The Road Less Travelled, Senai-Desaru Expressway

A-G’s report lists faults and cost overruns for Senai-Desaru Expressway

PETALING JAYA: Despite the land acquisition costs for the Senai-Desaru Expressway project in Johor ballooning from RM365mil to RM740.6mil, the highway has been found to be unsatisfactory and a danger to road users.
According to the Auditor-General’s Report, among the reasons for the doubling of land acquisition costs were the compensation payment which exceeded market prices, high injurious affection and severance payments, and interest of 8% due to late repayments.
The completed 77km-Senai Desaru Highway, worth RM1.37bil, was also found not to be in accordance with specifications, resulting in damage to the road surface and endangering road users.
“Although the project for Package 3 was 100% completed in April, the road surface is undulating and river protection has not been built on the Sungai Selat Mendana, Sungai Layang, Sungai Papan, Sungai Semenchu and Sungai Chemaran.

Bad job: Despite its high cost, the Senai-Desaru Expressway was found it to be a danger to road users.

“Revetment protection has yet to be constructed along the Pulau Juling Highway causing soil erosion along the area and pollution to the mangrove swamps,” the report said.
The construction agreement for the project was signed between the Federal Government and the concession company on July 31, 2004, with the intention of linking Johor Baru to the Desaru tourist area, and to reduce the congestion on the Pasir Gudang Highway.
The report also found that the statistics prepared by the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA), which regulates the project management of the highway, showed that the actual number of vehicles using the highway was less than the traffic forecast by the concession company (which was approved by the Road Planning Division of the Public Works Ministry in December 2001).
The actual traffic volume achieved was only 1.9% of the forecast for three months in 2009, and 8.3% in 2010.
The report also found that the concession company had failed to complete the construction work in the stipulated period and did not maintain the highway satisfactorily.
“The concession company has yet to take action to resolve the non-compliance reports issued by the MHA,” the report said, adding that delays in completing the project had resulted in delays for the Government receiving the income of 20% of the profits of the toll collection.
The report then recommended for MHA to review the feasibility studies done by the concession company to ensure that the facts presented were accurate, and to take into account realistic land acquisition costs to avoid unnecessary significant cost increases, and for the concession agreement to be reviewed thoroughly.
The Treasury Department said that, although the initial planning had been done thoroughly, the land conversion factor as well as the development order by the state authority had contributed to the spike in land acquisition costs.
“This is because the Government had to pay a high compensation rate on buildings which had already been built,” the Treasury said, adding that the acquisition cost was first estimated in 2002, while Valuation and Property Services Department had valued the land based on rates as at November 2004, which was higher than in 2002.
“To prevent this from recurring, allocation for land acquisition will be capped for highway privatisation projects.
“If the land acquisition cost exceeds the capped amount, then the additional cost for the land acquisition should be borne by the concession company,” the report stated.
On the issue of the undulating road surface, the Treasury said all 15 problematic locations had been identified and the report for the repair work had also been submitted to MHA on April 29.

Source: The Star - Saturday, October 29,2011

******

Motorists want extension of lanes
By DESIREE TRESA GASPER

KOTA TINGGI: Motorists have expressed their disappointment on the last stretch of the newly opened Senai–Desaru highway.
The last stretch spanning 27km from Cahaya Baru to Desaru includes a single plane cable styled bridge across Sungai Johor but most of the road only has two lanes.
Safety officer S.Amuldass, 50, said that the last stretch was more like a trunk road.
“Of course our travelling time is shorter by half, but we were puzzled as to why the road only has two lanes instead of four,” he said.

Only two lanes: The new stretch of the Senai-Pasir Gudang- Desaru expressway which was officially opened recently. Many users were disappointed with the new stretch of the expressway as it only has two lanes.

Factory worker Looi Hock Kiat, 44, who agreed with Amuldass said that it was the only flaw on the new highway to the dual passageway.
“If the road is not expanded, I foresee traffic jams in the future as many people will be travelling to Desaru especially during the holiday season,” he said.
Assistant manager Mohd Azman Emus Abdullah, 41, said that he was also surprised to discover new stretch with only two lanes.
“The only area along the stretch which has four lanes is the bridge itself but the moment you cross the bridge, you are back to a two-laned highway,” he said.
Desaru Tourism Association chairman Lt Kol (Rtd) Mohd Jamal Salleh however said that the opening of the highway was a blessing for the tourism industry in Desaru.
“Most of the resort owners and other tourism players here have upgraded their services and renovated their premises because we are all anticipating greater tourist arrivals with the opening of the highway,” he said.
Commenting on the matter Senai-Desaru Expressway Bhd (SDEB) chief executive officer Mustaza Salim said that the decision to build two lanes for the last stretch was based on earlier traffic forecasts conducted in the area.
“We will continue to monitor the flow of traffic and if needed we will widen the roads,” he said adding that so far he has received positive feedback from motorists.

Source: The Star - Tuesday, June 14, 2011

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Read More: Senai-Pasir Gudang-Desaru Expressway

Singaporeans Only

Johor moots quicker immigration checks for Singaporeans
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal October 29, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — The Johor Immigration Department is now providing mobile counters to allow Singaporeans to register for a biometric system which will get them through immigration checkpoints quicker, the Singapore Straits Times said yesterday.
Introduced in 2009 to attract investors to the Johor Iskandar region, the Malaysia Automated Clearance System (Macs) was extended to all Singaporeans and permanent residents earlier this year.

A statue of the Merlion, a symbol of Singapore, is seen illuminated in front of the city-state’s financial district at dusk in Singapore. The Immigration Department is making it easier for Singaporeans to enter Malaysia. — Reuters pic

For RM30 (S$12), applicants for the biometric system will get a special sticker with a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip attached to their passport, valid for a year, which allows them to use dedicated lanes at immigration checkpoints and bypass filling out immigration forms. Registration would take only five minutes, state director Nasri Ishak was quoted as saying in the report.
The mobile counters, open between 10am and 10pm, are located in the City Square Johor Baru shopping complex, Giant Hypermarket in Tampoi, Jaya Jusco in Tebrau and Holiday Plaza and will be open till November 15.
Last year, tourists from Singapore made up more than half the 24.6 million visitors to Malaysia. Visitors from Singapore made some 13 million trips, an increase of 2.4 per cent from 2009.
The Johor Immigration Department made headlines on June 14 when two Singaporean women, who had intended to drive to Johor Baru for supper, were questioned by immigration officials, handcuffed, thrown behind bars and made to do squats while naked.
The two women claimed they drove through uninspected because the immigration lane was unmanned, and that no one answered the intercom.
Following their punishment, they were allowed to return to Singapore after 48 hours with a warning.
Both women have reportedly vowed never to return to Malaysia after the incident, which drew criticism from Malaysian opposition MPs who called the act “humiliating and ridiculous.”
The Singapore government has that it has not ended the probe into allegations that the two women were forced to perform nude squats by Malaysian immigration officers.
Singapore said it was told on September 9 by the Malaysian High Commission “that a thorough investigation of the case had been completed.

Source: The Malaysian Insider

The Maid - When They Are No Different From Other Family Members

I had never seen Suri*'s eyes as red as yesterday morning while at Changi Airport.

She was sending My Niece off to Beijing.
Her parent was already there since last week and since school is close for 4 weeks, the whole family reunited.

Suri, for the time being, will be in Singapore.
She is still waiting for her result.

At the same time, My Younger Sister is looking around for Suri to be enrolled in local university.
She sees into her study.
My Elder Sister's Daughter too, chipped into Suri's education, guiding her A-Math.

And Suri herself, the three of them, are all confident of getting her enrolled in university.
After all, she had always came out first in a class of 30 students, all housemaids.
Suri herself very well knew, she will be a graduate, one fine day.

Just hoping she can continue working with the family and furthering her education in Beijing.
She was together with them in Beijing during the March holiday which I had blogged earlier.

When teary-eyed Suri left Terminal One before My Niece checked-in, the memory of the late Puji which I shared here, flashed back at that moment.
Not only Suri left the airport crying, but My Niece too, red eyed with blank stares as Suri walked away.

