While I was away for a few weeks performing my Haj, I asked a friend to keep articles relating to my interest. This happens to be on PLASTIC BAGS.
It seems that the Chief Minister of Penang is banning the use of plastic bags in Penang effectively from January 2011. Actually I don't blame the Chief Minister of Penang for taking such an action....because plastic bags are a menace to the environment. Good to use, easy to use, light in weight as it is but a trouble to the future generation if one does not know how to handle it.
WHY ?
Because if you burn it, the plastic bags will not be destroyed but changes it's form and at the same time while burning the plastics will give out gases which is not suitable for the human as well as the environment. And if the plastic bags are being collected and ferried to the landfill area...which is the main destination for all the waste material the plastic bags will be eventually buried. Plastics in whatever form if buried will not decompose even for 500 years. This will lead to future problems for the future generation.
On the other hand a lot of the plastics are also "just thrown away whenever and where ever. Many will contribute to the unsightly landscape having litters everywhere.
Some may end up in the drains and cause drainage blockage and may contribute to flash flood which is happening far too often. As in the case of Bangladesh here has been documentations that a major factor of the frequent floods that has taken numerous lives and have destroyed so many properties mainly because of the clogging of the drainage systems by the deposition of the plastic bags. This can be overcome by using the latest innovation that we already have and yet achieving an economic gain from the production of high grade diesel.
Some plastic bags may even land into streams then to the rivers and finally into the sea. This may seem so innocent but as a floating plastic bag in the sea....it mimics the shape and movements of the jellyfish. We have seen on numerous occasions that turtles have been found dead as a result of being choked by the ingestion of plastic bags. All in all.....plastic bags are a problem to the society now and going to be a big problem environmentally in the future.
ALL PROBLEMS REMAINS A PROBLEM IF WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM.
HOWEVER....IF THAT EXISTING PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVE AND CAN HAVE A MORE VIABLE OPTION THEN IT IS NO LONGER CONSIDERED AS A PROBLEM. THEN THE PROBLEMS CAUSED PREVIOUSLY BY PLASTIC BAGS WILL NO LONGER BE A PROBLEM. I am sure such a statement can be agreed upon.
Well we have a solution and a relatively very good solution.
Perlis the smallest state in Malaysia is not short of wanting to contribute to the development of the State and the development of Malaysia.
Some months ago, Perlis launched Malaysia"s first PLASTIC TO DIESEL PROJECT. This was not an MOU signing ceremony with all the fan fair but the actual gusto. The MB of Perlis launched the production plant. The ceremony was recorded and went into the newspapers the following day. Even DYMM Raja Perlis viewed the plant and was impressed with such a plant. The question is HOW COME IT DID NOT CATCH THE ATTENTION OF THE MALAYSIAN SCIENTIFIC FRATERNITY, PETRONAS, THE MINISTRIES IN THE GOVERNMENT (MOSTI, GREENTECH, ENVIRONMENT etc etc)....WHY ???
This project could propel Perlis and Malaysia into the global market.
Tell me a time where diesel as a commodity that is not wanted. It is an energy source which is getting less and less by the year. What more the cost of fuel is getting higher and higher every time. And from today's newspaper the cost per liter of diesel is getting closer and closer to the cost of petroleum Ron 95 and yet our quality of Malaysian diesel is of low quality.
This innovation has emerged at the right time when diesel prices are soaring higher and higher. The awareness of the environment is very critical now plus the problem of what to do with the plastics when it is the best form so far for carrying goods because of its tensile strength.
What Penang intends to do does not mean it has solved the problems of plastic bags and wrappers.
What Perlis intends to do is to be the fabricator for this innovation so that more and more States in Malaysia and more and more municipalities can have such a plant to cater for its problems and churn out usable good quality diesel which would be in turn use to mobilize the water pumps, tractors, lorries or anything that requires diesel to run the machinery.
