HTNet - A Notepad of Tech, Business, Science and Self Improvement

On 11th April 2006, I was conned into making a purchase of things which I would not have bought under normal circumstances. It was the infamous “scratch and win” scam you read quite regularly in the news but with a twist of ingenuity by the scammers. To put it simply, the act they put in pulling up the scam would definitely qualify for an Oscar nomination.

I may be intellectually gifted, but this incident proves to me that I need to study human behavioural patterns more… especially for cases where the person is hell bent on gaining at the expense of a fellow human being. Yes, it has been proven that there are areas for which I need to improve and fast.

The company that pulled the con job on me is called Wijaya Marketing Sdn Bhd. Since that day, getting as many people to find out about this scamming company has become high on my priority list. Furthermore, I will assist fellow victims to get even with Wijaya Marketing through legal means. Hence, the creation of Wijaya Watch.

Wijaya Watch is my online presence to document my fight against the scammers, Wijaya Marketing. I will not rest until this fraudulent company is destroyed along with its founders.

If you’d like to help me in my quest, please link to Wijaya Watch in your blog or web site. I would appreciate every bit of publicity I can get from you.

Thank you.

First and foremost, a simple introduction for HTNet’s non-Malaysian visitors; TM: a monsterous Malaysian GLC, which holds an almost total monopoly on fixed telephone lines and broadband internet access in Malaysian. If you think these guys can’t be good, you’re absolutely right. To put it simply, they’re like Microsoft, minus the innovation and R&D.

Anyway, TM decided to slap a poor guy with a bill for RM806.4 trillion (roughly US$212 trillion)! Unsuprisingly, Yahaya Awab was shocked when he received the bill… it’s just slightly below ten times of Malaysia’s GDP.

I’ve heard about hundreds of tales regarding the incompetence and stupidity of TM, but this one is the best one ever.

At long bloody last…

After accomodating similar charges slapped onto Malaysian vehicles entering Singapore. The Malaysian government has finally decided to return the favour. Mind you, I don’t really know why the Malaysian government took so long to implement this, but as a Johor Bahru citizen, I find that this has been way overdue.

As much as this step is seen as part of the strategy to reduce the burden of fuel subsidies unfairly enjoyed by these foreign vehicles, I for one, feel that this is only the tip of the iceberg. Citizens of Johor Bahru have long suffered the economic disparity of higher than average prices compared to other cities. This is in no small part, thanks to Singaporeans who find the prices of goods here to be “ehhh… so cheap one!”.

Of course, this is not to say I do not appreciate the Singaporeans for spending their oh so powerful investment dollars here. But that is where I draw the line; investments. They can start up as many factories or invest as much as they want in agricultural produce… however, I definitely don’t appreciate them rolling in JB with their SUVs and filling it up with two trolleys full of daily consumables and topping up their fuel guzzlers with subsidised petrol meant for Malaysians on the way back to Singapore.

Ever heard of CMCF? Me neither. That was until I read this article on The Star. Visiting the web site, I found more bits of information:

Designated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), this Forum acts as the mechanism to formulate and implement developed codes of practice for the communications and multimedia industry. The CMCF will uphold these codes, to ensure they serve as a guide for the industry to operate and flourish.

Yay! Yet another insignificant body designated by a peer. When will the government realise that communications and multimedia doesn’t work according to “standards of best practices”. This is a highly innovative industry which thrives on creativity and thinking out of the box.

If the multimedia industry had to go through hoops of codes of conducts recommendations, we’d still be stuck with black and white silent movies, bitmaps as an industry standard in digital imaging and would still be using land lines instead of mobile phones.

Another amusing thing I read from the linked The Star article is that the CMCF has been receiving complaints regarding a broadcasting company doing advertising during the news segments. For those who doesn’t know (especially non-Malaysians), this is referring to the “Advertensi” segment of TV3’s prime time news programme, Bulletin Utama, which usually pimps Petronas‘ goods and services.

And guess how many complaints this CMCF body has received since its establishment in its two year lifespan? Twelve. Which is one complaint every two months on average. I wonder what’s the cost of running this CMCF. Probably not worth a single sen from the way I see it.

This writeup from The Star focuses on two issues (ok, actually it focuses on Dr Lim Keng Yaik talking about these two issues, but what the heck):

• Prepaid SIM card registration
• Pushing ISPs to provide faster Internet access at affordable rates

Basically Dr Lim is miffed that the process of voluntary registration for prepaid mobile services has largely been ignored by the public. This is not strange as people usually want incentives to do something that they’re never used to doing. This is especially true when it comes to registering the prepaid line.

One of the main reasons why people opt to use prepaid mobile services is that it is hassle free. Free from the hassle of receiving and paying bills. And of course, free from the bureaucratic hassle of registration. So, is it strange for people not to give a hoot when asked to register their prepaid lines?

In addition, the reason stated by the government on why it decided to pursue this policy; “to check abuse such as spreading slanderous remarks via SMS”. Doesn’t the government, specifically the Energy,Water & Communication ministry have better things to do other than monitor SMS gossips? Anyone with half a brain knows that this is more a political issue rather than an operational or security one.

As for the faster Internet access issue, I’m in support of this wholeheartedly. What I’m very disappointed with is the fact that the government implements policies that retards the penetration of high quality broadband throughout Malaysia.

For example, giving TM almost total monopoly in the ISP industry is definitely not in line with any serious broadband penetration strategy. Like I’ve mentioned numerous time before, monopolies breed incompetency. To get serious performance you need serious competition. How can we expect TM to perform when its competitors are pseudo-ISPs like Jaring and TIME? Heck, these companies are not even in the same league as TM.

The government should show some degree of credibility in this area by opening up the ISP industry to more proven players, especially from outside of Malaysia. Quit playing the same old tiring ultra-nationalistic “Malaysian interest” card which is getting lame and shows just how out of touch the Malaysian government is with real world economic realities.

Wake up. The world is progressing regardless of how ready “companies which are our national pride” are to face them.