Tuesday 12 June 2007

KL Flood 11 June 2007: Where is SMART Tunnel when we need it most?

KL was flooded on 11 June 2007




Where was the SMART Tunnel when we need it most



Had it been ready, the RM1.9bil Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel Project (SMART) would have prevented Sunday’s floods that inundated the city centre.


Drainage and Irrigation Department deputy director Ahmad Fuad said the floods around Dataran Merdeka and Masid Jamek were caused by Sungai Kelang bursting its banks at the confluence of Sungai Gombak.

“A storm which causes the river to overflow – that is exactly what the SMART flood tunnel is being built to overcome,” he said at a press conference organised by Kuala Lumpur City Hall here yesterday.

Ahmad said had the tunnel been operational, it would have been used to divert 95% of the water in Sungai Kelang to a lake in Sungai Besi and prevented the flood.

The road portion of SMART was opened to traffic but the floodwater diversion component will only be operational next month.



Excess water would be held at a retention pond in Kampung Berembang in Ampang and channelled into the tunnel, which will release the water into a deep pond near Tanan Danau Desa.

RM 2 Toll for SMART Tunnel.
(Point to Ponder : Why are we paying Toll when to floodwater diversion work is not yet completed)
Users of the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) will be charged a RM2 toll from 11.59pm on June 14, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.

He said the toll would be increased again in three years, adding that the price was right as the tunnel concessionaire had forked out RM640mil to build it.

Noting that there was no Government subsidy involved, he said: “In any part of the world where tunnels are built, the toll is higher.

“It is also an alternative route. Road users can continue to use the existing highway but if you need to speed up your journey, then use the tunnel,” he told reporters after opening a meeting of senior Works Ministry officers.

Read also news by Malaysiakini
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/68486

Monday 11 June 2007

Dr Mahathir : It is a mistake to remove Tunku Mahaleel

Govt must continue defending Proton: Mahathir

Proton must not lost it national carmaker identity

PUTRAJAYA:
The government must continue to protect Proton to ensure that it does not lose its identity as a national carmaker, Proton adviser and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.

When asked by reporters whether the government should continue protecting Proton, he said: “Ini tugas kerajaan yang lebih berkuasa, kalau kerajaan tak nak sokong Proton, matilah Proton
(This is the responsibility of the government, which has more power, if it doesn’t support Proton, then Proton will collapse).”

Dr Mahathir made the remarks when reporters met him after he had welcomed the Merdeka de’ Everest 2007 expedition team at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here.

Of Course....Proton need a Techinical Partner
When asked whether Proton really needed a technical partner, the former prime minister said: “Well, of course, Proton needs a technical partner but I don’t know why the negotiations (between Proton and Volkswagen) broke down.”


Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the government’s investment arm, owns around 43 percent of Proton and it said recently that talks are ongoing with VW and General Motors Corp.

Proton incurred a full-year pre-tax loss of RM619.9 million for the financial year ended March 31, reflecting the grim operating environment for the national carmaker.

It was a MISTAKE to remove Tengku Mahaleel
Referring to the losses incurred by Proton, Dr Mahathir again maintained that it was a mistake for the carmaker to have removed its former CEO, Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, as he had succeeded in bringing profits in the past.

Source :-
Extracted Partially from
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=19306
– BERNAMA

Read also news by Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini
Govt must protect Proton
Jun 9, 07 3:31pm
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/68406

IDR: Economic Diplomacy and Bilateral Relationship

Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Economic Diplomacy and the IDR
by
Johan Saravanamuttu 01 Jun 2007
Published by http://www.opinionasia.org/ (Used with permission)

Meeting between Malaysian and Singapore premiers and Formation of Joint Ministerial Committee
Whichever way one looks at it, the recent meeting in Pulau Langkawi in mid-May between the Malaysian and Singapore premiers, Abdullah Badawi and Lee Hsien Loong, and their cabinet-level entourages was a diplomatic coup of no minor proportion. The centerpiece of the diplomatic success was no doubt the agreement to set up a Joint Ministerial Committee with oversight over economic cooperation in the Iskandar Development Region (IDR) in the state of Johor in Malaysia, separated from Singapore by a 1km long causeway.

