I am Malaysian, and Malaysia is hardly what I'd described as a troubled country. Relative political stability, widely available medical care (save for the remotest regions), good schooling and (at least in my state) a comfortable standard of living. That said, a million Ringgit sounds a little bit much to be spending, and would probably serve better as funding for (as someone else suggested) more permanent facilities.
As for Mahathir (Malaysia's Prime Minister) being racist- I doubt if that's the correct term to be using. Being racist and being suspicious of foreign powers (particularly those with multinational companies whose market value easily outweigh the entire Malaysian stockmarket) aren't quite the same thing.
Don't believe everything you read;)
Powerlines would be a good idea, except much of Borneo isn't connected to the national grid. I believe it is these same remote communities the boat is intended to reach.
Slashdot Mirror
I am Malaysian, and Malaysia is hardly what I'd described as a troubled country. Relative political stability, widely available medical care (save for the remotest regions), good schooling and (at least in my state) a comfortable standard of living. That said, a million Ringgit sounds a little bit much to be spending, and would probably serve better as funding for (as someone else suggested) more permanent facilities. As for Mahathir (Malaysia's Prime Minister) being racist- I doubt if that's the correct term to be using. Being racist and being suspicious of foreign powers (particularly those with multinational companies whose market value easily outweigh the entire Malaysian stockmarket) aren't quite the same thing. Don't believe everything you read ;)
Powerlines would be a good idea, except much of Borneo isn't connected to the national grid. I believe it is these same remote communities the boat is intended to reach.