I know it  seems  to those of you who read this blog on a regular basis that  I’m prone to hyperbole but,  actually, I’m a master of understatement.

Stop laughing.

Consider how restrained I was, both on television and in print, in describing how much I didn’t like Michelle Obama’s inaugural gown.

I was so restrained, especially on television, that people actually called me afterwards to ask me privately if  I really liked the dress or not.

I danced around that question in every sociopoliticaleconomic way possible that the anchor, Zoraida Sambolin, had to “bottom line” me as well. Did you like the dress or not, Tom?

Once I saw the dress on the night of the inauguration I knew that I couldn’t say that I liked it, because who in their right mind would, right?

I also knew that I couldn’t possibly go on television and write a blog for NBC saying I hated it because who in their right mind would want to hear such a thing, especially from someone who has styled her in the past?

Certainly, no one in Chicago. Certainly, no Democrat. Certainly not the friends who begged me– begged me, I swear– not to say anything bad about the dress which everyone else apparently instantly fell in  love with in the blogoshere and on television that night. Why risk pissing people off, Tom? Would it kill you to say something nice?  Yes, Tom, about the dress. Do you want everyone to hate you?  Are you nuts? Say something nice, for God’s sake!

So I stayed up a good deal of the night  (I had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to get to the studio) trying to figure out how I could balance giving my honest professional opinion without  offending public opinion. (Actually, I do that all the time but no one notices. Hmmm.)

So I said what I said and I wrote what I wrote.

I think I acquitted myself quite honorably, if I do say so myself.

Why do I bring this up now, you say? I bring this up today because I now have undeniable proof I was right about that dress and because not a  single  sighted person in the universe can  begrudge me that certitude. I knew the night of the inauguration that she was capable of looking and should have looked– with proper counsel–so much better.

How good could/should she have looked?

Look at Mrs Obama last night at the state dinner for the Prime Minister of India wearing an exquisite custom gown by Naeem Khan. Look at the hair and the makeup and the jewelry (especially those stunning Bochic earings) too.

Now stop looking. I dare you.

Do you see today what I saw on the night of the Inauguration? I’m pretty sure you do now. You don’t have to say a thing.  I understand perfectly.

TheBestDressedList.com

TomKolovos.com

KOTA KINABALU : PAS Sabah merasa kesal dan dukacita kerana kerajaan tidak menyenaraikan Hospital Queen Elizabeth sebagai salah satu Hospital yang diberi keutamaan untuk dinaik taraf dalam belanjawan 2010 yang dibentang oleh Perdana Menteri, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak di Parlimen baru-baru ini.

Menurut Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Sabah, Mohd Aminudin Aling, keadaan Hospital Queen Elizabeth sekarang amat menyedihkan sekali.

“Pesakit diletakkan dalam keadaan berhimpit-himpit, rapat diantara satu sama lain. Keadaan ini menyebabkan para pesakit dan kakitangan Hospital merasa tertekan dan amat tidak selesa. Jika katil penuh, pesakit akan diletakkan diatas lantai (bertilam)”. kata Aminudin yang juga Pengerusi Lajnah Kebajikan PAS Sabah.

Aminudin mempertikai slogan Gagasan 1Malaysia, Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian  Diutamakan kerana kerajaan Barisan Nasional gagal mendahulukan masalah rakyat berikutan masalah bangunan Hospital Queen Elizabeth yang tidak selamat.

Dalam belanjawan tersebut pada tahun 2010 hospital dalam peringkat pembinaan dan dinaik taraf ialah Kluang, Bera, Shah Alam, Alor Gajah dan Tampoi.

Menara utama, blok podium dan blok forensik Hospital Queen Elizabeth telah diisytiharkan tidak selamat untuk diduduki oleh IKRAM dan JKR Sabah tahun lepas.

“PAS sangat berharap Sabah dan Sarawak juga diberi keutamaan 50 buah klinik yang akan dibuka di kawasan perumahan dengan menyewa rumah kedai bagi membolehkan masyarakat mendapat kemudahan rawatan biasa. Di Semenanjung, jarak satu klinik ke satu klinik hanya beberapa kilometer sahaja, di Sabah jarak satu klinik ke satu klinik berpuluh kilometer malah beratus kilometer.”, katanya.

Almost two years ago, a number of residents affected by the proposed development by Gasing Meridian Sdn Bhd (GMSB) were at a meeting with the Director of Planning for DBKL. We were informed that DBKL had approved the sub-division of land owned by GMSB in October 2007. We were informed that it was only an administrative approval and not a development order. There was no need to be concerned. The impression given to us was that he welcomed our input at the meeting and would take note of the petitions already submitted to DBKL. He assured us that DBKL would be diligent and apply stringent conditions on the development, including having further dialogue with us.

On 11^th Feb 2008, 108 residents filed for a Judicial Review by the High Court on DBKL’s rejection of their request for a public hearing. They were concerned about the possibility that not doing so will result in DBKL having a “free hand” in endangering their lives and property.

The facts as they now stand are:

• The “administrative” approval for sub-division of land is part of a development order
• 3 days after that meeting, on the 17^th November 2007, a further development order for erection of hoarding was given
• The welcoming of input and suggestions for further dialogue replaced by hand delivered notice to residents on the 31st December 2007, rejecting our request for public hearing
• Assurance of stringent conditions transformed to issuance of a further development order for earthworks on 31st January 2008, under “Sekysen 70 Akta Jalan, Parit dan Bangunan 1974( AKTA 33) dan Undang Undang Kecil Kerja Tanah (Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur) 1988.

Medan Damansara – Damansara 21

The Mayor of KL, Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail, together with Ikram and FT Ministry representatives met with Medan Damansara residents on Thurs 22nd October 2009.

The Mayor of KL, Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail, together with Ikram and FT Ministry representatives met with Medan Damansara residents on Thurs 22^nd October 2009. The message to the residents appears to be that it’s up to the residents to submit a memorandum to DBKL if they do not wish to have the development.

It is curious that the Mayor had said “Something must be done without further delay. However, it is not easy for us to make a decision at this juncture as we do not want to be seen as siding with either the developer or the residents”. As the key person tasked to work for the welfare of the residents of KL, should he not have taken the side of the residents and not permit development until such firm regulations and ability of his officials to monitor, assure and enforce safe hillside development are in place?

DBKL do not appear to be concerned about how lives were put at risks due to failures in approvals given for developer to commenced development, nor were they interested in revealing how they will make the developer (and consultants) liable for inadequacies revealed in Ikram’s investigation into the landslide that affected 2 homes in August 2008.

