Merdeka...Merdeka...Merdeka!

It's 12.45am, 45 mins after the Union Jack came down for the last time on 31.8.1957 and the Jalur Gemilang (then known as the Bulan dan Bintang) took its proud position in the Malaysian sky. The reverberation of "Merdeka" has just died down and the PM is still on TV shouting himself hoarse with the Merdeka Celebration message. God....he almost choked on the word TER...BILANG....

As I expected, the celebration is fabulous. Boy...Malaysians love celebrations and festivitities. They give the young (and young at heart) a chance to stay up late, jammed up between people, in the dark corners of the padang, etc..etc. A few people I talked to this evening expressed the feeling that we're just wasting too much money. I wonder how many millions, this time? Or have we reached the grand B for BRAGGADOCIO GRANDE? Well, all's well that ends well, says Shakespeare!

There'll be more tomorrow ( ie. later today August 31) and the following night. The flower fest is at Putrajaya while the show will be at Stadium Merdeka to be capped by an international Tattoo exhibition, following the on-going international firework display competition. But how come I see droves of cars jamming both sides of the MRR2 but more going to the south. "People are going back to their kampungs for the holidays," said a friend in the front seat of the car we were travelling in. Are these people not
interested in the festivities being held in KL. Oh, of course there are festivities in their home town too, Really....How much are we spending nation-wide on these celebration?

I guess we'll never know the actual figure for as one pragmatic accountant (or is it an auditor) puts it: How the figures will look like depend on what you ( the employer) wanted to be shown. So, all figures can be trimmed or expanded depending on what you want to show. Does that explain why we should not be too gullible in accepting all figures shown to us in the national account? I've lost track of leakages in the national account when billions of ringgit start to disappear into thin air. When I asked some well-informed friends on whether THEY KNOW where the money has disappeared to, their answer inevitably is: " Ummmm.....no.....I don't know!"

Gosh..past 1.30 am! Is the PM still giving his 50th Merdeka Anniversary message or is this a replay on RTM1? He's going to loose his voice if he continues to punish his larynx. There's Smack Down on TV3, another deceptive show. Anyway, happy 50th Merdeka anniversary celebration, everyone. God Bless You.

One Day Before....

Tomorrow, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Meredeka. For the first time I see my wife flying the Jalur Gemilang herself, on the balcony. Great. I've already stuck one on the car several days ago. I feel rather sad when on coming back from visiting the flower fest in Putrajaya at 5pm, I got caught in a traffic snarl along MRR2 stretching for more than a kilometer on both sides of the road. I counted only about 10 vehicles were flying the flag....

What a shame...shame ...shame. I should congratulate those who had wilfully kept the JG in their lockers as a show of protest against some of the misdeeds and mishandling of the affairs of the nation. They've proven their point. So, after we celebrate the 50th Meredeka Anniversary tomorrow with a very poor showing of the Jalur Gemilang on cars and buildings, what's next? I'm sure the celebration will go on as usual, as will other things in this beautiful nation. Beauty indeed is only in the eye of the beholder. It's like holding up a magic miorror. You see only what you want to see.....

I'm as critical of things that I don't agree with as the next guy. But I love my country with all its shortcomings and its faults. They are created by people and people can uncreate it at will. Some say"rectify" it. But I'm not sure that the "rectified" version will be much better. It could be much worse! But one thing is certain. Don't stop people from complaining about things they don't like or disaggree with. Talking about what bothers you is a way of getting it out of your system. It has a therapeutic effect on the soul and those who agree with the ventilation will also receive a sensory reinforcement of his or her nihilistic vibes.

That seems to connect with what the DPM said today (NST). It's not that you can't say things but you must say it in the right way.

That sounds okay but WHAT IS THE RIGHT WAY? Let the Merdeka Anniversary Celebration be over first and we'll try to learn frorm the leaders what saying things in the right way is. Certainly it won' be in the way things are said in Parliament. Can it be in the way things are said during election campaigns? If still "No!" then how? Maybe the bloggers have something to show...at least one way of doing it!!!

