AFTER PETROL WHAT IS NEXT?

The petrol supply and its price is the lifeline of a country's economy and survival. Too much supply or the lack of it will affect the health of the country. However it is the price increase that is more worrisome as it will affect everything from transportation to electricity bills and cost of thousand items. We can see the effect of the spiraling food prices in Malaysia recently when the government decided to incease the petrol price at the pumps from RM1.97 up to RM2.70 in response to the global crude oil price increase to close to US140 per barrel. Eventhough as an exporter of crude oil, Malaysia has a lot to gain when the price of crude goes up in terms of the country revenue, the effect of the petrol price increase is a political suicide. Too low of the price will reduce Malaysia's income which can be used to support her budget to develope the country, too high a price will increase the inflation rate.

It is estimated that Malaysia's reserve of oil can only last at the most for another 10 years while the gas reserve can go another 20 years. What is next after that? Are we going to be the net importer of oil and at the mercy of oil producing countries?

As a sovereign nation, it is imperative for Malaysia to start looking and researching for the next alternative to produce energy to feed her industries and common use. Malaysia is currently relying on petrol, coal and hydro to produce eletricity. However, the cost of supply of petrol and coal is increasing which will translate to higher bills for the people. The use of dams are clean but might not be sustainable from the point of view of environmental issues.

Malaysia needs to invest money into research of using the solar, wind and as a last resort the nuclear technology to cater for her needs beyond the 21st century. The use of solar and wind power to generate the electricity will be a bit subjective as Malaysia has a large cloud covers over her skies, and sustained blowing wind will depend on locations and season. However, their usage can help reduce dependency on petrol. A lot countries in the world are already using these two methods to reduce their dependency on petrol. Some countries are using the power of the waves along their shoreline to produce electricity to supply small towns. This method can be tested for eastcoast towns in Malaysia where the waves can reach 1.5m for a few months of the year.

The last and most controversial method is the usage of nuclear reactors to produce steams to push the turbines. Nuclear has a long life span of 100 years if i am not mistaken, however it is costly and takes about 15 years to construct, and have a few environmental issues as can be seen in the Chernobyl episode in Russia. But, with a proper planning and management the risks can be reduced and the people of Malaysia can see affordable electric bills hopefully. I believe Malaysia has commenced a research on nuclear on a small scale years ago, what the government needs to do now is pouring more money in this field and start courting with friendly nations like Russia and China for technical assistance in erecting the reactors.

Why am i only suggesting Russia and China and not the US? Well, i believe the US policy in relation to nuclear issues is inconsistent depending on her interest as can be seen in the case of Iran. Russia and China tend not to mix other issues with business unlike the US. With the Islamic phobia going on around the world due to 9/11, will Malaysia being an islamic country going to cause concern by going nuclear? Well, i think it is worth a try for the sake of its people.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

The US is experiencing another economy turmoil with massive bailouts of Lehman Brothers and AIG after both companies mismanaged their finances in business dealings. This came right after the subprime crisis a few months ago that will make millions of Americans lose their homes. The feelings on the streets are of anger and loathing of the Wall Streets and the government headed by George Bush for failing to protect the man on the streets. The bailing out of all these hugh companies by using the federal money is actually transferring the burden to the government which actually using the taxpayer money. Throughout this episode, very few top executives got their head chopped off which says a lot about accountability and personal responsibility among the group of elite businessmen. The US government is busy in trying to pass a few policies to save all these companies which can drag the US economy back to Stone Age.

Funny, when i look at the whole situation, no matter what they preached others not to do in the last 1997 worldwide financial crisis, they are actually go against their principle when their neck is at stake. What goes around comes around people say. Now, it looks like Malaysia is vindicated when she took her own unorthodox style of solving the financial crisis in 1997 against the screaming of IMF led by the US. We have our ex-PM Tun Mahathir to thank for his bold and brave policy to resuscitate the economy despite all the objections within the country and from international economy experts.