The Ikram consultant, En. Mohd Taufik Haron, went to great length to demonstrate how thorough Ikram had been in investigating the causes of failures.

The Ikram consultant, En. Mohd Taufik Haron, went to great length to demonstrate how thorough Ikram had been in investigating the causes of failures and the “stringent” standards they have demanded. The fact that it took 4 proposals before Ikram could be satisfied need not necessarily imply that the development will be safe. Perhaps it does more to demonstrate how developers and consultants are woefully incapable of providing safe proposals for hillside development.

In attempting to justify Ikram’s thoroughness in investigations, hill slopes were presented as inherently unsafe and comparison was made to how by development, the hill slopes would be made safer. Fortunately, the Medan Damansara residents were quick to rebut the over enthusiasm with a terse reminder that they were happily feeling save without any landslides affecting them for over 50 yrs and it took less than a year before development almost caused lives.

Damansara 21 development is 5.75 acres with almost 15% above 35 degrees gradient.

Will Bukit Gasing Proposed Development be approved on the same basis as Damansara 21?

GMSB’s proposed development covers 15.52 hectares (38.35 acres) with almost 50% of the slopes above 25 degrees gradient. In addition, there is a 23 million litre water reservoir adjacent to the proposed development with a 2 m diameter x 400m pipeline running along the boundary of the proposed development.

It took residents at Bukit Gasing 13 months to get a grant of leave for a Judicial Review by the High Court. Yet, DBKL and the developer are determined not to allow a public hearing to address our now amply justifiable concerns for safety. They have appealed against the grant of leave for Judicial Review.

DBKL and the developer’s appeal will be heard coming Monday, 9^th November at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya, commencing 9am.

When one considers the plight of residents of Medan Damansara and the performance of DBKL that lead to the disaster of landslide at Damansara 21. Can anyone be surprise at the measures taken by DBKL to avoid transparency?

Our PM has called of a 1Malaysia, Performance Now, People First to his administration. I wonder what our refrain should be. Any suggestions? Could 1Devexxper, Performance no-nxxd, People lxxt be appropriate for DBKL?

Gary Yeoh

JAC for Bukit Gasing

From other blogs: Damansara 21 Stop Work Order Lifted: Developer Boleh Again

An artist’s impression of the proposed project in the green area in Jalan Medang Serai

Streets – NST Online 2009/10/23
Nuradzimmah Daim and Noel Achariam

KUALA LUMPUR: In a move which would surely cause dismay among residents in Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail said yesterday that the development order for another controversial project — a highrise luxury condominium in Jalan Medang Serai — had been approved.

He said the approval was given in August last year.

“We have checked and found that the development order and earthwork plans were approved last year. However, we have engaged our consultant Ikram to look into the project,” he said when asked about the status of the project.

Fuad said that Ikram would be presenting their preliminary report to City Hall in November.

“We will have a look at the report. Then maybe, we may ask the developer to reduce the area of the development,” he said.

The proposed project on a plot of land near the Tivoli Villas apartment and facing a row of townhouses, would comprise eight blocks of luxury apartments totalling 212 units. The blocks will be 6, 11 and 28 storeys high and will have three and five-storey multi-level carparks for the apartments’ residents.

Initially the project would have increased the density capacity of this area by 500 per cent from 30 people per acre to 175 people per acre. However, Fuad said that the density had been reduced to 157 people per acre.

The announcement was greeted with shock and disappointment by the Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association and also the Jalan Medang Serai action committee.

Both parties were aghast that they were not informed about the approval of the development order.

“We are very disapppointed,” said Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association vice-president Mumtaz Ali.

“We were told that everything hinged on the outcome of the Kuala Lumpur Draft Plan 2020 and that no development plans would be approved until then.

“We expected more transparency and City Hall should have called or written to us to inform us of its decision and the reasons for it, just as they did when they asked us to attend the public hearing on the project.

“What is the point of the residents attending the public hearing and submitting their objections if we were never informed of the outcome?”

Mumtaz said the association would be writing to City Hall to voice its disappointment and seek an explanation for the decision to approve the development order without waiting for the approval of the KL Draft Plan 2020.

More…

Hayatın her anı, sonsuzluğa doğru geri sayımdır. Sayılı günler çabuk geçermiş ya… Bir iki üç derken bir Ramazan’ın daha sonuna geldik.

Şimdi bayram! Şimdi ödül vakti!

‘Îd’il Fıtr’in derin mânâ ve öneminin idrakinden yoksun bazı nasipsizler, ‘Şeker Bayramı’ gibi yakıştırmalar yapabilirler.

Bu yakıştırmalar bayramımıza zarar verecek değil.

Kızmayın, acıyın onlara…

Evet, isteyen ‘şeker’, isteyen ‘Ramazan’, isteyen de gerçek adı olan ‘Îd’il Fıtr’i kullanabilir.

Önemli olan, bu nâdide günleri nasıl idrak ettiğimiz…

Önemli olan, bu bayramı hak edip, etmediğimiz…

Önemli olan, bu bayramda ve sonrasında Ramazan’da kazandığımız güzel hasletleri sürdürüp sürdüremememiz…

Bayram günleri aynı zamanda ikram günleri…

Tatlılar, şekerler, çikolatalar vazgeçilmezleri bayramların…

Doktorlar, Ramazan Bayramı öncesinde ‘çok şeker yemeyin’, Kurban Bayramı öncesi ise ‘ete dikkat’ türünden uyarılar yaparlar.

Lakin hemen hiçbiri ‘şekerin, çikolatanın içeriğine dikkat’ diye uyarmaz…

Çünkü -ne acıdır ki- uyaran, uyarılandan daha bilinçli değil.

Ne yazık ki bu uyarıların çoğu medyada görünmek, hastanesinin reklâmı olsun kâbilinden sıradan açıklamalar…

70 milyonluk bir ülkenin bu kadar uzmanından beklenen; “Aman dikkat’ Bu ürünlerin içerisinde sağlığınız açısından tehlikeli katkılar var!” demeleridir.

Günümüz nasihatçileri her defasında helâl kazançtan söz ettikleri halde, ezici çoğunluğu ‘helal tüketimden’ ve ürün içeriklerinden söz etmezler.

Hâlbuki onların da ‘Aman dikkat! Aldığınız şekerde domuz katkısı, alkol ve genetiği değiştirilmiş (GDO) katkı maddeleri var!’ uyarıları yapması beklenir…

Ama nafile… Oda bunun farkında değil. Rutinin tekrarından öte bir hâl yok.

Bayramda neden şeker ve çikolata ikram etmemeliyiz?

