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Najib faces second rally threat
Seksualiti Merdeka shows PAS kowtowing to ‘Anwarinas’, says Utusan
Quality of English still ‘an issue”
No need to renominate EPF beneficiaries, workers told
Pro-BM group wants PPSMI scrapped immediately
Greek parties ignore appeal for rapid compromise
AirAsia denies gain from subsidies for rural service

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 05:08 PM PDT

By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak is now facing the threat of a second major street protest if electoral reforms are not implemented before the polls, an outcome that could derail his plans to regain a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) and Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) threatened the prime minister yesterday with a protest ala Bersih 2.0's July 9 rally if polls are called before reforms are implemented.

Several Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers expressed their support today for the proposal and vowed to hold Najib to his promises.

They said the prime minister must allow the parliamentary select committee (PSC) he had formed to complete its six-month probe into the country's election process and implement its reform recommendations before calling the 13th general election.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar told The Malaysia Insider today that PKR will lend its support to another such protest if there is a need for it.

"I believe the rakyat are awaiting the proof of the pie from the pledges of reform made by the PM on September 14 this year.

"Hence, at the bare minimum, the GE (general election) must be held post PSC for work on and implementation of much needed electoral reforms, some of which can immediately be implemented (such as the) use of indelible ink, automatic voter registration and longer campaigning period," she said via SMS.

"Since these issues remain relevant to Bersih 2.0's struggle, then there's much necessity to have a third wave," Nurul Izzah added.

Najib and his reformist image suffered in the wake of strong condemnation from the international media when his administration ordered a widespread clampdown on Bersih 2.0's July 9 protest.

The election watchdog had rallied thousands to the streets of the capital in a march for free and fair elections, an event said to have strengthened the country's civil society movement significantly.

Najib mooted the formation of the PSC shortly after the July 9 protest this year, Bersih 2.0's second, promising to look into Bersih 2.0's demands.

The PSC will, however, be dissolved along with Parliament if polls are called before its six-month probe is completed.

The move, along with the subsequent decision to repeal the Internal Security Act, relax security and press laws and promise increased civil liberties, was seen as the administration's attempt to recoup its losses after a backlash from July 9.

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 03:24 PM PDT

By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — PAS will continue to stand idly by as Islam is attacked so long as the party stays under the thumb of pro-Anwar leaders and DAP, Mingguan Malaysia said today.

The Umno-owned newspaper said PAS's silence in the face of Seksualiti Merdeka, a gay rights festival, showed the Islamist party was more worried about protecting its political masters than safeguarding Islam.

"Until now, PAS has not yet stated its official position on the programme that promotes free sex. What we have are just the reactions of certain individual leaders," its editors said in the Awang Selamat column.

"In two other issues that challenged the interests of Islam, the Jais (Selangor Islamic Religious Authorities) examination of a church and the anti-apostasy rally, PAS too was quiet as it chose to look after DAP's interests."

Mingguan Malaysia said PAS has never kowtowed to other parties' demands but said this would be par for the course if PAS remained controlled by "Anwarinas", or supporters of Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

It singled out PAS leaders Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Mohamad Sabu for inspiring the organisers of Seksualiti Merdeka "to do whatever they want" by showing support for the banned Bersih rally for electoral reform held in July.

"However ... Muslims still place hope on the rational faction within the party. They include Dr Hasan Ali, Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi and Nik Abduh. Mustafa Ali, Harun Din, Harun Taib, Nasharudin Mat Isa and Azizan Razak can also be trusted.

"They, along with other members and supporters, still place the importance of Islam above political trickery and private agendas," the paper said.

The Malay-language daily also warned that Seksualiti Merdeka would legitimise the practice of unnatural sex, the spread of which has gone unnoticed, if allowed to take place.

It said this would lead to many more gay parades in Malaysia, and thanked those who protested against the festival for making their objections heard.

Mingguan Malaysia added that it was not enough that the police had banned the festival and urged authorities to charge the organisers under existing laws.

It warned that Seksualiti Merdeka would threaten faith, the Constitution, culture and the institution of the family, and remained a threat that needed to be monitored closely by the authorities.

