Thursday, November 3, 2011

It's A Small Matter!

I was wondering what to write about when I came across this report in the Star newspaper of 2nd November.
The Star Newspaper 2nd Nov 2011

1st November 2011 or 1.11.11 was supposed to be an auspicious day but for a British couple on holiday here in Malaysia, it was the day they were trapped in a stalled monorail in Malacca for more than two hours because of a faulty door pump. The incident happened at 1.11pm. So it was perhaps a bad omen for the couple.

The couple were very philosophical about the experience. The husband described it as a great experience and the wife said that she understood that such a glitch was inevitable.  

The chief executive officer of the monorail operator, Nasry Ahmad, was quoted by the newspaper to have said that he considered the incident a minor glitch as the service resumed after 3.30pm after the malfunction was rectified.

Now, Malacca is a small city by any standard and the monorail line is not even 1.5 km long, so if it was only a minor glitch, why did it take them more than 2 hours just to bring the trapped couple down by ladder?

According to the report the monorail service, which cost RM15.9 million, was launched on 20th Oct last year but was grounded shortly after the launch because of technical problems and glitches. The service only resumed some five months later!

I guess that too was a minor problem or glitch.

This kind of attitude is really symptomatic of the way Malaysians, especially the way our government departments, agencies and ministries approach and do their work. It reminds me of the just released Auditor-General's annual report for 2010, and of the many previous similar reports. 

Of the case of a government agency that spent RM142 million for a remote sensing satellite apparently without ascertaining whether it could do the work for which it was bought, and indeed it couldn't for being 37 km off target! and the problem not being rectified even after a year! 

Or of the case of another government agency that had bought RM64 million worth of new scientific equipment apparently without a laboratory to house them and the equipment having to be kept in their original boxes for more than three years and the agency needing to waste another RM18 million to extend the equipment's guarantee period! 

Or of the case of another errant agency that  had bought 23 horses for RM5.66 million without the approval of the Ministry of Finance and none of the horses having being used in two recommended international championships! So, why were the horses ever bought in the first place!

The way our government departments, agencies and ministries  spend the rakyat's hard earned money is  sometimes really criminally irresponsible if not reeking of corrupt practice.

But like Malaysians are fond of saying, "Sikit punya hal, brader!" which is Malay for "It's a small matter, brother!"


2 comments:

  1. I met a very nice older Indian man this morning and he brought up the purchase of a very expensive ring by Najib's wife, which was in the news a while ago. He called it "bought with the taxpayer's money" and was clearly upset about the matter.

    It makes me think however, are we too quick to find fault, or are there really startling problems which don't occur so frequently elsewhere?

    Duncan In Kuantan

    ReplyDelete
  2. That ring is a hot topic because it allegedly cost millions! I just hope there is no truth to the allegation. But some problems here can be "startling", Duncan.

    ReplyDelete

Kluang's Little Bangsar

Kluang's Little Bangsar
Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit
I attended my neighbour's daughter's Indian wedding dinner at the Sentul HGH Convention Centre. Click for a peek

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit
Yasmin Ahmad was arguably Malaysia's best story-teller, filmmaker and advertiser. She was well known for her Petronas commercials and had won numerous international awards including the Golden Lion award for the 'Tan Ming Hong In Love' commercial. Her feature film Sepet not only garnered her several international awards including for Best Asian Film but also drew multi-racial audiences that rarely happens for a local film.

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit
Genting Highlands Is A Popular Retreat With A Casino

Batu Caves - Click To Visit

Batu Caves - Click To Visit
Malaysia's Famous Landmark. Note The Statue Of Lord Muruga And The 272 Steps To The Temple Cave In The Background

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit
Petronas Twin Towers Are Still The World's Tallest Twin Towers

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit
Some early morning views of the KL city sykline I took from the 3rd floor of the KL Court with a low-pixel hand-phone camera

Kluang Town - Click To Visit

Kluang Town - Click To Visit
Kluang was a sleepy hollow, but is fast becoming a bustling town. You can't miss the bust-shaped gunung Lambak lording over the place and the town is well known for its tv brand coffee powder

Kluang RailCoffee

Kluang RailCoffee
The Kluang railway station coffee shop, now re-branded Kluang RailCoffee, is well known for its cuppa of coffee and the charcaol grilled piping hot buns oozing with butter and kaya...It used to attract standing-room only crowds. It still does, but the last time I was there it wasn't a good experience for me. The famous coffee had somewhat lost its oomph and even the buns...The shop has a long and noted history being first opened for business in 1938 and the place is now run by the 3rd generation LIm family. I hope the next time I return, the coffee would regain its oomph. Click to read more...