The latest announcement by the Malaysian Highway Authority that starting from 1st August 2014, all vehicles going to Singapore will be charged RM6.80 at the CIQ toll to Singapore and RM9.70 at the CIQ toll from Singapore received some mixed reaction by the public.
With the advent of Singapore charging foreign vehicles coming in to Singapore at SGD35 (RM90) from SGD20 (RM52) starting from 1st August 2014 as well (an extra of RM38), Malaysia seemed to reciprocate with a lesser amount of quantum albeit, with a blanket charges on all vehicles.
Obviously leading the way in going against this move are the opposition portals, and unsurprisingly, Pakatan Rakyat’s politicians.
It is quite alarming to see the amount of disinformation coming out from these portals (and those politicians). For one, the toll charged is not for the use of the highway (the Eastern Dispersal Link highway) leading up to the toll, but rather only for vehicles using the CIQ.
All other users using the EDL but are not going to Singapore will not be charged at all. The 8km highway itself is free to Johoreans for them traverse across Johor Bahru. And as the name implies, the highway had greatly dispersed traffic and reduced travelling time for Johoreans in their state capital city.
A quick search on information for the toll led us to http://www.edlconnects.com.my with the FAQs at http://www.edlconnects.com.my/faq.html.
Among other things, out of 220,000 daily vehicles that are currently on the EDL highway, only 60,000 are the CIQ users and out of this 60,000 vehicles 80% of them are Singaporean cars. Meaning, 48,000 vehicles are Singaporeans!
Furthermore, and this is quite pertinent since Malaysians who care about other Malaysians who are working in Singapore, what they need to know is that Malaysians who are working in Singapore receive income from Singapore and pay their taxes to Singapore. As they use our highways without tax representation, surely a meagre amount of toll charges (82% less than what Singapore is charging us) will not cause their employers much loss of income.
And those who ride bikes to Singapore, are not charged at all.
Question now is, will the government be smart enough to counter any negative feedback received from the people going in and out from Singapore?
jebatmustdie 
I have always wondered why the Malaysian Government didn’t do what the Singapore Government did to the so-called news portals that are neither news nor portals but disseminating a lot of disinformation as JMD said. The Minister of Information said upon taking office previously that his Ministry was studying what the Singapore Government did but appeared to have kept quiet after that.
DS Najib has sued Malaysia Kini for defamatory statements published by them. Done after the Singapore PM sued some people there.
Never mind if people say Malaysia often reacts only when Singapore acts. If Najib is not willing to use the Sedition Act, I want to see more of the suing and such done by him and the relevant authorities on the errant “news portals”.
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Very pertinent question, sir – will the government counter any negative feedback received from the people going in and out from Singapore?
I often wonder what the Ministry of Information is doing. Do they simply just let Bernama etc to their own devices, let them plant the answers or find the sources of the Information and merely use them?
Or the jabatan Penerangan Officers – there are so many of them – do they just wait for Government personalities to say something to explain those or don’t they go out and seek those personalities, AND ASK THEM FOR THEIR VIEWS, THEN DISH OUT THEIR ANSWERS FOR BERNAMA etc to write reports and dish out and disseminate?
Any proactive efforts or initiatives at finding the answers to questions rather than just wait until people say something?
BERNAMA themselves should be proactive – the editors should plan, tell their reporters to go out and interview selected people for their views or facts that will answer the questions raised by those affected. Don’t wait for news handouts.
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Hikhikhikhikhik..nak mai tanya.sikit..
Ujud lagi kat Ministry of Information??…
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What are the relevant departments and agencies doing to inform the public on the above? Have they taken sufficient steps to adequately inform the Malaysian public? The keywords must be “adequately inform the Malaysian public”.
Departments and Agencies Under the Ministry of Information:
Department of Information
Department of Broadcasting
Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC)
Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA)
National Archives Department
Malaysian National Film Development Corporation (FINAS)
Telekom Malaysia Berhad
etc, etc
The relevant departments and agencies above must inform. No reason at all why not. BERNAMA, Government-owned Radio and TV especially.
But they must also get the private radio, TV, and other media outlets to inform correctly. If not, what they inform will come to nought and the privately owned mass media “inform the opposite or the slanted kind of info, tweaked, massaged and spun kind of news” that can create havoc on the minds of the Malaysian public. Exploited by ruthless and unprincipled politicians and so-called champions of freedom of all sorts. Resulting in demos, street rallies causing traffic jams and the like.
