So if that happens, and if you are caught trying to offer bribes to the policemen even if he tries to issue you a summons, whose fault is it? If he asks for it, then he is at fault, if you offer then you are at fault, if you hand over the cash and he receives it, then both of you are guilty of bribery.But perhaps the bigger picture could be pointed at the system that we are under. Perhaps bribery is the fault of the government. Corruption and bribery goes hand in hand and it goes without saying that this happens in the higher levels and it is just a matter of ‘if the boss can do it, I can do it’. That’s the first factor.

Secondly, policemen are not very well paid. They have to endure low salaries and work throughout the day under the hot sun, sometimes it is hard to blame them for succumbing to the temptation of a little extra cash. If they are paid like all other professionals, then perhaps the bribery problem would be solved. It is time that the government look at themselves and come out with better pay schemes and policies if they are serious about curbing bribery in the country.

A recent story is that of the new WCE (West Coast Expressway) which have been criticized for its price tag. Apparently, the project would cost the government (which means tax payer’s money) RM7 billion and from there, the concessionaire will be awarded with a 60 years toll collection contract.

This is daylight robbery! To begin with, the project involves the public’s money which means we are already funding the project. After that, we have to pay toll for 60 years, imagine that.

While paying toll is part and parcel of life, there must be some sort of returns. One can argue that paying tolls in highways is for exchange of convenience but how often has it been that convenience have been compromised?

You pay toll and then you have to get stuck in the traffic jam. Often times, it is the toll plazas on the highways which are causing the traffic jam. We use the highway because we don’t want the jam. So don’t talk to us about convenience.

And then let’s talk about alternatives. Some might argue that ‘If you don’t want to pay toll, then don’t use the highway’. That’s fine, then show us the alternative. If I want to use another way which is toll-free, are there any? There are certain destinations which can only be reached through the toll-highways which means you have no choice.

So, this is how the government bullies us. First use our tax money to build the highway, then make us pay for the toll, and then get us stuck in the traffic jams and not offering any other alternatives. That leaves us no choice. Think about it, the next time you are stuck in the jam waiting for your turn at the toll plaza.

Anyone with a sane mind will know that ‘white ang pows’ are used in Chinese funerals and is a definite no-no during Chinese New Year. Anyone would know that and the fact that there were pictures of some Chinese with smiling faces receiving the ‘white ang pows’ from Ibrahim showed just how ignorant one can be at times.

According to Perkasa, the incident took place during a Chinese New Year Open House event organized by them and they were giving out ang pows to the people there. But they ran out of red packets and had to resort to using white ones, which they then proceeded to do so.

That took many by surprise and some have come out to condemn the acts. Perkasa has since apologized over the incident and has pleaded ignorance.

Ibrahim Ali gave his justifications that, first they ran out of red packets and second they DID NOT KNOW that white ang pows were taboo during Chinese New Year. He then said that they are sorry and that they will not do it again and that they would not have done so if they knew. They will try to be more sensitive to the Chinese community in the future and reminded everyone to be sensitive to the Muslims and Malays as well. Is he trying to deliver a ‘reminder’ or he really did not know that ‘white ang pows’ are known as ‘Pak Kum’ in Chinese, which is given to the bereaved during funerals?

This is not right. No matter how much politics are involved, trampling on these type of sensitivities are just not acceptable. Ibrahim can say anything he wants, he can be racist all he wants but sometimes he should not be allowed to cross certain lines. After all, white packets are not used in other cultures, are there? This was pre-mediated and everyone knows it.

However, nothing was decided and hence, fireworks and firecrackers remain to be banned. The recent tragic accident in Thailand should serve as a big lesson to all that while firecrackers do create the mood during the season, they are dangerous if not controlled and played with properly.

Perhaps the councils should take this issue more seriously as festive seasons are the worst time for accidents to occur. The last thing anyone want to have during celebrations is to have someone getting hurt and in some extreme situations having to deal with death.

