Good food and easy life may have made a lot of Miri people, slim bodies are histories and now carry their big bellies. That is why Slimming saloons and SPA's are blooming and popular.

Junk food, no physical exercises, no sports, Astro TV 24 hours a day, beers etc are the life style. Slim bodies are hard to maintain nowadays.

When you got a bulged out body, what you can do to bring back your slim figure?

• Be selective of your food.
• Exercise every day
• Get experts' advise and attend slimming program
• Use proven certified weight reduction drug.

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Our group of QiGong members will be celebrating the first anniversary. A buffet dinner is proposed in one of the coffee shops in Miri. The food will be arranged by a caterer who will also supply paper / polyfoam plates, plastic spoons and forks. I proposed that members bring their own plates, forks and spoons. My reason is that this can reduce waste. A number of the members jumped on me: "what! You sound like making us the 'beggers'!"

When I was the chairman of the Hilltop Neighbourhood committee, we used to have potluck sessions by the open stage. The first few sessions, paper / polyform plates, plastic forks and spoons were supplied. At the end of the activity, the gabbage bags are full. I proposed bringing own utensils for later potluck sessions. I received rejections. Notwithstanding, my wife and I plus a few others brought our own. Over the years later, I noticed that without me urging, the residents brought their own utensils. They confessed that using throw-away utensils do not have much advantages except creating waste.

I think the Miri People ought to change their mindset. Reducing waste is one of the 3R's in the environment preservation. And, this is one way of doing it.

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Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah intervened into the controversial issues surrounding the Port Klang assemblyman and Klang municipal councillor, Datuk Zakaria Md Deros, who had built his four-storey mansion without council approval. The Sultan also made a very quick decision ordering the Datuk to relinguish his post as a councillor. I am proud, so are fellow Malaysian, of the Sultan's intervention. It shows that the Sultan cares for his people.

Yes, we need people with authority, like the royalty who cares about the welfare of the people in every state of Malaysia.

As the Chairman of a neighbourhood committee in Miri, I always began my speech with a statement that is "considered as unwarranted".

That was at one of the pot-luck function at the open stage sited on a tiny piece of land adjacent to a car park area in front of a row of shophouses. Datuk Amar Dr. George Chan, deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak was invited as the VIP at the function. I could see his eyes opened up in awe when I spoke, beginning with the famous unwarranted statement:

"...........we have hung a number of baggage bags around the area, please throw the rubbish into these bags. Please help us to keep the place clean"

Through the years, and over so many activities in the area, that little statement took effect. The area surrounding the open stage, once littered with plastic bags, papers, carton boxes and all kind of waste is now clean and rubbish-free. This is the achievement I have made during my 10-year tenure as Chairman.

I do not see many if at all, any chairman of organization speaking to the public with such kind of request. A lot of them feel shy to talk about it. My deputy in the committee was one example who was not willing to include it in his public speech. I believe this statement is an evironment program that can bring civic mindedness to home, and I think this statement should be made all the time by the community leaders.

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Those who are given the previlages when told that their benefits are to be taken away, they will react vigoriously to defend their "rights" - as they claim. They will try to hide the fact so that they can continue enjoying the so called "rights". When someone reveals the truth, they become unreasonable and move very fast to launch the attack on that person.

This is the observation from the recent "sensitive" figure of percentage issue. The two percentages supposedly to be telling the same story are diffrent and far apart. A prominent political scientist and a social specialist who has served world organizations was accused to have used "faulty assumptions and calculations" to arrive at the disputed percentage, and therefore the result is faulty.

Readers can make their own judgement.

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Tell beautiful lies and people will like you. Tell a lie and everybody thinks it is true. You tell the truth, everyone will jump on you. The authority will reprimand you!

This is the case of YB Ong Kee Kiat, a deputy minister for the Higher Education. He told the true story of government spending RM30,000 for a RM3,000 job in one of the primary schools. He was reprimanded for stepping his boundary of authority over to the primary education ministry.

