It is a norm for Malaysians not to use the pedestrian crossing bridge to cross a busy street. Public funds are used to construct pedestrian crossing bridges across busy streets but people are just plain lazy and jay-walk right under the bridge to the other side of the street, endangering themselves and others.

Perhaps they are lazy to climb up the stairs, so, perhaps the local authorities should install escalators and travelators on all pedestrian crossing bridges.

Well, trust me. Even with escalators, travelators or even a lift, they will still dash across the street!

Take for example the busy street Lebuh Bandar Utama where the skybridge and underpass tunnel linking both sides of 1 Utama across the street. Shoppers can conveniently cross to either side on the air-conditioned skybridge on the first and second floor as well as the underpass tunnel on the lower ground floor of the shopping mall.

With a conducive environment and shops on both sides of the bridge and tunnel, it would have been a good way to cross to either side of the street. However, many people still choose to dash across the street right under the skybridge when there are lifts and escalators at both sides of the shopping mall!

The busy street in between The Curve and Ikea has a zebra crossing. It should be removed and pedestrians should not be allowed to cross the busy street! The bridge linking both buildings as well as the underpass tunnel are both sufficient!

Perhaps its time to educate people on the importance not to jay-walk!

The Star

TELUK INTAN: For accepting a RM900 bribe, former Hilir Perak traffic police chief Asst Supt Abd Rahman Shuhaimi was sentenced to six years’ jail.

Yesterday, Sessions Court judge Tan Hooi Leng ordered the 48-year-old to serve two years’ jail each for three corruption counts and fined him RM30,000 in default five months’ jail.

Tan, who found ASP Abd Rahman guilty, said bribery was a serious offence, which could destroy the country.

“As a law enforcer, you are expected to uphold the law. Instead of showing a good example to your subordinates, you accepted bribes,” she said Friday.

In 2001, the former officer, who was suspended pending his trial, had claimed trial to the charge of soliciting the bribe from lorry owner Aini Imran at the Diwanis Tomyam shop in Kampung Bahagia here on Dec 20, 1999, at 8.35pm, to overlook traffic offences involving three of Aini’s lorries.

ASP Abd Rahman also claimed trial to accepting RM400 from Aini at the Teluk Intan market parking lot on Dec 24, 1999, at 1.08pm and also pleaded not guilty to accepting RM500 from Aini at the Asmah Eating Stall at Kampung Bahagia here on Jan 24, 2000, at 1pm.

The judge, who ordered his sentence to run consecutively from yesterday, said ASP Abd Rahman’s actions had marred the image of the police.

During submissions, Anti-Corruption Agency DPP Zulkarnain Hassan urged the court to depart from the sympathetic way of meting out sentences as it did not seemed to serve as a deterrent.

“The court should follow public opinion on the matter in view of the increase in corruption cases recently,” he said.

Lawyer Terence Naidu, who appeared on behalf of defence counsel Abdul Roni Abd Rahman, said his client had served the force for 21 years prior to his suspension.

“He and his family have endured much shame,” he said, adding that ASP Abd Rahman was the family’s sole breadwinner and his wife was expecting another child.

He said ASP Abd Rahman had just undergone heart surgery and also suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.

The judge rejected the defence’s application for a stay of execution.

Two ghosts meet and both chat about how they died.

1st ghost: How u died?

2nd ghost: I died of cold.

1st ghost: How does it feel when you’re dying in cold?

2nd ghost: Actually, I was imprisoned in the refrigerator. Initially, I was shivering, then my whole body started to freeze, later I felt the whole world was dark and I died. Fortunately , I died with not much sufferings.

1st ghost: You’re so pityful….

2nd ghost: How about you? How did u die?

1st ghost: I died from heart attack.

2nd ghost: I see, why did u have a heart attack?

1st ghost: Actually, I found out that y wife is having an affair with another man. One day, when I came back from work, saw a pair of man shoes outside my house. Then, I realized that the guy was in my house with my wife. When I rushed into the bedroom, my wife was alone. I must find where that bastard is hiding. So I searched the toilet, I ran downstairs, looked in the storeroom, but the bastard was not there. So, I ran upstairs and searched the wardrobe, but I found nothing. Because I was too tired of all that running, I got a heart attack and died.

2nd ghost: Why didn’t you look for the bastard in the fridge? If you did, both of us were alive now!!

B. Suresh Ram
The Sun

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 24, 2007): Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang urges the government to pay serious attention to the growing menace of Mat Rempit which has not been tackled effectively.

“As such, the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance calls on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Internal Security Minister, to give his personal attention to wipe out the Mat Rempit menace which is subverting law and order, creating fear among Malaysians and visitors and tarnishing the country internationally,” he said.

Lim, who is also the caucus deputy chairman, made the call in a press conference in Parliament lobby today to highlight the latest case of Mat Rempit assaulting engineering consultant Manjit Sokhai, 43, from Montreal who comes to Malaysia three to four times a year for his work.

Manjit, who was also present at the press conference, said he was driving his four-wheel drive along Jalan Rasah, Seremban, at about 11pm on Saturday when the incident happened without any provocation.

“I was with three friends from India when 40 Mat Rempit on motorcycles beat me and damaged my vehicle by smashing the rear lights, wipers and number plate,” he said.

Manjit, wjo lodged a report the following day with the Seremban police station, said the incident happened when the Mat Rempit blocked his path.

“They did not say anything … they just punched me on the shoulder,” he said, adding that he was scared and worried for his safety.

“How can the government expect to succeed in making Malaysia an investment centre, a tourist haven or an international hub of academic excellence to attract foreign students when the government is incapable of performing its most fundamental duty to ensure the personal safety and security of its citizens and visitors,” said Manjit.

Lim said Mat Rempit have been going on a rampage, causing harm to innocent people and property, and this has become a common an occurrence in the past two months. The list incidents:

• Mat Rempit reacted violently against the police by damaging a police patrol car at the Merdeka celebrations;
• Senior citizen Yusoff Abdullah, 69, was knocked down and killed by a Mat Rempit in Pasir Tumboh, Kota Baru early Sept 8 morning. The Mat Rempit who hit Yusoff, Ahmad Fuad Ariffin, 19 also died on the spot;
• Mohd Fairus Abdul Aziz, 21, a restaurant worker was killed after he fell from his motorcycle on Jalan Tun Razak near the US Embassy where he was surrounded and kicked by five Mat Rempit at about 5.40am on Oct 11. Fairus was about to send his girl friend home after breaking fast when he was surrounded by the Mat Rempit who wanted to take her girl friend away; and
• Wan Asmadi Wan Ahmad, 36, a Road Transport Department Enforcement Unit senior officer was hit by a Mat Rempit in an Ops Sikap XIII operation on Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, Ipoh, at about 10.15pm on Oct 21. He suffered serious head injuries and a broken leg.

Bernama

LAHAD DATU, Oct 24 (Bernama) — A moderate earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale hit eastern Sabah, about 84km south-east of Sandakan and 94km east of Lahad Datu, at 4.34am Wednesday.

A statement from the Meteorological Department said minor tremors were felt in the two towns but no damage was reported.

Lahad Datu deputy police chief DSP Michel Tingkah said he did not realise there was an earthquake and only heard about it from colleagues who felt the tremors.

Another statement from the Meteorological Department in Kuala Lumpur said an earthquake with magnitude 5.8 hit southern Sumatra, about 543km south-west of Melaka, at 3.56am today.

– BERNAMA