Transforming The News For Malaysians

Our Prime Minister's recently launched "Government Transformation Programme"(GTP) is yet another public relations stunt, still believing that Malaysians are an ignorant lot. This public relations act was a gross failure, wasting public funds at a time when Malaysians, especially Sabahans, are suffering financial hardship due to increased cost of food and shelter. But it must have succeeded in making some cronies happy.

1Malaysia, would perhaps be the mother of all publicity stunts catered to hoodwink the people,by the current regime.The recent outburst by Nasir Safar,a special officer to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and a former assemblyman for Pulai Sebatang in Johor, caused a furor at a seminar on the 1Malaysia concept when he made derogatory remarks about Chinese and Indian immigrants coming to Malaysia.The racist remarks made by this 30 year close friend of Najib,is tantamount to being seditious and should be immediately reprimanded.

To think that Malaysia has transformed is not totally wrong, having lost it's relevance and credibility among investors, not forgetting being a laughing stock in the global community.

The Government has miserably failed in addressing the recent spate of burnings,arson attacks in Churches and surau's, and most recently wild boar heads found "placed" in a mosque.

I thank the Almighty Allah, that Malaysians have matured by leaps and bounds in understanding and realizing that these lowly acts were politically motivated by those currently walking the corridors of power as a desperate move in wanting to stay in power. Minister of Misinformation, Rais Yatim, in Port Dickson recently, said "Readers will most likely shift to the Internet". One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to know this but shockingly, our "learned" Minister of Misinformation is only now aware of this. Much important news and the truth about it never seems to appear in Malaysia's main stream media, unless given the go-ahead.

An avid reader stumbled upon this piece of information which was never published or reached the shores of Malaysia or did it? How did this one get away?

PM Najib's Visit to USA Last December was not well received by the White House.

Prime Minister Najib Razak was in Washington DC on 26th December 2009, busy eating nasi lemak and mee goreng as BERNAMA proudly reports. No mention of meetings with State Department, on Capitol Hill, with the White House, or any think tanks. Instead he bragged about 1Malaysia to the choir of Malaysians who had already heard it so many times. He also offered some comments on Malaysia's economy, which according to a recent report is failing to make much progress these days.

No media in US would want to interview him and also no one in US would like to be seen with him.Also at the same time India's Manmohan Singh was in the US and what did Barak Obama do? He went out of his way to charm both Mr. and Mrs. Manmohan Singh in a White House black-tie state dinner.He didn't even notice Najis's presence in the US.Tell me if not the Mongolian girl then what is it that merits being ostracized in the States for Najis? However Barak Obama has placed great respect for the Minister Mentor of that tiny red dot to invite him to the White House in late October for a tete-a-tete with him so that he can pick Harry's brains on what his thoughts are of a changing world and America's role in it.And LKY is no longer the PM of Singapore!....Recieved Through Email

What is the point of a 20 million dollar contract with APCO if our prime minister cannot even get a manufactured speaking slot at the National Press Club? We're not even talking about Brooking or SAIS where one has to have something meaningful to say to be invited. Anyone can speak at the Press Club so long as they can afford the cost of organizing the function. Does the concept of 1World not carry much weight in the halls of international diplomacy or in the most powerful city in the world? I guess not.
I think taxpayers should demand to know why, after spending that much money on a DC lobby our prime minister cannot even get an interview on the local news.

On the other hand, Anwar Ibrahim, on his recent trip to the United States, in just a few days, held events at Brooking, SAIS (even our US Ambassador attended the function), Georgetown and the Council on Foreign Relations. He met with officials from the House Foreign Relations committee, the Senate Foreign relations committee, the State Department and the White House. His visit was covered by the media including the Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review and the Washington Post (but not Bernama), Saudi television and ABS-CBN from Manila.

Does the Prime Minister's flimsy schedule have anything to do with the scandal that just won't go away? Not PKFZ. No, it wasn't the Bukit Antarabangsa slide nor the collapsed bridge. Well, then was it due to the Mongolian who is taboo in 1Malaysia conversations?
Your guess is as good as mine.

