Johore Mentri Besar to seize back Malay land

‘(18 November 2014) – The Johor government will seize Malay reserved land which had fallen into the hands of the non-Malays.
 
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said several action plans will be enforced to seize the land which rightfully belong to the Malays.’ Quoted from an article in TRE.
 
What does this statement mean? How could Malay reserved land fell into non Malay hands? In Malaysia, no non Malay would have the audacity or guts to take away Malay land illegally. They must have paid for them legally, with good money, or risk their heads being chopped off. Cheating the Malays of their land in Malaysia? How dare the non Malays do that?
 
Maybe, the lands they owned were cheated by someone from the Malays and then sold to them. The non Malays would not know that the land was acquired by foul means. And how many of these non Malays owning land or properties are Singaporeans? Could these non Malays be genuine buyers but got cheated themselves thinking that the land they bought were legal? How could this be proven? Even if there are legal papers, all the ex Malay owners need to do is to claim they were cheated and the non Malays can kiss their land and whatever properties sitting on the land good bye.
 
How many pieces of such land are in the Iskandar zone? How many non Malays who have been staying in their properties and waking up tomorrow to be told they were Malay reserved land and they have to return them to their rightful Malay owners? I can see money flying away.
 
An ugly nightmare is awaiting all the non Malay property owners. Hopefully not many Singaporeans are affected. Pray hard, pray real hard. Would it make any difference if the Singaporeans are Malays? I think they are safe as the report talked about non Malay hands. Sleep well?
 
Anyone still thinking of Iskandar? How to make sure the properties will be safe 10 or 20 years down the road when another Mentri Besar is going to do the same and the papers turned out to be fake or told to be fake?
 
Malaysia boleh!
 
Don’t think this kind of things can happen in Sin City in the future. There is no reserved land here.

Kopi Level - Green

Desmond Lee, what is the agenda?

The attack on the heinous crime committed by AHPETC cannot be simply ignored. How can AHPETC allowed 29%, or was it 22.9%, of its residents be in arrears in S&CC fees? This is unforgiveable. There cannot be anything more serious than residents not paying S&CC fees, not when they are in financial hardship, not when they did not vote for the WP, not because they are not happy with the service provided by AHPETC. What kind of precedence would it set?
 
What is losing millions in bad investments compared to this outrageous offence of not paying S&CC on time? What about anyhow aim? What about incurring huge deficits to be covered up by govt grants? You want the truth? These are nothing really. If they are important and serious, the ministers would surely have spoken up about them. The minister knows what is important what is not. Anyone got more clever investment ideas?
And why are the people brining up the millions or billions of dollars lost in bad investments? What have these got to do with residents having difficulties paying a few dollars of S&CC fees? These are separate issues. Anyway, it is over, water under the bridge. Let’s move on.
 
The AHPETC must come out clean, be transparent and let the people know why the people are not paying S&CC. This is a very serious thing and the town council will become insolvent and unsustainable. And worst, other residents would have to subsidise those in arrears. Really? How? AHPETC, please explain, if not this will become top election issue.
 
Oh, please close the cupboard and don’t let anything fall out. What, why keep repeating and bringing out grandmother stories? What is inside the cupboard must stay inside the cupboard ok. What, got worms, got skeletons? Where, where got?
 
Now AHPETC must be very busy trying to explain this big problem and got no time for anything less important. And the people would all be talking and thinking about this grave issue and nothing else.
 
What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green

UMNO again thumping chest about Malay superiority

Some UMNO leaders are pushing for more curbs against the non Malays in Malaysia to champion Malay superiority. This time they want to close down vernacular schools. And they pushed out the cart of fear that the Malays would become the Red Indians of the USA. I think the possibility of Sinkies becoming the Red Indians is 100 times higher than the Malays in Malaysia. With supreme political, economic and military power in the hands of the Malays, with rising awareness and a political conscious Malay core, with the control of the economic and political system designed for Malay dominance, it can never happen unless the Malays decided to want to change the system.
 
It is so naïve, sorry for telling this straight, to raise the fear of Malays in Malaysia become Red Indians. The White Europeans could do it with the help of technology and the gun. The Malays in Malaysia not only control the gun but everything in Malaysia. Malay dominance is protected by the Constitution. The fear is a red herring in all aspects.
 
