At 25, Ahmad Fauzan Hatim Abd Latif led a lavish lifestyle.
He owned a Nissan Skyline R35, Porsche Cayenne, a Mercedes-Benz CLA 200, loved motorsports and often travelled to Europe for holidays.
However, the eldest son of Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Abd Latif Bandi was among five individuals nabbed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Friday over allegations of graft.
Also nabbed were Abd Latif’s special officer Muhammad Idzuan Jamalludin, also in his 20s, a lawyer, two businessmen and another individual.
More civil servants, including ranking officers, were expected to be picked up soon.
I'm glad that they are finally doing something about this whole nonsense in Kota Iskandar.
I have been bitching about it since those early days.
This is one of those bitching postings I wrote on Jan 17, 2014 -
WARKAH TERBUKA YB TAN SRI DATO' HJ MUHYIDDIN HJ MOHD YASSIN BUAT DYMM TUANKU SULTAN JOHOR
Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Terlebih dahulu patik merafak sembah memohon jutaan keampunan daripada Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku di atas warkah patik yang tidak sepertinya ini. Patik terpaksa menjawab secara terbuka titah Tuanku mengenai patik yang telah dibuat secara terbuka dan pada hemat patik telah sedikit sebanyak mencemar nama baik patik. Walaupun Tuanku tidak menamakan patik secara khusus dalam titah tersebut, tetapi ramai pihak mentafsir bahawa patiklah yang Tuanku maksudkan.
Bukanlah niat patik untuk menderhaka kepada Tuanku dengan menulis warkah ini secara terbuka. Niat patik hanyalah untuk membersihkan nama baik patik yang kini telah dilihat sebagai seorang yang angkuh dan sombong sepertimana yang telah dititah oleh Tuanku.
Tuanku sendiri tahu bahawa patik tidak pernah bersikap angkuh dan sombong terhadap Tuanku. Ketika patik menjadi Menteri Besar Johor dan Tuanku adalah Pemangku Raja, hubungan kita amat akrab. Banyak hal-hal berkaitan pemerintahan negeri yang Tuanku kongsikan dengan patik dan patik telah mengurus Negeri Johor menjadi antara negeri termaju di Malaysia waktu itu. Hal ini telah diketahui umum dan tercatat dalam rekod negara.
Seingat patik, tidak pernah berlaku di zaman patik menjadi Menteri Besar, kerajaan negeri Johor tidak mempunyai wang yang cukup untuk membayar gaji kakitangan awam. Perbelanjaan diurus secara berhemah dan kerajaan negeri tidak berhutang atau meminjam utk membayar gaji.
Sebaliknya patik telah menubuhkan Tabung Amanah Warisan Johor di mana wang pampasan pembinaan Empangan Linggui berjumlah lebih RM300 juta yang diterima oleh Kerajaan Negeri Johor telah dimasukkan ke dalam tabung ini untuk kegunaan generasi akan datang. Kerajaan negeri Johor sebenarnya mempunyai lebihan wang untuk dibelanjakan. Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Negeri Johor juga adalah antara perbadanan kemajuan ekonomi negeri yang paling berjaya.
Ekonomi negeri Johor tumbuh pesat pada kadar purata 6.7% dari tahun 1991-1995. Dalam tempoh yang sama, pendapatan isi rumah kasar bulanan meningkat dari RM1,152 kepada RM2,138 dan kadar kemiskinan juga berjaya dikurangkan daripada 9.8% kepada 3.1%. Ini menunjukkan bahawa rakyat negeri Johor telah menikmati kemajuan ekonomi yang pesat sewaktu patik menjadi Menteri Besar.
Patik juga telah menangani masalah perpecahan Melayu Johor dengan menganjurkan perhimpunan Melayu Johor. Krisis pindaan perlembagaan tahun 1993 yang melibatkan soal imuniti Raja-Raja Melayu juga ditangani dengan baik.
Ketika patik menjadi Menteri Besar, patik telah menjalin kerjasama yang baik dengan pegawai kerajaan dan rakyat. Urusan negeri dijalankan tanpa campurtangan dari pihak luar termasuk Istana. Waktu itu Almarhum Tuanku Sultan Iskandar tidak mencampuri perjalanan Kerajaan Negeri atau terlibat secara langsung dalam politik atau perniagaan. Patik jalankan semua urusan pentadbiran negeri berdasarkan dasar-dasar yang memberi faedah kepada rakyat.
