Find solutions to traffic woes in KK before the worst to come soon.

Find solutions to traffic woes in KK before the worst to come soon.  

Our Transport problem in Kota Kinabalu and around need very urgent attention and action in terms of our roads, transportation mediums and parking.

How do we rate our transport and mobility thereof in Kota Kinabalu and beyond and around the hinterlands?  It is indeed timely that we rate our transport systems so that we can strive for some improvement in whatever sectors as we move forward.

Meanwhile, it is all talks only of some improvement in our transport issues in Kota Kinabalu and nothing has been done to make such desired improvement happen.  Actually, we have allowed our transport matters getting worst rather than see any improvement.

Our main medium of transport in KK is still the vehicles (private and commercial) on the limited roads in KK.  The public transport like the buses of various sizes are still insignificant and we do not even have a central bus station in central Kota Kinabalu. For KK with limited roads and widening of such roads impossible, any sacrifice for a bus lane would certainly cause more congestion on the roads as the population of vehicles has increased in many folds since a decade ago.  Has anyone done a research why much more vehicles are in our roads daily?

I know for sure there are insufficient car parking spaces in both central business district and other outlying satellite townships.

I did experience driving in the city on the birthday of  TYT (Saturday) when the roads were clogged up by vehicles even in early afternoon and it took me to find a parking space in Suria Sabah after an hour as the area around there were congested by thousands of vehicles.  Are we going to see the worst to come?

Would such congestion be good for the business community as the shoppers converge into CBD to visit various shopping malls?  Would such congested roads deter shoppers and avoid coming to KK as it is indeed meaningless to spend so much time and money wasting on the roads in search of parking?

In every satellite towns around Kota Kinabalu, we do see similar traffic congestion almost everywhere with double parking and at times triple parking causing much inconvenience to other roads users.  Some of these retail business like restaurants would have low patrons due to cars parking the whole day using season monthly tickets rather than allow a free flow of customers who more likely patronise such high street restaurants.  So such establishments would not have enough customers without a turnover of parked cars.  Instead such high streets should be marked RED instead of other colours.  There is such a street in Damai Plaza in the block of the post office  where a wide road can be reduced to two lanes only due to double or even triple  parked cars when the usual parking spaces are occupied by season tickets holders.  Would not DBKK consider mark that high street RED?

You all know that blocking cars by illegal parked cars are common but some do not come to drive their cars available when demanded.

A known place of very heavy illegal parking daily is the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 where the solution is not in sight.

There are too many traffic woes in KK that can cause accidents.  I would like to mention that in the Lintas Road where a few flyovers are under construction, the traffic signs are inadequate and can be misleading.  Even at night, certain stretches of road near the Lido junction and Hotel No. 5 are not adequately lit to allow users to feel safe especially during rain. So is the supervision of such development good enough?

I have been writing at times on traffic issues.  I thank Daily Express for publishing my letter early this year about the stretch of uneven road near Imago.  The people in the area had been complaining for months about that “rocking” access road to two business centres but to no avail. Since my letter, that only access road was repaired.

In recent years, the travelling consumers have been served with e-haling cars like Uber, Grab and others.  Such services have sort of reduced vehicles on the roads and stress on the limited parking space in CBD.  Unfortunately, there is a lack of competition due to the withdrawal of the more superior E-systems of Uber.  Unless Grab pulls up its overall system including improvement in its E-system, the travelling public can feel very frustrated at times for various reasons with unexplained unnecessary delays and cancellations of requests for cars not to mention the higher charges at most times.  Would Grab care to improve its operations when it is a near monopoly ?  Would Grab want to know what it does not know? Should Uber be welcome back to Sabah in the wake of Ubah (sound similar) of Government? 

Many roads in the city are under flash flood even when a bit more downpour making driving hazardous. Maintenance of the roads are also much to be desired. 

Would DBKK and all relevant authorities seriously consider our traffic congestion and lacking parking spaces to reduce the very heavy costs of transportation and mobility with regular town hall events ?  

Joshua Y C Kong, 9/10/2018

Trend of New Malaysia and consequences thereof

Trend of New Malaysia and consequences thereof

If we watch You Tube items on USA, we always see a strange trend of all things undesirable such as fake news, distorted matters, questioned materials, dubious errors, misleading data, endless diatribe of all sorts arguable facts and falsehood.

Would such trend be desirable in New Malaysia even for the new PH Government in Malaysia and Warisan Government in Sabah?

