Monday, January 15, 2007

Wet notes from the floods


Send this Ad to the dry-cleaners, Nazir!
Quite a few people are not amused by this latest ad by CIMB.
It's because of the floods.
People drying up their belongings in the aftermath of the worst floods the country has ever seen.
They think Nazir Razak ought to throw out the ad.
Be more sensitive to the sufferings of the flood victims. Most of whom don't have wet notes to hang dry.
They think the bank should give away the RM250,000 prize money to the flood victims .

In a related development, the PM is monitoring the floods closely from afar, said Syed Hamid Albar, whose constituency Kota Tinggi, Johor is the worst hit by the floods. "The prime minister has pledged to return quickly from the Asean summit in Cebu City to visit the affected areas," he told Bernama here.

Latest, blogger Ahmad A. Talib, who posted some very wet pictures here the other day, sent out a plea just a while ago for doctors, nurses and volunteers. Click here for details. Be warned: this is not a sight-seeing tour of the flooded areas, he said.

40 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:02 am

    Nevermind if he doesn't engade in warfare, a General who stays by his men wins their support and builds their morale while a General who stays afar will not gain the respect nor admiration of his own men.

    Money spent on lavish dinners, expensive fireworks (although sponsored) and unimportant field trips. Yet promised monetary aid to those affected are not to be seen. Shouldn't money be better spent at the right place?
    The country lacks in crisis management and God only knows what the situation will be if there were to ever be another major disaster.

    Know your piorities Mr Prime Minister. After all, it's affecting your Johor 'Putrajaya' after all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:39 am

    re the ad:*no comment*
    most flood victims can't even get their aid (a few hundred bucks) after submitting their applications with all the required documents after the first wave.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:34 am

    Sad. Very Sad. Helpless Victim in Kota Tinggi, Muar, Segamat & other places. Stranded, illussion, angry, hungry and phobias of rain.

    We in Kuala Lumpur is enjoying our Ferries Wheel - the eye of Kuala Lumpur and promoting Hop-in & Hop-Out Bus. RM30mil from deep pocket of the treasury. How happy the cronies shall be.

    SJER@WPI is now being clean by the Flood. Natural Disaster. Johoreans suffer. What are your plans, now Lahdol?

    Hah...itu-lah DYMM Sultan titah suruh Robohkan Tambak Johor.

    Tol naik -lagi. Your days are numbered Lahdol.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous6:53 am

    PM is away to represent Malaysia at an ASEAN summit.

    If he can't do that despite having such a large Cabinet, what chance have Malaysia?

    ReplyDelete
  5. it truly reflects the PM's priorities when he "pledges to return quickly" from official business and selamba(s) for his holiday.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:21 am

    Lets take a breath here and appraise the current situation.We hv a huge flood in Johor.100k people are effected.Not in my lifetime have I ever heard of this proud state brought to it's knees by an act of God.
    It's obvious that those of you who are reading this blog are interested in the welfare of Malaysians. So why not just put aside an hour of your time to put together a CARE Package that can be sent down south to the Malaysians who are suffering.Old school shoes, tshirts, blankets, Maggi..anything.Friends of mine in Johor are calling for help.

    Call these numbers 072414422/2414288 or 0197704422

    Lets stop blabbing and start doing!!!

    Daily runs to the victims will be made.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Water cut off, electricity cut off, looting everywhere. I fear and feel sad for people of Johore.

    Can someone lift a finger and help them rather than just issue statements like myself?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amacam kalau "Bloggers United" turut bagi bantuan. Mungkin ambil satu kawasan kecil sebagai kawasan angkat. Dari situ estimate keperluan dan bantuan yang boleh diberikan. Kemudian kita boleh kutip derma sesama sendiri.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:32 am

    saudara,
    the ad: yep. at this time..not in good taste.
    the floods in johor: i am surprised that our leaders did not see it necessary to cancel their overseas engagement.
    I really would like to see our leaders, wakil rakyat and bapak2 dasn ibu2 menteri visit johor.
    Are they there but their presence there has not been reported?
    If i know them, they'd probably make sure their presence is one hell of a PR job. So, my guess is if you dont read about them in the papers, then they werent there.
    Johor is known to be an Umno stronghold. Next election? Johor Umno election candidates will have to work double hard.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:53 am