Tidak ada tanah negeri Johor yang terlepas milikan secara kekal ke tangan warganegara asing. Tanah-tanah yang dipindah milik kepada para pelabur asing untuk tujuan pelaburan dalam bidang perindustrian waktu itu hanyalah berstatus pegangan pajak (leasehold). Apabila tempoh pajakan berakhir, tanah-tanah tersebut perlu diserah semula kepada kerajaan. Tidak ada tanah yang tergadai kepada warga asing.
Sebaliknya, pembangunan yang pesat dalam bidang perindustrian telah berjaya menyumbangkan kemakmuran serta impak positif yang signifikan kepada ekonomi negeri Johor keseluruhannya. Malah ianya telah berjaya membuka peluang pekerjaan kepada bukan saja rakyat Johor tetapi juga kepada rakyat Malaysia di negeri lain yang berhampiran.
Pada waktu itu, kerjasama dengan Kerajaan Pusat di bawah pimpinan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad begitu akrab dan peruntukan yang banyak dicurahkan untuk memajukan negeri Johor. Patik juga diberi kebenaran untuk mengadakan hubungan kerjasama dengan Singapura secara langsung kerana sedar tentang begitu pentingnya Kerajaan Johor bekerjasama dengan Singapura bagi faedah rakyat negeri Johor.
Malahan selepas patik berhijrah ke Kuala Lumpur dan menjawat jawatan Menteri Pusat, negeri Johor senantiasa diberikan perhatian dan layanan yang adil. Patik masih ingat, ketika patik menjawat jawatan Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Tuanku baru sahaja ditabalkan menjadil Sultan, Tuanku menitahkan patik supaya menasihati Tuanku tentang bagaimana untuk memajukan lagi negeri Johor. Patik dengan amat berbesar hati menjunjung titah Tuanku.
Bilakah patik dikatakan angkuh dan sombong?
Patik dikatakan angkuh dan sombong selepas patik tidak lagi berada di dalam kerajaan setelah dipecat dari jawatan Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Timbalan Presiden UMNO kerana menentang kemungkaran yang dilakukan oleh Najib.
Patik masih ingat sewaktu patik mengadap Tuanku selepas dipecat di waktu itu pun Tuanku menyatakan simpati dengan apa yang berlaku terhadap patik. Nyata, Tuanku murka dengan perlakuan Najib yang menyingkir patik.
Patik dikatakan angkuh dan sombong selepas patik menegur penjualan hartanah berstatus hak milik kekal di Forest City kepada warganegara asing atas sebab mempertahan kedaulatan negeri dan negara.
Apa yang patik lakukan selama ini adalah semata-mata untuk mempertahankan rakyat dan negara daripada kerosakan yang sedang dilakukan oleh Najib. Jika patik dikatakan angkuh dan sombong hanya semata-mata kerana patik berjuang menegakkan kebenaran dan menentang kemungkaran demi membela kepentingan rakyat dan negara, maka biarlah rakyat yang membuat penilaian.
Akhirnya, patik sekali lagi merafak sembah memohon keampunan daripada Tuanku di atas warkah patik yang tidak sepertinya ini. Patik sentiasa mendoakan kesejahteraan Tuanku dan mudah-mudahan negeri Johor sentiasa dilimpahi rahmat kemajuan, keamanan dan kemakmuran di bawah naungan Tuanku.
Amin ya rabbal alamin.
TAN SRI DATO' HJ MUHYIDDIN HJ MOHD YASSIN
26 Februari 2017
My friend asked what I think of the letter, upon which I said Muhyiddin was actually challenging the Sultan.
True, he's using all the correct words to show he was not doing so, but the fact that it's an open letter for everyone to read is actually a challenge to the Johor ruler.
It has the same effect as this blog post by statesman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,
Basically, Muhyiddin, as was Dr Mahathir, were pointing out in public that the Sultan of Johor was not telling the truth.
Personally, I don't think that's the right way to do it, especially for Muhyiddin who is a Johorean.
Furthermore, the Sultan's offending words against him were just these,
“In the past, the state government had no money to pay salaries, but today the state has billions in reserves.
“This success is possible because of my good relationship with the current MB, who is unlike the two previous MBs, who were arrogant and only listened to the federal government,” he said at the opening of a gallery in honour of the heroes of Bukit Kepong during the Emergency, in Muar, Johor.
Honestly, I'm still quite okay with Dr Mahathir responding to the Sultan because he had to bare the full brunt of the Sultan's wrath.
