Rise Of The Under The Tree Stalls?

With the recent rice in the fuel and energy bill, ordinary people may no longer be able to afford buying their meals at regular restaurants that will surely mark up their food prices at prices that may not really reflect the actual quantum in the rise of their costs but rather attempt to become profiteers in stealth. They will give excuses like rise in raw materials, energy, rent and such to justify their increase quantum even though they may actually reflect the willing buyer price threshold in the area. I can confidently talk about this as the Mamak restaurants within the vicinity of KLCC are charging KLCC prices for their food, even though their overheads are surely less. Therefore I would assume that by having less overhead than these fixed location premises, people will now try to patronise more under the tree establishments that even though they will raise their prices in tandem, the quantum would be more realistic and reflective of the actual price increases. The problem is that within Kuala Lumpur itself, it is now very difficult to find such premises, much less the temporary stalls that used to mushrooms at the roadsides to cater for breakfast and lunch crowds with their economic meals, that are usually much tastier than those at restaurants actually as these are usually home cooked pots of food, cooked in smaller quantities and therefore their recipes can remain true to the original measurements and maintain authenticity. Alas in the name of development and so called cleanliness, these small entrepreneurs that would be perfect outlet to support reasonable food pricing has been pushed out from our food schemes by the city authorities, and even though some may be able to comply with the regulations that in order to become mobile food operators they have to operate from catering vans, the reality is that locations for these vans to set up shop are very limited and will not be able to replicate the numeriourity of the road side temporary stalls. So the ball is now in your court, dear Ministers. You want to help the people, rethink your strategies and return to food disbursement methods that have demonstrated well their ability to provide meals at reasonable cost to ordinary folks, as they have done in previous economic downturns as these are methods that the ordinary people have created to resolve the situation.

A case in point is this roti canai stall in my wife’s kampong. Set up by the roadside under the trees of the owner’s courtyard, Mr Karim sells about 200 pieces of roti canai a day supplemented with villagers supplied nasi lemak packs and Malay kuehs. He does all this in his self built stall with adjoining drinks station, with tables set up under awnings installed under his fruit trees. With this set up, he is able to offer old style roti canai that even a mamak stall owner from the nearby town comes to his stall for his fix and he was coincidentally was waiting for his order with me. Authentic means fluffy flavourful roti canai as he does stinge on the dough ingredients but there is a caveat, as he runs his stall alone he does prepare in advance some half cooked roti for frying upon receipt of order in order to cut down waiting town, but this remains fluffy as he maintains the old way of fluffing up the roti by smashing the rotis before serving or packed. The smashing action breaks up the gluten in the bread but as you can see the roti canai still maintains its shape and becomes fluffy.

Meanwhile his roti telur is also made old style, with cut onions and chillis mixed in the salted egg stuffing that when fried creates an aroma that is oh so rare nowadays. So when you take it home, upon opening the package your kitchen will be filled a most appetising aroma that spells good roti canai is to be had. And talking about the gravy you will get both the parpu dalcha that is chockfull of beef and vegetables, the fish curry gravy full of coconut milk and the sambal provided is actually real nasi lemak sambal instead of fried chilli paste that is normal elsewhere, so you can actually eat the roti with the sambal only. And Mr. Karim can offer his roti canai for only eighty cents each at size that he proudly declares is larger than what you can get in town, while his roti telur only cost a ringgit fourty each. Nonetheless he says that he is adoting a wait and see attitude with regards to increasing his food prices as he he says his raw material prices has not actually risen yet, but he is confident that he can still undercut his restaurant rivals. Does this not make a strong case for encouraging this entepreneurs under the tree who can sell their meals at a more economic and realistic prices, if only they are allowed the opportunity to do so more easily.

Biting The Bullet

As expected there is a huge hue and cry about the increase in the fuel prices, especially in my Cari forum. Well I posted a response on how to bite the bullet there in order to deal with the increase in petroleum prices which I think would be good to also be shared here. Well if you feel it is good advice to save some dollars in your pocket, please feel free to use the tips.

Popular stop: Vehicles waiting to fill up at a petrol station in Kampung Baru Wednesday night.