Don’t they have the power to do so? Under the laws on dissemination of news, etc? If not, don’t they liaise and work with the Ministry of Home Affairs which certainly has the power over the licenses issued to those owners to operate?
Anybody knows?
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It’s Communications and Multimedia Ministry now. They keep changing, don’t they.
The above name and particulars must have been picked up from the official website that existed before 2009.
But the functions and organizations under the Ministry basically remain the same.
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Maybe they should change again, back to Ministry of Information now. Many not understand Communications and Multimedia. Maybe including them in the Ministry.
Want sophisticated but cannot even explain toll charges to rakyat, how.
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I’m losing faith in them.
When they just let the so-called news portals like Malaysia Kini, Malaysian Insider, Malaysia Chronicle, Free Malaysia Today etc come out with vitriol, vituperatives, caustic comments. seditious even subversive remarks against the Establishment that they, the Ministry of Information, represents, that don’t appear to be rebutted in any shape or form, if not “in situ” at least in the Government-owned media, that, after all, are in many shapes and forms, and under so many names.
When it had to be the Prime Minister who had to take action on what Malaysia Kini published, what does it say of the Ministry of Information and the various organizations listed above?
And the PM had to take civil action. Legal suit against defamation. Why can’t there be criminal prosecutions, arrests and charges in court under the Sedition Act etc as often as possible? Even daily?
Aaaah, the PM wants to abolish the Sedition Act. But wouldn’t that embolden the fellows concerned? Would the replacement be as effective as the Sedition Act? Won’t there be more cases of sedition etc under the replacement Act? Can we simply ask people to be harmonious under the proposed Harmony Bill? Or would it not be more likely that they be seditious less often under the spectre of the Sedition Act?
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I fully support Tun Dr Mahathir saying
Time has come to censor Internet: Mahathir
In the latest posting in his blog today, http://chedet.cc, the former prime minister said, “Not knowing the power of the Internet, I had promised that we (speaking as the then-prime minister of Malaysia) would not censor it.
“But today, I have changed my mind…because the players, including those controlling the servers, have been applying their own (brand of) censorship of what can appear in this alternative media.
“I have suffered from such censorship,” he noted.
Dr Mahathir said he had first used the internationally available platform to host his blog. When hundreds of thousands visited the blog, suddenly the platform rejected hosting his blog site.
“I changed the platform but again, it was blocked. I have now changed servers and platforms three times. Still there have been attempts to block my blog,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said the internet had played a major role in undermining public morality.
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I’ve been fed up with Google News always putting more of the anti-Establishment than the pro- or neutral news headings on their News Page. Malaysia Kini. Malaysia Chronicle, Malaysian Insider etc always get on the Google News Page, sometimes a few times each day.
I think Google Malaysia employs many of the anti-Establishment blokes. Where is fairness and justice shown by an international organization speaking for fairness etc? Yet they are making money in or from this country.
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There is already censorship on internet. But you have to report abuse and the portal will inspect and decide if it infringe on copyright laws or downright offensive. That was why Dr M was censored for the statement he made.
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the portal will inspect and decide ? What portal? Which portal?
You implying TDM plagiarising (spelling)? Or downright offensive? You talking thru your nose.
The one offensive is you. I think you are allowed in here only because you provide some fun for readers like me. Fun to whack you.
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The portals that churn out disinformation – block them. If Tun Dr Mahathir complains of the internet servers meddling with his blog 2-3 times, it means that control can be done on them.
The MCMC can get the servers to do so, I think. So, apa the Minister of Comm & MM mau tunggu lagi?
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BERNAMA – “Don’t wait for news handouts.”
Yes, they should go out to meet people who can make news. See any Minister or a relevant big shot, ask them for their views on current issues, and what they say can be news. Print them and distribute.
Know who to interview lah. And what to publish. In such cases the Editors can decide, what. Even those that are said in statements issued by the Ministers’ offices, the Editors can re-cast and prioritize some aspects over others.
Come on, Bernama. Do our job well. You have a big name there – National News Agency.
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But make sure you have reporters and editors good in English and conversant in local and international affairs.
And don’t make grammar or spelling mistakes or miss out words or alphabets like I did in my last sentence up there, hihi. I can afford it, you can’t – subscribers will run away and the average readers will shun your reports.
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Our gomen department has run out of cash for operational expenditure. This is true whther it is the cops, armed forces or the misinformation department. That is why police are reluctant to investigate crimes. Airforce to investigate” ghost planes” etc. No petrol money.