The funny part about the current economy situation is the perception of the people in the US and Malaysia that their governments are not doing enough to elevate their suffering and are more concerned about the health of the business elites. In the US, the people are facing the prospects of losing the foreclosure of their homes due to the subprime crisis, inflation is up with the increase of petrol and food prices, and losing jobs as the big corporations are closing down. The same thing is happening in Malaysia where we can see the people are screaming for heads to roll due to the government's decision to reduce the subsidy of the petrol which leads to the increase of inflation from 4% to 8.2%. In their frustration, they turned to the Opposition party believing all the sweet promises that the whole thing can be turned around instantly if the Opposition is in power. However, nobody is commenting on the policies of the US government which is now showing its true colors eventhough they said should be the standards the Malaysian government should emulate. The truth is, there is not much difference in the style of governing of both countries, the only problem is that the people have different needs and priorities compare to the government. The people are looking at their survival and comfort level and daily problems while the government has to balance between the people's needs and the management of the economy at the macro level, foreign investments, GDP, budget balancing and so on. When the two are not the same then there will be a lot of dissatisfaction among the people which is made worse by the manipulation by certain group of people to achieve their own agendas.

It is not a good position to be in as the President of the US and PM of Malaysia right now, as the pressure is building up to save the economy on one hand and to please their peoples on the other. As the economy of the countries in the world are intertwined due to the globalisation, we cannot help that economical turmoil in one country like the US will affect smaller countries like Malaysia. We can see now the tumble in the Malaysian stock market in response to the jitters relating to the Wall Streets crisis. It is important that the crisis faced by one country be solved their own ways without the preaching by other countries as what goes around comes around.

WHAT HARI RAYA MEANS TO ME

Hari Raya or Aidil Fitri Eid is the day the Muslims all over the world celebrates their victory after a whole month of fasting in Ramadhan. For those who steadfastly fast and performed other good deeds during the month, they will rejoice as they will blessed by God. Those who cheated are those who lost.

When i was a kid, i was looking forward for the arrival of this month. It has a certain aura, excitement and challenge to it. Like most kids, i started fasting for only half a day to test my strength and will power. My mother said it was okay as i was only nine then. Eventually, i managed to fast a full day and become very proud that i could fast like an adult and breakfast with them at the same table. The night time my village friends and i would go to a mosque and surau to learn Terawikh prayer. We would chit chat after the prayers and joked around before going home. Life was simple then and full of joy. Relationship with the villagers got closer during this month as we practiced exchanging home cooked food, i was the delivery guy for my family. The night of Tujuh Likur was celebrated by putting up Tang Lung and playing firecrackers with my friends which includes some Chinese kids. Kind of think of it, now that i have grown up and know the rules, that was the right thing to do. But, i noticed kids nowadays still do it even in KL.

The best day was when the Eid or Hari Raya arrived which is on the 1st Syawal. Everybody got so excited the night before, cleaning the house and the compound, and my sisters and my mother spent the whole night cooking dish and cookies for guests coming to visit us the next day. Everybody got up early and put on their new clothes and went to the Surau for Eid prayer. After the prayer everybody shaked hands, some give angpau (money) away but i prefer receiving instead, what do you expect for a kid? I got plenty enough ang pau money to be stashed away in my piggy bank to buy stuff that i loved, without my mother knowing it of course. The Eid will be celebrated for at least two weeks i think.

Fast forward to the present day, Hari Raya or the Eid still is exciting but not as much as back then. I wonder what changed? I guess when we were kids everything would excite us as we were carefree. I had a lot of relatives back then and all of their sons and daughters were my friends. A lot of them have passed away since them and their kids had grown up and moved to other cities and lost touch. The biggest change for me is that both of my parents have passed away, my dad in 1985 and my beloved mother November 2007. Eventhough my brothers and sisters are still around, Hari Raya for me has lost its biggest reason to go back home.

Now that i have become a father of two, i could see in my kids' eyes the same excitement that i went through when i was a kid. Now it is not about me anymore. Driving home to my in-laws up north is such a drag with traffic jam up to Ipoh and Penang. The five hours journey is very taxing and costly now that the price of petrol had gone up along with the price of car repairs and tolls. Still, for the sake of my kids and wife, the journey is still worth it. I also use the Hari Raya break to unwind from the city life stress, do some fishing and countryside exploration. Perlis has wonderful scenery with imposing granite hills and mountains.

After two weeks break, i would be recharged and ready for KL life again. But sometimes, i wish the old days never change, i missed it so much. But like some famous saying goes " the only constant about life is change".

