Beat the jam

The FatCat..ooops BigCat from down south has put on record something a big majority of road users experienced over the weekend.
Basically the problems are :-

1.Too many cars on our roads and highways at the same time. The traffic congestion was not only confined to the highways as the trunk routes were as bad, if not worse. 

2. Irresponsible drivers/road users who break every possible traffic law and defy common sense while on the road ... from road hogging, parking indiscriminately and ... basically driving like morons on holiday. 

3. Poor service of highways operators (i.e. sickening or rather lack of traffic management/booth at toll plaza), particularly PLUS and the other operator of the East Coast highway.

Horrible jam - do something, please

Was caught in the horrible traffic jam at the highway on my way back to KL after the long weekend yesterday. What was supposed to be a three and a half hour drive lasted almost nine hours. That was continuous driving except for a single pit stop for fuel.

It was fortunate that I decided to make a detour off the highway to filled up the tank when I realised how bad the jam was going to be. The first RnR area of the highway  where I had wanted to stop for fuel were packed. Later on I saw quite a number of cars stopping on the emergency lane, probably because they ran out of fuel. - BigCat

How do we sort this out? 

Building new highways or widening the existing ones would be 'mega projects' that would be yelled at on the streets and shot down by our holier than thou politicians. 

For some mega projects = waste of rakyats money.

Introducing a tested high-tech surveillance and enforcement mechanism like the AES on our roads is made to appear like a sin. 

Some very intelligent politicians cry that AES is about squeezing hard earned money out from the rakyat, so its a bad idea. (doesn't matter that you only face the music if you break the law)

So, what else do we do apart from getting PLUS and gang to practice their CSR where and when it really matters? 

Could abolishing taxes on cars, as suggested by another bunch of intelligent politicians, solve this traffic problem of ours?  

You tell me!

I think we should seriously consider cleaning up our rivers and waterways, and put more sampan on them. :-)

p/s Thank god Mat Sabu is not Transport Minister.

Why Malaysia needs AES

Well I guess it says it all, from the (putar belit) attitude of Malaysians on the road to the no so well trained traffic cop. 

The much talked about AES system will not only solve such problems but would give such drivers a better opportunity to try their tricks before a magistrate or a even judge. 

Hopefully our judges won't hang such drivers like in the case of the two Indonesian brothers who killed a burglar in their home.

I'm sure the driver must be proud of himself for outwitting the traffic cop (otherwise he wouldn't have put it on youtube) ... and yaaa he made it a point to record his encounter with the traffic cop despite breaking the law beating the RED light. 

Wonder what would have happened if the cop had issued him a summon.   Polis zalim ker?

p/s Mengupas Kebenaran AES is a good read.

Mega action, OMEGA still missing in action

It has been many moons since Anwar Ibrahim's chinadoll saga was exposed by his close buddy Eskay. Anwar, his wife Dr Wan Azizah and their daughter Nurul Izzah plus all his running dogs claimed that Anwar's OMEGA watch was not missing. 

Wan Azizah, in particular, claimed that the watch was safe in her keeping when Eskay said he was in possession of the watch which Anwar had left behind in the room where he had sex with a prostitute. 

But Datin Seri president PKR, where is the Omega watch? 

p/s YB Nurul Izzah, you mind telling the truth about the Omega watch and everything else you know about your 'sick' father? 

Malaysia comes 12th out of 185 competing countries

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is the 12th most competitive economy in the world for doing business, according to the 2013 edition of The World Bank's "Doing Business" report. 

The ranking places Malaysia ahead of economies like Sweden (13th), Taiwan (16th), Germany (20th), Japan (24th) and Switzerland (28th).

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said in a statement that Malaysia’s new ranking is a significant improvement over last year’s 18th position and 23rd in 2010, continuing a trend of improving competitiveness which began four years ago.

"This year’s climb by six notches to 12th spot represents the country’s largest leap in competitiveness ranking in recent years," he added.

