100 storey mega tower - Not Now

Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has announced in 2011 budget with proposed that a 100-storey mega tower will be build in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. This mega tower with the name of Warisan Merdeka at a cost of RM5 billion (USD1.6 billion) is expected to be completed on 2015. The project is one of the Malaysia government’s strategies to stimulate the country economy.

To build a mega tower is not the only way to boost current economy.  Whilst, people are more emphasize the consistency and long-term economic growth. To achieve these goals, the government should create more job and business opportunities in the community. Attract more foreign investments by providing competitive incentives and skill labors. By doing these, the country needs many professions in different fields. But how to increase the number of these profession workers. The best way is to provide more scholarships to talented pupils. Let them have the chances to become one of the professions in any field and come back to contribute their skills and knowledge to the nation. The country needs hundred and hundred dozens of talent and profession workers but not a 100-storey mega tower.

Besides creating business opportunities, the government must move another step forward by providing more credit facilities, technical supports, incentives, tax exemption to the potential entrepreneurs. Especially to small and medium size industries. With these supportive tools, they have the chances to expand their businesses by producing and providing more quality products and services. Let the “Made in Malaysia” products and services to be more reliable and dependable with competitive price. The entrepreneurs need hundred percent supports from the government rather than a 100-storey mega tower.

Malaysia as part of the world has responsibility to protect the earth in fighting against global climate change. More investments to low carbon development are necessary to reduce the exceeding used of carbon. Allocation of bigger funds should be channeled into the Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS). Since the cost of the alternative of using the carbon are still at an expensive level. Government, public and private sectors should use this opportunity to invest more in these sustainable technologies which will benefits the nation and at same time to fight against climate change. Let the money used to green the world better than used to pollute it.   

The abilities of Malaysia government or government link agencies were never been doubted. Even the larger projects the government has effectively performed. But the question is the benefits and necessities of the project. The country just came out from the border of recession. Many things had to be put in reconsideration and attention, especially the government debt. From the source received the total national debt was more than 50 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). That was a critical level for a country. People sure do not want the government debts increase as high as 100-storey mega tower which is the world top ten highest. 

Other than talking about economy, the social of a country cannot be abandoned. That was part of the commitment for a government to protect and help the nation by providing quality medications and better living standard. A huge amount of money had to spend into society to help in needs. Welfare benefits should be reached to those who qualify. Do not let them suffer due to lack of funds. People would like have a good and caring community but not a beautiful skyscraper where is surrounded by miseries.

Every decision taken by the government is directly influenced the economy and social of a country. The government should reconsider the interests of the whole nation before taking any final conclusion. Future and hopes of a nation are totally dependent to a good or bad of the government policies

Rain Betting

In south-east Asia, there is a place called Taiping located at Perak state of Peninsular Malaysia. Taiping is a town nothing difference from others with population approximately of 200,000. The sources of income mainly come from plantation and businesses, especially in oil palm.

This town is in a valley with whole year receiving high volume of rain water. The daily few hours’ raining may continuously until two to three weeks and sometime may up to a month long. Can be said the wettest town in whole Malaysia. Because of raining regularly, certain people in the town start to predict weather, whether is raining day or not and the time of raining. Slowly this weather prediction become famous and turns up to be a game. They started the game in Centre Market in middle of the town. There you can see several people are always looking at the sky. If you are outsider you will wonder what these people are looking for. Is that a UFO in the sky? No, they are actually looking at the clouds and base on the experience they have and predict or forecast a raining time. That is funny. But I can tell you the true, what these people forecast are more accurate than our National Weather Forecasting Center. The center only informs whether raining or not and never in detail.  Here, they will tell you exactly the time of raining without any sophisticated equipment.

Every game has rules and regulations including this game. After forecasting, an official raining time will be set (For example 3.00 pm is the official time) and each official time is referring to a small clock hanging on the wall of the market. Then they start betting between each others whether the rain will fall before or after the official time. If one party bets raining is before the official time then the other must bets oppositely. After all the bets done and agreed with the betting amount, and the following step is waiting. Wait for raining and at the same time wait for the result. Once rain starts falling cannot consider as a result, sometime the whole ground already saturated with water still no result yet.  The final result must be waited until the first drop of rain water falling from a small portion of the market’s roofing which has been fixed. If water fall after the official time that is 3.00 pm onward then the participants whom bet on that will be the winners and vice-versa. Sometime the water drop from the roof just a few seconds from the official time and every participant will feel thrilling in this situation. This shows that the accuracy of the forecasting is amazing.
  

Until today, this game has been played for three decades. But the quantities of the participants are going less day by day. Most of the older participants no longer there and the younger do not   interest in this type of game. They prefer more on soccer betting, online betting and horse racing which can be played in any place.