Australia has recently been faced with natural disasters of extreme proportions - the flood and cyclone Yasi in Queensland and other states, followed by the Perth bushfires.
Julia Gillard in response to the disasters proposed a flood levy and since then the bill has been tabled. What strikes me as odd is the timing of the flood levy. At the the time when the news on the Queensland floods was unfolding, the Australian Prime Minister made the announcement on the flood levy. It was almost as if, Gillard went to Queensland to assess the structural damage and forgot entirely about the danger to lives and at that critical moment, made a calculation of the cost of repair and spent that time worrying about rebuilding cost. Instead of focusing on rescue efforts. That level of detachment of central government is shocking.
While the country is making a big profit, the super profits tax which was introduced was called off.
Now, when there is a disaster and the extent of the disaster cannot really be measured, it seems odd to impose a flood levy. It is almost as if, the government is looking at the reaction of the general public expressing their concerns over the disaster and decided to bank in on the emotions. A flood levy is very different from calling for a donation from the public. Gillard does not seem to know the difference. Anna Bligh, the Queensland Premier made an appeal for donations. In contrast, Julia Gillard as Prime Minister called for a flood levy.
In developing a fiscal policy, governments should track where the profits are. In Australia, that clearly must be the resources industry where the wealth is. a super profits tax on the resources industry would have been more appropriate because that's where the money is.
Governments should never take advantage of people's emotions. To see the charity in people's hearts and to take that opportunity to impose tax on the emotion must clearly be wrong. Never mistake a tax from a donation. Taxes have this regressive character of cutting across all sectors of the public eventhough those receiving aid is exempted. That kind of exemption is not capable of removing all the regressive character of the tax. Businesses or people who's lives are inadvertently and indirectly affected by the disasters cannot be properly exempted. The sad result is that poorer people end up paying out a bigger percentage of their disposal income for a tax such as this flood levy. This, against a backdrop of rising cost of living, again inadvertently caused by wealth of resources in Australia, must be a double jeopardy for the taxpayers in Australia. I almost cannot recognize what the Labor party typically stands for in Australia.
My concern at the end of the day is that, if Australia, with its sophisticated first world government machinery in place can make such a fiscal disaster, where would a country like Malaysia stand in tackling resource allocation for coping with disasters.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Chinese new year cookies and snacks
The best pineapple tarts I've had this year has to be my cousin, tua moi's in Kuching. Her mini tarts, both pastry and pineapple filling simply melts in the mouth. Never tasted anything quite like it. And she gave me a whole jar to take home. Yum!
My sister, Ping on the other hand baked the best crushed almond cookies. It crumbles entirely and then the taste of the almonds permeates. Best of all, there is hardly any flour for those who are watching their simple carbohydrates. The almonds provides the much needed magnesium, especially during the chinese new year heavy meals. For once, I did not suffer any constipation despite the over eating which I attribute entirely to the almond cookies. Certainly more effective and more tasty compared to the prune juice which I had to resort to.
This year I was also made aware of this lovely chips called ngaku chips made from arrowhead. It looks like big white onion bulbs. The texture is light and the art in the eating is all in the aftertaste. This is another snack that does not contain flour.
And I couldn't stop dipping my hand into the tupperware of barbecued bacon meats. I think my brother bought it from Wing Heong in Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur.
My sister, Ping on the other hand baked the best crushed almond cookies. It crumbles entirely and then the taste of the almonds permeates. Best of all, there is hardly any flour for those who are watching their simple carbohydrates. The almonds provides the much needed magnesium, especially during the chinese new year heavy meals. For once, I did not suffer any constipation despite the over eating which I attribute entirely to the almond cookies. Certainly more effective and more tasty compared to the prune juice which I had to resort to.
This year I was also made aware of this lovely chips called ngaku chips made from arrowhead. It looks like big white onion bulbs. The texture is light and the art in the eating is all in the aftertaste. This is another snack that does not contain flour.
And I couldn't stop dipping my hand into the tupperware of barbecued bacon meats. I think my brother bought it from Wing Heong in Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur.
