The community is outraged because they have long suffered from a state of seeming lawlessness in the country’s southern gateway. 

To the Johoreans, it appears that the police have finally made their presence felt because of pressure from the public and media following the spate of violent crimes in the city. 

It is good that the politicians, perhaps realising that their positions could be affected with the general election looming, have come out to highlight the crime problems in the state. 

In the past, certain politicians blamed the press for highlighting crime reports, giving lame excuses that it would scare away investors and tourists.  

It is silly to assume that the crime problem would go away if we simply sweep it under the carpet because if criminals are not put behind bars, they would just become bolder.  

Whether this denial comes from politicians or the police, the point is the police should spend their time going after criminals instead of treating the media as scapegoats. They shouldn’t use this as an excuse to hide their inadequacies. 

The sentiment on the ground is that the police in Johor have ignored complaints, even pleas, to check crime for too long and the series of horrendous crimes recently was the last straw. 

The huge turnout at the Johor Baru Tionghua Federation headquarters to sign a petition calling for a safer Johor and the demonstration outside the Mentri Besar’s residence were unprecedented. 

Last week, the police announced that the police would make themselves visible to keep crime down with more than 300 policemen to take over the policing of crime-prone areas in the district. 

A total of 160 General Operations Force (GOF) personnel will join the 150 men from the Federal Reserve Unit who have already started their tour of duty in the city.  

It was reported that the GOF men would go on crime-prevention rounds in teams of three armed with submachine guns and help man roadblocks. 

Without doubt, the show of force would go a long way to instil public confidence and, even if it is a short-term measure, it would be greatly appreciated by the people. 

Long-term measures have already been taken with the state recruiting at least 2,000 more policemen from the RM330mil committed to fight crime in the state. 

What has happened in Johor should be a lesson to the police because other cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Georgetown and Ipoh have similar, although less rampant, problems.  

At a recent meeting between my colleagues and a senior ambassador, the latter expressed his concern at the crime rate, saying his sentiment was shared by his fellow diplomats. 

Earlier this year, I met a businessman in Hong Kong over dinner and one topic that cropped out during our conversation was crime and corruption in Malaysia. 

These are issues that we feel ashamed of when we hear them from foreigners but in our heart of hearts, we know that they are right because we, too, share the same concerns. 

There is little need to be defensive by arguing that some cities in the United States or Europe have greater notoriety because little would be achieved from such mindless point-scoring. Let’s just worry about our own backyard first. 

Malaysians, especially in major towns, now prefer to stay in gated properties and condominiums because they feel safer while those in housing estates have pooled their money to hire guards. Some have even put up illegal barricades, especially those in Petaling Jaya, in their desperation to keep criminals away. 

In Klang, some traditional grocers have installed grilles in their kedai runcit, preferring not to have open contact with their customers. Sadly, we have come to that.  

So, if anyone – whether politicians or the police – want to tell us we are exaggerating, not many of us would be in the mood to be politically correct. 

You know something is wrong when even senior or retired policemen are robbed in their homes. The late Datuk Albert Mah, who spent his life fighting crime in Penang, died at the hands of criminals. 

We know the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, is a dedicated policeman. More importantly, he is a clean cop.  

But he alone cannot fight crime. Musa needs the support of all his men and those who refuse to back him, or even attempt to stall his efforts, should not be in the force. 

As much as we criticise the force, especially those serving in Johor Baru, we have to work closely with them to fight the common enemies – the thieves, robbers, drug pushers, rapists, gangsters and other criminal elements. 

We must also realise that while we want foreigners as cheap labour, we are also paying the price for the large number of foreigners in Malaysia, who do contribute to crime.  

While we beef up police presence in the streets, let’s not forget the coastal areas and the exit points – if committing a crime is easy in JB, getting out of the city and escaping the law are equally easy.  

The security problem was one of the issues potential investors posed to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when he visited Singapore recently to talk about the multi-billion-ringgit IDR. 

Like it or not, investors will not put money into the project if they do not feel safe. That is a fact. 

Over the past week, there have been two violent rapes that have triggered a public outcry against the perpetrators. In the first incident on June 12, three men raped a 19-year-old girl and her 22-year-old boyfriend could only watch helplessly because he had been slashed twice. 

The following day, a group of armed men took a couple on a one-hour terror ride before raping the 35-year-old woman in the presence of her friend, who was also slashed. 

Last month, a woman who was waiting in the car while her husband went into the toilet was held up at knife-point and taken on a terror ride, gang-raped and robbed. 