There are fireworks which might be ‘harmless’ where they can be played with easily under adult supervision and perhaps that should be allowed but the more ‘serious’ firecrackers which are loud and startling must be controlled. As Malaysians continue to celebrate the festivals, the councils and authorities should start looking into allowing families to play with firecrackers under their supervision. While it might be a bit more work for them, this could well be good measure which will help to reduce accidents and mishaps. Perhaps issuing permits for fireworks and firecrackers would be a way to control this. If that is too daunting, then perhaps the councils and authorities should stipulate certain types of firecrackers which could be played so that the illegal ones could be curbed.

But the main problem is that each bookstore seemed to have their own interpretation of what the students can use the RM200 book vouchers for. The restrictions are mainly put in place to stop people from misusing the RM200 book vouchers after some have surfaced where students have tried to sell them to others.

Some book stores allow students to purchase everything in the store that include drinks and prepaid top-ups while some allow students to buy stationeries using the RM200 book vouchers. MPH only allows books and stationery while Popular Book Store restricts students from buying certain books.

Some students are even trying to exchange the RM200 book vouchers for cash at bookstores. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the ministry had not clearly stated how the RM200 book vouchers could be used. The only way to control this was through the checking of the MyKad and such but even that is so, there are still some who are trying to misuse them.

Borders have a cap of RM10 for stationery using the RM200 book vouchers while some bookstores have already recorded cases of customers who have vouchers without the appropriate information like university stamp and such. The Higher Education Minister has since clarified that the vouchers can be used to redeem any type of books which need not be related to their course of study. Otherwise it would give more problems for the bookstores who would need to check the letter of offer for the students. Such goodies are great but there must be a way to make it more efficient.

According to ACP Abdul Rahim Abdullah, the police chief of Gombak said that the bodies were found by a man who was there fishing. He first found 2 bags and passports before setting out to find the owners but instead found the 2 bodies floating in the water nearby. He then contacted the police. The Selayang Fire and Rescue team was brought in and was brought out before being taken to the Selayang Hospital.

As the family members of the students are not in Malaysia, their friends and lecturers were informed to identify the bodies. According to one of them, they could not identify them as the bodies were in the water for too long. The Botswana students were known to be very good students and one of them was a straight A student.

The police concluded that they have not drowned and could have fallen from a high spot as the water levels in Templer’s Park were very shallow. This means that they might have fallen from a high spot. The bodies were found only with their underwear and were classified as sudden death.

Botwana students in Malaysia number in the hundreds and the Templer’s Park case would be one of the few that involve accidents like these. However, while some have claimed that the students had been drinking, sources claimed that they were actually very good students who were never problematic. They had great attitude and had never given any problems. While the deaths are regarded as non-conclusive, some close friends have claimed that they might be ‘murdered’ or ‘beaten’ due to jealousy reasons.

They were church goers where they have been very active and great friends to their colleagues while were not ‘loud’ or aggressive. According to sources, community.com.my were being told that Botswanian are normally the scapegoats of the African community. They are being bullied by the Nigerians and Kenyans. Not only that, the Botswanians are the smartest among the African community as well. We urge the Malaysian Policemen to investigate instead of classifying this as ‘Bukan hal kami’. If the authority allow the Nigerians to enter Malaysia, please make sure that they don’t being crimes to Malaysia. Indonesia and other countries are making a smart move to disallow Nigerians to their countries, why are we not doing the same to protect our people?

Our condolences to the family members of  Takongwa Olatetse and his friend. Your sons will always be remembered by all of us as bright students from Africans. Africans need people like Takongwa Olatetse.

Somehow or rather, the release of new bank notes might create a lot of inconvenience for people every time it happens. The problem really is not about using the new notes but this keeps changing. It seems that each time a new leader takes over, something about the currency will be changed. New bank notes would usually be used to mark a new era and period of a country but to do that every few years is somewhat ridiculous.

There used to the be the RM1 gold coins which was supposed to replace the RM1 notes. Not long after that, the RM1 notes were re-introduced and then the gold coins eventually were phased out. Many were collecting these gold coins and then there would be a rush to convert them with the banks.

