Please send out the Chief Fireman!

In the land of Monkeys, the SemiManKey is king.
ylchong | Homepage | 01.18.06 - 7:34 pm | #


Yesterday I was having a leisurely surfing of fellow Bloggers' turf and the following Post attracted by question. Well, at least Viewtru's ending poser elicited a quickie response from Desi, three seconds -- just hope some of of infrastructure does not collapse on us in three years after opening for public use!

So to put in context, some extracts:

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Will collapse or not, tell me!
You know, when I first saw this news heading in the one-star newspaper on “Monkey’s reign of terror ended”, my first thought was that one of our ministers got canned and now everything is back under control. But apparently, that was not the case. The news story was actually about a real monkey gone bad.

Fed up. Gave me false hope like that.

Oh, did you notice that the troubled Kepong flyover affair is in the news again?

This was reported here on January 17: “The Utusan Malaysia yesterday reported that the flyover was no longer safe because of excessive vibrations and that it was believed to have reached the maximum tolerance level where safety is concerned.”

Samy assures us that “the Flyover will not collapse.”

Come on, tell me who is right.
Tell me who the more creditable source is.
Tell me if they know what they are talking about.

Oh, never mind, just complete this sentence for me:
“In the land of the ....., the .......... is king.”

Visit his Weblog and read Viewtru's full entry and other Commenters'
WORDS OF PROFOUND WISDOM THERE!

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I find the above highly relevant when this morning's newspaper headlined several "national" happenings, and I, average JoePublic, and perhaps other fellow citizens, must have that "deja vu" feeling again -- that NO ONE SEEMS TO BE IN CHARGE IN THE BLODDY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ANYMORE!

Every minor irritant had to have Pak Lah's personal intervention. The Fire Chief is being called upon out to douse fires set up by his own Firemen!Maybe it's time for him to start "firing" the under-performing monkeys!

No wonder I seem to get nausea every now and then -- the ship is lurching from left to right, and right to left, once too often for us Passengers' comfort...

~Fire 1
From The Star, page 1

NO SNOOPING:
Religious Department told to disband squad

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet told the Federal Territory Religious Department to disband the “snoop team” as it is tantamount to invasion of privacy.
With this move, the Cabinet has sent a clear message - "forget about it" - to other groupos that may have plans to set up similar units.

In gist, the report added that "The matter was brought up by Information Minister Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir at the Cabinet meeting."
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the ministers were "incredulous" that such a squad was being formed "right under their noses" in Putrajaya.
Fellow minister Mohd Nazri Aziz said the Cabinet's stand applied to all states, and not just the FT and Malacca.
Nazri said the Government had already rejected last year the plan by 4B Youth movement led by Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam to set u[p an Islamic snoop squad dubbed "Mat Skodeng", where youths would be encouraged to spy on couples and report those who engage in immoral actiovities."
.
.
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DESIDERATA had blogged widely on the Malacca example -- and this FT imitating Papa Monkey Does,Sonny Monkey Follows episode is truly, yes, "incredulous".
You know why? -- Nobody seems to be in charge!



~~Fire 2:

From The Star, its Online edition, and Desi has highlighted the relevance of the key point to today's main grouse:

Car industry has lost its way



PENANG:
Malaysia has lost its direction in the automotive industry, former Proton chief executive officer Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff said.

Instead of becoming a car exporter, Malaysia was reverting to a labour supplier in the industry, he said.


Tengku Mahaleel: Says Malaysia is reverting to a labour supplier in the industry
Expressing frustration over the fate of local carmakers, Tengku Mahaleel said the national car faced competition even in its own homeland with the emergence of “pseudo” national cars.

“Some local manufacturers use local logos for imported cars. How can such cars be truly national cars, when the content of imported parts and components is high?” he asked.

“I am frustrated with this development. I am frustrated for Malaysia,” he told reporters after giving a lecture on Governance and Transparency in the Automotive Industry at Universiti Sains Malaysia here yesterday.

Tengku Mahaleel also questioned how many of the 17 automotive factory operators were car exporters.

“We are importing more than we export. When we import more, we are spending more.

“The duty imposed on some of the cars is so low that the Government loses billions in tax collection,” he said.

Tengku Mahaleel also urged the Government to formulate the Third Industrial Master Plan (IMP3, 2006-2020), adding that IMP2 ended last year and that it was tough for the industry players to embark on strategies without a direction.

“We are bound to suffer losses amounting to billions of ringgit because we do not know where we are heading,” he said.


DESIDERATA: Yes, a policy that had ended with the year 2005 has no follow-up.
You know why?
The ship's captain is being DIVERTED from steering the ship because most of the subordinates are indulging in monkley sideshows instead of "doing their duties".

Yes, send out the firemen to create more fires. The Bomba chief then claims credit for putting out the fires.

How easy to earn a "living" in the Government departrment or government-linked companies -- Wanna join Proton, Mas, anyone?