Najib has come out to caution against alienating the non Malays further and eroding the trust and support for UMNO by the non Malays. Can the UMNO ultras believe that what they are doing would increase support for UMNO? The only option is to turn the non Malays into Red Indians. Is that in their agenda? We are in the 21st century.
 
Is the cry for Malay superiority for real? What superiority are they talking about when they have all the powers of the country in their hands? That is the only thing superior that they can have and to show. What else, technology and science, arts and culture, language and history, economic and military power in the world stage? Religious superiority?

When one is good or superior, there is nothing to crow about, no need to shout and trying to impose that superiority on anyone. The West, with its advancement in science and technology, arts, culture and language, is superior to the rest of the world beyond any doubt. There is no need to demand to be superior. The rest of the world simply turn to the West, look up to the West, learn from the West, imitate the West and want to be like the West. That is superiority! You can chose to put on blinkers and claim that you are superior and reject the West and all its achievements and progress in science and technology. Close the door and look inward like China and Japan did before. Both suffered greatly as civilizations and fell behind until they opened the door and embrace what is good from the West. Turning away from the breakthrough in science and technology is only committing hara kiri on the whole people.
 
What is so superior of the Malays vis a vis the West and the rest of the world that you want to ignore and want to impose on others? All the Malay elites and the progressive Malays are sending their children to the West for the best education they can have, learn a different lifestyle and modernization. If the Malays are so superior in their ways, there is no need to go West, to look West. The rest of the world, the local non Malays, would be adopting everything Malay, arts and culture, science and technology. There must be real superiority in the Malay culture and way of life for the rest of the world and other communities to want to adopt and learn to be Malays, the Malay ways of life.
 
If UMNO chooses to close up to the world, not to learn from the rest of the world, to want to learn only the Malay ways of life, Malay science and technology, culture and literature, where would it lead to? Would the Malays become superior vis a vis the non Malays and the rest of the world?
 
Japan opened up to the West and became a super power in the 19th Century. China opened up to learn from the West and is now the largest economy in the world and challenging the Americans for world supremacy. None of them is claiming to be superior but are superior in their own ways without having to thump their chests, ‘We are superior!’
 
Wither the Malay superiority if UMNO takes on a path of not wanting to learn from the world, from the strength of others? You can claim all the superiority you want, but what are you superior in that others admired and wanted to learn from, wanted to be Malays and live the superior Malay ways of life?

Kopi Level - Yellow

AHPETC – MND’s statistics

The controversies arising from Desmond Lee’s raised concerns about the financial health of AHPETC’s have led to the MND releasing some data on the granting of govt grants to the GRCs and the criteria for such a grant. The amount of grants varies according to flat types. One room flat will get $33.70, two rooms gets $26.20, three rooms getting $17 and $9 for four room type per month.
 
A sum of $7.2m was given to AHPETC with a household of 71,760 and 29% of which are 3 rooms and smaller. MND also revealed that 10,000 households out of the 16,000 households in arrears started in 2010 after WP was elected. 50% of the commercial tenants, 8.25 of the hawkers and 29.4% of households were in arrears.
 
The statistics said that AHPETC has a relatively high percentage of flats of 4 rooms and above, at 71% compared to 61% in AMKTC and 41% in TPTC. Relatively speaking, using flat size as a factor, AHPETC has more higher income households than the two TCs mentioned. It also explained that the higher income households in AHPETC were having more difficulties paying S&CC than the lower income households in AMK and TP and falling into hard times in 2010. This is also the case for the commercial tenants as 50% of them are in arrears. 2010 was also the year when 10,000 more households fell into arrears, from 6,000 to 16,000. Only 8.2% of the hawkers are in arrears. MND did not give any statistics on how many commercial tenants and hawkers were in arrears before 2010 or how many more after 2010.
 
I am unable to figure out the 29.4% of households in arrears as 16,000 of 71,760 gives me 22.29%. Which is the correct number, 29.4% or 22.29%? For Desmond Lee to show concern, WP must thank him for his interest and special care for the welfare of AHPETC. WP may want to suggest to Desmond Lee that as a minister, there are bigger problems and sums of money that were lost or at stakes that would require his care and concern as well. AHPETC and the sum of arrears is not enough big enough to be a peanut. By the way, how many town councils are around 22.29% or 29.4% in areas?
 