But since the 6-year old Girl knew She will be together with Her Parent, so She stay-put at Her sitting place.
Otherwise, She will run straight into the bibik's arms.
These two-weeks is going to be the longest time My Niece is away from Suri.

Previously, after her two years was up, and she was asked to return home, she refused.
Then when My Sister went to Australia during her third year, she could not follow.
She still had two more papers to sit for her examination.
That was when she decided to make a short return home to Demak.



Again, that reminded Me of a Filipino maid Hilda Estopasi Xavier, who stood by her employer when the husband died of heart attack.
She did not mind her employer has no money to pay her salary.
She just wanted her to employer to pay the Singapore government her levy.
All because of the three young children whom she was attached to.

It reminded me yet of another maid, who offered to help out with her employer's daughter-in-law, a person I know, of financial difficulties.
The maid would wake up very early to prepare breakfast 'Nasi Lemak', to be sold by the children.

The maid was employed by the working mother-in-law, as her son was in jail.
The elderly lady paid the maid's salary and government's levy of S$265.
She took full responsibility of her son's absence from the family, so that her daughter-in-law can go out to work to pay for the housing and the five children's education.

******

That's so much about Suri, and more in the previous postings.
She has great concern for everybody.

She was never without home-cooked food for mothers waiting for their children whenever she waited for My Niece to finish Her "Iqra'" class.

****** 

"Ummie, rasa,"
as she shoved me the curried pickled gooseberry, "acar cermai" when I was at My Sister's place, when My Mother was there. 

"Bawa balik Johor."
She showed me the big quantity that she had cooked earlier.

I tasted one, and declined her offer.
It will be left untouched at My house.

I was curious seeing the big amount of gooseberry in the pot.
She claimed as most of her SMA classmates were working for mostly expatriates and some Chinese (she is the only person with a Malay family), none of them ever knew that the fruit exists in Singapore.

When she was at My house last April, she did not forget her Business Study classmates too.
I was having a feast then, and she packed food for her friends.
The class was about to end, so they wrapped it by having potluck the next day.
The class was conducted by staff of a well known Indonesian cosmetic line.
The students are all housemaids.

Suri had wanted Me to attend her farewell gathering at one of the hotel along Orchard Road.
She was proud of her booth that she set up and had been talking about it for days.
Unfortunately, I could not leave Nora* with My Mother alone at My house, as she was still new to the environment.
Though Nora* is with My Mother now, Suri still never forget to prepare what My Mother likes best.

******

Before, there's just Suri.
But now, Nora has become family members too.

She used to ask Me,
"Bu, kenapa harus tunggu empat bulan baru Bapak ambil saya?"

I have no answer to it.
And I am not the person who harp and regret on past incidence.
Whatever happened, there must be lesson for us to learn.

Nora was reluctant to work abroad, if not for her failed crop.
She was half-hearted to go to Singapore, as she had never heard of Muslims in Singapore.
And she was half-hearted to go to Malaysia too, thinking of the salary.
She definitely did not want to return to Saudi, too faraway.
But when she was told that there are Muslims in Singapore, she prayed hard that, Singapore Muslims have the same believe as she does.

Maybe, just maybe, although she was confused when she was returned to the maid agency which I had blogged earlier, GOD wants to show her that not all employers are the same as the one she had earlier worked for.

Nora is a person who makes religion her way of life.
She covered herself.

She put on the smallest headscarf she could find, just to cover her hair, much to her previous employer's dislike. 

"Singapore is no Saudi. So, don't cover yourself."

The employer used to remind her whenever she covered her hair when there were adult males at home.
But she still covered herself in that four months, refusing to let go the small scarf when her employer's husband or her father-in-law was around.

Nora performed her Zohor at 5pm, and Maghrib at 12midnight.
Midnight was when her work ended, for the day.
Luckily she had her employer's mother-in-law who stood by her.

Occasionally, from My Brother's house, Nora will call the elderly lady to inform of her well being.
Nevertheless, she thanked her 4-months Singapore employer for opening her eyes to the other side of being Muslim and being Singaporean.
Not all Muslims are tattooless, and some Muslims are clothed the minimal possible.

****** 

Nora had always told Me that she pray for Paradise for her former Saudi employer and her family.

She said, although the woman is one very beautiful woman on earth, she had never looked down on anybody.

Even when Nora intended to give some rice to her then one floor neighbour friend, as the employer is said to be a non-rice eater, her employer insisted that the neighbour's maid is very well taken care of, just like her.
The employer has had never bad thinking of others.

Communication breakdown is common issue about runaway maid whom I had encountered and shared here while waiting for a bus to MRT.

Misunderstanding often led to frustration and led to abuse, which I had blogged about of many incidences in this blog.
Again, not to about shaming others and My own religion, but that's reality in life.
When I showed Nora about happenings to Indonesian maids in Saudi in this blog, that's the first time she knew more of it, not only about bad employers, but bad maids too.

Same as all the above maids, Nora faced communication difficulties too, during her first few months in Saudi.
But her excellent employer asked her to take her time, as she herself has to learn Nora's language too.

Nora was never lonely in Saudi.
Her employer's mother lives next door.
Come weekends, the married children of the elderly mother will usually gather at her place, all bringing their maids, all happened to be Indonesian, and all from Java island.
Or, Nora would accompany her teacher employer to frequent wedding invitations, which maids, mostly Indonesian, will tag along.
She had performed her Umrah and Haj, all paid by the excellent Saudi employer. 

When the employer intended to move to their 3-storey bungalow, Nora was informed.
That was when she decided to return home after her 4-year stint with the only employer.
The employer asked her to choose another Indonesian maid to accompany her and to lighten her workload.

After the chosen one was briefed by Nora, she insisted on going home.

To make her stay, the employer negotiate hard with her, to which she replied,
"She will not be able to use the salary she earned, to send home to feed her family, if she worked half-heartedly. 
The money will not be  blessed, can be considered "haram" too, for doing things without sincerity.
There are effects we knew not, if the employer's family will not be sincerely looked after."
Nora was then quickly sent home to Surabaya.

The other day, My Eldest Sister said, She had never seen more beautiful Qur'an than the one She saw Nora was reading.
I shared the same view as Her too.
Maghrib to Isya' is her reading time, as what My Mother does everyday.

And yes, Nora said, the Quran is a gift by a niece of her Saudi employer before she depart home.  

****** 

"Bu, piala siapa punya?" 
Nora asked as she cleaned and arranged the many trophies.

"Kesemuanya anak saya. Kenapa?"
I was curious.

"Kalau punya orang yang dulu, saya tak mau bersihkan. Tak enak."
That is Nora.

I had just moved to a new place last April.
The former owner had left many still new and untouched belongings.
The house had been empty for a few years, only occupied when many relatives of theirs from Northern Malaysia whenever they dropped by.

The owner maintain the house in good condition, with cleaner dropped by to clean the house every month.
They had asked us to move in early, the moment My Husband and I said We intended to purchase the house from them, some time in July last year, so that they knew their house will still be looked after.
The husband had even promised to send over pots of flowers to be planted around the house.
But the house has already no less than 30 potted plants around the place. 
The couple have great affection for the house.

But no papers had been signed, not even any monies had been paid, so not too nice for us to move too early.

******

I was surprised at Nora's question.
But soon realised when she told Me she knew of people bought trophies to be decorated at home, for pride.
What ??? 

"Betul Bu. banyak dikampung seperti itu."

******

Nora had mentioned rose guava to My Elder Sister.



But when My Elder Sister bought for her at RM6.00 per kilo, she stopped her from buying for her again.

"Jangan beli lagi, Bu. Mahal. Ini kan buah belakang rumah."

"Cuba tengok, apa ada belakang flat Nyai. Mana ada pokok jambu. Rumah orang adalah," 
as My Elder Sister pointed to the kitchen window.

Nora laughed at herself.
She is in Singapore, not Surabaya.
The guava was tasteless to her.

When I happened to get for her not sooo fresh guava at RM2.80 per kilo, reminded her to eat all of it, and not to leave any, she thanked Me because upon tasting, she said, that's how guava should taste.
I could not figure what she meant.

Last week, I showed Nora the way to Sheng Shiong at Bedok.