By the way, I wonder, in the time that Najib spent in the US, how many new designer bags did the Prime Minister's wife purchase?

Breaking news....a growing FaceBook group has emerged  known as PAKATAN FRIENDS. I urged all readers who have facebook accounts to join the group and play a contributory role and be a voice of the people.The people's power must prevail .The link can also be found on the sidebar of my blog.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=310818534941&ref=ts

Moderate Malaysia Now Under Seige?

Our culture of religious tolerance and harmony is now under siege by irresponsible political warlords out to create hostility for their own ulterior motives. Has Malaysian politics degenerated so low that desperate politicians would go to any extend just to gain power? Two very important points to seriously ponder on is the strong signal sounded by the United States Government on possible economic sanctions against Malaysia, in view of the "Missing Jet Engines" as well as the vandalism and torching of Christian Churches.

The full article can be read here: http://freemalaysiatoday.com/english/?p=7902

The other is the World Report 2010 of Human Rights Watch.  Prime Minister Najib Razak took office in April 2009 promising to respect "the fundamental rights of the people," but his government has failed to undertake the systematic reforms needed to fulfill that pledge.
The New York Times carried an interesting 'food for thought' article, in which, among other things, it said, "Last week, the Malaysian government declared that Christians in one part of the country could use “Allah” as the word for God when speaking Malay but that those in most of the country could not. This is the same government that is currently running a public relations campaign called One Malaysia emphasizing the common identity of the nation’s racial and religious mix".

The full article can be read here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/opinion/20iht-edbowring.html?scp=2&sq=malaysia&st=nyt

Prime Minister Najib Razak must now make it clear to all Malaysians two important matters, firstly are you a Prime Minister for all Malaysians and is there 1Malaysia or 2Malaysia? Quite frankly, Malaysians were never confused at all as to our harmonious and cultural way of life. Is the Malaysian Government aware of the country's standing currently in the global community? From feed back received, its not surprising to know that we're the laughing stock ..... just to put it lightly.

Today two surau's in Muar, Johor were vandalized and torched. What is happening to Malaysia? Political warlords on their prowl, trying to create hostility? All Malaysians strongly condemn such acts and urge the law enforcement agencies to act swiftly. If cases involving the opposition were so swiftly acted upon, surely our Royal Malaysian Police could do likewise here. Any act of violence, vandalism or destruction to sacred houses of worship must never be condoned or allowed.
Let the people of Malaysia, irrespective of their race or religion know this - we stand united and solidified. We shall protect the sanctity of our beloved country and together fight to ensure peace and continuous harmony.

The Government has failed miserably to address this serious issue causing it to prolong.They have been naive in their approach with bizarre and condescending statements made by the Ministers who are clearly aggravating the whole situation.
My advice to the Government is, understand the issues and seek divine assistance from experts.

Perhaps the video clip below that I've uploaded could be a start.

Sabahans Are Fed-Up , No More Compromises.

The Federal Government has failed miserably in addressing the Allah issue and more seriously the arson attacks on Churches and recently a Sikh Temple. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has said the situation was under control and the attacks were isolated incidents.How stupid does Hishamudin thinks Malaysians are,8 Churches and a Sikh Temple vandalized,and he blatantly says it's only isolated cases and under control?

Barisan Nasional component parties should now re-examine their position and their coalition status with UMNO. The Christian Community of Malaysia are currently under siege by unscrupulous arsonists out to create disunity among peace loving Malaysians.

Is Clarence Bongkos Malakun a Christian?

The President of the Council of Justices of the Peace, Datuk Clarence Bongkos Malakun has urged Christians in Sabah to make a compromise for the sake of national peace.