Dispute, Refute...Nothing Changes...

Its most interesting to see the Ministry of Health and the Dept of Agriculture refuting the findings of researchers from IMR and Universiti Kebangsaan that 6 popular veges sold and distributed by the Selayang Wholesale Market, "were" contaminated (NST August 27). The 2 former authorities stated yesterday that only 10-30% had been found so! And that's NOT DISTURBING! City Hall Health Dept was also surprised that the findings had not been submitted to the Health Ministry before disclosure...The Vege Farmers' Association of course maintained that the contamination would be reduced after the greens are washed before cooking....!

A very familiar scenario where academic reports are vehemently refuted by the authorities involved. It would be the very reason why the report was not submitted to the Ministry of Health for it would be thrown out offhand. I'd imagine there are tons of disturbing academic findings, dismissed outright by the authorities involved. This is just the opposite of the culture in developed countries where the academes are "sponsored" to undertake the research since bureaucrats are either too busy or less qualified to undertake them in the most scientific way possible.


The tradition of distrusting the academic researchers could be a real stumbling block to development - especially the development of the high-level bureaucratic minds. It is for this reason that the nation is often "shattered" by the actual facts -high profile projects falling on their faces, landslides cracking up good roads and houses, denudation of the sylvian green, children falling sick after eating in the cateen etc,etc. The bureacrats own research had failed to uncover "the truth".

In this case of vegetable contamination it's interesting to see that the Ministry of Agriculture is not even involved since Ministries are supposed to oversea, supervise, coordinate and rectify all malfeasance and shortcomings of agencies under their control. When facts uncovered by other than beaucratic sources are continously being ignored, disputed or refuted....don't be surprised if the ceiling falls down (figuratively speaking) on the Ministries themselves, including the Ministry of Work, Housing and Local Government, etc.,etc.....

5 Days to D Day...

I wonder whether those of us who REFUSED to fly the JG in protest over the inefficiency, corruption and hypocracy of CERTAIN people in the government, HAD CONSIDERED OTHER ALTERNATIVE COURSE OF ACTION. Or is INACTION, NON-INVOLVEMENT and a YUKKY-LOOK of disdain over the mounting 50th anniversary festivities going to be the order of the day, even on D Day itself?

Look guys! Doing nothing when the whole country is celebrating, is an expression of the WITHDRAWL SYDROME. DOING YOUR OWN THINGS IN PRIVATE on the other hand is an act of self-centered greed and an antisocial propensity with a cliquish overtone. So, at least fly your own flags, make some noise to usher in the D Day, and let the bloggers presence be known! Not just on the website but...on the street and.... in a civilized way!

I look forward to see some action from the bloggers. As they say action is louder than words. Let's not just rant and cuss (and joke around) in cyberspace, but throw our bit into the D Day celebration to mark the half-way march through a century of however u c Malaysia's progress. Let's not take the "monkey"and "karaoke" challenge lying down...

Wave your flags way up high......!!!
(See also "Countdown to 50th MA")

Usual for Bus and Truck Drivers to Take Drugs?

I thought I heard someone saying over the TV3 News at 8 pm today that it's usual for bus and lorry divers to take drugs in order to give them strength to undertake extra trips.( NST August 26, confirms that En. Mohd Yasin Yacob, President of the Peninsular Bus Drivers Association said about 30% of the drivers did so). It made me literally jump out of my seat to make some comment about it. No wonder they can get their "trips" mixed up - the narcotic and the one on the road!

PM's directive was just to investigate what makes them turn to drug. "We don't know whether they take it before or after their
(presumably road) trip," I heard him say on TV . Investigation is good but I'm sure we already know some of the causes as given by Union or Association officials. They had to do as many trips as possible in order to make more money since the basic pay is so puny ( about RM200?) I remember the MOT making a ruling before that lorry and bus driver should not do more than 8 hours without a period of rest. What happened to that ruling?