"Bu, tak mau beli. Mahal. Cuma 4 dollar saja diGeylang."

"Kalau mahal, belikan Nyai aje."
True enough, she took just two of the big Yellowtail Scad or "Selar Hijau" for My Mother.

"Mahal Bu. 40 sen."

"OK. Kalau mahal, beli soya, bikin tempe sendiri."
She quickly took only 2 of the fermented soya cake.

I told her, if everybody wants things cheaply, then there will be no nearby amenities.
We take it that the excess we pay is the price of convenience and great saving on time and transportation.

Before we headed home, she was adamant to change the rice grain that My Brother bought, for My Mother's sake. 
But when I asked her to get her choice of food, she said, she eats what My Mother eats.
Do not have to waste so much money.
But one thing she cannot escape is munching away NTUC carrots as her snack.
I bought for her too from Giant when she was at My house, but she said it tasted different.
She did not touch any.

******

My Mother had wanted to follow Me home when we returned from the airport, after sending off My Niece.

But I need My Husband to drive them to JB.

Upon hearing that, I could see Nora smiling and her eyes sparkled as she reminded Me, 
"Suruh Abi ambil kami cepat sedikit."

That reminded Me of her when she laughed very heartily.
After eight months since she left her hometown in August 2010, finally she get the opportunity to step on real soil.
The earth under her feet, the sky above her head.
Not other person's roof below and on top of her.

She thanked GOD for giving her opportunity to rake away dried leaves.
Being a farmer's daughter, she was happy in getting herself close to mother earth, touching the soil with her bare hands.
She did not mind getting them dirty.



Always choosing "ciku" of the day, My Mother's favorite fruit.

 

And Nora really wanted the roses at My house to bloom just like her grandmother's, atop Kelud Mountain in Surabaya.  

Singaporeanism, At Its Best

Petrol

Family Does A SeeSaw With Car To Get More Petrol While In JB

STOMPer Wendy spotted this family rocking their car to ensure more petrol is being filled-up.

Said the STOMPer:

"Father, mother, and son rocks car to top up more at JB."



Source: Singapore Seen.Stomp - March 29, 2011

****** 

More Flouting Three-Quarter-Tank Rule 
By Ng Lian Cheong

SINGAPORE: Singapore Customs said the number of people who violated the three-quarter-tank rule doubled last year.

It said the figure went up to about 4,000 compared to that the year before.

The rule, which has been in place since 1991, requires all motorists travelling north out of Singapore, to fill their petrol tanks to at least three-quarter full.

One driver said: "The (petrol) prices are pretty high right now. If I'm going to Malaysia, I will go with a three-quarter tank, and top up to a full tank before returning to Singapore.

"I think that's the norm -- a lot of people do that".

Another said: "Most of the time, I go in with three-quarter tank or more than three quarters, depending on the situation. I mean, since I'm going to Malaysia, I might as well top up there".

In Singapore, petrol costs about two dollars per litre, while in Malaysia, it's about RM1.90 or about 80 Singapore cents.

The price difference is why Singapore motorists are heading north to fill up their tanks.

Singapore Customs said the number of people violating the three-quarter-tank rule has been on the rise between 2008 and 2010.

Offenders face a maximum fine of S$500.

Some motorists go even further by tampering with their fuel meter.

Last year, 23 car owners were charged with that offence, down from 24 in 2009.

In 2008, there were only four such cases.

Offenders who tamper with their fuel meter face a S$5,000 fine or a year's jail.

-CNA/wk
  
Source: Channel News Asia - March 28, 2011

'Susuk', Charm Needles, The Cause?

When My Children were small, I used to bring them around the neighbourhood before nightfall.

Most of the time, We end up the roundings at My immediate neighbour's house, a midwife, to exhaust the children, let them run around with others, before they retreat for the night.

Most of the time, an elderly woman, in her 80s I supposed, would join us.
She had a very rough and manly voice, always with 'telekung' or praying garment in hand.

I did not know her well, but she did remind Me...
"Not to be surprised, if after her death, she will turn into loitering and wondering around 'jerangkung' or skeleton."

I did not probe why she said that, she, being a total stranger to Me.
I was 'very blur' too at that time (even now), to all these unfamiliar happenings.

After a few appearances at the midwife's house, she was absent for a very long time.
It aroused My curiosity.

As was told by the midwife's daughter, who taught Me a lot about life, the elderly woman had a fall while in the bathroom.
She was sent to the hospital, where upon x-ray, 44 needles were detected.

Nurses at the hospital had talked to her adopted son, to find the person who inserted the needles into her, to remove the objects from her.

The son knew that his mother had tried in vain for years, to locate the whereabout of the said person.
The last time she heard about him, he had passed away.

She turned to others to remove the 44 'susuk' or charm needles, but all methods were fruitless.

She started to think about GOD.
She then turned to HIM instead.

Never mind her old age.
She was not ashamed to go around, asking people to teach her to pray.

So, the midwife's daughter taught her.
But... there is one thing that dampened the lively spirit.
She could not say ALLAH.

Her tongue stiffened, no matter how hard she had tried.
No wonder the 'telekung', the praying garment, she brought along.

She was never in the midwife's house, whenever I saw her.
She could not enter the house, too hot for her.
The midwife's daughter said so.
There are frames of verses from Al-Qur'an hanging around the house.

She could not even enter her son's house, although she stayed with his family.
So, he built her a small hut, nearby the external bathroom.

Bathing used to be her past-time activities.
She liked water so much, as her body was always feeling the heat...

******

In her younger days, in the 50s and 60s, she used to be a prostitute, serving Englishmen stationed in Sembawang.

Sometime, she brought the men home (or they volunteered to send her home?).

She slept in between the two men, on the queen-sized bed.

The midwife's children, all admitted, used to peep into her room.

They claimed, her husband was a cuckold.

He stayed home most of the time, never stopping his wife spending her nights in Sembawang.

The husband was rarely seen out of his house.

Those were the days when water consumption in Johor needed to be taken from the well.

The wife, the stronger being, used to carry two-pail loads, many times over, balancing them with a wood on her shoulder, for her husband's usage.

Yes, she performed her duties well.

She stocked water at home, washed and cooked for the husband before she went to 'work' in Singapore.

She dressed well, corseted herself under see through beautiful 'kebaya', a traditional blouse-dress from sheer cloth, and expensive 'batik lepas' or seemless batik cloth.

The midwife's children never missed to see her all made-up for 'work', although the husband, they said, never lifted her head, regardless she was around or not.

******

The elderly woman was sick for quite sometime.
I did not pay her a visit, not too sure, why?

When we were together at the midwife's verandah, she did not say much, except kept staring at Me.

Occasionally, I would throw in a word or two, seeing the difficulties she faced with her tongue, in saying out ALLAH.
But whenever I saw the regret on her face, I often backed out.
I admired her perseverance, though.

But, she said, she liked the fluency in Me just saying the word 'ALLAH'.
That stopped Me altogether.
Not too sure, why?

******

After a thorough search, the son found one traditional healer.

He just used 'pisang emas', not too sure the English word.
Is it golden banana?
Pisang is banana, and emas is gold.
So, golden banana is the closest translation.

One by one, the small 'pisang emas' was rolled over her body.
The 'susuk' or charm needles stuck to those bananas.

After all the needles were removed from the elderly woman's body, her health deteriorated.
Her condition became more critical.
She passed away few days later, in the small hut built by her son, nearby the external bathroom.

I did not pay a visit to the elderly woman when she was sick for quite sometime.
Not too sure, why?
And I did not see her for the last time, when she passed away.
Not too sure, why too?

But I am very sure that she did not become a loitering and wondering around 'jerangkung' or skeleton.

To her very accepted soul and all those who had passed away, Al-Faatihah... 

Oh, The Mega Iskandar

Iskandar Lodges Police Report Alleging Fraudulent Practices By Former Management Members

JOHOR BARU: Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) has lodged a police report yesterday against certain former members of its senior management team alleging fraudulent practices. Reliable sources say IIB's former president/chief executive officer Arlida Ariff is among those named in the report.
A press statement by IIB said its board had “unanimously resolved to take every initiative within its authority, to hold the persons involved accountable”.
The board said there had been a need to investigate certain issues thoroughly and to initiate its intended action on an informed and factual basis.