What comes out as a very important factor is year 2010. Other than WP taking over the running of the town council, were there other great events that happened that led to the households and commercial tenants falling into financial difficulties in 2010? Or they fell into financial difficulties because WP was elected and thus cannot afford to pay their S&CC? It would be good to understand the financial problem they are facing and find a direct correlation in their financial well being and the election of WP. Then it can be concluded that voting WP has led to financial problems for households and commercial tenants. How I would not know. Anyone can put a link or explanation for this phenomenon to be valid?
 
Is this falling into arrears in S&CC also happening in other town councils for the same period? If there is, then it is a national thing. But if there isn’t, then circumstantial evidence could be used to say voting WP would lead to financial difficulties for the households and commercial tenants and all voters must be careful when voting in the next GE. Can it be so simple or could there be other reasons? But if said often enough, daft Sinkies would believe it is so.
 
Could the falling into arrears be due not to financial difficulties but because they just did not like the WP, did not vote for the WP, so refused to pay up? Well, that was what one resident was claiming. If this is the reason, then based on the 65% of votes for the WP, there should be 35% of households, hawkers and commercial tenants not voting for the WP, the so called hardcore.
 
The fact that 22.29% or 29.4% of households were in arrears, and taking away the original 8% in arrears, it means 14% or 21% of households are not paying because they did not vote for WP. In the case of commercial tenants, it is likely to show that more of them did not vote for WP, above the average of 35%. Or maybe they were not even living in the area but hardcore anti WP voters. So 50% in arrears can be expected.
 
In the case of the hawkers, only 8% in arrears which means no change from the original 8% before WP was elected. Heheh, the WP can count on their support from this group. Or maybe the hawkers’ business was not affected with the change of town council management.
 
What to make out from the above commentary? WP, how are you going to deal with the 50% commercial tenants and the 10,000 more households in arrears? Got to work harder to win their support I think. But if they are hardcore, if their not paying the S&CC is political, then nothing much could be done except to go legal. Let’s hope WP is big enough not to adopt the underhand and despicable practice of fixing them ok?

Kopi Level - Yellow

Singaporeans must make way for the Angsanas

The Angsanas are well known as instant trees in the island. They are planted everywhere as stop gap measures when instant trees are needed. They have good foliage and provide good shade under the hot sun. Superficially they looked good too. But they also snapped or get uprooted quite easily under strong wings. Maybe it is their nature, or maybe they are just instant trees with shallow roots. Unlike the hardy local trees that could withstand strong winds with their deep roots, the Angsanas would always be Angsanas. They will snap or get uprooted.

What is disturbing is a piece of news this morning about two old schools, Griffiths and Qiaonan, that have to make way for Angsana. The two schools with a combined history of 145 years, with many histories and old boys and girls who were proud to be students of the schools, would have their memories wiped clean, all because someone decided that Angsana should replaced them as the name for the new school, but devoid of any history except the fame instant tree image.

Why would the decision makers choose to have something new and nothing exceptional to replace our heritage? And why would the MOE and the Singapore Heirtage Board allowed it to happen? Aren’t they the public institutions and guardians that believed in our history and heritage? Are these people obsessed with the Angsanas? Or is there a message that they are sending out, Angsanas are good and should replace the locals?

The old boys and girls and teachers are all perplexed. They have all the good reasons to want to preserve the names of the two schools. They protested. Why would they want to replace the names of their schools with something like Angsanas? It reminds me of the fetish fad of replacing the PMEs with their wealth of experience with unknown elements from overseas.

There are a lot of sentiments involved. This is our history. This is very sad. Our past and memories are wiped out, no more, by this naïve and simplistic decision. The old boys and girls just want something to remember, their past, the times they spent in the schools, their alma maters. Why can’t the new school be called Qiaonan Griffiths to give it some history and a link to its past golden days? Qiaonan and Griffiths anytime sound better than this thing called Angsana. And one of the criteria of the Schools Naming Committee is whether the name resonates with the community? You mean Angsana resonates with the community better than Qiaonan and Griffiths?

And this Angsana Primary School is supposed to build on the histories of Qiaonan and Griffiths! What have they been smoking? Maybe Angsana resonates with the national policies of bringing more instant citizens into the country. Every Angsana, every instant tree, is a treasure, a talent, better than the locals or the Qiaonans and the Griffiths. It is better to do away with Qiaonan and Griffiths and glorify the new future of Angsanas.

Kopi Level - Yellow