Tragedy strike Indoneasia again .

Just a couple of months ago tsunami rampaged North Sumatra killing more than 100,000 lives .Tragedy struck Indonesia again . This time the earth quake which till now had taken away more than 3,000 lives . It was earlier forcasted that the Merapi Volcano in Central Java would erupt , but who knows instead , the earthquake that struck first. It is all the work of God and nobody could stop that. It is not that God like to punish but it is all 'qadak and qadhar ' There could be a 'hikmah' out of that tragedy .

Coming to think of it how lucky we are that we do not have to bear with any disaster in this country . Ours is also a problem that is , facing with rising cost of living . I guess Indonesians too are also having the same problem . Theirs is worst still with the disaster . They have been having constant threats of the disaster so much so that they couldn't care less about it any more .They just leave everything to God -' whatever will be ,the future not for us to see keseirra-serra . ' as one of the favourite songs of the 70s says .

' Alfatehah ' to the dead and hope they would rest in peace and be among the faithfuls who are blessed by Allah . Amin .

Today we attended two weddings at a stretch . One was just a few houses away from us while the other about a kilometer from our house . At the second house I met a number of old colleagues while we were in the Royal Malaysia Police . Thus we renewed our friendships whom would have been lost forever . It brought back old memories of yester years . How grateful I am to meet them ,otherwise I would have been very lonely . All of us are ageing now and the reunion was such a thing that we need so much . I am compiling the list of old collegues and planning for a reunion at my house .

Next week we are going to Jerantut , Pahang to attend the wedding of my cousin sister's daughter . I have not met this cousin sister for almost 50 years . I am looking forward to see this cousin sister because she was the one who tended to my needs when I was in Primary School .She was just about 3 years my senior . When I was in primary school she was the one who bought food and drinks for me during recess time . She was also some sort of a protector for me from the school bullies . We used to play hide and seek and other games and after a tiring game she would pluck young coconuts to refresh ourselves . Thus I am grateful to her .She migrated to Jerantut Pahang after her marriage and after falling out of favour from her mother ( her mother remarried her own uncle ) , although her husband was also from Perak . Any way her mother had passed away .

TNB electricity price hike , a heavy burden to fixed income people.

Beginning 1st.June ,Malaysians would have to fork in more from their pockets to pay for the increasing electricity bills . Another burden the people to shoulder not long after the recent fuel price hike .Yesterday the government announced a whorping price hike of almost 12% of electricity tarrifs . It was only a few days after the Sarawak Election where the BN government was returned with a comfortable more than 2/3 majority , although it loss 9 seats to the opposition . It has been anticipated that the government would announce the price hike after the Sarawak Election . This is the price the people of Sarawak and Malaysians have to pay for allowing the BN to return to power . The electricity price hikes would definitely lead to another inflation to the economy and would affect consumers . The government was naive when it stated that the price hike would not affect the lower income people . As a result of the price hike the price consumer goods would increase and and the entire population would have to bear with it .Analyst said that al least a 10% increase in consumer goods and services is expected . Stop treating the people as if they are so stupid as not to know simple economics .

What I cannot understand is that TNB has been making profits year after year .As a result of the fuel price hike it had only reduce it's profits by an insignificant margin . What is TNB trying to proof ? After all it is a government company and so it belongs to the people too .

Fixed income people like me would have to tighten the already tightened belts .Life is no easier as I had earlier expected . Datuk Sri Najib , the DPM told us to change our life style . What life style he expect us to lead when we are already living without a style ? It is easy said than done especially when he is earning 10-20 times more than us .

I thought I could enjoy my retirement for the rest of my remaining years . Now it looks like that I am not enjoying al all , except worries over how to cope up wih tomorrow .

Today I had the opportunity to watch the much publicised film entitled ' The Devinci Code' at one of the cineplex at Bukit Raja shopping complex . It was a very enlightening film especially to us non Christians . The film obviously denigrate the Christian religion . Whether we like it or not it also affect us Muslims because Jesus or Isa is one of the Prophets that we Muslims respect very much .The film showed us that Jesus Christ was just an ordinary human being and thus it is impossible that he is the son of God as claimed by the Christians . It was a good film and I do not mind going for a second show .

Is the Law only applicable to the lower echolon of the society ?

What happened in the Malayasian Parliament recently was something we Malaysians should be ashamed of. This so called MP for Jasin lately had been vocal on government servants actions especially of the Royal Customs and Excise Department .We all thought he was sincere in his comments .It came out to be that he had a hidden agenda against the Department . We also thought he was a sincere hardworking MP but far from that he is a person who should not be trusted . It seems that apart from being an MP he was also doing business as a forwarding agent for the import of smuggled timber logs from indonesia .( Indonesia bans the export of timber ) .When the Customs took action against his company for contravening the Customs Act , he approached the Customs officers and told them to close one eye on the case . When the Customs Department refused to kowtow to his request he lambasted the Customs Department in Parliment for being ineffective and etc. ( It is now revealed that his company ,Binyu Sof Enterprise was caught 14 times for the same offence and each time was compounded by the Customs ) .It so happened , his episodes with the Customs came to the knowledge of reporters from the the New Straits Times and it was published as a hot topic of news . When asked to comment on the matter Dato Mohd.Said b. Mohd.Yusof ,the Jasin MP explained that he was merely bringing the grouses of a bumiputra importer whose timber was seized by the Customs Department . Later it was revealed that he was not telling the truth . Infact he admitted at a press conference held outside Parliment that the so called bumiputra importer was he himself .The opposition leader in Parliment Mr.Lim Kit Siang took the opportunity to table a motion to bring the Jasin MP to face a Parlimentary Disciplinary commitee for misleading the public and bringing disrepute to Parliment. His motion was however supported by Dato Shahrir Abdl Samad MP for Johor Baru and also the Back Becnchers Club Chairman who through his conscience felt that it was the right thing to do but unfortunately without the support of his members .Feeling agitated and ashamed for the members of BBC , Dato Shahrir left the House and tendered his resignation as Chairman of the Back Benchers Club .
When asked during his arrival at KLIA from Jamaica PM Abdullah Badawi supported the action of Dato Shahrir . Surprisingly the next day there was a twist of the turn when the PM announced that Dato Shahrir was wrong . Obviously he made the decision after hearing the briefing from his Deputy ,Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak .Worst still no action was to be taken against Dato Mohd Said due to the fact that the motion was rejected by Parliment and instead Dato Shahrir would have to face an UMNO/BN Disciplinary Committee for supporting an oppostion motion . He also revealed that that the BN had made the decision that it's MPs should not support any motion of the opposition .
What sort of leadership our country is having ? What sort of transparency that he was bragging about ? No wonder Dr.Mahathir was not very happy with what is going on in the country . BN leaders used to say that the opposition would oppose everything the government does even if it is good for the people and yet when Dato Shahrir supported a good motion of the opposition ,he was penalised .The government is obviously not doing according to what it is preaching.
In the first place the Jasin MP had obviously committed an offence under the Corruption Act for interfering with the Customs Department's work , the same so called offence commtted by the former Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim for interfering with the Police work . If Anwar Ibrahim was charged for the offence ,why is the Jasin MP being spared ? Where is the talk about transparency and eradicating corruption in this country ? Or is the law only applicable to the lower echolon of the society while those in the upper echolon could do whatever they want ?