Kuching my hometown
I could never get tired of going home to Kuching. It is a place that I love and a perfect place to live. A place that I grew up in with memories at every turn of the old roads, from Abell Road to Padungan, from Sarawak Plaza to the General Post Office. Foods that resonate with the soul from kueh chap, laksa and kon lo mee to sunny hill ice cream, open air ice kacang, sio be and bak moi.
Sadly the wet market is gone and in its place is a soul less car park. The image of the wet market superimposes itself on the carpark and I wonder why the old wet market structure could not have been kept even if the place was going to be used as a carpark. Why couldn't old structures be retained even if the functionality needs to change.
Along with change, some things seem to be left unattended. There are more roads in Kuching now. But we can't help but notice that the streets are no longer as clean as they used to be. That sparkling clean air and streets that used to greet us as we land in Kuching from the old messy Kuala Lumpur. Now the opposite presents itself, the effect is felt when we return to Bangsar.
And the Kuching airport which I recall was quite recently built, seems to be age surprisingly quick. The departure hall felt a bit dim and gloomy when a few lights would have brightened up the place. And the toilets are not maintained properly where there is high usage.
Well, we had a wonderful time in Kuching, particularly this trip. Although it is now the landas or monsoon season, the rainy weather made it even more fun to hang out in Kuching. I had almost forgotten how cool the landas season is and to enjoy healthy looking plants every where.
Sadly the wet market is gone and in its place is a soul less car park. The image of the wet market superimposes itself on the carpark and I wonder why the old wet market structure could not have been kept even if the place was going to be used as a carpark. Why couldn't old structures be retained even if the functionality needs to change.
Along with change, some things seem to be left unattended. There are more roads in Kuching now. But we can't help but notice that the streets are no longer as clean as they used to be. That sparkling clean air and streets that used to greet us as we land in Kuching from the old messy Kuala Lumpur. Now the opposite presents itself, the effect is felt when we return to Bangsar.
And the Kuching airport which I recall was quite recently built, seems to be age surprisingly quick. The departure hall felt a bit dim and gloomy when a few lights would have brightened up the place. And the toilets are not maintained properly where there is high usage.
Well, we had a wonderful time in Kuching, particularly this trip. Although it is now the landas or monsoon season, the rainy weather made it even more fun to hang out in Kuching. I had almost forgotten how cool the landas season is and to enjoy healthy looking plants every where.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Queensland flood and cyclone disasters
I have been glued to the tv news channel over the last few weeks following closely the Queensland disasters. The Australia ABC Network on Astro Channel 521 is very good for this.
I think there's a lot to learn about how the Australians handle disasters after the big disappointment on how the Americans handled Katrina. In this case I should say Queenslanders. I found the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh particularly impressive with her regular feedbacks and advice to the residents. Julia Gilliard, the Australian Prime Minister, on the other hand, was sadly unconnected with the issues.
I learnt that the first thing to run out at the supermarkets whether it is a flood or a cyclone is toilet paper. In Malaysia, we don't even keep toilet paper in public toilets on normal days.
In a cyclone, if you can't get out, the Queenslanders advise that you hide in a windowless room on an upper floor with mattresses and some food. And also fill up the bathtub for drinking water. I think these are good tips. If you don't have that, head out to the nearest shopping centre and go to the highest floor. That makes a good evacuation centre. I thought that is true, most shopping malls have no windows and in Malaysia, there're food courts, and supermarkets. Good thinking. But don't park your car at the basement. Most cyclones are followed by thunderstorms and possibly floods.
For a flood, there's no need to hide in a windowless room. Just move to high grounds, and have food supplies. I think it's worthwhile to have a blown up floater or dinghy. Some gumsboots, or Phua Chu Kang boots seems useful too.
In both instances, sandbags seem to be the life saver. Power is always out first.
It's funny how in Malaysia, we hardly have any serious issues with floods or heavy winds eventhough our east coast, sabah and sarawak are regularly affected by monsoon and landas seasons. Maybe it is because our infrastructure is so simple. The older flood prone areas have huge drains and bars by the roadside. It does help when driving in a bad thunderstorm like what hit us in Kuching to keep from driving into the drains. And maybe if you wish to have a resort house close to the river which could flood, it is best to build a house on stilts.
