Infernal Affair..

In respect and favour of my dear friend Mr. San..I’m going to respond to his post and share my own opinion regards to the issue as follow..

“teda yg salah di atas…semua pun manusia.ada perasaan dan kemahuan “ was my earlier response to his post of Sabahan Youth Trapped

1stly..don’t get the wrong impression here and I’m hoping we can share our thoughtful mind to elaborate and come up with better solution or better method to deal this issue..

“Kami diberitahu gajinya ialah RM900 sebulan…”

“We were told that the salary would be S$900 per month…”

I’m not looking for fault here..but this must be made CLEAR..S$1.00 is equal to (range between) RM2.36 – RM2.40...it’s obvious that S$900 is not RM900 and the correct amount could be (range between) RM2124 - RM2160….now what if this guy receives the said amount if he were to work in Sabah? Isn’t the amount is quite high in Sabah, is it? Would he complaints? He mentioned that they work from 8:00 am to midnight with only 8:00 pm meal in a day…so basically they work over 12 hours per day (16 hours to be exact)..Sorry but I really need to know… How many days they work in a week? Monday to Friday…or perhaps 3 days per week basis…if it’s 16/7 then he better make complaint…perhaps most people doesn’t know that most factory workers would work 12 hours a day of 4 days a week basis (this has been amended from the previous 5-6 days a week 4 years ago), with low BASIC salary…I had my own experience working as a factory operator/worker…it was during the semester break in 2000…we (with my U-mates) worked 5 days a week basis..12 hours a day, a 2 weeks salary scheme. Some of us (including me sometimes) even went to work during the weekend…Question why? If you’d like to earn big bucks, you need to work your a-out!! So how much we earned working for 2 weeks..during that days, it was depends on the shift you were in..working night shift would have extra allowance compared to day shift..so roughly 2 weeks salary was above RM900…1 month salary would be (range between) RM1800 – RM2500 or more..It’s not fixed though because of double or triple pay on selected occasions (Public Holiday)..Sometimes you CAN NOT complaint when it comes to earn money for living....that's reality and if you can't proceed..quit or stop whining..

“Dengan itu kami bersetuju dengan apa yang diminta ejen itu iaitu membayar RM1,000 sebagai yuran pemprosesan dan terpaksa membeli tiket penerbangan kami sendiri ke Singapura dan juga kos pasport antarabangsa,”

Why is that, this statement couldn't be found in the English version…atau yang ini kana tambah ni…Presumably, this guy had spent over RM1300; RM1000 for admin fee…Flight ticket from KK to JB airport that could range between RM150 – RM300 (Airasia kan murah)..Malaysia International Passport would cost another RM300…He 'willingly' spent that amount of money just to go to Singapore for a work that is not yet guarantied? This guy actually have lots of money huh.....I really can’t afford that amount of money in 2 days…if I do I wouldn’t dare to spend them for something that is not fun or interesting at all (“Dalam masa dua hari beliau dan tiga remaja lain dari pekan yang sama menaiki pesawat ke Lapangan Terbang Senai di Johor Baharu”)

Enough la…mau juga cari mencari isu yang inda patut di timbulkan pula….I don’t really fancy this kind of story because we knew that…it is avoidable, isn’t it? Unless it’s His will..I actually love to think this incident as a matter of responsibility…each of these players or characters have their own responsibility and role…and blaming the agent is not entirely correct..the same goes to the victims..but really..this is avoidable...

