Not enough with the previous accusation, Tun Mahathir’s former political secretary Matthias Chang upped the stake on Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, asking him to publicly declare when the latter was informed of the "legal complications" in building the bridge unilaterally and who had advised him.

"If after Mahathir retires, he (Syed Hamid) got the new legal advisor to give legal advice that the bridge cannot be built because of legal impediment, then why did he continue (with negotiations until the project was scrapped)?" […]

"If he (Syed Hamid) thinks he is not responsible for the fiasco, he must expose who is behind him! Who fed him the wrong information? If he thinks it’s unfair in calling for his resignation, then he must let the people know who gave him wrong information or advice. Who asked him or directed him to behave the way he behaved as a chief negotiator, foreign minister and advisor?" […]

"In Japan, when a plane crashed, the transport minister resigned. It doesn’t mean that when the cabinet made an unanimous decision, it is a right decision. If the decision arises because of lack of information or that the cabinet was misled, whether it is unanimous or not does not make it right."

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Last year, Selangor Menteri Besar Mohd Khir Toyo declared Selangor as Malaysia’s first "Developed State".

Let’s not drill down into the past, but ever since the declaration by Khir Toyo, we’ve heard enough of bad affairs on Selangor state. From city floods to tap water which smells like shit, now we have another new entry: Rubbish!

From Sungai Kembong and Kundang dumpsites to Bukit Tagar landfill and ends up at the Ayer Itam landfill, although the landfill was full.

Via The Star:

"It is supposed to close in two or three months. I appeal to the people staying around the area to sacrifice a bit for the sake of getting clean drinking water."

Via Bernama:

"I know the residents living near the Ayer Hitam landfill will be angry with me. I hope they will understand the situation and make some sacrifices for the sake of continuing to get the clean water they now have." […]

"We still have people opposing sanitary landfills which is why there is a crisis now. The Selangor people must accept the fact that we need to dispose of waste and be prepared to make sacrifices,"

As for Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Azmi Khalid, he too sang a similar tune to Khir Toyo’s one.

"The problem with Malaysians is that they want the landfills but not in their own backyards,"

When one state minister pledged for your cooperation to sacrifice your health and another federal minister questioned your logic of not wanting a landfill in your own backyards, Selangor residents must not forget to thank Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in keeping them as Malaysians’ representatives and acknowledge Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s call to change your lifestyle.

Viva Malaysia!

The Star SMS alert at 2:26pm.

An 18-years old national service trainee from Kota Tinggi died last night following a fight with another trainee at Kem Padang Hijau in Kluang, Johor.

This came as a shock to me as one might starts to question the security level within the camp.

What’s running in my mind of parents who have their kids sent over to camps throughout national?

Something must be wrong, things must be rectify before the national service program gone down the drain, with hundred of millions already spent.

We pledge for a transparent and thorough investigation to be held. No cover-up.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also the Defence Minister, together with National Service Training Council chairman Lee Lam Thye should have known this well, what’s more when Lee himself expressed shock over the lack of safety feature for one of the national service routine.

Rafiah Salim, has been appointed as the new Universiti Malaya (UM) Vice Chancellor (VC) effective May 1, making her the first woman to hold the post.

"The Election Committee is of the view that she is the best candidate and capable of returning Universiti Malaya’s excellence as a prominent university in our country," Higher Education Minister Mustapa Mohamed said.

A lawyer by qualification, brings with her almost three decades of experience in the academic and human resource fields.

She is currently the International Centre for Leadership in Finance executive director and has served as dean of the UM Law Faculty and was assistant secretary-general for human resource management at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 1997 to 2002. She was also a Bank Negara assistant governor before joining the UN.

Welcome on board!

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shafie Salleh Apdal "sounds" damn serious in cracking down on intellectual property (IP).

First, he admitted the problem.

"We have held discussions with countries like Hong Kong and some Asean countries on ways to overcome the influx of such products in this part of the region.

"We have also set up a special unit sited in important areas to overcome the problems."

Next, he defied the problem.

"To say that Malaysia is the biggest exporter of counterfeit products is wrong when there are many other countries is using it as a transit point before exporting it out."

When few little cats are charged, Lactor Loctor Ho is running away scot free and Malaysia will remain as a top producer of pirated VCDs in the world, for years to come.

Tun Mahathir’s former political secretary Matthias Chang dropped a bombshell, accusing Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar of giving "wrong advice" to the government over the building of a new bridge to replace the Causeway to Singapore resulting in the project being scrapped.

I am surprised with the government’s decision to scrap the construction of the bridge because in 2002, Goh Chok Tong, who was then Singapore Prime Minister, had agreed to the construction of the bridge… there are no legal implications involved in the construction of the bridge at all." […]

He quoted Goh as saying in a letter to Dr Mahathir in April 2002: "Between a new bridge to replace the entire Causeway and one to replace just the Malaysian side of the Causeway, I like the former better."

The letter also states that "once the new bridge is completed, the Causeway can be knocked down, which I prefer to be done after 2007. But if you (Dr Mahathir) wish to proceed immediately to replace just your side of the Causeway with a bridge, I shall accept it, though I think this is not ideal."

"Singapore had in principle agreed to it. Singapore had in 2002 said we can either build the whole bridge or half of it and demolish the Causeway in 2007. So where is the legal impediment,"

His challenge to Syed Hamid:

"This man does not know his job… I challenge him to sue me for saying this… there is no question of bulldozing anything as this was not a unilateral decision, it was agreed upon by both parties."

It’s only the beginning and this, really make my d*ck stands.

Love and hate affair, but this time, you’ve got to listen to what the old man said.

"They think because I gave the assurance I will not interfere after I retire, therefore they can do anything they like?"  […]

I just want to be an ordinary citizen and give my views as an ordinary citizen. It is up to the government to think whatever they want about what I have to say. You can’t say I can’t voice my opinion.

He even went as far as to propose a public referendum on either to proceed or to cancel the bridge project, something which Parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang can take a ride on, no?

The Energy, Water and Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik gave another wake up call to the telecommunication operators in Malaysia.

"They see the pennies instead of the pounds, losing sight of the ‘pot of gold’ in the distance. They are interested only in making profits and protecting their investments, putting the future of the whole industry in jeopardy."

This is not the first time and it’s definitely not going to be the last time too.

Uncle Lim, you know what you can do, but again, you know, NATO lah.

… at a volcano + an active one.

Pangkalan Perahu or the overturned boat was derived from the Sundanese Sangkuriang legend.

Its craters are the remnant of a gigantic collapsed volcano, which still simmers and bubbles, sending up deadly sulphurous fumes.

Oh man, the fumes, the smell, the view!

The publisher of the Indonesia edition of Playboy magazine Ponti Carolus said even censorship by fear in these magazines, whose content is already mild by Western standards, will do little to shield the young and the curious from a vast bank of explicit pornography on the Internet.

"If I want to see naked pictures, I go to the Internet. It costs nothing. U.S. Playboy costs me about $12."

True enough, click here for the Rp39,000-less of Indonesia’s version.

Thanks reader Steve for the pointer.