As far as the quality of diesel is concern, it is about time that the Malaysian consumer get a better quality diesel than what we are getting now If you have a diesel run car or vehicle...the diesel engine will deteriorate faster by using our currently supplied diesel.
What Malaysia can do is to get this high quality diesel and sell it as a commodity in the international market to get premium price and import in either Eur-3 or Euro-4 grade diesel. In this way....everybody wins.
We will rid or reduce the plastic waste, the environment will be cleaner, the Government or PETRONAS will be able to get premium price for the high grade diesel by selling in the international market and we the consumers will be able to get better grade diesel to use i our vehicles or machine and will make the vehicle or machines last longer with less maintenance because of using a better quality diesel.
This is an innovation that will be a contribution towards the State of Perlis, to Malaysia, to the world, to society, to the environment and to THE FUTURE
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
INCINERATOR ???
Just this morning (Sunday 7th Nov 2010) I noticed that the newspaper The Star did a poll on if we agree to having an INCINERATOR as compared to dumping our rubbish into the LANDFILL areas ???
The question is.....does it have to be the way of a LANDFILL or even the INCINERATOR to rid the waste problems.
Yes the days of the landfill has had it's use but with all the environmental awareness the landfill method as a solution may not be the answer now. This is because we are using more and more land to use it as a landfill purpose. There will never be an end to the increase of waste production. Population numbers are increasing by the minute and with more population there will be more waste being created. As a general rule it is estimated that between 1.2 Kg to 2.5 Kg of all waste is being generated on a daily basis per head. The amount generated would be dependent on the effluency of the nation. Just imagine how much waste is being produced everyday !!!
To solve the problem of getting rid of the waste we "throw" them into the landfill. This is solving one problem and creating another problem. Today with the amount of plastics being used and we just discard them....they land themselves in the landfill. Plastics do not decompose even for 500 years.
Years down the line....when the landfill area "seems" to be stable maybe some development will be on top of it. How stable is that development area ? What about the gases that's going to be produced as a result of chemical reaction ? These gases are likely to be combustable. It is in a way....a time bomb if we are not careful.
What about the amount of leachate that's going to be produced ? Where is the leachate going to go ? As the leachate is in a solution or liquid form....it will follow the gravitational flow just as water would. It will leached into the underground water system. This has cause so much problem in many countries already (without mentioning the country's name).
In short landfill methods has had it's useful years but with advance in technology and the care towards environment...it is no longer a preferred method of disposing waste material.
Now....what about the INCINERATOR ?
Personally even the incinerator is not a good method to categorize it as a cure for all. It may be a better solution compared to the landfill method but don't we have other methods other than these two methods ?? Before I give my opinion on the other methods let me give my views on the incinerator.
Again this is another " solve a problem and create another problem" situation. Why do I say this ?
It's because at high temperature you can burn away the waste material easily. However there would be issues such as what the nearby residents want. Having an incinerator nearby would mean the smell, the trafficq flow leading to the dumping site. At the same time, having an incinerator as big as the one proposed as in Broga would mean that it is HUGE. This huge incinerator would act like a small volcano, emitting heat and there is also the question of DIOXINS. Yes we solve the problem by burning the waste material but the will be the amount of heat being generated from this plant which will in a way disrupt the balance of the environment. The byproduct that is going to be produced is the ASH. How much ash can we use....not much. So there will be a surplus of garbage ash which will not be use for anything.
Incinerator(s) is OK if you are short of ideas, but there are other ways to solve the waste problems.
With the advancement of technology there are already some brighter methods of solving the waste management. In the developed countries the way that simplifies things is that it becomes the norm for EVERYBODY to deposit their waste in separate bins and containers. It is easier as the society is "programmed" to do so. Glasses with glasses. Paper with paper. Plastic with plastics and so forth.
There is a method where papers are recycled and making them into finished products like composite wood or even bricks. It can be economical if done on large scale.
There is also a Malaysian technology that converts plastic bags and plastic wrappers into high grade DIESEL that can be used directly or even traded in the international market for a better price as it was analyzed to be better than Euro 4 and have even surpass the standards set for Euro 5.
