Monday, August 29, 2005

Independence Day...

3 Days from now, we will be celebrating our 48th National Day.

Yes...in case you haven't notice, it has been 48 years of independence ....it has been 48 years since we are govern by some foreign powers, be it the Portugese, Dutch, British, Japanese etc.

For me, the national day is just a holiday for me.

Call me unpatriotic or even a communist, i have again fail to live up to the National Day Celebration.

Last year my blog did say the same thing and i felt my opinion aren't swayed again this year.

It is just a holiday just like any other holiday we have in this country. With the exception of Hari Raya...31st August is just like another Bank Holiday or just a day break in a long week.

Why?

Do i not love Malaysia? Do i not cared for the nation and its fight? Do i forgot about the sacrifices of our national heroes??

Those who read my entries will testify that though my views are strong....i voiced it out becoz i love this country...probably more than some of the Minister entrusted to run this country.

I cared for the nation just like you, i cheered for our Malaysian Badminton Team, Nicol David, Esther Cheah being World Bowling Champion, Karamjit Singh-Asia Rally Champion etc.

I do remember the sacrifices Mat Kilau made, Tok Gajah, Tok Janggut, Mat Salleh in Sabah, Leftenan Adnan in defending this nation from the colonies.

The why i am somewhat lacklustre about National Day?

Difficult to say...but there are myriads of factors like err..err difficult to pinpoint laa

However, i havent to say that listening to Patriotic Song by Sudirman over and over again kinna get on my nerves. By putting flags on my car which gonna wither away in two weeks somehow not a good investment for me. Standing in Cinema when hearing the National Anthem also for me falls into a long list of stupid ideas.

Personally, the pride of the nation comes from the heart...it cannot and will not be force into an individuals. When the Japanese came and require our dad or grandad to bow to the sun and sing the Nippon...it doesnt work either. The British tries to institutionalise the British way of thinking, raising the Union Jack ..but it doesnt work either. Again...history has already shown that this National Pride cannot be force upon....it must come from within.

How many of us visit the Tugu Negara in the last 5 years?

The answer probably ...err i was there when i was a kid.

Or probably the answer will be " Melawat patung itu haram..so i tak pie laaa..." eventhough the same person will probably happy wearing a shirt that says " Mawi World!!!" ...idolization is also haram, you know!?

Though i hate to say this, look at the Americans and probably you will learn a thing ot two.

They love their country more than us eventhough our flag have 90% resemblenes.

They remember their struggle to create the USA compared to some teenagers in Bangsar happily dancing away to DJ Tiesto in Modesto or Zouk without the faintest idea on who Loke Yew, Tun Sambathan or Ahmad Bustamam was.

The Americans instill their national pride since kindergarden...they re-enact their forefathers struggle in school plays and poetry, they teach idioms about the fall of Troy and the breach of Great Wall of China because of treachery and egotism.

What do our school kids learn nowadays about our nation?

We learn abt the facts not the story of the person itself.

That is why we cannot relate to their struggle. That is why half of us will only be raised from their bed on the 31st August this year and years to come at 11 or even 2 o'clock in the afternoon. That is why some of us will only watch the National Day Parade in Putrajaya in its full session only when browsing thru channels at Astro.

National struggle and pride must start from kindergarden straight into university days.

The story of Leftenan Adnan, Tok Janggut, Raja Haji in Johor and the betrayal of Raja Abdullah in Perak must be told again and again in order to be ingrain in our future generation.

That is why i failed to understand the weekend before the National Day ...TV3 showed " Cinta Si Penngali Kubur" as a prime time showing on Saturday. Just imagine, nobody has yet to make a movie abt "Tunku Abdul Rahman" abt his fight for Merdeka. The worst thing that cross my mind was "Was it even worst to be colonise by a foreign power rather than be undermine and bluff by my own race?" At least, colonisation by a foreign power...i know my enemy clearly.

That for me just probably explain just why i failed to have the joy of Merdeka this year.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Penang

Today i am off to Penang

Got a lot to write but havent got the necessary space to do so....

Till then you guys keep busy and act whatever you wanna act because there is only you and the consequences.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Fuel prices…theory, opinion and conspiracies.

Back in May 2005, when there were some hush-hush on another fuel price increases, PM stated not to speculate for it is bad on business.

Lo and behold, July 2005, the price for petrol per litre raised another ten cents to a new price of RM 1.62. Diesel was hike up another twenty cents to a new price of RM 1.34. Based on the data given by The Star on the 21st July and The Edge later that week, these price has increased the cost of driving by 25% - 40% depending on the intensity and frequency of movements.