Selamat Hari Raya/ Happy Eid to all Muslims all over the world, may God bless you all.

UNDER SIEGE

Malaysia is under siege right now in my opinion.

Never before in our 51 years of independence, we as a nation and one people face a crisis in politics, race relations and economy to this extent. We are paralysed by the daily political charades played by the talented politician actors, bombardment of negetive news on racial sentiments which leads to the decline of our economy. When we are preoccupied with all these problems, the other important things become secondary and we cannot progress as a nation. Everything will slowdown and everybody will suffer.

Our economy is the lifeline of the people. You screw it up badly, you will see the effect down the chain and everybody from the mega corporations down to the vegetable sellers will scream, and that includes me and you too. As it is, the people on the streets already losing faith on our leaders especially after the petrol price increase. It is the impression on the streets that our PM has not managed the economy and our country well, compared to the previous administration ,and lack leadership when it is mostly needed. The signs are all over the place, you can hear it in coffee shops, internet, SMS messages in local newspapers and blogs all over the country.

Too much emphasis was given to the Opposition parties and their propagandas which are meant to cast doubts in the people's hearts about their government, rather than to ignore and just focus on running the country. This is made worse by the medias constantly paying up the issues everyday. The Opposition are also to blame for over indulging in political games instead of becoming a responsible and constructive Opposition party like in the UK.

The political uncertainties by everyday political issues has left a bad impression on foreign investors who eventually will withdraw their millions of dollars of investments and go somewhere else, and at the same time put off potential investors to our countries. The after effect will be cancelled projects, factories closures and massive retrenchment of workers. You and me will lose jobs or have to take a pay cut for our companies to survive. Our loans for the cars and properties cannot be serviced and we will eventually lose things that we worked so hard to get. Financial troubles are also a major cause for divorce cases in Malaysia which is on the uptrend nowadays.

All of this is for what? Why do we need to suffer so some politicians can fulfill their ambition to rule the country out of greed for power and money? Those in power are trying their best to cling to it as long as possible regardless how bad they performed. Those opposing will promise the heaven and earth to the people to takeover the power to fulfill their ambitions. If they are too busy defending their posts or fighting for other people's posts, where do they find the time to govern and improve the economy? This situation in my opinion represents a clear and present danger to our country and needs to be pinned right in the butt!

We do not want to be under siege with political games forever and see our economy goes into a state of depression like the US faced in the 1930s.

Is one man's ambition and interest worth the suffering of 26 million citizens? I dont think so! I think it is time to heal this country and move on as we have a lot of work to do.

A SUGGESTION TO THE MEDIA

With the political tension barometer increasing in Malaysia for the last few months since the last election, i see nothing but political turmoil and negetive reporting in the local newspapers. It is sickening really, how priorities are given for these kind of news instead of good ones.

I will like to propose to all local newspapers to take a 3 days break from this practice and start doing the reverse by reporting the good side of the country and promote goodwill. This country needs a breather so it can focus on the right things.

Personally, if i dont see any change, i will stop buying all the papers for a week. It is not much, but it is a personal protest. So, how about it? Can we give peace to this country for 3 days or the profit is more important?

MALAYSIA DAY

There is a debate going on whether our Independence Day should be on 16 September instead of 31 August which is celebrated every year without fail. I think our Independence Day shall remain as that is the day we became a sovereign nation free of British interfearance and control.

The US celebrates the 4th of July as the Independance Day every year eventhough the full formation of the United States which consists of 51 states including Hawaii and Alaska happened at least 200 years later i think. And yet, i never heard of the United States Day, is there such a day?

Personally, i think the debate is academic and being made into a political issue to cause discontent among Sarawakians and Sabahans as they will feel that the lack of recognition when they joined the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia on that day.

However, it can be resolved amicably without loss to anybody except to the government and private sectors productivity when 16 September becomes another public holiday on the calendar. Malaysia already has plenty of public holidays due to the various ethnics celebration days, Prophet Birthday, Awal Muharram, Sultan and Agong coronation days and so on. Couple these with weekends throughout the year, we have one third of 356 days as off days, wow!

So, Mr PM why not just declare 16th September of every year as the Malaysia Formation Day and give all of us an additional public holiday. Asian are hard workers, surely it is good for them to have an additional off day to spend some quality time with their families. A happy home will motivate staff to become more productive and will balance the loss of productivity on that day i hope.