1st no need to modify whatsoever to you car, that will only increase your kerb weight and reduce aerodynamics unless you can hire Sauber to streamline your car. Car manufacturers had designed your car to Goldilocks's niceness, so why you need to modify your car? But if you still want to modify your car go ahead, but this means you have the extra money to do so so you should also have the means to pay for the extra gas.

Swamped: Motorists inching their way to two petrol kiosks at Jalan Baru in Prai after the announcement by the Prime Minister Wednesday.

2nd do try different brand of fuels to see which can give you more mileage for your car. Even though it is said to be not scientifically proven, but drawn from my more than twenty years of driving experience I must say that I do notice that different brands will give different mileage for different cars. In fact sometimes the effect is that a different brand can give better mileage for long distance travel than town use. One clear example was that when I drove my Waja previously, I use a different brand for town use and another brand for long distance travel but the same effect I do not get with my Innova, so I have just stuck with one brand for this vehicle. So it can be worthwhile for you to check which brand can give you better mileage in this case.

3rd no need to switch off your air conditioning if you still insist to be a speed freak like one fool driving an Aeroback that cut me off today. Drive according to the speed limit is enough as that is why it is called cruising baby because the vehicle's cruise speed is the speed that is most economical.

And lastly, do not forget to claim the RM650 when you renew your road tax from 1 July. If you think about it, this is the fairest way for the government to distribute the fuel subsidy to the citizens. An easy example is my household where for my Innova I use around 500 ringgit of fuel a month so this increase will be 500 x 40 percent or 200 ringgit. However my wife's Viva fuel bill is 200 ringgit a month so 200 ringgit x 40 percent means 80 ringgit extra a month. So when you deduct the rebate of 50 ringgit a month, I actually pay an extra 150 and my pays only 30 ringgit extra actually. So from this example you can actually see that the government is actually the small car owners more than those who can afford large capacity cars. Therefore for people like me who still want to use larger cars, we must bite the bullet and pay the extra fuel bill and get less subsidy in terms of percentage.

Half empty or half full?: Azhan Sharom showing the difference of how much petrol one can buy with RM1 Wednesday and today at a petrol station in Kuala Terengganu.

THINK ABOUT this before you think you want to join in any protest of this fuel price increase. Are you really gonna protest for the little people that actually do not pay that much more that they do currently (RM30) or will you be actually protesting for the fat cats that is can actually afford cars of more than 2000cc like the MERC, ESTIMA, ALPHARD, BMW, ACCORD,ALTIS and those in the same league. So before I finish again another reminder, before joining any street protest have a look first at the vehicles the organisers are coming in with.

Welcome To The Real World

Malaysians have been cocooned by our government against real world fuel prices for so long that I guess everybody including me is now aghast that the government has now allowed our fuel prices to now float closer to market prices and will be reviewed on a monthly basis. The result is now the price of petrol has of midnight 5th June 2008 risen forty percent and diesel by more than sixty percent. Nonetheless we should be reminded that this is still no where near real market prices, meaning that the government is still providing some subsidy and the impact will be also cushioned by direct subsidies to Malaysian vehicle owners via a rebate paid when the road tax is renewed, and for citizens like me who owns a vehicle not more than 2000 cc's this means a rebate of around fifty ringgit a month to reduce the bite of the price hike. However the rebate will mean much more to owners of smaller capacity engined cars that consume less petrol as the amount will be a bigger portion of their fuel bill, so the government has also managed to provide subsidy based on actual fuel usage as they have been talking about recently.

Foreign invasion: Thai motorists queueing up at the a petrol kiosk in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, on Sunday night as word of the impending ban got around.

Hopefully this will now stop more leakages of our government subsidy to non-Malaysian registered cars, even for those Malaysians working in Singapore who claims they deserve such a subsidy for their Singapore registered vehicles. I like this comment in the Sun newspaper today who accurately gave the reasons why these Malaysians do not deserve such subsidies from the Malaysian taxpayers, that reads as follows :

Subsidy is for Malaysian taxpayers

I REFER to the letter by “Disappointed” on Malaysians working in Singapore who are subject to the market price for fuel. I would like to point out that Malaysians working in Singapore do not pay Malaysian income tax as they are subject to tax in the republic.

