[768] Of bridge of euphemism: another take

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.