Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Aku Musafir lagi di Bumi Europah

Tanggal 30 April 2014 dengan menaiki pesawat AIRBUS 380 milik Syarikat Penerbangan Malaysia (MAS) aku bersama dua lagi sahabat aku memulakan perjalanan untuk bermusafir di bumi Europah. Kapal terbang bertolak jam 11.40 malam dan terus ke CDG Airport, Paris.


Alhamdulillah, pesawat MAS AIRBUS 380 menyediakan ruang sembahyang di bahagain belakang kapal terbang.

Walaupun pesawat akan mendarat lebih kurang jam 6.30 pagi di Paris, memandangkan awal May biasanya akhir musim luruh, waktu subuh akan habis awal. Ruang sembahyang ini memudahkab penumpang muslim untuk mengerjakan sembahyang. Pesawat penuh dengan penumpang walaupun MAS baru sahaj mengalami tragedi kehilangan MH370.

Bersambung... untuk perjalanan musafir hamba Allah yang kerdil ini dari KLIA ke Paris - Mulhouse - Strasborg - Stuggart - Fussen - Innsbruck - Northern Italy- Dolomite Mountain - Verona - Lake Garda- Milan - Como - Switzerland - Alscae - Mulhouse - Istanbul - KLIA.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

PLKN vs Pendidikan Tinggi Percuma

Kerajaan bercadang untuk mewajibkan semua lepasan SPM untuk mengikuti PLKN. Ini semua akan menyebabkab kos yang banyak kepada kerajaan. Langkah ini adalah langkah kebelakang dan sepatutnya kos yang akan digunakan untuk PLKN ini dapat digunakan untuk memberi pendidikan percuma kepada rakayat. Pendidikan percuma kepada rakyat dapat memberikan sijil kepada rakyat tapi mewajibkan kursus PLKN hanya akan menguntungkan kroni sahaja.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Interview With Tan Sri Aini Arope About The process of Awarding The IPP by TNB

Interview Antara Ani Arope dengan suratkhabar The Star mengenai paksaan ke atas TNB untuk membuat perjanjian berat sebelah dengan IPP:

WHEN the Government decided to approve the request from Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to raise electricity tariffs, the plight of the national utility took centre-stage. Naturally, the knee-jerk reaction among consumers was not favourable. The 12% rise in tariffs appears to have re-ignited the debate on how good the going is for independent power producers (IPPs) at the cost of the national utility’s cashflow. The imbalance between the generation side of the business and that of transmission and distribution has put a strain on TNB. To understand the privatisation of the power generation sector, one needs to take a look back in history to understand that the country’s IPPs came about as a result of the Government’s effort to address the issue of stable power supply after the landmark 1992 blackout. Lending a historical perspective to the issue of IPPs is former TNB executive chairman Tan Sri Ani Arope, who headed the national utility from 1990 to 1996. It was during his tenure that the first generation IPPs were created. StarBiz deputy news editor JAGDEV SINGH SIDHU has the story.

STARBIZ: What happened after the first major blackout in 1992?

Ani
: TNB had plans in place to pump out more energy by building plants in Pasir Gudang and Paka. Financing was no problem and our credit standing was very high. We had the land acquired and were ready to move in and plant up.
But we were told by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) that it had its own plans. We cautioned EPU that if those plants, which would take two years to complete, were not built, Malaysia would get another major blackout. When you have a place with 250 engineers, it does not make sense to say (the blackout) is because of poor planning. But the EPU said it had its own plans and we were told to surrender the land.
Then it surfaced that it wanted to privatise the power plants. I am not anti-IPPs per se. It is good to have other players but it has to be done fairly. It has to be fair to the consumers, not just TNB, which is a conduit. TNB, because of the electricity hike, has been treated as the whipping boy. The focus should be on the consumers.
When the generous terms were given to the IPPs, all my other peers around the world asked what was happening. They said they would like to have a share in the IPPs. They said (the contracts to IPPs) were “too darn generous.” (The terms) were grossly one sided.

How was the Malaysian model of IPPs created?

Ask our previous Prime Minister.

