Hudud Law...

I find it very interesting with PAS recommending the implementation of Hudud Law if the proposed PAS-Umno merger becomes a reality. Well, if the merger does happens, I doubt there will be any top grass from the other party be to alive and be a member of the new party! ;)

Or it could turned out be, Party Separuh OKU, with OKU stands out for Orang Kurang Upaya.

Haha.

Which one of the reasons why I don't believe the merger will ever takes place.

A Cop's Sworn Statement

In Malaysian, when a person gets arrested by the authority of law enforcers, he is not treated as a suspect BUT is passed off as a criminal, even before a court hearing begins.

Taken from Malaysia-Today's article, a cop's sworn statement of a high profile case;

“I saw the arrival of the vehicle. Dato Seri Anwar was helped out of the vehicle and was led by two police officers into the foyer. He was blindfolded. He was not handcuffed.”

“As he passed me I said something, “Treat him like a normal criminal. Why is he not handcuffed?” This statement was directed to the officers who affected the arrest.”

“The normal practice is, when a person is arrested, he would be handcuffed. It is not normal to blindfold a person who is arrested.”

“When a criminal is arrested he is handcuffed. At that time I knew that Dato Seri Anwar was arrested under Section 377 of the Penal Code which is a criminal offence.”

Welcome to Malaysia.

What logic is this fler trying to articulate?

Taken from theStar article,

Penang opposition leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim caused an uproar in the House when he accused the Pakatan Rakyat state government of “embezzling” RM30mil.

“The state says that it is trying to save money by flying economy class and implementing austerity measures but it is actually embezzling the people’s money by not collecting the illegal hawking and parking compounds issued before March 8,” said the Penaga assemblyman who twice described himself as a “good guy” in his debate on the motion of thanks on the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas’s speech.

I have a serious time trying to 'konek' the logic, and i doubt the revenue from these compounds can even get the Penang Government 14 luxurious Mercedes E200 Kompressors which the Terengganu Government just purchased at the cost of RM3.43million.

Self-gratification

I feel like I wanna puke when I see such self-gratification banners. Are these two clowns a subject of local domestic travel destinations or they part of a circus coming to town? If not, why do they appear on these banners? It's just a sheer waste. It happened in the previous ministry where the lady minister was, and now it's happening in this new ministry. Too bad the other monkey hasn't realized it, or just maybe he pretend to buat bodoh.

VRF (2)

Read here from previous posting for context.

Quoting from Forbes, an article on 9th July, which most major newspaper in Malaysia failed to pick up:

Malaysia's central bank chief said Wednesday that recent fuel price hikes may push inflation above 6 percent in June, nearly double May's rate and the highest in 26 years.

"This adjustment (in fuel prices) would be reflected in the consumer price inflation in June, which is expected to exceed 6 percent," Bank Negara Malaysia Gov. Zeti Akhtar Aziz told a banking seminar.

Inflation reached a 22-month high of 3.8 percent in May. The last time inflation crossed 6 percent was in May 1982 when it touched 6.1 percent.

The government raised gasoline prices by 41 percent and diesel by 63 percent last month to curb a runaway subsidy bill. It also raised electricity tariffs from July by 18 percent for households and an average 26 percent for commercial and industry users.

Yes, i think we're pretty much sodomised by the government. Now, where is that dubios Malaysian Book of Records?

Truckpool

Yea, you can click on to the images for a larger view. Petrol price is up at RM2.70/litre. This could be the next revolutionary transportation in town!

Wanna truck pool ?

Have I seen this expression somewhere.... ?

The newly crowned Miss Universe 2008 from Venezuela, Miss Diva Dayana.

If you don't find her facial reaction "ugly", then I am pretty offended by it ;)

3 newest addtion at our 'world-class' zoo negara

You got to give it to them for ingenuity!

Sheeps in wolves clothings

Concerned over the security in the Parliment, the House Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia ordered the sanction against the Press Corp citing security as a rationale. When asked by Bagan MP Lim Eng Guan and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan, the House Speaker said “How do we know whether those showing the press tag are indeed journalists?”

Who can you blame him?

You can trust no one.

A 17-year old girl raped by a policeman in the police station learned that in a hard hard way.

Welcome to Malaysia.