Bayramların vazgeçilmezi şeker ve çikolataları alırken zenginler marka ve ambalajına bakacak, dar gelirliler fiyatına…

Bu yöntem doğru bir tercih şekli olabilir mi?

Akıllı insan, haz ve lezzetin esiri olamaz, olmamalı! Bir ürünü ve özellikle de gıda ürününün içeriğini incelemeden satın almak, en basitinden basiretsizlik belirtisi…

Günümüzde çikolataların neredeyse tümünde -tüm diğer sorunları bir an yok saysak bile- “soya lesitini” kullanılır.

Lesitin nedir? Lesitin, birçok gıdada emülgatör.

Emülgatör nedir? Birbiri ile karışmayan yağ ve su gibi farklı kimyasalların birbiri ile karışmasını sağlayan maddeler.

Soya lesitini neden elde edilir? Soyadan…

Soya GDO’lu değil miydi? Evet. Günümüzde soyanın en az yüzde 98’i, genetik değişikliğe uğratılmış bir bitki.

O halde soya lesitini GDO’lu mu? Ne yazık ki evet! Hemen her gıda maddesine katılan soya lesitini, GDO’ludur. Türkiye’de üretim yapan tek bir marka, ürününün etiketinde kullandığı soya lesitininin GDO’lu olmadığını yazmakta. Bu bilginin bile yüzde yüz güvenli olduğunu söylemek zor.

GDO helâl değil mi? Geçtiğimiz ay İslam Konferansı Örgütü’nün Helâl Çalışma Komisyonu, GDO’lu ürünlerin helâl olmadığını açıkladı.

GDO neden helâl olmasın ki? Allah c.c. Nisa 118-119’da genetiğin değiştirilmesi işlem ve eylemini, ‘fıtratın yani doğalın bozulması’ ve ‘şeytanî bir eylem’ olarak tanımlıyor!

GDO zararlı mı ki? Genetik değişikliğin birincil amacı daha çok üretmek ve daha verimli ürün değildir. Bu tür beyanlar gerçeğin örtülmesine yönelik yalanlardır. Asıl amaç; gıda bağımlılığı oluşturmak, tohumları belirli güç tekellerinin tescili altına almak, insanları kısırlaştırmak, yeni hastalıklar ortaya çıkararak insanlığı sömürmek vs. vs…

Ya şekerler? Çikolatada söz konusu olan bütün bu sorunlar tüm şekerler içinde geçerli...

Sorun sadece bundan mı ibaret? Elbette hayır! Şekerlerin bir kısmında çoğunluğu domuzdan elde edilen, sığırdan elde edilse bile helâl kesim olup olmadığı şüpheli sığırlardan üretilmiş jelâtinler kullanılabilmekte… Bu nedenle tüketilmesi öneril(e)mez.

Çikolata, lokum ve şekerleme ürünlerine eklenen renklendirici, tatlandırıcı, kıvam artırıcı gibi bir kısmı alerjen, bir kısmı GDO’lu, bir kısmı kanserojen, bir kısmı helâl menşeden sağlanmayan katkı maddeleri sorumsuzca kullanılmakta…

‘Ürünlerimizde domuz ve alkol mamulleri kullanılmamaktadır’ diye yazıyorsa güvenebilir miyiz? Sizleri bilmem fakat bendeniz bu beyanların güvenilmediğini yakînen bilenlerdenim. Yani en azından bizim için bu beyanların hiçbir değeri yok. Bu ülkede ‘bu ürün domuz jelâtini içerir’ diye yazacak dürüst ve babayiğit tanıdığınız bir üretici var mı?

Sığır jelâtini yazsa da mı? Ne yazık ki böyle… Türkiye jelâtin üreticisi değil? Bir üründe ‘sığır jelâtini’ veya ‘yenilebilir jelâtin’ yazması hiçbir anlam ifade etmez. Bu sığır helâl kesim mi? Yetmez bu sığır helâl ürünlerle mi beslenmiştir? Bu tür şüpheler var!

Ehli Kitap kesmişse de mi? Burada ‘hangi ehli kitap?’ sorusunu sormak lazım. Teslise inanan bir kimse, sizce ehli kitap mıdır? ‘Siyonistler mi’ ehli kitap? Bu konuda ayrıntı için lütfen “Ehli kitap, koşer ve helâl” makalesini inceleyiniz!

O halde BAYRAMDA MİSAFİRE NE İKRAM EDELİM?

İkram edecek bir şey bulamıyorsanız, bir tebessüm yeter. Zaten ikram edecek güce sahip biri değilseniz önceki bayramlardan biliyorsunuz ki sizin kapıyı bu bayramda da pek çalan olmayacak!

‘Şeker ve çikolatada bu zararlılar ve en azından şüpheliler var’ diye ikram edeceklerimiz tükenmiş değil. O halde;

Geliniz, hem kendinize hem de insanlara bu bayram bir başka iyilik daha yapınız!

Geliniz, bu bayram şeker, lokum ve çikolata almayınız! Üstelik bunu sizi tasarrufa ve üretime teşvik etmek yerine tüketime çağıran devlet reklâmlarına rağmen yapınız!

Geliniz, bu bayram misafirinize hurma ikram ediniz!

Geliniz, bu bayram misafirinize gazlı içecekler, kolalar ve hazır sağlıksız meyve suları –boyalı içecekler– yerine imkânlarınıza göre;
- Bal şerbeti,

- Meyve şurupları,

- Kompostolar,

- Kayısı kurusu,

- İncir (taze-kuru)

- Üzüm (yaş)

- Şeftali

- Armut

- Erik gibi halen pazarlarda renk renk arz-ı endam eden temiz ve lezzetli ürünlerden ikram ediniz!

Bununla yetinmeyiniz size şeker, çikolata ve gazlı içecekler ikram edildiği de bu ikramı kibarca reddediniz. Bununla da yetinmeyip ret gerekçenizi mutlaka izah ediniz.

“Hurma ağaçlarının meyvelerinden ve üzümlerden … hem de güzel rızık edinirsiniz. Aklını kullanan bir toplum için bunda bir ibret vardır.” Nahl Suresi 67) “Kullara rızık olsun diye, küme küme tomurcuğu olan uzun boylu hurma ağaçları yetiştirdik” Kaf 10-11)

Allah’ın sözleri nasihat için yeter! O c.c. doğruyu söyledi.

It wasn’t Michelle Obama at all.

It was actually Meryl Streep playing Michelle Obama in the new movie “Michel and Michelle.”

