Tuesday 29 May 2018

Farewell to Shinkansen dream

So, it has come to this,

Mahathir confirms Malaysia will scrap

 KL-Singapore HSR project 


excerpts;

“We need to do away with some of the unnecessary projects, for example the high-speed rail, which is going to cost us RM110 billion (US$28 billion) and will not earn us a single cent. That will be dropped,” the 92-year-old was quoted as saying to the Financial Times.

With that, I believe projects such as ECRL, Bandar Malaysia, all those ports and exclusive industrial zones to be built by the Chinese will all be cancelled.

Hmmm...that means almost all physical remainders of Najib's administration the past nine years will be wiped out.

Well, it's only fair.

Najib and gang had wanted to wipe out Dr Mahathir's legacy but they lost the fight.  So, they were the ones that got wiped out instead.

Personally, I don't care much about those projects, except the HSR.

I like the idea of having a Shinkansen between KL and Singapore.


Easier for me to visit my relatives there, among other things.

I love traveling by train.

Just like in Japan.

But I guess the current government wanted to save money.

It said the nationaal debt was RM1 trillion.

But of course this was disputed,

Najib criticises how Malaysia's RM1 trillion debt

 is calculated


excerpts;

In a Facebook post on Friday (May 25), Najib said: "I am glad that the finance minister has come clean in his statement yesterday that the official federal government debt remains at 686.8 billion ringgit (US$172.5 billion) (50.8 per cent of the gross domestic product, or GDP) - not 65 per cent or 1 trillion ringgit as previously claimed."
"The level of 50.8 per cent is much lower than the 103.4 per cent reached during the first reign of Tun Mahathir (Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad)," he added.

Hmmm....don't know lah how our new handsome MoF did his calculations. One day like this, another day like that.


Then the former MoF also have his own version like that.

Well, never mind.

Still, I'm actually a bit sad that the HSR project got cancelled.

Hopefully they won't cancel the next phases of the MRT project too just because that was started by Najib.

I think MRT is important to have.

If we can't be connected by rail all over the country, then at least we could do so in KL. Otherwise we will forever be stuck in a third world traffic jam city.



Yes, please don't scrap the next MRT project. 

If they want, I can even delete the part about MRT being started by Najib and say PH started it instead. That's better than getting stuck in jams again.

Sigh....

As for the Shinkansen experience, guess I have to go to Japan again for it.

I kept postponing my trip there.

Well, maybe later this coming autumn.

Someone already offered to belanja me a trip to Tokyo around that time.

I think I'll take it.

Maybe can take the Shinkansen to Sendai again, like last time.

Hopefully this time it will really happen.



Maybe you all want to read these previous posts of mine on Shinkansen;

Japanese trip and Shinkansen


Please let it be the Shinkansen



May the Japanese beat the Chinese on the HSR


Sorts of like a farewell to that dream.

51 comments:

  1. 1. If only the previous PMs after Tun Dr Mahathir follow the plan that has been laid out for them as a foundation for Malaysia to become a well developed country, we would probably have more than a "Shinkansen".

    2. Thanks to Najib and his gang of thieves, the situation with our country now is like we are back to even before Tun Dr Mahathir even PM for the first time. We can only dream of a HSR for now.

    3. Give Tun Dr Mahathir and his wise men/women some space to help clean up all this mess created by the kleptocrats, Najib, Jho Low and their gang of thieves.

    4. Have faith in Tun Dr Mahathir. He is a great leader and he knows what he's doing for this country and the rakyat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1-follow plan - what as if he can see the future? and had that already cover 22 years ago?
      2- thieves? - has anyone of them been jailed yet?
      3- what space? 22 more years? his team is busy playing good cop bad cop..
      4- faith? - he thought he knew what he was getting into, but now he is trapped with pakatan crazy promises that he has to try (atleast) to make it happen..

      and where is partner lim kit siang?
      kasi dia punya balaci buat keja ke?
      dia mandur dr belakang.. tgk mathir

