just minishorts.

Me feeling bitchy.

No accident that I'm feeling bitchy on world earth day. No I'm not going to the KL Freeze event because we're going to visit some friends and celebrate world earth day. Some of my colleagues said they will be there though so if you see some people walking around in shirts saying 'Save the firefly' or some blue-janitor-like uniform with a TNB logo on them, you know why they're there… (unless of course there's a sudden blackout…)

If you read the papers in the last few days, The Star specifically, you would have seen the full page advertisements on page 5 or 7 of the tabloid sized daily by YTL community, promoting their efforts in responding towards the call for environmental conservation. YTL Climate Change Week, and hey, it's a full-coloured ad you know, telling people to don't waste paper, don't use so much energy, telling us about some fully sponsored movie program at some swanky place (like how YTL events always are, swanky, classy, EXPENSIVE).

several version of the advertisements came out in consecutive days, how many I Can't be sure, I didn't bother to count how many, it stinks too much of hypocrisy. I mean Full Page Advertisements in the country's best selling English Daily cost over RM20 k each, plus production costs, and they're talking about Climate Change? PUHLEESE.

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It is no secret that YTL was one of the very first companies who was awarded the highly controversial closed door negotiations that is now known to us as the curse of the Independant Power Producers. Thanks to YTL Power, the company has moved by leaps and bounds, and our friend, who proclaims to be God fearing, nature loving, Malaysian citizen has just recently indicated to the government that they should seriously think about speeding up the negotiations to allow it to build that RM10 billion two-hour fast-train link to Singapore (which we don't need).

The YTL Community page has an article about how the Fast Rail Link is good for economy. Whose economy, one wonders?

YTL thinks that by spending millions of dollars to promote that they are concerned about the climate, the people can be misnomered into believing that YTL really really loves the environment. However the people as a whole are NOT this stupid. We know (or at least, by this time you should you know), that if YTL were willing to budge on the IPP negotiations, YTL could perhaps make a bigger difference for the environment, the country and subsequently the poorer people of this nation, without having to organize expensive and swanky climate change dialogues at The Ritz Carlton to have people in expensive Armani Jackets walk in and drink from plastic mineral water bottles, all pretending to give a shit about the environment.

If YTL really wants to make a difference, why not for a start, lead a renegotiation on the IPPs. Why not YTL generate just enough power as required for this country and not contribute to the current surplus of 40% (that TNB has trouble bringing to Klang Valley that runs on low power margines)? Why not YTL consider letting go even of the highly profitable Power Purchase Agreement that is highly responsible to the phenomenal and rather recent boost in its corporation profitability?

For the unasuming, the PPA that YTL was accorded in October 1994 is expected to last 21 years. There is another seven more years to expiry. All IPPs have a fuel pass-through clause where they could pass all the cost increase to TNB while you can't assure TNB won't pass the cost to you consumers.

Unless of course the government allows the utility giant to increase its tariff so that its consumers can absorb the high capacity charges.

So if indeed the government approves for the next round of tariff hikes, remember tariff hikes will not be necessary if companies like Malakoff, Genting Sanyen AND YTL be proactive and think about us the poor folks, and be open to an IPP renegotiation to help TNB ease its rising operation costs.

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Some people say that it is because I am working for Tenaga that my opinions are pro-TNB. 'Why save a corporate giant that is bent on sucking the money out of Malaysians?'

I fear that people do not understand the importance of keeping the providers for electricity a vertically integrated organization for as long as we can. In countries like Australia and Britain where power has been turned into a profit making business, the people have to deal with the absorption of rising fuel prices into the tariff prices, and it is extremely expensive to have power in countries like that. As long as TNB remains vertically integrated, expensive costs of operation from the businesses of distributing and transmitting power can be balanced through the profits gained from the generation business, and when the unit cost of electricity is evened out through the all three components of generation, transmission and distribution, price of electricity can be kept affordable.

Right now, Tenaga is paying atrocious amounts to the IPPs (including our great environment loving corporate giants at YTL) for whatever power they produce. In the last financial year alone payouts to IPPs came up to over RM 900 million ringgit, a spending than can be minimised should the IPP renegotiations actually continue with a humble understanding and realization that this country cannot afford to keep enriching the rich. Such as the Yeohs.

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I'm singling out YTL of course because its not Malakoff who's doing the expensive RM20k per page colour advertisements in The Star, and neither is it Genting Sanyen who's doing some gathering of pretentious tree-huggers at the swanky Ritz Carlton hotel to discuss climate change (some more they charge RM300 per pax). It is YTL.

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It is also no coincidence that three years ago when I was still visiting the megachurch Full Gospel Assembly, a speaker representative from YTL who shared his testimony of how being faithful to the Lord and worshipping at FGA had led him to believe that it is through true faith that great people (such as Tan Sri Francis Yeoh) are blessed. I recalled clearly the senior manager at YTL's testimony, telling of the day that they had won the award from the government to build the IPP power station. I remember him saying, 'Tan Sri Francis Yeoh fell on his knees and thank the great God Jesus for the blessings that God had bestowed upon him.'

While I must admire this tycoon for remembering to praise God and thank God in his successes, I also felt that the testimony sounded strangely unChristian. Jesus, my Lord, did not come to tell us to believe in him to be blessed. We are called, as Christians to be like Christ, so that we can bless other people.

Going back to fundamentals, When YTL won the IPP award, did he bless the rest of us?

To me, the corporation's prides in Starhill Gallery, the YTL Platinum club, the six star hotels in Pangkor Laut Resort, Cameron Highlands Resort and of course the famed Spa Heritage relaxation centres are not akin to blessing the rest of us. None of the normal minions who still have to work very hard to enjoy the next movie at GSC (preferably on Wednesday nights) can hardly afford one night's stay at the exclusively expensive Pangkor Laut Resort.

I was sick to the gut when someone from YTL told me once, that among the more christian circles in the company, YTL is also known as Yahweh The Lord.

Of course our friend the Tan Sri wastes no opportunity to praise Jesus and give public testimonies about how God has blessed him.

Y. Bhg Tan Sri, but I'm sure God has been blessing you richly, but what about you, have you taken to become a true salt and light of the world?

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How controversial have I been in this post? I have taken three years to deliberate on the content. Today, I've decided its time to end this silence. This blog post is a personal opinion and does not represent the views of my employers.