He is urging Christians to drop the word "Allah" in Malay-language services and Malay-language Bibles. He said that though this has been the practice for so long in Sabah, for the sake of peace, Sabahan Christians should abandon it, as this has caused anger to a certain section of extremist Muslims in Malaysia.

It is so easy to call for compromise. Sabahans have compromised for too long on many things since the state merged with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia. We had to compromise on language, education, natural resources etc. Finally we have someone who is asking us to compromise on the way our Christians practice the religion.

I question the intention of Clarence Bongkos Malakun. Perhaps he thought it was noble of him but then it seems only noble to him. A local daily reported Malakun as saying"many fellow Christians would disagree and perhaps "start to condemn me"but "if we are really true Christians,we should be forgiving,reasonable and peace loving people". It is my honest belief that through this very statement he has already condemned himself. But allow me to ask him, "Do you in the first place have the Christian credibility to ask Sabahans to drop the word Allah?"

Clarence Malakun should first examine himself as a Christian and whether he has breached the Catholic faith. Was his call in his personal capacity or a stooge of the Government or as a Christian? If his call was as a Catholic, then he has no local standi, having broken the most sacred sacrament of the Church. Marriage is a sacrament that is indissoluble. Once a marriage has been consummated,it endures until one spouse dies.The Church does not issue divorces or recognize divorces issued by other institutions.

My advice to Malakun is to do some soul searching and seek forgiveness from God,for you do not qualify to give any advice.

As a Justice of Peace, and more so as the head of the Council of JPs (MAJAPS), Datuk Clarence should seek Peace in the name of Justice or seek Justice in the name of Peace.

Failing this, he should hold his peace and not make things worse.

Sabahans' tolerance has reached it's limits.

Why should Sabahans be the one who have to compromise all the time? When was the last time the Federal Government made a compromise? We had to compromise on petroleum,allowing Petronas the glory of our oil and in return a miserable 5% royalty.

We are now asked to compromise on religious freedom, even though the founding fathers of Malaysia guaranteed it for us.Where do we draw the line?The Muslim's in Malaysia, particularly Sabah are not confused and have no qualms over the Christians using the word Allah.Our Muslim brothers and sisters have outgrown the hoodwinking of the government for too long.UMNO just can't come to terms on the gospel truth that they have lost the support of the Malays.UMNO is in total denial of this fact.

There have been just too many compromises. The problem is that Sabahans have made the compromises, but the government keeps demanding for more and more. When will it ever stop? Today, Christians in Sabah might have to drop the usage of Allah because they burned churches. What about tomorrow? What if they demand Sabahan Christians stop displaying crucifixes outside churches?
What if they demand that churches stop ringing bells? What if they demand more and more things which would altogether wipe out the Christian faith and identity?

Are we going to compromise and keep on compromising?

I have placed a poll at the right side bar of my blog , Please feel free to vote.

Sabah police foil bid by Christian group to hold peaceful demo

January 6th 2010 at 2pm will go down in history as the day,a group of brave concerned Sabahans shook Sabah with their stand on the Allah issue.I thank the reporters and editors who interviewed me.

Out in force, Sabah police on Wednesday foiled an attempt by a group of Church activists to hold a peaceful gathering in Penampang- the heartland of the Christian community in the state.

Worried by the angry outburst against non-Muslims using the word Allah, they had wanted to publicly urge Prime Minister Najib Razak to show that he is a leader for all Malaysians and not just the Malays and the Muslims.

"I got a call from ASP Wan Badrul to call off the gathering in view of the sensitivity of the matter.I told him that the gathering would go on and assured that it would be peaceful. No shouting, no loud haler and no unruly behavior. But he was uncompromising and we could see they were crawling all over Penampang. So we decided to call it off as there were a few elderly people involved and we did not want any untoward incident," Ronnie Klassen, the organizing activist and PKR leader said in an interview.

Ironically when the Acting OCPD of Penampang,ASP Wan Badrul did not allow the gathering of the group of Church Activist in Penampang,in Kuala Lumpur the Home Ministry will allow a public demonstration against the “Allah” ruling, planned by Muslim groups this Friday at the Kampung Baru mosque here, to proceed and will only take action if “things get out of hand.”