READ MORE HERE.

Quality of English still ‘an issue”

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:42 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Malaysia is on par or ahead of some of the regional countries in terms of investment in education.

However, the quality of its undergraduates in having a good command of English, still remains an issue.

Marie Aimee Tourres, a senior research fellow at the Department of Development Studies, Universiti Malaya, said it was crucial for graduates to have a good command of English to ensure they would be able to compete effectively, in the global job market.

Nevertheless, "in terms of education spending, Malaysia is comparable to some countries in the region based on the percentage spent over its gross domestic product (GDP) growth," she told Bernama in an interview here.

She said Malaysia was actually spending more vis-à-vis other countries.

In the 2012 Budget, RM13.6 billion was allocated to the social sector, including education and training, health, welfare, housing and community development.

Tourres said there was also a lot of focus given for training and re-training for graduates, which was important to continuously upgrade skilled and knowledge workers in the country.

However, the quality of undergraduates remains an issue in Malaysia, since the students find it difficult to grasp the English language.

"Language is definitely an issue," she said, citing a recent publication by the World Bank entitled , "The Road to Academic Excellence", which was a study on what contributes to a world-class research university.

The study compared Universiti Malaya (UM) and National University of Singapore (NUS) in a chapter entitled "The National University of Singapore and the University of Malaya: Common Roots and Different Paths".

In the report, it was stated that as NUS kept pace with the demands of a growing economy that sought to become competitive internationally, with English continuing as the language of instruction and research, UM began to focus inward as proficiency in English declined in favour of the national language.

The publication, which is based on a study conducted by two scholars, Philip Altbach and Jamil Salmi, also stated that because UM taught courses predominantly in the national language, it had much more limited internationalisation of programme, academic staff and student body.

International standard

"This generation will have to face international standard and competition in terms of job market, as part of globalisation," said Tourres.

She cited Pakistan as an example, where she gives lectures.

"In Pakistan, although the people speak different dialects, next to the Urdu language, their English is better than our graduates," she pointed out.

It made them more marketable in the competitive global environment, she noted.

"The immediate result of their English capacity is that you can find many Pakistanis who work for international organisations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund," said Tourres.

She believed that even if Malaysia gave more focus in English, the national language and culture could still prosper, provided that teaching was made interesting.

"More English in school will not deter Malay, Indian and Chinese culture per se. We should not mix the issue of a command of good language and the preservation of national heritage," she said.

As for the distribution of the book voucher worth RM200 to all Malaysian students in public and private local institutions of higher learning, matriculation as well as Form 6 students nationwide, she believed that it should be monitored to ensure that it served the purpose.

This assistance is expected to benefit 1.3 million students with an allocation of RM260 million.

"That is a lot of money. Probably, it could have been done based on meritocracy to ensure that it is properly utilised," said Tourres, pointing out that there were risks of students re-selling the voucher, especially when the new targeted generation lacked the reading habit and preferred to go online to search for their study materials.

No need to renominate EPF beneficiaries, workers told

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:39 PM PDT

(The Star) - The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has debunked talk that contributors must renominate their beneficiaries once they reach their retirement age.

They only needed to do so if they had made Age 55 withdrawals before Feb 1, 2008, said EPF public relations general manager Nik Affendi Jaafar.

(On Feb 1, 2008, the EPF made it compulsory for those who continue to work after 55 to remain contributing until the maximum age of 75 at a revised rate of 5.5% for employees' contribution.)

A chain email has been circulating, in which the writer claimed that a sister-in-law had to go through the legal process to claim the funds left by her husband after he passed away at the age of 60.

The writer said: "EPF did not allow her to withdraw even though she was the sole beneficiary.

"According to EPF, one has to rename their beneficiaries at the age of 55, making all previous nominations void."

Nik Affendi explained that the case was only true if members had made Age 55 withdrawals before Feb 1, 2008.

"Therefore if a member were to continue to contribute to the EPF, he would need to make a new nomination. However for EPF members who have made Age 55 Withdrawals after Feb 1, 2008, their nominations remain valid until a new nomination is made," he said.

