RASUAH DAN KEAZAMAN POLITIK - komen di Chedet.com

Below is my comment in Chedet.com on the same topic

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Tun,

Mungkin salah satu cara untuk mengurangkan pengaruh politik wang adalah dengan cara membuat pemilihan secara "electoral college", seperti pemilihan Presiden Amerika Syarikat.

Pertama, calon yang ingin bertanding perlu mendapat pencalunan yang cukup dari setiap bahagian, mengikut prosedur yang biasa.

Apabila semua itu sudah selesai, tarikh "pilihanraya" akan diadakan.

Kedua. Semua cawangan perlu melakukan "pilihanraya" diperingkat cawangan pada tarikh yang ditetapkan. Setiap ahli yang berdaftar dicawangan tersebut perlu mengundi satu calon untuk Presiden, satu untuk Timbalannya, tiga undi untuk naib presiden dan seterusnya untuk majlis tertinggi.

Ketiga. Undi itu akan dikira pada peringkat cawangan, dan calon yang menang diperingkat cawangan akan mendapat satu  "electoral vote"  dari cawangan tersebut.

Keempat. Undi dari setiap cawangan akan dikumpul terus di PWTC untuk perjumlahan pada hari yang sama.

Keputusan akan dapat diketahui pada hari yang sama

Dengan ini, Calon2 dan agen2 mereka untuk membeli undi tidak akan dapat mengawal semua cawangan supaya mengikut kehendak mereka.

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Garbage and Waste Management -

This was my comment on Tun Mahathir's blog http://test.chedet.com/che_det/2008/11/snippets-18.html

It was posted a few minutes ago...

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Assalamualaikum Tun,

Your comment about garbage disposal and recycling issues got me to register and put in my first comment. I have been your loyal reader since this blog started.

RECYCLING..

Now I know why we are so obsessed by the 3 colorful recycling garbage bins. We are copying it from the British..
However, I think there are simpler way to promote recycling in Malaysia. This was based on my experience in the land of Uncle Sam in the 1990s.

Then, outside each house, there are just two type of bins - the blue and the "other color", usually green.

In the blue bins we could put any recycled items - paper, bottles, plastics, etc. Anything, as long as it is recycled.

Putting in mind that the recycled goods do have values, we should let the garbage collectors do their job. After all, they are the one who got the (extra) money

Now, I lived in a low-medium cost apartment in PJ where people don't care too much about recycling.
What I experimented was putting all recycled items in one plastic bag, and the other garbage in the other bags.
I put the normal garbage in the huge garbage bin outside the apartment.
I put the plastic bag that contains all the recyclables on the floor, outside the bin.
Within 30 minutes, the recycled items are gone.

So why bother to put in huge sums of govt money to purchase the multi-colored garbage bins if the "market forces" can just do that for you for free?

We just need to educate people to put the recyclables next to their usual garbage bin. The recycled-items collectors will clean it up for them.

GARBAGES

One of the ways to minimize the garbage at landfills/incinerators is by transferring it into different "system". Again, from my experience with "Uncle Sam", we should encourage our people to use the centralized sewer management.
All biodegradable items should be flushed out from the kitchen sink into the kitchen. No more putting your "nasi basi" into the plastic bag and dumping into the garbage bin.
Just flush it into the kitchen sink, and if necessary promote the introduction of garbage disposal blades at the kitchen sink to chop the wastes such as chicken bones into tiny pieces so that it could not block the sink cavity or the sewer..

Only items that are not easily flushed out such as hard bones etc that needs to be thrown into the garbage bin.

Once this items landed into our sewer collection plant, we got a better control of disposing it. There are numerous technology to convert this human wastes into other products.

Anyway, similar to you, I also feel the the incinerator issues has been blown our of proportion.. -- which makes the project got blown into pieces --

But to be "sensitive" to the feeling of others, why just put these incinerators on top of the already closed landfills. Since the landfills have been perceived as already "contaminated", a little bit of additional contamination should not matter, isn't it?...

my two sen...

Eurocopter Deal - the basic specs.

I have read on the letter by Captain Zahar on the Eurocopter deal.
He is also the person who wrote letter to UMNO Secretary General on what he said as the "corruption on the highest order"
He is also the person who was alledged/accused in some blogs of buying prime PJ land at discounted price.