What horrified Malaysians was that the victim was a pregnant woman who begged the men to let her go but they took turns to rape her instead, in the presence of her three-year-old son, in a secluded area. 

In May, a gang reportedly terrorised city folk by kicking them off their motorbikes before robbing them. Malaysians returning from Singapore were the targets. 

All these high-profile cases of violent crimes have further dented the city’s image, giving the impression that JB is a lawless city and the police seem unable, even incapable, to combat crime effectively. 

The public has a right to question the effectiveness of the state police force and they certainly have every right to demand responsibility on the part of the police officials. 

The state’s top brass are paid to fight, or at least manage crime, and if they are unable to fulfil their roles, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has to review their positions. 

Johor must be given top priority because of the importance of the IDR as the country’s Southern Gateway and every support must be given by all agencies and the private sector to make it a reality. 

In March, it was reported that Johor police would get RM330mil for new personnel and hardware to fight crime, including 500 more mobile patrol units, which will ensure a response time of 15 minutes or less.  

Johor, which has a 3,000-strong police force, is recruiting at least 2,000 more. 

Johor certainly needs plenty of crime-busters and firepower. Last year, a total of 29,079 cases ranging from theft of undergarments to kidnapping were reported in 76 police stations around the state. 

About 68% of these reports were lodged in JB district alone while the rest was spread across the remaining seven districts. 

While Johor is in the news for violent crimes, it is not the number one state for crime. Selangor is ranked top, but it is no consolation as Johor is in second place. 

The state police can boast that it has a solving rate of more than double Interpol’s 20% target for last year, but its report card will not inspire confidence among Johoreans and the rest of Malaysia. 

We have to acknowledge that JB has a crime problem, and getting upset over remarks by others that it has these problems will not end our troubles. Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say. 

Crime is today one of the biggest concerns of Malaysians, with most of us sharing stories of experiences involving family members, friends or colleagues. 

Unlike other states, Johor is located next to Indonesia and Singapore with 17 entry and exit points, especially at the ferry terminals. 

Police presence surely needs to be beefed up, particularly at coastal areas, because it is easy for Indonesian criminals to slip in and out undetected.  

More police beats, particularly in the city and neighbourhoods, will help to prevent crime. 

But fighting crime is not just the job of the police. The community must work with the police to make JB a safer place. 

If New York can do it, there is no reason why JB, with the support of the police and public, cannot regain its turf from the criminals.  

Just before I left the hotel where I was attending a birthday party, my friends had showed me pictures on their mobile telephones of the scenes at various locations at Jalan Sultan Ismail where the floods had worsened. 

One showed the basement of a hotel where several cars were trapped and water rising at an alarming rate as we discussed how we could reach our homes through the best possible routes.  

In various parts of the city, many motorists just parked their cars by the kerb, refusing to be part of the traffic snarl, with some taking pictures of cars being submerged in water.  

I was fortunate, my driver, a former taxi man, drove me through lanes that I never knew existed and cut through government offices before heading towards Bukit Tunku to reach Petaling Jaya. Some of my friends, who attempted to leave the city at 10.30pm, only managed to reach home at around 1am. 

The question on the minds of city folks was why was Kuala Lumpur still hit with a flood following the completion of the RM1.9bil Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel Project (SMART) and a total of RM6.2bil reportedly spent on flood mitigation in the past years? 

The Prime Minister is rightly upset with what has happened by rebuking the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) for failing to deal with the rising waters that hit the heart of the city. 

After all the hype, the SMART management has claimed that tunnel was designed only for storm floods and not for flash floods. Its operations general manager Mohd Fuad Kamal Ariffin said it was not able to handle flash floods and areas outside of the Sungai Klang and Sungai Ampang confluence. 

That was not all – the DID, he said, would handle the operations of the SMART flood tunnel as flood management and control fall under its jurisdiction. In short, it’s not our job, please see them. 

But DID deputy director Ahmad Fuad was saying a different thing on Monday. He said had the SMART flood tunnel been ready, it would have prevented the floods, saying a storm caused the Sungai Kelang, near Dataran Merdeka and Masjid Jamek, to overflow. He said that was what the SMART flood tunnel is being built to overcome. 

He said had the tunnel being operational, “it would have used to divert 95% of the water in Sungai Klang to a lake in Sungai Besi and prevent the flood.” He added that the road portion of SMART was opened to traffic but the floodwater diversion component will only be operational next month. 

But his boss Datuk Paduka Keizul Abdullah was quoted as saying last week that the SMART tunnel will not put an end to flash floods, unless some 200 dams and flood retention ponds to complement it are built. 

