My-Daybreak.org

The horrific road accident at Senawang, where a family of six was burned beyond recognision ( ” Loud bang, then an explosion”– NST, Feb 9), should be a wake -up call for motorists  using highways during Chinese New Year.

Road accidents that turn fatal always occur during festive seasons, when more vehicle throng the highways.

There is only so much that government agencies can do to remind motorists to drive safely and within the speed limit.

Hefty fines for traffic offences and graphic advertisements showing road accident victims in the media seem to have failed to reduce accident rates.

Motorists who drive like speed demons and flout every rule  in the book are a danger to themselves and other drivers.

Speed kills and as long as motorists do not adhere to road etiquette, don’t expect the number of road accidents to drop this festive season.

Hamdan ibrahim

Kuala Lumpur

NST, 10-Feb-2010

In view of Chinese New Year celebration this weekend, I hope the police will be more vigilant and nab people who let off firecrackers, especially in the middle of the night.

One will normally be rudely awakened when firecrackers are let off.

The moment one person lets off firecrackers, others rush to follow suit.

This sometimes last for minutes and the scene will be like a war zone.

Infants will cry almost non-stop as soon as firecrackers are set off.

I dread it when the day comes. Aren’t these firecrackers banned by the authorities? If they are, how is it that people can still buy them?

It is time the authorities put a stop to this once and for all.

P.W. Yong
Batu Gajah

NST, 10-Feb-2010

It is not possible to buy a double storey link houses in most parts of the Klang valley or in major towns and cities unless one is willing to cough up quite a bit.

For a link house costing RM 600,00, the stamp duty and legal fees come to RM 18,500 ( RM 15,000 in stamp duty and RM 3,500 in legal fees.)

For a property costing up to RM 100,000 and 0.5 per cent for  properties costing from RM 100,000 to RM 1.5 million.

There is hardly any difference in the legal work and effort involved ( including documentation in standard forms for the sale and purchase agreement, and memorandum of transfer) for the purchase of a RM 100,000 house, for which the legal fees ( excluding stamp duty) are RM 1,000 and for RM 1.5 million house, the legal fees come up to RM 7,500.

In Britain Australia and New Zealand, the legal fees for house buyers have been reduced by allowing licensed conveyancers, besides lawyers, to do legal work for house buyers.

By allowing more people to provide conveyancing ( land transactions) services, legal fees for house buyers are reduced.

M.G. KL

NST (09-Feb-2010)

Travelling by stage bus along the Tapah-Cameron Highlands road is one bumpy experience for tourists and locals alike.

The two hour journey is supposed to be a pleasant experience. As the bus meanders along the narrow and winding road, commuters should be able to enjoy the panoramic view of the verdant jungle, slow-moving clouds and the occasional mist.

Sad to say, the journey is unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. The main grouse is the abhorrent condition of the local buses. The seats are extremely uncomfortable and the absence of soft headrests on some of the buses makes the journey agonising.

The locals have resigned themselves to the fact that it is their lot to endure the ordeal and they have been suffering in silence for years. the worst hit are the schoolchildren who use the buses daily.

The boneshaker buses are giving a bad image to the tourism industry  in Cameron Highlands. It is high time the local authorities studied the situation and decide whether there is a necessity to render to the assistance to the bus company so that a satisfactory bus service is made available to commuters.

LT (R) P. Nathan, KL

I was ashamed to read an article that appeared in last month’s National geography magazine about wildlife trafficker Anson Wong and his captive breeding antics. The article insinuated in Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

It was disturbing to note in the article that a Malaysian official interview didn’t see anything wrong in supporting someone who was ripping off the wildlife in Malaysia and Southeast Asian countries.

Last month, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas took over the chairmanship of the special permits committee, which is sues special permits for totally protected species.

Unless we stem the growth of corruption, our nation will be destroyed by the actions of a few who are in power.

Julianah Low Abdullah

Petaling Jaya

there are many guru cemerlang for language in Johor. But when it involves formulating questions for the Penilaian Menengah Rendah and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examinations, these teachers are seldom involved.

Teachers who have many commitments in school are the ones who will be called upon to do this work. We hope the state and district education officers will look into this matter. If everything is pushed to the teachers, what is the function of guru cemerlang?

The state Education Department wants many programmes carried out, but we do not understand the rationale for it. We are now concentrating on the paperwork, which is wanted by the state. We are also busy preparing the ISO accreditation.

All the state wants is excellent paperwork, so we oblige. teaching is a secondary matter now.

S.A.

Batu Pahat, Johor

NST, 05-Feb-2010

Sometimes, one can see rubbish such as food wrappers and soft drink cans stream along the highways.

Since our highways don’t run past housing areas, obviously the rubbish comes from highway users.

This bad habit not only gives our country a bad image, when done by adults, it also sets a bad example for children.

Throwing rubbish or cigarette ash from fast-moving vehicles could be hazardous to other road users.

Although we have cleaners to keep the highways clean, we must play our part as well. Let us toss away the bad habit now, without having to wait for another New Year to make this resolution.

Abdun Nizar Ahmad

Kuala Lumpur

NST, 05-Feb-2010

I refer to the letter” Why not a counter just for stamps?” ( NST, Jan 11 )

For the information of K.G.K. Nair of Seremban, the people of Tasek Gelugor do not queue up, but go straight to the counter to buy stamps.

This is because the post master in Tasek Gelugor has put up a notice stating those wishing to buy stamps need not queue, This is a smart way of easing the system.

I hope post offices in other states will follow the Tasek Gelugor branch’s example.

Chiang Boon Min
Tasek Gelugor, Penang.

NST, 4-Feb-2010

I refer to the letter from Tony Danker of Ampang, ” Durian worth at least a try” ( NST, Jan 28 )

Like Danker, I am a loyal follower of the TV show Bizarre food. ” The host, Andrew Zimmern, had been offered a durian prior to the visit to Penang but was disgusted with the smell and taste.

However, he was willing to try it for the second time in his homeland America and again was floored by the fruit.

In that episode, he declared the durian as his number one nemesis and vowed to ‘ tame’ it one day. I guess he was not in Penang.

A.Ratmanok

Kuching

NST, 4-Feb-2010

I refer to your report ” Towards a nation of innovators” ( NST, Jan 28) that said Bugs Tan, co-founder of the Malaysian Association of Creativity and innovation, and an inventor with 15 parents to his name, said it was important for the education system to foster a creative mindset.

He said the present education system, angled more towards rote-learning, did not favour thinking.

He said : ” Our system is based on memorising information. We do not teach children to develop thinking skills.”

According to Confucius, education should be such that if a student is taught one corner, he should be able to discover the other three corners by himself.

In our examination results oriented system, more often than not, children are spoon-fed with model answers for all four corners, to memorise and regurgitate in the examination hall.

There is no need, under the present system, for the student to develop thinking skills; to discover anything by their own effort. What is developed is memory storage capacity and the ability to recall facts from memory.

That which is memorised is just stored for recall during the examination. It is not digested, assimilated, and absorbed to become an integral part of  the student’s thinking; It is not applied to discover new knowledge or to find new applications for it, or to solve practical problems.