Traffic offences in Malaysia is a hot news item when accidents involve many lives. If it’s just the normal count, the usual death by road related accidents and related traffic offences, it just doesn’t make the front pages of newspapers. When it makes the front pages of papers, then the hoo-haa will echoes and suggestions abound. Ways and means are implemented to reduce the volume of road accidents and related traffic offences. The in-thing is to slap heavier and heavier fines, including jail terms, on those involve. (You don’t need to be a criminal to be treated as one and put behind bars because someone dies in the accident related to you).
The aborted plan via Parliament to increase the fines to rm1,000/ traffic offence is most welcome. Be it a case of Prihatin or not, is second matter. I think it’s not too long ago that the fine was increased to rm300/offence. The questions that lingers are: did the previous increase in fines result in decreasing the volume of traffic offences? And, if it does what’s the percentage like? Does the volume of traffic offences directly related to the amount of fines? Or, is it possible that, may be, just may be, most of the traffic offences are related directly or indirectly to other causes such as road systems, congestions, the density of vehicles on the road, lack of parking spaces, the tensions of everyday road havocs caused by diversions/constructions/floods and etc, etc, and such and such other problems that make traffic offences as a matter of a “no choice affair”?
The root causes of the problem should first be identified and then only should the solving initiatives be put in place. May be, again just may be, people would very much prefer to use public transport if it’s efficient, time-saving, and not too costly. And maybe then traffic offences be reduced naturally by volume as less vehicles are on the road (no vehicle no traffic offence, so, less vehicles should result in less traffic offences). Sound logical and just might be possible.
The relief of ‘no increase in fine’ may be short-lived! There are still Departments and Bodies going for second round to fight for increase in fine or the very least to rule out giving of discounts as practice in the past. Yet still, there are Local Governments making efforts to penalized motorists for their inability to collect fees, say non-payment of parking fees of rm1.50, by blocking these offenders from renewing their road-tax, and latter to put them on list of debtors prohibiting them from using international passports to travel overseas.
Just pray hard and hope you are not involve in an accident with any vehicles, whose owners forget to pay rm1.50 parking fees and does find difficulty and been delayed in renewing his/her road-tax, and use the vehicle out of necessity. If, badly enough it happens – you are facing then a vehicle which is not covered with any insurances – just because of rm1.50 parking fees. Where do you go for claims then? AND, for those of us who don’t own a house, but stay in rented premises and involve in shifting houses, be sure to always update your mailing address. Failure to receive these parking summonses will result in you not only unable to renew your road-tax BUT also barred from attending your son or daughter convocation in some foreign land. So, let us ensure a smooth ride in live by not hoping much for prihatin but to pay-up every dollar own to the authorities – although you may argue that you never know such summonses are sent to you. Ignorant is not an excuse!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Unwritten Law - But Practice
Following court cases, esp. the high profile cases, one is bound to find argument on point of law, etc. One also can follow arguments which, it seems to lead to nowhere. Or, one will feel that they are heading to other areas or looks like they are purposely avoiding the main issue.
It’s so different with one unwritten law that my friend encountered in South Kedah. It happened on one fine, cool, breezy evening. My friend was taking a lonely drive from Sungai Petani to Kulim taking the former palm oil estate road, which is now smooth, straight 2-lane road. Not busy, but neither deserted too. It’s a good scenario for an evening drive – to waste some fuel and to stretch the eyes on the greeneries. With a low volume radio on, the not so busy road, the greeneries, the kampong houses, the half naked boys in the fields, and the atmosphere, and all these are the recipe for a good evening leisure driving. When out of nearby bushes and so suddenly a small herd of cows ran across the road. And, with my friend’s mind still in leisure mode, he was a little bit slow on the reflec action to braking and stopping the tank-like Swedish made car.
A big bang followed. He hit a mother of a cow right in the mid section. The cow, big and fat, was thrown and laid on the road just a few feet in front of his smashed bonnet. The cow was not moving but still alive and in his path, and the engine stalled. So, there is no way of him leaving the scene in a rush. No chance of a quick get-away. All shaken up, but he had to stay put to face whatever the consequences of his action invites. In the corner of his eyes he could see some movement. And, he senses people are coming to him in all direction. On closer scrutiny he found that all are welding long knives – with silver coloured blades. All sharpened and ready to use.
