I sure would like to hear from someone who disagrees with me on this

What do I get for paying toll everyday?
Now I have to pay an extra RM50 for each credit card. For what?
Extra GST (goods and services tax). Again, how does that benefit me?

Look at the long list:

I have to pay for security guards because the police are hopeless.
I have to install filters because the water supply is dirty.
I have to watch satellite tv because the government broadcasts crap.

Many kids have to go for tuition or to private schools because the government schools are bad.
We have to pay IPPs (independent power providers) because the government cannot provide consistent electricity.

We have to pay Indah Water to clean up the sewers.
We have to pay tax on foreign cars because Mahathir wants to keep his dying local car industry alive. ON top of it APs cost bcoz of his cronies.
Most have to drive because the government cannot provide good public transport.

We have to pay to sustain the government's affirmative action policies.
We have to pay for private health care because the public hospitals are crowded .

All in all, we have to pay a PREMIUM to stay in this country!

1Malaysia Boleh!!!
DAMN!!!!!

The five possible outcome of the 13GE

Although the much awaited 13th general election may not be so immediate, it is time to look beyond this coming watershed event and take a cautious glimpse at what the future holds for Malaysia. What could possibly happen and what lies in store for the country and its citizens?

There are five possible outcomes of the next general election – a landslide BN victory, a strong BN victory, a strong PR victory, a slim BN victory or a slim PR victory.

A landslide BN victory would mean BN regaining its two-thirds majority in parliament and PR losing all the states under them except Kelantan. Such an outcome would be disastrous for Malaysia as it means reverting to the status quo before the 2008 political tsunami where BN was free to plunder national resources and abuse the citizens unchecked. The PR coalition would probably not survive a strong BN victory just as the Barisan Alternatif broke up less than a year after the 1999 general election. Let’s hope Malaysian voters never allow this to happen.

A strong BN victory means essentially the status quo in parliament as existing now with the opposition keeping the states under them but with Perak reverting back to PR. BN fails to regain its two-thirds majority but as we can see it does not need such a majority to continue its corruption, abuses and oppression of democratic rights. The result would be just as disastrous for Malaysia although BN will be more sensitive to the voice of the people with a strong opposition which it fears losing power to.

A strong PR victory would mean PR winning a robust majority such as what BN enjoys now. However winning two-thirds majority would be far-fetched given the unlevel playing field. PR will retain all the states under them plus win back Perak and a few other states such as Negri Sembilan and Terengganu. This is the best possible outcome for Malaysia as a strong PR government will have a free hand in reforming corrupted institutions, repealing unjust laws and putting the country back on a growth path to reverse the laggard it has become. Better things are in store for the people including a better standard of living and more democratic rights.

A slim BN victory will result in initial political instability but BN will quickly shore up its position by buying over elected opposition MPs with no scruples or principles to impede it. We can expect some PR elected representatives to jump ship for a one time shot at being a millionaire even if their political careers die quietly.

A slim PR victory would be extremely dangerous for PR as BN tries its level best to topple it and reclaim the crown by enticing elected MPs over with loads of money and arm twisting. BN will have the aid of corrupted institutions such as the police, MACC and judiciary headed by tainted men whom it placed there, a friendly civil service and even the royalty. PR cannot stoop to BN’s methods of buying elected representatives over as it contests on a platform of higher moral principles and the public expects PR to be better than BN. We could say that PR must choose good quality candidates but it’s really hard to look into the hearts of men and women.

The most likely outcome

So which of the four possibilities will be the most likely outcome? Fortunately a landslide BN victory is unlikely given the changed political landscape after the 2008 tsunami. Pandora’s box has been opened, mindsets have changed and political awareness once gained cannot be stuffed back into the bottle.

A strong BN victory which preserves the status quo is more likely than a landslide victory but not the most likely outcome. It is hard to believe that neither side has been able to progress in the political battlefield after years of sniping at each other. It would mean a more or less stagnant situation but our politics has been far from stagnant. Politically we live in interesting times.

A strong PR victory is possible but the chances are not high given the highly tilted playing field where BN controls the media, machinery and money and exercise great powers of incumbency.

So we are left with the other two possibilities – a slim victory for either side – which represent the most likely outcomes in the present political scenario. At this stage it is hard to predict which way it will go, all we can say is that it can go either way. A couple of years to the 13th general election represent a long time in politics where anything can happen. Will people still remember the in-fighting in PKR a year from now? Probably not any more than the unity talks between PAS and Umno which created waves last year.

What happens next?

If BN wins the 13th general election with a slim majority we can expect it to embark on a sustained campaign to destroy the opposition to make sure it is never given such a scare again. A regime which fears losing power is at its most dangerous. BN will try to break up the PR coalition and opposition MPs will be bought over or harassed and dragged to court on frivolous charges. Democratic rights for citizens will be strongly suppressed.

