So TNB is taking the author of a satirical piece on Earth hour to court. This can’t be the collective decision of the National Utility company. It has to be the decision of a minority if not just one man. Someone or some people who not only don’t have a sense of humour but chose to react with anger and retaliate against what was just a harmless joke, and one that if looked at positively shed some light (no pun intended) as to how much we owe the Utility Giant for lighting up our homes and making our lives more convenient.

Now they just look like a horse’s ass, not from the piece but from their own belligerent bullying attitude in bringing their considerable financial resources and might to bear down and stamp on one lone individual…… I’m carrying through with earth hour now every day in any way I can till some sense prevails……

High Income productivity?

Five strategic thrusts have been identified under the 10MP, which was tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday:-
1. Designing Government philosophy and approach to transform Malaysia through the National Key Results Areas
2. Creating a conducive environment for unleashing economic growth
3. Moving towards inclusive socio-economic development
4. Developing and retaining a First World talent base

5. Building an environment that enhances quality of life

I have finally figured out what drives our government. Stupidity. It's not that they believe we'll believe this hogwash, they actually think that simplistically. That spouting crap like the above will help. All the above are just 'fluff' statements. PT Barnum would have been proud...

The rest of the paper on the 10th Malaysia plan had further nonsensical quotes like "Competitiveness in higher value activities necessitates specialisation in terms of having a critical mass and ecosystem of firms and talent to drive economies of scale"... Christ give me strength...

The cornerstone of growth, it's fundamental base in fact has to be education. This would be a fact even in a developed economy with a sound education system (one of the US's most recent initiatives was a ramp in focus, investment and resources in education for instance) When you juxtapose that priority there onto our education levels here that are worse than pathetic and need a major overhaul and yet no mention is made of it in a purported drive to ramp up productivity and income...? You wonder as to the intellect if not the will of the people in our countries administration.

Fire safety

There's been a lot of press on the incident where this poor girl died in a car fire subsequent to an accident. Aside from the fact that I'll never use BHP (until they show genuine remorse with commensurate deeds to back this) here's a question and a thought. How many of us carry extinguishers in our cars and have one in our homes? I have both. This practice started when I almost lost a car through a fire. I have carried one ever since and sometime in the mid-90's had cause to use it to save a girl from a car fire. And if I hadn't had one, she could have died.

I carry extinguishers in all my cars. If you want to (as you should) pick one up from ACE hardware. Don't get the dinky little car type ones. Those are next to useless. You need to get an ABC type of 1kg capacity (that's the powder inside NOT the weight of the extinguisher). It looks like a scaled down version of the big ones you might have seen. And yes get one for your homes too. My take, you only need to use it once in your life....

Selangor CPO’s car stolen?

It’s been all over the news! The Selangor Police Chief’s official car has been stolen! Read about it here http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/7/nation/6209602&sec=nation

Someone must have taken the IGP seriously when he said he’d call his men off the streets. Thinking of course that the police would not maintain law and order and would not fight crime, the thieves must have decided they could get away scot free with anything. Seeing as how that was the Police forces sole task, to fight crime, it's also a given that they probably didn’t need even need their cars anymore…

Tongue in cheek aside, that crime is a slap to the face of the Royal Malaysian Police. The Official car of the Selangor Police Chief would have been festooned with badges identifying it as such. They might have been discreet (hands up those who have seen black perdana V6’s with badges covered in vinyl jackets) but they would have been there. For thieves to act with such impunity drives home the simple fact that not only do they not fear the police, but they view them with such disdain, that they’d even steal from them. And if the Police can’t even safeguard their own property and belongings what hope is there for the rest of us?

I read that article with fear. Fear for myself and fear for my friends and family. We are descending into a crime ridden society. Crime is on the upswing because the police are viewed as incomprehensibly cuckolded and emasculated. Toothless and ineffectual. Aside from their sense of duty and professionalism, If they had any self respect, this incident should galvanise them into action, into realizing how bad the rot is and to start acting like a police force. A good step in the right direction would be to see if they can even recover their own car first….

Our IGP decides if Law and Order are to be upheld

Our IGP lashes out? He threatens tax payers and yes the government, that he can instruct his men at any time NOT to enforce the law? The reasons for him doing so are immature enough, the outpouring of public indignation against the shooting death of a 14 year old. That incident, and ones similar, will obviously give rise to people expressing concern and yes maybe even anger and disgust as is their right. But, the incident itself aside, the arrogance of the IGP to think that he decides if the Police should act as is their calling? A calling by the way that is their legal and statutory obligation to do so?