Muhyiddin's response, however, appeared to be a bit unnecessary.
Personally, I think he should cut the Sultan some slack and let him says what he wants in support of current Johor MB DS Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
After all, the Sultan said "unlike the two previous MBs", which means Muhyiddin was not alone.
He got TS Abdul Ghani Othman in the same boat.
Muhyiddin and Ghani when they were slightly younger. The two guys were classmates at Muar High School.
My friend who sent me the Muhyiddin's open letter actually asked me (in my capacity as a Ghani's big fan) whether the guy would like to issue a statement too in response to the Sultan,
"Ghani tak nak jawab ke?" he asked via Wassap.
In response, I wrote something which made him laugh.
This is another part of our Wassap conversation,
kat*
Of course Ghani would not say anything to embarrass the Sultan in the eyes of the people.
The Ghani that I know would rather bear the Sultan's harsh words without saying anything.
Okay, maybe he may grumble a bit in private, but that's about it.
For better or worse, Ghani is still a Johorean.
I believe he would not go against the Sultan just because of remarks such as those uttered by His Highness that day.
I don't think he wants to do that just because he felt slighted by what the Sultan said about himself.
You can also read this previous post if you hadn't already,
Rokcybru bukan sahaja mempunyai kepakaran kewartawanan dari segi membaling batu sembunyi tangan dengan mendakwa fikirannnya sebagai datang dari orang lain tetapi juga dari segi kejuaraan makan dedak keperingkat mentahkedarah sehingga busuk muntahnya menyebabkan orang menjauhkan diri darinya.
Judging by the choice of words, there's no doubt that former information minister TS Zainuddin Maidin (Zam), who is also a Tokoh Wartawan Negara is very angry with Rocky.
Better days
In my opinion, Rocky should know Zam better not to make him angry like that when he posted this,
Then a reporter from the news portal Malaysian Digest called me up for my comments. Damn. I was hoping I didn't have to comment on what Zam had written on his Twitter but a fellow journalist is asking me what I thought of Zam's tweets?
Well, to put it simply, and speaking as journalist, I was ashamed.
This is the recipient of the 2006 Tokoh Wartawan Negara (Eminent Journalist) award that we are talking about, I told the Digest.
Rocky should know that Zam doesn't take that kind of criticism very well.
And Rocky should also know that it's not out of the ordinary for the guy to tweet such as this,
Rocky should just let Zam be the way he is.
I know that it's not nice to link the JB bicycle tragedy which killed eight kids with the agenda to topple PM DS Najib Razak, but that's just typical of things these days.
Well, maybe Rocky sorts of lost his cool when he saw that tweet by Zam.
After all, he tends to overly care about that sorts of things.
Everyone who really knows Rocky would agree that the guy almost never lose his temper or say/write something in anger.
The guy also never impose his opinion on others, as far as I'm concerned.
I really owe him a lot, yet he never asked me to write anything that I disagree with, let alone angry if I say or write something contrary to his opinions.
See, I'm not even afraid to put such a headline for this post which blame him for the whole thing.
I know he would be cool about it.
Well, whatever it is, I don't think Rocky was being too harsh that Zam had to respond the way he did.
I mean, the words that Zam used was rather extreme.
Still, as I said, Zam is Zam.
Rocky should just let him be and let the public decide what to make of his tweets and blog postings.
The whole thing actually reminds me of a quarrel I had with a very famous blogger sometimes back.
It went something like this:
Annie : Sis, you shouldn't say Umno members who disagree with the party leadership must be expelled. That's because they are still loyal to Umno itself and will vote for BN in the election.
Very famous blogger : You are stupid. You are a Trojan Horse. You are a paid DAP cybertrooper. I'm going to expose you. You bitch.
Annie : Okay lah, at least I'm not smelly.
Isn't it a bit similar to this Rocky versus Zam thing?
A bit cute eh :)
Anyway, personally, I think what really made Zam very angry was the part where Rocky mentioned his 2006 Tokoh Wartawan Negara award.
At first I didn't get it because Rocky seemed to be holding back something, which is typical of him about being proper and not rude.
But Big Dog in his latest posting went all out as usual and made it plain what it was all about,
If memory serves us right, he received the MPI award in 2006when he was still serving as the Cabinet Minister in charge of information, where media and press are answerable to him. It is irony for the statement he was quoted by Bernama against his gutter tweets, upon the tragedy for the teenagers cycling at Mahmoodiah, Johor Bahru a week ago. It is also believed that the Information Ministry then provided the organisation which gave him the award a substantial grant. The fact that as a serving Minister, he was willing to receive an award for an industry he had power of supervision and control itself demonstrated his moral values.