The idea of this blog entry is not to discourage you to be honest and tell the truth. But if you want to survive in a system then, keep mum and sway along with the wind of change. Keep the truth to yourself. Just tell lies. Polish the apples. And, that is what most people in Miri are doing. They not only survive, but they also prosper. And, we are getting more and more of these "self-interest", non-civic minded, self-centred people. Some of them go further with their own ego and seeking for riches compromising their ethiquette and conscience, and at the expense of the innocent and poor people who are working very hard just trying to survive.

We need more whistleblowers like Ong Kee Kiat.

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"People outside do not know how we do our job", says one of the politician who, until recently retires himself, also holds a very high appointed office in one of the local governments.

This politician lost his seat in the Legislative Assembly in the 520-06 election poll.

This comment he made seems to echo that from most of his party's leaders. This comment is very correct and true. The people outside (meaning the commoners, men in the street and who have one vote each in every election poll) are not involved in what he and his colleagues are doing. And therefore, they do not know what they are doing. It is a fair comment. But, the question is, since we know it, what can be done so that people can understand?

It is some form of trust and confidence that are put upon these elected assembly men as the people's representatives. This trust and confidence stays until the next election. Their job performance is being assessed at the very moment they are voted into their seat. Whether they are going to be re-elected depends on their report card. For assessment of their elected representatives, the people depend on information recieved, perceived and observed. In this part of the world, direct information divulged from the government, local government and their elected representatives is almost not possible. Hence, the people depends on news media, hearsay, rumours, words of mouth, coffee shop talks, internet feeds, and observation. The first three channels of communication are not considered to be reliable. Words of mouth, coffee shop talks and internet feeds, because of the possibility that they may contain elements of personal sentiments and sensitivity, are dangerous to community harmony. So, people tends to heavily rely on their own observations to vouch and to analyse the information received through all the other channels. May be, there is an element of guess works, but over time, these information would eventually bring out the truth.

Of course, people want developments. They want progress. They also know that developments cost money that people contributed through various sources of taxes, tolls, fees and other legal impositions. However, people do not only want to look at what projects are being undertaken, they also want to know whether that project will bring economic benefits to all the people and not to a selected few. People want to know whether the benefits brought about by that project is worth the cost that is put in. People also want to ensure a clean administration of that project.

Knowing what the people want to know, then it pays to be open as far as development commitments are concerned. Elected or appointed representatives should do their home work, decide and propose projects that are cost effective and beneficial to the people at large.

How to keep the people informed?

Putting the knowledge to work, the representatives can do the following things such that projects are communicated to the people:-
1. Open the proposals to the community leaders (through associations, community service clubs, business community etc); perhaps setting up a community panel by appointment for a limited period would reduce the hassle of identifying and calling the panel members every time you need them.
2. Discuss the proposal and identify the benefits that can bring about by the proposal.
3. Discuss the cost and how it should be carried out; tendering process and so on.
4. Invite community's opinion, suggestions and reservations and deliberate on these.
5. Put up in the press media the key information/data so that people can retrieve information on costs, benefits, positive and negative impact on the people during and after the project implementation and so on.

Since a elected legislative assemblyman is involved in the voting and decision making on policy making, amendment and so on, he would be a people's representative indeed if he could similarly set up a community panel so that he is able to "listen" and "understand" the people's sentiments on the policy concerned. On the other hand, he would be inviting criticism and rejection if the policy is so made without "consideration of the people's opinion, needs and grievances".

Selection of the community leaders for this purpose is a test of the sincerity. Nevertheless, the criteria of selection may be:-
1. They have adequate education background or community experience;
2. They are vocal and proactive; passive and "order-receivers" and obedient people will not positively contributing to the proposal other than making up the number;
3. They have no interest in the projects, nor they are related to the representative through political links, works, or business.
4. They are sincere in their community service / works.

It is not the intention of this article to tell what the people's representative should do and how he should do his job, but rather to bring out a suggestion such that a closer link between the government and the people can be achieved.

