Last week, Jasin MP Mohd Said Yusof caused uproar in the parliament, when he admitted that he had asked the Malacca Customs and Excise office to ‘close one eye’ in a case involving the import of sawn timber which had breached the regulations, but argued he was not abusing his power.

This led to the resignation of Shahrir Samad as the Backbenchers Club (BBC) chairman, after Barisan MPs distanced themselves from a DAP motion related to an alleged interference by Mohd Said in the duties of the Malacca Customs Department.

Today, the MP admitted part of the consignment of timber seized by the Malacca Customs for exceeding the size limit belonged to  the client of his company Binyu Sof Enterprise. He then apologized to the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"I went to see them as Mohd Said, owner of BinYusuf and also as an MP, and the case is in my constituency. There are many players in the port and I admit, I am one of them. "I have an interest there. What’s wrong about it?

Later, he sang a different tune.

"I don’t know whether my company was involved. Maybe yes, maybe no. If yes, so what?"

Never mind the serious fact that we missed a window of opportunity to reform the Parliament and make it truly an instituition with integrity, we Malaysians (especially those who voted and put them into the highest legislature body) are left to witness the resignation of a man with principle and an ungrateful bugger who spoke beyond one’s arrogance limit.

Is this what we asked for, after nearly half century of independence?

Malaysia, macam-macam ada.

April 29 - April 30: Bandung

The scenery, the food, the gracious human being and the weather!

Related Link:
- Snapshots | Argogede Express… Ciwidey
- Screenshots | Travelogue

Forget about the 100 million Singapore dollars promise, let’s go back to the root.

Click here to watch a video captured by edmundkhor, hosted over YouTube.

Read the old lady, "Is Singapore lawless?"

Hello Lee Kuan Yew and son?

LCCT, 4 words with 2 definitions.

First: Low Cost Carrier Terminal

Second: Low Class Commuters Terminal

Which is which?

Last Thursday, Shahrir Abdul Samad made headlines in the local media with the sudden announcement of his resignation as Backbenchers Club (BBC) chairman, after Barisan MPs distanced themselves from a DAP motion related to an alleged interference by an MP in the duties of the Malacca Customs Department.

Reader Usman Bawang sent in an appreciation note to Shahri, thanking him for his numerous contribution over the years.

Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 18:30:07 +0100
From: "Usman Bawang" <usmanbawang@googlemail.com>
To: SK <skthew@gmail.com>
Subject: Thank You Shahrir

The Prime Minister had urged all MPs to set up websites "to serve as a channel for the Government to get feedback from the people on development projects".
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/4/29/nation/14096281&sec=nation

Out of the many many Barisan MPs, Shahrir Samad is one of the pioneers and one who consistently uses his site, not just to lecture, but to listen. Credit should be given to an MP like Shahrir which is technologically literate.

And with opinion so divided today about Shahrir’s actions yesterday (was he trying to be a hero?), we all should encourage netizens to engage with Shahrir directly through his website. Personally, I will send him a note of thanks and support to him.

It appears that he is one of the few Barisan MPs that would stand up based on his principles. We can judge his sincerity, but he is saying the right things and showing the courage to tackle this system perverted culture of rejecting opposition motions (regardless of the content / motive of the motion).

You might have your own view about Shahrir, him being a flip-flopper (?), but it is important that as educated Malaysians, we support what he did on Thursday.

And in case everyone has already forgotten, this Barisan Nasional government has made a lot of promises and broken them. It’s time to remind everyone, yet again (especially with the Sarawak State Elections).
http://www.bn.org.my/eng.pdf

We should also point out that BN forgot to mention in the manifesto that they "will never support an opposition motion".

Thank you Shahrir, Malaysians will definitely remember you.

Speaking during his ministerial winding-up speech on the supplementary budget bill, Minister in the Prime Minister Department Nazri Aziz shot down former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad repeated alllegations over the Government decisions to scrap half-bridge project as an attempt by him to undermine the present administration.

Via Malaysiakini:

"My cabinet colleagues’ and my hope is that Tun will fulfill his promise to us that he will not intervene in government affairs when he is retired." […]

"Advise us but when there are repeated open criticisms made by Tun, this is seen as an attempt to undermine the present government - a government which is a continuity from Tun himself."

Nazri said he did not mean to offend or be disrespectful to Mahathir or that he did not appreciate Mahathir’s contribution to the country but reminded the latter that he had not been given a "blank cheque" to criticise the government.

He was also saying that the decision to build the bridge was made by Mahathir alone before being discussed by the cabinet.

On half-past six

"Tun is only one person while the cabinet is formed by 32 ministers who deliberated the matter before reaching the decision.

"When Tun stated that this country is "half past six with no guts", was he referring to all cabinet members? However, 21 out of the 32 cabinet members were appointed by Tun previously.

"I don’t think Tun meant what he said because otherwise, many questions will arise against him (over the appointments of these senior ministers) […]

I don’t think he is also half-past six with no guts."