Of course Zam hit back at Big Dog in his latest posting,
"I don't think Ghani wants me to defend him on this one. I'm quite sure he doesn't want anyone to end up getting in trouble because of him," I answered.
Well, I think Ghani's track record as the longest serving Johor MB (18 years) should suffice to defend him.
You can just type "Ghani" at the search section of this blog to read the archive of what I think of Ghani as Johor MB or even in his current position as Sime Darby chairman.
Personally, as I put it in past postings, I believe all current development projects in Johor, except those such as Forest City were initiated during Ghani's time as Johor MB.
Don't take my word for it.
You all can check them yourself.
From Iskandar Malaysia, Petronas' Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex, all the way to the building of more affordable houses and Sekolah Agama Johor.
You all decide for yourself whether I'm right or wrong about Ghani.
and told myself to be extra careful with what I want to write in future.
I don't know what exactly that the teenager wrote but this is how it was described in that Bernama report,
This follows a police report made by a member of the public on Monday in connection with a Facebook posting calling on the people, especially cycling youths, to gather and seek an audience with Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar as well as meet the police.
According to Wan Ahmad Najmuddin, the spread of the statement could threaten the nation’s harmony and wellbeing.
Okay, I guess for one thing, I better not write anything about "gather and seek an audience with Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar as well as meet the police" if I'm not happy about anything.
I really don't fancy ending up in a police lock up for such things.
Even if later on I'm not found guilty of anything, I don't think I want to risk spending a few nights in the lock-up.
Never been in one, but I believe it's not going to be a nice experience.
Well, the law is the law and we better abide by it.
Don't simply write anything that crosses our mind.
I really need to caution myself over that as I do that quite a lot.
Simply write one.
Anyway, I hope the police will not be too hard on the teenager.
Maybe the boy was just venting out his frustration over the death of the other teenagers in the tragedy.
Sounded like he needs a counsellor rather than jail time for what he wrote.
Still on the JB bicycle tragedy, I received this comment at my previous post which I want to share in this post with you all.
I think it may help us understand a bit more as to why teenagers such as the ones who died in the tragedy did what they did, and what we should do to help them.
I polished it a bit to make it easier to read and I hope the writer doesn't mind it too much.
Usually, its the vehicle that is racing or running at a high rate of speed. Here we have a group of boys racing on bicycles at night. So even if the driver was following all rules of the road, there is nothing that could prevent this tragedy from eventually happening. Also, taking into account that it was around 3 a.m, therefore its dark and I highly doubted that the boys had head lights.
The other factor is that, since the bikes were moving at a high rate of speed down a hill, they would not be able to brake to avoid the car.
One thing that all the above factors I have noted have in common is that it added to the thrill of the race for the boys.
They have nothing compared to the next class up (teens from families of higher income group).
In the past, as a child was growing up, he may encountered another that is very rich and has all the toys provided by his/her parents' wealth. Or, maybe he saw it (such wealth) on t.v. But, for the most part, the people in his community are within the same income and wealth range (as his family).
The way I saw it happened is that these groups of kids that have nothing compared themselves to all the people who are moving in to live around their community, whose kids have what appear to be all the toys, joys and devices of a good life.
If that was not enough, these new groups of kids that have more than them appeared to be arrogant, self centered and actually follow in their own parents' foot steps in their actions such as belittling the poor kids and making sure the poor group know they are poor and in not so many words - they stick it to them.
So, in order to avoid the pain, the kids that are poor would avoid any contact with these people and if they are in school they will not stay back when they were supposed to be involved in sports activities or something to do in the community
They would come up with all sorts of excuses as to why they don't want to stay back (and get involved in such activities).
They would find other like-minded friends and together as a group they start to hate the grown-ups, not only among the other more wealthy group but also those from among themselves.
They actually hate themselves and their life or maybe they even hate being alive.
These type of thrill bike races have elements of extreme social desires for the kids. The races are dangerous and other kids had died before for taking part in them. So, the kids look at it as a way out. By doing such things, a kid feels that he is part of something, and that he is somebody at that moment, where he truly and honestly in his mind does not care if he dies.
He felt that his life is worth nothing and he has nothing.