      Delete
    2. Tanah Melayu Kini
      Tunggu bila org tua tu tutup mata nanti.kita sama sama tunggu apa jadi.Skrg Anwar dan kuncu-kuncunya sedang menjalankan perancangan utk menghalang org tua tu dari letak anak dia sebagai penggantinya (do keep in mind his son is also a parliamentarian.Do you think he appointed Azmin as the cabinet minister is for nothing?he has already set the precedent just in case he wants to pull Mukhriz to be the cabinet minister,hence to the center of power).
      Anwar is in better position to plan since he is not burdened to govern the country.
      Prof Kangkung

      Delete
    3. Piala Pengkhianat bangsa,agama dan negara di menanggi oleh bergu dari neraka iaitu Tanah Melayu Kini dan Prof Kangkang.
      What the fuck two of you. What kind of being have you guys turned into.
      Please stop that nonsense. You have been saying stupid comments like your Umngok fellas even before GE14 untill Umngok fell flat. At least some minister aknowledge their mistake for covering up. Look at two of you irrelevant idiot still talking like dedak still pouring in. OMG

      Delete
    4. Skimo Horn...take a chill pill man. No need to get worked up. Its a new Malaysia what. Freedom of speech, expression and all that jazz. Chill out bro.

      Delete
    5. tanah melayu kini...this is so rich...accusing lim kit siang of hiding in the background and make Tun M to work his ass off ! Have you so easily forgotten how the pro Umno bloggers, especially that RPK aka Monster of Manchester aka Kelentong si Botak aka Mabuk Liar had been spinning day in day out prior to the GE14 ? they spun the lies that lim kit siang will be the prime minister if PH won and that the Chinese will rule the country and that Robert Kuok had given DAP RM100 million to ensure the Chinese rule the country and lim kit siang to be the prime minister. Ya la tu, sekarang kan mr lim is the real pm and Tun is just a puppet kan ? Podah la you sekalian....hope your Umno continues with their same same old outdated and arrogant style and perish completely in a couple of years. No such hope of having to reformed strong opposition to keep PH in check. Maybe we should hope for another new party to be formed to replace Umno as an effective opposition.

      Delete
    6. Kepala hotakmu lah,.... biar otak Melayu yang ori dan tajam seperti Tun kendali bencana ahjibgor melayu...

      Delete
  2. Sigh...

    In USA, Trump won by appealing to "Low-Information Voters" - those who are easily duped because they don't bother to understand issues in depth.

    Why was the ECRL mooted?

    It was 100% a scam to cover 1MDB debts.

    The leaked term sheet of the ERCL contract reveals this.

    Total CCCC cost of acquiring all remaining parts of 1MDB and its worthless companies and fund units: USD7.5bn or MYR30 bn.

    Term Sheet, China’s obligations:

    (a) End July, CCCC assumes USD4.78 bn of 1MDB (i.e. 1MDB Energy) debt to IPIC, due between Oct 2016 and 2022.

    (b) Pay on 1MDB’s behalf USD850 mn to IPIC;

    (c) Buys at USD315 mn, two Jho Low-affiliated companies, Loh Corporation Berhad and Putra Perdana Berhad.

    (d) Acquisition of 1MDB Ayer Hitam (Penang land, at USD850 mn, payment to IPIC);

    (e) Acquisition of 1MDB Global Inv. (USD940 mn);

    (f) Acquisition of 1MDB Brazen Sky (USD1.56 bn); and,

    (g) Acquisition of 100% of 1MDB Energy Holdings [Price (a) = USD4.78 bn]

    Those two companies mentioned - Loh Corporation Berhad and Putra Perdana Berhad - are fronts for Jho Low. Who is the chairman of Putra Perdana Berhad? Azeez Baling. These companies are both on the money flow diagram that Apandi held up in the press conference.

    The whole thing was a scam.

    In July 2016, Fadillah Yusof said the ECRL cost would remain RM30 billion as set by govt in 2015, not "pumped up" to RM60 billion to cover up 1MDB debts.

