The outpouring of grief and respect by a sea of humanity at Karpal Singh’s funeral in Penang yesterday was a reaffirmation of Malaysians’ support for justice, the rule of law and democracy – the very ideals which Karpal had fought for in his whole life.
For four days, Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age or gender, grieved at the sudden and shocking death of Karpal at an accident at the North-South Expressway near Gua Tempurung.
The nation-wide grief and shock over Karpal’s death was so great and overwhelming that over these four days, the great tragedy of MH370 with 239 passengers and crew vanishing without any clue since March 8 and the shocking ESSCOM security situation with a tourist from China abducted at the Singamata Reef Resort off Semporna on April 2 were momentarily edged aside.
But Karpal, if still alive, would want proper closure for these two shocking events.
The tragedy of MH370 has entered into the 45th Day, still without any clue with no floating wreckage located after more than six weeks and no contact whatsoever after the Bluefin-21 AUV had completed its Mission 8 covering two-thirds of the focused underwater search area. Doubts are now bulking large as to whether all the civil and military search parties are looking in the right place as the MAS Boeing 777 did not end in the Indian Ocean.
In Sabah, there is no sign that the expensive “April Fool’s Joke” of Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) will cease, with the RM300 million ESSCOM shedding its notoriety as “toothless tiger” or “white elephant”.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim in Kota Kinabalu yesterday proposed a solution to ESSCOM’s impotence by creating three ESSCoM deputy director-general posts to enable it to function more effectively – to represent the three leading enforcement agencies, Malaysian Armed Forces, police and Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
This is most extraordinary – as the suggestion has come more than one year too late, as in early April last year, the press reported the upgrading of the original position of Datuk Mohammed Mantek as ESSCOM Director to Director-General, who will be assisted by four “division directors who will helm four units, namely defence, security and public order, joint intelligence and public”.
All that Shahidan is suggesting is the upgrading of the four ESSCOM directors to three ESSCOM deputy director-general – leaving completely untouched the crux of the problem of ESSCOM being powerless with “no authority to command, direct or order any action” in ESSZONE whether by the army, police or the maritime agency.
His Ministerial colleague, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has meanwhile made a completely different suggestion – that ESSCOM command be rotated between the police and the army instead of being an independent body now.
It would appear that it is not only ESSCOM Director-General who is stricken with impotence with “no authority to command, direct or order any action” in ESSZONE, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the entire Cabinet are also stricken with “impotence” as they do not know what to do with ESSCOM despite the expenditure of over RM300 million to try to make Eastern Sabah safe not only to Sabahans but also to the tourists.
It has been reported that Karpal’s accident took place at the “black spot” of the North-South Expressway between Km291 and Km310.8 where at least 44 deaths had been reported from 2011 until Thursday’s accident involving Karpal, claiming two lives.
Police statistics revealed that there were 11 fatal accidents in 2011, 21 in 2012, 10 last year and two so far this year. The same statistics revealed that more than 100 people also suffered injuries in the accidents.
What action have the authorities, including the Ministry of Works and the NSE concessionaire PLUS Malaysia Bhd, to end the 20 km of “killer black spots” of the expressway near Gua Tempurung before more lives are lost through accidents?
You know, the real question is how do you get Sarawakians and Sabahan to express their own same sentiments of what they want in their leaders? How to make them feel that PR leaders particularly from DAP and Baru Bian are the same kind of leaders they should express themselves today?
If only Sabahan and Sarawakians feel the same about their leaders..
if ringgit malaysia 50 can do the trick, what do you think ?
Not only the Penang State Government questioned about police absence from Kapal’s funeral, all tax-payers also WANT to know!!!
Are we paying them to enjoy cool air in their offices????
TAK-BOLEH=lah!!!!!!!
their pay is so small
Hahahaha! Some of them tempted to complement their meagre salary by bribes………
I was starting to see that what looks like garbage from one angle might be art from another. It is said we learned from our mistakes, and that a crisis will trigger some significant change – that these changes will make the pain worthwhile.
Sadly, this is not the case with the leaders of this government. From what I could see, big change almost never happens despite all the ills confronting the way the country is administered. People simply feel lost. They have no idea what to say or do or feel or think; they become messes and tend to remain messes.
If the change is not a real change, why change ? Go back into history. What makes us who we are today. From the first moments of creation when all we had for transport were running, walking, paddling until now what we have are planes, cars, ships, spacecrafts; how long have it taken ?
The regime is good at siphoning funds for their cronies without work being done. They want 300million without any responsibilities. To keep it short they want $$$$$$!!$ without lifting their finger.
CRISIS 危机 mah, DANGER gives rise 2 OPPORTUNITY lor
“upgrading of the four ESSCOM directors to three ESSCOM deputy director-general ” – What a brilliant n sweet idea, fast track UPGRADE 2 higher posts, with BIG FAT pay n perks, doing d job d SAME OLD inefficient way (n with more ppl 2 share blame when d next kidnapping takes place)
So syiok 1, got VACANCIES or not aah? Many want 2 apply leh
“What action have the authorities to end the 20 km of “killer black spots” of the expressway near Gua Tempurung before more lives are lost through accidents?”
NOT 2 worry, d Raja Bomoh Sedunia Nujum VIP had oredei gone there KM301.6 2 conduct a cleansing ritual
Now, SAFE, semua OK 1
Jobs for the boys……Watch yes minister series
don’t worry now they take in many chineses into the pdrm and others
“Justice”
“Rule of law”
“Democracy”
Boy! Precisely those aspirations which umno hates and wants to nip off in this country.