Even though it all appears bleak and dark, the one thing the event does for the kid is that it gives him a desire to be what he wants, a pleasure to fantasy about, a social platform to talk with the other kids who are part of the bike racing gang.
The people in charge of the government will do nothing. Maybe they will send the police out to round up all the boys and take their bicycles away. But that is actually a wrong move.
Instead, a park or an area needs to be developed that is equal to or if not, some what better than what is on the other side of the city where the wealthy kids go to hang out.
These kids need a system to be put in place to make them feel good about themselves.
They need to be given a platform to compete and social recognition.
Money will have to be spent.
However, I don't think this would happen as I've seen this time and time again where the officials would rather give money to a project that will increase tourists at the local eating establishments or hotels or anything that will bring in more money or help the business owners who don't even live in the community (where the kids live).
The bike races, if it is ever to be stopped, will be done in a way that would leave the boys with absolutely nothing.
It will be done in a way that will make the boys think lower of themselves and the community they live in.
The next step will be the boys' consideration of joining a criminal gang.
That I think is brutal honesty.
I even believe that the commenter is one of the youths.
You all may disagree with what he wrote but that I believe is a voice of kids such as those who died in the tragedy.
Maybe he wrote the comment to express his grief over the passing of his fellow youths in the tragedy.
Maybe.
Maybe it's the same with the other teenager who was detained by police for what he wrote.
Sigh.
Whatever it is, I think we need to be more compassionate.
The guy was not rude at all despite totally disagreeing with Dr Mahathir on the future of Proton.
In fact, he was very courteous, which to me is very important when addressing an elder, especially so in the case of someone like Dr Mahathir.
The guy also stated his arguments clearly and without being emotional.
I think even Dr Mahathir can appreciate his arguments even though he would most likely disagree with the young man.
Well, I'm quite sure Dr Mahathir would at least read the letter if he comes across it....and more importantly he would not likely get angry because of it.
Whatever it is, the main thing is that Hazeri, by being proper, managed to convey his opinion to an audience that include those from the middle ground or even the other side of the political fence.
Whether the audience will later on agree with his opinion is secondary.
At least he would not be shut off by the more reasonable section of the audience before he could even open his mouth.
Of course, the more extreme ones may not even consider his opinion because he is not in the same boat as them, but I believe those are in the minority.
I also believe that things would not have become as bad as it is now if the team of PM DS Najib Razak had handled Dr Mahathir's grouses the way Hazeri did from the very start of the whole nonsense.
What to do....no point talking about it.
It's just too bad things turned out the way it is now.
Too many big headed idiotic pricks running the show on Najib's side.
Well, actually it's the same on Dr Mahathir's side too these days.
Too many opportunists with personal agenda running around.
Still, I think it's better to handle Dr Mahathir's unhappiness the way Hazeri did.
You can disagree with the old man but should do so without hurting his feelings too much.
That's the best way.
Of course, keeping our ego in check is very important in this case.
Otherwise it wouldn't work.
Really. I actually came across those who think that the whole thing is about who can outshout the others.
They think the one who could insult the other more or louder will win the fight.
Isn't that as idiotic as it can get?
Guys, that's just your ego la....and of course the need to showcase your loyalty to the boss.
But that's all there is to it, okay.
It's really not going to improve things or win over support to your side.
People just get pissed off by such crass behaviour.
That's the fact.
Think about it.
Okay, I'm very sleepy now.
So, that's all.
Note: You can also read about this matter at Rocky's
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said Madinah would take over from Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, who will retire on Feb 22.
Ali said Madinah’s appointment was in accordance with the Federal Constitution, and consented by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong upon the advice of the prime minister, after consulting the Conference of Rulers.
but
He said Madinah, 60, has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), a Master's degree in Human Resource Development, and a Doctorate degree in Human Resource Management from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
It's quite clear that she's not a chartered accountant,
A friend who is more knowledgeable than me in these sorts of matters pointed to me that Section 22 and 23 of the Accountant Act 1967 (Revised 1972) stated,
22. No person shall unless he is registered as a chartered accountant under this Act and has his principal or only place of residence within Malaysia--
(a) practise or hold himself out as a chartered accountant, auditor, tax consultant, tax adviser or any other like description;
(b) adopt, use or exhibit the terms "chartered accountant", "auditor", "tax consultant", "tax adviser" or any other term of like description; or
(c) adopt, use or exhibit the term "accountant" or any other term of like description in such circumstances as to indicate or to be likely to lead persons to infer that he is a chartered accountant or that he is qualified by any written law to practise the profession of or is in practise as a chartered accountant:
Provided that nothing in this section shall operate to prevent an advocate or any person authorised under any other law for the time being in force in Malaysia from carrying on the work of a tax consultant or a tax adviser.