The first man that arrive to his hard-to-open right door is a well build man – looks like the leader or the spokesperson. The man asked, so very politely : “How much are you asking for the cow? We are ready to slaughter it”. Still in shock, my friend replied that the cow is not his and he has no right to sell it. The villages explain that – the practice here is for the car owner to sell the cow to help him repair the damage car. The owner of the cow will not put up any claim that the cow is his to avoid the trouble of being fined by the authorities for letting the cow on the road and to avoid being responsible for repair of the damages of the car. The cow owner, could be among the villagers, but he will not say that the cow is his. And, nobody will say who is the owner of the cow.
Wow, what a relief. The law, unwritten, is on his side. My friend told the villagers that he will repair his car and the cow they could have it for free IF the real owner says so.
It’s so different with one unwritten law that my friend encountered in South Kedah. It happened on one fine, cool, breezy evening. My friend was taking a lonely drive from Sungai Petani to Kulim taking the former palm oil estate road, which is now smooth, straight 2-lane road. Not busy, but neither deserted too. It’s a good scenario for an evening drive – to waste some fuel and to stretch the eyes on the greeneries. With a low volume radio on, the not so busy road, the greeneries, the kampong houses, the half naked boys in the fields, and the atmosphere, and all these are the recipe for a good evening leisure driving. When out of nearby bushes and so suddenly a small herd of cows ran across the road. And, with my friend’s mind still in leisure mode, he was a little bit slow on the reflec action to braking and stopping the tank-like Swedish made car.
A big bang followed. He hit a mother of a cow right in the mid section. The cow, big and fat, was thrown and laid on the road just a few feet in front of his smashed bonnet. The cow was not moving but still alive and in his path, and the engine stalled. So, there is no way of him leaving the scene in a rush. No chance of a quick get-away. All shaken up, but he had to stay put to face whatever the consequences of his action invites. In the corner of his eyes he could see some movement. And, he senses people are coming to him in all direction. On closer scrutiny he found that all are welding long knives – with silver coloured blades. All sharpened and ready to use.
The first man that arrive to his hard-to-open right door is a well build man – looks like the leader or the spokesperson. The man asked, so very politely : “How much are you asking for the cow? We are ready to slaughter it”. Still in shock, my friend replied that the cow is not his and he has no right to sell it. The villages explain that – the practice here is for the car owner to sell the cow to help him repair the damage car. The owner of the cow will not put up any claim that the cow is his to avoid the trouble of being fined by the authorities for letting the cow on the road and to avoid being responsible for repair of the damages of the car. The cow owner, could be among the villagers, but he will not say that the cow is his. And, nobody will say who is the owner of the cow.
Wow, what a relief. The law, unwritten, is on his side. My friend told the villagers that he will repair his car and the cow they could have it for free IF the real owner says so.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
ZIARAH / UMRAH (Feb. 2010) : HOLY LAND REVISITED 25 YRS LATER
Most Muslims are very thankful to have been able to visit the holy land once in a lifetime as required of them. Some are luckier to be able to visit almost every year or every other year, and yet there are others whose visits could be term as very frequent. In my case, I am so very thankful to be able to revisit the holy lands (Mecca and Madina) once again for Umrah and Ziarah after a lapse of 25 or so years. I did my Umrah in 1984 and Haj + Umrah in 1985 (in the 20th century). And now it is 2010 - 21st century!!!. The 1985 visit was via an Arab package organizer by the name of Aziz Khooger.
I am so thankful of this 25yr-again visit. I felt I am luckier than others in many aspects because with such a long span between visits I am able to see the differences – the then and the now – and to be able to see clearly (in my own perceptions, at least) the developments - materially and religiously. And, of course, very thankful to Saudi Govt. for allowing us to visit the many museums and to travel far inland to Al-Ula where the landscape is different to nearby deserts with its shaped mountains and the bigger town of Prophet Salleh (Madain Salle) where the reuins of carved mountain houses of the curse Thamud people lay barren in al Hijr Archeological Site (which is thousands of acres of fence up land.)