    Saudara Rocky!
    Najib Razak will be flying in a helicopter to Johor to be with the flood affected people. As a DPM he is doing everything in his power to alleviate the suffering of the flood victims. He has ordered assistance and aid to be conducted in an orderly manner and he had to cut short his much needed off days to come back to supervise the disaster. He is not taking any excuses from anybody or any group or anyone when it comes to assistance and aid for the affected flod victims. Under the present circumstances he is doing anything and everything that he can as a leader. Meanwhile Moron like Anwar Ibrahim, while strugglng in English (complete with his Wahhabi acent)to explain to Aljezeera his raison de'tre (reason being), he should go to the flood affected areas in Johore or anywhere in the country if he has any instinct being a "leader" to help the people but instead he is plotting with the DAP to dismantle everyhting the government is trying to do! No! Anwar has no instinct of being a leader otherwise he is not where he is today. Pseudo-intellectual does not make one a leader and please allow the deputy prime minister cum the deputy Umno president to do his job! And if anyone, Anwar included, has nothing good to say about a good leader he or she should just shut up! So Anwar Ibrahim please stop making serious insinuation and innuendo about other people, because there are still many many people who still doubt about your being innocent, and do you want to know why many many people still doubt your innocence, because you have been victim of insinuation and innuendo, so stop doing it to others it is just not fair.

    Yours truly
    Rusdi Mustapha.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous10:55 am

    Rocky,

    plse check posting in arahkita...it seems dat Pak Lah has started his own newspaper, masthead posted there....

    check it out bro!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Rusdi Mustapha,

    I remember that you were the reporter in NST's Sunday Mail. Are you still with NST anyway?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous12:45 pm

    pak lah monitoring johor's misery from afar?

    u must be kidding me - he's in australia officiating his brother's restaurant!

    syed hamid, as MP for kota tinggi, wat hav u done for the suffering people?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous12:55 pm

    here's the proof of badawi's wrong priorities and the lame syed hamid's no-action:
    http://www.jeffooi.com/2007/01/red_alert_floods_and_currying.php

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous1:31 pm

    I am absolutely appalled with the situation in Johor. We Malaysians seem to be more resourceful when it comes to saving people in disaster areas in other countries and deploy teams much faster too. Cant say we are doing the same in our own backyard! How can we even say that we are Malaysians when we are allowing people to languish in relief centres. Food and supplies have been slow and god alone knows when the money will be sent to those affected. We need to do something, and FAST! These are Malaysians.....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous2:04 pm

    To Steve,

    Yes I was with the NST and then sent to the Sunday Mail, because I wrote a series on corruption in Papua New Guinea involving Ghazalie Shafiee our former foreign minister, which appeared in the NST front page for three days in a row . I was called to his (Ghazali) house while there I was totally intimidated by him, but I was not easily intimidated, and he said you will see what will happened to you, the next thing I know I was told to go to the Sunday Mail. From Sunday Mail I wrote a story on Mamut Copper mine in Sabah that has polluted six tributaries and contaminated hundreds of orang ulu, my editor then Joachim Ng, may he be miserable all his life, did not support me when he was called from people from high places, then I quit the paper and after one week the Sun called me to join, so BASICALY all main stream media is totally fu#ked-up, intimidated by politicaly connected people, and you have to be subservient to survive, unfortunately Minangkabau is cursed for being a strong headed SOB! Yes, Steve I was with the NST and now I aint no more for a long time now! So who are you, eh!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous2:08 pm

    Bloggers United should consider lending a hand to the victims. There would probably be greater transparency in collecting and disseminating the funds and items collected. Am sure that there will be enough support from other equally frustrated Malaysians.

