Inspector General of Police Mohd Bakri Omar has defended his men for violently breaking up a peaceful demonstration on Sunday. He was quoted in Malaysiakini as saying:
“The police have got a job to do (and) they were merely doing their job. I defend the action of my officers and men. [...]
"It is most unfortunate that the police have to resort to use minimum force - that was minimum force - it was never their intention to cause harm. Never." [...]
In the course of it - if you go ahead and confront the police - the police have the right to defend themselves...
Screenshots reader Shahnun Ahmad sent us a series of pictures to illustrate how 'minimal force', in Malaysian context, may look like. Here, let the photos do the talking.
Click for bigger images here and here. The man rendered on the ground looked like Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy secretary-general Zahir Hassan whose visible 'weapon' was a booklet in his hand. (Read Merdeka Review for Zahir's first-hand testimony at Suhakam today.)
When the man was flat on the ground, another on-looker and some womenfolk came to his rescue, appealing for mercy.
(L to R) Park Kyun San, Senior Manager of LG Mobile Malaysia; I. G. Kim, MD and CEO of LG Electronics Malaysia; and SK NG, COO of Zitron Enterprise (M) Sdn. Bhd.
LG Malaysia chose a hip place, Espanda in Jalan Sultan Ismail, to kick off the launch of 'Chocolate' (LG KG800) phone in the Klang Valley. Compare the straight-jacket senior officers and the eye-grabbing beauties ( I mean the Chocolate phone)... LG does have it on the pulse when it comes to trendsetting.
There is a profile In the press kit which talks about the parent company, LG Electronics Inc. It says the company has launched the 'Blue Ocean' Management campaign which calls for a paradigm shift in all aspects of business -- a topic I had mentioned in passing in my i-Witness column (Malaysian Business, April 16, 2006).
Screenshots readers must be familiar with the book "Blue Ocean Strategy", co-written by W. Chan Kim, which I highlighted recently in this blog.
The way LG understands it, Blue Ocean strategy is "about an epoch-making move to strengthen business capabilities and streamline business structure in the five arenas of products, business models, work, systems and human resources.". For LG, the company company says, it is the significant choice for the leap to become one of the global top three electronics and telecommunications providers by 2010.
To achieve this goal, LG plans to double its sales volume and profit by 2010, with 30% of sales and 50% of its profit being derived through "innovative, category-creating Blue Ocean Products".
We don't quite understand the mumbo-jumbo behind these "Blue Ocean Products", but to put in reality terms, I. G. Kim, Managing Director and CEO of LG Electronics Malaysia, makes no qualms about being a late-comer in the Malaysian market. He told the media about his confidence that the LG Chocolate phone has been a success wherever it was launched.
In Korea, where LG Chocolate was launched last November, sales have exceeded 400,000 units. It was alsoa sellout in Europe when it was launched on May 3. In Malaysia, 3,500 units have gone out to the retail channels during the pre-launch -- where the target was only 5,000 units.
Screenshots, which reviewed the Chocolate phone before the May 29 launch, has obtained a video clip ((wmv format, 1.2MB) of the LG Chocolate to share with its readers.
Perhaps, LG Chocolate, which has won the 2006 IF Design Award in Germany for innovative design, besides being certified by the European Union for compliance with the Removal of Hazardous Substances legislation which becomes effective this July, is an early manifestation of such "Blue Ocean Products" to come.
The LG Chocolate phone will be sold at RM1,499.00 for the premium package, which includes the handset, ear phone, travel charger, remote control for music, hard case, hand strap, 2 batteries (800 & 1000 mAh), data cable, CD and a stand charger.
LG phones are sold in Malaysia through its distributors, Zitron.
May 31, 2006: Royal Commission's deadline for IPCMC
Today, May 31, 2006, is an important timeline for the Abdullah Administration.
The rakyat had beenpromised an efficient delivery system in the civil service when Abdullah came to power on his own mandate in March 2004. He obtained an estounding political capital to set the national agenda for reforms.
The Royal Commission on Police knew of Abdullah's commitment to the rakyat when its members drafted the report, particicularly pertaining to the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). To ensure the timely delivery of the IPCMC, one of the core recommendations of the Royal Commission Report, the Commission did two things:
Providing a draft bill for the setting up of the IPCMC, so that the Attorney General's chambers can save time.
Setting a reasonable timeline for the IPCMC to be instituted. The timeline for the IPCMC to be presented in the Parliament, which the Government did not reject, is today -- May 31, 2006.
Responding to the Police defiance, Abdullah said this yesterday, via Bernama:
The Attorney-General (AG) has been asked to take into account the views of various sides relating to the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
"It is not easy to think of the best mechanism. On one side is the report of the (Royal) Commission (to enhance the operation and management of the police) which recommended the IPCMC (while) the police have made other proposals and the public also has proposals.
"The important thing is for the AG to adopt an approach which, when implemented, must bring good to the police and satisfy the wishes of the people," he told reporters after attending a Workers Day assembly for the public sector, here Tuesday.
Abdullah stressed that he had reminded Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail to consider all the proposals made. "As far as I am concerned, the IPCMC is important to me. I have handed the matter over to the A-G for his action," he said.
Abdullah, indeed, has made a smart statement.
Had anyone in the Abdullah Administration screwed up the IPCMC deadline by the end of today, when the Royal Commision's recommended timeline shall expire, there is a monkey to take the full rap.
That's how the chain of command works. It shows who has the upperhand in this country.
Many of us will still recall the similar chorus of support when it was then politically correct to support the setting up of the IPCMC. [...]
The Government has found itself in a tight spot – meeting the demands of the people for real reforms and tackling the unhappiness of the police officers, whose roles are so essential in maintaining the country’s security.
A re-look at the proposals and the views of the parties involved may be necessary, so that everyone can see eye-to-eye on the issue, for the larger interest of Malaysia.
Wong Chun Wai, who wrote the Op-Ed piece in today's Star, should know that the Royal Commiission is not about politics or political-correctness.
As it is, the Royal Commission was instituted and convened with the grace of the Agong, breaching the deadline will carry the dimension of royal expediency.
However, in a land whose new spin is an efficiernt delivery system, Chun Wai is indeed politically correct by ignoring the deadline set by the Royal Commission for thr setting up of the IPCMC -- May 31, 2006.
For the stateman who repeatedly said 'failure is not an option', enough of the lofty slogans but he has my sympathy if today expired with IPCMC cast in deep doubt. Read theSun editorial on this.
Today, theSun and The NST run two separate stories the ask valid questions on the system to nab corruption and the corrupt.
QUESTION: Should AG have sole power?
Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim raised the obtuse question at a seminar organised by the Academy of Anti-Corruption Agency of Malaysia on combating corruption in the criminal justice system.
With growing public demand for transparency, is it still suitable for the Attorney-General (A-G) alone to decide if there is sufficient evidence to prosecute corrupt officials? Especially if the A-G is not accountable to anyone, not even Parliament?
QUESTION: Justice for sale: Are some judges corrupt?
At the same event yesterday, the Chief Justice revealed that he has, since his elevation in the Bench in 2003, heard the whispers, read the poison-pen letters, and is even willing to let the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to act, but so far, there is no evidence to back innuendoes and talk that any of his fellow judges are corrupt.
"The problem with corruption is that the corrupt cover their misdeeds very well," he said.
"Those judges who did it, they will feel it." [...]
He said even if only a few judges were corrupt, the entire system would be affected.
"If the judiciary is corrupt, the prosecutors will be frustrated, the defence will be frustrated and everyone will be frustrated. There will be no one to turn to. Only the judiciary can take care of the people."
Questions have been asked. The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.
Here are some updates to the prepartion for the Streamyx Special Interest Group, which we have been trying to set up for the Klang Valley.
To reflect the nature of the group, I thought it should be appropriately known as Streamyx Usergroup Forum.
It's has been quite tough to get a date to accommodate everybody's schedule, and several preliminary dates have been marked up and abandoned. But the foremost consideration to have the senior management team of TM Net present at our inaugural meeting.
In the course of preparation, we have decided that the meeting is to be held from 6.00 to 8.00pm in a hotel Petaling Jaya, so that it acts as a mid-point for Streamyx users coming from KL city and Petaling Jaya and westwards.
Our tentative date is Wednesday, June 21, 2006. But this date is subject to change as most of the TM Net personnel might be involved in CommunicAsia, Singapore. So, watch out for more updates as we move along.
The proposed agenda includes:
1 ) The aim of setting a Streamyx Usergroup Forum in Klang Valley
2 ) Elect the pro-tem office-bearers
3 ) Discuss immediate term activities and logistics
I have about 50 Screenshots readers who have kindly sent me emails indicating their interest in attending the meeting. Many thanks.
To those who have yet to register their interest in joining us, please send me an email -- jeffooi dot screenshots at gmail dot com -- (Subject: Streamyx Usergroup Forum) so that we can havethe numbers for our logistics preparation.
We would still like to have more expatriates and those who have experienced broadband overseas to join us.
UPDATES: A check by Screenshots at 12:15hr on May 30, after being alerted by a reader, indicated that the documents were still intact on the Police website at http://www.rmp.gov.my/rmp03/edisi_khas_ipcmc.htm.
UPDATES: The documents were found to have been removed as at 11:00pm. Hitting the URL will now lead to Error 404 (File not found).
Inspector-General of Police Mohd Bakri Omar was quoted in The NST as saying this: "I want to know who put it up."
And the chain of command instantly cascaded down to the rank-and-file -- 'red-faced and livid' says The NST -- when it was found out that a report meant for internal circulation had been posted on the Police's official website.
Federal police public relations officer Superintendent Mohamad Daud, who is also the chief editor for Police publications, said it was a misunderstanding between him and the webmaster.
He confirmed that the special publication was for internal circulation and not for the public, The NST says.
"I was under the impression that the webmaster was posting the document as an email to all police personnel.
"But, unfortunately, there was a miscommunication and the document was instead posted on the website. We have never posted any articles in our publication on the website."
The Police PR chief told The NST that the webmaster did not turn up for work yesterday for fear of being reprimanded.
The NST says IGP Mohd Bakri had consented to the publication of the report but made clear that the booklet should only be distributed among police personnel.
However, it was uploaded to the police website several days ago and picked up by the online (MalaysiakiniChinese and English editions) and print media (Oriental daily News).
In the documents, the Police had listed out ten resons why the IPCMC was not needed.
ACP Jamaludin bin Hj Khalid, the president of the gazetted Senior Police Officers Association which claims to have about 95,000 members, was quoted in the Police website as having warned the government that, should the IMCPC be established, the Police will not hide their sentiments by voting for the Opposition during the 2008 General Election.
The association also said it would ask for the Opposition's help in furthering the interests of the force in the Parliament.
Screenshots has anticipated the Police to remove the documents after media highlights and captured the evidence pre-emptively. You can view the PDF file of the documents, which are punctuated with a bad command of English, here:
Yesterday, members of the civil society cried foul over the latest incident of Police abuse and demanded that the IPCMC be established as soon as possible.
That's the fruits of hard work Idris Jala and his team put in to turn around Malaysia Airlines, and for once, I wish to seeing things as 'half-full' instead of 'half-empty'.
Malaysia Airlines announced its Q1 2006 financial results yesterday with Abdul Munir Majid out of the scene -- the chairman wasn't at the pressie. The Q1 performance reflected encouraging progress in reducing monthly losses and delivering a small profit in March 2006 though the period in review highlighted a loss of RM 321 million.
There are, however, 2 positive signs that Malaysia Airlines is on the road to recovery.
Firstly, Malaysia Airlines beat its Q1 2006 target loss of RM 349 million.
If you remember, its full year Business Turnaround target is to improve its business by RM 1.1 billion, thereby cutting its annual loss from RM 1.7 billion to RM 620 million.
Secondly, by pursuing its Business Turnaround Plan and considering that it made a loss of RM 404 million in the month of December 2005, which includes non recurring items, the airline is rapidly reducing its monthly losses of RM 184 million in January, RM 143 million in February and actually delivered a profit of RM 7 million in March 2006.
We demand to see something positive from Proton under the chairmanship of Azlan Hashim as his CEOs look like mere pawns who make lofty statements after lofty statements.
May 11, Screenshots commented that Jasin MP Said bin Yusof, media-persecuted for interfering in the duties of our Customs & Excise department, should be as penalised as hard as the law allows. "The rakyat have no problem with that. Go ahead and make our day." That's what Screenshots said. And more...
But why do you use bazooka to gun down a small fry? Don't tell me Malaysians are so naive that 'gajah di depan tak nampak, kuman di seberang jelas kelihatan'.
I find this blog entry by A Kadir Jasin on May 26, two weeks after my posting, very intriguing:
And why should the BN MP for Jasin, Mohd Said Yusof, be unnecessarily perturbed by the yet- to-be announced outcome of his "trial" by a BN panel headed by Mohd Najib?
Mohd Said is not the only one who "intefered" in the functioning of government departments, agencies and companies. Even if he is eventually found guilty, he can seek comfort in the fact that he is not alone.