Besides, if we are targeting to be a developed nation by 2020, we need to take care of our human capital and their welfares like in the US where a lot of companies are practicing a 4 days week or Scandinavian countries which have the highest public holidays in the world. Yet, they are very productive and strong economically.

It is also good to put this matter to rest as the opposition cant use it anymore to score more political points and become more popular, and everybody can start debating on real issues which require more attention from everybody.

Happy Malaysia Day, yay!! I need to plan a fishing trip if it becomes a reality....where is my tekong's phone number?

ISA

Funny, i had just commented on 11 September 2008 about certain laws in dire need of review and how some decisions by the authority in imposing policies or laws were done in haste and leave a bad impression on them. Kaboom !! the ISA is used again on three individuals last week.

I personally feel one of the three was asking for it as that person had been walking on thin ice by being provocative despite so many warnings from the authority. The other two i am not so sure.

I am not here to argue the arrest per say, but the timing of it. The usage will add heat to already tense political situation in this country. Funny, the Law Minister in the Prime Minister Department start to condemn the usage, i thought the PM is supposed to sign the arrest warrant if the ISA were to be used?, unless i am wrong. So, i am sure he will consult somebody right? So, why the conflicting support and condemnation from the same group?

However, i think the ISA should remain albeit maybe with minor amendments on when it is allowed to be used by the Police. I dont know why we should get rid of it as it might serve some purpose. I think those who are scared of it are those who are up to no good. The United States also has the Homeland Security Act that was passed after 9/11 2002 that allows detention of her citizens and even extricate other countries citizens against their wish in the name of internal security and fight against terrorism. The majority of detainees are of Arab origin and Moslims. Yet, i dont hear DAP, the Bar Council, PKR, PAS or Malaysian NGOs complained or make a case about it, funny huh? Why? Is it because it doesnt affect them directly? But, i thought they are fighting for justice, surely it is applicable anywhere else in the world. Singapore also has it with a different name and now even Britain is having it in a different format after the bombing at the train station.

I think the law is not a problem, it is the interpretation of when and for what to use it is a dicey issue. The majority of Malaysian on the streets are not bothered by this law, some dont even know what it is and couldnt be bothered, it is those who thread on the thin ice who are worried because one day they will be next if they are not carefull. So, do not play with fire if you dont want to get burnt!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

The March 2008 election is over but yet the political wars have not ended. When are they going to implement their manisfestos and prove to their constituencies that they are capable of doing their jobs and make a difference?

Instead, day after day all i read in the papers are the blaming games both sides are playing. Enough is enough! Making the previous administrations look bad does not make the new ones look better. The time for campaigning is over so lets get on with the job! The Police has better things to do then to check on every police reports on claims of mismanagement by the both sides of the political parties. The Police core business should be providing security to their citizen.

When do the people get served? Five months have passed, the only things i see are the blaming games, witch hunts, preoccupation with internal party conflicts, somebody's personal quest to become PM, rumors on defect by MPs and uproar over racist remarks. All these are happening while the economy tumbles, the citizens get brutally murdered by the day by illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country, inflation sky rocketing and we lost an island to our neighbour down south. Where are your priorities? Are your political careers and egos more important than the sake of our country? It is time to get your hands dirty and govern, enough is enough!

TO DO OR NOT TO DO

I am very concerned nowadays with the style of administration of the current Malaysian government on imposing policies and enforcing them.

A lot of new policies seemed to be imposed without in-depth studies and debate, either as a knee-jerk reaction to a situation or a method to show power. Lets take the decision to ban offensive blog sites about two or three weeks ago as the after effects of Raja Petra's court case as an example. The authority is in the right to impose such ruling in order to control the ever increasing blog sites in the net which posted seditious posts and damaging rumours because they can cause instability in the country. The owners of the blogs are bound by cyber-laws which even exists in the United States.

