Petaling Jaya is facing an acute traffic congestion problem in almost the whole city. Most arterial roads are already at levels E and F and even beyond that. Due to lack of proper planning in the bad old days, even residential roads are now being used at through-ways. The current council faces a challenging task of balancing between new approving new developments and solving the traffic nightmare. Thus any proposal including the MRT that can contribute towards improving the traffic problem in the city would be most welcomed.
Therefore I sincerely believe that the MRT can be a savior. That is why we see so many residents being concerned and taking an interest in the project.
There is no doubt that an efficient public transport system is the only solution to the city's traffic problems.
SPAD as the monitoring body is indeed going in the right direction by having public consultations on the project. However, there must be sincerity and commitment to listen to and respect public opinion and not do it purely as a public relations exercise.
Currently, our public transport is in a big mess with the general public having little or no confidence at all. Therefore only 10% of Klang Valley residents uses public transport. Why so?
The current system is not user friendly, built and operated not for the user in mind but profit motivated.
It took at least 10 years for the current existing rail systems to be integrated and interconnected. Even today ticketing systems between the various operators are not fully integrated.
The interconnectivity between existing lines is a disgrace. One only need to look at the Rapid bus services and the current LRT shuttle services.
The connectivity between services at Hang Tuah and Masjid Jamek is truly an embarassment and a major inconvenience to users. The link between Dang Wangi LRT and the monorail is incomprehensible.
The Rapid Bus system when introduced assured us of 15mins waiting time for laluan utama and 30mins for laluan tempatan. Ask any user and they will tell you this is absolute rubbish.
The excuse given by the management of Rapid is even more mind boggling. The schedule could not be met because at the time of planning we did not anticipate the high volume of traffic on the road thus slowing down our buses. Secondly we have 1500 buses but only 400 operating because of maintenace and breakdowns.
All these are merely excuses which are also insulting the intelligence of the rakyat. These problems are due to poor planning and management by the operators.
The proposed MRT system will be operated by the same people currently providing our public transport services.
Pray tell how on earth can the rakyat have any confidence at all on this proposed project. Even though we know it is much needed but the rakyat have little or no confidence in its effectiveness.
I propose that much more effort, time and investment be placed in improving the existing systems. Set a specific target of higher ridership using the current public transport services.
In the meantime, spend time engaging the public on the proposed MRT. There is little point in rushing through the project just for the feel good 'syiok sendiri' syndrome. We do not have to do it just because our neighbours have it.
We must do it properly and get it right the first time. We must fully engage the rakyat and make this a project that the rakyat feel that they are a part of it.
The MRT project must be the pride of the nation and not be allowed to be a national disgrace!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Re: Malaysia's Emergency Ordinance
PRESS RELEASE by N Surendran, PKR Vice President
Malaysia must end Emergency state
22 April 2011
Today Syria's authoritarian ruler Bashar al Assad was forced to lift
emergency rule which had been used to oppress and intimidate the
people of Syria for almost 50 years. The battle for freedom in Syria
is far from over, but this is a great new beginning for all
freedom-loving Syrians. The tyrant has been pushed into a corner and
it is only a matter of time before the people triumph. We in Malaysia
stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Syria.
We understand their struggle, for we too are involved in a peaceful
struggle to regain our political freedoms from the intolerant Barisan
Nasional government. In Malaysia several states of emergency continue
unrepealed and with full legal force. It is time to repeal all
Emergency proclamations and laws which are deliberately and
maliciously being kept in existence by the Government. These emergency
proclamations were made between 1964 and 1977, including the 1964
proclamation meant to deal with the confrontation with Indonesia and
the 1969 proclamation made in the wake of the May 13 riots. Many
oppressive ordinances promulgated under emergency powers remain
operative and continue to be used by the authorities.
Emergency powers are invoked under Article 150 of the Federal
Constitution. It is clear from a reading of Article 150 that a state
of emergency can only be maintained where there is a real threat to to
the security or economic life of Malaysia. A state of emergency
maintained otherwise than in accordance with the preceding
circumstances is nothing short of governmental tyranny; a tyranny
which the Barisan Nasional government has had no compunction in
continuing over the past 50 years. Barisan Nasional's motive is simply
to frighten the people into submission and thus prolong their unjust
rule by unconstitutional means.
