No one will live without the broadband which is a prerequisite of internet services. The unfortunate incident on Monday, 27-July-2009, of telecommunication breakdown in Sandakan, and the entire east coast of Sabah, was a wake-up call for all including the government. The incident told us that we must have a well-designed and built telekom network in order to bring us to the next level of our economy. In other words, the importance of maintaining top notch ICT infrastructure should be in the future strategy, and Sabah government should categorise it under the Key Result Area (KRA) of its Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) plan.
The breakdown of the entire Telekom's communication connections had caused inconveniences as well as enormous losses to the business communities in Sandakan, Lahad Datu, and Tawau. Compared to ten years ago, the recent event has highlighted the criticality of our economy and livelihood which are no longer irrelevant to the normal functionality of the entire system. The success of the communication system depends on technology, its strategic design, and its maintenance. In the recent event, TMB could have avoided the akwardness by including the critical aspect in the original design, thus avoiding the heavy losses due to fire damages.
In the quest of harnessing the ICT value into our economy, the government must place highest priority on telecommunication infrastructure first, the backbone of the ICT. The telecommunication infrastructure is of the same importance as the other infrastructures such as highways, roads, ports, waterways etc. in the national economy.
Ten years ago, no body affected by the communication services such as broadband; but the situation is not the same anymore that no body can tolerate even slightest of delay. Every ones cry foul if it (breakdown) occurs. Younger people are mostly affected in the home sector by the internet breakdown. They are actually the ones who are most concerned with its condition. I just don't want to see the same tragedy happening in Kota Kinabalu. The Authority must plan ahead and proactively anticipate this unforeseen event with sufficient backup mechanism, now! People First, Performance Now!
The above news report published in Asia Times Sabah today referred.
First of all, I must admit that what this man (Mr. Ng or Huang in Mandarin) said is whole true, nothing, but the truth.
He's been 'working' in the hospital Queen Elizabeth for very long time, and he's more than qualified to speak up and tells all about the situation of the hospital since the main tower block of the hospital declared unsafe.
There is indeed a need of urgency from our beloved YB Liow or PM Najib to act as quickly as possible. We need the facility as early as twenty years ago. Some said that we'd have got all the required medical facilities if there had no PBS pulling out of BN fold twenty years ago. Sabahan was blamed for immature politically as well as paying dearly for its YBs over the years for their own negligence and ignorance (performance) in politic and administration.
The federal must have their own dilemma of not able to immediately completed the acquisition of the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC), and I suspect that CM Musa must have got high level information of impending delay that a so-called 'short term' solution be invoked, and hopefully, the 'Khidmat Hospital' will be in place by next July.
Most of the people I talked to regarding the suitability of location of present Khidmat site to be used as hospital; most were acknowledged as inappropriate, and in fact, some suggested it be turned to a hotel instead.
The KhidmatHospital would never be required if the sales & purchase agreement for the SMC deal was completed immediately after PM Najib’s announcement on 5 May, 2009.
The completion of the purchase is critical in the chain of resolving the QEH case that there would have started the renovation works in SMC which should provide 200 beds in one year time. The benefits are not only we could relieve the congestion problems at present QEH but also be able to demolish the unsafe tower block and commences work on the Twin Tower, as well as able to attracting more doctors to work in QEH.
Therefore, PM Najib should immediately complete the acquisition without further delay under humanitarian and ‘emergency” consideration. Sabah people will surely appreciate his excellent leadership and helps for many years to come.
The answer is MCA Sabah is no longer relevant in Sabah’s politic.
The main reasons are summarized as follows:-
1. The number 1 and 2 leaders in Sabah are having an open 'in-fighting' for leadership; 2. The relationship with other components in Sabah BN especially UMNO has not been good; 3. There is currently a leadership problem in Sabah State Liaison Office; 4. The State MCA is virtually survived on its own with limited supports from its central headquarter; 5. All the Divisions are virtually dysfunctional despite its physical presence.
The recent reshuffle of State Cabinet is an obvious example that saw MCA remains the same status quo in Sabah despite all the high hopes earlier that it'd expected to step into the higher level of Sabah politic.
The failure of wooing Datuk Raymond Tan into Sabah MCA fold was said to be the one of the causes of discontents, and conflicts. The grassroots are disappointing with the so-called ‘selfishness’ of certain leaders who lacked political ethics, skills and the much needed leaderships. On the Raymond Tan case, the accused local leader even later, when confronted, claimed ignorant and swiftly pushed the responsibility to the President of the party who was one of the negotiators, jointly involved in the negotiation of Raymond’s entry to MCA.
The unsuccessful attempt to bring in Raymond had led to the biggest ever rift between Datuk Paul Kong, the number two leader, and Datuk Edward Khoo, the current HQ-appointed State Liaison Chief. The two are now accusing each other for the problems in Sabah MCA. The morale of MCA has reached it’s lowest since its formation in Sabah 15 years ago.