How was the process of negotiations with IPPs conducted?

There was no negotiation. Absolutely none. Instead of talking directly with the IPPs, TNB was sitting down with the EPU. And we were harassed, humiliated and talked down every time we went there. After that, my team was disappointed. The EPU just gave us the terms and asked us to agree. I said no way I would.

What about the pricing and terms of the contracts?

It was all fixed up. (They said) this is the price, this is the capacity charge and this is the number of years. They said you just take it and I refused to sign the contracts. And then, I was put out to pasture.

Why did you disagree with the terms?

It was grossly unfair. At 16 sen per unit (kWh) and with the take or pay situation, actually it was 23 sen per unit. With 23 sen, plus transmission and distribution costs, TNB would have had to charge the consumer no less than 30 sen per unit. If mixed with TNB’s cost, the cost would come down but that was at our expense because we were producing electricity at 8 sen a unit. We can deliver electricity at 17 sen per unit.
And then there is a capacity charge. Nobody produces excess electricity like Malaysia and it goes to waste because there are no batteries to store that power. TNB only needs a reserve of 15% to 20%.

TNB was producing electricity at 8 sen a unit. What should have been the right price for IPPs to sell to TNB?

Twelve sen. They could not beat our price as we had already amortised our assets. But for the new guys or even ourselves to come in then and (having) to meet interest charges and to make a small profit, it would cost 12 sen a unit.
This was what we told one IPP. The IPP agreed to it but the EPU said that unless the IPP raised its price, the contract would not be given to the IPP. So he got it for 14 sen per unit.
And then, there is the cost pass-through. If the price of fuel went up, the extra cost is passed through to us. And in other words, it is passed on to the consumer.

Under what terms would you have agreed to the IPPs being set up?

Have an independent buyer for the electricity and in one way, let TNB come in and bid for the plants. Get other people to come in. Get a commission to see (to) our needs and TNB can be one of the producers.
It is argued that the IPPs’ contracts are too lucrative but there are IPPs in other countries in Africa or Asia that have better terms.
There are IPPs charging 50 to 60 US cents per unit but they use diesel. Take our own situation and compare oranges with oranges. Then it is fair. Do whatever is fair.

How were you affected by the process of awarding the IPP contracts?

I felt sick. It was morally wrong and not fair. If it is legal and not fair, I will not do it. If it is fair and illegal, I still won’t do it. It has to be legal and fair.
We work for the consumers, workers and shareholders. TNB is morally obligated to these three, but the consumers come first, otherwise we won’t be around. It is then the workers and the shareholders.
When I said that, they said ‘Dia ingat bapak dia-punya’ (He thinks this is his father’s company). This job is an amanah (trust). You are entrusted with this responsibility and you carry it out to the best of your ability. I do not want somebody to come and urinate on my grave. In the Malay culture, that is about the worst insult they can do to a man.
Do you think you did the right thing by not signing the agreements?
Absolutely.

How should a contract with the IPPs work?

In Australia, they call the IPPs and ask “what is your price”. They will pay the IPP that offers the best price. What they could have done is to throw the net wider and ask everybody (if they) are good, it would be awarded to them. But in our case, the contracts were ready-made and we were asked to sign.

What is your view on the impending renegotiation with the IPPs?

It has to be legal and fair. If we were to negotiate unfairly and illegally, the whole world will be looking at us and they will say “don’t sign anything with Malaysia because if things go against the country, the Government will void the agreement”.
We have to look at this very carefully.
But what we can do now is to say, can we bring down the capacity charge. Anything above the 15% reserve margin, we will call for bids.
The second thing is that the IPPs would have by now paid up their whole capital investments in their plants and it is all gravy (or profit) from now. Could we not bring this down a bit? Instead of paying a small amount to (a special fund), why not increase the (payment) for future planting up? In that manner, we can control the price of electricity. Otherwise, it’s going to escalate.

Who in your opinion should get involved in the negotiations?

The consumers should be there. For me, you should get a very independent body. Then, you can bring in TNB, the IPPs, the consumers and Energy Commission. But these bodies and consumers should not make a judgment.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Don't Drinking Too Much Water?