The World Bank report surveys 185 economies across competitive criteria such as ease of starting a business, getting licensing approvals, efficiency of tax administration and ease of trading across borders.

Malaysia improved its competitiveness in five areas of business, namely, getting electricity (from 59th to 28th), registering property (59th to 33rd), paying taxes (41st to 15th), trading across borders (29th to 11th) and dealing with construction permits (113th to 96th). - The Mole 

Guess the Barisan Nasional-led Government must be doing something right to register such an achievement in the global arena. 

This is not about who talks more or who is the champion of champion in public debates. This is about achievements, real tangible achievements recognised by investors.

p/s This is something which Anwar Ibrahim and gang won't talk about because it involves showing results and fulfilling promises. Janji DiTepati must be a bad word in their vocabulary.

Transformation in action

Latt Shariman is one of the PM's special officers who appears to be offering himself as a candidate in the next GE. 

Would the people of Kuala Kedah embrace him or opt to remain backward and be oblivious to Pas's politics of heaven and hell, with the rocket-riding devil in between? 

Good luck Latt! 

The voice of reason, peace and moderation at the birth of BANGSAMORO

The signing of THE peace accord between the Government of Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Monday ends more than four decades of a bloody conflict which claimed innocent lives and made Mindanao a living hell for the sons of the soil.  

Malaysia's role as a voice of reason, peace and moderation between the parties in conflict is an open secret for many years now. 

In the final analysis, a collective political will with the necessary support, encouragement and professional diplomacy had made it possible for peace and common sense to prevail.

Malaysians could certainly be proud to have played a significant role in this historic peace agreement which gives a new hope to the ordinary folks in Mindanao.  

Thank you Mr Prime Minister for having stood by Malaysia's commitment towards peace in the Philippines. This signing of the historic peace accord is certainly a big feather in your cap. 

#Janji DiTepati Bangsamoro




p/s A big Thank You must also be extended to all those 'Malaysian officials' who had toiled on this peace deal for many years together with the parties in conflict. THANK YOU guys, you have certainly made Malaysia proud.

Joining hands better than pointing fingers

                                       

 Every one of us, and particularly those elected by the people as representatives... be it at the Residents' Association level or Dewan Undangan Negeri (state assemblyman) and the Dewan Rakyat (members of parliament), must take heed of veteran Johor Baru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Samad's take on efforts to address the menace of crime among us.

As Shahrir put it, after attending a Home Ministry/ Police/ Residents Association crime prevention programme in Johor Baru on Sunday, fighting crime is a collective responsibility as it had been during the days when we were facing the threat of terrorism.

We defeated ruthless Communist terrorists because we empowered the society via Border Scouts, Special constables, APs and later on JKKK and such.

Certainly the awareness, commitment, courage and collective responsibility of individuals and community are as vital as putting more policemen and high-tech surveillance amidst us to deter crime.

Democracy, Shahrir says, is about being responsible and not about pointing fingers and finding faults while not attempting to seek solutions.

                                          

Joining hands is certainly better than pointing fingers.

p/s Police Base certainly sounds better than Pondok Polis (see picture at the top of this page - of a Police Base in Johor - to get into the 'transformation' mood.

PAS on its way OUT of PAKATAN?

This is PAS' Bachok Member of Parliament and the party's former Deputy President Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Isa. 

Nasharuddin is among the leading voices in PAS who have now come out in the open to stop the onslaught of Anwar Ibrahim's lackeys in PAS.

Listen to him and THINK!

Anwar Sembah TOKONG?

Silent majority backs Government in Malaysian varsities

Saturday September 29, 2012

Pro-Aspirasi wins UM campus polls

PETALING JAYA: Fresh elections for two seats at Universiti Malaya's (UM) campus polls saw the Pro-Aspirasi group emerging as the overall winner with a total of 22 seats.

