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.

 

PENGANJUR GOODBYE KL ‘BUTA’

Berbaloikah kita raikan kenangan sedangkan negara kita sangat perlukan lonjakan produktiviti dari penambahbaikan sistem pengangkutan negara?

Festival sejarah anjuran pertubuhan aktivis RakanKL ini mengajak pelawat datang ucapkan ‘selamat tinggal’ kepada kawasan-kawasan bersejarah Kuala Lumpur yang akan berubah dengan pembinaan stesen dan landasan MRT di sana.

Sayangnya, kasih kepada bandar ini hanya mahu dizahirkan sekarang apabila perancangan sudah siap dibuat dan jentolak sudah mula bergerak.

Sebaliknya, aktivis warisan kini tiba-tiba melatah untuk menghalang pembinaan Kuala Lumpur yang lebih baik, sedangkan selama ini mereka enak tidur.

Don't Let Selfish 167 Tenants Get In The Way

No. Seriously. Think. It is in the best interest of we, the 1.2 million rakyat who live along the proposed MRT line (including the 167 tenants mind you!) that will benefit from this new infrastructure?


Why are we making way for these 167 tenants? They (the 167 tenants) should realize that we are at the brink of a new era of development, where a few mega projects, (if executed well) could have long-lasting benefits from it. We’re able to get to work faster, spend more time with our families, less stress from long travelling time and enjoy a better quality of life compared to being stuck in traffic.


No. Seriously. Think. About the economic benefits. The massive magnitude of this project has the multiplier, spillover effect of about 2.5 times i.e. RM213 billion flowing into the economy over the next decade, say MRT Corp.


The RM213 billion is of course based on the impact of money going into the economy from the construction of the whole project i.e. construction of the MRT lines, the stations and the rolling stock.


Like the PLUS North-South Expressway (NSE) that linked all the major cities and towns from Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah to Johor Bahru and to Singapore. These towns and major cities along the 966km (600 mi) stretch that makes up the backbone of Western Peninsula Malaysia has elevated quality of life, hasten development, increase property prices in the area at a multiplier rate.


Taking the PLUS NSE as an example, not only we road travelers benefitted from faster and safer travelling time but these connecting communities benefitted from it as well because the highway stimulated the growth of local and regional entrepreneurs and created more business and job opportunities. Likewise, the MRT can be seen as the backbone of the Klang Valley .


No. Seriously. Think. I know these 167 tenants know all this and we don’t need to spell out our assessment of the long-term economic benefits of this project to them. Because they too see that there is little doubt we must proceed with them. However, they are trying their luck in getting a handsome payout. Selfish. No? Opportunist? DEFINITELY!


No. Seriously. Think. We must try and minimize the impact on those who will be directly affected and compensate them fairly and not let a small group of people derail what is good for the nation as a whole.


The Government must put their foot down and stand firm on this and not backtrack. (…remember the case of unwinding of the MAS – AirAsia share swap deal? A lot of good that did). Sometimes it helps not to take the populist approach… just sayinglah…