It’s a breezy yet moody  psychological thriller about how the ghost of Michel Foucault reads aloud, and in French, to Mrs. Obama from “The Birth of the Clinic,” his 1963 tract on the history of the medical profession, hoping to inform health care reform in 21st century America.

Reports have circulated that the filmakers, who also borrowed liberally from Foucault’s “Civilization and Madness”  and “The History of Sexuality,”  were forced by studio executives to compromise their artistic vision in order to make it accessible to a multiplex audience.

The footage  of Ms Streep descending Air Force One was actually part of the movie’s penultimate scene, which was leaked on YouTube, according to sources who refused to  be identified because they were not authorized to speak  by Lynn Cheney, whose daughter was “not a lesbian” before the 2000 election but was having sex with women during that time.

Sources  close to the production have disclosed that the film  begins where “The Crying Game” left off.  Ms Streep’s character discovers that her husband really doesn’t have the balls to take on the banking industry and  that as a consequence the White House is facing foreclosure. The ghost, to which her husband is oblivious, persuasively makes the case that the health care reform he seeks is unpopular  not because people are losing their minds but because people who have insurance are losing (or feel like they yet may lose) their homes.

In order to escape the French ghost which haunts her and  to protect her family from the deadly apathy of her husband’s economic team (which she finds in bed with the banking industry) she takes refuge in  the only other home a First Lady knows: Air Force One.

Thinking she is safe up at 30,000 feet after Harrison Ford kills the French philosopher’s ghost  with venomous snakes he and Samuel  Jackson find on board, she must still enlist the help of Jodie Foster and  wisecracking flight attendant/TSB agent Mo’Nique to hermetically seal Sasha and Malia (both of whom are played by Dakota Fanning) in one of the aircraft’s lavatories, away from an  overbearing Ikram Goldberg who is fiendishly spoiling the girls with boxes upon boxes of delicious candy colored  Crewcuts outfits.

After Ms Fanning drives Ikram mad by revealing that she is  both Mile High Cyrus and her alter ego Hanna Colorado, she retaliates against her mother and forces her to dress like Ms Foster’s  travel “companion.”   Eventually she takes pity on her mother and allows her to remove the Mellisa Etheridge concert baseball cap, which has now irrevocably messed up Ms Streep’s heretofore impeccably yet incomprehensibly appointed big hair.

The film reaches its climactic moment as Ms Streep forgives the girls and just as Air Force One lands at the Grand Canyon, where they all happily descend the aircraft, blithely unaware that the dreaded  Ikram has not been vanquished!

In an astonishing denouement–or more likely  a crass marketing setup for the sequel–the woman Sasha and Malia really drove mad was Sarah Jessica Parker, who had assembled an Ikram Goldberg disguise made out of the factory overruns from her “Bitten” collection (for the now defunct  Steve and Barry’s discount chain) and  about which she is still telling anyone who will listen that they were categorically not made in sweatshops.

Mrs Cheney did authorize sources to reveal that Ms Parker will be played in the film by Sally Field, circa 1979.

TheBestDressedList.com

« Il était prévu que Christelle vienne au mois de juillet dernier pour se marier avec Ikram en Algérie. Elle n’a pas pu obtenir le visa. Puis ça a été reporté à la fin du Ramadhan. Elle comptait venir avec sa famille pour concrétiser son union avec mon frère », nous raconte, en pleurs, Hicham, son frère aîné.

Rejoindre sa bien-aimée Christelle, une Française de 20 ans qu’il connaissait depuis quatre ans, était le rêve d’Ikram.

Malheureusement, le destin en a décidé autrement. Cet amour est né d’un chat sur un site de rencontres.

Au fil des années, les dialogues anodins se sont transformés en un grand amour. Ikram voulait coûte que coûte exaucer son rêve, celui d’être auprès de la femme qu’il avait choisie.

Ses tentatives d’obtenir un visa sont restées vaines ; c’était le refus à chaque fois.

L’idée de la harga a alors commencé à germer dans la tête d’Ikram, qui était un génie de l’informatique, un technicien de dessin en bâtiment des plus avertis.Clipboard14.jpg

« Il était prévu que Christelle vienne au mois de juillet dernier pour se marier avec Ikram en Algérie. Elle n’a pas pu obtenir le visa. Puis ça été reporté à la fin du Ramadhan. Elle comptait venir avec sa famille pour concrétiser son union avec mon frère », nous raconte, en pleurs, Hicham, son frère aîné et son confident, un gardien de parking, père de la petite Anfal (Fifi).

C’est d’ailleurs par la photo de cette petite qu’il aimait tant à appeler Sahbati (mon amie) qu’Ikram s’affichait sur le Net à son amie Christelle avant qu’ils ne passent tous deux à la webcam (discussion en live).

« C’est la veille de son départ, c’est-à-dire mercredi vers 3h, qu’il est venu me voir pour m’annoncer son départ. Après une longue discussion, il a réussi à me convaincre puisque je m’y étais opposé. Puis il est rentré à la maison. Le jour J, c’est-à-dire le jeudi matin, il est parti régler le prix de sa place dans l’embarcation de la mort : 45 000 DA au passeur et 5000 DA à l’intermédiaire. C’était tout ce qu’il avait, fruit d’une dizaine d’années d’économies », poursuit Hicham.

Entre-temps, ce dernier devait préparer le nécessaire au voyage d’Ikram. « J’avais 700 DA seulement sur moi, je lui ai acheté un flacon de shampoing, un déodorant, des lames de rasoir et deux savonnettes. Il n’avait même pas de quoi se payer les cigarettes qu’il devait emporter. J’ai dû alors emprunter 2000 DA auprès d’un ami pour lui en acheter deux cartouches. J’ai tout mis dans un sac à dos que j’ai soigneusement caché car mes parents ne savaient rien », indique Hicham.

Interrogé sur le pécule en devises d’Ikram, notre interlocuteur précise qu’il avait seulement 35 euros.

Une somme qu’il avait procurée à son frère en cédant au bijoutier du quartier la bague de fiançailles de sa femme.

Vers 21h de la fatidique journée de jeudi, c’est une sorte d’adieu qu’a fait Ikram à ses proches.

Hicham l’attendait, avec deux autres harraga du même quartier, dans une librairie pour l’accompagner à la plage Rizzi Ameur, le point de départ.

« Une fois arrivés, nous avons trouvé au moins une trentaine de personnes entre harraga et curieux. Sur les lieux, il y avait deux embarcations cachées par le passeur dans un tunnel, à même la plage. Le moteur était accroché à une barque de pêche. Le passeur était sur place, il coordonnait l’opération par portable. Il y avait toute une équipe. Chacun sa mission pour 500 à 1000 DA », explique Hicham.