This also applies to members who are 55 years old but have not made the said withdrawal.

Age 55 Withdrawals refer to EPF members who took out their savings upon reaching 55.

The money, which could be withdrawn either in a lump sum or partially, is meant to provide financial support during their retirement period.

Pro-BM group wants PPSMI scrapped immediately

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:30 PM PDT

By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — PPSMI (the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in English) remains abolished but a Bahasa Malaysia lobby group here is demanding Putrajaya discontinue the policy immediately instead of gradually phasing it out.

Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP) insisted that the government's continuance would indicate it is "not serious" with its plan to revert to using Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction for the two subjects.

Its chairman Prof Dr Shaharir Mohd Zain pointed out that under Putrajaya's decision on Friday, PPSMI would only be completely phased out in nine years, during which time the government could still change its mind.

"The government should follow the same strategy of implementing PPSMI ... otherwise it will send many wrong signals and indicate the government is not serious or fully committed.

"I think it is unfortunate that he (Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) is doing something different from what most people expected him to do," the senior research fellow at Universiti Malaya (UM) told The Malaysian Insider.

He said it would take too long for the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia to be fully implemented and urged the government to make the switch immediately.

Muhyiddin, who is also the deputy prime minister, announced on Friday that while PPSMI remains abolished, the government would allow those already studying under the programme to continue until they have completed their secondary school education.

Stressing that this does not mean the administration was backpeddling on its 2009 decision to scrap the policy, Muhyiddin had reasoned that the move would bring "relief" to many parents who have been lobbying for PPSMI.

He explained the decision meant that students between Year Three and Form Five next year would be allowed the option of learning science and mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia, English or both languages, as allowed under PPSMI, until they complete their primary and secondary education.

RAED MORE HERE.

Greek parties ignore appeal for rapid compromise

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:25 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Greece's ruling socialists and opposition conservatives offered rival plans for saving the nation from bankruptcy and safeguarding its euro zone membership, ignoring an appeal from the president to cooperate now on tackling the mess.

For Prime Minister George Papandreou, only a coalition government ruling for at least several months can set Greece on the road to national salvation and secure a financial lifeline from international lenders before the money runs out.

But the conservative opposition flatly rejected the idea, offering its competing vision of snap elections -- and demanding Papandreou's resignation after two years of grappling with economic, political and social crisis.

All this disregarded an appeal by President Karolos Papoulias for the opposing sides of Greek politics to overcome their differences and get to work solving a crisis which risks wrecking international faith in the entire euro project.

"Consensus is the one and only way," Papoulias told the prime minister when he went to the presidential palace to launch his drive for a coalition government.

At immediate stake is the fate of Greece's 130 billion euro bailout, agreed by euro zone leaders to keep Athens afloat, and restore confidence on global financial markets that the euro zone nations can handle a crisis that could afflict much bigger economies such as Italy and Spain.

NOT GOOD AT COMPROMISE

On Sunday the president will meet Antonis Samaras, who heads the conservative New Democracy party, as he tries to nudge the party politicians into something they are not good at -- compromise.

Papandreou's socialist cabinet is due to meet informally also on Sunday, as his PASOK party searches for support among the smaller parties, with Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos playing a leading role.

Only a week ago the bailout deal seemed in the bag, but then Papandreou dropped a bombshell by announcing he would hold a referendum on the package -- which demands yet another wave of austerity be imposed on the long-suffering Greek population.

With the deal threatening to unravel, Germany and France told Papandreou that Greece would receive not one cent more in aid unless it fulfilled its side of the bargain.

Papandreou retreated on the referendum, but only after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Greece must make up its mind whether it wanted to stay in the euro or not.

A CHASTENED PAPANDREOU

Chastened, Papandreou was forced to signal that he was willing to stand down. He himself raised the specter of Greece's future in the euro.

"My aim is to immediately create a government of cooperation," he said at the presidential palace. "A lack of consensus would worry our European partners over our country's will to stay in the euro zone."

Here he hit a raw nerve. Greeks have fought tooth and nail against the spending cuts and tax rises demanded by their international lenders in the euro zone and IMF, with some protests turning violent on the streets of Athens.