Arlida Ariff

“Some of those implicated had resigned in this period, thus pre-empting the said inquiries,” said the statement.
Nevertheless, the board believes the matter will receive the appropriate attention and follow-up by the authorities and IIB will support them fully in seeking a thorough and just conclusion.
IIB also confirmed that a comprehensive process of review, investigation and inquiry with the involvement of external auditors Ernst & Young has recently been concluded.
Ernst & Young highlighted the need to strengthen IIB's key controls in a number of respects and the recommendations would be carried through in a responsible and measurable manner, IIB said.
Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff could not be reached to confirm on the police report made by IIB.
Arlida did not respond to phone calls and emails from StarBiz.
It had been earlier reported that Arlida's exit were linked to reports of irregularities in the awarding of infrastructure contracts during her watch and that an internal audit was initiated to look into the matter.
Arlida was first appointed as head honcho of IIB, the company responsible for bringing investments into Johor's Iskandar Malaysia, in 2007.
She was made executive director on July 2, 2007, and on Jan 1, 2008, she became the president and CEO.
Khazanah Nasional Bhd formed IIB, a 60% subsidiary, as a catalyst investor focusing on greenfield developments in the Iskandar project.
The Employees Provident Fund and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor each has a 20% stake in IIB.
Arlida, who is an engineer by training, spent 15 years with the KLCC Group prior to IIB and among noteworthy projects that Arlida was involved with at KLCC were the Petronas Twin Towers, Maxis and ExxonMobil Tower, Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the KLCC Park.
Under her leadership, IIB attracted investments in projects such as the RM300mil Newcastle University Medical Faculty (due for opening this year) and the RM715mil Legoland Theme Park (to open in 2012).
IIB appointed its new president/CEO Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim on Nov 1 last year when Khazanah decided not to extend Arlida's contract, which ended on Dec 31.
Syed Mohamed was DRB-HICOM Bhd property and infrastructure group director.

Source: The Star - Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Kemayan City, The Other Twin Of Pacific Mall

Kemayan City haunted?
I did not believe My relative who visited Me in the middle of last year.
She stays in Australia and had heard about it, many years before 2010.
I'm in JB and had just hear about it... from her.

But when her ex-neighbour, a JB resident too, agreed to her story, it seems that I am the last resident to hear about it.
The ex-neighbour laughed at me as she said, the story had even been published in Metro daily.

******

One of the story, not in Metro, but New Straits Times is here 

Why Ghost Stories Excite 
Jassmine Shadiqe 

EVERYONE has a ghost story to tell. In fact looking for haunted places and ghosts can actually generate a modest income for some.

Today, there are reality shows, TV programmes and dedicated websites just on ghosts and haunted houses, and some associations calling themselves ghost hunters, seekers or finders are sharing their experiences.

I stumbled upon a website that charges a fee to teach people how to take pictures of ghosts and haunted houses.

What is this crazy attraction we have for the unexplained? Well, I can't explain either.

Recently, my colleagues and I, who had often heard numerous alleged ghost appearances at an abandoned shopping complex in Jalan Skudai, Johor Baru, decided to visit the place.

We met up about 11pm, armed with torch-lights, we drove to the abandoned shopping complex that is known as Kemayan City Shopping Mall.

First, we explored the complex compound on foot.

The mall was planned to be Johor Baru's single biggest integrated shopping and commercial development which was due to be open in June 1998.

The RM400 million complex, with 64,800 sq m of retail space, is spread over a 4.8ha site in Tampoi.

The property is a project by Capital Dynasty Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of public-listed Parit Perak Holdings Bhd, and is managed by Kemayan Management Services Sdn Bhd, a member of the Kemayan Group.

Though the actual reason on why the project was not completed is not available, it is learnt that the developers wanted to add additional floors to the building but it was not approved.

As the management waited to reapply for the necessary approvals, then came the recession.

About four years later, it was still uncompleted. The building became a den for addicts and there were numerous reports of vandalism. They stripped off metal trimmings, pipes, and anything that could be sold to scrap metal operators.

At one time, it is believed to have been a haunt for lovers.

Then, there were reports of illegal immigrants, beggars and the homeless making the complex their home.

Fights broke out among the "residents" of the building and they accused one another of stealing.

Some people said some of them did not survive the fights and died, some of old age, sickness and also drug overdose.

Since they did not have family members, their bodies were just buried in the complex or left to rot on the upper floors of the complex.

I also heard a story of a pregnant woman (an illegal immigrant) living on one of the floors of the multi-storey shopping complex.

It is said that she was in labour and while making her way to the ground floor, she fell and landed on the jutting metal steel cemented to the floor.

She did not die on the spot and was said to have screamed in pain for about an hour and pleaded with them to help her, before she went quiet. The occupants did not think much of it and buried her at the site.

However, they started seeing a toddler running around, followed by scary screams and that spooked them, prompting them to leave.

There are other stories too, and some say people who practiced black magic, used the complex as their training ground.

Some say that people who were possessed by evil spirits, got exorcised and had "locked" the spirits in the complex.

There are also several people, who claimed they got involved in accidents in the area, as they spotted huge black shadowy figures and lost control of their vehicles.

I do not know if any of the stories told are true, but what I know is when we were walking around, we felt as though someone was watching us, or maybe we were just being paranoid.

Maybe, we would not have felt the same way if we had not heard of these stories prior to our visit or if we had decided to visit Kemayan City during the day.

I cannot say for sure if the place is haunted, but it could be a tourist attraction.

There are several ghost towns and haunted buildings in the world that are tourist attractions. Among them are Tombstone, Arizona; Jerome, Arizona; Oatman, Arizona; Bannack, Montana; Kolmanskop; and Elizabeth Bay.

These places attract tourists by the millions. There are books written, movies-made and photographs taken of these places.

Kemayan City would be a perfect site for an Alfred Hitchcock's movie or even for the directors of Jangan Pandang Belakang, Congkak, Santau and Jangan Tegur.

Source: New Straits Times - Wednesday, February 16, 2010

******

Kemayan City, property of  Capital Dynasty Sdn Bhd is now famous not for its best shopping experience, but for its mysterious ghostly accounts.
Especially to residents in the area of Tampoi, Skudai and Johor Bahru.
And in countries like Australia too.

Various accounts of ghostly sightings and mysterious cases had occurred.
A number of passersby who pass by Kemayan City, or stopping at the nearby traffic light saw the place abuzz with activities.
Others saw it adorned with nice flower decorations.
The sight of a burnt man with dangling burnt skin staggering, had also been seen.

Several residence of nearby Taman Bukit Mewah had seen the sudden brightly lit abandoned Kemayan City in the middle of the night.
Some realised the pattern of eerie sound of dogs howling after midnight rain.

But the most famous is the experience of a Singaporean family, who saw the complex which supposedly abandoned earlier was decorated glamorously with colourful lights.

Crowd was entering the shopping mall.

It seems something grand was going on.

They stopped by the mall.

True enough, the complex was finally open for business.

A grand opening ceremony was in place with entertainment and sales.

After shopping, they stopped by at their relative's house in Kampung Pasir, a few minute's drive from Kemayan.

The family then told their relatives about the grand opening, ongoing sales and showed them their purchases.

A surprising moment indeed, to see that their purchases disappeared. 

But dried leaves were aplenty.

Their relatives assured them that the mall had been left empty for many years.

And it was never open for business till now.

How true the claim is?
Anybody's guess.
The abandoned building of Kemayan City Mall is still a mystery.

******

Various haunting experiences had been told and shared by locals and from other cities too.
Many were 'tricked' by mysterious events.
I do not know how true the stories are, told by My relative in Australia, her ex-neighbour and My other friends.
The once beautiful mammoth structure of Kemayan City is a reminder of the 90s recession.
The seemed completed building from far fell into despair and abandonment just within the span of a few months.

Without hesitance, vandals quickly moved in to break all the windows and lay and they didn't stop until all the glass were broken.
Window frames, and drain covers went missing.
Those who stay nearby or use the small road at the side of the building can see men getting away with cables on their head. 
In short, everything and anything seem valuable, which they could lay their hands, fingers and legs on were not spared.
It soon became haven for drug addicts.

