Life and death in Malaysia

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that he canned the "crooked bridge" project because it was not a "matter of life and death" for the country, according to Singapore's The Sunday Times report on his interview with Cable News Network that was aired yesterday.

"We are very practical about our approach, and the bridge has nothing to do with life and death of Malaysia," he said.

Badawi is correct as no projects are absolutely necessary, or have anything to do with life and death in Malaysia. They include:

1. Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Alternative: People can continue to use the Third-World Subang Airport, which looks more ancient than Low-Cost Terminals in KL or Singapore;

2. North-South Highway. Alternative: People can still use the old accident-prone trunk road network;

3. Penang bridge. Alternative: People can still use the snail-pace ferry service;

4. Monorail and urban rail transportation projects. Alternative: People can still wait for smoky buses and taxi drivers who refuse to use the meter;

5. Petronas Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur City Centre. Alternative: Punters can continue to go to the old turf club on the site and create a massive traffic jam in the heart of the city every weekend;

6. The Smart tunnel to divert torrential flood water in KL. Alternative: People can still enjoy boat rides in the city whenever it rains incessantly;

7. New universities. Alternative: Malaysia can continue to send students overseas on government scholarships that are based on its own definition of merit;

8. Multimedia Super Corridor. Alternative: Malaysians can continue to buy pirated software at pasar malam instead of climbing the technology ladder;

9. New rubbish incinerator for Klang Valley. Alternative: People can continue to burn rubbish in their backyard or simply throw it into rivers;

10. Modern hospitals. Alternative: People can continue to go to Malay Bomohs or Chinese Sinsehs.