A recipe a day

Hi all,
Summer is finally here and I thought why not start with a chilled soup and
Here bit is...

GAZPACHO Soup - Spanish traditional soup
This is the classic chilled soup, originating from Spain. There are many variants of this soup but this is the simplest most 'peasant' variation, going back to the soup's roots, in effect.
Ingredients:

• 2 slices day old bread, with crusts removed
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled and seeded
• 2 small green peppers, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 small cucumber, chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 6 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper and lemon juice, to season

Method:
Soak the bread in just enough water to cover. Meanwhile add the tomatoes, bellpeppers, onion, garlic and cucumber to a blender and blitz to a smooth purée (add a little water and process in small batches, if necessary).
Squeeze a little of the excess water from the bread then add to the blender along with the sherry vinegar and oil. Render to a smooth paste (adding as much extra water as necessary). Tip the soup into a bowl and season with salt, lemon juice and black pepper, as necessary.
Place the soup in a bowl and chill well. Serve garnished with a swirl of olive oil and chopped tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber, onion and a few croutons.

Courtesy by our good friend,

Chef Gill

EATING FRUITS...Crucial Knowledge!

Image by zenilorac via FlickrEATING FRUIT (via emails)

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.. It's not so easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.

What is the correct way of eating fruits?
IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! *
FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.

Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit.. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit omes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to
spoil.

So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining - every time I eat water-melon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat banana I feel like running to the toilet etc - actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will not happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruits like orange and lemon are acidic because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter.

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must Let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you ook!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E and fiber. Its Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which nhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessels-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 -4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest Thirst Quencher Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the> cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Drinking Cold water after meal = Cancer! Can you believe this?? For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and
lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks

HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!)
Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of
people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this...It could save your life!!

Let's say it's 6.15 pm and you're driving home. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five
miles from the hospital nearest your home. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.

'HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE':

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.


Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!

"So nice, my precious"

Saiful Bukhari Azlan (left in blue shirt) and Khairil Annas Jusoh (right) work for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

PDRM’s computerisation program

So this how we treat our neighbours..

"Golden Hand Shake"

An MP revealed what he understood to be the amount awarded as Ex-Gratia payment to the Tun Salleh Abas and his chums. RM1.5 MILLION EACH!

Why RM 1.5 Million to these ex-justices?

At a time when the government is cutting back on spending, why give these ex-judges such high ex-gratia payments when:

1. The case that led to their dismissal has not been properly over-turned in court.

2. Those that were dismissed actually still received their pensions, out of kindness of the ex-PM.

3. Now I hear that some of those who didn't even get dismissed are getting this ex-gratia payment! For what!

Since the government is so generous, why not give back every rakyat the same amount as token of appreciation.

What say YOU!!

Altantuya Shaariibuu

Altantuya Shaariibuu, 28-year-old translator and mother of two, was executed by two shots to the head and her body was blown up with military C4 plastic explosive in a patch of jungle near the suburban city of Shah Alam.

Where do you really want to go?

A wiseman once said:
"I really dunno, but I'd like to become the God of Gamblers".

It takes 2 to tango

24 hours is a long time in politics, what more 24 weeks leading to December 2008. And over the last 24 days there has been much realignment in Malaysian politics. But can Anwar Ibrahim change this equation even more by convincing 24 Members of Parliament from Sabah and Sarawak to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat? If he can then he needs only ten more or so from Umno to join Pakatan Rakyat so that he can form the new federal government.

Yes, the direction and final outcome of Malaysian politics is subject to the moves of many political heavyweights. Anwar Ibrahim, Dr M, Daim , PM, DPM, Mrs. DPM, MY; they all have a bearing on what we are going to see come Christmas Day 2008. One person’s move changes the equation even further. And if everyone makes a move one can only guess what the final outcome will be.

In the meantime, Anwar is going to court to get his September 1998 sacking as DPM declared illegal and a violation of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. If he succeeds then PM has to reinstate him as Malaysia’s DPM, by order of the court. But Malaysia already has a DPM.
Yes, but if the current is forced to resign because of his wife’s implication in the Altantuya murder, and if it can be proven that his office is involved, then he's dead meat and there will be a vacancy for the post of DPM of Malaysia.

Daim, however, does not want PM to retire just yet. He needs PM around until at least 2010 because it will take him two years to slowly bring back RM3 billion in cash. Yes, more than ten years ago, RM3 billion in RM500 and RM1,000 notes were smuggled out to Indonesia. When Dr M found out he discontinued the usage of RM500 and RM1,000 notes. So the money is now stuck. The notes can, of course, be brought back, but they can’t be used in the open market. Instead, you have to send them to Bank Negara to be changed into smaller notes. And this is where the problem lies. How to bring back RM3 billion in RM500 and RM1,000 notes unless you do it over two years and unless the Finance Minister cum Prime Minister gives his permission for Bank Negara to accept them? So Daim has to ensure that the Finance Minister cum Prime Minister stays on at least until 2010 when the entire RM3 billion can be safely brought back and sent to Bank Negara for conversion into smaller notes. And to ensure that the Finance Minister cum Prime Minister is not kicked out of office, Daim is prepared to spend half the amount to defeat the challengers like TR and M.

TR is not to be discounted just yet either. Over the last few months he has been making his rounds to the Umno branches and he appears to be gaining support. While Daim backs PM, Dr M pressures DPM to bring PM down, PM checks DPM, Anwar makes a bid to get back his DPM’s job and probably becomes the next Prime Minister as well, M ding-dongs between both sides, and much more, TR is slowly and successfully convincing the Umno grass-root that he is the White Knight who will save Umno from itself.

RPK

Shemale - the "Billary" factor

And what would a picture like this be worth if it wasn’t accompanied by a Billary Joke?
Ok, drumroll please…

Adobe Acrobat 9 : 4 Major Features

Adobe Acrobat 9 was launched on 4th June 2008.

It is now in beta release.

The new release has 4 major features that are summarized as:

1. Creation of More Compelling Content
   
2. Enhanced Collaboration
   
3. Enhanced Data Forms
   
4. Miscellaneous Features

Check out the 'Creation of More Compelling Content'.

Eliminate the plague by killing the rats

Read my lips: there will be no petrol price increase after the 8 March 2008 general election. Read my lips: I am not going to call for a general election soon and Parliament is not going to be dissolved tomorrow. Read my lips: I did not use the rakyat’s money to buy a RM200 million Airbus. Read my lips: my son’s company, Scomi, did not get RM1.5 billion worth of contracts from Petronas. Read my lips: I am not getting married to Jeanne Danker. Read my lips: I do not have a house in Perth. Read my lips: I am not involved in the Iraq Oil-for-Food scandal. Read my lips: Najib Tun Razak is my successor. Read my lips: Anwar Ibrahim is my successor and I am not going to sack him in three days’ time and do you need me to kiss him in public to prove it? Read my lips: only three people are involved in the Altantuya murder. Read my lips: the Royal Commission of Inquiry will wrap up the Lingam Tape scandal before you can finish screaming mala fide. Read my lips: I will not be challenging Ghafar Baba for the Umno Deputy Presidency. Read my lips: I am not rejoining Umno even if I die and am reborn and I will remain in Semangat 46 until the day I die like Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn. Read my lips: Malaysia did not physically lose RM30 billion in the currency speculation fiasco and it is only a paper loss.

