RM490million price tag for a CONcept?

From out of the blue yonder, theSun, July 25, 2006 page 4:

Sports centre only
a concept: Najib

PUTRAJAYA: The propoasal to set up a
sports centre at the Tun Razak Rubber
Research Centre (TARRC) in London is just
a CONcept and NO BUDGET was allocated.
(Emphasis is knotty Desi's,
not theSun, not my secretary's)

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak,
who is also the cabinet committeee chairman for
sports, clarified: "It has not been approved by the
cabinet committee, we have just approved the concept
first ... the detail and everything else we will have
to be worked out later."

Najib was responding to reporters' questions if it was
true the cost will be RM490million, after opening a
two-day seminar for Felda information officers and
the launch of Felda Youth Award 2006.

:
:
>> the Sun says: Why not
Nairobi, ASccra, Addis Ababa
Page 15


DESIDERATA:

Yes, why not Addis Ababa, Accra, Nairobi?

If something was at CONcept stage, how did a figure of RM490million POP OUT?
One of those irrating POP-OUT AdVERTS that suddenly appear on our PC screens?
The last time I saw a David Copperfiled show, he made a Boing aeroplane disappear.

Did this magician sit in at THAT Said committee meeting, and suddenly, on MalaysiaBoleh inspiration,
blurt out: "RM490million"?

Now, next item of the national agenda: Our mission to drape the Malaysian flag and many other flags over the Pyramid in Egypt...

Desiderata has a conCEPT for a new BLOG which will earn all participants fast buck.All those interested, guaranteed 1,000-fold profit within one leap year.
Please send Desi a cheque for RM1,000 AC Pub'ic Bank No. 999c888o777n6 on Feb 29, 2007 ONLY THIS DATED cheque is accepted!

Please read two related sightings which are self-explanatory.

CONT 1

SPEAK UP! :: Letters

Sports centre tells tale

Thanks R. Nadeswaran and Terence Fernandez for doing an investigative report with the UK councillors pertaining to the RM490 million proposed Brickendonbury Sports Centre in the UK (theSun, July 17).

I am an avid follower and admirer of your articles and I have blogged about them a lot in my blog, The Sensintrovert (http://howsy.blogspot.com).

I happened to search Google Map to see what other sports recreational centres would there be nearby, and guess what? I'm not surprised to find a golf club. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that the proposed centre would be a base for ministers to play golf rather than the acclimatisation of our athletes. I have blogged it at http://howsy.blogspot.com/ 2006/07/rm-490-million-brickendonbury-sports.html.

theSun is one of the "not-so-mainstream" media which I enjoy reading because some of the articles, interviews, views and opinions are hard-hitting and frank. Keep up the good work to let more rakyat have the informed choice and not more brainwashing.

Howsy
via email

NOTE: Howsy is NO reklation of mine. I hold no responsibility
for what he writes, I'm reproducing what I sighted at
theSUN's letters column.
Please do due diligence on what ytou eat, drink and raed everyday because there are too many
CONS
around!

CONT 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Letter from a conCERNED Malaysian sighted at Malaysiaklini's Letter column:


Brickendonbury R&D centre invaluable
Tan Sri Dr BC Sekhar
Jul 14, 06 8:41pm


Many conflicting and erroneous statement have appeared in the press regarding the proposed RM490 million sports academy at Brickendonbury in the UK vis-a-vis the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) situated there now.

Let me clearly state the situation of TARRC in relation to ownership of the land restrictions clearly laid down in the Memorandum and Articles of the Association under which TARRC operates, the control of Lembaga Getah Malaysia (Malaysian Rubber Board) on the R&D programme and perhaps state categorically the R&D value of this unit in the UK for Malaysia.

As I have been associated with this outfit since 1949, I am clearly aware of the history and geography of this entirely Malaysian association.

1. The memorandum and articles of the association registered in 1938 clearly confines the objectives to R&D related to natural rubber and related materials. They have for 68 years enjoyed tax free status.


2. Consequent to the name changes from BRPRA to NRPRA, then MRPRA and in 1977 to Tun Abdul Razak Research Center, amendments made were consequential to name changes with restricted objectives of R&D clearly maintained, including ownership of assets.


3. The land of Brickendonbury was brought with the reserves, the association (TARRC) accumulated by 1971. The annual R&D activities budgeted for was funded by the Malaysian Rubber Research Development Board (now LGM).


4. The association (TARRC) owns the land not LGM. LGM obviously has full control on the R&D programme of TARRC and related activity.


5. The existence of some recreational facilities for the staff at TARRC is perhaps more modest than what we have in R&D institutions in Malaysia including Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (LGM).


6. The question of spending RM490 million on the sports academy is irrelevant to the issue of TARRC’s R&D activity. The R&D operations and expertise have been built over 67 years and even expending RM4 billion ringgit cannot generate such a centre of excellence in a decade or more. Their (TARRC) expertise and contribution over the years are given in summary form below:

The laboratory is a unique window to Western science and expertise which Malaysia can tap at will and the reputation of the laboratory has been established in elastomer science and fundamental science across the globe, not only as outstanding but one of a kind. Many of the researchers can be found as professors in Ivy League Universities in the US and the United Kingdom.

The laboratory developed fundamental information in oxidation chemistry, sulphur vulcanisation mechanisms, the basis of tyre abrasion and measurement, rubber crystallisation, rubber modification, latex technology, latex biochemistry and biotechnology, thermoplastic natural rubber, epoxidised NR and many more.

The laboratory spearheaded the developments of earthquake isolation devices, bridge bearings and vibration buildings and heavy machinery. The laboratory is recognised by the University of London and by working in the place, several RRIM officers have received their PhD from the University of London.

They have always operated at the cutting edge and continues to enjoy close relationship with researchers and research companies all around Europe, US and Canada. They are certainly equipped to meet the challenges posed by the development of biotechnology relevant to Malaysia.

I do not wish to pursue this issue any more in public. I stand by all I have said in this letter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Parting shot from this head-shaking conCERNED Malaysian, Desi:

How many "I.S.Amens" need we ordinary folks have to say before
these sopcalled leaders stop CON-ning us?