During the reign of the current PM alone, price hike for fuel alone has been increased by forty cents, with a gradual increase of 10 cents each. Factors cited are the constantly rising price oil per barrel traded internationally (currently USD67 per barrel), the need to be more conservative in our subsidies and the tightening of govt. purse.

Data given by the govt stated that our price level is still the lowest in the region especially in the ASEAN group of countries. Our price level is still lower compared to Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia but higher by 15% in Brunei.

My opinion is this.

First, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand is a net importer of oil i.e. they consume more than they produce. In the case of Singapore, they hardly have any resources to boot no it is not a mystery. Thailand and Indonesia do have oil but it is not enough to sustain domestic demands.

Second, the average numbers of cars/vehicle in our country is a lot higher than our ASEAN region. The car per citizen ratios in Singapore and Thailand is a lot lower compared to Malaysia because the cost of owning a vehicle in Singapore is lot more expensive whilst the income per capita in Thailand is lower than us. Vehicle di sini bermaksud kereta and motorsikal.

Penduduk Malaysia rata-ratanya mempunyai satu kereta utk satu family dan bagi keluarga berpendapat rendah satu motosikal mesti ada. In fact, Malaysian market is moving into second car segment…kereta kedua keluarga yg lebih kecil dan fuel savings. Maka timbullah Savvy and MyVi, datanglah Chevy and Honda Jazz.

Ketiga, none of the ASEAN countries have a national petroleum agency that is in the Top 10 Petroleum Company in the world. In terms of revenue and income return, Petronas is second to none, better than ExxonMobil, Shell and BP. Apatah lagi dgn kenaikan harga minyak yg melambung ini, maka keuntungan Petronas juga meningkat lebih 50% berbanding dgn tahun lalu i.e. estimated to be RM 500M for the first six months. Petronas is getting bigger and more competitive.

Berdasarkan kepada 3 faktor di atas, saya berpendapat bahawa kenaikkan harga minyak tidak wajar malah membebankan rakyat terutamanya golongan berpendapat rendah. The fuel subsidy should be maintain simply becoz WE CAN AFFORD IT! Dari sejarah pembangunan Malaysia, seandainya harga minyak setong turun ke harga asalnya iaitu USD 40 per barrel, rasanya harga minyak tidak akan diturunkan juga pasal malas agaknya. Jika diteliti buku “Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith , kerajaan sepatutnya govern sahaja dan biarkan rakyat compete and set the equilibrium price.

Secara peribadi, saya merasakan bahawa rakyat yang terpaksa menanggung beban kenaikan ini. Di manakah perginya cerdik pandai negara ini yang mampu menyelesaikan kemelut kenaikkan harga minyak ini? Pasti ada cara bagi mengimbangi subsidi minyak ini jika kerajaan berani menaikkan cukai bagi golongan kaya yang mampu mempunyai rumah seperti di bawah. Ketidak samaan pembahagian kekayaan negara amat ketara di negara ini di mana jurang di antara golongan “ada-ada” amat jauh dgn golongan miskin negara ini. Keadaan ini lebih menonjol bagi kaum India dan Melayu.

Kemelut subsidi minyak ini juga jadi beban apabila pada masa yang sama kerajaan menurunkan kadar faedah kepada taraf yang terendah bagi tempuh 18 tahun. Anda mampu mempunyai kereta baru dgn kadar faedah hanya 2.5% dan kereta terpakai 3.85%. Maka panjanglah jumlah pesanan MyVi hingga ada yang terpaksa menunggu hingga hari Raya untuk mendapatkan. Ada ke yang tempah Savvy?? I wonder….

Petronas merupakan syarikat kepunyaan negara maka wajar jika keuntungan ini di laburkan kepada rakyat. Kenaikan kadar minyak ini tidak memberikan kesan yang mendadak kepada rakyat Amerika Syarikat kerana biarpun ekonomi mereka di kuasai yahudi. Harga minyak per gallon hanya berganjak sebanyak 5% sahaja(The Economist July 2005) manakala Malaysia sudah meningkat sebanyak 30%.

Maka ada yang mengatakan semua ini adalah salah US juga kerana tindakan mereka menyerang Iraq menyebabkan pengeluaran mintak di Iraq menurun secara tiba-tiba. Perumpamaan yang digunakan adalah jika minyak di dunia ini dihasilkan oleh 10 negara ..maka ditutup pengeluaran di satu negara maka pasti harga akan naik kerana permintaan lebih daripada pengeluaran. Ini basic rule of ecomony.

So there are many theories that US is storing these fuel in Iraq because they wanted to make record profits. Mind you, the Bush family from Texas are fuel land owners..so inadvertently they also benefits. Another theory is that the Jews are conspiring to halt the explosive economy of China that seems to eat every single resources in the world. Mana satu yang betul hanya tuhan sahaja yang tahu.