Selon lui, la première embarcation est partie vide vers Ras El Hamra (le Vivier).

Quant à la deuxième, sept harraga y avaient pris place, dont Ikram. Les autres ont tous pris des taxis vers le Vivier d’où devaient appareiller les deux embarcations, poursuit Hicham.

« Une fois arrivés, nous avons été surpris de constater qu’il y avait une troisième embarcation. Sur place, nous avons trouvé près d’une centaine de personnes, c’était la confusion totale. Puis le passeur “en chef” a entamé la répartition des harraga entre les trois felouques. Ikram m’a lancé un ultime regard en me priant de prendre soin de mes parents », se souvient Hicham, en sanglots, tenant les 35 euros enroulés telle une cigarette par Ikram et murmurant d’une voix presque inaudible : « Pardonne-moi mon frère, pardonne-moi ».

Il a toutefois tenu à nous signaler que c’est à cause d’une candidate à l’émigration clandestine, membre d’une des trois expéditions, que la tentative des 74 jeunes harraga a échoué.

« C’est certainement son frère qui a vendu la mèche aux gendarmes postés au niveau du cap de Garde. Il était venu chercher sa sœur pour l’empêcher de partir. Mais, il n’a pas réussi à l’en dissuader. Sinon comment expliquer l’arrivée des gendarmes au Vivier alors que la troisième embarcation était encore visible ? Peu de temps après, nous avons reçu un appel de Mehdi, le compagnon et ami d’Ikram, qui nous a informés que les gardes-côtes étaient à leurs trousses, puis la communication s’est brutalement interrompue », poursuit Hicham.

Flairant déjà ce qui allait se passer, ce dernier se dirigea avec des amis du quartier vers le port. Il était une heure du matin lorsque les unités des garde-côtes ont commencé à déposer les harraga sur le quai n°9.

« C’était le cafouillage. Des ambulances de la Protection civile, des véhicules des garde-côtes, de la gendarmerie… J’ai fini par comprendre qu’un drame était arrivé aux malheureux aventuriers, y compris mon frère. Je me suis alors précipité vers les urgences de l’hôpital Ibn Rochd ».

C’est alors que Farid, le meilleur ami d’Ikram, prend la parole pour nous dire que l’évacuation des blessés a duré jusqu’à 3h.

Au total, 18 harraga ont été évacués. Ils étaient gravement atteints de brûlures à différents degrés.

Ce n’est que vers 4h que la dernière ambulance est arrivée mais, à la différence des autres, elle était escortée par des éléments de la Gendarmerie nationale.

Elle ramenait le cadavre d’Ikram. « Voilà comment finissent les jeunes de la République bananière de Bouteflika, d’Ahmed Ouyahia et de leurs compères », s’indigne Farid.

Ainsi, le rêve d’Ikram Hamza, né le 11 avril 1977, de rejoindre sa bien-aimée Christelle dans le nord de la France via la Sardaigne, se termine au cimetière de Sidi Aïssa.

N. Benouaret/ El Watan

Hamza Ikram toute la vérité sur sa mort – Facebook.

Ikram meurt sans rencontrer sa fiancée.

Le comité régional de la LADDH de Annaba étudie le cas d’Ikram.

Ikram enterré dans une indifférence absolue.

Annaba : Les familles des harragas demandent réparation.

Dört Köşe

Efendim, geçen otobüs ile Yozgat’a gidiyorum, uzun yol. 10.30 otobüsü, ben tam 15 dakika önceden geldim. Bagajımı bıraktıktan sonra garaj büfelerinden birinden bir kutu kola bir de bisküvi aldım. O sırada biri laf attı “Godoşa bak parayı bayılıyor büfeye” gibi bir şey dedi. Efendilik ve büyüklük bende kalsın diye ses çıkarmadım. Onun seviyesine elbet inecek değilim, param var alıyorum.

Neyse oturduk, yanım boş olsun diye en arkanın iki önünden aldım bileti. Şerefsiz bilet satıcısı, onca yer varken otobüste benim yanıma bilet kesmiş. Elemanın biri geldi oturdu yanıma. Bir iki öf püf dedim ama oralı olmadı. Zaten ben de pek ir tırsak çıkardım sesi, belki de duymadı.

Yani ön koltuk boş kalkıp gitsene. O da gitmiyor, ben cam kenarıyım nasıl çıkayım. Sonra uyanığın biri kalktı, muavine dedi geçsem olur mu diye, geçiverdi bizim öndeki boş koltuğa. Görgüsüzler.

Terminalden çıkarken başımı cama dayadım, uyukluyorum. Derken böyle haşır haşır poşet sesleri geldi. “Aha” dedim “İkram dağıtıyorlar” Ama şimdi birden toparlansam olmaz, kıro derler. Uyuyor gibi yaptım, bir yandan da ara ara kesiyorum muavini bakayım ne kadar uzakta diye. Bu bir iki koltuk yaklaşınca doğruldum, son derece doğal bir ifade takınmaya çalıştım.

“Ne alırdınız?” diye sorunca kahve istedim. Bisküvi alıp almayacağımı sordu, “Yok kalsın” dedim, son derece kuul davrandım. Yanımdaki görgüsüz iki bisküvi aldı.

Otobüs şirketlerine buradan sesleniyorum, ikram dağıtımları hemen olsun, yoksa uyuyakalıyoruz, uyku da rezil oluyor.

T. Özak

1. I refer to the announcement made by the JKR Minister concerning the landslide issue in Bukit Antarabangsa. In fairness, I would like to say that I did not attend the PC, as I was not aware of it being held. I got wind of it from about 330pm when several reporters called me. They were seeking my views on what Zin said at the PC.

2. Immediately, I contacted some of my friends in JKR whom had furnished me with information related to the PC. I manage to get the text of the actual PC, listen to the recording on what was said as well as given copies of images, which showed the JKR plans concerning the slide that happens in Taman Bukit Mewah, Bukit Antarabangsa.

3. First and foremost, I thank the Government for the RM 70 million allocations to rehabilitate the slide area and those areas adjacent to it. From the images that were shown, I could appreciate that the work that is being planned is quite detailed. It will fortify the affected area. I will thank Zin in person if I ever meet him again for sharing the information with us, the “rakyat”.

4. However, I am still not completely satisfied with the information given. To quote a NST reporter who asked Zin,” How about the report that Dr Rafick requested” he brush the question off saying that he does not know what I wanted and the reporter should ask me directly. I am sad with the Minister response. For the record, I have written to Zin twice over a 30-day period between Jan 14 and Feb 15 but he chose to ignore it. If he claims ignorance on what I wanted then he is a liar.