After watching all the commentaries, I learnt that if there is a flood mitigating objective, such as building a dam, like what the Queenslanders did after the 1974 flood, it is best not to lose sight of that objective. A dam seems like a dual edged sword, it can conserve water, provide energy and at the same time, create an unsafe surrounding habitat waiting for a disaster to happen.
I think there's a lot to learn about how the Australians handle disasters after the big disappointment on how the Americans handled Katrina. In this case I should say Queenslanders. I found the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh particularly impressive with her regular feedbacks and advice to the residents. Julia Gilliard, the Australian Prime Minister, on the other hand, was sadly unconnected with the issues.
I learnt that the first thing to run out at the supermarkets whether it is a flood or a cyclone is toilet paper. In Malaysia, we don't even keep toilet paper in public toilets on normal days.
In a cyclone, if you can't get out, the Queenslanders advise that you hide in a windowless room on an upper floor with mattresses and some food. And also fill up the bathtub for drinking water. I think these are good tips. If you don't have that, head out to the nearest shopping centre and go to the highest floor. That makes a good evacuation centre. I thought that is true, most shopping malls have no windows and in Malaysia, there're food courts, and supermarkets. Good thinking. But don't park your car at the basement. Most cyclones are followed by thunderstorms and possibly floods.
For a flood, there's no need to hide in a windowless room. Just move to high grounds, and have food supplies. I think it's worthwhile to have a blown up floater or dinghy. Some gumsboots, or Phua Chu Kang boots seems useful too.
In both instances, sandbags seem to be the life saver. Power is always out first.
It's funny how in Malaysia, we hardly have any serious issues with floods or heavy winds eventhough our east coast, sabah and sarawak are regularly affected by monsoon and landas seasons. Maybe it is because our infrastructure is so simple. The older flood prone areas have huge drains and bars by the roadside. It does help when driving in a bad thunderstorm like what hit us in Kuching to keep from driving into the drains. And maybe if you wish to have a resort house close to the river which could flood, it is best to build a house on stilts.
After watching all the commentaries, I learnt that if there is a flood mitigating objective, such as building a dam, like what the Queenslanders did after the 1974 flood, it is best not to lose sight of that objective. A dam seems like a dual edged sword, it can conserve water, provide energy and at the same time, create an unsafe surrounding habitat waiting for a disaster to happen.
Firefly as an alternative
We took the firefly from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching for chinese new year! It is a good alternative to have from airasia.
We particularly liked the fact that firefly flies out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and not the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). It's nice to use a full fledged airport eventhough it means paying RM35 for airport charges instead of RM9 for LCCT airport charges. The price difference is worth it especially for flying out where there may be waiting time. Furthermore, KLIA also offers the KLIA Express train from and to KL city.
It was also very smart for firefly to make the booking simple. With an additional RM38, there is 20kg check in luggage, a meal and a bottle of water. That pretty much brings it up to the same full service as the Malaysia Airlines (MAS). There's something about a well thought package that makes you feel it is just a click away. Because airasia never offered a package like this, I tend not to apply my mind to it except maybe for international sectors.
Anyway, I asked my highly opinionated 13 year old daughter how she felt about firefly, she said she would still opt for airasia because of airasia's nasi lemak. The firefly one is a tad too spicy. Well, that's true, I found the nasi lemak a bit too spicy. Haha, does it all boil down to the nasi lemak onboard?
We particularly liked the fact that firefly flies out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and not the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). It's nice to use a full fledged airport eventhough it means paying RM35 for airport charges instead of RM9 for LCCT airport charges. The price difference is worth it especially for flying out where there may be waiting time. Furthermore, KLIA also offers the KLIA Express train from and to KL city.
It was also very smart for firefly to make the booking simple. With an additional RM38, there is 20kg check in luggage, a meal and a bottle of water. That pretty much brings it up to the same full service as the Malaysia Airlines (MAS). There's something about a well thought package that makes you feel it is just a click away. Because airasia never offered a package like this, I tend not to apply my mind to it except maybe for international sectors.
Anyway, I asked my highly opinionated 13 year old daughter how she felt about firefly, she said she would still opt for airasia because of airasia's nasi lemak. The firefly one is a tad too spicy. Well, that's true, I found the nasi lemak a bit too spicy. Haha, does it all boil down to the nasi lemak onboard?
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