Pada saya yang berugama islam, kerajaan yang dipimpin oleh org yang mengaku Islam juga harus memikirkan hal ehwal rakyat juga. Ke mana perginya wang BaitulMal Malaysia dan Pusat Zakat Negara sehingga pihak persendirian terpaksa mencari derma melalui rancangan television “Bersamaku” ? Apa ertinya kamu memakai Mercedez S Class ataupun BMW 7 Series apabila bergelar Menteri ataupun CEO jika nasib meraka seagama masih tidak terbela. Apa ertinya poket kamu penuh dgn wang RM100 jika derma di masjid masih berat tapi tidak seberat mengundi Mawi di AF3 menggunakan kad prabayar RM30? Menangnya mereka-mereka ini sejauh mana menguntungkan kamu?

Lebih baik sokong Liverpool kerana jika Liverpool menang, hati pun senang heh..heh..heh.

Well, that just my small drop in the vast ocean called Malaysia tanahairku.

Monday, August 08, 2005

HOME OF THE AP KINGS!!

Setelah 48 tahun merdeka...akhirnya anak melayu kita berjaya juga mempunyai taraf kemajuan ekonomi yang sama dgn bangsa lain. Mereka telah berjaya merubah status mereka daripada bekerja makan gaji kepada pemberi gaji kepada orang lain juga.

Kemajuan ini merupakan usahasama kerajaan Barisan Nasional dangan rakyat Malaysia terutamanya rakyat Melayu. Ini harus kita bangga kerana kesenangan mereka juga melambangkan bahawa kita orang Melayu juga mampu melangkah kesetapak lagi ...lebih tinggi ke arah cemerlang, gemilang and terbilang.

STATEMENT DI ATAS MERUPAKAN JIWA PENULIS JIKA DIA PERCAYA SEGALA APA YANG DISOGOKKAN MELALUI MEDIAMASSA NEGARA INI SELAMA 30 TAHUN DIA BERNAFAS!!!

Namun jika kita teliti diri kita sendiri....mereka-mereka disekeliking kita...sedara mara kita...jiran2 kita...masih ada yang merempat di bumi yang mereka panggil tanahairku!

Ada baru2 ini seorg menteri besar negara ini mengelarkan negerinya " Negeri Maju"..sedangkan anak2 melayu di Sabak Bernam ada yang masih tiada bekalan air, tiada jalan berturap ke kemudahan asas...tiada kemampuan utk talian telefon apatah lagi kereta.

Ada lagi anak2 melayu kita di Perlis yang masih terpaksa berhenti sekolah utk bekerja menyara keluarga kerana kesempitan wang! Ada lagi wajah org2 kita yang muncul di siri "Bersamaku" yang kurang jumlah penontonnya berbanding AF3, menelan siput babi sekeluarga kerana kesempitan ekonomi, banyak lagi anak2 muda yang menghiasi lorong2 bandar sambil menyuntik dadah ataupun pil khayal agar tinggi lompatannya semasa di kelab malam nanti.

Ramai lagi org kita masih kais pagi makan pagi biarpun bekerja di bangunan tinggi ataupun jawatannya tinggi namun hutangnya juga membusun. Ramai lagi anak2 muda yang lebih suka menunggang motorsikal di waktu malam minggu sambil menjerit-jeritkan ezkos motornya kerana dia merasakan itu sudah hebat. Di mana bangsa Cina ketika dia ramai2 naik motorsikal itu? Kemungkinan besar dia tokey kedai motorsikal tersebut yang baru diservis petang tadi dengan harga RM 65/=

Sejumlah besar lagi org2 kita di kelantan dan terengganu yang berada di bawah paras kemiskinan....hidup sekeluarga seramai 10 hingga 12 org dibawah satu bumbung sehingga menyumbang sumbang mahram.


Di mana silapnya kita?? Sehingga ada di antara kita menjadi terlalu kaya sementara masih ramai lagi yang tertinggal lagi arus kemajuan.

Saya tidak mengata bahawa kerajaan sekarang gagal menaikkan taraf kehidupan org kita cuma saya merasakan " WE COULD BE BETTER" if the people chosen actually do their job honestly.

Well my two cents...but below are the houses of successful Malay "Entrepreneur"





The gate is gold plated Posted by Picasa


The land itself cost RM5 Million Posted by Picasa


The entire house is estimated to be worth around RM30 million Posted by Picasa


A new house of Syed Azman-another AP King Posted by Picasa


Estimated worth is RM28 million Posted by Picasa


With fixture and fittings-it could spiral up to RM35 Million Posted by Picasa


That's how big the house is... Posted by Picasa



Man....i could get use to this... Posted by Picasa


A helipad in the making! Posted by Picasa

My complaint for the high electrical bills..and their response

I complained about my recent electric bill and here's the response !!