It is a great shame to our country that some of the worst North
African and Middle East tyrannies have recently lifted their
respective states of emergency, whereas several states of emergency
continue in our country. The core and the strength of the BN's lawless
abuse of the law to achieve their selfish ends resides in these
emergency powers. We urge the BN government to put the people before
their own narrow political agenda and to immediately lift all existing
states of emergency in Malaysia.
Malaysia must end Emergency state
22 April 2011
Today Syria's authoritarian ruler Bashar al Assad was forced to lift
emergency rule which had been used to oppress and intimidate the
people of Syria for almost 50 years. The battle for freedom in Syria
is far from over, but this is a great new beginning for all
freedom-loving Syrians. The tyrant has been pushed into a corner and
it is only a matter of time before the people triumph. We in Malaysia
stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Syria.
We understand their struggle, for we too are involved in a peaceful
struggle to regain our political freedoms from the intolerant Barisan
Nasional government. In Malaysia several states of emergency continue
unrepealed and with full legal force. It is time to repeal all
Emergency proclamations and laws which are deliberately and
maliciously being kept in existence by the Government. These emergency
proclamations were made between 1964 and 1977, including the 1964
proclamation meant to deal with the confrontation with Indonesia and
the 1969 proclamation made in the wake of the May 13 riots. Many
oppressive ordinances promulgated under emergency powers remain
operative and continue to be used by the authorities.
Emergency powers are invoked under Article 150 of the Federal
Constitution. It is clear from a reading of Article 150 that a state
of emergency can only be maintained where there is a real threat to to
the security or economic life of Malaysia. A state of emergency
maintained otherwise than in accordance with the preceding
circumstances is nothing short of governmental tyranny; a tyranny
which the Barisan Nasional government has had no compunction in
continuing over the past 50 years. Barisan Nasional's motive is simply
to frighten the people into submission and thus prolong their unjust
rule by unconstitutional means.
It is a great shame to our country that some of the worst North
African and Middle East tyrannies have recently lifted their
respective states of emergency, whereas several states of emergency
continue in our country. The core and the strength of the BN's lawless
abuse of the law to achieve their selfish ends resides in these
emergency powers. We urge the BN government to put the people before
their own narrow political agenda and to immediately lift all existing
states of emergency in Malaysia.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
And the verdict is - MONEY SPEAKS!
Malaysian politics is certainly a roller-coaster ride…..it goes up and it goes down but the only consistent factor is that the rakyat will vote for money.
All the recent by-elections were lost by Pakatan Rakyat because of two consistent factors outside of their control: ie Money and Postal Votes. These by-elections should be renamed BUY-elections.
So what can be done?
Pakatan Rakyat and especially PKR has lots to learn and change. Learn from past failures and learn from DAP’s campaign style and strategies.
PKR and to an extent PAS is still campaigning the old ways – the BN style. Sweet talk the rakyat, dish out a few candies here and there, “whack” the opponent. This approach does not work for PR because we lose out to BN’s huge machinery and endless bank account.
Look at DAP – their campaign is based on MARKETING; they sell themselves and their achievements with a mascot and theme song too. They even have cuddly toys that supporters buy and the voters see themselves as being a part of the whole campaign. It has been proven to work and being able to overcome even BN’s machinery and money.
We can argue that DAP’s win is because of the Chinese voters who cannot be easily bought. This is true too so BN may just spend more and do more in Chinese areas before the next General Elections.
So what is the next step for Pakatan Rakyat?
PR must seriously look into the issues that they are campaigning on. PKR’s approach of defending Anwar Ibrahim at all costs against Najib can no longer work. The REFORMASI struggle is no longer relevant if it remains focused on DSAI only.
Word on the ground in Sarawak is that they want to know what Pakatan Rakyat can do for them in real terms. They want to know how they can continue to earn a living and that their rice bowls will be protected.