Secondly, as they drive Singapore-registered vehicles, they do not pay Malaysian road tax, or for that matter even excise duties on purchasing Malaysian cars. So for the life of me, I do not understand why they should be entitled to fill up their Singapore cars with fuel subsidised by Malaysian taxpayers.In the same vein, I would not begrudge a foreigner who is employed in Malaysia and subject to tax laws here the right to fill up his fuel tank with subsidised fuel. It should be made clear that the entitlement to subsidised fuel should apply to Malaysian taxpayers and not all Malaysians. Malaysians who do not contribute to the tax coffers surely should not be entitled to subsidies paid for by other Malaysians.

Malaysian Taxpayer, Johor Baru

More kilometres for money: Singapore-registered vehicles rushing to fill up their tanks with cheaper petrol across the causeway at a petrol station located near the Johor Customs before the blanket ban ruling.

So Malaysians living in Johor with Singapore registered vehicles, stop yapping and pay for your petrol in your area of work, and pay the price accordingly. You already earn big bucks by working there, so do not expectyour Malaysian working brethen to facilitate further your opportunity to earn the bigbucks okay.

Now we all have to brace ourselves to the effect this price rise and the electricity price rise will have on our inflationary rate. With ceilings for a lot of price controlled items now being abolished, this will surely be a painful experience. I just hope that somehow we can tame this beast, as however you look at it a belt-tightening will be in order. And forget about having street protests, grow up as this is your welcome to the real world.

Post-script :

Well all tis hassle about foreign cars now been resolved. Ban already lifted ma. Needless mess for the past few days.

Aiyoo Your Propaganda Not Workingla!

Well the articles on Shamsiah Fakeh supposedly heroineism that I posted about got me wondering if there were pinkos within The Star newspaper but since the paper posted some rebuttals, at least it reassured me that sane and rational Malaysian are still out there who remembers the difference between pinkos and reds and citizens.

One of the letters that succinctly puts the point across :

Sunday June 1, 2008
Nationalist or terrorist?

I REFER to the article To exile and back again (People, StarMag, May 25) by Martin Vengadesan.

Shamsiah Fakeh was one of the enlightened rakyat caught in the “historical
accidents” of our country. We have to look at what role she played at the
material time. She could have been a “nationalist” fighting the imperialists in
one situation, or an “enemy” of the country in another.

In her case, she continued with the armed struggle as a member of the
outlawed communist Party of Malaya even after we gained our independence in
1957. So rightly we continued to label her a “terrorist” because she committed
crimes, taking part in ambushes and killing our soldiers. She was a criminal.
Realising that it was fighting a losing battle, the CPM leadership retreated to
China. Then disillusionment set in. The CPM consequently allowed top Malay CPM leaders to go back to Malaysia. Musa Ahmad, the chairman of CPM, was the first to be allowed to come back. Shamsiah followed later.

While I admire and respect her struggle for the sake of the country, I cannot
find a good reason to forgive her for her crimes against the country. She is
very lucky that the country she loves has forgiven her for these crimes.
Notwithstanding what is stated here, one fact is clear: Shamsiah is a special
Malay woman caught in the "historical accidents” of our country. But she will be labelled a terrorist forever....

Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur

While this letter is quite blunt in his opinion..

Sunday June 1, 2008

Communists not welcome

THE right place for an old communist lady to live out her life is Cuba or North Korea, not Malaysia. What would have happened if the communists had won in Malaysia like in Vietnam? Slaughter, underdevelopment, poverty, education camps, gulag-style?Isn't it true that in Sitiawan, Perak, the communists killed a lot of innocent people? I might be wrong but, sorry, but no mercy for the old communist leaders.They have caused too much harm to the free world and innocent people.

Herve, Kuala Lumpur

Welcome Back Indy, Welcome Mutt!