5. To refresh his memory, I will explain what I want exactly here and why I wanted them. Zin, please extend us a copy of the “Landslide Hazard Risk Analysis that was conducted by IKRAM in Dec 2008”. The Director of CKC had announce it openly that “The RM 5 million detailed study of whole of Bukit Antarabangsa has been completed” during his talk to hundreds of people during the BEM seminar in Subang Jaya on the 14th Feb 2009. When I approached him after his talk, he also confirms to me in person that the study has been completed.

6. My dear Minister Zin, allow me to explain why I wanted the report so badly. Since the highland tower tragedy, the Hillview landslide that kills the entire General family and the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, we have had several but small landslides all over the place in Bukit Antarabangsa. In the early days Dec 6th, 2009 tragedy, you had also mentioned that the entire BA is not safe.

7. We, the residents live in a high-risk zone. A zone of water catchment area that was de-gazetted about 20 years ago. We are surrounded by hills, ravines and man made structures like condos and weak retaining walls. Though we see this with eyes wide open, we are blinded by the lack of technical information. This information can tells us about the degree of safety of these structures. It also tells us on what we can do, to reinforce them.

8. Due to lack of technical information, we are not able to make sound and informed judgement over the matter that is core to our safety. Safety is related with the peace of mind. It is something that not only affect me but 10 000 other families in Bukit Antarabangsa as well. It worries us every time we leave our families behind to go to work.

9. Some people chided me by saying that if I am so worried, I should move to another place. Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury like some people. I am serving a RM600K housing loan. I cannot just abandon my house and I certainly cannot afford to buy another house and just forget this particular house. I am not alone in this matter. My estimate is that 70% of the residents are in the same predicament. It has a social and financial impact. We are talking about a gross property value in the region of RM 1.5 billion.

10. I would also like to say that I disagree with the comments made by the Director of CKC during the PC that the report is so technical that ordinary people cannot understand. My dear Dato Asharri, Allah gives us eyes to see. Allah gave us the brains to read and understand what we read and the most importantly Allah gives us the mouth to ask the right people if we do not understand. So please do not under estimate our capabilities. Lastly, Dato I plead to you, please do the right thing. Make the report public. There is more to gain than too lose by releasing the report. There will be 10 000 appreciative souls in BA who would remembers it when the time comes.

LaShonda Matlock, NBC5 Street Team

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is in full gear in New York, and CHICAGO is definitely in the HOUSE! But the buzz from the fashion world Monday wasn’t on the runway, instead it was reserved for Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour sitting with her “special guest“, White House Social Secretary and Chicago native Desiree Rogers.

Ms. Rogers attended three shows alongside the fabulous Ms. Wintour but noticeably after attending only the first show by designer Carolina Herrera, The Huffington Post reported that Desiree made a quick change of wardrobe from her slight above the knee skirt to a pair of more of conservative black slacks.

Desiree was spotted later Monday afternoon at the Donna Karan’s Collection Show wearing the same jacket, knit top and slacks. When asked about her morning change of attire, she said,  “It’s really chilly here.”

But my inside source tells me that’s not the true reason for the change of wardrobe. My source states that Desiree’s beautifully toned bare legs were the real cause for the fashion switch-up, making quite a bit of a stir that morning at the Carolina Herrera show.  Leaving some fashion attendees questioning whether Ms. Rogers’ fabulous attire was a little too revealing for her high profile status. 

Rogers, who wore a Carolina Herrera gown to the inaugural balls, has always preferred the classic silhouettes of Herrera’s designs and was featured in the February issue of Vogue Magazine.

Also, spotted among the fashion elite was none other than Ikram Goldman, owner of  the now famous Ikram boutique, who is considered by many to be First Lady Michelle Obama’s unofficial stylist!

Click here to see more pictures from Desiree’s day in NY.

Fall 2009 shows started on Friday and we’re knee-deep in showroom visits and fashion shows. This is truly the life and we love every minute of it! We attended Thakoon’s show yesterday, which was crowded with big name industry people — Anna Wintour, Ikram Goldman of Ikram Chicago, and Desirée Rogers, the White House Social Secretary, most likely representing the First Lady — and full of color and texture. The line was full of very sophisticated, wearable items, especially the silk dresses in bright colors, and some maybe not-so-everyday looks like the eccentric parrot feather jackets — definitely something for everyone in the collection.

Thakoon fall 2009

More to come from us in the next few days!

]]> http://rights2write.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/menteri-kerjaraya-dato-zin-dont-talk-about-something-that-you-dont-understandplease/ Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:30:01 +0000 drrafick http://rights2write.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/menteri-kerjaraya-dato-zin-dont-talk-about-something-that-you-dont-understandplease/

1. WOW! That is all I can say when I received nearly a thousand emails, SMS and phone calls from residents of Bukit Antarabangsa, Ukay Perdana and many other areas who gave me the support and encouragements for my minor stand off with Dato Zin, the JKR Minister as it was widely reported in the papers.

2. I would say that most of SMS and emails that I received are from people whom I do not know. That was a total surprise in a pleasant way. I did not ask the minister because I want to be famous but because I want to get some answers. One of the positive impact of the “minor tiff” is that people has been reminded once again about the slowly forgotten landslide tragedy in Bukit Antarabangsa. I would like to thank all for the support and encouragements.

3. The incident was reported for two consecutive days and I was inundated with phone calls from reporters who wanted to do telephone interview. Sadly, so, there has been some reporting error. I would like to correct what was reported. Firstly, I approached the Minister in my personal capacity. I walked into the Press Conference without any aid or obstruction from anybody. There is no real issue of me gatecrashing but more like walking in with ease together with other reporters.

4. I am not the Chairman of Bukit Antarabangsa Resident Association as reported in the papers. It was also reported that I was asked to leave the room where the Minister held its press conference. That is not true. I left at my own accord after the Minister refuses to answer my questions. I had a “mini press conference” outside the room where minister had his PC. No one ask me to leave.

5. I refer to what the Minister said during the PC where he said that hillside project would go on. There will be no ban to it. Firstly, I would like to say that after my first meeting with Zin, I am convinced that he is “blur” about the land laws and the issue that is at hand when it comes to hill slope development. He is merely making a popular statement to excite the members of REHDA and to test the waters on public reaction. A quick check also showed that the BEM seminar was also publicize in REHDA website. I wonder if there is a relationship between the minister statement and REHDA involvement.