******

We used to pass by Kemayan City, My Husband and I.

He did not talk about ghost story.
But He never fails to relate depressive stories of one after another investor, whenever the massive gloomy building appeared in front of Our eyes, when We pass by that massive building.

******       ******      ******

Buyers In A Quandary Over Stalled Project

JOHOR BARU: A businessman who purchased two shop units as an investment for his children never thought his decision could burden them.

Loh Ah Wah, who bought the RM1mil property in the abandoned Kemayan City Mall off Jalan Skudai here, said he had been repaying the loan since 1998.

“I took a 10-year loan but am still repaying it as I could not afford the RM4,000 monthly repayments,” he said.

“My children who have started working are helping me with the loan,” said the father of five.

Loh, who represents the Kemayan City Owners and Vendors Association as chairman, said that many investors had proposed to buy the building but the bank which owned it rejected the offers as too low.

“The latest investor offered 22% of the amount we paid per unit, the highest so far, but most of us were not satisfied.

“The sum is not even enough to cover the interest on our loans,” he said, adding that the amount was RM1.2bil for the whole building.

He said that only 40% of the units were sold, adding that 200 of the 600 buyers recently attended a briefing by the project’s liquidator.

Loh said the majority of the owners were against selling their units at the proposed price.

He added that 428 of the 551 retail units and 201 of the 1,026 office units were sold.

Loh pointed out that, according to the liquidator, the approval of 75% of the owners was needed for the transaction.

Another meeting between the liquidator and the buyers was expected to be fixed in a month.

“Construction of Kemayan City commenced at the end of 1994 and the project was completed in 2000 after three years of delay.

“Since then, the building was abandoned and vandalised. It is now a shelter for drug addicts,” he said.

Johor probably has the highest number of abandoned buildings in the country with no fewer than 15 projects shelved since the mid-90s.

Source: The Star - Wednesday, October 8, 2010

******

That is just one of the almost similar stories told by My Husband.
And there were many more of other investors' woes that I could hardly digest in the same and other abandoned buildings.

As if to add salt to the wound, go through this.
A real attack to the already feeble hearts and pockets.

Not In The Best Interest Of All Parties

I REFER to your report "Council waiting to be paid RM15m" (NST, June 16) and the statement by the Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Halimah Sadique that the Johor government is placing a caveat on 52 abandoned buildings. It is most disappointing that the state government considers taxing the 52 buildings that are abandoned.

Firstly, it is shocking to know that there are so many abandoned buildings in Johor Baru.

Secondly, the state government should facilitate the rehabilitation of these buildings by waiving the assessment on buildings that can't be used.

Thirdly, there was no attempt by politicians to look into this problem. There is also no legal protection for buyers of commercial space unlike residential properties.

At a time when the government is promoting the Iskandar Development Region (Iskandar), it should make it its priority that abandoned buildings such as Kemayan City, Pacific Mall, Lot 1, Castle Inn, etc, be completed and occupied.

What would potential investors think of Iskandar if they see so many abandoned buildings stripped of all the cables and metal parts?

About RM10 million was needed to build Pacific Mall and in 1999, it was abandoned. Today, the entire 25 storey-building's copper and steel fittings have been stripped, including the escalators.

It would take RM55 million to restore the building.

Its location near the traffic police station did not deter thieves and this has been going on for nine years.

The government should consider compensating the owners for their losses.

TAN BENG SOOI

Chairman Pacific Mall Buyers Committee Johor Baru. 

Source: New Straits Times - Jun 22, 2007

****** 

Rid The Country Of Dirty Image

I could not agree more with Jim McNeil’s views as expressed in his letter “Beauty of country marred by litter problem” (The Star, April 22).

While I applaud Malaysia’s bold ambition to attain developed nation status by 2020, the sad reality is that Malaysia has a serious littering problem which should be solved immediately.

Take my beloved hometown Johor Baru as an example. Most parts of the city are not only riddled with litter, but are also smothered by unsightly advertisements of loan sharks everywhere – on traffic lights, telephone booths and even road signs and very often blocking the all-important road names!

Dilapidated buildings of defunct shopping malls such as Pacific Mall, Waterfront City and the infamous Kemayan City (whose construction was aborted halfway) have provided eyesores for city dwellers and visitors for many years now.

Whenever I drive by these monstrosities, I cannot help but shake my head in utter disbelief and frustration as I ponder how much longer the authority will allow these unsightliness to prevail.

And imagine the inevitable contrast between dirty Johor Baru and squeaky-clean Singapore!

While driving on the roads, it is fairly common to see people unscrupulously disposing of garbage from their vehicles. I sincerely hope that the relevant authority would seriously look into enforcing anti-littering regulation just as rigorously as they have been enforcing the compulsory backseat safety belt rule.

Johor Baru, just like many cities in Malaysia, needs to seriously look at the litter problem on top of the escalating crime rate and security issues so that this city does not deteriorate. Otherwise, it is meaningless to boast world-class developments such as Iskandar Malaysia with the tagline “The World In One City”.

RYANN LAI,
Johor Baru.

Source: The Star - Friday, April 23, 2010

******  

Kemayan City, sits on a 12.4acre site along Jalan Skudai, is the largest abandoned project in JB.

It is with great hope that the abandoned building will be refurbished and redeveloped.

It was reported here, management of Kemayan City had changed hand.
It had since being taken over by Blackstone Eight Sdn. Bhd., and work on it had since started since September last year...

The Taxi - His Working Wife, Please Be Home, Now!

"Pergi mana, yang?"

Something not right ringing in my ears as I answered CIQ.

"Kerja petang ya, yang?"

"Taklah, tak kerja." It was 3.30pm when I boarded the taxi.

"Habis, pergi Singapore buat apa kalau tak kerja?"

"Saja, jalan-jalan."

"Ustazah ya yang?"

"Taklah, duduk rumak saja."

"Betul bukan ustazah? Macam ustazah aje. Ada anak yang?"

"Ada."

"Dah besar?"

"Dah besar, sangat-sangat."

"Betul ke dah besar? Tak macam ada anak besar, je. Awak ibu tunggal, ya yang" For the umpteenth time, he's been adjusting and re-adjusting the mirror in front of him for better rear view.

"Taklah."

"Kenapa tak jalan dengan suami?"

"Kerja." I started to feel very much uneasy.

"Bila balik yang?"

"Habis jalan, baliklah."

"Pukul berapa yang?"

"Tak pasti, jam ke tidak."

"Bukan ibu tunggal ke yang? Macam ibu tunggal je. Pukul sepuluh dah balik yang?"

"Tak pasti, jam ke tidak."

"Telepon saya boleh? Saya tunggu," Then he said out his phone number.  

****** 

"Rumah kat mana?" My turn to ask him to stop his yang, yang, yang that makes hair stands.

"Kat Bukit xxxxx. Pernah dengar tempatnya?" 
"Pernah." 
"Tau tempatnya?"

"Tau dan pernah pergi." 

"Rumah saya besar. Ada empat bilik. Cantik rumah saya."

"Orang rumah ada kat rumah?" I tried to remind him he has someone dearest in his life.

"Taklah, dia kerja."

"Rumah cantik, tapi orang rumah keluar kerja. Rugilah tak boleh nekmat cantiknya."

"Malam jangan lupa telepon tau." Again, he said out the number.

"Anak berapa?"

"Lima. Semua dah kerja. Ramai eh, anak saya."

"Taklah, sepuluh pun ok kalau kita didik betul-betul."

"Sebenarnya anak saya lapan, bukan lima. Malu nak cakap, ramai sangat." He chuckled upon admission. 

"Pada saya tak ramai. Anak dah besar, semua kerja, kenapa orang rumah kerja lagi? Kalaulah rumah saya cantik sangat, keluar rumah pun saya tak nak. Nak duduk dalam saja. Rugi tinggalkan lama-lama rumah cantik."

"Orang rumah saya kerja kemas-kemas bilik hotel. Balik sebulan sekali."