TM 1800-882-882

That's TM customer service line which I made some inquiries about their long distance RingRing card. My experiences with them was horrible. There was a lot of misinformation and the usual trait when dealing with TM was that you have to be real patience with them. Here's why:

Call-1

Me: Hello, may I ask if I can use RingRing card from Switzerland and call back to Malaysia?
TM: Hi, may I get your name please?
Me: Rajasamy
TM: Can I get your full name?
Me: ???? Rajasamy a/l Gopalingam
TM: May I help you?
(bloodyhell, ask my name but didn't introduce yourself and then he goes on asking what was my inquiry was about. wtf, i just said it out loud and he's asking me again)
Me: May I ask if I can use RingRing card from Switzerland and call back to Malaysia?
TM: Can I put you on hold?
(before I could say yes, I was put on hold)
Me: .......
(usually when you are put on hold, there's something to listen to whether they are just plain classical music, radio channels or just advertisements BUT with TM, it was all silence and I can hear my thoughts out loud)
Me: ......
(still waiting after 3minutes being put on hold)
TM: Hi Sir, sorry to keep you waiting. Yes, you can use RingRing Card to call from Switzerland to Malaysia.
Me: Can you give me the Direct Access code?
TM: Can I put you on hold?
(for the 2nd time, before I could say yes, I was put on hold again.. and there goes the silence wait again)
Me: .......
(still waiting after 3minutes being put on hold)
TM: Hi Sir, sorry to keep you waiting. The Direct Access code to call is 0088106xx.
Me: May I know which telco operator for this and how much are the calling rates?
TM: Can I put you on hold?
(again before I could say yes, I was put on hold)
Me: .......
(after waiting after 5minutes being put on hold, I decided to end the call)

Total time call? 13minutes just for 2 questions with another unanswered. Since I could not get the calling rates, I decided to call again the following day.

Call-2

Me: Hello, may I ask what are the call rates when I use RingRing card from Switzerland and call back to Malaysia?
TM: Hi, may I get your name please?
Me: Rajasamy
TM: May I help you?
(wtf, there goes again. No introduction and I have to repeat myself again)
Me: Can I get your name again?
TM: This is Ms Dana
Me: This is my second time calling, I hope you don't put me on hold for very long. May I ask what are the call rates when I use RingRing card from Switzerland and call back to Malaysia?
TM: Can I get your full name?
Me: ???? Rajasamy a/l Gopalingam
( does it matter if my name is Rajasamy or Rajasamy a/l Gopalingam?)
TM: Can I put you on hold?
(as usual, before I could say yes, I was put on hold again.. and there goes the silence wait again)
Me: ......
(still waiting after 3minutes being put on hold)
TM: Hi Sir, sorry to keep you waiting. You can't make any calls using RingRing card in Switzerland.
Me: ?????
Me: I just called yesterday, and there was a guy from your customer service said that I could. He even provided me the Direct Access code.
TM: Can I put you on hold while I check with my colleague again?
(for countless times, before I could say yes, I was put on hold again.. and there goes the silence wait again)
Me: ......
(still waiting after 2minutes being put on hold)
TM: Sorry to put you on hold. My colleague has confirmed that RingRing card service is unavailable in Switzerland.
Me: Oh well.. sigh. Thanks.
TM: Is there anything else I could help you?
Me: ...... No. Thanks.
TM: Bye.
Me: Bye.

This time the call duration was lesser, approx 8minutes. Still there are a lot of improvements needed. Honestly, TM is trying toooooo hard to be professional. In the end, they're akin to leopards can never change its spots. Old habits die hard. Or maybe, they've not heard of ultilizing Google search engines for the loads of information kept at their disposal. Obviously, the current system setup doesn't cut it out. Kinda shame that a big conglomerate such as TM failed to even serve and deliver basic information such as this.

Try Maxis or DiGi customer service, and repeat the above inquires and you'll know what I mean. I did. It just took me less than 2minutes to get the information ;)

Just 10%?

Ok, I may be late in saying this. But before that, let's get the picture. Due to recent petrol hike from RM1.92/litre to RM2.70/litre (40.7% jump), the government announced some cut-cutting measures.

TheStar reported that the government is putting up a plan to cut-cost that will save RM2billion. Part of this plan was to slash 10% of the monthly entertainment allowances which enjoyed by all ministers. In the report, it says that the Prime Minister currently enjoys a monthly entertainment allowance of RM18,865 while his deputy gets RM15,015. Other ministers and deputy ministers are given RM12,320 and RM6,000, respectively.

To begin with, I think there are more than half of Malaysian are earning below RM6k in their monthly income. A quick look at the number of ministers (source: mycen), there are about 31 ministers and 37 deputy ministers. Now let's adds up RM18,865 + RM15,015 + (31 * RM12,320) + (37 * RM6,000) = RM637,800 monthly entertainment expenses. 10% of it would be RM63,780. Multiply that amount to 12months, you'll get RM765,360. This sum only represents 0.039% of RM2b. I don't really know if it makes a difference and how RM2b was arrived at... or maybe I was just plain wrong with my calculations.

