Surprises in MBPJ budget, [i am surprised too]

Dato,
I wish to quote from Star Metro Surprises in MBPJ budget, in which you said, " The highlights include a RM100,000 allocation for installing and maintaining energy-saving lights at the back of houses to brighten dark lanes — provided the house owners agree to pay the electricity charges  "

I must admit I am a little confused by your statement. Sometime back, MBPJ has installed SOLAR powered street lights at the backlanes of Section 11 PJ, among other sections, [SEE PHOTO ATTACHED OF THE SOLAR POWERED LIGHT BESIDE MY HOUSE]. Since Dato has announced that residents have to pay for lighting up their backlanes (also a bad idea, as the GE13 is around the corner), does it mean the solar powered lights installed at all the backlanes of Section 11, 12 and 19, etc have failed?? How much did MBPJ spend on this abortive project?

By the way, I wish to request that, if MBPJ is to continue with this solar powered lights at our backlanes, please make sure the lights work effectively AND AT THE CORRECT TIMES!! At the moment, most of the lights switch on at 7.30pm and switch off at 11.30 pm automatically! Dato must agree with us that from 11.30pm and until about 6am in the morning, the back lanes should be lighted up, AND NOT LEFT IN THE DARK BY THESE SOLAR POWERED LIGHTS :((

So, can you see why I am so confused, when Dato announced that the residents HAVE TO PAY FOR LIGHTING UP THE BACKLANES?

I am surprised too, at the MBPJ Budget, to say the least... LOL

National Security Council should be more proactive in dealing with floods.

It is good to read that the National Security Council has responded swiftly to the imminent floods in the coming monsoon season, NSC roping in firms and fishermen to deal with floods but though floods are catastrophic events with tragic consequences, they are seasonal happenings and actually are symptoms of some serious underlying cause. Mobilising all sectors to help is great, but what the NSC should also keep in mind are the short and long term proactive steps to be taken to mitigate the effects of the flood.

One of the short term tasks is to survey and ensure that ALL drains, streams and rivers are cleared and not blocked by garbage and silt. WE need to do this BEFORE the floods arrive, and not as a knee jerk reaction, when it can be too late.

A long term policy for the NSC to consider is to include among its responsibilities, the role to protect our diminishing water catchment areas and hill slopes along the mountain ranges all over the nation. Fully forested catchment areas and hill slopes serve as a buffer for the tremendous amount of rainfall that is experienced in the tropics, and slow down the flow of water to the plains and the towns. Fully protected catchment areas also ensure sufficient potable water for our future generations.

We read frequently of another South Eastern nation {Philippines} which has suffered progressively more calamitous floods mainly due to excessive logging over the years, which has denuded its forests and hill slopes.

Let us plan and strategise with long term objectives in mind, while we move to immediately to combat any possible devastation the impending floods will bring to our country and to our citizens.

Give Malaysia Airports a chance....

I wish to refer to your very lopsided report on Malaysia Airports' building of the KLIA2 in AirAsia X slams Malaysia Airports and I quote from your report...“If the Government allowed AirAsia/Sime Darby to build new low-cost carrier terminal at Labu, it would have been ready by now, no public funds used, and lower charges," and " The critical failure of this knee-jerk policy decision to reinstate airport fee monopolistic increase, is that there is no consultation or analysis."

In my opinion, the comments are very unfair to MAHB, and some balanced counter views are required. First of all, since AirAsia and Sime Darby did not get to build the airport to be owned by Air Asia, we will not know if that airport at Labu was going to be built on time, and within the budget. As to the claim that an AA owned airport would in turn mean lower charges, the spokesman conveniently forgot to mention that the lower charges will benefit Air Asia only, and given the carrier's inherent arrogance to slap additional charges on the passengers unilaterally and without warning, would the passengers gain anything by it. On the claim that MAHB unilaterally introduce higher airport charges, did AA ask itself, if the public was consulted when it introduced,

