SERVICE AND GOVERNMENT TAX IMPOSED ON CONSUMERS

I wonder why so-called service tax and government tax imposed on us. Consumers did not ask for extra service and still have to queue when ordering for food. Government should implement taxes only on fast food outlets alone. Why us?

IS IT REALLY SO?

Who is telling the truth here? Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein does not agreed with the statement from Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. Yes, indeed the public university graduates needed to fill teaching posts in secondary school but the priority will given to teacher training institutes and also KPLI. Please comment on this.

reference from TheStar:

"The Education Ministry does not discriminate among teaching graduates, whether they are from public universities or teacher training institutes.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said there was no reason why the ministry would do so as it also needed the public university graduates to fill its teaching posts in secondary school.
“How can there be discrimination when no cohort of students doing the undergraduate degree in education has graduated from the public universities yet?” he told reporters after presenting awards to five top Malaysian students who will travel to Kazakhstan to experience the launch of a Measat satellite.
He said it was “anxiety about a future event which had not occurred yet”.
Hishammuddin was commenting on the statement by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin that differences in criteria set by the Education Ministry for teaching graduates from public universities and teacher training institutes have caused disinterest in future applicants and those presently studying for their undergraduate degrees in education.
He said locations and options were also important to ensure there was no mismatch of needs."

V.I.P

VIP stands for very impatient person. I bet this is a room to cool impatient people off. There must be a great shower in this room. Joke of a day here to cool everyone dealing with extreme heat in Malaysia. (including Taiping the wettest town)

MAHA2008

GOOD DRIVING HABITS

This Proton Saga’s driver sure knows how to place the car. I think the driver should be considerate and do not put other road users life in danger. Do you agree with me?

JOURNEY WITH PROTON

Date: 2 August 2008 2pm-5pm

3 August 2008 9am-5pm

Venue: Proton Manufacturing Plant

Section 26, Shah Alam

Admission: Free

Subject: Could have a glimse at new Proton MPV

AMBULANCE ON THE GO

IMAGE: http://www.malaysia-best.com/amantransmedik/

This WLD 8455(the picture above is not the actual vehicle) happened to be passing by from the north to the south using North-South Expressway. Do I need to give way for the ambulance running more than 110 km/h without siren ringing but the lights were blinking? Please comment.

PAY LESS FUEL SOON

IMAGE: paultan.org

“Fuel prices may drop soon, say ministers”
The price of petrol goes up the next 3 days last month after the announcement of petrol increasing the next three month. Now the petrol prices will be going down with the announcement made on 31 July 2008. When do you reckon it will drop and how much it is going to be? What is your opinion on petrol station to go self service nationwide?

PC FAIR II AT KL THIS WEEKEND

IMAGE: lowyat.net

It is a good opportunity to get a cheap, cheap and cheap on Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition. It is also the best place to get some computer accessories but not laptops or desktops. The main problem is the place to service the laptop or desktop if it breakdown. Unless the dealer is near our home or workplace or else it will be inconvenience. Come down here to check the price or latest product offer.
Date: 1-3 August 2008
Venue: KLCC

reference from:

"Beginning August 1st, the Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition will be permanently marked down to RM279 from its current price of RM499. Furthermore Microsoft is having a special promotion in conjunction with PC Fair II just for the months of August and September whereby an extra 20% discount will be offered which brings down the retail price to only RM199.
Also if you are heading to PC Fair at KL this weekend, make sure you are one of the early birds as Microsoft will be selling the first 100 copies at only RM99."

image from malaysiakini

INLOGICAL ALLEGATION

"Malaysia Airlines has refuted a Qantas pilot's allegation that maintenance of the Quantas Boeing 747 that suffered a ruptured fuselage on Friday had been outsourced to Malaysia."

MAS and AIRASIA are our pride and joy. They are maintained well and our engineers are the best.

LANDSCAPE GARDEN FESTIVAL 2008

VENUE: Perdana Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur

DATE: 19-27 July 2008

WEBSITE: www.laman.my

pictures from http://www.laman.my/

2006 LANDSCAPE GARDEN FESTIVAL

RTM ENCOURAGING MAT REMPITS

RTM have been advertising java games using ‘Rempit’ as its title. “SMS ON REMPIT TO …”. It is better to use other names rather than rempit. Media is a good source of educating young people and also giving bad influences. RTM should have be more concern on this issue.

Image from autoblog.com

USE HYDROFUEL COZ FUEL PRICES SOAR?