Whether any of the allegations true or not, I will not discussed it here.

The issue brought out my interest on the technology and specification of the choppers. As I do not have the one given to Mindef. I have to get one myself.
So, I had googled and compiled some information on the basic specs of the choppers especially from wikipedia.



Based on those I had seen, I think technically it is fair to conclude that the EC-725does have it advantages as multi role helicopter.
However I do not have any data on the maintenance and the pricing aspects of the deal.
So I will not comment about it here.

Anwar Ibrahim

I need to make comments on the whole anwar ibrahim sodomy things. I just could not resists it.
I have no political affiliation. So I will try to see them objectively.

No need to comment on the case itself, on whether it is baseless or not. The political blogs are doing their part of this great blogging world by dissecting this matter. You could go to Malaysia-today or read in Malaysia Kini.
I think I would rather go on what had happened, based on what I have read on the web and the blogs.

1. Pictures.
The 'mole" was photographed with numerous BN ministers, and TPM's aide. But personally for me, it did not mean a thing. There are numerous persons in this world who are just want political and business mileage by taking photos with VIPs and brag about it. some just do it for fun, and to add to their collection.
Saiful Azlan probaly one of those person who love to take photos with VIPs. And he might got the opportunity when he was the student leader in UNITEN. Thousands, if not millions of people take photos with the VIPs everyday. And the picture was taken during an event, probably those involving university students.

Most of the minister pictures have to do with student or the youth. Mustapha Mohamad was Higher Education Minister, while Azalina was Youth and Sportes Minister.


Unless it is take while having vacation with the VIPs -- as alledged in the Lingam case, which still cannot link them. The travel document did --, then I don't think a picture or two with ministers would qualify you as a mole.
Then you might somehow went to the TPM's office to deliver documents, met one of his aides. snap.snap then you got a picture or two at the entrance of the office, and then you are now a BN's mole.
It just does not connect even if the picture is taken in Australia, since you just might bump into the VIP while you are vacationing.

2. The "mule".
Numerous PKR supporters website discussed on the mule. What makes me baffled was that no one had actually worked for the person to be kicked out of PKR. Information about Saiful was available even in the web, as he was one of the student leaders of Uniten. The picture of him with Khairil Anas was in the blog of RiwayatHayat
since February 2008. Surely Anwar senior aides should have had grilled him on the matter. One would speculate that there might be PKR's attempt to put in their own mule into TPM's office and Saiful might be the failed ones. It seems that he is not the smart ones in UNITEN, and also not the popular one.

3. The other motives.
While discussing on the issue with my office mates, one had came out with another interesting story: What is this whole matter was done by Anwar himself as an exit strategy if he failed to get the BN lawmakers to switch to PKR by September 2008 as he had promised.


My last word, is that while Anwar might see this case was aimed to kill his political career, he should have given better rebuttal rather than mere meaningless pictures.

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Petrol Subsidy - Reducing Car Import Tariff

Some people said that abolishing car tariff would help reduce the burden of fuel price hike.

I already put a thought through it.

However, my opinion is that abolishing car import tariff will not help the poor.
It will just give us more option on which car to buy.

Let me illustrate.

For new cars, we got Protons and Peroduas as the cheapest. For used card we have a lot of cars to choose.
We could get a pre-owned Proton Tiara from 2k and also some 20 year old corollas.

There are already options for the "not so rich" to own used cars. And I think the price is still reasonable. So since they already know that they are not so rich, they will not buy even a brand new Kancil.
Hence, even if we got a Vios at the price of a Persona, it is still out of their budget.

For those people who could afford a Saga or Persona, or Viva and Myvi, then it will be good for them. Now they have plenty of choices. Vios, City, Accent etc.
If with taxes, then they will have to choose between Saga, Persona, Kancil, Viva, Myvi or just get used car of other make. And if the tariff is gone, then they got others to choose. It will not make them any richer. It will not make them any poorer.


For the rich, abolishing these tariffs will not make any difference to them. If they like a Gallardo, they will buy a Gallardo. With or without tax.


Again, I would stresses that if we could afford a RM 50k vehicle now, then if the import tariff is abolished, we still could only afford a 50k car. It will not change. The only thing change would be the choices of new cars to to own.