He said currently only 100 of the 200 ponds had been constructed and completed, and that the ponds being built include the Sri Johor pond, expected to be ready only in January next year. In short, the SMART flood tunnel can handle the floods but only if it is fully completed with these components.  

For the folks in the Klang Valley, the question is can the flood tunnel, when fully completed, be able to resolve Kuala Lumpur’s flood woes, after having spent over RM1.9bil without taking into account the other millions used up for flood mitigation projects. Flash floods or storm floods are the same to us because it is just air banjir. 

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan has promised some short and long term plans to resolve the flash flood problem by increasing the height of retaining walls along rivers and building more pump houses at low areas. 

The people in Klang Valley have heard all these assurances before; after each flood. Why do we get this nagging feeling that we would have to go through the same problems again when it rains the next time? 

It is embarassing, even a blow to the nation’s image, that right under the majestic Twin Towers, cars were floating or submerged in rivers after just a few hours of rain in the federal capital. Malaysians do not have to be engineering experts to know that the city’s drainage is bad.  

Millions of ringgit must have been wiped out on Sunday when properties were destroyed by floodwaters, resulting in a trail of debris on Monday which made Kuala Lumpur look like a city from a Third World country. 

Until yesterday, the pumps were still working overtime, including at the Dataran Merdeka basement car park, to get the water out. The extent of the cars trapped inside the basement remained unclear. 

What hurt most is the continuing presence of tourists at Dataran Merdeka since Sunday who had been clicking away with their cameras at the entrance of the flooded basement car park.  

Well, as we, Malaysians, would say, jatuh air muka sahaja (the loss of face) especially when some of us, including the politicians, seemed preoccupied with boasting of our biggest, tallest and longest achievements.  

It wasn’t a few drops of water leaking from the ceiling this time but a flood that hit at least 40 areas in the city. 

To put it bluntly, some of us are just not too smart. 

While it was not a well-kept secret with talk of the wedding already circulating for months, the announcement was well managed.  

One must remember we are talking about the wedding of a Prime Minister who is 67 years old and certainly he must be accorded the respect and dignity without the matter being turned into a media circus.  

It is not something unusual; in Japan and many European countries, there are certain ground rules for the media from the royal houses or office of the heads of state.  

Naturally, the press would have liked to publish everything they manage to get their hands on but one must remember that there would be no end to people making claims of being close friends of the family members from a mere photograph or a quote printed in the papers.  

Rightly, Abdullah’s main concern was the accuracy of information pertaining to the wedding.  

On Wednesday, word leaked out at around 8am that an official announcement would be made in the afternoon. However, many politicians and close friends of the Prime Minister were still caught by surprise.  

While they had to wait for the news, one thing was certain – the Prime Minister had kept the plans to just family members.  

Last Friday, Pak Lah said he preferred a private ceremony attended only by close relatives at his official residence.  

He has been in good spirits over the past week, replying to questions on personal matters from the media with witty repartee. 

He has also become a target of friendly banter wherever he goes and he has taken all this in his stride.  

The Prime Minister is undoubtedly aware of the jokes being circulated at his expense but he is a man of good humour.  

“For the Malays, when you are getting married, people like to pull your leg, make fun and tease you, especially when you are marrying for the second time, what more if it is the third and fourth time. I won’t go beyond two,” he told reporters last week, adding that he had known Jeanne for the past 20 years.  

Last week, he answered all questions from when he fell in love to his honeymoon plans openly. There was even a question of whether he went down on his knees when he proposed.  

The media was relentless with their questions, even asking private details like whether he addressed Jeanne as “darling” or “sayang” but the Prime Minister sportingly answered, even revealing that he had ordered a wedding ring.  

Jeanne, 53, may not be a familiar name to Malaysians but she is set to capture the attention of the people.  

There are already over 233,000 entries in the Google search engine while Yahoo has over 196,000 entries; someone has already sent a short piece to the Internet encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, on Jeanne.  

Any news item about Jeanne, who studied at the Assunta Secondary School, is almost certain to top the charts.  

Jeanne has been a relative in the family, being the late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood’s former sister-in-law.  

She has a reputation of being an organiser, a role she handled well in managing Putrajaya, and at a media open house a few months ago, she mingled well with journalists who knew her personally while keeping a low profile at the same time.  

More importantly, she is known in the family as an ordinary and simple person who loves children and the younger family members.  

It was a point that Pak Lah singled out when he spoke to reporters last week about his wedding.  

Malaysians wish Abdullah and Jeanne the very best and pray that the couple will have happy days ahead. May their marriage be blessed. 