Meanwhile, can anyone update Desi what is the final outcome of the AP fiasco?
Anyone sacked? Prosecuted?
Oh, yes, they shot ONE MESSENGER. The MITI officer who appendixed the list of MP benefiociaries, which according to his honourable minister, should not have been published.
Can Desi recommend a Datukship for this fall/fallen guy for doing National Service?

~~~Fire 3.

One parting shot, though there's actually more, but Desi has other better things top attend to! Also from The Star:

Contractor claims he thought waste material was fertiliser

JOHOR BARU: The contractor who was hired to dump the toxic waste in Labis has come forward to claim that he was duped into believing the waste material was fertiliser.

Tey Tian Seng, 30, also revealed that there are two more such illegal dumpsites in the state.

In a press conference in Segamat yesterday, Tey said he was engaged by a Malacca-based company late last year to dump waste but he didn't know the material was aluminium dross.


Tey: ‘I am very sorry to the people. I really did not know that it was dangerous material’
“I was told by the company that it was some form of fertiliser,” said a distressed Tey who fretted over how he and two other drivers did not wear protective gear when handling the waste.

Tey declined to identify the location of the two sites because he wanted to inform the Department of Environment (DOE) first.

He said a middleman would identify the dumping ground, usually a sand mining site, and Tey’s job was to deposit the waste and cover it up with soil. Tey also said he was paid RM50 per tonne for the task.

(He would have been paid RM15,000 for depositing the 300 tonnes of waste recovered at Kampung Sungai Gatom in Labis).

“I am very sorry to the people. I really did not know that it was dangerous material. I hope I can set things right by coming forward and help the authorities get to the bottom of this,” said Tey, who was accompanied by his lawyer Pang Hok Liong.

Meanwhile, State Tourism and Environment Committee chairman Freddie Long said that since Jan 13, some 330 tonnes of aluminium dross buried 3m in the ground had been unearthed and sent for disposal at Bukit Nenas in Negri Sembilan.

Long said the authorities have been monitoring the air and water quality in the affected areas and found that the ammonia level was below the danger point. A total of 568 evacuees from 135 families were allowed to go home on Tuesday, he said.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, when met at a function later, said the two sites were in an oil palm plantation at Batu 8 and Batu 9 of Jalan Yong Peng in Labis.

He added that the DOE would seal off the area and arrange to remove the waste as soon as possible.

“Next, it will have to ascertain what kind of waste it is and whether it is hazardous to the environment,” he said.

DESIDERATA: With reference to Long's well-informed statements, also the MB's assurances, do you think those affected residents living around the dump sites feel anysense of relief and assurance of safety.
This contractor operates "right under the department's nose" and the monkeys seem to have no eyes, no see.
Anyone saw a semimankey around?

What is happening to the case of an DOE officer who allegedly "committed suicide" but his family reported "foul play", implying it could be MURDER?
Is there a cover-up by DOE on wrongdoings in the department, and even a fellow officer's life was sacrificed?

Too much monkeying around.
I'm beginning to see some SemiManKey on the far horizon, waving GoodBye, I'm leaving on a jetplane...

See you, my most EsteemedReaders, I'll add a gay Postscript this afternoon -- Desi always keeps his promise, Insya-Allah he's still breathing at around 5.00pm -- to brigfhten up your spirits.
Hey, we must not let the monkeys spoil our party!:)


UPDATED at about 3.13PM:
Ah, the PS of Good Tidings arrived early, because Desi is especially hard-working anticipating the Chineses New Year break! Arrival of the Year of the Dog soon -- Doggone days ahead?

Page 4, the Sun Jan 19, 2006 quietly hidden onshore but in the middle:

Shell JV finds oil off Sabah

The joint venture of Shell Malaysia, Petronas Carigali and ConocoPhillips has made its fourth oil discovery within a year offshore northwest Sabah, with their recent Pigagan-1A exploration well.
According to a Shell Malaysia statement yesterday, the well, located in deepwater Block G, had encountered both oil and gas in the reservoir. It was drilled in a water depth of 1,465 metres.
"The Pigagan discovery,following so soon after our previously announced Ubah-2 discovery, is another positive step for Malaysia and for the Block G joint-venture partners," said Shell Malaysia chairman Datuk Jon Chadwick.
The JV partners in Block G are Shell Malaysia with a 35% stake, ConocoPhillips (East Malaysia) 35% and Petronas Carigalli 30%. Shell Malaysia is the operator of the block on behaLf on the JV.

DESIDERATA: Are the Rakyat going to taste some sweetness of these new oil finds?
Ask Petronas -- your national oil ccorpration! The Singapore government recently announced a bonus of one-month and half-month annual bonus to be paid to households earing less than certain cut-off points in their salaries to help the average Citizen JoePublic to cope with rising costs of living.
Dare Malaysians in the lowest income groups expect such similar help from the Government/Petronas from the country's oil wealth?

Desi has given up appearing like a beggar as if we have no rights to enjoy some benefits of the nation's rich resources. And as a CivilSociety promoter, I'm just asking for some gesture of goodwill from Petronas to help those TRULY IN NEEDS. NO RACE INVOLVED, PLAIN NEEDS!

Yeah, they will continue to remind us about the petrol and diesel subsidies...So be damn bloody gratefool!
And don't compare with our southern neighbour!

My counter is: Why not?
This neighbour does NOT have any oil fields, yet they can help those truly under-privileged, and in greatest need.
Isn't this waht a Caring Society about, dear Mr Prime Minister Pak Lah?