So abolishing the car import tariff will not help the poor. Instead, it will reduce the money govt got (thru taxes) to help the poor. Whether the govt would wisely it for the poor is another question to ponder.


My 2 sen.

Government Scholarship to Bumi and Non-Bumiputra issue

I really feel annoyed when some top non-bumi students were denied scholearhip and government loans last tiem. And this has been on and on for too long a time. GPMS and MUAF had already made press statement on the issue.

While some would prefer more allorcation to bumi, we have to be realistic about it. While discarding the bumi allorcation would not be a good and popular idea for the government at this time, we still need to give some kind of meritocracy. It is also time that we commit less on the bumi, non-bumi matters. Thare are many bumis who can afford to buy houses in Australia, so they should even afford to send their kids overseas.

My ideas on the scholarship for undergraduates would be as follows.
40% - top scorers fro ordinary families (not the super rich ones)
60% - potential students from poor families with very good grades.

TOP SCORERS
40 percent of the scholarship will be offered to all top students regardless of their being bumi or not.
While I would like to see it as it is, the govt could divide this to bumi and non-bumi allorcation as well.
for example 60% of the top student allocation goes to bumi, and 40 percent to non-bumi.


POTENTIAL STUDENTS
The rest of the 60% from above would be based on potentially good student from poor families based on racial composition plus a little bit more for the bumis. I would illustrate it as below:
1) 60 of the potential student allocation will be given to potential students from poor bumi families.
2) the 40 percent balance would be to potential students from poor non-bumi families.

That seems good in the next few years. But after a while, we should give the top scorers allocation and potential students allocation based on true racial composition.


my 2 sen

Fuel Subsidy - A proposal

We got 3  types of mainly used fuel: NGV, Petrol and diesel.

I would not worry about the NGV and Petrol, since from what I have read, it is mostly used by Malaysians, and I think only small amount of it were used by foreigners or being smuggled out.

Prevent Fuel Smugglings - Color marker

The biggest problem would be the trade of the subsidized  fuel. Certain aspect could be used. For instance we could implement the use of color marker as being implemented in the US. We could use red diesel for fishermen, and orange diesel for normal road transport. The colored diesel will also leave traces on the vehicle engine and would only disappear after one or two weeks of usage of non-colored diesel. AFAIK, it will not effect the performance and health of the engines. The color also cannot be easily removed or filtered. This would also ease enforcement, as anybody could detect the subsidized fuel, and make the necessary police report. I don't know about the currently used "nano" technology in diesel used by the relevant authorities, but I understood that the fuel need to be sent to a lab to detect the nano marker.

 

Anyway, anybody caught with these colored diesel SHOULD  be severely penalized and their vehicle confiscated. Enforcement could be eased further if the informer are to be handsomely rewarded.

This approach could also be used for petrol fuels. For example, a green marker for all subsidized petrol, or rotten egg smell for NGVs.

Distribution of Subsidy,

One method that I had heard was to use MyKad. Some arguments were posted in paultan's blog 

I have these question however:

1. Could stolen MyKad be blacklisted, and how long does it take to blacklist a MyKad?

2. Does it using  MEPS Cash, and would it require everybody to have a bank account, or guaranteed to have a bank account? Some people do not have any bank account.

3. How could we prevent a boss with a 7-series from ordering their driver to use the drivers MyKad to fuel the car.

4. How about company car/lorry. Does they need to use the driver's MyKad or do they issue another card?

I see the the use of MyKad is just a marketing gimmick, and trying to capitalize on the problem.

Since MyKad transaction would be link to a bank,  and the user would probably need a bank account to ensure that they have the subsidy, the MyKad could be easily replaced by the any local bank ATM card or MEPS cash. 

Anyway, 

I have thought of  2 proposed implementation on the subsidy  (I might came out with new idea later) :

Solution A.  

Abolish all subsidy (or give limited subsidy) in all fuels except NGV.

Give subsidy or tax break for installing NGV equipment in vehicles.

Ensure that ALL petrol stations (not exclusively Petronas) also have NGV  fueling points. - govt might want to subsidize the equipment needed for NGV fueling in the petrol stations. 