Well I just came back from watching the latest installment of Indiana Jones and I must say that at least this time old Georgie Boy didn't mess up this franchise. Although like Indy said that he is now older and albeit a little bit slower, the thrills are still there although the slow takes between the action scenes are now a bit longer. Have to give the old man a breather between scenes I guess. This is not a movie review so there will be no spoilers but I guess the movie is quite representative of the era it is now set, ie, the 50's with the McCarthyism scare, grease vs jocks, aliens and such and has enough death defying action to keep my kids occupied most of the time. But the legendary knowing smirk instances is no longer as frequent any more, so the conspiratorial feeling that we the audience shares with Indy that this is all tongue in cheek does not hold centre stage much further. Especially when the inside jokes taken from the earlier movies may be lost to the new viewing generation. So the joy ride feels less intense, we are no longer in the passenger seat with Indy but are now outside looking in. I feel more of this sense of loss when they talk about Indy's experiences during World War II, as I guess unless we can accept the fact that Indy is played by somebody else, those are a treasure trove of stories that will remain lost to moviedom. As it is the movie basically sets up the stage for the mantle to be passed on to the next generation, although the fedora hat does not really get passed down yet together with the infamous bullwhip. But I wished that a better name can be had than Mutt, although Monty from Montana and Tex from Texas would be kitsch, at least a name like Mitch as in Michigan or even Dakota would have been a better proposition. But what is cast is cast, so welcome back Proffesor! Although you make me feel my age but I am still glad to be on board again. And yes I agree that the greatest treasure is knowledge (oops was that a spoiler?)

Che Det, Have You Forgotten?

I really don't give a rat's arse about the on-going feud between our previous Prime Minister and current Prime Minister. Fiddle with your violin while the nation burns seems to be the order of the day. Nonetheless when Che Det starts having selective amnesia especially when it concerns matters of defence, then my conscience is pricked to set things right. Thus when the following was written in Che Det's blog as if it was not his administration that approved the sale, then I consider an untruth has been silently spunned again by the master spinner.

I quote from Che Det's posting in his blog;

There is a contradiction here which does not fit in with human values in a civilised world.Today trillions of dollars are being expended on the development and production of ever more lethal weapons of mass destruction. Poor countries are forced to buy these weapons by playing on their false sense of pride. They buy these expensive weapons so as not to be less well-equipped than their neighbours. Yet these weapons are often not used at all. Still they have to be upgraded or replaced with newer versions at tremendous cost.Malaysia has been drawn into this game. We have bought two submarines costing over RM3 billion. When are we going to use them? Are we contemplating going to war with our neighbours? I can think of other ways of spending RM3 billion in Malaysia.We need a defence force to preserve our independence. But do we have to be involved in an arms race? Only the suppliers of arms would benefit from an arms race.

Whatever he is trying to say, he seems to have forgotten that it was his administration who put their signature on the purchase papers and it was during his watch that the RM3 Billion was spent as aptly illustrated by this newspaper article. I took the opportunity to remind him of this fact and inquired as to what was the justification he had then to make him think that spending the RM3 billion this way was better than the other ways he can think of now. This I did not once but twice but it seems that only comments that faunts on him and praises him to high heaven is allowed to be posted. Could my little comment below fits his criteria of rejection,ie; Anonymous postings and those containing profanities and obscenities will be rejected, even though I made the comment using this blog identity that shares the same blog service provider as his blog, despite misgivings that my blog may be flamed after this or there might even be some unwanted attention one way or another after the comment is posted. But I live by the credo that the truth outweighs everything else so if this little comment that seeks to mend your forgetfulness hurts, tough luck Che Det but now you have lost my respect for hiding behind your blog.

Dear Che Det,I wonder what happened to my previous comment so I repost it again. Was it not under your administration that the submarine purchase was approved? So what was the justification used by your administration for this 3 billion purchase that you are criticising? Was it due to the purchase of second hand submarines by our nearest neighbours or was it to be used as a showcase or a lure for your beloved LIMA? Or have you forgotten? You seem to be forgetting a lot of things lately.

REGISTER OF RMN DECOMMISSIONED SHIPS Part 3

Expansion Of The Naval Role

The major role of the RMN now is to defend the integrity and sovereignty of Malaysia and her maritime interests. As a maritime nation, Malaysia must have a capable and trained navy to ensure the sovereignty and integrity of the country's territories and for maintaining an open sea line of communications with East Malaysia that is separated from Peninsular Malaysia by 926 kilometres of sea. Hence, the RMN must always be on the alert against any threats posed in the surrounding waters that cover an area of more than 598,540 square kilometres. The RMN also conducts regular patrols to ensure the safety and security of her territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The proclamation of the new Malaysia map in 1979 and the EEZ further increased the responsibilities and roles of the RMN and greatly influenced her development.

