Thesun 2009-03-23 Page12 Driving In Fear Of Daredevils

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theSun

| MONDAY MARCH 23 2009

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Look to renewable energy sources AS WE approach Earth Hour on March 28, let us ponder on the fragile environment we helped create in terms of carbon footprint and its anthropogenic (man-made) consequences to human health. Coal is a source of energy particularly damaging to the environment. Burning coal can release air pollutants including sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide including voluminous combustion of byproducts such as ash, slag and calcium sulphide. Increased use of coal will have a significant environmental impact for several reasons. This includes aesthetic degradation, noise, dust and most significant from the health standpoint – release of harmful toxic trace elements into water, soil, and air. Regardless, it remains a fact that coal is the most polluting of all the fossil fuels. Coal-fired power plants emit particles that cause acid rain, smog and affect large areas downwind. Global warming calls for reduction in the carbon footprint by use of alternative renewable energy since benefits far exceed costs. There should be greater focus on micro-generation to reduce transmission distances and put a carbon tax in place to pay for the real impact of fossil fuels. Coal may have its cost advantage but it poses far greater risk to public health and inevitably TNB should focus its expertise on alternative fuel capacity building, if not at least sources of new fuel to energise the country’s needs. Finding secure, safe and reliable sources of energy to power economic growth will be one of the great challenges of this century. The future of energy is about new forms of power and the incentive for out-of-the-box thinking on energy. The government must consider the options of localised small-time independent power producers harnessing solar or high-altitude wind, bio-energy to produce energy at an unsubsidised real cost significantly below that of the least expensive coal-fired power plants, the current benchmark of the lowest cost source of power. Future energy has to be renewable and greater efforts must be undertaken to encourge the consumption of renewable resources, such as solar, wind, biofuel and hydro for electricity generation. This new industry can produce alternative energy-related products and services. While many industries are reeling from recessionary effects, green jobs are charting 20% growth, commanding the 10th largest industry hiring in US. Let’s conduct an energy audit of our usage as we commit to Earth Hour. Joseph Lim Kuala Lumpur

Driving in fear of daredevils IF YOU crave for an adrenalin rush and acrobatic acts with fancy costumes, look no further than the carpark at Tesco Ampang on weekends. Just be there at about 2-2.30am every Sunday. You will have your fill of stunts by Mat Rempit and high speed races between motorcycles and modified cars on the MRR2 from Tesco Ampang to Bandar Tasik Selatan. The hypermarket’s large carpark is now a favourite haunt of car racers and Mat Rempit. They hang out in the carpark, at a nearby petrol station and even along the highway. I witnessed a situation where law abiding road users followed each other slowly to avoid accidents. We kept to the middle lane and noticed a group of motorcycles speeding up to us from the left lane. After some speeding, two of the motorcyclists decided to slow down in the left lane to chat while riding. A third motorcyclist swerved into the space between

the two to join in the chat session and as a result the left lane was blocked. Not long later, a fourth motorcycle swerved into the very narrow space between the three motorcyclists and a car in the middle lane. This caught the driver by surprise and caused him to swerve his car to the right lane. Following suit, the line of cars in the middle lane switched to the right lane as the four motorcycles had blocked both the left and middle lanes to resume their ride-and-chat session. It was mind boggling. I was worried about the wisdom of driving slowly in the right lane, which is normally used for overtaking. Yes, as a car driver, we have the responsibility to look out for smaller vehicles and pedestrians as they are exposed to potentially more bodily harm than us. However in such cases, who looks out for decent road users like myself who just want to reach home safely? As with

the incident quoted above, the driver was driving cautiously at a moderately slow speed. With the fourth motorcycle coming out of nowhere, his instinct told him that there was a big risk of an accident, hence he decided to move to the right lane. Take it from me as I was right behind this car, the motorcyclist had just managed to get through that small gap. Even I had my doubts that the motorcyclist could make it. Thankfully, for this driver, there were no cars in the right lane. All road users carry a responsibility to look out for each other. Are there any laws to protect us from incidents involving Mat Rempit. They are a menace to the society. This weekly get-togethers near the hypermarket have been going on since October 2008. I no longer use the MRR2 for fear of accidents or crimes by these Mat Rempit. I now take a longer route home spending more time and fuel. What have our law enforcers

Upright leaders will pass the test IN THE run-up to the Umno general assembly this week, the nation is astir with the party’s rejection of corrupt candidates on charges of money politics. A few have been charged and due punishment meted out. Many more are being investigated. Of course not all who are guilty of this despicable act of “buying loyalty” will be hauled up by the Umno disciplinary board or the MACC because let’s face it – hard evidence is not easy to come by. Finding Ali Rustam guilty of breaching Umno ethics and barring him from the deputy president candidacy is widely viewed as an eleventh hour attempt to appease dissenting voices. Hopefully, to be seen to be serious about fighting corruption will restore a little of the face and credibility that Umno has dramatically lost. The focus is now on the candidates the delegates choose to meet Umno’s new challenges, chief of which is convincing the electorate that it is indeed the party that de-

serves to lead the BN government. To do this the general assembly must elect leaders who have the integrity, capability and resilience to do so. Indirectly, because Umno represents Malay aspirations, all eyes will be focused on Malay culture and values and what yardsticks we apply in defining a clean leadership. In the run-up to independence and the country’s first general elections, potential leaders were handpicked from among the professionals – doctors, lawyers and teachers – who because of their education and training, were considered to have the brains and the brawn to lead the nation into its first phase of development. And, indeed, they were men and women with the highest integrity whose loyalty to and respect for Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak was unfailing. Together, whether it was at the federal or state level, they forged ahead to interpret the vision and mission of the two founding fathers.