The general man on the street in not bothered with talk of Justice for Teoh Beng Hock , of Kugan or Amirulrashid. In Sarawak for example, if a few people from Semenanjung is banned from entering Sarawak, so what – they are not bothered. If Taib is corrupt, so what – as long as I still can earn a living even though I dun have pipe water or electricity. I can still manage with a generator that the good BN government gave my village.
Clean and fair elections and a corruption free government: that is your problem. It does not matter to me – even when PR becomes government you cannot be clean. All politicians are the same. So I better stick with the ones I know from before.
So even here in Semenanjung, basic bread and butter issue matters to the makcik and pakcik in the kampong and they are the majority. Lopsided contracts, human rights are terms that are alien to them.
In as much as we are all concerned about these matters and it is these issues that form the basic fundamentals to our struggle, it does not work in an election campaign in the interiors and in the villages.
Even DAP’s wonderfully managed marketing campaign will not work in the interiors and in the villages.
Therefore PR must relook and rebrand themselves in order to have a fighting chance come the next GE. Perhaps, learning from DAP; PKR and PAS must start a Marketing Style campaign for the villages and the general middle and lower middle class Malay community.
It is undeniable that PR has got the Chinese and middle-class Malays and Indians in the pocket but PR must keep them in the pocket. PR has lots more to do to get into the hearts of the middle and lower-middle class Malays and Indian voters.
PR must be seen to be able to put food on their tables and a roof over their heads. PR must be seen to be able to give them a sense of security instead of being seen as people that always go protesting this and that; issues that they do not really understand.
For the urbanites, PR must ensure that in the States that they are governing now, pothole are patched, traffic lights are working, drains are flowing and developments controlled and sustainable. These issues if resolved assures that votes remain in PR pockets.
So the difficulty is in the bread and butter issues. BN has done a great job in telling the people that PR cannot do anything because they have never done anything. BN is right too because PR has never been in government to be able to do anything nor does PR have the money to do anything. So PR’s marketing must focus on educating the rakyat on PR’s current limitations and creating that dream of what PR can do and will do once in government.
Creating that dream (Yes We can) is what won Obama the presidentship. PR must likewise create that dream and certainly move away from REFORMASI and the DSAI shadow. Perhaps PKR should swallow humble pie and clinch on DAP’s ” UBAH” battle cry for the coming GE13 – and that dream of Putrajaya can indeed become a reality.
Berkhidmat Untuk Rakyat.
All the recent by-elections were lost by Pakatan Rakyat because of two consistent factors outside of their control: ie Money and Postal Votes. These by-elections should be renamed BUY-elections.
So what can be done?
Pakatan Rakyat and especially PKR has lots to learn and change. Learn from past failures and learn from DAP’s campaign style and strategies.
PKR and to an extent PAS is still campaigning the old ways – the BN style. Sweet talk the rakyat, dish out a few candies here and there, “whack” the opponent. This approach does not work for PR because we lose out to BN’s huge machinery and endless bank account.
Look at DAP – their campaign is based on MARKETING; they sell themselves and their achievements with a mascot and theme song too. They even have cuddly toys that supporters buy and the voters see themselves as being a part of the whole campaign. It has been proven to work and being able to overcome even BN’s machinery and money.
We can argue that DAP’s win is because of the Chinese voters who cannot be easily bought. This is true too so BN may just spend more and do more in Chinese areas before the next General Elections.
So what is the next step for Pakatan Rakyat?
PR must seriously look into the issues that they are campaigning on. PKR’s approach of defending Anwar Ibrahim at all costs against Najib can no longer work. The REFORMASI struggle is no longer relevant if it remains focused on DSAI only.
Word on the ground in Sarawak is that they want to know what Pakatan Rakyat can do for them in real terms. They want to know how they can continue to earn a living and that their rice bowls will be protected.
The general man on the street in not bothered with talk of Justice for Teoh Beng Hock , of Kugan or Amirulrashid. In Sarawak for example, if a few people from Semenanjung is banned from entering Sarawak, so what – they are not bothered. If Taib is corrupt, so what – as long as I still can earn a living even though I dun have pipe water or electricity. I can still manage with a generator that the good BN government gave my village.
