Remembering Father in Pengerang

Yesterday was the first of Ramadhan. For our family, Ramadhan is a sentimental occasion.

The 18th of Ramadhan was the date father passed away in 1984. After 30 years or maybe 31 hijrah years, we still miss him and wish he had been around to witness the many achievements and milestones of our life.

The image of him on his Honda cup will always remain embedded in our mind. Only the last few years of his life did he owned a car. While the children, especially the younger sibings, they could own a car within months after getting employment.

Last Friday, we did what we had wanted to do for a long time and that was to track back to a short part of his life in Pengerang, Johor. It was his first posting with the Johor State Government.

Before that he was running a sekolah arab called Ma'ahadul Irshad in Bukit Timah, Singapore. That happened after Johor State Government denied the then teacher of Madrasah Al Attas Johor Baru a scholarship to study at the great Azhar University in Cairo.

Fuel card contract will infuriate public

In a swift act to counter our expose on fuel subsidy card contract revealed on Wednesday here, the propaganda machinery behind Datasonic went on overdrive.

NST ran a story yesterday on the fuel card bid and TV3 also ran a story on yesterday's Bulletin Utama on NST story. [See it on Tonton.com here]

Smart PR move. They had to expedite the process and make things transparent. However, it is noticeable that both NST and TV3 tried to playdown Datasonic, a powerful and major player in the smart card business. On Tuesday, Dato Hasan Malek welcomed proposals but by Thursday, public is told that many have submitted tender

This so-called transparency will not hide a fact that the contract have been pre-determined for Datasonic-led consortium, Fuel Sub House Sdn Bhd. and the so-called tender result will prove so. This group got it because they are buddy buddy with Dato Abdul Wahid Omar and he had given away hint that he is not comfortable.

The public will not agree to this new system. Voters will hate the government for it. This openness is still a facade because it is also noticeable that en tender. with two major players in the smart card business; Sapura and MEPS not in.

MCA and Gerakan is right to say it is open to widespread abuse and smuggling. Address the fuel subsidy leakage and stop use of fuel subsidy to foreigners and business first.

Datasonic pre-determined for fuel card contract?

In our posting seeking not to misunderstood Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (or the Malay acronym KPDNKK) Minister, Dato Hasan Malek [read here], this blog dropped a hint on an upcoming scoop related to an impending fuel subsidy management system said to be implemented on September 1st.

One source deep inside MOF suspect that it relates to the fuel subsidy card system that will be implemented and someone have been confirmed the contract. Her fear is that all these raids are only for show to get the public to agree. It will end the moment the fuel card contract is awarded.

Since TV3 in Bulletin Utama yesterday evening [try at Tonton.com here] reported Hasan Malek welcoming any suggestion to their on-going study but revealed that a decision is coming up soon, it  only confirmed the information of our MOF source.

Another source told us yesterday that the EPU under Dato Abdul Wahid Omar had pre-decided that the fuel card system will be used despite Hasan's invitation to any suggestions. In addition, the fuel subsidy management system has been guaranteed to a consortium led by Datasonic Berhad.

High government officials with vested interest and neo-liberals with insidious agenda are not interested to plug the leak on subsidised fuel to lessen the government subsidy burden but are only interested to make a buck out of public misery.

Prince of YTL and the Paupers of Kg Chubadak

Don't tell me about modern rules on land ownership, titles, land grant, and the various legalities. It is all man-made laws and regulation that is not a hard and fast rule. It can be adjusted should there be interest to seek social justice.

Even though, this is just a matter of the heart and probably there was compensation and settlement offered, note that the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered in 1998 to give the people of Kg Chubadak that started the village the land grant.

Most likely the subsequent legal process did not favour them. The point is there is rationale to give the land to them. But to whom will the land to be given to instead?

The land supposedly belonging to the Kg. Chubadak squatters made "paupers" will be given to the  YTL monopoly prince living in a new avant garde palatial home on a hill.

Groundswell against YTL but pro-PKR The Edge defending

This picture just got in of TNB staff unions demonstrating against the company from having anything to do with YTL.

In Kg Chubadak, the 40-year original settlers of the village is up in arms against YTL and authorities for denying them land grants but gave the faceless corporation YTL the land title to evict them. 

Words are that teachers all over the country are furious with the YTL's Bestari.net which failed to deliver their system, is being seen as having pre-emptive intention to "cheat" the Government.

All it takes is a spark for a nationwide demonstration against YTL, which could be far bigger than the TNB demonstration.

With all of these happenings, it is strange that The Edge, owned by pro-Anwar Dato Tong Kooi Ong, is defending YTL. Read below and note the bold words:

Ole Ole ... Orange!

We are One (Ole Ole Ola)

Holland gave reigning World Champion, Spain 5-1 drubbing in the opening game of the Group B match. A sweet revenge for their extra time defeat to Spain in the last final in 2010. 

Four years ago, we rooted for the old masters of the game. There is history behind the Dutch team and on that score alone, we felt they deserve to win the last World Cup. Again for the third time, the Dutch came out empty without the coverted Cup in football.

With that huge win against Spain, did the Dutch started out on the right foot?

"Hire my son and I will extend your contract"

In a previous posting this week here, we posted about a son of a VVIP and likely to be a Minister involvement in the sales of confiscated diesel and inextricably linked to subsidised diesel smuggling in Sabah. It seems the illegal act is made legit with licenses.

Hopefully KPDNKK Minister, Dato Hasan Malek will address this or the son could be  misunderstood as his.

Can't understand why Berita Harian is featuring him in the front page. [Read here.] It looks like another Dato Jailani Ngah style manouvering to embarass someone before dropping them. 

It is an old problem. VVIP children and wives can be a real problem when they exert their influence by throwing their husband name.