The "development" Of Mr. ISA (aka Umno's "Rohaizat II")

"I couldn't bring myself to spend another night here. After a few hours I wanted to leave Seremban".
- CochinJew, Virtual Tourist

That was the sentiment of the tourist after visiting Seremban and it is very true. I went there just yesterday, hoping to show a dear friend the "beauty" of this place ..... It was so embarrassingly dead, that I made the excuse that I need to find a decent parking space!! In the end, I just dropped her off at Terminal-1 which has an abandoned "skyscraper" (see picture below) which has some make-up on to cover its "blemishes" (like the fat lady who today helms our country's and Umno's leadership la...).

By and large, the development there has been quite "ecofriendly" during the time of Mr. Isa - in that it didn't change much. It is still the same old boring town it was 30 yrs ago - albeit with some "cosmetic surgery" after Isa's departure.

Tersergam Indah - the leftover of the structure used for "Musabaqah membaca Al-Quran" which was moved from the NS Padang after eons to house a "museum".

The "Olympic size swimming pool" smack at the entrance of Seremban - the former site of the Convent, which was flattened and apparently acquired by the state. Some say that the water has developed "supernatural" powers (like the zam-zam water la ...)

Addendum:
["Ammar" said in the comment below, that saying "zam-zam" here is "sensitive" might offend Muslims - so I'll rephrase that sentence to "offend" everybody alike- Some say that the water has developed "supernatural" powers (like the Lourdes, Bukit Mertajam, Ganges and maybe even Yang-Tze water la ...).
Hmmm - that should do it. If more are really offended - please highlight it, and I shall offer my heartfelt apologies, and also delete the names of these special places and waters]

This has definitely gotta be the "pride and joy" of Isa - the Wisma Punca Emas, which is apparently a famous drug addicts' haunt. I vaguely remember a notice put up at the onset of the project saying that it was supposed to be a quite tall .... 20 or 28 floors. It was the old Location for SPI - St. Paul's Institution. Yes my friends - the pace of development in Seremban was like Dubai on steroids, and they had to acquire these lands from the heritage sites like the Convent and SPI.

This my friends, is a pedestrian friendly city - laid back,
and fit for anyone who wishes to have a boring holiday.

Okay la - they have a Jusco in Seremban 2 which renders some respectability and normalcy to the otherwise dead project. This is what NST Property had to say to future homeowners of Seremban 2 -"They will feel uplifted by the gorgeous views and wideopen spaces that can inspire them to set higher goals, for they will be perceived to be more successful by society."
Hmmm - Wide open spaces ... how inspiring ....

Beyond the "Seremban Siew Pau" that came out of it, Seremban has been pretty much left out of the economic boom of the 90s just next door in the Klang Valey and Melaka.
You could read "'Abandoned projects mar Seremban's image' - Story and photos by CHARLES FERNANDEZ" (from The Star) here, at the entry on February 13th, 2009, 05:48 AM.

You could also consider the destruction of the waterfront in Port Dickson (that's where Bagan Pinang is right?) beaches of its beauty, after the waterfronts were sold off wholesale (or whatever) to hoteliers - and now the public cannot use these beaches anymore, unless they fork out mega bucks.

Diaphenous Memories gives a pretty "polite" picture of what Seremban is after much cosmetic surgery - believe me ... he was extremely polite in his review. Probably, he had some good company to overshadow his boredom.

Here are some comments on the review page of Virtual Tourist:
"Seremban is one of the few State capitals that has not obtained city status yet. So the Municipal of Seremban is working hard to achieve city hood by 2009."

"Today, as you go around Seremban you can see the interesting design of the five-foot way outside each building - like a connecting corridor and the window and door decorations."

Here are some things you can check out about the development brought by Isa. I cannot find anything about a sprawling ghost-town called Bandar Baru Nilai, but you could pay it a visit if you think counting your fingers was an interesting thing to do.

Yes my friends ... these were the developments Isa boasts about!

PS
I hear that the state coffers were wiped clean during Isa's time (apparently to the tune of billions!!), and it was the current MB who did at least did some face-saving gesture to give this town some respectability as a state capital. (Oh ya ... I forgot - after Isa's departure, Rasah has got Seremban's first flyover okay ... don't play, play!!)

