Hantu Laut
The Malaysian government is probably the biggest control freak in this region. From ban on peaceful demonstration to importation of cars and to price control on what it termed as controlled items, rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil and many more that fall into the category of essential items, the government has imposed restriction either in the form of quota, price control or monopoly.It defies economic logic and the law of supply and demand.
Market can only be at economic equilibrium when supply can meet demand and prices are favourable for both sellers and buyers.When demand outstripped supply an ugly situation called dearth of supply or shortage occurs.
In view of the shortage of cooking oil, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, DatukShafie Apdal announced that starting from next week each customer will only be able to purchase a maximum of 5 kg of oil at any one time. He blames smuggling to neighbouring countries as the cause of the shortage. Was that a fact or just another attempt to hoodwink the people from the real problem. How come there is a sudden surge in smuggling activities of cooking oil? To which country are the oil smuggled to ?
From talking to a few retailers, I was told the shortage was due to government refusal to allow oil producers to increase prices, resulting in them cutting down on production to cut losses as the cost of raw palm oil they purchase to process into edible oil has gone up. Is it fair to force private manufacturers to subsidise instead of the government taking the responsibility.If government is not prepared to subsidise than it should be left to market forces to find its own price level. The story from the retailers seem more plausible than the one given by the minister.
It's absurd and impractical to impose a limit on purchase per costumer when you don't have the mechanism to police and control the effectiveness of the ruling.Can you stop a consumer from going to 10 shops in a day to buy the minimum 5 kg he is allowed to purchase? It's simple logic that the exercise is abhorrent and downright impractical but yet the minister made the announcement in spite of knowing the futility of such an ill-conceived idea.
A number of popular and better grade cooking oil have disappeared from the shelves of supermarkets and grocery shops.The situation is going to get worse before it gets better.
So, brace yourself for another price hike, not only for fuel oil but also edible oil and a whole spectrum of your daily necessities.
The government claimed a growth rate of 6% in 2007. With prices of crude snowballing and the consequential price escalation in all sectors of the economy, the year 2008 maybe a gathering gloom.
Also read:
Malaysia Will Not Face Economic Hardhsip - Kuan Yew
Monday, January 7, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
HE CAME HOME TO ROOST
Hantu Laut
Although I have already formed an opinion on the road the Health Minister, Dr Chua Soi Lek should take, I didn't jump on the bandwagon earlier, as I expected the Malaysian blogosphere would be buzzing with lurid tales of his sex scandal and unsolicited opinions on whether he should have stayed in office, resigned or be fired by the prime minister. As usual, the prime minister needed priming before he could make a statement on this scandal, the result of clandestine entrapment by Chua's enemies in the fold.Some elements in MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) seemed to have special skills in this kind of investigative work, much better than our pathetic police force, where many murders go unsolved.
In spite of his indiscretion, his family including his demure wife stood by him.One very interesting letter from a person named Jeffery posted in Malaysiakini was of the opinion that Chua's sex life is none of our business. He surmised that getting caught inflagrante is a case between him and his wife and family and society have no business to condemn him as long as he has not defaulted in his competence in his ministerial capacity.In most civil society, a public figure is looked upon as a model of moral decency, both in private and public life.
Does a person holding public office become public property ? To a certain degree, yes.If your are married and you have an illicit affair or sexual escapade than your integrity become questionable.Cheating, in whatever form, is not good credential to have while holding public office. If your are not married, it's no body's business, as in the case of Nicholas Sarkozy, the French President.If you are private citizen, your private life is no body's business and if you happen to be married, your indiscretion, is between you, your spouse and your family.
The bold step taken by Chua to come clean and confessed to his infraction has taken a treacherous course, a complete obliteration of his political career. His honesty and his hope of supplication, which he contemplates, would bring him relief from the burden of guilt and some form of forgiveness from the people, has taken the wrong turn, it has, instead, brought him more public ridicule, contempt and demise of his public office. He overestimated the benevolence
of his peers in the party and the ever listening ears of the PM.The opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang theorised that Chua could have been a victim of double betrayal.Was he lured to make the public apology to finally seal the lid on his coffin ? Whoever the mastermind was, he had made a darned good job of dealing a death blow to Chua's political career.
In relinquishing all his party and cabinet posts, he said he didn't expect the overwhelming negative response from the people and for some Malaysians to behave "holier than thou". However, he was proud that he owned up without any hesitation.Overwhelming negative response supplied by Astro and China Press? How accurate was the assessment is anybody's guess.I wonder how and on what basis the opinion poll was conducted?
As far as my memory can take me I can't recalled of any other Malaysian politician that had the guts to own up for his or her misdemeanour. Many have gone unpunished for much bigger crime.We don't seem to have a standard in dealing with errant politicians holding public office, it's kind of different strokes for different folks, the less influential and less needed, would be sacrificed.The case of a Chief Minister having sexual liaison with an underage girl was one case that didn't shook the government or prompted it to investigate, instead it sent a member of the opposition to jail for bringing the case into public domain.The then Prime Minister refused to delve any further into the case, which could have ended in statutory rape, if it was proven true.If I remember well, it was the girl that was taken to court, and sent for rehabilitation.
What Chua did was wrong from moral point of view, but it didn't bring any physical harm or injustice to the general population as much as corruption and abuse of power would have.The only person emotionally hurt would be his wife. She has, for being a devoted husband and good provider, forgiven him.
