The Kuala Lumpur Traveler

They keep fooling us around, don’t they? I am talking about the government and Malaysian business entities in general, especially the large conglomerate here in this Bolehland.
Remember when the world crude oil price shot up past USD120 per barrel? We, the country, made money… lots of money because we are a net oil exporter country. But the government, despite numerous protests, went ahead and raised the fuel price with a whoping 40% increase. We were devastated. Everything went up and yet those in Putrajaya were still saying the increase should not affect daily lives. Who were they trying to kid …read more

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In a press conference, Azmi Khalid said this:
Azmi told reporters in Parliament after a PAC meeting that the committee found no procedural abuse in the Eurocopter tender process.
Then, in the same press conference, he said this:
[...] committee was concerned that there was no physical examination on the 12 Eurocopter helicopters which the government wanted to purchase.
[...] Azmi added that among the main concerns of PAC was that there were no detailed physical inspections on the 12 Eurocopter helicopters before the government stated its intention to purchase them.
Hey…. if there is no procedural abuse, why there are concerns? I say…. shame …read more

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Shahrir’s latest statement on the issue of petrol price is totally absurd, coming from a federal minister who had been appointed to take care of the welfare of the people. Instead, this UMNO Baru/BN minister , seems to be more concerned about the survival of the select few petrol dealers than alleviating the suffering of the people at large, many of whom live in the rural areas totally dependent on fuel for daily lives.

The minimum price of petrol should be RM1.92 per litre even if the global oil price continues to fall, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir …read more

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A veteran Umno leader today said he had been asked to pay for votes in an upcoming contest for top posts, and warned that money politics would destroy the organisation.
Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said “the majority” of Umno members were more interested in making money out of the election than in voting for the right person.
suhakam religion culture conference 090906 rais yatim speak”The majority of Umno people want to look for money and not for good leaders,” said Rais, a member of Umno’s decision-making committee who is vying for the vice-presidency.
“We have been approached under the cloak of assistance and …read more

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The following scenario depicts the actual reality of the BN Government…..
A Sabah MP today raised serious queries on the funds promised to his home state under the RM105 billion Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) launched in January.
[...]“There was not even a single grain of sand sent to us, was it just sweet-talk by the government to win the general election? The RM5 billion, will it be given, or will it not be given to us?”
[...]“Sabah does not need any sweet-talk. If there is (allocation), give it, if there’s not, let us know. Even in the Budget 2009 (tabled last August) the …read more

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I heard over the radio this morning that the BN Government has agreed to make September 16 as Malaysia Day. It was also mentioned that this year’s Malaysia Day will be celebrated sometime in October (I can’t remember the date) in Sabah (I think, or was it Sarawak?) because September 16 this year falls in the fasting month. Ha ha ha…. what a reasoning.
This announcement is yet another moral victory for Pakatan Rakyat. I hope Pakatan Rakyat will keep coming up with more good ideas and let the BN Government copy the ideas so that the people can see …read more

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From Malaysiakini:
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today said he would pass his finance portfolio to his deputy Najib Abdul Razak, while he takes over as defence minister.
Abdullah told a press conference this afternoon that the swap in the cabinet posts will take effect immediately.
The prime minister, who has held the post of finance minister since 2004, said he had informed the cabinet of the decision.
Abdullah said he was handing over the finance portfolio to his deputy because it was an important portfolio that was traditionally held by the prime
Now, this is another move by the PM and his deputy …read more

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Shameful. Every year the Auditor General’s report reveals more and more anomalies in the way the sinking BN Government handle its finances. And it involves big sums of people’s money, but treated as if it is their grandfather’s money by those in the BN Government.
Take a look at what this year’s Auditor General’s report found out:
The Auditor-General’s Report 2007 has criticised the construction of the controversial Bakun hydro-electric dam project, which saw its cost ballooned from an initial RM4.5 billion to RM7.5 billion.
[...]In the report, the AG pointed out various financial management weaknesses of the project.
Topping the list is …read more

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BN Government’s RM20 worth of free electricity in the latest Budget 2008 is clearly a direct attempt to emulate what had been done by a Pakatan Rakyat state government recently but in the PR case, it is free water. While I can see the free electricity allocation positively, it is yet disappointing.
In the first place, PR gave RM20 free water, the BN is giving RM20 free electricity… but wait… is it really for all? While the scheme is still sketchy as it is just announced, at this first glance.. it is not really a scheme for all.
While the …read more

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After the recent election, the BN federal government announced there will be no more Mercedez cars for government officers. All new cars for state and federal officials must be Proton Perdana. Flip. Today, the same federal BN government said it is OK to buy Mercedez. No less than Pak Lah, the PM himself , gave his blessing to Terengganu to buy Mercedez E200 Kompressor for Terengganu State Government officers. Flop.
Controversy surrounding the Terengganu government’s decision to purchase 14 Mercedes E200 Kompressors for RM3.43mil was laid to rest today following the prime minister’s blessing for the new luxury cars.
Terengganu Menteri Besar …read more

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