The construction industry waste could even be recycled to make into building material. Depending on the density of the final product it can even be used as wall bricks to withstand some armor piercing shells of certain caliber. Such premise that use them would be important building such as Government buildings, Residences of VVIP, Ministry of Defence, armory bunkers and the likes.
Again these technologies are available now. Some of these technologies are home grown but somehow or other don't seem to be on the radar screen of any Ministry. For example the plastic to diesel project....this is a real WHOPPER. Since the production plant is in Perlis it would really give Perlis an image booster. Not only that....also the name of Malaysia.
WHY ?
Because it is the only one in this region and Malaysia has it. The beauty is that it is designed by Malaysian and the catalyst that is being used in the whole process is being manufactured locally by Malaysians. There are other countries such as Germany and Korea that has got similar machines but the difference is in the different type of catalyst being used. Greater detail of the PLASTIC TO DIESEL PROJECT can be discussed later.
All over the world....plastic is a big problem. There is no one country that can say that they don't have any problem with plastics. Otherwise how come there are NO PLASTIC DAYS, some even have a ban on plastics. All these ban and partial ban is because people recognize that plastic is a big problem.
PLASTIC IS A PROBLEM WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM....
But now we have the solution on how to convert plastic bags and wrappers into high grade diesel....so it is no longer a big problem. Plus the diesel can be used for power generation, transportation, farming and many more usage. This should be the direction of how and what to do with the plastics because plastic if dumped into the landfill will not decompose and if burned may produce noxious gases. We have got the think positively.
UNTIL THE NEXT TIME.....
The question is.....does it have to be the way of a LANDFILL or even the INCINERATOR to rid the waste problems.
Yes the days of the landfill has had it's use but with all the environmental awareness the landfill method as a solution may not be the answer now. This is because we are using more and more land to use it as a landfill purpose. There will never be an end to the increase of waste production. Population numbers are increasing by the minute and with more population there will be more waste being created. As a general rule it is estimated that between 1.2 Kg to 2.5 Kg of all waste is being generated on a daily basis per head. The amount generated would be dependent on the effluency of the nation. Just imagine how much waste is being produced everyday !!!
To solve the problem of getting rid of the waste we "throw" them into the landfill. This is solving one problem and creating another problem. Today with the amount of plastics being used and we just discard them....they land themselves in the landfill. Plastics do not decompose even for 500 years.
Years down the line....when the landfill area "seems" to be stable maybe some development will be on top of it. How stable is that development area ? What about the gases that's going to be produced as a result of chemical reaction ? These gases are likely to be combustable. It is in a way....a time bomb if we are not careful.
What about the amount of leachate that's going to be produced ? Where is the leachate going to go ? As the leachate is in a solution or liquid form....it will follow the gravitational flow just as water would. It will leached into the underground water system. This has cause so much problem in many countries already (without mentioning the country's name).
In short landfill methods has had it's useful years but with advance in technology and the care towards environment...it is no longer a preferred method of disposing waste material.
Now....what about the INCINERATOR ?
Personally even the incinerator is not a good method to categorize it as a cure for all. It may be a better solution compared to the landfill method but don't we have other methods other than these two methods ?? Before I give my opinion on the other methods let me give my views on the incinerator.
Again this is another " solve a problem and create another problem" situation. Why do I say this ?
It's because at high temperature you can burn away the waste material easily. However there would be issues such as what the nearby residents want. Having an incinerator nearby would mean the smell, the trafficq flow leading to the dumping site. At the same time, having an incinerator as big as the one proposed as in Broga would mean that it is HUGE. This huge incinerator would act like a small volcano, emitting heat and there is also the question of DIOXINS. Yes we solve the problem by burning the waste material but the will be the amount of heat being generated from this plant which will in a way disrupt the balance of the environment. The byproduct that is going to be produced is the ASH. How much ash can we use....not much. So there will be a surplus of garbage ash which will not be use for anything.