It has the lowest non-revenue water rate and despite having the lowest water tariff, PBA Holdings Bhd as a government-linked company is still able to generate good returns to its shareholders. 

But living in Selangor after 20 years in the Klang Valley has been a different experience altogether. Every household seems to have water filters of all sizes, shapes and specifications, some bigger than the size of a gas cylinder, often set up in their gardens. 

It's obvious that the water quality in the country's most developed state is bad. Any consumer can tell you this; you don't have to be an expert.  

Sure, there is no disruption to water supply but the quality is something else. It has gone from bad to worse, really. All the filters will not help unless we clean up our act – which means ensuring the source of our water is not polluted, particularly at mid-stream. 

Even as the Government continues to replace asbestos cement pipes, it is essential that there must be better quality control at the treatment plants. 

Last week, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik announced that the privatisation of water supply has been put on hold and no more water concessions would be given out. He said the Government was open to the idea of state governments entering into joint ventures. 

State governments, he said, could go into joint ventures with people who had the expertise and money to run and enhance water services. The privatisation of water supply is within the powers of the state. What Lim said is in fact what many non-governmental organisations have long advocated – you don't privatise water supply. 

Water is an essential commodity and with predictions of water becoming scarce, the argument that privatisation is better no longer holds water.  

All private companies need to pay higher dividends to satisfy their shareholders and the only way to do so is to increase tariffs – at the public's expense. 

A GLC or a government agency, on the other hand, is able to balance the social responsibilities better against a profit-oriented private concern. For ordinary Malaysians, they would prefer water, as a critical resource, to be in the hands of the Government rather than a corporation or an individual. 

The situation becomes murky, as in Selangor, where the government has separated the low-risk water treatment function and the high-risk distribution, pipeline maintenance and billing functions. 

Put the business of water aside, the fact is that it has become globally recognised that the world is running short of fresh water resources, even though water is considered renewable. 

Malaysia is no exception and it does not help that we have treated our rivers as rubbish dumps with over half of our rivers reportedly dead because they have been polluted by raw or partially treated sewerage. 

Interbasin and interstate water transfers are expected to become an increasingly common feature of water resources development planning. 

Two of the world's water experts, Tony Clarke and Maude Barrow, have reportedly described the situation in a more dramatic way – the world is running out of water. 

In their 2003 report, they predicted that by 2025, the world population would increase to 2.6 billion more than the present day and water demands would exceed availability by 56%. 

There will be disputes in water-scarcity areas and frictions would be inevitable. The fact is that there is already a war over water. 

In Darfur, Sudan, the fight over water is more evident than ever and Israel and Palestine have locked horns not just over land but over the control of the Jordan River. 

Nearer to home, the dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over water remains unsettled. It is hard for Malaysians with a blessed eco-system to imagine that the water that they drink from our taps may just dry up one day. 

It seems so far fetched and so unimaginable that we give so little thought to keeping our rivers clean.  

But the fact is that we can no longer just dismiss such warnings as wild thoughts from alarmist environmentalists. 

The world did not take the global warming warning seriously and the consequences are being felt and seen now. Let's renew our commitment to protect our water supplies as we celebrate World Environment Day on Tuesday – do it for the sake of our young Malaysians.  

Permatang Berangan assemblyman Shabudin Yahaya and Sungai Dua assemblyman Datuk Jasmin Mohamed, two political unknowns outside the state, made it to the national pages last week for their warped remarks on women’s dressing. 

The two Umno politicians suggested there should be a dress code for women, blaming women’s provocative dressing for sexual crimes. 

The women’s dressing menggoda (seduces) and mencabar (challenges) men, Shabudin was quoted as saying when debating at the state assembly. He said men were sure to look when sexily attired women walked by them.  

Hello, what’s wrong with these lawmakers? Malaysians are used to hearing such remarks from conservative PAS politicians in Kelantan, with an eye on the religious and political sentiments of their electorate, but for them to come from the Barisan in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious set-up in Penang is another matter. 

In December last year, the Kota Baru Municipal Council also announced that women working in retail outlets and restaurants would be fined if they were not decently dressed, referring to tight-fitting blouses, jeans, shorts and skirts. 

The council warned that those arrested could be fined up to RM500. That was the latest ruling in a state where a top PAS leader once said the state government would not hire attractive women. 

The PAS government has continued with its policy of gender segregation at supermarket check-outs and no lights out during screening of shows in cinemas. The gender segregation also continues at concerts, which older PAS politicians continue to frown on. 

