‘Please remember that Selangor comprises all races and the needs of all races must be taken into account. To achieve this, get the best person for the job, regardless of race and religion.'

On Chinese heads PKNS: Staff say 'No'

Alice:

I continue to be amazed and saddened by the blinkered views of certain people in Malaysia.

In this case, certain staff in PKNS object to Loh Siew Moi being the acting GM because she is not a Malay, despite the fact that she is well-qualified for the job.

To all staff in PKNS, please remember that PKNS is a state economic development corporation set up to develop the state of Selangor - not just to look after Malay interests.

Put the interests of the state and the rakyat of Selangor above your selfish reason that Loh Siew Moi cannot have ‘rapport with all staff and associations or the ability to communicate with different levels of personnel'.

Are PKNS staff saying that only a Malay GM can communicate with the staff and associations?

Please remember that Selangor comprises all races and the needs of all races must be taken into account. To achieve this, get the best person for the job, regardless of race and religion.

To the menteri besar of Selangor, please stand firm. Do what is right. Please do not give in to racist and polemic demands of a few and sacrifice the overall good.

If these staff cannot accept Loh Siew Moi despite her credentials, they can always resign. PKNS is better off without such people.

Alex C: Barely a few days ago, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng called for local talent abroad to come back home to support the country.

Yet now, there is an ugly call to deny a job opportunity to a Chinese who is very well capable, tested and proven to be of great caliber all because of here race.

Don't these people realise that when the country prospers, so do its citizens? Just take a look at the number of hardcore poor in Selangor - most of them are Malay.

All these years, did the Malay heads at PKNS help alleviate the conditions of these people? Our per capita income speaks for itself.

It is undeniable that race issues still plague the country. Until this issue can be put behind us, more and more talents will leave the country.

Why even bother to attract us who are currently overseas back at all when in the first place, we don't even have the opportunity to lead, not to mention the meagre salary that we are willing to accept (if we decided to come back)?

This is not about being patriotic or having love for the country. This is about the absurdity of so- called 'special privileges' at the expense of the country and its citizens.

This damage is caused by the BN government which yet again uses the racial card for political mileage. Even with our vast natural resources, today we are far behind Singapore or Korea.

Until there is a change to a government that is honestly willing to put racial issues aside for the benefit of all as demonstrated by the Selangor MB, our children will continue to wonder if Vietnam or Indonesia may soon overtake us.

Gatita Parda: When will this vicious cycle come to an end? The bumis complain that the non-bumi companies including the various multi-nationals are unfair as they hire less bumis compared to non-bumis.

And the non-bumis' grouses are that the public sector as well as the GLCs are taken over by bumis.

Why can't people be hired for their capabilities and not the colour of their skin or their ethnic origins?

This should really start with the government which should in place an Anti-Discrimination Act and enforced on all sectors, be it public or private.

Perhaps then people would have a bit more confidence that the government is indeed serious about being telus and not just giving lip service.

On Billion-ringgit chopper deal 'put off'

Chua CJ:

It is good that this corrupted government put off the chopper deal.

But this means that it will still retain our money until they find another opportunity to cheat the rakyat .

Pakatan Rakyat should keep the pressure on the government to investigate this scandal fully.

On Consumers want power tariff down

Boey Kok Soon: The refusal of the government to reduce the tariff in line with the drop in oil price does not show transparency and consistency. Earlier, the increase was justified in view of the escalating oil price.

It is because TNB is suffering a huge payout to the IPPs in spite of whatever the oil price is. There is a surplus of over 45% in generating capacity from these IPP and TNB's own generating plant

What this means is that even if these plants are idle (not used for generating) they have to be paid. It is similar to paying a high salary to a managing director who is sleeping all the time!

How come this is so? Simply because of the lucrative payments that have been set out is the PPA agreements - a legacy from the Mahathir era.

Sometime ago there was talk of a windfall tax on the IPPs because of their huge profits. What happened to this move?

Every IPP knows that they have been milking the consumers. The sad fact is that ultimately, the consumer has to pay for all these excesses hence the reason why electricity tariffs can't be reviewed.

On Q&A: I don't need sympathy, I need understanding

A Shocked Citizen:

I am a Malay. It really shocked me to see how Syed Hamid Albar simply put RPK under the ISA. Don't forget, he is your Muslim brother and you have unjustly locked him up.

How can a Muslim act in such a manner? Is this the teaching of our Koran? Don't forget that you have to stand before God for all that you have done.

The power that has been entrusted to you by the public and by God must never be misused.

Please publish in the press in what way RPK is a threat to the security of this nation or to Muslims. Please do this so that all Malaysians can help you to judge.

Your are putting innocent victims under the ISA. The world is laughing at us. The home minister does not know the law himself.

Those who are a real threat to the country, he does not put them under the ISA eg, those who always shout for the PM to step down.

It shows how unqualified Hamid is. Better to migrate abroad than to see all these injustice and corruption going on.

On Joyless Deepavali for ISA detainee's family

A Very Concerned Citizen: I've actually helped quite a number of children, teenagers and youths over the last five years.

As we know, teenagers and youth nowadays are very different from the past. Most of them grow up without love and care from their parents. Parents are ‘absent' even though they are staying in the same house.

Why? Because they are just simply too busy making money or busy with their careers. The children most of the time are left by themselves. These teens and youths usually end up joining the wrong company.

My concern is that if these children of the ISA detainees are left without a father figure at home. they may end up being rebellious and that will create more social problems in Malaysia..

I am just very concerned as my nature of work is helping children, teens and youths to turn their lives around for the better.

I really hope the government can consider other alternatives to deal with people whom they deem might be a ‘threat' to the country. Please also consider family values and future social problems.

Just imagine if our very own children are not able to live with us, what would happen?

On Nuclear power no longer the way forward

Cheong Sai Fah: The Selangor government's stand on nuclear power deserves to have our support. All of us should be thankful to have a knowledgeable person like Elizabeth Wong in public service.

I would like to add another suggestion to her theme on renewable energy and efficiency options.

In the US, a new battery energy storage system has been successfully tested. The battery made by Altair Nanotechnologies Inc has been used to store excess electricity generated during non-peak hours.

The stored electricity is then fed back to the grid during peak usage during the day, thereby improving the energy efficiency of the utility. The same battery system has been successfully used to drive electric vehicles (EVs).

Such EVs are not only more efficient than petrol-powered vehicles but also have zero emission, a huge plus for the environment. There should soon be imminent news on the launch of EVs in California.

On Parking contracts open to abuse

Mike W Martin: I am surprised (but perhaps should not be) at the kinds of alleged contractual violations and obvious areas for abuse and corruption that are detailed in the above letter.

As a representative of a small community of residents in Cyberjaya, we have become increasingly concerned and alarmed at the parking and traffic accident situation here and have written both here and in other publications on this subject recently.

We believe that consideration is being given to installing parking meters in Cyberjaya, with the laudable intention of easing the growing and near-chronic parking problem around many of the brand new office buildings that have been and continue to be built here.

Our concern is that a similar situation will arise - that meters will be installed but not calibrated or maintained, and be placed only in off-street parking areas, which will be avoided like the plague by commuters.

Since there have never been any obvious signs of police action against any illegal parking here (at junctions, pedestrian crossings etc. - all clearly marked with yellow lines), this will cause even more parking chaos on the roads in Cyberjaya, to the detriment of everyone living here.

Will the revenue obtained from any parking contracts be fed back into the enforcement of traffic and parking regulations (use of wardens, for example?), maintenance of roads, junctions and traffic control and calming measures that are badly needed here, or just enrich the lucky contractor concerned?