23. No person shall unless he is registered under this Act and has his principal or only place of residence within Malaysia--
(a) practise or hold himself out as a licensed accountant or an associate member;
(b) adopt, use or exhibit the terms "licensed accountant" or "an associate member"; or
(c) adopt, use or exhibit the term "accountant" or any other term of like description in such circumstances as to indicate or to be likely to lead persons to infer that he is a licensed accountant or an associate member.
And Section 26 of the same Act stated that
26. Any person contravening section 22 or 23 shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and on a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
So how?
Unless my friend got it wrong, this appointment is actually illegal.
And if it's wrong, we have to say that it is wrong.
Why can't they get a proper chartered accountant for the job?
The law seems clear that only a chartered accountant can be an auditor, and I believe that should cover the Auditor General post as well.
I think the Chief Secretary to the Government has to answer this.
The anti-Najib people are already making noises over this appointment.
I don't care what they say about Madinah being the wife of an Umno division chief and such, but a clarification is needed on the legality of the appointment.
So, I think Ali Hamsa needs to hurry up a bit with the explanation.
which I wrote on May 12 2014 at the height of campaigning for the Telok Intan by-election.
It's good that a lot of people are concerned about the tragedy where eight kids were killed early that morning.
It also made me conclude that Malaysians are still very much concerned about social issues instead of just being preoccupied with political nonsense.
Hopefully, such awareness will help makes our society better and prevent the tragedy from ever happening again.
However, I have to admit that I was a bit disturbed by some of the comments that I received for that posting.
I really feel that it's not right to turn the whole thing into a blame game and the vilification of anyone, especially the kids who died in the tragedy.
Compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
I fear that many of us have lost this. Compassion is not only for those who are baik. But more so for those yang tergelincir. Remember Allah SWT is Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem,the Most Compassionate and Most Merciful. He doesn't leave His hamba despite them being thankless. He opens the door of His mercy to whomever He pleases. For Allah Ta'ala is Al-Fattah. May Allah Ta'ala forgive us (for) our arrogance. May His infinite Mercy be upon those who have passed on and their families. And us all. Ameen Ya Rabb.
Hani Sophea
Is it so necessary to always pin a blame on someone for everything bad that happened?
Shouldn't we instead think of solutions which may prevent such tragedies from happening and seriously implement them?
You all also probably asked who are these kids roaming the streets on bicycles in the dead of the night and why did their parents do nothing to stop them.
Many of us probably had even passed judgement on these kids and their parents.
Bad kids, useless parents.
But I think we should know these kids and their parents much better if we want to really know why and how things happened leading to the tragedy.
Bernama has a story of one of them,
ONE OF EIGHT TEENAGERS KILLED IN ACCIDENT SOLD PUDDINGS
JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 18 (Bernama) -- One of the eight teenagers, Mohd Azhar Amir, who was killed when a car ploughed into a group of cyclists here early this morning, was a quiet boy and enjoyed helping his elder brother sell puddings. According to his mother Shabariah Yusof, 49, her son often went out with his friends at 11 pm after helping his brother sell puddings at Kampung Senibong. "He would only go out cycling with friends after helping his brother. I don't know where they went but he usually came back after 3 am.
"I found out about the accident when his friends came back and told me about it," she said in a choked voice when met by reporters in front of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) Forensic Department here today. Mohd Azhar, 16, was eighth of 10 siblings and went to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Permas Jaya 3.
Meanwhile, his elder brother, Khainurizam Amir, 33, said he had often told his brother not to get involved in the cycling activity. "I have told him on numerous occasions not to get involved in the activity but children can be stubborn. He would leave the house on the quiet when friends beckoned and we hear from others when something happens," he said. In the incident at 3 am, eight male teenagers were killed while eight others were injured, two critically, when a car ploughed into their bicycles in Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, near the Mahmoodiah Cemetery near here.
Bernama stories are not always the best because sometimes they lack details, but based on this one, the deceased boy and his family apparently lived in Kampong Senibong where he and his brother sold puddings.
It's a fishermen village of about 400 people famous for its seafood restaurants.
If I'm not mistaken, the village is about 100 years old.
It's one of several remaining traditional Malay villages in the rapidly developing JB.