The now holy land of Mecca is very much off-targets from what I am expecting. The serenity, the calmness, the properly behaved atmosphere, the mutual respects of being in one religion, etc, etc, is almost rarely found and could be said as almost non-existent (again I felt very lucky to be able to experience the then holy land, although I was then at the ‘ignorance and tender’ age of 38 or so).
MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS:
The material development is now vast huge and is progressing at a faster rate – pulsing day and night, nonstop. Mecca is now one huge construction site – with new ultra modern buildings coming up (mainly hotels, with numerous stars) and of course the new extension of the Al Haram Mosque. The extension is gigantic in nature and when fully completed in years to come it could accommodate up to 5 million pilgrims at a time and will be The Eye of The World (and if you have not got the chance to see the proposed plan: search in Iqracsense.com – haram mosque extension project, by Thomson or someone with an English/American name. You will appreciate the gigantic nature of the extension project where phase one have been in progress. This aspect of material development, to me, is somewhat necessary in nature and should be welcome. This goes along with new and required space and facilities – to accommodate the needs of increasing numbers of worldwide pilgrims and Islamic visitors with modern demands for facilities and ease of doing the rituals - the acquired taste and demands that came along with wealthier than before way of life.
SPIRITUAL DEGRATIONS:
The scene, physically I mean, once you are in the holy mosque, is almost a reflection of 25yrs ago. Nothing astound you, except of course the bigger than before praying floor space. The Kaabah stood as majestic and as appealing to the eyes and soul as before (and forever more). You are as then and now. Nothing changes. Nothing moves. The feelings are as then and as now. Time stood still, even after all these 25yrs, a quarter of century ago. May be these similarities are as then, as now and in as years to come, and till time ends. Only God knows. But, then these similarities encompass nothing else nearby or the surrounding atmosphere. Once you are out of the feelings, the degrading nearby features surfaces. The degrations . . .
Should any degrations be blame always on the Yahudis and their cohords? Many voices seem to be pointing to put the blame on them, on any degrations we face. E.g., the KFCs near the mosque entrance, the non-Muslims hotels like Hilton, Equatorials, etc. The serenity in the mosque is almost gone. Gone not in the sense of punctuated gone, but almost continuously going off, i.e. only puctuatingly we got back the serenity, the calmness of yesteryears. What I am pointing out here is to the disturbances, nuicences, of the noise of hand phones ringing tones, digital cameras clicking, camera flashing, and blockages of your path during tawaf by someone doing video streaming to his partners etc whilst he himself is doing the tawaf . . . . And, answering phone call in higher than normal voices, and the busy fingers on sms. A real degration to do ibadat in full concentration – with heart and souls. As compared to my 25yrs ago visit where camera is prohibited in the mosque or even in its vicinity. And now, during prayer times, it’s not impossible for you to hear your favorites ringing tones in the very vicinity where you stand to pray. And, then there are degrations too – in dress ‘code’, behaviors, mp3 emitting doas, etc, but nothing compared to the havocs cause by hand phones and its attached cameras for photos and videos. My sincere hope is that the gadgets will be banned in the mosque soon, or the very least the authority should put up deterrent signs and enforced them strictly : HAND PHONES EMMITING ANY SOUND IN THE MOSQUE OR ITS VICINITY WILL BE CONFISCATED AND SMASH AT WILL. ANSWERING OR MAKING OF CALLS IS BY SMS ONLY. If the hand phones phenomena are not check, we just don’t know what other disturbing of peace gadgets will in future surfaces in the mosque. To blame them on Yahudis too – well, we should firstly search our hearts and souls . . . .
May God continuously have pity on us Muslims.
