A close friend advised us to keep the ghost story until after the election.
The problem is the election date is everybody's guess. Some say March, some claim to be May, and some predict in second term of the school holidays. Last but not least, there are those that believed it to be next year.
The way things are moving in Johor, it maybe a wee bit too late.
In the meanwhile, the RM60 billion Pengerang Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) complex is due for commissioning by 2016, which is 4 years from now. There is not much time. The planning work is already on the way, including land acquisition.
About two weeks ago, CEO and President for Petronas, Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas had sent Executive Vice President of Downstream Business of Petronas Dagangan Bhd, Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Bin Wan Ariffin to Johor Baru.
There is likelihood that it has to do with discussion on the said project. Simply, because he brought along a member of the Board of Director of Petronas and his fellow MCOBA President, Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin. Otherwise, why the need to bring Megat Najmuddin?
After all, he was once a strong candidate for CEO of Petronas. He represents Petronas, the biggest company in Malaysia and a Government wholly owned company. There is a reason.
In our previous posting here, we've described the massive quick money scheme in flipping properties in Iskandar Malaysia and the Johor Central Business District revitalisatin plan in and out of public listed vehicles.
The Petronas Rapid project in Pengerang, will include a tripatrite gas power plant that can support a petrochemical industry there. Read Bigdogdotcom here.
The power generated by the power plant is to be sold Singapore. It will involve Malakoff, Petronas and Singapore's Keppel Group. Pengerang was chosen because of this purpose and it's deep waters can allow for very large crude carriers and ultra large crude carriers.
It complements plans for the RM5bil independent deep water petroleum terminal, which is to be the first of its kind in South-East Asia. Thus making Teluk Ramunia and Pengerang a true oil and gas hub with supporting and ancillary industries. This will generate about 20,000 jobs and develop this backwater of South Johor and southernmost tip of continental Asia.
There will be gas pipeline built from Pengerang to just short of Kota Tinggi before it turn southward towards Ulu Tiram into Tanjung Langsat and all the way to Johor Baru CBD.
Naturally, the Johor state government will be a joint-venture partner of the project and will provide the required land.
Mention state land and a project of this size, the beepers in the ghost mobile sounds it's alarm. The land for Rapid must be consolidated state land, large tract of private land, and probably even orang kampung land.
There will be the supporting and ancillary industries mushrooming along the gas pipeline. That needs land too!
The gas pipeline and the land it traversed on will be owned by Petronas but for the industries piping the energy from the gas pipeline need land to place their facility.
Could they secure the land? If they could secure, how?
Although we've just celebrated the Chinese New Year, the Hungry Ghost Festival that usually comes in the seventh lunar month came early this year, earlier than Chap Goh Meh.
Securing the land has suddenly become difficult unless one is ready to be approached by Vampires. These vampires are not the European type one see in Hollywood movies that ravages alone but of the Asian variety.
Asian vampires in Hong Kong movies comes in groups and is directed by a ruthless Ghost, in this case the Hungry Ghost. These Vampires are not so smart and idiotically move non-stop in small hops towards their victim. One of this hopping vampire is said to be one Ku Mohsin.
To get their proposal through, these companies must wet the beak of the Hungry Ghost. The problem is it does not just stop at getting percentage equity in the company or some up-front amount.
There are companies already about to commenced work in Pengerang to prepare for facilities like storage. Already it is heard that one oil and gas company, named Kaylog or something to that effect, was preyed on and paid up-front of S$10 million.
The proposer may face the prospect of having these Vampires at the instruction of Hungry Ghost or probably the Hungry Ghost himself determining the proposer's equity in their own business and have to pay for the Ghost or his proxy's equity portion.
The biggest nightmare to any businessman will be when the Ghost determine who are the business partners in their venture. The proposer with the expertise and capital may end up with as minority shareholders.
Wan Zul could have been sent to Johor Baru by Dato Shamsul to deal with these ghosts and vampires. He was asked to bring Megat Najmuddin, whose extraordinary network, personal touch and diplomacy transcend into the supernatural and come handy in "smoothening" discussion.
Perhaps, the trip has nothing to do with meeting Vampires and Hungry Ghost.
But, it does not mean these Vampires and Hungry Ghost do not exist. They have been pretty much at large for the past two years haunting and preying on the rakyat, businessmen, Government servants and politicians.
If this is the way business is run in Johor, foreign investors will get turned off by such sadistic feudel ways. There is no certainty in doing business and too much and exorbitant unstated cost. It could seriously stifle and hamper development of Johor. Such act is an economic threat to the prosperity of Johor.
If the common rakyat knows of such abuse and intimidation, there will not even be sands at the end of the rainbow. Like sands dropping in the hourglass, time may be running out on them.
* Edited 31/1 10:00 AM
13 comments:
It is getting bigger and bigger. Now it is RM60 billion and how much cost over run we will never know. How much will be the real cost if done with sincerity? We feel so hopeless with leaders who are keen to plunder the nation's coffers under the pretext of development. Yes we need development, but not at this price.
Thanks for making us aware.
Rakyat.
another PKFZ in the making ?
wake up SPRM.
Cakap sama hungry ghost.
Berpada2lah . . . . nak berniaga, jgn buat mcm lanun. Ko tu ada darah bugis.
Badan dah gemuk mcm apa pun tak puas2 ke?
