Sunday 6 July 2014

Gula-gula untuk rakyat and JB International Settlement

There is this interesting story from Johor Baru which I read just now.

I found it first at the Rakyat Post in Google news. So, instead of my usual practice of giving priority to getting the story from New Straits Times, I am going to give you all the link to that relatively new news portal. By the way the NST link is too hard too find, so too bad for them.

Here is the strory,

Johor to collect RM104m from sea reclamation projects


There are two issues in this story and I will take excerpts from the article and comment on it one at a time,

1. Collecting money from those Chinese companies doing reclamation in Iskandar

Johor will impose a payment of 30 sen for every sq ft on developers involved in sea reclamation works in the state with immediate effect. About RM104 million is expected to be collected this way.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the approach, to be enforced immediately, was aimed at giving special aid to assist fishermen whose livelihood was affected by the reclamation works.
“With a total acreage of 3,237.48ha in reclamation activities in and around Iskandar Malaysia, a total of RM104 million is expected to be received.

Comment:

This is clearly a knee jerk reaction to get sympathy from the people, especially the kampung folks of Johor,  as more and more excesses currently committed in Johor were being exposed.

"See, all these Chinamen's projects membawa rahmat kepada anak Melayu Johor. Even nelayan mendapat habuan nya," said Khaled and his boys later on.

It's without doubt that the excessive reclamation projects being carried out now from Stulang all the way to the Second Link were environmentally damaging.

The Khaled's administration is currently hard pressed to explain whether these projects really have positive environmental impact assessment  (EIA) report...if there are any such report in the first place.

Anyway, does the RM104 million to be collected worth the damage done to the environment of Tebrau Straits? Seriously, I doubt it.

The fact that these projects only serve the financial interests of certain high and mighty people and that the land was sold as free hold properties at a more than a tidy profit at the expense of the rakyat is also a reason for this knee jerk reaction by the Khaled's administration.

Khaled, why only now you care to collect the money?


Why not from the start when you all approved those projects?

Khaled, were you sure this is your idea or is it someone else's idea and you had been "advised" to do it?

It was said in the report that the amount to be given to the fishermen has yet to be decided. So, that means it's not all going to the fishermen who will be displaced by the projects. Well, I am just going to wait and see how Khaled is going to handle the opposition people going to the fishermen villages accusing his boys of pocketing the bulk of the money. I heard DAP had parked a team at Gelang Patah just for that purpose.

2. Johor Baru International Settlement,

He said Johor had also set up an international zone as a centralised area for foreigners interested to reside in the state.
This international zone enables the state government to limit property purchases by foreigners outside the zone that could not be fully controlled previously.
With the existence of this zone, the difference in the rate of taxes will be collected by the local authorities to be used to develop areas outside Johor Baru district.
Comment:

I believe it's going to be something like the

Shanghai International Settlement 

which was set up following the defeat of Qing Dynasty China by the British in the First Opium War (1839–1842) and the signature of the Treaty of Nanking

It's going to be an exclusive zone where the foreigners along with the rich and mighty locals are to live, work and play.

The foreigners mentioned were however not those of the Bangladeshi factory workers or Indonesian construction coolies varieties.

They are the "expatriates", the Singaporeans, rich mainland Chinese, Mat Sallehs, Mem Salleh etc. Really classy bunch of people, I presume.

This so call international zone will be the refuge for Johorean new millionaires, created by the current excesses in the State, to seek refuge from the common lowly working class Johoreans.

Really, the excuses given by Khaled on limiting property purchase and creating different rate of taxes are just plain bullshit.

The whole thing was just meant to make all the excesses, particularly the humongous sale of freehold land to foreigners kosher.

To get a better perspective on this, I recommend you all to read this NST's Jalil Hamid's article last month,

Is JB the next Shenzen of China?


Everything in the zone will be international, I guess. It will become a state within a state.

Well, just look out for more laws to be enacted in the State assembly which will cater for the exclusiveness of this international settlement.

It's going to be a rough ride for Johoreans as it becomes clearer now that the powers-that-be in the State will bulldoze their way through to get their personal vested interests served.

You all rakyat can cry blood, and they wouldn't give a shit.

28 comments:

  1. They can create heavens in this world as refuge from the anger of the oppressed rakyat but they is no way they can escape the wrath of Allah. The dua from the oppressed is very potent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hati kerajaan di dalam tubuh,
      jikalau zalim segala anggota pun roboh.

      Jika hendak mengenal orang berbangsa,
      lihat kepada budi dan bahasa,

      Apabila banyak berlebih-lebihan suka,
      itulah tanda hampir duka.

      Apabila kita kurang siasat,
      itulah tanda pekerjaan hendak sesat.

      Apabila pekerjaan yang amat benar,
      tidak boleh orang berbuat onar.

      Delete
  2. Soon there will be signboards that will say: "No dogs, no poor fishermen, poor Malays, and poor Malaysians are allowed".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Soon too they ask for special immigration facilities to facilitate fast entry.

      Delete
  3. Hi annie....
    Its weird to see those protecting Khaled Nordin in this case. Kenapelah korang ni. Jadilah manusia bijak. Ini bukan isu politik...ini isu rakyat! Tetapi jika k'jaan tak bendung masalah ini dari awal barulah pembangkang akan ambil kesempatan. Mungkin DAP sdg study cara nak tackle issue sambil tunggu keadaan tambah parah bila harga rumah melambung dan tanah banyak tergadai...baru mereka akan all out attack.

    Leklu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is obvious to all that want to see, that Khaled is just a puppet.