"Hah?" I was surprised upon hearing the once a month coming home.
"Dia kerja kat Singapore." It surprised me more. Just across the causeway. 

"Ramai kerja kat Singapore, tapi saya nampak dia orang hari-hari balik."

"Dia kerja dekat dengan Orchard Road."

"Taklah jauh sangat kalau nak balik. Senang naik MRT sampai Kranji. Hotel apa tu?"

"xxxx xxxxx. Pernah dengar hotel tu?"

"Pernah."

"Semua awak tau, ya yang. Agak-agak pukul sebelas dah balik? Saya tunggu. Kalau malam saya selalu ada dekat dengan CIQ. Saya round satu Johor makan-makan."

"Kalau orang rumah ada kan boleh bawak dia makan. Anak tak masak?" This man is damn lonely.

"Anak semua kat Singapore. Sebulan sekali balik. Dengan emaknya sekali. Dia orang semua bawak kereta besar-besar."

Then he mentioned various places in the central and eastern side of Singapore where his children are staying. They will return to JB with their mother, a Singaporean, before coming back again the following month.

An ex navy who used to serve KD Malaya in Woodlands, he used to dive looking for treasures from shipwreck, and he is still diving for the treasures, which he is unable to bring them home.

He said there are aplenty at the seabed which he mentioned a specific beach in Johor.
He offered me bronze and porcelain.

But in between the conversations, there were many pleadings to use his taxi service, reminding me of his phone number, kept insisting that I'm a religious teacher and a single mother.

"Dahlah, cakap orang rumah tak payah kerja lagi. Duduk rumah lagi bagus, tengok rumah cantik, sayang tinggal-tinggalkan." I tried to hint the importance of his wife's presence and togetherness in his life.

"Itulah, rumah saya selalu kosong. Sebab itu kalau awak balik 2 pagi pun saya boleh tunggu. Nanti telepon ya, yang."

When the usual fare is around RM9.00, it was RM12.00 yesterday, as he was too absorbed looking for companion. 

"Kenapa macam nak lari? Jangan lupa telepon tau. Pukul 10 saya dah ada, tunggu  kat sini, ya yang," as passed me his phone number.

I alighted the taxi with soft limbs and shakened.

Last night, the incident led to me having a bad dream of the outcome of hopefulness and frustration of  his deserted inner soul.

Should any drastic action is taken by this 'angau' driver, and crime committed, situation at home needs a good reflection.
Contemplation is very much needed.

Marriage is between two parties.
Physical presence is very important.
Yes, absent makes the heart grows fonder.
But too long, grave consequences do usually cross the paths.

The longer the marriage is, sense of loss is always felt.
Whenever the other half is not around, funny feeling is there whenever we go around alone, by ourselves.
The invisible attachment is always there.

******

"And among HIS Signs is This, 

that HE Created for you, 

mates from among yourselves, 

that you may dwell in tranquility with them, 

and HE has put love and mercy between your hearts. 

Verily in that are Signs for those who reflect." 

- Surah Ar Rum: 21.

******

Girls, daughters, wives, mothers, grandmothers and all readers, money provides us great living comfort, but there's thing that money can't buy.

Wives, you have children, who will have their other halves.
They will have their own lives.

Wives, your husbands are the other half of yours - Complete them.
Live your lives, you and spouse.
That's complete living.

*** Another pining heart is here.    


  

      

The Other World - Hysterical Moments

For three days in a row, a group of students and a teacher of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tasek Utara 2, Johor Bahru had bouts of hysteria.
Last year, from Wednesday April 28 and 30, 15 Form Four female students and a female teacher, who were from separate classrooms went hysterical.

On Wednesday, the mysterious hysteria attacked three students from separate classrooms.
They were seen crying and having shouting fits.
But on Friday, another six students and a female teacher suffered the same fate.

Those who witness the incident on Friday saw a chain reaction as students were being possessed one after another.
One of them had to be held to the floor, with face bloated of anger.
The situation was at its worse on Friday when a female Form Four student, who seemed to be possessed by a spirit, threatened to jump from the third floor of a classroom block.
A group of male teachers had to hold the student down as she tried to jump off the building.

So intense was the hysteria that the school administration had to call healers from the Skudai Darussyifa' Islamic healing group to help calm the students.
The healer spoke with the spirit through one of the girls.
It said that its home had been disturbed.
They were calmed down within 90 minutes.
Fortunately none of the students or the teacher suffered any injury, as they were all pacified with the help of the Darussyifa' healers.

The hysteria was said to occur again on May 3.

******

In July 2009, a group of 20 students at SMK Taman Daya 2, Johor Bahru, became hysterical that created panic among those at the school.
They claimed to see apparitions which looked like pontianak (vampire) and pochong (floating ghost in white burial shroud).
They screamed in fear after seeing 'something' in the classroom.
Their screams created a domino effect and soon, other classmates also screamed in panic.

Those apparitions had been seen by some of them since April, after a group of students returned from a dance competition at a shopping mall in Kulaijaya.
The sightings usually occurred at the fourth floor of the school which housed the classrooms of Form Four students.
Staff members were quick to act to calm them down.

That was not the first incident and it makes the other students uneasy.

****** 

What causes hysteria that these students and teacher lose self-control?
What causes the mind to be unmanageable?

For the above incidents, hysteria at schools were due to the school being home to spirits, be it apparitions or other forms.
Or the reason students or teachers were susceptible nature of to be 'disturbed' or possessed by these unseen beings.
Those lacking spiritual strength make them susceptible to such intrusions.

For female Muslims who are unable to pray during their menstruation period, they are likely to be spiritually weakened during these time, thus this makes them an easy target for possession.

Sign of headcover worn by girls does not reflect spiritual strength.
To be spiritually strong, internal strength needs to be work on.

There are other causes too.
Hysteria maybe caused by humans who trespass on the spirit's or spirits' turf.
Occasionally youngsters, who liked to play outdoor late into the evening, collide with spirits or accidentally trespass into their 'home' during the few minutes before sunset.
Their homes could be disturbed.
Or these youngsters could accidentally be hitting and hurting these unseen being family members without them knowing it.

At best, try to avoid spending time outdoor, during the fifteen minutes before Magrib prayer call because that's when spirits roam around.
But the best solution is always to strengthen oneself spiritually with prayers and practising good values.

For those who believe, Al-Qur'an is the best remedy.
Aayatul Kursi, the last two verses of Surah Al Baqarah and the first ten verses of Surah Al Kahfi need to be explored.

When Pacific Mall Becomes A 'Landmark'

32 Lifts Stolen From Mall

JOHOR BARU: The abandoned RM300mil Pacific Mall near Bukit Cagar is not only an eyesore, but also the scene of a bizarre theft where 32 of its escalators were stolen.
Owners who purchased individual lots at the shopping centre are crying foul over the loss as they are still servicing bank loans for the failed project.

Eyesore: The RM300mil Pacific Mall comprising of a five-level retail podium and a 24- storey office tower in Johor Baru.
 

Tan Poh Lai, a pro-tem committee member representing the buyers said the escalator theft increased the building's restoration cost from RM10mil to RM50mil.
She said the mall's construction was stopped eight years ago due to management issues.
The bank that financed the project could not be reached despite much effort, she added.
“To make matters worse, those who purchased the lots are fighting a legal battle with the bank to prevent their lots from being auctioned,” said Tan.
Singaporean Irene Ling, 31, who took over one of the lots from her late father, said the matter caused much frustration to those committed to the project.
Tan said the majority of the buyers faced hardships as their life savings and retirement funds were used to finance their purchases.
Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad, who took up the case, said the rights of Pacific Mall's owners should be protected and given priority.

»I will look into the matter and meet local authorities to straighten out the issue immediately« DATUK SHAHRIR SAMAD
 

“I will look into the matter and meet local authorities to straighten out the issue immediately. We should throw light on the situation quickly to prevent repetition of such events,” he said.
Pacific Mall, located between Jalan Storey and Bukit Cagar, comprises a five-level retail podium block and a 24-storey office tower.

Source: The Star - Tuesday, April 29, 2008

******

I used to shop there in late 80s or early 90s when the mall operated its business.
But, for just a brief period.

