Divine Intervention at 130 Kph

I should have been stuck by the roadside this morning or in hospital, or worse, dead. But I'm here, at the office on time, typing away my blog entry.

It had nothing to do with my car's licence plate number, which has 54 in it - in Chinese it sounds like "Never Die". Rather, it has everything to do with Allah's mercy.

It all happened so quickly. One moment, I was cruising along the highway calmly at about 130 Kph and, another moment, my car has done a 180-degree turn and facing the wrong way.

It was raining but it wasn't heavy enough to give my ZR-rated tyres much of a problem. However, it was dark. It was so dark that I couldn't tell the difference between the normal road surface and one which had been flooded with water.

Next thing I new, my car had hit a pool of water on the fast lane. Before I knew it, my car hydroplaned so badly that the rear-end swung out to the left, putting my car on a perpendicular slide.

"Ya! Allah," my inner voice screamed. "This is it! The front of my car is going to smash into the concrete divider," I told myself.

God knows, the divider must have been a hair's breadth away from the front of my car, but for some reason my car didn't smash into the divider. Instead, it completed its 180-degree swing and began to coast backwards down the highway.

Quickly, I jammed on the brakes. The anti-brake locking (ABS) system kicked in and, within moments, my car stopped dead in its tracks.

I needed a few seconds to regain my senses, what with the dashboard flashing with all sorts of safety warnings. But seeing that I was in danger of being rammed by oncoming cars, I quickly stopped and restarted my car's engine, and went on my way unscathed.

Realisation dawned on me then that my good fortune was nothing but Allah's mercy. Never mind that the traction control system (TCS) had kicked in; never mind that the Forte I'm driving is a light and nimble car designed by former Audi engineers; for, in an accident, what it all boils down to in the end is whether or not the Almighty determines that it is your time to wreck your car, get maimed or, worse, get killed - or escape unscathed.

"Say, Alhamdulillah!" I told my two boys who had just gotten the shock of their lives. "Allah has saved us," I added.

"And make sure, when we reach the (other) house, we perform solat Subuh (morning prayer)," I said insistently, and my two boys nodded vigorously.

When we got to the house, the three of us checked out the Forte - not a scratch!

Allahu Akbar! (God is Great!)

As I finish writing this, I half expect to be in a dream state - rather than being here, finishing this blog, I could actually be lying unconscious in hospital.

There, I just pinched myself. I'm really here.

Thank you, Allah. Thank you for the mercy you've shown my kids, my dogs (who were also in the car this morning) and me.

Luxury Truck vs Mid Range Car

Ok, enough with the stinking Malaysian politics for now and onto more interesting stuff - cars and trucks.

If you had a choice between a luxury truck and a mid-range car, which would you choose? Truck, yes? Why? Because of luxury? Well, many people would, albeit not most.

You see, for about the price you pay for a mid-range car like a Kia Forte 2.0SX or a Toyota Altis, you can get the kind of luxury you associate with high-end cars like Mazda 6, BMW 5 series and even the VW Passat CC provided you're willing to settle for a luxury truck.

The one I'm referring to in particular is the Nissan Navara. For a truck, the Navara is extremely plush - full leather seats, car-like cabin layout and dashboard, great stereo, the works. For a "commercial vehicle", this is one truck people would buy if they want a luxury car but can't quite afford one.

Although it's a truck, its ride handling feels less like a truck than a car on the road. And its advance chassis and suspension system allows you to go off-roading with confidence.

What's more, for a truck, the Navara can pretty much outrun most cars on the road. That's because it comes with a 2.5L Turbo diesel engine that dishes out 171 BHp, which is far more than what its closest rivals of the same engine capacity can, i.e. Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Hilux and Ford - YUCK! - Ranger. (Sorry, I have to say YUCK each time I mention Ford - YUCK! - because of the bad experience I've had owning a Ford - YUCK! - Focus).

The Navara looks distinguished too, not least because of its humongous size. When you drive this big thing, you can bet others will be wary of crowding your right of way.

At the same time, the fact that it's a truck means that you're going to have to settle for some trade-offs. For one thing, although it's fast, you can't expect it to attack corners like a car - unless you have a death wish. For another, you're going to have to be very careful when parking in building basements, especially small and tight ones, lest you leave paint marks on walls and dents and scratches all over your Navara.

Me? Although I can't help but admire the Navara for its looks, luxury feel and engine power, I'd still settle for a mid-range car. Let's just say, I still prefer the feel and looks of a car (my Kia Forte in particular) over a beautiful truck like the Navara.