Clean and fair elections and a corruption free government: that is your problem. It does not matter to me – even when PR becomes government you cannot be clean. All politicians are the same. So I better stick with the ones I know from before.
So even here in Semenanjung, basic bread and butter issue matters to the makcik and pakcik in the kampong and they are the majority. Lopsided contracts, human rights are terms that are alien to them.
In as much as we are all concerned about these matters and it is these issues that form the basic fundamentals to our struggle, it does not work in an election campaign in the interiors and in the villages.
Even DAP’s wonderfully managed marketing campaign will not work in the interiors and in the villages.
Therefore PR must relook and rebrand themselves in order to have a fighting chance come the next GE. Perhaps, learning from DAP; PKR and PAS must start a Marketing Style campaign for the villages and the general middle and lower middle class Malay community.
It is undeniable that PR has got the Chinese and middle-class Malays and Indians in the pocket but PR must keep them in the pocket. PR has lots more to do to get into the hearts of the middle and lower-middle class Malays and Indian voters.
PR must be seen to be able to put food on their tables and a roof over their heads. PR must be seen to be able to give them a sense of security instead of being seen as people that always go protesting this and that; issues that they do not really understand.
For the urbanites, PR must ensure that in the States that they are governing now, pothole are patched, traffic lights are working, drains are flowing and developments controlled and sustainable. These issues if resolved assures that votes remain in PR pockets.
So the difficulty is in the bread and butter issues. BN has done a great job in telling the people that PR cannot do anything because they have never done anything. BN is right too because PR has never been in government to be able to do anything nor does PR have the money to do anything. So PR’s marketing must focus on educating the rakyat on PR’s current limitations and creating that dream of what PR can do and will do once in government.
Creating that dream (Yes We can) is what won Obama the presidentship. PR must likewise create that dream and certainly move away from REFORMASI and the DSAI shadow. Perhaps PKR should swallow humble pie and clinch on DAP’s ” UBAH” battle cry for the coming GE13 – and that dream of Putrajaya can indeed become a reality.
Berkhidmat Untuk Rakyat.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Residents want a sense of security before removing boom gates
THE debate on gated and guarded schemes is the hottest and a long standing community issue that has drawn divided views in recent years.
The schemes, which are categorised by the Housing and Local Government Ministry as ‘gated communities’ that has strata titles and ‘guarded neighbourhoods’ — should only be guarded and not gated. These are forced by-products of high crime rates.
Earlier, residents and authorities called for proper guidelines to put a stop to noise pollution. However, the clauses that did not address to realities actually created more questions.
Aside from ambiguously requiring the consent of the majority, the guidelines demand that every boom barrier be manned by a security guard. Have they any idea how many entry and exit points a typical housing estate in the Klang Valley has? Asking the guards not to request for identification from anyone entering the area defeats the purpose of having security. So are the guards supposed to say ‘hi’ to the suspicious-looking people?
In an attempt to set the rules straight, the Petaling Jaya City Council sent out mass notices instructing residents’ associations to remove all barriers built on public roads on Boxing Day last year. The move drew a huge outcry and the matter is still left unresolved.
The directive was insensitive especially when residents have invested thousands of Ringgit in the scheme which was beginning to show results.
Many families — mine included — who are not rich, have to agree to gate-and-guard our neighbourhood because all other housing estates around us have already implemented the scheme. If we don’t do that, then our housing area will become a target for thefts and robberies.
I must admit that subscribing to the scheme has eased my worries as my parents and grandparents are at home.
While the scheme has successfully reduced crimes, it has produced some adverse effects like hampering fire engines and ambulances from reaching the homes of patients and victims as quickly as possible in emergency situations.
While we have to resort to stay behind locked grilles, boom gates and security personnel to feel safe, the situation in some other countries are very different. Homes in Australia do away with perimeter fences and women in Singapore can take public transport at midnight without fear of being robbed.
We all want the same thing — a sense of security.
While becoming comfortable with the gated-and-guarded schemes, we do not want this to be our culture or worst-case scenario, an unwanted identity of a world-class city we aspire to be.
