Patah tumbuh hilang berganti is a Malay proverb that describes the cycle of life; a broken branch will grow back. A loss is still a loss however and today, Malacca lost one of its most distinguished statemen.
This post is dedicated to Tun Ghafar Baba, former Ketua Menteri of Malacca, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.
As I’ve written before, I’m extremely disappointed with the way the Malaysian government handled the bridge issue. I’m disappointed and angry because the whole fiasco seems to prove that the Malaysian government had failed to explore all contingencies regarding this matter.
The Prime Minister states the legal ramification due to the need to severe and reconnect the water lines and the railway track that go to Singapore as the reason for the bridge cancellation. The problem is, why now? Why offer such reason only now? Did the policymakers fail to give such detail a visit in the earlier stages of planning? It’s a preposterous idea but yet, it’s one of the most possible explanations, if not the only. If that is the case, then God save Malaysia.
If Malaysian government was so worried with legal implications that would arise, why did the Malaysian government give a green light to Gerbang Perdana, the bridge contractor in the first place? Wouldn’t it make more sense to go to the international court, be it the International Court of Justice at The Hague or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, whichever relevant, before going ahead with the project if the government was honestly concerned with legality? Why stating such reason after pressing the start button? Why initiate the project and kill it off soon after and in so, having to compensate a private entity with RM100 million needlessly? Why not cancel it before iniatiate the project? Why the earlier gung-ho attitude and therefore putting a facade that blatantly misled many Malaysians?
Why? Why? Why?
If the government had explored all avenues, this issue would have been resolved much earlier. If the government had done its homework, Malaysia could have saved resources that would be better spent elsewhere. If the Malaysian government had called the project off before construction actually had begun, maybe I wouldn’t be so infuriated. Maybe, a lot less people would have been agitated.
Concerning the media, it’s amazing how popular opinion in the mainstream media changes at a finger snap, blink of an eye. Just weeks ago, the MSM was 100% behind the bridge. Hell! 101% if it is at all sensible. But when the Prime Minister changes his mind, so does the MSM without pause. Where is the sincerity in us all? This is not honesty. This is merely kow-towing to the power-that-be.
Yet, I can’t pretend to be shocked. The MSM is a dog on leash with the kris looms above after all. Some of them are even downright suckers.
In his column today in the New Straits Times, Khairy Jamaluddin – the PM’s son-in-law with grand political ambition – while supporting his father-in-law, quotes Sir John Maynard Keynes: “When the facts change, I changed my mind.” I don’t mind pragmatism but in this case, the facts haven’t changed. It’s still fact that we need to cut the pipes, the track and – surprise, surprise – the Causeway! On top of that, Singapore’s position has already been known right from the start. The only way the facts could have had changed is if the government had failed to explore all contingencies.
Finally, our beloved Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is an indecisive man. I hope the common people will be as indecisive as him in 2008 about voting for his party. Let’s see how well he likes indecisiveness.
I feel cheated by my own government and I don’t like that.
p/s – touching on ReCom.org, I’ve said earlier that it would be back within 24 hours. At first, it was thought that it was a billing issue. However, it is not. Given that I’ve received some search result with the word “recom” on it, I feel it’s important to inform those that wanted to know what’s going on.
Here’s the story. The operator of the server that hosts ReCom.org informs “us” that ReCom is consuming too much resources and it’s starting to affect the server stability. Some of the admins say that something is not right and that ReCom shouldn’t experience the level of traffic according to the host. So now, ReCom.org has several option.
One is to try to reduce traffic. I doubt this will be so. Two, subscribe to greater resources. That’s most likely mean paying USD45 per month and in the long run, USD540 for the year. Somebody has already pledged USD100 for ReCom but I really don’t like option two. But hell…
pp/s – housekeeping! From now on, I’ll place arabesque-like icons to separate my main entry and all of those postscripts.
ppp/s – as of April 16, ReCom is back.
p4/s – Mahathir is a dissenter. Maybe now he feels how Tunku felt back in the 1980s. Regardless, from Bernama:
JOHOR BAHARU, April 15 (Bernama) — Malaysia has the right under its agreement with Singapore to relocate the pipelines supplying water to the island for specified reasons but only after giving about six months notice, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said the provision for relocation was proven valid because Malaysia had relocated the Singapore pipelines on land during the construction of the new road and railway station for the Integrated Southern Gateway project.
Another article by Bernama, syndicated by Singaporean Straits Times:
JOHOR BARU – IN AN open attack on his successor, former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad yesterday suggested holding a referendum in Johor to see if there was backing in the state for the government decision to cancel the bridge project.
I can’t find the same article at Bernama.
In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Obi Wan Kenobi says “So what I have told you was true… from a certain point of view.” That scene along with the quote is a tribute to relativism.
The truth in that is undeniable (at risk of committing circular reasoning), especially when it concerns Parti Sosialis Malaysia‘s current case in the Court of Appeal of Malaysia. Utusan Malaysia says:
‘ROS wajar tolak permohonan PSM’
Oleh NORZAINAH NORDIN
PUTRAJAYA 12 April – Mahkamah Rayuan hari ini diberitahu bahawa Pendaftar Pertuduhan (ROS) bertindak wajar ketika menolak permohonan Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) untuk didaftarkan sebagai parti politik peringkat kebangsaan atas alasan PSM gagal mengemukakan dokumen dan maklumat yang lengkap.
It practically means Registrar of Societies is right to reject PSM’s application because the party didn’t have representative from at least seven states. The title of the article itself roughly translates into “ROS is right to reject PSM’s application”.