The failure of Datuk Khoo in clinching a Ministerial post in May, 2009 was the tipping point as the grassroots had been looking forward for the appropriate post as a 'rewarding to the State MCA, after 18 years of struggle in the state with the initial aim of overthrowing the then PBS government. The entry of Sabah MCA was construed as mimicking the working relationship of UMNO and MCA in the semenanjung. On the contrary, the re-entry of PBS in the state cabinet saw its power base grew by the day since 2001, more and more PBS cabinet ministers are appointed, so are the ‘revived Gerakan’ with a minister in the Industrial & Development ministry, and State MCA is merely a decorative partner in the state government.
Prior to 308 general elections in 2008, Sabah MCA had been the 'bridge' for Sabahan for the affairs of Medical, Transportation, Local Government, and Education respectively; unfortunately, all these portfolios are now ‘replaced’ by UMNO Sabah, even though it’s only as Deputy Ministers, the 'systematically' move had definitely sidelined MCA in Sabah. The MCA Sabah has become irrelevant, politically. The recent criticisms on the lacklustre performance of the ministry of health in Sabah on the pace in the purchase of SMC and the reconstruction of QEH was seen as an open shown of disrespect on MCA Sabah and its HQ in the Senemanjung.
Who needs MCA Sabah now even the respective Ministers in the earlier mentioned ministries are headed by MCA?
The problem of MCA in Sabah is not only due to local problems but also very much due to the weakness in its central leadership to manage and support the fellow MCA Sabah adequately and sincerely.
The grassroots in Sabah are all disappointed with the attitudes of central leaderships who only spend time with the local issues during the party election. The local grouses were usually lightly taken, or sometimes ignored. Politic in Sabah is different from the semenanjung that there are more BN components vying for the Chinese supports.
MCA KL must do a drastic reformation in Sabah in order to become relevant again. They simply need to understand the political scenario and situation in order to be ‘alive’ again.
Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman has issued a directive for work to convert Wisma Khidmat into a private hospital to start soon as possible and completed within one year.
He said the move was necessary in view of the acute shortage of proper medical facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here, which was causing much inconvenience to the people.
Musa, who is also State Finance Minister, said he had requested a briefing from three senior state health officers on the status of the upgrading of QEH and the approved takeover of Sabah Medical Centre.
"I am sad and disappointed that there is still delay in implementing measures to overcome the lack of medical facilities namely a well-equipped general hospital in Kota Kinabalu," he said after chairing the Cabinet meeting at Wisma Innoprise, Wednesday.
"They are going to build another hospital but we don't know when. So I think we need to take immediate measures," he said, adding "furthermore we feel we can do it a lot faster".
The private hospital costing over RM100 million would have 150 beds and medical facilities such as an operating theatre and would be given "on loan" to the QEH while waiting for the other planned hospital to be completed.
"We have to be proactive in this matter. The State Government will do its part to assist the Ministry of Health to cover the gap until they can provide sufficient medical facilities for the people of Sabah".
He stressed that even though it would be a private hospital "we do not have to think about making profit but the lives and health of the people must come first".
"We realise the suffering of the patients due to the congestion at QEH, not only patients but relatives and doctors are affected," he said. On the parking space at Wisma Khidmat, Musa believed this issue and others would be addressed.
The work to convert Wisma Khidmat into a private hospital is being done by Sabah Credit Corporation, which owns the building. Musa also said that there must be a full cooperation from all relevant authorities to expedite the completion of the hospital.
1. The State Government is taking the initiative to save lives while the federal government has been able to provide 'lip' service only;
2. The federal government is not sensitive to the medical needs of the local people in Sabah;
3. The life of the local people is worthless;
4. The State Government works more efficiently than the federal government;
5. The State Government is more resourceful and creative than federal government in now resolving the woes of the QEH by converting the abandoned Wisma khidmat to a 150-bed private hospital;
6. The federal government has no direction as to how to end the debacle in QEH by not able to tell what, when, and where to expect.
The list can go on and on...
All the above reasons making our CM absolutely justified his decision to 'build' a hospital in a rush while risking of ending up with a 'half-cooked' hospital at the end.
He shouldn't have done it as it's just not a smart way of overcoming the medical service shortages. We need a good long term asset, not an improper short term infrastructure that might be declared unsafe again in less than ten years!
RM100million will be required for the 'Khidmat hospital'; and it may be a better idea if Bukit Padang site be handed over to the State Government for a proper hospital instead of pouring the RM100mil to the so-called 'Khidmat Hospital'? This should only be the last choice of all the options available.