A couple of years ago, on the ground floor, a small corner was opened selling handphone accessories, VCDs and DVDs.

Huge Mess: Ceiling Boards Missing At The Mall.

Stolen: Policemen From The Johor Baru (South) Mobile Patrol Unit Inspecting The Remnants Of An Escalator, Which Was Stripped Of Metal Parts. Photos: The Star

The building, which was 90% complete, was abandoned in 1997.

Now, all kinds of remarks were heard about Pacific Mall in Lorong 1, Jalan Storey, Johor Bahru:

Awesome Mall

With Awesome Big Hall!  

Awesome Interior

With Awesome Escalators! 

The Best Shopping Centre In Town

Is The Most Dangerous Building Around!!

Reason Why There Are Many Abandoned Shopping Spaces Is Caused

By Johoreans Who Do Not Like To Shoppp!!!

Yes.
In Johor Baru, Larkin, Plentong, Permas Jaya and Skudai, there are around 10 abandoned big buildings.

Every time on my way across the Causeway, although an eyesore, I had never fail to look at the almost stripped down Pacific Mall.
Pacific Mall, currently in a dilapidated condition is stripped to almost bare.

The rundown building is barely 500 metres away from police station, yet the property was vandalised.
It pose safety and security concerns for the public
Public safety is compromised since more than ten years ago.
It is very dangerous as the peeled glass piece may fall down anytime.

The eerie feeling whenever I passed by the fenceless, the non-barricaded Pacific Mall can't be helped as it is near Bukit Cagar.



 
And, Bukit Cagar is best remembered with its burst rooftop water tank in 1993.

The problematic building of the shopping arcades and car park, which began in 1995 could not be completed.

It seems the building is left to rot.
The abandoned project is strategically in an extraordinarily quiet location, not nearest to any main road, needs overdue attention.
Its shop lots and office spaces had once attracted buyers from Singapore and Hong Kong.

But last September, the abandoned building had attracted evil hearted being.
Pacific Mall had become a disposal ground of a man whose body was burnt.

The Children - Who's Answering?

Father Suspects Baby Swapped At Hospital

NAJRAN: A Saudi man wonders if he and his wife were given the wrong baby after his son was born almost seven years ago.
Jaber Nasser Salim Aal Rizq said his wife delivered their fourth son in the King Khaled Hospital in the Najran area and at the moment of delivery, wristbands were placed on the mother and baby boy and he was taken to an incubator.
Aal Rizq pointed out that seven hours after the delivery, a female Saudi nurse came to check his wife, compared her medical file and the data on her wristband and found differences in the information.
The nurse changed the data without bringing the baby boy, who was in the incubator, to verify it.
“I met the doctor supervising my wife’s case and he informed me that I was blessed with a baby boy and said he would remain in the incubator due to a fracture in the left shoulder and dislocation in the left arm,” he said.
“The doctor informed me that a specialist was following up my son’s case.”
When he wanted to move his wife and son to another facility, he learned there were problems with the medical records.
“I got the release of my wife and son on my responsibility and I took the baby boy to a private hospital for treatment, but the hospital where he was born took three hours to give me a release for the mother and infant because they said the boy’s file was lost,” he said.
Aal Rizq’s doubts about the boy’s lineage led him to visit the hospital’s administration and ask for a detailed medical report on the boy’s case.
“I was shocked to find that the medical report mentioned only the time of birth and date of discharge from the hospital, without any other information,” he said.
Okaz/Saudi Gazette tried to contact the director general of Health Affairs in Najran to ask about the case and his office’s role in these matters, but he did not respond.
– Okaz/Saudi Gazette __

Source: Saudi Gazette - Monday, January 24, 2011

******

Woman’s Stares Led To Reunion With Biological Parents
JOHOR BARU: Eight years ago Zulhaidi Omar noticed he was getting frequent stares from a particular Chinese girl at a supermarket in Batu Pahat where he worked.
To his bewilderment, the girl later came with an elderly Chinese couple and all three of them checked him out together.

Striking resemblance: Teo and Zulhaidi listening to questions during the press conference in Johor Baru.

But things took a serious turn when the couple turned out to be his biological parents. “They came to look for me three times and from our conversations, they were convinced that I was their son,” Zulhaidi, 29, told a press conference.
“I agreed to go for a DNA test and the results confirmed that they were indeed my biological parents.
“The girl who was always looking at me was actually my elder sister who suspected that I was her brother because of my striking resemblance to our father.”
Yesterday, the family highlighted their plight to the media because they wanted to change Zulhaidi’s name to a Chinese name, as well as his religion on his identification card to Buddhism instead of Islam.
As a child, Zulhaidi said, he had always felt out of place because he was teased about his Chinese-like features and never did seem to feel part of the family. When he was 13, Zulhaidi decided to leave his family in search of the truth.
“My Malay father had left us when I was three. My mother remarried, but I could not get along with my stepfather so I left,” he said.
“I took on odd jobs such as waiting at tables and working at a car wash to support myself throughout my secondary school.”
Zulhaidi, now a sales executive, has a diploma in Business Administration.
His natural father Teo Ma Leong, 66, revealed that among his six children at home, his fifth child Tian Fa has dark features.
He suspected that Tian Fa, now 29, had been switched at birth and thus ended up growing up with the family.
Tian Fa is married to a Chinese girl and now, despite the emergence of Zulhaidi, he has no intention of looking for his biological parents.
“We did not notice anything when the baby was brought home but one month later, we sensed that something was amiss because the baby was darker and did not look like any of us.
“A check with the hospital gave us no clues, so we brought him up as one of our own, although we knew our actual son was out there somewhere,” said Teo, a former mechanic.
Teo added that his wife Lim Sik Hai, 62, had to endure a lot of slander and gossip that the baby was born of an affair but Teo knew his wife better and trusted her.
“When our daughter found Zulhaidi, I knew this is the son we had been looking for. Three months after DNA tests confirmed that he is our son, Zulhaidi agreed to come and live with us,” said Teo, adding that it took another six months before Zulhaidi called them “mum” and “dad”.

Source: The Star - Saturday, February 3, 2007 

******

Going His Own Way Since He Was 13

JOHOR BARU: At 13, he was supporting himself, washing dishes after school to pay for his books and rented room.
Zulhaidi Omar, 29, said he had never been tempted to take the easy way out by dropping out of school or straying into a life of crime. Instead, he worked at restaurants until midnight and washed cars to put himself through secondary school.

Zulhaidi: Wanted to taste a life of independence

Now a sales executive with a diploma in Business Administration, Zulhaidi said he was neither abused nor disowned by his family but he wanted to be independent. Unknown to him, he had been swapped at birth during a mix-up at the hospital in Batu Pahat.
“By the time I was in primary school, I knew I was different from the rest of my family members as I could tell the difference between their features and my obviously Chinese appearance,” he said at a press conference.
After a chance meeting that reunited him with his biological family eight years ago, Zulhaidi now wants to change his name to a Chinese one.
Zulhaidi is hoping the authorities would allow him to state his religion as Buddhism on his MyKad.
Bandar Baru Tampoi MCA branch chairman Michael Tay said Zulhaidi was never given the chance to choose his own religion because of a mistake made at birth.
“Under the Federal Constitution, everybody is allowed the freedom to choose his own religion, but Zulhaidi was never given that chance.
“We will try the diplomatic method first through negotiations with state officials and the hospital where he was born. If that fails, then we will have to seek legal recourse,” he said, adding that might even include a suit against the hospital for negligence.
State religious officials were unavailable for comment.

Source: The Star - Monday, February 5, 2007

Dogs, Blame And Consequences

Romanian Witches Use Spells To Protest New Taxes

Romanian witch Mihaela Minca, (right), speaks during an interview with The Associated Press as her daughter and apprentice Cassandra looks on in Mogosoaia, Romania. -- PHOTO: AP

MOGOSOIA (Romania) - SOLACE for world leaders trying to enforce painful austerity measures: At least you're not running Romania. 

Angry witches are using cat excrement and dead dogs to cast spells on the president and government who are forcing them to pay taxes. Also in the eye of the taxman are fortune tellers, who should have seen it coming. 

