Sajakkini

Josh Hong

I do at times wonder if I should blame the Malaysian authorities for their decades-long indoctrination exercise that has rendered some part of the Malaysian population unable to read and think out of the box. Still, I believe the Malaysian government - although it is not entirely unblemished - cannot be held responsible for some Malaysians who obstinately refuse to digest alternative views and opinions with an open mind.

Despite Chinese racism being a topic frequently raised among the Chinese in private, some Chinese Malaysians are still outraged by my audacity to wash the dirty linen in public not so long ago.

Similarly, so zealous are these people in defending the great socialist motherland, although they prefer to live comfortably outside of it, that they have overlooked my warning over the increasingly aggressive foreign policy of Japan, and chosen to tag me, conveniently, an antsy anti-Chinese when I disagree with them on the way the global Chinese community has been handling the most recent Sino-Japanese spat. (more…)

Hishamuddin Rais

Krisis diesel meruncing - Jawatankuasa khas bermesyuarat hari ini cari jalan atasi kemelut. Apa sudah jadi? Sistem kuota yang diperkenalkan mulai 1 Januari lalu untuk mengekang kegiatan penjualan diesel subsidi secara haram, kini mencetuskan masalah baru. Sistem itu telah mengakibatkan berlaku krisis bekalan diesel yang paling buruk dalam sejarah negara.

Di merata-rata tempat di seluruh negara, rakyat sedang gelisah. Minyak diesel yang digunakan untuk pengangkutan terutamanya, sudah tidak cukup.

Kesan paling teruk ialah di Sarawak sehingga menyebabkan persatuan lori tunggal mengancam untuk melancarkan mogok 2 Mei ini jika isu itu tidak selesai. Utusan Melayu - (April 28)

Almost nothing, however, is heard of the phenomenon of “peak oil”. According to conventional wisdom, we have plenty of oil left. The current high oil prices will come to an end, whereafter we will be able to look forward to a return to cheap oil, and continuing supplies of it well into the century. Ergo, our oil-addicted economies can remain healthy and continue to grow. We have plenty of time to develop alternatives to oil. No need for concern, much less panic.

Yet, according to increasingly vocal whistleblowers, oil is depleting fast, and the age of cheap oil will soon be over. Economies can’t function without cheap oil. We have no time to develop energy alternatives. Economic depression akin to that of the 1930s lurks around the corner. Independent - London (April 25) (more…)