What do we say about a company seeking a contract to dismantle a decommissioned TNB power plant being officially endorsed by no less than the Prime Minister -- not once but trice -- in writing (with official seal "Perdana Menteri Malaysia), by Umno secretary general using the party's letterhead, private secretary to the PM (on Pejabat Perdana Menteri Malaysia letterhead), private secretary to Minister of Internal Security (also on official letterhead) and political secretary to the Finance Minister (on official letterhead).
Since none of these documents are marked "Sulit" or "Rahsia", they can be openly shown and circulated. What likely effects do this barrage of official endorsements have on the person receiving them? In this particular case the president and ceo of TNB, Datuk Che Khalib.
Mohd Najib may not be aware of this. But his decision on Mohd Said's case will involve some very tricky moral and technical issues. What constitutes interference and who will and will not be punished?
The grim pictures of blood-soaked Amran Zulkifli, who was seriously hurt on his head during the Police's brital crackdown on anti fuel price hike demonstrators on Sunday, has incurred Police the wrath of the civil society.
According to Malaysiakini, the Police are given an earful for resorting to force when breaking up a peaceful demonstration yesterday. Those who condemned the Police are Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Josef Roy Benedict, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Bar Council chairperson Yeo Yang Poh, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Tian Chua, Immediate past president of (human rights group) Hakam Ramdas Tikamdas, and PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa.
Dang Wangi OCPD ACP Kamal Pasha (picture left), who oversaw the Police crackdown, was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying that his men had acted in self-defence, and that minimum force was used.
Asked by malaysiakini if the use of force, especially the repeated kicking by his men, were justifiable, Kamal told reporters that his men had acted in self-defence.
"They (the protestors) resisted arrest. They started kicking first. (Retaliation) for us is self-defence. Minimum force was used," insisted Kamal.
In a follow-up story today, Malaysiakini published the pictures of two persons who sustained serious injury, Amran Zulkifli, 38, (picture below, left) who has a broken head, and Lim Ban Teng, 24, who has a broken hand.
For a moment, I thought there's no racial divide when there is a common cause that calls on all to make a stand for Malaysia.
The police are given an earful for resorting to force when breaking up a peaceful demonstration yesterday.
AI Malaysia executive director Josef Roy Benedict
Amnesty International condemns the alleged excessive use of force by the police when dispersing a peaceful demonstration held at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre yesterday...
The right to freedom of assembly and peaceful protest is an intrinsic part of the right to freedom of expression. This right is guaranteed in Article 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.
This action clearly illustrates the concerns... that torture and ill treatment continues unabated in Malaysia, particularly by the police.
It also shows the lack of political will by the government to ensure that operational methods and practices by the police are in line with international standards as recommended by Suhakam and the Royal Commission of Inquiry.
Amnesty International calls for a proper and full investigation into the incident.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng
DAP strongly deplores the police for their unprovoked violence in arresting 20 persons protesting against the fuel and electricity tariff hike by the government at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre yesterday.
Yesterday’s violence by the police in beating up peaceful demonstrators highlighted the need to quickly establish an IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission) to stop abuses of human rights by the police.
Bar Council chairperson Yeo Yang Poh
This is another strong, powerful reason why the IPCMC is essential. ...In situations such as this, it would be totally unconvincing if the ensuing investigations is conducted internally, because we already hear the official stand of the police (that they were merely acting in self-defence).
And it would be very unconvincing for the public to have the police then conduct an internal investigation into an incident such as this. This enforces the need to have an independent body in the nature of the IPCMC.
In the case of (any) incident, if the police acted entirely properly, then we are sure the independent body would clear them and their credibility would be preserved and even enhanced.
However, if there is any improper conduct or one that exceeded the necessary use of force, then all the more so that an investigation needs to be conducted by an independent body and not internally, as it has been done all this while. Whichever way you look at it, an independent oversight body is a must.
PKR information chief Tian Chua
I think yesterday’s thing was quite shocking. I still don’t understand why the police used such brute force towards the demonstrators. It was totally unprovoked, and the way they handled it was appalling. I’m at a loss for words as to why it was so brutal.
Firstly, it looked like the police wanted to demonstrate that they were beyond challenge. They felt very upset with the public and the NGOs and parliamentarians questioning them about the IPCMC. It’s more like they were striking back. It also looked like they do not care about public opinion.
Secondly, I think there’s a lack of clear guidance from the political leaders to instruct the police to uphold civil behaviour and that’s very obvious. There was so much talk before that we should respect freedom of assembly, (Human Rights Commission) Suhakam had already made recommendations that the police should allow free expression. That had not been fully accepted or implemented by the government. If the government took a very clear stand, I think they could restrain the police. Unfortunately, that is not being done.
Thirdly, there is an implicit instruction to the press not to mention the price hike. Most of the press were silent on this. Without the scrutiny of the press, the police can do whatever they like. This event, the public had not seen it, it has not aroused an uproar, no one would criticise the government for unnecessary force, so they’re pretty much above criticism.
I can assume that if we take further action, the police would take similar or more brutal force to handle (the demonstrators). This time, it was much more brutal than the last demonstration. It’s almost like they’re saying ‘Don’t test us. We are at (the end of) our (patience)’.
Immediate past president of (human rights group) Hakam Ramdas Tikamdas
The shocking display of police aggression and repression to a constitutional exercise of peaceful assembly by lawful citizens of this country is reminiscent of the dark and brutal days of the reformasi period that most Malaysians want to forget. The police misconduct is also a reminder that the IPCMC is a prerequisite for police reform.
What happened yesterday is an open rejection by the police by conduct to the recommendations of the Royal Police Commission and Suhakam on proposals for police reform.
PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa
It was a clear act of very uncivilised brutality because the gathering was peaceful and meant for the people. The people who came did not represent just political parties, so it wasn’t a political issue. Those who came were from NGOs, students... It was also a mix of all races.
There was no reason why the police should have acted as such. The assembly was a very peaceful one, they knew one after another speaker was going to speak, and we intended to stay there no more than two hours. But after they started to shoot the water at us, and the beating started, it was as if we were criminals.
To us, we are very disappointed with the act. It has been a total waste of public money to set up the Royal Police Commission which the police is not even respecting. We are now calling for Suhakam to act. As far as PAS is concerned, we are going to take this case to Suhakam and the relevant authorities, plus we will make it an international issue.
I was there at the hospital to look at those who had been beaten, some were hit on the head and their lips were bleeding. Even after they started bleeding, they were handcuffed. One had to have stitches, and was discharged only today. They beat people like animals.
Ten-year-old Mohd Zafran Amran saw his father being beaten by Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel at a demonstration yesterday.
When met at the Pusat Rawatan Islam in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, the schoolboy had two words to describe the police personnel - ‘orang jahat’ (bad people).