Nope, no more read my lips rhetoric please. We have had enough of all this over the last 50 years. What we want now is for you to put your money where your mouth is. ‘Show me the money’, the Americans would say. Yes, money talks, bullshit walks -- and bullshit is what has been dished out these last 50 years. It is time everyone come clean and put their cards on the table, face up. We want to see what hand they are playing with. Do they have a full hand or is this mere poker playing?

How do these countries do it without going bankrupt, if subsidies are supposed to make a country go bankrupt? Britain, for example, has the best education system in the world -- and that is why foreign students do not mind paying high fees to receive a British education, thereby making it possible to subsidise local students. But then Britain’s universities are not headed by BTN operatives whose main function is to brainwash Malay students into believing that Malays own this country under the Ketuanan Melayu concept while the ‘immigrant’ Indians and Chinese should be reminded that they are ‘guests’ of this country and if they don’t like it they can go back to India or China.

Malaysia’s problem is corruption. We spend double what we should because of corruption. Corruption, not subsidies, is what is killing this country’s economy. Corruption, not subsidies, is what is bankrupting Malaysia. Hundreds of billions has been wasted over the last 51 years since Merdeka. These hundreds of billions, if it had been put to good use, could have done a lot for this country. Today, we talk about ending the subsidies because we no longer have any money. But we no longer have any money not because of the subsidies but because of the corruption.

Out of a workforce of 10 million or so, 1.1 million-1.2 million work for the government. This means about 5% of Malaysians work for the government. And why is that? Just go into any government department and see for yourself why. No one is working. Everyone is just sitting around doing nothing. And if you disturb their peace by going to a government office to ask for something just see the fuck face they give you. They forget that we are paying their salaries and that they work for us. We are not disturbing them by going to a government office. It is their job to serve us.

We spend RM10 billion to develop Malaysia and another RM90 billion on administrative costs and ‘leakages’. That is how we spend our RM100 billion. And that is why we have no money. So herein lies the problem. Solve this problem and we will have more money for other things, subsidies included.

No, don’t end subsidies. End wastages, high administrative costs and corruption. Then we will be able to afford subsidies, just like the other countries that also have subsidies can. And this is what we want Tengku Razaleigh and Anwar to talk about. Don’t say ‘read my lips, no more subsidies’. Instead, say ‘read my lips, no more wastages, high administrative costs and corruption’. That is what we want to hear Tengku Razaleigh and Anwar say. And if Tengku Razaleigh and Anwar don’t understand what I am talking about, then step aside and let me show you what I mean. But be prepared for a ‘blood bath’ because only a ‘butcher’s knife’ can achieve the results.

Sigh….I just love the way Iran solved its serious corruption problem in 1979. They lined up 10,000 corrupted civil servants and shot them all. No more corrupted government officers, no more corruption. How I wish I had been born in Iran instead of England. I would have had a great time in 1979. Sigh…..

RPK

Do U Believe in Bad Luck ?

I do.

Let me try to illustrate it to you.

I was at Starbucks (Amcorp Mall) at around 4pm. I wasn't feeling hyper today due to slight fever.

So, as human nature, when the body is weaken, the mind starts to purify itself.

I found a place and sat there comfortably, trying to do many things on the Internet.

It wasn't low time, the place (Starbucks) was filled with people.

Suddenly, came walking in a stranger dressed in black T-Shirt. He was trying to market something or maybe donation. He approached people starting from the door and since I am in the purifying process, I feel that I would definitely entertain this poor fella.

One by one, he was rejected by the people he approached. I waited anxiously until he reached my place and I didn't try to look into his eyes.

You know what ?????

He skipped me.

He left.

Damn, is he bad luck or me ?

Some Say No Subsidy : An economist's perspectives

Taken from emails.

Malaysian PerCapita Income USD 5000

VS

Singaporean PerCapita Income USD 25000


Further someone made a comparison of prices in Thailand , Singapore and Indonesia .

For Thailand it is quoted at RM3.90/liter, however are they aware that in Thailand new cars are cheaper than Malaysia by RM10,000? They pay only one life time for their driving license? No renewal fee after that? Also that goes for road tax as well? And does he also aware that you can drive all the way from Hadtyai to Bangkok on a six lane highway without paying any Tolls ??!!

Whereas here in Malaysia you have to pay yearly renewal for road tax , driving license and TOLLS, TOLLS, TOLLS!!!

For Singapore how can you quote RM 5.20 ? Please quote in Singapore Dollars because they are earning in Sing Dollars. You might as well say Europeans are paying RM10/liter. RM5.20/liter = Sing $ 2.20/liter, still cheaper than Malaysia in view of fact that Singapore is not a crude oil exporter. Are you saying that you fill up petrol in Singapore by paying Ringgit?

In economy, dollar to dollar must be compared as apple to apple. Not comparing like durian in M'sia is much cheaper than durian in Japan!! Of course-lah, Japan is not durian producer!!! Comparing Malaysian durian with Thailand durian make more sense!!

For Indonesia we might say is cheaper there at RM2.07/liter but compare that to their level of income!

Now, let us compare the price with OIL PRODUCING countries:

1. UAE - RM1.19/litre
   
2. Eygpt - RM1.03/litre
   
3. Bahrain - RM0.87/litre
   
4. Qatar - RM0.68/litre
   
5. Kuwait - RM0.67/litre
   
6. Saudi Arabia - RM0.38/litre
   
7. Iran - RM0.35/litre
   
8. Nigeria - RM0.32/litre
   
9. Turkmenistan - RM0.25/litre
   
10. Venezuela - RM0.16/litre
    
11. MALAYSIA - RM2.70/litre

RM 2.70!!! Individual perspective:

As of last month a Toyota Vios would 'cause a damage' of about RM 89,000.

In the international market, a Toyota Vios is about USD 19,000

USD 19,000 = RM 62,700 (using the indicative rates of USD 1 = RM 3.30)

That makes Malaysian Vios owners pay an extra RM 26,300.

This RM 26,300 should be cost of operations, profit and tax because the transportation costs have been factored in to the USD 19,000.

RM 26,300/ RM625 petrol rebate per year translates to a Vios being used for 42.08 years.

I do understand that the RM 625 is a rebate given by the government, but it also means that one has to use the Vios for 42.08 years just to make back the amount paid in taxes for the usage of a foreign car. Would anyone use any kind of car for that long?

Now with these numbers in front of us, does the subsidy sound like a subsidy or does it sound like a penalty? This just seems to be a heavy increment in our daily cost of living as we are not only charged with high car taxes but also with a drastic increase in fuel price.

With all the numbers listed out, I urge all Malaysians to buy an economics book and join me in analyzing the situation further. Naked Economics is a good choice.

Car taxation is government profit, fuel sales is Petronas' (GLC) profit which also translates into government profit. The government may ridicule us Malaysians by saying look at the world market and fuel price world wide. Please, we are Malaysians, we fought of the British, had a international port in the early centuries (Malacca), home to a racially mixed nation and WE ARE NOT STUPID!!!

We know the international rates are above the USD 130/barrel. We understand the fact that the fuel prices are increasing worldwide and we also know that major scientist are still contradicting on why this phenomenon is happening. Some blame Bush and his plunders around the world and some blame climate change and there are others which say petroleum 'wells' are getting scarce.

