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Monday 30 June, 2008
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A weblog by Albert. From my home in Yan Kedah. I reside here since 1992. See here to know where Yan is.

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Blog category: all categories. - March 2004
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 Cabinet of the future..... - by @lbert
  Posted:28/03/2004 - 11:33 - in category: politics Malaysia
Malaysia has a new cabinet.
It is supposed to be the cabinet of the future, well it looks more like a cabinet of yesterday. (Looks?? it is!!)
All the teinted faces are retained. Nothing changed.
Only health gets a new face, instead of a lawyer, we get a lawyer.
What an improvement.
In this country ministers are appointed on political basis not on their suitability for the function.
Nothing has changed just some faces added, well they will be millionaires soon probably.

Well Malaysia has choosen, they got what they deserve. They should not complain if things go wrong again.
Therefor for me these are the last words i have written about this goverment in my blog.
I still got the feeling that the Tun is still pulling the strings.

From now on i will only write about the country and the people, the rest malaysia should live with!
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 A sweeping majority? - by @lbert
  Posted:25/03/2004 - 19:07 - in category: politics Malaysia
The lousy Westminster system secured BN's giant victory.
But if you put it in a proportional scale, with 64.4% of the votes for BN and 35.6% for the opposition, an equal representation goverment would have shown a much more reliable goverment.
Opposition than would hold 36% of the seats, or about 73 seats, which would give a lot more checks and balances than a goverment where DAP now has to fight a majority of 90%.
So probably every time they wants to say something, they are denied to speak.
This was standard procedure under Tun M.
It is high time Malaysians start thinking of a balanced system that gives real power to the people.
This BN idea is just some kind of political self protection for the rulers in charge!
MCA / Gerakan / MIC they all get their seats and ministers, but noone can check how they fared in the elections because you cannot vote for them, you only can vote for BN.

I think it would be very interesting to obtain a voter breakdown, but it will be impossible to get one.
If BN was based on powersharing and equal representation, and you would have all the parties to vote for, Malaysia would show some surprises i think.
But as long as there is no equality among races, which means the bumiputra system totally abolished, nothing will change.
UMNO will dominate and dictate what is happening, afterall MCA/Gerakan and MIC are just rubber puppets their polititians play every game to stay in power and fill their pockets.
I still keep on wondering why every minister is a dutuk or higher and why each of them seems to be a multimillionair.

Furthermore the outcome of this election was greatly the effort of the constant fiddling with the voter constituancies.
This election commission stinks, it is not impartial and not functioning.
Isn't it rediculous that people who live in Johor can go and vote in Kaki Bukit in Perlis?
They dont live there, so what does their vote do there?

This would also disappear with equal representation!
Furthermore Malaysia really needs a proper citizens registration.
Now you simply can disappear without a trail, because of no deregistration and registration.
The most easy way to avoid taxes and police.
Voter registration is a farce as it can be done 100% automatically.

Well whatever they do, huge, very huge amounts of money have to be paid in the near future for all those prestigues projects, and don't think that the heaven is the sky.
It all has an end and its just a matter of a few years....time will show.
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 Shopping in Tj Dawai - by @lbert
  Posted:22/03/2004 - 16:43 - in category: Yan Kedah
Last sunday i did not go voting, since i am not allowed to, but instead went to Tanjung Dawai near my place to buy some belacan and kerupuk.
After half Tj Dawai burned down a few years back they made a new building with lots of shops selling fish products and downstairs a lot of restaurants. And nex to it a jetti to go to Pantain Merdekka.
Well Pantai Merdekka has to filthy water to even consider it for a swim.
The shops in Tj Dawai make tons of money from people coming to buy products, but main is the building filthy and dirty!
It is really a shame that this can be so filthy ( it is owned by the Bandaran Sungai Petani).
The goats are roaming around downstairs, rubish strewn everywhere.The jetti half in shambles, railing broken down or totally gone.
What a shame, maybe a real tourist place by 3030 but for now Malaysia tidak boleh!
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 A landslide - by @lbert
  Posted:22/03/2004 - 14:26 - in category: politics Malaysia
A landslide victory for BN, yes. Is it healthy for the country i doubt.
The reign of the Tun has shown how a goverment can plunder the coffers of the country without limit.
The goverment to be formed now, will have to deal with the giant leftover of the Tun's reign.
Billions have to be paid back in the years to come, and projects like Bakun and Perwaja only cost millions a year without any benefit.
Many 'not so clean' candidates have been reelected, and i wonder at what cost.
This because i cannot imagine people voting in a candidate they hate.
Well wait and see the ministers list and see which dirty names have been dropped, since the people did not do it it seems the PM needs to have the guts to do so.
At least two heavyweights of the opposition return to parliament, but if this enough to turn a rubber stamp dewan into one that hold real discussions i doubt.
BN can again probably do as they please, well every country gets the goverment they deserve...............
The future will show!
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 This is real cheating.... - by @lbert
  Posted:16/03/2004 - 20:42 - in category: general
Some time ago i was in Kuala Kedah, and saw a bunch of 'pondok' i thought it was a giant chickenfarm.
No these were 650 houses for fisherman!!
Well my dog would be happy with a house like that.
This is a shame!
Now i learn their cost....650 units of houses build at 40 million ringgit, that is 61.500 a unit.
IT IS NO MORE THAN A CHICKEN COOP!
Where did all the money go?? These things did not cost more than 10.000 a unit.
So someone pocketed more than RM 35 million!
Hallo MB?? These people have not even a tree in sight, and who has got the money?
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 Winning without grace. - by @lbert
  Posted:15/03/2004 - 21:31 - in category: politics Malaysia
Several candidates in the elections won their seats without a fight. They are elected without any contest.
This STINKS!
It is unacceptable that someone can be voted in without even anyone giving him a vote.
Say BN and PAS fight in one district.
Under normal circumstances the PAS candidate gets no vote and BN Gets all.
Now the BN candidate is not allowed to contenst for one or other stupid reason... PAS gets the seat.
Does this really stink, hey election commission... inspite of all the things you try to tell people, somewhere you did not do your homework.