“I was alone (when the FRU charged) and was very scared,” said Mohd Zafran, whose father Amran Zulkifli was hospitalised after being repeatedly clubbed by the police.
The sight of Amran, whose blood was profusely flowing from deep wounds in his head, had shocked those who were at the protest.
The 38-year-old businessman was immediately sent to the Pusat Rawatan Islam, Kuala Lumpur, where he was given five stitches.
Numerous organisations and opposition leaders have strongly condemned the police’s aggression against the 500-odd anti-fuel price hike demonstrators who had gathered peacefully outside the
Kuala Lumpur City Centre.
‘Worried about my son’
When malaysiakini met Amran today, he revealed palm-sized black-blue bruises on his shoulder, his back and upper-right arm.
“I was not afraid (when the FRU charged), but I was worried for my kid. I was afraid he would be attacked too,” he said.
Recounting the incident, Amran said he shielded his son with his arms when the police had fired their water cannons. They then quickly moved out of range.
"Then came the FRU - armed with shields and batons. They beat whoever came in their path. We had no chance to plea to them, we could only run."
"In the chaos, I lost my son. So I slowed down. The FRU came from behind me and they kept beating my back and head with their shields and batons," he added.
According to him, blood began flowing profusely from his head and his black shirt turned red.
"I felt dizzy but I continued to run from them," said Amran, who was discharged today.
Amran’s friends sent him to the hospital. Despite being drenched in blood, the businessman managed to call a friend to look after his son while he received medical treatment.
He said a photo journalist was also beaten on the head and he also bled while others suffered from bruises.
Amran went ballistics when told that Dang Wangi district police chief Kamal Pasha claimed 'minimum force' was used by the FRU. Kamal added that the police had acted in self-defense.
"If it was minimum force, they won't hit our heads. We were unarmed, we didn't assault the FRU. They were not dispersing the protestors. This was not dispersing. They wanted to hurt us!"
Amran had lodged a police report over his assault yesterday.
Broken hand
Meanwhile, another demonstrator Lim Ban Teng, 24, broke his right hand when he was hit with a baton.
He told malaysiakini that the protestors had shouted "OK, OK, we disperse!" but the FRU had ignored the plea.
According to a video footage taken during the scuffle, the protestors were raising their hands to indicate that they were harmless when the FRU charged.
"They suddenly attacked us," said Lim, who is the treasurer of the Malaysia Youth and Student Democratic Movement (Dema).
One of Lim’s friends was cut in the face by a police shield while others sustained minor injuries.
"I can't write. This will affect my job," said Lim, who is a tuition teacher.
Dr Hatta Ramli, the chief organiser of yesterday’s protest, said they will lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) against the FRU's violence.
Hatta vowed that the protestors would not be cowed by the police violence against them. "We are considering another protest."
The Royal Malaysian Police (RMP), which had made known its objection to the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), has published ten reasons why IPCMC is not needed.
In a supplementary document titled IPCMC Yang Tersurat, Yang Tersirat(downloadable PDF here), ACP Jamaludin bin Hj Khalid was quoted in his capacity as the president of the gazetted Senior Police Officers Association as having warned the government that, should the IMCPC be established, the Police will not hide their sentiments by voting for the Opposition during the 2008 General Election.
The association also said it would ask for the Opposition's help in furthering the interests of the force in the Parliament.
The association claims to represent some 95,000 officers and other members in the Police Force.
Representation from the association was articulated to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during an undated dialogue pertaining to the issue of IPCMC.
Here are the 10 reasons forwarded by the Police in rejecting the IPCMC, reproduced in toto. You may have to excuse the bad English represented in the document (downloadable PDF here), which was compiled by the RMP Public Relations division.
First: Lost of powers by politicians
The explicit and implicit effect of the formation of IPCMC is that the real organ which exercise powers of control over the Police will be the commissioners of the IPCMC and NOT the Minister. Let politicians beware that they will eventually lose powers, control and influence over a neutral, professional and people-centered Police (as suggested by the Royal Commission).
Second: Police Force Commission or IPCMC? A choice
It would appear that if and when IPCMC is formed, it has disciplinary powers over members of the Force including dismissal and reduction in rank. These powers are currently within the domain of the Police Force Commission (“PFC”) a constitutional body headed by Minister –in- charge of the Police. It is untenable that an organ created by an Act of parliament usurping the function if a body which is a creature of the Constitution. There will be complication as well since the IPCMC has no power to hire but endowed with right to fire. Unconstitutional.
Third : No clear, urgent and pressing need
Justification for its existence not compelling. The Police are already answerable and accountable to Parliament through Minister of Internal Security
There is a strong system of external monitoring and, internally, there is adequate supervision through PFC and a strong leadership at Bukit Aman.
Fourth: Against the Federal Constitution
Certain provisions of the Bill may offend Article 4 and 7, may breach Article 8, 135, 140 and 145 (3 of the Federal Constitution.
Fifth: Against the Rule of Law
Conducting investigation and hearing outside the purview of rules and practice of evidence, and no right of appearance or representation in a hearing go against the grain of the Rule of Law. This blatant infringement of rights cannot be countenanced under any pretext.
Sixth: Breach of Natural Justice
It is settled law that right to be heard cannot be denied to a condemned person. If a hearing is done behind his back, he is tried in absentia. He has the right to know and be allowed to examine evidence against him. The rules of Natural Justice are the minimum standards of fair decision-making imposed on persons and consists of the right to a fair hearing and the rule against bias.
Seventh: Discriminatory : Equality under the law and equal protection before the law
The Police is already subjected to Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993. The IPCMC Act will impose on it another layer of punishment separate and distinct from other law enforcement agencies in this country.
The Commissioners are given wide powers which can override laws and secrecy, privilege, self-incrimination and evidence.
Police are asked to respect the laws, follow rules and uphold human rights. But these can be denied to the Police Officers themselves. Discriminatory.
Eight: Ouster Clause: A Denial of Justice
It bring no credit to IPCMC that they need a comfort clause to protect themselves. Their judgment cannot be infallible. It must be susceptible to judicial review. It will bring immeasurable harm to Police if IPCMC’s decision cannot be reviewed.
Ninth: The environment is not right yet
The police must first be better aquipped and trained to reach the standard of policing in the developed countries. If facilities are in place and the government is ready (when the Police is required to be neutral and people-centric) only then IPCMC could be considered with suitable amendments to the Bill in fairness to the Police.
Tenth : Compromising Command of IGP
The IGP’s command and control system will be undermined since not only he has to serve the Minister but also IPCMC. It must be remembered that the Police is a security organ of the Federal Government which has to deal, inter-alia, the threat of terrorism. It is not in the best interest of this country to have an IGP subservient to a lay person.