      Delete
  4. RM104 million or USD 32 million is about the price of one Boeing 737-100 with passenger capacity 100 persons. The cost of permanently losing our natural resources and damaging the coastal environment.

    ReplyDelete

  5. re, Everything in the Zone will be international ,

    So Khalid do admit that Johor are being sold off , parts after another .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prepare for UMNO last stand, fittingly in Johor.

      Delete
  6. How much can an eatery in a JB food court be worth?

    One in Singapore was recently old for SD7.4million. http://www.soshiok.com/content/i-regret-buying-eatery

    Johorean businessmen/women, would you like that?

    More foreign participation will spur competition; we'll learn from them; and we will grow.

    Otherwise, we'll be like frogs in a well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just let the environment go. We haven't cared about it for decades, so why start now when it's almost gone anyway? Besides, it takes huge natural resources to support the nature that people support (e.g. Tigers), how much extra usable resources if we just broke this silly mindset and choose an animal with less needs (e.g. Lipas). Mangroves are dirty and stinky. Better to have a nice waterfront with a Starbucks coffee lounge. As for the international zone, it's a great idea. The people in the zone will generate tax for the State in return for a free bohemian lifestyle and gentle laws and with all the troublemakers safely there, laws can be as harsh and oppressive as we like outside the zone. This is a great idea that other states should copy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JB Iskandar will become the playground of foreign agent in disguise of expatriate with fake identity.This place will become heaven for them to run clandestine operation in this East side of the world.Malaysia police and army might not prepare to face this new type of game.Too stupid for the person who running this country which started from Dollah Bedawi and current leader that let the situation became bad to worse.That's why even aeroplane can go missing...Malaysia Boleh..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope the Prime Minister and his cabinet are listening in . . . . who else can we count upon?

      Delete
    2. This blog is one the well frequented sites. I am surprised if PM and his team did not include this in their list monitored sites. But, listening and doing something are two different animals. PM won't touch the chinese. He won't touch the chinese towkays, He dare not touch the royalty. Do you think he will touch the chinese towkays who use the royalty?? He is most likely to issue a general statement about preserving our coastal mangrove swamp.

      Delete
    3. Sultan + taukey > Malaysia gov.

      Where's the democracy Malaysian?

      Delete
  9. Annie

    Ternyata, Kerajaan Johor adalah kerajaan "after the fact", iaitu kerajaan yang membuat keputusan sebelum memikirkan akibat keputusan tersebut dan mengambil tindakan hanya selepas adanya tentangan hebat di atas keputusan itu.

    Wurawari

    ReplyDelete
  10. Macam off the cuff decision.....Tampa fikir long term effect....brilliant kah !!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Why all the fuss lah? You all choose the present government. You all accept to "bernaung di bawah payung mahkota", You muslim join all the doa kesejahteraan pemimpin every friday. You might as well bend over and offer you backside as well. It's the same. The have been doing it since time immemorial.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On our side we can still criticize our leaders, unlike you all who think that your father and son of Lim Dynasty can do no wrong and criticisms against them by DAP members not tolerated.

      Delete
    2. Forget about the Lims. Voters shifted to them because BN, especially MCA, had been shitting on them. What the country need is a new party that will adhere to the spirit of reconciliation post May 13, not sorely focus on enriching themselves, their families and croonies.

      Delete
  12. Annie. Why r u so negative on johor. I m a johorian also. But I dont condemns my state. After all this is a reclaimef land. Do not exist before.
    As long ss these foreigners sre not given citizenship who cares.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esa, your thoughts are of uneducated mind. Here we are straining ourselves to stress on the survival of the Malays, Johor soveriegnty and the Chinesation of Johor and you come by to state that there is nothing wrong. Pening kepala macam ni. Melayu bodoh!

      Delete
    2. Anon 23:29

      Boss - could you please pay some attention to your grammar and spelling?

      Righteous emotion doesn't entitle you to play fast and loose with the English language.

      Wah, lau - you hit all the "trigger points": " survival of the Malays", "Johor soveriegnty(sic) and "Chinesation(sic) of Johor".

      Bravo! Such clear-headed " perspicacity" is rare in Malaysia.

      Now, let's see you come up with the solutions to the problems in Johor.

      Surely, that isn't too much to ask, is it?

      But bear this mind - no one owes Johor and Johoreans a living.

      It's not as if the state has natural resources galore that are ripe for exploitation.

      So, how does it make it's way in the modern world? Sijori? "Shenzhen" to Singapore? Or a brave new economy based on skills and information?

      Delete
  13. Don't blame the Cina, it is the Malay who screw up their own Malay with the consent of highest authority.

    ReplyDelete
  14. "The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the Kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their Families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their own Selves. Wishing to cultivate their own selves, they first rectified their Hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be Sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their Knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the Investigation of things."
    [Confucius in "The Great Learning"]

    Well done Ms. Annie, you've set us on the path of investigation of things. Let us all now check our own hearts for sincerity of purpose.

    ReplyDelete
  15. RE: "You all rakyat can cry blood, and they wouldn't give a shit."

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gevaR8KTeA0

    ReplyDelete
  16. Why not Johor MB make a man-made island somewhere between Johor and Sumatera and turn into an international enclave for the rich and famous. Then can have their own sultan too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Mamat ni reminded me of that ex MB of Selangor, that Khir Toyo fella. Anyway nothing is going happen to these people la. Not with our lame duck PM. Who knows? Maybe his family also has a finger in the pie?

    ReplyDelete