Now to dissect and misinform the public, you need money to buy airtime, news advert, internet advert etc.but all that cash meant foroperation were spent buying airtickets overseas for ‘lawatan sambil kerja’ to various places. Even kedah state department under PAS does this. Its their annual departmental holiday under the guise of work or meetings. No other country I know misappropriate and abuse the people’s money this way. This is one reason why jobs are never properly accomplished.
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Again talking thru your nose. Jay walking, jay talking. No authority, no source of your information. Just your opinion. My opinion is better than yours. And my opinion is: you talking thru your nose.
You don’t talk about Lim Guan Eng taking Penang Exco members on so-called investment mission to Hong Kong but talked bad about Malaysia when there? Talk thru your head la sometimes.
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tempawan, you can be a useful contributor of thoughts and ideas in here if you write with thinking. Give facts, not opinions. Facts are those that have been or can be verified as true, valid and reliable. Opinions are mere rambling, you don’t get people to believe what you say.
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You may give opinions but must be substantiated by facts.
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I am giving facts. Many years working and in business makes you savvy on which company is doing very well and which ones are laggards. And the behaviour of certain gomen officers you will know if its well adminstered or badly managed. Those pro- active ones and dynamic in their work are well managed. Those reluctant to do their jobs are laggards.
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tempawan is a stupid a**hole talking not thru nose. who the f**k care of your opinion? many years konon. should give a slap to your face to remind you that you are still a child amidst in an older body.
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You are being nasty tempawan, eh? Saying “to dissect and misinform the public …” etc
“need money to buy airtime, news advert, internet advert etc”? No need to do so lah, stu. They can use all the government-owned media forms – radio, TV, Bernama etc. But of course you are being sarcastic, aren’t you? Because you have a foot in your mouth maybe?
But good that you say “kedah state department under PAS does this .. annual departmental holiday under the guise of work or meetings.” Can quote just one instance? Give date, which dept, went where etc? Cannot? You bluff only issit?
You don’t know any other country “misappropriate and abuse the people’s money this way”? Never been out of Malaysia? Which cave you live in? Tell lah, so that we can smile instead of sneer at you.
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What I call a tit for tut –
Singapore charging foreign vehicles coming in to Singapore at SGD35 (RM90) from SGD20 (RM52) as well as an extra of RM38, but Malaysia Malaysia charging RM6.80 at the CIQ toll to Singapore and RM9.70 at the CIQ toll from Singapore, where got meaning one?
Re Malaysia’s “blanket charges on all vehicles.”, has anybody worked out estimates on how much total Malaysia would get per year, compared to what Singapore will get?
Malaysians working in Singapore are paid salaries in Singapore dollars, which are 2.5 times Malaysian Ringgit. The charges at the CIQ are a pittance of what they get. They should not complain at all.
Next question is: will the Malaysian gomen be smart enough to work out those estimates of revenue figures and tell the public so?
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I say king tut! I tot you should know better. All the regulars to geylang would know that singapore gomen gives 10 days a year free formalaysian cars to travel into singapore. Plus its free after 5pm any week day and does not affect your 10 free days if you come after that hour. Plus no charges on saturday, sunday and public holidays. Their main purpose is to keep sinkies from buying malaysian registered protons and use it to go to work.
Malaysian edl toll on the other hand charges everyboy who does not use the edl but uses the causeway.
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Sorry, can’t find much to say on the subject any more, most of the arguments and information already provided up there, I find only a need to curse Tengku A Rahman for giving away Singapore to Lee Kuan Yew.
If not for his stupid and even possibly traitorous mistake, we won’t have these irritations from time to time in the past and in the future. I love my country, Malaysia, and I find Tengku’s action abhorring and abominable.
Please don’t blame me for saying so. I have the right to say so. Nations all over the world go to war to protect and defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Yet T A Rahman gave away a prized piece of Malaysia’s territory just by a stroke of the pen.
It’s flabbergasting, it’s utterly ridiculous, unheard of in modern history. I’m totally ashamed.
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Meluat dan bosan saya melihat keadaan tidak adil di sana sini. Di Iraq, di Syria, di Palestin dan berbagai lagi.
Setuju dengan pendapat bahawa keadaan remeh temeh dan menyakitkan hati saperti perkara toll CIQ dll di Johor-Singapore itu tidak akan timbul jika Tengku A Rahman tidak melepaskan Singapura kpd Lee Kuan Yew kerana panas baran nya.
