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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Warisan Merdeka Project : 100-Storeys Building



The recent budget announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has created a lot of controversies.

And there’s one that really caught my attention, the Warisan Merdeka project. This project is about to build a 100-storeys building that gonna cost RM5billions.

So without wasting my time bluffing around, here I state few questions that always been asked by the people and answer from me regarding to this mega project.

What is this project is all about? Some kind of joke?
This project called Warisan Merdeka. It is about spending RM5billions to build a new 100-storeys building. And yes, this is totally a joke! (sarcastic)

What makes u think u deserve to complain?
Because I’m a Malaysia citizen and I’m a taxpayer, so I deserve to know where the money goes. So do u and anybody else as long as they are Malaysian and pay tax, we all deserve to know how the money being spent.

Why can’t we have the new tall building?
Because we already have KLCC, and that is enough for now. Even KLCC are still got an empty space. And besides of KLCC, we still got a lot of surplus office building that still not occupied.

Why Dr. M can build KLCC but Najib can’t build this?
Well let me remind u that Dr.M did that when we in booming time, but now we in deep debt as what Idris Jala said, so we have to spend our money wisely. Let me remind u that RM5billions is not a small amount of money. Its equal to RM5000 MILLIONS! There’s a lot of zeroes.

Then how we want to achieve Vision 2020?
Tall building or short building got nothing to do with our plan to be Negara Maju Wawasan 2020. Many world class cities such as Tokyo, London (even Singapore!) do not have skyscrapers. This cannot be an excuse to not be Vision 2020.

Everyone say that this building will create more work opportunities, so this is a good thing right?
Yes this will create more work opportunities, but only to the foreign labor, such as Indon and Bangla, after that no more work opportunities coz the building won’t get occupied. So this is not a good thing.

The employment of foreigners workers is not their fault, its Malay fault coz most of us don’t want to work as labor. Don’t u think so? Typical Malay.
Yes. That’s right. That’s why we need to spend the money in human capital. We better use that money towards encouraging creativity, education so that we can change the typical Malay attitude to the first class minded attitude. In other words, use that money to develop human capital instead of physical infrastructure.

Don’t u think that we need a progressive building?
No, we need a progressive mind.

Doesn’t this project will make us a high income society?
Well let me ask u back. Who are u going to fool? How is building a 100-story building going to make us a high income society? U cannot spend ur way out! If u can Japan would have done that. Japan's economy was stagnant for over a decade and what save them is prudent spending and investment in technology and education. This deficit spending is going to bring the country to her knee and is not sustainable.

So I don’t think this project will helps us to move forward as a high-income economy. High-income economy is not talking about tall buildings, high-income economy is talking about people who have the energy, the expertise and the entrepreneurship to be able to earn high incomes.

They said that 93% will be held by non-government entities? So it’s a win-win situation right?
Don’t forget to look at the fact that this year FDI plunge almost to 81%! Even the investors lost the trust to invest on our country and this is a fact, u can check it by urself at World Investment Report 2010.

My apology. But out of topic a little while, coz I don't really understand. Got Toll hike - complain. No Toll hike - also complain?
Poor u kid, for ur convenience in understanding:
1.) toll hike = highway users pay more
2.) no toll hike = government pay more (compensate) = all taxpayers, including non-highway users, pay for the toll.
3.) In case u don't know, government's money come from tax paid by taxpayers.


What are the other problem with this RM5bil project?

New palace announced by Sammy Vellu was RM400million, now shoot up to RM900 million. So u can guess the final price of this 100 storey tower. Now say RM5 billion, later sure come out the bill cost RM7-8 billion. Plus, based on the KL landscape this tower will only create problems like traffic jam, floods, and congestion.

What is the meaning of development to u?
Development doesn't mean having the tallest building, doesn't mean having PutraJaya, doesn't mean having a national car which is not really a national car but a rebadged Mitsubishi. Development means the rakyat enjoys quality living in the form of safer environment where our children can roam the street freely to play, where the rakyat can enjoy the resources of the country and not having to slog day and night just to pay the increasing living expenses, where there are parks for the rakyat to enjoy, where the rakyat can enjoy affordable houses and cars.

But it is good to take risk rite?
Yes, I agree with that, but even we wanna take a risk, take a good one, don’t blindly take risk that will clearly gonna make us lose. Use your head to think, don’t use ur ass.


Then where should we spend the money?
First we can spend it to human capital like investing in education, revamping the syllabus, hire better qualified teachers and teach all Malaysians the spirit of competition and innovation. The RM5bil money also better be use to build more affordable homes for the lower income people so that they will have roofs over their heads, improve school and hospital buildings and facilities, turn PTPTN into scholarship, improve public transportation and basically anything but just not another useless tall building! 



Finally, let us all ask ourselves : 
Whats the point of having tall building while we don't have tall attitude???




19 comments:

addin dyna said...

sO tRue... "improve school and hospital buildings and facilities, turn PTPTN into scholarship, improve public transportation and anything but just not another useless tall building! " .. tall building cost 5billions just for a building.. nonsense... -_-!