We really do not know what is heading forward on Malaysia Agreement 1963 when it is already well established for more than 50 years and yet we are still at talking stage especially with new committee to review the MA63.  How valid is such deliberation when it is a constitutional matter and yet nobody bothers to bring it to the epic Court?  Any campaign that appears in the mass media and social media would just be “buying” time and confusion that can lead to nowhere as so much had gone under the  bridge especially in the recent years of the previous long standing BN Government?  This MA63 has nothing to do with any Government and should have been implemented since 1963.  So why are we still be misled by all sorts of questioned drama?  If this is pursued with hidden agenda, then Sabah and Sarawak being the losers would be losers forever with or without any compensatory possibilities despite a New Malaysia.  Would this mean New Malaysia would be without the two Borneo’s states? Did the PM Tun Mahathir in his recent visit to Brunei touch on the MA63 as Brunei opted out then?

Similar with another constitutional matter of 40% revenue due to the Borneo states which has also gone through a long process but not likely a settlement because of the relevant records for decades are not maintained.  Can we go for a reasonable figure of say RM100 b in a state sovereign fund?

RCI on illegal immigrants Sabah (RCI IIS) has sort of disappeared from the radar of New Malaysia except the returned PM had justified Project IC for holders now bordering 2 millions after a few decades and the Deputy Chief Minister Sabah Datuk Wilfred Tangau lodging a Police Report against the Warisan Government in a related matter? So is RCI IIS after so much hype since 2012-2014 fully “buried” by the previous Government and with a sentimental reminding “ceremony” of fresh issues on the same issues? Are Sabahans destined to be swarmed by illegal foreigners especially Sungai Sibuga was loaded with big volume of Project IC holders making it the biggest electoral seat in Sabah?  Is the light in the tunnel of RCIIIS totally blackout now?  Would a RCI to review RCI IIS (2012) be conducted very soon to deter a relapse of mal-administration?

It is quite a surprise that a long serving Chairman/Secretary of Election Commission Malaysia has been appointed as Chairman of Electoral Reform Committee (ERC).  What is the point of ERC when there was the Parliamentary Select Committee in 2011 that appears to have gone “silent” and yet   electoral frauds have been rampant when ECM has manipulated the statutory prescribed Form 16 of Election Regulation 27 of Elections (conduct of elections) Regulations 1981?  I must emphasize that this ERC must not amend the Form 16 to perpetrate the rampant electoral frauds that certainly done very much consequential damages to the nation with continued illegal Government.  What is the programme of ERC so far?  Is there to be any public forums or town hall events where concerned knowledgeable people can lodge their views?

Petronas is still sticking out.  How much have Sabah lost out to Petronas since 1974 ?  We were given in return a pittance of 5% and now for sometimes some including the new Warisan Government expects something like 20% of what –profit or gross revenue? I doubt Petronas would be sincere either methods as since when Sabah has separate accounts in Malaysia?  I believe based on some media reports that Petronas through Petronas Carigali (PC) gets 20% share of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) while it is revealed by a former state minister that PC only gets 5% in such PSC deals. (DE page 2 August 14, 2018). We will wait for the National budget 2019 which will show how much Sabah would get its annual fiscal allocation.  Whatever we get from Petronas would be adjusted in the national budget. So would Sabah be the loser again and again? Can Sabah get back 100% of our oil and gas resources?

About this Water dilemma  in Sabah, it was reported under the heading “ Review thoroughly water concession agreement : Jamawi” DE p 2 August 14, 2018 which stated at the State Assembly as “The department is among those given high allocations, which is RM164,225,584 million, in the Bill tabled earlier.”  What a fantastic figure (15 digits) in RM164 Trillions?  I hope this is not reported in the Hanzard to mislead the records.

The Watergate has a special record in the new Parliament where certain MACC cases on the corruption charges were “cleared” in Parliament, and is it an unusual development? 

Another later development titled “Water Dept revamp to save RM1b” which would be a great expectation?  Is it an one- off case and not an annual affairs?  Congratulations if this can be achieved.

I have written a book “water” in 2005 where I analysed the Non Revenue Water (NRW) as more than 80% not what we are told as much lesser than that. The water department losses including massive corruption as norm is nothing new.

About Cabotage (once held in secrecy) since 1980, we have yet to feel any decline in cost of living although it is reported that cabotage is now done with.  Any usual updates on cabotage-less impact in the economy?