Jgn sampai rakyat benci dan cakap terus terang. Masa tu dah takde org hormat ko.
Tak ada yg akan pertahan institusi.
Rakyat/Anon 9:59
Are you reading what you ve written?
You said you want development but do not want to spend RM60 billion and the cost over run.
Project is only on planning stage, thus how can there be cost over run when it has not started constrution?
DO you think to have a refinery and petrochemical plant of this capacity is cheap? RM60 billion is only +- USD17-18 bilion.
If you can absolutely avoid cost over run, the development cost must be padded to absorb possibility of rising cost. It wont be RM60 bilion.
Unless you are god, you cant find pproject with no VO.
Plunder happens if there is wrong doing. Are you for sure there is wrong doing or you are merely guessing or speculation or anticipating?
Even in cases of corruption and power abuse, the working of Government and authorities works as usual.
The issue raised by A Voice is not about rising cost on Petronas but of someone with supernatural powers and their vampires imposing their freewill beyond the normal working of Government.
The added cost could as you suspect be borned by Petronas but it could instead come in the form of reduced transfered prices.
One shd be concerned and spread this wrong doing but please get it right who is these "ghost".
I guess rakyat is just an easily irritated common bloke who is factually adverse and just jump to simplistic conclusion.
A Voice,
I hope after this posting, u can still check through Senai. Really appreciate your effort. God bless.
It is just Singapore's way to greasing some palms here so that there will be a future concerted effort to block Thailand's plans to cut a canal across the Ikra peninsula.
Once this canal is in place, mampus la Singapura.
The hungry ghost has become a greedy ghost.
who is the tuan of this ghost ?
Assalammualikum wbt Dear A Voice,
1.This is a brave piece by you. I know the story , the ghost and it take guts for somebody to write on this.
2.May ALLAH swt protect you and your family ,amin.
Thanks.
A friend of Penarik Beca
Kaylog....Dialog? A public Listed O&G company who is currently doing the deep water jetty...I wonder
Tuan Haji,
Satu yg menghairankan; mengapa 'Hantu Lapor dari Johor' ini begitu akrab dgn usahawan Cina spt Ling Kang Whoa tetapi memusuhi usahawan Melayu spt Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary?
Sampai mintak tuko nama Nenda dlm projek yg usahawan Melayu paling berjaya ni uruskan......
Dah tu, berjinak jinak pulak dgn usahawan Singapura spt Peter Lim.
Persoalan seterusnya; Siapa yg hasut 'Hantu Lapor dari Johor' ni utk memusuhi usahawan Melayu yg dah terbukti tak pernah gagalkan atau jual mana mana projek yg diberi amanah kpdnya?
'Hantu Lapor dari Johor' ni perasan org Melayu Johor tak perasan ke cara dia bezakan antara usahawan Melayu dan Cina???
Uncle Aji,
There is this strong rumour going about that this 'Ghost of Johor' send his emissary to meet the developer of the Johor Waterfront and ask for RM 60M.
For the program to list all of the investors along the gas pipeline from Penggarang to Tg Langsat/Pasir Gudang, it is rumored that an active player in the oil/gas was asked by 'Ghost of Johor' to take the lead and evaluate the prospects. He is someone who is a relations to 'Ghost of Johor'.
What I don't understand is why can't Johor GLC such as JCorp to do the consolidation initiative and hv all of these industrialists/investors in a consortium. Petronas, MMHE, Sime Engineering, Ramunia, Ranhill, PTP-Johor Port, MMC, Dialog, Kencana, YTL, Berjaya, Genting, Vastalux all sit and plan who-wants-what-where-when.
Its transparent. Easy! No more all of these hantu stories that Malaysians are made suckers of!
Minimise corruption. Minimise leakages.
Why allow 'Ghost of Johor' dictate someone like First Marine to plan and list of these industrialists for the land parcels allotment?
Uncle Aji,
There is this strong rumour going about that this 'Ghost of Johor' send his emissary to meet the developer of the Johor Waterfront and ask for RM 60M.
So, now in this century we still need to pay direct taxes straight to the crown? What happened to the Govt of the people, elected by the people and for the people?
For the program to list all of the investors along the gas pipeline from Penggarang to Tg Langsat/Pasir Gudang, it is rumored that an active player in the oil/gas was asked by 'Ghost of Johor' to take the lead and evaluate the prospects. He is someone who is a relations to 'Ghost of Johor'.
What I don't understand is why can't Johor GLC such as JCorp to do the consolidation initiative and hv all of these industrialists/investors in a consortium. Petronas, MMHE, Sime Engineering, Ramunia, Ranhill, PTP-Johor Port, MMC, Dialog, Kencana, YTL, Berjaya, Genting, Vastalux all sit and plan who-wants-what-where-when.
Get the JCS to co-ordinate and plan. Get also IRDA to come in and facilitate on behalf of the Fed Govt agencies. Lay out everyone's term of references.
Its transparent. Easy! No more all of these hantu stories that Malaysians continuously made to be suckered of!
Minimise corruption. Minimise leakages.
Why allow 'Ghost of Johor' dictate someone like First Marine to plan and list of these industrialists for the land parcels allotment, which will go to the Land and Mines Commissioner and eventually Exco anyway?
King of Tanjung Langsat,
IRDA will only come in if it involved Khazanah - IIB, UEM Land. Otherwise, those lucky buggers in IRDA will continue playing their own balls.
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