Smart Cards
It was unexpected that both sides so quickly agreed to the introduction of ‘smart cards’ to facilitate the two-way traffic of Malaysians and Singaporeans to the IDR.

Batu Putih Dispute : To accept ICJ Ruling.
There was even icing on cake, which came in the shape of a categorical statement that both governments would accept the ruling of the International Court of Justice on the Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Putih) dispute, a rocky island outpost contested by both countries by November of this year. Without doubt, the event marks the high watermark of Singapore-Malaysia over some two decades of bumpy and oftentimes acrimonious relations. It is particularly interesting that in this era of globalisation, economic diplomacy has seemingly led the way to perhaps the most significant turn in Malaysian-Singapore relations, in recent years.


According to the Malaysian prime minister, more could be in the offing after this new warming up of relations. Even prior to the diplomatic retreat, there was already talk of a new fast train link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore undertaken by the YTL Corporation of Malaysia, and the building of “several bridges” linking Singapore and Malaysia (much like in New York and Manhattan) to supplement the overcrowded 1 km causeway and the underutilised Second Link.

Beyond the media report.
Going beyond the hype of media reports, I would like to explore a little more thoroughly the idea of whether the IDR could be a realistic economic project for Singapore’s long-term economic involvement in Johor and, by extrapolation, Malaysia in general. Along with that, could it provide a fillip to other foreign investments into the IDR?
Using the Malaysian premier’s own analogy, could the whole project develop into a relationship much like a Hong Kong’s with Shenzhen? If so, then the IDR could indeed become a prime and actual example of how economic diplomacy would pave the way for sustainable economic relations between Malaysia and Singapore in years to come.

However, by the same token, the IDR could also become the Achilles heel of a relationship often wrecked on the shores of irreconcilable ‘national’ economic interests, as witness the unresolved water supply issue and the much earlier parting of the ways of Malaysia and Singapore airlines. Much could go wrong if the political players fail to resolve or manage differences that have come with a baggage of historical irritations in Malaysia-Singapore relations.

Facts and Figure on IDR
Let us start with some facts about the IDR, which, to say the least, are quite spectacular. The region spans an area of 2,217 sq. km., which is about thrice Singapore’s size. Reportedly US$105 billion is to be expended in the IDR, although we are not told over what period of time. We are told that the committee overseeing the IDR will be chaired by the Malaysian premier himself and one its members will be the doyen of the Johor UMNO (the anchor party in the national coalition), Tan Sri Musa Hitam.

Key Players : Khazanah Holdings and UEM Land
Furthermore, the main stakeholder of the IDR will be Malaysia's national investment company, Khazanah Holdings, while the primary developer would be UEM Land, a major Malaysia government-linked-company.

In a seminar in Singapore on 23 May, the Managing Director of UEM Land, Wan Abdullah Wan Ibrahim, was upbeat about the prospect of private sector investment from across the border. He said that by the year’s end, some S$38.5 million would be purchased by Singaporeans in industrial lots in the IDR.
(1) Nusajaya
The Nusajaya area, the first to be developed, will see the establishment of an industrial park, a waterfront precinct, theme parks, an educational city, a medical park and residential areas.
(2) Medical faculty to be run by Newcastle University
Plans are in place for a medical faculty to be run by Newcastle University and a private institution run by iCarnegie of Carnegie Mellon University.

All of this sounds like a jolly good start. However, a reality check reveals several possible hitches. If one were to take Shenzhen as the model, clearly many criteria do not obtain in the IDR.

First, a joint ministerial committee is far from being the equivalent of a governmental authority with full decision-making powers. Admittedly, the Malaysian government has said it will relax various governmental norms including keeping in abeyance the dreaded stipulations of affirmative action and quotas. Still, Johor and UMNO politics could get in the way.