Hanif Omar Advocates DECEIT?

The tale of two former IGPs

From MalaysianInsider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 – One is the longest-serving top police officer Malaysia has ever known, someone who left the force with his reputation and image intact. The other is a former top cop who left the force in disgrace after an assault on former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998.

One is a former top cop who reached the peak of the corporate world here, and who looks the part in society pages and roundtable discussions on law and order. The other is a former top cop who shuns publicity like the plague and is shunned by the movers and shakers in government.

The contrast between Tun Hanif Omar and Tan Sri Rahim Noor is not only skin-deep. Both were signatories to two historic agreements between the Government of Malaysia and the Communist Party of Malaya in 1989, watershed agreements that ended the armed conflict between the communists and the government.

But today they occupy opposing sides of the spectrum on public opinion over Chin Peng and the Communist Party of Malaya.

Haniff is part of the strong anti-CPM lobby, the body of Malaysians who do not want Chin Peng to be allowed to step on Malaysian soil.

They argue that the communists inflicted death and suffering on many Malaysians, especially security personnel, and have right to return home.

Rahim is among a group of Malaysians who are guided by the principle that once an agreement has been inked, a line has to be drawn in the sand and the government has a duty and a legal obligation to adhere to the terms of the agreement.

No ifs and buts. No re-opening old wounds.

Hanif made clear his views recently after the High Court ruled that comments made by a former deputy minister against Chin Peng and the CPM were not defamatory.

He pointed out that the former secretary-general of the outlawed Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) had no legal standing.

“It is an illegal operation as it was not registered under the law,” said Hanif.

He said that Chin Peng was in charge of a notorious party which killed thousands of people in the most cruel way, and that a non-registered party had no right making any demands.

This response from Hanif is puzzling, to say the least. If he believed that Chin Peng and others in the CPM were evil and members of an illegal organization, why did he agree to sign the “Agreement Between The Government Of Malaysia and the Communist Party of Malaya.

The agreement reads: The Government of Malaysia and the Communist Party of Malaya, consistent with the common objective for peace, hereby agree to the following:-

Article 1 – Upon the signing of this Agreement, the Government of Malaysia and the CPM shall cease all armed activities forthwith.

Article 2 – The CPM shall disband all its armed units, destroy its arms, ammunition, explosives and booby-traps in Malaysia and Thailand.

Article 3 – Members of the CPM and members of its uits who are of Malaysian origin and who wish to settle down in Malaysia shall be allowed to do so in accordance with the laws of Malaysia.

Article 4 – Malaysian authorities shall assist members of the CPM and members of its disbanded armed units to help them to start their peaceful life afresh.

When Hanif signed the agreement witnessed by among others General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh of the Government of Thailand, did he believe that the Malaysian Government was not interested in honoring its obligations?

Rahim has so far not spoken publicly. He was lined up as a witness for Chin Peng but did not get the opportunity to testify for the 85-year-old because the High Court struck out the former CPM leader’s suit.

Still, Rahim’s friends said that he feels strongly about the sanctity of an agreement. In addition, he feels that he is duty-bound to tell the truth given that he is a signatory to one of the two agreements, and was one of the key players in getting the CPM to come to the negotiating table.

He knows that no amount of reparation or words of comfort can bring back the police and military personnel who lost their lives in the fight against the CPM.

As a former director of the Special Branch, he knows of the countless men and women who went in harm’s way to break the will of the communist movement.

Some of his men and women never returned home to their families.

There is no love lost between Rahim Noor and the CPM. But he was a signatory to the “Administrative Arrangement Between The Government of Malaysia and The Communist Party Of Malaya Pursuant To The Agreement To Terminate Hostilities’’ and believes in the sanctity of the agreement.

One is a former top police officer who seems to have forgotten that he was a signatory to a groundbreaking agreement, a rare occasion where communists laid down their arms.

The other is a former top police officer who still believes that what happened on Dec 2, 1989 in Haadyai has to be respected.