MAHATHIR REGRETS - Missed by Malaysiakini

SNIPPETS BY TUN MAHATHIR - Can we expect many more regrets Tun.

PUTRAJAYA

1. Putrajaya, dedicated to Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra is a city built on a greenfield site.

2. It has attracted a lot of visitors, both local and foreign. Many countries have studied the development of Putrajaya when they are planning their new administrative capital.

3. Malaysians are divided in their opinions of this artificially developed city. Some think it is a mega project which costs too much. Some seem to like it.

4. I was still Prime Minister when work on Putrajaya began. I saw the completion of the Prime Minister's complex, the mosque and a part of the buildings lining the boulevard (not to be called boulevard now).

5. I had noticed that the impressive boulevard was to be lined with Government buildings. I had spoken to (the late) Tan Sri Azizan Zainal Abidin, then Chairman of Petronas, the agency chosen to build Putrajaya, remarking the boulevard has only imposing Government Ministries lining it.

6. In America the cities all have central business districts where all the major corporations have their impressive office buildings. In the daytime the area is crowded with business people, office workers etc. Big American cars dropped and picked up the Executives along the main street.

7. The area is usually beautifully landscaped with fountains and monuments dotting the area.

8. However at night the place becomes deserted as all the office workers and businessmen go home. Quietness descends on the area with only an occasional taxi driving through. The fast food restaurants are shut.

9. It is dangerous to venture into the area at night as you may be coshed and robbed.

10. Remembering this I wanted to have the Putrajaya boulevard full of people at night. If you have only Government Offices and Ministries, the place would be deserted at night.

11. Unfortunately the planners want the place to have imposing Government buildings. The businesses should be tucked away somewhere.

12. As I drive through the boulevard at night I am enchanted with the number of lights lining it and the side roads. But there is no life as all the great Ministries are shut up tight, although they are beautifully floodlighted.

13. There are no shops at all, not even a coffee house. Those who have visited gay Paris will remember the brightness and the throngs of people strolling along or sipping drinks at roadside tables in front of brightly lit restaurants. The famous Lido would be crowded with people going to see the shows. Busloads of tourists would throng the bright side streets or sit at café tables watching people going by. The scene is very animated.

14. Famous restaurants and some fast food outlets as well as other shops lined the side roads parallel to the boulevard. Traffic flowed to and fro, unimpeded along the tree lined central boulevard.

15. I can understand why Paris is called the City of Light.

16. Putrajaya has lights almost as bright as those in Paris. But there are almost nobody strolling along the boulevard. It reminds me of the business districts in American cities.

17. I have talked to several people about the importance of having shops and theatres along the boulevard to give life to this beautiful city. But nothing has happened. I believe a big glass-fronted building has been built to house business corporations. It too would be closed at night.

18. More offices are being built but no shops, no restaurants or coffee houses and certainly no places of entertainment of any kind.

19. One of the effects of this rigid confinement to Government buildings on the boulevard is to make Putrajaya a Malay city. Ninety five percent of the people living in Government built flats are Malay Government workers. Although the Government built flats are available to non-Government servants, there are hardly any buyers for them. Certainly there are no Chinese or Indian.

20. I admit being guilty of setting up Putrajaya as the administrative capital. It is very well planned. But it is dull. 21. Not being in the Government, I cannot influence anything anymore. But I hope the powers that be will read this snippet on Putrajaya.

Zaid resign - Malaysiakini

Malaysiakini - reported that Zaid has resigned. Way to go - Zaid. We Malaysians salute you. UMNO's arrogance is in play. Its not Government's (Barisan Nasional) decision, it is UMNO's decision with Syed Hamid Albar as the spokesman. Syed Hamid Albar = Zainuddin Maidin. His reasoning cannot even convince the kids. Syed Hamid Albar have shown his true colour.

See what The Star says:

Cabinet members or Barisan Nasional component party leaders should be consulted before the Government issues any detention order, said MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan. “We hope in future there will be more consultation among Cabinet members or component party leaders because we were not informed about this,”

MCA against it - MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said MCA felt that if the ISA was really necessary, it must only be invoked in the most extreme cases.

MIC against it - Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the Government should be sensitive to the feelings of the people and not be blind to the fact that a significant proportion of the rakyat abhor the ISA and would prefer it not to be used.

GERAKAN against it - Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said Gerakan had called for the amendment of the ISA but not its abolition. He said the Act should be used only when dealing with national security and not against journalists carrying out their duties.

DOMPOK against it - Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said the arrests of reporter Tan Hoon Cheng, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin had put the Government in a bad light. “For any arrest there must be a reason and it must be clearly explained to the public,” he said.

Malaysians (Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans) - Be Calm, Be Patient and be polite even if it is your enemy. Register yourselves as voters and get whoever you can convince to register as Voters so that we could kick UMNO out in the next election.

RELEASE OUR BELOVED RAJA PETRA KAMARUDDIN & THERESA KOK IMMEDIATELY.

ABU - Anyone But Umno.