Vote-Buying in Sabah by PR Reaches a New High

When most Malaysians were celebrating Malaysia's nationhood and unity on Malaysia Day, PR politicians were preaching something else. As can be seen from the screen capture of the Borneo Post's website, these PR politicians promised Sabahans full autonomy, whereby "Sabah affairs will be determined by Sabah."

It begs the question, why should Sabah get special treatment? Why not give other states that are relatively resource rich the same offer? And why make such an offer on Malaysia Day, the day when Sabahans made the conscious decision to join the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia?

Anwar Ibrahim says, it is "a demand that Malaysians in Sabah have relentlessly been making since gaining independence 47 years ago in 1963." (see http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=68357)

A clever play of words, considering that those opposed to joining Malaysia without Sabah being given full autonomy back then were indeed Malaysians, but not the many more Malaysians who formed the majority, who were indeed happy for Sabah to join Malaysia as a federate state.

Whatever the case for or against Sabah being given more attention in terms of development funding, Anwar's full-autonomy rhetoric stinks of vote-buying. Such a promise does not address how Sabah is to handle its own affairs, especially how it intends to finance those affairs.

Worse, if successful, Sabah's full-autonomy lays the precedent for other resource rich states like Sarawak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang to press for full autonomy as well, leaving other, less resource-rich states, especially Kedah and Perlis in a lurch.

This is indeed why Malaysia has not been formed as a nation of confederate states. Resources are to be pooled for mutual benefit, the success or failure of that endeavour in certain states notwithstanding.

At a time when the Federal Government needs to work harder to transform Malaysia into a high income nation, PR appears to be working hard towards the disintegration of Malaysia as we know it, with little or no regard for ensuring that Malaysia as a whole breaks out of the middle income trap.

And it is for this very reason, among many other reasons, that I will cast a protest vote against PR in Selangor in the coming general elections.

Happy Malaysia Day, Everyone

When I was growing up, Malaysia Day used to be a low key affair.

Well, whatever the political niceties of that time, let us celebrate Malaysia Day as much as we celebrate Merdeka Day. Both days are important milestones in Malaysia's nationhood journey.

And at least for these two days, let us put our political differences aside and celebrate as one nation.

Happy Malaysia Day, everyone.

Know Your History to Avoid Blabbling Like an Idiot

That's Tunku, riding in a British colonial (now classic) car in Melaka in preparation for Malaya's independence back in 1957. If not for the all-round support from the people of Malaya, including the Chinese, Indians and other races, Malaysia would not exist today.

We wouldn't be producing our own cars today if the races in Malaya didn't come together to secure independence from the British Empire. And our forefathers decided that the Constitution of Malaya would be the foundation for our independent existence.

Yet, today, there are people who malign the Federal Constitution without understanding the historical context in which the constitution was founded, stoking the fires of racial intolerance, hatred and disunity. Among others, they question the special rights and privileges of the Malays, conveniently forgetting that, if not for those rights and privileges being enshrined in the Federal Constitution, Malaya would not have achieved independence in the first place.

As Prof Emeritus Dr Khoo Kay Kim remarked, "‎The reason why there are groups questioning the rights and privileges of the Malays is because the society of today is blind about history."

Prof Khoo explained that, "When the British came to Malaya, they found that there were already Malay governments in several parts of the peninsula, and the British recognised these governments. These governments took care of a large number of people (the Malays).

"For the British, these people had their special rights. But those who came to and lived in Malaya were not subjects of the rulers and, therefore, did not enjoy the same rights enjoyed by the Malays."

He added that the non-Malays in the peninsula at the time were not citizens or subjects of the king, saying they only had the opportunity to apply for citizenship when the Federation of Malaya was formed on 1 February 1948.

When the British planned the formation of the Malay Federation as a nation state, it was an extension of what already existed then, and by 1957, the Federal Constitution was formulated, incorporating the prevailing arrangement at that time.

The people, especially those of other races, should therefore respect the rights and privileges of the Malays as enshrined in the constitution because, when it was first formulated, the various races had already agreed to what needed to be incorporated in it, he said.

Of course, there are people who disagree, and quite surprisingly, among them is Lembah Pantai MP Nurrul Izzah Anwar, who wrote in The Malaysian Insider news portal that the idea of Malay rights as advocated by the right-wing group, Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) was "a mere ideological and philosophical construct" not rooted in the constitution.

The basis of Nurrul Izzah's argument is that, according to the Reid Commission, which drafted the constitution, "Article 153 was intended as a temporary preference to seek racial parity, subject to be reviewed after 15 years by parliament as to its continued need."

With all due respect, regardless of what Perkasa says or believes in, when rights and privileges are stipulated in the Federal Constitution by virtue of Article 153, then they are indeed rooted or enshrined in the Constitution and not a mere ideological and philosophical construct. There is no such thing as a "halfway house", which Nurrul Izzah appears to be suggesting with her pseudo-legal argument.

