Monday 21 July 2008

We just can't do it

We build highways… landslides…
We build bridge… bridges collapse…
We build govt complexes and courts… the roof leaks…
We build condos… condo came tumbling down (remember Highland Towers?)
We put up electric signboards… they break down in a week…
… and the list go on…

What happened above have cost us a lot of money. And if these funds were to be channelled to proper channel, you and I could have been taking buses to work instead of getting stuck in the jam everyday. And yes, maybe some of the above have cost some lives but being the selfish people we are, we don’t really care, don’t we?

Anyway, the news today kind of took the pick. We have mentioned this before and during that time; we weren’t that serious. But with the increase in fuel price and judging by the look of things, there is a possibility that
our beloved country wants to go nuke.

With Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand making plans to have nuclear reactors of their own, I believe our country’s they-have-it-so-we-must-also-have-it mentality is going to jump into the bandwagon. By the way, Singapore has got no plans to go nuke? Wonder why…
For all intends and purposes, this is really something we ought to look at seriously. And I really mean seriously. Going nuclear has got no room for errors and I just think our country does not have the cut to reach error free environment. Heck, I wonder if we can even manage a 20% error rate.

This is not about wasting money, this is not about pride, this is not about providing an alternative energy source. This is about a situation where the boleh-ness culture will send us all to kingdom come, and it ain’t funny!

No matter how much they reassure us, I just don’t think Malaysia has got what it takes to properly manage a nuclear reactor. We, as Malaysians should really think seriously about this and voice out our concerns. We can afford to have water leaking from the roof but not radiation leaking from the nuclear reactor. Worse, when leakages happen, we just sweep everything under the carpet and declare everything is safe.

Our boleh culture just don’t have what it takes!

On hindsight, knowing our competence; we might just spend billions of Ringgit and then end up with an empty factory… who knows?

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

We can't manage a good city planning and decent public transport system, but yea, nuke, no problems!
Get out of there, and fast!

CK said...

tat's y i object to the coal fired power plant in sabah. no way they can manage it.

nuclear? dun even think about it!!!

Unknown said...

What I worry is the frequent of maintenance, as u mentioned in your 1st paragraph, I'm doubtful on it. In other hand, I believe there is another leak hole for 'someone' to make more pocket money.

vincent said...

Now that's really unfair mate.

We have loads of power plants, well designed, well built and well maintained - many of them have reliability comparable, if not beating world class standards.

Then we have oil refineries similarly well designed, well built and well maintained that have no where near the number of fires and accidents that similar refineries in US and Europe have.

We have the largest LNG production facility in the world, right here in Bintulu. Nobody worries that an explosion will literally flatten the whole Bintulu, because hey, LNG doesn't sound as dangerous as nuclear, does it?

While the boleh-ness can be idiotic at times, sometimes we really need to have faith in our engineers and trust our local abilities, because we really are capable of many great things that you just don't happen to read in the news.

That said, you shouldn't trust our corrupt and incompetant politicians to build the nuclear plant.

flaminglambo said...

HAHAHAHAHA!!! Cna't tpye. Lafing toooo hard..

Kamigoroshi said...

I don't usually comment, but I just have to say this.

There is no reason why Malaysia can't build a working nuclear powerplant. For one, it helps us bring BACK Malaysians who have the expertise to handle things like this. It is also part of the infrastructure and if any change must start, it's got to be from the ground up. Like trying to build a biotech industry in Malaysia. It is one of the better ideas.

Whether it can survive bureaucracy however, that is another issue. One that won't mess with the way it works, just how long it would actually take for it to be running.

Come on man, you should know better.

myop101 said...

i guess we need to show to the world what how to come out with the biggest fireworks in history....

Malaysia boleh right?

Anonymous said...

If i'm not wrong, Malaysia's powerplants aren't even fully utilized, something like 1000mw excess...

The last thing we need is powerplants... even the stupid bakun dam is not built. because nobody is going to utilize that power.

bakun's megapower was supposed to be utilized by some mega aluminum processing plant, but now that the aluminum processors have backed out, bakun has been halted.

So why wanna built this powerplant that powerplant? come on! another white elephant! i'm sick of this.