The pro-establishment Pro-Aspirasi and pro-Opposition Pro-Mahasiswa took a seat each in the two-seat re-election yesterday.

The UM campus election was held on Tuesday but fresh elections were called for two of the 43 seats which recorded a draw.

In the final tally, the victorious group was led by Pro-Aspirasi while the Pro-Mahasiswa group took the remaining 21 seats.

The Pro-Aspirasi group is the winner in this annual campus elections, winning most of the seats in 18 of the 20 public institutions of higher learning.

The pro-establishment group has so far won 91% or 565 of the 620 seats contested in all 20 campuses, some of which held their polls on Sept 20 while others conducted theirs on Sept 25. - TheStar



The pro-establishment Pro-Aspirasi and pro-Opposition Pro-Mahasiswa battle has come to an end now and everybody seems to be analysing and re-analysing the unexpected outcome. As usual some among the losers and/or their political mentors have been crying foul. Crying foul was not unexpected though, especially from those who are trained to do just that.

The outcome certainly caught many by surprise. The rise of the silent majority in our public institutions of higher learning is indeed a pleasant surprise but where do we go from here? 

Firstly we must understand what is it that the silent majority rose against and what is it they want and support? 

Yes, the silent majority appear to be pro-establishment and support the policies laid out by the Government of the day. They may reject the blatant interference of politicians in their daily campus life. They reject unruly demonstrations and anti-Government activities, but what now? Are they now growling to get into mainstream politics?

The silent majority exercised their rights and have basically re-inforced the unwritten policy and understanding that their primary is to pursue knowledge. They have made it very clear that there are priorities in a student's life, although the amendments to AUKU allows greater freedom.
  
For that, hats off to our students. We should allow our them to focus in their studies before anything else for that is why they are where they are. 

p/s It's time the silent majority of Malaysians picked up a thing or two from our matured students. 

When moderate Malaysia speaks

 

THE HONOURABLE ANIFAH AMAN, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MALAYSIA 

GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 67TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY 

29 SEPTEMBER 2012 NEW YORK 

Mr. President, Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

At the outset, allow me to congratulate you Mr. President, on your election as the President of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly. I am confident that you will be able to successfully steer the proceedings of the 67th session in an efficient and effective manner. I assure you of Malaysia’s full cooperation and support throughout your Presidency. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the previous President, HE Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, for his leadership and guidance throughout the 66th session. 

Mr. President, 

2. The release of the distasteful and insulting film “Innocence of Muslims” had caused widespread wave of protests across the Muslim world. The problem is compounded by the publication of offensive caricatures, which further angered Muslims. It is hard to understand why those responsible could resort to such actions knowing that it would offend and provoke 2 billion Muslims except for blatant malicious intent and purpose. It is our obligation as peace loving people and responsible governments to prevent a small minority of bigots to sow the seed of hatred between the Muslim world and the West. 

3. These people are what we categorize as ‘extremists’. They insult Islam and advocate religious hatred. These extremists have shown absolutely no regard on the implications of their actions. While we condemn the irresponsible actions of those who intentionally incite hatred, we are equally saddened by the violent reactions that ensued. 

Expressing anger by resorting to violence, killings and destruction does not offer any solution to the problem and only results in further divides and possibly more damage and loss of innocent lives. 

4. We condemn those responsible for the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his colleagues in Benghazi. We are equally saddened by the loss of innocent lives, including women and children during emotionally-charged demonstrations. A life lost is one too many. Those who made the film and drew the caricatures, as well as those who resorted to killing are equally guilty of extremism and must be held accountable and brought to justice. 

Mr. President, 

5. I believe that it is time to dwell deeper into the heart of the problem and the real debate - the relationship between freedom of expression and social responsibilities, duties and obligations. Such actions cannot be defended under the pretext of human rights, freedoms and liberties. A line should be drawn when the prejudicial effect outweighs everything else. Malaysia has always maintained that freedom including freedom of expression comes with responsibility. The drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I am sure, did not have denigration in mind when they cited the need to promote and protect freedom of expression. 

