not willing to venture into this and continue to open up area for development especially in sensitive areas such as the Arctic, we're slowly hammering the nails on our coffins.

The US Department of Defense by far is the largest consumer of petrol at 300kbd. There is little public knowledge about the heavy usage of petrol by the men in green to run the huge Naval fleets worldwide, plane runs, etc. To my surprise, I also found out that 70% of total logistics in the military is for fuel deployment! Every $10/bbl increment would make Pentagon take US1.3B from tax payers pocket.

On a different note, despite the apparent addiction to oil by the US, USMC General Zilmer is a proponent for renewable energy technology to be incorporated in military gear and several US bases have utilized solar and geothermal. This should be extended to the public, just like the Internet. British converted from coal to oil before WW1 to increase the quickness of troops deployment. However, that was an era of US3/bbl crude.

The next big user is obviously transportation in the US. There are more than 240 million cars and trucks on the road. There's an average increase of 7% every year in the US from car sales. In other words, Americans (who are the biggest consumer of cheap and imported oil) really don't care whether we're plunging into global warming with excessive carbon emission. The next presidential hopeful is supposedly heavily geared to make this an urgent agenda for the American people and the world by signing the Kyoto protocol and setting a good example as the only superpower left on Earth (whatever that means).

Malaysia has similar problems. Although it is now a net exporter, it's predicted that Malaysia will be a net importer in a few years time. Opening up new blocks in the East would not help keep the consumption level lower than production. How do we curb oil consumption? Obviously, there has to be options for consumers. The alternative fuel has to be easy to be transported and distributed at stations. E85 could be a good bet although it might add pressure to food price. Public transportation has been a buzz word for the last few months following the general election this year. The extension of LRT will take time and before that happens, there is not much that we could do. The challenge is to expand the network in congested KL. Should not be an issue for other cities like JB and Penang. The purchase of buses could help a bit but I reckon it won't be enough. The other answer is to make it expensive for people to drive in the city center and make certain areas exclusive for pedestrians and public transportations only. The rise of 70 cents to the Liter has actually reduced traffic by 30% as reported by Star recently. Adding highways would not help reduce traffic, it merely diverts traffic. Our next bet is also hybrid or electric cars. However, because of the nature of the AP system and the grip by the elite few, the cost of the cars on the road might not be worth it for the regular joe.

The New Economic Invasion

So now we have Singapore having an interest in not just our GLC, but shopping malls as well. I'm sure there are economic reasons for this, but are these politically sound reasons? Just like free trade might be economically 'just' to some countries, however, it is labeled as a form of tyranny for smaller, developing countries.

Adding salt to the wound, we have Iskandar which benefits the rich (and we know where they're from) and we have a RM1B IT project awarded to a small-time Singapore-based company with Israeli directors. Is anyone not worried or bothered by these events (especially after losing one of our islands)???

It doesn't help to note that most of our radars are down and we have poor equipment for our soldiers to defend the border. If I'm wrong, please prove me wrong - I need to be enlightened!

BLAIR AND THE CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE

Posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at August 1, 2008 2:22 PM

I feel sad that after a very well attended Press Conference (see picture) chaired by me as Chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Perdana Global Peace Organisation to condemn the visit of the war criminal Tony Blair, almost nothing has appeared in the print and electronic media in this country.

It looks as if Malaysia supports the criminal action of this former British Prime Minister who lied to his Parliament, to the British people and the world that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) which could hit Britain in a matter of minutes.

On the basis of this lie he joined George Bush of the United States to launch a massive war against Iraq, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis and destroying their cities, the electricity and water supply.

When no WMDs were found in Iraq, this war criminal claimed that he and Bush unleashed their killers against Iraq to rid it of (President) Saddam Hussein and to make Iraq and all the countries in West Asia democratic.

Saddam has been caught together with his Cabinet members and hanged after trial by a kangaroo court.

But the killings in Iraq has not stopped. It is five years plus and the Iraqi people, from babies to old people, the healthy and the sick, are being killed or savagely wounded every day.

More at chedet.

USD12B in 2Q

ExxonMobil's second quarter earnings excluding special items were a record $11,970 million, up 17% from the second quarter of 2007," said Chairman Rex W. Tillerson. "Earnings per share excluding special items were up 24% reflecting the impact of the continuing share purchase program. Net income for the second quarter was $11,680 million, up 14% from the second quarter of 2007.

More at Rigzone.