Huei said...

sweep it under the carpet? they just say duno wut gajah tiap tiap bulan pun bocor!

snatch thief..blame women for carrying hand bags
rape..blame women for wearing sexy clothes, and also white school uniform
car accidents..blame the drivers (not because their road are slippery/potholes/missing drain cover)
road blocks..blame oppositions

leaking radiation..because you rakyats didn't give enough money for them to invest! WAHAHHAH

sigh..bulleh. i think your last paragraph is what this whole thing is about!

missironic said...

wow..their dreams are getting bigger and bigger eh...msia boleh, yea? Ok...the boleh-ness in here abit on the rock..betul boleh ke? hahaahaha...

Anonymous said...

"On hindsight, knowing our competence; we might just spend billions of Ringgit and then end up with an empty factory…"

This actually seems to most likely scenario, bro. We'll prolly get as much electricity out of this as we got out of Bakun. :P

Purple~MushRooM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Purple~MushRooM said...

Why do we need a nuclear plant? If there are good reasons, why not? Better than sending money up to space and gain nothing out of that. But I really don't know anything abt this nuclear thingy... not sure why we need it. For protection? Hmm... maybe? Haha!

Jorji said...

story only laa..
10 years later same story they will recycle.

Anonymous said...

wahhhhhhhhhhh... we'll see the bst fireworks before we all die of radiation. no way, if our country is going nuke, is best if they prove to us that they can maintain 'those-they-think-is-not-a-disaster-problem' well enough before they nuke...

sigh.... don't we all love our beloved country???

Anonymous said...

I hope they build it beside the PM's official house so that it can be set to go off when we get fed up with him. Or better yet build it beside Parliament.

Big boys wanna play with nuclear... Pfft... They presently don't know fully utilise or know how to work a lot of the things in the country and they wanna go nuclear...

It sounds like Malaysia may have a Chernobyl case soon esp if they employ Homer Simpson-like ppl to work there.

"Oooo... Big red button! Must press it!"

Anonymous said...

be afraid. be very afraid.

Terra Shield said...

This is really something to think about...

Overall it's kinda creepy.

minishorts said...

Of course it isn't about pride nor about alternative power source. Nuclear isn't an alternative, the way I see it... Where do you suppose we are going to get our source of power come 2020? Biofuel? renewables? to get the amount of power our cities in KL are guzzling you'll need to raze over 100 football fields to allow for solar panels, and even that doesn't guarantee 24 hour supply of power. Here we're talking about rising power demands and the building up of power-guzzling corps like garment and computer factories, and closer to homes, air conditioned rooms where bloggers like you, me and blog-readers like many commentors here use our computers in comfort.

why do we need a power plant? why do you need an airconditioner at night? why do you need computers or the internet? its the same reason. But for some god knows what reason a lot of walking armchair pundits seem to think that power can be plucked out of thin air, or that fuel prices can remain low forever and ever.

Interesting that some people even question whether we are able to operate plants efficiently. Turn on the power, did the lights go on? Oh btw, that's because we have power plants in this country. Did you know that? We have a coal plant, no we have several coal plants this side of Eden, but I think many Malaysians think our power is generated out of thin air, or at least, some of the commentors here believe so.

To the commentor above: You don't want coal plants, and if you say because of the carbon footprint problem, then I can kind of respect that and at least walk into some kind of more intellectual debate with you. But if its because 'they can't do the work', then try saying that to our, say, bank employees, 'I'm not going to put my money in Maybank cos the bank workers don't do a good job.' Low Perception of local governance is no excuse to disallow people, and professionals the opportunity to rise above the occasion.

But if, you're against coal plants because of the carbon footprint problem, then okay. Let's talk. We've got a huge problem with Carbon emissions now (don't know this issue? Go get a date with Wikipedia). Consider all the alternative sources we have now, apart from renewables (why? Because renewables aren't able to supply for huge power demands). You'll realize that every other source we're using now has this problem of carbon emissions. Plus, eh, that DEPLETING resources problem, or don't tell me, you guys didn't know we have a problem with depleting local resources? So that leaves us with the nuclear problem.

Granted, we are living in a time where government perception is at an all time low, but I think its about time the 'we are damn bloody important' rakyat also start to get it into the system, that the government is what it is because we are who we are. It is incompetent because we are incompetent. Half of the comments here seem to demonstrate that anyway.