6. Human rights need to be guaranteed by taking into account the cultural and historical sensitivities of a society. Nevertheless, it should also be applied without selectivity or discrimination. When we discriminate against gender, it is called sexism; when African Americans are criticized and vilified, it is called racism; when the same is done to the Jews, people call it Anti-Semitism; but why is it when Muslims are stigmatized and defamed, it is defended as ‘freedom of expression’? 

Mr. President, 

7. In his statement during the International Day of Peace, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon rightly said and I quote “We must not let the voices of extremists dominate the debate and inflame tensions. We need voices of moderation and solidarity” unquote. The Prime Minister of Malaysia two years ago in this august assembly advocated the Global Movement of Moderates and called for all peoples of the world to join the chorus of moderates so as to drown the voices of extremists. 

8. Embracing ‘moderation’ is an important value that should be ingrained in every society. Moderation comes with a high degree of tolerance, trust and mutual understanding. It places dialogue as an important tool to resolve disputes. With relative political peace comes economic stability and socio-economic development in the country. It is therefore important that we continue to practice moderation as we face the rising tide of extremism. Moderation is the best response to overcome extremism. 

Mr. President, 

9. The first International Conference of the Global Movement of Moderates held in Kuala Lumpur in January this year was well attended by over 500 participants from all over the world. It affirmed the importance in moderation in the context of its application to global issues and situations, especially to matters that relates to social, financial, religious and international politics. Global Movement of Moderates has gained the recognition and support of the Commonwealth, Non Aligned Movement and ASEAN. We believe that GMM provides an effective platform for global response to extremism. Mr. President, 

10. The theme of this year’s General Assembly, “Bringing about Adjustment or Settlement of International Disputes or Situations by Peaceful Means” is timely as it reiterates the core principles and values of the UN in facing continuing conflicts and situations around the world. 

11. We continue to have serious concerns regarding the situation in Syria. We condemn the violence and senseless killing that have and continue to take place. As we contemplate the next step forward, we have to bear in mind that whatever measures we take must be in the interest of the Syrian people. It is not about who is wrong or right, it is about putting an end to the bloodshed and suffering, bringing peaceful and inclusive resolution to the conflict. 

12. The unabated violence and killings must stop immediately. The parties involved have equal responsibility of ensuring the end to these appalling atrocities. Military aggression and armed confrontation will only served to exacerbate the problem and can never be a solution to the crisis except diminishing any little hope there is for peaceful settlement. We earnestly hope that with the appointment of Lakhdar Brahimi as the new Joint Special Envoy for Syria, a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis would be found. Toward this end the support of all parties including the involvement of the United Nations is crucial. 

Mr. President, 

13. The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory remains bleak. For more than six decades, day after day, month after month, the people of Palestine continue to see their lands confiscated to make way for illegal settlements. They continue to see their families, including their children, displaced and forced from their homes. Elsewhere we are quick in calling for action against those that deemed to live under oppression and that are forced to live without freedom and dignity. But, we are unashamed in not taking strong and decisive actions in ensuring the long deprived Palestinians their rights to their homeland and regaining their dignity within the community of nations. Surely the international community especially the more powerful and influential nations could do more to bring Israel to the negotiating table for a Two States Solution whereby the state of Israel and the state of Palestine could exist side by side in peace and security. How can we continue to live in the face of this glaring injustice without feeling an iota of guilt for not doing enough to bring to end this long outstanding issue? 

Mr. President, 

14. As with others in this hall, Malaysia welcomes the convening of the inaugural High Level Meeting on the Rule of Law earlier this week. In that Meeting, we adopted a solemn declaration that the rule of law shall apply to all States equally. We rededicated ourselves to resolve disputes by peaceful means and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law. We also committed ourselves to uphold the right to self- determination of peoples, which remain under foreign occupation and to end impunity for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. With this declaration, it is time for the international community to put pressure on Israel to fulfill its international obligations. 