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein Onn told a press conference here at a post-Cabinet meeting that the developments will be monitored and that action will only be taken if the need arises.Why the double standards?

“If Prime Minister Najib is sincere in his 1Malaysia, then this would be the time for him to prove his intentions. Confusion only occurs if it is meant for political reasons as in the case in Malaysia today. We hope that he will continue to respect Sabahans and Sarawakians on their continued usage of the word Allah. There should not be any confusion by our Muslim Brothers and Sisters as there is only one Allah and we should be proud to acknowledge him together.”

While not large, the core group of some 60 ‘old-faithfuls’ have been very effective in their outreach programmes. In April 2009, Ronnie managed to gather 20,000 signatures on a petition to the federal government not to ban the Catholic Herald, from the word Allah in its Malay-language section.

Part of their heritage

According to Ronnie, Sabahans and Sarawakians have been using the word Allah in churches well before the formation of Malaysia in 1963. This was a historical fact and Christian leaders in the Umno-Barisan Nasional should do more to explain this to the federal government.Have they forgotten that the people put them there and can also remove them? Similarly, PM Najib should not pretend not to know history and bury his head in the sand about this issue.

“The history of Christianity in Sabah and Sarawak goes a long way back in time, approximately 4 centuries ago,1818 to be exact. The Seventh Day Adventist Church had pastors from Indonesia who would conduct sermons in Bahasa Indonesia, thus the word 'Allah' was frequently used,” said Ronnie.

“Malay then became the medium of instruction in Sabah and Sarawak when the Education Act 1961 was extended to these states. But this led to a decline in English proficiency among Sabahan and Sarawakian Christians and resulted in a greater use of BM in Christianity. It was in 2003 after a controversy over the Iban Bible that the then Prime Minister allowed Malay-language bibles on the condition that it is labeled ‘Not for Muslims’.

“So what is frustrating the majority of Sabahans now is the total silence of the Christian BN leaders like Huguan Siou, Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Why isn’t he and the other Christian leaders doing more to explain this part of our heritage to the PM and the federal cabinet? Why aren’t they speaking up for the community? Where are they when they are needed?

Christina,is your mom happy now?

To be honest with you, at first I was rather reluctant to write this piece especially when it involves someone’s mom. But due to an overwhelming feedback that I’ve been receiving from my readers of late, members and supporters of Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sabah (PKR) included, I thought it would only be fair to them that I write this.

This refers to the reinstatement of Christina Liew as the Deputy Chairman of Sabah PKR recently. Prior to this, in late October, she resigned from her position as a Supreme Council member, to show support for her political boss Dr Jeffrey Kitingan who also at the same time resigned from his posts as the PKR Vice President and as Supreme Council member.

In fact, many Sabah PKR members and supporters just can’t be bothered with their resignations. They in fact thought that it was good ridden and good for Sabah PKR.

But, what many can’t stomach and found it repulsive was when Christina dragged her own mother into the fray, by claiming that she (Christina’s mother) “had to take the public humiliation” of her (Christina) being replaced (by Datuk Kong Hong Ming) for unknown reason. This was stated in her SMS sent to PKR President, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah while tendering her resignation. Those who knew Wan Azizah well would agree that she’s such a motherly figure and Christina’s mentioning of her mother could have struck the soft spot in Wan Azizah’s heart.

Many Sabah PKR members and supporters thought Christina had stoop too low by dragging her mother into the fray, which is clearly making use of her (mother) as a ‘leverage’ to coerce the party leadership to reinstate her as the Deputy Chairman, which she succeeded. No politician worth his or her salt would do that.

If Christina is truly a leader like what she claimed, she should look beyond position in serving the party and the people, instead of fiercely fighting for it at all cost, even if it means pushing her own mother out to the forefront of the battlefield. If she could do that, just imagine what would happen if she were to hold important position in the government one day.

