Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Toll hike detrimental to Johor

Former state executive councillor Datuk Jimmy Low Boon Hong, 72, who held numerous portfolios such as tourism and local government, shares his views on the toll hike.

He is now the president of the  Kluang Chinese Association and chairman of the Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation (Jaro).


THE toll hike at the Causeway has brought back a flood of memories of the good old days for me.

  In 1984, both the toll plazas at the Senai highway and the Causeway were put up at the same time for northbound and southbound traffic respectively.

  In March 2004, the Senai toll was abolished by the Federal Government.

  The question is how much money has been collected through the toll and how little upgrading have road users seen over the past decade?

  When I was the state executive councillor helming the public works portfolio, I was always at loggerheads with the then Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu over the toll issue.

  Singapore has announced that it would also be coming up with new rates in the next few weeks.

  This is in line with the republic's long-standing policy of matching its toll charges at the Causeway and Second Link to those set by Malaysia.

  My suggestion is for the toll booth to be moved away  from the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex.  

  This will save Singapore the trouble of having to implement revised toll charges.

  If the government wants to collect tolls for the 8.1km Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL), then impose a toll fee on all the 180,000 to 220,000 motorists who ply it daily, instead of only the 60,000 who use it to get into Singapore.

  Collecting RM3 each from 200,000 cars would amount to a bigger collection than collecting RM16.50 from 60,000 motorists.

  But of course, the better solution would be to just do away with the toll at the CIQ and concentrate only on imposing the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fee for Singapore-registered cars.

  When I was in office for more than two decades, the Federal Government had twice proposed that a  VEP be implemented but the proposals were rejected by the state government.

. This time it was the state government that had asked for it, and our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak gladly agreed to it on July 16 when he was in Johor Baru.

  Do you all still remember the three-quarter petrol tank ruling which Singapore had imposed on Singapore-registered cars, and how the republic had fervently highlighted all the crimes in Johor Baru?  Do you know why Singapore had to resort to this?

  Because Singaporeans were flocking to Johor for everything from food to Brylcreem.  Need I even say more?

  And Johor welcomes this tourist influx from across the Causeway.

  I remembered how Johor, with the help of former Transport Minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, had set up green lanes to make it convenient for the tourists to come here.

  This new toll hike, in my opinion, is going to bring short-term detriment to Singapore.  But in the long-term, it is the Johor economy that will bear the brunt.

  In the past few days, traffic flow across the Causeway has been smooth.  It is not the toll hike that is scaring the Singaporeans away.  I have friends who tell me they are fearful of another strike at the Causeway like the one that occurred on Aug 1.

  In fact, some Singaporeans who have come here in the last few days have said that they don't mind the toll hike and were happy because the smooth ride has enabled them to save time and petrol.

  If lorry operators were to go on strike, Singapore can always get their vegetables and poultry from places such as Vietnam, Australia and Batam, Indonesia.

  Lorry operators may contemplate this move because they are imposed toll charges per trip, unlike the case of Singapore where they have to pay monthly toll charges, which enables them to come in and out as often as they like.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Doing Their Bit for Gaza



PASIR GUDANG: A total of RM4,225 has been collected by the Pasir Gudang Wanita Umno to ease the plight of the people of Gaza.

A pledge to hand over the collection was held during the Hari Raya open house gathering of Pasir Gudang member of parliament Normala Abdul Samad at the Pasir Gudang Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.

Normala is also the Pasir Gudang women wing's chief.


Mary and I represented Harian Metro and New Straits Times respectively.

The Tabung Kemanusiaan Palestin (Palestine Humanitarian Fund) Media Prima Bhd was launched a week before the gathering," said Normala.


A handshake with Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who witnessed the pledge.

Media Prima Bhd launched the Palestine Humanitarian Fund in November 2012 with the collaboration of Mercy Malaysia.

Media Prima reactivated the fund on July 10, with the latest partner being the Perdana Global Peace Foundation.

"We appeal to caring Malaysians to help the people of Gaza in this trying time," Media Prima said in a statement.


Imperial Indulgence at Qing Palace


THE award-winning Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant at Pulai Springs Resort in Johor Bahru welcomes guests to its "Imperial Indulgence" promotion from now until next month.
Guests are assured of an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Meals from the Imperial Indulgence promotion can be savoured for both lunch and dinner.
Master chef Lim Ming Chong said there are over 80 authentic Szechuan main courses including rice, noodles, seafood as well as mouthwatering desserts.
The menu mixes classic Szechuan and signature flavours with some of the chef's latest creations.
Lim recommends his signature Szechuan hot and sour soup, sauteed diced chicken with dried chillies served in yam ring, Peking duck and his famous camphor and tea smoked duck.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Damage Done Even If Pakatan Survives Selangor Crisis



sourced from NST online

There is a general sense of foreboding among the Pakatan grassroots that the ongoing power struggle in Selangor may wreck the loose alliance.

Pas’ insistence on defending the position of Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as menteri besar against the wishes of PKR and DAP is indeed a threat to the almost eight-year-old alliance.

Pas, which itself was divided over the issue had tried to keep a lid on it with secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali issuing a gag order two days ago.

However, a lot of angry words had already been directed at Pas, especially by DAP leaders, with the most glaring being that by Tony Pua, the party’s Selangor chairman.

He had on Thursday predicted that Pas would be wiped out in the state if the party’s refusal to play ball on Khalid’s removal culminated with a snap election.