And then there were the RM2 notes. This is still very much in used today but it was to be phased out soon. Among that which is new in this series is the RM20 note which, if one can recall was also used before, until it was phased out. At the moment, the new series are not used yet so for the ‘lucky’ few who could get the new notes, they have to pay a bit more like RM30 for the RM20 note and RM15 for the RM1 and RM5 set. The new notes will start circulation in the second half of next year.

While it is refreshing and nice to have new notes, as mentioned, it creates a lot of inconvenience now that trading would need to change again. Now, Malaysians will have to get used to the RM20 notes again and it will not be long before the current notes will be phased out one at a time.

When it was built, the SMART Tunnel was considered to be one of the mega projects which was hugely successful to curb the flood problem that created havoc in the city centre. In fact, it was an architectural wonder having been built in record time although it was very costly. The longest and biggest storm drain project in South-East Asia became the pride of the nation where it managed to solve  the flood water problem then.

All this happened in January 2007. Less than 5 years later, it seems that the SMART tunnel had failed to meet its objective after having spent RM1.9billion for its construction. When there is a heavy rainfall, the SMART tunnel is closed to channel water out of the city and this time around, it seems that no mega project can stop the wrath of nature. This time around, the city’s Jalan Tun Razak and Kampung Baru were flooded and it looked similar to the scenes of the post-SMART tunnel era. In fact, it looked like a stamp mark of how Bangkok was recently and the question is what is SMART doing?

According to SMART, if not for the tunnel, it would have been worse which was caused by the bursting of the banks of Sungai Bunis which then overflowed to the areas which was not covered by the SMART tunnel. Perhaps it is time to seriously look at the SMART tunnel project on whether it is to channel only certain parts of KL or that it is supposed to cover more. Shouldn’t the authorities thought about this before the SMART was put in place, or should the people spend more money to come out with a SMART extension or the likes of a SMART II project?

According to Lean Hing Chuan, the president of the association, contrary to some who shrug off the situation as a rumour, it is actually more serious than it seems. If cooking oil is facing shortage, it would have a chain reaction where price of food will increase as well as other related businesses. This surely will not be a favourable situation especially if people are gearing up for the holidays.

The Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism has also been informed to actually get to the bottom of the issue where Datuk Tan Lian Hoe, the Deputy Minister should actually conduct random checks on the stock of cooking oil in hypermarkets. In most cases, the hypermarkets and bigger players would surely have stock and this would affect the smaller players.

Some have even claimed that cooking oil shortage have become quite an ‘annual event’ in Malaysia, most specifically when it is approaching Chinese New Year. Who is to blame? Some have claimed that it is those who are manipulating supplies from the hypermarkets to the re-packaging companies and other suppliers.

Instead of sitting back and brushing the cooking oil shortage as rumours, the ministry should perhaps take pro-active action against those who are manipulating the situation and the market demand for their own profit. While no one can ascertain that it is done by certain parties, if it happens every year, particularly during these times, then the pattern is very alarming. This is the time when items like cooking oil and rice are very much demanded and if the situation continues, households would have to pay more just to have a festive celebration. Maybe a more effective price control mechanism should be put in place where supply and demand are controlled and monitored, but whatever it is, the ministry must do something.

He said that not all of them stopped education as some has gone on to enroll into private schools as well as other options. So with all that, it seems that all is good within the system? Dr Wee said that the figures also did not bring into account those who are home-schooled as well as pupils who have travelled overseas with their parents.

The findings of the study showed that the lost interests were because the syllabus in the secondary school was attractive. Hence, the ministry is trying to make it more ‘attractive’. Seriously, is this how the ministry works?

For the 80,000, if one takes into account those who are homeschooled or those who have gone overseas, it would probably be a few hundred more and that would not have any implications. We are talking about dropping out of secondary school from primary school. Where would one be without secondary education these days? Obviously, the ‘dropouts’ have gone on for better alternatives because the current system is getting from bad to worse.

There is no need to make syllabus more ‘attractive’. The need is to make the syllabus relevant. It is important that the quality of education is made the priority. One does not see a point in continuing in the public education system because there really is no future. Going private will be seen as better as quality is higher.

The fact with the dropouts here is because the people are losing confidence in the public education system, and this has nothing to do with it being unattractive.