Some rumblings by detractors of the Abdullah Badawi government, not least of all the former premier Mahathir, have already dubbed the project as a ‘sell-out’ to Singaporean interests.
More serious would be the questions regarding Malaysian human resource capacities. Malaysia has a poor track record with respect to ‘mega’ projects and clearly, the IDR constitutes as one.

From most accounts, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and Cyberjaya, constructs of the Mahathirian era, have remained in limbo. What could push the IDR (also known as the “Southern’ Corridor”) beyond the kind of problems that have stalled the MSC? Would it be the economic diplomacy factor? The hallmark of such diplomacy is to let economics lead the way rather than politics. But could Malay or Malaysian politics stall such a process?

In the current era of globalisation and open borders, it is has become axiomatic that private sector collaboration is the driver for economic cooperation and integration. If the IDR could prove to be the lynchpin for the beginnings of the economic integration of this region of Johor, to the industrial and financial hub of Singapore, the venture may well work. A bilateral economic zone is evidently a much better formula than the ASEAN ‘growth triangles’ initiative, which have not made much progress.

The ultimate vision for the IDR-Singapore economic zone would be a customs union, where tariff and non-tariff barriers are harmonised, or even a common market that presages the free flow of capital and labour. For now, however, it remains for the architects and purveyors of the new economic diplomacy on both sides to put their money where their mouth is.
Johan Saravanamuttu is Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore and was the former Dean (Research) at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Johan Saravanamuttu is Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore and was the former Dean (Research) at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Read also Opinion by Khoo Kay Peng in Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini
IDR and real reform
Khoo Kay PengMay 23, 07 11:32am

http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinionsfeatures/67594

Friday 8 June 2007

Altantuya Trial : Explanation by Attorney General Raises more Questions than Answers

Altantuya Trial: A whole lot of shuttlecock


Thursday, 07 June 2007, 06:15pm
Contributed by Amer Hamzah Arshad and Fahri Azzat
Source : http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/9264/2/

Altantuya Trial : Explanation by Attorney General Raises more Questions than Answers

The latest explanation by the Attorney General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail on the sudden change of the prosecution team - from Salehuddin Saidin and Noorin Badaruddin to Tun Majid Tun Hamzah and Manoj Kurup - raises more questions than it gives answers, especially in relation to his appreciation of the law and possession of common sense.

The Attorney General very well knows that there has to be a deeper involvement other than a game of badminton before Salehuddin Saidin and Noorin Badaruddin are to be declared unfit. If they were seen going on holidays or picnics with their respective families and taking snapshots for keepsakes, at least that would have been understandable.

Change in the prosecution personnel is nothing more than a pure ‘public relations exercise’
Therefore, when the Attorney General claims that he made a change in the prosecution personnel for this case, supposedly in order ‘to ensure a fair trial’, it is nothing more than a pure ‘public relations exercise’.

The Attorney General also forgets that an expeditious trial is part and parcel of a ‘fair trial’ and his public relations stunt which got the trial adjourned for two weeks has in itself caused an injustice to the court, to the accused, to the witnesses, to the family of deceased and the public who had every expectation of the trial commencing on the date fixed.

Let us recollect how the High Court was taken by surprise on Monday morning when a new ‘team’ of prosecutors walked into the High Court and informed the parties concerned that ‘they’ will be taking over conduct of the criminal prosecution in the Altantuya’s case from thereon.
(1) No prior Notice is Given
No prior notice was given to anybody despite the fact that all of those concerned were aware of the existence of modern modes of communication. So clearly, the Attorney General felt there was no need to extend the courtesy of calling the respective counsel for the accused persons to inform them that they would be seeking an adjournment on the first day of trial.