Many of the inhabitants of these villages are squatters.
Almost all of them are from the lower income group.
The seafood restaurants in their village mostly belong to rich people from elsewhere.
Based on the story of the tragedy, all of the victims are Malay teenagers and I believe they came from the same background as Mohd Azhar whose story was highlighted by Bernama.
I'm actually quite familiar with the condition of the Malay villages in JB.
Some are good but many are not so conducive for growing up kids.
It's the conditioning of the kids living in those villages which I believe led them to indulge in activities leading to the tragedy that happened this morning.
I learnt that the night cycling of the kids is called "main lajak". They raced each other on modified bicycles down the hill from Mahmoodiah to a spot near Jalan Skudai every weekend nights or early morning.
It's probably the only form of outdoor entertainment they were interested in and could afford.
True, the parents were partly to be blamed for letting their kids getting involved in such a dangerous activity, but kids of that age and living in such an environment as where they lived were hard to control.
Bear in mind that the villages where these kids lived are in the midst of the rapidly developing JB. Villages such as Kampung Senibong are surrounded by high rise luxury apartments such as Senibong Cove.
It's likely hard for them to cope with peer pressure and the need to keep up with things around them.
The kids, who were mostly from poor families may felt out of place in their surroundings and struggling to adapt, leading to them getting involved in social ills such as the one leading to the tragedy.
Whatever it is, hopefully those in power can do something to help people such as the families of the unfortunate kids.
Surely something can be done. Maybe if their welfare could be cared better, they would manage to improve themselves and live better lives than now.
Maybe they could be helped to live in more conducive environment.
We can't just say - Too bad, you can't adapt, you get out.
We are humans after all....and we live in Malaysia, and not some poor third world countries, okay.
Note (Feb 23 2017) :
There have been several requests for me to take down pictures of the victims' identity cards.
I want to clarify here that I decided to publish them because I don't want the kids who died in this tragedy to become faceless victims that everyone will soon forget.
It's in no way meant to disrespect them or their families.
The kids were real human beings who lost their life in an accident which we can learn not to repeat.
The memory of them should stay with us.
However, after careful considerations, I decided to grant those requests because I don't want to cause discomfort to any quarter.
Still, least we forget, these are the kids who died in the tragedy :
I was telling myself that it looks like the BN government has not given up on the Chinese.
Good lah that way.
I also almost gave up on them, but only later on realised that it's wrong to give up on those who are part of us.
For better or worse, people who disappoint us are still part of us.
We should not give up on them.
Just because the Chinese didn't support the government yesterday, doesn't mean they will not support the government tomorrow.
Kipidap, dongibap....as they say these days :)
You just can't throw the Chinese into the sea, okay.
They are Malaysians too.
Well, today there's the RUU355 gathering at Padang Merbok in KL.
It aims to gather 200,000 people, which is about the same size as the chingay event in JB last night.
It's supposed to menyatu padu kan umat Melayu dan Islam.
The agenda is to further empower the Syariah courts to the same level as the normal courts.
Though denied by the organisers, it's definitely a Pas' event.
If successful, I believe it will pave the way for bigger things than just empowering syariah courts.
I believe it will pave the way for the implementation of hudud in this country and Pas becoming the dominant political party representing the majority Malay Muslim community.
No need for Umno after this. Unlike Pas, Umno can't promise paradise.
That's why I can't help laughing when some Umno people said they support RUU355.
Well, if that happens, then good luck to the Malay Muslims and the rest of Malaysians.
I'm migrating to Japan, okay :)
Hey, you all can make the RUU355 gathering an annual event like the chingay procession and get it the national and world heritage status too.
That would be nice, eh.
Okay, this is a video of the Chingay procession in case you all are wondering what it was all about,
Everyone thought the Chinese are going to get everything in this country.
Me too.
But apparently not so.
The fight is apparently still on for the High Speed Rail (HSR) project between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
The Japanese are apparently still not giving up.
I was actually happy when I read this news by The Japan Times earlier this morning,
Japan makes shinkansen safety pitch in bid for Malaysia-Singapore rail contract
KUALA LUMPUR – Japan pitched its safety record to Malaysia at a high-speed rail symposium Friday as it plays catch-up with China in chasing a lucrative project to link Kuala Lumpur with Singapore by train.
The symposium, hosted for the second year in a row by the Japanese government, was attended by Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai and Japan’s Junzo Yamamoto, a senior vice minister in the transport ministry.
