UNLICENSED LOAN ADVERTISEMENTS BLIGHTS JOHOR BAHRU

Advertisements offering loans put up by unlicensed money lenders placed on signboards, utility poles and even road signs has now become a normal thing in the city.

Previously, the relevant authorities use to claim that they are unable to do anything to locate the culprits as they usually used pre-paid phone cards. Now that all pre-paid phones have to be registered and it is easier to identify the user, what now is the authorities excuse?

[Photo location : Taman Tampoi Indah]

PENGERUSI DAP JOHOR MELAWAT KUIL HINDU

Pada hari Selasa 22.01.2008, Dr. Boo Cheng Hau telah meluangkan sedikit masa melawat ke Kuil Hindu di Taman Selesa Jaya sebagai tanda menunjukkan solidarity dengan beberapa penganut Hindu yang sedang berpuasa untuk mereka yang sedang ditahan dibawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri.

LUBANG JALANRAYA MENJEJASKAN IMEJ BANDARAYA JOHOR BAHRU

Inilah keadaan jalan di Jalan Perling berdekatan dengan Pasaraya Giant Taman Perling. Saiz lubang jalan jelas menunjukkan bahawa keadaan tersebut telah wujud lama tetapi tiada sebarang tindakan telah diambil sehingga ke hari ini. Mungkinkah hanya bila orang awam cedera atau maut barulah lubang jalan tersebut akan diturap.

Lubang jalan sedemikian di merata tempat di bandaraya Johor Bahru bukan sahaja mengundang bahaya kepada orang ramai tetapi juga mengaibkan dan menjejaskan imej Johor Bahru.

JIJIKNYA TANDAS DI PERHENTIAN BAS/TEKSI KOTARAYA 2, JOHOR BAHRU.

Inilah keadaan tandas di Perhentian Bas/Teksi Kotaya 2, Johor Bahru yang kotor, jijik dan meloyakan.

Perhentian Bas/Teksi Kotaraya 2, terletak ditengah-tengah bandaraya Johor Bahru. Berdekatan dengan Perhentian Bas/Teksi Kotaraya 2, adalah Hotel Puteri Pacific, Hotel Tropical Inn dan tempat membeli-belah Kota-Raya. Dari perhentian ini orang awam boleh mengambil teksi dan bas ke Singapura. Juga pelancong dan warga asing yang datang melalui Singapura yang mengambil bas turun di sini. Tidak kurang juga pelancong dan warga asing yang hendak ke Lapangan Terbang Senai juga mengambil bas dan teksi dari perhentian ini.

Tetapi, bayangkanlah tandas yang jijik yang cukup untuk membuat seseorang merasa loya menanti mereka. Apa yang menjadi tanda-tanya ialah pihak siapa yang bertanggungjawab menguruskan, memantau dan memastikan kebersihan tandas di perhentian bas Kotaraya 2? Melihat keadaan tandas yang seolah-olah tidak dibersihkan kian lama mengundang pertanyaan apakan pihak Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru tidak terasa malu melihat keadaan tandas yang kotor dan jijik ini. Semasa gambar ini di ambil, beberapa lelaki pelancung warga Jepun yang masuk ke tandas tergesa-gesa keluar dan meludah di luar tandas.

ADA APA DENGAN POWER WINDOW, PROTON?

John Fernandez(pic) (no relations to the blogger) lawyer in Johor Bahru is a very upset man. He drives a Proton Waja 1.6. Well, he is not upset that he drives a Proton though I am sure he wishes that he drives another make particularly after the problem he has been having with his Proton.

Well you see there is a problem with the car’s power windows. According to John, in the last five years he had to change the power window parts three times. Now, once again the power window is acting wonky again. John says that there is a “lulus” sticker by Proton on the window. Obviously the swish mark on the sticker indicates that the car had passed all stringent test before the chaps at Proton put it up for sale. John wants to know the geezer who had “lulussed” his car.

What could be causing the problem? John is not sure whether the problem is caused by wear and tear. But that can’t be because the only times John winds down the car window is at the toll booth and at the McDonald drive in. The only other occasion when John winds down the car window is when the traffic police do an “operasi”. John wind down his car window and show his driving licence. Surely all these cannot amount to wear and tear. Or perhaps the problem is because of the lack of wear and tear? Not winding down the windows a couple of times everyday. Perhaps? May be next time when John is driving he should fiddle with the button and keep winding down and winding up the power window.

Proton must remember the days of Malaysians rushing to buy Proton is over and the consumer now is spoilt for choice. If one can get a better car and that car is definitely ‘lulussed’ though it may cost a little bit more, Proton can be certain that Malaysians will give Proton a miss. So the message to Proton is… buck up!.

In the mean time if the CEO of Proton of any other top honchos of Proton read this piece on my blog, please could you be kind enough and at Proton’s own cost repair and ensure that the power window of John’s car will thereafter functions properly.

(Picture- a peeved John Fernandez giving a thumbs down)

P.S the blogger drives a Korean “Jaguar” and is highly impressed and extremely satisfied with the car. He is prepared to give a personal testimony or appear in the company car advertisement in return for a fully paid free trip to Jaeju Island.

NO MORE CHEAP SUGAR, FLOUR FOR THAIS AND SINGAPOREANS

The Cabinet may out the brakes today on Singaporeans and Thais who have been taking home controlled food items like sugar, flour and chicken.

It is expected to call a halt to the decades-old practice by people from both countries where the items are more expensive.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal said he would table the matter at the meeting as a measure aimed at preventing a shortage of controlled items in the country.

“If adopted, it will involve all 21 price-controlled food items,” he said at a briefing on price hikes and commodities here yesterday.

The plan will involve strict checks at all exit points to ensure that foreigners do not take the items out of the country.

Shafie said the government had spent RM60 billion over the past 10 years on subsidies for cooking gas and liquefied natural gas for vehicles.

He said RM635 million a year was spent on subsidies to control the price of palm oil based cooking oil.

“These subsidies are for Malaysians to keep the prices of food items down. “There were never meant for Thais or Singaporeans who come in, buy controlled items and return to their countries.”

The plan comes on the heels of a recent nationwide cooking oil shortage which has seen palm-oil based oils disappear from store shelves and the government imposing a limit as to how much Malaysian consumers can buy in one go.

The country was hit by a shortage of sugar in 2006 and general purpose flour last year. Singaporeans routinely make day trips to Johor Bahru to buy carloads of groceries, including controlled items.

Thai traders are known to enter Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis to stock up on cooking oil, sugar and flour to sell at home. Currently, only palm oil based cooking oil is being barred from being taken out of the country.

The ministry’s operations against hoarders of cooking oil have seen 22,394.5kg of cooking oil being seized in six cases each in Perlis, Penang and Kelantan worth RM58,009-00.

Along with action against those who hoard cooking oil, the ministry has flooded the market with 16,044 tonnes of oil.

It has instructed mills to increase production of general purpose flour and pumped in 30,000 tonnes of the items throughout the country.

New Straits Time
16.01.2008

Meet Simba's New Pride

TIANG LAMPU MENUNGGU MANGSA.

Sebuah tiang lampu di Jalan Gereja, berdekatan dengan Hotel Tropical Inn tercondong dan menanti masa untuk rebah.

Apa yang pelik ialah sehingga ke hari ini belum ada mana-mana pihak yang bertanggungjawab samaada Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru atau pun Tenaga Nasional Berhad mengambil apa-apa tindakan untuk membaiki-pulih tiang lampu tersebut yang merbahayakan orang ramai.

Mungkinkah hanya apabila kecelakaan berlaku barulah tiang lampu akan mendapat perhatian pihak yang sewajarnya.