TwoSen

THE storm that uprooted trees and damaged several cars and motorcycles in Petaling Jaya last Thursday may be the result of a mini-tornado passing through the area. The mini-tornado is probably an FO type, the weakest of its kind.

Source: The Sun – February 21, 2011

THE

Source: The Sun – February 18, 2011

MOST banks have privileges and perks for their priority customers who are served at exclusive counters. However a leading bank’s branch in Sungai Petani serves its priority customers at the expense of regular customers. If a priority customer arrives after you, he or she is served first at one of two cash transaction counters.

When this happened to me I requested to meet the manager but was denied a meeting.

In response to a written complaint, I received an apology and suggestions to upgrade myself to priority status and meet the branch manager. A bit of a hitch since he would not meet me in the first place! Would readers agree that I should be served according to my turn or am I wrong?

Dr K.M. Koshy
Sungai Petani

Source: The Sun – February 17, 2011

AMONG the many disturbing developments and non-developments in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) fiasco, TI Malaysia and the public are gravely concerned that the proposal for the reappointment of Datuk Rajasingam as an independent director in the Port Klang Authority (PKA) board was rejected by the transport minister even though the board had recommended his extension. Although under the Act, the minister has the power to appoint directors, the PKA ad-hoc committee on governance which I chaired had recommended that one-third of the board members be independent directors. (An independent director is someone recommended by the existing board, with the minister having no say or influence on the appointment). This practice, crucial for good governance, was observed by the previous minister.

The PKFZ fiasco exposed serious failures in governance, with serious impact on the public and taxpayers. The recommendation for independent directors was made specifically: (1) to provide a check and balance and (2) to bring in members with the relevant competencies to help with the oversight of PKA. From my participation (by invitation) in PKA board meetings for about six months, I have observed the lively and fruitful discussions at board meetings. Rajasingam came across to me as someone who is highly competent and very knowledgeable in the affairs of the PKA and the operations of the ports. Being a past general manager of PKA, where during his tenure, PKA had operated efficiently and had accumulated a cash surplus of about RM500 million, he had shown the greatest passion and dedication to make sure things are done in good faith and in the interest of PKA and the public, and by extension, the government. Therefore, it is a great disappointment that his term was not extended. What message is the ministry conveying to the public in its commitment to improve governance at PKA and other agencies under its supervision?

Currently, apart from reports filed by PKA with the MACC and police, there are several civil suits filed against some parties implicated in the PKFZ fiasco. Our greatest concerns are:

Source: The Sun – February 16, 2011

YELLOW indicators on cars are critical safety features that help road users to predict where a car is likely to go. The colour yellow is to enable the road users to see the indicator clearly.

However, many cars do not have a proper indicator. The indicators in some cars are red in colour which blends with the casing. The driver from the other vehicle may not be able to see the indicators clearly.

Some cars have indicators in the middle of the light casing and not at the corner. As a result, the drivers from the side of the vehicle will not be able to see the indicator.

Also, indicator lights are too small.

Worst, there are some inconsiderate drivers who turn on their fog lights even on clear nights. The high intensity of light causes difficulties and discomfort to other drivers.

The Department of Standard Malaysia has developed the MS IEC 60810:2008.This standard is applicable to replaceable lamps (filament lamps and discharge lamps) to be used in headlamps, fog-lamps and signalling lamps for road vehicles.

Drivers should bear in mind that it is important to comply with regulations. They must also be more responsible on the road and about car maintenance.

The Road Safety Department must take action on drivers who do not comply with the safety feature and who modify their car lights and accessories without its permission.

The department’s officers must ensure that the vehicles comply with the regulations and standards and ban lights or gadgets that pose safety risks to reduce the number of accidents.

Mohana Priya
Malaysian Association of Standards Users

Source: The Sun – February 10, 2011

A FRIEND who lives in my neighbourhood in suburban Shah Alam runs a drink and tidbits stall at a food court near a secondary school. The distance between the school and the food court is only 50m.

A strict person, my friend had on many occasions refused to sell cigarettes to students, some as young as 13 years old. However that was not kindly looked upon by some of the students, about a dozen of them, who twice attacked him and his workers and destroyed furniture, display shelves, cups and glasses at his stall.