On Foreign Ministry’s ambasaddor-at-large Ahmah Fuzi Abdul Razak

"Fuzi is a professional diplomat who has given a complete explanation." […]

"He was not playing politics and making up stories. If Tun said (Fuzi) was rambling, I think that was because Tun did not have the points to rebut the truth in Fuzi’s explanation and reply."

On sand allegation

"This is an irresponsible wild accusation made by a former government leader against his colleagues who have been working hard and were loyal to him (Mahathir) at the time when he was the prime minister."

Being in the powerless side, things must have changed significantly nowadays.

But, on the other side, Mahathir being famous of his fighting spirit, will definitely bite back.

And also, time will tell who’s going to be the next ungrateful’s one too.

We shall sit back and wait.

Via Jakarta Post:

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of workers on Wednesday tore down a three-meter high gate at the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Central Jakarta, during a chaotic demonstration against a revision of the 2003 Labor Law.

The demonstrators threw rocks, sticks and other items at about 1,000 police officers who were guarding the building after protesters tore down the gate, which was constructed recently, MetroTV reported.

The violence occurred after protesters occupied a turnpike and burned tires there, paralyzing the toll road and causing traffic jams along other streets like Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Pejompongan and Jl. Rasuna Said.

Police officers fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, who came from around Greater Jakarta, including Tangerang, Bogor, Bekasi and Depok.

The situation calmed after leaders of the House said the legislature would reject any attempts to revise the Labor Law. But thousands of workers still remained outside the House complex.

While I’m staying near to the House of Representatives with office is situated quite a distance away, I’ve to admit that I was worried with the crowds.

The aftermath? 4 hours of traffic jam on the road! But still, the essential part is, I’m back!

When local medias tried to lower the "uneasy intervention" by the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on cancellation of crooked bridge, read the BBC News headline: Mahathir condemns ‘gutless’ PM.

(SOURCE: BBC, 2 May 2006)

"I am unhappy only when you kowtow," he said. "This is our country, yet we have to seek permission from another country to build a bridge on our side. Where is the sovereignty?

"I think this is a… country with no guts."

Errr, what does he mean by "country with no guts"? The government, the people of Malaysia or merely the Prime Minister?

What goes around, comes around.

Via Bernama:

The Federation of Penang Taxi Drivers Associations, Monday appealed to the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry to postpone the implementation of new fares and use of meters until several "problems" have been sorted out.

A member of the federation’s committee Abdul Malek Darus, said taxi drivers in the state wanted to comply with the ministry’s directive on the use of meters and apply the fares set by the government effective today but there had been new developments that could affect the income and welfare of the drivers if they were to do so.

"The ministry should review the fares and postpone their implementation until we reach a consensus," he told Bernama at a taxi stand on Jalan Penang here.

The mandatory use of meters by taxis in Penang had been postponed several times before following taxi drivers’ objection on the fares. The last time it was postponed was on May 1 last year and the implementation was deferred to today.

A year has passed and those so-called "several problems" not been sorted out yet. Worse, the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) was left baffled and puzzled yet not taking any action?

However, the biggest joke part came from Penang Local Government, Traffic Management, Information and Community Relations Committee Chairman Teng Hock Nan, where he said the state government sympathised with the problems faced by taxi drivers but at the same time urged them to cooperate with the authorities.

"I call on them to comply with the ministry’s suggestion and after that we can conduct a study.

"If the fares are found not reasonable, we can submit an appeal. At least, they will have solid grounds for the fares that have been set to be reviewed," he said.

"But, if taxi fares are too expensive, how many people can use taxis? And this will not solve taxi drivers’ problem."

Hello Mr Teng, are you trying to tell fellow Penangites that you spent the past 365 days to feel sympathised with the problems but not working on solutions?

No wonder public transportation in Penang is just so f**k up.

Via The Star:

Prof Dr Lokman Sain, the dean of the medical faculty of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said he recently visited Ireland and found many Malaysian doctors there stuck as junior housemen and denied promotions as priority was given to European Union doctors. […]

"I have worked in Scotland and I can definitely say that Malaysians have more opportunities for training and promotion here; plus our standards here are on par with Britain, if not better.

"The information is misleading as some people will think that it is easier to become specialists in Britain but it is indisputable that we produce more specialists – about 400 specialists a year from UKM, Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia, compared to the 50 or so who come back from Britain every year."

No offence to doctors graduated at local universities, however Prof. must have the guts to admit that it’s the quality that matters, not quantity. It’s also undeniable that some of the doctors graduated and continue to work there due to high pay, better benefits, allowances and so on, but let’s be fair, isn’t it natural for human to always seek for greener pasture which they love and enjoy most?

Sometimes, it’s just inappropriate to judge one’s decision and instead of harping and sitting on the problem, we need to sort out the brain drain issue by looking into the root cause, rather than pointing out the negative side of others.

Time to change?