But Mansor Musa (BN-Batu Maung) rightly put the two assemblymen in their place for their sexist remarks, saying they were not showing a good example of the House. 

Tan Cheng Liang (BN-Jawi) also ticked them off, saying “even women who are covered from head to toe and two-year-old children have become rape victims. This shows that it has nothing to do with women’s dressing.” 

The arguments put up by Shabudin and Jasmin are completely flawed because there are plenty of sex crimes committed against women in rural areas, including east coast states, where the victims were conservatively dressed. Even grandmothers in tudung have been raped. 

It is acceptable, even expected, of men to look at sexily dressed women or attractive women, but in a civilised society, we are expected to restrain ourselves. That separates Malaysia from some Middle East countries where even their conservatively dressed women are often subjected to sexual harassment, even attacks.  

Malaysian women travellers to some Middle East countries have often talked about having their buttocks pinched by men, who seem unable to control their urges.  

It is simply shameful because our women, understanding the culture and sensitiveness of these countries, had taken steps to dress decently but that was even not enough to stop such despicable acts. 

Malaysians must be wondering what Jasmin was talking about when he said that women who dressed provocatively had also forgotten their family responsibilities. 

What kind of an argument is that? There are plenty of men of all races and religion who have failed to pay their alimonies and maintenance to their ex-wives. That is surely failing to fulfil family commitments, and nothing to do with how women dress.  

Politicians like Shabudin and Jasmin – and not forgetting Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) and Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf (BN-Jasin) – are really wasting taxpayers’ money when they make such remarks in Parliament and state assembly debates. 

They may think it is humorous and a way to make the headlines but Malaysians expect better quality debate from our legislators. To put it bluntly, they are making fools of themselves and we do not find it funny at all when we have to pay their allowances for their presence.  

When such remarks are made, it would also have an impact on the mindset of some people, reinforcing such prejudices against women. 

Malaysians want to hear from our politicians how they have helped women, especially single mothers, to be entrepreneurs and how they can be trained to be computer literate, similar to the successful programme in South Korea. When mothers are good with computers, they can impart their knowledge to their children before they even attend school.  

If they believe so strongly in the dignity of women, we would like to hear from the likes of Bung Mokhtar and Shabudin Yahaya how they can help our women – who are our grandmothers, mothers, sisters and daughters. 

The two leaders have adopted a realistic approach: a good neighbour is better than a friend a few thousand miles away. In the case of Malaysia and Singapore, we are stuck with each other for better or worse, thus it’s more realistic to work together. 

Sadly, there remain insular politicians in Malaysia who continue to cling to their myopic views. Their prejudices and imaginary suspicions do not help Malaysia, especially Johor. 

We can talk about wanting to be competitive, but we have to change our mindset first. 

The world has changed and the tide of globalisation simply cannot be stopped because businesses are operating without borders. Narrow nationalism with its protectionist tendencies is simply self-defeating. 

Malaysia must try to make itself more attractive, more competitive and more open if we wish to be on the radar screen of international investors. 

The current flavours are India and China, two giant blips on the radar. Unless we get ourselves heard or seen, we will become little dots that investors may miss. 

The Iskandar Development Region (IDR) project, the brainchild of Pak Lah, is set to dramatically change the socio-economic landscape of the country but we cannot do it alone. We need Singapore. Period. 

It is an ambitious plan aimed at making Johor bigger than China’s Shenzhen province, which has benefited greatly from Hong Kong. 

Johor, similarly, hopes to gain from Singapore which plans to raise its population to 6.5 million, with tourist arrivals estimated at 13 to 14 million a year once its two integrated resorts begin operations in 2010. 

Our politicians can argue that the proposed bullet train should end in Johor Baru and not Singapore. The point is, if Malaysians want to visit the two casinos, they will still go to the island republic. 

Similarly, foreign investors to the IDR will find it easier to fly to Singapore and then take a 30-minute drive to Johor. It doesn’t make sense to fly to Kuala Lumpur first. 

Our politicians should understand that Johor can gain from Singapore’s success and growth. Malaysians will not lose the shirts off their backs by working with Singaporeans – on the contrary, there is plenty to gain if we complement each other. 

No doubt there are outstanding issues such as the price of water supplied to Singapore, railway land, Central Provident Fund withdrawals for Malaysian workers and a bridge to replace the Causeway, but we have to move on to areas of agreement too. 

The wisdom of our leadership is that we should not assume too much and we should not give in too much. 

Fortunately, that is the thinking of Putrajaya but parochial-minded politicians have sometimes sent the wrong message to Singapore. 