What else do I need when I already have a 3G phone?
A ‘Form Factor’ that combines style and functionality. That’s what I told myself, very much a nerd who carries two handphones out of necessity, with the older one needing an urgent upgrade.
LG Mobilephone: KG800 (Chocolate) FORM FACTOR: Slim... functional
Never a fan of clamshells but persistently harbouring a dislike for keypad lock, I started to look around for a slim slider. That will take care of the extra weight around my waist-pouch and the pant pocket, and those messing around to unlock the keypad whenever I should type in a haste.
OK, may be one that glows at night and in dark corners since I won’t be nocturnally docile, if you get what I mean.
Talk of ‘Form Factor’, I remember seeing one Motorola RAZR phone during my recent trip to the US. Cool. But I didn’t really have time to play with one. Ever since, I have been reading about slim sliders being the in thing for 2006. Samsung has the SGH-D520, and Sony Ericsson has W850i. Haven’t been there, haven’t done that, though.
In early May, I finally read about the sexy launch in the UK -- yes, think Coleen McLoughlin -- of LG’s KG800, which was already ragingly popular in South Korea. Apart from a ₤5 million marketing campaign, a blog -- http://chocolate.lgbloggers.com -- was launched to coincide with that LG slim slider, now pet-named Chocolate (http://my.lgmobile.com).
I've always paid attention to blogs being made an integral part of a marketing campaign. This one from LG must have been made for my liking.
So, you can imagine how delighted I was to be among the earliest in the country to preview the Chocolate when LG Malaysia passed me one earlier this week. Yes, the Chocolate will be launched nationwide covering 9 cities in Malaysia, with Kuala Lumpur kicking off on May 29.
FORM FACTOR. The LG KG800… okay okay, the Chocolate, is slim true to sense, packing a 9.5 x 4.8 x 1.5cm black body that comes with a 2-inch, 176 x 220 pixel, 256,000-colour TFT Screen. It's a tri-band GSM/GPRS device (sufficient for me to access the US GSM networks) complete with a 1.3-megapixel camera that handles a 4x digital zoom and supports a 9-shot continuous shooting. Storage is embedded 128MB built-in memory. There is Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and it’s slim enough to nestle coyly on my palm. Nano-inspired?
Wrapping it up is a fibreglass body that is said to be immune to scratches from the usual suspects like coins and keys that you normally keep in the wallet or the pocket alongside the mobilephone.
The Chocolate looks minimalist on the outside, but the feature I like most is the sensor-touch keypad, and the controls that smoulder a deep red, and the LCD that glows when activated, i.e. when it’s slided open. That’s where, on the flipside of the slided LCD, the camera appears and ready to shoot. Let me hasten to say that, unlike my Year 2000 first-generation WAP phone, the spring-loaded slide mechanism works very smoothly on the Chocolate. Very chocolatey as smoothness can be.
It, however, does take a little bit of getting used to when working on the sensor-touch controls. (That’s what you’d experienced with your first iPod, ain’t it?) My initial scepticism of the LCD clarity goes away the moment the screen comes on live. Made to look part of the fibreglass body, the Chocolate's screen is crisp and clear though I tend to smudge it with my fingerprints rather easily. It’s a glossy black body, anyway.
FUNCTIONALITY. As a person dabbling in multimedia content and applications, I have a high level of expectation for a handphone. If it is to play MP3 and video clips, it had better be good. Surprisingly, the Chocolate is, not 100%, but quite measurable to Sony-Ericsson K700i that my wife has, which envies me a lot for its polyphonic audio quality.
The Chocolate has a rather intuitive User Interface (UI). So, the first menu function that I peeped into was the multimedia feature. Seven presets are laid out nicely, namely camera, video camera, voice recorder, MP3, photo album, video album and setting. I try all.
As I have said, I am quite impressed with the audio quality after playing several MP3 clips that are Bluetooth-ed from my notebook. That done, I try out the camera, exerting my demand as a serious amateur photographer using a digital SLR. No big deal with a 1.3-megapixel configuration and a 256K LCD, but the pictures and videos taken with Chocolate are watchable for daylight recordings, and lens focussing is relatively fast. I will test-and-stress this feature further in the next few days.
The set that I have comes bundled with a java-game, named ZooZoo Club. No, I am too old and too busy for that.
Here it is for now, just a quick check-it-out as I have the Chocolate unwrapped. I'll let it ‘melt’ in my mouth in the days to come. Come back again (www.jeffooi.com/toolbox) and I will update you with some photo-shoots and MMS deliveries.
I know Juliet would be reasonably happy with Chocolate's 1,000-entry address book capacity. I'll text her now.
For further details on LG Chocolate Black Temptation Series, visit: http://my.lgmobile.com.
Feedback from journalists and Little Birds who covered the anti-fuel hike demonstrations by a 500-strong crowd held near the Jalan Ampang entrance of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre when the Twin Towers stand majestic -- it had a brutal end.
Two were hospitalised as a result of tussle with the anti-riot police. Three Opposition leaders were arrested, including PAS Youth Chief and Kubang Kerian member of parliament Salahuddin Ayub, Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy information chief Badrul Hisham, and DAP representative Ronnie Liu, reports Malaysiakini.
.
All pictures courtesy Malaysiakini
Quote from Malaysiakini:
Eyewitness reports tell of excessive violence being used by the FRU on several protestors, including PKR deputy secretary-general Zahir Hassan, who was kicked a number of times while sprawled on the road.
Zahir was walking away from the protest venue with his two daughters when he was repeatedly shoved from behind by a FRU officer using his shield.
The FRU officer then turned to Zahir’s two daughters, both in their 20s, pushing one of them. Enraged, Zahir attempted to protect his daughters from the police officer.
Instead, Zahir was assaulted by several FRU personnel. He was thrown to the floor, endured several blows of police baton and at least three kicks - two on the back and one on the abdomen - prompting his daughters to scream hysterically.
All this while, Zahir was clutching onto the anti-fuel hike booklet that was distributed at the protest. According to PKR information chief Tian Chua, Zahir had been sent to the hospital for medical attention.
In another altercation, one protestor was subdued by at least 10 FRU personnel.
The protester held on to a police officer in a bid to shield himself from the blows, which included one from the butt end of a gas canister launcher.
Traces of blood stains were also found at the entrance of KLCC, where a scuffle between FRU personnel and an unidentified protestor had allegedly taken place. The protestor was believed to have been hospitalised for lacerations to the head.
HarakahDaily has a related story. PAS deputy president Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Isa has paid a visit to Amran Zulkifli (picture above), who sustained head injury.