Instead, he should persuade the federal government to immediately pay the SMC to hand-over the building for immediate renovation works on the two storey empty space. PM Najib should have no problem in doing so as he's also the Finance Minister who can use his authority to approve the transaction under emergency situation, something like a 'natural disaster' circumstances.
There are talks that the long-delayed commencement work on the Twin Tower block would not be able to start because the ill-fated old tower block of QEH couldn't be demolished. However, this is a lame excuse and certainly unacceptable. It's only a matter of wanting to do it or not. Someones high-up there should have mercy on Sabahan and deliver us the long-awaited full-fleged general hospital as quickly as possible.
Now that two months have passed, nothing is being done on the renovation, and further more, nothing also being done on the twin tower adjacent the Specialist building at the present QEH site. Time is lost, so are lives, inevitably. The government is simply too slow!
Is this the performance that we can accept in this land? Is this the KRA (Key Result Area) that the federal government has been talking about? I would be interested to see the KPI (Key Performance Index) of the various officials score on the QEH situation.
I think federal must treat the situation in QEH as special because the situation is truly extraordinary and therefore requiring special handling by PM himself.
CM Musa indirectly indicated that the state is not happy with the federal of its handling of the QEH fiasco.
Will the State of Sabah continue to be a sustainable ‘fixed asset’ for BN? The outlook is bad especially for MCA Sabah whose Vice President Datuk Liow is the Minister of Health! Not only that, it's State Liaison Chief, YB Datuk Khoo, Kepayan State Assemblyman, who is the Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister Department, also an incharge of the state medical affairs in the CM department! The outcome of the QEH in the next 1-2 years will definitely have some bearings on the result of the next general election in Sabah.
It's therefore of utmost urgency to resolve the QEH as quickly as possible; well, at least, it should be seen progressively being resolved. And, it's time that the federal displays its competency and, most importantly - sincerity.
A WOMAN who is believed to have conned hundreds of VIPs and artistes of RM432mil is now on the police most-wanted list.Her victims include veteran rock singers Amy Search, Hattan and Awie, as well as Misha Omar and the wife of a Tan Sri who lost RM26 mil.Police believe Rohaniza Aladib, 31, has absconded to Australia.Her case as well as statements by several artistes who had fallen victim to her con-game was reported by Harian Metro.Hattan and Awie admitted to having been conned by the woman who always appeared “decent”. Their loss totalled almost RM2mil.Quoting a spokesman from the commercial crime unit in Bukit Aman, the tabloid said Rohaniza lured her victims to part with their money by promising them very high return of up to 50% of their investment within 30 days.As in any scams, her victims would receive the high return as promised on their initial investment, thus encouraging them to “invest” more, including using money collected from friends and family members.Hattan said he initially invested only RM50,000 but after receiving good returns, he increased his investment until it reached a total of RM1.4mil.Awie meanwhile said he lost RM50,000 to the woman who had promised him a return of 30% within 45 days. =================================================================== Wow! What a job!
Isn't she qualified as Malaysia's Bernard Madoff with a big haul of RM432million?
She's better than Madoff in a sense that she operated as a non-legalised fund manager outfit whereas Madoff had built up his reputation over the years and had no criminal record before his fall.
On the reverse, she was an ex-convict and she managed to pull the biggest ever con job in the country single-handedly; who say we are short of creative and capable human resources? Only this time, it was for the wrong purpose.
Rohaniza Aladib simply sweet-talked her innocent investors parted their 'hard-earned' money for the unbelievable returns she promised. It shows how easy our Malaysian trusted each other.
The incident also reflects how well-off our Malaysian by the amount involved. Most of her victims are believed to be bumiputras by judging from just a few names mentioned in the press. She had conned hundreds of 'innocent' investors according to the press.
The fact that she could manage to con so many peoples shows that the saving interest rates from the legally approved institutions should be revised up to attract these rich investors, or government should issue bonds for them to invest. The higher interest rate from the bank should eliminate the breeding and growth of illegal schemes in the country.
I hope the 1Malaysia Fund will relieve the worry of those rich investors who are looking for a safer and better investment instrument in the country.
I refer to a Sunday Forum article published on 12-July-2009 and am amazed by the kind of mentality that still prevails in Sabah today, and I hope the writer (by the name JP) of the above article is not a member of MCA Sabah.
Sabahan has always been critical about their rights being eroded and outsiders always become the targets of blames when jealousy sets in. Sabahan should work harder and do more soul-searching on why they ‘lost out’ than negatively using the unprofessional way to oust the capable members.
It’s common knowledge that Sabah was co-developed by Malaysians from throughout the country, notably the Sarawakians. If we were shortsighted and closed our door tightly in the last 30 years, Sabah would not have achieved like it is today. It was the ‘virtual open’ policy that worked.