• fee for booking seats
• additional fee for booking 'good' seats
• fee for check in baggage
• fee for telephoning AA's hotline to complain about bad services
• and now the latest, fee for NOT checking online and using the check in counter
• fee for changing flights
• administration fee
• etc etc {view all such fees at AirAsia.com.my}

Based the known heartless policy of AirAsia when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility, I would even like to speculate that if Air Asia had been allowed to build its own airport at Labu with Sime Darby, in order to recover from lower airport handling charges for the carrier, the public may be asked to pay for the following at the Labu airport :

• Non flight public have to pay an entrance fee to enter the the airport lobby
• Passengers have to pay for toilet use, and toilet paper will be charged on a per-piece basis
• Drinking water at the water fountains will be at RM1 per squirt
• Wheelchairs will be leased out at RM20 per time, and extra payment is required if you need someone to push the disabled or sick passenger
• Bus services from the gates to the plane will be charged at RM2 per passenger
• If umbrellas are needed in the rainy season, a levy will be imposed
• Taxis will be charged a RM5 waiting fee
• Chairs can be hired at the lobby, if passengers get tired waiting for the flights
• If the airport is too warm, hand fans maybe be hired by passeners
• Smoking rooms are at RM10 per entry
• other fees that AA deem fit to impose from time to time....{and it will}

I think it's befitting of the Government to impose a minimum standard of safety and dignity for the public who fly, be it with the premier airline, or the budget carrier. We should not be forced by companies, in their blind quest for profits, reduce humans to just "fodder" for their goals.

Airport Security at KLIA lackadaisical?

Reading this news story,Cops arrest debonair foreigners suspected of involvement in luggage theft three{3} things stand out.

1. The debonair foreign thieves have been able to operate with apparent impunity for at least a year, and they can even afford to rent a Condominium in Ampang,
2. The confident and 'charming' thieves were apprehended apparently only after a 76 year old Senator's luggage bag was stolen,
3. The CCTVs in operation were used to identify and apprehend the thieves.

Questions rushing through my mind are:

• Did the Police and Airport Security officials only jumped into action AFTER a Senator's [read VIP] bag was stolen, and he made a loud complaint?
• If the CCTVs were so effectively used in identifying the thieves, how come the flamboyant thieves were "allowed" to operate for a year before they were caught, and that because some VIP lost his baggage? Which means to say, there is NO standard operating procedures for viewing and reporting on events recorded by the CCTVs at all? I am totally ignorant on security matters, but I would have guessed someone in the Security department would want to view the CCTVs after EACH complaint of lost bag is received from the public?
  

Do the security officials only operate only on perceived "importance" of the complaints? 

The Government just announced its approval to increase airport taxes for International travel, and I hope it's not to pay for the bonuses of the airport security officials for a job well done..

Outlet raided one month after opening

Reading this report, Outlet raided one month after opening. I am reminded of a much earlier report that your paper made on a similar 'story', 61 GRO's held in 11th raid at outlet {Star Sunday Nov 15, 2009}, and two questions immediately come to my mind.

1. Is the outlet that has been raided 11 times still in operations?
   
2. Has the new outlet that has been raided just one month after opening any relation to the "11-raids outlet"?

Other serendipitous happenings can be surmised from this report too. It seems George Town is 'happily' notorious in such activities, and no amount of enforcement and raids will stem the vice business. This also throws in the question, "are the operators of this type of business in cahoots with the local authorities and the Police, as seen by the fact that there seems no fear of being harassed and caught?"

Finally, the all important question. "Are the operators of this type of business also involved indirectly in 'human trafficking'?

The Government may want to think these questions through, and provide the public with some good answers

Budget does not mean 'heartless'

I refer to your report, {Group wants aerobridges at KLIA 2}, and it's disheartening to read that the disadvantaged have to stoop to such strong measures to get the Govt to look into their grievances.