Di dunia ini... segala apa yang kita buat hendaklah secara sederhana. Kalau makan hendaklah secara sederhana..begitu juga apabila kita hendak meminum air. Maka cara hidup Nabi Muhammad SAW adalah sebaik-baik ikutan...

Terkenang Semasa Dulu


Apabila membaca berita suratkhabar Penyebar Fikiran S&&%an mengenai konflik lantikan SS di sebuah negeri....menyebabkan aku terkenang semasa dulu....


Sesungguhnya bumi ini berputar...dan tetap akan berputar sehingga hari kiamat. Dulu semasa berlaku krisis perlembagaan di antara kerajaan dan raja....aku dengan sahabatku di UTM KL setiap malam minggu akan ke Taman Melewar untuk mendengar ceramah-ceramah terkini. Menaiki motor bersama Firdaus menyusuri lorong-lorong Kg Sungai Balang untuk mengelakan jammed. Susahnya nak mencari tempat parking dan tempat duduk sebab tempat duduk dalam dewan terhad.
Sekarang ni... apabila dah bekerja.. payah sungguh nak pergi dengar ceramah... Disebabkan isu SS ni... pada 9 Januari 2011 ini akan diadakan Ceramah Perdana di Shah Alam. Zaman berubah... ceramah akan diadakan di Stadium. Ada penghawa dingin lagi. Jom ke sana untuk mengembalikan nostalgia lama. Tapi Firdaus di Qatar..tengok youtube aje la...Masa berubah..zaman berubah. Terkenang semasa dulu...

Monday, January 3, 2011

How To Travel To Tokyo On Budget

TOKYO, JAPAN. It may be one of the most expensive cities to live in the world, but that doesn't mean visiting it has to be. The words 'frugal' and Tokyo are hardly ever uttered in the same phrase. While it is true that most things in Japan's capital can be pricey, it doesn't mean that those on a slimmer budget should be denied a visit. The key to doing Tokyo on a budget is to a little ingenuity and finding bargains hidden in the smaller nooks around the city.
Places to Visit:
1. Imperial Palace
Home of the rarely seen Imperial Family of Japan, the 400 year old castle is a magnificent site. After surviving WWII, it was rebuilt in the exact same design. Must see at the Palace are the Nijubashi, two bridges that form the entrance to the inner palace grounds. Also not to be missed is the beautifully manicured Imperial Palace East Gardens, which are open throughout the year (except Mondays, Fridays and special occasions).
Cost: Free
Nearest station: Otemachi Station
2. Akihabara

Also known to locals as Akiba, this section of Tokyo is where you'll find all things electronic, both new and used, at an absolute steal. It is also where you'll find anime and Japanese collectibles (known as 'otaku'). Try Chuodori for new items and the back streets of Soto Kanda 3-chome for used items. Micro-sized cameras and similar gadgets can be found near Soto Kanda 1-chome. Most visitors like to peruse the stuff at Laox, but the best bargains and bigger varieties are found slightly further down the same stretch. Nearest station: JR Akihabara Station and Subway Akihabara Station
3. Daiso
If it's a bargain you're after, there's no place like Daiso. One of the most popular chain stores in the county, its biggest outlet is in Harajuku and it sells everything from tubes of wasabi to candy, kitchen utensils and quaint household necessities.

Cost: Between 80 ¥ and 1000¥ (about RM3 and RM36)Nearest station: Harakuju Station, Takeshita exit

4. Yoshinoya
Though also available in Malaysia, there is nothing like the original. Established since 1899, this chain of Japanese cuisine fast food chain is a simple, cost efficient way to enjoy local delicacy and is a favourite even among locals. Most popular here are the Japanese curry dishes.