Incinerator(s) is OK if you are short of ideas, but there are other ways to solve the waste problems.
With the advancement of technology there are already some brighter methods of solving the waste management. In the developed countries the way that simplifies things is that it becomes the norm for EVERYBODY to deposit their waste in separate bins and containers. It is easier as the society is "programmed" to do so. Glasses with glasses. Paper with paper. Plastic with plastics and so forth.
There is a method where papers are recycled and making them into finished products like composite wood or even bricks. It can be economical if done on large scale.
There is also a Malaysian technology that converts plastic bags and plastic wrappers into high grade DIESEL that can be used directly or even traded in the international market for a better price as it was analyzed to be better than Euro 4 and have even surpass the standards set for Euro 5.
The construction industry waste could even be recycled to make into building material. Depending on the density of the final product it can even be used as wall bricks to withstand some armor piercing shells of certain caliber. Such premise that use them would be important building such as Government buildings, Residences of VVIP, Ministry of Defence, armory bunkers and the likes.
Again these technologies are available now. Some of these technologies are home grown but somehow or other don't seem to be on the radar screen of any Ministry. For example the plastic to diesel project....this is a real WHOPPER. Since the production plant is in Perlis it would really give Perlis an image booster. Not only that....also the name of Malaysia.
WHY ?
Because it is the only one in this region and Malaysia has it. The beauty is that it is designed by Malaysian and the catalyst that is being used in the whole process is being manufactured locally by Malaysians. There are other countries such as Germany and Korea that has got similar machines but the difference is in the different type of catalyst being used. Greater detail of the PLASTIC TO DIESEL PROJECT can be discussed later.
All over the world....plastic is a big problem. There is no one country that can say that they don't have any problem with plastics. Otherwise how come there are NO PLASTIC DAYS, some even have a ban on plastics. All these ban and partial ban is because people recognize that plastic is a big problem.
PLASTIC IS A PROBLEM WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM....
But now we have the solution on how to convert plastic bags and wrappers into high grade diesel....so it is no longer a big problem. Plus the diesel can be used for power generation, transportation, farming and many more usage. This should be the direction of how and what to do with the plastics because plastic if dumped into the landfill will not decompose and if burned may produce noxious gases. We have got the think positively.
UNTIL THE NEXT TIME.....
Saturday, October 23, 2010
AGRICULTURAL LAND - TO SELL OR NOT TO SELL
At the time of writing this blog....it is also the season of the Haj.
Insyaallah my wife and I will also be heading to Mekah to perform our Haj too in a few days time.
For all Muslim...this is one of the epic moments of our life that needs to be fulfilled.
Some who can afford will be able to do so with a minimum of fuss (albeit that he be INVITED by ALLAH).
Cost of performing Haj has increased many folds over the years so it is further expected that the cost to do the Haj will even be more costlier.
What will happen to the poorer people. What will happen to the farmers with meager earnings every year. To them to perform the Haj is one of the primary tenets of their life. Whatever may happen they MUST perform the Haj....even if they have to sell their land. This is the simple thoughts of the man in the field.
The question is who will they sell it to ?
Can another Malay buy the land from him ?
Is it a fair price that he will get in order for him to go to Mekah ?
When he comes back from Haj....what will be of him ?
Land has been sold, money is gone !!!
Will he be another piece of data in the subsidy line ?
In my earlier blog I mentioned about having an entity of land bank in the form of a company or a cooperative or the likes.
This is where the farmer will have a share in the entity, equitable to the size of his land in the whole setup.
If the farmer needs the money to perform the Haj for example....he can pledge his portion of the land to Agro Bank and the land will be in the hands of the bank. The farmer can perform the Haj and come back after the Haj and the land is still his only that it is being held and lodge with the bank. The yield and the income derived from the business from the land will be diverted to his account with the bank to repay his Haj loan. After covering all the loan the title of the land will be return to the rightful owner but in trust still with the company/cooperative (being the entity).
