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?