Let’s be clear about the IDR. It is the cornerstone of the Prime Minister’s national economic agenda and plenty of resources and energy will be channelled to this 20-year project. Two other growth areas are in the east coast and the northwest covering Perak, Penang and Kedah. 

The IDR – covering 2,217 sq km, which is nearly three times the size of Singapore – has the potential to turn Johor into an economic powerhouse that is bigger than Bangkok or Jakarta. 

For a start, Johor has allocated about RM1bil to clean up and rehabilitate three of its most polluted rivers ahead of plans to build Danga Bay, a massive waterfront project with residential, commercial, recreational and social amenities. 

Johor needs a new image. Visitors see the city as badly planned with traffic congestion, squatter settlements and high crime rate. An extreme makeover through the IDR will certainly rejuvenate the state once a new skyline comes into place. 

If Pak Lah has his way, he would want immigration officers to process passports of visitors on the buses instead of making them queue up. He understands the frustrations of having to line up for a couple of hours at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) checkout. 

The original proposal to introduce a passport-free region in IDR late last year was scrapped due to concerns that the area could be flooded with foreigners. One possibility is to issue smart cards, with similar features to the present Malaysian passport, so that visitors can have easier and faster access into Johor. 

Malaysia and Singapore have taken the right step in setting up a special ministerial committee to focus solely on bringing in investments and facilitating business and tourism to the IDR. 

It is the kind of language acceptable to both sides. Certainly, with its combined muscles the panel can expedite projects that benefit both nations. 

Another meeting between Pak Lah and Lee is scheduled, this time in Singapore. Now the barriers should be removed to make the journey ahead smoother. 

Taxpayers have good reason to be upset because it has cost them RM90mil in 2005 when Parliament House was renovated. Apparently, waterproofing material was not installed then. 

Different figures have been reported on the actual amount spent – ranging from RM60mil to RM85mil and now RM90mil – but what is certain is that it was a lousy job. 

On April 28, 2005, Members of Parliament had to leave the Dewan Rakyat when water seeped through the ceiling, drenching two rows of benches, and forced proceedings to be adjourned. 

Television sets situated at specific points, including the media centre, went blank while Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya had to stop his speech because his microphone failed. 

At the Dewan Negara just a few steps away, it was reported that two posh leather chairs broke when the Senate was in session. 

Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib was then quoted as saying, in a rather dramatic manner, that “it was too dangerous to continue with the proceedings, the water wasn’t slowing down and the ceiling could have collapsed for all we know.” 

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang called it a “day of shame for Parliament.” 

Two days later, Ramli must have recovered from the mishap as he said that the roof leak should not be linked to the renovations, and that the matter was a “technical oversight and already rectified.” The renovations, he added, were generally good. 

Samy Vellu ordered the Public Works Department to investigate while the Public Accounts Committee also promised a probe, with PAC deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw saying that the whole building needed to be checked.  

It would appear that Samy Vellu and the PAC would probably have been told that all problems had been fixed, and all have been forgiven and forgotten until Wednesday’s uproar in Parliament over another ceiling leakage. 

Worse, the complaints over the water seepage at the media centre by some MPs degenerated into a new controversy when the MP for Kinabatangan Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin and Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof made their now infamous bocor remarks. 

Their sexist remarks, which led to their formal apology to women in Malaysia, almost led to Malaysians forgetting the issue at hand. 

Even Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the Parliament House was safe and that “it is 40 years old and nothing has happened to date.” 

But Samy Vellu is now telling us a different story. If the Works Minister is right, Malaysians can expect the Treasury to have a bocor in its pocket, with another expensive repair exercise coming up because of shoddy maintenance. 

Water leakage may be common in old and new buildings and those of us who have moved into new houses would know that we often have to call up the developer to carry out patching work during the one-year warranty period. 

But Samy Vellu, a trained architect, has declared that the leaky roof is a “severe problem” and that the whole structure must be removed. 

Five spots, he added, were found near the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara galleries and “if immediate repairs are not made, the situation will worsen and the leak will spread to 10 or 15 spots.” 

The dignity of the august house and the safety of the Right Honourable Members are important but the interest of taxpayers are equally important. 

I believe Malaysians in general are not amused by such huge amounts of money being spent on repairs and maintenance. 

The culprits should be hauled up and sued for damages if we wish to send a strong message to those who get government construction jobs. 

The Parliament maintenance staff should also answer for the pile of rubbish, mainly construction waste, on the roof, which had clogged the drainage system. 