In this way the farmer will return home knowing that he still own the land. And he have the opportunity to pay back from the returns derived from the crop yield.
This is also the way to save the land from changing hands and more important that the land remains to be cultivated.
Insyaallah my wife and I will also be heading to Mekah to perform our Haj too in a few days time.
For all Muslim...this is one of the epic moments of our life that needs to be fulfilled.
Some who can afford will be able to do so with a minimum of fuss (albeit that he be INVITED by ALLAH).
Cost of performing Haj has increased many folds over the years so it is further expected that the cost to do the Haj will even be more costlier.
What will happen to the poorer people. What will happen to the farmers with meager earnings every year. To them to perform the Haj is one of the primary tenets of their life. Whatever may happen they MUST perform the Haj....even if they have to sell their land. This is the simple thoughts of the man in the field.
The question is who will they sell it to ?
Can another Malay buy the land from him ?
Is it a fair price that he will get in order for him to go to Mekah ?
When he comes back from Haj....what will be of him ?
Land has been sold, money is gone !!!
Will he be another piece of data in the subsidy line ?
In my earlier blog I mentioned about having an entity of land bank in the form of a company or a cooperative or the likes.
This is where the farmer will have a share in the entity, equitable to the size of his land in the whole setup.
If the farmer needs the money to perform the Haj for example....he can pledge his portion of the land to Agro Bank and the land will be in the hands of the bank. The farmer can perform the Haj and come back after the Haj and the land is still his only that it is being held and lodge with the bank. The yield and the income derived from the business from the land will be diverted to his account with the bank to repay his Haj loan. After covering all the loan the title of the land will be return to the rightful owner but in trust still with the company/cooperative (being the entity).
In this way the farmer will return home knowing that he still own the land. And he have the opportunity to pay back from the returns derived from the crop yield.
This is also the way to save the land from changing hands and more important that the land remains to be cultivated.
LAND IS A PROBLEM.....WHAT CAN BE DONE !!!
Land so they say is an asset of the family.
The question is....is it ?
Look at the situation nowadays....
Gone are the days or the days are numbered when a father would keep the land for his children and grandchildren to live on and to work on.
Today...when asked the question of what are they going to do with the land ? Fathers would prefer to develop the land and get the money while they are still alive to enjoy the fruits of their toil.
That is from one angle.
From the other angle...you would have a totally different picture where the father keeps the land for the children and grandchildren and so forth. This is well and good.
However with the Muslim law in place, it also says that when the parents is no longer around, the properties or assets would be divided using the law of Fara'id. Thus making the land divisible according to the said law. This is being fair to all parties concern. However this division of land will keep on going to be pass down to the respective offsprings for generations to come. So what will happen ?
What will happen is that as the years go by, the land will be divided between families and sub-families till it becomes uneconomical for the land to be worked on or to be toiled. Thus we will be creating millions of hectares of land that is not being used (in Bahasa Malaysia we call it TANAH TERBIAR). These land are not land that is sub-quality soil or land that is too steep but good land which people just don't do any work on the land maybe because it is too small to be economical to work on, or there are family disputes that won't allow the kins to work on his land.
This is a loss in opportunity in agricultural production both for the family and for the nation.
THIS IS A TIME OF THINKING OUT OF THE BOX.....
In the rural areas, the land owners are predominantly Malays and they are mostly farmers.
Life is not getting any easier for everybody....let alone the farmers.
As the family numbers multiplies and the parents are no longer around....the land will be downsized for each of the subsequent new " landlords "....
How will they survive with all the rising cost of living.
Essential goods and consumables are not getting any cheaper as days go by...HOW WILL THEY SURVIVE ???
THIS IS THE TIME TO BE NON-CONVENTIONAL
and having
THE POLITICAL WILL TO DO SO
1) After 53 years of independence the nation has prospered under the same Government but what have we done to protect the farmers ? Is giving the fertilizer subsidy helping ? Is giving the diesel subsidy helping ?
