Fuel subsidies sucking blood from Indonesian economy

Businessweek: "In his annual budget announced in August, the president allocated 274.7 trillion rupiah for energy subsidies, compared with 184.4 trillion rupiah for capital spending. The country spent 211.9 trillion rupiah on fuel subsidies in 2012."

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The dirty fossil fuel secret behind Burma's democratic fairytale | Nafeez Ahmed | Environment | guardian.co.uk

The dirty fossil fuel secret behind Burma's democratic fairytale | Nafeez Ahmed | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "New evidence has emerged that the systematic violence against ethnic Rohingya in Burma - "described as genocidal by some experts" - is being actively supported by state agencies. But the violence's links to the country's ambitions to rapidly expand fossil fuel production, at massive cost to local populations and to the environment, have been largely overlooked."

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Malaysia: BN criticized as ineffective on public transport

Free Malaysia Today: "Take, for example, the issue of enhancing public transport. Tearing down buildings to make way for more train stations is not going to solve the problem until and unless the country’s public transport operators start paying respect to time and swear upon punctuality.

Ask any commuter of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) train services to rate the service provided and the reply will only be a sigh for KTM is notoriously lousy when it comes to punctuality.

Is the BN government not aware of the unsatisfactory service given by KTM to the rakyat? If it is, why then was there no improvement from 2008 until the country went into election mode?"

Malaysia - Public transport a huge issue in election

Najib cites improved public transport as reason to vote BN @ Sun Apr 14 2013: "KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Pitching for his first personal mandate, Datuk Seri Najib Razak cited today the "stark" improvement in public transportation by his government as a reason to support Barisan Nasional (BN) in the May 5 polls."

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Indonesia fuel subsidy encourages waste

Subsidized Fuel Use Continues to Soar | The Jakarta Globe: "The energy and mineral resources minister, Jero Wacik, said on Thursday that the monthly consumption of subsidized fuel quota was 6 percent more than the quota set during the January-March period. The minister cited the “wasteful” lifestyle of Indonesians as the main cause. "

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Malaysia election: Motorists looking forward to improved public transportation

Malaysia election: Motorists looking forward to improved public transportation: "PETALING JAYA - Bandar Tun Hussein Onn resident Yunus Muhammad cannot wait for the day when he can take the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to work."

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Malaysia - big promises being made about #publictransit

My Sinchew: "KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- The Barisan Nasional (BN) is committed to providing greater efficiency in public transportation for the people, with plans to expand the Rapid Bus System to every state capital, complete with facilities for the aged and the disabled."

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Malaysia - cars waste our time

A beautiful encounter with a local taxi driver - Malaysiakini: "We say we want peace, we want prosperity, we want a high quality of life. But how can we gain peace when we risk being terrified, risk losing our belongings and even lives for only walking on the road? How can we get prosperity and a high quality of life if the public transport system is so hopeless that everyone has to waste his or her life that could have been spent productively elsewhere than in a traffic jam? "

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Singapore tries to calm capitalist panic over #degrowth

PM: S'pore still pro-business: "Growth, however, will slow as the country goes for qualitative change in restructuring its maturing economy, he added."

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Jakarta, Indonesia, pressure grows on governor to address traffic problems

Get Your Act Together, Jokowi Told | The Jakarta Globe: "He said that many ideas launched by the governor and his deputy, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, had not been followed up, such as the mass rapid transit system and the rejuvenation of public transportation.
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สำนักข่่าวแห่งชาติ : [Thailand] Free public bus & train services to continue for 6 more months

สำนักข่่าวแห่งชาติ: "BANGKOK, 31 March 2013 (NNT) - The mobile Cabinet meeting has decided to extend the free transport service, intended for low-income public, for another six months.

Government Spokesman Tossaporn Serirak said on Sunday the assistance measures, previously scheduled to end in March, will be extended until the end of September instead.

The free service includes public buses and third-class train rides."