But there is also a widespread fear that Greece might be forced out of the euro and will have to go it alone with a revived national currency.

"Europeans don't trust us anymore, they will throw us out," said Tassos Pagonis, a 48-year-old Athens taxi driver. "I hope we don't return to the drachma."

The opposition showed little sign of giving ground.

"We ask for a short-term transitional government in order to restore a sense of stability and then the country goes to the polls," said Samaras. "We did not seek a role in this government, only that Mr. Papandreou, who has become dangerous for the country, resigns."

Opinion polls suggested Greeks favor Papandreou's model of a longer-serving unity government.

One survey commissioned by Proto Thema newspaper showed 52 percent of the public back the idea of a national unity government while 36 percent wanted snap elections. Another poll commissioned by Ethnos newspaper put support for the rival ideas at 45 percent and 41.7 percent respectively.

A government source said Papandreou's deputy, Finance Minister Venizelos, was already negotiating behind the scenes to win support from the smaller parties for a government that Venizelos himself wants to lead.

"Venizelos is having contacts with party leaders to secure their agreement," said a government official who requested anonymity.

In snubbing Papandreou, who survived a parliamentary confidence vote in the early hours of Saturday, Samaras acknowledged the leading role being played by Venizelos in the maneuvering for power.

"Whenever we try to find a way out, the Papandreou-Venizelos government invents new obstacles to block it," he complained.

AirAsia denies gain from subsidies for rural service

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 11:04 AM PDT

By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Aviation tycoon Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has denied his AirAsia benefited from the RM249 million in federal subsidies paid to its Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) for rural flights four years ago.

Putrajaya said it paid the amount when FAX operated the Rural Air Services (RAS) — flights to rural communities in East Malaysia — between August 2006 and September 2007, after which the service was handed back to flag carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS)

"Fly Asian Xpress was the sole operator of the Rural Air Services and not AirAsia Berhad. AirAsia Berhad did not receive any financial benefit arising from the RAS operations," the AirAsia boss said in a blog post yesterday.

"Although the shareholders of FAX were similar to AirAsia Berhad, they ended up losing almost RM5 million of shareholder capital, because the wind-up costs of FAX, including retrenchment payments, were not covered by the government subsidy."

Fernandes said when RAS was operated by MAS and subsequently MASwings, both carriers similarly incurred significant operating costs, which were also subsidies by the government.

Deputy Transport Minister Jelaing Mersat told Parliament on Thursday that Putrajaya paid RM249 million to AirAsia to subsidise its rural flights to Sabah and Sarawak.

He also said that MASwings needed less than half the amount of subsidy when it took over the routes from the no-frills carrier's unit subsidiary FAX in October 2007.

"MASwings only needed less than half the subsidy as it is more organised and uses newer aircraft which cost less to maintain," Jelaing had said.

But Fernandes explained the higher subsidy bill was due to an "abnormally high" number of overhauls and repairs needed for aircraft it inherited from MAS in 2006.

He pointed out that FAX had paid RM48 million in maintenance costs at market rates to MAS Engineering, rather than at cost as had been offered to the national carrier previously.

"With MAS as the only licensed engineering provider, no supplier competition was available to extract better rates," he said.

FAX also paid RM72 million to a third-party for additional maintenance not provided by MAS as the national carrier had been slow to respond to requests and had wanted to charge higher rates.

On top of that, FAX paid RM25 million for ground handling and other services by MAS; RM16 million on loan spares from MAS; RM9 million for pilot secondments from MAS between August 2006 and March 2007; and footed a write-down on spares worth RM9 million.

"Finally, another contributing factor in the difference in subsidy claims is the higher global fuel price versus prior years under MAS: RM10 million," Fernandes said.

"MASWings benefited from the amount spent by FAX because 80 per cent of the amount spent would not have to be incurred in the 12 months after MASWings took over," he added.

The return of RAS routes to MAS after just 14 months had raised concerns of whether it would affect the national carrier's turnaround plans under then-chief executive Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

READ MORE HERE.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Ahad, 6 November 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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