To me the answer is not really as we do not really have a program for the farmers to be self reliant and self sustaining.
2) Is it not right now for the Government to seriously look into the program of LAND REFORMATION ???
3) If we don't address this situation now....we will by the end of each year have an increase of more and more unused and uncultivated land (TANAH TERBIAR).
4) However since this involves a policy involving the whole country....it will have to go through a lengthy process of going through the Parliament to be gazetted. Even though it is a lengthy process it still must start somewhere to get it going for the sake of the farming community in general.
5) As an example, all land gazetted as "important" farming land will be registered with Agriculture/Land Office to amalgamate them as individual parcel entities and land owners will own a share of the entity (company/cooperative).
6) The said entity will be managed by knowledgable and professional personals to make the project a success. Land owners or their children may work for the entity if found suitable for that purpose. Otherwise they can find other alternative jobs or create a new job for himself with whatever skills they have or will acquire.
The situation today is that there is a sense of false hope by the youth in the rural areas. Their father have the land.....but how much ? And upon the demise of the parents how many square feet of the land will actually belong to each individual ???
The wants of the youth today is no different then everybody else, nice clothes, nice motorbike or a car if possible, nice wife, nice house, having extras to continue enjoying.
But is this possible if they live in this dream and false hope.
Is this possible if the Government don't interfere in such matters as the LAND REFORMATION.
DRASTIC as it may seem but we have to think of the future of the agrarian society and the Malays in general.
In this way....the land will still belong to the "FAMILY" and the whole family will benefit for years to come PLUS the land will be economically cultivated for food production.
The question is....is it ?
Look at the situation nowadays....
Gone are the days or the days are numbered when a father would keep the land for his children and grandchildren to live on and to work on.
Today...when asked the question of what are they going to do with the land ? Fathers would prefer to develop the land and get the money while they are still alive to enjoy the fruits of their toil.
That is from one angle.
From the other angle...you would have a totally different picture where the father keeps the land for the children and grandchildren and so forth. This is well and good.
However with the Muslim law in place, it also says that when the parents is no longer around, the properties or assets would be divided using the law of Fara'id. Thus making the land divisible according to the said law. This is being fair to all parties concern. However this division of land will keep on going to be pass down to the respective offsprings for generations to come. So what will happen ?
What will happen is that as the years go by, the land will be divided between families and sub-families till it becomes uneconomical for the land to be worked on or to be toiled. Thus we will be creating millions of hectares of land that is not being used (in Bahasa Malaysia we call it TANAH TERBIAR). These land are not land that is sub-quality soil or land that is too steep but good land which people just don't do any work on the land maybe because it is too small to be economical to work on, or there are family disputes that won't allow the kins to work on his land.
This is a loss in opportunity in agricultural production both for the family and for the nation.
THIS IS A TIME OF THINKING OUT OF THE BOX.....
In the rural areas, the land owners are predominantly Malays and they are mostly farmers.
Life is not getting any easier for everybody....let alone the farmers.
As the family numbers multiplies and the parents are no longer around....the land will be downsized for each of the subsequent new " landlords "....
How will they survive with all the rising cost of living.
Essential goods and consumables are not getting any cheaper as days go by...HOW WILL THEY SURVIVE ???
THIS IS THE TIME TO BE NON-CONVENTIONAL
and having
THE POLITICAL WILL TO DO SO
1) After 53 years of independence the nation has prospered under the same Government but what have we done to protect the farmers ? Is giving the fertilizer subsidy helping ? Is giving the diesel subsidy helping ?
To me the answer is not really as we do not really have a program for the farmers to be self reliant and self sustaining.
2) Is it not right now for the Government to seriously look into the program of LAND REFORMATION ???
3) If we don't address this situation now....we will by the end of each year have an increase of more and more unused and uncultivated land (TANAH TERBIAR).