As such, the RMN's tasks has expanded from the 1980's from coastal defence to include safeguarding the sovereignty of all claimed territories, territorial waters and the EEZ, maintaining law and order in Malaysian waters and the EEZ and protecting Malaysia's sea lines of communication. In addition, the navy is responsible for protecting offshore hydrocarbon deposits and other non-living seabed resources, managing fishery resources, regulating scientific research and controlling the inflow of illegal immigrants. In line with these developments and progress of the nation, the RMN is therefore striving to be a formidable blue water navy.

The purchase of modern and sophisticated warships and Second Life Extension Programmes (SLEPS) that has been carried out to replace and upgrade aged vessels has enabled the RMN to withdraw from active service her older assets. The establishment of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency(MMEA) to undertake the coast guard role in 2004 has also relieved the RMN from performing coastal patrol duties and to support this new agency the RMN has transferred 17 of her ships including coastal assets to the MMEA. With the development of a lean and mean fighting force, the RMN now have a deterrent capability to keep potential aggressors at home. That in itself is already a victory for a peaceful country like Malaysia.

Below are the ships that has been decommissioned or transferred to meet that aim :

1. NAME : KD Sri Sabah, KD Sri Sarawak, KD Sri Negeri Sembilan, KD Sri Melaka (Sabah Class) , KD Kris, KD Sundang , KD Badek , KD Renchong , KD Tombak, KD 1967 , KD Lembing , KD Serampang, KD Panah, KD Kerambit, KD Beladau, KD Kelewang, KD Rentaka, KD Sri Perlis, KD Sri Johor (Kris Class)
PRECEDING NAME : New
PENNANT NUMBER : 3144, 3145, 3146,3147, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48
SERVICE ENTRY : 1964 Sabah Class, First Three 1966, Next Nine 1967, Last Two 1968.
SERVICE DEACTIVATED : 41 Decommissioned 2004, Others - transferred MMEA 2006
TYPE : Patrol craft – Sabah And Kris class

A follow on batch of 4 PB's to the Kedah class was commissioned in 1963 as the Sabah class and the deliveries ended at the end of 1964. With the development and enlargement of the navy's role, especially after assuming the responsibility for the patrol of Sabah and Sarawak's waters, more PB's were added to the fleet. This resulted in an order again to Vosper of 14 larger-sized PB's in 1965. These PB's were designated as "Kris" class Patrol Crafts(PC's) and are equipped with better engines and Decca-type radar, and with heavier weapons than before. The last PC of this class was duly commissioned in 1968. With a service period of more than 30 years, these craft has served with the distinction as the longest serving class in the RMN's fleet. The PC's were originally meant for coastal patrols but they were later enlisted for open-sea surveillance with the adoption of the EEZ concept but were increasingly unable to meet the navy's extended operational demands even though they have been retrofitted and modernised throughout their years of service. This is because the patrol boats have limited operational capabilities and are only able to patrol between 8km and 32km from the shore while the country's waters stretches for more than 320km and are thus expected to be gradually replaced with the incoming NGPV's.

Displacement: 96 tons standard , 109 tons full load (Kris Class)
Dimensions: 31.4 m x 6 m x 1.7 m
Guns : 2 x 40/70 mm Bofors, 2 12.7 mm MG
Electronics: Decca 707
Propulsion: 2 MTU MD655/18diesels 3,580 hp, 2 shafts
Speed : 27 knots, range 3074 Km at 14 knots
Crew: 36

2. NAME : KD Rahmat
PRECEDING NAME : KD Hang Jebat (Commissioning Name)
PENNANT NUMBER : 24
SERVICE ENTRY : 1971
SERVICE DEACTIVATED : 2004 -Proposed Museum Ship- Static Training Ship currently-
TYPE : Frigate- Yarrow Mark 1