Malaysiakini quoted Dang Wangi OCPD ACP Kamal Pasha as saying after the police wrapped up their operations at about 11.30am, that 18 individuals were arrested, including two women.
Asked by malaysiakini if the use of force, especially the repeated kicking by his men, were justifiable, Kamal told reporters that his men had acted in self-defence.
"They (the protestors) resisted arrest. They started kicking first. (Retaliation) for us is self-defence. Minimum force was used," insisted Kamal.
UPDATE:Malaysiakini reported at 2:09pm, saying that a crowd has gathered outside the Pudu police station where the detained protestors are being held.
MORE UPDATES:Merdeka Review reported that all those detained were released by 4:00pm.
We now have Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It will eventually grow to an 11-country group blog to enlist India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and Thailand.
Mind-blogging can be mind-boggling if we are now at 2000.
Friday evening, the thunder took down two of my three-phase electricity supply, leaving the house with some lights and one 13A powerpoint in the living hall, one powerpoint for the fridge in the dry kitchen, and one power point for the masterbedroom aircon unit. The entire upstairs and the kitchen were blackout.
It was around 6.00pm. My wife was on her flight back from Jakarta, my daughter sat huddled up on a couch in the lonely lit-up up in the entire house, with the maid as her sole company. The surveillance CCTV and the alarm system were knocked-out. And I was stuck in the traffic along NKVE/Elit Highway stretch. A father ceased to be a hero to the 10-year-old damsel.
Called 15454 to send my distrss call no less than 6 times, followed by 15454 SMS on my Celcom, a trick given by a senior TNB official. I was put on voice recording on all four six voicecalls, and repeated my distress messages, with details of my house and contact number, all six times.
No one responded and we had to sleep through the night in a dark room. My wiofe had to read the welcome home card, custom-made by the kid, with a torchlight.
The next morning, I managed to speak to a human voice behind 15454, and they couldn't trace my voice messages, sent all six times throughout the night. But somehow, TNB service recovery team came to fix the problem by 8.30am.
Two blown fuse at the armoured cable outside, and it exposed TNB's failure to sustain the 15454 customer feedback system that Tajuddin Ali put up some 6 years ago.
STREAMYX
When power supply resumed on Saturday, it was discovered that Streamyx had gone dead. The phone line was OK but the DSL light on the modem has gone dead and back blinking and gone dead and back blinking.
The ordeal continued till this morning as I blogged this at a Starbucks (with a RM7.50 kopi kosong).
VADS really sucked my brain, and they continue to want to suck my brain this morning. (I think I I will certainly give them an earful when the Streamyx SIG meeting convenes). Their telephonists never bother to read past complaint logs to note whether I am a stupid idiot or seasoned with the VADS razzmatazz.
But I blame the COO for putting up a run-of-mill script that gives no empowerment to their staff to decide when to cut the chase. I am pretty, pretty mad.
CONDOLENCES
On Thursday, thunderbolt killed a neighbour's son at a park 300m away from house. He was seeking shelter in a gazebo with metal roof when lightning struck him. He was rushing home to wish her mum Happy Birthday.
My deepest condolences to Remmy and the family. I didn't even know of the tragedy until I read the papers yesterday.
SUBANG JAYA: Hezrill Remmy Ng was rushing home to wish his mother ‘Happy Birthday’ when he was struck by a bolt of lightning and died.
His mother Norrizen Azir said she was to have celebrated her 38th birthday when she received the devastating news from an ustaz living near their house.
”This is the worst birthday gift any mother could ask for. Just a few days ago, Hezrill had prepared a meal for me out of the blue.
“I was surprised but happy. I had no idea what had gotten into him,” said Norrizen, a sales co-ordinator for an IT firm.
According to Hezrill's father, Muhammad Husaini Ng Abdullah, 52, a district sales manager for a brewery here, Hezrill loved sports and played futsal, football, cricket and softball.
“In fact, the day Hezrill was struck by lighting, he was supposed to have set up a softball team for the school.
“He told me about it during lunch time that day before he left for school and asked if I could buy him the softball jersey and shoes.
“He was really excited about it and it's very unfortunate that he never made it,” said the tearful father when met by reporters yesterday.
Muhd Husaini said that his son, a Form Two student of SM USJ13, was jovial and active, loved by everyone, and had many friends in school and in the neighbourhood.
Muhd Husaini said Hezrill, the eldest of four siblings, always looked after his younger sisters and brother, aged between three and 12.
Amirul: ‘I saw the lightning strike the pondok but didn’t think it had hit anyone’
“He was a very responsible young boy.
“To all parents out there, take this as a lesson and be more careful with your children. Do not let them out in the rain,” he said.
Muhd Husaini said he was told by one of his son’s teachers that Hezrill had inquired from his friends and classmates if he had owed any of them money as he wanted to pay them back.
“These were all indications that he was going to leave us. We just didn't notice it,” said the distraught father.
According to a teacher who declined to be identified, Hezrill, who studied in a Chinese school earlier, was a bright student who took only three months to master and get an A for his Bahasa Melayu paper.
One of his best friends since Form One, Amirul Hasriq, also 14, said he and Hezrill walked to school every day.
“Hezrill would come to my house and we would walk together to school. We played futsal and football together. We always did things together and now he is gone.
“I was with Hezrill the day the incident happened. But I left the park while Hezrill sought shelter. I saw the lighting strike the pondok but didn't think it had hit anyone, so I went home,'' he said, adding that he felt very sad and missed Hezrill a lot.
Two other good friends, known only as Farhan and Faez, said Hezrill was cool, cheerful and playful, and loved to tease others.
Hezrill and three of his friends took cover under a zinc-roofed shelter in a park in USJ16 during a downpour when lightning struck the shelter.
Residents who witnessed the incident rushed the four boys to a clinic for treatment. However, Hezrill was pronounced dead on arrival.
The man talks sense as he says the most likely to severely feel the pinch of the 12% increased electricity tariff are the middle-class and lower-middle-class in the urban centres whose household incomes are between RM3,000 and RM7,000 a month.
More so, when you live in Kuala Lumpur or the Klang Valley, and have two school-going children with a housing or car loan to pay off. Interest rates are rising, and the family has to contend with higher petrol prices while cost of basic foodstuff has risen significantly. "Eating in fancy restaurants – even once a month – is quite out of the question, and now the hawkers are also raising prices to the tune of 30% to 40%".
So, no matter if a family comes within the 60% who the government claims do not have to pay anything extra. Because, as Wong Sulong says, they, like all others, will be paying more for goods as producers will be passing on their increased costs to consumers.
So, what can be done?
The Government has advised the rakyat to change their lifestyle. And the rakyat will have to change their lifestyle. No choice ma?