Again we go back to numbers to be more straight fwd

1 barrel = 159 liters x RM2.70/liter = RM 429 or USD 134

On 1 hand, we are paying the full cost of 1 barrel of crude oil with RM2.70 per liter but on the other hand the crude oil only produces 46% of fuel.

Msia sells crude oil per barrel at USD130 buys back Fuel per barrel at USD134. And not forgetting, every barrel of fuel is produced with 2 barrels of crude oil.

1 barrel crude oil = produce 46% fuel (or half of crude oil), therefore

2 barrel crude oil = approximately 1 barrel fuel

In other words, each time we sell 2 barrels of crude oil, equivalently we will buy back 1 barrel of fuel.

Financially,

Malaysia sell 2 barrel crude oil @ USD 130/barrel = USD 260 = RM 858

then, Malaysia will buy back fuel @ USD 134/barrel = RM 442/barrel

Thus, Malaysia earn net extra USD 126 = RM 416 for each 2 barrel of crude sold/exported vs imported 1 barrel of fuel !!!

(USD 260-134 = USD 126 = RM416)

So where this extra USD 126/barrel income is channeled to by Malaysian Govt???????? ?

Another analysis:

1 barrel crude oil = 159 liters.

46-47% of a barrel of crude oil = fuel that we use in our vehicles.

46% of 159 = 73.14 liters.

@ RM 2.70/liter x 73.14 liter = RM197.48 of fuel per barrel of crude oil. This is only 46% of the barrel, mind you. Using RM 3.30 = USD 1, we get that a barrel of crude oil produces USD 59.84 worth of petrol fuel (46% of 1barrel).

USD 59.84 of USD 130/barrel turns out to be 46% of a barrel as well.

Another 54% = bitumen, kerosene, and natural gases and so many more.

And this makes a balance of USD 70.16 that has not been accounted for.

So this is where I got curious. Where is the subsidy if we are paying 46% of the price of a barrel of crude oil when the production of petrol/barrel of crude oil is still only 46%?

In actual fact, we still pay for this as they are charged in the forms of fuel surcharge by airlines and road taxes for the building of road (because they use the tar/bitumen) and many more excuse charging us but let us just leave all that out of our calculations.

It is quite disappointing to see this happen time and time again to the Malaysian public.

Rebates for rich or poor with the cc of the vehicles may not be an effective measure. An average office clerk may own a second hand 1300cc proton Iswara costing $7,000 (rebate = $625) while the Datuk's children can own a fleet of 10 new cars of BMW, Audi and Volvo all less than 2000cc costing $2 millions and get a total rebate of $625 x 10 = $6,250!

Misleading concept of Subsidy

Example:

Ah Chong is a fisherman. He sells a fish to you at $10 which is below the market value of $15. Let's assume that he caught the fish from the abundance of the sea at little or no cost. Ah Chong claims that since the market value of the fish is $15 and he sold you the fish for $10, he had subsidised you $5 and therefore made a loss of $5.

Question : Did Ah Chong actually make a profit of $10 or loss of $5 which he claimed is the subsidy?

Answer:

Ah Chong makes a profit of $10 which is the difference of the selling price ($10) minus the cost price ($0 since the fish was caught from the abundance of the sea). There is no subsidy as claimed by Ah Chong.

The BN government claims that it is a subsidy because the oil is kept and treated as somebody else's property (you know who). By right, the oil belongs to all citizens of the country and the government is a trustee for the citizens. So as in the above simple example, the BN government cannot claim that it has subsidised the citizen!

The curse of oil

Revenue from Petronas has contributed to 33% of the government’s annual budget, so we were told, but the accounts of Petronas is not made public and that leads to all sorts of negative speculations from concerned citizen. It defies logic that a national institution as important as Petronas which has contributed so much to the nation does not want to be transparent and gain even more respect from all fellow Malaysians. Unless as they say, "benar benar ada udang disebalik batu".

The price of pump price of fuel has risen to a point that threatens the livelihood of most ordinary Rakyat, right thinking citizen can not accept the logic offered by the government and this can easily lead to political instability. As the issue has reached crisis proportion, it is ridiculous that the government still does not deem it necessary to open up the accounts of Petronas together with a comprehensive public review on the state of affairs in Petronas.

As Petronas is headed by a respectable and very qualified accountant, Tan Sri Hassan Merican, we are hopeful that if given the mandate, he can explain how when the price of crude oil increases, a NET exporting country can justify in complaining about the burden of heavier subsidy for the amount consumed domestically. We are not talking about the justification of subsidy, we are merely asking what does subsidy mean in this context.

Further, when budget was deliberated the year before, what was the reference price of fuel which enabled the government to obtain 33% of its budgetary needs from Petronas through various forms of taxes? Now that the current oil price is deemed UNEXPECTEDLY high, wouldn’t our government derive even more from Petronas from such various taxes?

If a NET oil exporting nation is suffering so badly when oil price increases, does it mean that all Malaysians, politicians included, should be jumping up and down in uncontrollable joy if the oil price slumps to USD10 per barrel tomorrow?

Putting all the above asides, what about the 2,500 km Peninsular Gas Pipeline Project linking our rich gas reserve from Tok Arun in Kerteh to every part of Peninsular Malaysia that commenced since 1984 and completed in 1993? Hundreds of millions were invested and for 15 years very little were done to benefit the Rakyat.

For a long while the only NGV station in Klang Valley was near the surau at KLCC which caused massive congestion; some years ago, another one was available in Sri Hartamas and that also caused congestion but also brought much delight to the station owner over his monopolistic rights.

Obviously, within those 15 years, especially during the last ten years when the oil price began to escalate aggressively, many NGV pumps should have been installed and in fact, Proton and Perodua vehicles should be fitted with NGV tanks instead of petrol tanks. That alone will make those two the hottest selling brands in Malaysia and there is no need for APs and other silly protections to our auto industry, such as hefty import duty for imported vehicle.

Yesterday, a certain minister expressed relief that car owners are rushing to install NGV tanks in their vehicle, the minister went on to explain that the government planned to have 200 NGV stations by year end but due to technical problems, there will only be an addition of 24 more on top of the current available 76 NGV stations.

Today, Tan Sri Hassan Merican said we have 96 NGV stations at the moment and due to problems on land acquisitions and problems with local authorities we may have 200 NGV stations only by 2010.

Our government is about to collapse and for 15 years, Petronas could not solve land acquisition problems and could not deal with our local councils to bring much cheaper and cleaner fuel to the Rakyat!

15 years since the Peninsular Gas Pipeline was completed, with proven strong demand for the NGV, our nation will only have 100 NGV stations and mostly in the Klang Valley. Brazil and even Pakistan have more NGV stations though they had much less natural gas reserve than Malaysia. Proton and Perodua are not marketing their products according to our God given national competitive advantage and our Rakyat are compelled to pay RM2.70 for petrol instead of 68 sen for NGV for the same function and even cleaner environment.

We need someone to answer all the above strange phenomena, or is this simply what Mr Freidman described as The Curse Of Oil?

By Toh May Fook

Five major challenges facing Malaysia's PM

(Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, fighting for his political survival since an election in March, is now weathering a storm over a steep rise in fuel prices that some say may hasten his departure.

Burdened by a soaring subsidy bill, his government raised petrol prices by 41 percent last week in a politically unpopular move that could drive inflation to a 10-year high and slow economic growth.