Unfortunately a PR victory with a slim margin may be pulled down and revert to a weak BN government. BN has no qualms about enticing elected representatives over to topple a legitimately elected government. We already have the precedence of the Perak government changing hands merely by defections without even convening the State Assembly. What happened to Perak can be applied to the country and the decision of the Federal Court effectively means that a prime minister can be sacked by the King without going through parliament. PR’s only chance of survival may be to persuade some parties in East Malaysia to join its coalition.

Hence we can expect political instability if the victory for either coalition is slim. More time will be spent on politicking than governing. There may be civil unrest if the people refuse to accept a BN power grab. Eventually BN will assert control as it is more Machiavellian, unprincipled and ruthless than PR.

We can expect a weak BN government to be more sensitive to the people but this will only last as long as there is a strong united opposition. For example a strong opposition now has protected the people from arbitrary hikes in oil, toll, diesel and essential goods while implementation of GST has been stalled and an immoral sports betting license withdrawn. Minorities have also been treated better. But once the PR coalition is broken up BN has nothing to fear and will revert to its old ways.

With BN in control we can expect migration to increase as skilled people stampede for the exit. The economy will continue to decline under BN as there is no way for it to get better if structural issues such as racial policies, corruption, rent seeking, wastage and democratic abuses are not fixed. They cannot be fixed without reforming Umno and Umno has no reason to reform as long as it wields power.

What this means is that the country will spiral down to poverty under the twin blows of stagnated incomes and increasing cost of living. People’s lives will get harder and a maid exporting country like present day Philippines and Indonesia is on the cards. When it is time for the 14th general election BN will be universally hated, even by the rural Malays from whom Umno derives its political power.

Does this mean that PR will have another crack at political power at the 14th general election? Yes, but only if they can hold together despite BN’s oppression and they would stand an even better chance than the 13th general election. But if the opposition has been beaten down to a shadow of its former self and BN hangs on by force and trickery it can continue to rule.

What happens next can be summarized by the words of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States that “those who make peaceful political change impossible make revolution inevitable.” There will come a time when the economic pain is so great that BN will be kicked out by force as what happened to Marcos and Suharto but by then Malaysia would have been reduced to a dried husk.

Of course we can avoid such a grim future if voters give a strong mandate to PR at the 13th general election. Anything else and we look towards an uncertain future while we will remember the 2008 tsunami achingly as a “Prague Spring”.

[Source: Malaysia Chronicle]

Is England also guilty for harbouring RPK?

From one Richard Loh :

According to Bernama, inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has said that individuals in collusion with fugitive Raja Petra Kamarudin could be hauled up under the law.

"We can propose to charge them for harbouring criminals but it is up to the court to decide," he said when asked what the police were doing to bring Raja Petra home.

I looked up the definition of the two words, 'fugitive' and 'harbouring' – as uttered by the IGP – in the dictionary:

Fugitive - fleeing or running from danger or pursuit, duty or service; one who flee; a deserter; one who flees from danger or duty, one who flee for refuge.

According to the IGP, Raja Petra Kamarudin, or RPK, is a fugitive and that to the IGP means he is a criminal but he did not specify the crime that RPK has allegedly committed. So by the dictionary's definition of the word fugitive, RPK is not a criminal "as yet".

Harbour - A place of shelter, protection or refuge, to shelter or take under protection' to protect; to entertain or cherish in the mind.

Does the IGP understand the difference between 'harbour' and to meet with a friend deemed by the IGP as a fugitive? From the dictionary explanation, I suppose the IGP should take England to court for actually harbouring RPK by allowing RPK to remain in England.

This country is plagued with all kinds of criminal activities and the IGP finds it so important to go after a "yet-to-be criminal".

The goodness of karuvapillai (curry) leaves

20,000 new voters? No problem

Lembah Pantai Umno chief Raja Datuk Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said today Barisan Nasional (BN) needs 20,000 new members who are registered to vote in the constituency to regain the federal seat it lost in Election 2008.

But the Federal Territories minister admitted that Umno has only 8,000 registered members in Lembah Pantai.

“I have only 8,000 soldiers. How many soldiers can MIC and MCA give me? This is the current situation, we do not have enough soldiers, if the captain goes alone then everybody will die.

“If we have no power, then what medals can I give? Even if we are ready, there is still more that needs to be done. We need to register more voters and double our efforts until we can get 17,000 more members. Also, if we can get 8,000 members from the component parties then I am confident that we can win Lembah Pantai,” he told reporters.

PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar defeated Umno’s Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil with a majority of 2,895 votes to capture Lembah Pantai in 2008.

Raja Nong Chik said it would be hard for BN to recapture the seats it lost in the general election.

“We have a heavy task of taking back the seats that we lost. It is a heavy task considering the political scenario. Umno must realise that the current political scenario is different from back then. We must work hard to regain the trust of the voters,” he told delegates at the Lembah Pantai Umno division meeting at the PWTC here.