“Safety is the biggest characteristic of the shinkansen,” Yamamoto said in his speech at the symposium, “It has maintained an impeccable record with zero fatalities in its 50 years of operation.”
In a news conference later, he said Japan has agreed to collaborate with Malaysia’s regulator, the Land Public Transport Commission of Malaysia, better known by its Malay acronym SPAD, to develop the railway sector.
“We will be enhancing in terms of capacity-building, sharing of best practices and other areas of cooperation through collaboration between universities and research institutes, training in Japan as well as dispatch of experts to Malaysia,” he said.
After the symposium, Yamamoto held talks with Malaysian officials led by SPAD Chairman Syed Hamid Albar and MyHSR Corp Sdn. Bhd. Chief Executive Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal.
MyHSR is the developer and asset owner of the ambitious project that was first announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsieng Loong in February 2013.
The rail line would stretch about 350 km along the west coast of the Malay Peninsula from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and have an estimated travel time of about 90 minutes.
A memorandum of understanding between the two governments is expected to be inked by middle of this year, to be followed by a more binding bilateral agreement later, before a tender can be called, which some news reports said could be in the first quarter of 2017.
While the governments are ironing out the kinks, competition is heating up among the favorites, China and Japan, for a contract unofficially estimated to be worth between $10 billion and $18 billion.
On the surface, China appears to be leading the race.
If in the 1980s and ’90s, Japan stamped its mark on every major project in Malaysia under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s “Look East” policy, today it’s China.
Some of its high-profile projects include the $1.1 billion Second Penang Bridge and the $2 billion Gemas-Johor Baru electric double-track rail.
In the rail sector, some 80 percent of Malaysia’s rolling stock is supplied by China Railway Rolling Stock Corp., which opened a $97 million manufacturing plant in northern Perak state last year.
But what many felt would tip the scale in China’s favor was when another state-owned company, China Railway Group Ltd., which is eyeing the HSR project, together with its local partner Iskandar Waterfront Holdings, acquired a 60 percent stake in Bandar Malaysia, a new 486-acre commercial and residential development in the city center where the proposed HSR terminal will be located on the Malaysia end.
They bought it last December from debt-laden state-investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad for 7.41 billion ringgit ($1.82 billion).
Three months later, China Railway Group Ltd. announced plans to invest $2 billion for a regional center in Bandar Malaysia that it hoped would give it an edge over rivals bidding for the HSR project.
“Our regional center is here, not our competitors. We find resources together with our local developer in infrastructure . . . I cannot find (anyone) who can match us,” General Manager Cai Zemin told reporters after a grand ceremony to unveil their investment plan that was attended by Najib.
The China Railway deal with 1MDB came after another Chinese state-owned firm, China General Nuclear Corp., paid over $2.3 billion for 1MDB’s power assets.
The sales of the power assets and Bandar Malaysia were part of 1MDB’s strategy to pare down a massive debt estimated at 50 billion ringgit as of this January.
1MDB is under investigation at home and abroad for possible fraud and money laundering. A parliamentary inquiry had found questionable dealings and unexplained outflows of funds ranging in the billions of dollars.
The scandal has become a millstone around the neck of Najib, who chairs the 1MDB advisory board. He is under pressure to resign.
Transportation consultant Goh Bok Yen believed Najib may feel indebted to China for bailing out 1MDB.
“China saves 1MDB, China saves Najib,” he told Kyodo News, “Today they come in, they throw in money. Stage one, they are in the forerun . . . China is hitting the nail at the right places.”
But he cautioned that since the project also involves Singapore, the sentiment there may not necessarily be pro-China.
MyHSR’s Nur Ismal brushed away talk about China being the front-runner as mere speculation. He said all bids will be evaluated fairly.
Besides Japan and China, others who have expressed interest in the high-speed rail project are from South Korea and Europe.
I hope the Japanese get the project.
I'm just not comfortable with the Chinese getting every project in the country.
It's just not strategically wise to let that happens.
Anyway, I always prefer the Shinkansen for the HSR as I posted here,
Another thing is that, if the Japanese get this project, people can't say we are selling off the country to the Chinese.
We can say, "Hey, the Japanese got some of it too, what!"
It's good that way, okay.
It shows our country is still good for business too.
Not everything sapu by the Chinese.
As pointed out in the Japan Times article, the Singaporeans may lobby for the Shinkansen too as they would prefer the proven track record, especially on safety.