Following are five major challenges facing Abdullah:

ANTI-FUEL PROTESTS

- Abdullah's administration faces an acid test to quell mounting anger and, possibly, more organised street protests over the fuel price hikes.

The opposition, emboldened after a good showing in March elections, has proposed bringing 100,000 people to the city centre on July 12 to protest against the fuel hike.

This could be the country's biggest anti-government protest ever, but whether it is allowed to take place remains to be seen. Malaysia bans gatherings of five or more people without a police permit.

ECONOMIC TEST

- Abdullah, who is also the Finance Minister, will present the 2009 national budget in parliament on Aug. 29. His faces a delicate task of trying to appease voters with generous tax cuts while keeping a tight rein on the fiscal deficit.

PERCEPTION PROBLEM

- Even before the March election debacle, Abdullah was perceived to be suffering from a credibility problem after flip-flops over policy decisions.

These included the scrapping of a plan to replace Malaysia's side of the causeway to Singapore, drawing a sharp rebuke from ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad and costing the government millions of dollars in compensation to the contractor.

In addition, a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel to foreign motorists at the borders was lifted, days after it was announced last month.

"No one seems to believe him anymore," said one political analyst who declined to be named.

LEADERSHIP TEST

- Former prime minister Mahathir Mahathir Mohamad's shock resignation from United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and his call for Abdullah to resign late last month has prompted speculation that festering rifts in the party could widen and speed up the premier's exit.

Abdullah has said he would defend his post as leader of UMNO at party elections in December. A win will mean that he remains prime minister.

In a face-saving measure, Abdullah could quietly arrange to hand power over to his stated successor, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, to avoid a humiliating defeat at the December party polls.

THE ANWAR FACTOR

- Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's claim that the opposition coalition would be capable of forming the next government by mid-September will continue to unsettle Abdullah.

Anwar has said he has enough lawmakers to topple the government following the March election and was waiting for the right moment.

(Reporting by Jalil Hamid; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and David Fox)

The horse, cow and the donkey

You could have bet your last drop of petrol that there would have been a serious backlash from the public if any prime minister anywhere announced a whopping 40% overnight increase in the price of petrol and diesel wouldn't you?

But then, MalaysiaBoleh - where everything and anything boleh! Never mind that the oil price has been running faster than Usain Bolt for the past few years. Never mind that MalaysiaBoleh has been subsidising the oil price very generously to everyone regardless of whether they deserve it or not. Never mind the deliberate decision to let the public transport system slowly go to rot over the years. Never mind that MalaysiaBoleh with all its natural resources has never really looked to explore and develop alternative fuel resources with the exception of a few ‘lip service’ projects. Never mind that Petronas' coffers - but I won't go into that etc. etc. It's a never ending litany of errors, ill-governance, and apathy for sure. So now, PM finds himself between the devil and the deep blue sea. Under the circumstances would you not have counted the possibility of brickbats whistling in faster than Bruce Lee's fists of fury? I bet if you were the PM you would have. Anyone would have. But he says this is an opportunity for the people to 'change their lifestyle’ and start ‘practising conservation’.
What on earth is that supposed to mean?

Which reminds me of another story:
A horse, a cow and a donkey were having an argument about who had most contributed to the war effort.

The horse said he had done the most -
‘Without me, the soldiers wouldn't have been able to ride off to war’.

The cow said she was the one -
‘Without me, there would have been no one to feed the civilian population’.

The donkey, not to be outdone, said,
‘True....but I was the head of government. Without me, there would have been no war!’

I rest my case.

'Leaders with the thickest skins on earth'

'When the rakyat can’t even afford to pump gas, they have the cheek to announce a so-called cost savings plan which still consists of fully-paid holidays but ‘only’ confined to Asean countries.'
Our leaders should patronize coffeeshops to get feedback from the rakyat rather then depending on the "4th floor guys" for advice. They never learnt don't they?

Lemon: We have leaders with the thickest skins on earth. When the rakyat can’t even afford to pump gas to go to work and we are turning off lights at home to save on electricity, our leaders have the cheek to announce a so called cost savings plan which still consists of fully paid holidays for ministers without a spending limit, and which ‘only’ confined to Asean countries. What?
If you guys wanted to for a holiday, shouldn’t you pay for your own as opposed to the government seeking additional funding from the rakyat? For goodness sake, the whole bunch of you, please just resign or you will be booted out of office.
Our most ‘caring’ leaders has also chosen to bleed the rakyat first before digging into their own pocket. Cost-cutting plans, which should have been kickstarted long time ago is only proposed now because the rakyat is getting very angry.

Lilian Tan: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's proposed cost-cutting initiatives to placate Malaysians are truly laughable. Why on earth would we be impressed that our ministers can only now go to week-long vacations to Asean and local destinations when the livelihoods of so many Malaysians are in jeopardy?
To show that he feels for the people, the prime minister should sell his RM200 million jet and fly commercial like everyone else. And how about cutting down the number of ministers from 28 to 14 and replacing their gas-guzzling official cars of Mercedes Benzes and BMWs with Proton Perdanas?

Peter Ooi: At first glance Pak Lah's cost cutting exercise looked very impressive. But knowing that even a beggar in China could part with his last coin to donate to those unfortunate earthquake victims, it was not really of a sacrifice on the part of our ministers.
Before the oil price hike, many Malaysians were already living from hand to mouth. Many of the children of the poor have to labour for a few ringgit just to make sure that their families have two simple meals of broth with salted fish. Oh yes, some may even have to skip one daily meal.
Now the prices of goods would definitely rise higher and would make life for them extremely hard. In view of this scenario, limiting our ministers’ holidays to Asean countries is no big deal. Already they are having such good life.
It would be more reasonable to scrap all holidays for them. Remember beggars can part with their last coin for quake victims. Doing away with their holidays would not in any way make them poorer than the beggars.
One more act that Pak Lah should do is to ban ministers from taking their spouses along on overseas trips. Besides that, the PM should also withdraw servants allowances for ministers and top government officials.
In times of difficulties, their wives can help to cook and wash for the husbands. This is not too big a sacrifice for after all the pathetic conditions we are in are a result of their incompetency in managing the country.
Oh yes, Pak Lah, might have conveniently forgotten to scrap prestigious events like the Monsoon Cup and the Formula 1. Those two races are not actually enriching the lives of the poor and average. As I see it, it is more of an occasion for the rich and well-connected to mingle with celebrities.

Dr Krishnarajah: What? Did we queue up during polling day to vote in somebody in so that he can enjoy life like having free overseas holidays, entertainment allowance, police outriders? If I had known this I would have done some apple-polishing and got myself too to stand for elections, never mind even if it is at Tanjong Rambutan.
Who cares who I am supposed to serve? From what I see, the ministers care for no one but themselves and serve no one but only themselves. Now I understand why. Oh dear. No wonder some with lovely careers throw it away and give some pathetic reason that they want to serve the needs of the people and the country and so become ministers and politicians.
I am too disgusted to comment further – when the tiger has already tasted blood, you mean to say it will settle for 7-Up? No way, man.