Trying to find out why the drivers take drugs would be like trying to find out why we have thousands of drug addicts. The simple answer is because the 'shit' is available and it certainly has more kick than a pep or vitamin pill. The drivers surely have other alternative sources of extra energy like coffee "tongkat Ali", vitagen, red bull etc. Liquor is of course a no-no, before or while driving.....! "After driving" doesn't exist. If a driver takes on another trip immediately after one is done, it automatically becomes "before driving"!


So, what's the solution? To me it's back to the question of self-discipline and a sense of responsibility. Bus and truck drivers in western countries, even in Japan an Korea, are known to be hearty drinkers. But they take full responsibility over their "loads"- that include passengers - and we seldom hear of long-distance busses ( like The Greyhound in the US) or trucks ( like the Fedex or HDL) meeting with serious accidents. The drivers worked very long hours too and they do just as much extra time when they needed more money. What makes them different from our bus and truck drivers?

Good working conditions, adequate remunerations and well-maintained vehicles could be the cause and must be given priority consideration by the employers in Malaysia. Government should have a special team of officers to look into these matters as part of the responsibility for issuing various licences and permits. Drivers should be given regular health and efficiency tests, the cost to be borne by the employers.

But on top of all these, the drivers must have or acquire a sense of responsibility and dedication to the people and the goods that are placed in their charge. You can see a lot of these among the bus and truck drivers of the developed countries. Most of them wear uniforms which give an added sense of discipline.

Developing and inculcating such a sense of responsibility, dedication and self-discipline is what "becoming a developed country" involved. It certainly is not just a matter of developing the infrastructure and economic fundamentals, nor is it a question of developing the human assets through training and education to suit the need of the labour market. It is the conditioning of people to acquire a sense of responsibility and self-discipline which is the more difficult thing to undertake. Neglect this and development will become a mad scrambling for self-enrichment on the "dog-eat-dog" basis, where bus, lorry and taxi drivers couldn't care two-hoots for the wellbeing of their "loads", teachers are not too concerned about the general wellbeing of their students as long as they get got grades, public officials don't really care if their clients are "happy" with the service they get or otherwise.

Everybody ( especially those in a position of power) will then be only concerned with "getting rich quick" or "making as much money as possible" and everbody else can go to hell! With such an attitude everyone might end up in that godforsaken place...

Countdown to 50th Merdeka Anniversary.

7 days to 50th M.A. Look at the buildings, shophouses, the homes and the motor vehicles that crammed the roads in KL and elswhere in Malaysia. Overall, there are so very, very few Jalur Gemilang that you can see gracing the buildings and the homes with the obvious paradox: the smaller the building or house the more likely that it'll fly the flags. More interestingly you can see a small house flying a huge flag, and often many flags, whilst the big imposing one flies no flag or a tiny one.

As for the vehicles on the road there could be as many as 50 vehicles w/o a flag to 1 that has. Again the smaller the vehicle, especially the Kancil and the cheaper Protons, is more like to fly the Jalur Gemilang - sometimes many of them creating the danger that the car might just fly - than the huge expansive ones. Some of the amaller ones or the old and almost discoloured vehicles are neatly wrapped up in the Jalur Gemilang. The big, expensive and luxurious vehicles would not, it seemed, want people to be distracted by the flag and pay less attention to the cars.

What's wrong with the way we're celebrating the Anniversary such that some people are not even interested, or let's say could not be bothered to even fly the Jalur Gemilang, a symbol of the nation's sovereingty and prestige? Is it the way we're celebrating it or is it those non-flag fliers themselves who have some attitudinal problems? If they are the owners of the huge commercial buildings, the palatial houses and the big expensive cars - ie. the cream of the Malaysian society, the rich and the successful-there can't be anything wrong with their psyche! Are the relatively poor or the lower class people in Malaysia more nationalistic than the rich and more successful? Surely flying a flag to show our respect to the nation ( that is if you can't find in your heart even a speck of genuine gratitude or love for your country) is no big deal?

