Fuel Sale Ban on Foreign Vehicles

Today the government will enforce the new ruling on service stations located at the borders - Johor, Perlis, Kedah and Kelantan. Fuel sales to foreign registered cars are banned for all stations within 50 kms of the border.
I say it's about time the government do something to protect our precious subsidised fuel from these foreigners.

Some potential problems await the government. One, from the station dealers themselves. A very significant percentage of their sales volumes come from these foreign cars. There is absolutely no incentive for dealers to follow the ban, unless the government comes down hard on them. Government should impose the highest fines possible for any infringment. Get them where it hurts the most - their wallet!. Next are the enforcers themselves. Will they close one eye? Next are a group of Mlaysians who live in Johor but work in Singapore. This bunch drives Singapore registered cars to escape a levy on Malaysian cars entering Singapore. So brother, you either pay the levy and get to buy cheap fuel or escape levy and buy more expensive fuel. You cant have it both ways. Sorry ah.

I have high hopes that the minister, sharir samad, can make this necessary but unpopular move, work. Its about time we stop subsidising them. If the govt is to incur heavy subsidy burden, then let it just be for Malaysians.
Actually I have a bone to pick with these Singapore cars! Of course I dont know anyone in particular and maybe I generalise them too much. But based on my
observations, they are the 'kiasu' ones on our highways. While we Msians cant get off from paying the speeding summons they can get away with it. Not fair.

So Datuk Sharir, I wish God grants you the courage to take this on.

Arif Abu Hassan - RMIT , here he comes

It's official. Ayip has been accepted into RMIT. Syukur kepada Allah. I hope he makes the most of this opportunity and not waste it.
He will leave on July 15 with Ayah. Ayah will be with him to 'hand-hold' him for a week.
For now he will still enslave himself to Burger King until the end of June.

That brings me to another subject - slavery as practised by the Burger King franchise holder in Malaysia. The payment cycle is the 16th of the month to the 15th of the follwing month. The salary for this cycle will be paid on the 1st of the next month! So one's salary from Apr 16-May 15 will only be paid on June 1st!!!!!Nantilah, bila senang-senang, I will pursue this with the labour dept of the human resource ministry. I will do this for the hundreds of kids enslaved by the company.

Hong Kong May 22-25

We went to Hong Kong last thursday.

The last time I set foot in Hong Kong was sometime in 1991. As soon as the plane landed and I got off the plane, the 'pong' from the harbour hit me. Not so this time. The spanking new airport was ultra modern.

We stayed at the Kowloon hotel right in the middle of Tsim Tsa Tsui (sp?). Hong Kong is teeming with people. Everyone is rushing about- that after the first day, I already missed the greenery and tranquility of Bukit Mas. It's just like Singapore - very clean very efficient and whatever greenery they have, is jealously guarded. After the first day, we missed rice already. Fortunately we found many Indian and Halal shops a few doors away.

I had intended to shop for kain ela to make baju kurung for Neng's wedding. In the 1990s there were many shops selling silk materials, but I could only find 2 this time. And, expensive too. What happened ? Maybe the HongKongers have moved away from tailoring their clothes to buying readymade ones. There certainly is no shortage of shops selling all kinds of clothes. Many many upmarket and luxury brands.

While Ayip and Amir sepnt the day at the Ocean Park - theme park, ayah and I checked out Stanley Market. I bought lots of bedding material- so that was good. But I couldnt find a single shop selling kain ela! AMir couldnt find a single shop selling those tacky souvenirs like the keychains and stuffs. He had wanted to get some for his friends. Yang ada are those at the airport so he gave it a miss.
All in all, Hong Kong has grown to be very sophiscated and expensive.

Atok & Wan's Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Atok and Wan. It was for their 80 th birthday . Atok on 15/11/28 and wan on 30/4/28.
It was a modest effort with a few hiccups right from the get-go. But the mother of the hiccups came a few minutes after we started. Pak Jo had a call from his neighbour - his house had been burgled. Pak Jo and Mak JO had to leave. We found out later that only some watches and an old comp were stolen. the rooms were ransacked and that was nerve-wrecking mak jo said.
Amir and I performed RObbie Williams' Better Man.
Here are the pictures.

May 13 2008

Today is May 14. That means yesterday was May 13.


Should I fear this date? I dont know. For a few years now May 13 came and went without me noticing it.

May 13 1969 - my family was in Singapore at this time. I was in Primary 6. I remember Atok and some friends were discussing something in hushed tones about events in Malaysia. I think I did catch some wind of it - Malays and Chinese were fighting in Malaysia but we kids went about or usual business. My best friend was Lee Lye Hong.

I am sure many families have suffered directly and indirectly as a result of the racial riots and they deserve our sympathy and respect. So what does May 13 mean to me? It means 3 little words -Agree to Disagree.

I'm quite confident the country will go on business as usual. Political tsunami, lingamgate, NEP, PKR -all these notwithstanding, Malaysians will not change that much. It will take a few more generations for us to mature socially or politically like the americans. Our own selfish sense of survival and pragmatism will ensure that we remain cordial with peope of other races. Nobody wants anarchy. SO everyone live in peace regardless of our differences.
Politicians especially the Malay leaders should get their priorities right. Uplift the status of the citizens through education and poverty reduction. This country is blessed with so much natural resources. God has also spared us from most natural disasters. If politicains dont indulge in corruption, imagine the wealth that can channelled for the benefits to the citizens. We can have better roads, better schools, better cities etc and better standard of living.