Sea Of Rubbish

in the Johor Streets today

THREE years ago, some 120 families of Kampung Pendas Laut relocated to a new neighbourhood across Sungai Pendas to make way for a development in Iskandar Malaysia.

The residents live in concrete homes now at the edge of Sungai Pendas in their new settlement called Kampung Pendas Baru in Tanjung Kupang.

Though their living conditions and surroundings have improved, residents are disheartened to live in a sea of rubbish as there are no rubbish trucks to collect their waste since they moved there.

Putu Minah Pahlil, 75, said villagers were each provided with rubbish bins.
“However, no one has come to collect the rubbish since we moved here.

“I have to burn my household waste.

“Some of the residents just throw their rubbish into the sea. If not, what are we going to do with our rubbish?”

Jemiah Awang, 84, who lives next door to Putu Minah, said she has no other complaints besides rubbish collection.

“The village is peaceful and the people are friendly. I’m just curious as to why we were given rubbish bins without any collection service provided.”

A Streets check revealed that household waste comprising polystyrene and plastic were found strewn along the riverbank of Sungai Pendas.

John Chew, 60, a photography enthusiast said the rubbish was an eyesore.

“There are tourists who come to the village to buy fresh fish and the sight of the rubbish is off-putting.

“Can’t the authorities in charge of this development do something about the rubbish before they plan any more developments here?

“The roads are tarred as there are lorries and buses coming in.

“How can a garbage truck not be able to come to the village?

“By not providing garbage collection facilities it will only encourage the dumping of rubbish into the sea.”

Chew, who is also a nature lover, said he could imagine what the rubbish pile-up in the mangrove area was doing to the marine habitat in the river.

SWM Environment Sdn Bhd corporate communications head Shahrul Amir Abdul Rahim confirmed that the company does not send its truck into Kampung Pendas Baru.

“Most villagers have to appoint their own contractors. It is difficult for SWM to send our trucks into a village.

“However, I will ask the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation to review the matter.

“We can propose a large garbage bin to be placed somewhere where our trucks can pick up the rubbish without having to venture into the village,” Shahrul said.

Attempts to get a comment from the Iskandar Regional Development Authority were futile.

Sembang Sembang

Lovely blooms

Gentle breeze

and got chendol with gula Melaka some more

But the best part was the Sembang  Sembang session with the local community 

who came across as unpretentious and friendly

1111 Please Improve Your Service

I went to pay my Celcom bill again at a Celcom agent at Giant Nusa Bestari. I went last week but my number wasn't updated in the system yet so I wasn't able to pay then.

http://ardentindulgence.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-million-things-to-do.html

http://ardentindulgence.blogspot.com/2014/09/dumbfounded.html

Today, I found that it was still not updated despite the fact that the Celcom Customer Service operator from its headquarters told me they would get it done within 48 hours. The call was made on Sept 15 at 8.39am.

Today the Celcom agent had to call 1111 again to get the account number for my mobile number before she could accept my payment. 

Luckily I was able to pay the bill.

I'm not upset with Celcom or anything. Small things like that don't upset me anymore. Ok, let me rephrase that. I'm trying not to sweat the small stuff. I'd rather channel the energy to doing something productive. 

Every dog can bark and bite. But to remain calm and unfazed by external factors is a test of strength. I aspire to do that.

Just the other day, I encountered a rather rude soya beancurd seller. At first I was a little annoyed, and felt a fleeting impulse to let it affect my mood but then I thought, maybe he was not happy with his life. So, why not give him some of my happiness? I guess I could spare some.

Good night.

Show Proof I Was Bought Over

"Saari to Hadi: Show Proof I Was Bought Over"

by Akil Yunus

PETALING JAYA: PAS’ Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib has challenged party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to show proof that he was bought over by PKR to support Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. 

“Provide the proof then,” he told Hadi, who claimed during his wrap-up speech at the party’s muktamar on Saturday that there were "brokers" from certain quarters who had "stolen" the support of PAS assemblymen in Selangor.

Saari clarified that he signed the statutory declaration (SD) supporting Dr Wan Azizah in order to deny Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim the chance to cause further damage to the state. 

“Khalid claimed he had the majority support, and had started sacking exco members. However, he did not consult any of the state assemblymen to ask them if they supported him.