A Yarrow Mark 1 frigate, Rahmat was the first major purpose-built warship for the Royal Malaysian Navy. She was laid down in 1966 and was originally called the KD Hang Jebat. However her name was later changed to Rahmat due to superstitious reasons after she had a run of unfortunate events in the 1970's. At the time of delivery, Rahmat was a capable ship by the standards then prevalent in South East Asia (SEA), with a high level of automation and a design emphasis on simplicity that reduced manning requirements. She was initially delivered in 1972 with a quadruple Sea Cat Surface to Air Missile(SAM) launcher, therefore making the Royal Malaysian Navy one of the first navies to be SAM-equipped in SEA. The third Bofors 40mm then replaced the outdated launcher in 1983 during a modernisation re-fit where the director was also removed, thereby altering her original appearance. On board, there is also a provision for the embarkation of a helicopter with the incorporation of a McGregor hatch over the well deck. Originally configured as an ASW frigate, she was used as the navy's second training vessel in the same squadron as KD Tuah. Decommissioned in 2004, she is now playing a role as a static training ship while awaiting conversion to a museum ship.

Displacement: 1250 tons standard, 1600 tons full load
Dimensions: 93.9m x 10.4m x 4.5m
Guns: 1 x 114mm/45 Vickers Mk 5 DP, 3x 40mm/70 Bofors. (Range : Main 19 Km/12.5 Km, Aux : 12 Km/4 Km)
ASW: 1 x Mk10 Limbo Mortar (3 tubes) (Range : 900 metres)
Electronics: Sewaco-MA combat data system, Signaal LW.02, Decca 626, Kelvin Hughes MS32 Radars, One radar for the WM22 gun fire-control system, Graseby Type 174 and Type 170B sonars, ESM system with UA-3 warning and FH-4 jamming elements, 2 UK Mk1 rail chaff launchers, Link Y
Propulsion: Rolls Royce Olympus TM1B gas turbine at 20626hp or Crossley/SEMT-Pielstick SPC2V diesel at 4000hp to two shafts, controllable pitch propellers
Speed: 26 knots, range 9656 Km at 16 knots
Crew: 140
Aircraft: Platform Aft

3. NAME : KD Musytari, KD Marikh
PRECEDING NAME : New
PENNANT NUMBER : 160, 161
SERVICE ENTRY : 1985/1987
SERVICE DEACTIVATED : 2006 – transferred to MMEA-
TYPE : Offshore Patrol Vessel - Musytari Class



For the extended patrolling of the Exclusive Economic Zone even in monsoon conditions, 2 Korean-designed Musytari class Offshore Patrol Vessels are in service with the Royal Malaysian Navy. Ordered in 1983, the first vessel was built in South Korea by Korean Shipbuilding Engineering Corporation while the second was built in a local shipyard, Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering. A third unit was proposed but she was finally not built. Although not of outstanding usefulness in a war situation except for fire support, the vessels still effectively perform the functions of maintaining continuos presence and providing surveillance in the EEZ in their primary role for the navy. The vessels also support and protect the oil rig platforms of the nation besides providing fishery protection, fire fighting and search and rescue operations. These vessels can be put to sea for a two-week period due to their larger size and longer range, and excellent sea keeping qualities and manoeuvrability enable the vessels to operate in rough weather. The armaments fit of the vessel includes a Creusot Loire 100mm Compact gun and an Emerson Electric 30mm twin cannon. The vessels are also fitted with a comprehensive range of navigation and communication equipment, and sophisticated fire control system. In times of crisis, mine warfare equipment and other weaponry may be fitted to expand the vessel capabilities. With a helicopter capability, the vessels are also able to carry out beyond horizon surveillance and ASW operations. As such, these vessels are sufficiently equipped to be useful in a secondary support role for any naval action.



Displacement: 1300 tons full load
Dimensions: 75m x 10.8m x 3.7m
Guns: 1 x 100mm/55 Creusot Loire Compact, 1 x twin 30mm/85 Emerson Electric. (Range : Main 17.5 Km/6 Km, Aux : 10Km/3.5 Km)
Electronics: Signaal DA05, Philips 9GA-600, Decca 1226 radars, Philips 9LV 230 Fire control system with Optronic backup, ESM Cutlass intercept
Propulsion: 2 Pielstick Diesels providing 12720hp to two shafts
Speed: 22 knots, range 11,100 Km at 20 knots
Crew: 76
Aircraft: Platform aft.