6. What Zin is saying is totally against what his bosses has been saying i.e. Pak Lah and Najib where both have said that there will be no more hill slope development. Well I guess he is discounting Pak Lah as he is leaving but I am surprised that he is willing to go against Najib.

7. In any case, I would say that he is not qualified to comment on the development in the hill slope areas. It is outside his ministry purview. I think he should read the laws relating to land development before opening his mouth. I have address this matter in my previous article. In the first place, the Ministry of Housing has issued a guideline that is related to hill slope development GPPDKB. Ministry of Environment also produces a similar guidelines (GPPDKTT). The guideline clearly discourages the development of land on slopes of greater than 25 degrees i.e. on Class III and IV. This is a federal government guide, which the Minister has shown that he is ignorant of its presence.

8. The greatest fallacy in the Minister head is that he thinks the land laws are under the Federal Government. Maybe the laws were change recently, which I am not aware. As far as I know, any development of any land comes under the purview of the State Government.

9. In Selangor, currently we are quite safe, as the State Exco will not allow any developments in hill slopes with gradients of more than 25 degrees. I am still not happy with this decision, as I am worried that the next batch of State Exco may just do otherwise.

10. I have written to Tan Sri Khalid and have told him in person that it is imperative that the ban of development of State Land must be made as a state law. The current land laws need to be amended to ensure that no development will take place on Class III and IV lands in Selangor. I am still waiting for this to happen. Some people in the State Government has labelled me as being pushy for my stand on this matter.

11. In summary, Dato Sri Zain should not to talk about something that he does not understand. Sticks to talks related to making roads and bridges. In Malaysia, there is a big gap in the ability of developing, monitoring and maintenance of hill slope. From my understanding in the seminar that I had attended recently, we are not ready to develop land in sensitive hill slope areas.

12. There is a gross deficiency in our laws concerning regulating the use hill slope land, control and monitoring of works as well as monitoring developed slopes and maintenance of developed lands. There is inadequate of resources in term of skilled work force and budgets in maintaining the slopes. In many places, development is being done but continuous preventive maintenance is lacking. Once a hillside has been developed, no one actually maintains it.

13. In aggregation this lead to the landslide in The Highland Tower condominium collapse, Taman Hillview landslide, Bukit Antarabangsa and in many other areas. Until JKR and other local authorities can ensure that we can have a smooth drive on a flat road and manage floods, I have no confidence in our government agencies in managing hill slope development.

14. To Zain, please show me what you can do by asking JKR to patch up the dozens of potholes in my Taman. Think small and do small stuff that you can do and do not chew more than you can swallow. Personally, your ability in thinking and talking about the right stuff does not impress me. To some UMNO members who are upset with me for challenging Zin, I want you to urge UMNO Ampang and Selangor to make an official stand on their position with regards to hill slope development.

1. Today, I attended a seminar organize by Board of Engineers Malaysia at a hotel in Subang Jaya. I manage to get a seat in the hall via the goodwill of National House Buyers Association, Malaysia. The seminar is about safety issues ay hillside development. It was organized following the spate of landslide in Malaysia. As a victim of BA landslide, the matter is close to my heart and I chose to attend.

2. It was a last minute invitation and the title of the seminar excites me. That is why I took up the invitation. I was a surprised that the JKR Minister was doing the officiating. It was the first time I am seeing him in person. He is quite a heavy person. As he walks into the hall with the typical mannerism of a VVIP, his hands was rubbing his tummy. I guess he did not realize what he was doing. Maybe he ate too much breakfast.

3. Being a resident and fellow victim of the famous Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, I decided to use the opportunity to ask Minister about the Ikram Risk Assessment Report. From my contacts in IKRAM and JKR, the report has been completed for sometime. It is currently with the minister. During the press conference period, which was held in another room, I decided to ask the question after allowing the reporter to entertain the minister with simple questions.

4. When the opportunity arises, I introduced my name and told the minister that I am a victim of the landslide. Before I could even asked my question, the minister shut me off by saying that this is his Press Conference and he is only entertaining the Press. I have never seen a man that is so panicky when meeting a rakyat. Maybe my height had scared him.

5. He quickly ends the PC and as he approaches, I shook his hand he raised his voice against me. He said that I have no business of being there and I told him that I have written to him and his officers 3 weeks ago, which no one has replied. All I wanted to know is when the Risk Assessment Report going to be released. He raised his voice and said that I have no locus standii in this matter and this is not the place to ask him.

6. The DG of KKR came to his rescue and I continue to keep my calm. Somewhere along the line, the minister forgot that he is not the only one that has a right to raise his voice. I too can do so but I chose not to do it because I do not want to bring myself to the immaturity level of the Minister. I feel I am a better man. If he really wants to a have a shouting match and a professional discourse, I can take on him anytime. I think my MD can challenge his Ir. status anytime. In fact, I would like to challenge him to come to Bukit Antarabangsa and meet the residence. I think being a Minister made him aloof and distant from the Rakyat. I plans to write to him and dares him to come to Bukit Antarabangsa to meet the residents.

7. This is indeed a very sad situation now in Malaysia. Our ministers have become very arrogant. They walk with an arrogant style. They become unapproachable. They think they can shout at anybody they like just because he is a “Menteri”. I do not know what kind of right that I need to have i.e. the locus standii in wanting to ask a question MY MENTERI. I am a Malaysian Citizen. I am a resident of Bukit Antarabangsa and I am a victim of the slide that took place in Dec 6,2008. It is people like me that indirectly made him a Minister. Because of that, he does not want to talk to me. I wonder what criteria I need to have, to be able to ask him relevant questions. I guess the wild monkey that is plentiful in Bukit Antarabangsa has more locus standii then I do.

8. This is how Malaysian Minister behaves. They were appointed by the people and suppose to be answerable to the people. When they are question by the Rakyat, they jumped into excitement. They raised their voice in defence to avoid answering a question. I am not a Menteri. I am not a politician or a member of any political party. I am just an ordinary rakyat that ask simple questions. This is not parliament where you can shout at other parliamentarians and get away with it. He has no guts to answer intellectually and professionally. Let me correct you Mr Minister Dato Sri Ir. Zain. As long as I am a Malaysian Citizen, I have a locus standii. Please get your facts straight.

9. By the way, I would like to say that you were lucky to get away because your DG saves the day. If it were not for him, I would have given you a personal lecture in front of the press. I assume like your DG, you, your KSU and TKSU did not receive my email. What a lame excuse. Dato please check your email lah.. For the record the email was also, cc’d to the KSN, Tan Sri Sidek. I will remind Tan Sri Sidek on Monday that his officers in KKR does not read emails and respond to public queries.