In The Star however:
ROS policy on party invalid, court hears
PUTRAJAYA: The Registrar of Societies’ policy requiring Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) to have representatives in seven states before it could be registered as a national political party was an invalid criterion, the Court of Appeal heard yesterday.
I first read The Star’s version. When I saw Utusan’s, I was about to shout “liar!” Only after I read both articles carefully did I realized that The Star was quoting PSM’s counsel while Utusan was quoting ROS’ instead. Neither are lying but both are telling half of the truth.
Because both are not reporting from a neutral point of view, this makes me wonder – does Utusan suffer from phobia of socialism? Is The Star a commiephone? Stretching it further, is UMNO still stuck in Malayan Emergency worldview? Is MCA a commie wannabe?
Ridiculous questions but what else is there to conclude from the two radically differing pieces that report on the same subject?
p/s – w00t! Ajax won against Vitesse while Utrecht lost to Groningen! This enables Ajax to climb up to fourth and force Utrecht to go down to fifth. Ajax needs fourth placing in order to qualify for UEFA Champions Leauge playoff. One more game to go and all Ajax needs is a draw against Willem II Tilburg to secure a spot in the playoff. Sweet!
While I’m relieved that the Malaysian government has stopped the bridge talks with Singapore and directly crossed out the possibility of Malaysia acceding to unacceptable Singaporean demands, I’m extremely disappointed with the Malaysian government’s decision to cancel the bridge altogether (tag). I found it out through TV3. Bernama has more:
KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 (Bernama) — The government has decided to stop the construction of the bridge to replace the Johor Causeway that links Malaysia and Singapore, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced Wednesday.
He said the government had also decided to stop all negotiations pertaining to the bridge. Construction of the bridge, also known as the “scenic bridge” began early this year, to replace half of the Johor Causeway on the Malaysian side.
Though the reason for quitting the negotiation has been given, reason for the bridge cancelation is still a mystery. Hence, tomorrow’s local papers will be of extraordinary interest. The Malaysian government must clear out the air.
Before tomorrow comes, I’d like to say, historical heritage is not a proper reason and I will not accept such incoherent reasoning.
As stated earlier, I’m for a bridge, straight or otherwise. And no, if there’s still anybody that thinks the bridge would be a cul-de-sac, it is not. At the same time, I’m against bowing to Singaporean impossible demands. You could say, I’m being hawkish on this matter.
p/s – ReCom.org is down (again!) but it should be back up in less than a day.
pp/s – as if one disappointment is not enough, Malaysia lost 1 – 0 to Japan in Hockey World Cup Qualifier in Changzhou, China. This makes it hard for Malaysia to qualify for the World Cup.
ppp/s – the Prime Minister answers the mystery:
PUTRAJAYA, April 12 (Bernama) — Malaysia decided to stop the construction of the “scenic bridge” meant to replace the Malaysian half of the Johor Causeway because of its legal implications and complications, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Wednesday.
The Prime Minister said the Cabinet deliberated on the project at its weekly meeting today and felt that there would still be legal implications and complications to resolve afterward should Malaysia proceed with the project.
“Problems will arise when we have to cut the causeway, the water pipes and railway track and connected them to the new bridge. The problems will continue,” he told Bernama when asked to explain why Malaysia did not just build the bridge in its own territory without negotiating with Singapore.
So, does this mean we could only have a bridge in 2060 when the water contract ends?
Yes, she is. I saw a report on Bloomberg just now and Bloomberg says Al-Jazeera and Reuters have confirmed the news. I however have yet to see an online report. Should be up soon, I presume. She’s from Ann Arbor and would probably be on her way to Ann Arbor soon.
Jill Carroll was kidnapped sometimes ago in Iraq and was feared dead earlier.
p/s – remember my post entitled [754] Of the strengthening role of religion within the government?
Well, in that entry, I wrote in jest that “through extrapolation, maybe, the government would send Muslims to jail for missing prayers in the future.” I didn’t quite believe it was possible. Apparently, I was wrong.
There is already such provision in Kelantan. It’s Section 101 of the Kelantan Islamic Council and Malay Customs Enactment 1986 (Amendment 1994). More:
In a rare case, a 68-year-old man was fined RM300 or one month’s jail for not attending Friday prayers in his mukim (sub-district).
Mohamad Taib, from Kedepal here, pleaded guilty to not attending Friday prayers at a mosque in his area three consecutive times, an offence which in Kelantan carries a maximum RM1,000 fine or a six-month jail term.
Religious prosecution is not all. Civil liberty was also threatened; privacy intruded:
The labourer was caught by Pasir Mas Religious Affairs Department officers after two months of surveillance at the mosque.
Pasir Mas Lower Syariah Court prosecutor Rohani Kadir said the officers and mosque officials found that Mohamad had not attended Friday prayers at the mosque between June and July last year.
And I thought the presence of CCTVs in Kuala Lumpur is already bad. Thank goodness, Kelantan is not my home. In a way, I’m grateful that Malaysia is a federation. If it were a unitary state, it would get really ugly to have such law.
If there a similar federal clause on that, those green cards would start to be overly attractive. Imagine the reason to emigrate: escaping religious prosecution. LOL!
Or maybe, it’s not so funny after all.
pp/s – two hours to the tabling of the Ninth Malaysian Plan and what am I doing? Trying to convince my mom into buying equities of major Malaysian construction-based firms. Well, correction – a buying frenzy.
ppp/s – alright. Not A2 but Boston.