My premise on this case would not be a pleonasm of disagreement with the sentences agreed upon by his comrades in MCA and the Prime Minister.I think the man was given too many lashes, more than he deserves. The penalty was bigger than the crime.He should just have to resign his ministerial position and be allowed to keep his party position and the elected seat.
Now that Chua's political career is over, would the prime minister leave no stone unturned to get the culprits who illegally made and distributed the video?
It is obvious that in this country 'honesty is not the best policy'.Hypocrisy can save you but honesty will definitely kill you.
Although I have already formed an opinion on the road the Health Minister, Dr Chua Soi Lek should take, I didn't jump on the bandwagon earlier, as I expected the Malaysian blogosphere would be buzzing with lurid tales of his sex scandal and unsolicited opinions on whether he should have stayed in office, resigned or be fired by the prime minister. As usual, the prime minister needed priming before he could make a statement on this scandal, the result of clandestine entrapment by Chua's enemies in the fold.Some elements in MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) seemed to have special skills in this kind of investigative work, much better than our pathetic police force, where many murders go unsolved.
In spite of his indiscretion, his family including his demure wife stood by him.One very interesting letter from a person named Jeffery posted in Malaysiakini was of the opinion that Chua's sex life is none of our business. He surmised that getting caught inflagrante is a case between him and his wife and family and society have no business to condemn him as long as he has not defaulted in his competence in his ministerial capacity.In most civil society, a public figure is looked upon as a model of moral decency, both in private and public life.
Does a person holding public office become public property ? To a certain degree, yes.If your are married and you have an illicit affair or sexual escapade than your integrity become questionable.Cheating, in whatever form, is not good credential to have while holding public office. If your are not married, it's no body's business, as in the case of Nicholas Sarkozy, the French President.If you are private citizen, your private life is no body's business and if you happen to be married, your indiscretion, is between you, your spouse and your family.
The bold step taken by Chua to come clean and confessed to his infraction has taken a treacherous course, a complete obliteration of his political career. His honesty and his hope of supplication, which he contemplates, would bring him relief from the burden of guilt and some form of forgiveness from the people, has taken the wrong turn, it has, instead, brought him more public ridicule, contempt and demise of his public office. He overestimated the benevolence
of his peers in the party and the ever listening ears of the PM.The opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang theorised that Chua could have been a victim of double betrayal.Was he lured to make the public apology to finally seal the lid on his coffin ? Whoever the mastermind was, he had made a darned good job of dealing a death blow to Chua's political career.
In relinquishing all his party and cabinet posts, he said he didn't expect the overwhelming negative response from the people and for some Malaysians to behave "holier than thou". However, he was proud that he owned up without any hesitation.Overwhelming negative response supplied by Astro and China Press? How accurate was the assessment is anybody's guess.I wonder how and on what basis the opinion poll was conducted?
As far as my memory can take me I can't recalled of any other Malaysian politician that had the guts to own up for his or her misdemeanour. Many have gone unpunished for much bigger crime.We don't seem to have a standard in dealing with errant politicians holding public office, it's kind of different strokes for different folks, the less influential and less needed, would be sacrificed.The case of a Chief Minister having sexual liaison with an underage girl was one case that didn't shook the government or prompted it to investigate, instead it sent a member of the opposition to jail for bringing the case into public domain.The then Prime Minister refused to delve any further into the case, which could have ended in statutory rape, if it was proven true.If I remember well, it was the girl that was taken to court, and sent for rehabilitation.
What Chua did was wrong from moral point of view, but it didn't bring any physical harm or injustice to the general population as much as corruption and abuse of power would have.The only person emotionally hurt would be his wife. She has, for being a devoted husband and good provider, forgiven him.
My premise on this case would not be a pleonasm of disagreement with the sentences agreed upon by his comrades in MCA and the Prime Minister.I think the man was given too many lashes, more than he deserves. The penalty was bigger than the crime.He should just have to resign his ministerial position and be allowed to keep his party position and the elected seat.
Now that Chua's political career is over, would the prime minister leave no stone unturned to get the culprits who illegally made and distributed the video?
It is obvious that in this country 'honesty is not the best policy'.Hypocrisy can save you but honesty will definitely kill you.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Happy new year
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS,READERS AND FELLOW BLOGGERS.LET US MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER AND SAFER PLACE TO LIVE IN.
"If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were."
"Life without liberty is like a body without spirit."
Kahlil Gibran
Friday, December 28, 2007
Pakistan: A Failed State ?
Hantu LautFormer Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated just days before Pakistan parliamentary election.
A sad and tragic end to another famous political family.Like the Kennedys and Ghandis, she has seen tragic and turbulent years and eventually met a violent end herself.
Her father was toppled from power and hanged by the man who grabbed power from him.She was ousted from power twice with allegations of corruption and abuse of power.Her husband was sent to prison for corruption. One brother died under suspicious circumstances, suspected of being murdered, in his home in Paris.Another brother was assassinated while on a political campaign trail in Pakistan.Benazir, undaunted, continue the fight to save Pakistan from the militants.She paid it with her life, adding another chapter to Islamic militancy and madness.
Will her children pursue the same course like she did after father ?
The end of another cursed political dynasty. What's next for Pakistan ?
May her soul rest in peace and those who murdered her burned in hell.
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