    What say you Rocky? After all, you did a lot of this in your Malay Mail and NST days and you actually made things happen instead of just shooting off your mouth like others who shall remain un-named....

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous3:21 pm

    The PM held the Monsoon Cup in Trengganu and wonder of wonders, no floods happened there in 2006. Therefore the Monsoon Cup (better rename it to Bomoh Cup) should be held in the Tebrau Straits in 2007 to prevent a reoccurance of the flooding in Johor since Dec 2006 till today! The RM300million would be most useful for the Johor WaterWorld

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous3:21 pm

    The PM held the Monsoon Cup in Trengganu and wonder of wonders, no floods happened there in 2006. Therefore the Monsoon Cup (better rename it to Bomoh Cup) should be held in the Tebrau Straits in 2007 to prevent a reoccurance of the flooding in Johor since Dec 2006 till today! The RM300million would be most useful for the Johor WaterWorld

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous3:22 pm

    The PM held the Monsoon Cup in Trengganu and wonder of wonders, no floods happened there in 2006. Therefore the Monsoon Cup (better rename it to Bomoh Cup) should be held in the Tebrau Straits in 2007 to prevent a reoccurance of the flooding in Johor since Dec 2006 till today! The RM300million would be most useful for the Johor WaterWorld

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous3:22 pm

    Rocky,
    I was dissapointed with Johor MB's comments on Bangsa Malaysia recently. If anyone else says what he did, no problem coz that their level of humanity. But coming from the MB - who was among the few who qualify to be a leader - was sad. What happening in Johor is a divine warning, no more racism, no more assaults and crimes by VVIP - any Johorean will tel you truths about how things are. Whey LKY said JB was crime infested everyone said LKY know nothing. But we in Johor know that was the truth. Now they are saying the same things. Unless people and VVIP repent, Johor might never be the same again.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Monitoring closely from afar? Interesting oxymoron...

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous3:58 pm

    When face with a natural calamity, true friendship helps. Where are our friendly neighbours? Do we need to beg first before they come? Or maybe our Newsman has inadvently blocked all information from reaching out? If AAB returns immediately from the summit, it will definitely send a clear message for the needs to showcase a true ASEAN spirit of helping your neighbours. Not signing papers when physical presence is more important. We should not be too proud to reach out a hand to help or to receive.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous4:08 pm

    I agree that Msians seem to be more resourceful in other countries. Is this Msians' fault?

    Government controls the resources; army, logistic, communication system, etc. Ordinary Msians, no matter how enthusiastic we are, there is only so much we can do. Furthermore, ordinary Msians still need to work to earn daily meals. Yet, so many have come forward to help.

    On the other hand, government officers are salaried on Msia tax payers' money. Even, expenses incurred by going down to the disaster areas are paid from taxes. What more, this suppose to be their job!

    To be precise, the government seems to be more interested in helping other countries' people.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous4:35 pm

    Atlantis city of johor.

    Forget about SJER,
    Forget about WPI,
    Forget about everything to develop Southern Johor.
    Forget about RM200bl. allocation for it.
    Forget it...

    Don't blame to El-Nino.
    Don't blame to green house effect.
    Don't blame to mother nature.

    What the hell is going on.
    There's no immediate and effective help from central government.
    We are left behind to face the floods.
    There's not enough aid coming from.
    It's OK if this happen for 1 week.
    But if this flood stay for more than 3weeks and prolonge to months..What will happen?

    Will some part of Johor become permanent lake?
    Is there new Venice in the East?
    Why not allocate 0.01% budget of SJER plan to the people of Johor.It's only RM200mil. maa compare to the manhour lost during the floods.
    Is demolish the causeway can improve the balance of Tebrau st. between Malacca straits side and South China sea.



    Are ecology effect of reclaimation project of thousands tonne of sand at the Tebrau Straits by our (beloved*for someone) neighbour is the main culprits?
    Sure it effect the high and low tide.

    Are the Tebrau straits became shallow and make the floods more worst?
    Even deepening Johor river can't counter the land that being pour at the 'other' side.