And its here that Wong wants the power-that-be to watch out for the political fallout. Quote:
But there is also a lot the GOVERNMENT can do.
First and foremost, cut down the wastage and crack down on corruption.
People are not stupid. They are prepared to sacrifice and tighten their belts if such measures are necessary – for their own good and that of the nation. [...]
But they also expect the Government to deliver... given the current circumstances when many of the rakyat are feeling the pain, they expect the Government to deliver more.
A ringgit spent by the Government must result in at least one ringgit in value to the collective wealth of the nation, not 80 sen or 60 sen.
Recently, we have read horror stories of big projects being delayed for years and years, with the resultant hefty cost overruns.
The Kuching prison and the Matrade building in Kuala Lumpur are good examples.
Taxpayers are made to pay for the negligence, mismanagement or even possibly corruption of a few.
This is what they cannot tolerate, and with new channels of communication at their disposal (the Internet, blogs, SMS) they are starting to voice their anger and are demanding for accountability and action.
Wong calls for action, and action fast. "Don’t wait until people have had enough," he added.
There is a recently published research on The IPP Investment Experience in Malaysia by Jeff Rector, which was released on August 17, 2005. It is a working paper presented under The Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University, an interdisciplinary research program that started in 2001 -- i.e. after the Asian Financial Crisis -- and it focused on the economic and environmental consequences of global energy consumption.
The research paper is illuminating as it examines the development of global natural gas markets, reform of
electric power markets, international climate policy, and how the availability of modern energy services,
such as electricity, can affect the process of economic growth in the world’s poorest regions.
I recognised that fact that the research carries substantial academic clout as the program is based at the Center for Environmental Science and Policy, at the Stanford Institute for International Studies.
There are few key points that highlighted the perils Malaysia, and TNB in particular, faced off at the mercy of the IPPs.
Firstly, the IPPs charge TNB on a "Take-or-Pay" tariff regime -- ranging from 14 to 16 sen depending on the PPA -- that far exceeds the cost if TNB were to generate its own electricity.
Rector quoted sources as saying the IPPs derived between eighteen and twenty-five percent internal rate of return (IRR), while Little Birds told Screenshots the IRR could be as high as 40%.
Secondly, TNB is currently having about 40% excess capacity. This is far worse that the non-revenue water situation where water can be stored in reservoirs when leakages are plugged. Excess electricity pumped into TNB's national grid from the IPPs becomes perishable -- meaning totally wasted -- as there is no battery on earth to store unutilised electricity.
Under the PPAs, the IPPs charge TNB based on the capacity, no matter if the electricity is actually generated. Apart from that, the IPPs bill TNB on another category stated as 'energy charge' for actual electricity supplied.
In totality, the IPPs bill TNB around the clock, but 40% of billable electricity becomes wasted excess, everyday. And this situation has no sign of being reversed anytime soon.
The excess level will increase once Tanjung Bin and Jimah plants come on stream soon, despite a marginal growth in domestic consumption projected by TNB.
Thirdly, all IPPs are shielded from financial risks, right from the time when Malaysia was sucked into the Asian Financial Crisis. The Government has indirect stakes in all of them, according to Rector's paper.
So, you have to find the Syed Mokhtars, the YTLs and the LimGohTongs, and the Anandas, to fit the jigsaw puzzles that we talked about. They are all live specimens till this day (Click here).
In order not to be blamed for distorting facts, I will give you the full PDF of Rector's paper (335K) to enable you digest the information and make your own conclusions. I must say I am in no position to claim what is right and what is wrong with the IPP system. You decide for yourself.
Before that, I would like to excerpt two portions from Rector's research paper to demonstrate why we had asked for trouble, and why we are not out of the bush.
Malaysia moved forward with its IPP program with impressive speed. While the existing capacity was roughly 6,000 Megawatts, Malaysia commissioned five projects totaling 4,157 MWof new capacity in the span of eight months from April to December 1993. The IPPs were given incentives to finish their projects quickly, to which they responded. The IPPs came online quickly and Malaysia was soon out of its power shortage.
Unfortunately, the new capacity grossly overshot demand growth. By January of 1997, several months before the Asian financial crisis struck Malaysia, peninsular Malaysia had almost fifty percent surplus capacity. Much of the electricity had no real market, which prompted Prime Minister Mahathir to urge consumersto use more electricity. At this time IPPs accounted for roughly thirty-five percent of all installed generation assets, but supplied more than this percentage because Tenaga-owned facilities were turned off in order to utilize IPP power given that Tenaga was obliged to purchase. [...]
Once it became clear that the IPP contracts were causing serious strain on Tenaga’s profitability, Tenaga began attempts to renegotiate the long-term supply contracts with the IPPs. Political pressure on the IPPs to lower the contracted rates to Tenaga began as early as 1996. “We do not want to kill Tenaga by giving lots of profits to the IPPs,” said Prime Minister Mahathir. “It must be balanced.”
Efforts to reduce Tenaga payments to the IPPs were not limited to obligations of the PPAs. The minister for energy, telecommunications and posts, indicated that Malaysia's five independent power producers might be asked to “take up the slack in rural electrification programs.”
At the time, Tenaga bore half the cost of providing unprofitable services to rural areas; the rest was borne by the federal government. The IPPs eventually agreed to contribute one percent of their revenues to the rural electrification program. This is where things stood between Tenaga and the IPPs until the summer of 1997, when the Asian financial crisis swept the region.
V. THE ASIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS
The Asian Financial Crisis hit Malaysia in July of 1997. Triggered by the collapse of the Thai baht, pressure on the fixed-exchange-rate ringgit became insurmountable. On July 14, the government decided to float the currency, resulting in a huge devaluation, which then triggered a major correction on the stock exchange. After the crisis hit, electricity demand growth slowed, and reserve generation capacity expanded from fifty percent to fifty-five percent.
VI. ANALYSIS OF THE MALAYSIAN IPP EXPERIENCE (Page 21)
A. Was the IPP Program a Success or a Failure?
Given what we know about the Malaysian IPP experience, we must assess that the experience from the investors’ perspective was very positive.97 We don’t know exactly how much money the sponsors made,98 but all accounts indicate that the first wave of investment was very profitable.
One analyst said, “The first batch of IPPs, namely YTL Power, Malakoff, Genting Sanyen, Powertek and PD Power Bhd derived between eighteen and twenty-five percent internal rate of return (IRR).” Other observers said that the first five IPPs had been “‘laughing all the way to the bank’ as they had been enjoying favourable terms ‘not found anywhere else in the world.’” Additionally, all of the original players are still in the business and willingly entering new contracts at rates lower than agreed in the first round of investment.