With due respect to Samy Vellu, who has vast experience in public works, we would appreciate it if he can provide us with details of his estimates, including the RM22mil for checking buildings in Putrajaya. 

The Prime Minister, I believe, would want to know the damage for the maintenance work and costs to be incurred when the Cabinet meets next week.

The microphones of all MPs had to be switched off by the Speaker in the heat of the debate but Mokhtar’s profanity was loud enough for other members and reporters to hear. He must be proud of his record. 

Strangely, the Hansard, which records the House meetings in verbatim, has no record of the outburst during the debate. Things would have remained that way until the media approached Bung Mokhtar in the lobby and, to their surprise, he admitted the deed and went on to defend himself on record. 

Before that, the MP sparked a controversy when he uttered a sexist-tainted boleh masuk sikit? (Can I come in a little?) remark in his attempt to seek clarification from Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng.  

As expected, he said he meant no harm and that the phrase was commonly used in Sabah. 

Last week, Bung Mokhtar was back in the limelight again but this time he was joined by the “close one eye” Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf, who once accused certain top Customs officials of selling confiscated luxury cars cheaply to their “friends” in the palaces and other government departments but failed to produce any evidence.  

On Wednesday, Bung Mokhtar reportedly said: “Mana ada bocor, Batu Gajah pun tiap-tiap bulan bocor juga (Where is the leak? Batu Gajah leaks every month too) against Batu Gajah MP Fong Poh Kuan who had complained about the leaks in the Parliament lobby. 

An angry Fong proposed to refer Mohd Said, the MP for Jasin, and Bung Mokhtar, to the Rights and Privileges Committee, saying that the remarks were insulting and derogatory to women. 

A motion by the DAP MP to refer the two MPs to the panel was rejected by Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib on a technicality, saying Fong had filed the motion a day later. In short, the two BN MPs were let off the hook. 

But what was more frustrating was the lame defence put up by some backbenchers.  

Tangga Batu MP Datuk Idris Haron said Fong should not see the remark as a gender issue and accused her of using it to get publicity, saying “we should take them as a joke, not as a personal attack”.  

Petrajaya MP Fadzillah Yusuf said the statement never intended to humiliate women, adding: “I think he just said it as he was provoked.” 

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz also came to the two MPs’ rescue, saying he did not find the choice of words used to be offensive and that it was normal to play with words.  

This must surely be a case of partisan politics going overboard. What Bung Mokhtar and Mohd Said said was not just impolite but appalling. As politicians with the Yang Berhormat (The Right Honourable) title, should they not have acted in a more honourable and gentlemanly manner? 

Bung Mokhtar could be forgiven if he had made the remark for the first time, particularly during a heated debate, but this man has a pretty poor record when it comes to parliamentary debate. We expect our lawmakers to articulate their views without having to shout, much less shout profanities and make sexist remarks.  

It is better for our politicians not to use the honorific YB if they cannot live up to the expectations of the rakyat as role models. Not many of us expect our lawmakers to speak like Tony Blair or Bill Clinton but the least they could do is to exercise some restraint when debating issues affecting the people and the nation.  

In 2000, Datuk Mohamed Aziz (BN – Sri Gading) touched a raw nerve when he started his speech saying: “It is unusual for women’s issues to be touched (raised) by men,” and after a pause, he added, “but women are supposed to be touched by men.” 

When Bung Mokhtar asked why single woman found it hard to remarry, Mohamed replied that it was generally due to their not-so-favourable age, adding that “men, when it comes to younger women, they will definitely drool”. 

Last year, Bung Mokhtar, in a heated debate with Karpal Singh (DAP-Jelutong) shouted: “You should keep quiet. It’s a lucky thing that you are in a wheelchair. You almost died once (in an accident).” The DAP leader had earlier criticised Bung Mokhtar: “Dia otak tak centre (the MP is insane).” 

The Opposition also has its share of ugly MPs who are afflicted with the foot-in-the-mouth disease.  

The PAS MP for Rantau Panjang Abdul Fatah Harun made headlines last year when he labelled divorcees as gatal (randy) and went on to say it was not a sexist remark. 

Malaysians had never heard of this unknown MP until he asked in the Dewan Rakyat whether some women who divorced their husbands were more intent on getting separated. He claimed these single mothers did not look like they were sad about their divorce. 

Abdul Fatah said he based this on his observation at gatherings and parties, and the impression was that these women were gatal. He went on to say that it was quite obvious why these women ended up divorced or why their husbands left them. 

Really, some of our lawmakers never cease to amaze us, especially Bung Mokhtar and Mohamed Aziz. Despite repeatedly displaying political cockiness and being uncouth, they still get themselves re-elected. 