    But then cost was suddenly confirmed as RM55 billion.

    How did the cost go up by RM25 billion in under 6 months?

    Because that RM25 billion was Najib's plan to clear off the massive sums owed to the UAE for his IPIC scam.

    Gali lobang, tutup lobang.

    If we have an east coast railway, let it be based on facts & independent analysis, not because Jho Low and Najib conspired with CCCC (a Chinese company BANNED by the World Bank) to saddle our grandkids with debt just to cover their thefts.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good job bro

      ..nowwhat..

      Delete
    2. "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."
      - Shakespeare

      Delete
  3. Your regret just because you are not able to visit your culai on Spore using HSR....?
    Never thought of debt to be incurred by rakyat?
    Pemikiran lapuk kerajaan dulu.....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Annie, the majority of malaysians don't need HSR. It is extremely expansive.90 percent of the rail will be on malaysian soil while the remainder 10 percent in Singapore. We bare almost the entire cost whilst the benefits are skewed towards Singapore. If you like travelling by train to visit your relatives there we will build one for you, the rest of malaysians who do not visit singapore often will take other mode of transport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous29 May 2018 at 12:58

      You are correct.

      Tun was right, we pay 15 billion to construct it on our side, and reap no benefit.

      We need all our money now. So much wastage done by the Bugis pirate & hippo & konco2 mereka.

      Nak pi S'pore naik AA lah. Even MAS promo fare OK. The HSR would have been very expensive for passengers, anyway.

      Trust Tun's judgement.

      He will do what is RIGHT.

      Delete
    2. Agree with u anon 12:58. Ticket for HSR is going to be too expensive for regular folks unless heavily subsidised. Also, I don't understand how it can be quick if there are too many stops?

      What we need is an upgrade of current train. For starters, can we have direct jb - kl train pls.

      Delete
    3. 500 million kena bayar SG free2 je.. ok ker?

      Delete
    4. Maybe no need. Read here....

      http://www.financetwitter.com/2018/05/mahathir-is-moving-for-the-kill-scraps-rm110-billion-hsr-project-and-theres-nothing-singapore-can-do.html

      Delete
    5. Anon TMK, rule of investment, u don't pour more money on bad investment, u get out right away. Is HSR the best way to spend 110 billion? Who will benefit? Contractors, high end property developers and a few umno cronies. Rakyat biasa yg tanggung hutang mampu tengok je.

      Delete
    6. Tanah Melayu Kini29 May 2018 at 15:51

      So...rugi 15 billion better than rugi 500 million?

      I tabik u bro.

      You should be 1MDB accountant.

      Delete
    7. we are trying to rob from SG their tourist..
      this is what happen between uk and france..
      they who goes to uk, definitely will go to Europe..
      this is what najib's gov trying to do..
      simple future long run, tourist drop at SG and detour to malaysia using this high speed train..
      those come to malaysia, will go to SG..
      so much to gain, its a money making machine..
      as recorded >>
      The overall number of arrivals increased year on year by 6.2 per cent to 17.4 million, while tourism receipts rose by 3.9 per cent to $26.8 billion, according to preliminary estimates released by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Monday (Feb 12).
      26 billion if 10% for malaysia..? how much is tht

      Delete
  5. Adalah benda yg tak kenalah tu..Nak harap Najib, bulat bulat kena kelentong dengan Jho Low..jadi eloklah scrutinise semua projek untuk memastikan Malaysia tidak rugi dalam projek tersebut bila ianya dilaksanakan.

    Betulke orang kuat Johor akan dapat manfaat dari projek tersebut walaupun tidak melabur dalam projek tersebut.Tak patut dan ini mungkin punca kos projek melambung tinggi.