(2) no reasons whatsoever were afforded
As if that were not bad enough, no reasons whatsoever were afforded to the High Court or to any of the parties concerned. This clearly also shows that the Attorney General could not be bothered about what the trial judge thought of the change because if he did, he would have turned up himself or given an explanation for the change on the day itself instead of subsequently coming up with two press statements to explain this glaring faux pas. Because of the clear lack of courtesy by the Attorney General, the new ‘team’ had to seek an adjournment.

(3) Attorney General did not even brief his new ‘team’ properly
To compound matters, the Attorney General did not even brief his new ‘team’ properly. When Tun Majid Tun Hamzah was asked by the High Court judge whether the new ‘team’ could work with the previous ‘team’ in order to ensure there will be no disruption to the proceedings (as the new ‘team’ had yet to familiarise themselves with the facts), the new lead prosecutor was unable to reply. One wonders what instructions were being given in the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Then fast forward to Wednesday evening.

AG Clarification : Only the lead prosecutor, Salehuddin Saidin, was being replaced
The Attorney General then ‘clarified’ that only the lead prosecutor of the previous team, namely Salehuddin Saidin, was being replaced.

The Reason : Playing Badminton ?????
The reason given this time was because Salehuddin Saidin had been seen playing badminton with the trial judge, Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin. As a result, the Attorney General claims that Salehuddin Saidin had to be replaced supposedly in order to avoid any untoward allegation or adverse public perception against his officers and department as well as the court.

When did that incident happen? No one knows. What were the details of this event? It was not released. Was there more to just a game of badminton? We don’t know.
What we do know is that this so-called attempt by the Attorney General to ensure a ‘fair trial’ (we don’t know what that means to him), has now unfairly cast aspersions on the credibility of both Salehuddin Saidin and Justice Datuk Mohd Zaki Md. Yasin.
To say that both these men cannot attain a high sense of professionalism and ethics in the course of their business simply because they had a game of badminton is clearly to insult their ability and credibility and our intelligence and sensibilities.

If playing badminton with a judge is enough for a senior Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) to be deemed unfit to prosecute the murder case of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu because it purportedly creates a negative perception, then what about the Abdul Gani himself (when he was a DPP) and another DPP who were alleged via a statutory declaration to having requested Dato’ Nallakaruppan to fabricate evidence against Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which then formed the basis of an application for them to be disqualified? (nb: See Zainur Zakaria v PP [2001] 3 CLJ 673).
Shouldn’t Abdul Gani as a DPP then, as well as the other DPP, be replaced as well? After all, they are accused of worse things – illegal things – as opposed to a mere game of badminton?

Why wasn’t there any consistency? Or do the Attorney General’s Chambers in Malaysia apply these principles of integrity selectively?
Can such principles be applied in that fashion?And if it is true that it was intended for only Salehuddin Saidin to be replaced in the first place, then why was the other DPP, Noorin Badaruddin, also taken off from the conduct of the case as announced by Tun Majid Tun Hamzah on Monday?
Why wasn’t she part of the ‘new’ team as suggested by the High Court judge in order to avoid any unnecessary disruption of the trial?
What ‘games’ did she play with the judge so as to warrant her exit from the case?

All of a sudden, from replacing the ‘team’ as was announced on Monday, the matter has now been reduced to merely replacing the lead prosecutor of the previous ‘team’.
It wouldn’t come as surprise if subsequently, Noorin Badaruddin will be brought back into the prosecution team.
In any event, one could not help to assume that perhaps Salehuddin Saidin was merely made a scapegoat in order to mask the actual reason for the change.
One also cannot help assume that the real reasons stated for these shenanigans are not what the Attorney General wants us to believe.And if the Attorney General is so concerned about the negative perception that would arise as a result of the badminton ‘flings’, what about the negative perceptions that could arise if, hypothetically speaking, one of the senior DPPs in the new ‘team’ used to work and serve together with the trial judge as DPPs in a particular state or if the said senior DPP also used to share the same abode during their stints as DPPs in that particular state?
What about the social and sports functions held between the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Judiciary?
Surely there must be some camaraderie between the said senior DPP and the trial judge. Wouldn’t these ‘hypothetical’ examples give rise to negative perceptions as well?
In the ordinary course of proceedings, if there is any real concern about the impartiality in the manner of which the trial will be conducted arising from the relationship between any of the parties with the trial judge, it is a common practice for an application to recuse the trial judge to be made.
But then again, this is no ordinary trial, this is a ‘sensitive’ case where so many parties have been either changed or replaced.
The only party which has yet to be replaced is the accused and the Attorney General.
As the latter’s explanation has found to be wanting on so many levels, it is perhaps now time for a change of the Attorney General instead.