However, i feel the decision yesterday to reverse the decision left me wandering what is happening in the enforcement part of it. Did the government reverse the decision because it cannot withstand pressure from the media and various NGOs, or Raja Petra's threat that he going to make a circuis out of this, or the decision to block the blog was made at certain level and not discussed with the big Boss? If it is the former, then the current government lacks political strength to impose an already existed law and keep changing their minds under duress. If it is the later, then it is worrisome as it shows lack of control and coordination with various ministries which will not improve the BN's image after March 2008 election. The government should stop try to placate everybody and become a populist government.

The same goes for the Cabinet decision's yesterday not to impose Windfall Tax on IPPs and instead they only pay a one-off payment. This happened after much objections from the IPPs eversince the policy was announced. Again, it shows lack of strentgh under pressure.

The government of the day cannot be back-tracking everytime certain groups object to the policies or laws that do not favor their interests, as this will result in lack of respect and adherance to the government and the laws of the land. If our own citizens do not even respect the authority and the government, how do we expect other countries and their citizens to do so? The laws and policies should be well thought of, debated and studied of its effects on the people and its relevancy with the times before approved and gazetted. Maybe, before they are approved and gazetted, the draft should be published for the citizens to give their opinions. At the end, the majority rules.

I feel there are a lot of current laws which were gazetted long time ago need to be reviewed to keep them relevant with the current times. The onus is on the government to make it happen.

RAMADHAN

Everytime Ramadhan month approaches every year, i become excited as this month offers opportunities for Muslims like me to test my spiritual and mental strength and rewards for good deeds during the whole month. Of course, one must not wait only for this month to do good deeds and improve one's spiritual level. Nevertheless, it is the month that has been blessed by the Almighty and rewards for good deeds and religious ritual will be multiplied thousand times.

For me, it always a challenge to better my achievement in the previous Ramadhan. It has been eight days so far and i have not missed a single fasting day, and i performed Terawikh prayer almost everyday.

The most challenging thing to do is not to think of negetive things and control my anger or say bad things as sometimes they come out instantaneously maybe because of old habits. Opening my fast in moderation is also a challenge as after a long day of fasting, shopping at pasar Ramadhan with all the delicacies sold there is very tempting. Most of the times we end up buying more that we can eat and the leftovers become wasted. Despite all that food, i am happy that so far i have lost 5kg just in eight days of fasting. Funny, some ladies have to pay thousands of ringgit at slimming centers just to lose that kind of weight and yet i can lose easily just by fasting. Fasting also give our bodily organs a chance to rest and recuperate, and to reduce accumulated toxin in our bodies. Our bodies will be lighter and easier on our joints.

But the most beneficial outcome of fasting is the improvement of our mental and spiritual strength. Our minds will be trained in resisting hunger and the binge for all sorts of unhealthy food. At the same time, it will make us realised how lucky and blessed we are that we are only experiencing this only one month of the whole year, not like the poor who have to endure this almost everyday in our country and across the world. It is God's intention to impress upon us this feeling so that we will be humble and open up our minds to other people's problems that we can find kindness in our hearts to help them by donating whatever we can afford to alleviate their suffering even for a day. Muslims are asked to pay the compulsary tithe ( Zakat Fitrah) during this month but before the Eid to be channelled to the unfortunate.

Spiritually, fasting is a mean to test one's faith in carrying out God's instruction. How much can Muslims endure to carry out his/her duty to practice one of the five pillars of Islam. Once human can overcome the hunger and thirst by giving up their most common bodily needs from sunset to sunrise for the sake of his/her faith, then he/she has gained a higher level of spiritual development. Of course, there are those Muslims who do not fast comes Ramadhan and will find all sorts of excuses to avoid it. To these Muslims, we hope they will change as they are only fooling themselves but not God. It also sad that this group of Muslims is giving Islam a bad name through their behavior. One can only call himself/herself a Muslim by practicing the teachings not through birth right, as Islam means surrender oneself to God and his commands.

As we go through this holy month of Ramadhan, i will pray that we can do it in peace and harmony, among Muslims brothers and sisters, and other citizens of Malaysia. I call for all Malays from all political parties to stop bickering, name calling, throwing sensitive statements regarding other races and respect this holy month. By the same virtue, other races should do the same and diffuse this unnecessary tension that goes around gathering strength. Lets not be like some countries where their citizens have to live in hostility.

Happy Ramadhan and Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, maaf zahir dan batin.

Drive home carefully, the best part about the long journey is the journey itself, take it easy.