4) However since this involves a policy involving the whole country....it will have to go through a lengthy process of going through the Parliament to be gazetted. Even though it is a lengthy process it still must start somewhere to get it going for the sake of the farming community in general.
5) As an example, all land gazetted as "important" farming land will be registered with Agriculture/Land Office to amalgamate them as individual parcel entities and land owners will own a share of the entity (company/cooperative).
6) The said entity will be managed by knowledgable and professional personals to make the project a success. Land owners or their children may work for the entity if found suitable for that purpose. Otherwise they can find other alternative jobs or create a new job for himself with whatever skills they have or will acquire.
The situation today is that there is a sense of false hope by the youth in the rural areas. Their father have the land.....but how much ? And upon the demise of the parents how many square feet of the land will actually belong to each individual ???
The wants of the youth today is no different then everybody else, nice clothes, nice motorbike or a car if possible, nice wife, nice house, having extras to continue enjoying.
But is this possible if they live in this dream and false hope.
Is this possible if the Government don't interfere in such matters as the LAND REFORMATION.
DRASTIC as it may seem but we have to think of the future of the agrarian society and the Malays in general.
In this way....the land will still belong to the "FAMILY" and the whole family will benefit for years to come PLUS the land will be economically cultivated for food production.
While in Melbourne with students....
>Subject: SHORT SPEECH AT KUAM FUNCTION ON 1ST OCTOBER 2010
>
>
> With regards to the very short speech that I delivered at the KUAM function in Melbourne University as a supporting actor to Dato Seri Mustafar Mohamad following are the main points :-
>
> 1) The National Integration Program or what is now known as the "1 Malaysia" program has actually been in existence long before 2009. The foundation of unity, racial integration and harmony has been laid down starting by Tengku Abdul Rahman and the subsequent Prime Ministers. But what Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib did was to emphasize the importance of national stability, harmony and racial integration and understanding.
>
> 2) In a live TV program called FAST FORWARD.....a question was asked "Why is there a need to have many programs to get racial integration in the right direction" ? My answer is that....when I was young the kids have no care for anything but to have fun. Students were able to share the same room without much question. But now things changed....WHY. So if today we are talking in this program called FAST FORWARD.....maybe what we should do is to try to learn what was right then in those years....maybe we should have another program called FAST REVERSE so that we can learn what we did then that was right....and repeat.
>
> 3) Who is at fault if we are in this situation ? The answer is simple....WE (THE PARENTS) ARE AT FAULT because we allowed the situation to be what it is today.
>
> 4) At what point did we learn to harbour the various discontents ?
>
> 5) Because if we go to any pediatric department of any hospital...you wouldn't be able to differentiate by the cry the baby gives out. You wouldn't know whether the cry is from a Chinese baby or a Malay baby or from an Indian baby or a Khadazan born or whatever. A baby's cry is an innocent cry with no animosity to it.
>
> 6) To end any race....we still got to start with the first step and the next and the next till we finish the race. We as individuals don't have to wait for others to start the 1-Malaysia program. Why must we wait....we have to be the proactive citizen. We have to be the starter....we have to be more understanding, more tolerant with others especially so when we are a multiracial and multi-religious country.
>
> I believe that the 1-Malaysia program is not just any program from the mill but a program for unity, stability, harmony which will in turn lead to a vibrant growing Malaysia which is what ALL Malaysians want. A place where everyone is tolerant and where there is hope and future in economic stability and success.
>
>
>
>
> With regards to the very short speech that I delivered at the KUAM function in Melbourne University as a supporting actor to Dato Seri Mustafar Mohamad following are the main points :-
>
> 1) The National Integration Program or what is now known as the "1 Malaysia" program has actually been in existence long before 2009. The foundation of unity, racial integration and harmony has been laid down starting by Tengku Abdul Rahman and the subsequent Prime Ministers. But what Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib did was to emphasize the importance of national stability, harmony and racial integration and understanding.
