Yes,Rustam's Bridge Is A Bridge Too Far

Hantu Laut

I agree with Nuraina Samad we don't need that goddamn bridge here.With that kind of money Ali Rustam should consider building a tunnel(metaphorically) from Malacca direct to Singapore where the benefits could be far greater than building a bridge to Sumatra.

Do you build a bridge just for prestige or build it for economic reasons?

Lesson should be learned from the 'Channel Tunnel" which linked Britain with mainland Europe.This tunnel makes far greater sense than that of Ali Rustam's bridge because it links highly economically developed areas in Europe.Yet, it has not served the purpose it was built for. It was bogged down with monumental problems during construction and after completion.Construction started in 1988 that incurred a mind-boggling cost overrun of 80%.

Since its opening it has been operating at a loss.In 1995, it has to stop its loan repayment to avoid bankruptcy.The debts have to be restructured and the French and British government extended its operating concession by 34 years, which will only end in 2086.

A cost benefit analysis indicated that it has no wider economic impact on Britain and that the British economy would have been better off if the tunnel had not been built.It reported its first annual net profit of $1.57 million only in 2007.

You can see what a risky venture this kind of project is.I have to agree with the DAP member that the project should be scrapped.

Ali Rustam should come down to earth and be realistic about the whole idea.Just because some businessmen proposed and got the backing of a bank from China to finance the project it doesn't mean the project is viable. He must not forget that loans have to be paid back.Things are not as simple as it looks from a layman's point of view.

I have done business with China before and they are not the easiest people to deal with.Worse, if you take loans from any country, China included, they will be many strings attached.

Due to huge nature of the project and substantial exposure to the bank, in all probably, the bank would ask for the state government to guarantee the loan and a state in Malaysia can only guarantee foreign loan with approval of the Federal government.Giving such approval means the Federal government would eventually become a party to that guarantee and in the even of a default it would eventually involve the Federal paying up the debt.

This is a sovereign credit risk that Malaysia can do without. Besides, the loan, China being the main financier would insist that majority of the expertise, labour and materials would have to come from China. How would Malaysia benefit from such project when most of the money would eventually return to China?

The other aspect that needs to be looked into this egoistic project is safety.The Malacca Straits is the busiest shipping lane in the world.Accident, can and do occur no matter what safety precautions one puts in.

I lived in Singapore in the eighties, two things came to my mind, things that you don't expect to happen in Singapore, but it happened.The Sentosa cable car tragedy and the collapse of the New World Hotel.Who would believe that a ship passing under the cable car can pull the whole cable system down, killing a number of people.The same with the collapse of the New World, with the stringent building codes in Singapore, no building is supposed to collapse, but it did.

The Channel Tunnel,with all it safety precautions, had three serious incident of fires and one was bad enough to close the tunnel for six months.

Sure, accident should not be a criteria in assessing the viability of a normal project but than this is not a normal project, it has high risk elements to be considered, economically,physically and geographically.The Malacca Strait's risk factor of maritime collision is pretty high and the Indonesian sides are prone to earthquakes and tremors.

What economic benefits would Malaysia get if the bridge were to be built? Sumatra has very low per capita income and it is not likely that hordes of Indonesians with bulging wallets would be coming over here to spend their hard-earned money, it would be the other way round, Malaysians would be going over there for holidays. It is also a low economic output area. With the exception of oil palm and crude oil which are shipped directly from the country, Sumatra has little to offer.

If Ali thinks of economic spin-offs that will benefit Malacca in particular and Malaysia in general or a booming two-way trade, he can forget it.There wouldn't be any.At least none that I can think of.

If he thinks the volume of traffic can make the project viable than that would even be a bigger risk.Shouldn't Indonesia be asked to pay for half of the cost of the bridge?

An efficient and fast ferry service between the two countries would be a cheaper alternative.

With the bridge in place, the only possible scenario that I can see is more migrant workers and illegal immigrants coming over to Malaysia using the bridge.

It's Water Under The Bridge

Hantu Laut

DPM leaves it to A-G to decide on fresh Lingam probe

The government should not bow to opposition's demand to re-open the Lingam case. This is their tactic to continue with their campaign to inflict maximum damage on Najib and his government from now until the next election. They have run out of issues and keep banging on the same door.

What public pressure?Most Malaysians don't give two hoots about the case.The noises are coming from the oppositions and the Bar Council, less out of concern but more out of political reasons.

Assuming Lingam is charged, taken to court and won the case.What do you think the oppositions and Bar Council would say? They would still not be satisfied and would run down the court, the judges and the whole judiciary.

There would be no end to it.

What Do Malaysians Read?

Hantu Laut

The largest selling newspaper are not in Western countries. The British, American and most Westerners have lost their reading habit, depending more and more on radio,television and the Internet.

In 2005, China has the largest newspaper circulation at 93 million a day, which is not surprising due to its huge population.India, which again has the same huge population base came second at 78 million.The one that is most unexpected is Japan with the highest ratio in daily readership, came in third at 70 million. The American came fourth with a dismal 48 million.Germany came fifth at 22 million. The Brits only managed sixth placing.