Men like Tun Dr Ismail at the federal level and Tan Sri Dr Mohd Said at the state level were known for their integrity and no-nonsense approach to politics. They were trained in medicine and armed with the compassion of seeing the real sufferings of the rural Malays who were inflicted with disease and poverty. Some chose to see them as bureaucrats and incidental politicians unschooled in the fine art of politicking. To the more seasoned cikgu politicians of the era, their fault lay in being too honest and sticking to principles even when it came to dealing with royalty. In the present era of openness and transparency, it becomes all the more crucial to have upright leaders with very few skeletons in their cupboards. As the nation’s role models, they must be looked up to with the highest regard. When they talk of integrity, they themselves must be examples of it. Halimah Mohd Said Kuala Lumpur

No room for poverty THE government must make a better effort to eradicate poverty. A more concerted, fruitful plan must be devised and realised so that poverty is forever eliminated from the modern man’s vocabulary. The government spends so much on education but for the most part it is schools and universities that benefit. There is a big portion of the middleaged population that also needs to be educated. Many people in their 40s and 50s have no language and numeracy skills, and so they remain poor. The government should not only pay attention to the children, but to the parents as well. Many business people, especially those running small businesses, need help. Not only cash, but also guidance on running their business and understanding change and technology. The government should do more to give these small entrepreneurs a better deal so that they can become more enthusiastic, focused, and develop a better outlook for themselves.

Nothing else should be done until poverty is wiped away. It is not admissible in this time and age for anyone to go to sleep at night if he or she knows of someone in need of help who hasn’t been helped. The best way to help is always to provide the person with a job, but not simply any job. The job must be right for the individual. Almost always, higher education takes children away from their parents, and the overemphasis on academics has taken a big toll on family unity. Many graduates are not happier because they have a degree. If the government focused on the family and helped the parents first, all students, graduate or not, would perform much better in school and in life. Extracurricular activities should be eliminated for the most part and replaced with part-time work. Most parents find it difficult to pay for all the extras the school demands, and these parents would be much happier if they received help from their children after school

instead of having to provide all for their children and having to be at their service constantly. Providing free education, or education on credit, has lowered the standard of education itself and kept many people poor, even the graduates themselves. The poor will not be helped through charity and handouts. Only the work culture will be able to make poverty a thing of the past. But poverty is not only the lack of material means. It is also a state of the mind that accepts lower standards instead of increasing thinking and the motivation to work harder to attain equal or better results. The government must investigate why this is happening and provide solutions that will help people to be the best that they can be. Unless the government works relentlessly to eradicate poverty, people will continue to be unsatisfied. Marisa Demori Ipoh

done to stop these Mat Rempit? Is it not illegal for more than 50 people to gather at spot or have this weekly sessions been issued a permit? This is not to say nothing has been done. The police had previously conducted an operation at the hypermarket to round up these Mat Rempit not long after its opening. Perhaps, the presence of more police patrol cars would curb the gathering of these daredevils. And our local authorities should consider setting up a place specifically for these motorcyclists to gather and display their antics safely. A word of advice. If you are at MRR2 on a Saturday night: be wary of helmets lying in the middle of the highway. The motorcyclists also come out of nowhere without a single light switched on and they are often dressed in black. Cautious Driver Kuala Lumpur

More to saving the planet I READ with amazement the efforts of WWF-Malaysia to latch on to the Earth Hour event and about all the celebrities, media and corporations that have come up in support. It is amazing that people are so easily taken by a publicity stunt that fails at the very essence. Turning off our lights for one hour on one designated day of the year to save our planet surely is a PR event at best. It shames the thousands of devoted people, governmental bodies, scientists and environmentalists that have for years been working on finding real solutions to address this global concern. Malaysians should see past this gimmick by international NGOs and start changing their lifestyles. Surely, we can be more proactive and not be fed by agenda of international bodies. Why not phased power conservation programmes, how about ride public transport days in a month, why not car pool day and the list goes on. It is also ironic that the organiser, WWF-Malaysia, up until very recently, did not even have a climate change programme to begin with when all others (even local groups and individuals) have been persistent in their pleas for Malaysians to take action. Remember, our leaders did sign the Kyoto Protocol and there has been concerted movements towards reaching solutions. Let us all be enlightened and move away from celebrations and gimmicks. Marcus Petaling Jaya