Act 1 – Boss (modus operandi organizer)
Act 2 – Middle man (local agent)
Act 3 – Victims
Act 3.1 – Victims’ family and friends

Act 1 would definitely have all the benefits from Act 1 as well as Act 3…So how exactly this incident took place. Let’s re-wind and re-play the incident here.. kira macam time travel la ni...
Act 2 went to rural area to lure rural people to work in Singapore…along with promises offering better pay and better life in Singapore. Act 3 then met with Act 2…unknown location…either Act 2 confronted Act 3 or Act 3 confronted Act 2 was unknown….OK..now Act 3 was already thinking about big bucks….at this stage I am wondering….did Act 3.1 play its role correctly? I mean, if you were my friend and I ask you if it is OK to spend RM1300 to look for job in Singapore…would you agree and be happy by encouraging me to follow Act 2 then risking my safety in Singapore as well as my money...Act 3.1 has failed in its responsibility...encouraging people especially someone who’s close and dear to you is well appreciated but when we fail to rectify and determine any possible defects. We are actually failing them. So would you jeopardize your own friend? I don’t really get it. As far as I know most rural people that I’ve met were really stubborn…they would not easily be fooled by this trick…. how could someone believe that RM1000 is required to start in a new job...it does make sense to spend RM1000 for you to come to Singapore to work because you’ll need to buy flight ticket, passport and accommodation BUT does it really make sense for admin fee alone!!!??Are they joining a membership club in Singapore??!! Is it really true that Sabahan is that stupid to think RM1000 is acceptable for admin fee??!!! They might but they (elderly people) have always taken extra precautions….my parents would usually call or text me asking my opinion…especially new business opportunity…people from the urban area come in-out our village to offer something for their own benefit...please be careful!!! The same thing goes to selling land & properties...

What then happened to Act 1 and Act 2….they actually enjoying these new prospects...how much money they spent? Obviously it was less than RM1300...the money they collected of RM1000 per each candidate was shared between Act 1 and Act 2…imagine if they’ve had 100 candidates lured to this syndicate..RM100, 000.00 in business man!!!! Now who should we blame here? Is it Act 1? Is it Act 2? Is it Act 3 or Act 3.1? They are all human…and human tends to act stupid...human tends to manipulate others…human tends to terrorizing others...at the end… human is the best creatures AND ALSO the worst of all…Act 1 and Act 2 have played their role perfectly… especially Act 2 who was the one that doing almost all the talking and luring…We can’t totally say that Act 3 and Act 3.1 were easily fooled due to their lack of education or knowledge…education and knowledge are something that we can gain as well as lose… but logic is the ultimate guidance in our life…we tend to do thing based on logic…we think we should control the fire when cooking is based on logic....education and knowledge explain the logic of fire needing control…

What can we, Sabahan do to resolve this issue? We should think why most Sabahan opt to work in Peninsular...would you mind helping me listing them down? This is one of the issue and there are plenty I think.…

Low salary/earning
Middle income class society mostly U-grads..they studied 3-5 years or more perhaps to get a ticket called as Diploma, Degree and some might have Master…decades ago, these tickets would mean better life-style…better financial…better in almost everything…it has changed although not entirely but we need something better than tickets to hold a good position with a good earning...Fresh grads who studied in Peninsular would mostly spend another 1 – 3 years (or more..) in Peninsular to work..gaining lots of experiences...earn decent money every month to help family in Sabah as well as enjoying what life can offers….how much is considered suite for fresh grads these days..5 years ago...it was RM1600 – RM1800…then increased to RM2000 or more…depending on their respective fields..I don’t have to mention people who works in O&G field…RM2500 is still seems low in O&G for fresh grads...NOW the big question is how many companies and fields in Sabah would offer these discreet amounts for our local fresh grads? How about Sabahan that have worked for long period in Peninsular or overseas…how much our local (Sabahan) could offer them considering their experiences and knowledge? Are you telling me that we should think about Sabah first before ourselves? A saying...”love yourself before you can love someone else”...or… “Help yourself before you help other”...How can someone to help Sabah if he/she is the one that eventually contributed to the amount of low income number in Sabah…..for what purpose you studied 3-5 years and yet still walking the hard road?