And President Traian Basescu isn't laughing it off. In a country where superstition is mainstream, the president and his aides wear purple on Thursdays, allegedly to ward off evil spirits. 

Witches from Romania's eastern and western regions will descend to the southern plains and the Danube River on Thursday to threaten the government with spells and spirits. Mauve has a high vibration, it makes the wearer superior and wards off evil attacks, according to the esoteric group Violet Flame - which practices on Thursdays. 

A dozen witches will head to the Danube to put a hex on the government and hurl mandrake into the river 'so evil will befall them,' said a witch named Alisia. She identified herself with one name, as is customary among witches. 

'This law is foolish. What is there to tax, when we hardly earn anything?' she said by telephone on Wednesday. 'The lawmakers don't look at themselves, at how much they make, their tricks; they steal and they come to us asking us to put spells on their enemies.' -- AP 

Source: The Straits Times, January 6, 2011

******

I read this with great pressure pressing the centre of my head.

Just last night I watched the news. Because of cholera, at least 45 voodoo priests in Haiti were hacked to death.
The traditional priests were accused of using their powers to spread the infection.
They were stoned or hacked with machetes before being burned in the streets.
Since the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010 that had taken of at least 250,000 lives, traditional priests had been blamed too, to cast spells and did evil things which brought the earthquake as a punishment.

Cholera outbreak had taken of least 3,650 lives, 121,000 been treated for symptoms and at least 63,500 were admitted to hospital.
Politicians were accused too.
So are United Nations' Nepalese peacekeepers who had been suspected of introducing cholera to Haiti.

Many Haitians still practise voodoo or use aspects of voodoo in their religious worship.
Voodoo arts are deeply ingrained in the superstitious Haitians but the blame game refused to bow down to awareness that cholera is a water-borne disease.
Poor sanitation contributed to the rapid spread of cholera - diarrhoea and vomiting.

******

This is the first time I came across cat excrement but I knew of dead dogs, black dogs to be precise.

It was the first time I went to Kak G's house after about almost six months she looked after my daughter.

I was surprised to see her changing the nappy of an invalid boy of primary school years of age.

Kak G looked after another person's child?
No. He's hers.
Her only son, beside her other very beautiful three daughters.

Her baby son was still lying on his back, unable to turn himself when he was a year old.
The only son was sent for therapy for a few years before they turn to traditional practitioner.
By then, it was a bit too late.

The practitioner told Kak G's husband, he had ran over a black dog while driving and was asked to find the dog to say sorry to the animal.
With sharpened memory, he slowly recalled the incident that had happened many years back.
He felt guilty pang piercing his heart.
He wanted to scream, voicing his guilt, but it was impossible.

So he became a silent man, paid close attention to every voices he heard in his head.
He felt chill and goosebumps.
The voices scared the living soul out of him.

His irresponsible action had made a devil out of him, and the result of his action is permanently paralysing his only son.
Muting the boy's speech and heart whispers.
Muting him too.

But now, his guilt made him see glowing red eyes of a dog, circling him, disappeared and reappeared.
The injured? dead? black dog is now haunting him.
He never thought it would happen to him but it did.
Every time he went to work, the black dog reminded him of frightening moments, of him paralysing his son, of him wretching his son's future, that he tendered his resignation.

******

He heard of cracking noise as he drove downhill.
When he looked back from the mirror, he could see a black hump covered in blood in the middle of the road.

In a blink of an eye, a black dog was injured.
Or dead maybe?
He was shocked realising the pain, the injury or maybe the death that he had cause, although he had seen no dogs before he drove off.
He saw no dog, or even its shadow, blocking his path.
Occasionally there were dogs weave in and out of stationed cars and loitering at Bukit Timbalan, JB, as there were many Chinese staying at the nearby shop-houses in the 80s.

He could not believe his eyes.
His whole body was trembling and his legs shaking.
He felt like he was being suspended in the air.
He could not feel the car under him.
It was almost dark, so he did not turn back to nurse his victim.
Officer workers had all left and nearby folks were not out anymore.
Even though it was not weekend, Bukit Timbalan seemed like haunted every time darkness set in.

He thought nothing about consequences.
Still, he dare not look back fearing of seeing the dog wriggling in pain.
He rushed home, looked straight ahead without looking at the sides of the deserted downhill lane, fearing of seeing any witness...

****** 

Although Patrick Swayze of 1998 Black Dog is no more around since September 14, 2009, the blog here is a good read.

The Other World - Self-Bred Poltergeist

An unrelated article about current issue with the word poltergeist splashed here and there, sure has the word poltergeist embedded in my mind, and the evil creature, as if physically appeared in front of my eyes.

Poltergeist or ghost, although they are different to some of us ( as ghost's presence in the surrounding is known to be haunting, poltergeist's presence is with its obvious disturbance and nuisance ), they are to me, all the same evil creatures.

Recently, during 'Aidilfitri, a friend received a call from her tenant, wanting her to do 'really something workable' to the house which she rented out to the newly married couple - the bathroom was always wet, as though it had just been used, although the couple were out working the whole day.
Even when the couple were around the house, taps would turn on by itself, blasting out water.

My friend was really lost for idea, having called knowledgeable men to cleanse the house and its area.
For a while, these evil creatures would make peace with them, then when their minds were to be at peace, these evil creatures started their antique characters again.
My friend had stayed briefly in their newly made house which they bought, before her in-laws asked them to stay in another house of theirs, which is just a few doors away from them.

The family had nothing of unpleasant incident about their house which they briefly stayed in.
So, her husband called up the family who moved in not long after they vacated their house in Kota Masai for their experience and opinion.

The family had stayed in the house in Kota Masai since newly married until with few kids and now had stayed in the house that they finally bought.
To the first tenant, they felt the same disturbance intially, but with regular prayers and not showing their fright to the evil creature who wanted to show their authority, they managed to 'chase' them away with regular Qur'an recitations and try to keep indoor when nights fall.

How was my friend going to tell the couple to turn to faith?
Was it a real ghost or poltergeist or... demons in them?

Believe me, some people, with too many negative thoughts in their mind and their hearts, evil creatures or evil spirits are bound to be easily attracted to them.
A person with high anxiety, highly confused, easily angry, always living in great fear and having great doubts about others, all their negative form of mental energy contributes greatly to these evil energies combined together, triggered the character of its main role player, by the 'unseen creatures' living among us, and they always wanted to be part of us and having us following their says.
Our characters and lifestyle, at times, without we realise, had them, these 'unseen creatures' bred in us, that cause our health and led them to inflict diseases in us, too.

I had seen of a family's mental health case with two characters:
The mother, whenever she was severely stressed, ( always caused by the husband's infidelity with numerous flingings with girls across the island ), was pleased to see me around, without realising that she was pouring her heart out.
During her calm days, her husband's infidelity was secretly guarded.

But the couple's only son, a lecturer, whose mental health had caused his job and his marriage, despise me being around whenever he was down with his unreleased tension and frustration.
He would warn people around him of my existence although his usual self is a pleasant, soft-spoken and one knowledgeable man.

For the family, surrendering the mother and son to the mental institution is the only solution, as the mother would unknowingly shamed the father in front their five children, and the father had never deny what the mother said.
She knew what he did with all those girls from across the island, the socks were his favourite place of hiding his money, and how much had he stolen from her.
In reality, during her sober period, she did not even know where her husband was, at such period of time.

The son, with mounting unspoken and unreleased tension and frustrations, could transform such pent-up feelings to huge energy as not only could carry a motorcycle, but even a car, to throw them into rivers and seas.

******

A cousin, who is in charge of the then newly built teachers' quarters in Pahang, had to be the first tenant to move into the walk up flat.
Again and again, he would knock at his ceiling with long poles, whenever there were pulling, pushing or screeching sound made by these unseen creatures, as though they had just moved into the empty upper floor houses and were arranging furnitures.
He would command them to stop acting foolish, as he is not the person to be fooled around.
Obey they did, and now the flat were all occupied with no 'moving in' of the unseen creatures again.

Then, even engines of the cars of those new tenants who had just moved in, were purposely started by them.

My cousin, even in the wee hours, had to shout and command them to stop their prank, which they all did.