Monday, October 1, 2007

The Semi-Value Story

I've been living Ipoh for all my youth - 23 years already and still counting. I still know the tales of the Toupee man from Sungai Siput - Samy Vellu. Incidentally, when I read a bit of Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, I came to understand that the story was based on the his own experience of his wife being a rape victim in Sungai Siput as well! Coincidence.

The newspaper man who would always come to our house to collect the monthly bill always shows his disdain of this guy. Not on the job thing but the fact that he remains the only big race leader to yet hand over the leadership to the younger generation. People have praised Ling Liong Sik, Lim Keng Yaik and even Mahathir for handing the mantle of leadership over to the younger leaders.

But not him.


My 85-year old man too had a disdain of him. Every moment when he sees Samy in the papers he kept saying to me..."That bloody bastard!" That phrase keeps ringing in my head whenever I see a paper article even from the mainstream media that features our guy

So, the latest article is entirely not a rumor but what I've anticipated and in the manner of speaking a not very good way to kick off 2008.

Every time when we hear the same thing every three years or so, the man will say that if I don't do that, the government will have to compensate the concessionaires.

But I heard something different from Anwar Ibrahim on the forum last Saturday. In the past 8 years as Finance Minister before his sacking in 1998, the government never raised a single toll fee at all. After sacking, I can count no less than 3 times the toll goes up.

Of course this announcement has triggered some furor and questioning by the consumer association collective. This is one of the series of price hikes for the coming 2008. If that is the case, then it is likely that private sectors are demanding for extra pay already. The bank staff is starting for one, the government has already give out extra but what about the private sector?

I knew that Malaysiakini would definitely to go for the coverage of the forum. Sure, there are some reporters there, and one of them they have documented is that Anwar was told by Cabinet guys to "bugger off". The revelation that I found from DSAI (he said) is that the extra increase according to the concessionaire agreement was just a mere cover to additional "red packet money" demanded by top state politicians of the west coast starting from Perlis down the way to Johor! In summary, the highways that involve two or more states.

When that thing above happens, I can start laughing off at Samy. Base on the poster above by Mob, it clearly shows how I become more and more sick of reading that name anywhere at papers or seeing his photo everywhere. The only thing I wish right now is for this fellow to give the mantle of leadership to a younger able leader, rather than clinging on. The mere excuse of the right person unavailable to take over is definitely unacceptable.

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