To avoid being attacked again, he has decided to sell cigarettes. His complaints to the school and the police on both occasions were attended to, but it did not improve matters.

I believe my friend’s stall was not the only one that was damaged by the group of students.

I found out after talking to some parents, principals and teachers and district education officials, most schools, if not all, have disciplinary problems and they would do with a good full-time discipline master.

There is definitely a need for schools to maintain discipline. What they have now is obviously not effective.

Both primary and secondary schools would do better if they employ people who are either disciplinarians or people who have received formal training in maintaining discipline.

The army has fairly young people with the ranks of corporals, sergeants, and even warrant officers who retire every year when they are 40 years old or so. They are excellent candidates to be employed as discipline masters.

Soldiers from the various corps in the army are trained in various trades and some of them are qualified carpenters, mechanics, computer technicians, electricians, instructors, cooks, medics, plumbers, handymen and sports coaches. Besides their job as discipline masters, they can also be made responsible for the general upkeep and maintenance of the school compound, including carrying out simple and routine repairs and maintenance, doing whatever trade they are specialised in, taking care of the school’s uniformed groups and being sports coaches.

The discipline master would probably need one or two assistants to be able to carry out all his duties effectively, and he may either report to the senior assistant or directly to the school’s principal.

Experienced soldiers do not have any qualms about serving in towns or rural areas and they would be happy if their jobs come with a decent quarters for their family, in addition to a reasonable monthly salary and allowances.

Perhebat, based in Sungai Buloh, the army’s centre to train and resettle retiring soldiers, can provide the very people that schools need and its officers should work closely with the Education Ministry to implement this programme.

Perhebat and the ministry should study this proposal and decide how best this programme can be implemented as soon as possible.

Capt (Rtd) Hussaini Abdul Karim
Shah Alam

Source: The Sun – February 7, 2011

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) finds the proposal of the “Land Exchange System” as revealed on Jan 11 by the Sarawak chief minister as extremely worrying, in particular references on increasing the “market value” of native territories for the purpose of sale and purchase. We would like to express our concerns.

First, exposing indigenous territories to market forces and the modern financial system will only serve to increase the vulnerability of the communities to the systematic loss of their land, resources and livelihoods. This can happen either through exploitative transactions or direct land grabs. For example, marginalised communities can easily be coerced into giving up their land, in exchange for token amounts of cash. Then, the employment of corporate proxies may complicate matters, permitting non-indigenous persons and corporations, easy access to such land.

Loss of land will inevitably lead to conflicts and even violence, customary land owners may end up as labourers on their ancestral land but permanently alienated from it.

Second, indigenous territories in principle are governed by a community’s cultural systems and beliefs and strategies on sustainable livelihoods, and not by profits. Communities certainly do derive income from their farms, rivers and forests, but such activities take place within a tradition that communally binds people. This is radically different from a market system that treats natural resources purely as commodities, which can be further speculated on, for the overriding purpose of profit maximisation for a few.

Third, profit-driven commerce and the free market will almost certainly run the risk of violating the fundamental legal principles governing indigenous customary territories. Our courts and statutes have clearly ruled that customary land rights are distinct from the modern land title.

Such rights are not dependent on documentary title or executive, legislative and judicial proclamations. Instead, the native customary rights (NCR) to land under Sarawak law is a form of free-of-charge land licences that cannot be terminated at will, without following lawful procedures.

Such rights are usufructuary in principle – although owners do possess proprietary interests in the land, the land itself cannot be freely entered into the modern land market.

The NCR are to be regulated in such a way to minimise their loss through sale, purchase and mortgage processes to non-indigenous persons.

The state in fact has a fiduciary duty to protect these rights. Therefore, by converting such rights into shares or other financial entitlements that can be traded in the open market, how will this affect the legal nature of the rights-licences and the fiduciary duties of the state?

Fourth, in order to increase the value of the land for the purpose of sale and purchase will logically necessitate that the land must first be issued with a title and that this process must be opened to both indigenous and non-indigenous persons. However this may require that the status of such land to be changed into the mixed zone land category where occupation by natives and non-natives is only permitted with the ownership of private titles. In short, we do not see how customary land can be priced at the supposed market value without affecting the status of the land.