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The people have complained about it. The authority has been trying to solve it. Yet, that problem is still there. The bulky waste. An eye-sore to the city. If you drive around the housing estate, you bound to find some old furniture, galvanized iron / zinc sheet, tree branches, junked cars, abandoned water tanks, useless heavy caterpillar shovel and other equipment body parts etc left by the road side waiting to be cleared by the city council. And that clearing by the local authority can never happen. As time goes by, shrubs, creepers and bush start to grow around the waste and cover it. It is indeed a good and natural way of sweeping under the carpet. Unless somebody complains to the authority or the resident himself requests and pays for the city council's service, the waste or the mound of shrubs, creepers and bush stays until some big shots declare Miri as the Super city .

This problem exists because people say it is the city council authority's responsibility to clear the waste. People are paying taxes. Whereas the city council says that the housing assessment tax paid by the house owner does not include bulky waste removal, and therefore, the council will clear the waste only after the resident pays a separate charge. Thus the stand off. This article does not intend to put up an argument who is right and who is wrong. Rather, it attempts to suggest the way to resolve the issue so that every body wins and yet at the lowest possible cost.

The Miri city council is currently providing a huge waste bin and site it in each housing areas. They announce the schedule of bin provision for each area to the public. Residents will then clear their waste from their houses. When the bin arrives, the residents will then move the waste and dump it into the bin. This is a good system but then, this cleaning campaign is only done once a year: Prior to Chinese New Year.

I think this scheme should not be done once a year. It should be carried out once every four months, at least so that the inherent benefits can be realized:-

1. The council may have to spend a small amount of money, but the impact on the educational aspect of people is huge and positive. The residents of the housing estates learn that:-
a. the council is serious about the bulky waste management.
b. the council is committed and is doing something to solve the problem
c. they, the residents are a solution
d. the council needs their contribution and their cooperation just by removing the waste and dump into the bin.
e. the council is seen to wisely utilize the public money.

The benefits of this scheme:-
1. Public do not have to pay extra charge. They only need to contribute their effort.
2. Residents learn that the council has such scheme and would do their spring cleaning pending the waste bin allocation.
3. The council does not need to call for a bulk waste removal contractor as and when there is a requirement. Administration effort and cost can be reduced.
4. The relationship between the council representing the government and the people will be closer. In fact this scheme would build up confidence and trust between the people and the government.

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It is fair that the parking fees and toll fees are imposed on the citizens. But, if the fees are imposed just as a matter of the provision for facilities / infrastructure disrespect for the original intention or objective, then it would be fair for the government to allow the citizens to recoup the tax they have paid for.

Currently, only corporations and business are given the opportunity to deduct the fees as a business expenditure. The government should consider allowing individual to do likewise.

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The Miri Daily News reported on the 8th of June 2006 that the City Council is going to charge the use of car parking lots located in eight areas in Miri. Parking fee system will also be introduced to another 10 areas, now being proposed, in the near future.

In closer examination of the areas, there are some where the parking lots are hardly full. Some areas are busy with heavy traffic and full parking situation is seen only at certain hours or on certain occasions. This arouses questions as to why; and, whether all parking lots in Miri wherever they are located will be charged for use by drivers?

Fundamental question:
What is the primary objective for imposing car parking fee system?

Car parks are one of the facilities, infrastructure that are developed by the government to discharge their responsibility and funded by the taxes collected. Same as the roads, bridges, parks and so on. So, the answer to that question is not a tax that is imposed on car users.

It is a solution to the problems of too many cars and too few parking lots. A problematic situation bound to arise when a township, like Miri is developing fast with more cars running on the road, but less land for car parks. And, there are many inconsiderate drivers parking their car the whole day long resulting therefore a number of drivers turning around the whole town and still can not find parking lots for their car. Some clever men came out with the brilliant idea of charging the use of parking lot. The longer you park your car, the more you have to pay. The introduction of the system brought good results. There are parking lots for every car and he can do his business. For that convenience, he pays a small fee. People are willing to pay for that convenience.

It is not an opportunity to make money out from people to fund the City Council expenditure or fund other projects. The charging of parking fees in "cold" areas may undoubtedly arouse suspicions of the council's intention and the original objective of the system.

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