I think the disinterest in flying the Jalur Gemilang is borne out of the Malaysians pencant for a reward in whatever they are asked to do - the overmaterialistic nature of our development culture. Start a competiton with a RM100,000 reward for the
100,000 car with a Jalur Gemilang flying on it, and I think everyone will fix a Jalur Gemilang to his or her car. Unless of course RM100,000 is chickenfeed to him or her. Even a chance in a million would be enough to motivate a Malaysian, especially the poorer ones.....lah! If monetary reward is bad for the soul how about an all-paid-for round trip to Hollywood or Las Vegas.
You know why I suggest Las Vegas? The gambling hantus will wrap their car in Jalur Gemilang if they can win a price for it.

The suggestion is of course, not a solution to the pathetic show of interest in flying the flag. The question is how to get the public at large involved in the Anniversary celebration. Certainly watching a march pass and parade by the roadside, a firework and perhaps singing the National Anthem, is not enough. All shows must not only be open to the public but allow them to participate, not just be a bystander. Perhaps the public can be invited to dance with the beauties as they move down the road. Perhaps there could be free food stalls for the family stacked with Jalur Gemilang, prizes for the best decorated cars
with Jalur Gemilang as the theme, etc.etc. The think-tank appointed by the Government to prepare for the celebration must have done the thinking.

Let's not have more of the same year in and year out. Otherwise the 50th Merdeka Anniversary becomes just another red-letter day for the officials and those paid or forced to take part in the celebration. The public will watch, of course, but don't ask them to do more, like flying the flag on their homes and cars!

QCC in Public Sector Once Again!

I left the public service more than a decade ago. By now I thought I'm terribly outdated. But..every now and again I hear the public service grappling with problems we grappled with years ago, as if nothing had changed.


Paklah our PM had just asked that the Quality Control Circle(QCC) be introduced again in the public service ( Speech in NS on August 23). That's when groups of workers sit together to discuss major problems and trace their relationships using the fishbone concept in order to tackle the problems from tail to head. The MOP approach ( Manual of Office Procedures) and Checklist system were insisted on again just sometimes back. Productivity increase was insisted on again and again, ad nausea.There also was the Star Rating System to track and evaluate the performance of Ministries and Department...and the Micro Accounting System suggested by Tun Mahathir ( exPM) which never saw the light of day, because the Chief Secretary to Government then could not fathom what that was.

There were enough management tools even then to track a technical or human malfunction before it stalls normal service operations. But now there are the computers( e-mail, on-line services, internet etc.) the mobile phones, and other nonasecond eletronic gadgetaries that can enable a public servant to operate even from their homes while on leave without moving their oversized bums.But....the bureaucracy moves as slovenly as before, if we are to go by the calls to higher productivity and better quality of work that we constantly hear from the national leaders and the public.

And...corruptions goes on in the midst of delays and bureacratric intricacies which allow "the pocket Napoleans" (or blood suckers!) to flourish. If all procedures in govenment are made simple and transparent, traceable on the computer by anyone,
I'm sure all unjustifiable delays and the opportunity to "make money" on them, will slowly diminish. If all decisions are recorded on computerised minutes which can be made accessable to authorised parties, it would be very easy to trace who made what decision and when in order to pinpoint who had used the decision to his or her advantage to make some quick bucks.

I wonder if all senior government officers are now computer literate and functional? To me this ability is more important than passing the PTK (Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan) and other memory-based examinations. As we know there are two kinds of knowledge. One is what you know and carry in your head. The other is to know where to find the information that you want qickly and efficiently. The computer is an extension of the first and a means for the latter.

So, the QCC should now be turned into " Quick Computer Consultation" whilst internal office problems should be dealt with
at the interpersonal level through Face-to-Face Interaction ( FFI). How about that, YAB?