“The aim was to deny Khalid. However, the lawyers explained that the state assemblymen need to support another candidate in order to legitimise the SD, so we supported Dr Wan Azizah because PKR and DAP had agreed to her nomination,” he said when contacted on Sunday. 

Saari insisted his only wrongdoing was to help safeguard Pakatan’s grip on Selangor, and lashed out at PAS for allowing its members to revile and insult him without knowing the full story. 

“There are many Islamic scholars in the party, yet they allow a motion to condemn me for my actions, which constitutes as punishment before trial. What kind of Islamic party is that? 

“At the muktamar, the permanent chairman did not intervene when a delegate prayed for God’s wrath upon me. This is very shameful to the party,” he added. 

Saari and Morib assemblyman Hasnul Baharuddin were the two Selangor PAS assemblymen who signed the SD supporting Dr Wan Azizah on Aug 14, three days before the party was to make an official stand on the mentri besar crisis.  

- source Star online

Forest City Project

by Sim Bak Heng

GELANG PATAH: The voice of protest permeates the air inside the Kampung Pok community hall when the audience started to comment on the Forest City project from 3.30pm.

From housewives to farmers, from fishermen to senior citizens, they took their turns to bombard the project proponent and DEIA consultant one by one.

One of the audience the credibility of the survey result on the social and economic impact conducted by the DEIA consultant.

Of the 100 villagers polled, the result showed that 60 per cent of them said "yes" to the controversial project.

The audience questioned the methodology used kn the survey, and whether the sample is sufficient.

Kampung Pok Village Development and Security Committee deputy chairman Azman Abdul Rahman said he did not even know when the survey was conducted and if it had ever been conducted.

He urged the project proponent to find an alternative road for the project to link to the mainland as no villagers want any road from the project to pass by Kampung Pok.

Another villager then stood up and said the project only benefits the rich but what the people want are affordable housing units.

So far, no one from the audience has openly supported the project.

The dialogue continues with only brickbats and no bouquets.

Several people have appealed that the public dialogue be postponed until a more detailed DEIA is presented.

2nd story

GELANG PATAH: The controversial Forest City project will now be split into four islands instead of one single island.

The biggest island measures 1,005hectares while the smallest measures 58ha.

It is split into four islands following a hydrology study which saw the need to have more water channels to allow water flow along the Johor Straits.

Reclamation of the Forest City project stopped on June 16 this year following a diplomatic note from Singapore which asked for more details about the project and its impact on the Johor Straits.

This is in view that the project is near to the Malaysia-Singapore boundary and involves lots of coastal reclamation.

The briefing today detailed about the amount of coastal sand off Telok Ramunia meant for the project.

Reclamation for the biggest island alone needs about 118,155,717 cubic metres.

The sand are carried by barges to the Forest City site through the southern part of Singapore.

- source NST online

A Seething Speech by Hadi

Our Assemblymen Were Bought, Claims Hadi

BY MARTIN CARVALHO, RAHMAH GHAZALI, AND RAHIMY RAHIM

BATU PAHAT: PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has chastised two Selangor PAS legislators for throwing their support behind PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, labelling the two lackeys and accusing them of having been bought.

“They couldn’t get what they wanted, they stole them from us. They were bought over,” said Abdul Hadi, in what appeared to be a scathing attack at PAS’ Pakatan Rakyat partner, PKR.

His accusation comes two days after warning both PKR and DAP not to betray PAS within the tahaluf siyasi (political cooperation).

In his winding-up speech at PAS 60th muktamar here, Abdul Hadi said the statutory declaration that the two assemblymen had signed in support of Dr Wan Azizah was nothing compared to sumpah bai’ah (loyalty oath).

The loyalty oath is a PAS pledge taken by all its candidates before the general election.

“Didn’t they take the oath? Which one is bigger? The bai’ah or the statutory declaration?” he asked.

Abdul Hadi went on to say that the party had no choice but to intervene in the Selangor crisis even though it had no interest in the mentri besar post.

“We are not hungry for the post although we have more seats compared to PKR. “They have to remember that we are bound by Islamic principles, not just based on rational basis,” he said.

Hulu Klang assemblyman Saari Sungib and Morib assemblyman Hasnol Baharuddin have been criticised by PAS leaders for going against the party the moment they declared support for Dr Wan Azizah.

The two were not seen at the three-day muktamar.

-source Star online