    If true,Why not we sue with multimillion suit against across the straits reclaimation project?
    If they can intimidate us to built Bengkok bridge..than the suit is more suitable.
    Then it must equal to the effective lost hours that we loss during floods...

    Of course it is act of god but 'man'also has his hand on it for this ecological disaster...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous4:54 pm

    Bro Rocky

    You know these corporate fellows they don't give a damn about the suffering of the unfortunates but the profits they could get from them only.

    Even if they were to give donations they were just doing it as a public relation exercise. Do you expect pople who are borned with a silver spoons can feel for the unfortunates or the poor?

    For a start they do not understand what sufferings are all about. Secondly, they do not know how it is like to be poor.

    And it was for the above reasons that such people like Nazir Razak would capiatalise on hte sufferings of the Rakyat. They are just insensitive and too comfortable in their life styole drawing fat salary with drivers, big house and big salary package.

    To tach athem a lesson, the people should fix a speficic date to protest by withdrawing all their savings in CIMB on the same day. THis wil scare them to death otherwise they will come out with another PR exercise to pull woool over the eyes of the rakyat.

    Lets teach CIMB a lesson. Lets fix a date to protest by wihtdrawing all our savings and deposti them in another bank.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous4:58 pm

    To Botak

    Please understand the Mr I AM In Control PM. He has a extremely large cabinets in numbers not for doing works but jsut to get the political supports and he cannot afford to rock the boat too much.

    Lets look carefully, how many of hte cabinet ministers are really capable?? None, really. Did I hear Khairy and Kalimullah are capable?? But both of them are not ministers OK. So not counted.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous5:38 pm

    Sheih, the last time, CIMB donated RM1million to the Acheh Tsunami Fund and there was the usual PR shot of the cheque presentation making its round in most of the local mainstream medias!

    On the same note, let me quote this from Raja Zarith Idris's MIND MATTERS column in Sunday Star on 7 January 2007:
    In batu Pahat, in a community hall that was used to shelter more than 2000 flood victims, an angry middle-aged man pointed at the villagers and said to me: "You write about this. Why were we so quick to respond to the tsunami when it happened in other countries but we are slower to react when it's our own people who have lost their homes? Why doesn't anyone see this as a tragedy and a disaster? There are people who live in towns and cities and they are not rich folk. They are the urban poor. Whenever there are floods and fires, they suffer."

    In conclusion, the ad was insensitive to a point of it being obscene and vulgar. To show a visual such like that was tasteless, and making a mockery of those peoples' suffering!

    And when you looked back at the amount CIMB donated to the Acheh Tsunami Fund, those words of that angry middle-aged man really rings true and it cuts so deap.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous5:38 pm

    The first time I saw the ad,my thoughts did not turn immediately to the flood victims(sympathies to them).
    Instead, what I saw was Nazir's hands drying up all the money after he had taken Sime Darby and the associate companies to the cleaners! What was it, 200 million in commission?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous5:55 pm

    Somehow I have a sneaky feeling that things would be different if the big flood happens in the Northern States, especially in Penang.

    ReplyDelete
  31. ding-ding,

    My sentiments exactly regarding the CIMB ad.

    Now, if the ad had shown 'blood-soaked' notes, then, the impact would have been hideously apparent.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous6:42 pm

    Let us all not missing the plot here, friends and fellow posters.

    This is a powerful platform to send out our message to the corporate world. A strong one too!

    Please read my earlier posting on what Raja Zarith Idris wrote in her Mind Matters column (The Star, 7 January 2007).

    Yup, whatever that was said by the angry middle-aged man in her column is what we are looking at now!

    Let it go on record here, last year CIMB donated RM1million to the Acheh Tsunami Fund. A good thing they did just that for it was so devastating what the Tsunami had caused them in Acheh. And such a big amount too, wouldn't you say so?

    As poster Sheih stated much earlier, "Don't be Kera di Hutan di susukan, anak di rumah mati kebuluran."