AND that NGV is available all over the country.

For fishermen, we could implement the color marker as above.

Solution B

Still abolish all subsidy (or give limited subsidy) in all fuels except NGV.

Give a tax rebate to all citizens. This way everybody will be tempted to return their tax forms, or register if they have not.

Any company must declare their list of uses/rented vehicles.

Transportation company's tax rebate  would be separately calculated, probably based on trips/mileage or turnover, with a capped maximum rebate, of course!.

 

All citizens would be given fixed amount of rebate. say RM 1200 per year. However. any purchases using MEPS or credit card could be claimed up to a maximum rebate, say 2400 per year. We could calculate that the rebate claimable would be 20% of the total fuel purchase. 

Fishermen's  subsidy would be treated differently. for example, the proposed yearly rebate could be spread into monthly rebate. It could be controlled by the local fishermen association, or by the relevant authorities.

This way everybody will get some rebate (bonus) at the end of the year, regardless of their fuel usage if (and only if) they return their tax form. Hence this would motivate even poor people at remote villages to submit their tax forms. This would be killing two birds with one stone.

How would they spent the money (on fuel or otherwise) would be up to them. We don't have to think whether they will spent it on fuel or not. Its their money. 

However, to please the control freak who want to dictate everything , we could also give the rebate in terms of  fuel coupon, or similar methods.

Anyway, enforcement need to be enhanced to ensure that the subsidized fuel did not fall into wrong hands.

my 2 sen.

Lingam Report, KL 2020 City Plan, UMNO MP Group

OK, I was doing some "cadangan" for the pass weeks, I also have some questions that hopefully could be answered. Based on my readings on Malaysiakini,  Malaysia-Today and other online news report

1. In the world of ICT, and Malaysia being the host of the just concluded WCIT,  why did the Lingam report is still in print, and not in electronic media?. My cadangan is that the report be published in government websites. The printed copy was sold at RM541 each, while it could be available at a lesser price online, or (in my opinion) should be available for free. 

2. Speaking about publishing the report, while the KL 2020 City Draft Plan website  has good amount of information  in it, it still not easy to navigate. There are limited number of "Next" and "Previous" links that I could click. I think not all information was inserted in the site. Some of the pages even have dead image links. I don't think it was done with readers in mind. It it too difficult to make?.

3. On the Parliament, I would argue that the creation of "Umno MP Group" could backfire as it tends to isolate UMNO among their BN counterpart. I should only see BN in the Parliament, and not pieces or sections of BN. Myself as a layman cannot see the purpose of such group. It is strange that when the PR is getting themselves together, the guys in BN is trying to put themselves apart. 

My 3 sen!

Multi Provider Toll Collection System.

Quite few months ago, the KKM  had announced that Malaysia is going to introduce MLFF - multi lane free flow system, which is a system where there is no tolling island, and payments would be made via on board units (OBUs) - similar to SmartTags. 

Actually it is more closely similar to the previous tags system that Litrak/Kesas and Grand Saga used not so long time ago - microwave tags instead of infrared tags in SmartTag.

It was that at that point of time, we are still not ready for MLFF.

Anyway, it was reported that a viability study are being conducted. 

see: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=299666

I have not heard any new development on this technology since then.  But while the idea is noble, the implementation would be tricky, unless the JPJ managed to control and limit the usage of false license plate, and also non standard number plate. Not to mention, stolen plates that gives headaches to authorities in London when they are enforcing their version of road charging.

However, I would not talk about the MLFF, but instead, i would see that the next logical step before we go to MLFF is to ensure open-architecture and interactivity of the tolling system through-out Malaysia. And importantly to ensure no monopoly. 

There are few options that I had in mind. 

1. Central clearing house, which should fall under the jurisdiction of  Bank Negara (and not KKM)

2. Multi provider card with similar protocols (as adopted in the European counties, and through-out the world), in which there are few main players on the same system. It is similar to credit cards where, for example,   multiple bank issuing similar MEPS card. At the end of the day, the clearing house will deduct the amount from the individual card provider. This time thought we should also adopt the new worldwide of not putting any purse value in our cards. The current TnG purse idea is already outdated.