>
> 2) In a live TV program called FAST FORWARD.....a question was asked "Why is there a need to have many programs to get racial integration in the right direction" ? My answer is that....when I was young the kids have no care for anything but to have fun. Students were able to share the same room without much question. But now things changed....WHY. So if today we are talking in this program called FAST FORWARD.....maybe what we should do is to try to learn what was right then in those years....maybe we should have another program called FAST REVERSE so that we can learn what we did then that was right....and repeat.
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> 3) Who is at fault if we are in this situation ? The answer is simple....WE (THE PARENTS) ARE AT FAULT because we allowed the situation to be what it is today.
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> 4) At what point did we learn to harbour the various discontents ?
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> 5) Because if we go to any pediatric department of any hospital...you wouldn't be able to differentiate by the cry the baby gives out. You wouldn't know whether the cry is from a Chinese baby or a Malay baby or from an Indian baby or a Khadazan born or whatever. A baby's cry is an innocent cry with no animosity to it.
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> 6) To end any race....we still got to start with the first step and the next and the next till we finish the race. We as individuals don't have to wait for others to start the 1-Malaysia program. Why must we wait....we have to be the proactive citizen. We have to be the starter....we have to be more understanding, more tolerant with others especially so when we are a multiracial and multi-religious country.
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> I believe that the 1-Malaysia program is not just any program from the mill but a program for unity, stability, harmony which will in turn lead to a vibrant growing Malaysia which is what ALL Malaysians want. A place where everyone is tolerant and where there is hope and future in economic stability and success.
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Saturday, October 16, 2010
WHEN IN MELBOURNE - Sept / Oct 2010
When I was in Melbourne late September 2010 to attend a student function to have Tun Dr Mahathir as a guest speaker...everybody seems excited to see and hear Tun in person. However, Tun was not well and had to rest. The point here is...Tun kept his promise to go to Melbourne to address the students and the public as that program was open to all.
As mentioned, Tun was not well and was advised to take a rest. Tun none-the-less requested that Dato Seri Mustafar Mohamad gave the talk instead of Tun himself. Tok Pa did a good job in approaching the issues of developments in Malaysia, the 1-Malaysia concept as well as current economic issues.
There were many questions that had to be answered by Tok Pa and he did well. What was annoying was a TV reporter who kept disturbing the sequence of Tok Pa's answers as he was trying to make Tok Pa make a mistake in his answers as it was recorded on the tape.
I was also given the opportunity to say a few words to the students. And I continued on why I believe in the 1-Malaysia concept and why we should support that concept. I shall elaborate on what I said in my future blog statement.
Oh Yes....I almost forgot. I met YB Lim Kit Siang the opposition Member of Parliament in a famous Pancake Restaurant with his grand-daughter and he wrote in his blog that he met me but....much to my disappointment he mentioned the current Member of Parliament for Arau and not my name (be the immediate past Member of Parliament for Arau). What a disappointment...because I thought that he really know me and my name. Maybe its because I am not as famous as he is.
As mentioned, Tun was not well and was advised to take a rest. Tun none-the-less requested that Dato Seri Mustafar Mohamad gave the talk instead of Tun himself. Tok Pa did a good job in approaching the issues of developments in Malaysia, the 1-Malaysia concept as well as current economic issues.
There were many questions that had to be answered by Tok Pa and he did well. What was annoying was a TV reporter who kept disturbing the sequence of Tok Pa's answers as he was trying to make Tok Pa make a mistake in his answers as it was recorded on the tape.
I was also given the opportunity to say a few words to the students. And I continued on why I believe in the 1-Malaysia concept and why we should support that concept. I shall elaborate on what I said in my future blog statement.
Oh Yes....I almost forgot. I met YB Lim Kit Siang the opposition Member of Parliament in a famous Pancake Restaurant with his grand-daughter and he wrote in his blog that he met me but....much to my disappointment he mentioned the current Member of Parliament for Arau and not my name (be the immediate past Member of Parliament for Arau). What a disappointment...because I thought that he really know me and my name. Maybe its because I am not as famous as he is.
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