Painting A Picture

I have to admit, apart from the terms 'crylic', 'oil', and 'stroke', I know nuts about paintings. Did try it out once, but my hands were too shaky to draw the fine lines needed. Off course, with a larger brush, I can just dab the canvas as I please...no matter what the end results be, hehe. And I guess, this inability of using those fine brushes rules out the possibility of my becoming a neurosurgeon. Shoot! And I honestly do envy those who can, like Alina's painting below.

Blue Rose, by blogger/painter/lecturer Alina (click here).

At the same time, our bro Mat Salo's younger sister, has her own exhibition running in a gallery in Taman Bukit Kepong. Her paintings, will be on display there till Dec 12. So Painters and enthusiast, do give your support there (read here).

Hang on! I just remember that I do know a bit more about painting. It however, is not on canvas, but in the minds of people. Believe it is something called Public Relations, a form of art in winning the people over.

Its already in the news now that PLUS is giving discounts to its users beginning January 1, 2009. Hooray! This magnanimous show by Plus is unprecedented and, depending on how one view it, has been much awaited. Thank you Plus. However, there is a slight downside to it where to qualify oneslf for the discount, one has to use it from midnight to before sunrise. Hmm...me think, this is what the Malay saying 'Sebelum lalat terbang...' comes handy.

Dear Plus, on behalf of many people, including that cakapaje bloke, I thank you. But, do you think you could extend the discounts on matters where it really matter? For instance, if there are no natural calamity afflicting your highway, yet the traffic crawls at about 1 kilometer per 10 minutes, don't you think your discount would serve better here seeing the amount of petrol being burned needlessly (hence, the pocket of motorist). Let's not forget the time wasted too!
Off course, should you decide to scrap the toll altogether, we would be very much grateful to you. Not your highway mind you, but all the tolls in Malaysia. After all, you and your brethren have had your agreements with the gomen shrouded in secrecy. And no thanks to events recently, the gomen has decided to declassify the agreements (read here). Still, one now has to wonder whether there exist any discrepencies between the declassified documents and the one made available now. It did after all, take the gomen almost ages to make them public. And that too, after constant harassments by the now Pakatan Rakyat, as well as the people of Malaysia.

Again, I thank Plus, even though I think the gomen is trying to paint a nice picture of itself to the people. Please, don't mind me saying this as the discounts offered by PLUS is meant to benefit only a small quarter of the population - the other highways are still charging the full amount! And please, just because there are lots and lots of cars on the roads in Malaysia, that does not mean Malaysians are a rich lot and own at least one car per family. Even if they do, it is out of neccessity since the public transportation system leaves one fuming over it more than not. Imagine, a bus trip from Kota Damansara to Bangsar may well take over an hour. And that is not during peak hours, nor does it inlude the waiting time. Like I mentioned, I do think the gomen is trying to paint a rosy picture about itself. A further evident can be read here.

Sometime during last Ramadhan, the gomen approved a petrol surcharge for all the express bus operators, citing the rising cost of fuel then. Now that fuel prices have plummeted from its all time high, the gomen decided to allow the operators to hike their fares. This time, however, the reason cited is the rising cost of operation. So, should the fuel price go up again, will these operators be given allowed additional profit by again, another petrol surchagre?

By now, I pretty sure some would label me with some unfair remarks. That's their view and their right. But please remember, the majority of the rakyat do not have a fat pocket to around with and many cannot even afford the applaudable move by AirAsia to remove its fuel surcharge totally. Remember, while the AirAsia fares maybe low, the to and fro trips to the airports such as KLIA, can exceed the AirAsia fares! And know what? Indirectly, Malaysians are still paying for the KLIA existance to the tune of RM1B a year! Could not part of the amount be used for the rakyat in making public transportation and inter-city rides better? Compare Pudu Raya and KLIA: between the 2, which benefits the rakyat directly? (for related articles on this, read LanH here and here).

Do you damn me if I continue to damn the gomen, particularly the Sarkas over these and many more.

They may paint pretty pictures. But the rakyat still sing the blues.


ps. Nov29 Update: Nathaniel Tan of PKR and Jelas.Info, have agreed to come.

A Rare Specie (and Nov29 Update).

Many, many years ago as a child of 7 or 8, and like the many of the same age in the early 1970's, my brothers and I did not have many toys to play with, and usually immersed ourselves with games and toys of our own. One of the games had Emi and Din put some planks together in a drain where it became our 'submarine'. That, off course, was the time when the TV series 'Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea' was a big hit. Over the short period after our 'submarine' was built, we had to scuttle it as the family moved from one house to another. But what a great time we had then. Kids, never let their mind go idle. And so it was with my 2 elder brothers who taught me quite a bit about games, as well as life.

There was a time when we went back to Melaka Pindah during one of the school holidays, and was bored like no other. Emi and Din, both who were very 'lively' children, found a new game for us to play with. They captured a dragonfly which they tied it with a thread to one of the wooden poles in the garden. They would then blow the dragonfly to make it fly. Fly it did, in all directions as it tried to escape from the naughty children there, who, like that cakapaje, stood with mouth agape, looking in wonder at the beauty of the insect. Cruel, yes. But we were children, and the dragonfly does look like a helicopter which we had never seen up close before. Many year later, I was reminded about the dragonfly epidose when, at Nursara's birthday (Emi's daughter), I spotted one which to my mind, may just be a rare specie.