Ladies n Gentlemen, welcome our own Mr. Oprah (Part1)

What I write here would not be based on speculation or suppositions or possibilities. They are the things which are public knowledge and can be verified.
www.chedet.com


1. Cancellation of the Bridge to Singapore

To cut a long story short work on the curved bridge was stopped so that Dato Seri Abdullah’s Government could offer to sell 1 billion cubic metres of sand, and overflight rights for Singapore military aircraft over Johor Baru if Singapore agreed to a straight bridge. Someone stood to make a lot of money selling 50 million cubic metres of sand per year for 20 years to Singapore for land reclamation. This was a very attractive offer as the reclaimed land can sell for 3,000-5,000 Singapore dollars (about RM6,000-RM10,000) per square metre. The Singapore Government stood to make an enormous amount of money selling this land. They therefore agreed to the straight bridge. That dredging sand from the seabed would cause erosion of the coast, destruction of fish breeding grounds and deprive Johore fishermen of their livelihood were not of concern to the Government of Dato Seri Abdullah. Fortunately the Johor people misbehaved. They objected to selling sand and overflights.Abdullah frustrated that his scheme was blocked then punished the Johore people by cancelling the bridge project altogether. No straight bridge, no curve bridge either. The result is that more than RM1 billion have been wasted building the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities, foundation and work on a new railway station, pilings and preliminary works on the road linking the CIQ to the bridge and compensations to the contractors because of the cancellation of the projects. The CIQ building is now a white elephant, unused and yet have to be maintained costing hundreds of thousands of Ringgit a month. Clearly Dato Seri Abdullah has wasted public money. All because he was angry with the Johor people for not enabling one billion cubic metres of sand to be sold to Singapore and the profits thereof.

USA: Tomatoes Could Contain Salmonella

Since when does Salmonella ever find host in Tomatoes ?

It could happen to you !!

Check out more for Salmonella.

Go green, but don't just over eat grass.

Vegetables and fibers are good for your sex life.

Caesar 3 : Syracusae

Tips:

The biggest problem is there isn't enough places to build enough farm to feed 4000 people. (Try to salvage as much as possible, even at the edges.)

Since there are only three types of food available (wheat, vegetable and meat), the solution is to build three major residential locations with each having one granary accepting only 1 type of the foods available. Meats have to be imported. Vegetable can grow faster than wheat.

The economy can be prosperous, start trading early, selling weapons and oil will give you plenty of fortunes. However, be sure to be the first mover to import something first before traders will buy something from you.

The biggest challenge is to get enough food in order to attract 4000 people to the city. Build as large a residential area as possible (to make food distribution efficient). Don't try to build more than 2 residential area. Check out this scenario which can only hold up to 3400 people (fall short of 600). Check out the scenario here.

One backup plan is to increase wages as high as possible and decrease tax at the same time. (This will be the last resort when your city has a lot of funds and just waiting for people to come in).

Build enough armies to defend your cities. For this scenario, you only need one fort legion with two forts of Javelins. This will be an effective military tactics. Two teams of Javelins will support the legion as the front-runner in each batter. Always take note that legion is good at confrontation while Javelin is effective to throw Javelin from behind. However, legion is not effective against elephant.

Make your warehouse distribution efficient.

1. Keep one warehouse for each item to be imported near to the dock area.
   
2. Keep one warehouse for each item to be exported or used internally in between docks and factory.
   

At taxpayers’ expense

Since becoming an MP, you could tell he was more affluent. He changed his car and his wife started going on holidays to tropical islands. He has a large blue BMW and his wife drives a top-of-the range 4X4 BMW. The house was gutted by builders and completely done inside.
He hired the best and most expensive builders in the area.” – Neighbours of an MP who claimed that he had also carried out renovations to his house to the tune of RM650,000.

At taxpayers’ expense rakyat? Haven’t we heard of politicians and their wives who go for facelifts and try to look whiter than white when their hearts and minds are blacker than black? And the holidays to tropical islands? No, many of our Datins head to Singapore and then fly to Paris and London to shop. Holidays are accompanying their spouses on lawatan sambil belajar. If such a report had appeared in the Malaysian media, it would not have raised an eyebrow and it would have been pooh-poohed by the powers-that-be who would have declared:
Sekarang dia buat bisnes. Tak kan Adun tak boleh buat bisnes!”

This brings us back home and to reality. It is not in the least suggested that any of our MPs are at it, but in the absence of a public declaration of how funds are used; the rakyat SOUNDS familiar? Don’t we hear of this kind of extravagance all the time? Have we not heard of cikgu and can only let their imagination run wild. The manner in which former Selangor assemblymen spent their annual allocation of RM500,000 within three months has led to speculation and accusations that there was misuse and abuse. Instead of addressing the issue, those involved have chosen to remain silent, leaving the former mentri besar to explain. The case of the expenditure of former Teratai assemblyman Yap Soo Sun is an example. He spent RM494,350 in 44 days. His successor, Jenice Lee, has publicly stated that she suspects foul play and was quoted as saying that RM275,000 went to a small company, with links to a politician. The company has diverse businesses, including construction, catering, cleaning, waste disposal, distribution of stationery, clothes and office equipment. Further investigations revealed that its registered business address is a house in Kampung Baru, Cheras.

So, what’s next? A report has been lodged with the Anti-Corruption Agency, but will anything come out of it? While the law takes its course, what about the party and moral stand it wants to take? Keeping quiet gives the impression that it condones such behaviour or conduct. Are we going to see a repeat of the late Dato' Zakaria Mat Deros, who despite breaking the law, was protected by party leaders who declared:
He is a good leader. We need his services.”
The consequences of such a stance were seen on March 8.
Hasn’t anyone learnt anything yet in 100 days?

********************************************************
Although he is in Zurich, R. Nadeswaran’s heart still is on what’s happening at home. He investigative reporting.
Feedback: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com.

Yes, let us get angry, but about the right things

We should not worry so much about the petrol price increase. Even if Pakatan Rakyat had formed the federal government and even if Anwar Ibrahim had become the prime minister we would have still suffered this price increase. So is it fair to target PM singly for this petrol price increase?

The blame for the increase in the price of petrol should not be placed on the shoulders of one man and it should be seen within a bigger picture rather than in isolation. Could PM have done anything about it even if he wanted to? Or is PM a victim of circumstances, who anyone who was heading the government today would also have to endure?

It is very easy to blame someone else for our problems. Who, after all, would want to admit that he or she is the problem? And the most unpopular move a government can make is a move that affects your pocket.

Do anything. Kill detainees in the police lockup. Detain political opponents and dissidents without trial on the lame excuse that they are threats to national security. Spend billions of the nation’s money on white elephants and monumental projects. Siphon out billions of Ringgit in ‘commissions’ from government projects and stash the money in numbered Swiss bank accounts. Kill of all the Rainforests. Mess up the environment. In short, do whatever you want. Just don’t put any strain on my pocket. The instant you touch my pocket, then, and only then, will I rise up in anger. That is the mentality of the Malaysian Rakyat.

We should not get upset with the increase in the price of petrol. What we should get upset about is the fact that over 34 years since 1974, Malaysia has earned an estimated RM2 trillion in oil revenue. I say ‘estimated’ because that is the only basis we can use in figuring out what the actual amount is. Petronas’ accounts are not published and are not tabled before Parliament. According to the Petroleum Development Act 1974, Petronas need not make its accounts public. Petronas need not even report to anyone, not even to Parliament. Petronas reports to just one man, the PM of Malaysia.