It’s an un-denying fact that Datuk Paul Kong has been contributing quite a lot for MCA Sabah over his years of services, and he’s one of the most qualified candidates for the post. Further more; Penampang MCA division under his leadership has been the fortress of MCA Sabah in the last 8 years supporting the only State Assemblyman we have.
MCA is a national political party for the Chinese Malaysians regardless of origin, have been politically contributing towards a stronger Sabah, or Malaysia, one way or another.
Out of the 25 divisions of MCA Sabah, 9 Division Chairmen are the so-called ‘Outsiders’.
The truth on the only senatorship for the MCA Sabah is that the Senatorship has been a quota for MCA, not for Sabah. In other words, the Senator that MCA Sabah used to have was actually under the quota given by MCA Headquarter, not from Sabah. It's a 'loan' to Sabah. Why was the writer by the name JP think that MCA is taking the quota from Sabah? In actual fact, it’s the other way round, MCA is ‘loaning’ the Senatorship to Sabahan than taking it away from Sabah.
The announcement by Education minister on the use of BM text book for all Maths & Science subjects for secondary schools from 2012 is simply questionable, and definitely not acceptable.
They should adopt the English text books for Maths & Science at all levels in the secondary schools while allowing the use of other languages (BM, Chinese, Tamils, or Kadazan) as a supplementary teaching medium where appropriate in order to help students understand and learn the subject more efficiently.
On top of that, English language lesson should be increased appropriately (based on expert's recommendation)with the aim to improve the mastery of the language.
I think the announcement by MCA President Datuk Ong TK was rather hasty in welcoming the decision of Education Minister. The welfare and real benefits of the entire nation had obviously overlooked.
I'm completely sickened by the never ending woes of power shortages and disruptions in the states. It's a sin if it happens in the semenanjung west Malaysia but not here in the state of Sabah, the eastern state of Malaysia.
In Semenanjung, Tun M is now asking ‘where have all the petrol money gone?’ Here in Sabah, we have to ask 'Where have all the power gone'?.
I'm referring to the power cut or shortage that has been a regular phenomenon in the state since the Independence Day 46 years ago. The power disruption is frequent especially after the east-west grid connection system is in full operation.
Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB), a subsidiary of TNB, only realise that they have not got enough power to feed all the users throughout Sabah.
Their Chairman, Tan Sri Leo Moggi, has been pressing for the coal-fired power plants for years but was not accepted by the locals Malaysian in Sabah. The fear of pollution and contamination due to the burning of coal has been the main reason for rejecting the proposal. I suppose this had caused delay in the development of electricity generation in the state to some extent. Tan Sri Leo Moggie had in some occasions openly said bluntly and insinuated that without the endorsement from the locals on the coal-burning power plants, Sabah was going to head for more hardships.
He was right but Sabahan shouln't be blamed for the delay in power plant construction. They’d proposed a power plant that Sabahan couldn't accept in the first place.
Now it looks like we are in the critical state of power rationing state where power distribution to users will be shared, and the distribution will be very much up to the discretion of the power controller.
Many Hospitals especially in Sandakan had been hit by the sudden disruptions, and has been a popular subject of criticisms. This subject will be as serious and critical as the QueenElizabethHospital one.
Is this the situation we wanted to see in the first place? We are different to the states in Semenanjung where our future lies with eco-tourism and environmental protection. Therefore, the importance, and emphasis, on conservation and ecological protection are the main focuses of the state, and that we are not going to be compromise at all.
Sabah can only adopt the sustainable energy sources as a form of safer energy to drive the country ahead. We are talking about the solar, wind, water power sources rather than those based on the fossil fuels, namely oil, natural gas, nuclear etc.
Even now using the fossil fuels like the diesel, natural gas, the power generation can not solved our woes either, as there have always been the technical problems in the electrical company that they could never generate enough power for us. Why? No body seems to know. Fingers are pointing every where and no one knows what really went wrong as far as the electrical power supply in Sabah is concerned.
Initially, they blamed the transmission network, then the control network, now the power generation network, what's next?
There are some quarters suggesting replacing SESB or creating another competitor instead.
SESB doesn't perform and definitely not professional enough to deal with the power demands in the state. The lack of anticipation of problems and solution is particularly interested where we seemed to have chasing our tails all the time. In fact, this is a common phenomenon amongst all the government departments where they wait for thing to happen and then act on it, if they ever act on it, else, they will simply ignore it as if nothing happens.
The government shouldn't give lame excuse of fund shortage as Tun Mahatir just said that Petronas had paid 253.6 Billion Ringgit to Federal government for the period between the years 2003 to 2009; surely some of the money can be channeled to Sabah for the electrification projects.
Isn't this another 'People First, Performance Now!' awaiting BN to achieve?
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