Dear Electric Customer,
Just a little note to let you know we understand your
anger in the recent price hike. But it should be noted
that you have no choice. We are a big company and you
will pay what we tell you. You have no choice. We have
the power, you need the power. So sad, too bad. Sucks
to be you. Have a nice day and keep those
checks coming, loser!


Sincerely,


Your Local Power Co
.

Friday, August 05, 2005

My way or the highway?!!

There i was, in the baking hot sun.

Trying to make my way to my car insurance company adjacent to Jalan Sultan Ismail. Those who are aware of this lane in KL would surely attest that the bloody road is never free of traffic jams and rude drivers. Except during 2 days of raya, chinese new year etc.Most of the time, you are in need of tremendous patience and acute driving skills. Enough of that...

I survived unscathed...park my vehicle happily and walked straight to the Kurnia service counter. Readily took my number and waited, not so many customers waiting so i guess i am in luck. After a while, my numbers is up and i brisked to the nearest counter. I smiled and said " Renewal" and handed over my car cover note. He smiled and said "sure..."

There is was believing that i am in good enough hands but this will not be a good story unless there is some suprises la kan...

" I am sorry sir...i cannot renew your car insurance because you need to install Captor first. Your car is on a hotlist that is why you are required to install this Captor ...otherwise you cannot renew the insurance"

I was shocked but tried to keep calm..."errr what is a "hotlist"?

"Hotlist are list of cars which are usually stole or targeted to be stolen...models like Vios, Camry, Estima, Jazz and City are required to do this"

" what i do now?" I asked humbly

"You can go to Captor installation center which we have in multiple locations. This device will tracked you, immobilizes it should you reported it stolen just in a matter of minutes..."

"Man, that's good...so how much?" i gingerly asked.

" Captor cost RM1,988.00 plus your insurance of RM 1,085 after deducting your NCB....that will be RM 3, 073.00"

"F*ck, &,!,%,$,@,+,!,.........."

"aiyoh..so expensive...can i opt not to install this?"

" No sir...because you are required to install this"

"Very authocratic....huh...err what if i am willing to pay extra premiums instead of installing that device?"

" No..." he becomes slightly agitated

" Can i pay the devices in installment ..because RM2K is very expensive la friend...especially for something that you do not know gonna happen..."

"No..."

" can i this....." another brilliant suggestion by me...

"No"

" can i that...." another brilliant suggestion by me

" No.."

" i am sorry ...it just simply cannot be done...either you install this device or you go to another insurance company" he vented his anger due to the barrage to question asked

" OK ....Fuck Kurnia then!!!" I walked off

I have no intend to discredit the insurance company but only in Malaysia the consumer is constantly kick on their backside without them knowing it.Remember the new bankcard where you need to pay just to use the service?? remember that?? You are a customer...??

Sorry for the languange but i felt strongly about this. The insurance company didn't inform me on this new policy but simply dictate what need to be done. For motorist yang insurance memang nak expire esok atau lusa memang panik la ...pasal kena cekau lagi RM2K pasang...maka gosok la mastercard anda...jika silap..kena declare bankrupt hujung tahun...parah tuh?!

A call by my partner also confirms this....Amfinance also requires the captor to be installed as well, Mayban on the verge, PIAM (body that governs insurance company) should be aware of this because this totally disregard the voice of the customer....we should be given an option because i am a paying customer. Now, isn't there a saying that a customer is always right?

I refused to install it...so i registered with another insuarance which doesnt requires me to install that device.

I failed to understand this. While i can digest that this device is good but why it is very expensive. If this is very good, why not all cars required to install this?

I remeber the last initiative taken which was the black box install in a car by the insurance company...that was a total disaster as well. Nothing happen.

Now since the device is install...wouldnt the thief disable the device as well? Even Cobra anti-theft device pun kena jack....apatah lagi benda nie??

Yes the device is good...it can stop the car, locate the car anywhere in Malaysia..yes it is marvellous but it is also an invasion of privacy.

Since the device can tracked your car, it can also detect where you favourite hang-outs, your favourite shopping malls and place of interest. The data gathered can readily be sold to another marketing arms that utilizes this information to con you some more!!

For those who like frequenting Lorong Haji Taib or Chow KIt to get some quick action..hear me, they know you are there!

Now that a scary thought huh??

hahhaahahahha....i leave it at that...