He stressed that Umno must learn the lessons from the Hulu Selangor by-election and apply them to Lembah Pantai.

“We must take our win in Hulu Selangor and apply it to the Federal Territory seats, especially Lembah Pantai. The electoral breakdown is not different from Lembah Pantai. It is exactly the same.

"Can we win in Federal Territory seats? The picture is not comfortable for us but that is the reality that we have to accept. Lembah Pantai Umno is ready but it is going to be a tough battle. It is going to be neck and neck,” he said.

[Source: The MI]

Raja Datuk Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin lamented that he needed 20,000 new voters to retake Lembah Pantai. Aiyah, no problem. May be he can learn a thing or two from wonder boy An Ha Lim on how to create those additional 20,000 ballot papers, wakakaka.

Penang honoring the unsung heroes - another first by LGE and his team

When the Penang state government gave out the RM100 allowance to it's senior citizens, that Gerakan chap 'bising bising' accusing the Pakatan state government of corruption. Now, I sure would like to hear what he has to say about this event. Another round of corruption???? Lim Keng Yaik was right. There is little hope of Gerakan managing the state again.

It is not every day that workers involved in 'difficult, dangerous and dirty' jobs get to be in the limelight.

But on Monday, 47 labourers from the Penang Municipal Council received, for the first time, cash awards plus medals as recognition of their hard work from Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

18 workers - whose daily grind includes entering manholes and monsoon drains, submerging themselves in stinking black waters and clearing them of all kinds of garbage - were awarded RM500 for their efforts while RM200 was awarded to the remaining 29.

Those present at the event were rather shocked to hear that among the debris, a worker may find not only animal bodies but also human corpses.

Many were teary-eyed after witnessing a video presentation on the workers put together by former Malaysiakini citizen journalist Lillian Chan.

Photos of the workers with their feet deep in dirt and slime and interviews on their personal experiences at work touched the hearts of those present.

The event was part of the implementation of the state's recently-launched 'Cleaner, Greener Penang' campaign.

P. Shunmugam, 54, a council worker for about 30 years, was all smiles over the unexpected recognition.

“This is the first time in my working life that I get to receive a reward for my work,” he said.

“Not to mention, too, that this is the first time in my life that I get to be so close to the chief minister.”

S. Govindasamy, 53, said he had never thought of doing any other work as he was already familiar with his present job.

“I have put my children through school and university by doing this job so why should I think of changing it?”

Human power more effective than machines

Council chairperson Patahiyah Ismail said the workers were so dedicated that they refused to use modern machines to ease their workload.

“It was at their own request that they would rather go to the 'deep end' of a drain or manhole and do the job themselves than use machines which were not effective at all,” she said during her speech.

“In fact they do not blame anyone for their situation because this is exactly how they want to do their jobs.”

Lim said he was amazed to hear how the workers were willing to jeopardise their safety and health by doing a '3D' job instead of relying on modern technology.

“This work is not simple, indeed this is the kind of work which calls for great sacrifices,” he said.

“These are the unsung heroes, without them, Penang will not be as wonderful as we often hear it is.”

[News and video: Malaysiakini]

Monday Humour

Some quirky Malaysian way of life .....

Safety First, even when riding on a bicycle

This is one angry owner

A new type of CCTV

Don't spit too loud??

New safety rule when riding in a bus

Airing the armpits while riding on a bike

An innovative way to carry your baby while shopping

Please adhere to the speed limit

Malaysia's first Lamborghini

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An old Italian man is dying.

He calls his grandson to his bedside....

"Guido, I wanna you lissina me. I wanna you to take-a my chrome-a plated .38 revolver so you will-a always remember-a me."

"But grandpa, I really don't like guns. How about you leave me your Rolex watch instead?"

"You lissina me, boy. Somma day you gonna be runna da business, you gonna have a beautiful wife, lotsa money, a big-a home and maybe a couple of bambinos.

Somma day you gonna come-a home and maybe finda you wife inna bed with another man...

Whatta you gonna do then?

Pointa to you watch and say, 'Time's Up'?"

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Arab student sends an email to his Dad saying:

Dear Dad

Berlin is a wonderful, people are nice and I really like it here, but Dad, I am a bit ashamed to arrive at my college with my Gold Mercedes when all my teachers travel by train.

Your Son

Nasser

Some time later, Nasser gets a reply to his email from his Dad.

My loving son

Twenty million dollars transferred to your account. Please stop embarrassing us. Go and get yourself a train too.

Your Dad.

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Think before U speak!!

Wife goes to Woolworths, sees men's underwear on sale.
She buys a dozen of the same colour.
Goes home and gives hubby.

Hubby protests, "Why buy me the same colour?

People will think I do not change underwear!!
Wife asks,” Which 'people'?"