Recently PM announced measures to combat increasing fuel prices. One of the ways is to use Hydro fuel which was done locally. Details on ‘Hydro fuel’ not fully given out. No idea how much it will cost to convert from fuel car to Hydro fuel cars. No new Hydro fuel cars available here. I bet is to increase ‘somebody’ income either before the transaction of power by the mid of June 2010 or the UMNO general assembly by end of this year. Brilliant idea to increase fuel prices before month of August because the world fuel prices will decline by then. Lately, the price of a barrel of oil dropped by US$16. While the world prices decreases what about the fuel prices here? Stay the same? Where the extra money will go to? Giving out using rebates in road tax? Guess what? Money to replace old Proton Banana’s with Lexus later on.

Avril Lavigne will perform at Stadium Merdeka

Date: Aug 29 2008
Venue: Stadium Merdeka
City: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tickets: Onsale: 7/21/08

LELONG! LELONG! CHEAP! VERY CHEAP! ONLY IN MALAYSIA! UP TO 50% DISCOUNTS FOR UNLIMITED TIME ONLY!

Pay later, big discounts. Pay earlier, who ask you? 50 % discounts on traffic offenders? Since such discounts being introduced, Malaysian drivers become more aggressive in becoming the number one traffic offenders.
Where are the policemen nowadays? Perak police officers wanted more patrol cars. Do they need a car just to snap on speed kings? Full amount of ‘samans’ will teach traffic offenders a lesson. I don’t deny RM300 or more will be a burden but what will happen when life of other road users is endanger? At least traffic offenders will think twice before taking any chances on another traffic offence. Discounts will only encourage them where ‘saman’ is just a price of a bucket of chicken.

TAIPING BENEFIT FROM NCER

Taiping will be a Heritage Town soon? Wouldn't know. Have to wait until 2010. Wettest town for sure. Best place coz cheap food, nearer to town and facilities always available. Can be better without mat rempits, snatch thief or rude drivers.

Reference from themalaysianinsider.com:

Taiping — heritage town in the making

Entrance to Taiping Zoo. There are plans to upgrade the zoo.KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — The best place to live in Malaysia. The wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia. Soon, Taiping will also be known as a "Heritage Town.''
Under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) plan which was approved last week, the government will spend nearly RM200 million to upgrade buildings in the town, model the Taiping market after London's famous Covent Garden and revive the Taiping-Port Weld railway service as a back-in-time tourism draw.
Other plans for Taiping include:• Building a museum dedicated to the tin industry.
• Upgrading the Taiping Zoo and Night Safari.
Work on turning Taiping into a Heritage Town will begin in the third quarter of this year and is expected to be completed by 2010. The NCER project — one of the economic growth corridors — was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last year.
Its main objectives were improving agriculture output, boosting tourism and manufacturing in the northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak.
The final plan for the corridor was tabled recently before Abdullah and the menteris besar of Perak, Kedah, Perlis, the chief minister of Penang and other members of the Northern Corridor Implementation Agency (NCIA).
In addition to turning Taiping into a Heritage Town, the tourism master plan includes unleashing the potential of the Royal Belum Forest into a world-class eco-tourism site, marketing the Bujang Valley in Kedah and boosting medical tourism in Penang and Langkawi.
Among the list of to do things is improve access to the Belum forest by building a helipad, improving the runway in Gerik, and building a jetty for visitors to take part in activities on the lake. The Northern Corridor Implementation Agency (NCIA) also aims to make sure that rare species of flora and fauna like the Rafflesia does not become extinct.
In all, the government is expected to spend RM430 million till 2010 to boost the tourism sector of the NCER.

PROTON STILL GOING STRONG (PART 2)

From Malaysia to UK and now Indonesia. With the increase of steel and fuel prices, Proton aiming to sell Gen.2 Persona model for RM 39, 040(reports TheStar/ Bernama)? While in www.paultan.org, Gen.2 Persona is selling at the starting price of RM 42,600. Let’s see the comparison.

The Comparison (starting price):

Indonesia
TheStar/ Bernama: RM 39, 040, www.paultan.org: RM 42,600

Malaysia
Proton Persona: RM 44,999 Proton Gen-2: RM 53,488

Malaysian: paid extra RM 5,955 (refer to TheStar/ Bernama reports)
Indonesian: rebates RM 5,955 (refer to TheStar/ Bernama reports)

Cost to build: Exports Proton cars are cheaper. (All cars exported to other countries)
Quantity: Malaysian buys many Proton cars than other countries.
Quality: Local made cars sold in Malaysia different from exports.

Support Made in Malaysia brand: You decide.

