Thursday, December 24, 2009

RMAF Jet Engine Worth RM50 Million Missing

A RMAF jet engine worth RM50 Million was missing in 2007. And it was sold outside the country. Not reported in the media at all until lately.

It cost the 1,000,000 credit card holder to pay the RM50.00 service tax per year. And it was gone as simple as that.


http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/20/nation/5341347&sec=nation

Malaysia's Broadband

Up till fews years back when MSC was a hype, Malaysia can be said to be in the fore front of IT development. Now it is pathetic case where we are far behind other countries broadband speed. Whether it is TM or P1, potong or not potong, every thing is the same!! The charges are also high compared to other countries if you consider upload and download speed. Service providers often stress on download speed but one should realise that upload speed is equally important. Could authorities at least have a look at these matters and make sure the citizens of Malaysia get a fair deal?

Stucked Into Debt Through A Telco Promotion!

What a dangerous and irresponsible promotion by a corporation. I am referring to the Maxis Year End Promotion – Download and Win Contest. It would have made about 40 subscribers to win a BMW and the organizers a whopping profit but it would have made many others lot poorer! I have been a loyal Maxis customer for about 13 years but now it looks like my line may be terminated. My monthly bill for my whole family is normally around RM 350 but now I owe Maxis some RM 1,450.

I am really shocked that Maxis would go along with such a contest.

On Friday, the 6th of November, I decided to give it a try and discovered soon that I had sent some 30 over SMSs. I felt that I better cut my losses there.

On Saturday, 7th November an SMS enticed me to continue saying that my earlier points were still intact so I continued and achieved some 350,000 points.

On further enticement on Sunday, the 8th of November, I achieved about a million or so points. By then my bill would have been around RM 300.00.

I was getting worried as there was no sign of any prizes. I again wanted to call it quits. However an SMS I received, at 1.20 pm put me into high gear.

“In a few hours 1 BMW 118I will be won! Come on increase your 354,700 points and chances to win! You’ll thank yourself if you win tonight.”

There was an added sweetener - I would get 100,000 points for every 10 questions answered correctly. This put me into a frenzy. By evening, my bill was a few hundred ringgit. At 6.07 pm, I get another SMS,

“You have reached 1,055,330 points and left 97 % of all participants behind you! Hurry up – only a few hours remain to win 1 BMW 118I tonight!”

I was already too far into debt and my only hope was to win the BMW. I went till midnight but no further messages came and my points were 3,562,130 at 12.11 am. But NO BMW or iPhone! If anybody had already won, I was not informed. Was I continuing to waste my money after the prize was gone?

Next morning, Maxis collection department sends an SMS,

“Your total call charges of RM 1,698.49 exceed 80 % of Cr Limit of RM2,100. Kindly remit payment to avoid service interruption.”

I suddenly realized that I was sucked into a gambling game. I am not a gambler – I do not even buy lotteries or 4D. I only enter an occasional contest hoping to win and get a breakthrough in my financial situation.

This contest is a demonstration of irresponsibility and fleecing the public because of the following:

  1. The participant does not know the limit of his “investment”. It becomes difficult to have a cut-off point.
  2. It is computer generated and could very well be stacked against the consumer.
  3. The enticing SMS s bring forth a deception that the participant is close to winning.
  4. The participant is paying for almost worthless credit content at the rate of RM 2.15 per SMS. He does not really need the wallpapers, ring-tone etc.
  5. The questions are relatively easy causing the participants to answer more of them and spending more.

I called Maxis and demanded that I get a refund of the credit content I bought. I have about 513 credit points. After much negotiation, Maxis gave me a 50 % discount but it is not helpful for me.

I feel cheated by Maxis because they had allowed this contest which is stacked against the customer’s favour. I expect a greater corporate responsibility. It is a wicked scheme enticing customers to throw away hard earned money.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

How much you love Malaysia?

If you are offered USD 1 million to give up your citizenship, will you leave Malaysia?

Despite the cash, you are given an equal opportunity in a new land, with a secured living and excellent governance. What if you've already adapted to the local culture?

How much you love Malaysia then?

If you enjoy the career there, and have no intention to come back simply there is no such opportunity back in Malaysia, will you leave forever?

If your children enjoy a better education and childhood in a foreign land, will you still try to get Malaysian citizenship for them?

I believe many of us have asked ourselves on the above questions, besides the 300,000 Malaysians who had just left Malaysia recently.

Kind to share your thoughts?

25th SEA Games


Can Malaysia overtake Singapore today by total Gold medals tally?

It's been so many days already that we have been beaten by our small brother and I m counting that today we will be ahead in medal tally.

Any input why they out performed us in sports. Is it the foreigns sport people that are given citizenship to represent their country or their superior in sport preparation.

All the best to our soccer team's tonite final match...

Why I like the UK !!

Here are couple a reasons why I like the UK:

1. Freedom of speech. I am allowed to speak against the government and not penalized if i did.

2. Equality. I am treated as an equal despite the fact I am an immigrant under a student/ work VISA. Not differentiated according to where i was born or what my skin colour is.