Instead of hitting at the local council to make the schemes work, residents should check how much we have progressed to reduce dependency on the schemes.
Get updates from the police during dialogues and monitor the length of time used by the force to address safety issues.
Also, are CCTVs and other safety measures working effectively to combat crime?
Giving us a sense of security does not happen overnight. Convince us that when we take away the boom gates, we will still feel safe.
Reduced crime rates do not fully reflect the police’s efficiency. There are fewer crime cases because people have compromised on their lifestyle and prefer to stay ‘behind bars’.
Authorities should brief residents on the effectiveness of alternative measures such as auxiliary police, community policing and personnel re-deployment. Explore other means such as mobilising Rela to work closely with the residents.
At the end of the day, I would rather have my tax contribution going to uniformed bodies than to private security firms.
The schemes, which are categorised by the Housing and Local Government Ministry as ‘gated communities’ that has strata titles and ‘guarded neighbourhoods’ — should only be guarded and not gated. These are forced by-products of high crime rates.
Earlier, residents and authorities called for proper guidelines to put a stop to noise pollution. However, the clauses that did not address to realities actually created more questions.
Aside from ambiguously requiring the consent of the majority, the guidelines demand that every boom barrier be manned by a security guard. Have they any idea how many entry and exit points a typical housing estate in the Klang Valley has? Asking the guards not to request for identification from anyone entering the area defeats the purpose of having security. So are the guards supposed to say ‘hi’ to the suspicious-looking people?
In an attempt to set the rules straight, the Petaling Jaya City Council sent out mass notices instructing residents’ associations to remove all barriers built on public roads on Boxing Day last year. The move drew a huge outcry and the matter is still left unresolved.
The directive was insensitive especially when residents have invested thousands of Ringgit in the scheme which was beginning to show results.
Many families — mine included — who are not rich, have to agree to gate-and-guard our neighbourhood because all other housing estates around us have already implemented the scheme. If we don’t do that, then our housing area will become a target for thefts and robberies.
I must admit that subscribing to the scheme has eased my worries as my parents and grandparents are at home.
While the scheme has successfully reduced crimes, it has produced some adverse effects like hampering fire engines and ambulances from reaching the homes of patients and victims as quickly as possible in emergency situations.
While we have to resort to stay behind locked grilles, boom gates and security personnel to feel safe, the situation in some other countries are very different. Homes in Australia do away with perimeter fences and women in Singapore can take public transport at midnight without fear of being robbed.
We all want the same thing — a sense of security.
While becoming comfortable with the gated-and-guarded schemes, we do not want this to be our culture or worst-case scenario, an unwanted identity of a world-class city we aspire to be.
Instead of hitting at the local council to make the schemes work, residents should check how much we have progressed to reduce dependency on the schemes.
Get updates from the police during dialogues and monitor the length of time used by the force to address safety issues.
Also, are CCTVs and other safety measures working effectively to combat crime?
Giving us a sense of security does not happen overnight. Convince us that when we take away the boom gates, we will still feel safe.
Reduced crime rates do not fully reflect the police’s efficiency. There are fewer crime cases because people have compromised on their lifestyle and prefer to stay ‘behind bars’.
Authorities should brief residents on the effectiveness of alternative measures such as auxiliary police, community policing and personnel re-deployment. Explore other means such as mobilising Rela to work closely with the residents.
At the end of the day, I would rather have my tax contribution going to uniformed bodies than to private security firms.
My Frustrations....
I have commiteed my time, energy and resources to help bring positive changes to Malaysia. I have chosen to work through the Pakatan Rakyat because it is the only available avenue for the moment to fight against Barisan National.
BN has continued in their own manner despite the sounding they recieved in March 2008. Even though their "advisor and consultant" has been giving good advice to the PM, however the grassroots are not singing the same tune. The blatant disrespect of the voice of the people and corrupt practices continues.
Therefore, I have chosen to work through Pakatan Rakyat and i am indeed honoured to be able to serve the community through the office of the Member of Parliament for SUBANG, YB Sivarasa. I habour no political ambitions except to bring changes to the enitre system of governance and see good practices in operation.