Do you know that over 70 of the top 100 best selling newspapers are in Asia and 7 of the top 10 best selling in the world are in Japan.

Going by population ratio between the three most developed nations, Japan, Germany and the US, the American has the lowest daily readership. The US has 307 million people, Japan 127 million and Germany 82 million. In term of percentage of population only 15 % of American read daily newspaper as compared to 63% for Japan and 27% for Germany.

It's little wonder that the Americans are the most ignorant people in the world. Their parochialism have made them the worst misinformed population.

Former US President George Bush is the ultimate parochial frog, his ignorance and arrogance have caused two wars, which have ravaged two defenceless countries.The war in Afghanistan, his design, have spilled over to Pakistan, not only endangering the country but the rest of the region should the country falls to the Talibans.

That's the price you pay for ignorance.America, today is the number one enemy of the Muslim world.

Britain, with over 60 million population, the centre of learning and have world class education system sought after by many foreign students, where most work of English literature came from, only made it at number sixth.

Malaysia?

Sorry, not in the equation yet.A report here says Malaysia hits a total newspaper circulation of 2.5 million a day in 2006, which means that less than 10% of our population read newspaper.

Of course there are those, mostly Pakatan Rakyat's supporters who say they have stopped reading or listening to the main stream media like this guy here because of the BN government.Apparently, all the main stream media in this country are controlled by the BN or its lackeys.

Let's see what some of the citizens of the world read when they opened their eyes first thing in the morning.

In the US, the average American prefers 'USA Today' as compared to the 'New York Times" or 'Washington Post', which, I assume, is a little too complicated for the average American.

In Britain, the slimy Brits prefer 'News Of The World' ( aka Screws of the World, published only on Sundays)) and the 'Sun' as compared to the snobs and stiff upper lips who prefer the quaintly olde 'Observer', 'Times Of London' or the 'Guardian" and 'Daily Telegraph.'

Ye olde paper's language too stiff for the average Brits and their downright bored house wives. It makes Rupert Murdoch a very happy man making his "Screws of the World" the largest selling English-language newspaper in the world.

In Japan, which has the biggest number of 'people of the book ' prefer the 'Yomiuri Shimbun' or the 'Asahi Shimbun'.

American Express "Don't Leave Home Without It" slogan for its credit card are probably stole from the Japanese. The Japanese have "Never Leave Home Without The Book".

Go on any train in Japan and see for yourself whether you can see a Japanese without his face buried in a book, newspaper,magazine or his favourite comic book.

Do you know that just these two Japanese newspapers have a total daily circulation of 26 million, which means the equivalent of the whole population of Malaysia...men,women,children and babies are reading the two newspapers every day.

What do Malaysian read?

The 'New Straits Time' has seen its circulation declining over the years.I have stopped reading the newspaper many years ago, not because I am against the BN government , I find it rather uninspiring and waste of my RM1.80.That's what we pay for it in East Malaysia.

The'Star' which has a better circulation is just one fat tabloid, filled with advertisements, an occasional hazard to politicians and a house overcrowded with withered columnists.This is an MCA baby, naturally getting strong supports from the Chinese community in term of advertisements and circulation.

Almost 60 percent of the population of Malaysia are Malays, Chinese, maybe, around 28 percent and the rest Indians and dan lain-lain(Others).

It, maybe, hard to believe Chinese newspapers have higher total circulation than Malay-language newspapers.A population two times bigger.Reading less.What has gone wrong?

The Malays don't read much? They do.The next time you are on a plane watch what the Malay man takes out of his brief case, 8 out of 10, you bet its an URTV magazine or one of that sort, and if you bet again, 8 out 10, he is a politician.

So, what do the average Malaysians read nowadays?

They prefer this , this, this and this, not this or this or this.

The sales of dailies would continue to plummet all over the world as the Internet continue to improve its penetration and by the year 2020 all newspapers would become obsolete and all news would be read over the Internet.

Wouldn't it me nice to read the news from the comfort of your study, your living room or where ever your computer is and save the world's forests from desruction?

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Who Pays Kickdefella To Blog?

Hantu Laut

Are they any better than the one they wanted to get rid off? PAS in now caught with its pants down, embroiled in nepotism, and even worse, the very thing they accused UMNO of..... arrogance, authoritarian and corruptions.

Nik Aziz, at the behest of his son-in-law, agrees with the sacking of blogger 'Kickdefella' who is part of the PAS/Pakatan propaganda machine. Syed Azidi (Kickdefella) is purportedly a paid PAS's blogger.The story here and here.

Who pays Kickdefella, is it from PAS own funds or is he being paid by the state company? Whether his job as corporate liaison officer entails mainly blogging for PAS?

Whether, there is corruption or not, is not the issue here, the mere fact that he allowed his son-in-law to be employed by a state company where he has direct control and influence as menteri besar is not only morally wrong, it is against convention and may even be illegal.