Fiona said...

sadly true~can't agree more...here,when it comes to education...all they(government) could say is no budget...but this??hurmmm....or is it muhyiddin fault?-_-

hentakbelipat said...

dude..u openup my mind with this entry..salute for u

Shaizul Sapar said...

i look it as challange for the government, to proceed with the money. few part was right, such as giving government staff RM500/= because they are deserve to this.but overall budget was a 'left-hand planning' which is bring more benefits for few person only and not for the rakyat at all. for example the decrease on import tax for daily use items. it's not right. what rakyat want is reduce on oil price as well as the other essentials. who the hell gonna buy minyak rambut and seluar dalam everyday, even we use it everyday. but what we spend everyday is minyak masak, rice,ayam, petrol etc.that is no 1. talking about this tower project, i also think this is real way to waste the money. at the time our minister declared malaysia going to be bancrupt soon, we still spend money for something that has nothing to do to the poor, children, villagers and most common people. as a sabahan personally, i'm telling u that if the government really want to develop sabah, it has been done long time ago. but now, just look at the road facilities and also school at rural area.u will feel pity to us if u were there. this is because of the continously left-hand planning on the budget.

maybe this minister have low iq, but i'm pretty sure that they got 'tall' amount on overseas bank. just calculate 5% from 5bil..!!

aiMan syaFiq said...

enough for what he have in this town. lets just focus more to the rural area. dmn the gov is wasting my money

Waiphil said...

another great piece from around the blogs. I have expressed my view on the recent budget too, pls feel free to visit and comment thanks http://waiphil.blogspot.com/2010/10/budget-2011.html

gadisBunga™ said...

hm...

Khairatul Azwa said...

couldn't agree more with your post! 5bil could be used to do sooooo many more things other than to build one building! and what happens when, in the far future, some other country builts a taller building than the 100-storeys? what? we're gonna build even higher then and waste more of our money? I have a feeling this building is just an ego boost for our PM to prove he's just as good (or even better) than Mahathir. Which he is SO not.

Anonymous said...

i am against the building of the tower, but the fund comes from PNB. i am a noob, but can you help relate tax-payers' money with the PNB-funded project?

thanks..

Ummu Yousuf said...

you spoke my mind.

The future of our country is at stake if our resources are not properly channeled and invested - RM5bil is not a small amount

It's rather embarrassing if we compare this with the budgets of first world countries.

Priorities need to be straightened.

fitri said...

well written fared..

physical developement policy is not relevent anymore...gomen should think how to bring back malaysian to this country...not how to develop tallest building in malaysia...

MasZuber said...

this 5 bil 100 storeys really a shock to me as well!

najib najib..

Blogger said...

Watch Capitalism: A Love Story. Nice documentary film by Mike Moore.

Anonymous said...

Dear Fared Isa,

I feel that you could be someone who could live alongside anyone from your below saying :

"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future n someone else's hands, but not you."

So I'd like to ask that you please check out these 2 links below and give me your views on the discussions.

Freedom of Choice As Free Humans in a Free World

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=318515515322&topic=15626

Legislating Non-Muslim Haram Industries

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=318515515322&topic=15486

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=318515515322&topic=15422

Look at the last 2 posts on the second link (Legislating Non-Muslim Haram Industries). I'd like Muslims to be able to reconcile legislation to reflect the right of non-Muslims to things forbidden and denied to Muslims.

I'd appreciate it very much if you could give some views on these being Malay (I take it that you are likely Muslim as well, though from the way your statements hold themselves a very moderate Muslim at that . . .)

Anonymous said...

your english suck. luckily you have made some points dat are plausible to any reading malaysians. thank you. but i would like to disagree with you about one thing.

your 7th question that sounds like ur a racist. r u that numskull by saying that d malays shud work as a construction workers only? what r u? a paleolithic neanderthal who lives during the 9 millionth BC? malaysians are multicultural. where do u tink we get that title from? certainly not frm ur mother of course. we have malays, indians, chinese and those which is stated in article 161A(6) of the federal constitution that defines the word native of sabah and sarawak.

if you tend to criticize, be accurate and dont include those who should not be included.

Anonymous said...

dear Mr. Whatever,

i can sense some form of misunderstanding here.. to rebut all of the arguments above, I would say that u r actually got a wrong concept about this idea.

first and foremost, the most important thing is, the project will NEVER EVER use the taxpayers' money. Its PNB money that they gonna use, from the profit they had made in these past few decades. Correct your fact, please..

Secondly, owh please.. don's be such a narrow minded. You want more on education? More on human capital? Come on.. During Pak Lah's time, we focused much on this area. And just look at how people respond to it? Its not like they didn't put much budget on it. They did! In fact, its the mentality of Malaysian itself that make it not working... and please don't say "use the RM5 mil to improve our mentality!", Heh..

-fightforabetterlife.wordpress.com-

Anonymous said...

I agree with the building actually i think that most of fund come from pnb depositor but PM must announce it because it is govt corp and people money if they can generate money i think that will benifit us...Petronas Tower use tax money or petronas profit?? Be precise please but I think they can only start this when the Plaza Rakyat completed

Anonymous said...

Hey i am suuper boy

Anonymous said...

Yes! Progressive mind is definitely more important than progressive buildings (and other concrete materials)! I like your thinking...

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