theSun | WEDNESDAY JULY 15 2009 TELLING IT AS IT IS 13

Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688

speak up! Managing Editor: Chong Cheng Hai
Consultant Editor: Zainon Ahmad
Executive Editor: Lee Boon Siew
General Manager, Advertising and Marketing: Charles Peters
Senior Manager, Production: Thomas Kang
Senior Manager, Distribution Channels: Joehari Abdul Jabbar
Fax: 03-7785 2624/5
Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com
Deputy Editor: Patrick Choo (Production), Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888
Editor: R. Nadeswaran (Special Reporting and Investiga- Fax: 03-7784 4424
tions) Email: advertise@thesundaily.com

Moving forward with

thesun says

Let’s help the

police to help us
IT IS indeed wonderful for Inspector General of Police Tan
Sri Musa Hassan to say that the police are giving priority to
stamping out street crimes. How he is going to do it now
after years of public perception that the police force has been
unable to arrest the apparent rise in the rate of street crime
domestic workers Freespace
Where young views rule

is, for now, known only to him and his subordinates. by Daniel Chandranayagam ‘Besides, she’s supposed to be at home married, apply for a maid. Get pregnant,
It is not that the police are not doing anything. There has looking after the baby!’ I don’t understand apply for a maid. A maid is the answer
been a noticeable presence of the police and their beat bases AMERICAN Tourist (AT): You know, this. They don’t trust the maid to come to everything, and the reason for every
in many crime-prone areas in the cities. But the perception this foreign maid issue really interests back home but they trust the maid with bad thing that happens in a household.
is that the rate is rising. Not a day goes by without reports me. the baby? I can’t get my mind around it. And you know what? The maid herself
of some women being robbed of their handbags containing Local Joe (LJ): How so? LJ: Don’t look at me. I’m against doesn’t know what she’s getting into.
money, valuables and important documents. In cases where AT: Well … you know, it just is not bringing in foreign domestic workers. When she comes to Malaysia from
these women had their handbags snatched from them by the normal kind of employment situa- I mean, you don’t know who they are wherever, she doesn’t know if she’ll be
robbers on motorcycles there have been injuries and even tion, is it? I mean, there is all this protest or what they’ll do. A friend of mine had getting a kind or cruel employer. It’s like
death. because they propose one day off for the experience of his parents’ maid get- shooting in a barrel.
Men too have been mugged and robbed. Some of the live-in maids. I don’t understand that. ting pregnant, and because he was the AT: (long pause) It seems to me that
victims happen to be foreign tourists and they certainly take LJ: On the other hand, I know plenty only single male in the house, everyone really it is a bad situation for everyone,
home with them stories of their unpleasant experience. Won- of employees who work seven days thought the baby was his. But, in fact, except the agencies.
der what Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen told her a week. Technically, they might have she had been entertaining the security LJ: Everybody knows that. And it is
Tourism Malaysia overseas directors and desk officers during the weekend off, but at any time, their guards in the neighbourhood. I prefer to not as if the agency is a normal kind of
their meeting recently to tell tour agencies when asked about bosses will call them or e-mail them on avoid that kind of controversy, thank you recruitment agency. There is no inter-
the high rate of street crimes? She should by now know their Blackberries, and they have to drop very much. view or assessment of the candidate for
that it is not enough just to ask for more money to promote everything and sort out the issue. AT: And when they do something like us. Yet the agencies charge more than a
tourism as the decrease in arrivals may not be just because AT: That happened to me too, when I this, their employers get upset. I mean, recruitment agency. And you’re left with
of H1N1 and the recession. So our streets must be made safe, was employed full-time. But, saying that, they are human. Humans have sex. But what you get. True, you can ‘return’ your
for us as well as for the tourists. The IGP still talks of the need I was remunerated handsomely. Here, their employers get upset. I mean, what maid, but I have heard so many stories
for bigger manpower so that more police officers could patrol they claim that the country must bring can they do? I don’t see how you can about what happens to them when they
the streets. But he also, without identifying what they were, in foreign maids because Malaysians apply the normal kind of employment are ‘returned’ that I would prefer not to
talks of more drastic measures to be taken, when he was refuse to work for such low wages. And conditions to this. be put in the position of having to.
asked to comment on Monday on Prime Minister Datuk Seri I’m thinking, ‘You cannot pay a Malay- LJ: It just makes people lazy. Get AT: Well, it is a shame. And it is not a
Najib Abdul Razak saying on Saturday in conjunction with his sian such low wages, but you can pay a normal kind of employment situation.
100 days in office that reducing crime is one of the six areas foreigner that amount?’ I just can’t get LJ: No, it isn’t. But it is good that
of priority of his administration. my mind round it! some things are being done. I’m just not
Whatever the measures are they need to be implemented LJ: I suppose, at least for Indo- We believe that the young sure that domestic workers should be
without delay as street crimes like robberies, including nesians, the currency conversion lumped under the Employment Act. I
muggings and snatch thefts, have become life threatening.
should have a say in how things
would make them pretty well-off think there needs to be separate legisla-
While street crimes may be a small percentage of the crimes when they go back. If they go back! are run, because they have eve- tion but that might take a long time to
committed in the country but because they occur on the But, it is true, when a Malaysian is rything at stake in our future. get enforced. At least things are moving
streets where people go about their daily lives they make on-call twenty-four seven, usually This column creates that space forward, I guess…
everyone feel unsafe and contribute to the perception that they are paid quite well. I suppose, for our panel of bright young
crime is on the rise. Malaysians fear foreign workers will
The IGP himself attested to this when he said “street run away if they get the day off. There sparks to debate issues that Daniel freelances in writing and pub-
crimes like snatch thefts and robberies have a big impact as is supposed to be a 30% rate of runa- they feel strongly about. lishing, and has a deep passion for
people are afraid to go outdoors, thus limiting their move- ways, according to reports. sleeping, eating and labour law. He can
ments.” So he has to implement those “drastic measures” AT: They are afraid the maids will be reached at pottedplot.com
quickly. But it should dawn on everyone that even with those run away, but they are not
measures the police still need all the help they can get. Mo- afraid to let strangers into
bile phone networks rendering sets useless several hours their house? I have a friend
after they have been stolen is one of the help to discourage who will not let her maid go
handphone thefts. Let’s give them more help. down to the shops. She says,

