Keep a fire extinguisher in car

My article in today's The Star Newspaper.


OF late, there have been vehicles catching fire in accidents resulting in death. There is a regulation requiring all public service vehicles to have fire extinguishers but not private vehicles.

I think it is high time that such regulation be applied to all motor vehicles for the benefit of everyone.

At the cost of a few hundred ringgit, the fire extinguisher helps to save lives. Whenever a vehicle catches fire, every other vehicle can chip in if they are equipped with a fire extinguisher. Maybe insurance companies can give rebates on this because it helps to prevent a total loss of the insured vehicle which is on fire, thus saving them a heavy payout for the vehicle. I am sure everyone would be proud to help when a car is on fire.

The cost may be a bit stiff for some owners but it is only a one-time payment and a fire extinguisher has a long life span.

The move could start with all new vehicle registration. Like the first aid kits and hazard triangles, a fire extinguisher should be made compulsory.

K.C. KHOO,
Tg. Bungah, Penang.

Make housing affordable to the poor

My article in the The Star Newspaper on September 13, 2010


HOUSING is becoming out of reach for the majority of our population. The price of houses is being raised higher and higher, and from what I have observed, most new housing schemes are unoccupied, which means they are either bought by foreigners or speculators.

The trend now is to build super condominiums or three-storey houses, which are beyond the reach of ordinary folk. Therefore, we welcome the move by the Government to cap housing loans at 80%, which will result in housing being more affordable to the people.

The move will stabilise house prices andwith lower loans, there will be fewer speculators.

The Government should also implement a by-law for housing schemes above a certain acreage to include a certain percentage of double-storey houses and/or apartments. This cap can indirectly make housing more accessible to the poorer section of our population.

K.C. KHOO,
Tanjong Bungah.

Not a very sporting edge

My article in yesterday's The Star.


Monday July 12, 2010


I THINK the people at the Education Ministry have not done their homework if they want to make sports a compulsory component for those wanting to enter public universities.

This is because each school has a different niche for different sports. If a student is inclined towards a certain sport and his school doesn't offer it, how is he going to shine?

What about the physically impaired, obese, thin and tiny students?

Also, does every school have enough qualified teachers or instructors to cater to different sports?

Unlike uniformed bodies, which a large number of students can participate in, competitive sports cannot handle large numbers.

The teachers or instructors simply cannot cope with individual needs in such sports. Under such circumstances, most of the students will not be able to have qualified guidance.

And how are we going to grade them? Will the champions be the only ones to get full marks? How many champions or top athletes can a school produce?

And how many schools can produce top athletes? Rural schools or those in poorer states would be disadvantaged if the proposal is implemented.

It is therefore not fair to have such a condition when some schools have more qualified teachers or instructors and more money.


KC KHOO, Penang.