Foreigners giving Bukit Bintang a trashy image

This letter Foreigners giving Bukit Bintang a trashy image written by Mimi Chih, is just a continuation of the sorry story of how foreigners and aliens, most of them here illegally, have literally taken over the retail business from local Malaysians. Earlier we have read about similar conditions existing in Klang and Kota Raya, and now, it's no surprise, the Golden Mile of business, Bukit Bintang has been "colonised".

In those earlier letters that we have written, and it bears repeating here, are the issues raised by the writer, to quote:

• Even we, being Malaysians, were stunned to see that all these foreigners were openly working in Malaysia.
  
• I doubt they have work permits.
• What is the Immigration Department doing? Surely, the director-general is aware of this.
  
• What is DBKL doing?

Why are we talking about the country making impressive progress through transformation programs when we can't even protect our small businesses and retail trade that is literally being "outsourced" without even leaving our shores.!

Global Warming.. world in comatose!

READ THIS >>Grim Reports on Global Warming >> World Bank, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Seek to "wake up the world"

It's already too late. The world is about to go into comatose. In Malaysia, we have daily reports on continued wanton destruction of forest reserves and green lungs... Just today 20 November, 2012 in The Star, three reports of blatant disregard of the environment have appeared:

• Templer Park under threat 
• Aerial patrols timely {but it's just for "show"}
• Bukit Kiara supporters fretting over perimeter fencing in the park
• 
  

And in the meantime, in the same paper, The Star, the Malaysian Tourism Ministry has advertised Malaysia as an environmentally friendly nation, bragging about its nature tours! Is the Ministry blind?

solution to stolen manhole covers!

I wish to congratulate whoever is responsible for solving the problems of stolen manhole covers in Section 11 Petaling Jaya. I am referring to the two manholes whose covers have been stolen more than 6 months ago. {{Location: @ Jalan 11/4 just opposite the Restaurant Chuan Lee, towards the junction with Jalan 11/2.}}

Many parties, including my wife, have reported many times that the manholes are stolen, leaving gaping holes of 4 feet by 2 feet wide. If a person had fallen into it, he could have been killed.

Just this evening, I walked past the two manholes without manhole covers, and lo and behold, the manholes have been FILLED WITH SAND AND EARTH, so much so a car would have safely parked over the hole. What an innovative way of solving the problem of stolen manhole covers..... fill up the manhole!!!

I have to ask this stupid question... If manholes can be filled up, what is the use of having these manholes in the first place? I can't believe we Malaysians have become so brain dead!

Please, somebody look into this.

AES System is not foolproof, functions should be explained

Instead of making sweeping statements like, Don’t politicise Automated Enforcement System, the Honourable Minister should instead clarify in detail comments made in the letter that the System is not foolproof, functions should be explained so that the public knows they are being treated fairly, and not used instead, to line up the pockets of the service provider!

In the letter, the Hybrid Car Owner asked, "Can someone from the appropriate agency explain again exactly how the AES functions? How does it identify multiple vehicles moving at different speeds, captured side by side together with a law-breaking vehicle (mostly travelling in the fast lane)?"

It is a good question, and it raises the fundamental question on how the AES system is able to selectively take photos of vehicles that break the speed limit, or shoot the lights? I may add to the question too. How will the camera take clear pictures of motorcyclists who snake around junctions and make all sorts of illegal moves like U-turns and shooting the lights, when the motorcycles do not behave in the "standard" way a car behaves, and will not "stand still" for a clear photo to be taken?

Like the Hybrid Car Owner, I have doubts of the technical capability of the system, and unless the Minister comes up with some detailed clarification and also demonstration to us and to the NGOs, you can't help the public for thinking that once again, we have been taken for a ride, AT OUR EXPENSE!

Haphazard parking in PJaya

It is obvious that the residents of Petaling Jaya have welcomed the One-way loop proposal for four major roads in PJ  as they are really fed up with the traffic mess they have to face daily. With the expected national annual increase of 600,000 vehicles on the road, there would have been no respite to their commuting woes.

However, I would like to suggest to the authorities that a good system is ONLY as good as it's maintained. At the present moment, traffic on this 'loop' can be much improved if the the authorities would maintain strict vigilance against haphazard parking at these areas:

1. Jalan Yong Shook Lin, the stretch from the TNB building to the overhead pedestrian bridge near the former National Registration Dept
2. Jalan Semangat, outside Jaya 33
3. Jalan Barat, from KFC to Courts, opposite the PJ Hilton.
   

If these stretches are diligently cleared of illegal parking, which blocks up to half the road stretches sometimes, traffic would be eased.
Can we do that, while we continue debate on the "proposed loop"??

Stop haphazard parking in PJ 
 

We love the Johor Sultan!

Reading this report in The Sunday Star, >>Johor Ruler: Mersing Laguna developer failed to fulfil condition I was impressed by the diligence of HRH the Sultan of Johor, who has taken a personal interest in the affairs of his beloved State and I was further struck by what he said, as quoted in The Star, " Nobody should take advantage of the situation for personal gains when acquiring equipment for the Special Forces,” he said, adding that recently four Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIV) were purchased for RM2.76mil or RM690,000 each. During the event, Sultan Ibrahim displayed one of the RIV vehicles and another personal vehicle that he purchased for RM150,000. “Which of these will be your choice? I do not understand why government purchases involve exorbitant charges that do not make sense,” Sultan Ibrahim, who is also a Colonel in the Special Forces, said. "

Based on the statement, should the Auditor General and the Anti Corruption Agency initiate investigations as to the reasons why the Defense Ministry has paid such exorbitant charges for apparently the same type of equipment, and, if true, any other "exorbitant" charges have been made regarding the Government's purchases.

We are indeed grateful to his HRH the Sultan of Johor for showing an exemplary interest in the affairs of the State, and in this instance, I think the public fully deserves an explanation from the authorities

AES.. Malaysian Traffic Management System

When I read this business report, AES poised to make drivers toe the line and the statement that, " SOON Malaysians might be driving like Singaporeans.." I can't help myself but ROFLOL {rolled on floor, laughing out loud} ! Why, you may ask. In a properly functioning and efficiently enforced system, this may well happen, and we may see "drivers conforming to speed limits on their roads....driving in unison, keeping to the speed limit in constant flow of traffic, afraid of being nabbed for breaking the law."
In Malaysia, this maybe too much to expect, and certain answers need to be given by the authorities before we can dream of an orderly traffic on our roads and highways. The questions are as follows:

1. Will the AES system be maintained in proper working order 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
2. Who vets the photos?
3. Who issues the tickets?
4. Who will collect the fines?
5. What happens when fines are persistently ignored? Will discounts be given, or will the offenders be taken to courts, no mitigation allowed?
6. Will the Operator of the AEC system be paid based on the amount of fines ISSUED, or on the amount of fines COLLECTED?
   
7. How will the Police and/or the AES system operator deal with motorcyclists who cannot be found, or have invalid addresses, as we know a significant number of these motorcyclists are foreigners, many of them staying in the country illegally?
   
8. Besides sharing the "spoils" or parking fines {issued or collected?}, do the AES operator get any other maintenance or "consultancy" fee, for example ?

I am praying for the system to succeed, as too long, we law abiding road users have been hounded and harassed by the hooligans of the road. But, until the questions that I have raised can be properly answered for public consumption, I am afraid this project will join the ranks of those high sounding projects that the Government has implemented, and naively thought will work out.

We need to transform our traffic management system, but that means hard work like boring maintenance and enforcement, 7 days a week, 365 days in a year, 366 in a leap year!
Are we up to it?