Absurd system of
awarding contracts
HAVING read the Position Review of the PKFZ
Project, I am baffled by the circumstances un-
der which the contracts are awarded. It is not
only haphazard but also unprofessional.
It exposes the Port Klang Authority’s sys-
tem of awarding this huge contract through
“negotiation” of prices with pre-determined
contractors. It is an unacceptable practice,
unimaginable in a democracy in this modern
age. It is a system fraught with opportunities
of corruption by officials and profiteering by
contractors.
Sadly, like all mega projects there was no
public consultation on this gigantic financial
commitment.
How on earth can contracts of billions of
ringgit be entered on the basis of estimated
amounts, without detailed plans and competi-
SPECIALLY FOR ALL
letter
letters@thesundaily.com
SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTIC
It was most encouraging to learn the PKA
had deferred the payments of RM660 million to MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES
the contractors, on the recommendation of the
Special Task Force of legal eagles, subject to a ✓ One weekend a month classes
quantitative assessment of the work done. ✓ Complete the course in 13 months
However, this deferment was short-lived!
The Finance Ministry ordered that PKA pay
✓ 100% coursework/EPF withdrawal
immediately. This is a questionable instruction.
In the first place, had MOF done the necessary Executive Diploma in Logistic Management
calculations to satisfy itself that the implemen-
tation of this project will not bring catastrophic WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT
financial consequences that may burden CUSTOMS PROCEDURE
taxpayers for generations to come? How could

REVI
tive bids? the MOF have erred by such a big margin in TRANSPORT & DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT
Why was there such a haste in the comple- approving the financing of this colossal project, PROJECT PLANNING & MANAGEMENT CONTROL
EW
P

tion in two years contrary to the JAFZI/TSG
Masterplan which recommended multiple
phases over eight years? As a result only 77
units of the 512 of the light industrial units are
rented out.
We must congratulate the transport minister
for his full disclosure and instructing PKA to
report this matter for MACC to investigate. Let
the chips fall where they should regardless of
the high rankings of whoever is involved.
It is hoped that MACC’s investigation will
bring those responsible to book and be a lesson
to others in the future to demonstrate Malay-
sia’s seriousness in demanding high standards
of responsibility among those entrusted with
the financial future of the country.
considering its formidable cumulative expertise
SUPPLY CHAIN LOGISTIC
25th
in project evaluation and lending? July 2
As taxpayers, the public are the real losers 00
at 5 p 9
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
in this colossal scam. Doesn’t the government
owe the people an explanation? LOGISTIC IT MANAGEMENT m
Parliament must take a more serious view OPERATION MANAGEMENT AND MORE
as the lack of financial propriety, probity, integ-
rity reflects on the government of the day. The For further enquiries, please contact :
time is not too late to stop the rot by plugging Awarded by
Tel : (03) 5636 6721/(03) 5631 1654
the massive bleeding of our financial resources Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (BATC)
(03) 5637 4355/(012) 201 7558
by discarding wasteful projects and injecting
KNOWLEDGE FOR ALL Approved
some good sense to restore rationality to the Provider : TPR MANAGEMENT SDN BHD (662108-A)
management of this country. Address : 7 Jalan SS15/4
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Whatmeworry
Website : www.optima.edu.my
Seremban
Email : tprmgt@yahoo.com