That was one story, further is the TV getting stinkier by the day. And TV7 is more and more getting a mouth piece for BN with their irritating commentators.
Than showing people on tv who want a clean sweap. A clean sweap is the most unhealthy thing this country can get,
With a clean sweap all the checks are gone and BN goverment can keep on plundering the national coffers.
With a clean sweep we get back this irritating guy from Sungei Siput and dont forget the Mak Cik!
What this country needs is a powerfull opposition, so BN has to be damned carefull in what they do.
That is what every democraty needs!
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 Democraty in the british system - by @lbert
  Posted:12/03/2004 - 09:45 - in category: politics Malaysia
The british voting system with district representation is actually one of the most undemocratic systems you can imagine.
You are able to have a total of 49% of the votes and still don't have a single seat in parliament or whatever body you are voting for.
Very democratic isn't it.
Well this is Malaysia's voting system!
This opposed to an equal representation system, where you get seats according to votes.
Say you have 100 seats and 10 million people you need 100.000 votes for a seat.

This system is a lot more democratic, as people can vote for a person and not a party.
You make a list of candidates, number them 1-whatever.
Now in the ballot if no.1 gets 150.000 votes no 1 is in.
His surplus is passed to no.2 who maybe already has 50.000 votes and he is in too and so on.

The democratic thing in this that if plenty of people do not like the number 1, they can ignore him and he will not get his seat!
This way even a lowliner can get a seat if enough people want it.

The Malaysian system..... the candidates are forced through your throat and if you dont like them just vote opposition.
And what if i don't like the opposition? Don't vote? No, that would be a vote for the ruling party!
Other choices, sorry none, this is malaysia's democratic system.

The equal representation gives people a lote more chance to show their likings, and even the smaller parties can have a seat in parliament and be heard.
Furthermore, it will be almost impossible for 1 party to get a majority.
They will always have to rule with others, and thus negociate.

In Malaysia this would he put UMNO in the last election in a minority position!
MCA with PAS would have emerged as the big winners!
This implicates that UMNO could have been forced in opposition if say PAS/MCA can form a workable goverment.
Which also would implicate that PAS would have to water down their wishes a lot.
Of course MCA / UMNO could have made a goverment as well, but than MCA could have put a lot of demands on UMNO since they were winners!

The above idea shows how much stronger an equal representation system is compared to the lousy district system.

And don't tell me that it proved unworkable in Italy, because this country is really a bad apple. To many parties and to much money politics (Hey that sounds familiar....)
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 Mandates. - by @lbert
  Posted:10/03/2004 - 13:04 - in category: politics Malaysia
We want a bigger mandate

That was the slogan the past few days.
What do they need a bigger mandate for, thats what i wonder.
A mandate is a mandate!

Furthermore this country is truely lacking a proper opposition that makes the goverment run on the top of their toes.
There are no checks and balances due to the fact that there is no proper opposition.
Allthough DAP has done their best and so did PAS their strength is not strong enough to make the goverment scared.
And the oposition should finally stop bickering and concentrate on gaining strength.