    Berkaitan perbezaan kiraan hutang negara mencecah lebih 1Trillion , LGE mengambil komponen A+B+C sedangkan Najib ambik Komponen A saja .Kedua dua betul.LGE lebih prudent dan telah mengambil kira kos keseluruhan yang perlu ditanggung oleh kerajaan kerana kos B adalah hutang yg diambil oleh anak syarikat kerajaan tapi dijamin oleh kerajaan seperti hutang 1MDB, PFI dan sebagainya dan syarikat telah jatuh muflis.
    Jumlah Najib betul bagi tujuan politik dan credit rating utk menunjukkan hutang negara adalah terkawal .Kalau nak buat budget dan perancangan , cara LGE adalah betul.Dan kalau nak brief credit agency utk mendapat penarafan kredit baru, cara Najib adalah betul.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. masa 1mdb ambik alih Badan Kuasa Pelaburan Terengganu (TIA) Jho Low dah berenti kerja dgn TIA dah pun..
      masa jadi 1mdb dia tk der sangkut kait aper2 pun. adoi
      benda yg simple pun percaya gila2.. simple kot..
      berenti = da tk keja = tader kena mengena = putus

      Delete
  6. sekali air bah sekali pair berubah..

    to me la, HSR is essential, should not be scrapped. demand for its service will always be there for decades to come. after all in the next 100 years, townships will be mushrooming along the proposed,HSR route. it will be a catalyst for rapid development for connecting KL and Singapore. i agree though that ECRL should be cancelled..ROI on it is questionable...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HSR akan matikan klia secara pelahan-lahan , Changi akan jadi major hub utk penerbangan keseluruh dunia.Jangan pelik nanti tiket ke Changi murah kerana dah masukkan sekali dgn tiket penerbangan .
      Kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia nak tengok ke perkara ni terjadi . Hanya orang yang tak cukup fikiran sahaja yang setuju projek HSR ni . Belum lagi dikira dari beban hutang yang kena tanggung , baik perkasa kan rantaian pelabuhan , jajaran keretapi dan jalanraya supaya Malaysia boleh gunakan sepenuhnya pelabuhan sendiri untuk import dan export barang.

      Delete
    2. Sdr Razak, Changi dah pun jadi hub utk penerbangan keseluruh dunia. Changi by far is a much better airport than klia & has more connections.

      Delete
  7. The entire project building (corruption direct tender) could cost RM40 billions + debt repayment could easily balloon into RM100 billions all in all.

    So Malaysian bear 100 billions cost/debt/interest just to cut short and convenient Singaporeans time travelling from Singapore to KL in 1.5 hours.

    With current exchange rate, not many Malaysians want or can afford to travel to Singapore. Only 20% rich Malaysian able to travel, while the debt is borne by all Malaysian inclusive the poor people of Malaysia for people like Annie to enjoy travelling in HSR.

    If I'm negotiator, if Singapore wants it, then bear the cost 50/50 constructions and all.

    ReplyDelete
  8. If HSR makes economic sense, then it should be fully privatised. Govn can better spend taxpayers money by upgrading existing train or embark on double tracking just like in the north.

    I doubt ordinary folk can afford HSR unless subsidised. 1 yr in Tokyo I only took the shinkasen once coz it was very expensive. Tourists actually get a discount on shinkasen except that u have to buy the ticket/ travel pass from outside japan.

    ECRL to me makes even less sense especially when u can fly to kb on daytrip at less than RM150. Expected ticket price has never been disclosed. Will it be less than RM100 for kl-kb? My suspicion, ecrl is just a pretext to access the land & timbers along the route.

    ReplyDelete
  9. mathir just dont want najib's name on anything..
    he just want his name all over malaysia..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TMKini
      What a stupid statement,if what you said is true, why is klia not called mahathir airport.petronas fwin tower not called mahathir tower or north south highway.sepang racing circuit etc etc.

      Delete
    2. Tanah Melayu Kini29 May 2018 at 15:52

      Bandar Mahathir xde.

      Bandar Tun Razak ade.

      Too bad anak Tun Razak killed Umno.


      Delete
    3. Anonymous29 May 2018 at 17:51,

      Najib already has his name on something:

      "Worst Kleptocrat In History."