In my view, the nation's premier budget airline, in its bid to become a global leader in budget air travel, has seen fit to sacrifice its CSR objectives (Corporate Social Responsibility) for the sake of the bottom line, and has left us wondering if achieving profitability and a high income status should be done at the expense of the poor and the disadvantaged.

I have been using this budget airline since its inception, for business and private purposes, and I have seen it deteriorate from a friendly and warm airline to an airline that rushes and cajoles its passengers just to make a few dollars. In the beginning, pregnant women, children and the elderly were boarded before the other passengers. This compassionate gesture has been removed, although I observe that it is still being followed by other budget airlines (Cebu Pacific for example).

I had also twritten to the CEO of that airline to ask him to provide for hand cleaning soap in the toilets, as hygiene and cleanliness was also overlooked in the beginning. When I again wrote in to suggest that passengers be given seat numbers to reduce rushing and pushing (as the priority to board for pregnant ladies,children, etc was withdrawn), the CEO replied that ALL BUDGET airlines operate on a "numberless" seat policy. A few months down the road, the airline offered seat number bookings AT AN EXTRA COST.

Of course we know now of the other 'benefits' that have been removed or shifted into the 'paying category', like front row seats, check in luggage, "administration" fee, the list is long.

Suffice to say, I think it is ironic that, for Malaysia to endeavour to achieve high income status, and by extension a better standard of living, to have to downgrade the construction of KLIA2 to an international airport without aerobridges, which is the perfect way for passengers to embark and disembark in ALL weather conditions. It is a double irony that the decision NOT to have aerobridges is apparently made following the request of the budget carrier, IN ORDER TO HELP IT MAINTAIN ITS TURNAROUND TIME!!!

It is quite clear to me, if the decision not to have aerobridges is upheld, the Govt, as well as the National Budget carrier is treating air travel passengers just as a cost centre for profit, and nothing else.

Does Malaysia want to become a nation without soul?

Is Malaysia really a hub for human trafficking?

I refer to your report, Sex Slaves Freed, and first of all would like to commend the police for busting up some slave trade activities in the country. However praiseworthy this deed is, I believe it's just addressing the symptoms of the problem, and at worse, it just indirectly confirms the increasingly negative perception of the international community that Malaysia is indeed a hub for human trafficking, among other things.

In this instance, since Malaysia was the second destination, after initially being sent to 'work' in China, it amazes me to think of the ease that the human traffickers manage to 'smuggle' 21 savagely abused and beaten women into our country, fooling our alert Immigration officials, and even the airport security who are on a 24 hour surveillance of all entry points into our country.

The question that the Polis should be asking is, 'How do the traffickers manage to subdue these women, who are desperate to escape from a living hell, when they have to go through immigration, airport security and a public place?' I am sure the public would also like to know the answer.

Sex ring bust only addressing the symptoms

Carlsberg, it's a shame...

Dear Carlsberg,
This is a shameful thing, but I am sorry I have to report it. This evening I went to Restoran GAsing in PJ, happy in the knowledge that this is a place that Carlsberg was served with abandon. Imagine to my HORROR, I was told they had only one bottle of Carlsberg left, and they only serve Tiger{Yucks!!!}. We were told that, Carlsberg, in spite of winning the owner's confidence to serve only CArlsberg, were so complacent in their success that they never followed up in their efforts to install a proper business signboard for the restaurant, and also NEVER finalised the contract between the owner and Carlsberg. Tiger, on seeing the complacency, pestered the owner, and got the owner to sign a new contract, and now they have banned Carlsberg from the premises.

Now I know, this is the reason why Carlsberg is losing its market share in PJ to GAB. You need to f*** your sales team. How can they lose a contract in hand to Tiger in the bush?? According to what I have heard tonight, it seems that the owner was pissed waiting for Carlsberg to consummate the deal, and Tiger stabbed Carlsberg in the back.. Imagine this happening all over PJ

No wonder I find it so tough to get a CArlsberg in PJ!!!! Maybe I should take over your marketing team,,, can I send you my CV? :((