Reference from TheStar:

Proton launches Persona in Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd yesterday launched its Persona model in Indonesia in conjunction with the 16th Indonesia International Motorshow, the country’s biggest automotive industry event.
The national car manufacturer said in a statement the Persona was being introduced as the "GEN.2 Persona" in Indonesia and it was the fifth Proton model in the Indonesian market which the company entered last March.
"Since our entry into the Indonesian market last year, we have been received warmly by the people here and this latest offering is tangible proof of our intention to have a long standing relationship with the people of Indonesia," said managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohd Tahir.
Priced from 122 million rupiah (RM39,040), the Persona is available in five variants and comes in seven colours.
A year ago, Proton began with three dealerships in Indonesia and now has five dealerships in Warung Buncit, Bandung, Makasar, Pekanbaru and Palembang and one branch in Slipi, Jakarta, all equipped with sales, service and spares capabilities. – Bernama

image from http://www.lowyat.net

HARD DISK DRIVE COMES WITH TERRABIT STORAGE

Seagate unveils 1.5TB drive. WOW! Fantastic! More storage means more documents and files can be store in hard disk. I hope the hard disk won't turn ugly when accidentally dropped. What will happen if the information can’t be recover? More IT people will end up in ‘Hospital Bahagia’. I will be the first one to sign the registration form. HA! HA!

PROTON STILL GOING STRONG

It’s been 23 years since Proton Saga introduced to Malaysian and the world early 80’s. Now new Proton Gen2 is coming to UK. Actually is Proton Gen2 new facelift. I am proud of Proton’s achievement although not owning it before because I can’t endure with the lack of reliability of the accessories such as failure of power window, battery problem or even a minor sound when driving the car. The technology Proton cars developed still can compete to foreign cars. Hopefully Proton can survive another decade and will not need the support from the government. Be competitive by introducing more models and venture into hybrid cars or smaller compact cars. To cut cost, give tender to vendor who is more reliable and offer cheap materials compare to current ones.









Then,

Now,

posted by rocky bru :

Proton is 23 on Wednesday. Once the pride of Malaysians, especially those in the lower income bracket, our national car has today become an embarrassment and, to some, an obstacle.But in the 90s, Sagas were hitting foreign streets from Singapore to London, and there was even a time when left-hand drive Malaysian-made cars were being considered for the US.My first Proton was a brand new Saga hatchback. I traded in my 7th-hand RX-7 for the brand new Proton. Sold it off for the more spacious and sporty Aeroback in 93. When NST, in a bid to tighten its belt, offered to sell its company cars to the senior executives driving them, I decided to buy the Perdana. The Aeroback and the Perdana are still serving us faithfully to this day.Proton's charge on the world auto arena peaked when it bought MV Agusta, the Italian bike maker (after having acquired the Lotus earlier). It was planning to manufacture one of the cheapest cars in the world using bike engines.And then Mr Badawi took over as Prime Minister ....Anyway, Happy Birthday Proton. The company's pioneers are celebrating at Kelab Shah Alam at 8.30 Wednesday night.

MALAYSIA REPEATING HISTORY

I agree the thoughts and future views from Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek. Especially sentences in red written below. Can the government see what is going to happen?

Posted by Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek

Fuel Hike and Inflation

We are now facing an economic crisis as bad as the 1997 financial crisis, maybe not as dramatic as the depreciation of currency as in 1997. However, impact of the fuel rise and increase in prices in almost all essential goods, creeping inflation, political uncertainty, the US slowdown, all these will definitely affect export sector and will put the Malaysia economy under great stress. The fuel hike will definitely cause the increase in the cost of production and this will definitely eat into the profit margin of the various economic sectors, ultimately, the erosion of their profit margin. This may cause an economic contraction and this will lead to a chain effect, both up streams and down streams. The various industries and services will definitely put expansion on hold. There may be retrenchment, hence unemployment may grow up. Creation of new jobs may come down. Under the RMK9, the yearly creation of new jobs should be 200, 000 per year. I doubt that we can achieve this figure this year. For next year, it could be anybody’s guess for what the employment rate would be, but one thing for sure is that the creation of new work will be much less. Government’s revenue will definitely be affected because corporate tax, individual tax and entertainment tax will be down. Bank will also be confronted with non-performing loans, both from corporate and household loans. Less people will be traveling; both within the country and outside the country and this will affect the whole service sector of hotels, public transportation and entertainment. One area of the service sector which I find illogical is the Ministry of Cooperative and Entrepreneur’s consistent refusal for the taxi fare and transportation fare to be readjusted to cope up with the fuel hike. While they may be provided with subsidized fuel, fuel is only one of the components involved in the public transportation system since many other factors are involved from spare parts, wages of drivers and etc. Hence, it makes no sense that they are not allowed to readjust their fare and transportation changes. Therefore, we can understand why we have dishonest and not so friendly taxi and bus drivers. Hence, we may be facing economic slowdown, rising unemployment, inflation going up, government revenue going down and consumer confidence badly affected and I am sure street demonstration will not resolve these issues.