As to the second wave of investment, an analyst said that “the market expectation is that any new PPAs signed with [Tenaga] will give an IRR of only about twelve per cent.” That Tenaga was willing to threaten unilateral revision of the contracts and withhold payment for two months may have hung a cloud over the sector, but during the crisis period, IPPs were perceived by at least one analyst to be one of the best sectors in which to invest.105 Publicly listed IPPs have provided a better return than both the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange index and Tenaga during the relevant period. (See Appendix A)
Separately, it seems that bondholders and lenders to the project companies were paid according to originally contracted schedules without difficulty. Malaysia’s IPP experience, in consideration of the policy and developmental goals of the government of Malaysia, should be considered as a qualified success. The government’s highest priority, installation and management of adequate generation capacity to facilitate high economic growth, was achieved. Moreover, the privatization of Tenaga and the local financing of the IPPs contributed to the development of local financial markets. This success is blemished by the fact that the contracts were probably too rich for the IPP sponsors.
Consequently, a higher than necessary cost of power resulted in financial losses to the government controlled utility, higher prices to consumers, and arguably an inefficient allocation of society’s resources. But this defect should not be overemphasized: timely expensive power is a far superior outcome than blackouts that discourage FDI and domestic investment, and stunt economic growth. Additionally, if someone is going to reap exorbitant profits, it is probably better from a political standpoint that they be domestic investors, as they were in Malaysia, rather than foreigners.
Finally, Tenaga made a number of commercial improvements to the PPA used in the second round of investment: tariffs were lowered and there was a more balanced allocation of risks.
B. Why did the Contracts Hold?
It is notable that the PPAs were not altered during the economic crisis—a period when there must have been tremendous pressure on Tenaga to unilaterally change the terms of its expensive obligations to the IPPs. The national off-taker was forced to manage a debt crisis while it was hemorrhaging due to the expensive IPP contracts coupled with low power demand. Nor were they altered in 2001 as some reports have indicated. This conclusion would be hardly a surprise to those close to the deals but others have somehow been given a different impression.
In 1998, IPPs constituted about thirty-five percent of Tenaga’s capacity (and even more of production) and were more expensive than Tenaga’s own generating capacity. Power demand was low and Tenaga was contractually bound to purchase power that it could not sell. The drop in electricity demand brought on by the Asian financial crisis exacerbated these problems, but the fact that fuel for the IPPs was produced domestically and the projects were financed exclusively in local currency significantly mitigated the stress of the crisis.
Further research should investigate whether trading value data for project bonds are available. See supra note 94. In researching for this working paper we have encountered reports that assert the PPAs were renegotiated. But we have looked for and discovered no direct cause to believe that any PPAs were renegotiated either in 1998 or
2001, while we have encountered sufficient basis to conclude that they were not. In private interviews with the author, both a Tenaga official and an attorney involved in the deals confirmed that the PPAs were never altered. In 2001 and 2002 reports to investors, Tenaga highlights progress that they made in reducing foreign debt exposure, but there is no mention of changed PPAs. In a 2004 report to investors, Tenaga reported that the average cost of purchased IPP power was about 15 sen per KWh, which is the level they were set in 1993/1994. YTL Power annual reports and Malakoff Bhd. annual reports in 2001 and 2002 make no mention of changed PPAs, yet Malakoff highlights the completion of a new PPA for a new project that happened to be signed on the very day others reported that “re-negotiations” were completed.
In light of the breaches of contract and forcible renegotiations seen in the IPP sectors of India, Pakistan, and Indonesia, we might not have been surprised if in a country like Malaysia, with a weak rule of law, the state-controlled power company under serious duress decided to change the rules on investors after the investment was in place and the balance of leverage shifted. But this did not happen. How was it that the IPPs could withstand Tenaga’s pressure to renegotiate in a time of national crisis? Was it because of the strength of their legal protections, or was it something else?
Born and raised in a village with train halt, I have always been fascinated with the romance of chucking locomotives and shunting coaches. They were music to my ears which I don't get to hear any longer these days. To make a lame but lingering memory of yesteryears, thus far, I have amassed volumes of books, soundtracks, DVDs and paraphernalia about steam engines. The collection will grow but had I the money to build a miniature, I would, failing which it will surely be a major regret in life.
Puffing Billy making a pick-up stop at Menzie's Creek, first station after Belgrave, uphill.
So, I made it to Belgrave on the Dandenoong Ranges in Victoria to capture the Puffing Billy for the first time in my life. Lots of pictures and they make nice story and memory to at least please myself.
There are only two trips per day during autumn. I almost missed the last train by minutes.
It's here that (ancora imparo) I learnt tourism, a major revenue earner for Victoria, can be run professionally by a bunch of retirees and young volunteers. There's so much of social integration and interaction to run an old railway track.
In the case of Puffing Billy, volunteers start from therank-and-file with on-the-job training as conductors, shop assistants, ttrain hosts, engine cleaners, booking clerks, museum operations workers, track workers, porter, as well as in work that involve engine repair and restoration, carriage repairs, and signals and telegraph.
Subsequently, volunteers must fter meet the required Board qualification before there are elevated to work in jobs as a Station Master, Guard, Signalman, Fireman, Ganger, Track Patrolman, Signal Fitter and Trolley Driver.
In other words, no short-cut even in volunteerism.
Puffing Billy, running on 2.6 narrow gauge, making a curve on trestle bridges.
And there's this good old signalising and track-shuffling system that never cease to wow me.
Kids, who are born to the age of bullet trains and MRT, must know who George Stephenson (1781 – 1848) was. Without the famous steam-powered locomotive named Rocket, there wouldn't have been a revolution in land transport. Stephenson created the rail gauge of 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm), originally called "Stephenson gauge", and it has become the standard gauge for the majority of the world's railways.
This group of students, with legs danggling in the air, later had some trouble with the conductors.
Must be making enquiries about becoming Puffing Billy volunteers?
The Locomotive 14A that I rode on, which was built at the Victorian Railway's Newport workshop in 1914, was restored in 1996 for the Puffing Billy fleet. There are five others of the same make that still run in tip-top condition today. That's how a legacy has been preserved, and preserved productively to continue churning revenue for the State of Victoria.
This is just a preview. There's a full travelgue on this.
We don't quite understand the mumbo-jumbo behind these "Blue Ocean Products", but to put in reality terms, I. G. Kim, Managing Director and CEO of LG Electronics Malaysia, makes no qualms about being a late-comer in the Malaysian market. He told the media about his confidence that the LG Chocolate phone has been a success wherever it was launched. 
Dang Wangi OCPD ACP Kamal Pasha (picture left), who oversaw the Police crackdown, was 