A. Today, 21/12/2008, the Selangor MB met us, the residents of Bukit Antarabangsa. His briefing covers on the safe and unsafe areas, the various assistance that the state can offer directly as well as indirectly via the government state subsidiaries. There was also a representative from MPAJ, the District Office and unknown person from JKR.

B. It is obvious that the briefing today is different then the one given by the Selangor CPO in terms of facts and seriousness of the problems that affect the resident of Bukit Antarabangsa. While I will let the readers’ judge for themselves on what the media writes, I would like to touch the issue of governance involving the Federal and State Government in addressing the plight of the Residents of Bukit Antarabangsa. From my observation of the briefing over the last 2 days, the “Partial JKR report” that was release to the MB indirectly via the Police and the DO by the Federal JKR, which is controlled politically by BN was rather childish. I have addressed this issue in my previous article.

C. At today’s briefing, I had expected that it was represented by our government office bearers on both at the state and federal level. However that did not happen. I felt that today’s meeting should have been attended by important people like the DG of JKR, the CPO himself and probably the JKR Minister. Even if they cannot come, at least they should ask the MB to talk to the residence on various federal level assistance that they can offer. It is indeed very sad the way our BN government think and how they are not making life easy for the state government in doing their job. In the process they are punishing us, the ordinary resident.

D. I feel since the Federal authorities has appointed Ikram to evaluate the risk in BA and had relied on their report, the Federal government must issue a letter in writing by giving certificate of fitness for the homes to be occupied. It also needs to give certification that some of the homes can no longer be occupied, so that the residents can use this documents for their legal purpose. As the evaluation is done by the Federal agency, then only the Federal government is the only authority can provide the necessary certification.

E. I question the unknown JKR representative (he did not introduce himself) on the structural soundness of the two-water reservoir in BA (as Syabas Chairman has comment on this issue). He had failed to give a satisfactory answer. This 2 reservoir is located at the edge of a slope along Jalan Wangsa 9 and the other one at the peak bordering Bukit Jaya. It appears that risk assessment on this two structure has not been adequately addressed. It could be a time bomb waiting to release its fury. It can cause a damage that is 10x worst than what we have seen today.

F. Moving forward, I can only speak for my self on what I think some of my friends wanted. We wanted a complete risk assessment is done on all the areas in BA. The details of the risk assessment must be released to us. The government must address the issue on mitigation work that is needed in high and medium risk zone. They must inform who will do it and how it will be done and when it is going to be done.They must inform the resident accordingly. I expect the government (both Federal and State) to work in cooperation and not in competition in addressing the issues.

G. It is rather shameful to see the conduct of Federal government in this matter. I find Nazri Aziz remark on the need to have a law to address disaster is a good one but I felt he should have read the NSC instruction No 20, which in a way adequately address the issues. The problem lies in the implementation because the two government cannot put their political ideology aside and behave like a government for all Rakyat. Isn’t that a shame? It appears that the Resident of Bukit Antarabangsa is being treated worst that the “Vietnamese Boat People” by our own Federal government.

H. I would like someone from the Federal Government to explain what assistance it is prepared to give to the affected people. After the DPM and his wife, as well others Federal ministers make their official “tourist visit”, they have not come out with any significant statement on what the Federal Government can offer. Showing a sad and shock face is not enough. I expect more than that. I suggest that the two government sit down and work things out for the best interest of the people. Put politic aside. Please la…. be a fair and be a good government. There are many among us also voted for you guys but too bad you lost (both federal and state).

Last Sunday (15 Dec 2008), the MB visited Bukit Antarabangsa and met the representative of the Resident Association. At the meeting, MB informed us that JKR has agreed to extend a copy of their studies on the stability of the various Taman in Bukit Antarabangsa. The MB has also informed us that the state government plans to announce the status of the road, evacuation and compensation if any. Last night YB Elizabeth Wong SMS me the bad news that JKR has been instructed by the works minister by Dato Mohd Zaini not to release the report as he wants to announce it himself. The SMS was subsequently confirmed by news publication in Malaysiakini under the heading “MB kecewa, JKR enggan serah laporan Bkt A’bangsa”

I am appalled at the unprofessional conduct of JKR but to some extent, I cannot blame them as the DG is probably shitting bricks while receiving instruction from the Minister. As a government agency, they are separate entity of the politicians but because their future rice bowl is at the hands of the Minister.

What is wrong with this UMNO/BN politician? They are so narrow-minded. The people of Bukit Antarabangsa are Malaysians. They are not Vietnamese or foreigners in this country. The Selangor and the Federal government were elected by the people. By right both the State and Federal are the government of the day and the should work in cooperation and not in competition with each other. I think this is UMNO way of wanting to punish the resident of for not electing their candidate in the last General Election.

This is why, I was upset and raised the issue of high level politicking at Bukit Antarabangsa. In my previous article, I did not say it and because I did not want to be bias, I said that both party are the same. The truth is, UMNO started the whole campaigning in Bukit Antarabangsa at the time people suffered the most. After 3 days, PKR members who were dissatisfied with UMNO action followed. At RTM tent at “Ground Zero”, you can see the banner which carries RTM and BN logo. RTM is a government agency. It is not a BN agency and to use the party logo and the state logo in such a manner is simply wrong. Political party and Government are two separate entities and one cannot make use such government agency.

Now we came to the next level of politics. Because of Zain Instructions, JKR and Ikram ( who were instructed by JKR) are caught in the bind. As much as they wanted to give what they had promised the state government, their hands are tied. When Dato Zain comes here tomorrow and make the announcement, I hope he is fully prepared to answer all the questions. Since he wants to make the decision, I hope he as the representative of the Federal Government (and UMNO) must be prepared to talk about compensation to the victims and pay those victims. He, on behalf of JKR must take over the rehabilitation of “Ground Zero” and make those unsafe areas safe. Do not throw the responsibility to the State Government. If there is instruction-involving evacuation, I expect the Federal Government should assist the relocation and acquisition of properties and not the State.

Zain irresponsible action was partly intended to embarrass the MB who had came down and promise to meet and explain to all resident today (Friday 19th, 1000 am) on the next course of action. He simply thwarted the MB intentions. He thinks this is a popularity contest. From my perspective, he had just made UMNO/BN more unpopular in Bukit Antarabangsa. The residents of Bukit Antarabangsa will remember what happens today and will translate that into votes in 4 years to come. I think in this aspect, the resident of Bukit Antarabangsa is the victim of politicking between the Federal and the State government. To Zain, I just want to say.. Grow up please!