Petronas is too important to the nation. Petronas is the backbone of the Malaysian economy. Without Petronas this country would be dead. Should something that important be under the control of just one man where even Parliament has no say over it? That is what we should be angry about. We should not be angry that the price of petrol has increased. It is not PM’s fault.

Okay, if we want to still be angry with PM, then let us be angry about the fact that just before the 8 March 2008 general election the government promised the voters that the price of petrol would not be increased. Then, even before 100 days after the general election, they go and increase it. They lied to us. They led us to believe that if we voted for them the price of petrol would not be increased. Then, after 50% or so of Malaysians voted for them, they go and increase the price of petrol. If they had been honest and had said that as soon as the general election is over they will increase the price of petrol, then 50% of Malaysians would not have voted for them. If they had been honest and had said that as soon as the general election is over they will increase the price of petrol, then more than five states would have fallen to Pakatan Rakyat and BN would no longer be the federal government.

Yes, that we can be angry about, if we want to be angry about something. Be angry that they lied to us. Be angry that they got 50% of Malaysians to vote for them under false pretences. But we should not be angry with PM for increasing the price of petrol when he really had no choice in the matter.

I am not angry about the increase in the price of petrol when PM could not avoid increasing it. I am angry that he was forced to increase it. Why was he forced to increase it? And what happened to the estimated RM2 trillion that Petronas has earned over 34 years since 1974? And why are the accounts not made public or tabled before Parliament? Was not Petronas set up through an Act of Parliament via the Petroleum Development Act 1974? Therefore, should not Parliament have the power and authority to demand that Petronas table its accounts before Parliament? Why are the accounts secret? And why should Petronas report to only one man?

Petronas should be turned into a pubic listed company. Petronas should be called Petroleum Malaysia Berhad or Petromas Bhd or PMB and it should be listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange and its accounts should be made public like all other public companies. Then PMB must hold annual general meetings and all shareholders who hold even just one share should be allowed to attend these AGMs and be allowed to ask questions. And the Directors of PMB should be both nominees of the majority shareholders (meaning the government) plus representatives of the minority shareholders (meaning you and me who hold just one share or one lot of shares). And the Directors of PMB (in particular those representing the minority shareholders) should be appointed at the AGMs. And if the shareholders are not happy with the Directors, then the shareholders can remove them via an EGM if the minimum requirements for an EGM are met.

That is what should be done, but is not done, and that is what we should be angry about. We should not be angry about the increase in the price of petrol when the increase is unavoidable and PM has really no other alternative. And we should also be angry about the fact that PM had no alternative but to increase the price of petrol. And we must not forget to also be angry about the matter of the estimated RM2 trillion that Petronas has earned over 34 years since 1974. And we must certainly be angry about the fact that we do not really know how much money Petronas has earned over 34 years since 1974 or what happened to the money. And we must remember to be angry about the fact that Petronas need not table its accounts or report to Parliament and about the fact that only one man, the PM, knows what is going on in Petronas and how much it has really earned and where all that money has gone to.

Oh, and since we are in the mood of getting angry, let us also get angry about the estimated RM30 billion that Terengganu has earned, which we do not know where the money has gone, and about the estimated RM30 billion that Sabah and Sarawak have also earned, which we also do not know where the money has gone. And let us also get angry about the estimated RM1 trillion that Petronas paid the government by way of corporate tax, which we also do not know where the money has gone. Furthermore, let us also get angry about the estimated RM900 billion or so that Petronas did not pay Terengganu, Sabah, Sarawak, or the federal government by way of corporate tax, which we also do not know where the money has gone.

Yes, let us get angry about all that. But let us not get angry about the increase in the price of petrol because this is just the end result of all the other things we should really be angry about but somehow are not. And let us not blame PM for increasing the price of petrol. It is not PM’s fault. He has no alternative but to increase the price of petrol. Instead, we should be angry with ourselves. We kept quiet over 34 years since 1974. We did not care what they did with Petronas over 34 years since 1974. We did not bother to ask what they are doing with the estimated RM2 trillion of Petronas’ money. We did not demand that the public or Parliament get to peep into Petronas’ accounts. We just continued voting for BN over 34 years since 1974 without a care in the world. We should be angry with ourselves for the increase in the price of petrol, not with PM.

RPK

"You studied math in engerish! And this is what you get!"

They say curiosity kills the cat. I so hope this particular phrase is not true today because, for the love of God, I am very curios.

The front page of The Star today shows a picture of our PM and a caption saying, “We try our best to help the people. We cannot satisfy everyone”. Below that there is a portion showing the changes. The most interesting change is the rebate of RM625 a year for private vehicles with the capacity of below 2000cc.

Just to let you guys know, I was educated in Malaysia, in fact in Sabah and am not too proud of my achievements as a student but the education provided to me has not failed to provide me with basic counting and thinking abilities. Let’s look at a simple example of how ridiculous this price hike is.

We all know that foreign cars are taxed to protect Proton’s interest in the market and the taxes are pretty expensive. The issue is, we can’t seem to put sniff out the exact amount taxed because the taxation system is sophisticated that it actually takes into consideration the make of the vehicle, capacity, and many other factors. Instead of confusing ourselves even more lets just take a simple car, which can’t be taxed much due to our trade agreements with Japan , and compare how this fuel price hike actually turns out.

As of last month a Toyota Vios would ‘cause a damage’ of about RM 89,000

In the international market, a Toyota Vios is about USD 19,000

USD 19,000 = RM 62,700 (using the indicative rates of USD 1 = RM 3.30)

That makes Malaysian Vios owners pay an extra RM 26,300.

This RM 26,300 should be cost of operations, profit and tax because the transportation costs have been factored in to the USD 19,000.

RM 26,300/ RM625 per year translates to a Vios being used for 42.08 years.

I do understand that the RM 625 is a rebate given by the government, but it also means that one has to use the Vios for 42.08 years just to make back the amount paid in taxes for the usage of a foreign car. Would anyone use any kind of car for that long?

Now with these numbers in front of us, does the subsidy sound like a subsidy or does it sound like a penalty? This just seems to be a heavy increment in our daily cost of living as we are not only charged with high car taxes but also with a drastic increase in fuel price.

With all the numbers listed out, I urge all Malaysians to join me in analyzing the situation. Car taxation is government profit, fuel sales is Petronas’ (GLC - Government Linked Copmany) profit which translates into government profit. The government may ridicule us Malaysians by saying look at the world market and fuel price world wide. Please, we are Malaysians, we fought of the British, had a international port in the early centuries (Malacca), home to a racially mixed nation and WE ARE NOT STUPID!!!

We know the international rates are above the USD 130/barrel. We understand the fact that the fuel prices are increasing worldwide and we also know that major scientist are still contradicting on why this phenomenon is happening. Some blame Bush and his plunders around the world and some blame climate change and there are others which say petroleum ‘wells’ are getting scarce.

Again we go back to numbers. One barrel or crude oil is 159 liters. And approximately 46-47% of a barrel of crude oil will turn out to be the fuel that we use in our vehicles.

46% of 159 = 73.14liters.

And at the current rate of RM 2.70/liter, this constitutes to RM197.48 of fuel per barrel of crude oil. This is only 46% of the barrel, mind you. There is another 54% that are still refined and traded in the markets. These products include bitumen, kerosene, and natural gases and so many more.