I’m not saying that there’s no future working in Sabah..it just that our Government is not making effective approach to increase our lifestyle, sociology as well as economy...Well I heard of several on-going Mega Projects in Sabah but I still doubt if they would actually work… we know that Sabah is still labeled as the poorest state in Malaysia..with high number of low income family… Let's just say..there are 3 income classes in our society...High, Middle and Low…Middle-income society could be considered as the sole users or buyers in our society…they are the one doing shopping…spending money everyday trying to look like high income society…basically they are the group that contribute in money flowing everyday...what about low income society? they are normally coming from rural areas...mostly in agricultures...they do have their own life style but would enjoy their own life in another different ways….but there are NO shopping… NO cinema treat...NO KFC…NO Pizza or dinner in restaurants…basicaly not directly contributing to our money-flow in daily basis but perhaps monthly or couple of months when they go out for supplies...High-income society? Why we need to worry about them..they all kaya la….they are the group that control the power of money..damn you guys!!! nanti kamu...If we really want our people to improve and get better...the Government shall introduce a resolution that able to tackle these 2 income classes (Middle and Low)…what can the government do for the low-income people? Lots been done for the middle income society..we have new (and existing) shopping malls..1Borneo..KK Time Square..Warisan Plaza etc..all these would only contribute to middle as well as high income societies....even 'Pelipin' yang di kategorikan low income for some of them..still managed to treat themselves into cinema once in a while...

Do we need Batman or Superman to do the work? Do we prefer vampires to eliminate all the Pelipin? What say you Sabahan!!!

Our money wasted on the "Curved Bridge"

Yes! I was waiting this issue to be published by Uncle Mahathir since it happened few years ago! At last and thanks to Uncle Mahathir for his personal revelation. Before I start, I wonder why bloggers like to copy-paste article/post???? Can anybody explain this to me??? Huh! marah ni..he..he..am not sure what were the purposes of blogging if one blogger only copy-paste then at the end or earlier at the beginning mentioning where were the article/post is copied...we know what is the sole purpose (objective) of blogging and why is blogging become so popular these days..darned it!!!!

A'ight, back to my uncle's revelation..as we all know..although it may not sound good but we really really and really need a new bridge...why? Ask you father why la..not me..Well, the facts that the traffic between these 2 straits has increased tremendously can not be taken lightly..why increased? Ask your grandfather why la..not me..my grandfather used to say..if nothing is changed means nothing really improved....so? Facts again! we all knew that most Singaporeans love to come to JB..especially for shopping..(S$1.00 equals to RM2.40) means that Singaporeans can spend double the amount in Malaysia!! When a better bridge is built..traffic congestion will be improved..more opportunity for both sides..economy will increase..This is why Penang Bridge is also undergoing expansion..excluding the fact that it's already almost 3 decades old..what happened if it suddenly collapse kan...it is timely!!!!

Am not a Johor people but let me tell you the history behind the Tambak Johor..It was built by the late Sultan Ibrahim, the son of the "Bapa Johor Moden" the late Sultan Abu Bakar..when it was built, it actually contributed a lot the economy in Johor and Malaysia as well..during that time, the main transportation was via water ONLY which were "sampan" and "tongkang"..to cut the story short on this historical events..firstly, the main objective was to join the Singapore's Train service with Johor's Train service..in order to link between these services they had to create a railway which also mean a solid land to support the railway..When the project was proposed to the Sultan, he thought..why not they create road as well..so there you go..at the end, both sides worked together..funds and labours shared together ..as both had agreed that the project would contribute more into both sides economy..

OK..sorry I was a little excited there talking about history..I love history when I was in secondary school.. So..according to my Uncle in his blog..the decision made by our handsome and charming Pak Lah was to punish the Johor people..Singapore had earlier agreed to build the straight bridge at their side..but was protested by the Johor people..Why they protest? building the bridge means dredging sand from the seabed..then it would cause erosion and destructive of fish breeding..apparently this would also deprive Johor fishermen of their livelihood....aduh kesiannya...who would ignore that? As you read...you've already knew the consequences..Pak Lah cancelled the project and wasted around RM1 billion of Malaysian's money..(sia pun ada tu sikit..)..or RM1000 million-million (buli pakai ka ni istilah..ha..ha)..