I am therefore saddened to note that in many ways and far too often, our currently elected PR representatives seem to have too much ego in their heads. far too often I have noticed how our PR elected representatives are behaving exactly in the same way the BN counterparts were doing.
Although they started off in 2008 as being very people friendly and results orientated but as the months go by, they fall into the trap of their egos and pride. Arriving late to planned meetings, wanting to be "greeted" with grandiose are surely but slowly slipping in.
They want to take credit for almost everything and even when others are helping out, these elected representatives are not keen because they themselves are not present. It does not matter if the problems are not solved, it should not be handled because they still cannot find time to be present. The YB wants to be there first so they can claim credit; its their own ego that comes first - not the rakyat.
Therefore from my first hand experience, I know full well, Rakyat didahulukan is a load of rubbish not just with BN but also with many within PR too.
Some of the PR State government leaders (EXCO) continues to fall into the "trap" of listening to the existing civil servants who are indeed very good at "boot polishing". It was these same officers who were there with the BN government before this and thus the root of the administrative problems before. Now we are still listening to the same people.
Lest we not forget, it was this "poor management" of the government operations that got BN the boot. The average man on the street does not bother too much about the politics, but want to see proper administration - smooth flow of documentations, fair decisions for all, less pot holes, lamp posts that works, traffice lights that works, drains that flow ...... but when the operative fail to function with all kinds of excuses and our "leaders" listen more to them and buy their excuses instead of the residents, we are back to square one.
I admit that with our more open and people friendly approach, every resident is able to call us directly to complain and some of these complainants are a real nuisance but this is part and parcel of our job.
However, we should be good managers and get things done and be results orientated and in many cases be authoritative instead of being the nice guy, playing the "politician" even with these civil servants - who may proof to be our own downfall.
It is indeed a frustrating job......
BN has continued in their own manner despite the sounding they recieved in March 2008. Even though their "advisor and consultant" has been giving good advice to the PM, however the grassroots are not singing the same tune. The blatant disrespect of the voice of the people and corrupt practices continues.
Therefore, I have chosen to work through Pakatan Rakyat and i am indeed honoured to be able to serve the community through the office of the Member of Parliament for SUBANG, YB Sivarasa. I habour no political ambitions except to bring changes to the enitre system of governance and see good practices in operation.
I am therefore saddened to note that in many ways and far too often, our currently elected PR representatives seem to have too much ego in their heads. far too often I have noticed how our PR elected representatives are behaving exactly in the same way the BN counterparts were doing.
Although they started off in 2008 as being very people friendly and results orientated but as the months go by, they fall into the trap of their egos and pride. Arriving late to planned meetings, wanting to be "greeted" with grandiose are surely but slowly slipping in.
They want to take credit for almost everything and even when others are helping out, these elected representatives are not keen because they themselves are not present. It does not matter if the problems are not solved, it should not be handled because they still cannot find time to be present. The YB wants to be there first so they can claim credit; its their own ego that comes first - not the rakyat.
Therefore from my first hand experience, I know full well, Rakyat didahulukan is a load of rubbish not just with BN but also with many within PR too.
Some of the PR State government leaders (EXCO) continues to fall into the "trap" of listening to the existing civil servants who are indeed very good at "boot polishing". It was these same officers who were there with the BN government before this and thus the root of the administrative problems before. Now we are still listening to the same people.
Lest we not forget, it was this "poor management" of the government operations that got BN the boot. The average man on the street does not bother too much about the politics, but want to see proper administration - smooth flow of documentations, fair decisions for all, less pot holes, lamp posts that works, traffice lights that works, drains that flow ...... but when the operative fail to function with all kinds of excuses and our "leaders" listen more to them and buy their excuses instead of the residents, we are back to square one.
I admit that with our more open and people friendly approach, every resident is able to call us directly to complain and some of these complainants are a real nuisance but this is part and parcel of our job.
However, we should be good managers and get things done and be results orientated and in many cases be authoritative instead of being the nice guy, playing the "politician" even with these civil servants - who may proof to be our own downfall.
It is indeed a frustrating job......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)