Even first year law students know this, in that the special rights and privileges are either there or not there in the Federal Constitution, and not somewhere in-between.

Furthermore, as Prof Dr Zainal Kling points out, "the Reid Report contained only recommendations, which have been amended by the White Paper on the Malayan Constitution, published in London."

(see "Special Rights Cannot Be Erased Unless the Malays Agree to it", BERNAMA, 7 Sept 2010).

In short, Nurrul Izzah appears to be babbling like an idiot.

Now is not the time to question the special rights and privileges of the Malays, especially when the situation of economic disparity among the races remains a thorny issue. Politicians should know better than to do this.

For those who are not politicians, beware of self-serving politicians on both sides of the divide (right or left) who are simply out to gain popularity and votes. They offer only short-term gains and pies in the sky. Don't let these idiots drive a wedge between races and religions in their quest for power.

Instead of focusing on nation building, especially poverty eradication, they go and stir up a hornets' nest. In the end, everyone pays the price for their stupidity.

We are in this nation for the long-haul, people. Know Malaysia's history, your history. Make sure your children know Malaysia's history, so that they won't be easily duped by self-serving politicians and their ignorant rabble-rousing followers.

Yes, PETRONAS has a Sense of Humour

This year's PETRONAS Raya ad is no tear jerker. Breaking away from the formula used in previous PETRONAS adverts, this year's Raya ad is hilarious bordering on irreverent, whilst carrying an important social message - give and take.

I love how the male actor in the ad sounds a lot like and even looks a little like the late Tan Sri P Ramlee. And the whole retro setting is classic!

At the same time, the give and take message can be applied to other social considerations, including driving carefully and considerately on the road.

I love this ad. I think it's the best ad since the passing of the late Yasmin Ahmad.

And yes, PETRONAS has a sense of humour.

Zoom, Zooming with the New Mazda 6

The new Mazda 6 is not a new car, at least not in terms of launch date. Be that as it may, it's still one of the best looking non-Continental executive saloons in the Malaysian market.

With its Kinetic design approach, the Mazda 6 quickly outshone the Toyota Camry's straight-line, less curvaceous design. Of course, Toyota Camry lovers disagree, but as we can see, the Kinetic design is so compelling that Hyundai has adopted it as a strategy to capture market share from Toyota using its newly designed Sonata.

Hyundai does nothing special to hide its copycat strategy, simply calling its design approach "It flows" (which is another way of describing 'kinetic'). And as a result, many a reviewer have hailed the new Sonata as being better looking than the Camry - and some have hailed it as being better than the Mazda 6 (e.g. Cars, Bikes & Trucks).

Anyway, having owned a Mazda 6 for several months now, I dare say, the car not only looks great, it feels great too. It has a commanding presence on the road, but not too much that every other racer boy or wannabe racer feels compelled to race with it.

That is to say, while it looks sporty, its not a sports car; not like how the previous Mazda 6 was set up to be.

You see, the previous Mazda 6 appeared to have been designed as a sports car first and then tuned down to be a family saloon. As a result, the suspension and handling still had a lot of hard characteristics that you'd find in a sports car - which was why some have described the old Mazda 6 as a sports car trying very hard to be a family saloon.

The new Mazda 6 is more of a luxury saloon, but not of the sort you'd expect to cater to old people. Staying true to Mazda's "Zoom zoom" approach to designing cars, the Mazda 6 feels less like a sports car but still responds well when you need to put peddle-to-the-metal.

The Mazda 6 in Malaysia comes in two variants - 2.5L with 18-inch rims and 2.0L with 16-inch rims, at RM175,000+ and RM150,000+ respectively. The prices are a bit steep for most people, but if you can afford them, I say both variants are worth the price you pay.

This is especially so because you get quality comparable to German marquees like VW, Mercedes, BMW and Audi, but without paying as much. And that is simply great if you share in my belief that you should always get the best value from the money you spend on cars.

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Addendum: Notice that I didn't mention the new Honda Accord. Well, that's because I don't think it's a very good car. Its expensive and tries hard to be in the Camry-Sonata-Mazda 6 league, but doesn't quite make the cut.

The new Honda Accord's seemingly random design approach makes the car hideous (especially the bulbous headlights) and anything but sleek. It's 2.4L engine is under-powered, such that a car far less expensive and less powerful like the Kia Forte 2.0SX can out-accelerate it, which doesn't bode well for the 2.0L version of the Accord.

Perhaps the only major thing the Accord has that's worth considering is the Honda badge.

The quicker the next variant of the Honda Accord comes out, the better.