      Delete
    4. Do you think a 93 years old can think rationally?my father in law is 76 and he is a grumpy old man.
      Prof kangkung

      Delete
    5. Pros Kangkang,

      A 92 (not 93) year old man kicked your fat hippo paymaster out of power, and saved Malaysia.

      Apart from lame comments on LOA, what have you ever done?



      Prof Sawi


      Delete
    6. It's true. Mahathir is unusually sharp for his age. So you can't compare him with an average old man.

      There are people like PKHKC Kangkung who is much younger but thinks and write like a PKHKC that he is.

      So what is the moral of the story? PKHKC will always be PKHKC. He just can't help himself.

      Delete
  10. advise dumbos esp MO1, komedi & annie to keep quiet (not trouble making).
    After dumbos corrupting & songlaping for 9 years, do you expect PH to clean up in 3 weeks it may take 1-2 years to right all the BN wrongs sigh

    ReplyDelete
  11. for mathir..
    is all about making money..
    quote "...and will not earn us a single cent.."
    so obvious..
    he dont want to do something like najib did pan borneo..
    2500km = free = because people's money = you gave them back
    mathir = built someting = earn more from it = rakyat pays

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Haa aaa ha !, Mahathir is all about making money.

      Lu lupa mau tulit blother ,Najip is all about pocketing money .

      Baru betut maa aa itu macam atak gandingan lor rr.

      Delete
    2. we talk about it after he has found guilty of doing so ok.. for now.. no one been charged..
      like our lim guan eng aka 'excel' finance minister

      Delete
  12. Citer byk pun x guna. Dah cancel dah pun. Nak bincang pe lg. Buang masa je.

    So south corridor open for market. Sape nak masyuk gi la jilat kerajaan baru. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Annie if u doubt about the country debt, why dont u hv an appointment with finance minister, and find out for urself, instead of having curiosity on it merely based on ur
    support to bn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not his girlfriend la simply2 can get appointment, okay

      Delete
    2. HSR cancellation is not about najib legacy except the game play by SG.
      The ECRL still continue what?

      What a coincidence the SG only speak out once the financial instituion was imlicated by 1mdb scam, where this police country can trace all the hanky panky since the very beginning.

      We know the thai oligarch is in SG hand long time ago when they overthrew Thaksin.

      Dont look down on Lee and their country. Don't you ignore they don't called sg litle israel for nothing.

      Delete
  14. Like i wrote before in my last reply and like i write now in this reply towards your posting. You are really really really creative in your postings to provoke sentiments. I stand by my grounds that you are not actually neutral but just a trojan horse all along.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Like the North South Expressway....toll collected for how many years? Why not free? Why still there are private companies collecting money? Already return of investment...government should buy back the private shares since it is "easy" money for the private individual to be rich. The government can manage the maintenance...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. true true..
      this is why i said, mathir is all about making money..
      but not giving back when gov collected it..
      like najib's gov.. yes, they took gst..
      and what they gave back? whole lot man..
      and tell me, did we ever taste this before him?
      did we the rakyat ever tasted duit kerajaan before this? never man.. we just pay and pay and pay..
      now najib is giving back a whole lot.. find.. if it is not giving back to me, but definitely some of the lwoer income rakyat were finally tasting kerajaan punya duit.. bukan senang bro..
      think about it.. we never get our money back.. tol etc.. are money making machine for country and yet.. did we taste any of it? najib giv did gave back.. pan borneo he just built it and with no return requested from us.. as if he is saying "just use it.. its your money"

      Delete
  16. Annie,

    In Engineering and design perspective, the HSR do not make a lot of sense.

    We are in the midst of completing the dual track from Gemas to JB. Once completed, the railway system can be overhauled using newer technology train replacing the very old ones.

    Using the existing track will save tremendous amount of cost, ensuring the ticket will be affordable to average masses.

    It is like you are preparing for dinner. You make nasi goreng and fried chicken. That is enough nutrient for the whole family. However, adding to that you make lobster and fried prawn which cost a fortune. This will contribute the higher cholesterol diet not to mention cost more money.