Using the indicative value of RM 3.30 = USD 1(it is actually RM3.26 today), we get that a barrel of crude oil produces USD 59.84 worth of fuel. And this makes a balance of USD 70.16 that has not been accounted for. In actual fact, we still pay for this as they are charged in the forms of fuel surcharge by airlines and road taxes for the building of road (because they use the tar/bitumen) and many more excuse charging us but let us just leave all that out of our calculations.

USD 59.84 compared to a barrel of crude oil which is approximately USD 130 turns out to be 46% of a barrel as well. So this is where I got curios. Where is the subsidy if we are paying 46% of the price of a barrel of crude oil when the production of petrol/barrel of crude oil is still only 46%?

Now the government has a very ugly predicament in front of them. The taxation of foreign cars to protect Proton has been deemed unfair by this calculations and the price of fuel is currently at world market price. So I hope our PM retracts his statement in The Star today as it seems like a joke after all these calculations. Who is helped by this move? Not the poor, not even the rich. Everyone is affected. Cost of living rises and everyone will feel the pinch.

As far as I know, only the politicians who live in Putrajaya and come for their Parliament meetings in Kuala Lumpur (approximately 60+ km) are the ones to gain as they claim their fuel and toll charges from the money of the RAKYAT. It is so disappointing to see this happen time and time again to the Malaysian public, where they are deceived by the propaganda held by the politicians and the controls they have over the press.

NOTE - Most of the values in this article are true and can be found on the internet dated 05/06/2008 (except the price of a barrel of crude oil where it depends on day to day trading).

By Aneed Anand

The 56 billion ringgit question

I am referring to the article in Malaysiakini: Pump price at 'market levels by August'.

First of all lets get some basic facts right.

Firstly Malaysia is a net exporter of crude oil. So the government did NOT subsidize our petrol. The RM56 billion ‘subsidy’ per year is the extra amount that the government would have earned if it had exported all of our oil production. There is no 'spiralling bill', the government did not lose any money because it is our own oil and we are not paying anybody for our oil supply.

Secondly – when the government scrapes the so called ‘subsidy’ that it did not pay any money for in the first place – it is forcing the rakyat to buy back our own resources at a much higher price. Each and every one of us will suffer because of this, especially the poor.

The hike in oil prices has not caused hardships to our government. On the contrary it has already earned record profits for Petronas. And now our government is going to squeeze even more profits by squeezing the rakyat. Put it bluntly, the BN government will get filthy rich form the blood money of the rakyat.

Now the 56 billion ringgit question.

What will the BN government do with the RM56 billion windfall per year? We already suffered a price hike on our petrol almost a year back, and have we seen any accounting on what has been done with the extra money that the government collected? I remembered that there were some talks of using the money to improve our public transport system. But so far I have only heard about the ailing KTM, failing bus companies and government cutting subsidy to Rapid KL.

Don’t you feel suspicious of what is going to happen to this hefty sum of money? RM56 billion is a mind boggling sum of money, it is almost enough to build 5 Putrajaya according to the official figure. The last thing I want to see is for the money to end up in political machines and lining the pockets of politicians and their cronies. I hope our Pakatan Rakyat representatives will see to it that every sen of it is accounted for.

I am not against raising the price of petrol. It is a matter of urgency that we cut our dependency on fossil fuels now as it is the main source of green house gas that is causing havoc in our weather patterns and ecosystems.

Even if global warming and destruction of our ecosystems is not your concern, you still have to consider the fact that crude oil price is not going to come down. Some analysts even projected that crude oil may reach USD 200 per barrel by 2012. Have you asked what is going to happen to our economy when our oil reserves run out in 5 years time?

Don’t you find it amazing that nobody is talking about these pressing issues now? This whole issue about oil subsidy is completely beside the point. The way it was phrased as if it was costing our government a hefty sum of money was completely misleading. The more pertinent point is really how we can best make use of the last of our rapidly depleting resource to safeguard our future. I have not seen any sensible policies regarding this from the BN or Pakatan Rakyat camps as yet. It is already sparking riots in many parts of the world, including our close neighbors, and yet nobody here seems to think that we have a problem.

I don’t think we can look towards our government for answers. Our so called ‘leaders’ are engrossed in fighting and bringing each other down, unscrupulously stirring up racial sentiments for their survivals. They never have the track records of putting the interest of the rakyat in the forefront anyway. The whole political scene is simply disgusting and depressing beyond words.

This is the time that ordinary people like you and I have to come forward and take charge. Count ourselves lucky that we have a 5 years grace period to get ready for the end of cheap oil. But we need to make sure that every ounce of our resources is used wisely for the survival of our future generations. That can only happen if we, the rakyat, unite as one single voice to demand for the right things to be done.

There are a lot we can do together, and we are not isolated either. There are already over a million environmental and social justice organizations around the world that we can work with right now. The first step is to realize that we have a problem in hand. This is not just any ordinary problem. What we are facing is a problem of epic proportion that is going to require the cooperation of the whole world.

Posted by Humble Voice at 3:45 PM

Petronas’ RM600 billion profit: Where has it all gone?

So the figure has been revealed. Petronas’ group profit before taxes, royalties, dividends and export duties amounted to RM570 billion for the period from its establishment in 1974 to 31 March 2007.
If you include the figure for the period until 31 March 2008, then you are probably looking at a figure closer to RM700 billion, with the higher oil prices.

Let’s see the breakdown of that RM570 billion:
Payments to the government (royalties, export duties, taxes and dividends) - RM359 billion
Allocations for shareholders, royalties and taxes abroad - RM41 billion
Profits re-invested in Petronas operations - RM170 billion
Total RM570 billion

(In case you are wondering where I got these figures from, they are from an oral response in Parliament to a question put forward to the Prime Minister by the MP for Bagan, Lim Guan Eng.)

So the government has received RM359 billion from Petronas over the years. If we include the year ended 31 March 2008, the figure would be in the RM400 billion range.

The big question is, has the government made the best use of all that money?
You and I know the answer to that. If the money had been used effectively, we could have provided affordable housing for everyone in this land, invested in an excellent public transport system and come up with a first class public health care system providing universal access to all Malaysians.

But have we? Look how much has been wasted and squandered over the years. Think of all the natural gas subsidies dished out by Petronas to the Independent Power Producers (private electricity companies), which have been raking in billions in profits over the years. (And now they want to reduce the subsidies for ordinary Malaysians.) Think of the billions spent on bailing out banks. And remember the colossal sums spent on building Putrajaya, building the Twin Towers, hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix, sponsoring the Petronas racing teams and setting up the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. All this while there are people without homes of their own, without a balanced and nutritious diet, without electricity and water in rural schools…

It is truly a lost opportunity, considering that we will soon become a net importer of oil in a few years’ time.

Meanwhile, ordinary Malaysians have no access to Petronas’ detailed accounts. Where is the accountability and transparency in the use of these massive amounts of public funds?

anilnetto.com

"De malaysian rojak, It's finger lickin' good"

Early last month, the police came to Raja Petra’s house to confiscate all his computers. According to the police, they are investigating a crime under the Sedition Act that Raja Petra had allegedly committed. This is the third time Raja Petra’s house has been raided and his computers confiscated. It is also the fourth sedition charge he is being investigated for.

Raja Petra has since been trying to contact the police officer who confiscated his computers. The police, however, are ignoring his communications and are refusing to respond. So Raja Petra does not know whether his computers are going to be returned or not, and if so, when.