(My regards to newfound friends in and outside Group 11 Feb, 2010 THTS)
I am so thankful of this 25yr-again visit. I felt I am luckier than others in many aspects because with such a long span between visits I am able to see the differences – the then and the now – and to be able to see clearly (in my own perceptions, at least) the developments - materially and religiously. And, of course, very thankful to Saudi Govt. for allowing us to visit the many museums and to travel far inland to Al-Ula where the landscape is different to nearby deserts with its shaped mountains and the bigger town of Prophet Salleh (Madain Salle) where the reuins of carved mountain houses of the curse Thamud people lay barren in al Hijr Archeological Site (which is thousands of acres of fence up land.)
The now holy land of Mecca is very much off-targets from what I am expecting. The serenity, the calmness, the properly behaved atmosphere, the mutual respects of being in one religion, etc, etc, is almost rarely found and could be said as almost non-existent (again I felt very lucky to be able to experience the then holy land, although I was then at the ‘ignorance and tender’ age of 38 or so).
MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS:
The material development is now vast huge and is progressing at a faster rate – pulsing day and night, nonstop. Mecca is now one huge construction site – with new ultra modern buildings coming up (mainly hotels, with numerous stars) and of course the new extension of the Al Haram Mosque. The extension is gigantic in nature and when fully completed in years to come it could accommodate up to 5 million pilgrims at a time and will be The Eye of The World (and if you have not got the chance to see the proposed plan: search in Iqracsense.com – haram mosque extension project, by Thomson or someone with an English/American name. You will appreciate the gigantic nature of the extension project where phase one have been in progress. This aspect of material development, to me, is somewhat necessary in nature and should be welcome. This goes along with new and required space and facilities – to accommodate the needs of increasing numbers of worldwide pilgrims and Islamic visitors with modern demands for facilities and ease of doing the rituals - the acquired taste and demands that came along with wealthier than before way of life.
SPIRITUAL DEGRATIONS:
The scene, physically I mean, once you are in the holy mosque, is almost a reflection of 25yrs ago. Nothing astound you, except of course the bigger than before praying floor space. The Kaabah stood as majestic and as appealing to the eyes and soul as before (and forever more). You are as then and now. Nothing changes. Nothing moves. The feelings are as then and as now. Time stood still, even after all these 25yrs, a quarter of century ago. May be these similarities are as then, as now and in as years to come, and till time ends. Only God knows. But, then these similarities encompass nothing else nearby or the surrounding atmosphere. Once you are out of the feelings, the degrading nearby features surfaces. The degrations . . .
Should any degrations be blame always on the Yahudis and their cohords? Many voices seem to be pointing to put the blame on them, on any degrations we face. E.g., the KFCs near the mosque entrance, the non-Muslims hotels like Hilton, Equatorials, etc. The serenity in the mosque is almost gone. Gone not in the sense of punctuated gone, but almost continuously going off, i.e. only puctuatingly we got back the serenity, the calmness of yesteryears. What I am pointing out here is to the disturbances, nuicences, of the noise of hand phones ringing tones, digital cameras clicking, camera flashing, and blockages of your path during tawaf by someone doing video streaming to his partners etc whilst he himself is doing the tawaf . . . . And, answering phone call in higher than normal voices, and the busy fingers on sms. A real degration to do ibadat in full concentration – with heart and souls. As compared to my 25yrs ago visit where camera is prohibited in the mosque or even in its vicinity. And now, during prayer times, it’s not impossible for you to hear your favorites ringing tones in the very vicinity where you stand to pray. And, then there are degrations too – in dress ‘code’, behaviors, mp3 emitting doas, etc, but nothing compared to the havocs cause by hand phones and its attached cameras for photos and videos. My sincere hope is that the gadgets will be banned in the mosque soon, or the very least the authority should put up deterrent signs and enforced them strictly : HAND PHONES EMMITING ANY SOUND IN THE MOSQUE OR ITS VICINITY WILL BE CONFISCATED AND SMASH AT WILL. ANSWERING OR MAKING OF CALLS IS BY SMS ONLY. If the hand phones phenomena are not check, we just don’t know what other disturbing of peace gadgets will in future surfaces in the mosque. To blame them on Yahudis too – well, we should firstly search our hearts and souls . . . .
May God continuously have pity on us Muslims.
(My regards to newfound friends in and outside Group 11 Feb, 2010 THTS)
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