    The existing KTM ets system have a top speed of 150km/s. If this system can be further improved, I think 180km/h is manageable.

    Therefore, the distance of 320km from KL to Jb can be covered within 2 hours using the existing system.

    I had taken the British Rail from London to Liverpool using the electric train. The ride is very comfortable and time saving. The ticket is also very affordable for the general public. That is the most important.

    Bottom line, I think this is just bad planning.

    If Annie still want to ride HSR, no need to go to Japan. Kunming China is nearer. About 2 hours flight. You can taking HSR from Kunming to Shanghai, but the ticket is expensive though, more then RM300 if I am not mistaken.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sedikit sebanyak setuju dgn Anon 21:18. Rakyat Malaysia buat masa ini tak perlukan HSR. KTM yg sedia ada boleh dinaiktaraf, buat apa nak bina landasan baru yg dah tentu kena bayar pampasan untuk tanah entah siapa2 punya yg tiba2 jadi tuan tanah di sepanjang landasan itu nanti. Dan mentaliti rakyat Malaysia ni tak sama dgn rakyat Jepun. Orang kita lebih suka guna kenderaan sendiri kalau nak mengecapi kelajuan. Dah selalu jumpa pak lebai berserban pun bukan main laju kalau memandu myvi. Yang sedia ada KTM tu naik taraf ajelah, tiket pun tak mahal sangat nanti. Kalau nak juga HSR, tunggulah nanti sekurang2nya 70% mentaliti rakyat Malaysia mcm rakyat Jepun nuu...

      Delete
  17. Prof Kangkung,

    //Do you think a 93 years old can think rationally?//

    I have watched several press conferences where Mahatir was fielding questions from various journalists.

    As far as I can tell, he has been sharp, incisive and witty - signs of a well functioning brain.

    So, the answer to your question is yes, a 93y.o. man can think rationally.

    BTW, my father who died recently at 93y.o. was still 100% sharp.

    He could still beat me in debates using logic and knowledge without using Google :)

    Gladiator

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prof Kangkong, ever wonder why your 76 yr old father in law became grumpy? I believe you are sharp enough to know the answer.

      Delete
  18. Annie,

    The ECRL never made much economic sense to me.

    The only thing going for it was if China decided to include Malaysia in its One Belt One Road.

    So, Kota Baru would be made into a port, stuff was shipped there to be transported by rail to Port Klang for distribution to Sumatra and Java BUT the rail line never went anywhere Port Klang.

    Also, why bother with building up Kota Baru when Singapore is already built up?

    It is a lot cheaper to ship to Singapore and let distribution be handled from there.

    Is there that much traffic between Singapore and Kota Baru?

    I doubt it.

    If I am not mistaken, there are regular buses between JB and Kota Baru, aren't they? They are really cheap, they are fast and they have several buses a day.

    So, no matter how it's sliced and diced, I just could not understand why we needed the ECRL.

    OK, the ECRL would make the GDP look great but the economic benefits will not be equitably distributed - the banks will benefit, China would benefit, Singapore would benefit, various UMNO elite would benefit BUT benefits to the everyday Malaysian-on-the-street become rather dubious.

    The HSR?

    Well, it's nice to have but again the cost to the consumer seems rather prohibitive.

    Maybe, it makes more sense to upgrade some of our older rolling stock, and put more trains on to service customers.

    Look, it's nice to have the ECRL and HSR, but they must make good economic sense.

    Why buy a Ferrari when your budget can only afford a MyVi?

    Until there is a good economic case for the ECRL and HSR, I just cannot support such projects.

    Gladiator

    ReplyDelete
  19. secara peribadi saya tak suka hsr kerana tak ada sebab nak pergi jb/singapura

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fyi, the pros & cons of hsr by bloomberg:

    Debate over whether Malaysia needs the High-Speed Rail
    Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2018/05/30/debate-over-whether-malaysia-needs-the-high-speed-rail/#I8eU0UCDrdolg2Dl.99

    ReplyDelete