Christina must also realize that in politics, no one is indispensable or non-replaceable. Leaders come and go but party’s struggles will continue, with or without her around. Perhaps Christina should also look at her own track records in the past elections – “zero winning”.

I also know for a fact that like her political boss, Dr Jeffrey, if she leaves the party today, more people would come forward to join the party through her division. I'm pretty sure it was a slap on her face recently,when Dr.Chong En Leong from the Kota Kinabalu division, handed over new membership forms to Dato'Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the recent PKR convention held on the 20th.December.2009.

In a related development,I ask several PKR Division Chiefs,why have they been silent and what their thoughts were in as far as Jeffery Kitingan and Christina Liew is concerned? From the more "brave ones",they strongly felt dumbfounded with the events that has taken place and bemoaned over the decision of the national leadership,while some thought it to be a cultural shock,politically speaking.Is politics really beyond the rule of logic and reasoning,said one particular division chief.

While I personally commend their braveness in highlighting their feelings,I certainly can't say the same to the more selfish and position power crazy division leaders,who preferred to remain silent.

Anyway, since Christina is now reinstated, many Sabah PKR members and supporters hence would like to know whether her mother is really happy now?

With that said, I wish both Christina & her mom a Happy New Year 2010.

Jeffery/Christina....The thorn in PKR?

The guns of Navarone have taken aim,but this time the pathetic targets are leaders within Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sabah(PKR).What was the ever charismatic de-facto leader, Dato'Seri Anwar Ibrahim thinking when he said during a press conference " I never saw the resignation letter of Jeffery Kitingan".As President Abraham Lincoln once said,"You can fool the people some of the time,but you can't fool the people all the time".

Does Anwar honestly believe Sabahans still live on trees...!! There is no denying that the reform agenda for change by Anwar has the thumb's-up by Sabahans, yes that includes the many who are still with UMNO/BN. Enough with all these David Copperfield illusions and get your act together.The people are thirsting for change and support your reform agenda,but will not bow down to the selfish demands of unscrupulous characters.

Were the voices of the majority heard,that propel Anwar to reinstate Jeffery Kitingan and Christina Liew?Why was PKR Sabah State Chief,Ahmad Thamrin silent in addressing the situation,when he perfectly knew the majority were not in favour on their returned?Was he merely safe guarding his position,surrendering to Jeffery's demands or was it poor leadership of the highest order?Ironically,what happen to the other state leaders?A precedent has now set in,the central leadership appear to have no qualms with any of it's leaders taking the party to hostage and ransom with their ultimatums.Like a sing-along in a Karaoke session,you sing the verses and we'll sing the chorus.

The one certainty we can all agree is,UMNO/BN and their bandwagon of con-artist are happily laughing all the way to the next general election.Should the present scenario persist,PKR is history and doomed to eternity,in Sabah at least.The younger generation must not fall prey to these hypocritical chameleons whose agenda has always been personal with total disregard to the aspirations of the people at large.We should now seriously examine these "sai- lang" leaders who have reached their prime,yet embarrass to admit. The people are watching and they don't like what their seeing.

I received an interesting article by email,written by someone calling himself NOBLEMAN-this could be a wake up call from within to the leadership of PKR Sabah.Enjoy reading.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.

SABAH PKR CONVENTION 2009 : The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Nobleman

“Ini adalah konvensyen terbaik yang pernah diadakan di Sabah”said Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his closing address on Sunday at Atlantis Restaurant to the cheering crowd of more than 1500 party leaders.

The State PKR Chairman Saudara Ahmad Thamrin Jaini and Datuk Kong Hong Ming the chairman of the Organizing Committee were beaming. Christina Liew wept uncontrollably but only God knows why, as she has a very poor command of the National Language. So it can’t be the speech delivered by Anwar. Newcomer Datuk John Ghani who was seated next to her looked confused. He must be wondering why...!!Keningau Divisional Chief, Gapari @ Jeffrey who was still on sabbatical leave sat impassively without betraying his emotion.