Now, what have gone wrong here...are we dare to put the blame on Pak Lah or to Johor people who believe they did the right thing..yeah..they did actually...so, by canceling the project after almost 40% of the construction had taken place was not really a very very cleaver or brilliant decision...what happened to those buildings..the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities..railways, piling and etc...so many to list.. do the government have any counter-project in accordance to that cancellation? We have a "Scenic Bridge" guys..why Pak Lah dare to waste RM1000 million-million but does not dare to spend another RM100 million or more to create the first world class entertainment centre on the sea? This was actually my draft idea when I heard the bridge was cancelled back there..I think the government can actually attract some Foreign Investors to work around this project..first of a kind in the world..again..it will boost our economy especially tourism...the project can be privatised once completed but Government would still get its shares..either monthly or annually..it's the same concept actually when a casino is opened..we would not need another casino but I think we need a 6 star hotels..or.."Malaysia Babylon City"..6 star hotels..5 star restaurants..mesmerizing greenish garden and of course entertainment outlets...think about that..then what can be re-used afterwards..all that CIQ facilities can be made useful to control the in-out to this so called "Malaysia Babylon City"

Am greateful that Uncle Mahathir is still well..and still fighting what's best and what's right if he were the PM...we knew that he has made so much and many contribution to the country for the past 22 years....I may surprise to know if any other Malaysian who was born in his era does not know how sharp and brave he was during his tenure..yeah..some poeple may say that he was cruel and what so ever..but can you tell me what you've got to be better than him..

Now...the main question...Who is the best and most competent Prime Minister after this? Who will make a better Malaysia after this...even greater than Uncle Mahathir himself..or Tunku Abdul Rahman...am sure whoever it is...he's not able to compete with these leaders we had...each of them had their own obstacles and greatness...who know the next would probably decided to build my "Malaysia Babylon City"...Pak Lah listen la to me....nanti sya belanja Mee Sup Sabah...apa tu.."mui chap" ka..correct me if am wrong...

I'd appreciate if people from our neighbour can share any of their thoughts..

22 Days 22 Nights

Is that my lucky number? Is that a 4D number? What does it means? Well... I am actually entitled to 25 days of holiday leave in 2008 (it was 22 days last year..) Until this moment, I have never applied for leave, not even a single day..since the 1st January! My Manager has been asking me several times these past few weeks.."Walter...do you want to apply leave next Friday..next week..next month...?" Those 3 days were missing because the company has a policy of a non-declared holiday for Malaysian staffs and if in case, the HQ (UK) is on holiday, Malaysian staffs are asked to take holiday but it will be deducted from our remaining balance. There's an option really, either you want to work or not. So, it depends on your work loads you're having at that moment. Having said that, I'll be on leave next Monday (UK Bank Holiday) and currently I managed to finish all my outstanding works..(atleast am happy to leave my "anak-anak buah" to do their own thing..). I understood and got what my Manager fears the most. It happened last year when the management asked me to finish my balance of holiday (15 days) before the end of 2007 which I did within a month (December 2007)..December 2007 was a month of honey moon (trip to Pattaya & Bangkok..sleep and eat)..I only worked for a week then holiday till early 2008! Wasn't that awesome! Ha..ha..so, this time around I think the management is trying to avoid the same incident..(I'm the only senior staff left..)

I have not had any plan yet but I think, most probably I'll end up in Singapore at the end of September (Kalu ada duit la) during the F1 Night Race. That's that and nothing more. I have this target actually to travel all over SEA before I hit the age of 30 ...... if God's will and financially stable I might again travel to one of the SEA country...(Borneo masuk ka dalam SEA country..:P)