In the meantime, Zul & Partners wants Raja Petra to remove the three articles from Malaysia Today’s website. But Raja Petra no longer has access to Malaysia Today’s website. He can no longer even get access to his e-mail accounts at Yahoo and Gmail. You see, Raja Petra does what many of us also do: he saves his IDs and passwords in his computer so that he need not remember them each time he accesses his e-mail accounts. So, whoever now has possession of his computers has accessed his e-mails and has changed the passwords. And now Raja Petra can no longer get access to his e-mails. And the same goes for his ID and password that allows him access to Malaysia Today’s Blog.

Now, Raja Petra can no longer get into Malaysia Today’s Blog. So he can no longer either update the website or remove the three articles that Zul & Partners wants him to remove. The only way he can remove them would be if the police returns his computers. If the police do not return the computers then Raja Petra can’t remove the articles. So the police would be in contempt of court. But if they return the computers then it would mean that the computers were not an instrument in the crime of sedition and that in turn would mean they would have to drop the sedition charge against Raja Petra.

The police and AG are now in a Catch 22 situation. They either comply with the court order or they will be held in contempt of court. But if they try to wangle out of the contempt act by returning the computers, then this will affect the sedition action against Raja Petra. Till then, Raja Petra is sitting pretty. He is not able to comply with the court order since he is not able to access Malaysia Today’s Blog. He has no way of getting into Malaysia Today’s Blog to comply with the court order since the ID and password are ‘locked’ in his confiscated computers. And Raja Petra is putting the onus on the police to ‘cooperate’ with the court by returning his confiscated computers.

And Raja Petra demonstrated that he has no control over Malaysia Today by refusing to post bail whereby he had to spend three nights in the Sungai Buloh Prison. And, while he was in the Sungai Buloh Prison, Malaysia Today’s website was updated as usual. This means there are others who are updating Malaysia Today. And whoever it is that has control over Malaysia Today also changed the ID and password so that whoever has possession of Raja Petra’s computers cannot get in to Malaysia Today’s Blog.

Yes, Raja Petra’s IDs and passwords were ‘saved’ in his computers, as most of us also do. However, as soon as Raja Petra’s computers were confiscated, someone changed all these IDs and passwords even while the computers were still on the way to the police headquarters. Whoever had possession of Raja Petra’s computers could get into his various e-mail accounts and into Malaysia Today’s Blog. And, while Raja Petra spent three nights in the Sungai Buloh Prison, they continued updating the website as usual.

The police has to prove that Raja Petra has control over Malaysia Today. Raja Petra does not have to prove anything. But Malaysia Today is not registered in his name plus he does not have access to Malaysia Today. So they can’t prove he has control over Malaysia Today. In fact, it appears like others have control over Malaysia Today. Then the police has to prove that Raja Petra wrote the article Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell, which is the brunt of the sedition charge against him. But the police also can’t do that because there is no evidence Raja Petra wrote that article in the computers that they confiscated.

Raja Petra, in his normal devious self, is running rings around the police and AG. He knows they have to prove he wrote the article and that he has control over the publishing of the article and that Malaysia Today belongs to him. But they can’t do that on all three counts. And, when summoned to Bukit Aman for his statement to be recorded under Section 112, he refused to make any statement. So, not only have they not been able to prove anything but Raja Petra has neither admitted nor denied anything since he said absolutely nothing -- the first time in history, according to the police, such a thing has happened.

In the meantime he wants to continue running rings around Umno, the police and the AG a wee longer. It is best that Team A keep Raja Petra out of jail, at least until October when his sedition case is due to be heard, so that Team B can be brought down. After that, Team A can send him to jail so that he can no longer do any harm to Umno.
Hmm……but what happens if Pakatan Rakyat walks in and forms the federal government instead, come September?
Well, then that would paint a whole new scenario to this entire episode.

"The Shell Game"

» HE walks around the neighbourhood like a self-employed sheriff who wants to keep law and order. He makes press statements at the drop of a hat on everything and anything, even if unrelated to his position. He flies overseas for strategic meetings with cronies and politician sseeking office – everything paid-for so that he can return and influence residents on which way they should vote. Wearing these hats, he claims to speak for residents, but when there’s development nearby, he gives his whole-hearted blessings without consulting the affected parties. There is a bus-stop in front ofhis house which fronts a row ofshops. It is a convenient drop-off point from where people stop and go about their chores. But no, too many residents are using the entrance to his house to congregate. So, what does he do? He uses his position and influence and the bus-stop is moved to the front of someone else’s house. He transferred his inconvenience on the basic principle of the “notin my backyard syndrome”. He’s the president of a residents’ association in the city.



» SHE struts around expecting to be addressed with a prefix before her name. There’s a new development nearby but it does not affect her or her neighbours. Another group which is directly affected by impending development makes aprotest. A meeting is fixed for the aggrieved residents with the authorities. She turns up but notto support opposition to the project. She wants a community centre-cum clubbeing built nearby to be made exclusive to members of the residents’ association which she heads. Most of the houses in her taman cost more than RM1.



» HE’s leading a campaign to stop development in the neighbourhood. He’s been quoted extensively in the newspapers and has even appeared ontelevision. The other cap that he wears happens to be hundreds of kilometres away – where he’s the spokesperson and co-ordinator or middleman for a project that will see the end of one of the country’s basic requirements. He tells all and sundry of his supposed close links to important Datuks and Tan Sris. He passes judgment on journalists who do not support his cause – the development of his neighbourhood – and yet abhorsthe scribes who say the country’s well-being is being sacrificed for the benefit of cronies who want to make money. And shouldn’t the principle of “If you live in a glasshouse, do not throw stones” apply?



» Another passes himself as a man of distinction whose services to the country and sports are something which should be remembered. Yet, a company inwhich he has interests submitted a plan to take over a playing field and a clubhouse which the residents had been using for 50 years. His argument was that no title was issued as to ownership of that open space and that he was entitled to grab it for high-rise buildings. The residents protested and he invited the key person leading the protest for a chat. His offer– drop your campaign and we’ll give you three apartments in the new development. The offer was refused. Having dealt with people’s problems for three decades and more, it’s easy to detect the genuine do-gooders from the fake. The above seek to illustrate the real world we are living in– people who genuinely want to work for a better community and those with selfish interests and ulterior motives. Sometimes, out of sheer ignorance and naivety, we entrust our interests to one or two individuals, whom we see as the last bastion of the community or the neighbourhood. Besides, in this newfound world of materialistic interests, we get involved in the rat race, finding or having difficulty in making time for issues that affect us and fellow citizens. We tend to leave problems in the hands of
wakil rakyat, his representative or someone we regard as a “community leader” whom many see as saviours who can cure all society’s ills. You have to fight your own battles. If you leave it to others, there’s always a risk that your interests could be sold for a fistful of ringgit or other forms of inducement. Thus, let’s pay a tribute to the leaders of the community in Bandar Mahkota Cheras who braved thugs to demand and be entitled to what they deserved. They did not leave it to the wakil rakyat or his representative, but got personally involved in something that is close to their hearts. This is not a matter of residents being caught in the crossfire between two developers – the one who is building the highway and the one who built the houses. On the contrary, these two are secondary players as those most affected are the residents themselves.

R. Nadeswaran