3. Multiple roadside equipment provider. Which under the supervision of the LLM, the supply of the roadside equipment would be open to any supplier. This will ensure the concessionaires have more options in choosing their road-side equipment supplier.

4. Multiple OBU (tags) provider, in which the user could buy the OBU from any provider that the like and stick into it any card that they like.  

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Grand Saga - Taman Mahkota residents disputes #2 - Buy Grand Saga.

One of the solution that could be implemented is for the state government to initiate purchase of Grand Saga shares from its current shareholders. I know that it could be difficult.

Another way is to initiate investigation on the disposal of Grand Saga shares by Selangor state-owned  Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor in 1999/2000.  I could not understand why KPS would dispose a cash cow then especially during recession. KPS used to own 42% of Grand Saga.

The state govt could also de-classify and make public any matters that are between Grand Saga and State government such as land requisition etc.

 

Just a thought!..

Alleviating Congestion at Federal Highway.

I think this would also applies to all other highway.

Some congestion happens few hundred meters before or after a junction or interchanges.

For Federal Highway, the stretch leading to "Motorol junction" from KL, or leading to Jalan 222 from KL is well known to experience congestion.

To reduce the problem, my idea is as below:

1. increase the number of lanes from 3 to 4 lanes (hopefull this could be done).

2. designate the 2 middle lanes  as "express lanes" ,  block any traffic that entering the junction from using it. 

For instance, for "Motorola interchange" from KL, the express lanes should start right before the flyover from NPE (near Cycle-and-Carriage) all the way to Batu 10. It will block any traffic from NPE to enter the express lanes, and from the express lanes into the "motorola junction".

Thus makes the express lanes exclusively for traffic that intended to go to Subang or beyond. 

It will also limits vehicles zig-zagging the highway while exiting the federal highway into LDP,  or entering the federal highway from LDP .

Again, this would be highly effective if we got 2 express lanes, and 2 non-express lane -- with total of 4 lanes per direction.  We might need to experiment with plastic barriers if we are to do it with 3 lane highway.

Any comments?.

Improving traffic flow at LDP - Federal Highway Interchange (Motorola Interchange)

The "motorola interchange" or "Penang bridge" intersection usually became congested during morning rush hours.

My observation is that this congestion was partly due to slow traffic flow at the interchange due to the steep approach angle at the junction (nearly 90 degrees angle), causing motorists to drive slowly (sometimes too slow) when entering the junction.

One of the solution would be to widen the junction.

My proposal would be to change the approach angle (and exit angle) of the junction to 45 degrees, making it slightly slanted. This would cause minimal changes to the bridge structure (I think). but some kind of wall and earth fill need to be done.

Look at the images below to see the idea:

(image from Google Earth)

 

Grand Saga - Taman Mahkota residents disputes

It looks like the dispute between Grand Saga, and Taman Mahkota residents on the bypass road will not be solved in the near future.

Since this is the case, can I give one cadangan?.

We can create new bypass route as illustrated below..

This might be a temporary solution, or a permanent one, even though the current road configuration should be the best.

I have not visit the areas for few years now. hopefully the new road can still be built there by the state govt (or the developer). 

I think Grand Sags is legally bound to let the smaller road that are parallel to the highway to be open. 

Is it possible?. 

 

Please post any additional inputs or proposals in the comment section..

(image from Google Earth)

Malaysian ladies from being caught with drug trafficking

It seems that a lot of people whacked Dr Rais Yatim's comment on the issue. Any proposal to tackle this problem.

I think the problem did not lie on whether or not the ladies being used as "drug mules" by international syndicate. I think the problem is WHY did the drugs went through KLIA undetected and it was not stopped there and then.

It went back to the issue of efficiency of our ports of exit in detecting illegal items when it passes through them.   Would corruption played roles. Certainly we cannot rule out anysuch  possibilities.

So.. what is the solution?..

Any cadangan?.

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Cadangan Untuk Malaysia is Open

This blog is set for us to make suggestions on ways to improve our life in Malaysia.

Any suggestions or proposals, please send it to rosdanteh at gmail dot com. I will post them as soon as I read them from my inbox. You could also freely make your suggestions/inputs on the comments section .

Please mind your language when making your "cadangan". This is not a forum to whack anybody.

Thanks.