    So, when that middle-aged man in Raja Zarith's column angrily said this;

    ""You write about this. Why were we so quick to respond to the tsunami when it happened in other countries but we are slower to react when it's our own people who have lost their homes? Why doesn't anyone see this as a tragedy and a disaster? There are people who live in towns and cities and they are not rich folk. They are the urban poor. Whenever there are floods and fires, they suffer.", we owe it to ourselves to send this message to the likes like CIMB!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous9:26 pm

    Who the f*@## is this Rusdi Mustapa? Why does he write like that? Is he working for Najib? C'mon, is he is/was a good newsman no need to blow trumpet ..people in the industry would know.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous10:22 pm

    Raja Zarith

    Good for you. CIMB donated Rm1 million to Tsunami victims in Aceh. Of course, a noble cause. So far away and yet CIMB under Nasir could feel for the Aceh - what a great man, Nazir.

    But when the Johoreans were and are suffering from the flood, CIMB did not bother to donate even a RM1-00 but CIMB saw it fit to make use of the situation to further their own cause i.e. to promote themselves at teh expense of the flood victims. What a bloody hypocrite is the CIMB!!!

    Nazir Razak is just an insensitive person like all the rich corporate figures. Now that we know the real CIMB under Nazir Razak then we should boycot CIMB. Lets not deal with them.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Mother Nature seems to take all the blame for this flood. I agree She played a part, but why should the water level rise 15 feet? If it is Mother Nature then it would rise to about 2 or 4 feet. But 15 feet! The real culprits are those UMNOputras who have been making million through logging concessions and the state goverment for faling to upgrade the drainage system.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous9:02 am

    Never mind our ministers and corporate millionaires, what about the neighbours that we have been too quick to help in their hour of need ? Indonesia ? Phillipines ? Are there others ??

    What does it take for the cabinet to come down and see the sufferings ? Mr kris-brandisher is quick to be at the by-election scene to please his Masters but never his electorates.

    Bring on the power of the votes I say !!! Thats the time these idiots will be grovelling with their only too well known promises.

    Mr foreign minister is very quiet about kota tinggi. Maybe he thought that kota tinggi is in a foreign land - or maybe he is too foreign to the situation.

    I say we put the ferris wheel on board the cobra king and let it sink !

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous left this comment yesterday but I had to take down some of his/her adjectives. The message is not lost, though. - Rocky's Bru

    Rocky That BENGxxx if not BAHxxxx PM is better off from Malaysia than in Malaysia lah. His existence on motorways will only create more havoc and diffulties plus suffering due to give way for his motorcade, cronies and BERUKS BERUKS many rakyats much aware who these BERUKS are. Nazir is a young chap from Silver Spoon family, doubt that he think first before acting... if you check out CIMB the management itself dont represent the majority rakyat; mainly Ali-Baba... fellas! PM and DPM will only bring disaster to the nation; we need Mandela of Asia to turn around the country... someone who had experience some jail terms, bengkak muka that sort of thing! And many for sure wants him back in town. Enough with Khinzirs on the road lah, especially during this flooding season. We need human leadership! What do you think Brother Rocky???

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anyway,,,,,have all the councillors back from their holidays at Shanghai????Feel so sick after reading about this.You all Johorean.....my heart break"s are with you all.God really have no eyes,,,,,,,,,,,,,god pls forgave me,Amen

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous3:47 am

    I wish some of your contributors would stop the swearing and name calling and below-the-belt attacks! Why don't they argue out their case logically? Then their ideas/points of view/suggestions will be taken more seriously!

    BON NINI

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous9:54 am

    NO WAY for mata lebam to lead Malaysia! He already sold himself to the devil America and the Jews.. same o same o as Pak Lah and Khairy. NEXT! Anyone hiding behind religious image is a no no! No way will I let mata lebam be our next PM or his protege Khairy close to the power seat. All three of them PL, KJ and AI boleh BLAH!!!!

    ReplyDelete