On the other hand, these 70 ministers are eligible to claim RM574,020 as entertainment allowances. Multiply that to 12months, the sum will arrived at RM6,888,240. That is close to RM7million.

So, now we know 10% is just a symbolic cost-cutting measure. It is out of proportion to reduce 10% of entertainment allowances while fuel prices surge 41%. Besides these entertainment allowances, I am sure these 70 daylight penyamun were given petrol or vehicle allowances as well. Who's still the winner at end of the day? Yes, it is those buggers, who asked you to change your lifestyle so that they can go for their holidays paid by you and I.

VRF by our own elected representatives. Clear as the sky.

Just another FORM of Rempits... a uniformed ones.

I was driving along Mahameru Highway, just behind the National Muzium, on a working day around 9.15am. Traffic was breeze at first, and then it hits almost at halt with traffic slowing down. What did you know.. there are a bunch of Learner's license uniformed bikers, i reckon 20 of them occupying 2/3 of the three lane highway, one the most right lane. They were moving like 50kmph. The max speed allowable on the highway was 80kpmh. Yes, they were moving at 50kmph on the most right lane. Isn't that the overtaking lane? Moreover, the 'leader' of the pack is asking all other vehicles to slow down and move on the left 'slowest' lane. Not only they are putting themselves at risk to potential accidents, they're putting other motorist in danger as well.

Would there be any other names or distinct comparison with the illegal rempits? I don't think so. Now, this is what I call.. uniformed rempits.

VRF

If you know the acronym for WTF, figuring out VRF shouldn't be difficult.

Reuters reported that Malaysia's yearly inflation rate will be averaging out 4.5%, well above the central bank's previous forecast of 2.5%-3.0%. In the same context, AFX news reported that official data by the central bank shows that would be the highest inflation for any year since 1998, during the Asian financial crisis, when inflation averaged 5.3%. The central bank governor, Zeti Akhtar Aziz saw inflation rising above 5%in June and peaking around 5.3%early in 2009. The latest official figures showed inflation hit a 15-month high of 3%in April. But she said there was no rush for the central bank to consider raising the policy rate of 3.5%. At its last review on May 26, the central bank left rates on hold. The central bank projected that the inflation in the first half of 2009 would be around 5%, and peaking early in 2009, she said.

In short, since the revise for petrol price, inflation rate will hold on to an average 5% or more from now till next year 2009 June. That's one year for you.

Before the announcement of the revision for petrol price, inflationary rates was already in a 13-mth high at 3% in March 2008 and soared further to 3.5% in April 2008.

Bleak?

A standard fixed deposit interest rate in any local Malaysian banks only provides 3% per annum for 1mth's deposit. If we keep it for 12mths, the bank will give us a 3.5% p.a interest rate.

EPF for the year 2007 announced a dividend payout of 5.8%.

Now, what does all this means to us?

If we keep our money in the bank's FD, we're actually losing at least 2% of our money's worth. In another words, to keep the money with the bank, we're actually giving the bank back with 2%. Which also means, all the hard earned money kept in the bank are almost 'worthless' as these money are losing it's real values.

What about EPF? For all the 'hard work' done by EPF, they're actually earning 0.8% for us.

The last time we had a 5.3% inflationary rate was when the country suffered the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, and the central bank has projected that early next year 2009, we're going to be hit with that 5.3% inflationary rate.

What does all this means? In short, VRF!


* FD rates in New Zealand & Australia are around 7-9%.

Those morons from DBKL

These are huge 6 foot trash bins collected from the public DBKL flat nearby. Each flat has six of these. Multiply that with 3 flats, you'll get 18 of these 6 foot trash bins. Yes, it's very messy and foul. The foul air can reach as far as one kilometer in diameter. Worst when it's a hot day when these trash (and whatever in it) starts to rot and decompose rapidly. Even worst when there is gusty wind or just slow breeze, the reach of these foul air gets wider and further. If you're living 50metres away, you're probably immune to these bad stench. Frankly, I don't know how people who lived 50metres away could bear it. It's like living in an unclean, heavily used yet not flushed toilet. Yes, it could be that bad. I think it was like that for many years.


Many years gone past. Some planning authorities had an idea to build a storage building to house these foul stench trash bins. It's probably cost not more than 100k to build such building. Moreover, it can be use for many years. It was a good idea, but they're probably forgot why they built it. Instead of using the trash storage building, the trash are still kept in open air. Just like many years ago.


There are even three schools and a surau nearby. All within a stone's throw away. There are about 204 houses in each flat with at least 4 flats nearby this rubbish dump. Imagine having these 816 households to bear the foul stench of these rotting rubbish.

In this part of the city, rubbish and wastage does go together. When I said wastage, I am referring to the people that are sleeping on their jobs while others have to bear and receive the brunt of their rubbish work.