That statement of our IGP is both irresponsible and arrogant. He is obviously not concerned about his or the responsibilities of the force or even cognizant of them. For him to begin to even think that he and only he decides if law and order should be upheld in this country points to some serious flaws in his reasoning and his capacity to act as the IGP. The Home Ministers task here is clear. He should have him removed and replaced with one with a clear understanding that such a position is not one of supreme authority but one of supreme obligation.

To reach out and help someone, do we or don’t we…

To reach out and help someone, do we or don’t we… I was faced with this exact question this past Sunday and was struck with my initial response.

I was driving home along a side road when a little old lady (of Chinese ethnicity if you must know) came running into view waving her arms furiously. And my first instinctive response was? Not to stop. To ask myself what scam was this and what was she up too? I was shocked at myself and buried that skepticism, pulled over and asked her what the problem was. It turned out her brakes had seized. On a brand new Honda Civic. Delivered to her just the day before. She had gone to the shops and on the drive back her car had come to a stop and had refused to budge. She had thought her engine was at fault but when I checked and drove the car a short distance (she was blocking someone’s driveway) I knew instantly what the problem was. I parked her car safely, offered to give her a lift home and advised her to call the dealer as the car had to be towed. She accepted my offer of the lift and on the way to her place, told me that she had been standing there for over an hour trying to get someone to stop and help her. And no one had.

When I had dropped her off I retraced the entire event over in my mind and questioned my initial reticence. I asked myself, why had I been apprehensive to the point of possibly not helping? And why after more than an hour of seeking help, had no one else stepped forward? To step forward and help a little old lady. The obvious answer, we live in a fear filled society. Our papers are filled with reports of snatch theft victims, road side scams, muggings and extortions. Petty crime has spiraled to such a point we have ceased to be civil as we move about in fear in our little cocoons. In so doing, we avoid and ignore our fellow man.

Over the past days though I have come across some interesting newspaper reports. One was of a student who fell to his death while trying to leave an apartment that was being raided under a joint exercise by Jais and the police. A raid that they were supposedly conducting under a tip-off…..
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/25/nation/6127992&sec=nation


Another report covered another joint raid on muslims at bars and clubs at some mall in Selangor http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/4/26/central/6130127&sec=central

Juxtapose this against the rising crime, the cloud of fear we are all living under and you can’t help but wonder if our resources are being misappropriated, our focus myopic. And in so doing not addressing what should be the core priority of our internal security forces. To combat real crime, to elevate this cloud of fear we live under such that, among other things, we can start functioning as a real society again. To be what we claim to be, a sociable people ever ready to help one another.

In the interim, until we see this happen, we shouldn’t be using the above as a reason, nay an excuse to not help. To not be a part of the human race. Selflessness as opposed to selfishness. It’s the least we can do I think…

Veterinary services Deputy DG advocates eating dogs in dog pounds

PETALING JAYA (March 7, 2010): People with a penchant for exotic meat should be allowed to buy dogs from dog pounds for consumption, Veterinary Services Department (VSD) deputy director general Dr Ahmad Suhaimi Omar says..........link to full article here http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=44085


I read with shock and horror the call from Veterinary Services Department (VSD) deputy director general Dr Ahmad Suhaimi Omar to eat the dogs from dog pounds!!!

Besides the sheer barbaracy of this statement, it was the absolute nonchalance in which it was stated that appalled me. The first criteria of anyone in veterinary services has to be empathy for animals. Or else how would you safeguard the safe and humane treatment of animals and care for their welfare? This person shows NONE of it. He should not be holding this position or in fact be anywhere near veterinary services for that matter and should be removed with immediate effect. Any lack of will here is reflective of the quality and nature of our society and our governments will in having good and decent people in responsible positions.

Or is this the best we have? This person, wasn't some lowly minion in the dept of toilet flush monitoring. He is the Deputy DG of the Veterinary services department. Are we forced to face the reality of knowing that this is the state of affairs here in Malaysia? That something as simple as the Veterinary Services Department isn't and cannot helmed by someone capable and suitable for the task at hand...?