Cost: Between 280¥ and 500¥ (about RM10 and RM18) per meal


5. Ueno Park

On the beautiful premises of Ueno Park are museums, art galleries, shopping stalls and street markets selling traditional Japanese souvenirs. But what this park is most renowned for, and for which everyone local and visiting, flock to the area for, is the cherry blossom festival. When the more than 1000 blossom trees are in full bloom (usually around April), joyous picnickers flock to the park to enjoy the magnificent sight.
Cost: FreeNearest station: Keisei Ueno Station and Ueno Station on JR and SubwayGinza Line



6. Tokyo Tower

Taking its inspiration from the Paris' Eiffel Tower, this Japanese version stands at more than 1000 feet tall. Located at Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo, it has two vantage points - at 150 feet and 250 feet above ground, offering two spectacular views of the city.
Cost: 600¥ (about RM22) for the 250 feet level, 800¥ (about RM30) for the 150 feet levelNearest station: Akabanebashi Station, Akabanebashi Gate




For more infomation, please read www.mastraveller.com


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Safety Alert - Letupan Habuk Aluminium

Letupan Habuk Mudah Terbakar Di Kilang Membuat Rim Motorsikal


Satu kejadian letupan habuk aluminium yang berlaku di sebuah kilang membuat rim motorsikal pada awal bulan November 2010 yang lalu. Lapan(8) orang pekerja telah tercedera akibat daripada letupan habuk tersebut dan 2 orang daripadanya mendapat kecederaan parah. Letupan habuk ini juga menyebabkan kerosakan pada bangunan dan loji pembuatan kilang tersebut, kemusnahan sistem dust collector dan juga memecahkan cermin kilang-kilang berhampiran.

Pembakaran Dan Letupan Habuk
Sepertimana juga untuk semua teori pembakaran, pembakaran habuk terjadi bila bahan api (iaitu habuk mudah terbakar) terdedah kepada haba ( seperti sumber penyalaan) dengan kehadiran oksigen. Tetapi, untuk menyebabkan penghasilan satu letupan habuk mudah terbakar pula, ianya memerlukan kehadiran secara serentak(simultaneous) 2 elemen yang lain pulak iaitu habuk terampai dan keadaan ruang yang terhad(confinement) seperti mana yang ditunjukkan di Pentagon Letupan Habuk.
Gambarajah: Pentagon Letupan Habuk

Habuk-habuk yang mudah terampai akan terbakar dengan sangat cepat dan ruang yang terhad(confinement) akan menyebabkan penghasilan satu tekanan yang amat tinggi dalam tempoh masa yang tersingkat. Jika ketiadaan elemen samaada habuk-habuk yang terampai atau ruang yang terhad (confinement), ianya akan mengelakkan berlakunya letupan TETAPI kebakaran masih tetap boleh berlaku.


Langkah-Langkah Kawalan Untuk Mengelakkan Berlakunya Letupan Habuk

Untuk mengelakkan berlakunya habuk letupan, langkah kawalan berikut hendaklah dilakukan iaitu:
· Kawalan terhadap habuk – kekemasan tempat kerja dan loji hendaklah diselenggara dengan baik dan pemasangan sistem gantian udara{LEV} yang sesuai dan menepati kepada standard kejuruteraan antarabangsa.
· Kawalan terhadap sumber penyalaan - sumber-sumber penyalaan ialah seperti pembebasan arus elektrostatik, geseran, tindak balas kimia, permukaan panas dan juga kerja-kerja panas(hot work) di tempat kerja hendaklah dikenal pasti dan dielakkan daripada wujud di kawasan tempat kerja yang terlibat dengan habuk yang mudah terbakar.
· Kawalan kerosakan akibat berlakunya letupan (damage control) – seperti memasang “explosion relief openings’ pada mesin dan LEV.


Maklumat-Maklumat Lain Dan Panduan-Panduan Yang boleh Dirujuk:
1. Dust Explosions in Factories, Precautions Required With Combustible Dusts, Department Of Labour, 1985, New Zealand.
2. A Comprehensive Guideline to Industrial Explosion Protection Including Scientific Basics, Case Studies about Incidents, Prevention Methods and Constructive Protection Measures, REMBE’s Booklet Of safety And Security (BOSS)
3. U.S. Chemical Safety and
Hazard Investigation Board, Combustible Dust Hazard Study.