15. At the same time, Israel must stop all illegal settlement activities in the West Bank as well as East Jerusalem. We are particularly concerned by the threats to invade or divide the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which would be a breach of Israel’s obligations as an Occupying Power. It is a holy site for Muslims and Christians as well. Furthermore, Israel must lift the illegal blockade over Gaza that has caused too much hardship for the people. It must also protect the people under its occupation, fulfill its international obligations and respect international law. Most importantly, it ought to have direct talks with the Palestinian Authority in conditions that clearly demonstrate its goodwill and sincerity. A peaceful two-State solution, accompanied by sustainable peace in the region, should be the ultimate goal for all concerned. 

Mr. President, 

16. Recognizing Palestine and welcoming it into the community of nations has become a contentious issue. Palestine is punished for wanting to become a rightful member of the United Nations. The feasibility of a two-state solution is being questioned. However, what choice does Palestine have? Furthermore, how would becoming a member of the UN harm Palestine’s sincere efforts for independence? 

17. The issue of Palestine’s membership to the UN is tied to another bigger issue that is of particular concern to Malaysia. Allow me to elaborate. 132 countries recognise the State of Palestine. That number reflects more than two thirds of the membership of the UN. Yet, the Security Council, or more accurately, those who are conferred with veto power, are given the authority to determine the fate of Palestine membership irrespective of the opinions of the majority. 

Mr. President, 

18. This is just one of a host of reasons on why the United Nations, especially the Security Council, needs to be reformed. The Security Council will need to be able to cope with the many challenges that the international community face. There are so many instances when it has failed to take action when action is needed the most. It has failed to do this due to the veto power conferred to the five permanent members. Thus, time and time again it has become a victim of its own creation. 

19. The composition of the Security Council should also reflect current global realities. It should be democratic and accountable in order for it to be able to fulfil its mandate in maintaining international peace and security effectively. It is ironic that the very institution that was formed in 1945 which seeks to promote and defend democracy among its Member States is in itself undemocratic. 

20. Virtually every aspect of reform has been argued in one way or another. There have been so many proposals on the table. None have made any headway. Therefore, despite the many years the issue of Security Council reform has been on the UN agenda, we are nowhere closer to actual reform than when we first started. 

21. We call on all Member States to be realistic and find workable solutions to reforms. There is a need to approach reform with renewed political will if we genuinely want to see progress made to achieve a more efficient and effective UN. How long can we go on like this? How long can we avoid the need to reform the Security Council as well as the United Nations as a whole? 

Mr. President, 

22. It would be remiss of me not to mention on what many consider as the most important meeting to take place this year, which is the Rio+20 Summit held in Brazil in June. While the Summit is over, much work remains. The mandated actions in the Summit’s outcome document need our close follow up, monitoring and participation in order to successfully set them in motion. The strengthening of sustainable development and environmental institutions, as well as, the finance strategy and mechanisms for facilitating the transfer of technology, are some of the important areas that we would need to act upon in the year ahead. 

23. Accordingly, we need to launch a process to decide the sustainable development goals. The goals should be supported by concrete action plans, with details on the various areas mentioned in order to implement those plans. On this, Malaysia looks forward to working constructively and contributing to this process. 

Mr. President, 

24. I believe that we share similar concerns on all the issues I have raised today. Bringing about adjustment and settlement of disputes and situations is not only a concern of the parties involved in a dispute or situation, but it is a joint collective responsibility of the international community. In line with this year’s theme, we assure you of our commitment to ensure lasting global peace and security through peaceful means by embracing the principles of moderation. 

I thank you. 

Watch it HERE

... also listen to facts of the matter as put by Statesman Tun Dr Mahathir  Mohamad during the 10th OIC Summit in Kuala Lumpur (2003).