And if you look at all that happened with the opened corruption cases all he rotten fish is in the Barisan and not in the opposition.
Furthermore i now get a strong feeling that after the elections all the not yet to be published corruption cases are sweeped under the carpet (as usual), and the same will happen to the published one's.
They will be delayed so long that they are no longer relevant.

The BN has been ruling to long unopposed and has turned into a business conglomerate.
This whether it is business or jobs and positions, all is money.

BN will probably return in goverment, but i must say that for the betterment of the country that i hope they will face an opposition that is at least 20% stronger!
Only than you might expect money politics to halt.
It is very unhealthy for a country if there are no checks and balances, and there are NONE in Malaysia.
Now there are only cheques (that bounce) and manipulated balances.
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 Cuti cuti...Kelantan - by @lbert
  Posted:09/03/2004 - 21:21 - in category: travel Malaysia
I decided to go on an adventure trip to Kelantan, I read something on a website about a river cruise on the Kelantan rive from Kuala Krai.
So off i went up to Kuala Krai.
Kuala Krai is a nice old town with lots of beautifull old wooden houses.
I really hope they will be preserved for the future and will not make way for some concrete monsters.


From Kuala Krai you can make the boat trip to Dabong which takes about 2 hours in a long boat.
This is really a beatifull trip at the cost of a mere RM 5.00!
The only thing.... since you are in rubber tappers land, they also use rubber time.
They mention the boat goes at 10 but don't expect to depart before 12.00.


The same goes for the way back, you might take the train back to KK that takes 1 1/2 hours.
But the departure of the train also has rubber time, so be patient.
Near Dabong are the Jelawang waterfalls, they used to have cheap challet, but no more, now it is goverment property and a bungalow will set you RM 115.00 back.
Nothing included, no food available.
Jelawang was a disappointment, but the boat trip was great!
The foto's show the river tour.
In spite of the delays a nice trip, ont the way back stopped at the Hot Water springs of Ulu Legong, Baling (Kedah) and enjoyed a dip in 52 degree hot sulferish water.
Nice pools but the showers and toilets there are a disaster!!
Shame on the majlis daerah Baling for such a poor upkeep and still charging entrance and parking fees.
The parking fees are not even mentioned until you want to pay the tickets.
A double shame here!!
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 Let the circus begin....... - by @lbert
  Posted:03/03/2004 - 17:20 - in category: politics Malaysia
Well the words have been said, parliament has been dissolved.
I hope for the country that some of the useless self-serving people in there also will be dissolved for good!

Next goverment will have an uphill task to solve the inheritance of the Tun's rule.
It already started by selling of Telekom shares by the goverment.
All plugging holes.
I really wonder how much TV time the opposition will be granded this time.
Will it be another 10.000 to 1 factor as last time? Isn't it enough that TV 1/2 are 100% propaganda channels, and newspapers are disgusting without any exeption?
TV 3 also shows its objectivity by being an other PR channel for BN.
NTV7 is not even worth looking at, 1 minute tv and 10 minutes advertisement, what a disaster, and than their edisi 'siasat' have you ever seen a more lecturing commentator?
TV8 news might develop into something but also spoiled with piles of adds.
Channel 9 is for chinese only, so not worth watching for me.

Here BN told they will sweep Kedah, well gotta see that first.
I doubt they will really make an inroad better than last time.
The bad thing in the Malaysian system that there is no proper separation in election for state level or country level.
And council elections don't exist at all, thats super democratic.

As on a personal note, I could tolerate PAS on a council level (daerah) but not on a state/country level.
As i mentioned before in our daerah Yan a lot improved since PAS took over from BN.
Of course i am straight away marked as an opposition lover.... but thats not true.
I simply use my eyes and see what has happened in our daerah.

In another story i was apalled by the police spraying a mere 60 demonstrators with pepper spray.
Shame!! These people were mainly family of police victims.
The last 10 years in Malaysia has 500+ death cases in police custody.(according to some research i did)
Most of them unresolved or sweeped under the carpet.
Will the royal comission do something about that?? Well i doubt.
Just like Suhakam it will end up as a paper tiger that has not even paper teeth.

Well I hope you enjoy the elections soap opera or circus.
How many millions in total are wasted in this circus?? How many needy people could have been helped for this amount?

Hope the clean up the mess they make afterwards, so we dont have to enjoy BN/PAS and so on banners and plastic rubish for years.
The last election banners just rotted away in some trees and telephone poles....
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