Among the crowd were John Jinus Sibin, Jeffrey Yap, Hj Awang Bakar, Peter Linuk, Adris Taripin, Amirbeck bin Laja and their fellow AJKs from Keningau, Kota Kinabalu, Tenom and Batu Sapi Divisions. The party owes them unspeakable gratitude for holding the forts when the going got tough-all the fanfare of ultimitums. These were the good guys.

“ Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan telah membuat keputusan untuk berbuat demikian,saya menghormati keputusan dia,tetapi bukan bererti saya bersetuju dengan tindakan dia. Hak dan kebebasan untuk membuat keputusan adalah di tangan kita sendiri dan perlu di hormati. Keputusan yang saya buat ini adalah atas dasar prinsip moral dan maruah. Sebab itu saya meneruskan perjuangan saya didalam PKR dibawah pimpinan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,John Jinus Sibin Setiausaha Bahagian”. That was his sms to Hj Ansari Abdullah on the 5th. November, 2009 at 1.59pm.

On the first day of Ramadhan, while Muslims elsewhere were celebrating Hari Raya to commemorate their victory over human weaknesses and desires, a memorandum was crafted to humiliate Pakatan Rakyat Whip and Party Vice President YB Azmin Ali, the Sabah State PKR Chief. PKR Sabah was tested to the brink as the oncoming drama unfurled. It had to wither it's most bitter and painful storm since it's inception in Sabah in late 1999.

On the day of the convention, PKR Sabah had survived the onslaught by its own so-called leaders because there were those in the Division level who had the guts to stand up and defend the struggles of the Party. To these Borneo warriors, the Party and its objectives are more important than individuals, whoever there are.

John Jinus Sibin and his colleagues in JKC Keningau had prevented the party from being dissolved. “Once Keningau is dissolved, Kota Kinabalu will also be dissolved” so say Christina Liew in Malaysiakini. Earlier she had resigned as a member of the Party’s Central Committee on the ground that her mother were ashamed that she was not reappointed as Deputy Chairman of Sabah PKR.

However, when she tabled the motion to the committee members of Kota Kinabalu Division for it to be dissolved, Jeffrey Yap and the other committee members opposed the motion. No other member of the Divisional Committee supported her. For all these transgressions against the Party, she was rewarded with the appointment of Deputy Chairman PKR Sabah. Her partner in crime, Gapari @Jeffrey Kitingan was reinstated as nominated Vice President. Christina’s Mother will be celebrating like Santa Claus this Christmas.

Gosibin the acting Chief of Tenom with his “Kadoh Agundung” hairstyle and Datuk Nahalan Damsal were nowhere to be seen. Sylvester was busy carrying his computer, chair and table from the Papar division office as he and Evelyn Gobili had just taken their “sabbatical leave.” Daniel John and Moses Iking must be occupied with Parti Cinta Sabah. They were “the bad” guys.

There are other good guys, like members of the Organising Committees for the dialogue, convention and dinner including Dr Roland Chia, Ronnie Klassen, Jonathan Yassin and Datuk Chau Chin Tang the moderators. The eloquent speeches of YB Zuraidah Kamaruddin the Wanita Chief, YB Tian Chua the Director of Strategy and Hj Ansari Abdullah at the Convention and YB Tian Chua and Dato Chua Jui Meng at the Dinner made the Convention a memorable curtain closer for a stormy 2009 for Sabah PKR. The highlight was of course from the ever charistmatic leader of Pakatan Rakyat, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

I leave it to you to decide who are “the ugly” but while doing so, please do not forget “the good” guys like John Jinus Sibin and the rest.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010.

Corrupt Politicians Dampen Peoples Power Hopes

This subject has been given wide media coverage for many years. Insufficient power supply is a bane on our lives, not to mention on the effects it has on our economic development. The other basic need, water, or making a profit from selling it, is another problem the state government seems unable to solve.