“Tourism not really benefiting local “ DE p3, September 7, 2018 should be the appropriate writing on the wall for Sabah as Tan Sri Simon Sipaun now newly installed Chairman of IDS should tell us as which industries in Sabah have actually really benefitted local realistically?  As it is known our major items like fossil oil and gas, palm oil and others including jobs opportunities have bled Sabah beyond recognition for decades.  I hope IDS would come out with a comprehensive research paper for corrective measures to render local people the maximum returns in all economic sectors. It is very urgent otherwise it is sun set for all the local.  There are lots of frontiers to be addressed head on like ecology, consumerism and environmentalism to enable good future for all or we perish soon especially with worsening climate change.  I would suggest we initiate an urgent and serious Coalition of NGOs in EcoGeneration to address our existence in ecology, consumerism and environment.

National debts figure is still uncertain even with the alleged over a trillion Ringgit when the debts clock shows RM 722 billion.   I believe it is much over a Trillion Ringgit and this issue deserves a comprehensive investigation.  The other side of the crisis is how it would impact the annual fiscal budget and repayment in the foreseeable future?  Who should be held responsible for such critical adverse development affecting Malaysia?  We are also unsure how 1MDB is exploding?

We cannot provide lips service any more including “fake” concept but trendy positive actions for a whole range of pressing issues (the above is not exhaustive) to save NEW Malaysia, to save the earth and our existence on earth until the next phase of our lives.

Joshua Y C Kong 11/9/2018

Dogs symbolises divine goodness in our homes

^{Dogs symbolises divine goodness in our homes}

It is indisputable that God created animals, and other living creatures before He created Man and he instructed Man as caretakers over them as in the Bible in the two verses in Genesis.

God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.(Gen 1:26)

 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. (Gen 2:20).

Can we humbly assess our own situation of the much degraded earth now?

Like it or not are we to take the blame for the dwindling decline of wild life including extinction of many species known and unknown to people on earth?  Such stories are very sad indeed.  Have we not fail God in His order of things?  We have also destroyed His garden of Eden with so much devastation of the forests including rainforest on earth.  The destruction is so much that birds come to our homes to be fed when God promised that He would feed them Himself.  Please reflect the verse Matthew 6:26 –“ Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

So we need to address the heart breaking scenario of dogs in our midst.  Too many people are trying to get rid of them for whatever reasons from our midst in our homes although dogs are known as ”best friends” of man but no longer such as how we treat them with all the intelligence we have but lacking the wisdom God has gifted us.

Some may be strays due to our indifference to fair treatment for the dogs.

But a bit of inconvenience to keep them in our homes has been too much of a burden for so  many people. So much so that the number of dogs is also dwindling fast in our homes and it is not to be any surprise that one day sooner, it is near extinction too like all the wild life in the wilderness.

There maybe some very good Samaritans who have given some attention to keep them in shelter away from homes. Are such shelters really good for the dogs when they are considered “prisons” for them for not committing any “crimes”? Can any shelters be sustained if dogs breed more dogs?  Are they spayed and neutered to have meaningless living ?  What would happen if your children are done that way like we treat the dogs?  But many treat the “best friends” in such cruel approach and that include putting them to sleep happily to rid some inconvenience. With spayed and neutered animals, are we not bringing forward extinction to our “best friends” leaving many “enemies” roaming the streets with millions and even billions of Ringgit and yet cannot keep our “best friends” in homes to enjoy them for lack of funds.

Honestly speaking, we do not know what we miss in life if we do not keep some “best friends” at homes especially for our young children who can learn from the dogs and puppies for their in genuine and clever approaches in handling situations.  Some may think of the negative scenario especially for young children but the positive aspects far outweigh negativeness. Definitely, it is time well spent rather than spending time in front of television.  Many homes also ill treat dogs with poor cages, chains etc.

I am glad that Sabah with the outline of dog’s head is still free from rabies but unfortunately bird flu has its presence here.  So are we going to destroy all the pigeons (wild and otherwise) now despite it is a tourists attraction?

Most people may not like to know this.  How I feed my dogs for more than two decades is due to some generous restaurants (donors) who stay in business despite tough time. Unseen it maybe, there is one such restaurant started with one shop and set up another one within a year or two.

I hope my book for my “best friends” would soon hit the street to give reading pleasure to many.

Joshua Y C Kong  7 Sep 2018