After the 100th day...

Guong

It's old news even though it happen just a week ago. Our PM have dishes out 11 goodies for us right before the Manek Urai by-election. Coincidence? Unlikely.

Now people are more interested in an 'accident' that took place at the MACC building. It's a sad incident indeed. But that's another topic.

How about the 11 'goodies'?

1. a 20% discount for motorists who pay toll 80 times a month via Smart Tag or Touch ’n Go from Sept 1.
I don't see this as feasible. 80 times a month? Only via Smart Tag or Touch 'n Go? Only a bunch of the whole highway users will benefit from this and most likely these 'bunch' are a wealthy bunch. And this measure is actually aimed at the low income motorist? How many of these low income motorists actually use the highway 80 times a month? So impractical I would say.

2. some 44,000 low-cost houses in Kuala Lumpur to be sold to existing tenants.
How about the loan procedures, the interest rate, eligibility..?

3. a 50% discount on licences for petty traders in the Federal Territory.
Hmm..Ok, I have to give credit on this one.

4. a RM150mil allocation for entrepreneurs, and another RM15mil specifically for young Indian businessmen.
Sounds good...just wondering, where do they get the allocation from?

5. another 3,000 taxi permits to be approved soon.
3,000 more blood sucker in the making. No offense to taxi drivers but I'm yet to find a single taxi driver who are not a 'blood sucker'. I hope the recent increase on taxi fare would reduce their blood sucker-ness.

6. expediting birth registrations in Sabah and Sarawak.
Now this is serious. How will they differentiate illegal immigrants from Sabahan or Sarawakian? It happens before and this would be seen as an opportunity by these 'alien' to become citizen. I smell another population boom in Sabah. Damn!

7. clearing the backlog of citizenship applications.
This also bears the same problem as point 6. And isn't Sabah and Sarawak state government has full authority on its state NRD? How come the federal government can say 'clear the backlog of your citizenship applications'? Double Damn!!

8. improving access to basic utilities in rural areas.
This also focused on Sabah and Sarawak. And the sad part is, this was already promised way back after they took (read 'stole') Sabah in 1994. What with this re-promised promise? Triple Damn!!!

9. reducing the cost to obtain a B2 motorcycle licence (under 250cc).
More Mat Rempit in the making.

10. setting up a new trust fund, Amanah Saham 1Malaysia, for investors aged above 18.
Where will the money be invested? Will there be any race quota since it's called Amanah Saham 1Malaysia? Who are eligible to invest in this fund, the rich, the poor? I see a long queue up ahead..

11. various measures to be announced soon to curb crime and corruption.
Ironically, the MACC incident happens. Crime and corruption complete in one package. And it's a big one too.

Populist? I wonder what's installed in the next 100th day.

Bridge, Highway & Hospital (Part 2)

Guong

Bridge, Highway & Hospital
What is the similarity between these three? All of them are yet to materialized. Just more of those lip services by the federal government?

Highway
It's a never ending story when it comes to highway in Sabah. The most lane one can find in Sabah's 'highway' are just two lane.

Anyway, let's be realistic. It is a very hard feat if we tried to construct a highway across Sabah given it's rough geographic landscape. If we tried to construct this highway along the coast, lack of budget will be the main problem.

But, what with this 'highway promises' by the federal government? Not one but two. That would be the Keningau Highway and Kalabakan-Sapulut Highway.

KENINGAU: Pembantu Menteri Pembangunan Luar Bandar Sabah Datuk Sairin Hj. Karno berkata, Perdana Menteri Malaysia telah meluluskan kira-kira RM80 juta untuk mengatasi kesesakan jalan raya di kawasan bandar Keningau.

Katanya, peruntukan itu yang akan digunakan untuk membina ‘laluan lebuh raya’, serta menaik taraf beberapa bahagian yang menyukarkan perhubungan ke Bandar itu, diperolehi melalui surat kepada Perdana Menteri yang ditandatangani oleh semua wakil-wakil rakyat di kawasan pedalaman. SK

RM80 million to solve Keningau road problems and also building a Highway in Keningau? It was said that the allocation was granted by our Prime Minister himself. I wonder if they will continue with this after (if) Najib is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia.

BUT, the Kalabakan-Sapulut highway is very controversial.

Those in Sabah’s construction circles have reacted with surprise to Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamed’s statement that a RM536 million 'highway' to Tawau had all along been envisaged as a gravel road. source

Maybe it is connected with the recent Perak crisis. Why?

The 145km Jalan Sapulut-Kalabakan was completed on May 15 last year by Gamuda Bhd as a sub-contractor. The Perak sultan’s daughter has a stake in the company.

The project then became the subject of two reports lodged last year with the Anti-Corruption Agency, since replaced by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission.

Can you see the conection? You can read the reports here.
What did our work minister have to said about this 'highway' project?

Mohd Zin said in a statement yesterday that heavy logging activities had been going on along the entire length of the highway, “hence the decision to settle for a gravel road (at the time)”.

“It was a joint decision by the Ministry of Works, the Economic Planning Unit and the Sabah Public Works Department,” he said.

“If the asphaltic coating work on the road had continued (under the original contract), the heavy logging activities would have definitely damaged the new road and increased the reconstruction and repair works by another RM100 million.”source

This answer is so absurd. Then what happen to the RM536 million which was supposed to be used in constructing the highway. Is he saying that gravel road cost that much? Who the hell does he think he's fooling? It's so obvious that they makan the money among them self.

It is learnt from local companies eyeing the contract that it would take at least RM150 million to apply asphaltic coating/black top road surface to the highway, which is part of the Pan-Borneo Highway that is due to be completed under the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010).source

RM150 million and RM536 million, you do the math.

Ministry of Works, the Economic Planning Unit and the Sabah Public Works Department must be questioned since they were directly involved. But then again, this case is still pending even though it was reported to MACC which was still called ACA back then. Damn! Lip Service again!

RM536 million highway turn RM 536 million gravel road project.

to be continued