Source:
Malaysia Bar Chamber Website
Thursday, 07 June 2007, 06:15pm Contributed by Amer Hamzah Arshad and Fahri Azzat
Source : http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/9264/2/

Read also News in Malaysiakini

AG should prosecute Altantuya case
Jun 7, 07 11:09am
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/68289

and also from Malaysiakini Malaysiakini.tv

Lawyer charges interference in murder case
The lawyer for a senior policeman on trial for murdering a Mongolian woman withdrew on Monday and alleged interference in the case.
Zulkifli Noordin said he could no longer act in defence of Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri.
Read the full story at Malaysiakini.com.
http://www.malaysiakini.tv/?vid=1126

Thursday 7 June 2007

Badawi to Marry Jeanne (Eurasian; Former Sister-in-Law)

Malaysian PM Abdullah to remarry on Saturday

Abdullah Badawi to Marry Jeanne Abdullah (Jeanne Danker - Eurasian, former Sister-In-Law of Endon)

Rumours is True : PM Abdullah get married

IN KUALA LUMPUR - ONE of Malaysia's worst-kept secrets is officially out in the open, after Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced yesterday that he will be marrying Madam Jeanne Abdullah this Saturday.Rumours of the wedding have been circulating for months, and Datuk Seri Abdullah was clearly pleased to confirm them, joking with reporters: 'A happier prime minister can do a lot of good work.'A small private ceremony attended only by immediate family will be held for the 67-year-old Prime Minister and his 53-year-old bride at his official residence in Putrajaya.

Madam Jeanne relationship with late Endon Mahmood ?

Madam Jeanne used to be the supervisor of his official residence, as well as a former sister-in-law of his late wife Endon Mahmood.
Datin Seri Endon and Datuk Seri Abdullah had been married for 42 years, before she lost a three-year battle with breast cancer on October 20, 2005.
His first wife's family will be among the guests on Saturday.
Datuk Seri Abdullah informed the King and Cabinet of the impending nuptials yesterday, and The Straits Times understands that a small reception for Cabinet ministers and chief ministers will be held next Wednesday.

PM fall in love in less than a year (know Jeanne for more over 2 decades)

He said he had known Madam Jeanne for over two decades but 'only fell in love with her less than a year ago'.
'She can be my companion and will take care of me,' he said, when asked why he decided to marry her.
He said he still loved his late wife, but was also falling in love with his new bride.

Who is Madam Jeanne?
[- born as Jeanne Danker to a Eurasian Family
- former sister-in-law of late Endon (formerly married to Endon younger brother) ]
Madam Jeanne, who was born a Danker to a Eurasian family, was formerly married to Datin Seri Endon's younger brother.
They have been divorced for about 15 years.
She has two daughters, Nadiah and Nadene, from her earlier marriage.

Khairy on his father-in-law:
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin said the wedding would 'bring a lot of joy to the family'.'I, my wife Nori, my brother-in-law and his wife are happy with the news. We fully support his decision.'Bernama also quoted Mr Khairy as saying: 'We have known auntie Jeanne for a long time and we are very close.'He consulted all of us and we have given our blessing.'

Source :

The Straits Times, Singapore
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief and Chow Kum Hor, Malaysia Correspondent
Quoted from
http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/9261/2/

Read also
Confirmed! Pak Lah to re-marry from Malaysiakini
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/68240#l

Family gives blessing to wedding from Malaysiakini
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/68279