Much opposition on the use of coal to generate electricity has high-lighted the problem of insufficient power supply even more. First, the people of Lahad Datu objected to having a coal-powered in Silam, citing pollution could impact the Danum Valley, amongst others. Then there was a plan to shift the project to Sandakan which also met with vehement opposition.

The last throw of the dice seems to point to the building of the plant in the Dent Peninsula, far away from people except for several thousand Indonesian workers working in the FELDA oil palm plantations. The smoke from burning coal, the proponents feel, will not directly impact the health of Sabahans because it is so far away from them.

I cannot claim to be an expert in the pros and cons of having a coal-powered power station but I am concerned about the long-term effects of having something that discharges huge amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere. What the coal emissions will do to the thousands of acres of oil palm trees (and probable loss to FELDA), only time will tell but what burning fossil fuels does to the planet is well-documented. There would be no need to have an important summit in Copenhagen otherwise.

What I am currently concerned about the implementations of mega projects in this country does not point to the benefits to the populace and nation as a whole, but rather at the politics of the implementation processes. Everytime a huge project is planned, certain vested interests somehow play a huge part, for the huge profits to be amassed by certain individuals figure prominently in all equations.

To narrow my point, if this power plant does get the go-ahead, who will get the huge contract, who will corner the contract to supply the coal, who gets to transport the raw materials and who in the corridors of power get to lay their hands on these lucrative deals? To my mind, these considerations play vital roles in seeing whether a so-called beneficial projects get done or otherwise. Prove me wrong.

Over the past 3 decades, much has been said about the huge Bakun hydro-electric dam. Until today, the dam is not even commissioned. One can write a very thick book about the politics, and shenanigans about this project. How much public funds, how much timber has been cut and sold, will never be known to Malaysians. Every so often, some important announcement is made that seem to point to more expenditure. Now the talk of sending electricity via hugely expensive submarine cables to the peninsula is back again.

This brings me to an important question which no state or national leader has so far addressed. Why spend billions of ringgit piping gas to Bintulu from Sabah? Further, why plan a medium size power plant in Kimanis and then spend billions on pipes and related works so that the industries in Bintulu get to utilize our gas?

More importantly, the Bakun hydro project is meant to benefit the entire nation and not just the peninsula and Sarawak. Sarawak is in fact, planning to build more dams to generate power. Why is Sabah left out of this equation? Why can't some power to be generated from Bakun be spared for use in Sabah?

If the cost of connecting power lines from Bakun to the Beaufort grid is prohibitively expensive, then why is the cost of piping gas from Kimanis to Bintulu not so? Anyone can tell that this does not make sense.

The Petronas gas pipeline from Kimanis to Bintulu covers a distance of over 400 kilometres. The land on which the pipeline travels was acquired by the governments of Sabah and Sarawak. Compensations to landowners have been paid. The width of the pipeline reserve is 100 feet all the way. Considering Petronas is a Government-owned company, there should be no reason why the same pipeline reserve cannot be used as way leave in the construction of transmission towers from Bakun to Beaufort by TNB, thereby saving huge land compensation and other costs.

There east-west power grid in Sabah has been completed, I am told. This means electricity can be transmitted almost state-wide from wherever there are generating stations, assuming there is a power surplus. Obviously there is no surplus, hence the frequent blackouts. If power from Bakun can be transmitted to the Beaufort grid, it can be further transmitted elsewhere. Being a non-engineer, can someone explain why this cannot be done?

If the coal power station at the Dent Peninsula takes off, when will it be commissioned? When will Bakun be commissioned? This mega project is supposed to generate in excess of 4,000 megawatts of electricity. The east coast requires only 300 megawatts. Why can't Sabah be spared this 300 megawatts?

Sarawak takes our gas but will not spare us some electricity. Just where is the quid pro quo?

By Haji Ramlee Dua