Fifth, the proposal will also require that indigenous territories in Sarawak to be clearly delineated. The state government has yet to establish a joint-boundary demarcation process that is undertaken within a genuinely consultative and participatory multi-stakeholder process, complete with its complaints mechanisms to fairly address grievances and objections. Without such processes on good procedures and transparency, how can such an exchange system be able to function justly?

Sixth, the state government has repeatedly asserted that the NCR to land do not extend to the “pulau galau” or the higher forests where rights are communally exercised by a village for hunting and gathering activities.

This policy approach in effect is a legal fiction at best, in direct contradiction with our court decisions. Until the Sarawak executive arm concedes to judicial decisions, it is unlikely that the delineation of indigenous territories can proceed smoothly in full compliance of the law and in accordance to the communities’ traditional laws, which such rights owe their existence to.

We urge the Sarawak Government to furnish more detailed information on the proposal and quickly provide clear responses to all of our concerns.

S.M. Mohamed Idris
President
Sahabat Alam Malaysia

Source: The Sun – February 2, 2011

MALAYSIA is blessed with a variety of races, religions, languages, cultures and ways of life. Throughout the year, the people observe and celebrate many religious activities and festive seasons making Malaysia so wonderful and meaningful.

The nation’s multi-culturalism and unity in diversity is its greatest strength and most valuable asset. Malaysia enjoys peace, stability and prosperity because of the efforts of its past and present leaders, and the people’s love for the country.

In Malaysia, the most widely celebrated festival for the Chinese community is the Spring Festival more popularly known as Chinese New Year. This year Chinese will celebrate the Year of the Rabbit on Feb 3. It is during this time, hotels, shopping complexes, shops, streets and homes are all at their decorative best. To usher in the New Year, many shopping malls and hotels are incorporating cute bunnies into their theme and many malls are decked with rabbit statues of various sizes and colours, some even have live rabbits.

Markets are crowed with buyers looking for must-have items especially those used to prepare the reunion dinner that Chinese families hold on the eve of the New Year.

Festive excitement and colour fill the scene and traditional New Year songs go on air. Crowds shop for festive specialities like wax duck and sausages, “nien gao”(New Year cake), “kam” (Mandarin oranges), traditional cookies, candy, peanuts, and lanterns. All these signify happy and prosperous times ahead.

As we celebrate with family, loved ones and friends, we should be careful on the road, watch what we eat and drink, practise moderation and take good care of ourselves and our loved ones.

In the true spirit of 1Malaysia and brotherhood, I urge all Malaysians to celebrate and share in the fun to make this occasion an even more interesting and meaningful one.

Known for its graceful, gentle, kind, wise and nimble ways, may the Year of the Rabbit bring success, happiness, peace, prosperity and good health to everyone.

Tih Seong Pin
Malacca

Source: The Sun – February 2, 2011

I REFER to statements on the need for a better early warning system in light of floods in Johor and Malacca.

It is the norm for the authorities to announce the acquisition of new systems that they think will help resolve problems. I believe such systems are already in place in government agencies.

High ranking government officials need to put in more effort to ensure the entire machinery runs as it should and measure the output and impact, rather than keep being influenced by suppliers selling new systems.

We can see how the prime minister works and preaches hard to deliver transformations to the rakyat only to be hampered by short sighted and unthinking government officials. An audit of government agencies will uncover white elephants acquired in haste either during a crisis or calamity or during the end-of-the-year allocation clearance spending spree.

Let us all transform our mindset to serve as a foundation for greater transformations.

Anuar Murad
Putrajaya

Source: The Sun – February 2, 2011

I HAVE been writing to the Public Complaints Bureau for over a year but to date the bureau has not been able to solve my problem.

I wrote to Datuk Dr Tan Weng Wah on several occasions but he has not replied to my letters.

The impression one gets about the bureau is that it acts as a letter box and is not able to solve people’s complaints.

R. Teo
Via email

Source: The Sun – February 2, 2011