Malaysians have been spared from the physical drama which Taiwanese lawmakers are notorious for but we must end the name calling, the sexual innuendoes, intimidation, subtle threats and racist remarks that are often displayed at every Parliament session.

Among Asia Pacific countries, Malaysia was ranked 28th out of 40 and we trailed behind Pakistan and Cambodia. 

In 2005, Malaysia was ranked 152nd globally and 33rd regionally, which means there is a slight rise up the notches. 

But that’s not really good enough. We should not compare ourselves with China, North Korea, Myanmar, Iran and Brunei. Thankfully, no politician has attempted to make such warped comparisons. 

Widening scope: From mobile telephones to computers, which are getting smaller, providing news would no longer be the monopoly of professional journalists but ordinary Net users as well. — Filepic

For practical reasons, no Malaysian media company would want to be in the same category as Timur Leste or Papua New Guinea, even if they are ranked higher than Malaysia, as the advertising index is almost non-existent. 

Similarly, press freedom has little meaning if journalists always end up in the morgue, like in the Philippines, Cambodia or Thailand. 

Still, the cry for greater press freedom is getting louder. It would be foolish for anyone to stifle press freedom, especially among the mainstream media because some politicians want to control what the public think or read. 

It is no longer possible as the broadband becomes faster on the Internet and our sources of information widen.  

The newspapers would be just one source of information because media companies, as content providers, would also use other media to relay information. 

From mobile telephones to computers, which are getting smaller, providing news would no longer be the monopoly of professional journalists but ordinary Net users as well. 

Bloggers have become a source of information. Many may be opinionated and their information may not be accurate, given their lack of resources, but they provide an alternative. 

Many have raised pertinent issues and asked good questions, which make us think harder. Many former journalists-turned-bloggers have proven that they still have the network of contacts to help them break news.  

Every Malaysian is entitled to provide a viewpoint and if we do not agree, we engage in a discussion; it is really up to us to provide the best answers or opinion.  

Young Malaysians cannot be blamed if they perceive that many of our leaders have not grasped the workings of the Internet. The statements of some politicians have only reinforced this assumption.  

In Malaysia, it is unfortunate that blogging is regarded as online political writing. The fact is that Technorati, a directory for 55 million bloggers, shows that food and technology bloggers are at the top. It is only followed by politics and public relations. 

The trend is probably similar in Malaysia, too. Personal entries, a modern form of diaries, probably make up the largest number of bloggers, especially among students. 

Our politicians need only find out from their children or grandchildren how many of them are bloggers. Then, maybe, they would want to stop talking about registering bloggers. 

Still, it cannot be denied that under the Abdullah Administration, the Prime Minister has allowed greater democratic space and tolerance for dissent. 

It is thus unfortunate that some bloggers have made heroes of political players who had suppressed the media when they were in power. Many of these figures lack the credibility to talk about press freedom and when they do so, they smack of hypocrisy. 

Some are turning to the new media and have complained about media blackout when they, too, had used the same tactics to shut out their opponents.  

Many bloggers, unfortunately, are much too young to realise this or they have chosen to look the other way for political expediency. 

Some bloggers write about press freedom and yet display blatant intolerance of others who don’t share their political views.  

Posting daily comments against a personality with unsubstantiated allegations is not press freedom because that’s a personal vendetta or campaign.  

For those in power now, Malaysians hope they will not end up in the same way. They have the opportunity to change things in our country and certainly they would want us to judge them with greater honour. 

The rules have changed because of the Internet and many of the laws affecting the media are no longer relevant.  

The number of Internet users in Malaysia may be small but it will explode. Nobody needs a printing permit to set up a website and with the Internet Protocol television coming our way, anyone can broadcast news with just a video camera. 

Malaysians will also ask why they can watch on al-Jazeera the twilight lives of ex-Communist Party of Malaya leaders or an apostasy case involving a Malaysian Muslim when such subjects are frowned upon by the authorities in newspapers. 

Amir Muhammad, who has made two movies about the ex-CPM members, would also wonder why since all one has to do is to go to www.youtube.com to catch his work. 

Many subjects remain sensitive simply because we still carry the baggage of history. Young Malaysians have a right to question why the discussion of the Constitution and our rights, either relating to religion or as citizens, should be deemed sensitive. 

Malaysia should stop talking about regulating the traditional media and instead allow Malaysians to articulate and engage in issues because they are hotly debated with just a click in the new media. 

Our politicians must learn to trust our newspaper editors and journalists, as much as they want us to trust them.