Jangan lah hendak nya ada lagi sesiapa pemimpin Malaysia berbuat begitu. Tiada ma’af bagi sesiapa berbuat begitu, saperti Tengku A Rahman masih lagi di marah, di kutuk dan di maki hingga sekarang, hampir 50 tahun salepas tindakan nya.
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It’s called the CIQ War between Singapore and Malaysia. But to thwart the invasion of Singaporeans into Iskandar and all kinds of development areas in Johore, keep that war going, raise the stakes and increase the pace until breakdown point.
But then maybe the Chingkies from mainland China may start pouring in. With the Sultan of Johore participting in business and partnering with the likes of YTL Francis Yeoh, Johor will be majority Chinese in no time. With so-called liberal but only pseudo-liberal Malays like Najib, Malaysia might become Chinasia one day.
O how I wish for people like Tun Dr Mahathir ruling the country. Put the Little Emperor and the Little Kingdom in their places and get the NEP enhanced, bring back ISA etc and retain the Sedition Act for goodness sake.
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Now i ask you,which person is willing to bear the burden of paying excessive taxes? Most of the layabouts will not feel the pain because you don’t pay anything.
In this EDL case, the people who do not use the road are made to pay for it. That is like asking non muslim tax payers to pay for the construction of mosques. Now it does not have to be this way.our country charges some of the highest car import taxes in thewprld. In fact, its second highest in the world after singapore. And our road tax for high capacity cars are also astronomical. What is the gomen doing with that money since most roads are badly maintained and new highways are privately owned.
Just a few hundred metres away from woodlands embarkation point for ktm trains is the kanji MRT of the north south line. It lies very close to the old ktm track.from kranji station, you can go to changi and to get to any flights in the world by changing trains at woodlands mrt station, or use the north south line to get almost any where in singapore. All we need is some dynamic minister with the rakyats interest in their hearts to discuss immediately with singapore counterpart to build a tram service from woodland ktm to kranji using just a small portion of the old ktm track.maybe 1 km or so.there really is no need for singapore mrt to build an underground to jb.its a waste of money. This small tram connection does not cost so much as there is no need for land acquisition. JB gets its local international airport in changi, so we save billons using sinkie facility.plus everyday can go casino and massage without the worry of a raiding party catching you with your pants down with a chiao bu mei-mei.
Now if the sinkie gomen reciprocate and charge same amount,those innocents trying to survive working in sinki land will suffer. They earn in sinki dollahs but spend their income in RM buying or renting properties in jb, shopping or even taking care of their families locally is already contributing to the economy. Only thing isour gomen do not get directly from them. No we wait for the repercussion. If sinki up their toll as well ( i doubt it as they need our workers) or if sinikies avoid jb because of the charges, which they may regard as a unwelcome gesture,we will know on their merdeka from malaysia oppression and suppression day on the 8th of august. If no traffic, jb retail businesses will drop 10%. That is a huge amount. Same as europe post 2008.
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Aiseh Mister, your analogy is out of order.
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Alamak, accidentally pressed the post comment button there. To continue –
“like asking non muslim tax payers to pay for the construction of mosques”? Whoever does ask?
Now, now, if you imply that Government funds – which are derived from tax – should not be used for the constructions of mosque, you are being seditious there, man.
Do educate yourself that the Constitution Article 3 states that “Islam is the religion of the Federation”. So, in pursuit of that, tax moneys can certainly be used for the construction of mosques.
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Hahaha, I like the words you use there, mate – “the sinkie gomen”, referring to Singapore.
Do come in more often with comments against Sinkies. Anything you say will not be taken against you in any court of law or court of public opinion in here, I assure you. So long as you refer to Singapore as Sinkie gomen, hehe.
Cheers, mate.
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hei kitol! we don’t care what Singaporean want. you come to Malaysia you do the Malaysian way. justify as you want, Singaporean coming to Malaysia must be taxed. and Malaysian working in Singapore must also pay the cut of tax since their income tax is paid to Singapore government. enough with the interest in rakyat BS. getting a new source of income is indeed to gain interest in government that will spill over to the rakyat. I would like to suggest the government to add mandatory deposit say rm300 for every Singaporean who loves to speed and drive recklessly on our roads and highways. Singaporean loves to do this since enforcement of our government is loose compared to their country. I even read somewhere that millions of summons have not being paid by sinkies (referring to your post). if they don’t commit traffic offenses our custom or seconded JPJ officer can then give the deposit back and smile, say thank you, come again. if they commit, then give the remaining balance or charge them more if have then give an even bigger smile, say thank you and come again. if needed can give cheap souvenir from kedai 2 ringgit as a token of goodwill.
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