Instructions for handling babies (in case you didn't know)

In case you didn't know :)

Isn't there a motorbike lane somewhere?

If you drive along Federal Highway often, you may find these pictures a familiar sight.


Yes, by the way, isn't there an existing motorbike lane parallel to the main road? Maybe these guys find office work boring.

What does JPJ and dirt-black fumes have in common?

The usual dirt-black fumes from century-old commercial vehicles that ply our city roads. The buses below services the popular route along Setapak-Jalan Genting Kelang. Unless the enforcement officers from JPJ Puspakom HQ in Setapak are blind, there is no way one will miss these fumes. Honestly, I really feel like kidnapping the DG of JPJ and tie him/her up on the bonnet of my car before driving the car behind these dirt-black fumes. Anyone wanna join me in this selfless crusade ;)

There is an another article from my previous posting here.

Narrow road, narrow land and the bird brains

As you can see with these pictures, it is a one-way very very narrow road with cars parked by the both sideways. This 700m road is the gateway for at least 5 public DBKL flats. Each of these flats has approximately 204 household. Therefore 5 flats would have 1020 households. With minimum 3 members in the family, that would make 3060 people. That explains why there are cars parked at both sides of the road. Supposed one in every three households has a vehicle , that would make 304 vehicles that would have passed this single gateway to 5 public DBKL flats. Already, this place is a parking nightmare for these tenants.


To further add to this math-complexity, there are three existing schools within this 5 public DBKL flats. There are two primary and one secondary schools. You'll need to pass this single gateway very narrow one-way road to these schools and flats. Yes, it is hell of a traffic nightmare!!

And what did you know, as you drive along this very very very narrow road....

The authorities planned to build a new school in addition to existing three others, all within the proximity of 200meters away!!

The red patch is the space which the authorities are going to build this new school. Just look how narrow is the road is. Once you passed this bend, you'll be seeing one of the existing primary school ahead (see below). The secondary school is on the left, next to the primary school. The view of this school hidden by the block of the flat. There is also a primary school on the left, situated on the ground floor of the flat.


After the second bend, there are two schools (primary & secondary) which mentioned earlier (see below).

Sometimes I do find that these planning authorities comes with pea-brain size that beyond my comprehension. Don't you?

DBKL is not doing anything about public buses that are obstructing the traffic.

The commercial public buses, especially Metro & Permata Kiara, that plies along Setapak-Jalan Genting Kelang are such a nuisance for other motorists. Not only these buses produces intolerable fumes that the authorities doesn't seem to care about, these buses are obstructing the traffic flow by stopping by the roadside to their whims and fancies. Sometimes these traffic goes standstill as far as 1 km. To make the matter worst, the authorities (DBKL, traffic police and JPJ) seems to turn an eye blind on this. In fact, I have made an official complaint via htp://www.dbkl.gov.my e-aduan. It has been more than a month since I made an official complain to DBKL and, to-date I have not receive any official reply nor I see any visible or drastic action taken. All the e-aduan website says that the complaint have been forwarded to another anonymous 'Jabatan' (see below). Do i really care where is the complaint forward to? I just wanted to know what are the resolutions are. Yeah, this is the usual passing-the-buck in-your-face and there-is-nothing-more-that-you-can-do-about-it when you deals with DBKL.


Every morning, I have to bear the brunt of these bad traffic. It doesn't matter if I get stuck for 10 or 20minutes, the point is that these buses are obstructing the traffic. Apparently this problem isn't new. Read more here.



A MalaysiaKini reader has this to say:

"To be brutally honest, I have nothing but contempt for the urban bus services offered by Metrobus and I know that many people would agree. Their buses clog the streets of Kuala Lumpur and suburban areas, especially in the city centre around Central Market and the Kota Raya complex. Their drivers are reckless, driving at excessive speeds and taking risks with passenger safety. Many of their buses are old and poorly maintained, and belch putrid black smoke. Overall, Metrobus operations are unreliable and they give public transportation a bad name.

On the other hand, the operations of Metrobus are just a symptom of the rot that has been created in public transportation. I have made my feelings clear about the CVLB. If you want to know why more Malaysians do not use public transportation, you need to look no further than the CVLB. It is the CVLB that grants huge numbers of permits to these bus companies and does not enforce the rules that it sets out. It is the CVLB that continues to allow these bus companies to use unsafe buses. It is the CVLB that allows the companies to hire reckless and dangerous bus drivers to operate their buses and pay them unbelievably low wages. It is the CVLB that continues to grant operations permits to drivers with multiple summonses."

Useless agencies.

There are more of these pictures from my previous posting.