3. The Parliament debates are live and MP's spend more time debating important issues rather than heckling and addressing personal agendas.

4. Human rights.. now that is something which is always debated heavily in Malaysia. The principal is simple, I am a human and i am treated as a human.. not like a 2nd class human or 1st class.

Correct me if i am wrong but i believe in benchmarking the good attributes from other countries if Malaysia is to grow as a country.

SINGAPORE AMAZING TRIP

I FOUND THIS INTERESTING

Posted by: limbilly

Yah, even with X2.5 conversion rate, I rate this trip amazing, exciting and valuable.

It never amaze myself, the great maintenance and management done on their facilities, public transport and infrastructure.

Since this is personal holiday trip with my wife, decided to walk along the streets in SG like backpackers.

Anyway, I do find, eventhough 2.5conversion, yet stuffs like Timberland, GAP, Nautica, CK, Gucci, Cartier, Mathur Farker, Esprit, Mango and more, after conversion back to MYR were still cheaper even inclusive of 7%GST.

Probably, since SG is an entreport and does not apply import and excise tax too imported materials, consumer can get themselves better stuffs.

Lucky to SGreans in this case compared to us, paying all the added taxes. Imagine we can get offer items of Timberland jeans @ 69SGD = 172MYR. Where can we get such price in Malaysia for this brand.

Taxi were cheaper and no forcing consumer on monopoly like KLIA. In SG, we can flag a taxi up to our choice. In KLIA you were paksa to buy KLIA Limo. Yet comparing Changi to Orchard versus KLIA to Mid-valley, distance we similar, but in SG I pay 12SGD= 30MYR yet in Malaysia I pay 48MYR from KLIA to Mid-valley.

Added, service and quality were poorer compared to SG cab. They uses Sonata, Stream, Toyota Crown, which was much spacious and clean compared with the Wajas, Wiras or Iswaras.

For the SG Zoo's and Nite-Safari, oh please Zoo Negara, Zai Taiping and Zoo Melaka, belajar dari yang pandai, apa itu interesting, educational and exciting Zoos.

People can have properly manage, clean and well maintained Restaurants, Dining and Recreational facilities inside a zoo. Yet we could not even maintain a clean toilets in our zoo.

Really a pale comparison from Zoo Melaka, Zoo Taiping and Zoo Negara compared with Singapore's Zoo+Nite Safari.

Security and safety were never a concerned walking on their streets. With bags and bags of our ferverous shopping spree in Vivo City, Orchard Central and Wisma Atria, while walking in Geylang after dinner and walking back to our hotel after picture snapping in Orchards Christmax decorations and yuletide celebrations.

They even have Marsh like, lake type, man-made waterfall gardens built ontop of a 12storey shopping in Orchard Road. Imagine the view and the feeling. It is greens inside a city.

Honestly Malaysia, we still have plenty to learn from SG in maintenance, proper management, good tourism attraction and what people views in safety/security.

It is definitely great compared to our quite or lukewarm feeling of Christmas.

I'll rate, the fun and greatness 8 in the scale of 10.

The only thing that is lousier than Malaysia is the food, yeah it is still better at our side.

So satisfy with my shopping, it is actually a well spend holiday.

MACC interogation after office hours - court ruling

MACC interogation - after office hours

The Court of Appeal recently overturned the ruling of a High Court and ruled that the MACC may interrogate witnesses after office hours.
After the ruling by the Court of Appeal, there was a hue and cry from the general public, questioning why the MACC be allowed to interrogate witnesses after office hours.
Some went on to say, it is now the Court's ruling, so we must obey it.
It is clear that there is a misunderstanding about the laws and their contents.
Without getting involved in the intricacies of jurisprudence, it is a basic fact that in a democracy, the law is written by men. It is not something that comes from heaven - the general idea may, in the form of morals and so forth.
It is what men want, and it is then made into a law.
in this case, we have to decide what we want: should we allow the MACC to interrogate witnesses even after office hours? In our system of democracy, it is the Government that decides on this after having felt the general opinion of the public.
Once a decision is made, the whole concept is converted into a law, through the legialative power of the Government.
After the law has been made everybody must follow it.
However, if there were a dispute in the interpretation of the law, it is the court that has the final say. There again, the Court only interpret what has been written into laws. The Court does not decide on the substance of the issue. Using this issue as an example, the Court merely interprets what is written in the laws; it did not decide if the MACC should interrogate witnesses after office hours. That is the Court's understanding of the law.
It also means that the law was 'badly' written; not achieving what the Govrernment intended it to be.
The remedy is to rewrite the law. That is, if the Government had originally intended that the MACC may not interrogate witnesses after after ofice hours.
On the other hand, if the Government intends that the MACC may interrogate witnesses after office hours, then there is nothing much we can do, except to raise public support to get the Government to change its policy.
At the end of the day, it is really up to the Government, not the Court, in this case.