Initially, I thought it was a wilting flower, but its shape and colour begs me to have a closer look, which I am glad I did.
The Dragonfly, was seeking shelter under the leaves of a small tree, from the heavy downpour which lasted quite a while. I was sitting on the ledge of a corridor, when I noticed something peculiar about the 'flower'; its shape and colour seem unnatural for the tree, and had a closer look at it. SubhanAllah! Never have I seen such a beautiful Dragonfly before. Its wings were in red, the head a top part of the body in purplish-red, and its bottom was black, as can be seen in picture below, where it later flew and perched itself atop a large plastic butterly.
As a child innocent to the ways of the world, dragonflies had me spellbound for quite a while. Later, when I learnt that beautiful creature is a predator who eats other small creatures and insects, I began to hate it. Off course, very much later as I grew into an adult, I've come to accept the natural world as it is. And this Dragonfly is by far, the most beautiful I have ever seen. A rare specie, perhaps. But since I am not a naturalist, I'll leave it as that. This, however, brings another rare subject to mind. Not a specie definitely, mind you. But something which can lead a growing concern.

A friend emailed me the below. At a glance, I did not think much about it. But when I remember the Crooked Bridge episode, I wonder if this could be a new trend in business. Rare as it may be, the tendency does seem to point towards the direction where the best way to make profit is by sueing the authorities for an abandoned project, quite like the Crooked Bridge affair.

The Star, Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008

Now, I am not jumping the gun here by blaming anyone in this suit. I, however, question the amount, and whether a contract had been signed by the 2 parties. If so, then had the department in question made a feasibility study on the issue beforehand, or are they merely being a yes man to some unseen hand. If cases such as this are left unchecked, then billions more of the rakyat's money will go down the drain for a project that never took off. Let's hope I am wrong and that this, and the Brooked Bridge scandal, are mere business rarity.

Oh! Did I forget to mention the scrapped Cougar as well?

***.***

Nov29 Update:
The below have been invited either through comment box, or via text messages.

1. Rocky bru
2. Sam Harris (have noted the date and most likely come)
3. Datuk A Kadir Jasin
4. Shirzad Lifeboat
5. Faizal Mustafa (PKR)

Look Who's Deaf?

I came across this piece of news and just feel like its a good piece to comment on. Kudos to Anthony for highlighting the issue which, had it been at any other time but the election, it would not be looked into by the authorities. The grouse by certain quarters within the deaf people in KL is that RapidKL has a new policy which practice discrimination even among the deaf!

Prior to the new policy, the deaf - irrespective of their club affiliation - were able to purchase for discounted fares travel cards. The only qualification they needed were the the identification card issued by the Welfare Department (JKM). But with the introduction of the new policy, RapidKL now does not recognise JKM's certification on the matter; they now acknowledge certification only from the 5 bodies they have in their list.

Reading it at a glance, one might not think anything amiss. In fact, even I do not think there's anything wrong, except...some political drama; I don't really know but please do read on.




RapidKL, is a government-linked corporation under Ministry of Finance, presumably Khazanah Berhad. What it means is that though it is supposed to operate independently, it is still answerable to the Federal Government. And as the MoF owns Khazanah Bhd, and they in turn own RapidKL, the latter has to toe the line. And toeing the line should also mean recognising the various procedures within the top bracket of the Federal Government. In other words, they have to acknowledge the procedures of other Ministries, which in this case should include those of the JKM of what ever the ministry name is now. But apparently, RapidKL is not!

While I do not claim to know it all, I have been involved in certain documentations at the Federal Level and do know that when new procedures are to be introduced, a glc or gl-entity would have to check with the guidelines of other organisations where certain issues may overlap. And this is especially true in the case affecting consumers and as should be, OKUs. I may be wrong, but even a simple logic may prove the statement above as true. But sadly in this case, it is not.

In terms of heirachy alone, a glc sits below a department, and the department under a ministry. Rightly then, a glc cannot countermand a procedure or certification made by another body which is a level above it. In this case, RapidKL is reversing the certification made by JKM! What gives?

Well, from the viewpoint of someone simple like me, this has something to do with a small election strategy. Come the right time, the Minister of Welfare or what ever, will issue a statement to RapidKL to get things in proper perspective and they will follow suit. Voila! The media will extol the good minister and hence, the party she hails from. The public or in this case the OKU, wll get their discount which was supposed to have been there in the first place, and everybody's happy and vote the party back into power. A month of being back in power, then those involved will find new issues to play with the publics mind.

No doubt to some this is a small issue. But this is simply what has been going around in many other grouses and issues. In other words, the party in power is simply irresponsible to play with issues affecting the publics welfare, and certainly not a government of the people, by the people, for the people!

Perhaps it is justified here to look back into history back at the time when Saidina Umar r.a. was the Khalifah. In one of the books narrating his life story, the Khalifah would ride his horse at night to the areas around Madinah just to see how the people are fairing. On one of his rides, he came across a mother with several of her children crying in hunger. He approached the mother and saw her boiling somethings over an open fire. When asked what she was cooking, the mother replied "Stones,I have no food left! By boiling the stones I hope the children will be quieten in thinking I am cooking food for them, and fall asleep while waiting."

Upon hearing that, Saidina Umar r.a. immediately rode back and took some provisions from the treasury. He then rode back to the mother and gave the provision to her. Later, Khalifah Umar r.a., a famed and much feared warrior, and the most powerful man on the seat of the government, himself cooked a meal for the family.

Yet here in Malaysia and in this present time, we have mere ADUNs or MPs who would look the other way when a citizen is in need. Don't think there's any need to cite any as cases are abound.

My apologies. I have stated it before, and I state it again: I make a poor writer, let alone a critic. I was, merely letting off steam. Back to the whole issue, alhamdulillah, I am not blind nor deaf to the antics of the people in power.