A government that still thinks it knows best

So, sue us! A government rep is supposed to help resolve an issue for the people that voted him in. I have never heard of any government in the world that tells the people to sue it (or its rep) if they are not happy. And yet here we are looking at our Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib telling the Ulu Kelang Recreation Club to take him and the Council (MPAJ) to court if they are unhappy about the fact that the Club's football field had been seized by the Selangor government. It smacks of arrogance. 

Bang Din, take note - Parents Protest, Jan 4

Click here to JOIN

The temper-ature at ASPIRES, the FB group created by parents upset with the way politicians are messing up the education system, is rising slowly but surely by the day. You can tell by the tone of the postings, e.g. a very recent statement made by Sam Hamid, the man behind the group: TSMY, we know that you are deaf but you cant be blind as well. 

TSMY is Deputy PM Muhyiddin Yassin, a politician who has earned my respect for the role he played in helping end Abdullah Badawi's 5-year reign.  As Education Minister, however, the multitude of challenges do seem to have overwhelmed him. What ASPIRES is doing - the tone of some of the postings aside (this is the social media, after all) - should help Muhyiddin overcome some of those challenges. 

One of things I like about ASPIRES is that it strongly supports the PPSMI, the learning/teaching of math and science in English. There is no reason why the government should bow to the demands of people like Samad Said and the politicians who had encouraged them to kill a good thing for our children. They are not only in the minority, they are also wrong! 

If you are a parent and you are worried about the state of the education system, come join us for PGIP4114.   

Date: 4 Jan 2014

Time: 9am to Noon

Place: Taman Jaya, PJ

RIP: Mandela inspires ASPIRES

Electricity tariff increase: 4 things KJ needs to know

Updated: With apologies to MyPower Corporation [see paras 3 & 4].

Needs to do homework ..

Getting sloppy. A lot of people unhappy with the proposal to increase electricity tariff by 4.99 sen per kW/h starting Jan 1 direct their dissatisfaction at the Government, at PM Najib Razak, and the Minister responsible. That is natural. Others hurl abuses at the Tenaga Nasional Berhad and Petronas as well. That is to be expected, too. 

But for Khairy Jamaluddin to single out TNB and accuse the utility of thinking only of profits (instead of the people) over the tariff increase? Read h e r e. I say he's getting sloppy, not doing enough homework. And hypocritical, given that he is a full Minister in Najib Razak's cabinet. And downright irresponsible.

The First thing KJ needs to know before he accuses anyone else is this: TNB did NOT propose the tariffs to be increased. Repeat. TNB was NOT the one that proposed the tariff increase. That credit must go to MyPower Corporation the Energy Commission, the agency responsible for regulating the energy sector, particularly electricity and piped-gas supply. 

So, why did MyPower the Energy Commission ask the Government to increase the tariffs? 

That's the Second thing KJ needs to know. The tariff increase is a consequence of the Government's subsidy rationalisation program, which will see the removal of gas subsidies and the introduction of LNG at market prices. The only way to "pay" for the removal of these subsidies is to increase the electricity tariffs as proposed by MyPower. Khairy should have commended MyPower for having made sure that 70% of the consumers in Semenanjung and probably more in Sabah and Sarawak will not be affected by the tariff increase. (These are people who use less than 300kW/h or whose electricity bills are less than RM77 a month).  

The third thing KJ needs to know is that the increased tariffs will contribute nothing to TNB's profits. Zilch. Zero. Of the 4.99 sen increase, only 0.90 sen (18%) will go to TNB for capital and operational expenditure to do system improvement for the next four years. The rest goes to Petronas (3.92 sen or 79%) and coal 0.17 sen or 3.4%).  

The fourth thing KJ needs to know (because it is clear that he doesn't realise it) is this: he is a member of Najib Razak's administration, the very government that is promoting the subsidy rationalisation program to help stabilise its finances, the very government that appointed MyPower to do a job, and the very government that has approved (or will approve) the new tariffs. KJ cannot pretend that he is not part of of this decision-making process, part of this collective responsibility.

If KJ wants to be popular, try this: help make sure that the 70 per cent that his Boss is trying to safeguard from the effects of the tariff increase will, indeed, be spared when the affected 30% decide to pass down their higher bills to consumers. ie the very people in the 70% bracket! 

Read also:
KJ Sudah Melampau!!! Belasah keputusan kerajaan Najib Razak naikkan tariff elektrik 15%!! 
Circus Chimpanzee
TNB spends more than it makes

Three more years for Isa

Heard from a reliable source during the UMNO general assembly: The Prime Minister has agreed to extend Isa Samad's contract as chairman of Felda and FGV for another three years starting Jan 1, 2014. The former Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar was put there by Najib Razak on Jan 1, 2011 to handle the political opposition towards the 29/6/12 listing of FGV, which was the second largest IPO in the world (after Facebook) last year. Its share price closed slightly below the IPO's RM4.55 today. 

Isa, 64, failed in his bid for one of the three Umno vice president posts at the recent party elections.