MUHYIDDIN APPEALS TO THE SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE

By Lord Haw-Haw

We should congratulate Tan Sri Muhyiddin on his leadership and the spirit of compromise with which he is striving for an agreement on the Selangor Water Crisis.

Muhyiddin’s comments yesterday stating his readiness to discuss the water issue with the Selangor State government were thoughtful and showed his concern for the long term interests of the state.

Tan Sri Khalid on the balance has proven to be unyielding, verging on obstructionist, in arriving at a lasting solution for Selangor’s water supply, preferring to defend his position of offering short term solutions at the expense of reaching a conclusive resolution.

At the heart of the issue is a failure of communication. Both sides have until now preferred to stand by their partisan views which have proven to be strongly prejudiced in favor of their respective causes.

It was Muhyiddin who crossed the political divide and appealed directly to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at a Luncheon on Wednesday given by the Speaker of the house.

Muhyiddin showed his political maturity by asking Anwar, in his position as economic adviser to Selangor, to press Khalid for an enduring resolution to the Water Crisis for the sake of the people of Selangor and not as a means of securing political mileage.

In light of this Muhyiddin’s appeal for compromise resonates like the first real voice of reason in this altogether prolonged and unnecessary fiasco.

 

How to Conserve Water and Make Money

Photo: Playerx

Since the newspapers tell us everyday that we should start saving water, OH MY BUSINESS! started thinking about the kinds of businesses we can start to support water conservation.

Ok so maybe Malaysians don't know how to save water (or petrol, or electricity, or..) but let's face facts, what if one day water becomes really scarce, or worse, the government starts controlling how we can use water.

This is a list of ideas of businesses that deal with water conservation that can be successful when conservation becomes a serious matter. Also it’s great suggestions for eco-entrepreneurs (or ecopreneurs!).

5 Ideas for water conservation businesses:

1. Water auditing

Did you know people will actually pay for someone to come and check whether their water use at their homes or office is optimal or not? That’s what a water auditor does.

A water auditor will come and look at how water is used in a household or office, and give an estimation of how optimized its use is. In some areas, local councils set a level of optimal water use, and if an auditor finds that it is less than optimal, then the household or office will have to make changes and adjustments in the problem areas that the water auditor had identified.

2. Sell Low-flow fixtures (shower heads/ taps/ toilets)

A cheap way to conserve water is by installing a low-flow tap or water fixture that reduces the amount of water that flows out of your tap. Besides reducing the amount of water used, low-flow fixtures saves money on the water bill as well.

Low-flow fixtures are cheap and accessible and in a country like Malaysia that’s only getting on the water conservation bandwagon, there is bound to be a huge demand.

3. Start a leak detecting business

In buildings and complexes, finding a leak isn’t as easy as finding where water is dripping from. That’s where leak detectors come in. With the aid of dyes, ultra sound and electronic technology, they can detect with great accuracy where the leaks are without having to hack through walls.

4. Sell Rainwater Kits

One great thing about KL is how much rain we get. All that rain usually just flows into the drains and sewers, which is a missed opportunity for water conservation.

Rainwater harvesting kits and technology collect rainwater in a convenient and hygienic way so that it can be used for non-potable purposes, like gardening and doing the laundry. For tropical climates like ours, these kits should be as common as water filters. Also it saves money off the water bill.

5. Introduce In-pipe Sensors

Another promising water conservation technology that could be marketed  is in-pipe sensors. While leak detectors and water audits tell you where there are problems after it happens. In-pipe sensors can tell you how your water is being used real-time and can give instant feedback about how water is used in your premises.

Since this is a relatively new technology, there is plenty of room to grow when it comes to in-pipe sensors. 

And ultimately the job opportunities that these ecopreneurs will create!

TRICUBES ABORTING 1MALAYSIA MAIL?

I came across an interesting article in MalaysiaKini this morning. According to the article, the share price of Tricubes Berhad dropped 70% to 3 sen. Sounds like one of the big highlights of The 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 2012. 

I’ve checked Bursa Malaysia on Tricubes’ shares performance and true enough, the company is in deep sh*t. There's even a notice of suspension and de-listing.

For those who are unfamiliar with the company Tricubes Berhad, it is the company managing the 1Malaysia email service. The email service was introduced last year and was received poorly by the public. And today, nobody seems to remember about the silly 1Malaysia initiative.

The idea of 1Malaysia Email should not have materialized at all. To the public, the initiative is totally pointless. You can read the gist of the scandal at Wikipedia. And now, like a zombie, it has come back to bite the government in the @ss.

This 1Malaysia Mail project must have looked good on paper that got the government’s endorsement. Good initiatives on paper but lousy implementation. Where have I seen this before?

More thoughts should have been given before endorsing this initiative. And because of this, the opposition will have more ammo to attack the 1Malaysia initiative, which is a good initiative, by the way.

With Tricubes now hanging on a life support machine, perhaps it is about time for a review. Right now, I’m more interested in what the government has to say about it.