Until the time when we human beings choose to make that conscious choice to stop consuming so much power, then we literally have no choice. Alternatives? Nuclear isn't an alternative. it is a no choice factor simply because it is the CHEAPEST, and it is the CLEANEST that we are willing to pay for.

and ps. I am not keen on nuclear power either, but I recognize its because I live in the shadow of the chernobyl disaster and I'm damned scared of having simpson like babies. Granted that I work for a power generation company, I think I should know better than most of you, right?

Tsu Lin + + said...

They MUST BE joking right? NO bloody way I am stepping my foot back there if they do.

I agree, we can "live with" water leaks, but nuclear leaks, it is a serious matter... and honestly, someone thinks the braindrain will then return to M'sia? That will be ideal but it will NOT happen.

Anonymous said...

Singapore doesn't even want to think about it. It has to be totally zero error, otherwise one little mistake and all Singaporeans disappear.

H.C. Tan said...

haha u are so right zewt...with our corruption rate so high...tsk tsk..

Anonymous said...

I thought there is a nuclear reactor in cyberjaya.... but dun remember what is it for. But in case of explosion n stuff... this case will be under Serdang GH.

Anonymous said...

I thought there is a nuclear reactor in cyberjaya.... but dun remember what is it for. But in case of explosion n stuff... this case will be under Serdang GH.

Nichol Brooklyn said...

This is just way too ridiculous. Malaysia's gonna go nuke? no way. Malaysia already had records of building collapsing & roof leaking. And nuclear plant is something that involves our own safety.

Speaking of bringing back our own Malaysian's talents and experts from oversea, let's just face the truth - these group of more privileged people 'fled' Boleh Land because there are better opportunities and life oversea. what makes you think that they will come back? so that they can be screwed by boleh land again. NO WAY!!!

This is what might happen. Our government gonna invite the over-priced charging ang mous to design, plan etc to ensure the safety. It's fine. We already did it when we were building the twin towers. But the problem that worries me most is corruption and the lack of responsibility of our own people. And that gonna lead us to a cut in construction cost and human made errors. Hence, we gonna have a problematic nuclear plant.

damn it. why can't Boleh Land just go for solar energy first b4 dreaming it big??

zewt said...

cc - my sentiments exactly!

CK - what's with coal fired power plant?

Kenny Ng - yup... someone somewhere out there is going to laugh their way to the bank.

vincent - fair enough, i must say i am oblivious about the LNG plant in bintulu. but may i know how long this LNG plant has been operational?

flaminglambo - dont lah... OZ very near here in terms of radiation :P

Kamigoroshi - you have a point there. but no matter what, i am still skeptical about it. like i said, it is a zero error environment and no matter how good our talents are... i just dont trust them. sorry.

zewt said...

myop101 - yeah, that will really put us in the world map.

anon @ 22/7 8.40am - i will need to check with my friend in TNB regarding that point... if it is true... then truly, a lot of money will be wasted... again.

huei - all i can say... someone somewhere out there will be making huge money from it.

missironic - this boleh-ness might just send us all to kingdom come.

life for beginners - that will reflect our true nature, isnt it?

zewt said...

purple mushroom - my main concern is the level of maintenance. what have we built that we have successfully maintained?

j or ji - you've got a point there really.

BossCat - hahaha... precisely... learn how to maintain our roads first before talking about nuke. right?

pinknpurplelizard - hahahaha.... that's nasty!!! but yeah, i guess putrajaya will be a nice place to house it.

giddy tigress - nope, we should stop it.

terra shield - yeah... it's really scary. humans should never have invented nuclear.

zewt said...

chooki - that must be one of the longest comment ever :) ... first of all, i dont use air cond in my room :) ... but i guess you're right, we are the sole reason why we need a power plant. by the way, is nuclear the CHEAPEST around? some articles seem to say that the payback period and initial investment will cost a bomb... a nuclear bomb! anyway, what i am most concern is our inability to handle zero error environment. i know we should give our people a chance and all but... i am just too skeptical now to show any confidence. Oh by the way, if it needs 100 football fields... make it 200 then... it's not like we dont have the land.

Tsu Lin - a very dark picture you're painting isnt it? sad but true.