It reflects Pua’s apparent lack of regard for his party’s Islamist ally, a sentiment, which is likely shared among many DAP leaders.

Pas leaders, especially the younger conservatives, are not likely to take such insults lying down.

Many felt that their party had bent overly backwards to accommodate its Pakatan partners, to the extent of compromising its core principle of wanting Malaysia to be its version of an Islamic state.

Pas had even sacked and sidelined senior leaders such as former Selangor commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali and former deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa, who were perceived to be against the cooperation with PKR and DAP.

As it is, Pas is the Pakatan component party with the least number of seats in Parliament, with 21 as compared with PKR’s 30 and DAP’s 38.

Many in Pas wanted their leaders to change the perception that their party is merely DAP’s poodle and subservient to the whims and fancies of PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

It should be borne in mind that many Pas leaders have been unhappy from the start when Anwar initiated the Kajang Move, which led to the present impasse in Selangor.

Nonetheless, the spectre of another opposition coalition break-up is something which Pakatan leaders from all sides are at the moment trying to avoid.

The weakening of Barisan Alternative (BA) following DAP’s withdrawal in 2001 should not be far from their mind.

The outcome was a fragmented opposition being badly beaten by BN in the 2004 general election with the ruling coalition winning over 90 per cent of the parliamentary seats.

BA was disbanded after that.

Despite their open support for Khalid, Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the party’s spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat had insisted that cooperation within Pakatan should continue.

The rumour mills may be going on an overdrive over the past weeks about the possibility of Pas joining forces with Umno in Selangor and ultimately at the national level, but such a scenario is for now still too far-fetched to be considered seriously.

Many Pas leaders, including Nik Aziz in particular, have always been abhorrent of such a cooperation and there has been nothing currently to indicate that they had changed their mind about it.

Nonetheless, how Hadi and Nik Aziz are going to get Pas to stand its ground on the Selangor crisis without causing the meltdown of Pakatan will be interesting to observe.

Even if they manage to do so, the hurt caused by the barbs already thrown by their Pakatan partners regarding this issue would be hard to heal.

It would be even worse if they have actually relented and let PKR and DAP have their way. The repercussions could be severe at the party’s grassroots level.

In all likelihood, the issue is almost certain to drag on even if PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail should in the end be appointed as the new Selangor menteri besar.

At the end of it all, even if Pakatan survives the Selangor crisis, there would already have been so much bad blood between Pas and its allies that their ties would have turned truly toxic.

First Day Toll Blues

Sim Bak Heng 
sourced from NST online
JOHOR BARU: TWO factory bus drivers have been singled out as the culprits behind the chaos at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building here yesterday, which led to thousands of Malaysians working in Singapore having to walk across the Causeway to reach the republic early in the morning.
The Works Ministry said the act of the two bus drivers who had refused to pay the toll at the complex, triggered the chaos, which lasted for almost three hours.
The ministry said it viewed the case seriously and warned that legal action would be taken against the drivers.
“There were no protests by drivers at the CIQ Complex this morning.
“The overall toll collection was carried out smoothly without incident.”
It was learnt the chaos was orchestrated by the two factory bus drivers, who stopped their vehicles about 100m away from the complex and blocked the bus lanes, preventing hundreds of buses from entering the complex.
It was learnt the two drivers were unhappy with the toll hike, which took place yesterday, and had demanded an explanation from the authorities.
The drama unfolded at 4am and escalated at 5.30am when Malaysians working in Singapore began entering the complex via stage buses and express buses.
Due to the drivers’ actions, numerous Malaysians working in Singapore had to walk across the 1.056km causeway.
The toll rates for vehicles coming into Malaysia start from RM9.70. For outbound vehicles, the toll rates start from RM6.80.
Previously, only inbound vehicles were charged a RM2.90 toll.
Some questioned the rationale behind the drivers’ protest, as the government had only imposed the new toll rates yesterday, 27 months after it was supposed to have been implemented.
Questions were also raised as to why there were no similar reactions when Singapore increased the Vehicle Entry Permit charge into the republic on the same day by RM38 to RM86.
Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoint Authority said it deployed more officers on the ground yesterday to ensure travellers were cleared smoothly.
It said it would work with its Malaysian counterparts to monitor the situation.
Johor Baru South deputy police chief Supt Mohd Nadzir Ghulam Kadir said the drivers were not arrested, but were advised against repeating their offence.
He said the commotion began about 4.15am and ended about 8.05am, when those involved in the chaos were asked to remove their vehicles from the bus lanes leading to the complex.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Only Reel Drama For Today


LOVE is the deadliest poison.  And so is hatred. But love is still more powerful than hatred, and LOVE can conquer all.

That was the message I got from watching The White-Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom (白髮魔女傳), a timeless classic adapted from a novel by Liang Yusheng.  There was a 1993 film version of the story starring the luminous Brigitte Lin as the lead in The Bride With White Hair.

The new version stars the equally dazzling Fan Bingbing in the titular role.


After the movie, I went over to the Kinsahi Japanese Restaurant  for an Imperial Ebi Maki
After the movie, I went over to the Kisahi Japanese Restaurant for an Imperial Ebi Maki 


and


Kinsahi Ya Soft Shell Crab Maki.

Just felt like indulging in writing, reading (novel), feasting and loving, to my heart's content.

This is my day of rest.