LC Teh - together with some johoreans too!

HC Tan - you should know better... scientist girl...

littlepolaris - so wat about Serdang GH?

nikz - good point on the braindrain problem. i guess it will be mission impossible to woo them back. solar energy... chooki commented above that we need 100 football fields. i think it's not that bad though.

Mummy said...

Fish oil is very good. Some evidences showed benefits, some studies didnt come to any conclusive beneficial evidences. None show any harm, so I would advise taking it. Get a good brand. I am not familiar with the brands in Msia, but I actually prescribe a good dose ie something like 5 capsules /day to patients. Some ppl get very gassy & I hv to warn you or ppl around you actually - the gas ain't nice in its smell.

Did you ever hv a renal biopsy?

No harm at all in seafood. I am a believer in seafood with its rich nutrients, as long as they are cooked well.

Main thing is to watch blood pressure, protein content in urine & get yearly blood check.

missironic said...

yeah..pretty scary then...for no reasons we all being BOOM!

minishorts said...

err the nuclear reactor is in Bangi. hahahha KABOOOM.

The plans go that whoever sells us the converted (sorry, me no nuclear expert) pellets ... will buy back the waste. that's how it goes now.

You may not know this, but this is the third time we're explorign the nuclear option. I think the last time that option popped out was in the late 70s early 80s. Then we discovered Gas, so the then PM said let's all go gas. Now the gas is running out, so no choice lor. Nuclear pop out again. They are bringing back the experts. Many are coming home now.

vincent said...

We have a combined of 3 LNG plants in Bintulu, the first of which is around 25 years old. In engineering terms, 25 is the pretty much the end of the life.

And engineers aren't idiots. It's not to say that a 'single mistake' and things go BOOM.

Disasters are usually a summation of a thousand mistakes. If you read the root cause of the Chernobyl disaster, you will understand that it wasn't because of one single guy.

But that's besides the point.

The point is - have faith in your own abilities. All over the world we have Malaysians excelling in various fields of expertise. Sure, there are Homer Simpsons among us, but lose the inferiority complex, and we can only get better.

zewt said...

Mummy - thanks for the tips, i will certainly keep that in mind. and i guess seafood is good.... good news!

missironic - boom then ok lah... radiation and suffer cancer, that's the worse.

chooki - today i read about the chernobyl thingy... i think i dont mind not using so much electrical appliances. come to think of it... if the one in indo or thailand go kaboom.... we'll die anyway.

vincent - i have faith in the experts... but i dont have faith in the ground ppl carrying the job. given the state of the country... an expert does not necessarily gets the job.

missironic said...

wow..tats true..yo.sounds so scary lo! :(

minishorts said...

ps. it is a fact that the one in vietnam is going to be just 200 km away from Kota Bharu.

SCARY yoh.

zewt said...

missironic - yup.. the nuclear accident in russia, ppl are still feeling the effect.

chooki - yeah... we can only hope and pray.

Anonymous said...

quite an interesting debate here. i just gotta chip in my 2 cents.

Guys, keep in mind that building anuclear power plant needs a long lead time.. no less than 10 years at least from the planning board to the commissioning of the plant.

I fwe do not want a nuclear power plant in our backyard, then do something to save energy.. use less or dont use at all..

we as a responsible rakyat should face this with an open mind. a fair demand that we can make upon the government is to be transparent in this .. request for a info session, debate etc. and discuss this with a level head...

yeah, it is easy to point fingers when things happens but what do we contribute along the line.. we are angry that the police is accepting bribes, but we are the ones who gave when requested... so we have nobody to blame but oursellves...

what has happened can never be changed... be a better rakyat, request for accountability and act like a responsible person for once..do your part, be a responsible and open minded person, lets us togeter build a better malaysia!

KUBS

zewt said...

anon aka KUBS - good point indeed. but looking at the mentality of the ppl here, we are just not prepared to give up our ways of life for a change... it's just reality of things.

Unknown said...

aiyo, LRT breakdown, loose tyre from monorail hit someone, etc, sure end up nuclear meltdown....but now cannot blame samy vellu

zewt said...

see - when nuclear disaster happens, dont think we wanna blame everyone.... no one here to make the blame.